With My Profound Love, I Offer to the Years

Shen Nian hadn't seen Lu Lingchuan for several days. He was too busy with company affairs, Ling Rui's matters, and wedding preparations.

The two scoundrels who had hurt Lu Lingrui, Wang Yong and Yang Hao, were thoroughly reinvestigated. One by one, victims came forward, pinning them down without giving them a chance to recover. In addition, several rich second-generation kids were implicated, including Wang Yong and Yang Hao's wealthy and influential relatives, who were also uprooted by Lu Lingchuan - suspended, investigated, and detained.

Lu Lingchuan personally followed up on these matters, even postponing company business.

Shen Nian's resignation letter required his personal approval, but since Lu Lingchuan was temporarily unavailable, Shen Nian began her vacation first.

It had been a long time since she had rested, and Shen Nian was enjoying this rare holiday. Her life returned to the quiet solitude of one person - shopping for groceries alone, eating alone, taking walks alone, daydreaming alone.

With her newfound leisure time, she no longer paid much attention to the clock, doing whatever came to mind. These days, she had fallen in love with planning trips. Every day, she would sit on the balcony, basking in the sunlight, drinking coffee while researching travel guides for her favorite tourist spots, diligently taking notes.

She didn't know how long she had been writing when she suddenly realized there was no food left at home. She looked up, thought for a moment, then got up, grabbed her coat and phone, and headed out.

She took a taxi to her usual supermarket. As she was about to enter, her peripheral vision caught an old lady riding a tricycle passing by, with numerous balloons tied to the back for sale.

Among them, a pink pig balloon caught Shen Nian's attention. She immediately forgot why she had come out and started following the old lady.

Shen Nian's mental state had been like this for days, difficult to describe. To say her spirits were low wouldn't be accurate, as she was calm and quiet, neither crying nor making a fuss. But to say she was in good spirits... she seemed dazed and confused, sometimes in the middle of doing one thing when suddenly another idea would pop into her head, and she'd abandon what she was doing without hesitation.

It wasn't that she was abnormal, just that she seemed to have lost the steadiness and seriousness she had while working. Now she was like an inexperienced child, giving an impression of being somewhat absent-minded.

Just like now, she had followed the old lady for quite a distance before suddenly coming to her senses.

Looking around, she found herself at an intersection, with the occasional sound of car horns in her ears.

Shen Nian closed her eyes and pressed her head, realizing she had zoned out again.

Unable to hail a taxi at this spot, she waited for the green light and crossed the pedestrian crossing, intending to catch a taxi on the other side.

After crossing the street, she looked at the surrounding buildings and had a vague feeling of familiarity.

Upon careful consideration, she realized A University was nearby.

A University...

Suddenly, Shen Nian's mind was filled with thoughts, and when she came to her senses again, she was standing at the gates of A University.

A University allowed visitors, so Shen Nian entered easily.

Standing on the grounds of A University, the place felt both strange and familiar.

As a graduate of this school, Shen Nian had actually spent pitifully little time on campus.

She didn't go to see any teachers, just wandered aimlessly around the school by herself.

She went to the basketball court, where male students were playing basketball, sweating out their youth, while female students sat nearby cheering with bottles of mineral water.

She went to the library, where it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, everyone studying diligently.

She went to the teaching building, where classes were in session in some of the classrooms.

She went to the cafeteria...

Walking along the pebbly path, beside the artificial hills and waters of A University's landscaped area, she reached the end where a splash of red caught her eye.

It was a very large tree with sturdy branches, covered in red ribbons and cards - a veritable wishing tree.

She vaguely recalled the scene when she first met Xiao Mubai.

Back then, she had happened to pass by and heard Xiao Mubai arguing with a teacher. The teacher insisted the tree was dead and should be cut down sooner rather than later, but Xiao Mubai believed it could still live...

Later, she found out that it wasn't a teacher at all, but the principal.

Thinking about it now, during the school's centennial celebration, Xiao Mubai had even helped her hang a wish.

Shen Nian looked up and immediately spotted her ribbon among the many red ones.

Because it was at the very top.

All the others were below, as they couldn't reach that high. The higher up, the thinner and more fragile the branches became, and one could easily fall if not careful.

At the time, Xiao Mubai had said that hanging the wish at the highest point meant that when the heavens granted wishes, theirs would be seen first.

When Xiao Mubai said this, she had teased him for being superstitious.

Now, recalling the wish she had written up there, she looked up at the fluttering red ribbon.

Standing under the tree, she closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and prayed earnestly.

If it really worked, she hoped her wish would come true.

After touring the school, she prepared to leave. Not far from the gate, she saw a signature wall.

Upon closer inspection, she found it bore a logo - it was the sign-in board from this year's centennial celebration.

The school leadership must have thought it had commemorative value, so they put the board on display here.

It was densely covered with names. Shen Nian looked from left to right, top to bottom, one by one.

Finally, she saw Lu Lingchuan's name.

During the school's centennial celebration, Lu Lingchuan had returned as an outstanding graduate.

She only looked for a few seconds before continuing downward, then found Lu Lingrui's name.

This was the one she had signed at the time.

A University was Lu Lingrui's dream school, but unfortunately, she never had the chance to step through its gates.

A few well-dressed female students passed by, and Shen Nian, spotting something, chased after them.

"Excuse me," she called out.

The students turned, looking at Shen Nian curiously.

Shen Nian pointed at the makeup bag the middle girl was carrying and asked politely, "Do you happen to have an eyeliner pencil?"

The student looked bewildered. "Yes, I do. Do you want to borrow it?"

"Could I buy it from you?" Shen Nian asked.

It was the first time someone had stopped them wanting to buy a used eyeliner pencil. Although confused, the student didn't think Shen Nian looked like a bad person. She quietly opened her makeup bag and handed the eyeliner to her. "I just bought a new one a few days ago, so you can have this old one."

Shen Nian took it. "Let me pay you for it."

"No need, it's just an eyeliner pencil."

Shen Nian smiled brightly. "Thank you so much."

With the eyeliner in hand, she returned to the signature wall.

Opening the cap of the eyeliner pen, she gave it a gentle shake, searching for an empty spot near Lu Lingrui's name.

To her surprise, she actually found a space.

But just as she was about to put pen to paper, she suddenly stopped. After a moment's hesitation, she opted for a corner spot instead, writing her name far from Lu Lingrui's and even further from Lu Lingchuan's.

Shen Nian.

Seeing her own name appear on A University's centennial celebration signature wall, she felt a surge of joy.

It was proof that she had once been there.