Luckily she’d already been hungry, so Qian Wei put her head down and demolished more than half the pizza. Lu Xun, on the other hand—the same person who’d just been saying he was so hungry he couldn’t wait another second and suddenly wanted pizza—now sat there with his knife and fork, looking utterly unenthusiastic about the pizza in front of him.

“Right, where should we go next?” Qian Wei quickly shifted her focus back to business. Once the two of them finished eating, they couldn’t just keep standing around in the food court—people were constantly coming and going here, and there probably wasn’t much hope of finding Mo Zixin and the others this way. The texts and calls she’d sent Qian Chuan had, of course, gone straight into the void; that guy would never willingly reveal his itinerary.

“Based on what I know about Qian Chuan, I think he’ll take Mo Zixin on the roller coaster next. After all, with something like a roller coaster, as long as the guy stays calm and composed while everyone else is screaming their heads off, he looks extremely manly. And when the girl gets off looking shaken, with a headache or feeling dizzy, that’s another chance for the guy to show off—being considerate, offering comfort, and boosting his appeal even more.” Qian Wei rolled up her sleeves. “No time to lose, let’s hurry. If we line up for the roller coaster, we’re bound to catch Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin there.”

“I have no problem riding a roller coaster.” Lu Xun was still unhurried. He glanced at Qian Wei. “The question is, can you handle it?”

“Don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine!”

“I’m not worried about you.” Lu Xun paused. “I’m worried about myself.”

Since he had no problem with the ride but was worried about himself, it seemed Lu Xun had finally started worrying about being beaten to the punch by Qian Chuan.

Qian Wei patted her chest reassuringly. “Lu Xun, don’t worry, with me here, there’s no way I’ll let Qian Chuan succeed! I will absolutely sabotage him and Mo Zixin to the bitter end!”

“I’m worried that you just finished eating, and after the roller coaster you’ll throw up on me.”

Never get angry at your future boss, never hit your future direct superior… Qian Wei silently repeated this to herself a dozen times before she finally managed to steady her emotions enough to keep smiling at Lu Xun.

“You really should be worried about yourself.” Perhaps it was time to put some pressure on Lu Xun. “If you keep dawdling like this, and Mo Zixin and Qian Chuan really do hit it off and end up together, then by the time you try to pursue her, you’ll have no legitimate standing at all—you’ll just be the wicked homewrecker everyone despises. Don’t you care about your image at all?”

Lu Xun looked utterly disdainful. “There’s no such thing as morality in love to begin with. Talking about yielding and first-come-first-served in matters of the heart means nothing. Hesitating just shows you don’t love enough. If it’s someone I, Lu Xun, like, I wouldn’t give up even if it meant being the homewrecker. Image—can you eat that? What could possibly matter more than the person I like?”

Qian Wei desperately wanted to record this speech and play it back for Lu Xun ten years from now. Lu Xun, oh Lu Xun, if you were so principled back then, why did you quietly stay single for all those years after Mo Zixin got taken by Qian Chuan? If you had it in you, you should have gone and stolen her back as the homewrecker! Talk is cheap, anyone can say big things!

“Besides, if it’s someone I like, I won’t give anyone else the chance to get close to her,” Lu Xun added disdainfully. “I, Lu Xun, would never sink so low as to become a homewrecker.”

Fine, fine, fine—Qian Wei really wanted to tell him: ten years from now, you’ll have sunk so low you won’t even get the chance to be a homewrecker!

Fortunately, despite his tough talk, Lu Xun still followed Qian Wei to the line for the roller coaster. It was one of the park’s most popular attractions, and there were plenty of people queuing. Qian Wei stood on her toes, scanning around, but even by the time it was their turn, she still hadn’t spotted Mo Zixin or Qian Chuan anywhere in line.

“Theme park tickets aren’t cheap, and since we’re already here and waited in this line for so long, now that it’s our turn, it’d be a waste not to go.”

Holding onto that logic, Qian Wei steeled herself and dragged Lu Xun onto the roller coaster with her. Qian Wei was actually someone who valued her own life quite a bit; something like a roller coaster was never within her original considerations, and in her previous life she’d never ridden one either. So although she’d heard others describe how terrifying roller coasters were, and had heard the wailing of riders from below, since she’d never experienced it herself, she’d never truly grasped just how frightening it was.

But this time… the moment the roller coaster started moving, Qian Wei began to regret it. When it accelerated, she started screaming. When it plunged vertically, she started crying. By the time it finally finished its loop, Qian Wei swore to herself: never again, not in this lifetime…

When Qian Wei got off the ride, she felt like her legs had turned to jelly. Lu Xun, sitting beside her, hadn’t made a single sound the whole way through—perfectly calm and composed, to the point that Qian Wei found herself vaguely imagining he was the type who could take a phone call mid-ride and calmly tell the other party, “It’s a bit noisy right now, I’ll be done in a moment.” Right now, Qian Wei’s face was naturally a sickly shade, but for some reason, Lu Xun’s expression looked terrible too. He was frowning, his handsome lips pressed thin, his face as cold as frost.

Could it be that Lu Xun, for the sake of male pride, hadn’t made a sound but had actually been scared out of his mind on the inside?

After studying him for a while, Qian Wei decided to go check on her future boss’s mental wellbeing: “This roller coaster really is pretty terrifying, especially that feeling of weightlessness. If you wanted to scream, that’s completely normal—isn’t there a song that goes something like, men can cry too, it’s not shameful? I’m saying, sometimes you need to let your emotions out loudly, shout it out. There’s nothing wrong with finding a roller coaster scary, but if you bottle up that fear, holding it in like that is even more uncomfortable, and you might even end up with psychological trauma.”

“You think I’d be scared, when I didn’t say a single word the whole ride?”

“Then… then why does your face look so awful?”

Lu Xun seemed to be trying to hold back, but ultimately failed. His voice came out through gritted teeth: “Didn’t you notice that ever since we got off the coaster, a lot of people have been staring at us?”

Qian Wei scratched her head. “Have they?” She’d been too busy dealing with her jelly legs to notice anyone else’s gaze. Now that Lu Xun mentioned it, she turned her head and indeed saw quite a few people, also just off the ride, sneaking looks at her and Lu Xun while giggling. A few lively couples even walked over enthusiastically and waved at Qian Wei, then gave Lu Xun beside her a meaningful look. “You’re Lu Xun, aren’t you?”

Qian Wei was dumbfounded. “They’re staring at you because you’re handsome? But why do even they know your name? You’re that famous?”

Lu Xun seemed to be exerting tremendous effort to hold back his emotions. “To be precise, they’re staring at you. Qian Wei, do you know what kind of mess you were screaming during the ride? Do you remember what nonsense you were shouting?” He looked like he could barely contain himself. “It was only a few minutes on that coaster, and you cursed for at least three minutes straight. Fine, people might curse involuntarily when they’re scared, I can accept that. And none of the curses repeated—well, I suppose that shows good vocabulary for a law student, I can accept that too. But why, in the middle of all that cursing, did you start cursing me as well?” Lu Xun glared at her viciously. “How else do you think they know my name?”

Under Lu Xun’s interrogating tone, Qian Wei vaguely started to recall that she had, indeed… indeed started cursing at Lu Xun somewhere in the middle of all that screaming. After all, the whole reason she’d braved this terrifying roller coaster was to help Lu Xun win over Mo Zixin!

But faced with Lu Xun’s dark expression, Qian Wei could only force a laugh. “Maybe it’s because your reputation for good looks precedes you and you’re just that famous…” Since there was no evidence, Qian Wei decided she’d deny it to the death. “I might have blurted out some curse words because I was too scared to hold back, but I definitely didn’t curse you—you must have misheard. I’m not that kind of person. You’re my idol, how could anyone just casually curse their idol!”

“Excuse me, would you two like to see the photo we took of you on the ride?”

Just as Qian Wei was about to keep walking, a staff member from the roller coaster attraction interrupted her. The staff member enthusiastically pointed at a computer screen—theme parks these days had quite the business sense, setting up cameras during the vertical drop section to capture riders’ expressions in that moment, since it took real courage to ride something like this, and most people were willing to buy these commemorative photos and videos.

“Let me see.” Qian Wei curiously leaned toward the computer, and the moment she looked, she wished she could smash the entire computer on the spot.

The photo captured of her was simply too hideous!

The photo had been snapped during the vertical drop section. Qian Wei only remembered feeling like she was about to die at that moment, and the camera had precisely preserved her expression from that instant. Because the drop was so fast, her bangs had plastered onto her face, her mouth was wide open, clearly mid-scream—even though it was a still photo, you could almost hear her shrieking—her eyes had rolled back in fright into a huge display of white, and her eyebrows were twisted up into something resembling a fried dough twist. Beside her, Lu Xun’s expression was perfectly calm; even on such a fast-moving roller coaster, he maintained a dignified posture and impeccable bearing, except his face was written all over with an expression of having lost the will to live, as if simply sitting next to Qian Wei was some kind of humiliation he was forced to endure.

The staff member had clearly noticed the photo wasn’t very flattering either, and cleared his throat. “It’s fine if you don’t want the photo, we also have a short video from the camera…”

Before Qian Wei could say no, the enthusiastic staff member had already clicked open the so-called short video, and Qian Wei’s heart-rending screams rang out without warning.

Qian Wei: “…”

Lu Xun’s face was expressionless. He glanced at Qian Wei. “You’re sure you didn’t curse me?”

“Lu Xun, let me explain…”

“I’m sure I misheard?”

“This… I…” Qian Wei’s quick wit kicked in and she started making things up on the spot. “You know, in a situation like a roller coaster where you’re so terrified, things just slip out involuntarily. You’re my idol, and your tall, impressive image is always in my heart, so I must have blurted out your name without meaning to.” Qian Wei tugged at Lu Xun’s sleeve. “Look, time is a bit tight, we should hurry and go find Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin, let’s not linger here any longer…”

“Would you two like to purchase this video? As a memento?”

Almost the instant the words left Qian Wei’s mouth, Lu Xun’s voice rang out at the same time. He remained as terse as ever: “Sure, how much?”

“The video is 220 for one copy, the photo is 50, and 250 for both together.”

“Sure, I’ll take both the video and the photo.”

Qian Wei panicked. “Lu Xun, 250 is such an unlucky number, buying it makes us sound like a couple of fools.” Actually the reasoning wasn’t quite that—she meant something else entirely, but blurted this out in her fluster. “Besides, we’re not even a couple, what would be the point of keeping it as a memento?” Having been caught red-handed cursing Lu Xun was bad enough; if she let him keep this video too, something that would otherwise fade from memory over time would become a ticking time bomb. What if Lu Xun dug it up and watched it again someday in the future, constantly reminding himself and reinforcing the memory of her cursing him! Wouldn’t that ruin the future harmony between employee and boss?! She absolutely could not let Lu Xun buy it!

Qian Wei tried to reason with him: “Look, this video isn’t even filmed that well, especially this photo—look how ugly it made me look! It’s not worth 250 at all!”

Lu Xun glanced at the photo. “You do look pretty bad in it.” He gave a faint smile. “But it makes me look great, especially in contrast with you—I come across looking really good. I think it’s quite worth collecting.”

“…” Qian Wei really wanted to say, have you considered the feelings of me, the one who got photographed looking so ugly…

“I’m paying for it myself to keep a photo of myself. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No…” Fine, fine, fine, if you’re good-looking you get to make the rules, if I’m ugly I’ll shut up, whoever’s paying calls the shots, Qian Wei thought. How would I dare object to my future boss? As long as you’re willing to give me a bigger year-end bonus in the future, whatever you say is right!

After the roller coaster, Qian Wei grew gloomy again. Qian Chuan had bolted like a wild horse and vanished without a trace; in such a huge theme park, there was simply no sign of him anywhere. After searching for half the day, Qian Wei was starting to give up. Since it wasn’t often she got to visit a theme park, she figured she might as well just enjoy herself.

Qian Wei glanced at the carousel not far off, feeling a bit tempted. “Lu Xun, let’s go ride the carousel!”

“No.” Lu Xun clearly had no intention of giving her any face, refusing decisively.

Qian Wei wasn’t giving up yet, and kept pushing. “Since we already bought theme park tickets, we shouldn’t waste them, right? Look, the lines for the other attractions are all super long, you can tell you’d have to wait ages. But the carousel doesn’t need any line at all—we could ride it while planning our next move, discussing which attraction would give us the best odds of finding Qian Chuan and Mo Zixin.”

Lu Xun raised an eyebrow. “Do I look effeminate to you?”

Confused, Qian Wei shook her head. “Not at all!”

“Well then, there you go.” Lu Xun rolled his eyes. “Look at who rides the carousel—it’s all women. I’m a man, if I go ride the carousel, don’t you think that looks off?”

Qian Wei wasn’t ready to give up. “But look, there are guys riding it too! There are men on it!”

“Those are all boyfriends accompanying their girlfriends.” Lu Xun glanced at Qian Wei. “Are we a couple?”

“You could just think of it as a friend keeping me company?”

Lu Xun looked at her again. “Are we friends?”

“Lu Xun, that’s a bit much, isn’t it!” Qian Wei said. “We’re at least strategic partners! I’m risking family loyalty to help you steal your own brother’s crush! Doesn’t that count for anything, even friendship?”

Lu Xun smiled faintly. “Is that what friends do—constantly find ways to badmouth me behind my back?”

“…”

“I’m even starting to suspect Qian Chuan specifically sent you to distract me.”

“I swear to heaven, I’m innocent!”

Lu Xun glanced at Qian Wei, and just as he seemed about to say something, he suddenly paused and looked off in a certain direction, then, without bothering to respond to Qian Wei further, walked quickly toward it. Qian Wei followed his gaze and discovered, not far off by a trash can, a boy of about five or six crying and wiping his eyes all alone.

By the time Qian Wei also made her way over, Lu Xun had already reached the little boy.

“Little one, why are you crying? Did you get separated from your family?”

Lu Xun, who was normally so cold and aloof that talking to him for even one extra sentence felt like it should cost money, now spoke to the crying boy in a gentle tone Qian Wei had never heard from him before. It seemed that, so as not to frighten the child, Lu Xun—who usually cared so much about his image—actually crouched down, lowering his own height so as not to intimidate the boy. Since his legs were so long, it took considerable effort to bring himself down to eye level with the child, but Lu Xun maintained that pose, one that looked uncomfortable just to watch, for quite a while. His usually cold, distant face now carried a very gentle expression, and with the sunlight falling across half his profile, it was as if a soft golden outline had been drawn around his sharp features—this was a Lu Xun Qian Wei had never seen before, gentle as the warm breeze of early spring.

“I got separated from my mom,” the boy answered, then his mouth twisted and he was about to start crying again.

Qian Wei also crouched down. “Don’t cry, little one. Big sister will help you find your mom, okay?”

The boy blinked and, quite ungraciously, kept right on crying, shouting between sobs: “Mom said not to just go off with strangers.”

Qian Wei felt a bit awkward and gave herself an out: “Ah, kids these days are pretty sharp, they all know not to go off with strangers. How about this then—let’s just stand right here with him and wait for his mom.”

“Then how about big brother takes you to find your mom?” Lu Xun ruffled the boy’s hair and extended his hand toward him. “Your mom must be very worried right now.”

The boy looked at Lu Xun for a moment, finally wiped away his tears, gave a shy little smile, and reached out his small hand, placing it in Lu Xun’s.

Qian Wei: ??? Little one, what happened to that whole “don’t go with strangers” theory??? Why did it stop applying the moment it was Lu Xun?

Lu Xun took the boy’s hand and, after just a few steps, stopped as if remembering something, and ruffled the boy’s hair again. “Wait here for big brother for a moment, big brother’s going to buy something and be right back.”

He then walked briskly toward a nearby theme park shop, and came back out with two colorful swirl lollipops.

“Here, this one’s for you.” Lu Xun crouched down again with one of the lollipops and handed it to the boy.

Then he glanced at Qian Wei and held out the other one to her.

Qian Wei stared at the lollipop, stunned. “For me?”

Lu Xun turned his head away, looking a bit bashful and a bit impatient at the same time. “It was buy-one-get-one-free. If you don’t want it I’ll just throw it away.”

“I want it, I want it!” Qian Wei, afraid he might change his mind, quickly snatched the lollipop from his hand. Though it seemed a bit childish, no matter how old a girl was, she could never resist candy, and Qian Wei especially had a sweet tooth—she usually kept a piece of candy in her mouth while working, as if no matter how much life pressure weighed on her, she could get through it on that little bit of sweetness.

So Qian Wei walked toward the visitor center with a lollipop in her mouth, alongside Lu Xun, who held the little boy’s hand. The theme park was crowded with people coming and going, and worried the boy might get bumped into, Lu Xun, after walking only a short distance, simply picked him up in one decisive motion. A four- or five-year-old boy wasn’t exactly light, but Lu Xun lifted him effortlessly with one arm, and even had a free hand to spare to catch Qian Wei’s arm as they passed a bustling tour group. Only after Lu Xun pulled her did Qian Wei realize that his seemingly casual gesture had actually just barely shielded her left shoulder, saving her from being shoved by a stout elderly woman in the tour group.

But before Qian Wei could even thank him, Lu Xun shot her a glance. “That was just a reflex. I’d have done the same for anyone. Don’t read too much into it.”

“…” Forget it, Qian Wei thought, I’ll just take back that tiny bit of touched feeling that was starting to sprout in my heart.

As Lu Xun carried the boy onward, the little boy suddenly gave a gentle tug at his collar. “I—I remember now. Mom went to the bathroom and told me to wait for her by the carousel.” He said this while pointing at the carousel not far away.

“Really?”

The boy nodded firmly. “Really!”

“Okay, then big brother will take you there to wait for mom, sound good?”

The boy nodded again, his sharp black eyes rolling. “Can we ride the carousel while we wait?”

Lu Xun looked at the carousel, clearly hesitating. His looks alone already drew plenty of attention, and now, so young and carrying a child, he stood out even more. If he went and rode the carousel too, there was no way he’d avoid becoming a spectacle.

The boy, clever as he was, sensed Lu Xun’s hesitation and pulled out a big move. He looked up at Lu Xun with a shy smile and said sweetly, “Pretty big brother, can we go ride the carousel?” As he said this, he even nuzzled his head affectionately into the crook of Lu Xun’s neck, looking utterly adorable.

Too bad acting cute wouldn’t work, Qian Wei thought—Lu Xun never fell for that sort of thing. On a past case, the opposing counsel had been a sweet, cute young woman fresh out of law school, and she’d tried acting cute and coy toward Lu Xun countless times both in and out of court, but he hadn’t budged an inch—not only did he make her lose the case, he made her lose it badly.

What happened next left Qian Wei’s jaw on the floor. Lu Xun gave the little boy a brilliant smile and gently flicked the tip of his nose. “Sure, big brother will take you to ride the carousel.”

Wait a minute… what happened to caring about his image, Lu Xun? He’d flatly refused the carousel no matter how much fawning she’d done, but one “pretty big brother” from this little squirt and it was settled just like that???

“Aren’t you riding too?”

Qian Wei stood there, staring blankly at Lu Xun’s back as he walked toward the carousel, and only snapped back to attention when he turned and called out to her. “I’m coming too!”

As the gentle music began and Qian Wei sat on the carousel horse, watching the scenery around her start to spin, she suddenly had the illusion of returning to childhood.

By the time the ride ended, Qian Wei still felt rather wistful, gazing at the carousel with lingering longing.

“Is this really your first time riding a carousel?”

Qian Wei blinked, only then noticing the little boy standing off to the side, observing her. Despite being such a small child, he now stood with his hands on his hips, striking a rather adult-like pose.

“Is there something wrong with it being my first time?”

The little brat glanced at the lollipop in Qian Wei’s hand, identical to his own, and said with considerable disdain: “You’re so childish.”

“…”

Being looked down on by such a tiny child—this little brat, who’d been crying his eyes out looking for his mom just moments ago, was now acting all high and mighty with Lu Xun as his backer.

Qian Wei pretended to threaten the boy: “You dare look down on me? I’ll teach you a lesson if you’re not careful!”

The little brat turned out to be as slippery as a monkey. He rushed over and hugged Lu Xun’s leg, acting all coy. “Pretty big brother, save me! She’s bullying the weak!”

Lu Xun let him cling on, even smiling and patting his head. “Don’t worry, big brother’s here.” He glanced at Qian Wei. “She always listens to big brother. If big brother tells her not to hit you, she won’t.”

“…” Lu Xun, even though you’re my future boss, isn’t this a bit much…

To salvage some dignity, Qian Wei cleared her throat. “Little one, you need to be polite to an elder like me. Look, shouldn’t you be calling me something nice? If you call me something good, I won’t hold your rudeness against you.”

The boy looked at Lu Xun again, seeking help.

“Polite children are the cutest,” Lu Xun said with a gentle smile.

The little brat pouted, and finally, reluctantly, opened his mouth: “Sister.”

“You call him pretty big brother, so what should you call me? Just ‘sister’?”

“Follower sister.”

Shouldn’t he also be calling her pretty sister??? Qian Wei thought. Hadn’t she given enough of a hint just now?

“Why am I ‘follower sister’?”

The boy looked pleased with himself. “Don’t you listen to whatever pretty big brother says? Isn’t that being an obedient follower?”

“What about besides being a follower? Do I have any other qualities?”

The boy shook his head. “Nope.”

Qian Wei was about to argue her case further, but then heard a soft chuckle—it was Lu Xun, laughing.

Her little bit of scheming had clearly been seen right through by Lu Xun, and even Qian Wei felt a bit embarrassed now.

“All right, little one, just call her pretty sister.”

The little brat tilted his head up. “But she’s not pretty! The teacher said we shouldn’t lie!”

Qian Wei felt like she’d just been stabbed in the heart again. Children’s innocent words didn’t come with the usual social niceties or consideration for not embarrassing others, which made what they said all the sharper and more direct. Compared to Lu Xun, she really wasn’t pretty at all.

“Then what do you think counts as pretty?”

The boy gestured with his hands. “I think Wang Mengmeng in my class is pretty. Her face is round, she has two dimples when she smiles, and her hair is curly.”

Lu Xun smiled. “You think curly hair, dimples, and a round face are pretty, but big brother doesn’t think so. And you think this follower sister isn’t pretty, but big brother thinks she is. Everyone has different ideas about what’s pretty, so you should never jump to conclusions based on just your own single standard.” He gently flicked the boy’s nose again. “And besides, a boy should never tell a girl to her face that she’s not pretty. Understand?”

The boy bit his lip, then nodded solemnly.

“So, do you know how to address this sister now?”

“Yes!” The little brat gave Qian Wei a bright smile, his voice loud and clear. “Pretty sister!”

“Good boy.”

Listening to this exchange between Lu Xun and the little boy, Qian Wei’s face flushed for some reason, especially when Lu Xun said she was pretty—though she knew this was probably just Lu Xun giving her a way to save face, her heart still fluttered a little. Being called pretty by such a handsome man, even knowing he didn’t mean it, was hard to remain completely unmoved by.

Watching Lu Xun’s gentle profile in that moment, Qian Wei couldn’t help but feel a bit moved. Lu Xun, who was usually so stern and unapproachable that he seemed to warn strangers away, actually liked children so much. Watching him spend so many years alone, absorbed entirely in work with no interest in romance, Qian Wei had always assumed he had no great yearning for family or children.

“Is this really your first time on a carousel?”

Qian Wei blinked, only then realizing Lu Xun was asking her.

It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but Qian Wei really had never ridden a carousel before. Since she and Qian Chuan were twins, and she was just as active as he was, whenever they went to a park or amusement park, to make things easier to manage and avoid the two of them getting separated, their parents usually had Qian Wei and Qian Chuan do the same activities together. Qian Chuan, of course, looked down on something as “girly” as a carousel, so it had always been Qian Wei accompanying him on the more “boyish” attractions instead.

“So basically, aside from the carousel, I’ve never played on any of the attractions little girls usually like,” Qian Wei explained, taking the opportunity to plead her case. “That’s what I mean when I say I grew up under Qian Chuan’s oppression.”

“Beep beep!”

“Mom!”

Just as Qian Wei was about to seize the chance to further badmouth Qian Chuan, a middle-aged woman in a red dress came running toward them, her expression urgent, her voice unable to hide her joy. The moment the boy heard her voice, his eyes lit up too. This time, he didn’t cling to Lu Xun at all—he took off running and threw himself straight into the woman’s arms.

“There you are, mom finally found you. It’s mom’s fault, next time I’ll make sure to keep Dudu close no matter where we go, I’ll never lose our Dudu again.” The woman crouched down, stroking the boy’s head, her eyes full of tenderness.

Upon learning that Qian Wei and Lu Xun had been keeping Dudu company by the carousel, she thanked the two of them earnestly.

“Thank you both so much. You’re both so kind-hearted, and such a perfect match too—you two are sure to have a happy life together.”

“We’re not…” Qian Wei realized the woman had mistaken her and Lu Xun for a couple, but before she could get the clarification out, Lu Xun cut her off.

“Thank you.” He offered no explanation, just said thanks.

Once Dudu and his mother had left, Qian Wei was a bit puzzled. “Lu Xun, we’re clearly not a couple, why didn’t you explain? Look, she definitely got the wrong idea.”

“She doesn’t care what our relationship actually is. She found her son and was in a hurry to get home—that was just a polite thank-you. Why would I waste time explaining something unnecessary?” Lu Xun glanced at Qian Wei, his tone somewhat accusatory. “Besides, even if she mistook us for a couple, I’m the one at a disadvantage here. I wasn’t in any hurry to correct her—why are you so anxious about it? Do you think being mistaken for my girlfriend is beneath you?”

“Isn’t that me feeling bad on your behalf? Being mistaken as a match for me, of all people—with your qualifications, you should be paired with someone like Mo Zixin!” Qian Wei laughed obsequiously. “But I really didn’t expect you to like kids so much.”

Lu Xun snorted. “Is that not allowed?” When it came to children, a rare hint of a smile crossed his face. “Don’t you think kids are adorable? At first they’re just a soft little bundle, then they start babbling, stumbling around while learning to walk, crying and laughing, depending on you and trusting you—don’t you think it’d be fascinating to slowly raise a child like that yourself?”

“I never would have guessed. I always assumed you were the type of workaholic who has no real desire for family or children…”

“I would never be the type who only knows work—thirty-something with no marriage, no love life, no family warmth to speak of.” Lu Xun pursed his lips. “I plan to marry early and have kids early. My plan is to have a complete family with children by the time I’m thirty.”

Qian Wei thought to herself, Lu Xun’s dream sounded lovely, but he probably had no idea that in her previous life, he’d actually become exactly the kind of person he now scoffed at—nearly thirty with no marriage, no girlfriend, no love life whatsoever… She just never would have guessed that beneath that cold exterior, Lu Xun’s true inner world was actually like this! What a cruel twist of fate—perhaps sometimes those people in their thirties with nothing but work and no love life secretly yearned for family warmth too! Maybe they just pretended to be strong on the outside, working overtime late into the night, going home alone to an empty, cold apartment, and crying under the covers in the middle of the night! Qian Wei glanced at Lu Xun again, imagining him coming home from the law firm every day to cry alone, and couldn’t help but find it a little funny.

Now Qian Wei’s gaze toward Lu Xun carried a hint of sympathy too. “It’s not necessarily like that. Some people in their thirties without a partner might just have strong career ambitions, big dreams, and want to throw themselves fully into their work without distractions! Besides, some people without partners in their thirties don’t necessarily choose it either—work gets busy, and it’s hard to find time to date, and in modern society, with everything moving so fast, it’s not like you’re guaranteed to quickly find the right person for you. Some people are lucky and meet their other half early, but others are just a bit slower.” This wasn’t just her defending her previous life’s Lu Xun—Qian Wei was subconsciously defending herself too, since, just like Lu Xun, she was also nearly thirty with no partner, no love life, nothing but work…

Lu Xun, however, scoffed. “Please. Any normal person has some yearning for love. Someone in their thirties with nothing but work on their mind in that regard is probably just incapable of love, while those who claim to want a partner but keep using work as an excuse are simply lacking ability. Truly excellent people have always been able to balance work and love just fine.”

“…” Lu Xun, I really hope your thirty-year-old self gets to hear these words someday—I wonder how loudly he’d slap himself.