Chapter 216: Sunrise Reflections

The sky was still dark, so the two of them got up early.

The air outside felt a bit chilly, so they both put on light jackets.

Xie Bingran wore a full silver tracksuit that highlighted her tall frame and neat short hair, giving her a spirited and confident look.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and looked up and down at Xu Chen, who was still pulling on his jacket.

Xu Chen slipped on a thin jacket:

“I should start dressing like you in tracksuits. They’re so easy and comfortable.”

“These jackets, jeans, and khakis just feel awkward and uncomfortable.”

Xie Bingran: “Next time the team gets uniforms, I’ll grab a size up for you.”

Xu Chen: “Aren’t those divided by gender though?”

Xie Bingran glanced down at her outfit:

“They don’t seem to be…”

Xu Chen: “…”

It was too early for the hotel restaurant to be open.

Xie Bingran dug out a granola bar, broke it in half, and shared it with Xu Chen as their morning energy boost.

Though they could have watched the sunrise from the mid-mountain lodge, the two decided to hike to the top of White Cloud Mountain.

In terms of elevation, White Cloud Mountain is just a small hill, with its highest point at Mo Xing Ridge topping out under 1,300 feet.

The mountain path was lit with lamps, and surprisingly, quite a few other tourists were already on their way up, most likely to see the sunrise.

Among them were some robust elderly folks who clearly made daily exercise a retirement routine.

Xu Chen couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

These lively elders were probably only in their sixties.

Yet, back in his hometown of Tiancheng, many poor villagers in their sixties and seventies still toiled away at grueling physical labor to support their families…

…

At the summit of Mo Xing Ridge, the sunrise viewing platform was already buzzing with early risers.

They stood in small groups, waiting for the sun to rise.

In the eastern sky, a faint light was beginning to emerge.

Xu Chen steadied his breathing, the crisp mountain air invigorating him.

Xie Bingran wasn’t even winded as she pointed to an open spot:

“Let’s go over there!”

It was a great spot with a flat boulder where they could sit and lean back.

Maybe because it wasn’t directly facing east, no one else had claimed it, but the view was perfect—far better than crowding onto the eastern platform.

They sat shoulder to shoulder, feeling the coolness of the early mountain morning.

Even in the height of summer, Yangcheng rarely felt this refreshing.

From this viewpoint, they could overlook the entire city.

As the faint eastern glow grew, it started to outline the distant low hills and the clusters of buildings nestled among them.

Xie Bingran gazed at the horizon and said softly:

“Xu Chen… I never imagined I’d end up here like this.”

She bowed her head slightly, a touch of sadness crossing her face:

“I originally got a job at an electronics factory nearby in Yangcheng.”

“I thought that was going to be my whole life.”

“Just working as a factory girl, smoking, fighting, being ‘Bing Ge’ somewhere else…”

“Back then, I was daydreaming about what this legendary ‘big city’ would look like, hoping for a day off to check it out.”

Xu Chen smiled:

“Well, you’ve seen it now. What do you think?”

Xie Bingran turned to him: “I’m really happy with it.”

She looked back at the horizon:

“At the factory, I was earning less than 3,000 yuan a month.”

“Now, with this competition, the prizes add up to 300,000 yuan…”

“I’m scared that one day I’ll wake up and find it was all a dream.”

…

A stir rippled through the crowd ahead.

People in front pulled out their cameras and phones.

Xu Chen and Xie Bingran looked up as a sliver of red light crept over the horizon.

At first, the light was soft and hesitant, but in an instant, it blazed brilliantly, tracing the jagged hills and city skyline with a golden edge.

The fiery orb finally broke free, rising into the sky with an undeniable power.

It lit up the city’s silhouette.

…

Xie Bingran stared at the red sun and whispered:

“Xu Chen, that sun…”

“It reminds me of you!”

Xu Chen paused and turned to her profile.

She kept gazing at the sky, lost in thought:

“I’ve always felt like I was living in the dark… until you brought in the light.”

“There was a time when I lost you.”

“But luckily, you’re back now, and you’ve brought the light with you…”

The sunrise bathed her fine features, her stray hairs fluttering as her wide eyes shimmered with tears.

Xu Chen glanced down and saw Xie Bingran’s right hand clutching his jacket tightly.

“I’ve lost you once, and I’m so afraid…”

“That I might lose you again by accident.”

She turned to face him.

Tears streamed down her face…

Xu Chen’s heart tightened, touching a soft spot deep inside.

He reached down and gently held her hand that gripped his jacket.

Xie Bingran bit her lip, her big eyes blurred with tears.

Xu Chen lifted his other hand and wiped away a tear from her cheek with the back of his finger.

“Silly girl, you won’t lose me.”

Xie Bingran bit her lip:

“If I do something wrong, just tell me.”

“I’ll fix it, I promise…”

“Don’t disappear on me like before…”

Tears kept falling down her beautiful cheeks.

Maybe only now did Xu Chen realize how much it had hurt her when he drifted away from her in middle school and stopped talking altogether.

He suddenly remembered that day on the rundown athletic field after training, when Xie Bingran boarded the bus back to First High School…

As the doors were about to close, she suddenly asked:

“Xu Chen, why did you suddenly start talking to me again?”

The real answer was simple, but he couldn’t explain it to her—rebirth and getting close to the ‘future rich woman’ sounded too far-fetched and unappealing.

Yet in this moment.

Atop this southern city’s modest peak, under the blazing sunrise, amid his deskmate’s tear-filled gaze…

That straightforward answer for him had become incredibly complex.

I didn’t just reconnect with you to latch onto your future wealth.

In those silent years, I really wanted to talk to you.

That time I spent with Zhao Linlin was just because she sometimes acted like you, enjoying the little things I shared.

In the life I lived to thirty-something, you were my biggest regret…

Xu Chen reached out and touched Xie Bingran’s tear-streaked cheek.

He asked gently:

“Xie Bingran, can I hug you?”

“”