It had been nearly ten years since high school graduation. Everyone went their separate ways, and it had been a long time since they’d seen each other.

Fu Mingyu recalled that the last time he met Li Zhihuai was last year when their high school homeroom teacher—her father—was seriously ill. He had made time to visit, and they had exchanged glances in the hospital room.

Fu Mingyu wasn’t one to maintain close contact. He didn’t attend university in China and had minimal interaction with his high school classmates. After returning to China upon graduation, everyone got word of it, occasionally inviting him to gatherings. Either he truly couldn’t make it due to actual matters, or he would fabricate excuses to avoid them, never appearing at any of those various alumni gatherings.

His work kept him too busy, and he didn’t want to waste time on such meaningless social interactions.

To be realistic, those high school classmates were no longer in the same circle, so there was no need for him to invest time in maintaining those relationships.

As for Li Zhihuai, he had some impression of her.

First, Li Zhihuai was the daughter of his high school homeroom teacher, so there had been some minimal contact because of her father.

Second, Li Zhihuai has been exceptionally prominent this year, frequently dominating screens and trending topics. Even though Fu Mingyu was busy with work, he had heard about her numerous times from friends.

Back in high school, Li Zhihuai wasn’t particularly outstanding. If not for her being the homeroom teacher’s daughter, Fu Mingyu wouldn’t have noticed her at all.

The aesthetic standards back then didn’t favor her type of looks—too masculine, lacking femininity. She didn’t know how to dress up, wore her hair short, and in her school uniform, looked like a tomboy.

Later, she was admitted to the Film Academy, but some people doubted her, predicting a bumpy road in her acting career.

Indeed, that had been the case. From her first role to last year, it had been six or seven years, and at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, she still hadn’t gained any notable fame. Even her agent seemed ready to give up on her.

Unexpectedly, this year she seemed to have bounced back from rock bottom. From the small-budget romance film at the beginning of the year that became a dark horse at the box office, to the summer comedy film that received rave reviews, to the recent award-winning art film, she had climbed from an obscure actress to a first-tier performer.

They say “fame nurtures people,” and perhaps because her reputation had improved, resources in various aspects had also improved. Li Zhihuai seemed completely transformed, blossoming with a unique charm.

“I heard you came for the aviation exhibition, but why didn’t I see Yan’an?” Li Zhihuai wore her long curly hair over her shoulders, intertwined with golden threads that subtly gleamed under the reception lights.

“His sister attended this aviation exhibition.” Fu Mingyu raised his glass in acknowledgment. “Congratulations, I heard you won an award last month.”

Li Zhihuai smiled, “Just benefited from the director and screenwriter’s brilliance.”

She tilted her head back to take a sip of wine, lightly tapping her finger on the stem of the glass, pondering what to say next but noticed Fu Mingyu’s gaze had returned to his phone.

He looked down at his phone and glimpsed Ruan Sixian’s message “As long as I change brothers quickly, there’s no sadness, only love :)”, which made him a bit irritated.

[Fu Mingyu] — Need a lesson?

While Fu Mingyu was replying, Li Zhihuai held her wine glass to her lips, half-concealing her face as she observed him.

During last year’s brief encounter at the hospital, she had been rushing to filming, barely exchanging two sentences, but the man still shone as brightly as he had in their youth. The difference was that his temperament had settled into something even more steady.

And today, under the magnificent lights of the banquet hall, looking closely at his features, she found him more resolute than in his younger years, more manly.

“Are you busy?”

“Not too much.” Putting away his phone, Fu Mingyu said, “Message from my girlfriend.”

“Oh, I see.” Her heart inexplicably sank, but the peculiar look in her eyes vanished between one blink and the next. Li Zhihuai twirled the stem of her wine glass and continued, “By the way, did you know that Wu Yin is getting married next month?”

The name sounded somewhat familiar. With Li Zhihuai’s hint, Fu Mingyu recalled.

Wu Yin—wasn’t she the campus beauty who had caused the major rift in Fu Mingyu and Yan’an’s fragile friendship?

There had been little contact after graduation, and if it weren’t for frequently seeing Yan’an’s sour face, Fu Mingyu would have completely forgotten about her.

“I wasn’t aware.”

Li Zhihuai nodded and said no more.

But in her heart, there was an indescribable sense of secret delight.

In high school, she and Wu Yin had been inseparable best friends, yet everyone only knew Wu Yin with her beautiful face, sweet singing voice, and innocent look, while ignoring the guitar-playing Li Zhihuai by her side.

Even at the graduation dance when Wu Yin confessed to Fu Mingyu, she had been on stage providing musical accompaniment as a backdrop.

“Her husband is also from our school, that guy from the next class who was good at basketball, now an engineer. It’s hard to believe she once said she wanted to be a singer, but now, for love, she’s preparing to be a full-time housewife. Sometimes I’m quite envious of her…”

Fu Mingyu listened politely until she finished, but from the other side, Bai Yang was already pointing at his watch to signal him. “It’s getting late. I have matters to attend to tomorrow, so I’ll take my leave.”

He put down his wine glass and turned to say goodbye to today’s reception host, having taken just a few steps—

“Wait!”

Li Zhihuai suddenly called out to him, walking toward him with her glass of wine.

Ruan Sixian fell asleep while watching the variety show.

Going to bed early naturally meant waking up early.

She spent two hours at the gym, returned to shower, do laundry, and clean thoroughly. When she finished, it was only eleven o’clock.

On this rare day off, Ruan Sixian opened the food delivery app and glanced at it for a while, but decided to cook for herself.

The weather had already turned cold. Ruan Sixian put on her coat, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and the moment she opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed in, instantly making her reconsider.

Forget it, food delivery is life’s true essence.

She turned around, taking off her shoes while pulling the door closed.

Just as it was about to close completely, she felt some resistance.

Puzzled, she pulled harder, but the door was forcefully pulled outward instead.

What was happening?

Between “forcefully closing the door” and “going out to investigate,” Ruan Sixian instinctively chose the former. Her other hand gripped the handle as she pulled with all her might—but the opposing force was too strong to overcome, and the door was yanked open.

Ruan Sixian looked outside and almost thought she was hallucinating.

Fu Mingyu wore an impeccably tailored black suit with a long coat of the same color over it. The sophisticated yet simple cut gave him an unreal sense of perfection—except for that somewhat mischievous glint in his eyes.

“For a girl, you’re quite strong.”

Ruan Sixian stood at the doorway, taking a moment to collect herself. “Weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow?”

“From your tone, it seems you’re not too excited about my return?”

Ruan Sixian tried her best to make her expression appear genuinely unexcited, raising an eyebrow, “Indeed.”

She just stood there at the doorway, the distance between them so minimal that it couldn’t accommodate two people.

Fu Mingyu suddenly moved forward, his body pressing against hers, one arm around her waist, the other pulling the door. One step forward, the door closed, and she was backed against the entryway wall.

“If I hadn’t returned, someone might have picked who knows how many brothers by now.”

When he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Ruan Sixian’s face, carrying a faint minty fragrance, tickling her skin.

Ruan Sixian placed her hands on his chest and pushed, “Hey, enough of that.”

Fu Mingyu released her and looked at her outfit, asking, “Going out?”

“Yes, to buy some groceries.” Ruan Sixian adjusted her scarf, noticing his travel-worn appearance, and asked, “Have you eaten?”

“No.” Fu Mingyu had originally intended to take off his coat, but hearing this, he paused, “Are you going to cook?”

Ruan Sixian nodded, her chin tucked into her scarf.

“Let’s go to the supermarket then.”

Ruan Sixian rarely went to supermarkets, but judging by Fu Mingyu’s demeanor, he seemed more familiar with them than she was.

Upon entering, he casually grabbed a shopping cart from the side, glanced at the directory sign, and headed straight for the fresh produce section.

The supermarket wasn’t crowded in the morning, mostly filled with people buying groceries, including several young couples.

At this point, Fu Mingyu still seemed to have endless work. One hand pushed the cart while the other answered calls.

Ruan Sixian followed behind him, walking at an unhurried pace, occasionally selecting a few items from the shelves and tossing them into the cart.

Several minutes later, Fu Mingyu hung up, putting his phone into his bag. Naturally, Ruan Sixian noticed his now-free hand.

Ruan Sixian gazed casually at the shelves, while her right hand stealthily and subtly slipped through his arm, linking with his elbow.

Compared to holding hands, Ruan Sixian preferred linking arms, feeling it provided more security.

Fu Mingyu seemed surprised, turning to look at her.

Ruan Sixian looked away at the food items, but after a few seconds, feeling Fu Mingyu still looking at her, she turned and glared at him.

“What are you looking at?”

It was just her hand not quite behaving itself.

Fu Mingyu smiled, “Nothing, just looking at how beautiful you are.”

At least that sounded reasonable.

But she noticed that ever since they entered the supermarket, even the female sales staff kept glancing at him. Ruan Sixian pursed her lips and whispered, “I’m not as good-looking as you.”

Fu Mingyu replied, “Don’t be self-deprecating.”

Who’s being self-deprecating?

Was this man planning to enter the fashion industry and open some eternal dye house?

Ruan Sixian gave a cold laugh, “Of course, if I weren’t so self-deprecating, I’d have a bunch of husbands by now.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the man beside her stopped walking.

She looked up, and before she could react, her lips were gently bitten.

“…?”

Fu Mingyu slowly straightened up, licking the corner of his lips.

“That mouth of yours needs a lesson.”

Ruan Sixian was caught off guard by his sudden boldness in such a public place, her movements becoming sluggish. After a moment, she blinked.

Under the many “trying not to look but can’t help it” gazes from the sales aunties, her face betrayed her by blushing again, and she closed her mouth in embarrassment.

The morning selection of vegetables was still plentiful. Ruan Sixian spent a long time picking and choosing but couldn’t make up her mind. The man beside her was even worse, not even glancing at the produce, as if he had come to the supermarket just to rack up WeChat steps.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Anything is fine.”

Ruan Sixian felt she detected a hint of distrust in her culinary skills from Fu Mingyu’s “Anything is fine.”

“‘Anything’ isn’t an option. I’ll give you three seconds to think about what you want, or we’re going home.”

With that, she immediately started counting, “One, two, three—”

Fu Mingyu looked down at her, the corner of his mouth showing an ambiguous smile, “I can have whatever I want?”

“…”

Ruan Sixian took a deep breath, randomly grabbed a package of beef, and tossed it into the cart, her expression blank as she said, “Take it or leave it.”

Due to her admittedly limited culinary skills, Ruan Sixian only selected some fresh vegetables in the end.

The two walked to the self-checkout, where Fu Mingyu took out the items for scanning while Ruan Sixian stood to the side waiting.

With Christmas approaching, the supermarket had started playing seasonal songs, with red and green decorations adorning the surroundings.

Ruan Sixian kept her hands in her pockets, staring at the Christmas Santa stickers on the shelves in front of her, thinking about the upcoming holidays and becoming lost in thought.

New Year’s Day, Spring Festival… the busiest days for the aviation industry were about to begin. Just looking at the upcoming flight assignments was giving her a headache.

Suddenly, Fu Mingyu, having finished paying, came to her side and followed her gaze, paused for a moment, and said, “I have things to do today, no time.”

?

Ruan Sixian looked at him, then back at the shelf in front of her.

—An entire shelf of condoms.

What the hell did he mean?

Her chest suddenly felt like an overinflated balloon about to burst. Ruan Sixian’s scalp began to tingle, and she slapped his arm.

“Fu Mingyu, you should thank the law for protecting your life!”

Seeing her face flush red with anger, Fu Mingyu tilted his head and smiled at her, “Here we go again, asking for a kiss?”

“…”

They arrived home precisely at noon.

Ruan Sixian had been angry the entire way and didn’t want to do Fu Mingyu any favors by cooking for him. So after returning home and putting the groceries in the kitchen, she walked out with the apron.

But seeing the scene in the living room changed her mind.

While she was in the kitchen, Fu Mingyu had already removed his coat and suit jacket and was leaning on the sofa with furrowed brows and closed eyes, though it was clear he wasn’t asleep.

“Are you very tired?”

“Yes.” Fu Mingyu took a deep breath, loosening his tie while saying, “I was up all night yesterday and rushed to two places this morning to get back.”

“Then why did you rush back today?”

Fu Mingyu opened his eyes, his deep gaze fixed directly on her.

“I wanted to see you. Couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

Ruan Sixian said nothing, tied on her apron, and turned to enter the kitchen.

Though such words held no practical significance, they were still quite pleasing to hear.

With all the ingredients prepared, Ruan Sixian stared at the pile, secretly took out her phone, opened a tutorial, and closed the door.

She wanted to finish cooking quickly, but her culinary skills wouldn’t allow it. Three simple home-style dishes took a full hour.

And when they were ready to serve, she still lacked confidence.

Compared to the noodles Fu Mingyu had made, she felt her cooking might not measure up.

However, Fu Mingyu was quite gracious. When they sat down to eat and Ruan Sixian asked him how it was, he nodded and said, “Not bad.”

Seeing his apparent sincerity, Ruan Sixian immediately picked up her chopsticks and tasted some of the beef.

“…”

She wasn’t sure whether to attribute it to his compromised taste buds or his superb acting skills.

“Next time, let’s eat out.”

Hearing “eat out,” Fu Mingyu seemed to have some aversion, frowning, “No need, this is quite good.”

Perhaps compared to the clam noodles, he preferred these dishes that were either too salty or too bland.

“Should I open a can of relish?”

Fu Mingyu glanced at her, picking up a piece of mushroom.

“This tastes good, try some?”

Ruan Sixian hesitantly opened her mouth, and Fu Mingyu fed her the mushroom.

“How is it?”

Ruan Sixian chewed while trying hard to discern the “not bad” quality he mentioned.

“What’s good about it?”

“You probably didn’t add many seasonings, preserving the mushroom’s natural flavor.”

“…” Ruan Sixian lowered her eyes, “Silence during meals.”

Half an hour later, Ruan Sixian had finally managed to finish a bowl of rice, while Fu Mingyu received a call from Bai Yang.

He put down his chopsticks, responded quietly for a few sentences, then hung up, stood, and put on his coat.

“Something came up, I need to head back to the office.”

Ruan Sixian nodded at him.

“Go ahead.”

At the door, he suddenly seemed to remember something, turned back and said, “I’m free tomorrow, you should prepare…”

Ruan Sixian, “Get out!”

Fu Mingyu was startled, seeing her flushed face, he finally understood.

“What were you thinking?” He smiled, “I meant I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow.”

“…”

After Fu Mingyu left, Ruan Sixian cleared the dishes and sat on the sofa to rest.

This noon had truly been chaotic.

She had previously thought Fu Mingyu was quite measured in his speech, but now he seemed like a different person, appearing to deliberately provoke her at every turn.

Looking at the black patterned tie he had forgotten on the sofa, Ruan Sixian picked it up and played with it for a while.

The boyfriend she had chosen herself—what could she do but endure?

Her phone chimed twice from the side.

[Si Xiaozhen] — Ruan Ruan…

[Ruan Sixian] — What’s up?

[Si Xiaozhen] — I think when it comes to love, you shouldn’t take it too seriously.

[Ruan Sixian] —?

[Si Xiaozhen] — Look at the trees outside the window. Love is just like them, either yellow or green.

[Ruan Sixian] —?

[Si Xiaozhen] — There are so many beautiful things in life, love is the least worth mentioning.

[Ruan Sixian] — Did you drink peppermint oil? Why are you full of cold remarks?

[Si Xiaozhen] — Just take a look yourself. I’m at work and can’t get away. If you’re feeling down, go find Bian Xuan, but remember, don’t do anything rash—we live in a society governed by law!

Simultaneously, she sent a link to a post on a certain gossip forum.

Ruan Sixian opened the link, the title was very eye-catching.

“I think I photographed Li Zhihuai?!”

Clicking in, the original poster concisely described the content.

“Around seven this morning when I just woke up and opened my curtains, I saw a man and woman coming out of the building opposite. Did I see correctly? Is this Li Zhihuai?”

“Additional information, I live on the second floor of an old residential complex where buildings are quite close to each other.”

Below are three photos.

Ruan Sixian didn’t even need to zoom in to recognize that the man in the photos was none other than her boyfriend.

Even the clothes were identical.

“Holy crap! This is Li Zhihuai. She wore this outfit in street photos just last week.”

“Who’s that man behind her? He looks very handsome. Is he in the entertainment industry? I don’t recognize him.”

Ruan Sixian didn’t read the comments further down.

She picked up the tie beside her, her expression gradually cooling.

No wonder he could immediately call out that female celebrity’s name.

So “being up all night” had this meaning?

So when he saw her standing in front of that shelf, immediately declined in a roundabout way, it was because he lacked the energy.

Coming out of a residential complex with someone else early in the morning—had they been discussing film art all night long?

Half an hour later, on the 16th floor of Hengshi Aviation.

The administrative hall was still bustling with employees carrying files and hurrying about, occasionally with idle people gathering to whisper and discuss.

Until the elevator doors opened and Ruan Sixian, holding a tie in her hand, strode out—the hall suddenly fell silent.

Those people moving about instantly formed two invisible cordon lines, uniformly retreating to both sides, no longer moving, just staring at Ruan Sixian.

Though the surroundings were quiet, it seemed as if an alarm was sounding.

Everyone in the hall watched as Ruan Sixian walked step by step toward Fu Mingyu’s office, the tie in her hand resembling a noose, while her face spelled out six words.

—Fu Mingyu, you’re dead.