Lin Qingye stood by the door, silently for a while, then smiled: “Are you sure?”

“Mm.” Xu Zhinan averted her gaze, not looking at him, only saying, “The blankets here are freshly sun-dried, more comfortable to sleep in, and your place would need time to clean up.”

She suddenly remembered something else. “Where did you sleep last night?”

“At the studio, just made do for one night.”

Xu Zhinan frowned.

Lin Qingye chuckled: “Then I’ll stay here.”

She pressed her lips together, looking around. The dishes had already been washed, and there was nothing else to do. Lin Qingye seemed perfectly at ease, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, his gaze gently resting on her. Then he asked: “Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

“Whatever.” She suddenly felt shy around him, then added, “You go first.”

“Alright.” He turned and entered the bedroom.

Xu Zhinan followed him in, helping him get a bath towel and washcloth. Then she dug out an unopened bathrobe from the drawer and gave him a new toothbrush and cup.

The young woman living alone had everything neatly organized, each item placed tidily.

Lin Qingye took the items and went into the bathroom. After the door closed, the sound of running water soon followed.

Xu Zhinan sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like she was in a dream even at this moment.

All the past entanglements with Lin Qingye now seemed insignificant. She would never again doubt whether Lin Qingye truly loved her, nor would she feel insecure.

She lowered her head, burying her face in her palms, slowly letting out a breath.

The water stopped quickly, and Lin Qingye emerged wearing the bathrobe.

She dared not look too long, grabbed her clothes beside her, and entered the bathroom with her head down.

He had just finished bathing, and the bathroom was still warm. Her face flushed red from the heat.

After showering, they both tossed their clothes into the bamboo basket. Xu Zhinan stuffed the clothes into the washing machine, then opened the bathroom door for ventilation before letting her hair down.

She filled the sink with water, preparing to wash her hair.

Lin Qingye returned after finishing his cigarette, leaning against the bathroom doorframe.

She wore a nightgown with two blue wide shoulder straps, and beneath was a white cotton skirt with small floral patterns.

It was a cute nightgown, but it revealed two beautiful shoulder blades on her back. Her skin was fair and delicate, always giving people a sense of endless beauty, displaying a touch of allure.

Lin Qingye watched for a while, asking: “Why do you wash your hair separately from showering?”

Xu Zhinan hadn’t noticed when he had started standing there and jumped in surprise. She rinsed the foam from her hair, then put on a pair of disposable gloves, took out a blue jar from the shelf, and squeezed a large blob of blue viscous paste into her palm.

“Because I need to apply this. It leaves color residue if it gets on your body.”

“What is it?”

“Color depositing conditioner.”

Lin Qingye looked at her blue hair.

“I didn’t know such things existed.”

“Mm.” Xu Zhinan smiled a little. “I only found out about it later.”

“I saw the message you sent me yesterday.”

“Hm?”

“That photo.”

“Ah.” Xu Zhinan remembered. “That was almost two years ago, right?”

“Why did you recall several messages afterward?”

Frequent hair dyeing causes significant damage, especially dyeing blue, which requires pre-bleaching.

Xu Zhinan’s hair quality had always been good without problems like dryness or split ends. But previously, she had once injured her scalp due to dyeing too frequently.

Her scalp had become inflamed and allergic, developing several red spots that hurt when touched.

That night, she was washing her hair at home, and the shampoo seeped into the wounds on her scalp, causing her to cry from the pain.

She wasn’t in a good state at that time and often couldn’t stop crying once she started. She suddenly couldn’t bear it anymore and messaged Lin Qingye.

Knowing that he wouldn’t possibly reply.

She was dizzy then, and later forgot what messages she had sent, probably just words about missing him.

She sat alone on the wet bathroom floor, finished crying, wiped her tears, and recalled all those messages.

Only the photo remained, as it had been over two minutes and couldn’t be recalled anymore.

After that, continuing to dye her hair frequently was not an option, fearing damage to the hair follicles. But Xu Zhinan persisted stubbornly with something she couldn’t clearly explain why, wanting to maintain that blue hair.

Later, when the salon guy mentioned it, she bought the color-depositing conditioner. She could apply it when washing her hair, or even use it as shampoo, with minimal damage to her hair. She would only visit the salon once when her black hair started growing out.

Xu Zhinan spoke about these things lightly, skimming over them.

But Lin Qingye kept frowning.

She applied the color-depositing conditioner once, with a heat lamp above, letting it sit on her hair for about ten minutes before washing it off.

Lin Qingye stepped forward to help her rinse it clean. The water running down was all blue.

He wrapped her hair in a dry towel, took the hairdryer outside. The hairdryer was loud, roaring as his fingers gently threaded through her hair strands, drying her hair.

Xu Zhinan’s hair was rather thick and long. By the time it was dry, almost twenty minutes had passed.

They had been silent for twenty minutes. After finishing, Lin Qingye finally said: “I’m back now. Don’t dye it anymore. Black hair looks good too.”

Xu Zhinan lowered her head, her hands twisting together, nodding obediently: “Mm.”

He ruffled her hair: “Let’s sleep.”

There was only one blanket on the bed, but fortunately, the bed was large enough—a double bed—so it wouldn’t feel too crowded.

Xu Zhinan’s nervousness and awkwardness surfaced again. Lin Qingye had already circled to the other side of the bed. The bed sank with his weight as he lifted the blanket and sat down.

Xu Zhinan swallowed, slowly kicked off her slippers, carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, and slipped in.

“Turn off the light?” Lin Qingye asked.

The light was on Xu Zhinan’s side. She climbed up again, turned off the light, and carefully slipped back in.

The bedroom was pitch black.

Why hadn’t they opened the curtains today?

Xu Zhinan wrinkled her nose.

It was too dark.

Her heart was racing. Lin Qingye had showered, his cigarette smell faded, replaced by the scent of her bathroom’s body wash mixed with her own. In the darkness, she couldn’t tell if he was far or near.

Amid her wild thoughts, Lin Qingye spoke: “Ah Nan.”

“Huh?”

“I need to go back home tomorrow.”

She didn’t ask much, as if unconditionally supporting all his choices and decisions: “Okay.”

The bed sank again on her side, followed by an arm embracing her. Lin Qingye’s scent enveloped her as his body pressed close.

Xu Zhinan felt something prickly on her cheek—his hair, which was now very short.

She slowly turned to face him, unconsciously breathing more softly.

Lin Qingye pulled her into his arms.

After many years, to be able to embrace so intimately again was like rediscovering an addictive pleasure. Xu Zhinan forgot her shyness, snuggling into his embrace, burying her face tightly against his chest, her arms wrapping around to touch his back.

She knew what was on that back.

Her fingertips unconsciously caressed it.

Lin Qingye chuckled softly: “Want to see your work?”

The tattooing had been so sudden back then. Not long after, Lin Qingye was taken in for investigation. She had never seen photos of the healed tattoo.

Her nose stung with emotion: “Mm.”

Lin Qingye sat up, leaning forward, reaching over her to turn on the light, then facing away from her as he removed the bathrobe.

In the lamplight, the image of the girl on his back was finally revealed to her.

Xu Zhinan’s eyes moistened, her fingertips trembling slightly as she gently touched it.

“I didn’t show you this to make you cry.” Lin Qingye smiled, putting the bathrobe back on, turning off the light, and pulling her back into his arms.

“Did it hurt?” she asked with a tearful voice.

“It’s been so long, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

She frowned: “I shouldn’t have tattooed this on your back then. It must have been so painful.”

“It’s good. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have seen you for two and a half years. I wouldn’t have known how to endure those days.”

Seeing that she was about to burst into tears again, Lin Qingye sighed helplessly, patted her back, and comforted her: “Alright, alright, go to sleep.”

That night they did nothing, just held each other as they slept.

Early the next morning, Lin Qingye woke up first. Opening his eyes to see Xu Zhinan in his arms, he felt momentarily dazed, then lifted the corner of his mouth into a smile, held her, closed his eyes again, and continued sleeping.

Xu Zhinan didn’t have a habit of sleeping in. But perhaps because she could sleep so soundly in Lin Qingye’s arms for once, she slept late that day, awakened by Li Yan’s phone call.

“Hello?” Xu Zhinan answered the phone with half-closed eyes.

“Master, aren’t you coming to the shop today?”

“I am.” Her voice paused as the arm around her waist moved.

Her sleepiness instantly vanished.

Li Yan also sensed something unusual in her response, thinking of the customer at the shop last night: “Master, are you alright? Did that big guy cause you any trouble yesterday?”

“No, he left afterward, didn’t get a tattoo. Is there something at the shop?”

“Not really, I just saw you hadn’t come in yet today, so I called to ask.”

Xu Zhinan: “Mm, I’ll come over after washing up. You go ahead with your work.”

After hanging up, Lin Qingye pressed against her from behind. Xu Zhinan didn’t dare move, aware of the hard object now pressing against her lower back.

Lin Qingye’s voice was somewhat hoarse: “Going to the shop?”

Her eyelashes fluttered: “Mm.”

He released her, and the hard object no longer pressed against her.

Xu Zhinan hurriedly got up, almost fleeing into the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, her cheeks and ears were red, but she seemed more alive, no longer like the emotionless doll she used to be.

Lin Qingye entered after she finished washing up.

His clothes from yesterday were still dry, so he put them back on.

The bathroom door was narrow. Xu Zhinan brushed past him on her way out, not daring to let her eyes wander.

Fortunately, Lin Qingye didn’t mention the detail to embarrass her, despite surely knowing what had happened earlier.

Xu Zhinan overthought for a while, then suddenly felt something wasn’t quite right. The Lin Qingye from before wasn’t like this. He used to be quite casual about such matters.

Xu Zhinan had previously categorized him as someone who “lived in the moment”—unrestrained, without taboos.

She hesitated, looking toward the bathroom again. The young man now had a man’s silhouette, tall and thin yet imposing.

Her gaze moved downward—

Just one glance, and she quickly turned her head away, not daring to look anymore.

After Xu Zhinan went to the tattoo shop, Lin Qingye went to find Lin Guancheng.

Wearing a mask and cap, he took the elevator to the top floor of the Minsheng Group to the chairman’s office. The assistant outside stopped him: “Excuse me, do you have an appointment with Mr. Lin?”

Lin Qingye took off his cap and looked at her.

The assistant was startled, shocked as she stared at him, unusually flustered, dazed for quite a while before reacting: “Young Master Lin?”

He gestured toward the office door with his chin: “Is he in?”

“Yes, yes, please go in.”

Lin Qingye followed her inside. Lin Guancheng was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and turned around when he heard them. He seemed to have aged considerably in these two years, with much more white hair.

He looked at Lin Qingye, opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Lin Qingye unconsciously stood straighter: “Dad.”

After those two and a half years, many things no longer seemed to matter as much as before.

The assistant withdrew, and Lin Guancheng looked at him for a while: “You’re back.”

“Mm.”

“I only found out yesterday from your Uncle Wang that you were released, and learned of your plans from him too. If there’s anything you need help with, if you want to pursue music, which is quite costly, I can invest in you.”

Lin Qingye smiled slightly: “No need, I have enough money for now.”

The assistant brought in tea and quickly left again.

“Sit down.”

Lin Qingye sat on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and asked casually: “I heard you got divorced?”

“Ah, yes, it’s been over two years now.”

When Lin Guancheng was young, he was busy with his career and indeed neglected Lin Qingye often. Initially, he didn’t pay much attention to Fu Xueming’s favoritism between the two children, since Lin Qingye was truly not well-behaved at that time.

But after Shi Heng’s death, Fu Xueming’s bias became unconcealed. Lin Guancheng could certainly see it, but he truly loved Fu Xueming then and couldn’t let go. He didn’t want to acknowledge this point because acknowledging it also meant admitting that Fu Xueming had never loved him.

He tried every means to improve the relationship between mother and son, but both were like fire and water, with equally stubborn tempers, neither willing to yield, maintaining that state for many years.

Lin Guancheng was constantly caught between them until Lin Qingye’s imprisonment became the catalyst.

Only then did he realize how ridiculous he had been before. It was humiliating to admit, but a man over fifty had to wait until his son faced such dire circumstances to finally recognize his pathetic love.

Lin Qingye didn’t inquire about the reasons for the divorce; he could guess and wasn’t particularly interested.

“So you’re living alone now?” Lin Qingye asked.

“Mm.” Lin Guancheng nodded. “Where are you staying now? Why not just come back home to live?”

He smiled: “I’m used to living alone.”

He spoke casually, but Lin Guancheng felt a pang of heartache.

When did Lin Qingye start living alone?

When Shi Heng died, he was only 13, too young to move out on his own. Lin Qingye had mentioned wanting to live by himself, but Lin Guancheng had immediately rejected the idea, saying he was too young to live independently. Later, when he formed a band and started earning money, he quickly moved out. When he won the Golden Melody Award, he was elevated to great heights and earned his first pot of gold, using it to buy an apartment.

Lin Guancheng didn’t force him.

After so many years of not living at home, he couldn’t force him to come back.

The father and son didn’t chat for long before Lin Qingye stood up, preparing to leave.

“Where are you going?” Lin Guancheng asked.

“Back to my apartment to rework the previous album.”

“I’ll have the driver take you back.” Lin Guancheng patted his shoulder, dialed the intercom to give instructions, then said to him, “If you need any help in the future, just ask. After all, you’re my only son. If you don’t ask me for help, no one will.”

Lin Qingye walked toward the door, waving his arm backward, leaving with style: “Alright.”

He left.

The driver was already waiting downstairs.

Just now, Lin Guancheng had only instructed him to wait, without mentioning that the passenger was the Lin family’s young master who had been imprisoned for the past few years. The driver’s gaze was unconsciously fixed on him, quite impolitely.

Fortunately, Lin Qingye didn’t mind.

As he approached, the driver suddenly came to his senses, quickly opened the car door for him, then hurried to the driver’s seat: “Young Master, where would you like to go?”

Lin Qingye gave the address of his apartment.

The car drove smoothly out.

Midway, the driver’s phone rang. He took it out to look, about to hang up when Lin Qingye’s gaze caught the contact name—Nan Nan.

“It’s fine, go ahead and answer.”

The driver thanked him, temporarily stopping the car by the roadside, and answered.

Lin Qingye suddenly noticed his phone, a model he hadn’t seen before, resembling a new concept model from two and a half years ago.

Indeed, in two and a half years, new phone models had been released.

But he hadn’t realized this when he was with Xu Zhinan yesterday. They used phones from the same brand, also the latest model from two and a half years ago.

But Xu Zhinan’s had limited storage capacity. Yesterday, Lin Qingye had noticed the message on her phone warning that less than 10% of memory space remained.

Lin Qingye suddenly realized why she hadn’t changed her phone.

She had earned a considerable amount of money over these years, enough not to hesitate over buying a new phone.

Two and a half years with insufficient memory and still not switching—there was only one reason: she was afraid that after he had been “inside” for so long, coming out would make him feel disconnected from the outside world.

She was carefully protecting him in her way.

Lin Qingye lowered his eyes, shook his head slightly, and chuckled.

The driver had finished his call and apologized again, continuing to drive toward the apartment.

“Wait a moment,” Lin Qingye suddenly spoke.

The driver looked back: “What?”

“Let’s go to a phone store. I want to buy a phone.”

The car stopped outside a phone store. At this hour, there were no other customers inside.

Even with a mask and cap, to be cautious, he didn’t want to appear in public view again, so he asked the driver to help him make the purchase.

Soon, the driver bought two of the latest phone models and returned, handing the two bags and a card to Lin Qingye before setting off for the apartment again.

It had been a long time since he had played any instruments.

His skills were rusty, but his fingers itched to play.

Entering the door, there was a dusty smell from the long absence of human presence. He opened the windows for ventilation, placed the two phone bags aside, and pushed open a door to enter a room that had previously housed many of his instruments.

Lin Qingye inserted the album into the DVD player and pressed play. The first song started playing.

Perhaps due to changes in his mindset and experiences, he was no longer as satisfied with the song as before. After listening through it once, Lin Qingye took out paper, sat on the floor, and began making revisions.

After finishing these tasks, he walked back to the drum set and sat down.

At first, he could feel his rustiness. Lin Qingye licked his lower lip, twirled the drumsticks in his fingers, and started again.

He practiced one segment about ten times before finally regaining the feel.

By the time he had played all the instruments once, the sky outside had already darkened.

Xu Zhinan had two appointments today, both major works that took a long time. She was busy from morning until night, only having time for dinner at eight in the evening.

Li Yan was still busy.

Since Xu Zhinan’s hourly rate was now quite high, some young girls who wanted tattoos but weren’t very knowledgeable about them would still find her shop’s apprentice to do the work. Xu Zhinan mainly handled more intricate, high-difficulty large pieces.

Xu Zhinan sat alone at the table, propping her chin with her hand, looking at her phone in front of her.

Apart from customers, the phone had been quiet all day, not a single message.

She opened the chat dialogue with Lin Qingye, now propping her chin with both hands.

Hesitating.

Hesitating.

Hesitating.

Perhaps it was because her call to Lin Qingye yesterday afternoon was met with a “powered off” response, making her somewhat afraid that Lin Qingye might disappear again.

Although she understood his temperament, once he had taken that step to find her, he must have already thought through his plans and wouldn’t disappear without reason again.

But she just wanted to be more certain.

She wanted him to simply come live with her.

But when she thought of Lin Qingye embracing her from behind this morning and that hard sensation she had felt, her face burned.

At this stage in her relationship with Lin Qingye, many steps in the dating process were already unimportant. But Xu Zhinan still didn’t know how to ask him to come live with her—just thinking about it made her blush.

As she hesitated, her phone suddenly rang.

It was Lin Qingye calling.

She quickly answered: “Hello?”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by an amused: “That was quick.”

“Mm.” She acknowledged, looking around. There were still two customers, making her feel like a guilty thief. She lowered her head and voice: “What’s up?”

“Just wondering when you’ll be off work.”

“Should be soon, why?”

He spoke casually: “I’m already at your doorstep.”

He chuckled on the other end, deep and magnetic, sending vibrations through the phone that made her ear tingle. His voice sounded like a complaint, yet also like a spoiled child.

“You didn’t give me the key this morning, so I’m locked out.”

Her heart pounded rapidly.

She swallowed hard, unable to contain herself any longer, standing up abruptly: “I’ll be right back!”