Su Man drove to the scene of the accident.

It was deep in the night and all was still. The street lamps nearby had gone out, and apart from a 24-hour convenience store not far away offering the road a faint glow, most of the area was nearly pitch-black.

The two of them got out to search for the ID card, but made no progress.

“Do you think someone picked it up?” Su Man sighed. “What a headache…”

Lu Yuwen was still unhurried in his tone. “If I can’t stay at a hotel, I could book a guesthouse for the night… It’s too late now — you head home. I’ll keep looking for a while longer on my own.”

There was no way Su Man would leave him here alone. She shook her head. “I’ll look with you.”

At that moment, her phone rang. She answered it.

Her mother’s voice came through:

“Are you home yet? Get some good rest. Remember to bring your father’s things to the hospital tomorrow morning.”

Su Man glanced at Lu Yuwen. “Not yet… Mr. Lu’s ID card is missing. I came with him to the accident site to look for it. I’ll head back in a bit.”

“Ah? His ID card is missing?” Su Ma immediately grew anxious. “What are we going to do? Without an ID card, he won’t be able to check in at any hotel. Where is he going to sleep tonight?”

Su Man hesitated. “He’s thinking of booking a guesthouse…”

“At this hour, guesthouses won’t be easy to book either. Su Man, take Mr. Lu home with you. Stop looking for the ID card tonight — he can go get a replacement tomorrow in daylight. Tell him not to worry.”

Su Man: “Ah?”

“What do you mean, ‘ah’?” Su Ma said over the phone. “We have so many rooms — it’s not as though we can’t fit him. Don’t be so shy about it. That man did our family a great service. Inviting him to stay for a few days is just common courtesy. Understood?”

Su Man looked toward Lu Yuwen in a daze…

It wasn’t that she was unwilling to invite him — it was mostly that she had never done anything like this before. With her parents both at the hospital, it would essentially be just her hosting Lu Yuwen alone, which felt… somewhat unfamiliar.

Su Ma’s words had been loud enough for Lu Yuwen to hear. He could see the hesitation in Su Man’s expression and, perceptive as he was, said considerately, “There’s no need for that. If I came to stay, it would be an inconvenience for you all. And with just the two of us — a man and a woman — your aunt and uncle would worry.”

Su Man paused. “…Ah?”

Another “ah.”

By the look on her face, she clearly hadn’t considered any danger in a man and woman alone under the same roof — and evidently, her family hadn’t either.

The thought flickered through Lu Yuwen’s mind, and the answer came quickly: with a daughter who had those fighting skills and that physical strength, they really didn’t need to worry.

Su Man explained, “No, no — Mr. Lu, I and my family absolutely trust your character. Please don’t misunderstand. We’re genuinely inviting you to stay because we want to express our gratitude…”

Lu Yuwen listened quietly as she spoke.

She tilted her head and looked up at the sky, then continued, stumbling over her words: “And, well — look, it’s so late… whether you try to get a cab or book a guesthouse, it’s going to be a hassle. If you’re willing to stay at my place, my parents would be so happy… I — I’d be happy too, to be able to help you.”

When Su Man finished speaking, she looked at him with wide, bright dark eyes, waiting for his response.

Lu Yuwen considered for a moment, the corners of his mouth curving upward into a gentle smile. “Alright then… I’ll impose on you.”

Su Man let out a breath of relief. If she’d let Lu Yuwen go off to book a guesthouse, she was certain her mother would have given her an earful!

And she herself did genuinely hope to help him. After all, he had helped her father.

……

Lu Yuwen settled back into the passenger seat, smiling softly. “You forgot.”

Su Man started the engine. “Hm?”

Lu Yuwen: “Just now, you called me Mr. Lu.”

“Oh…” Su Man laughed a little sheepishly. “Right, we agreed to use first names. Lu Yuwen, Lu Yuwen~”

“First name and last name together — that feels a bit formal,” Lu Yuwen said. “Just call me Yuwen.”

Su Man paused, then said, “Mm… alright. Yuwen.”

Two simple syllables passed through her lips, a perfectly ordinary form of address — and yet, inexplicably, it left her with a slight, bashful warmth.

Probably because they’d just met.

Su Man thought silently to herself.

—