Gu Pan rushed to the department store before closing time to purchase a toiletry set, as he had planned to go out for the weekend and only stay outside for one night. However, his brief stay did not prevent him from being cautious and meticulous in his preparation.

　　There were numerous hair shampoo brands available, with a wide range of fragrances and efficacy. In the past, Yan had made the decision for him, opting for a fruit-scented oil-controlling type. But today, he had to make the choice himself.

　　He carried a bag of pine-scented items toward the checkout counter, his steps displaying a rare bit of maturity for a youth. However, the “mature and steady” adult-style suit he was wearing did not quite fit him well. The suit’s shoulder width was too narrow, and the padded shoulders along with the sleeves were drooping slightly.

　　The next morning, Gu Pan rushes to the bus station for his trip to C County. The long-distance bus from A City to C County only has two-morning departures every day. Assuming normal point-to-point travel, the journey takes about three and a half hours. Gu Pan had checked the website information in advance and chose the earliest departure of the two schedules.

　　Arriving at the station, it was only six o’clock, but the waiting hall was bustling with people, much like a busy morning market in the countryside. When he was in high school, Gu Pan used to wake up early every day and pass by such noisy places. At that time, the young man’s curiosity would prompt him to stop and watch, looking at people and observing how they interacted with each other.

　　After coming to A City for studies, especially after leaving the dormitory and renting a room, his daily interactions with people became few and far in between. Over the past few months, he had gradually become accustomed to being alone. Therefore, at this moment, he suddenly dives into the crowd, and every hair on his body seems to be expressing his anxiety.

　　After purchasing the ticket, there is half an hour until the departure time.

　　On one side of the waiting area, a small supermarket is passionately selling a variety of breakfast snacks and tidbits. With each strike of the steel spoon on the pot rim, Gu Pan can smell the aroma of fennel, star anise, cinnamon, and tea leaves boiling eggs in a large pot. It’s so tempting, yet his anxiety and uncertain future have dampened his craving for food. Sitting still, with his backpack hanging behind him and his body standing upright, he is poised and ready to go.

　　Although Gu Pan doesn’t move, his eyes never rest. He pays attention to every passing traveler and scans to confirm every face. Those people find seats one by one, and then, together with him, they wait for the ticket inspection announcement over the broadcast system.

　　As the bus departure time loomed just twenty minutes away, several seats to the right of Gu Pan emptied out sequentially, akin to a series of dominoes tumbling down. The passengers in those seats left one by one, converging towards an empty space about ten meters away. Initially, this small-scale gathering in a public place captured only a few people’s attention. However, this mini congregation attracted more individuals, all swept towards the alleged “incident spot” with feverish anticipation. With nothing much at hand, everyone desired to delve deep into peculiar, thrilling, and romantic affairs.

　　Despite the mounting anticipation, the unexpected incident lacked any narrative grandeur. In actuality, the person surrounded by the swelling crowd was an ordinary passenger suffering from a seizure.

　　Gu Pan heard the words “Spread out! Give it some room!” from the periphery of the crowd, which prompted him to decide to use his physical force to break up the crowd.

　　“That voice was familiar to him.”

　　“After her pitch rose, the tenderness of her voice gave way to anxiety. This made Gu Pan impatient to figure out what she was so worried about.”

　　He managed to push through the crowd and as soon as he saw her back, he confirmed…it was her! It was Ling Hanlu.

　　She knelt on the floor tiles with a young girl who was having a seizure. The girl’s head was tilted to one side, foaming at the mouth, and constantly convulsing. Ling Hanlu took out a blue-printed scarf from her bag, folded it into a thick cushion, and placed it behind the young girl’s head. She looked up at the thin circle of onlookers and continued to plead for help, “Does anyone have a towel? Borrow it for her to bite on, okay? I’m afraid she’ll bite her tongue…”

　　“Here!” Gu Pan took out a sweat towel from his wooden travel bag and handed it to her, “Use this!”

　　2

　　When the emergency medical service (EMS) arrived, the last boarding call was announced in the waiting hall. Ling Hanlu tried to get up, but couldn’t walk properly due to kneeling on the ground for too long.

　　She was dragged up and chased the closing gate with the help of a pair of young and strong legs once again.

　　Two seats at the end of the bus were the only ones left. In ground transportation, “first come, first serve” prevailed over assigned seating. Gu Pan left the better-view window seat for Ling Hanlu.

　　“Are you okay?” Gu Pan asked with concern when he saw Ling Hanlu unconsciously stroking the junction of her throat and chest.

　　“I’m fine, just ran a bit fast… Can I catch my breath for a moment?” Ling Hanlu replied.

　　Gu Pan didn’t say anything else.

　　Ling Hanlu looked out of the window as the vehicle passed through a series of stops and finally reached the open rural-urban intersection. Feeling more composed, she started to observe the young man beside her who had once again run wild with her. His face was calm, looking straight ahead without any signs of excitement toward their destination. It was as if he was enduring a forced journey.

　　“Hey!” Ling Hanlu nudged Gu Pan’s arm lightly, “Thank you again today, young man! Otherwise, I would definitely have to take the next bus.”

　　“Your kindness might distract you from other things, good deeds will be rewarded,”

　　Ling Hanlu couldn’t help but laugh after hearing Gu Pan’s words. She found it cute that such a young child had such an old-fashioned way of speaking. She even forgot to express her disbelief at the several coincidences they had encountered.

　　“You haven’t had breakfast, have you?” Ling Hanlu had already taken out a rectangular plastic box from her bag while talking. She handed a small plastic spoon to Gu Pan.

　　“I don’t need it,” replied Gu Pan.

　　“You woke up early on your day off to catch a bus, and I guess you haven’t eaten yet. When I was your age, I usually slept until noon on weekends and had two meals combined into one… it’s not strange, I understand. Come, eat with me!” Ling Hanlu set a perfect premise for her warm offer. Without waiting for Gu Pan to respond, she opened the box and presented a dessert adorned with various fruits.

　　At that moment when she opened the colorful box, Gu Pan’s taste buds, which had been stirred up by the tea eggs in the station’s pot, faced another tempting challenge right in front of his eyes.

　　He didn’t want to admit that he did not have enough time to eat breakfast, nor did he want Ling Hanlu to feel a sense of satisfaction, like “I told you so”. He suppressed the increasingly strong feeling of hunger, even though his stomach had already sounded an alarm more than once.

　　Ling Hanlu believed that her judgment was correct and forcefully placed a small spoon between Gu Pan’s fingers. She shook the rectangular box twice and proudly said, “This is something I made myself. Last time, when I helped you receive a box at the community center, it was my first attempt at making homemade desserts. It was called Cheese Sea Salt Cake. I wanted to give it to Doctor Su to taste, but he was out. However, I’m addicted to making desserts now. My friend was right, it’s better to have someone to share it with. Can you help me out?”

　　“Okay.” Gu Pan felt that Ling Hanlu had been patient with him and did not want to refuse her anymore. Furthermore, his physiological need for food was becoming more pressing.

　　“Oh, by the way, this is called Box Cake. I placed the fruits inside based on my preferences - mango, strawberry, blueberry… Do you have any allergies? For example, are you allergic to mango?” Ling Hanlu asked.

　　Gu Pan shook his head, with his mouth full of melting cream. He thought about his 18 years of life and whether any woman had ever cared for him so attentively and selflessly. Not a single one came to mind.