Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

He understands finance, industry, and technical details. He even shares a surprisingly compatible lifestyle and dreams with her, and possesses foresight that transcends immediate interests.

Dinner took more than an hour to eat without me even realizing it.

The food on the plate gradually dwindled, and the tea was refilled again and again.

Lin Miaomiao felt a wonderful sense of comfort; time seemed to be compressed by some pleasant emotion and passed by quickly.

Talking with him is free from the burden of social obligations and the pressure to express opinions; it's more like a natural collision and flow of thoughts and interests, making every minute fulfilling and enjoyable.

When it came time to pay, Lin Miaomiao deftly took out her wallet, her eyes resolute: "I promised to treat you, don't try to take it from me."

Jiang Haoran smiled, avoiding any unnecessary arguing, and simply accepted the offer with a clear expectation: "Okay, I'll listen to you this time. Then... I'll treat next time."

"Okay, next time." Lin Miaomiao smiled, a bright smile. Those two simple words tacitly sealed their promise for the future.

As I stepped out of the restaurant, night had completely fallen.

One by one, the streetlights lit up, casting warm yellow halos in the humid air.

The tall plane trees lining both sides of the road swayed gently in the evening breeze, making a rustling sound.

A gentle evening breeze caressed my face, warm and cool, carrying the fresh scent of earth and new growth, soothing and refreshing.

The two of them naturally walked side by side, slowly making their way back to school along the same path they had come from.

Along the road, there were groups of students, some engaged in lively discussions about their research topics, some couples strolling hand in hand, and others carrying backpacks, hurrying out of the study room or laboratory.

As they walked, their shadows were lengthened and shortened by the streetlights, and a subtle and harmonious atmosphere quietly permeated between them, somewhat like... the most common "strolling" on campus.

Lin Miaomiao suddenly felt that the road, which usually seemed quite long, seemed much shorter tonight.

Before I could even savor the feeling of walking side by side, the familiar dormitory building came into view, much faster than usual.

She stopped in front of the building and turned to face Jiang Haoran.

The light shining from the building entrance illuminated her face, clearly reflecting the lingering smile in her eyes and a faint trace of reluctance that even she herself was unaware of.

"Today," she paused, her voice softer than usual, "thank you for your help, and thank you... for having dinner and chatting with me. I'm very happy."

"Me too." Jiang Haoran looked at her, his gaze gentle. "It's always a pleasure to eat and chat with good friends."

He spoke the words "good friend" in a calm tone, which not only defined the present moment but also left ample room for the future.

Lin Miaomiao nodded and hummed in agreement. "Then... I'll go upstairs."

Goodnight, Miaomiao.

Goodnight, Jiang Haoran.

She waved, turned, pushed open the glass door, and went inside. Her ponytail swayed gently behind her shoulder with her movement, tracing a youthful arc.

The glass door slowly closed, swallowing her figure in the light and shadow of the dormitory lobby.

Jiang Haoran did not leave immediately.

He stood alone under the streetlamp, the orange-yellow light enveloping him. The image of her blushing slightly with surprise at the mention of "autumn" and "diving" at the dinner table was vividly before his eyes.

In their past lives, it took them several years to get closer to each other and share these deeply hidden dreams.

In this life, however, the gears of fate seem to be turning a little faster.

He took a deep breath of the cool night air.

In this life, his path is clearer. He will climb to the top of his career, and he will hold onto the precious warmth and understanding around him, leaving no regrets.

When Lin Miaomiao returned to the dormitory, her roommates had not yet come back.

She didn't turn on the light immediately, but instead slowly walked to the window, using the faint light diffused from the city outside.

She gently parted the curtains and looked down. Just then, she saw that familiar figure still standing under the streetlight. He looked up and seemed to glance in the direction of her dormitory building, although he couldn't possibly see her clearly in the darkness, nor did he know which floor she was on.

Then he turned around, walked away with steady steps, and his figure gradually blended into the shadows of the trees and the night on the campus path until he could no longer be seen.

She drew the curtains and leaned against the cool wall.

In the darkness, all the conversations and details of the evening began to replay clearly in her mind.

His astonishing chemistry when ordering food, his insightful observations beyond his years when discussing the industry, and the uncanny coincidences that resonated with him when mentioning dreams…

The calm and focused demeanor when speaking, the unconscious little movements of the fingers when thinking, the sincere gaze when listening... all of these intertwine to create an incredibly strong feeling.

It was an indescribable, deep-seated sense of familiarity.

It was as if they weren't classmates who had only known each other for a few months and met only a handful of times, but rather people who had known each other for a very, very long time, long enough to easily understand each other's unspoken meanings and to have such a tacit understanding that they could comprehend each other's preferences and convictions without needing any explanation.

She grew up in an environment that was both prestigious and stressful.

Her father was a self-made entrepreneur with a strong desire for control and high expectations for his business; her mother was a rigorous academic university professor who never relaxed her demands for her to excel in both character and academics.

She had long been accustomed to solving problems independently, to controlling her emotions, and to maintaining a proper distance from others.

The men around her either felt discouraged by her slightly aloof temperament, which stemmed from her strict upbringing and personal abilities, as well as her obvious "rich second generation" label, making her seem unapproachable; or they approached her with various explicit or implicit motives, which annoyed her.

She had never met anyone like Jiang Haoran.

He communicated with her so equally and naturally, not only keeping up with her in the areas she liked and was good at, but also offering very insightful perspectives; he listened attentively to her sharing of the trivialities and troubles in the laboratory, and his responses were always full of understanding and encouragement.

Even more incredible is that they share such a perfect, almost jigsaw puzzle-like understanding in terms of food preferences, interests, and even their deepest, unspoken dreams.

That hazy, unique feeling, in the darkness and silence, in the softest corner of her heart, quietly but firmly sprouted, like a seed awakened by warmth and rain, quietly budding out its tender shoot.

Outside the window, the city lights still shone brightly, like an inverted galaxy, telling countless parallel stories and dreams.

She knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, the work in the laboratory would continue, and Jiang Haoran's career would also continue to develop.

They will continue on their own paths, focused and hardworking, moving firmly toward their goals.

She began to believe that the moment of their meeting was not a distant possibility, but rather a foreshadowing planted by fate, something worth looking forward to.