Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

The two walked side by side in the morning light. Zhou Chenyu turned his head and asked gently, "Nan'er, what would you like to eat?"

Su Fengnan thought for a moment. Last night's feast had been far too lavish, and she didn't feel particularly hungry yet. But going to class on an empty stomach was definitely not an option. After a moment's thought, she said, "I'd like some porridge, with a salted duck egg, is that alright?"

"Is it that little?" Zhou Chenyu frowned slightly, her tone full of heartache.

"I ate too much last night, so I'm not really hungry right now," she explained softly, tilting her head up.

Looking at her adorable appearance, Zhou Chenyu smiled helplessly, his eyes full of indulgence: "Alright, whatever Nan'er says, let's go eat porridge."

Su Fengnan lowered her eyelashes and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "Brother Zhou, can we put those photos away?"

Zhou Chenyu raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, a mischievous smile flashing in his eyes. He turned his head, his gaze falling on her slightly reddened ears, deliberately drawing out the last syllable to tease her: "What's wrong, Nan'er? Don't you like those photos?"

"No..." Su Fengnan wasn't falling for his trick. She met his gaze and said, "I just don't want others to see them. Only Brother Zhou can see those photos."

These straightforward words instantly broke the smile in Zhou Chenyu's eyes. The two exchanged a smile and tacitly stopped talking. At this moment, the breakfast shop not far from the residential area was already in sight.

The shop was filled with the aroma of cooking, the fragrance of porridge mingling with the steam from noodle soup. There weren't many people in the shop yet, so the two chose a seat towards the back. Zhou Chenyu ordered a bowl of wontons, while Su Fengnan ordered a bowl of congee, accompanied by a salted duck egg with runny yolk and a plate of crisp pickled radishes.

Before long, the food was served. Su Fengnan was sipping her porridge when Zhou Chenyu suddenly spoke up, "I'll keep the photos safe. How could I bear to let others see photos of my Nan'er?"

He paused, put down the porcelain spoon, and looked up at her seriously: "Oh, right, there's one more thing. A musician has taken a liking to your single and wants to buy the rights. Do you agree?"

"Cough...cough cough!"

Caught off guard, Su Fengnan was so shocked by the sudden news that she choked, coughing several times, her eyes welling up with tears. Seeing this, Zhou Chenyu quickly handed her a tissue, then put a cup of warm water in her hand and gently patted her back.

After soaking her feet in warm water for a while, Su Fengnan finally calmed her breathing. Before she could even organize her thoughts, Zhou Chenyu gently explained the situation.

It turned out that when he was in City B, he had a friend write down the score again, and that person loved it so much that he immediately wanted to buy the copyright from Zhou Chenyu and prepare to perform it at his own concert.

"That song is truly amazing. You can't find the original author or singer on the market. I can't think of anyone else but you." Zhou Chenyu's gaze was fixed on her, waiting for her reply.

Su Fengnan listened silently, put down the spoon in her hand, tapped her fingertips lightly on the table twice, and then slowly spoke: "Brother Zhou, I did sing this song for the first time, but the original composer was not me, but a senior who has already retired from the world. However, I can make the decision regarding this song."

At this point, she seemed to have made up her mind. This piece of music was never originally hers, but since it was somehow made known through her, she would use this reward for the benefit of the people, which would be a good deed.

In that case...wouldn't the original composer be less critical?

Taking a deep breath, Su Fengnan's clear eyes shone with determination: "Since your friend likes it, he can use it. As for the copyright fee... please donate it to the children in impoverished mountain areas for me."

Zhou Chenyu looked at her, his admiration growing stronger.

Su Fengnan lowered her eyes, her thoughts drifting away involuntarily. Thanks to this unexpected event, the long-standing question in her mind finally settled completely.

She had long noticed that although this timeline was largely the same as the original world, there were always some subtle deviations in the trajectory. For example, from Linyang Town to Ruicheng, in her memory, it was clearly necessary to cross a river and take a ferry, but during the month she spent there during the summer vacation, she made several trips back and forth and never saw any river; for example, the Guanyin Hall of Nanjing Temple, according to the timeline, should have been renovated and completed several years later, but when she and Zhou Chenyu went there, it was already standing there quietly; and for example, the Rainbow Bridge in Huanhu Park, when she and Ning Xiaojun went to celebrate Wang Bo's birthday last year, the bridge was clearly already built.

She'd always felt something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Until now, when this piece of music, which should have belonged to a completely different path, was discovered and recognized in an unexpected way, she finally understood—

This world is truly different now.

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind—Zhou Chenyu must have been there last year at the lakeside park when she celebrated Wang Bo's birthday. He might have even secretly recorded a video of her. So, he'd been silently watching her all this time?

"Nan'er, are you really planning to donate all of this money to the mountainous areas?" Zhou Chenyu's voice rang out at the right time, interrupting Su Fengnan's thoughts.

"Donate whatever it is, no matter how much." Su Fengnan came to her senses and nodded without hesitation.

She doesn't really understand how much the copyright fee for a song can be now, but no matter how much or how little, she never thought of keeping it for herself.

"Okay, leave this to me." Zhou Chenyu looked at her, his tone reassuring and confident.

Su Fengnan smiled and said, "Yes, I trust Brother Zhou to handle things."

……

On Saturday, school only lasted half a day. When Su Fengnan returned home at noon, she saw that her younger sister had already prepared lunch. After lunch, Su Fengnan went back to her room and eagerly began to unwrap her gifts. Seeing this, Su Fengxia curiously came over, wanting to know what good things her older sister had received.

Su Fengnan first opened the gift box given by the old lady. She lifted the lid, and inside lay a bright red cheongsam. It was folded neatly, exuding the exquisite beauty of time.

"Wow, sis, this cheongsam is so beautiful! You should try it on!" Su Fengnan urged excitedly from the side.

Su Fengnan didn't rush to try it on. Instead, she carefully held the cheongsam in her hands and spread it out. From the stand-up collar to the cuffs and the hem, there were delicate patterns embroidered with silver and gold threads. The dark orchids on the red background were lifelike, making it dignified, gentle, beautiful and noble.

Su Fengnan gently stroked the embroidery threads with her fingertips, wondering to herself: Is this an old item that her grandmother wore when she was young, or was it left behind by Zhou Chenyu's mother?

"Sister, there's another card in the box." Su Fengxia, with her sharp eyes, picked up the card and read it aloud.

"This dress was prepared by Yu'er's mother for her wedding. Now it's being given to Nan Nan. I hope Nan Nan will like it. Nan Nan will definitely look beautiful in it."

After reading it aloud, Su Fengxia looked at her sister with a gossipy expression, "Sister, what is this...?"

Su Fengnan took the card, which carried a faint scent of ink, and gazed at it for a moment before gently placing it back into the box. She carefully folded it along with the precious cheongsam and stored it in the deepest part of the wardrobe.

"Sister, aren't you going to try it on?" Su Fengxia asked, somewhat puzzled.