Fang Ya’en returned home with an ashen face, tossed her car keys aside, silently kicked off her shoes, and slammed the bedroom door with a “bang!” Chen Jian knew without thinking that she was angry about his interrogation of Li Jin Yu at the restaurant. With anger in his heart too, he followed her inside without taking off his coat, but unexpectedly, the door was locked.

Chen Jian furiously twisted the doorknob several times to no avail. Burning with rage, he yelled fiercely through the door, “Fang Ya’en, don’t put on airs with me! I just casually questioned that kid a couple of times—why are you taking his side? So what if I deliberately embarrassed him? No education, all appearance, just fooling shallow women like you!”

Fang Ya’en was holding back a stomach full of anger. She knew Chen Jian had been spoiled by his parents since childhood and was accustomed to being self-centered. But she hadn’t expected him to be so petty and lacking in grace. She also lost control, and all the emotions that had been building up suddenly burst forth as she argued with him in sharp words.

“Li Jin Yu is my best friend’s boyfriend. I warned you before we went—he’s younger than you, doesn’t work in a government office, and has a sickly old grandmother to take care of. His life is quite difficult. But you had to bring up every sensitive topic, pointing out all his shortcomings. Did you consider my feelings? Ye Meng is my best friend, she’s been single for so many years and finally found someone to date, and there you are causing trouble! If you can’t stand her having a boyfriend, Chen Jian, do you like her yourself?”

Fang Ya’en asked this question without any jealousy. For her, even if Chen Jian truly liked Ye Meng, she would at most divorce him without affecting her friendship with Ye Meng. Though Ye Meng sometimes seemed unreliable, she always kept a respectful distance from her friends’ husbands.

Chen Jian spat heavily, with contempt: “How could I possibly like that kind of slut? Letting off fireworks and kissing in front of an entire restaurant, only she would do something so shameless. You probably don’t even know what Ma Bu and his group say about her behind her back.”

Ma Bu was a high school classmate of Ye Meng and Fang Ya’en, and they had just attended a class reunion a few days ago. This included Liu Yi Yi, who had mentioned wanting to pursue Li Jin Yu—they were all from the same class. They were in parallel classes with mediocre academic performance. Except for Jiang Lu Zhi, who transferred to an advanced class in their senior year and went to Beijing afterward, the rest either failed exams, took civil service jobs, or lived off their parents, mostly staying in town.

Chen Jian worked in the same unit as Ma Bu, going in and out together, and they became good friends. Although Fang Ya’en earnestly advised him that Ma Bu was no good and told him to keep his distance, Chen Jian dismissed her with “You don’t understand men’s business.”

Now Fang Ya’en understood why Chen Jian could become friends with Ma Bu but couldn’t get along with Li Jin Yu. The gap between him and Li Jin Yu was tens of thousands of Ma Bus wide.

She opened the door and coldly smiled at him, “Ma Bu is just a lazy toad who calls grapes sour because he can’t reach them! But I truly never expected that in my lifetime, I would hear such disrespectful words about women from your mouth. Do you talk about me like that behind my back too?”

Chen Jian’s face stiffened as he hurriedly denied it: “What nonsense are you talking about? You’re my wife, how could I talk about you like that to others?”

There was no longer any excess emotion on Fang Ya’en’s face. “Honestly, before I just thought you were selfish at most, not considerate or attentive, but at least honest. Last time when I broke my leg, you were away on a business trip for a month and never came back. Who was taking care of me in and out of the hospital? Ye Meng and Li Jin Yu. Did you ever come? Did your mother even look at me once except to take the child away? Not once. To be frank, Ye Meng and I have been friends since we were in split-crotch pants. To put it bluntly, who the fuck are you to me?”

“I see you’re jealous because Ye Meng found a young and strong man!” Chen Jian’s face changed dramatically, growing increasingly ugly. “In this world, the most worthless person isn’t me, it’s you. If you hadn’t forced me with the child back then, would I have married you?”

The lakeside was very dark, bathed in the weak moonlight. Tree shadows stood firmly layered upon each other. The lake water sparkled with silvery light in the moonlight. All around was quiet; there were no more joggers or wandering pedestrians at this time, only the two silhouettes silently embracing by the railing.

Time seemed bound and gagged, silently slipping away in the night. The clear lake surface rippled gently as if scattered with thousands of silver pieces, gleaming with reflection. Ye Meng could see him especially clearly now. She felt she needed to take back her earlier words about him being just an average handsome guy. This man, even placed among a crowd of handsome men, would stand out distinctly—clear contour lines, thin lips, and eyes, handsome. Looking just at his face, one might think this man was too thin, but when Ye Meng hugged him, she found he wasn’t skinny; his build was well-proportioned. Put him in a suit with glasses, and he’d be the perfect image of a cultured bad boy.

She nestled in Li Jin Yu’s arms as he leaned casually against the railing, one hand around her waist, the other propped on the railing, looking down at her with a leisurely gaze.

Ye Meng clung to his slim waist like a koala, saying nothing as she buried herself in his embrace, seeming very shy. Li Jin Yu couldn’t help but smile, taking his hand off the railing to grasp the nape of her neck, lifting her face to meet his eyes, mercilessly exposing her: “Why pretend to be innocent? You’ve heard such words hundreds if not thousands of times.”

Ye Meng looked up, her head still pressed against his warm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, feeling completely secure: “You’re different from them.”

He snorted a laugh, not buying it, turning his head away and saying, “Yeah, right.”

“You’re the best-looking.”

“Oh.” Suddenly cold, still looking away at the flickering, about-to-burn-out lake lights.

Ye Meng pinched his face, forcibly turning it back to her, saying: “Let’s not be jealous for no reason. I know you’re my first love, while I have a record, but I swear, little brother, if I had known earlier that you existed in this world, I would have galloped and tumbled non-stop to find you.”

“Spare me, let me have a few more years of peace,” Li Jin Yu allowed her to pinch his face, twitching his lips into a cold smile. “Besides, our relationship isn’t at that level yet. But your skill at coaxing boyfriends makes me suspect you’ve dated more than three. I’ll give you a chance to tell the truth, don’t lie to me.”

Ye Meng, afraid he might push her away, wrapped her arms around his waist again, pressing her body tightly against his, her soft chest against him. “Fine, six.”

Li Jin Yu stiffened. “?”

“Well, actually nine.”

“…”

“Oh, to be honest, it’s ten.”

Seeing his increasingly dark expression, Ye Meng giggled in his arms. Li Jin Yu noticed her shoulders shaking with laughter and said coldly: “Are you playing with me?” Without waiting for Ye Meng’s answer, Li Jin Yu leaned against the railing expressionlessly and pinched her cheeks, bending down slightly. Those attractive phoenix eyes were now focused solely on her, asking in a low, hoarse voice: “How many exactly? Hmm?”

Those eyes were so intense.

Ye Meng’s heart pounded under his gaze as if a wild little deer was smashing against her rafters. She felt her house was about to collapse and could only hug him and murmur truthfully: “Just three, really just three.”

“What about Gou Kai?” he asked. “Is he counted?”

Ye Meng was startled, about to ask how he knew about Gou Kai when she suddenly remembered Jiang Lu Zhi mentioning at the farmer’s market that Gou Kai would be coming after the New Year. She said, “No, he’s my boss. I’m not crazy—why would I date him?” Then, pretending to be impatient, Ye Meng added: “Li Jin Yu, am I really that casual in your eyes? Just because I pursued you first?”

It wasn’t that Ye Meng was casual; it was that he knew Gou Kai too well. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Meng’s phone rang.

After talking for two or three seconds, she quickly hung up and said to him: “Chen Jian wants to divorce Fang Ya’en. I need to go pick her up now.”

“Why the sudden divorce?” he asked.

Ye Meng shook her head lightly, looking at the man lazily leaning against the railing, and said self-mockingly: “Most likely because of dinner today. Chen Jian has never really liked me. He works with our former high school classmate Ma Bu, who once pursued me and was rejected. He probably said a lot of bad things about me behind my back. Plus, after what happened at the restaurant just now, Chen Jian probably thinks I’m too casual like you do, and said some unpleasant things. Fang Ya’en must have defended me—”

Her waist suddenly sank as Ye Meng was unexpectedly pulled into his embrace with one arm. Li Jin Yu had one hand in his pocket and the other around her waist, holding her body tightly against his warm frame. Looking down at her in this secluded corner, with moonlight shrouding them and the lake water gently swaying, his eyes seemed to harbor turbulent water, deep yet earnest as he looked at her. “I’m not like Chen Jian. If you don’t have time to hear about this now, can I explain it to you later?”

Ye Meng wasn’t really angry, but her intuition told her it had something to do with Gou Kai. Seeing his aggrieved expression, she nodded, “Then let’s go pick up Fang Ya’en first.”

Li Jin Yu didn’t move. Tall and imposing, he seemed glued to the railing. Ye Meng couldn’t budge him no matter how hard she pulled. “Are you part of the railing now?”

The man still leaned lazily, hands in his pockets, allowing her to pull at him but remaining unmoved. Strangely, though it might have been an illusion, Ye Meng seemed to read reluctance to part in his casual gaze. But it vanished in an instant, and the next moment he was looking down at her coldly, then somewhat uncomfortably turning his head away as if to hide, saying: “Then give me a kiss.”

“What?”

Why are you seeking pleasure at a time like this? Fang Ya’en is about to be homeless.

“Didn’t we just fight?” he said.

What kind of fight was that? Are you a child? Even after a fight, you need to kiss and make up. Though these thoughts ran through her head, her body was honest. Irresistibly, she cupped his face and kissed him. Li Jin Yu had somehow taken out his phone and held it high. With a “click,” the bright flash illuminated their dim little corner—tree winds soaring, flower buds blossoming as if someone had suddenly pressed pause on the scene. In the image, they clung tightly to each other, the woman lingering on the man’s lips. Ye Meng had her eyes closed; Li Jin Yu kept his open, watching her, his eyes full of casual amusement, somehow conveying an indescribable sense of “even if I’m as ephemeral as a mayfly, I’ll live at dawn for you and die at dusk for you, even turn the world upside down for you”—a melancholic romance.

They took a taxi back to get Ye Meng’s car. Li Jin Yu sat in the passenger seat. As soon as Ye Meng got in the car, entering this private space, she couldn’t help teasing him: “I never expected you’d have a fetish for taking racy photos. Surprising, little brother. Next time we can take some more intense ones.”

The Buick hit the road, speeding like the wind. Ye Meng’s driving skills had improved considerably; at least on the empty streets, she could reach 80 kilometers per hour. The faint night scenery was left behind, the landscape rushing by in winding stretches. The streetlights cast a yellow hue on the scene. It was late at night, and not even a dog could be seen along the road, making it feel both cozy and desolate.

Li Jin Yu coughed once, turning his head to look out the window, saying with both fear and embarrassment: “Fine, I’ll post it on my social media moments right away.”

Ye Meng slowly brought the car to a stop at the entrance of Fang Ya’en’s community. Hearing his words, she remembered his lifeless, barren social media status. She laughed, sent Fang Ya’en a location message, and casually tossed her phone into the armrest compartment, showing no fear and even provocatively running her finger lightly across his cold profile: “Whoever doesn’t post is a dog.”

Li Jin Yu pushed her hand away, admitting defeat. “Fine, you win. No one has thicker skin than you.”

Ye Meng sat up straight, no longer teasing him, and smiled: “That photo is nice. Send it to me; I want to use it as my social media background.”

“No.”

“What are you so shy about? You were speaking sweet nothings by the lake more smoothly than anyone. I’m the one admitting defeat.”

Li Jin Yu turned to look at her, silently staring for a while, then said coldly, “Fine, never again.”

“Don’t be like that, baby,” Ye Meng saw he was truly upset, unfastened her seatbelt, and leaned over to hook his neck, wanting to kiss him for a while. Li Jin Yu didn’t budge an inch, completely uncooperative, and even coldly turned his head away, appearing as if he didn’t want to be teased: “Fang Ya’en is here.”

Fang Ya’en did appear, carrying bags of all sizes, clanging and clattering like a scrap collector, with a half-grown boy in tow.

Li Jin Yu got out of the car to help her with the luggage. The child stood to the side, politely greeting him, “Hello, Brother Jin Yu.”

Li Jin Yu patted his head, while Ye Meng pretended to be jealous at the side, saying: “Why don’t you greet me?”

The child made a face at her, “Auntie Ye Meng.”

Ye Meng was furious, chasing after him to hit him, “You little brat, looking for trouble? Give me back the Transformer.”

Once they were in the car, the atmosphere finally settled down. Ye Meng looked at Fang Ya’en’s ashen face and lost the heart to joke. She glanced at Li Jin Yu before saying seriously: “Did you fight with Chen Jian because of me and Li Jin Yu?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Fang Ya’en’s face was not looking good.

“Then tell me why. Let me see if there’s any need for intervention,” Ye Meng said.

Fang Ya’en didn’t respond; she didn’t want to talk about these things in front of the child. Ye Meng was quite straightforward in her character and hadn’t considered that Jia Yu, in the back, had already reached an age where he understood everything.

Li Jin Yu, who hadn’t spoken until now, suddenly and discreetly picked up the conversation, saying calmly: “We’re out of gas. There’s a gas station ahead. Go fill up, and I’ll take Jia Yu to buy some snacks.”

Ye Meng looked down and saw he was right, immediately following his suggestion and making a turn. Jia Yu obediently followed Li Jin Yu out of the car. Ye Meng and Fang Ya’en sat in the car, watching the large and small figures gradually walk towards the convenience store at the entrance. Chen Jia Yu excitedly hopped ahead, while Li Jin Yu, tall and imposing, calmly followed behind, occasionally reaching out to stop him from falling. The yellow-green streetlights continuously stretched their shadows, and Ye Meng suddenly felt this scene was very heartwarming. If this were her and Li Jin Yu’s child, life would seem… complete?

“Li Jin Yu is very attentive,” Fang Ya’en suddenly said from behind. Looking at the two, for the first time she didn’t advise her friend to break it off once she got bored. Instead, she earnestly said, “In all my years of observing people, including when I was doing business in Guangdong, I’ve seen many wealthy and powerful fake gentlemen. He’s the most ungentlemanly gentleman I’ve ever met; his good upbringing is ingrained in his bones. Cherish him well; he might be a treasure.”

The pair had already gone inside, and through the glass, Ye Meng could see Li Jin Yu’s imposing head behind the tall shelves. Half-jokingly, she said: “If you really divorce Chen Jian, I’ll let you have him.”

“Don’t joke. You two might end up in each other’s hands,” Fang Ya’en looked at her with schadenfreude, saying, “Li Jin Yu isn’t as innocent as he appears.”

“He doesn’t look innocent on the surface either; he’s quite bad,” Ye Meng smiled and said, “To be honest, why did you fight with Chen Jian? Really because of me?”

Fang Ya’en concisely explained the cause and result, finally saying: “Actually, it has little to do with you. My marriage with Chen Jian had problems long ago. It’s also my fault for misjudging people. When I heard that man had gotten married, I hastily and confusedly got a marriage certificate with Chen Jian out of anger.”

Ye Meng listened quietly, then sighed, “It’s still because of me. During dinner, I sensed something was wrong. Chen Jian transferred his malice toward me onto Li Jin Yu. Every question he asked was meant to embarrass Li Jin Yu, who, considering my relationship with you, endured it repeatedly, answering everything asked. Li Jin Yu didn’t drop out of college; he withdrew because of depression. He’s very smart with an excellent memory. My boss, Gou Kai—you know him, right?—is a World Memory Championship winner, but I feel Li Jin Yu’s memory might be even better than my boss’s. The kind who remembers everything at a glance.”

The large and small figures were now coming out of the convenience store, and the gas had just been filled. Ye Meng drove over to them. “What are you planning to do next? If you want a divorce, Jia Yu will likely be given to Chen Jian, since he’s a civil servant. If you still want to continue living with him, as long as Chen Jian is a man worthy of your lifelong commitment, I can discuss the issue with him. I’m willing to kneel and apologize if necessary. But all evidence shows he’s a mama’s boy without responsibility, not worthy of anyone’s commitment.”

“What apology? You and Chen Jian have no conflict at all; you’ve been polite enough to him. To put it bluntly, the only reason he’s close to Ma Bu is to brown-nose Ma Bu’s father, so he joins Ma Bu in badmouthing you. I used to think he was honest and reliable, but I was blind. A marriage certificate is like a mirror that reveals monsters—men all act properly before marriage, but afterward, all sorts of demons show their true forms. I can’t live with him anymore, not just because of this time, but because of all these years—his laziness, his disregard for our marriage, his perfunctory attitude toward our child, and his lingering affection for other flowers and grasses out there. I’ve seen it all. I am going to divorce him, and I will fight desperately for custody of our child.”

Ye Meng didn’t try to persuade her further. The two sisters had always had an unspoken understanding, never interfering with each other’s decisions, only standing behind to cheer, even if wrong, bearing it together. Because neither of them had foresight, they truly didn’t know which path was right and which was wrong. Good friends simply mean that no matter which path you choose, even if it’s full of thorns, they quietly accompany each other to the end.

After dropping Fang Ya’en at the hotel, Ye Meng and Li Jin Yu sat in the car for a while. Ye Meng had the window open, one hand holding a cigarette resting outside. She took it back for a drag, exhaling pale white smoke with a pained expression: “In the future, if anyone interrogates you as Chen Jian did, just ignore them. Don’t compromise yourself. They all know that I value romance over friendship. If anyone upsets my boyfriend, none of us will have a good time.”

“When do you start work in the city?” Li Jin Yu completely ignored her.

“After the 10th, still waiting for official notice.”

Just as she spoke, her phone dinged once. Ye Meng fished it out of the armrest compartment and looked—her eyes nearly went black. Coincidentally, the message had just arrived. Ye Meng speechlessly held the phone up for him to see.

“Brother, are you some kind of prophet? The job notice I’ve been waiting for half a month comes as soon as you ask. Are you the devil or what?”

He looked at her speechlessly: “Weren’t you prepared for this all along? Why are you acting all mournful now?”

“What preparation? I was planning to sleep with you before going to work. Now they’re notifying me to report the day after tomorrow. So, should we find time to do it tonight or tomorrow night?” Ye Meng half-jokingly stubbed out her cigarette and teased him.

“Goddamn, I’ve had enough.” Li Jin Yu leaned his head back on the seat, glancing at her sideways, extremely helplessly turning to look out the window, cursing with a laugh.

Ye Meng drove home, stopping outside the apartment building. “Are you sure you don’t need me to drive you?”

Li Jin Yu sat in the passenger seat, somewhat sleepily mining with a nasal tone, “Go in. With your driving skills, the old man downstairs from my place is more stable on his tricycle. I’ll walk back later.”

Ye Meng nodded, unfastened her seatbelt, and as if remembering something, leaned over, “Kiss me.”

Li Jin Yu had been exhausted all day and was very tired. Seeing her smiling pleadingly at him, he leaned back in the passenger seat, head against the top, looking down at her for a while with drowsy eyes, as if shrouded in an impenetrable mist. He smiled perfunctorily and lowered his head to lightly touch her lips. “Satisfied?”

Ye Meng smiled triumphantly. After returning home, showering, and lying in bed, she sent Li Jin Yu a WeChat message.

By then, Li Jin Yu had just arrived home. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and WeChat sounded.

[Meng: Baby.] [LJY: Here.] [Meng: Baby baby baby.] [LJY: Tired, going to sleep.] [Meng: Let’s go see a movie tomorrow. I know there’s a private cinema in town with private rooms. Don’t worry, no surveillance cameras.] [LJY: Mmm.] [Meng: angry emoji Are you so economical with words when chatting with other girls too?]

After a while, Li Jin Yu didn’t bother to reply and directly sent a screenshot of his chat with another girl—

[Liu Yi Yi: Are you there?] [LJY: .?] [Liu Yi Yi: Is this Li Jin Yu?] [LJY: ?] [Liu Yi Yi: Do you remember me? I work at the bank. A new theater opened in the west part of town. Would you like to see a movie with me tomorrow?] [LJY: baoqianyuelenvpengyou] [Liu Yi Yi: You have a girlfriend now?] [LJY: en]

Ye Meng hadn’t expected Liu Yi Yi to still be pursuing him. She had thought there was no movement from Liu Yi Yi’s side, assuming she had given up, but unexpectedly, this girl was still secretly trying to date him.

Right after, her phone vibrated again as he sent another message.

[LJY: Screen is broken, can’t display text. I’m using Pinyin. Just this one sentence took your brother five minutes.] [LJY: Girlfriend treatment, happy now?]