Ever since the twelfth lunar month began, Zhu Wenshu’s mother had been calling every few days, asking when she’d be coming home for New Year’s.

As luck would have it, Zhu Wenshu happened to be especially busy this year. After winter break started, she threw herself headlong into preparing for the lesson-presentation competition and the courseware competition, leaving her with even less free time than during a normal school week—she’d even spent Little New Year’s Eve with nothing but a PowerPoint for company.

It wasn’t until the morning of New Year’s Eve itself that Zhu Wenshu and Ling Chen were woken by the doorbell.

At first, they both assumed they’d misheard, and pulled the blanket back over their heads to keep sleeping. But when the doorbell kept ringing without any sign of stopping, Ling Chen finally threw off the covers, glaring at the bedroom door as if he were heading off to war.

His hair was a little mussed from sleep, a few strands falling over his brow, and the way he got up looked like he was gearing up for battle.

Zhu Wenshu, still facing away from him with her eyes closed, mumbled groggily, “When are you ever going to fix this morning temper of yours.”

Ling Chen stopped mid-step, then sat back down on the edge of the bed, reaching up to rub his face.

Zhu Wenshu, forcing herself awake through the drowsiness, tried to sit up. “Go wash up, wake yourself up a bit.”

Ling Chen pulled his hand free and pressed her half-risen upper body back down onto the bed. “You’re not even dressed—what are you opening the door for?”

Zhu Wenshu yanked the blanket up quickly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Close the door properly on your way out.”

Ling Chen still went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face.

He did have a bit of a morning temper, though he’d been well-trained lately to keep it in check—at the very least, washing his face could dissolve most of it away.

But Ling Chen still wore an utterly dead expression as he went to open the door.

“This early, and you’re not still sleeping?”

Ling Xingyan stood in the doorway holding Ling Siyuan’s hand, his own expression none too pleasant either.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Ling Chen’s eyes were still a little bleary—he clearly had no idea what time it actually was.

“It’s twelve already!” Ling Siyuan announced, raising his hand. “It’s already twelve! Doudou’s already awake!”

Doudou was the guinea pig Ling Siyuan had recently gotten.

“……”

Ling Chen glanced sideways down at Ling Siyuan. “Oh, you’ve got a mouth now, huh?”

“Ha ha, what kind of thing is that to say? You can’t be so rude to your uncle.”

Ling Xingyan laughed as he patted his son’s head, his tone one of scolding but clearly meant more to encourage him.

Then he looked back at Ling Chen. “Where’s Teacher Zhu? Not up yet either?”

Seeing Ling Chen stay silent, Ling Xingyan shook his head with a sigh. “So that’s how it is—those close to ink turn black.”

“Watch what you say, her student’s standing right here.”

Ling Chen stepped back to let the two of them in. “We got back late last night, I forgot to mention it to her.”

Ling Chen had gone to some video platform’s gala the day before and hadn’t gotten home until two in the morning, his whole body groggy—naturally, Ling Xingyan’s last-minute reminder had slipped his mind entirely.

“Then hurry up and get ready.”

Ling Xingyan looked Ling Chen up and down with obvious disdain. “Do you even know what day it is today? Are you really going to show up looking like this? Do you think Teacher Zhu’s family is going to like you?”

He was already heading toward the closet as he spoke. “Let me find you an outfit—you know what old folks like best, right? Looking good is secondary, the important thing is looking reliable, ideally like you’ve got the bearing of a civil servant. Get that right and this whole thing is basically settled.”

“Alright, take a break.”

Ling Chen stopped Ling Xingyan, who was fussing over everything. “Did you forget something?”

Ling Xingyan froze. “What’s that? Is there something we need to bring? Tell me now, I’ll have someone go buy it.”

Ling Chen: “I happen to have a fiancée.”

“……”

Well. From bragging about a girlfriend to bragging about a fiancée now.

But Ling Xingyan privately thought: have you even gotten past her parents yet, and you’re already showing off?

“Fine, then let Teacher Zhu handle it—she knows her own family best.”

Ling Xingyan went ahead and sat down in the living room, holding Ling Siyuan, but not without hurrying him along. “Hurry it up! Traffic’s bad today, don’t let them think we’re just coming to mooch a meal.”

Today was indeed the day Ling Chen and Zhu Wenshu were going back to Huiyang together, but Zhu Wenshu had figured that since Ling Chen was so busy, there was no need to rush off early—leaving around three or four in the afternoon would get them there just in time for the New Year’s Eve dinner, no need to hurry.

Ling Xingyan hadn’t originally planned on getting involved at all, but after discussing it with his own parents the night before, he’d felt that Ling Chen’s family situation was a bit unusual, and worried Zhu Wenshu’s family might mind, so he’d decided at the last minute to go along with him—partly to help smooth things over, and partly to give him some moral support.

Having made that decision, Ling Xingyan felt they should set off early. Ling Chen could cook, after all—might as well show off a little and score some points while they were at it.

Only he hadn’t expected Ling Chen to have completely forgotten about the whole thing.

“Hey, let me go over this with you again, when you meet her parents later, you need to—”

“I know how to handle it.”

When Ling Chen got back to the bedroom, Zhu Wenshu was already dressed and had finished washing up, standing in front of the mirror combing her hair.

“Who was it?”

“Ling Xingyan and his son.”

Ling Chen stood behind her, taking her comb, carefully smoothing out her long hair.

“Why did they come?”

With someone helping her, Zhu Wenshu tilted her head up and started applying her toner and lotion. “Did they need something from you?”

“They’re planning to come to your place with me today.”

Zhu Wenshu’s hands stilled, and she turned in surprise to look at Ling Chen.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It was a last-minute decision, we got back late last night, you were already asleep so I didn’t want to wake you.”

He tilted his head, facing her eyes. “It’s really on his way anyway—otherwise I’d have told him to just go home for New Year’s, his place isn’t far either, ten-some minutes away.”

“That’s not it, I’m just worried it’s too rushed and we won’t be able to host them properly.”

Zhu Wenshu, done talking, stopped applying her skincare and reached for her phone instead. “Let me tell my parents, have them add a few more dishes.”

While sending the message, Zhu Wenshu kept muttering to herself.

“Even if you forgot last night, you should’ve told me this morning at least.”

“I meant to tell you this morning.”

Ling Chen leaned against the wall, looking as if he still hadn’t fully woken up, or perhaps as if he were savoring the memory of the morning. “Didn’t you not give me the chance to?”

“How did I not……”

Zhu Wenshu, catching on a beat late, shut her mouth and glared at him through the mirror.

Ling Chen had gotten back so late last night, and hadn’t wanted to wake Zhu Wenshu, so he hadn’t even gone into their bedroom—he’d slept in the guest room instead.

Zhu Wenshu, who normally slept quite well, had unusually woken in the middle of the night—at six, before dawn, thinking about how she’d soon be bringing Ling Chen home to meet her parents made her too anxious to fall back asleep.

She turned her head and saw no one beside her in bed, fumbled for her phone, and saw that Ling Chen had messaged her two hours earlier saying he was home. So she’d put on her slippers and gone to the guest room.

She’d only meant to peek in, to make sure he was sleeping well.

Who knew he’d fallen asleep without even turning off the bedside lamp. Zhu Wenshu had crept in quietly.

Just as she’d bent down and reached out, someone grabbed her hand.

She’d assumed she’d woken him, and hurriedly whispered, “It’s still early, keep sleeping, I just came to check on you.”

The person on the bed hadn’t reacted. Zhu Wenshu had tugged her arm again, but still couldn’t pull it free.

So she’d crouched by the bed, studying Ling Chen closely.

He’d been sleeping very peacefully, his breathing long and even. Even leaning in close, Zhu Wenshu hadn’t seen so much as a flicker of his lashes, unable to tell if he was faking sleep or really asleep.

By the light of the lamp, Zhu Wenshu had studied Ling Chen’s features closely.

The end of the year always brought more work than usual, and even though Ling Chen had cut back on a lot of his commercial engagements, he was still run off his feet.

Zhu Wenshu remembered Ling Xingyan once mentioning that when Ling Chen had first debuted, he’d been so exhausted at times he barely had the strength to hold a bowl.

In that moment, looking at the contours of Ling Chen’s face, she’d felt like he really had gotten a bit thinner recently.

Zhu Wenshu had leaned in closer and closer, her fingers unconsciously brushing lightly against the bridge of his nose.

How does this man never gain any weight?

Just as she’d been fretting over it, the corner of Ling Chen’s mouth had suddenly curved up.

He’d slowly opened his eyes, his nose only a fist’s width away from Zhu Wenshu’s.

“Teacher Zhu, don’t just stare, do something.” His eyes had been half-lidded, still hazy with sleep. “I’ve been faking it for ages, it’s exhausting.”

Zhu Wenshu had lightly punched him in the chest.

“If you’re so tired then go back to sleep.”

Ling Chen hadn’t let go of her hand, the smile still lingering in his eyes.

“Then come up here.”

Fine, I suppose.

Zhu Wenshu had already been fully awake by then, but seeing Ling Chen lying there, she’d suddenly felt the urge to crawl back under the covers all over again.

Just then Ling Chen had lifted the blanket, and so Zhu Wenshu had climbed up next to him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

In the quiet moment that followed, Ling Chen had suddenly turned his head. “I didn’t mean for you to get on the bed.”

Zhu Wenshu had looked up. “Hm?”

Ling Chen: “I meant get on top of me.”

Zhu Wenshu: “……”

“It’s the crack of dawn, are you sleeping or not? So annoying.”

“I want to sleep.”

But Ling Chen had still opened his arms. “Come here, let me hold you for a bit.”

Grumbling about how annoying he was, Zhu Wenshu had still climbed on top of him.

Her ear had pressed against his chest, rising and falling with his breathing, their bodies fitting together as if seamlessly locked in place.

Because of that, Zhu Wenshu had become especially attuned to the changes in Ling Chen’s body.

At the same time, Ling Chen, stroking her neck, had murmured in her ear, “I need to tell you something.”

Zhu Wenshu had almost reflexively clapped a hand over his mouth.

In a room this quiet, with a body this warm against her, Zhu Wenshu knew exactly what Ling Chen was about to say.

Ling Chen had tried to struggle free to speak, but Zhu Wenshu had cut him off first.

“Morning wood is a completely normal thing, just go to sleep. Don’t think I don’t know it’ll go away on its own in a bit.”

“……”

If she’d known back then that what he’d actually meant to bring up was Ling Xingyan’s visit, she definitely wouldn’t have covered his mouth.

And they also wouldn’t have ended up carrying on like that for so long, sleeping straight through until one in the afternoon.

Zhu Wenshu grabbed the comb back from him and hastily ran it through her hair a few times before heading out.

“Hey, and that’s my fault too?”

Ling Chen laughed. “Is Teacher Zhu even being reasonable right now?”

“No!”

Zhu Wenshu shot him a vicious glare, and the moment she opened the door, her expression flipped instantly into a bright smile, as changeable as the weather.

“Yuanyuan, have you had lunch yet?”

“Yep.” Ling Siyuan sat obediently on the couch. “Teacher, why’d you get up so late?”

“It’s break, you know.”

Zhu Wenshu then turned to Ling Xingyan. “Sorry about this, Ling Chen forgot to tell me, made you wait so long.”

“No need to be so formal with me. Have you eaten? Want to grab a bite before we go?”

“Sure, let me just heat something up real quick, hang on a bit.”

Zhu Wenshu headed to the kitchen. As she bent down to rummage through the fridge, Ling Siyuan noticed something swinging on her chest, and ran over to touch it. “Teacher, what’s this?”

Zhu Wenshu glanced down. “A pocket watch.”

Ling Siyuan had never seen anything like it before, staring at it with wide-eyed curiosity.

“Teacher, can I play with it?”

Zhu Wenshu was about to answer when Ling Xingyan hurriedly cut in, “Play with what! Didn’t you say you wanted to play games? Come here, I’ll let you use my phone for a bit.”

“Yay!”

Ling Siyuan’s attention was instantly pulled away by the phone game, and Zhu Wenshu, while heating up the food, said, “He’s at the age where he’s curious about everything, no harm in letting him play with it.”

Ling Xingyan gave Zhu Wenshu a thoughtful look, then, using the bathroom as an excuse, went to find Ling Chen.

“She doesn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“I’m not talking about that.” Ling Chen had just finished washing up, and Zhu Wenshu had already hung up the sweater he was to wear in the closet. He pulled it on as he asked, “She knows, I just told her.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Ling Xingyan pointed toward the living room. “She doesn’t know the pocket watch has a diamond set into it?”

“Probably not.”

Ling Xingyan said, “What do you mean, probably? Does she know or doesn’t she?”

“I never told her, and she never asked. Whether it’s got a diamond in it or not isn’t really important anyway—”

Ling Chen was about to change his pants, and looked up at his cousin. “I’m changing my pants, and you’re just going to stand here?”

“Hey, getting shy in front of me now?”

Ling Xingyan laughed. “What do you have that I don’t?”

Ling Chen looked him up and down. “A fiancée.”

Ling Xingyan: “.”

With a “bang,” Ling Xingyan shut the door and stormed off.

Once Ling Chen finished dressing and came out, Ling Xingyan, still not quite over it, came up to him again.

“Not important? You spent all that money on it? Do you know how difficult that setting technique was? I called in a ton of favors to find someone who could do it.”

“It’s not important to her.”

Ling Chen looked toward Zhu Wenshu, busy in the kitchen.

But to him, he only wanted to give her the best of everything.

Under the double surveillance of Ling Xingyan and his son, Zhu Wenshu and Ling Chen hastily wolfed down a few bites of food before heading out, laden with bags large and small.

The child had to sit in the back seat, and with Ling Xingyan driving, Zhu Wenshu naturally ended up claiming the other back seat.

The whole way there, she chattered nonstop with Ling Siyuan, while the two in the front seat were as quiet as could be.

Ling Xingyan needed to focus on driving, of course, so he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Still, he spared a glance at Ling Chen and said with a laugh, “What, nervous?”

“What would I be nervous about.”

Ling Chen laughed lightly. “I don’t get nervous performing in front of tens of thousands of people, and you think I’ll get nervous over a dinner?”

“You’d better be.”

Before long, Ling Siyuan finally got sleepy, and dozed off with his head tilted to one side.

Zhu Wenshu glanced at her phone and said, “Oh right, Ling Chen, did you know? Zhong Ya and Wang Junguan got together—the two of them kept it quiet from me for the longest time. If I hadn’t overheard Wang Junguan calling her on the phone that day while I was out shopping with Zhong Ya, I still wouldn’t even know.”

Ling Chen was rehearsing something in his head and hadn’t quite caught what Zhu Wenshu had said.

“Who?”

Zhu Wenshu, assuming he’d forgotten who they were, said with a bit of exasperation, “Zhong Ya and Wang Junguan—you know, the two you saved as ‘Fifth Row Sixth Seat’ and ‘Wang Guanjun’ in your contacts.”

“Oh.”

Ling Chen made a sound of acknowledgment, then, suddenly thinking of something, turned to look at Zhu Wenshu. “How do you know what I saved their contacts as?”

Zhu Wenshu glanced at him, saying in a low voice, “You still don’t know? Go check your own QQ.”

“?”

Ever since he’d switched phones, Ling Chen hadn’t even downloaded that app again.

But since Zhu Wenshu had said so, he downloaded it again anyway.

Signal on the highway wasn’t great, and it took him a good while to scroll through the chat history.

And then—

“You hot?”

Ling Xingyan, noticing Ling Chen’s face had darkened, said, “Crack a window if you are.”

“……”

Ling Chen didn’t roll down the window, and didn’t say anything either.

Even a big celebrity had to keep up some kind of front.

Though later, over countless nights, he would admit to Zhu Wenshu that he’d already had inappropriate thoughts about her back in high school.

But at least until today, he’d still believed Zhu Wenshu had simply been captivated by him—the version of him on stage, that is. Handsome enough to fall for.

And forget the account hacking for a second.

He’d also just seen Xu Guangliang, that absolute idiot, reply to that hacked message.

[Xu Guangliang]: Did I not tell you to lay off the porn sites?!