Runze's POV
Time does something strange.
It doesn't stop. It simply slows down until every second feels stretched out and thin.
For one heartbeat, the room disappears. The maids, Mrs. Wen, the tea service on the table… all of it fades away. Even the pressure of Bael's arm around my waist feels distant.
There is only her.
She looks exactly as I remember.
Elegant, collected, and beautiful in that quiet, effortless way that always belonged to her. Her long hair is pinned loosely over one shoulder, and a pair of small pearl earrings catch the light every time she moves her head. The cream-colored dress she wears isn't extravagant, just refined and neat. Perfectly Feifei. She has always looked like someone who belongs exactly where she stands.
My chest tightens, a familiar ache pressing behind my ribs. It has only been a few months, but somehow, it feels like a mountain of distance wrapped into a few steps.
Our eyes meet across the space.
