I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Little Fish: "Ah Ye, you...you're coming to Haicheng?"

JY: "Yeah, I came to visit you. What's wrong? Aren't you happy?"

Little Fish: "How could that be! When are you coming? I'll get ready!"

JY: "I'm leaving in three days. I'll spend two days with my parents first, and then come to see you on the last day."

Little Fish: "Okay, I got it. Well... I'll go book a restaurant. No, how about we go to Disneyland? I can buy tickets! Haven't you been there before? I heard it's a lot of fun."

JY: "No, I want to go to your house."

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by a message: "Why do you want to come to my house?"

JY: "I'd like to see your living environment. I heard the Song family is a wealthy family. I've never seen what kind of houses wealthy families live in..."

Little Fish: "...Ah Ye, my house...isn't fun."

JY: "I don't care."

He acted like a younger brother who was being unreasonable to his older sister.

But Xu Zhiyu was happy to indulge him: "Alright then."

"I'm waiting for you."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Three days later, the plane landed at Haicheng Pudong Airport.

In July, Haicheng was sweltering with heat.

The air was filled with a modern atmosphere that was different from that of Jiangcheng.

Jiang Ye, carrying a backpack, led the way.

Hao Mei was wearing a sun hat and was holding Jiang Cheng's arm.

The three of them boarded the airport bus and headed straight for the city center. The whole family was in a good mood along the way.

This was their first time traveling as a family.

Over the next two days, Jiang Ye accompanied his parents to visit all the famous tourist attractions in Haicheng.

The observation deck of the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Bund's collection of international architecture, the neon lights of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street...

Hao Mei bought two silk scarves, and Jiang Cheng bought a set of purple clay teaware, a specialty of Haicheng.

Jiang Ye took Hao Mei's newly bought digital camera and acted as the photographer throughout the entire process.

In his previous life, he worked as a real estate agent in Haicheng and was used to these kinds of things, so he focused intently on taking pictures of his mother the whole way.

His photography skills are also quite good; he has tricky angles and clean, neat compositions.

Hao Mei couldn't stop smiling every time she saw the photos on the screen.

Jiang Ye felt good seeing his parents so happy.

In his previous life, he wasn't very successful. Although he didn't cause them much trouble, there were very few things that truly made them happy and proud.

In my memory, my mother had never laughed so happily.

Two days later, Jiang Ye told Hao Mei that he was going to find Xu Zhiyu.

Hao Mei had actually guessed it long ago.

No one understands her son better than she does. When Jiang Ye suggested coming to Haicheng, his main purpose was none other than to find Xu Zhiyu.

She was actually worried too, and her worries were no different from Jiang Cheng's.

But as a mother, she believed more in her son and in the child Zhiyu.

Therefore, she did not intend to stop Jiang Ye from going to find Xu Zhiyu.

She thought for a moment and said to Jiang Ye, "Okay, go ahead. Tell Yu Yu for me. Also, keep your phone close to you and call us before five o'clock. Mom and Dad will pick you up and take you back to the hotel, understand?"

Jiang Ye responded to each of them.

The morning of the third day.

Jiang Ye changed into a clean white cotton T-shirt, a pair of slightly faded blue jeans, and a pair of Warrior sneakers.

He was clean and clear-headed, exuding youthful energy.

Now twelve years old, he has begun to develop, and in the past two years he has grown to nearly 1.6 meters tall. He certainly can't compare to some girls his age, but among boys his age, he is considered tall.

Moreover, his years of martial arts training have given him a physique that doesn't feel flabby like other boys his age; he stands very steadily and is full of energy.

With an upright posture, straight shoulders, and a good-looking face that scores a perfect 70, he stands out in a crowd.

After all, a 70 out of 100 in looks is already considered the level of a second or third-tier male celebrity.

"What are you dawdling for? You're going to see a friend, not go for a job interview."

Hao Mei peeked at Jiang Ye, smiled and urged him on, while fiddling with her silk scarf.

Jiang Ye casually grabbed a backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Mom, I call it being conscious of my image."

"Indeed, that's the Song family, a powerful and wealthy family."

Jiang Cheng interrupted from the side.

"Even though we're just an ordinary family, we shouldn't lose face or look pathetic."

"Dad, don't worry."

Jiang Ye turned around and waved to him.

"I'm not trying to climb the social ladder. It's just a friendly visit. Don't overthink it."

After saying goodbye to his parents, Jiang Ye left the hotel.

Summers in Haicheng are even hotter and more humid than in Jiangcheng. He looked up at the weather.

cloudy day.

Perfect, it's cooler than yesterday.

Then, he opened his phone's map app and confirmed the route according to the location Xu Zhiyu had given him the day before.

Take a bus, then transfer to the subway, and then take another suburban line.

They attracted a lot of attention along the way.

Two hours later, Jiang Ye stood in front of the gate of Haicheng's famous western suburbs, a wealthy area.

Tall plane trees line both sides of the road, and sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the asphalt.

The wrought iron gate, which is more than ten meters wide, was tightly closed.

Two uniformed security guards stood in the guard booth, walkie-talkies hanging from their waists, their eyes alert.

All the vehicles coming in and out were luxury cars.

It certainly has a lot of style.

Jiang Ye had never been to a place like this in his previous life. Perhaps in the past, he would have been a little nervous and uneasy.

But now, with billions of dollars in assets in his hands, he felt confident, and that slight nervousness vanished with a gentle tremor.

Jiang Ye walked to the guard post.

"Hello, I'm here to see someone."

He spoke politely.

The security guard glanced at Jiang Ye's attire and spoke in a businesslike tone.

"This is a private residential area. Visitors need to register with the property owner in advance. Do you have an appointment?"

"My name is Jiang Ye, and I'm Xu Zhiyu's friend."

The security guard glanced at the booklet and confirmed Jiang Ye's identity.

After saying something over the walkie-talkie, he was put inside.

The wrought iron gate, over ten meters wide, slowly closed behind me with a soft "click," shutting out the hustle and bustle of the street outside into another world.

The entire villa area was eerily quiet, with only the tireless chirping of cicadas and the soft thud of my Feiyue sneakers on the asphalt.

The security guard in the booth handed him a simple internal map, and his attitude was much more polite than before.

Jiang Ye didn't care; he looked around at his surroundings.

This place is definitely top-notch.

What comes into view is a wide asphalt road, and the roadside trees on both sides are no longer the plane trees outside, but ancient-looking Podocarpus macrophyllus, interspersed with a few tall ginkgo trees.

These trees have clearly been carefully pruned by professional gardeners, and each one has a graceful and spirited posture.

Jiang Ye was a salesman in his previous life, so he knows all about these things.

Just those two rows of trees at the entrance are not something that ordinary wealthy people can afford, not to mention the landscaping maintenance costs, which are comparable to those of a top-tier park. The money spent on them in a year is enough for an average family to work hard for a lifetime.

Xu Zhiyu's home is in Villa No. 3, which is marked on the map. It takes about five or six minutes to walk up the gentle slope in front of you.

Jiang Ye looked at the road ahead and was about to walk when a person appeared at the end of the road.

He has excellent eyesight and recognized the man at a glance.

It is Xu Zhiyu.

Today, Xu Zhiyu wore a soft white pleated skirt, the hem fluttering up and down as she ran, revealing her slender, fair legs.

Her hair was loosely tied back with a light blue ribbon, with a few playful strands sticking to her cheeks, which were slightly flushed from running.

Two years is enough time to change a lot of things.

The comfortable living conditions in Haicheng made her lose some of the thinness she had in Jiangcheng. She grew much taller, her skin became fair and radiant, and her features fully developed, giving her the delicate beauty of a young woman just coming of age.

She was slightly out of breath from running, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, clearly indicating that she had run all the way from home.

It seems like he can't wait to see someone important.

Then, she saw it.

At the end of the road, the boy she hadn't seen for two years was taller and more handsome than she had imagined.

The little kid who used to always play with her and occasionally acted more mature than her is now tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a simple white T-shirt that looks clean and refreshing.

Xu Zhiyu slowed her pace, but couldn't help but smile.

The aloofness that had been on her face just moments before vanished completely the moment she saw Jiang Ye.

She stopped a few steps away, her chest rising and falling slightly, her cheeks flushed from the sun, but her eyes were surprisingly bright.

The girl stretched out her slender white hand, waved it vigorously at Jiang Ye, and shouted:

"Ano!!"

Jiang Ye felt a sudden surge of warmth in his heart.