Until My Soul Finds You Again - Chapter 11
Time never waits for anyone.
It never asks whether you’re ready.
It simply keeps moving forward, quietly taking away moments you once believed would last forever.
The final examinations had ended.
The lively hallways of Hangzhou No. 1 High School, once filled with laughter, hurried footsteps, and endless conversations, were gradually falling silent.
Students exchanged contact information.
They took photographs.
Signed uniforms.
Made promises to meet again.
Some talked excitedly about universities in Beijing or Shanghai.
Others dreamed of studying overseas.
Everyone was preparing to step into a new chapter of life.
Chen Mo and Su Qingyi knew theirs would begin too.
But perhaps not together.
On the last day of school, Chen Mo arrived earlier than usual.
He stood quietly beneath the old gingko tree near the front gate.
The very place where he had waited for Su Qingyi countless mornings.
A few minutes later, she appeared.
Still wearing the same school uniform.
Still carrying the same quiet smile.
Yet somehow…
Everything felt different.
Su Qingyi walked toward him and stopped.
“This is the last time we’ll come here as students.”
Chen Mo nodded.
“Yeah.”
Neither hurried inside.
Instead, they walked slowly through the campus.
As if slowing their footsteps could slow time itself.
They passed the library where they had reunited.
The corridor where they had argued.
The old classroom building where they had broken each other’s hearts.
And finally, the hill overlooking West Lake where they had promised to face every problem together.
Every corner carried a memory.
Every memory carried a piece of them.
Inside the classroom, chaos filled the air.
Students laughed while writing farewell messages across one another’s uniforms.
Some were crying.
Some posed for endless photographs.
Others promised to stay in touch forever.
Su Qingyi picked up a marker.
Without saying anything, she quietly wrote a short sentence on the back of Chen Mo’s shirt.
He instinctively tried to turn around.
She immediately stopped him.
“Read it after you get home.”
He smiled.
“Alright.”
A few moments later, Chen Mo borrowed the same marker.
When he finished writing, Su Qingyi looked over her shoulder.
“What did you write?”
He shook his head.
“You’ll find out later.”
Eventually, classmates drifted away one by one.
The classroom gradually emptied.
Until only the two of them remained.
As if the room itself had been waiting for this final conversation.
They returned to their old seats by the window.
The afternoon breeze drifted inside.
It felt exactly like the first day they had met.
Chen Mo looked outside and laughed softly.
“Do you remember my self-introduction?”
Su Qingyi smiled.
“The one where you were so nervous you almost forgot your own name?”
“I wasn’t that bad.”
“You were.”
She laughed.
“But that’s when I first noticed you.”
He turned toward her.
“I noticed you that day too.”
Their smiles lingered for only a moment before fading into silence.
This time, the silence wasn’t peaceful.
It carried uncertainty.
After a while, Chen Mo asked quietly,
“What are your plans now?”
Su Qingyi looked toward the window.
“I’ll prepare for university entrance exams.”
“If everything goes well…”
“Maybe Beijing.”
“Maybe Shanghai.”
“Or maybe even overseas if I receive a scholarship.”
Chen Mo nodded sincerely.
“You’ll definitely succeed.”
“You’re the smartest person I know.”
She smiled before asking,
“What about you?”
He lowered his gaze.
“I’ll probably stay closer to home.”
“My family can’t afford expensive universities.”
The words hung between them.
For the first time, they could clearly see that the roads ahead might not lead to the same destination.
After several moments, Su Qingyi spoke softly.
“Long-distance relationships are difficult.”
Chen Mo nodded.
“I know.”
Then he forced a smile.
“But we’ve survived worse.”
She laughed quietly.
“We’re already experts at arguing and making up.”
He laughed too.
Yet both of them understood the truth.
Distance changes people.
Time changes people.
Life changes people.
Soon they would have to face all three.
As evening approached, they slowly walked back toward the school gate.
The place where countless mornings had begun.
Now it had become the place where their school days would end.
Su Qingyi stopped.
“Promise me something.”
“What is it?”
“No matter how busy life becomes…”
“No matter how far apart we are…”
“No matter how many times we argue…”
“Don’t disappear from my life again.”
Chen Mo looked directly into her eyes.
“I might get angry.”
“I might need time alone.”
“We might even stop talking for a while.”
“But I’ll never leave your world.”
Her eyes slowly reddened.
“Good.”
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and hugged him.
Not a brief embrace.
Not an awkward one.
But the kind that silently asks time to stop.
Because neither knew when they would stand this close again.
Eventually, they pulled apart.
“Call me when you get home.”
“I will.”
“And you too.”
They began walking away.
After only a few steps, Su Qingyi suddenly turned around.
“Chen Mo!”
He looked back.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted,
“Don’t forget our dream!”
“The little house!”
He couldn’t help laughing.
“And the two horses!”
She smiled brightly through the tears gathering in her eyes.
“And don’t forget the cows!”
“I won’t.”
For one final moment, they looked at each other.
Then they turned around again.
And walked toward two completely different futures.
That evening, after returning home, Chen Mo finally unfolded the back of his uniform.
Written neatly in black ink were a few simple words.
You are my peace.
— Su Qingyi
At the same time, inside her own room, Su Qingyi looked at the message Chen Mo had left on hers.
You are my home.
— Chen Mo
Neither knew where life would take them next.
Different universities.
Different cities.
Different dreams.
New people.
New challenges.
But one thing remained unchanged.
No matter how far apart they traveled—
A part of their heart would always stay with the other.
And perhaps…
That was what first love truly meant.
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