“Is there anything you can’t let go of?”

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

“My mother.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

Just then, the elevator gave a “—ding” as it reached the floor. Feng Ning gave the person beside her a faint smile. “I’ll tell you next time.”

The moment she walked into the studio, she heard Guan Tongfu shouting excitedly, “Reliable intel says there’s a big client coming up, overseas, a real fat piece of meat! Fat meat!!”

Feng Ning took off her work badge, set it aside casually, pulled out a chair and sat down, took a sip of water. “Let’s hear it.”

Guan Tongfu flipped through papers. “It’s a multinational company, just entered the Chinese market this year. They’re looking for a translation firm to outsource their hotel promotional materials.”

Feng Ning perked up with interest. “Are they putting it out to bid?”

“Should be soon,” Guan Tongfu said. “I’ll have Xiao Zhu make a PPT and send in a proposal.”

Xiao Zhu snapped, “Do it yourself, I’m about to be driven insane by idiots.”

“Why, what happened?”

Xiao Zhu put her hands on her hips, pacing around the cubicles. “You know I’ve been doing proofreading lately? The client I’m working with has absolutely no sense! I calmly explained the edits, said it needs to fit the market positioning, and they wouldn’t listen at all—they even turned around and questioned whether I’m professionally competent. I’m about to cough up blood, what a bunch of weirdos.”

A few people chimed in, griping along. Feng Ning shut down her computer. “You all keep at it, I’m heading out early.”

“Why are you leaving so early today?”

“Going home to catch up on sleep.”

Xiao Zhu gave a mock salute. “Have a good weekend, Ning jiejie, see you next week.”

Feng Ning flicked Xiao Zhu’s forehead with her finger. “You too.”

Xiao Zhu clutched her chest, acting swept off her feet. “Jie, what perfume are you wearing today? It smells amazing.”

Taking the elevator down to the basement parking lot to get her car, while backing out, Feng Ning took another call.

Min Yueyue hollered from the other end, “Ning Ning, let’s go out tonight for hotpot frog.”

Feng Ning, watching the rearview mirror, reversed with one hand, refusing without a second thought. “Big sis, find someone else. I don’t have the energy to go with you for that.”

Last time they’d waited over two hundred tables deep for four or five hours; Min Yueyue had insisted on going for a walk downstairs midway through, and had ended up losing her place in line, dragging the whole ordeal out until three in the morning before they finally got a hot meal.

Min Yueyue wouldn’t give up, whining into the phone. “Ning Ning, I’m begging you, please. I just got back from the Maldives, I brought you so many gifts. I just want to see you. I’ve saved up so much gossip to tell you, I really miss you.”

Min Yueyue had been Feng Ning’s roommate during grad school—from a wealthy family, spoiled since childhood, a princess raised under her parents’ doting affection. There were four of them in the dorm; the other two girls didn’t much like Min Yueyue, and often complained privately about her little-princess airs.

It wasn’t really their fault for disliking her so much—the first impression Min Yueyue had made on everyone was simply too vivid.

On move-in day, the three of them were tidying up and cleaning their side of the room when a theatrical, spoiled voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning their heads in unison.

The half-closed door was pushed open, and Min Yueyue made her entrance in a full CHANEL outfit, Valentino heels, and a brand-new Hermès bag slung over her shoulder.

This young lady seemed completely unaware of them; she spun in place once, complaining to whoever was beside her, “Why is this grad student dorm so run-down, it’s like a condemned building. And this room, it looks so shabby—are there cockroaches or rats or something? Even my housekeeper’s room back home is better than this.”

Her tone dripped with condescending superiority, and one of the girls immediately rolled her eyes.

Min Yueyue usually didn’t stay in the dorm—only during finals crunch would she deign to stay a few days, sticking close to Feng Ning to study together at the library. She was forgetful and careless, constantly forgetting assignments their advisor gave them.

The other two roommates were content to just watch it play out; only Feng Ning patiently reminded her of things.

One roommate finally couldn’t hold back one day and complained, “Feng Ning, why are you so nice to Min Yueyue? It’s annoying just looking at her.”

Feng Ning was translating a paper at the time and barely reacted. “Her? Isn’t she kind of cute though?”

“Cute??” The roommate was incredulous. “Are you out of your mind, actually finding that peacock girl cute.”

Feng Ning had gotten into University A through recommendation admission, and at first didn’t know anyone there.

After graduating from undergrad, a senior fellow student had pulled Feng Ning into starting a business, opening his own company. So Feng Ning was constantly swamped even during grad school, eating and attending class alone, on her own.

Her temperament was neither cold nor warm—she could joke, could liven up a room, but never got too close to anyone. She was pretty, and handled everything she did smoothly; secretly, she was well liked, by both men and women.

The other two roommates had actually both wanted to be friends with her, but somehow, in the end, it was Min Yueyue who grew closer and closer to Feng Ning.

…

…

The sound of honking came from behind, and Feng Ning snapped back to attention, shifted gears. Min Yueyue was still pleading over the phone. “Please, please, Ning Ning is the best, the best in the whole world.”

As the car pulled out of the lot, Feng Ning sighed softly. “Fine. What time are we eating.”

“Ah, you agreed!” Min Yueyue cheered. “Seven then, I’ll come pick you up at your place.”

Hearing her happy voice, Feng Ning couldn’t help the corner of her mouth lifting. “Mm, call me when you get there. I’m hanging up now, I’m driving.”

She got home at three in the afternoon. Feng Ning took a shower and set an alarm for three hours later. She’d been living with her days and nights flipped lately, cross-checking translations of a French restaurant’s menu with two other translators—she’d gotten less than ten hours of sleep across several days.

The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out.

Night fell, and an urgent doorbell tore Feng Ning forcibly from sleep. She dragged her exhausted body out of bed to answer the door.

A gust of fragrance swept in, and Min Yueyue rushed forward to hug Feng Ning, planting two kisses on her face, one on each side.

Feng Ning let go of the doorknob, lifted a hand to wipe her face. “What are you doing at my place?”

Min Yueyue said, as if it were obvious, “It’s already six, I called your phone and no one picked up, I thought you were standing me up!”

“Your highness, I set my alarm for six thirty.” Feng Ning was a bit helpless. She went to the living room, got a glass of water, and drank a couple sips to wet her throat.

Min Yueyue sat on the couch, bossing her around. “You’ve got half an hour to do your makeup and get ready. Quickly.”

In just a few minutes, Feng Ning came back out changed.

A plain black short-sleeve top with no pattern, denim pencil pants, bare-faced, faint dark circles still under her eyes.

Min Yueyue pointed at her. “You’re going out with me looking like that?”

Feng Ning, freshly woken, her dark hair a mess, grabbed a white baseball cap from the entryway and put it on. “What else. Should I do my makeup up, put on a dress, and go get soaked in hotpot smell with you instead?”

“Fine, fine.”

In the elevator, Min Yueyue hooked one arm through her bag strap and the other through Feng Ning’s arm. “In a bit I’ll introduce you to my new favorite, Little Pink, still nice and fresh, my brother just picked it up for me this afternoon.”

“What about Little Yellow, abandoned already?”

“Little Yellow is my first love, it’s tired lately, I’m letting it rest at home.”

They went downstairs together and out of the compound; a few people were taking photos of a Maserati parked by the road.

The trident emblem gleamed with a noble light in the night.

Min Yueyue gave a small huff, casually leading Feng Ning past those envious stares, pulling open Little Pink’s door and getting in.

She hit the gas, shifted gears, and the Maserati let out a low roar, speeding off.

It was Friday, the lights of the city coming alive, right in the thick of rush hour—the roads were jammed solid. Feng Ning sat in the passenger seat, half-heartedly checking work emails while listening to Min Yueyue complain about her new boyfriend. The car crawled at a snail’s pace toward the mall.

“No parking spots, so annoying.” Min Yueyue spun the wheel. “Whatever, let’s just park here.”

Once the car stopped, Feng Ning unbuckled her seatbelt and got out to check. She was a bit exasperated. “What are you doing, you’ve blocked the car behind us completely.”

Min Yueyue had already turned off the engine, swinging the keys as she walked over. “Oh well, they didn’t have a spot either.” She spotted the silver-gray car behind them and gave a short whistle. “Ooh, it’s a Bentley even. Whatever, let’s go, it’s fine. Worst case, we’ll come move it later.”

Out of professional habit, Feng Ning always carried a pen and paper. She scribbled her phone number onto a sticky note and added a line: 【Call this number if there’s an issue】

“Ning Ning, what are you doing.”

Feng Ning stuck the note onto the Bentley’s hood, capped her pen. “Leaving contact info, so no one smashes your car.”

The hotpot frog restaurant was as crowded and lively as ever. By the time they got their number called, two hours had passed.

A server led them to their seats and handed them menus.

Min Yueyue waved a hand grandly. “Give me fifteen frogs.”

“Fifteen?” the server double-checked. “That might be a lot for just the two of you.”

“Fifteen, I could eat every last one myself.” Min Yueyue began checking off items.

“Other rich second-generation types like fancy delicacies, how’d you end up obsessed with frogs?”

Min Yueyue said, “You could say the hunger-marketing tactics here worked too well on me. The harder something is to get, the more you can’t stop thinking about it.”

Min Yueyue had one quirk—she couldn’t stand having dishes she didn’t like on the table when eating. So when ordering, she never asked anyone else’s opinion; only Feng Ning ever indulged her.

Min Yueyue handed the menu back to the server. “Oh right, Ning Ning, did you notice anything different about me today?”

“What’s different?”

“You didn’t notice? My outfit.”

Min Yueyue stood right up, spinning in a circle. “This is the newest CHANEL spring/summer little black dress, isn’t it cute?”

After a beat of silence, Feng Ning said, “I suggest Jennie hand you the title of Earthly Chanel.”

Min Yueyue was tickled to death by that. “Ning Ning, why are you so funny.”

Feng Ning kept her deadpan expression. “I won’t hide it from you, I’ve been watching Deyun Society crosstalk since high school, trained under Guo Degang.”

“Haha, you’re just too cute, if I were a man I’d definitely chase after you.”

“Please don’t.” Feng Ning made a stop gesture. “I can’t even imagine what your personality would look like on a man.”

“So going from peacock girl to peacock guy huh.” Min Yueyue knew what people called her behind her back. “What’s wrong with a peacock guy?”

Feng Ning, her mind drifting to something, slowly let the teasing fade. “Yeah. It’d be nice.”

The place was busy, and ten minutes went by without their order arriving. The table next to them suddenly erupted in commotion, and Min Yueyue turned her head to look.

There were men and women both; one of the women appeared drunk, eyes hazy, tangled up arguing with the person beside her.

Min Yueyue glanced over briefly, about to look away, when she suddenly froze, her gaze caught on a man sitting in the corner.

He was unwrapping a cigarette, lowering his head—maybe out of consideration for being in public, he’d only pulled one out, twirling it between his index and middle fingers without lighting it. There was a hint of a relaxed smile at the corner of his mouth as he listened to whoever was talking.

Min Yueyue blinked twice, then widened her eyes hard, lowering her voice. “Whoa, Ning Ning, look, hot guy, top-tier, right in front of you at an angle.”

Feng Ning had just started to turn her head when a few drops of cola splashed onto their faces. Min Yueyue let out a low yelp, grabbing a napkin to wipe her face.

The drunk woman at the next table stood up unsteadily, cup in hand, slurring loudly, “Bro, you finally came back, you have to drink with me today no matter what.”

—The cola had splashed from her cup.

Min Yueyue muttered under her breath, “Ugh, so annoying, this woman looks awful when she’s drunk and throwing a fit.”

Feng Ning wiped the cola off the back of her hand. “You don’t look much better when you’re drunk either.”

Tonight the broth was taking especially long. Min Yueyue was chatting with her boyfriend on WeChat, and Feng Ning, bored, opened a small game on her phone to pass the time.

A few minutes later, a man appeared out of nowhere and asked Feng Ning for her WeChat.

Feng Ning looked up. “Sorry, I don’t add strangers on WeChat.”

The man wasn’t deterred by the rejection. “Just as friends.”

Min Yueyue rolled her eyes. “She has a boyfriend.”

After the man left, Feng Ning said with a laugh, “You’re pretty good at shutting people down now.”

“Didn’t I learn it from you?”

“Learn what from me?”

Min Yueyue thought back. “You know, our first day of grad school, we were eating in the cafeteria. Some underclassman lost at truth-or-dare and came over to ask if you needed a boyfriend—don’t you remember what you said?”

Feng Ning had no memory of it. “What did I say?”

“You said…”

Min Yueyue remembered it word for word, mimicking her tone. “A boyfriend? You might need one more than I do.”

After repeating it, she laughed uncontrollably. “God, I remember thinking then, how could there be such a distinctive girl.”

While they talked, the next table finished up. A few people stood and began filing out. The drunk woman, being supported by someone, suddenly struggled as she passed by their table.

Her arm flailed, knocking over the lemon juice on the table.

Min Yueyue shrieked, jumping up quickly, but a corner of her dress still got splashed. Her princess temper flared instantly. “Hey, what are you doing? This dress is expensive, I just bought it a couple days ago. Go throw your drunken fit at home!”

Her complaint was loud enough that the whole group about to leave went silent. They exchanged glances, and one of the women said indifferently, “How much is it, I’ll pay you back.”

The “top-tier hot guy” who’d gotten Min Yueyue so excited earlier happened to be right there. He had striking, unforgettable features, somewhat sharp contours, but thin lips. He said, “Sorry, my sister’s had too much to drink. Here’s my card.”

Min Yueyue had a weakness for deep voices.

The moment the handsome man spoke, her expression—and her legs—went instantly weak.

Feng Ning, wearing her baseball cap, had her view partially blocked. She’d been focused on her game and hadn’t really listened to what the handsome man said.

She turned her head, starting from his lower half, slowly moving upward.

Light gray suit pants, pale blue shirt. The business card was held between long, slender fingers, his sleeves rolled to the forearm, revealing a low-key but clearly expensive silver watch on his wrist.

Blocked by her cap’s brim, she could only see up to his waist.

Narrow waist, long legs.

Nice figure.

Across the table, Min Yueyue had already entered a state of complete infatuation, dazed.

Amused, Feng Ning reached out without much thought and took the card on Min Yueyue’s behalf.

On her pale, slender wrist, a flash of red passed by.

The deep voice said, “If you need anything about the dress, come find me.”

Hearing that voice, Feng Ning’s movement froze, her heart pounding hard several times. She turned her head sharply.

Someone beside him urged, “Alright, Ryan, let’s go.”

The person called stopped short, staring at the red thread on Feng Ning’s wrist.

Min Yueyue had no idea what was happening.

Feng Ning tilted her head up, caught between light and shadow. With no preparation at all, she got a clear look at his face.

A pair of eyes that tilted up slightly at the corners, lashes lowered halfway, low in affect, without a trace of emotion.

The surroundings suddenly went quiet.

His gaze moved from her wrist, slowly, up to her face. Two or three seconds later, the corner of his mouth moved slightly, and he said two words.

“…Feng Ning.”