By the time Zhu Wenshu came out of her room, several minutes had already passed.
The two women outside had only just noticed her absence, assuming she’d gone to the bathroom.
Seeing Zhu Wenshu return, Shi Xue’er’s excitement still hadn’t worn off; she was hunched over her phone, typing away furiously.
Ying Fei, meanwhile, was in the kitchen cooking instant noodles with an expressionless face.
“Hey, Teacher Zhu, come look at this.”
Shi Xue’er waved Zhu Wenshu over and handed her the phone.
“What?”
Zhu Wenshu frowned, glanced at Ying Fei, and slowly walked over. Shi Xue’er was scrolling through a shopping app. “Do you think the Ferrero gift box is nicer, or the Godiva one?”
Zhu Wenshu looked at both for a moment and thought they seemed about the same.
“Godiva, I guess. Is this for Zhu Qisen?”
“He doesn’t even eat chocolate.”
Shi Xue’er, her glittery manicured nail tapping “add to cart,” said, “I’m going to do a giveaway once Ling Chen and Classmate Little Silkworm are confirmed.”
Zhu Wenshu: “…”
Ying Fei, having just finished cooking her noodles, shook her head with a twisted smile.
This girl must have been driven mad by all the excitement.
Just then, Shi Xue’er caught the smell of noodles wafting from the dining area, swallowed hard, and pulled Zhu Wenshu toward the bedroom.
“Teacher Zhu, you haven’t taken your medicine yet, right? Go rest.”
Once the door was shut, Shi Xue’er pressed her ear to it, listening for movement outside, and only turned around after confirming Ying Fei was just eating her noodles.
She watched Zhu Wenshu sit at the table taking her medicine and only then remembered the real reason she’d come—to ask about what had happened with Ling Chen’s nephew.
“Teacher Zhu, what actually happened yesterday?”
Shi Xue’er stood nearby and asked. “Ling Chen’s nephew’s okay, right? Zhu Qisen told me he’d been kidnapped by relatives?”
“Not exactly.”
Zhu Wenshu said, mouth a little full as she took her medicine. “Some relatives took the kid out and didn’t notify anyone properly, so there was a misunderstanding.”
Shi Xue’er’s eyes went wide. “Huh?”
“He was sent home afterward,” Zhu Wenshu continued. “I don’t know the details either. It was probably all a misunderstanding.”
Shi Xue’er never expected the situation to be like this. Last night, when Zhu Qisen told her Ling Chen’s nephew had been kidnapped and that Zhu Wenshu had rushed out late at night to find him, ending up at the police station, she’d assumed something truly terrible had happened, like an actual abduction.
But seeing Zhu Wenshu’s calm expression, Shi Xue’er was puzzled. “That’s it?”
Seeing Zhu Wenshu look up, she caught herself and quickly patted her own mouth twice.
“Bah, bah! I don’t mean that as a curse, I just thought something huge had happened.”
She blinked, dazed, pressing a hand to her chest. “Well, good, so it was a false alarm after all. That’s a relief.”
Her phone buzzed a few times. Shi Xue’er glanced at the messages from friends and started laughing like a fool again.
“Why is it only Wednesday today? I want to fast-forward to Monday, I want to see what Classmate Little Silkworm actually looks like. She must be gorgeous.”
Zhu Wenshu opened her mouth to say something, but Shi Xue’er kept going. “Actually, who knows—Ling Chen’s not that shallow a person, maybe she’s totally ordinary-looking.”
Zhu Wenshu: “…”
She nodded. “She’s probably… quite pretty… though.”
“Actually, whether she’s pretty or not doesn’t even matter.”
Shi Xue’er cradled her phone, smiling like a lovestruck girl. “As long as they’re happy together. I just didn’t expect Ling Chen to be that bold—French kissing, in a car—so unlike his usual self.”
Zhu Wenshu: “…”
Her face flushed, and she asked quietly, “You’re really… this happy about it?”
“Of course I’m happy, Teacher Zhu, just think about it, his first love! Ling Chen’s first love!”
She clutched her phone tighter, eyes shining. “Ling Chen’s together with his first love, isn’t that romantic? Isn’t that adorable?”
Zhu Wenshu just nodded. “Sit down for a bit, don’t just stand there the whole time.”
At that, Shi Xue’er flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, murmuring, “Once they get married I’ll donate my year-end bonus for a giveaway, as my wedding gift to them.”
Zhu Wenshu spat out a mouthful of water, coughing violently.
Shi Xue’er quickly got up to pat her back, fetching tissues and water.
“Are you feeling really unwell? Maybe I shouldn’t bother you anymore, you should keep resting.”
But Shi Xue’er didn’t let Zhu Wenshu get up; she wiped down the table and, picking up her bag, left cheerfully.
Passing by the dining area, Shi Xue’er caught the lingering smell of instant noodles and paused.
The noodles Ying Fei had cooked for her once before had been unbelievably fragrant.
Unfortunately, she never got the chance to ask for the brand before discovering the woman’s true online alter ego.
Shi Xue’er still hadn’t gotten over that. Seeing Ying Fei wasn’t in the living room, she snuck quietly into the kitchen.
Bending over, she reached out with her glittery manicured fingers and rummaged through the trash can.
Sure enough, right on top was the instant noodle packaging—unfortunately, it was entirely in Korean, which she couldn’t read.
No matter—Shi Xue’er happily pulled out her phone, ready to take a photo to search later, when a voice suddenly rang out behind her.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
Shi Xue’er straightened up mechanically, turned, and smiled. “Nothing, I just saw your trash was full and thought I’d help take it out.”
Ying Fei glanced at the trash can, which was barely half full, and let out a scoffing laugh.
“Oh, and here I thought you had a habit of dumpster diving.”
Shi Xue’er gritted her teeth and tied up the trash bag, then heard the person behind her say, “Wait a moment.”
She stepped forward, snatched the instant noodle packaging back out, and smiled at Shi Xue’er. “Thanks. The compound’s trash collection point is downstairs, turn left.”
“…”
Grumbling under her breath, Shi Xue’er carried the trash bag downstairs, tossed it into the collection point, and glanced back up at the building with a glare.
—
Since Zhu Wenshu had gotten confirmation directly from Ling Chen, she didn’t put much stock in “see you Monday.”
The matter with the grandparents had been fully handed over to Ling Xingyan to deal with, and Ling Chen flew back to Li City on Friday to continue working.
After turning in report cards on Sunday, Zhu Wenshu officially began her winter break.
Normally, by this time she’d already be packing to head back to Huiyang, but this year, when her parents asked, she hesitated for a long while without deciding.
Ling Chen had been very busy lately, and the two of them already didn’t get to see each other much.
If she went back to Huiyang, there’d be almost no chance at all.
But staying in Jiang City, there didn’t seem to be much for her to do either.
After the afternoon meeting ended, the teachers didn’t leave right away. It was the first time everyone was back at school since exams, so they gathered around Zhu Wenshu to gossip, and it took her over half an hour to get away.
On her way home, Zhu Wenshu sat at the bus stop, the shops around her already decorated for the coming Spring Festival.
It was all her colleagues’ fault.
She hadn’t been thinking about it much before, but now with everyone chattering “Ling Chen” in her ear the whole time, her head was full of his face.
The winter wind cut sharp and cold, and even through her scarf Zhu Wenshu shivered.
She wondered what the weather was like in Li City.
She pulled out her phone to check the weather app and frowned, clicking her tongue.
It was several degrees colder there than in Jiang City, and there was rain forecast for the next few days straight.
[Zhu Wenshu]: It’s cold there and it’s going to rain. Dress warmly.
A while later.
[c]: Got it.
[c]: Meeting’s over?
[Zhu Wenshu]: Yeah, break’s started.
She looked up at the sky, finding it hard to imagine what life would be like in a city that rained constantly.
[Zhu Wenshu]: Is work busy over there?
[c]: It’s alright.
[Zhu Wenshu]: Is Li City pretty?
[c]: So-so.
[Zhu Wenshu]: Not nice?
[Zhu Wenshu]: I’ve never been.
After that message, Ling Chen didn’t reply again.
Not sure whether he was just busy, Zhu Wenshu suddenly felt her mood sour.
Maybe it was the cold weather. Maybe it was his lukewarm reply.
She put her phone away and kicked at a small stone by the road.
After a while, the bus arrived.
Zhu Wenshu got on with her bag, and there wasn’t even a seat available.
She sighed heavily, grabbed a handrail to steady herself, and her phone buzzed again inside her bag.
But she wasn’t really in the mood to check.
When she got off at her stop, Zhu Wenshu finally pulled out her phone.
It was a flight ticket confirmation.
She stared at the screen for a good while, confirming the ID number was indeed her own, then messaged Ling Chen.
[Zhu Wenshu]: You bought me a plane ticket?
[c]: Yeah.
[c]: Once you’re here, won’t Li City look good then?
Her lips curved into a smile, and she stood in the cold wind for several seconds before dashing home.
And here she’d thought Ling Chen wouldn’t catch the hint behind her words.
The next morning, Zhu Wenshu dragged a large suitcase to the airport.
Knowing she couldn’t stay long, she’d still stubbornly packed five or six outfits. It was as though she were treating this trip like a vacation, feeling she needed a different outfit every single day.
Not until the plane landed in Li City and Zhu Wenshu retrieved her luggage from the carousel, scanning the crowd around her, did she realize she’d probably packed a bit too much.
It was almost as if she intended to move in with Ling Chen for good.
But it was too late for regrets now.
Zhu Wenshu’s embarrassment arrived a little too late; she was too eager to see Ling Chen to care much anyway, and dragged her large suitcase, striding briskly toward the exit.
Before boarding, Ling Chen had told her he was busy and a friend would come pick her up.
With the Spring Festival approaching, there were especially many travelers, and the area by the exit railing was packed with people waiting to pick someone up.
Zhu Wenshu had no idea what this “friend” looked like. She craned her neck looking around the whole way, and just as she was considering calling him, she suddenly spotted a strange young man holding a bouquet of roses standing by the railing, drawing stares from a few elderly aunties and uncles nearby who were also there to pick people up.
Because in his hands was a sign, with six large characters written boldly across it—”Ling Chen’s Little Baby.”
Zhu Wenshu: “…”
She froze on the spot.
How could this be happening?
Ling Chen, you’re a public figure—even if you’re not trying to hide things anymore, does it really have to be this obvious?!
Zhu Wenshu stood there for a long while, alternately curling her toes in secondhand embarrassment and sneaking glances at the sign.
She took out her phone and snapped a photo from a distance, sending it to Ling Chen.
[Zhu Wenshu]: LING CHEN!!!!
[c]: ?
“Miss Zhu?”
A woman’s voice sounded from the side just as she hit send. Zhu Wenshu turned to see a woman in a black down jacket waving at her. “You’re Miss Zhu, right? I’m Xiao Yu, your boyfriend asked me to come pick you up.”
Zhu Wenshu blinked, and when she glanced back toward the man holding the sign, a gust of wind suddenly rushed past beside her.
“Babe!” a young woman cried, throwing herself toward the man holding the sign, hugging him through the railing before looking up at what he was holding. “Aw, aren’t you sweet—okay, today I won’t be Ling Chen’s little baby, I’ll be your little baby instead.”
Zhu Wenshu: “…”
She turned and walked away, quickly deleting the photo she’d just sent.
[c]: What’s wrong?
[Zhu Wenshu]: Nothing.
[Zhu Wenshu]: Just expressing that I miss you.
[c]: Oh.
[c]: ZHU WENSHU!!!!
After getting in the car, Zhu Wenshu stared blankly out the window, her expression flat.
Xiao Yu drove efficiently, quickly buckling her seatbelt and pulling out of the parking lot, glancing at Zhu Wenshu in the rearview mirror repeatedly.
Sensing the gaze, Zhu Wenshu felt a bit self-conscious and tried to find something to say to ease the silence.
“Um, how did you recognize me?” Zhu Wenshu asked. “I thought you’d be holding a sign or something.”
“No need,” Xiao Yu said with a smile. “Ling Chen told me—the most beautiful woman in the crowd would be you.”
“Oh…”
Zhu Wenshu pressed her lips together and smiled.
Xiao Yu kept smiling too and said nothing more.
Actually, there was more to that story.
When Ling Chen had said that, Xiao Yu thought he was just joking, and had gone along with it, asking for a photo so she’d be able to recognize her.
Ling Chen had responded with a full eight photos.
Three from the front, three from the side, and, for god’s sake, two from behind.
He might as well have written “isn’t my girlfriend gorgeous” right on the pictures.
What, did he want her to build a 3D model of his girlfriend or something?
—
Once at the hotel, since Ling Chen wasn’t there, Xiao Yu took Zhu Wenshu straight to a suite that had already been prepared in advance.
Before leaving, she told Zhu Wenshu that Ling Chen was still in the recording studio and would come once he finished.
The hotel’s heating was on high. Zhu Wenshu took off her coat and hung up all the clothes in her suitcase prone to wrinkling, then set out her toiletries at the sink.
After a while, she sat on the edge of the bed, taking in the layout of the room, unable to help clicking her tongue in admiration.
Booking a whole suite this large just for her alone—such an extravagant waste.
Thinking about it, Zhu Wenshu hugged a pillow and lay down, and before she knew it, she’d drifted off in the warm air blowing overhead.
But it wasn’t nighttime, after all, so she didn’t sleep for long before waking again.
At first, opening her eyes to the unfamiliar room, she felt a bit disoriented. Slowly turning her head, she saw a man sitting on the sofa nearby and instinctively let out a startled cry.
Ling Chen, who had been dozing on the sofa, looked up at the sound. “What’s wrong?”
Zhu Wenshu stared at him, still shaken. “When did you get here—why didn’t you say anything?”
“I knocked, no one answered. Called too, no answer.”
Ling Chen got up slowly and sat on the edge of the bed. “You looked like you were sleeping so well, I didn’t want to wake you.”
Zhu Wenshu looked down and only then noticed she was covered by a blanket, her shoes off and neatly placed on the floor.
She rubbed her face and smiled. “If I hadn’t woken up, would you have just kept waiting?”
“I would have.”
Seeing Zhu Wenshu pull back the blanket, Ling Chen leaned over to grab her slippers, saying casually, “I like waiting for you.”
Noticing the faint dark circles under his eyes, Zhu Wenshu paused.
“I don’t like that.”
Ling Chen hadn’t slept well the night before and seemed a beat slow to react, turning his head gradually.
“Fine.” Ling Chen sighed. “Then I won’t wait for you anymore.”
Hearing how pitiful and wronged he sounded, Zhu Wenshu felt a bit helpless. That wasn’t what she’d meant—she just felt there was no need for him to accommodate her like that.
But before she could explain, Ling Chen added, “Next time I’ll just kiss you awake.”
“…”
Zhu Wenshu grabbed a small square pillow and threw it at him. “Show some respect for a teacher of the people.”
“Got it.”
Ling Chen pulled Zhu Wenshu into a tight embrace, resting his chin on her shoulder, originally meaning to say “Teacher Zhu” as usual.
But something occurred to him, and his tone suddenly carried a hint of amusement. “Ling Chen’s little baby.”
Zhu Wenshu, who had already forgotten about that, felt her scalp prickle the moment he brought it up.
So he really had seen that photo after all.
Whatever.
Zhu Wenshu rested her head against his neck, breathing in his familiar scent, and suddenly resigned herself to it.
“Your little baby’s hungry.”
“…”
Ling Chen laughed into her shoulder for a while, then turned to look out the window.
“Let’s go eat.” He nuzzled her cheek affectionately. “Ever since you got here, even the weather in Li City’s cleared up.”
Zhu Wenshu followed his gaze outside.
It had still been drizzling when she landed, and now, somehow, it had cleared up.
“Well then I really must be…” she said, “…quite something.”
—
On their way out, Ling Chen took her hand naturally, and Zhu Wenshu didn’t think much of it.
But once they reached the hotel lobby, with guests coming and going, Zhu Wenshu kept feeling like she might be recognized, and instinctively tried to pull her hand free.
But Ling Chen noticed the motion and, without saying anything, just held on tighter.
Unable to break free, Zhu Wenshu gave up and let him be.
Besides, he was wearing a mask, and she was bundled up in a thick scarf—there was a good chance no one would notice them anyway.
The ride went smoothly, and Ling Xingyan was already waiting in the front passenger seat.
Seeing Zhu Wenshu arrive, he turned to greet her before hurriedly putting on his earphones to take a call.
He seemed to be dealing with something about renovations, talking on and off for a long while.
Zhu Wenshu didn’t say anything more to interrupt him, and after a while, her own phone rang.
Seeing it was Shi Xue’er calling, Zhu Wenshu realized she hadn’t brought her earphones, so she answered quietly.
“Teacher Xue’er, what’s up?”
“Teacher Zhu, are you free tomorrow?” Shi Xue’er said. “Let’s go shopping—Zhu Qisen’s gone to visit his grandmother and I’m so bored.”
“I’ve got something going on right now, actually.”
Shi Xue’er sighed. “Alright then, when are you free?”
Zhu Wenshu glanced at Ling Chen.
She realized she and Ling Chen hadn’t actually discussed this.
“Not sure, maybe in a few days.”
“Fine.”
Shi Xue’er really was bored, and kept rambling. “It’s already Sunday—why haven’t those paparazzi leaked the photos yet? I’ve sent that Entertainment Bus account dozens of DMs pushing them. Are they really going to make us wait until Monday?”
Just as she finished, before Zhu Wenshu could figure out how to respond, Ling Xingyan in the front seat took another call, his tone suddenly turning irritable.
“I already told you, it’s not Ling Chen! Ling Chen wasn’t photographed! It was Ye Shaoxing who was photographed! If you don’t believe me, wait and see for yourself tomorrow!”
“…”
Zhu Wenshu stared at the back of Ling Xingyan’s head, blinking. The line on the other end went completely silent for several seconds.
“Teacher Zhu…” Shi Xue’er said, dazed, “who are you with right now?”
Zhu Wenshu: “…I’m doing a home visit.”
—
That afternoon, back in Jiang City, Ying Fei woke up and groggily went to wash her face.
Returning to her room, she found a new message on her phone.
That Shi Xue’er… had actually messaged her?
The two of them hadn’t exchanged a word since adding each other on WeChat. She’d kept meaning to block her, yet also wanted to stalk her friend circle, so she’d kept the contact around.
[Lonely Angler in Wintry Snow, Charming Beauty]: I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news—which do you want to hear first?
Ying Fei froze for a moment, rubbing her eyes, wondering if she was still half-asleep.
[yoki fat]: ?
[Lonely Angler in Wintry Snow, Charming Beauty]: Let’s start with the bad news.
[Lonely Angler in Wintry Snow, Charming Beauty]: Your Ye Shaoxing got caught dating!!!
[yoki fat]: ?
Ying Fei’s brain went completely blank.
[yoki fat]: So, may I ask, what’s the good news then?
[Lonely Angler in Wintry Snow, Charming Beauty]: The girlfriend isn’t you, hahaha!