Right after getting dumped, He suddenly learned that his best buddy was the legendary cold-as-ice school beauty. - Chapter 90

Grandpa’s words pulled their thoughts back more than forty years.
Ji Qingqian began to wonder how this elderly man had strolled around West Lake with his wife in their youth.
Had they, like her and Yibei, held hands, feeling their hearts race with each step?
Lu Yibei, however, thought a little deeper.
This grandpa actually had some real skill…
College students over forty years ago were in a completely different league from the naive, clear-eyed fools they saw today.
But of course.
Photographer-grandpas are usually like that: high pensions, but too restless to sit still.
He gazed at West Lake as if the scenery from forty years ago were still across the water.
“But now… sigh.”
He shook his head and sighed: “I wish I could buy osmanthus wine together, but things change and people age. My wife…”
Ji Qingqian felt a pang of sadness. She wasn’t good with words to strangers, but she wanted to offer a comforting, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Time is ruthless, and human life feels far too short in its flow.
“…and yet she spends all day obsessed with mahjong! Today I asked her to come with me to West Lake, and she scolded me for ‘going out when it’s raining and you’re hungry’… I’m so furious!” Grandpa said, a mix of grief and anger.
Ji Qingqian quickly swallowed her words. Good thing she hesitated before speaking.
Otherwise, disaster!
Grandpa probably didn’t talk to people much, and finally having two young listeners, he poured out a torrent of complaints without concern for their age.
Mostly mundane life matters.
Lu Yibei and Ji Qingqian’s age made it nearly impossible to empathize.
Yet Ji Qingqian stayed quietly attentive, and Lu Yibei was a perfect listener.
When Grandpa got going, the young man even tossed in a few light comments to keep the conversation lively.
By the time Grandpa realized he had talked too much, more than ten minutes had passed.
He felt a little embarrassed.
“So annoying!”
He used this Wu dialect phrase to wrap up, smiling at the two young people: “I won’t bother you anymore. Enjoy your stroll. I’m going to Wu Ji to get some pastries.”
Lu Yibei smiled and nodded.
Ji Qingqian also said goodbye.
Watching Grandpa’s retreating figure, she suddenly spoke:
“Yibei…”
“Hm?”
“…Never mind.”
She had wanted to ask if love, worn down by time and life, could ever fade so much that she and Lu Yibei might end up like this forty or fifty years from now.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Their time together had been too short.
Even with their online acquaintance, it had been only about three years. Compared to “forty years,” that was barely a moment.
Thinking so far ahead now would probably seem strange to Yibei and might even pressure him.
“Oh, right.”
Grandpa turned around and cheerfully called out to Lu Yibei: “Wu Ji’s pastries are good, young man. If you like sweets, you should get some. My wife loves that shop.”
“Great! We’ll check it out later!” Lu Yibei answered with a smile.
He then said to Ji Qingqian:
“Old men always chatter, but what they really care about is their loved ones.”
Ji Qingqian’s slightly sad mood brightened instantly.
She continued watching Grandpa’s back. His steps were steadier than those of younger people.
Her eyes curved with a smile, and she said:
“He’s a tsundere.”
Lu Yibei: …
But using such a quirky, anime-like term for Grandpa…
“Perfect for twin tails,” she added.
Lu Yibei quickly interrupted: “Stop! Don’t! I can see it in my head!!”
What time erases is only the surface.
Ji Qingqian thought to herself that the deeper things are already etched into the bones by years.
She played with a squirrel for a while longer, then followed Lu Yibei for another leisurely stroll.
The rain had just stopped, yet the lakeside was still crowded.
Besides casual photography enthusiasts like Grandpa, there were also professional photographers at work.
Their lenses mostly focused on young women in Hanfu, with a few dressed in elaborate Lolita outfits.
The lakeside had many shops renting such costumes. Not cheap, but still affordable for most tourists.
Many visitors, following the old Chinese tradition of “since I’m here, why not,” contributed generously to the shop owners’ profits.
With so many wearing the outfits, the tourists themselves became part of West Lake’s scenery.
But such scenery couldn’t be indulged in too long because…
“Do you like this kind?”
Lu Yibei’s gaze lingered on a young girl in a flowing Hanfu, and Ji Qingqian caught him red-handed.
No wonder he could snipe an enemy’s head from eight hundred meters away in an FPS game—his observation skills were terrifying.
Lu Yibei asked back:
“Don’t you think she looks beautiful?”
Instead of reflecting, she went further!
Ji Qingqian narrowed her watery eyes and said coldly:
“Oh, should I ask for her WeChat?”
Lu Yibei shook his head: “No need. Just ask which shop rents that costume.”
Ji Qingqian: …
“This would look great on you,” Lu Yibei said.
Ji Qingqian sighed softly and beckoned him with a finger.
He obediently leaned his head forward.
Ji Qingqian grabbed his cheeks with her delicate hands:
“Good, you’re smart.”
“…Okay =3=” Lu Yibei said.
But no sooner had she let go than something else caught his attention.
Not the flashy world, but a familiar figure.
Someone was looking right back at him.
Lu Yibei muttered: “…damn.”
The other person: “Huh?”
It was Liu Jie.
That fool had left much earlier than Lu Yibei today. Wasn’t he going to the library?
Why was he here at West Lake?
And he was with Chen Dan.
…Damn it, lying to his godfather, foster father, and biological father, huh? Playing tricks on me!!
Lu Yibei’s mind swirled, but his face remained calm. He cursed silently.
Running into someone you know while on a date is awkward.
Especially with Liu Jie and Chen Dan…
Even introductions were a headache.
—“This is my (blank)”—good luck filling in that blank.
Friends too plain, girlfriend too intense.
Lu Yibei and Ji Qingqian, being semi-official, were easier. But Liu Jie and Chen Dan were nearly impossible to explain.
Not to mention the post-greeting questions: “Since we’re going the same way, shall we walk together?” “Want a drink?”
So Lu Yibei and Chen Dan silently reached an incredible consensus:
Act. Like. You. Didn’t. See. Us.
“—Yibei!”
But Liu Jie had already called out cheerfully.
Lu Yibei, not too familiar with Chen Dan, assumed she was thinking the same thing he was.
I’ll give you an earful!!
“…Know each other?” Ji Qingqian asked.
She didn’t remember Lu Yibei’s roommate… Oh, at least she remembered the cute chubby one.
“Yeah,” Lu Yibei nodded, then said to Liu Jie: “Jie, didn’t expect to see you here… We’re heading to Qianwang Temple.”
Chen Dan answered before Liu Jie could approach Lu Yibei:
“We’re going to Qiantang Gate.”
The directions were completely opposite.
Liu Jie didn’t understand. What was so great about Qiantang Gate?
But Lu Yibei and Chen Dan had already said their goodbyes.
He glanced at the separated pair, then finally caught up with Chen Dan.