The car continued to go to its destination as the sky turned gloomier from the rain that grew harsher as time passed. Once the car stopped, Xiao Yun and Wang Li Lei stepped out of the car. Their eyes first met to Xiao Yun's old house. The white gate of her house was built years ago and although it had almost been a decade since her last visit everything still look the same to her perhaps just a little dusty and that wild weeds have began to grow on the large yard before the house.

Wang Li Lei held the black umbrella over their heads as he travelled around the place a little with his eyes and asked, "Where is the small house?"

"The secret base is supposed to be inside the house but we came here without keys how would we enter?" asked Xiao Yun as she recalled of how she had forgotten the most important thing she had to bring.

Then she heard the sound of crinkling metals hitting against each other, turning her face she find Wang Li Lei smiling with his other hand which was free from holding the umbrella raise to showcase five keys chained with one loose metal, "I thought you will forgot it." he passed the key when Xiao Yun opened her palm toward him.

"How did you get this?"

"Your father and mother." Xiao Yun nodded. If it was Wang Li Lei she doubt her parents would ever say no to his request with the trust they had to him.

As Xiao Yun opened the gate, they entered the garden and Wang Li Lei followed Xiao Yun from behind as she knew her way more than him. Wang Li Lei had his eyes looking all around the place. Like how Xiao Yun didn't know about his old house, Wang Li Lei knew less about the house which she lived in here or the memories she passed in the house but he knew that it must have been filled with good times as when he turned his face, Wang Li Lei saw the way Xiao Yun smiled in nostalgia at the house.

They first entered the house to walk toward the backyard as it was the fastest way to. Little dust floated and glimmered like soft snows when Xiao Yun pushed over the door. She covered her nose to avoid the thick dust forming in the air and put one step forward to the foyer.

With the sky giving the somber gray hues, the place seemed darker and quieter than ever. Wang Li Lei shook the umbrella outside the house, letting the water to drips out from the umbrella and folded it loosely as they would open the umbrella again.

"It looks empty." commented Xiao Yun as she entered the house which was true. Xiao Yun recalled the house in the state where the place were filled with furnitures all around the room and felt the place without the furniture feels a little out of sort.

"Your parents must have moved and sell them before moving to the new house."

"That's true." whispered Xiao Yun.

"Do Andy come by here often?" he heard him ask, her eyes finding its way to him.

"Yes, he did about almost five days a week?" she replied unsure as it was a very long memory to her which she had cherished well. "We were childhood friends but it was actually because of brother Xing Fu. He was at the same age with Andy so mom and aunty often visited each other. His house is just right beside us. On the left side."

Wang Li Lei hummed, "That would mean they have demolished the building." because he didn't see any house on the right side of Xiao Yun's house.

"That's right. I guess after his eighteen birthday they decided to move but I have moved house even long before him. They decided to go abroad because of uncle's job." she replied, her words coming of as how she remembered what happened. "That's right, the secret base that I mentioned you, the tree house it is created in the vast land behind our houses which was guarded with trees like a small forest, it is connected to Andy's house. That's why we often met there."

"Is that so," he hummed and they continued to enter the house and get out of the house to the backyard through the back door. Wang Li Lei opened the umbrella and hoisted it over them as they walked passed to the vicinity after the backyard which was a small forest created out of abundant trees which seemed to have grown more than what Xiao Yun remember.

"It supposed to be around the end of the forest." said Xiao Yun trying to remember exactly where as she scrunched the crisp leaves under her feet.

"Do you remember any land sign? Or perhaps put something to remind you the path?"

"I don't really remember..." whispered Xiao Yun. "Usually Brother Xing Fu and Andy were the one who led me to the secret base so I don't really know if they have one. But I somewhat remember the direction."

"Maybe Xing Fu knows." murmured Wang Li Lei and so did Andy, he added internally. As they were children at the time, Andy must have put some along with Xing Fu and so that Xiao Yun wouldn't enter the forest alone they must have keep quiet about the signs.

They tools steps around the forest. The crisp sounding leaves as they stepped over barely audible with the sound of rain. Passing one tree, Wang Li Lei narrowed the slight horizontal line which was created on the which said to take a right turn which they did by Xiao Yun's lead. It seems that although Xiao Yun hadn't remember well the place, she faintly knows where it was due to the experience of going to the place over and over again.

Entering another couple of trees which looked as if their branches stuck together, Xiao Yun ducked her head down to avoid the thick branch along with Wang Li Lei to see that what lays after the trees were a wide land where light hits despite the rain and a small house which looked old but not too shabby.

As they have gotten closer, Wang Li Lei inspected the wooden door and roof which seemed to be very clean and even though time had passed long with the place empty from people, there was no holes on the roof for the rain to go through and there where patches of wood planks which seemed to be new and not too old.

But what made Xiao Yun surprised wasn't only the fact that the house didn't change but it was the house designed that made her to be taken aback, "The house doesn't look like this." she said which gathered Wang Li Lei's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"The house seems to be taller than before and it isn't because I grew older but it was very small for a child around eleven years old to enter but now... it looks like even you could enter the house." which seemed to be true as the roof was just a little taller than Wang Li Lei by a few inches.