Chapter 29: Milk Tea

Life had been swamped lately—so much so that the time they got to spend together dwindled to nearly nothing.

Their only connection was through text messages:
Lin Sitian would send, “I’ve finished doing the laundry! Have you wrapped up your homework yet?”
Zhou Sheng would reply with a pinpoint correction: “There are mistakes on Page 64 of your English workbook.” He even followed it up with a long voice note, breaking down each error in detail, his tone patient as ever.

One evening, she typed out a short, vulnerable line and hit send: “I miss you.”

No reply came. She stared at the screen for a while, then forced herself to focus on correcting the mistakes he’d pointed out, the empty feeling in her chest lingering.

Hours later, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Zhou Sheng: “I’m at your door.”

She froze for a second, then sprinted to the entrance. Yanking the door open, she saw him standing there, a paper bag in hand. Before she could say anything, she pretended to scold him, “You should check the peephole first next time! What if it was a stranger?”

He held up the bag, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “I bought milk tea.”

She didn’t waste another second—she grabbed his arm, pulled him inside, and kissed him. The faint taste of vanilla ice cream lingered on his lips, melting softly against hers. The kiss grew warmer, more eager, until a drop of melted ice cream dripped down his chin, jolting them back to their senses.

He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his voice low and gentle. “I miss you too. So much.”

She leaned into his shoulder, playing with the hem of his shirt. “Tomorrow’s Saturday—you didn’t have to sneak over so late.”

He shrugged lightly, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “You said you missed me. I couldn’t wait.”

She laughed, pinching his cheek playfully. “Calling me like I’m some kind of little monster that summoned you?”

He let her feed him a bite of the leftover ice cream, then handed her the milk tea he’d bought—her favorite taro flavor, 50% sugar, less ice. As she sipped it, he checked the time on his phone, his expression turning a little solemn. “I snuck out while my dad wasn’t looking. I can only stay for 10 minutes.”

Her smile faded, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him. “Don’t go… Can’t you come back tomorrow?”

He brushed her cheek with his thumb, regret in his eyes. “I can’t the day after tomorrow. My dad already planned for us to go visit my grandma then.”

She nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. “Then… see you on Monday at school?”

He pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “See you on Monday. And Tian Tian—” He paused, making sure she looked at him. “Missing someone isn’t a hassle. It’s just… proof that we care.”

She knew he was right. Loving someone meant learning to wait, to fit each other into the messy gaps of their busy lives. Even if it was just 10 minutes of stolen time, it was enough—for now.