The restaurant wasn’t far from the hotel, though the area was somewhat out of the way, located in an industrial zone with hardly any pedestrians around.

At two or three in the afternoon, the restaurant had no customers at all—just a server dozing off at the register.

Ling Xingyan walked in front, head down, looking at his phone.

Hearing the commotion, the server lifted her drowsy head and, yawning, came over to greet them.

As Zhu Wenshu and Ling Chen approached, the server’s gaze noticeably lingered, her attention caught by the masked man.

In the two seconds her eyes stayed fixed there, Ling Chen, holding Zhu Wenshu’s hand, had already brushed past her.

People who’d spent a long time living under spotlights and cameras developed a habit of looking straight ahead as if noticing nothing, but Zhu Wenshu was very sensitive to this kind of unusual attention.

She glanced back with a trace of unease and, sure enough, met the server’s gaze.

Fortunately, the woman seemed only to have been drawn in by Ling Chen’s presence, which was unlike that of an ordinary person. Catching Zhu Wenshu’s eyes, she smiled awkwardly and hurried to catch up.

“Just the three of you? The chef’s off right now, we only have hot pot soup base available.”

Zhu Wenshu took the menu Ling Chen handed her and looked it over for a moment, though her eyes didn’t really settle on the dishes.

This was the first time she and Ling Chen had eaten together in a restaurant’s main dining area. Though there were barely any other customers, Zhu Wenshu still felt wrapped in a layer of tension.

She didn’t know when she’d finally be able to appear with Ling Chen in public settings without a second thought, facing other people’s curious, startled looks.

“Mushroom soup,” Zhu Wenshu said, naming a soup base at random, then pushed the menu over to Ling Chen sitting beside her. “You two order.”

“Alright.”

As Ling Chen flipped through the menu, his other hand casually pulled off his mask.

Catching the motion out of the corner of her eye, Zhu Wenshu tried to stop him but was too late. The server nearby froze on the spot, staring blankly at Ling Chen.

Then, realizing something, she looked at Zhu Wenshu with even greater shock.

Zhu Wenshu: “…”

She lowered her hands, gripping her sleeves tightly, and turned to stare determinedly out the window.

In the reflection of the glass, she saw the server slowly raising her phone.

Zhu Wenshu’s back stiffened, and she froze, at a loss for what to do.

Ling Chen, who had been looking down at the menu the whole time, seemed to sense something and glanced up at the server.

His brow bones were pronounced, but his eyes had the typical monolid shape of East Asian features, the outer corners tilting slightly upward. Tilted like this, he carried an innate coldness.

The server immediately pressed her phone to her chest. “I—I was just about to take your order, I wasn’t trying to secretly photograph you.”

There had been no particular expression in Ling Chen’s eyes, but hearing this, his mouth quirked up slightly.

“Beef set.”

The server suddenly went a little dazed, taking several seconds before pressing the order button.

Ling Xingyan, having briefly looked up from his phone, asked for a pot of chrysanthemum tea, and she scurried off toward the kitchen with the menu, glancing back over her shoulder repeatedly.

Ling Xingyan, finally looking up from his phone, happened to catch Zhu Wenshu’s uneasy expression. He paused for a moment, then turned to Ling Chen. “Maybe you should just put your mask back on.”

Ling Chen raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak, Zhu Wenshu suddenly turned, looking at Ling Xingyan in disbelief. “How’s he supposed to eat with a mask on?”

“Exactly.”

Ling Chen chimed in immediately. “Eat through his nostrils?”

Ling Xingyan: “…”

Do whatever you two want.

Having said that, Ling Chen turned to look at Zhu Wenshu. “Scared?”

Zhu Wenshu looked up. “Hm? Scared of what?”

Ling Chen said, “Being found out that you’re dating me.”

Hearing this, Ling Xingyan also looked up at Zhu Wenshu, curious to hear her answer.

Zhu Wenshu thought for a moment, then asked, very seriously, “Is dating you illegal?”

Ling Chen: “…No.”

Zhu Wenshu: “Then I’m not scared.”

The moment she’d decided to be with Ling Chen, she’d already anticipated what she would face—she was just a little unaccustomed to it now, that was all.

Beside them, Ling Xingyan was startled for a moment, having never expected this answer.

Simple and blunt, and impossible to argue with.

After the food arrived, just as Ling Chen picked up his chopsticks, his phone rang.

He’d started working early that morning, then waited over an hour at the hotel for Zhu Wenshu, and only now, at lunchtime, was he about to eat—his stomach was already a little upset.

Of course this was when the call would come. He frowned at the caller ID, and his tone wasn’t great either.

“What is it?”

After the person on the other end said a few words, Ling Chen said, “I’ll ask around, I’ll get back to you.”

The moment he hung up, Ling Xingyan asked, “What’s going on?”

“Ye Shaoxing.”

Ling Chen picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and placed it in Zhu Wenshu’s bowl. “Wants to borrow money from me.”

Ling Xingyan: “Terminating his contract? That’s a lot of money, isn’t it—I remember their company’s penalty for breach is astronomical.”

“If it were really about the penalty, would he be able to borrow that much from me?”

Ling Chen took a sip of soup with his spoon and said, unhurried, “He wants to suppress the story.”

“Didn’t he say he couldn’t suppress it?”

Ling Xingyan sounded a little surprised, then let out a mocking laugh. “I thought he was actually that principled. So how much did he ask you to lend him?”

Ling Chen: “Five million.”

“…”

Zhu Wenshu, who had been silently listening in, nearly choked on a piece of beef. By the time Ling Chen noticed something was off, she forced a stiff smile. “You two carry on.”

“Five million…”

Ling Xingyan rubbed his temple. “I’ll have to find time to check—I’m not even sure I have that much spare cash lying around. And him too, waiting until now to scrape money together—what was he doing before this?”

Ling Chen didn’t respond, his mind occupied with finishing the meal quickly so he could head back to the hotel.

At this point, the mask that had been set aside was suddenly held out in front of him.

Ling Chen stopped eating and turned to look at Zhu Wenshu.

“You should put it back on.”

Zhu Wenshu said.

Ling Chen glanced at the mask, then at his own bowl of food.

“Didn’t you just say you weren’t scared?”

“I’m not scared.”

Zhu Wenshu had already gotten a rough sense of the situation from the brief exchange between Ling Xingyan and Ling Chen, the shock still lingering in her eyes.

“But I’m worried about the money.”

For a moment there was no response, and Zhu Wenshu turned to see Ling Chen with the back of his hand pressed against his lips, grinning uncontrollably.

“What are you laughing at?”

Had she said something wrong?

Getting photographed just once cost five million—who could handle that?

“Nothing.”

Ling Chen looked up, tucking the mask into his bag. “Teacher Zhu’s right. We shouldn’t waste money like that.”

—

Because of what Zhu Wenshu had said, this meal put Ling Chen in an unusually good mood.

But on the way back to the hotel, he realized something was off.

The hotel lobby was spacious, and Zhu Wenshu was walking fast enough to keep four or five meters of distance between them.

Once in the elevator, even though it was just the two of them, she stood off in a corner, practically wearing “I barely know this man” written across her face.

Whenever Ling Chen moved closer, she’d shift away.

“Don’t come over here.”

“…”

Ling Chen thought about it for a moment, and finally understood—Zhu Wenshu was trying to save him money.

It seemed she’d interpreted his line “we shouldn’t waste money like that” as “we can’t afford to get photographed.”

“Zhu Wenshu, actually—”

He glanced sideways at her.

But before he could finish, she cut him off.

“I know you make a lot.”

Zhu Wenshu faced forward, saying seriously, “But it’s not like money grows on trees. We should still be careful with it.”

Ling Chen couldn’t help laughing again.

Not until the elevator reached their floor and Zhu Wenshu hurried to step out did he reach out and grab her.

“What I meant was,” he said, gripping her arm and pulling her back, “even if we don’t get photographed, I want everyone to know—”

He leaned down slightly, saying each word deliberately.

“I’m Zhu Wenshu’s rightful boyfriend.”

Footsteps echoed faintly at the end of the hallway, and a doorbell rang somewhere nearby, but Zhu Wenshu stood still, staring intently into Ling Chen’s eyes.

This man, so dazzling, possessing endless applause and adoration, hadn’t emphasized “you’re my, Ling Chen’s, girlfriend”—instead he’d said “I’m Zhu Wenshu’s boyfriend.”

As if he were particularly proud of that fact.

Zhu Wenshu was, at her core, a proud person, and had always believed her boyfriend should be an outstanding man too.

But when that person turned out to be Ling Chen, the gap exceeded anything she’d imagined, and lately she’d often felt uneasy about being nothing more than an ordinary person.

But right now, Ling Chen had said this so earnestly, so seriously, as if trying to give her a reassurance.

“What?”

Seeing her stay silent for so long, Ling Chen reached out to touch her cheek. “Having second thoughts?”

“No!”

Zhu Wenshu suddenly laughed, reaching up to hug his arm. “Let’s go.”

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, they ran into a housekeeping attendant pushing a cart.

She was used to seeing couples being affectionate at the hotel, but the pair walking toward her were particularly eye-catching, and she couldn’t help glancing twice.

Then, as per protocol, she greeted them. “Good afternoon.”

Ling Chen nodded at her without speaking.

Beside him, Zhu Wenshu turned and smiled warmly at the attendant. “Good afternoon.”

The attendant wasn’t used to such an enthusiastic response at the hotel, and after walking a few more steps, she turned back to look at them again.

The young woman was hugging the man’s arm, saying something. The man simply turned his head and kissed her.

The attendant shivered and quickly looked away. A moment later, though, she looked back again, smiling foolishly to herself.

Then she suddenly remembered she’d been single for six or seven years, and her smile collapsed instantly.

I’m truly pathetic, looking twice.

—

After dropping Zhu Wenshu back at the hotel, Ling Chen went to find Ling Xingyan again—he still had things to do that day and would be busy until evening.

Thinking Zhu Wenshu would be bored alone, he’d arranged for Xiao Yu to take her out.

Xiao Yu was one of Ling Xingyan’s subordinates, originally there for work, and hadn’t had time to plan anything for this sudden assignment.

Li City wasn’t a tourist city, and the concrete jungle of the downtown area didn’t have much worth seeing. The two women discussed it and decided to drive to a nearby old town instead.

Xiao Yu hadn’t been there either, and with her usually busy work schedule, this rare paid day off left her even more excited than Zhu Wenshu.

By sunset, Zhu Wenshu could barely walk anymore, sitting on a small stool outside a boutique shop to rest, while Xiao Yu was still enthusiastically picking out fridge magnets.

So the two ended up returning over an hour later than planned.

It was past nine at night when Zhu Wenshu finally got back to the hotel.

Stepping out of the elevator, she received several dozen photos Xiao Yu had sent her.

Xiao Yu had studied fine art and had a good eye—her photo angles were high level, each one looking like the work of a professional photographer. Zhu Wenshu found herself absorbed in them and only noticed Ling Chen once she was nearly at the door.

“Why are you standing at the door?”

Zhu Wenshu took out her key card to unlock it, still looking at the photos as she spoke. “Waiting for me?”

“What else would I be doing?”

Ling Chen glanced at her phone. “Lost in photos, forgot all about your Chen.”

Zhu Wenshu laughed, head down. “Are you seriously jealous of a phone?”

“I’m not that petty.”

Once inside, Ling Chen leaned against the wall, watching Zhu Wenshu idly. “I’m easy to keep, not picky about food—I’ll eat anything, the one thing I won’t stomach is jealousy.”

“Oh!”

Zhu Wenshu set her phone on the table. “I’m going to go wash my hands.”

The moment she stepped into the bathroom, the phone on the table started ringing.

Zhu Wenshu, water running, leaned halfway out. “Who’s calling me? A parent?”

Ling Chen glanced down at the screen, his expression suddenly turning heavy, and looked away without answering.

Seeing this, Zhu Wenshu shook the water off her hands and came out.

“Who is it?”

Getting no answer, she crossed the room in a few steps and picked up the phone to check.

Yin Yueze.

“…”

Zhu Wenshu didn’t answer right away, glancing up at Ling Chen.

“Go ahead and take it.”

Ling Chen tucked his hands into his pockets and walked toward the kitchenette. “I’ll get you some water.”

He walked away so quickly that Zhu Wenshu didn’t have time to say anything.

The phone kept ringing. She lowered her head, not sure what Yin Yueze could possibly want.

After a moment, she decided to pick up.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Just as she finished speaking, Ling Chen’s voice came from the kitchen.

“Cold water or hot?”

Zhu Wenshu: “…”

“Boiling! Piping hot!”

“…”

Yin Yueze was quiet for a few seconds before speaking.

“So, it’s like this. A lot of our old classmates have been asking me about something these past few days.”

Zhu Wenshu: “Hm?”

Yin Yueze: “They’re asking whether you and I broke up because of Ling Chen.”

Zhu Wenshu blinked, confused.

“Why would they ask that?”

“Because of that ‘see you Monday’ thing—everyone thinks you and Ling Chen have been together for years.” Yin Yueze sighed, his tone cool. “I know you two only recently got together, but for the sake of your reputation, you might want to clarify things with our classmates.”

The implication being that some people thought Zhu Wenshu and Yin Yueze had broken up because Ling Chen had “come between them.”

After all, everyone assumed the couple in “see you Monday” was her and Ling Chen, and the Weibo post had mentioned “years.”

Zhu Wenshu grabbed a tissue to wipe her hands. “No need.”

“You really don’t care at all?”

Yin Yueze paused. “Even if you don’t care, doesn’t Ling Chen care?”

It’s really you who cares the most, isn’t it.

Zhu Wenshu sat down on the sofa and said flatly, “That ‘see you Monday’ thing isn’t me and Ling Chen. Everyone’s got it wrong.”

“…It’s not?”

“Right.”

Zhu Wenshu said, “It’s not us. It’s someone else…”

“Okay, sorry, my mistake.”

Yin Yueze wasn’t particularly curious who it actually was, and after a pause, said, “Sorry to bother you. Get some rest.”

“Wait.”

Because of this call, Zhu Wenshu’s good mood had entirely evaporated.

She couldn’t understand how, at his age, Yin Yueze still couldn’t let go of that particular kind of pride. She also deeply regretted having gone along with fabricating that lie back then.

Was she really going to have to keep showing up to maintain his cover story every time something came up?

“What’s wrong?”

Yin Yueze asked.

“It’s been so many years since what happened between us. No matter who brings it up again, there’s no need to keep going over it,” Zhu Wenshu said, glancing toward the kitchen—no sound from there—and continued, “We each have our own lives now. There’s no need to stay in touch over this anymore.”

“…”

After a long while, Yin Yueze said, “Okay.”

—

After hanging up, Zhu Wenshu glanced toward the kitchen, not hearing the sound of water boiling, and slowly walked over.

The cabinet was open, and Ling Chen was crouched down, searching for something, not saying anything even after seeing her come in.

Zhu Wenshu leaned against the wall, hands behind her back, tilting her head. “What are you looking for?”

Ling Chen’s expression was cold as he spat out four words.

“Looking for trouble.”

Zhu Wenshu: “…”