(POV of Lin Tianxin )
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The train screeched slightly as it slowed near Huali Town's familiar little station. I peeked out the window, and my heart thudded. We were back — the same dusty roads, the same crooked convenience store sign, the same bakery with "Opening Soon" written on it for the past five years.
I smiled.
Jiasheng sat beside me, arms crossed, his head tilted toward the window. I didn't say anything. For the first time in a long while, we were quiet.
And maybe that's why I dared to lean my head on his shoulder — just for a second. My eyes were heavy anyway, and the rhythm of the train was too comforting to resist.
He didn't move. He just sat there, still as a rock, until I dozed off.
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By the time we reached home, the air smelled like sweet soil and cooking oil from someone frying dumplings nearby. The town hadn't changed — but we had.
Zhou Rui and Junxi had arrived before us and were waiting at the corner with wide smiles. Zhou Rui waved wildly. "You both look like you just woke up!"
"I did just wake up," I muttered, trying not to glance at Jiasheng. He was smirking. Ugh.
We hugged. Laughed. Junxi looked more relaxed than I'd seen him in a while. Maybe coming home meant healing — a little bit, at least.
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That night, the four of us gathered on Junxi's rooftop. Same old rooftop, same creaky chair, same tin roof noises.
Junxi brought soda, Zhou Rui brought fried snacks, I brought chocolate (which Jiasheng tried to steal five times), and Jiasheng… brought a blanket. He said it wasn't for sharing. I stole it anyway.
"What next?" Zhou Rui asked, her eyes soft under the stars.
"I want to open an ice cream shop," I said quietly. "Like a real one. With colorful chairs and weird flavors. Mango pickle ice cream, even."
Jiasheng chuckled. "That sounds disgusting. I support it."
Junxi leaned back, eyes to the sky. "I want to start a car brand. One that even kids dream of driving one day."
Zhou Rui added, "I'm still figuring it out. But I want to create stories… maybe help publish them."
We were all chasing dreams now. But somehow, it felt like we were still the same kids sitting on this rooftop, swearing to stay together forever.
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I looked at them — Junxi, calm and warm; Zhou Rui, strong and steady; Jiasheng, teasing as always — and I felt something heavy and happy in my chest.
Home wasn't a place.
It was them.