“Li Li is fine… I accompanied him… no, wait, that’s not right — it was me and him, we ate dinner, and now I’m… heading home, have you… gone to sleep…?”

Such a simple few lines, and yet she revised and edited them over and over again for a long time. In the end she added a smiley face emoji before finally sending it.

She hadn’t really needed to explain in that much detail.

If she wanted to preserve the goodwill Lu Yuwen had toward her, she didn’t even need to mention that she and Li Li had eaten dinner together.

But Su Man didn’t have that many scheming thoughts. She always felt that being honest was more important — even if she left out just one thing, she’d feel as though she’d done something to be ashamed of.

Lu Yuwen replied quickly, just a few simple lines:

【Lu: As long as everything is fine, then you don’t need to worry too much. Drive safely on your way home.】

Su Man stared at his reply, her mood slowly lifting a little — but it also felt like… not quite as lifted as she’d hoped.

As she sat there in a daze, another message from Lu Yuwen arrived:

【Lu: Wait until you get home, and I’ll give you a call.】

Su Man looked at it for a moment, and the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. She was happy.

【Manmanslow-Man: Okay.】

……

Su Man drove home, pulled into the garage, and before she’d even stepped through the front door, she was already eagerly calling Lu Yuwen.

There was a smile in Lu Yuwen’s voice: “You’re already there? You weren’t speeding, were you?”

“You’re questioning the professional competence of a traffic officer.” Su Man laughed too. “The roads are clear at night — no traffic jams, barely any red lights.”

Lu Yuwen said, “Your voice sounds a lot more like yourself than in the last call.”

Su Man got out her key and unlocked the door. Hearing that, she laughed a little self-consciously. “I was a bit panicked back then — I heard him say he’d been beaten until he bled, so I just…”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Lu Yuwen’s voice was warm and gentle. “After all, adults aren’t like kids fighting — when adults get into a fight it can easily end with broken bones and split heads. You worrying was completely normal. As long as everything is fine now, go home and get some proper rest.”

Su Man’s smile lingered at the corner of her lips. Even though he couldn’t see her on the other end of the phone, she unconsciously nodded. “Mm, I just walked in. I’ll tidy up a bit and then go to sleep. What about you?”

Su Ma, who had heard the commotion, stepped out of her bedroom just in time to meet Su Man coming in. She’d been about to ask why her daughter was home so late tonight — but then she saw the sweet smile on her daughter’s face and held her tongue, quietly retreating back into her room.

Su Ma thought to herself: She must have been out with Little Lu again.

Su Man returned to her room, gently shut the door, and pressed the phone to her ear, listening to Lu Yuwen’s soft, gentle voice:

“No rush — I’ll sleep after you do. I don’t have to get up early tomorrow anyway.”

“Ugh, I’m so jealous,” she said with a laugh. “I’d love to sleep in every day too. My sleep hasn’t been great lately. The amount of time I’m sleeping isn’t actually short — I just keep having dreams. Rabbits, palaces, all kinds of things… it leaves me feeling sluggish and hazy all day.”

“You could try getting a massage,” Lu Yuwen said. “There’s a good place not far from where I’m staying. I could take you tonight — it’s supposed to help with sleep.”

Su Man was about to agree, when she suddenly remembered the matter with Li Li, and her mood deflated.

“I can’t go…” she replied, her voice subdued.

She didn’t give a reason, but Lu Yuwen quickly understood and asked, probing gently: “Are you… going to spend time with Li Li tomorrow?”

“Mm…” Su Man sighed. “His leg is a bit sprained. He’s staying in an apartment by himself and has trouble with all sorts of things. He doesn’t seem to be in great spirits either, so I’m going over to check on him.”

“Isn’t he going home?” Lu Yuwen asked.

Su Man then slowly explained to Lu Yuwen all the various reasons why Li Li, having gotten banged up in the fight, couldn’t go home.

Lu Yuwen listened to the whole thing and said nothing for a moment.

—