On a Stormy Night, the Campus Belle Knocked on My Door Seeking Shelter
Chapter 24: He Remembered

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: He Remembered

In the same house, but in different rooms, different people were having very different dreams.

"Why are you crying again?" It was the same park, and the same little boy.

The same familiar handkerchief, the same gentle wipe.

"I..." the little girl said, sobbing. "One of my... my parents is... is going to leave me. Waaaah..."

"Don’t cry. I thought it was something serious." The little boy immediately and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes again. "Both of my parents left me, and I didn’t even cry."

"Huh!?"

Hearing the little boy’s words, the little girl really did stop crying. She looked at him with a face full of surprise and astonishment.

She never would have imagined that the little boy before her could be so strong.

She was already heartbroken that one of her parents was leaving, but both of his had left.

’Could he really not be sad?’

No, that wasn’t it. He wasn’t *not* sad, he was just forcing a smile in front of others.

Suddenly, the little girl wasn’t sad for herself anymore. She pulled the boy into a hug, patting his back and trying to comfort him in return.

"What are you doing?" It seemed to be the first time a girl had ever hugged him. He suddenly became a little shy, his face flushing bright red as he bashfully struggled out of the embrace.

"If your parents left, what do you do?" the little girl asked, looking curiously at his blushing face.

"I live with my grandpa and grandma for now. It’s just... sometimes I can’t help but miss them," the little boy answered earnestly.

"Then what do you do when you miss them?"

"I call them! You can see them if you make a video call." The little boy smiled. "My grandpa and grandma told me that grown-ups have it really tough, too. We’re big kids now, so we have to be understanding and considerate. They’ll come back once they’re done with their business."

Listening to the little boy’s deliberately mature words, the little girl was still a bit bewildered.

Because it seemed like her parents were separating and wouldn’t be coming back.

She didn’t understand why the little boy’s parents could leave and still come back, but she more or less got the gist of it.

The meaning of "parents leaving" was probably different for the two of them.

"My friend said that after my parents leave, they’ll find new mommies and daddies and have new families, and then they won’t want me anymore. I’m so scared." The little girl’s face was full of worry, her eyes brimming with tears. She rephrased it in a way the little boy might understand better, to distinguish her situation from his.

The little boy took out his handkerchief and gently wiped her tears again. Then, with a sunny smile, he took her hand and said, "Then you can come to my house! My house is pretty big. I secretly heard my mom and dad say they wanted a daughter. We can be a family! If you come to our house, they’ll definitely be really happy."

Children speak without reservation; normally, you wouldn’t console someone like that.

But when the little girl heard his words, she didn’t feel any resistance at all. Instead, a warm wave surged through her heart, and tears once again streamed from her eyes. This time, she wasn’t crying from sadness...

Suddenly, her parents separating didn’t seem so scary anymore.

Even if her parents really didn’t consider her family anymore, it turned out there was still a place for her in this world.

In that moment, the little girl seared the little boy’s face and name into her heart, determined never to forget them as long as she lived.

"Thank you..." the little girl said to him one last time before turning to leave. After that, the little boy never saw her in the park again.

But at the spot where they used to meet, the little girl left a note filled with her gratitude. She waited all day for the little boy, but he never came. In the end, she could only place the note under a small rock at their usual meeting spot, hoping he would eventually see it. Whether he ever did, she didn’t know...

Back in that same park, Su Yuqing stood silently to the side, watching the scene of her younger self placing the note under the rock and leaving. Unseen by the girl in the dream, she realized at some point her own eyes had filled with tears.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... The sound of a soft rap on the door echoed. The scenery of the park suddenly began to dissolve. In a daze, Su Yuqing’s eyes opened. Wiping the corner of her eye, she was surprised to find it wet with tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed.

"Yuqing, are you awake?"

A gentle voice came from outside the door. Su Yuqing quickly replied, "I’m awake."

"Breakfast is ready. Get up and come eat."

"Okay..."

After answering Chen Mo, Su Yuqing couldn’t help but feel a little baffled. ’Why would I suddenly dream about that time?’

...

In the dining room, Chen Mo had made congee for breakfast with red dates, red beans, pearl barley, and lily bulb. He’d noticed Su Yuqing looked pale and thought she could use something nourishing.

The side dishes included some meat, eggs, broccoli, and carrots.

It was all quite nutritious and healthy.

Watching Su Yuqing sip her congee like a little kitten afraid of the heat, Chen Mo found her so adorable and endearing that he couldn’t help but stare, completely captivated.

Without even looking up, Su Yuqing’s face flushed slightly. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I just realized you remind me of someone," Chen Mo said, his gaze shifting upward as he recalled a memory.

"Who?" Su Yuqing asked, her curiosity piqued.

"A little girl I met when I was very young. We played together for less than half a month, I think, and then she suddenly moved away. I think you look a lot like her," Chen Mo said, studying Su Yuqing’s features closely.

"She didn’t say goodbye to you?" A thrill went through Su Yuqing’s heart. ’He remembers.’

The moment she first saw Chen Mo again, she had identified him as the little boy from all those years ago.

But Chen Mo seemed to have completely forgotten her, which had once made her very dejected.

Because the moment she met Chen Mo again in middle school, her heart had been filled with excitement and emotion.

She couldn’t believe fate had brought them together again.

But when she tried to talk to him, she found that he had no reaction to her at all. Even when he heard her name, his expression didn’t change in the slightest.

That had devastated her at the time.

This experience she treasured and refused to forget had apparently been long forgotten in his world.

But regardless, she held on to the feelings from back then, hoping to forge an emotional connection with Chen Mo once more. Of course, her initial goal was simply for them to become friends again, just ordinary friends.

And now, today, to suddenly hear Chen Mo bring it up himself... she was completely taken aback. ’If Chen Mo remembers that little girl, why didn’t he react to me at all? A girl can change a lot as she grows up, but isn’t my name the same?’

[Author’s Note]: We’re finally going premium! The next update will be at midnight. I hope you’ll all continue to follow the story closely starting tomorrow. Your readership is incredibly important to me. Thank you all so, so much!