Samuel Clark brought up what happened at noon: “By the way, the person I ran into today was my vice class monitor from first year of high school. He also went to Nanda for college, and I think he was even in the same dorm as Ryan Grant, but I didn’t really see him much.”

Upon hearing that name, Evan Carter paused slightly.

“Speaking of which, do you still remember—” As she spoke, Samuel Clark’s gaze drifted casually, then suddenly fixed on the bar. “Hey, look, ten o’clock direction—isn’t that the ‘Fallen Street King’?”

At the same time, Evan Carter heard someone call out, “Yan-ge.”

She looked over.

At some point, a man had appeared next to the bartender.

The lighting in the bar was dim. He was half leaning against the edge of the table, his whole body turned away from the bar, head slightly tilted, as if talking to the bartender. He wore a plain black windbreaker, his figure tall and straight—even slightly hunched, he was still a head taller than the bartender beside him.

His eyes were pitch black, lips curled in a faint, somewhat roguish smile.

The colored spinning lights above swept past, casting a few streaks across his face.

In that instant, Evan Carter recognized him.

“Holy shit.” Apparently making the same discovery, Samuel Clark’s tone shot up in shock. “Girl, that’s Ryan Grant, the top dog!”

“……”

“How come the moment I mention him, he shows up… Do you still remember him? Before you transferred, he even chased after you…”

At those words, Evan Carter’s eyelashes trembled.

Just then, a waiter happened to pass by. Evan Carter felt a bit uneasy and was about to speak up to interrupt when a sudden exclamation sounded in her ear. She looked up to see the waiter had apparently been bumped, the tray in his hand tilting, and the glass on top tipping over.

—Right toward her.

The drink, mixed with ice, spilled onto her left shoulder and slid down. She was wearing a loose sweater today, and now most of it was soaked, the cold seeping in, making her scalp tingle.

Evan Carter gasped and reflexively stood up.

The music in the bar was loud, but this commotion wasn’t exactly quiet either.

The waiter looked terrified, his face pale as he apologized repeatedly.

Samuel Clark also stood up, helping Evan Carter brush the ice off her clothes, frowning. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Evan Carter’s voice trembled uncontrollably, but she wasn’t angry. She looked at the waiter. “No need to apologize anymore, just be more careful next time.”

Then she said to Samuel Clark, “I’m going to the restroom to clean up.”

With that, she lifted her eyelids slightly.

Unexpectedly, she met a gaze—deep, indifferent, and hard to read.

They locked eyes for two seconds.

Evan Carter looked away and headed toward the women’s restroom.

She found a stall and took off her sweater, leaving only a close-fitting undershirt.

Luckily, the sweater had taken most of the spill, so she wasn’t too wet underneath.

Evan Carter hugged her sweater and walked to the sink, using a tissue dampened with water to wipe off the alcohol as best she could.

After roughly cleaning up, she walked out.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone standing in the hallway. Evan Carter instinctively looked over and stopped in her tracks.

A man was leaning against the wall, a cigarette between his lips, eyelids drooping lazily, his expression relaxed and indifferent. Unlike before, he had taken off his jacket, now loosely held in his hand.

He was left wearing only a black T-shirt.

It had been six years since they last met.

Not sure if he recognized her, Evan Carter didn’t know whether to say hello. After less than a second of hesitation, she lowered her eyes, decided to pretend she hadn’t recognized him either, and forced herself to keep walking.

The dark, minimalist decor, the irregular patterns on the marble tiles reflecting the light. She could still hear a female singer’s voice here—soft, lingering, and tender.

Getting closer and closer.

About to walk past him.

At that moment—

“Hey.” He called out, almost lazily.

Evan Carter stopped, about to look over.

Without warning, Ryan Grant suddenly tossed his jacket over her head, blocking most of her vision. Evan Carter froze for a moment, then immediately reached up to pull it off, a bit confused.

Ryan Grant still didn’t look up, his lashes lowered as he stubbed out his cigarette in the trash can beside him.

Neither of them spoke first.

It seemed like a long time passed, but it was only a few seconds. Ryan Grant slowly lifted his eyelids, meeting her gaze. There was a hint of distance in his expression.

“Let’s talk,” he said.

Chapter 2

It had been years since they last met, and there had been no contact since then. The connection was so faint that Evan Carter had almost forgotten this person existed.

But she still remembered.

Their last conversation hadn’t been pleasant.

They weren’t close enough for him to come over and offer help when he saw her in a mess.

Evan Carter’s first reaction was—

He must have mistaken her for someone else.

But another thought surfaced in her mind.

Maybe over the years, Ryan Grant had matured, become more open-minded. He no longer cared about the past, held no grudges, and was just being polite upon seeing an old classmate again.

Evan Carter pulled herself out of her thoughts, handed the jacket back to him, her eyes full of confusion and inquiry.