After returning from the cemetery, Xu’s mother invited Gu Congwang to stay for dinner.

Though Gu Congwang was a young master, he was exceptionally skilled at pleasing elders. At the dinner table, he praised every dish, and after eating, he busied himself clearing the bowls and washing dishes.

No matter how much Xu’s mother tried to dissuade him, he insisted, like a cold-hearted, merciless dishwashing machine.

Left with no choice, Xu’s mother patted Xu Zhinan’s back: “Go help him.”

Xu Zhinan responded with an “Okay” and walked into the kitchen. Young Master Gu was rolling up his sleeves, washing dishes, clearly inexperienced. He had squeezed too much detergent, and when the water ran over it, it spread into a thick layer of foam that couldn’t be rinsed clean.

Xu Zhinan watched for a while and then laughed: “Let me do it.”

“No, no, no.” Gu Congwang held up his two foam-covered hands.

“You won’t get them clean that way.”

“Then you can guide me remotely, but don’t interfere.”

“…Well, use less detergent, rinse them clean and put them aside, then rinse them once more and that should do it.”

Gu Congwang waved his hand: “Easy!”

Water droplets from his fingertips splashed onto Xu Zhinan’s face. She made a surprised sound, and Gu Congwang laughed while apologizing, wanting to help wipe it off, but his hands were even dirtier.

Xu Zhinan wiped it away with the back of her hand: “If your mother saw you like this, she’d be shocked.”

“My mother probably doesn’t even know how to wash dishes herself. The kitchen is our housekeeper’s domain.”

“Then why are you so eager to wash dishes?”

“Can’t I, your young master, experience life a little?”

“…”

Gu Congwang finished washing the dishes, chatted with Xu’s mother for a while before leaving. It was already late.

There weren’t many subjects to take exams for this semester, just two, and the review pressure wasn’t great, so Xu Zhinan decided not to return to school.

She went back to her bedroom and took out the clothes she had brought to change into in the morning, only to discover that Lin Qingye’s white t-shirt had also been brought back.

Because she didn’t dare hang this shirt in the dormitory, she hadn’t washed it after taking it off.

Xu Zhinan paused, took the shirt to the bathroom, washed it once, and hung it on the balcony before coming back.

The evening breeze gently caressed the shirt, making it flutter.

Now, seeing this shirt again brought completely different feelings.

Just then, Xu’s mother pushed the door open. Xu Zhinan shifted her gaze: “Mom?”

“Is it far for Xiao Gu to get home from here?”

“Quite far. I think his home is near Yintai City.”

“Then why didn’t you see him off?” Her mother’s tone was slightly reproachful.

Xu Zhinan: “He didn’t take the subway back. He had a driver pick him up.”

“I see. Is Xiao Gu’s family well-off?”

“Yes, his father runs a company.” Xu Zhinan didn’t know more details as she hadn’t asked much.

Her mother smiled and said: “I think he seems to like you.”

The topic shifted so abruptly that Xu Zhinan didn’t immediately react, blankly asking: “Who?”

“Who else? Xiao Gu.” Her mother smiled. “You’ve grown up in the same school since childhood, knowing each other’s backgrounds well. Although mom doesn’t care if you marry someone rich or poor in the future, what’s most important is that they treat you well.”

What was all this about?

Xu Zhinan quickly called out “Mom” to stop her and explained: “Gu Congwang and I are not in that kind of relationship. We’re just friends.”

“You’re about to graduate from college, how can you still be so naive? If Xiao Gu doesn’t like you, why would he be so good to you? He could be comfortably living as a young master at home, but instead he comes to our house to help out and wash dishes, and even went to see your father.”

“He’s a good person. I’ve known him for so many years, and he’s always been like this.”

Her mother spoke with certainty: “You’ve never liked anyone before, so you don’t understand.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan couldn’t speak.

She had liked someone.

Liked for so long, trembling with anxiety, treading carefully.

But now, perhaps her mother wasn’t wrong—she truly didn’t understand.

“Think about it. Mom feels that Xiao Gu is particularly suitable for you.” Her mother enumerated Gu Congwang’s merits. “Considerate, kind, hardworking, and also cheerful, with high emotional intelligence, which complements you well.”

“…”

“Anyway, Mom likes this type, and I can feel at ease.” Her mother said, “Some boys are good at winning girls’ hearts, but when it comes to the future, they’re ultimately not reliable. You must never be blinded by such boys’ sweet talk.”

Xu Zhinan obediently replied: “I know, Mom.”

“Look at me, how did I start talking about these things?” Her mother laughed, pushing her forehead with her index finger. “You haven’t even awakened to these matters yet.”

“…”

After her mother left, only Xu Zhinan remained in the bedroom.

The warm summer night breeze blew gently, and the thin T-shirt dried quickly. Xu Zhinan sat at the desk, staring at the clothes outside the window for a while, then went to bring the shirt back in.

The shirt now only had the scent of detergent, a faint floral fragrance.

Lin Qingye’s unique scent was no longer on it.

Xu Zhinan folded the shirt neatly, took out her phone, wondering how to return it to him.

At the same time, a red circle with “1” appeared at the bottom of the WeChat interface. She tapped it casually and froze.

It displayed Lin Qingye’s avatar—he had liked her moment of mourning her father.

This was the first connection with Lin Qingye since she threw that bottle of water at him.

But when she clicked on the notification again, the avatar was gone, leaving only a like notification.

Lin Qingye had canceled his like.

Probably a mistake.

Xu Zhinan’s fingertips paused slightly. She exited and put the shirt away in the bottom layer of her wardrobe.

Forget it. She had worn this shirt, and even if she returned it, he probably wouldn’t want it anymore.

Lin Qingye didn’t sleep well that night.

Even though it had been several days since Xu Zhinan last visited, in his dreams he could still smell her unique fragrance.

He had originally thought it was the scent of her body wash, but even after she showered at his place, the fragrance remained.

A non-intense sweetness, like light cream wrapped in freshly baked desserts.

Lin Qingye had once asked her about the source of the fragrance.

Xu Zhinan was quite confused, asking what fragrance.

She had never noticed it herself.

So Lin Qingye smiled, his finger gently scratching her face, playfully teasing: “Your natural scent.”

He woke up to a phone call.

The curtains in the bedroom were tightly drawn, making it dark. He sat up with furrowed brows, picked up the phone, and saw it was Lin Guancheng calling.

He had drunk a lot the night before, and his throat was uncomfortable. He swiped to answer but didn’t speak immediately, grabbing the glass from the bedside and taking a big gulp of cold water.

Lin Guancheng: “Hello?”

“Mm, what is it?”

“You’ve graduated. Let’s have lunch together. Your uncles and others are coming,” Lin Guancheng said.

“Where?”

“I’ll send you the address later. Just a few relatives. After all, graduation calls for a meal together.”

His graduation, yet he was the last to be notified about the meal. How considerate.

Lin Qingye sarcastically curled his lip but responded flatly.

Lin Guancheng had made his fortune in real estate years ago, later expanding his business empire. Now he was a prominent figure in Yan City.

Lin Qingye went to the address Lin Guancheng had sent him, only to discover that it was far from just “a few relatives.” Two banquet halls were filled with people.

What were they thinking?

A businessman’s face—even a graduation required a grand affair.

Lin Guancheng, also afraid of his son’s temperament and fearing the scene would embarrass him, said as soon as he saw his frown: “Go to that hall first. Those are all relatives. Don’t worry about this side. It’s just inviting everyone to celebrate together.”

Lin Qingye turned his head to look. The banquet hall doors were open, and he could see a woman standing in the middle, smiling and chatting with people.

Fu Xueming wore a black shallow V-neck dress, with exquisite makeup and expensive diamond earrings hidden among her black hair, exuding an elegant and graceful aura.

Lin Guancheng patted his shoulder: “Your mother is here too. Don’t argue with her.”

Lin Qingye didn’t answer and walked straight in.

“Oh, Qingye is here. We were just missing our main character,” one of his uncles said.

Someone complimented Fu Xueming: “Your son inherited the best traits from you and Guancheng. He’s so handsome, surely many girls at school must like him.”

Fu Xueming’s smile became somewhat stiff, and she didn’t say anything.

“By the way, Old Gu, isn’t your son the same age as Qingye?” someone asked.

“Congwang is a year younger. He’s still in his junior year. His grades aren’t as good as Qingye’s. He went to Ping University, then studied abroad. He just returned to the country after finishing his exams.”

“Going abroad is good, broadens the horizons.”

He waved his hand modestly: “It’s just so-so. At least it’s good practice for his foreign language skills.”

Only then did Lin Qingye notice someone sitting in a corner sofa—the son of the man referred to as “Old Gu,” lounging with his legs crossed, playing a game.

Soon they sat down to eat.

Lin Qingye and Gu Congwang, being close in age, were pushed by the elders to sit side by side, supposedly because they would have “common topics.”

Gu Congwang, busy with his game, looked up at Lin Qingye briefly before lowering his head back to the screen. He was wearing headphones and cursed at his teammates: “Are you fucking trying to get yourself killed?”

The elders also took their seats, chatting non-stop, while the person next to him continued making noise playing his game.

Lin Qingye frowned, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Just five minutes into this room, and he was already bored.

Today’s protagonist was Lin Qingye, so naturally, the topic always centered around him.

Later, someone brought up: “I heard Qingye is going to participate in a singing show, right?”

This was directed at Fu Xueming, but she didn’t pick up the conversation.

Everyone here was family and friends, so they more or less knew about the discord between this mother and son, but they hadn’t expected Fu Xueming to show it so obviously.

When she didn’t respond, the person could only smile awkwardly and look at Lin Qingye.

He gave a faint “Mm.”

“That’s great, great. One should specialize in their profession. Didn’t you win some impressive award before? And those celebrity salaries are high, right? Maybe you’ll be more successful than your dad someday.” The person gave him a thumbs up.

Lin Qingye: “Just playing around.”

“You’re too modest.”

Lin Qingye didn’t respond further.

Gu’s father was irritated seeing Gu Congwang like that, slapping him on the back and scolding: “Did I bring you here to eat or to play games?!”

“I told you I didn’t want to come, but you insisted,” Gu Congwang said.

Gu’s father glared, about to snatch his phone, but Gu Congwang barely dodged: “What are you doing? At least let me finish this round.”

“Can’t you just pause it first?”

Gu Congwang laughed: “Dad, what games these days can be paused?”

Others tried to mediate: “It’s already quite obedient of Congwang to come. During the New Year, I couldn’t get my son to come pay respects no matter what I said.”

Gu’s father dismissed it: “Come on, you think yours can be managed any better?”

Gu Congwang’s gaming skills were quite good, basically at the carry level, leading his teammates to victory.

In the final circle, only two people remained in his team, the other player barely surviving by constantly healing.

At this moment, a WeChat notification popped up on his game screen.

[Nan: Do you have time tonight?]

Gu Congwang’s hand controlling the 98K paused, then he told his teammate: “Hey, I’m lagging, I’m lagging, back off a bit.”

Lin Qingye glanced over and saw that his game was running smoothly. Despite his teammate’s furious shouts, he directly quit the game and opened WeChat.

Lin Qingye narrowed his eyes, his gaze slightly lowered.

The avatar of the person messaging him looked familiar.

Xu Zhinan’s avatar.

Then he saw the contact name: Nan.

What a coincidence.

The person with this avatar on his phone was also saved as Nan.

[Gu Congwang: I’m free all day, what’s up?]

[Nan: You came to help at my house yesterday, right? My mom wants me to treat you to a meal.]

[Gu Congwang: Auntie is so thoughtful. Yes, I should be treated to a meal. Where are you taking me?]

[Nan: I’m going back to school this afternoon. Can I treat you at our cafeteria?]

He clicked his tongue.

[Gu Congwang: Heartless. I thought you were going to treat me to a fancy meal.]

[Nan: Our cafeteria is very good. Or if you want to go somewhere else, you can decide.]

Gu Congwang stopped typing, removed his headphones, and sent her a voice message: “Are you free now? I’ll call you.”

After sending it, he listened to it himself.

The sound coming from the phone and his actual voice were slightly different.

This time Lin Qingye recognized it.

This voice, he had heard it before.

The day they finished the Modern History exam, when he pulled Xu Zhinan into the adjacent classroom, there was a phone that kept calling, and the male voice was exactly Gu Congwang’s.

Lin Qingye had directly hung up that call at the time.

Xu Zhinan must have agreed, as Gu Congwang stood up to walk outside, only to be stopped by his father: “Where are you going now?”

“Something came up. I need to call my friend.”

Lin Qingye snorted derisively, his expression contemptuous.

And he calls her “friend.”

He opened his phone contacts. Xu Zhinan was at the very top.

Not because she was pinned, but because her contact name was “Nan,” starting with A.

He dialed her before Gu Congwang could.

The ringtone sounded for more than ten seconds, then a cold mechanical female voice: “The number you dialed is currently on another call.”

Xu Zhinan had hung up on him.