The Capital City was indeed a bit cold.

Jiang He pulled his windbreaker tighter around himself.

After leaving the Capital Airport, he waited in the taxi queue and got into a yellow-and-green Beijing Hyundai Elantra.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of a budget hotel near the south gate of Normal University.

Jiang He paid the fare and got out of the car.

He walked into the hotel lobby, handed his ID to the front desk, and counted out three hundred yuan in cash from his inner jacket pocket for the deposit and room fee.

After getting the plastic key card with its magnetic strip, he returned to his room.

In fact, he had received a reply from Shen Yu right after he got off the plane.

Little Mihu: [Thanks for asking~]

This was actually a great opportunity to start a conversation.

Most other guys would have probably seized the chance to get a chat going.

But Jiang He wasn’t in a hurry.

He first took out his change of clothes, one by one, and hung them in the closet.

Then, he went to the bathroom to wash his face before turning on the TV and watching the central channel for a while.

Only then did he pick up his phone again.

He did all this with one core purpose: to avoid showing how eager he was and to downplay his intentions.

This was also why he hadn’t messaged her or made any unnecessary moves for several days after adding her on QQ.

Now, after letting so much time pass, the moment was just about right.

Jiang He tapped on his keyboard and typed: [Hey, you’re not going home for the National Day holiday either?]

He hit send.

Less than two minutes later, Shen Yu replied: [Yeah, yeah, it’s too expensive to go home. It’s cheaper to just stay at school.]

Jiang He continued typing: [I actually have to go to Normal University tomorrow for something. Want me to return your student ID?]

About three minutes passed after he sent that message.

Shen Yu: [Hahahahahahaha!]

Shen Yu: [No need for the ID, I already got a new one. But since you’re coming, I can treat you to a meal at the cafeteria.]

Jiang He replied: [Sounds good. I heard the food at Normal University’s Cafeteria Number Two is pretty good. I’ve been wanting to check it out.]

Shen Yu replied quickly: [Then you’d better eat your fill tomorrow!]

The conversation had reached a relaxed state and his objective was achieved, so he proactively made his exit.

Jiang He: [I’ve got to get back to work. See you tomorrow.]

Shen Yu: [Mhm, see you tomorrow.]

Even though he was living a second life, Jiang He still didn’t know how to date. But he knew Shen Yu all too well.

Shen Yu was the type of girl who seemed sunny, lively, and cheerful, always smiling at everyone.

But in reality, when it came to relationships, she was extremely sensitive and cautious.

Many guys, upon first meeting her and seeing how easygoing, warm, and sunny she was, would think they had a shot.

So they’d start texting her frequently, waiting for her outside her dorm, bringing her breakfast, and pursuing her with all sorts of boundary-crossing tactics.

Little did they know, this kind of pressure was what Shen Yu hated most.

The moment she sensed you had ulterior motives, she would instantly blacklist you and never give you another chance.

Therefore, before they even met in person, he absolutely could not be too hasty. Revealing his intentions too early would only backfire.

He had to be like the frog in slowly boiling water, approaching her as someone completely harmless and then making her fall for him of her own accord.

Jiang He lay on the bed.

The news was still on the TV, but he couldn’t hear a single word.

He rolled over, then rolled back again.

He closed his eyes, his mind filled with scenes of their meeting tomorrow.

’What should I say first? What color will her clothes be?’

He mentally rehearsed all sorts of possible conversations, but the more he did, the more flustered he became.

He had no confidence at all.

Even when standing at the operating table, facing the most complex hilar cholangiocarcinoma, he could perform the surgery calmly.

But now, faced with a simple cafeteria lunch tomorrow, he was so nervous his palms were sweating.

Jiang He sat up and vigorously rubbed his face.

He grabbed his backpack, pulled out a research paper on pancreatic cancer lymph node dissection, and forced himself to open the first page.

He read two lines, but his eyes couldn’t focus.

He turned another page. The English letters swam before his eyes, making it impossible to concentrate.

’Useless. I can’t do anything right.’

He tossed the paper back into his bag, picked up his phone, and dialed Chen Hao’s number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

"Hello? Old Jiang? You made it?" Chen Hao’s voice came through, accompanied by the CLACK-CLACK-CLACK of a keyboard.

"I’m here," Jiang He said. "How’s the progress on your end?"

"Busy! So busy!" Chen Hao spoke at lightning speed. "Wang Bo is pulling up medical records, Zijian is doing data entry, and Cheng Xiyao is over there cross-referencing data. There are hundreds of files! The workload is insane. Can’t talk now, we’re on a deadline. Gotta go!"

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Jiang He listened to the dial tone and lowered his phone.

He keyed in another number and called home.

"Hello, Dad."

"Son, you’ve arrived in the Capital City?"

"I’m here. It’s nothing important, I just wanted to wish you guys a happy National Day."

"Happy National Day, Happy National Day. Your mom’s making dumplings. Eat well while you’re out there, and be safe. Long-distance calls are expensive, so if there’s nothing urgent, I’m hanging up."

"Okay."

Jiang He tossed his phone onto the bed, stood up, and began pacing back and forth in the cramped room.

’Forget it. Since I can’t sit still in the room, I might as well go scout the location.’

He left the hotel and followed the street onto the campus of Normal University.

The campus felt somewhat empty during the National Day holiday, and the leaves of the sycamore trees along the road were turning yellow.

Arriving at Cafeteria Number Two, Jiang He began to observe. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

’Which exit would be the most convenient after we finish eating?’

’If we go left, there’s a row of shops selling hot drinks and snacks. I could easily buy her a hot milk tea to warm her hands.’

’If we go right, it leads to the library. The path is smooth and lined with benches, perfect for a post-meal walk and chat.’

He walked the entire tree-lined path, timing how long it would take to get to the athletic field and noting the corners around it that were sheltered from the wind.

As he walked, Jiang He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

’Wait a minute, why do I suddenly feel like a scheming villain?’

’I’m just here to see my future wife and have a simple lunch!’

Jiang He shook his head.

’Forget it, forget it. I should just go back. Be natural, be natural.’

However, despite telling himself that, when the next morning arrived, he was anything but natural.

He was up at six-thirty and washed his hair twice.

He knew perfectly well that with his short hair, there was absolutely no need to wash it twice.

But he just couldn’t stop himself...

After washing his hair, he started studying his wardrobe.

In reality, he only had a few simple styles to choose from, so there wasn’t much to study...

By the time he was done with all that, it was only eight in the morning.

Jiang He sat in his chair, watching the time on his phone tick by, second by second.

Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, eleven o’clock.

Eleven-thirty.

’It’s almost time.’

Jiang He picked up his phone and typed: [I’m just about done with my stuff. How about you? Want to grab lunch?]

After sending it, he clutched the phone tightly in his hand.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds.

His phone vibrated.

[Sure, sure! I was just about to head to the cafeteria. I’ll wait for you at the entrance to Cafeteria Number Two. Come on over.]

Jiang He immediately typed and hit send:

[Okay, I’m on my way.]