The next day, Li Lanfang heard about the incident from Auntie Zhao, who couldn’t help but embellish the story. Although she had only come out to watch after Xing Wu had already beaten Wu Er down, in her telling, she claimed to have witnessed Wu Er ramming the door, even saying his pants were half off, describing it all with vivid detail.

Li Lanfang couldn’t contain herself upon hearing this. Early in the morning, she stormed over to the Wu family. The elderly Wu couple were pitiful, apologizing profusely on behalf of their son and even giving Li Lanfang a basket of eggs.

Li Lanfang returned home triumphantly with the eggs and mentioned this to Xing Wu, who became increasingly irritated as he listened. When he asked who told her this, Li Lanfang said it was Auntie Zhao.

So before leaving in the morning, Xing Wu went to warn Auntie Zhao, telling her to watch her mouth. If he heard any more stories about pants coming off, he’d make sure her son ended up with broken bones.

Auntie Zhao was terrified and repeatedly promised not to spread rumors. Her son, Zhao Bei, only managed to avoid trouble at school because Xing Wu protected him. Otherwise, given Zhao Bei’s weak nature and tendency to tattle, he would have been beaten to death long ago.

When Qing Ye got up in the morning and put on the underwear Xing Wu had bought for her, her cheeks began to burn. She discovered the size was perfect and wondered how Xing Wu knew her size. Had he… observed her? The thought made her face burn even hotter.

That morning before leaving, Xing Wu had specifically instructed Li Lanfang, so when Qing Ye came downstairs, no one mentioned the previous night’s events. Qing Ye had been dreading Li Lanfang asking her about it, but fortunately, Li Lanfang didn’t bring it up at all.

However, the girl at the shop with the perm, Du Qiyan, was sitting at the entrance crying continuously for some unknown reason.

Li Lanfang’s Xuan Dao salon served the local community in Zhazha Pavilion. The customer flow wasn’t particularly large, mostly regulars, so besides occasionally cutting hair herself, she only employed two people: Liu Nian and Du Qiyan, the girl with the perm whose face was barely visible.

In all the time Qing Ye had been there, she’d barely exchanged a few words with Du Qiyan, but she could tell that Du Qiyan often watched her secretly. Whenever Qing Ye met her gaze, though, Du Qiyan would dodge and blush.

Du Qiyan had the typical characteristics of a Zhazha Pavilion girl – inexperienced, shy around strangers, afraid to speak, yet desperate to appear worldly. She tried hard to make herself look fashionable without really understanding what fashion was.

So during Qing Ye’s first few days there, Du Qiyan had worn every bizarre item she owned, her outfits becoming more eye-searing by the day. Yet when she saw how Qing Ye could outshine everyone in just a simple solid-colored dress without any accessories, she felt genuinely ashamed. Her sense of inferiority around Qing Ye meant she never dared initiate conversation.

Qing Ye asked Liu Nian what was wrong with her today, and Liu Nian explained that Du Qiyan had been dumped. She’d arrived early in the morning with swollen eyes, telling Liu Nian that her heart was a grave housing the living dead.

Though breakups were sad, Qing Ye could barely contain her laughter. She strongly suspected Li Lanfang must be a senior member of the “Love Burial Family,” as everyone she hired seemed like high-ranking members. What was this – some kind of family motto?

The shop wasn’t busy today, and Du Qiyan just sat at the entrance. Qing Ye finished an entire set of exercises at the cashier’s desk while Du Qiyan continued crying, looking ready to bring down the Great Wall with her tears like Meng Jiangnu.

In the afternoon, a van suddenly stopped at Xuan Dao’s front door, making even Qing Ye crane her neck to look. She saw Xing Wu getting out, followed by Fatty and Yellow Hair jumping down.

The three unloaded some boards from the van before it drove away.

Xing Wu led Fatty and Yellow Hair in carrying the boards inside. Li Lanfang asked puzzled: “What are these for?”

“They’ll be useful,” Xing Wu answered briefly, then turned his gaze to Qing Ye. She wore a matcha green outfit, her hair tied up in a high bun, revealing her long, fair neck as she sat at the cashier’s desk, looking fresh and bright on the scorching summer day.

Xing Wu finally relaxed – he’d worried she might not come down today, or that she’d wake up demanding to go home again. This young lady’s resilience had earned his respect.

Yellow Hair threw Qing Ye a flirtatious look, saying eagerly: “Cousin, I’m here.”

Qing Ye completely ignored him and looked at Xing Wu instead. When their eyes met for those two seconds, they both seemed to recall the previous night’s events, creating a subtle awkwardness.

As Xing Wu passed by her, he placed a plastic bag that had been hanging on his arm onto the cashier’s desk, then led Fatty and Yellow Hair to the back courtyard.

Qing Ye opened the plastic bag to find fresh cherries and several avocados, looking much better than what Yellow Hair had bought last time.

She took the bag to the side to wash the cherries, then put one in her mouth. Sweet.

She took some over to Du Qiyan, who was still crying at the entrance. Du Qiyan looked up at Qing Ye in shock, momentarily unsure what to do. Qing Ye said nothing, just placed the cherries on her lap, and turned away.

She carried the cherries to the back courtyard, where she saw Xing Wu crouching on the ground, measuring and marking the boards while Fatty handed him tools. When Yellow Hair saw Qing Ye, he bounced over excitedly: “Cousin, are they good? We brothers made a special trip to the county town to buy them.”

Qing Ye held out the washed cherries to him, but Yellow Hair waved them away: “You eat them. It’d be a waste to give them to me.”

He glanced toward the shop and asked Qing Ye: “Is that girl inside possessed? She’s crying like someone died.”

“…” Qing Ye wanted to tell him that actually, there was indeed a grave in her heart housing the living dead!

“You mean Du Qiyan? She got dumped.”

Yellow Hair laughed when he heard this: “Looking like that, she had someone to date? What normal person would date ‘Belly Button’? Might as well play with yourself!”

The term “Belly Button” nearly made Qing Ye choke on a cherry – this guy was truly something else.

Xing Wu glanced up in their direction. Qing Ye’s eyebrows were slightly curved, radiating a young girl’s pure charm and her characteristic refined pride, like the only vibrant splash of green in the grey monotony of Zhazha Pavilion.

His gaze shifted to the gesticulating Yellow Hair as he said: “Come help me hold this.”

“Coming,” Yellow Hair responded and went over.

Qing Ye asked: “What are you guys doing?”

Xing Wu replied flatly: “Use your eyes and see.”

Huh, just one night and he was back to being difficult. Qing Ye realized that after so many days, she’d become immune to Xing Wu’s communication style. During her first few days, his attitude had often infuriated her, but now she barely reacted to his cold words.

The afternoon sun was at its fiercest, and with no shade in the back courtyard, the three were drenched in sweat. Yellow Hair said he couldn’t take it anymore and went to get something cold to eat.

His idea of something cold turned out to be ice pops. Yellow Hair specially broke one in half and offered it to Qing Ye, who glanced sideways and turned away saying: “I don’t eat artificial coloring.”

Beside them, Fatty was already munching away, eating the red ice pop in such a bizarre way it looked like he was eating a sausage. Seeing Qing Ye refuse, Yellow Hair offered it to Xing Wu: “Brother Wu, then this half is for you.”

Without looking up, Xing Wu said: “Put it on the windowsill. You guys take a break.”

Yellow Hair placed the half-ice pop on the windowsill and went inside with Fatty to cool off.

Qing Ye leaned against the doorframe watching Xing Wu cut boards with the electric saw. His sleeves were rolled up to his shoulders, revealing smoothly flowing muscle lines. His bronze skin glistened with sweat drops in the fierce sun, perfectly combining youthful wildness with captivating focus – truly a pleasing sight.

Xing Wu had very defined features, inherited from Li Lanfang. Qing Ye had seen Li Lanfang without makeup and she was quite pretty. It was just that her daily makeup was so garish – she was one of those rare cases who made herself look worse with makeup.

Plus, Xing Wu always dressed simply and cleanly, and with his tall build, although Qing Ye didn’t want to admit it, in this backwater place, he was indeed much easier on the eyes than those scene kids behind him.

She glanced at the ice pop and reminded Xing Wu: “It’s melting.”

Xing Wu finally looked up, put down the electric saw, and strode over the boards toward her. As he got closer, the hormone-laden scent of his sweat made Qing Ye avert her gaze. Recalling his words from last night about “daring to mess with my family’s women,” Qing Ye suddenly had an indescribable feeling. Although it should technically be understood as “women living in my house,” the protective fierceness in Xing Wu’s spontaneous words now made Qing Ye want to laugh.

And so… she did laugh, tilting her head and smiling at Xing Wu for no apparent reason.

Just as Xing Wu was about to put the ice pop in his mouth, he looked up to see Qing Ye’s face radiating a gentle smile, bright and dazzling in the light, which momentarily stunned him.

Then he glanced at the ice pop in his hand: “You want it?”

Qing Ye reached out, and Xing Wu simply handed it to her before returning to work.

The ice pop was half melted, and Qing Ye tilted her head back to drink some of the liquid. It was both icy and sweet.

When Yellow Hair came out and saw that the ice pop originally meant for Xing Wu was now in Qing Ye’s hands, he said in surprise: “How come you wouldn’t take it from me but you’ll take it from him?”

Qing Ye replied with a half-smile: “Your hands are dirty.”

Yellow Hair protested, pointing at Xing Wu: “Cousin, you can’t lie so blatantly! Brother Wu’s been working all morning – aren’t his hands much dirtier than mine?”

Xing Wu heard their conversation and lowered his head, a smile tugging at his lips.

Qing Ye ignored Yellow Hair and went inside because of the heat. Yellow Hair put on a deeply wounded expression and said to Xing Wu: “I feel like I’ve been dumped too! Yesterday cousin was blushing when she looked at me, today she won’t even acknowledge me. Brother Wu, isn’t this what they call playing hard to get? She wants me to be more proactive, right?”

“…” Why don’t you go write screenplays?

When Qing Ye returned to the back courtyard in the evening, Xing Wu was applying varnish, and Yellow Hair and the others had left.

Qing Ye walked into the courtyard and exclaimed: “You built a wardrobe?”

She circled the wardrobe in amazement, discovering that Xing Wu had carefully sanded every part. Besides hanging space, it even had several drawers, and it looked quite sturdy.

Xing Wu was applying a layer of clear varnish when Qing Ye came to his side with wide eyes asking: “Who did you make this wardrobe for?”

Xing Wu glanced at her sidelong but didn’t respond. Qing Ye pointed to herself in surprise: “It can’t be for me, right?”

Xing Wu neither confirmed nor denied it, continuing to work with his head down. Qing Ye broke into a smile: “It is for me! I needed a wardrobe – look at how my clothes are just piled in my suitcase every day.”

Xing Wu wasn’t blind. He said flatly: “I just don’t want you turning my room into a pigsty after staying a few more days.”

Qing Ye’s mood suddenly lifted, completely unbothered by his teasing as she circled the wardrobe again: “When can I use it?”

“Let it air out for a few days until the smell dissipates, then we’ll move it upstairs.”

Then he suddenly remembered something and asked Qing Ye: “Do you still want those things in the bag?”

Qing Ye turned her head to see the underwear Xing Wu had retrieved from Wu Er’s drawer last night, and her smile instantly vanished: “No, throw them away.”

She had originally thought another woman had stolen them, but now knowing it was Wu Er, she couldn’t bear to imagine what he had done with her underwear at home. The very thought made her sick.

Just then, Qing Ye’s phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and when she answered, a woman’s voice came through claiming to be Teacher Yang Li from An Middle School, asking if she had arrived in An County yet, and if convenient, to come to the school tomorrow to verify and register her transfer documents.

After hanging up, Qing Ye looked up and asked Xing Wu: “Do you know a teacher called Yang Li at An Middle School?”

“She called you?”

“Asked me to go to the school tomorrow. Where is it? Is it far?”

Xing Wu just looked at her, lost in thought, then said: “It’s not far. I’ll take you tomorrow.”

Qing Ye had only wanted directions, but unexpectedly Xing Wu offered to accompany her. Was the sun rising from the west? He wasn’t finding her troublesome anymore?

Although that incident happened yesterday, it didn’t affect Li Lanfang’s after-dinner mahjong schedule. Qing Ye had figured it out – this distant aunt of hers could go without food for a day, but going without mahjong was like having withdrawal symptoms – impossible.

After pushing his grandmother into her room and cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen, Xing Wu came out to find that Qing Ye hadn’t gone upstairs. Instead, she was sitting on a small stool by the back door with freshly cut avocado in front of her, looking appealingly green. She took a photo of the plate with her phone and posted it to her Moments: “Keep persevering.”

This was her first Moments post since her mother’s death. As soon as she posted it, many old classmates left comments asking where she had transferred to and when she would come back to visit them.

Qing Ye couldn’t reply. Even if she told these people where she was, they probably hadn’t heard of it. She had always excelled academically, previously attending an international school where she had never faltered in academics, arts, or various competitions. She had always been a top student, standing out brilliantly even among children from wealthy and exceptional backgrounds. But now this brilliant pearl was covered in dust, exiled to such a place. Her pride wouldn’t let her tell these old friends about her current circumstances.

Then she received a message from Meng Ruihang asking: “Are you okay?”

Qing Ye opened his reply, typed several words then deleted them, staring blankly for a long time, until Xing Wu came to her side and glanced over. He hadn’t meant to look, but his eyesight was too good – one casual glance and he caught the name Meng Ruihang, suddenly reminding him of that refined-looking boy he’d seen on Qing Ye’s computer before.

Xing Wu leaned against the doorframe and snorted: “So even good students have puppy love?”

Qing Ye was startled, quickly putting away her phone and staring up at Xing Wu. He had expected her to snap at him to mind his own business, but she just glared at him darkly, without denying it.

Xing Wu kicked aside the nearby stool and started walking inside when Qing Ye quickly stood up and asked: “Are you going out?”

“What else?” Xing Wu put his lighter in his pocket without looking back.

Qing Ye bit her lip, standing by the back door watching him. Hearing the silence behind him, Xing Wu turned to glance at her. Qing Ye’s brows were tightly knitted, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t, clearly struggling internally.

He turned around completely and asked lazily: “What? Don’t want me to go out?”

Qing Ye glanced around the back courtyard with a worried expression. After last night’s events, she had developed significant psychological trauma. With Li Lanfang going out to play mahjong every night, if Xing Wu wasn’t home either, she probably wouldn’t go downstairs to use the bathroom even if her bladder exploded.

Seeing her silence, Xing Wu walked back to her: “Speak up, or I’m leaving.”

He made as if to turn away, and Qing Ye took a deep breath, her voice barely a mosquito’s whisper: “Could you… not go out?”

Xing Wu’s already-turning body paused slightly, and he looked back with a playful smile: “Don’t tell me you’ve been sitting here on a little stool waiting all this time because you’re afraid of me going out?”

Qing Ye’s large dark eyes just calmly gazed at him, not denying it.

Xing Wu put his hands on his hips, looking at her pitiful expression, and couldn’t help but laugh. He casually took out his phone and called Quan Ya: “Hey, I’m not coming tonight.”

Hearing this, Qing Ye instantly relaxed and went upstairs with her avocado.

On the other end of the line, Quan Ya was surprised: “We’ve already dealt the cards. How can you suddenly say you’re not coming?”

Xing Wu glanced back at where Qing Ye had gone upstairs and said casually with an “mm”: “Family won’t let me go out.”

Quan Ya burst out laughing: “Stop bullshitting! Since when do you listen to your family?”

“…” Well, I’m listening now, aren’t I?