Ye Meng took the bait, asking coldly: “Oh, how many times?”

Li Jin Yu, buried in her neck, thought seriously and answered in a muffled voice: “Twice.”

It seemed a bit low. Ye Meng had expected this, which also meant he had to vomit twice a month. But she still showed respect with a slight raise of her eyebrow, “Can your stomach handle it?”

Li Jin Yu took a deep breath: “I have habitual reflux, so I can’t eat things that are too spicy or fishy.”

“Delicate.”

“Mm, I’ve been delicate since childhood, fortunately born into a wealthy family. Although my mother hated me, at least she didn’t deprive me of food, clothing, or shelter. If I didn’t dress well, she felt I embarrassed her. She was always generous with money.”

No wonder his taste in clothes was so good, everything he wore had style. This was truly a young master who had crawled out of money since childhood. His temperament and upbringing had seeped into his bones; now he’d look good even wearing a sack.

Ye Meng looked down at him and suddenly asked: “Li Jin Yu, are you still taking antidepressants?”

“No,” Li Jin Yu lowered his head and began to kiss her, following a path from her neck to her chin, “I stopped three years ago when I transitioned to moderate depression. The doctor said it affects kidney and liver function. I only take them if I can’t control my emotions.”

Ye Meng turned her head away, not letting him kiss her, pushing his head away, saying sternly: “Talk properly.”

Li Jin Yu adjusted his posture, pulling her far away. He leaned against the counter, hands obediently in his pockets, typically taking advantage and then playing innocent: “Then stand further away.”

Ye Meng suddenly didn’t know what to say or ask, sighing, and being late at night, afraid of waking the old lady, she said: “Forget it, we’ll talk tomorrow. Can we sleep first?”

Li Jin Yu nodded.

Ye Meng turned to go back to the room, then as if remembering something, she abruptly turned back and coldly told him: “Empty the ashtray, are you putting it on the windowsill for flowers?”

Without her reminder, Li Jin Yu was already taking it, but still obediently replied, “Okay.”

Without looking back, Ye Meng added: “Starting tomorrow, quit smoking with me!”

As he emptied it into the trash can, he responded obediently: “Okay.”

Ye Meng couldn’t sleep. She had been back for three days, and all three days had been spent arguing. They hadn’t even properly kissed, just filled with anger. Lying in bed, she felt sorry for him, yet didn’t want to forgive him so quickly. Her heart seemed to split in two, one half burning in a fierce fire, the other melting on ice and snow.

The torment was unbearable.

While Ye Meng was burning up inside, Li Jin Yu lay quietly, his breathing even.

Ye Meng curled up in the blanket, angrily biting her finger.

It was always her who took the initiative. Always. Stinky little brother. Li, you bastard.

In the end, she couldn’t help but turn to her side, facing him. Li Jin Yu lay on his back, eyes closed, the corners of his eyes folded into a gentle arc, his eyelashes dense as if lined with eyeliner, each one distinct, neatly drooping below his eyelids. His entire face was pale white, his features deep and elegant.

Ye Meng’s heart tumbled anxiously, like an invisible hourglass, unable to control the flowing sand. But she also felt that time couldn’t just pass like this, so unconsciously she leaned over and kissed his clearly defined lips.

Li Jin Yu opened his eyes to look at her, his gaze clear, obviously not asleep either, and asked pleadingly: “Want more?”

Ye Meng propped herself up, growing angry, pinching his face, “Why do you always look like I’m about to rape you?”

Then forcing him to lift his chin, Ye Meng propped herself up with one hand, pressing down, her breath hitting his face, pushing further, saying harshly: “Who are you showing that pitiful look to?”

He lay obediently, not even blinking, his eyes intertwined with hers, looking at her openly: “To you, I want you to feel sorry for me, so you won’t be angry with me anymore, okay?”

Ye Meng pinched his cheeks, shaking them, continuing to pretend: “So you’re playing pitiful.”

His eyes were clear and bright: “I’m not playing, I just look pitiful.”

“With your looks, if you went to a bar to drink yourself into oblivion, people would think, ‘that woman scored.'”

Ye Meng looked at him mockingly, casually shaking his chin, somewhat furious: “Where did that arrogant Li Jin Yu from yesterday go? Didn’t you say I was disgusting? I’m clinging to you, right? I forced you to marry me, right? You think you’ve got me figured out, huh—”

Li Jin Yu cupped her face, raising his head to capture her lips, gently sucking once, then quickly lying back down: “I was wrong.”

Ye Meng threatened again: “Don’t think a kiss makes everything okay—”

He raised his head again, kissing her once more without changing his expression.

Seeing him seeking reconciliation expressionlessly and persistently, Ye Meng’s heart was ablaze, wanting to strangle this little bastard. Her eyes burned with unwillingness, yet she was already involuntarily lowering her head to kiss him. Finally, she cursed softly, “Little bastard, I won’t let you off next time.”

This time, the little bastard carefully extended his tongue, gently probing between her lips and teeth. Ye Meng bit the tip of his tongue in response.

Li Jin Yu, with her lips in his, flung back the blanket and unexpectedly flipped over, pinning her beneath him. Their positions reversed, his eyes now looking down as he lowered his head, alternating between scanning her face and kissing her. The moon hung round and high in the sky, illuminating this corner of the world. All sounds in the room died away. Outside the window, a cat on the high wall seemed to have witnessed the epilogue of a movie, slipping down the wall with a whoosh, making a graceful exit of its own accord.

Ye Meng unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, deeply giving herself to him.

Only the sound of their close kisses remained in the room, along with the increasingly deeper exchange of saliva.

Finally, Ye Meng pulled several tissues from the bedside table to wrap him, “Are you uncomfortable?”

The man’s voice had changed, his eyes showing restraint: “It’s fine.”

“I’m asking about your stomach, do you feel like vomiting?”

He looked at her, his heart soft as cotton: “It’s okay.”

“Grandma really won’t hear, will she?” Ye Meng asked, half doubting.

“She won’t.” He looked down, his eyes now red.

… Until Li Jin Yu finally felt comfortable, something seeming to recede from his blood, gradually cooling down. This time he didn’t feel any nausea at all, an unprecedented feeling of refreshment. He smoked while leaning against the headboard, watching her clean up.

“Leave it, I’ll clean up tomorrow,” Li Jin Yu extinguished his cigarette, pulled her over, pressed her down, buried his head in her sweat-drenched shoulder, nuzzling a bit, and asked in a low voice: “Are you still leaving tomorrow?”

“Don’t nuzzle, it’s filthy, all sweaty,” Ye Meng pushed him, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Li Jin Yu held her down, laughing, “Taking a shower at this time, do you want grandma to know what we’ve been doing? As long as I don’t mind you being dirty, it’s fine. Let’s just sleep like this for now.”

“Alright,” Ye Meng was too lazy to argue, looking up at the man on top of her, “How come you never sweat? I’ve had night sweats since childhood. When physical activity increases, it gets even worse.”

“This counts as high physical activity?” he laughed, “Then in the future, you’ll be dripping wet.”

Ye Meng: “…”

They both slept late the next day. Li Jin Yu woke up half an hour earlier. By the time Ye Meng awoke, he was already in the kitchen making breakfast, the pan sizzling as he fried eggs. Ye Meng came over rubbing her eyes, hugging him from behind, sleepily resting against his back, continuing to sleep.

Li Jin Yu cracked another egg in with one hand, threw the eggshell into the trash can, and looked back at her, allowing her to use him as a pillow without saying anything.

Ye Meng was truly tired and slept for half an hour just like that, hugging him. After Li Jin Yu finished cooking, he simply turned off the stove without cleaning the kitchen, only leaning against the counter, lifting her to the front, letting her use him as a cushion, watching her sleep for half an hour.

“Is my sleeping face pretty?” she woke up gradually, rubbing her eyes to look at him.

Li Jin Yu looked at the large patch of drool she had left on his chest, pulling it up to show her, asking with a smile: “What do you think?”

Ye Meng turned and walked away.

While brushing her teeth, Ye Meng saw Li Jin Yu go back to change clothes and angrily leaned against the bedroom door with her toothbrush in her mouth: “Yesterday you said you didn’t mind me, what now? Is my saliva poisonous?”

Li Jin Yu had stripped off his upper body, revealing his sexy abdominal V-line. He was putting on a short-sleeved shirt, just pulling it over his head. Without looking at her, he put on the shirt and casually picked up several T-shirts scattered on the bed, “I don’t mind you. I’m going out to walk Ping An, and then need to go to the supermarket. Finish brushing your teeth and come in to change. We’ll talk in the car.”

Ning Sui County had narrow roads and many cars. Between eight and nine o’clock, the morning rush hour was filled with office workers rushing to punch in on time, often resulting in accidents. Ye Meng drove slowly in the traffic. Her driving skills were average, and having not driven for half a month in Beijing, whatever feeling she had gained earlier was now gone.

Another old man on a rickety tricycle passed by, a scene particularly familiar.

“…”

Ye Meng noticed that after Li Jin Yu became her boyfriend, he never criticized her for driving again. Sitting in the passenger seat, he observed coldly, at most occasionally reminding her to signal a turn, but never nagging—such a husband would be hard to find even with a lantern.

“Didn’t you say we’d talk in the car?” Ye Meng turned to ask him.

Li Jin Yu expressionlessly immediately turned her head back: “Focus on driving first.”

Finally, this conversation took place smoothly in the supermarket.

“I grew up with Tai Ming Xiao and the others like we were wearing the same pants. Those days in Beijing are the only ones I don’t regret, meeting them. Although others think Gou Kai is sinister and cunning, he’s very good to his friends. Tai Ming Xiao says Gou Kai is very similar to me, but what Tai Ming Xiao doesn’t know is that Gou Kai is genuinely obedient, while I’m fake obedient. I was just pretending for my mother. So at that time, I stopped you from going to Beijing because I was afraid you would fall for him. Because Sister Ya En said you like obedient men.”

“You and Gou Kai are nothing alike, Tai Ming Xiao is blind,” Ye Meng countered, holding several packages of dried squid.

He continued: “Then after I withdrew from the competition, the forums were filled with abuse. Outsiders thought memory palaces were just a trick, impossible as a memory method, while insiders felt I had disgraced the reputation of memory palaces. I was made to feel like an outcast everywhere.”

Li Jin Yu wore the fisherman hat from their first meeting, leaning against a stone pillar by the shelves. Ye Meng suddenly felt the time was flying; by the lake, she never imagined they would develop like this. Back then, she never thought they would get married, just purely wanted to add a handsome guy on WeChat. Then she thought this handsome guy looked too much like a scumbag and forcefully moved from WeChat to the crab restaurant.

Gazes from all around—admiring, curious, eager. With Li Jin Yu’s appearance, if she took out her phone, people might think they were some kind of internet celebrity doing a street shoot.

“Baby, forget it, don’t talk about it anymore,” Ye Meng didn’t want to hear him mention these hurtful things, so she took out her phone and loudly teased him: “Come on, big star, look at the camera. After this set, we still have to rush to the next one.”

Li Jin Yu was confused but still allowed her to take photos without moving.

Ye Meng casually took a few photos, pretending to exclaim: “My goodness, these don’t even need editing. Indeed, the more expensive the photographer, the better.”

The gazes of onlookers increased. Li Jin Yu leaned casually: “With such basic equipment, where’s the expense?”

“Only ugly people need equipment,” Ye Meng squatted to find angles, “I’ll just add a filter, and it’ll have that supermarket blockbuster quality.”

Not noticeable when not photographing, but once photographed, Li Jin Yu’s eyes immediately stood out. Even looking at the camera was deeply affectionate. Ye Meng pretended to put away her phone: “Goodness, truly a big star. Quick, cover your hat, don’t let fans recognize you.”

The surrounding gazes grew increasingly curious. Many even raised their phones to take photos. When leaving, Li Jin Yu was even secretly stopped by a cashier girl who thought he was a celebrity, shyly asking if she could have an autograph.

Li Jin Yu gave Ye Meng a speechless glance, politely telling the girl: “Sorry, my wife was just joking with me.”

The two found their car in the underground parking garage. Before getting in, Ye Meng unlocked the car but didn’t rush to get in, leaning against the door with a smile: “Baby, do you understand now?”

Li Jin Yu lowered his head and made an affirmative sound, “What?”

“Too many people evaluate us. Whether they curse or praise, it doesn’t change who we essentially are. Just like earlier, how many passersby were misled by our act? Everyone thought you were a big star, but in reality, it was just a few minutes of brief contact, and they had already drawn conclusions about you. No matter how many vulgar words those forums from the past used against you, they don’t understand the real you. Based on my years of experience in public relations, true bystanders mostly don’t speak up. Anyone who speaks in public usually does so from a certain standpoint, either disliking you or liking you. The rest are just spectators. And what you should remember is that spectators make up the majority of people in life. They’re too busy with their affairs, and any event in their eyes is just a passing breeze, forgotten after a glance. This is China’s public opinion environment.”

What she said made sense. Li Jin Yu opened the car door for her, one hand on the roof as he looked at her: “Do you think I care about these things?”

“I’m just worried!” Ye Meng, enclosed between him and the car door, said coquettishly.

“After leaving Beijing, I didn’t contact them, not because I was afraid to face these rumors. I felt it was unnecessary. When I cut ties with my mother, I was no longer part of that circle. If they knew how I’m living now, they would try every means to get me back to Beijing, which would be meaningless for me. I don’t want to disrupt my current life rhythm.”

The parking lot was empty, and even speaking slightly louder seemed to echo.

Li Jin Yu encircled her, one hand against the car door. His eternally unchanged sports jacket was zipped up to the top. Ye Meng leaned back, listening to him speak while absentmindedly playing with his fully zipped zipper, fidgeting with it.

“Good, I understand, you’ve told me before. You want to be with Grandma.”

A car nearby seemed to be leaving, its headlights suddenly brightening, casting shifting shadows. Ye Meng instinctively squinted, and then amidst the rumbling sound of rolling wheels, she was kissed on the lips. He was becoming increasingly skillful; Ye Meng almost couldn’t stand, clinging to his neck.

After the kiss, he supported her with his hand, unable to help but smile.

“Let me say something that might get me hit—I still want to be with someone I can sleep with, although of course, I wish Grandma a long life.”

“So I’m just someone you can sleep with, huh? Fine, Li Jin Yu, you’re getting more and more shameless.” Ye Meng pretended to kick him.

Li Jin Yu laughed as he dodged into the car.

…

That evening.

“When are you going back?”

Li Jin Yu turned off the light, using the blanket to tightly cover both of them, including their heads. Ye Meng felt wet, warm breaths from all sides as if she were being steamed like a bun. Dark, warm, and his broad, warm, vibrant body. Unexpectedly cozy, as if the whole world had shrunk to just this intensely intimate corner.

Ye Meng: “Depends on your performance.”

“How to perform?” he pressed against her, asking hoarsely, “Hmm? Does sister want it? I can use my mouth.”

“Li Jin Yu, you’re just a shameless rogue.”

He leaned by her ear, laughing so hard his whole body trembled, and shamelessly added, “I’m serious, I really can. I don’t mind you.”

“You probably don’t even know how to undo underwear, right?”

“I’m not an idiot.”

Ye Meng was so sleepy she might as well have been propping her eyes open with matchsticks: “Are we sleeping or not?”

“You don’t want to? Aren’t you uncomfortable? I heard that women in their thirties, umm…”

“Li Jin Yu, do you believe I’ll smash your head in?”

…