Chapter 1: The April of Encounter
Qin Guanglin dropped his art drafts into the mailbox by the roadside and glanced at his watch. It was already two in the afternoon. He took a few steps toward home, paused to think for a moment, then turned and walked toward the bus stop.
At three in the afternoon, he had planned to meet an online friend at Shengtian Square. Although he felt that meeting an online friend of the opposite sex was a bit unreliable, since they had already arranged it, waiting there was better than arriving exactly on time.
There were few people on the bus at this time, only a few middle-aged men and women. After inserting his fare, Qin Guanglin glanced around the bus and then went straight to the seat by the window near the back door. It was the most convenient place to get off.
As the bus started, he looked out the window, feeling curious yet a bit uncertain.
He had only known this online friend for about half a month, and they had already become familiar enough to meet offline. It could be said they were quite compatible, which made him wonder what kind of person she really was in reality.
He knew that the difference between online and real life was significant. Disappointment was common. Moreover, she was the one who initiated the conversation and suggested meeting. Besides being prepared for disappointment, he also had to guard against any potential scams.
Luo City was neither too big nor too small, and there was no traffic at this time. It took less than half an hour for Qin Guanglin to get to Shengtian Square from the bus stop near his home. Three minutes to half past two, he got off at the back door and waved away the floating willow catkins—April's willow catkins drifted like snowflakes, which were quite annoying.
They hadn't agreed on a specific meeting place, only Shengtian Square. Qin Guanglin glanced around casually, thinking it wouldn't do to foolishly stand under the bus stop sign in the sun, so he decided to sit in a nearby milk tea shop while waiting.
"Ding-dong."
He had only taken two steps when his phone rang with a message.
Checking his phone, Qin Guanglin stopped when he saw that it was a message from his online friend.