Ping An whimpered twice. His master had truly perfected the art of saying one thing while meaning another. This morning, he had gotten up early to bathe, wash his hair, and uncharacteristically changed outfits several times, even washing his hair twice. Who knew what difference all this painstaking effort would make? As far as Ping An was concerned, it wasn’t much different from his dog fur.

And then he had the nerve to say it was for his girlfriend. Ping An couldn’t help but feel nervous about this boy experiencing his first love. But Ping An had always known that Li Jin Yu was a gentle and gentlemanly man. He might not say it out loud, but his actions spoke volumes. His master had a good temper; Ping An had rarely seen him lose his temper with anyone, except for that time when he kicked the coffee table in front of his older sister. Ping An had been terrified, having never seen him so furious. That’s how Ping An knew that he truly cared about his sister and was afraid of losing her.

Sometimes when Ping An looked at him, it was like peering through a long kaleidoscope. He was on the other side of the light, living in the vibrant world of human affairs, while Ping An could only guard his monotonous black-and-white world. Li Jin Yu didn’t have many friends, and people rarely visited. Or rather, he didn’t have any close friends in this dilapidated little town—though he did have one close dog.

Occasionally, the two of them would become three shadows, confiding in each other in that small courtyard full of peach blossoms.

These past few days, Ping An had noticed that his sleep was shallow. He often got up in the middle of the night to drink water. Ping An’s ears were sharp; he could sense when Li Jin Yu lifted his blanket, anticipating that he might get up, and would wag his tail while walking to the courtyard gate, whimpering a couple of times.

Li Jin Yu would lean against the small courtyard gate in his pajamas, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cup of water, looking down at Ping An with drowsy eyes: “Don’t dogs need to sleep?”

Ping An would respond with a couple of barks.

“Missing your girlfriend?” Li Jin Yu would ask, looking down at him. “Or are you thinking of finding a new one?”

Ping An: …

Li Jin Yu would lower the water cup to his side, slightly squinting, gazing at the misty night outside the window, leisurely talking to himself: “Hang in there, it’s just been a month. Your big brother’s been busy lately and hasn’t had time to find you a girlfriend.”

Ping An knew what was keeping him busy—being angry with his sister. Whenever his sister called, he would take a long time to answer, sometimes deliberately not answering at all, lying to her that he was taking a shower. Sometimes, when his sister was too busy to call him all day, he would get so angry that he would roughly tug at Ping An’s fur.

Ping An had grown tired of being manhandled and was almost angry enough to demonstrate that “a cornered dog will leap over a wall.” Several times he’d wanted to grab Li Jin Yu’s broad shoulders with his short, sturdy little paws, shaking him vigorously like Er Kang shaking Zi Wei, shouting, “Why don’t you tell sister that you’re jealous!”

Later, Ping An understood. Li Jin Yu said his sister didn’t like men who were too possessive, so he kept swallowing his jealousy while secretly raging with it, afraid to let her know he was jealous for fear she would stop liking him.

Ah, being a man was hard. It was better to be a dog. Ping An sighed with a sense of fortune.

The twilight sank, the mud-gold sunset disappeared into the mountains, and dusk fit tightly against the mountain peaks and eaves. The night wind rustled through the tree clusters, and the sparkling lake surface rippled with spring chill, carrying waves of bitter cold that crept into Ye Meng’s clothes. She had rushed out without a coat, wearing only a paper-thin suit jacket, and the piercing cold wind rushed mercilessly into her collar.

Next, Ping An felt himself being picked up as a whole dog, and in the next second, he was stuffed into a soft and unfamiliar embrace. Ye Meng was caught off guard, dazedly accepting him.

Li Jin Yu said: “His fur is warm.”

Ping An: ??

Ye Meng: “…”

Li Jin Yu added, “What else would we keep a dog for?”

Ping An: …

Despite what he said, when the two entered the house, Ye Meng was holding the plump Ping An while wearing Li Jin Yu’s coat. The old lady, seeing their affectionate manner, felt happy in her heart, smiling as she said: “Li Jin Yu, make something for Ye Meng to eat. She came straight from the airport, and probably hasn’t eaten anything.”

“You haven’t eaten?” Li Jin Yu asked.

Exhausted from her journey, Ye Meng sat wearily on the shoe cabinet as soon as she entered, looking up at him pitifully: “That’s right, an early morning flight without even an in-flight meal, then transferred vehicles all day. Haven’t eaten a single bite.”

Li Jin Yu pulled her up, “Let’s go out to eat, there’s nothing at home.”

Ye Meng didn’t move, taking off her high heels, “I don’t want to go out, my feet are about to break. Just make me some noodles.”

“Should I order takeout for you?”

Ye Meng looked up at him, gently swinging his hand: “Can’t you make something for me?”

“Didn’t you say what I make doesn’t taste good?” Li Jin Yu took out his phone.

Ye Meng quickly snatched it away, pleading: “I’ve never tried it, please make something.”

Li Jin Yu compromised, making an affirming sound, “Then go lie down in the room. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Ye Meng couldn’t sleep and just lay on his bed for a while. The old lady rolled in with her wheelchair, tremulously clutching a red envelope in her hand, which she slipped under the pillow when Ye Meng wasn’t looking. Ye Meng was startled and sat up in confusion: “Grandma?”

“You two got your marriage certificate so hurriedly that day, and Li Jin Yu said you went to Beijing that night. I didn’t have time to give you a red envelope. There’s also a gold ring inside. It should have been given to you by Li Jin Yu’s mother, but that woman severed ties with our family long ago. The ring was returned and has been kept with me all this time. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be an old woman like me giving it to you, which would make our family look like we have little to offer, as if Li Jin Yu were a child with no one to care for him.”

The old lady looked at her with a suppressed expression, unlike her usual joking manner. Her elderly eyelids were layered several times over, and the uneven furrows on her face seemed to twitch slightly, as if something painful had been touched, leaving her choked and speechless.

Ye Meng was rarely at a loss for words with the old lady, but she didn’t know how to comfort her with the many thoughts in her mind. At this moment, anything she could say would seem inadequate. She said quietly: “Grandma, I will be good to him.”

“That’s not what I meant,” the old lady held her hand and sighed, saying—

“Marriage is essentially two people moving into an empty house. Lucky couples might find nothing in the house but can live peacefully with just some ordinary furniture. For couples with more tumultuous fates, they might need to clean the house first, sweeping away the spider webs on the walls and the weeds on the floor. They must support each other, remove all these obstacles in life one by one, and then slowly add furniture they like. When the home takes shape, your relationship will stabilize too. So it’s not enough for just you to be good to him; he must be good to you too. I hope you are equal. His father was unfortunate to be born into our family, already at a disadvantage, yet he still got entangled with a wealthy family. He was manipulated for half his life, and even his grave bears their surname. It’s all karmic retribution.” The old lady left with a sigh.

…

When Ye Meng entered the kitchen, Li Jin Yu had just put the noodles into the pot. He glanced at her, “Not sleeping?”

Ye Meng walked over, hugging him from behind, and whispered mysteriously: “Grandma gave me a red envelope and your family’s heirloom ring.”

“Don’t want it?” he asked indifferently, watching the water in the pot.

“No,” Ye Meng pressed her face against his back, “Grandma gave me ten thousand yuan, isn’t that a bit too much? I originally just wanted to take the ring, but she wouldn’t have it. I didn’t want to offend her and make her unhappy, so I came to ask you if I can accept the money?”

“Keep it, I’ll pay her back in a few days.”

Hugging him made Ye Meng feel at ease. Somehow, drowsiness suddenly overcame her. She closed her eyes and murmured, “Grandma said you quit your job at the bar. Do you still have money?”

Li Jin Yu made an affirming sound, serving the noodles, “Yes, I’m not looking for work temporarily. I’ll think about it after I finish my exams.”

There was no sound after that, as her breathing gradually became even. Li Jin Yu looked back and found that she had truly fallen asleep. He turned off the stove, lifted her from the floor, and carried her to the bed.

Ye Meng woke up again at three in the morning. Li Jin Yu was still reading, with a dim yellow lamp on the table that made the bedroom faintly bright and cozy.

“Baby,” she called out softly, lying on her side with sleepy eyes.

Li Jin Yu turned around, and Ye Meng noticed that he seemed to be wearing nothing underneath, with only a thermal jacket on top, left open. From her angle, she could see the peach blossoms full on the branches outside the window. The scene looked exactly like a famous playboy known throughout the city. It made her heart pound.

“Awake?” he asked, “Hungry?”

“I woke up because I’m hungry.”

He turned back, facing away from her, lowering his head to continue reading, coldly saying: “Stay hungry then. The noodles are ruined and can’t be eaten anymore.”

Ye Meng touched her rumbling stomach and said: “Can’t you make another bowl?”

“No, you wasted the last bowl,” Li Jin Yu said, lighting up his phone beside him, and checking the time, “Three o’clock. Hold on for two more hours, the breakfast shop next door opens at five.”

“Fine, I’ll get up at five to eat.”

“Can you sleep?” Li Jin Yu asked, “If you can’t sleep, I’ll check if there’s any dog food left for Ping An.”

Ye Meng had always thought that she came back late and her younger brother was being difficult, deliberately giving her a hard time. She figured he would be fine after a couple of days of coaxing, so she accommodated him in every way. “Sure, I’d even eat rat poison if you gave it to me.”

Li Jin Yu seemed to deliberately anger her, stubbornly replying without turning around: “I’ll go buy some tomorrow.”

However, the next day, Li Jin Yu had barely slept all night, accompanying Ye Meng until five in the morning. The two got up to have breakfast next door, and when they returned, he took a nap while Ye Meng went home to shower and pack her things.

They had hurriedly obtained their marriage certificate, and the two families had never properly met. It didn’t seem appropriate to just move into his family’s home like this. Ye Meng discussed it with the old lady. Li Jin Yu needed to care for the old lady, so he definitely couldn’t leave, and they couldn’t bring the two over either, or old Mr. Ye would feel awkward. Ye Meng thought it over and decided she would live there first, and later, when the old lady’s condition improved, they would consider whether to buy their own house.

Xu Mei Lan only now realized that the granddaughter she had cherished since childhood had truly married. Watching her stride out of the house with her luggage, she finally understood that this was it, and her life was coming to an end. She tremulously covered her eyes, seemingly knowing there was no turning back, tears streaming down her cheeks as she told her eldest daughter: “The roots of the Ye family have been cut off here.”

Ye Gui Lan remained silent for a long time, watching the crimson sunset in the west, until Ye Meng’s car slowly turned out of the community entrance. It was as if she was seeing her off on another path in life—

“Mom, don’t blame her. Since her mother left, I’ve never seen her so happy. Being able to marry someone you like should be a happy thing. Compared to Roots or whatever, I just hope Ye Meng is happy. In this life, we all make concessions for each other. Their generation has it harder than ours, facing more temptations and difficulties. If we, as their elders, can avoid adding to their troubles, we should.”

…

Li Jin Yu slept until four in the afternoon. To be precise, he was awakened by the clanging sounds from the kitchen. He didn’t know how to describe this chaotic scene.

Ye Meng was wearing an apron she had dug out from somewhere, probably one she had brought herself. She stood about a meter away from the gas stove, holding a spatula in one hand and a pot lid in the other. She even had a helmet on her head, also from who knows where. The fire was blazing, and when she added oil, it immediately burst into flames with a “whoosh,” fierce tongues of fire erupting from the bottom of the wok. The entire kitchen lit up. Anyone who didn’t know better might think they were developing some kind of explosive weapon.

Ping An kept barking non-stop, looking ready to call the police at any moment. The old lady, on the other hand, was calmly sitting in her wheelchair, directing the fire extinguishing efforts: “Quick, pour water!”

“Pouring water would splash oil all over her face. Do you want my wife’s face ruined?” Li Jin Yu immediately walked over, took the spatula and pot lid from Ye Meng’s hands, and covered the pot. The raging fire immediately subsided, like a small dragon that had been subdued and locked in a black pot, no longer baring its fangs at her. Ye Meng was so frightened that she hugged Li Jin Yu tightly, but fearing he would be angry, she immediately explained weakly: “I saw you sleeping all day, so I thought I’d make a couple of dishes for you tonight, but this gas stove, it seems to have its ideas.”

Ye Meng clung to his neck like an octopus, pulling down half of Li Jin Yu’s pajamas. He glanced at her sideways: “You’ve never cooked before?”

“No, my grandmother won’t even let me wash the dishes,” she said anxiously, still shaken.

Li Jin Yu: “Then how can you complain about my cooking being bad?”

“I never complained about you, I was worried about you,” Ye Meng said.

“Yeah, right.”

The old lady couldn’t stay any longer and silently rolled her wheelchair away, mainly to avoid being scolded by Li Jin Yu. She went straight back to her room, locked the door, and then quietly took two cotton balls to plug her ears, out of sight, out of mind.

Ye Meng raised her chin and pointed to the space outside the kitchen door: “Your grandma left.”

Li Jin Yu made an affirmative sound, throwing the spatula back into the sink, “She’s afraid I’ll scold her.”

“I said, your grandma is gone,” Ye Meng repeated meaningfully.

Li Jin Yu leaned against the counter. Ye Meng hung on him, putting all her weight on him. Li Jin Yu felt that Ye Meng was quite heavy, and his neck was about to break, so he had to support her waist and hips with his hand. But his final act of defiance was to support her with just one hand, while the other remained lazily tucked in his pocket.

Outside the window, the sky was golden yellow, with the sunset quietly casting a beam of golden light that slanted in, falling directly on Ye Meng, illuminating her brightly like a shining gold ingot. Li Jin Yu leaned in the shadows outside the light source, his entire person was cold and quiet in the darkness, like two worlds split apart—yin and yang mixing out of selfish desire.

Their faces were extremely close, and with each blink, Li Jin Yu’s eyelashes were like a soft goose feather brush gently sweeping across her face. With each sweep, her chest tightened a little more. She stared at him intently and said: “Fifteen times now, aren’t you going to kiss me?”

He didn’t move for a long time, never leaning in for the kiss, turning his head away, “Let me ask you, are you going back after this visit?”

“Yes, I need to at least wait until this case has some result before I can say.”

Li Jin Yu kept one hand in his pocket, unmoved, while the other patted her tailbone. With a self-sacrificing, understanding manner, he said: “All right, get down.”

Ye Meng was startled, and heard a vindictive satisfaction in his tone:

“We’ll talk when you decide to stay. It’ll be tough for you in the meantime, you’ll just have to bear with it.”

Ye Meng helplessly leaned against the kitchen door, trying to reason with him with facts, but no matter how earnestly Ye Meng explained, Li Jin Yu ignored her, methodically turning on the stove, seemingly about to make her a grand dinner with great affection. “Qiao Mai Mai’s aunt sent over some chopped chili, should I make you spicy fish head tonight?”

Ye Meng had been talking non-stop but was startled by his sudden interruption. After a pause, she said “Okay,” then immediately returned to their previous topic: “This case is much more complicated than I imagined. I know you’re afraid I’ll stay in Beijing. Don’t worry, as soon as the case is over, I’ll resign from working with Gou Kai immediately.”

Li Jin Yu paid no attention, opening the refrigerator to take out two eggs. “Boiled or fried?”

“Fried,” Ye Meng answered instinctively, then immediately pleaded earnestly, “Baby, can you give me some time?”

Li Jin Yu had just cracked an egg into a bowl with one hand. Holding the bowl, he finally looked up at her. The evening light seemed to press between his brows, and he said coldly: “So if this case doesn’t end in three to five years, you won’t come back for three to five years, right? Do you know what three to five years mean for us? Do you think that after staying in Beijing for three to five years, you can still leave so easily?”

Ye Meng grumbled: “It won’t take that long. Are you looking down on the police these days?”

He tried hard to control himself, the veins on his hand seemingly about to burst. With a “bang,” he put down the bowl, hands in his pockets, turning his head to look out the window, “I don’t want to argue with you.”

They didn’t speak a word to each other until after dinner. The old lady didn’t find it strange—young couples face many temptations and need more adjustment. She stuffed two cotton balls in her ears and brazenly returned to her room. The entire night, the two didn’t speak. Ye Meng curled up on the sofa watching TV, while Li Jin Yu leaned against the fish tank in the small courtyard, reading, occasionally throwing some dog food to tease Ping An.

Ye Meng didn’t know what was on TV; her mind was filled with thoughts of the little beast outside.

The little beast was studying. The little beast was playing with the dog. The little beast was also posted on social media.

He had taken a very atmospheric night scene. It had to be said that Li Jin Yu’s photography skills were really good, capturing extremely clever angles. Each photo made one feel that the wind had its story, and the tree had its story, full of mystery.

Ye Meng took a selfie and sent it to him. [Meng: Post it on your social media.]

Ye Meng heard a ding-dong notification sound from outside the courtyard, followed by the tapping of keys. She guessed he was replying with a cold face, and could almost imagine his expression.

The next second, another ding-dong sounded inside the house. [LJY: What, do marriages need to be public now? Can’t my sister handle it?] [Meng: Fine, let’s see who can’t handle it.]

Ye Meng took another, more provocative selfie and posted it on social media.

The next second, Ye Meng heard the small courtyard door being violently pushed open with a whoosh. A cold wind rushed in, and the room seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

The person who “could handle it” came in as expected. Li Jin Yu stood tall, with one hand in his pocket, silently standing in front of the sofa. He bent down to snatch her phone, deleted the photo without a word, then casually tossed it back to her, speaking coldly without emotion: “This is the last warning. Fighting is one thing, but don’t try to commit suicide on my watch.”

After being warned, Ye Meng behaved. Li Jin Yu didn’t leave either, staying with her on the sofa watching TV. They appeared cold and distant, neither willing to engage with the other, but their mouths never stopped.

“I’m your wife, Li Jin Yu, can’t you be a little more understanding?”

“I’m also two years younger, why can’t you understand me?”

“Are you afraid I’ll run off with someone else?”

“Yes, you’re not afraid. You’ve never been jealous of me.”

“I have been. I’m still jealous about you being with Jiang Lu Zhi.”

“That’s just Jiang Lu Zhi. With anyone else, you wouldn’t care at all.”

They went back and forth, while the intelligent screen of the TV mechanically played scenes no one cared about. That episode repeated several times, but they didn’t even notice. Until the phone on the table suddenly lit up, the name “Gou Kai” glaring on the screen. Ye Meng didn’t even look at it, kicking the phone away.

Li Jin Yu laughed coldly, continuing to watch TV without a word.

The phone seemed possessed, constantly ringing, determined to make her answer.

When Gou Kai called for the fifth time.

Li Jin Yu stood up, leaving with a parting shot: “If I’m interfering with your flirtation, I’ll leave, okay?”

Ye Meng had completely lost her patience too. She answered the phone with an angry curse: “If you don’t have something extremely urgent when I get back, I’ll have Tai Ming Xiao publish your client list all over the internet.”

Gou Kai must have sensed through the phone line that Ye Meng was truly furious. Without saying a word, he immediately hung up with a “bang.”

Li Jin Yu went out in his pajamas, not even taking his coat. Ye Meng didn’t know where he would go in the middle of the night, and she hurriedly rushed out without a coat as well. It turned out Li Jin Yu hadn’t gone far; he was leaning against the wall at the stairwell entrance, smoking. The moonlight was dim and fragmented as it came in, like a light veil spread across the floor.

Ye Meng walked over and stood in front of him, not knowing how to start. After a long silence, she just watched him lean against the wall, taking occasional drags of his cigarette. The stairwell entrance was filled with smoke, but the atmosphere was especially quiet. Wearing only his pajamas, he looked thin, his eyelids thinly downcast with coldness. Yet without clothes, he had lean muscles. Ye Meng reached for his hand. Li Jin Yu’s palm was also thin and wide. He didn’t pull away, obediently letting her hold it.

But this obedience only lasted for a moment. After finishing one cigarette, Li Jin Yu let go of her hand and went inside. He had run out of cigarettes and searched the whole house, turning everything upside down, but couldn’t find even a single cigarette.

He sat on the sofa, one elbow propped on his knee, back hunched, his long fingers rummaging through the drawer, finding only empty boxes. Irritated, he crushed them all and angrily threw them into the trash can. Finally, he sat back on the sofa with his arms crossed, trying to suppress the inexplicable anger that had nowhere to go.

However, it was futile, and he could only stand up to go buy cigarettes.

Ye Meng hugged him, not letting him leave: “Stop smoking. If you’re really that unhappy, you can take it out on me, okay?”

Li Jin Yu pulled her away, lowering his head to change his shoes: “Don’t be disgusting.”

Ye Meng realized that when Li Jin Yu turned cold, he was truly cold, and his words cut deep. She was also fuming, rushing to catch up day after day, yet unable to placate him. Her patience was completely exhausted, and Li Jin Yu’s impenetrable demeanor had her so angry she felt like she could die.

She leaned against the door, looking up at the tall man in front of her, her voice also angry: “Say that again.”

“Move aside.” Li Jin Yu put on his coat, determined to go out.

She threatened: “If you go out, I’m going home tonight.”

“Suit yourself,” he looked down at her coldly, “I have no objection to you going back to Beijing to find Gou Kai.”

She sighed helplessly: “How long are you going to be jealous—”

“I’d like to know how long I’ll be jealous too!” Li Jin Yu finally couldn’t bear it anymore and exploded, “You think I want to be? If you’re going to cheat, at least wipe your mouth clean! Why let me know? Huh?” He paused, “Why didn’t you tell Gou Kai that I’m your husband? Are you still hoping to rekindle your old relationship with him?”

Only now did Ye Meng belatedly understand the misunderstanding from that night, and she laughed coldly: “So that’s what you think of me?”

Ye Meng looked at him for a long time. She lowered her head, opened her phone, and opened some webpage, then threw it hard at his chest.

On it was a clear line from the Baidu Encyclopedia—Li Jin Yu, Memory Palace, 08 world champion.

A search online would reveal all his information.

“I asked if you knew Tai Ming Xiao, and you said no. But I found out that every story Tai Ming Xiao told me was related to your glorious past. Even the racing club owner, Li Chen, wears earrings identical to yours. You never mentioned any of your brilliant past to me. How the hell was I supposed to know what you’ve been through? Whether you want to reconnect with them or not!”