It was Saturday morning. Weekends were hard to come by when Arya did not need to go to work, but she still woke up very early, tidied up her room, and had a simple breakfast before leaving the house.
The weather was chilly outside. When she headed out, the sky was gray and hazy. It was still drizzling and the cold winds kept attacking, brushing everyone’s faces till it hurt.
Arya was a very low-profile person. Apart from the usual interactions at work, she did not have contact with anyone else. Usually, when she was free, she would read or have some tea and listen to some music.
She was a huge tea lover, so in a certain secluded location in the northern area of this bustling city, she opened a tea house called the Bamboo Teahouse.
She usually retreated to behind-the-scenes as well. The boss that acted as her proxy was an extremely cultured and refined middle-aged man named Davis Miller. She heard that he used to be a university professor, and at the same time, he was a researcher on China’s ancient civilization. He was very well versed with the country’s art of tea and musical instruments.
When Arya had first opened the tea house, he would come almost every day to have tea and play some chess. Later on, the two chatted pleasantly, and Xi Xiaye let him manage the tea house. Of course, at the same time, it was a conducive place for him to write.
The entire tea house was almost concealed in the huge bamboo forest. It was not huge. The place was 400 square feet with two floors and the whole decor bore a charm of antiquity, that of a poetic ink painting.
When Arya entered the Bamboo Teahouse with the huge pile of books she had just bought from the bookstore, there were already faint but clear sounds of the guqin. Business here was brisk on the weekends.
“Ms. Johns, you’re here!”
All of the tea house waiters were very familiar with Arya because she would go over almost every weekend, but very few people knew that the real owner of this tea house was actually this lady who seemed very young and beautiful. They had always thought she was just Professor Davis's student and was just very close friends with Professor Davis.
Arya nodded before she arranged the books neatly on the bookshelf that was already filled with books while the waiters swiftly served the Maojian tea she always drank. Arya sighed a breath of relief and sat down. She picked up her tea to take a sip, then at that moment, her phone buzzed.
Arya picked up the phone and flipped it open, not seeing who it was, before picking up the call. Quickly, from the other end of the phone came her best friend, Mia's sweet voice. 
“Arya, it’s me! I’ve already reached New York City. I’m traveling, so in less than eight hours, you’ll be able to see Lady Mia that you’ve been thinking of day and night!”
Arya lowered her head and took a sip of the tea. A smile spread across her beautiful and fair face. She said softly, 
“Lady Mia, we only haven’t seen each other for a few days, yet your narcissism has grown.”
From the other end immediately came Mia's candid laughter, yet after that laugh, Mia suddenly fell silent for quite a while and Arya did not say anything either. 
A long while later, suddenly came Mia's hesitant voice, 
“Arya...”
Mia's tone sounded a little serious. It came with a bit of bitterness that she seemed to have endured.
“Hmm?”
Arya put down the teacup in her hand, then she took a book introducing the art of flower arranging and started to casually browse through it. She could hear that Mia's tone was a little off, so she continued to ask,
“What is it?”
From the other end, Mia took a deep breath as if she was setting her mind on something. She said in a lowered voice, 
“I just saw Noah Wilson... with Lucia Jones... Both of them are on the same flight as me...”
“They’re back, Arya...”
The instant Mia's voice fell, Arya's face instantly turned blank. Both her hands suddenly turned stiff and her hand that held the phone had unconsciously tightened too.
That lowered and stifled. The voice kept echoing in her ear.
I just saw Ethan Martinez... with Victoria Johns... Both of them are on the same flight as me...
Both ends of the phone suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Even Mia, who was far away in Texas City, could vaguely feel the suffocating repress of emotions and gloom through the silence of the phone, making it hard to breathe.
She suddenly regretted telling her this news, but there were some things that she still needed to face.
“Arya... are you okay?”
From the other end came Mia's worried voice conveying how sorry she felt for her. 
“I’m sorry... Maybe I shouldn’t have told you this, but if you wait till they appear in front of you all smiling, that’d be even more painful for you and you’ll be sadder. I’d rather you find out about it now.”
After being silent for a while, Arya suddenly slowly closed the book in her hand and gently shut her eyes. Then, she opened them. A dim glow shone in her twinkling eyes indifferently and distantly. Her exceptionally calm voice came through. 
“Mmm, got it. Thank you, Mia.”
Mia took a deep breath. Her voice had a hint of sympathy as she suffered silently with her. 
“Arya, are you okay? Don’t be upset... That kind of person really isn’t worth it...”
Arya lowered her head and stared at the teacup between her fingers. She said with much difficulty and hoarseness in her tone, 
“I’m fine. Why don’t you rest first? I’ll pick you up in the evening.”
Then, before Mia could respond, she abruptly hung up.
Three years, it had been three years!
Arya felt the temperature of her fingertips gradually fade away until, at last, they turned cold amidst the cool breeze. A sneer suddenly appeared on her elegant and beautiful face as she mocked herself.
It turned out that a relationship, which she thought was steady after going through the ups and downs in the sea of time, would still fade in the end. It still turned cool just like this cup of tea. All of the warmth would slowly turn cold in the midst of this cool breeze.
Give yourself a chance to be free, Arya Johns. You aren’t young anymore!
She sat there in silence for an unknown amount of time. It was so long that she felt like she had lived a whole decade to the next. 
Before she returned to her senses, she bitterly lifted her head and drank the cup of cold tea.
As the tea swirled into her mouth, the bitter and cold taste reached her chest very quickly. It was so cold that it made her feel rigid all over, and there was a sting in her chest.
What pulled her out from that suffocating whirlpool of despair was her grandfather’s unexpected call.
“Arya, it’s Grandfather. Where are you now? Have you left? It’s cold outside. Remember to put on more clothes, and remember, don’t be late!” Her grandfather’s loving and concerned voice reminded her, 
“It’s the First Suite in the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern. Don’t go the wrong way!”
At that moment, Arya remembered what she had talked to her grandfather about, then she felt a headache starting.
Arya breathed in, slowly got up, and then put the book back onto the shelf as she answered softly,
“Got it. I’m hanging about outside. I’ll reach there on time. Don’t worry, Grandfather.”
“Mmm, make a trip home tonight. Your mother’s coincidentally on a break. I’ll get her to cook some delicious dishes for you! I heard that you’ve been working quite hard recently,” sighed Mr. Robert Johns.
“I’ve to go and pick a friend up from the airport in the evening. At night, I’ll also be welcoming her back. I’ll go see you and Mother in a few more days. At the same time, I’ll bring you some quality Pu’er,” Arya explained gently.
From the other end of the phone came Robert's unhappy and jealous voice. 
“Are your grandfather and your mother not as important as your friends?”
Arya could not help but laugh. After a while, she said softly, 
“I’ll accompany both of you for a whole day tomorrow. How about that?”
“That’s much better!”
When she put her phone away, Arya took a look at the time and realized that it was still quite early, so she decided to get her grandfather, Robert Johns, and her mother, Arianna Johns, some gifts first. She had not gone back for quite some time now and she did miss them quite a bit.