Seeing Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun both fully out of their heartbreak funks, Qian Wei felt genuinely happy for them.

Lu Xun, meanwhile, seemed to be in an excellent mood too.

Qian Wei was curious. “Did something good happen?”

“Finally rid of those two third wheels.” Lu Xun glanced at her. “My girlfriend can finally redirect some of that energy she spends worrying about her brother and her friends toward me instead.”

Qian Wei smiled. “So are you free this afternoon? Want to go on a date?”

“I want to take you somewhere first.”

“Huh? Where?”

Lu Xun kept it a mystery, seemingly on purpose, so Qian Wei had no choice but to follow along. The two of them held hands, took a car, and after getting out and walking for a bit, arrived at the entrance of an upscale residential complex, where Lu Xun finally stopped.

Qian Wei watched as Lu Xun swiped a key card with practiced ease. “Let’s go.”

But Qian Wei didn’t follow him in. She looked a bit flustered. “I—I’m not really ready for this…”

Lu Xun looked surprised. “What?”

“Should I buy some fruit or something?” Qian Wei was clearly nervous. “And, um, I didn’t wash my hair today… and my outfit is pretty plain too…”

“Hm?”

“I… should I take my makeup off?” Qian Wei was completely lost in her own head at this point. “For a first meeting, wouldn’t bare-faced seem more pure and unpretentious… what if your parents think I’m not good enough and want us to break up? What if they try to offer me five million to leave their son alone…”

“Qian Wei, I live here alone. My parents don’t live here.”

“Huh?”

Lu Xun couldn’t help laughing. “So stop getting ahead of yourself. Let’s go.”

“Oh, I see…” But Qian Wei immediately switched to a different kind of flustered. “Then, um, I’m still not really ready for that either…”

“Hm?”

“I mean, I know it’s normal for college students to go check into a hotel room together and everything, but it’s still daytime, and, well, doing that kind of thing in broad daylight seems kind of…”

“…” Lu Xun blinked, then finally understood what she meant. He leaned in and kissed her earlobe. “Silly girl, of course I’ll wait until you’re ready for that.”

Then he straightened up and patted her head. “I genuinely just wanted to show you my place.” He looked away, his ears turning slightly red. “It’s a finished unit, currently only furnished with the basics, but if we ever use it as our wedding home, it’ll need to be redone, new furniture and everything. I just wanted to show it to you, see what style you like.”

Only then did it click for Qian Wei, and her face flushed bright red. She quickly hurried to catch up with Lu Xun, head down.

Lu Xun’s unit was on the fifth floor of Building 10, unit 07—a great floor, garden-style townhouse layout, spacious open floor plan, and even a lake view. Standing on the balcony offered a sweeping view; the complex sat right beside City A’s lakeside park, and beyond the broad expanse of water, everything in sight was lush, evergreen greenery.

“Such a big place, and your parents never come stay here?”

“Nope.” Lu Xun glanced up at her while making tea. “I bought this myself.”

Although housing prices hadn’t yet skyrocketed in 2009, the upscale complex where Lu Xun’s unit was located was already considered a fairly pricey development even now. Qian Wei was quite surprised. “Lu Xun, what have you been up to? Where’d you get this kind of money?!” She eyed him warily. “You didn’t… um… sell your body or something, did you?”

Lu Xun shot her a look. “Can you please have one healthy, normal thought in that head of yours?”

“A down payment like this has to be several hundred thousand at least, and I honestly can’t think of any other line of work that profitable besides, you know, that…”

“I do translation work for legal texts and contracts.” Lu Xun handed her the tea. “Two thousand yuan per page.”

Qian Wei thought to herself that Lu Xun had clearly shown signs of future-partner-level pricing instincts even back in his student days—charging rates well above industry standard. But then again, the quality of his work was rock solid and irreplaceable, which meant no matter how high his rates went, clients kept lining up.

Still, doing some quick mental math, even with Lu Xun’s high rates, saving up enough for a down payment couldn’t have been easy—he must have poured basically all his free time into legal translation work.

Thinking about it, Qian Wei felt a pang of sympathy. “Why would you push yourself so hard just to buy a place? That’s exhausting. You should’ve been resting more instead—work will be plenty tiring once you’re actually working, you should be enjoying your breaks while you’re still in college.”

“Wasn’t it you who said it?”

“Hm?”

“That once you start earning money, you should buy property right away, because prices are only going to keep climbing in the future—and even if you don’t believe that, as a guy, if you want to get married someday, you need to have a place ready in advance.”

Qian Wei blinked, and it took her a moment to realize what he was referring to—those were words she’d once casually mentioned to Li Chongwen back in a college personal finance class.

“Lu Xun, did you start liking me really early on?”

Lu Xun pressed his lips together, denying it almost reflexively. “No.”

“Then why do you remember something I said so casually, so long ago, this clearly?”

“I have an excellent memory.”

“But didn’t you say that trivial little things you don’t care about, you don’t even bother remembering, because it’s a waste of your mental space?”

“There just happened to be some space free that day.” He turned his head away, looking out at the shimmering water outside. “Not sure how it stuck, honestly.”

Lying through his teeth, Qian Wei thought. If it were really something he didn’t care about, he wouldn’t even have bothered listening in the first place. That day, when she’d said it, class had already been letting out, the surroundings noisy and chaotic—yet Lu Xun had still managed to remember it. Clearly, he’d already been paying attention to her back then. The thought made her feel a little smug—hah, so the pride of the law school, Lu Xun, had fallen for her, Qian Wei, after all!

But before Qian Wei could enjoy her moment of triumph for long, her stomach let out an ill-timed growl.

Qian Wei blushed a little. “I’m getting kind of hungry. Should we go grab dinner?” She checked the time. “We could eat first, and then maybe catch a movie? I heard there’s some new release getting pretty good reviews!”

“Can’t really talk to you during a movie.”

“Then how about tea after dinner? There’s an English tea house that opened near Lincheng Center—apparently their Earl Grey is amazing! Great atmosphere for a date too.”

Lu Xun’s tone turned a little awkward. “I’ve been having some trouble sleeping lately.”

“That’s fine, let’s just go get dinner first.” Qian Wei studied his expression, sensing he seemed a bit down, and thought it over. “If you don’t feel like going out, we could just order in—there’s a Thai place near here that’s supposed to be really good…”

Lu Xun cleared his throat, sounding oddly uncomfortable. “I suddenly don’t really feel like Thai food.”

Now Qian Wei found this genuinely strange—Lu Xun had never once hesitated over her suggestions before; this kind of reluctance was new.

“What’s wrong, Lu Xun?” Qian Wei stopped and looked him in the eye. “Is something bothering you?”

Lu Xun pressed his lips together and said nothing, his expression a little awkward.

Qian Wei tried gently coaxing him. “It’s fine, just tell me.”

She thought it over, then ventured a guess. “You don’t want to go out, and you don’t want Thai food…” Qian Wei made a bold guess. “Is it… is something wrong with your backside?”

Lu Xun looked utterly baffled. “Huh?”

Qian Wei continued delicately, “I mean, if your backside’s bothering you, walking would be uncomfortable, sitting for a long time at tea would be rough, and something spicy like Thai food would definitely be out of the question…” She paused. “Don’t worry, I won’t judge you for it. These days, it’s incredibly common—it won’t change how I see you at all…”

The longer Lu Xun listened, the more off things sounded. By the time he heard the specific medical guess she was making, his face had gone completely dark.

Qian Wei kept trying to reassure him. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I know a vegetarian restaurant Mo Tao recommended once, really light on the stomach, perfect for you…”

“Qian Wei!” Lu Xun had finally reached his limit. “Where is your mind even going right now, I’m perfectly fine!”

“Huh???”

Lu Xun’s face had gone slightly red, whether from frustration or embarrassment wasn’t clear. He shot her a look, trying to seem stern despite himself. “It’s not that I don’t want to go out to eat.”

“Hm?” Qian Wei was completely confused. “Then why haven’t you shown any interest in any of my suggestions?”

Lu Xun hesitated, then finally admitted, with forced confidence, “I’m out of money.”

Qian Wei: ???

Lu Xun sounded rather sheepish. “I spent a bit too aggressively before, and I’ve still got the mortgage to pay. I thought I’d have enough because I could keep doing translation work, but I didn’t expect that once we started dating, I just wouldn’t have time for it anymore.”

Qian Wei muttered, “So dating me has been cutting into your income…”

Lu Xun looked her straight in the eye. “It’s a real headache. All I want these days is to be with you—I don’t have any mental energy left for making money.” Though it sounded like he was describing a problem, his tone was unusually tender.

Qian Wei genuinely wished she could record this and play it back for the twenty-eight-year-old version of Lu Xun—he’d surely never have imagined that someday, something would matter to him more than making money.

“Actually, I shouldn’t have run out this fast.” Lu Xun sounded a little sheepish, explaining, “It’ll be fine again next month. This month’s just bad because I spent way too much before.”

Qian Wei thought about it for a moment and then realized—Lu Xun had spared no expense back when he’d pretended to be courting Mo Zixin as a cover story, taking her to movies, buying her dinner, getting her a bracelet, spending money without a second thought. She remembered thinking at the time that at the rate he was spending, he’d probably be broke by the end of the month…

“It’s okay, I have money.” Qian Wei said, pulling out her wallet and waving it at him. “Don’t worry about money, and don’t keep exhausting yourself with translation work. Starting today, Lu Xun, I hereby officially declare you the kept man of this rich lady.”

“…”

Qian Wei declared with great confidence, “So tonight, I’m treating you to dinner!”

But when Qian Wei opened her wallet to check, she was completely stunned—there was barely fifty yuan inside. That’s when she remembered: a few days ago, Qian Chuan had signed up for a basketball training camp and, short on cash, had borrowed her bank card to pay the registration fee. What she hadn’t realized was that the little scoundrel had also taken the opportunity to swipe a couple hundred-yuan bills from her while he was at it.

Seeing Qian Wei’s nearly empty wallet, Lu Xun couldn’t resist teasing her. “So, rich lady, what exactly are you planning to treat me to?”

“…” Qian Wei was embarrassed for about half a second before staging a counterattack. “Wait, Lu Xun, didn’t you say you were learning to cook? Didn’t you say you’d make me something? No time like the present—how about tonight?”

Lu Xun blinked, then broke into a smile. “Sure.”

As if he were simply incapable of refusing any suggestion Qian Wei made.

Qian Wei immediately dashed off to the kitchen, delighted—only to open the fridge and find nothing inside except a few bottles of mineral water and a handful of eggs.

Lu Xun looked a bit embarrassed. “There’s a supermarket not far downstairs, let’s go together—good chance for you to pick out what you want to eat.”

The organic supermarket beneath Lu Xun’s complex was bustling at this hour, everyone out shopping for dinner ingredients. Qian Wei and Lu Xun pushed a shopping cart through the crowd, hand in hand, and found the whole scene unexpectedly cozy.

“Should we get chips? Barbecue flavor okay?”

“Let’s grab some chicken wings, and some cola too—we can make cola chicken wings!”

“Oh, enoki mushrooms! Let’s get some of those too, I love them!”

“The celery looks fresh too, let’s grab a bit.”

…

Grocery shopping with Lu Xun turned out to be surprisingly far from boring. He pushed the cart behind a chattering Qian Wei, and whatever item on the shelves caught even a passing glance from her would quickly end up in the cart. Lu Xun stayed quiet, keeping his usual cool composure, one hand on the cart, the other tucked in his pocket, looking utterly out of place amid the bustling supermarket, radiating that natural sense of distance he always carried—yet no matter how erratically Qian Wei wandered from aisle to aisle, whenever she turned around, Lu Xun was always right there behind her.

By the time they’d wound their way through the whole store, they’d somehow ended up with an entire cart full of odds and ends.

After checking out, Lu Xun ended up with two hefty bags, one in each hand, carrying them with apparent ease. But just as they stepped outside the supermarket, he suddenly set the bags down.

“Wait here a second, I just remembered we forgot the salt.”

Qian Wei waited where she was, and before long Lu Xun came back out carrying a bag of salt. Someone as handsome as Lu Xun probably couldn’t help radiating an aura no matter what he was doing—any other guy carrying a bag of salt through a supermarket would just look like an ordinary local running errands, but not Lu Xun. Even carrying a bag of salt, walking toward Qian Wei, he looked like he was strutting down a runway. Paired with his handsome, cold features, the whole effect made it look like he had an innate stage presence, walking like it was a fashion show.

“Let’s go.”

But the weather had other plans—halfway back, it started raining out of nowhere. What began as a fine drizzle quickly turned into a downpour, and by the time Qian Wei and Lu Xun finally made it back inside, they were both drenched from head to toe.

“Go shower, quick.” Lu Xun adjusted the water temperature for her and pushed her into the bathroom. Her wet clothes obviously couldn’t be worn anymore, so Lu Xun dug through his closet and found one of his own white dress shirts. “This is all I’ve got, put it on for now, don’t catch a cold.”

Lu Xun’s spacious flat had two bathrooms. By the time Qian Wei finished showering and drying her hair and came out, Lu Xun had already showered too and was sitting by the window.

At that moment, he sat with his head turned to the side, watching the pouring rain outside, absorbed in the sight. The raindrops struck the window frame, making a crisp, rhythmic patter.

The heating inside was running strong, but Qian Wei still instinctively wrapped her arms around herself—her own clothes were soaked through, and underneath the oversized white shirt, she had nothing else on.

Lu Xun turned his head and found himself looking at exactly that: Qian Wei, wearing his shirt, loose and a little too big on her, making her look even smaller and more delicate. The oversized collar exposed a wide stretch of pale, snow-white skin, and beneath the thin, semi-sheer white fabric, the rise and fall of her chest was hard to look away from. Her slightly shy posture, arms wrapped around herself, only drew more attention to the very thing she seemed to be trying to hide. With every small movement, the folds of the white shirt shifted and settled, and the outline beneath the fabric stirred something even more unsettling in anyone watching. Lu Xun forced himself to look away, only to find his eyes meeting hers instead. Her freshly washed skin was pale with a faint flush of pink, her eyes shining as though filled with stars, carrying a soft, misty glimmer, gazing at him with complete, unguarded innocence.

Lu Xun suddenly heard something snap inside his own head.

This was bad.

At this rate, things were about to get out of hand.