Where Lu Yuwen chose to stay was his own business — it wasn’t Su Man’s place to ask him to stay.

She thought it over quietly. She had to go to work during the day, her mother was at the hospital looking after her father, and there was essentially no one at home to host him. Keeping him here was, honestly, less convenient than a hotel.

That evening, Su Man mentioned it to Su Ma over the phone, and Su Ma gave a long, drawn-out sigh:

“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it. He came here to visit, after all — of course he should stay wherever is most convenient. We’ll just have to find another opportunity to properly thank him.”

Expressing gratitude had its art — you couldn’t just do it arbitrarily. It had to land on something the other person actually cared about; only then would the debt truly be repaid.

If Lu Yuwen were short on money, the Su family could give him a sum directly as a gesture of thanks. But Lu Yuwen clearly wasn’t in any financial difficulty, so they’d have to find another way.

Su Man lay in bed, her thoughts drifting aimlessly — first to Li Li and his hopeless antics, then to Lu Yuwen and the gentle, refined way he had smiled at her. She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: *How can someone this wonderful exist?*

His manner of speaking was always modest and measured — he never left a silence hanging awkwardly, never made things uncomfortable, and put people at ease in the way a warm breeze does. And on top of that, so tender and attentive, thoughtful in every small way, and genuinely handsome on top of all of it…

Then she thought of Li Li, and fell into a complicated silence.

Before, Li Li had counted as one of the better ones among the children of high-ranking families in their circle — intelligent, and clean in his personal life, no bad habits. But compared to Lu Yuwen…

*Sigh.*

Beyond sighing, she had nothing else to add.

This comparison might not be entirely fair — after all, she and Li Li had known each other for over twenty years, their familiarity grown so deep that she wouldn’t even bother to step away to pass gas around him. Naturally she knew every one of his flaws. But when it came to Lu Yuwen…

Wait.

Su Man soundlessly rolled over.

…Why was she expecting to discover Lu Yuwen’s flaws?

They’d only just met. They might never even see each other again. Why was she so interested in knowing him better?

She really wasn’t normal.

She really had not been normal lately.

Su Man closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.

……

The next day came with the same routine. She got up early, rushed off to support the morning rush, and then spent the entire day caught in the churning current of traffic — under the blazing sun, breathing exhaust fumes, her head filled with nothing but work and nothing else.

When things finally settled, it was time to clock off.

No drunk-driving checks tonight — Su Man was glad for the reprieve. She went straight to the hospital after her shift.

To her surprise, when she pushed open the door to the hospital room, she found Lu Yuwen there — deep in lively conversation with her parents.

Su Man stared, rooted to the doorway.

Su Ma waved her over. “You’re just in time — your father was just saying he wanted an apple. Come peel one for him.”

“Oh…” Su Man walked over, picked up an apple, and began peeling in silence.

Her parents and Lu Yuwen continued chatting.

Su Ma’s tone carried an obvious warmth and delight: “Opening a branch is a wonderful thing! We’d finally have somewhere to go for dinner. Have you chosen a location yet? Do you need any help?”

Lu Yuwen replied pleasantly, “A new restaurant needs foot traffic most of all — if you could bring some friends along to give it a try when it opens, that would be a tremendous help. As for the location, I’m planning to leave that to my business partner. There’s no rush. For now, I’d like to spend the next couple of months getting familiar with the local dining scene.”

Su Ba nodded. “That’s the right approach. Young people these days are always in such a hurry — too eager for quick results. Running a business should be like what you’re doing, Lu — take the time first to thoroughly understand the market, and then you can run it well…”

Su Ma gave a dismissive sniff. “Listen to you, talking as if you know. Didn’t you spend the better part of your life sitting in an office?”

“I’ve studied the theory,” Su Ba muttered, then glanced at his daughter out of the corner of his eye and changed the subject. “Is the apple peeled yet?”

Su Man handed it over.

She was just drawing her hand back when Lu Yuwen suddenly reached out and clasped her wrist. Su Man went still.

“What happened to your hand?” His brows furrowed. “You’re bleeding.”

—