After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

Saturday, at the library, Su Nian was reading a book.

More than half a month has passed since the start of the school year, and she and Lin have only met a handful of times.

During military training, the law school and the public administration school were quite far apart, and so many people wore the same camouflage uniforms, so they all looked the same from a distance.

She hadn't deliberately sought him out; only occasionally, when the crowd dispersed after exercises, a figure in the crowd would make her pause for a moment, but the person would quickly disappear into camouflage, and she couldn't tell if it was him or not.

I didn't see him much during military training, and I haven't seen him since.

The law school and the public administration school are located in two separate areas, a 20-minute walk apart. Although there are public dining halls, there are many of them, so the chances of bumping into each other are very small.

Su Nian's university life was not much different from high school. Her law classes were packed, and she had to read dozens of pages of case law every week. She had a fixed spot in the library and stayed there until closing time every day.

As her social circles gradually took shape, she adapted quickly, managing her studies, social life, and daily routine in an orderly manner.

Lin has simply disappeared from her daily life.

As October approached and the temperature gradually dropped, a message came through my phone; it was from Lin Ye's mother.

"Niannian, are you there? Your aunt wants to talk to you about something."

Su Nian replied, "Yes, Aunt."

The phone rang quickly, and Su Nian went outside.

"Niannian, have you been busy with your studies lately?"

"No, I'm not busy. Is there anything I can help you with, Auntie?"

"It's like this, you know Lin Ye, he's always been a worry since he was little. Now that he's a gamer, his dad and I don't understand these things, we don't know what he'll be doing at school or what he'll encounter. With his personality, when we ask him, he just says 'um,' 'it's okay,' 'it's nothing.' It's like I'm interrogating a criminal when I talk to him on the phone."

"It's because of that incident involving Lin Yao from his uncle's family a while ago. Sigh, I haven't been able to see him lately, and I'm not really at ease. I don't know what he'll become. There are also a lot of messy things going on out there, like guilds and organizations. I'm afraid he'll be led astray."

"You're in the same school. Your aunt isn't asking you to watch over him every day, but just to keep an eye on him to see if he's staying at school properly and if he's making any inappropriate friends. You're a sensible child, and your aunt trusts you."

Su Nian replied, "Okay, Auntie, I understand."

"Thank you for your help, Nian Nian."

Su Nian hung up the phone and stood there for a while. She didn't really know how to see it, since the two of them had completely different lives at school.

Moreover, given Lin Ye's personality, even if she did go and "see," she might not be able to see anything.

She messaged Lin Ye: "Are you free now?"

"have."

"Meet me at the artificial lake in half an hour."

As autumn deepens, the willows around the artificial lake are still green, but their color has faded considerably, and the branches bend in one direction whenever the wind blows.

When Su Nian arrived, Lin was already sitting on a bench by the lake.

I hadn't seen him for almost a month, and he hadn't changed much; he was still the same.

"Your mom called me," Su Nian said after sitting down.

"What did you say?"

"Let me help you check if you're staying at school properly."

Lin didn't react much, seemingly unsurprised.

She also said she was afraid you would be led astray.

"Who could lead me astray?"

Su Nian turned to look at him. His expression was indeed nothing to worry about, exactly the same as before. He didn't seem like someone who would be led astray, or even someone who would stray in any direction.

"I'm leaving." She prepared to go.

Lin glanced at the sky; it was already evening. He asked, "Have you eaten?"

"not yet."

"It's my treat."

Su Nian thought for a moment, stood up, and took a few steps toward the cafeteria: "Let's go."

Lin immediately stood up and stopped them, saying, "Let's go eat outside."

She looked at Lin Ye with a puzzled expression: "The cafeteria isn't an option?"

"I don't really want to go to the cafeteria lately."

Su Nian didn't delve into it and followed Lin Ye toward the school gate.

There is an alley 200 meters outside the school gate. It is inconspicuous during the day, but stalls are set up in the evening.

The vendors selling kebabs, stir-fried noodles, and pancakes had their light bulbs pulled low, and the smoke and aromas mingled together.

Lin walked ahead, clearly having been here more than once.

Su Nian's gaze swept over the stalls on both sides. She didn't usually eat these; the food in the cafeteria was already oily enough, and she couldn't imagine how hygienic the roadside stalls were.

Lin also stopped in front of the potsticker stall. The stall was small, with an iron plate on the gas stove, and the owner was a woman in her forties.

Two servings of potstickers.

"Okay."

Lin also brought over two plastic stools. Su Nian looked at the stool surfaces and saw that they were stained with oil.

She stood still.

Lin also handed over a few tissues, and Su Nian wiped the seat before sitting down.

Soon the potstickers were ready, six in each serving, and placed in front of the two people.

Su Nian picked up a disposable chopstick, took a bite, and the juice burned her tongue, causing her to frown.

"hot."

"It's fresh out of the pot, be careful."

She blew on it, took a small bite to open a corner, let the heat out, and then ate it.

The taste was better than she expected; the crust was crispy and the filling was substantial, with pork mixed with shepherd's purse, and the seasoning was on the salty side but not too strong.

After finishing their meal, the two walked out along the alley.

At the alley entrance, there was an old man selling roasted sweet potatoes from a cart. The charcoal fire inside the iron pot was kept low, and the sweet potato skins were roasted until wrinkled, with caramel-colored juice seeping out from the cracks.

The air was filled with a fragrance.

Lin noticed it too and walked over to the cart: "Want one?"

"Need not."

The old man was already picking them out; he chose the big ones, wrapped in brown paper.

Lin paid for the sweet potato and handed it to Su Nian.

Su Nian broke the sweet potato in half and handed it back to Lin Ye naturally.

Lin paused for a moment, then muttered something.

"You're a good person, I won't take you out for barbecue next time."

"Um?"

Su Nian didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing."

The two walked side by side, each holding half a sweet potato.

The streetlights at the school gate were already on, their orange glow casting long shadows on the ground.

Su Nian lowered her head and took a bite. It was very sweet, almost cloyingly sweet.

"So sweet."

"His family has always been like this; it must be a red-hearted variety."

Su Nian took another bite, her cheeks puffed out, and covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

As you enter the school gate, more and more people arrive; some are leaving evening self-study, others are taking a stroll, and streetlights illuminate the area one after another.

When they reached the fork in the road, Su Nian put the last bite into her mouth. Her fingers were covered in the sugar stains from the sweet potato, which she wiped off with a tissue.

"Let's go back," Lin said.

"Don't always eat at roadside stalls next time, it's unhealthy." The streetlight cast her shadow on the ground, and the wind blew a few strands of hair around her ear.

"understood."

Su Nian turned back, her figure gradually disappearing into the distance.

the other side.

Someone went to the cafeteria in the evening and waited for more than an hour but Lin Ye did not appear.

For a while after that, Lin didn't see her again, as if she had vanished into thin air.