The restaurant Bayu had chosen turned out to be far more luxurious than Rian had expected.
The moment he stepped out of the car, Rian stood in front of the entrance for several seconds, staring at the elegant building.
It looked like the kind of place where rich people discussed stocks while eating food with names that were impossible to pronounce.
Rian swallowed.
“Bayu.”
“Yes?”
Rian pointed seriously at the restaurant.
“Is this really a place to eat?”
Bayu, who was already familiar with the place, smiled.
“What else would it be? An office?”
“It looks more like the kind of place where a poor guy like me walks in and his wallet immediately dies.”
Ilham, standing beside Bayu, tried to hold back his laughter.
Even Bayu had to turn his face away for a moment.
From inside the carrier bag, Jojo let out a short sound.
“Meow.”
Rian looked down at the bag.
“Don't encourage him.”
They eventually entered the restaurant.
On the second floor, they were led into a private room where an elderly man was already waiting.
Herman's body had not completely returned to the condition of a perfectly healthy man, but his face looked much livelier than the last time Rian had seen him.
Beside him sat a man in his thirties with a sturdy build and sharp eyes.
Anton.
The moment Herman saw Rian enter, he immediately stood up.
Rian instinctively quickened his pace.
“Sir, please don't stand.”
His hand almost reached out to support Herman's shoulder, but he stopped himself, thinking it might be rude.
Herman smiled warmly.
“So you're Rian.”
Rian nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Herman studied him for several moments.
His gaze did not feel like an examination. Instead, it looked like a father trying to memorize the face of the person who had saved his life.
“I've heard quite a lot about you.”
Rian scratched his cheek.
“I hope you heard the good things.”
Bayu chuckled.
Anton, who had remained silent until then, also showed a faint smile.
Rian took his seat.
Jojo was taken out of the carrier and immediately claimed the empty chair beside Rian.
Anton looked at the cat.
“He came too?”
Rian nodded casually.
“He's my partner.”
Jojo sat up proudly.
“Meow.”
Anton raised an eyebrow.
“Your partner?”
“He's an important part of my business.”
Rian patted Jojo's head.
“Without him, who would spend my money on food?”
Jojo slowly turned his head.
His expression clearly said that this accusation was completely fabricated.
Lunch began soon afterward.
At first, the atmosphere was slightly formal.
Herman asked Rian about his life, his farm, his business, and how things had been going since the hoax surrounding him had finally been dealt with.
Rian answered simply.
He did not exaggerate his achievements.
He did not try to make himself sound impressive.
Even when Anton asked how he managed to produce crops of such extraordinary quality, Rian merely shrugged.
“I just take good care of them.”
Anton stared at him for a moment.
“Nothing special?”
Rian thought about it.
“There is.”
Anton leaned forward slightly.
“What?”
“Watering them.”
Silence.
Bayu covered his mouth.
Ilham lowered his head, trying not to laugh.
Even Anton's shoulders trembled slightly as he suppressed a laugh.
Rian looked confused.
“What?”
Jojo licked his front paw.
“Meow.”
Rian pointed at him.
“See? He's not helping either.”
Herman finally burst into laughter.
The stiff atmosphere immediately disappeared.
After a while, the conversation eventually reached the subject they had actually wanted to discuss.
Anton placed his chopsticks down.
“Rian, there's something I'd like to ask.”
Rian stopped eating.
“Sure.”
“The medicine you gave my father back then... what exactly was it?”
The atmosphere became quiet again.
Rian had expected the question.
He looked at Herman for a moment before answering calmly.
“A herbal remedy from my family.”
Anton frowned slightly.
“A herbal remedy?”
Rian nodded.
“Yes. It's a family recipe. It's been passed down through generations.”
Anton remained curious.
“What are the ingredients?”
Rian shook his head.
“I'm sorry, sir. It's a family recipe.”
He didn't say it defensively.
Nor did he sound like he was hiding something extraordinary.
It was simply a boundary he was unwilling to cross.
Herman studied Rian for a long moment.
Then the old man nodded.
“If it's your family's recipe, you don't have to explain it.”
Anton glanced at his father.
Herman smiled.
“We owe this young man my life. We have no right to force him to reveal his family's secret.”
Rian was slightly surprised.
He had expected them to press him for more information.
Instead, Herman accepted his answer without hesitation.
Anton eventually nodded.
“I understand.”
Rian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
In his mind, he had already prepared several excuses in case they kept asking.
He had even considered pretending he had forgotten the names of the plants involved.
Fortunately, none of that was necessary.
The conversation moved on to other matters.
Anton turned out to have connections with various circles, including people within the military.
Bayu, meanwhile, worked in the police force and was well respected among his colleagues.
Yet Rian never once tried to approach them because of their positions.
He didn't ask for favors.
He didn't ask for protection.
He didn't ask for business opportunities.
Even when Bayu offered to help him if he ever encountered trouble, Rian simply smiled.
“If I ever really need help, I'll contact you.”
Bayu nodded.
“Don't hesitate.”
Rian raised his glass slightly.
“But I'd rather try to solve my own problems first.”
That simple answer made Anton look at him more carefully.
Many people who approached their family usually had some kind of ulterior motive.
Some wanted contracts.
Some wanted connections.
Some started flattering them before they had even sat down.
Rian was different.
He didn't seem particularly impressed by the people sitting around him.
He simply ate.
And whenever delicious food arrived, Rian's attention immediately shifted to the food.
Herman smiled faintly.
“Bayu.”
“Yes, Father?”
“Keep in touch with this young man.”
Bayu was silent for a moment before smiling.
“That was already my plan.”
Rian immediately raised his head.
“Why do I feel like you're talking about me as if I'm an investment?”
Jojo gave a quiet sound.
“Meow.”
Rian nodded.
“Exactly. Even he agrees.”
Everyone at the table laughed again.
But Rian didn't realize something.
Precisely because he wasn't trying to build connections, he had gained them.
Bayu respected him as the man who had saved his father's life.
Herman respected him because he wasn't greedy and never tried to force anything.
Anton saw him as someone who could be trusted.
And without Rian realizing it, his name was beginning to become known among people with considerable influence.
Not because he flattered them.
But because he didn't.
---
That afternoon, after saying goodbye, Rian headed back toward his farm.
Halfway there, however, his stomach growled.
Rian patted his stomach.
“Jojo.”
“Meow?”
“Let's get some meatballs.”
Jojo immediately lifted his head.
“Meow!”
Hearing that enthusiastic response, Rian turned his motorcycle toward his favorite meatball stall.
The place was simple.
Plastic tables, long benches, the sound of bowls clattering against each other, and the familiar aroma of broth that Rian had known for years.
As soon as he sat down, he ordered.
“One regular bowl, please. And don't forget—”
He stopped.
Someone had just sat down at the next table.
Rian happened to turn his head.
And the world seemed to stop.
A beautiful woman was sitting there.
Her hair was neatly arranged.
Her features were soft and elegant.
Everything about her movements was graceful and gentle.
She smiled faintly as she spoke to the stall owner.
Rian stared.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
His eyes widened.
His mouth hung slightly open.
His entire body went rigid.
Jojo looked at Rian.
Then at the woman.
Then back at Rian.
“Meow.”
Rian didn't move.
Jojo tilted his head.
“He looks like a monkey that's been sedated.”
Rian remained frozen.
“Meow?”
Still no response.
Jojo finally nudged Rian's leg with his head.
Rian snapped back to reality.
“Diah?”
The woman turned around.
Their eyes met.
Several seconds passed.
Then she smiled.
“Rian?”
That smile.
That voice.
Suddenly, Rian was transported back to his high school days.
School corridors.
White-and-gray uniforms.
Rainy afternoons after school.
And a girl who used to sit not far from him.
Diah Pratiwi.
Rian's first love.
Rian stared at her as though he had just discovered a treasure he had long believed to be lost forever.
“It's really you?”
Diah smiled wider.
“Yes. Do you still remember me?”
“How could I forget?”
The answer came far too quickly.
Jojo immediately covered his face with both front paws.
“Oh, no.”
Rian didn't care.
He had already pulled his chair slightly closer.
“Where do you live now? What are you doing for work? How did you end up here? You—”
Rian stopped when he saw Diah laughing softly.
“You're still the same.”
Rian blinked.
“Same how?”
“You ask a lot of questions once you're comfortable.”
Rian smiled broadly.
For some reason, all the awkwardness that had frozen his body moments ago disappeared.
He began telling her about his life.
His farm.
His business.
The strange incidents he had experienced recently.
Of course, Rian didn't tell her everything.
Some secrets remained his to keep.
But the longer they talked, the more Rian seemed to return to the person he had once been.
He laughed more often.
His eyes looked brighter.
He even almost forgot about the bowl of meatballs that had just arrived in front of him.
Jojo watched the entire thing with an expression of absolute contempt.
The cat finally muttered,
“Male ferret in mating season.”
Rian immediately turned his head.
“What?”
Jojo pretended to stare at the bowl.
“Meow.”
“I heard you.”
Jojo remained silent.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing.”
Rian narrowed his eyes.
“You definitely said something.”
Jojo calmly licked his paw.
“Meow.”
Rian eventually turned his attention back to Diah.
“So... you're not married yet?”
Jojo's head snapped toward Rian.
Rian only realized afterward how direct the question sounded.
Diah simply laughed softly.
“Not yet.”
Rian nodded far too quickly.
“Oh.”
His smile widened.
“Oh.”
He picked up a meatball and shoved it into his mouth.
Unfortunately, he was so excited that he almost choked.
Diah immediately looked concerned.
“Are you all right?”
Rian patted his chest.
“I'm fine. The meatball is just really good.”
Jojo stared at him with a completely deadpan expression.
“Liar.”
Rian lightly kicked the leg of Jojo's chair.
The cat dodged it effortlessly, looking extremely satisfied with himself.
Diah laughed at the sight.
“You're still funny.”
Rian stopped eating.
His smile became slightly softer.
“If you still remember me like that... I guess I haven't changed that much.”
Diah looked at him for several moments.
There was warmth in her eyes.
“I remember you.”
For a moment, Rian didn't know what to say.
This time, it wasn't because he was nervous.
It was because an old feeling had suddenly resurfaced after years of being buried.
Jojo watched Rian's expression.
Then he let out a long, exhausted sigh like a cat who had grown tired of watching his owner's behavior.
“Meow...”
Rian glanced at him.
“What now?”
Jojo turned his face away.
“Breeding season came early this year.”
“SHUT UP!”
Several customers nearby turned to look at them.
Rian immediately lowered his head in embarrassment.
Diah covered her mouth as she laughed.
And for the first time in years, Rian found himself enjoying a simple conversation with someone who had once meant so much to him.
He didn't know what would happen after this unexpected meeting.
But one thing was certain.
A day that had started with an unexpected lunch invitation from a police officer had ended with something far more unexpected.
A new connection.
And perhaps...
a first love that had never truly died.