Su Man had no idea what he was thinking. She pressed her lips together, feeling a little uneasy…

She wasn’t sure why she felt uneasy. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe… she just didn’t want to disappoint him.

Thinking it over, she spoke quietly: “It’ll only be two or three days. His injuries aren’t serious — he should recover quickly.”

Lu Yuwen gave a low sigh. “I just feel like you work so hard already. You have such a heavy workload, and now you can’t even properly rest in the evenings…”

He paused for a moment, then sighed again — as though he genuinely ached for her — and said, “Let’s stop chatting. Go wash up and get to sleep.”

Su Man glanced up at the time. It really was already very late.

Today they hadn’t even managed to see each other, and there was barely any time left to talk either…

Sigh.

“You get some sleep too.” Su Man said it reluctantly. “Goodnight.”

Lu Yuwen: “Goodnight.”

……

Su Man lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

“It’s only a few days without seeing each other…” she lay there, closing her eyes and opening them again, murmuring to herself. “He definitely understands. I told him before that Li Li and I are close, that we grew up together… and besides, we can still see each other on the weekend. It’s the same either way…”

She muttered to herself for a while, but her heart was still restless — she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. Maybe it was because she felt she was falling short. The way she handled things, or her attitude toward people and situations — it all seemed lacking, and she didn’t know how to improve… The more she thought about it, the more it all came back to her nature.

“It’s only a few days without seeing each other… seeing each other every single day was already too clingy anyway…”

She reassured herself, then reflected on herself, and finally, in a hazy drift, fell asleep.

The next day was a bright and sunny one. The sky was a deep, clear blue without a single cloud, and the sunlight beat down mercilessly on the rooftops. Even sitting inside a car with the air conditioning turned up full, it seemed as though she could feel the waves of heat outside.

It was only seven or eight in the morning. By noon, who knew how unbearable the heat would become.

Her mood was irritable, and the weather only made her more restless — she just wanted to fast-forward to the evening, when the sun would set and the temperature would drop.

But then she remembered she had to go keep Li Li company that evening, and she thought… well, hot is hot. When has summer ever not been hot?

Su Man was aware of the shift in her own attitude.

Before, going to see Li Li had made her genuinely happy, something to look forward to. But now, it felt like obligation and reluctant resignation.

When had that change started?… Had they argued so many times that she’d grown tired of him? That didn’t seem to be it — in the past, after every fight, they’d somehow inexplicably made up, and the next time they met, she’d still be perfectly cheerful.

After all those times, she’d never grown tired of it. So why, of all moments, now?

The only difference was… now there was Lu Yuwen.

Every evening having dinner with him, wandering around with him, looking at shops for the business, chatting — without even realizing it, she’d gradually undergone a shift in how she felt. Just as Li Li had said, she was so easily coaxed into joy by a few words from Lu Yuwen. Being with him was simply too comfortable. So comfortable it was addictive. The things she lacked deep down, the things she craved, the quiet longings that no one had ever noticed — Lu Yuwen always seemed to fulfill them.

As long as she was with him, even doing ordinary, everyday things, she never felt bored.

But that being said — was what she liked actually Lu Yuwen himself… or did she only like the way he treated her?

The thought surfaced, and Su Man couldn’t help but feel confused.

If Lu Yuwen treated her the way Li Li did, would she still like him?

A sudden sharp blast of a horn erupted from behind her. Su Man startled, snapping back to awareness — only to realize the red light had long since turned green, and the car behind her was impatiently leaning on the horn to hurry her along.

She wanted to sink into the ground. She had let her mind wander while driving! Just last night she’d been boasting to Lu Yuwen on the phone about her professional competence — what an embarrassment!

Su Man shook her head, cleared away all the scattered thoughts, and set her attention back on the road.

—