Until My Soul Finds You Again - Chapter 2

The rain that afternoon seemed different somehow.

Chen Mo walked beside Su Qingyi beneath a single umbrella, carefully tilting it toward her whenever the wind blew. Raindrops splashed against the stone pavement surrounding West Lake, and the cool autumn breeze carried the faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers.

Neither of them spoke.

Chen Mo was too nervous.

And Su Qingyi was far too aware of his presence.

After several minutes, she finally broke the silence.

“Do you live in the school dormitory?”

Chen Mo looked at her, slightly surprised.

“Y-Yes.”

He nodded.

“The boys’ dormitory near the south gate.”

“I see.”

Su Qingyi tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I live in the girls’ dormitory near the library.”

Another silence followed.

But unlike before, it didn’t feel awkward.

Instead, it felt strangely comfortable.

As if neither of them minded simply walking side by side.

When the bus finally arrived, it was already crowded.

There were no empty seats.

The two of them stood near the back, holding onto the handrails as the vehicle slowly moved through the rain-soaked streets.

A sudden turn caused the bus to shake.

Su Qingyi nearly lost her balance.

Without thinking, Chen Mo stepped closer and positioned himself between her and the crowd.

“You can hold this.”

He pointed toward the rail beside him.

“Thank you.”

Her voice was soft.

Yet it was enough to make his heartbeat quicken.

Say something.

Anything.

His mind desperately searched for words.

Unfortunately, it found none.

Su Qingyi glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

The way he struggled to speak made her want to laugh.

“You’re very quiet.”

Chen Mo scratched his head awkwardly.

“I’ve always been like that.”

“I noticed.”

A faint smile appeared in her eyes.

Chen Mo immediately felt embarrassed.

“Is that a bad thing?”

Su Qingyi shook her head.

“No.”

She looked out the window at the falling rain.

“Quiet people usually listen more carefully.”

Then she added softly,

“I like that.”

Chen Mo froze.

No one had ever said that to him before.

Not once.

For some reason, those simple words remained in his mind long after they parted ways.

From that day onward, things began to change.

Not suddenly.

Not dramatically.

Just little by little.

They started spending more time together.

Sometimes they sat in the same row during class.

Sometimes they studied together in the library after school.

Their conversations gradually expanded from homework and exams to favorite foods, books, dreams, and childhood memories.

Chen Mo learned that Su Qingyi loved reading novels by the lake in the early morning.

She enjoyed watching sunrises.

And despite being one of the top students in school, she never acted superior to anyone.

Su Qingyi learned that Chen Mo cared deeply about his family.

Especially his grandfather.

One evening while walking along West Lake, Chen Mo suddenly smiled.

“My grandfather always says something.”

“What?”

He looked toward the lake.

“He says that if your heart stays kind, life may be difficult, but you’ll never truly lose your way.”

Su Qingyi was silent for a moment.

“Do you believe that?”

Chen Mo nodded.

“I do.”

Then he smiled.

“Maybe not because it’s true.”

“But because I’d rather live that way.”

Su Qingyi stared at him.

For a long time.

She didn’t say anything.

Yet something quietly changed within her heart.

Perhaps it was admiration.

Perhaps it was affection.

Or perhaps it was the beginning of love.

But love stories are rarely simple.

As time passed, Chen Mo became increasingly aware of the distance between them.

Su Qingyi was beautiful.

Intelligent.

Popular.

Many boys found excuses to speak with her.

To sit near her.

To help her carry books.

Every time Chen Mo saw her laughing with someone else, an uncomfortable feeling settled in his chest.

A feeling he couldn’t explain.

Eventually, he began keeping his distance.

Not because he cared less.

But because he cared too much.

The closer he got, the harder it became to protect his heart.

Unfortunately for him, Su Qingyi noticed immediately.

After class one afternoon, she stopped him in the hallway.

“Chen Mo.”

He turned around.

“Why have you been avoiding me?”

His expression stiffened.

“I’m not avoiding you.”

“You are.”

She crossed her arms.

“You don’t sit near me anymore.”

“You leave after class without waiting.”

“And you barely talk to me.”

Chen Mo looked away.

After a long silence, he finally said,

“You already have plenty of friends.”

“You don’t need me.”

Su Qingyi frowned.

“Who said that?”

Chen Mo froze.

Their eyes met.

For the first time, he couldn’t look away.

“I like talking to you.”

Her voice was calm.

“But when I’m with you, I don’t feel tired.”

“You don’t pretend to be someone else.”

“You just say what you honestly think.”

Chen Mo felt something stir deep inside his chest.

Without realizing it, he had already become important to her.

Su Qingyi suddenly extended her hand.

“Friends?”

Chen Mo stared at it for several seconds.

Then slowly reached out.

“Friends.”

Their hands met.

Warm.

Gentle.

Neither of them said what they were truly thinking.

Because both already knew.

They wanted something far more than friendship.

That night, in separate dormitories, neither could fall asleep.

Chen Mo lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

“I think…”

“I’m really in love with her.”

Meanwhile, across campus, Su Qingyi sat by her window.

Moonlight spilled across her desk as she gazed at the night sky.

Her fingers lightly touched the friendship bracelet she had received earlier that day.

A soft smile appeared on her lips.

Why does being with him feel so peaceful?

Neither of them knew what awaited them in the years ahead.

They didn’t know about the misunderstandings.

The heartbreak.

The separation.

Or the tragedy fate had already prepared.

At that moment, they only knew one thing.

Among billions of people in this world—

They had finally met someone who felt like home.