Chapter One: Return

Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!
The incessant knocking roused Yu Sheng from sleep, and she opened the door angrily.

"Hello, is your family renting out a room? I saw the flyer outside." The young man was startled by the sudden opening of the door.

Yu Sheng, hair in a messy tangle and face still heavy with sleep and annoyance, felt all her irritation vanish the moment she saw him. To be woken up on a Sunday morning was infuriating, but the boy’s clean-cut looks and warm smile were like a splash of cool water, instantly quenching her temper.

Seeing Yu Sheng remain silent, the young man repeated himself softly, "Excuse me, is your family renting a room?"

Yu Sheng snapped back to herself. "Yes, yes, that's right."

"Um, could you wait outside for a moment? I'll tidy up and show you the place." Embarrassed, Yu Sheng gestured to her pajamas.

The young man smiled. "Of course, that's fine."

Yu Sheng got ready at lightning speed, as if she were late for school.

"Let's go. The room for rent is on the second floor—it used to be my grandparents’ place. I hope you don't mind?"

"That's no problem."

"The utilities are all working, but the place is a bit of a mess. It's been empty for a while."

"I understand."

Seeing that the boy wasn't much of a talker, Yu Sheng lost the urge to continue the conversation.

"So, when do you want to move in?"

"Is today okay? I can pay you the rent right now."

Yu Sheng was a little surprised. "Aren't you going to ask about the price, or anything? And have you told your parents?"

Is he running away from home? Yu Sheng wondered.

"No need. My parents are currently abroad."

"Well, here's the key. You can pay the rent when my mom returns."

Handing him the key, Yu Sheng went upstairs to call her mother, letting her know the room was rented out.

"What kind of person is it? You didn't even wait for me to come back before you rented it," her mother complained.

"He's about my age, don't worry. He looks neat and decent."

Just as she was speaking, there was another knock at the door.

"Mom, let's talk when you’re home. I have to go." Yu Sheng opened the door—it was the young man again.

"Could I borrow your broom and mop? I want to clean the room."

"Of course," Yu Sheng replied, handing him the cleaning tools by the door. "I'll help you clean up—otherwise, you'll never finish on your own."

Without waiting for him to refuse, she grabbed a broom and rushed downstairs.

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly as they swept.

Realizing she might sound abrupt, she quickly added, "It's for the contract later."

The young man looked up at her, then lowered his gaze, eyes flickering.

"My name is Gu Yan—Yan as in ‘evolve’."

"I'm Yu Sheng—not the 'life' sheng, but 'sheng' as in 'songs and music every night.'"

Gu Yan smiled at her explanation.

Seeing his smile, Yu Sheng mustered the courage to keep chatting. "Do you think my parents named me this hoping I'd just idle through life? Wanting me to party every night?"

"Maybe they wanted you to live freely and follow your heart all your life."

"That explanation… hmm, doesn't sound bad."

After helping Gu Yan tidy up the room, Yu Sheng found herself musing over her name. Suddenly, she felt sentimental, thinking how kind her parents were—not like those who gave their children names to reflect their own expectations, hoping their kids would achieve greatness.

Of course, maybe her parents didn’t expect her to do anything remarkable.

But what about Gu Yan? ‘Evolve’—not a particularly auspicious name.

Upstairs, Gu Yan sat in a chair, eyes closed, brow furrowed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, checked the calendar on his phone, as if making a decision, then stood up, his gaze sharp.

That evening, Wei Yabai returned home and went to check on their new tenant. She was surprised when she saw him.

A handsome boy—no wonder her daughter praised him.

"Young man, do your parents know you're renting here?" Wei Yabai still worried about his safety.

"Auntie, this is my parents’ written authorization." Gu Yan produced a document, signed by his parents, granting him permission to live alone.

"My parents live overseas year-round. I’ve always lived by myself, so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I’ll be attending the local high school starting tomorrow."

Gu Yan seemed to have anticipated every concern.

"Alright then, how long do you plan to rent?"

Asked about the duration, Gu Yan thought for a long moment.

"Let’s start with a year."

"Okay. If you have any problems or need anything, just come find us."

"Thank you, Auntie!"

What a polite boy! Handsome and independent too, not bad at all, Wei Yabai thought.

Upstairs, she couldn’t stop praising Gu Yan.

"Enough already. Weren’t you the one this morning asking me who he was, saying I shouldn’t have rented to him so quickly?" Yu Sheng mimicked her mother’s tone.

"You little rascal, go eat."

"Is Dad not coming home for dinner again? Isn’t it Sunday?"

"For your father, there’s no such thing as weekends. The station keeps him busy."

Yu Sheng’s father was a local police officer.

"Oh."

"So, you’d better not become a cop—never home, always making people worry."

"No way, I want to be a police officer. So cool! You complain about Dad never being home, but you were the one who married him."

Wei Yabai often grumbled about Yu Sheng’s father, which always made Yu Sheng curious how her parents had ended up together—it seemed her mother regretted it.

"I went to high school with your father."

Yu Sheng had never heard her parents’ story. Suddenly, she was very interested.

"Tell me, tell me, Mom! What happened?"

"After graduation, we lost touch, but the police academy he attended was in the same city as my university."

"One time, something happened at our school, and the police academy students came to help. We met again, and your father started pursuing me. Back then, I admired police officers as much as you do, so I agreed."

"Wow, what happened? What could have happened at a school that required help from the police academy?"

"Eat your dinner, you still have school tomorrow."

Hmph, if you won’t tell me, I’ll find out myself!

After Wei Yabai left, Gu Yan sat back down, pulling out a sheet of paper and writing carefully, pausing now and then in deep thought.

Now, it was the second year of high school—less than a year until his appearance.

Within this year, I must make every preparation and contingency plan.

But what if things end up like last time?

That question popped into Gu Yan’s mind.

I’ve come back—things will never happen as they did before.

Gu Yan stared resolutely at his plan.

Now, let’s begin.