“Mom, don’t bother tidying up, you work hard enough as it is — I’ll take care of this.” Without missing a beat, Lu Xun stepped in front of his mother, blocking her path, and smoothly took the items from her hands, using his height to fully block her view of the trash can.

No sooner had that crisis been averted than his mother turned and reached for the doorknob to his bedroom.

Lu Xun rushed over in a few quick strides. “Mom, you don’t need to go in there.”

His mother’s tone turned suspicious. “Why not?”

“I’ve been assisting one of the professors as a research aide lately — he’s handling a merger case, and I’ve got the target company’s files in my room. There’s a strict confidentiality agreement on this case — nobody’s allowed to see the materials, not even unrelated outsiders, not even family.” Lu Xun lied with impressive conviction. “You know how it is in law — professional ethics matter above everything. Isn’t that what you always taught me, to hold myself to the highest standard even when no one’s watching, even alone with no one to judge me?”

By this point, not just Lu Xun but Qian Wei too, on the other side of the door, had her heart lodged firmly in her throat, her face burning red with tension. The whole scene felt like something out of a cheap melodrama — the wife catching her husband’s affair, the mistress scrambling to escape — no matter how she looked at it, it was mortifying.

To their mutual relief, Lu Xun’s mother didn’t press the matter any further after his strange little speech. She simply let go of the door handle and turned back toward the living room.

“What are your plans for later?”

Lu Xun blinked, then answered on autopilot, “The rain’s died down now, I’ll head back to school soon.” His mind was entirely on Qian Wei back in the bedroom, and his answer came out noticeably distracted.

But his mother didn’t seem to notice. She smiled. “I drove here, and I’m actually heading in the direction of your school afterward — why don’t I just give you a ride?”

That wouldn’t do at all — if he left, what would happen to Qian Wei?

Lu Xun refused immediately. “No, that’s fine.” Then, stiffly changing course, “I’m actually feeling pretty sleepy. I think I’ll take a nap here before heading back.”

Normally, if Lu Xun said something like that, his mother — a lawyer who firmly believed time was money and always required clients to book appointments well in advance — wouldn’t have waited around for him.

But today she was unusually relaxed about it, smiling patiently. “I don’t have anything else on this afternoon either. Go ahead and nap, I’ll wait until you’re done and drive you to school then.”

“…”

“Oh, I just remembered — I have a library book downtown I still need to return. I’ll drop it off after I wake up, then head to school myself.”

“That’s fine, I’ll drive you to the library first, and then we’ll go to school together.”

“…” Lu Xun changed tactics. “Mom, go on and take care of your own things. I can manage on my own — I’ve never once felt like you spent less time with me because of work. If anything, watching how you approach your job has been a great influence on me.”

“Well then, all the more reason for me to keep setting a good example. A person shouldn’t just be dedicated to work — family matters too. When it’s time to spend time with your kid, you spend time with your kid.”

“…” Even Lu Xun had to concede defeat in the face of his own mother. Worried about Qian Wei, he abandoned all pretense of logical consistency and blurted out, gritting his teeth, “Mom, I actually really feel like taking the subway back to school today.”

“Hm?”

Lu Xun kept a straight face and rambled on. “Us young people should drive less — answer the national call for low-carbon, green travel, make more use of public transportation.”

This time, his mother finally nodded, giving him a meaningful look. “The subway’s a fine choice. Well, I won’t wait for you then. I’ll head out first.”

Once his mother had finally left, both Lu Xun and Qian Wei, still hiding in the bedroom, let out a breath of relief.

But when Lu Xun walked into the bedroom, Qian Wei was nowhere to be seen.

“Qian Wei?”

“I’m here…” came her voice, soft, with a playful lilt, from inside Lu Xun’s closet. In her panic earlier, worried his mother might actually come into the room, she’d used the cover of the commotion outside to slip quietly into the closet. Lu Xun’s closet was full of winter coats and fuzzy scarves, and squeezed in among them, flushed from both the heat and her earlier fright, her eyes carried a faint sheen of moisture.

When Lu Xun opened the closet door, that was the sight that greeted him — clearly she’d been genuinely nervous, because her lips were bitten red and glistening.

Qian Wei’s leg had gotten tangled in some clutter at the bottom of the closet. She reached a hand out toward him. “Lu Xun, help me up.”

But instead of helping her up, Lu Xun pushed the hanging clothes aside, leaned in, and before she could react, he was right beside her, wrapping his arms around her and leaning in to kiss her.

The scarves hanging above blocked her view, and cocooned in the cramped closet in his arms, surrounded by his clothes carrying his scent, Qian Wei found herself immersed in the same closeness she’d experienced so many times just the night before — her heart raced, pounding as if it might leap straight out of her chest. With her sight obscured, her other senses sharpened, and all she could do was register him — his mouth, his tongue, the heat radiating off him, his hands roaming.

The kiss deepened, and things began drifting toward dangerous territory again. Her waist and hips still ached, and in a brief pause between kisses, she pushed him back, her voice carrying a note of wronged protest. “Lu Xun, didn’t you say you’d hold back?”

Lu Xun flushed slightly too, apologizing, looking flustered. “Sorry. My self-control’s been pretty weak lately.”

The two of them stopped kissing, both a little breathless. Lu Xun turned away, collecting himself, before finally lifting Qian Wei out of the closet.

Having survived that harrowing episode together, the two of them settled down somewhat, and Lu Xun began tidying the apartment. Qian Wei watched him dispose of the trash bag with the efficiency of someone erasing a crime scene, toss the sheets into the washer-dryer, and wash every dish in the kitchen spotless — her feelings about the whole thing thoroughly complicated.

“Lu Xun, is this really your first time dealing with… this kind of situation?” Qian Wei asked, cheeks burning, looking down. “Because you seem awfully practiced at the cleanup. Are you sure this is really your first time?”

“Of course.” He glanced up at her. “If you hadn’t skipped Criminal Investigation last semester, you’d be just as skilled at this as I am by now.”

“…”

Once Lu Xun had finally finished dealing with the “crime scene,” and Qian Wei was just starting to feel relieved that his mother hadn’t noticed anything, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up and saw his mother’s number on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Xun-xun, I think I left my scarf at your place — it’s probably on the coffee table in front of the TV. Bring it when you leave, and give it to me this weekend when you’re home.”

Lu Xun nodded, glancing around, and sure enough spotted the scarf on the coffee table. “Sure, no problem. Anything else?”

“Nothing else. But is there really nothing you want to tell your mother?”

“No.” Lu Xun pressed his lips together, though something about his mother’s tone struck him as suspiciously loaded.

“Fine, I wasn’t expecting you to volunteer it anyway.” His mother, however, didn’t push the issue further, simply chuckling. “But going forward, you really shouldn’t keep things from your little girlfriend like this — bottling everything up.”

Lu Xun blinked, caught off guard, both startled and wary. “What?”

“You have a girlfriend now, don’t you?”

Lu Xun feigned composure and denied it. “No. Where’d you get that idea?”

“You know, as someone with a legal background, I never guess wildly — everything’s about rational analysis.” His mother cleared her throat. “First: you suddenly went from last night until now without answering a dozen calls, which is completely out of character for you. Second: you’re not usually this sweet-talking — telling me not to tire myself out, not to bother with the trash. Third: since when did you learn to cook? And cooking yourself a whole spread like that, alone, with this much care? You’ve always believed time is money — normally you’d just order delivery. Fourth: you almost never stay over here, and yet I just opened the fridge and found it fully stocked with groceries. Fifth: if you were really handling confidential case materials, you’d never bring them home from school in the first place — you just didn’t want me going into your room, because there’s clearly someone else in there. And sixth: because there’s someone in your room, that’s exactly why you refused, point-blank, to let me drive you.” His mother paused, then continued. “So, Xun-xun — anything you’d like to say in your defense?”

“…” It finally dawned on Lu Xun — his mother’s earlier insistence on giving him a ride had been a deliberate trap all along, to see how he’d react…

“That girl’s still there, isn’t she? Just too embarrassed to come meet me.” His mother’s voice was warm with amusement. “It really was thoughtless of me, showing up unannounced like that today — bad timing on my part, and I’m sure it put the poor girl in an awkward spot, forced to hide in the room like that. I’m sure she felt just as uncomfortable as you did. My mistake. Whenever she’s ready, bring her home for a meal sometime, all right?”

“…”

His mother let out an exaggerated sigh. “You’re this tight-lipped even with your own mother — I have no idea how you ever managed to land a girlfriend at all. You really ought to cherish this girl, brave enough to actually date you. Understand?”

“…” Lu Xun really wanted to ask: Mom, exactly how badly do you misjudge your own son?

“Anyway — be gentle with her. And if you two ever fight, don’t go lecturing her with legal arguments. Men who reason and argue instead of comforting their girlfriends end up single, every time.” As if she still hadn’t embarrassed him quite enough, his mother delivered this final, solemn piece of advice before hanging up.

“…”

Lu Xun hung up, looking a little sheepish. “Are you free next weekend?”

Qian Wei went instantly on guard. “Not happening. Sir, we are not doing this.” She glanced pointedly downward. “There is no next time!”

“…” Lu Xun frowned. “Where’s your head at? I’m asking if you’re free next weekend to come have dinner at my place.”

“Not eating, not going.” Qian Wei thought — one visit to your place already led to that, and you think I’m falling for it twice?

“Not this place — my actual home. Where my parents live.”

That alarmed her even more. “Meet your parents?! I— I’m not ready for that…”

“My mom really wants to meet you. She’s definitely going to like you.”

Qian Wei, flustered, tried to deflect. “Technically speaking, we’re not even official boyfriend and girlfriend yet — isn’t it a bit early to meet your parents?”

“Hm?” Lu Xun’s voice took on a dangerous edge. “We’re — not — official — yet?”

“Didn’t we agree on a two-month trial period? It hasn’t even been two months. Besides, people who meet each other’s parents are usually couples who’ve dated for years and are about to get married. Isn’t this a bit fast for us?”

“Qian Wei. We’ve already gone this far, and you’re still talking trial period? Does that mean you don’t intend to take responsibility for me?”

“Huh?”

Lu Xun pressed his lips together. “You slept with me, and you still won’t acknowledge our relationship?”

Qian Wei thought, how does it always come out sounding like this in his mouth… The way he put it, she was some heartless cad who’d used him and tossed him aside, while he was the pitiful, wronged victim with nowhere to seek justice for his violated body.

She protested instinctively, “I— it was only once, and I never had any intention of using you and dumping you…”

“Three times,” Lu Xun corrected. “If you’ve forgotten the other two, would you like me to walk you through the details again?”

That was more than Qian Wei could take. She clapped her hands over her ears. “Stop, stop, I remember now! Fine, I’ll go with you this weekend!”

And so, in an atmosphere thick with lingering embarrassment and a fluttering sort of anticipation, the two of them headed back to school together.