That day, after they finished eating, it was already very late. Their group was all night owls, and staying up all night was commonplace for them.

Only when they saw Xu Zhinan covering her mouth to yawn, eyes glistening with tears as she struggled to stay awake while sitting beside them listening to their continued conversation, did they finally realize the time and all get up to leave.

“Let’s go, you should sleep first,” Lin Qingye patted her head and said in a gentle voice.

Xu Zhinan rubbed her eyes. “What about you?”

He picked up his phone. “I need to discuss something with Uncle Wang.”

“Okay.”

Xu Zhinan walked into the bedroom, and Lin Qingye took his phone to the window. Wang Qi had already sent him a message.

[Wang Qi: The album’s revenue until the end of this month has been transferred to you according to the profit-sharing ratio. The appearance fees from the previous show will also be transferred by the finance department tomorrow.]

After Lin Qingye replied, he opened his banking app to check his balance.

Soon, another message popped up.

[Young Master Lin, there’s a potential buyer for the Mingxi Apartment you asked me to sell. Also, the Lijia Building on Qingfeng Road that you asked me to keep an eye on is about to open for sales.]

Lin Qingye’s finger paused on the phone screen for a moment.

[Lin Qingye: Good, sell the Mingxi apartment. Help me secure the Lijia Building unit.]

He put the phone back in his pocket and looked up at the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

B City was also a prosperous metropolis. This hotel was located in the most bustling downtown area. Looking down from the top floor, the night lights were all within view.

The endless flow of cars, the street lights interwoven into strips of light and shadow.

He wanted to give Xu Zhinan the best life.

She deserved the best life.

Lin Qingye gazed at the street view alone for a while, then lowered his eyes, curved his lips slightly, and turned to enter the bedroom.

Xu Zhinan was already asleep.

It was already very late for her.

Lin Qingye turned off the bedroom light, quickly took a shower, and returned to bed.

The mattress sank, and Xu Zhinan drowsily half-woke up, squinting at him before instinctively moving closer: “You should sleep too.”

“Mm.” Lin Qingye embraced her in return and went to sleep.

The next day, they returned to Yan City.

Lin Qingye had matters to attend to as soon as they got back. Xu Zhinan guessed he was probably busy with work again, so she didn’t ask much and returned to the tattoo shop on her own.

She had taken leave to go to B City the past two days, and had a big appointment scheduled for today—a very intricate full-back tattoo. The client had a low pain tolerance but firmly refused anesthesia, so they couldn’t finish it in one session. Only half was completed before they ended.

After sending the client off, another person came to the shop.

A rare visitor.

Lu Xihe.

“Brother Lu,” Xu Zhinan stood up. “What brings you here?”

“I was just passing by and thought I’d come see you. Brought you something to eat.” Lu Xihe said, placing a bag of strawberries on her table.

“Aren’t strawberries very expensive right now?”

Just as Xu Zhinan was about to refuse, Li Yan raised her head from the side: “Thank you, Brother Lu! I was just craving strawberries yesterday, but when I saw the price—oh my goodness, I couldn’t bring myself to buy them.”

Lu Xihe took the cigarette from his mouth and nodded toward Li Yan: “See, this girl’s personality is much more straightforward than yours.”

“But girl,” Lu Xihe said to Li Yan, “your master should be paying you quite well, right? How can you not afford strawberries?”

Li Yan: “I came to Yan City alone, and as you know, the rent here is so expensive. I also love buying shoes—where would I find extra money for strawberries?”

“That’s not called not being able to afford strawberries—it’s purely because you buy too many shoes.”

Li Yan wailed in despair.

Lu Xihe looked back at Xu Zhinan: “By the way, I came here for another thing as well.”

“What is it?”

“Those tattoo artists want to have a gathering dinner and asked me to let you know, asking if you’d like to join. They also want to invite the ones from your shop.”

Lu Xihe paused halfway, then snorted, “Those guys can’t sit still, always having so many activities, making our profession seem like office colleagues gathering for dinner.”

“When is it?” Xu Zhinan asked.

Lu Xihe: “It’s not confirmed yet, probably next month.”

“Why make plans so early for something next month?”

Lu Xihe chuckled: “They urged me to come invite you first. Those men probably have some thoughts about seeing pretty girls, especially since the most beautiful tattoo artists in Yan City are all in your shop.”

After saying this, he called out to Li Yan: “Right, girl!”

Li Yan smiled: “I’m not as pretty as my master.”

Lu Xihe: “Actually, last time when you came to deliver something for your master, didn’t you come to my shop once? There was a young man who took a liking to you. He’ll be at this dinner too!”

“Which one?” she asked.

Lu Xihe gave a name: “The one with darker skin, quite skilled, about twenty-four or twenty-five.”

Seeing that the two of them were about to start chatting like a matchmaking session, Xu Zhinan laughingly interrupted: “She’s not even 18 yet.”

“What’s the problem with that?” Lu Xihe waved his hand dismissively. “How old were you when you first started dating?”

“…18.”

“Well, then it’s fine. The girl is almost there too.”

With Lu Xihe’s question, Li Yan immediately became interested: “Master! You dated when you were 18? Wasn’t that when you just started university? Who was it? Who was it?”

Xu Zhinan: “Focus on the tattoo, the client is waiting. Stop getting excited about chatting.”

Li Yan pouted but was still somewhat intimidated by her master’s authority. She lowered her head and concentrated on the tattoo.

Lu Xihe leaned on the table, turning his head to watch Li Yan for a while, then smiled and asked Xu Zhinan in a low voice: “Hey, you never told your apprentice?”

“No.”

“So how are things between you two now?” Lu Xihe naturally knew about Lin Qingye’s comeback. “Still together?”

Xu Zhinan nodded, smiling lightly: “Yes.”

Lu Xihe smiled: “Then you’d better be careful not to let that girl know. She’s too rash. But it’s quite a pity—you’re the goddess of our tattoo artist circle.”

“There aren’t many female tattoo artists to begin with.”

“But the quality is high—they’re usually quite pretty, and you’re the prettiest among them. Those guys would be heartbroken for days if they knew you have a boyfriend.”

Xu Zhinan said helplessly: “Brother Lu, you’re exaggerating too much.”

The two chatted for a while, then Lu Xihe, having other business, left first.

By evening, the tattoo shop closed, and Xu Zhinan returned to her apartment.

Just as she got off the elevator, she ran into the landlady.

Xu Zhinan went over to greet her.

“Your lease expires at the end of next month. Do you want to renew it? If so, we’ll sign another contract.”

With all the hustle and bustle lately, Xu Zhinan had almost forgotten about the lease.

She was also considering whether to move somewhere else. After all, given Lin Qingye’s current situation, continuing to live here wasn’t very convenient.

Seeing her hesitation, the landlady added: “Oh, I think you should renew it. Isn’t your workplace just on the street next to here? There’s nothing more convenient than this. Besides, my rent is cheap. Look at the current prices—where else could you rent such a spacious place?”

This was indeed true.

When Xu Zhinan was initially looking for a place, she had inquired at several other complexes in the area, and none were as affordable as this one.

Although Lin Qingye was now successful, he was just starting out and still needed to take things one step at a time.

“Auntie, give me some time to think about it. Let me ask my boyfriend when he gets back. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow, okay?”

“You have a boyfriend now?”

“Yes.”

The landlady nodded: “Alright, let me know tomorrow then. I hope you’ll renew. You’re such a clean, quiet young lady, not much trouble—makes my life so much easier.”

The landlady walked away, muttering to herself, while Xu Zhinan unlocked her door and went in.

After putting down her bag, she sat on the sofa and messaged Lin Qingye about this matter.

He was probably busy and didn’t reply immediately.

Xu Zhinan didn’t mind. She took out her tablet and began sketching designs.

Work wasn’t busy lately. Xu Zhinan had already completed and finalized all her backlogged design tasks. Now she was just drawing casually out of boredom.

Halfway through her drawing, Lin Qingye called.

“Hello?” She answered. “Qingye-ge, did you see the message I sent you?”

“Yes, when does the lease expire?”

“End of next month.”

“That’s about right.”

Xu Zhinan didn’t understand: “Hmm?”

“Don’t renew it. Let’s move somewhere else.”

He made the decision directly, which saved Xu Zhinan the trouble: “Okay, I’ll tell the landlady tomorrow morning that we won’t be renewing.”

“Are you at home now?”

“Yes.”

“I’m almost at your building.”

At the same time, Xu Zhinan heard a car horn through the phone. He must be driving. Lin Qingye continued, “Come down in five minutes.”

Xu Zhinan was startled, blinking her eyes: “Where are we going?”

He chuckled softly, maintaining the mystery: “I’ll take you somewhere.”

Although she didn’t know where they could go at this hour, and Lin Qingye’s current status meant he couldn’t just wander around on the streets, since he said so, Xu Zhinan didn’t ask further. She agreed, hung up, quickly tidied herself, turned off the lights, and went back out to go downstairs.

The weather was getting cooler.

Xu Zhinan pulled her clothes tighter.

When she reached the entrance of the complex, Lin Qingye’s car was parked not far away, looking completely out of place in this rundown neighborhood.

Indeed, it was time to move to a new place, Xu Zhinan thought.

She jogged to the car and got in.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there,” he continued to be mysterious.

It was rare to see Lin Qingye like this. Xu Zhinan turned her head to look at him for a while, and her mood inexplicably improved, feeling light. She turned away and stopped asking, allowing him to drive wherever he wanted.

She had originally thought Lin Qingye was planning to take her to some secluded place, like the abandoned building the Locust Tree Band used to frequent when they were still in school.

But they didn’t drive for long. Lin Qingye signaled a right turn.

Xu Zhinan looked around. Tall buildings surrounded them—they were already very close to the city center.

Lin Qingye drove directly into the underground parking garage of one of the high-rises.

The parking garage was spacious, with hardly any other cars visible. When they got out and closed the car doors, the sound echoed remarkably loudly in the vast garage.

Fortunately, the lighting was bright, and all the facilities looked new and high-end, so it wasn’t intimidating.

Xu Zhinan jogged to his side: “Where is this?”

He still didn’t answer, just held her hand and led her to the elevator. From his pocket, he took out a card and placed it on the sensor. The button for the “22nd” floor lit up.

Xu Zhinan caught a glimpse of the building name on the card, and a suspicion suddenly arose in her mind, but she thought it couldn’t be possible.

They ascended to the 22nd floor. The elevator opened directly into a spacious, bright living room, with clean floors reflecting the light from above.

The rental apartment they had been living in couldn’t even compare—just this living room alone was twice the total area of their rental.

Xu Zhinan stood rooted to the spot and asked foolishly: “What is this?”

“Your home.”

“…Huh?”

Lin Qingye looked at her expression and laughed: “I bought it.”

Xu Zhinan still found it unbelievable.

Even though Lin Qingye had told her not to renew the lease, in her mind, she was thinking of renting a more spacious apartment with better security, or maybe saving up for a down payment.

Unlike Lin Qingye, she had grown up with her parents in a very ordinary house and had never thought about buying such a luxurious apartment.

Yet Lin Qingye had brought her here without any discussion and had already purchased it.

“When did you buy it?”

“Today.”

Today…

She had thought he went to Chuanqi Entertainment.

“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

“It’s a gift for you—how could I tell you in advance?”

Lin Qingye held her hand, leading her to tour each room one by one.

The basic renovations had already been completed. They only needed to add a few things themselves before they could move in.

Lijia Building had a high-security system and was only sold internally. Each floor had a single unit, offering excellent privacy. In the entire building, you would only see other residents at the few entertainment venues on the top floor.

The top floor had everything—a gym, sauna, theater, library, and more.

The furniture and equipment already installed were state-of-the-art. Besides the outstanding security system, its major selling point was its advanced smart home features.

Xu Zhinan was pulled along by him, viewing room after room.

“This must be very expensive, right?”

“Yes, it is quite expensive. I sold my previous apartment.”

“Huh?” Xu Zhinan was startled. “Didn’t you already sell that when you were preparing for your comeback and needed money?”

He reached out to ruffle her hair: “You believe everything I say? It hadn’t reached the point where I needed to sell my apartment back then. I only said that to get you to take me in.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan looked up at him and said softly: “I would have let you stay even without you saying that.”

Lin Qingye smiled lightly.

The two stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 22nd floor, with the city view spread out beneath them.

He spoke in a low, steady voice: “Zhinan, I want to give you the best life possible within my means.”

The man stood behind her, his arms encircling her waist from behind. He bent slightly forward, his chest pressing tightly against her back. The unique scent of his body enveloped her completely, gentle and lingering, as if soaking through her.

His expression was unusually serious, his eyes deep, his breathing tight as he spoke, each word coming from the depths of his heart.

“It’s been three months since I got out, and I feel like I’ve never properly confessed to you. You’ve never asked me for any promises either, just foolishly staying by my side.”

Xu Zhinan paused, turning around in his embrace to face him.

His eyes concealed too many emotions that were difficult to express.

Seeing him like this, Xu Zhinan recalled the events from back then and inexplicably felt a tightness in her nose. She said softly: “Weren’t we already together before that?”

“You really are as foolish as I say. Who would hopelessly wait for someone getting out of prison, and for two and a half years at that?”

Lin Qingye lowered his eyes, smiling with resignation and heartache, and continued: “Initially, I had to gather all my courage to see you. I didn’t have the confidence to ask if you still wanted to be with me, afraid that in the end, I wouldn’t be able to give you anything, just making you suffer needlessly.”

“I let you stay with me like this for three months without clarity. Fortunately, I can now provide you with a good home. I didn’t ask my father for money—I put all my savings and the proceeds from selling that apartment here. I’ll pay off the remaining mortgage as soon as possible, which shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Now that I have the ability to give you a proper home, I finally dare to say some things to you.”

He looked at her, his gaze calm and tender.

“Zhinan, would you like to fall in love with me again?”

Xu Zhinan suddenly remembered the young Lin Qingye who had shown vulnerability for the first time when drunk in front of her. With reddened eyes, he had said, “Zhinan, you don’t like me anymore.”

Her throat felt sore and itchy, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes.

She couldn’t speak for a moment, and Lin Qingye added: “This time, I’ll treat you well. I won’t let you suffer any more grievances, and I won’t make you cry again.”

Xu Zhinan blinked, and tears fell.

She had thought that her relationship with Lin Qingye, as it had developed until now, no longer needed these verbal assurances or formal confirmations of their relationship.

But at this moment, she suddenly seemed to see the original Lin Qingye again.

The previous Lin Qingye who was distant and belonged to a different world from hers, the one she had carefully liked but hadn’t dared to let others know about, the only one she had loved throughout her youth.

Now, the young man stood before her, asking if she would like to love him again.

Without all the twists and pains in between.

As if they were still just young people on a university campus.

A normal encounter, gradually getting to know each other and falling in love.

Pingchuan University had two legends—one was Xu Zhinan, the other was Lin Qingye.

Now these two legends had finally collided.

She couldn’t hold back her tears, feeling a profound sense of destiny.

Even though they had been together for three months, at this moment she suddenly felt apprehensive like someone returning to their hometown.

She stepped forward, hugged him tightly, buried her face in his chest, and said with a muffled, tearful voice: “Yes, I do.”

Lin Qingye bent down to embrace her, as if wanting to knead her into his body, lowering his head and burying it in the crook of her neck.

Both were silent for a long time. Finally, Lin Qingye broke the silence, stroking her hair: “Don’t cry, Zhinan. I won’t leave you alone again.”

He cupped her face, lifting it up, wiping away her tears. A gentle kiss fell on her eyes, then slowly moved down to her lips.

Xu Zhinan tilted her head back, innocently responding to his kiss, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of his clothes.

Later, the kiss deepened.

Xu Zhinan gradually sensed something different. This kiss was unlike how Lin Qingye had kissed her recently. It was completely offensive.

Like the kisses from before when they were about to get intimate.

When it came to that matter, Lin Qingye was accustomed to taking complete control. It was the same with kissing. Xu Zhinan gradually went from being able to respond to his kisses to only passively accepting them.

Her face grew hot, her ears reddening first.

She leaned back slightly but was firmly pulled back by his arm around her waist.

“Qingye-ge.”

She called his name softly during a brief pause for breath, though she didn’t know why—it was as if she was trying to grasp some sense of security.

“Mm.”

He responded, his voice low and hoarse.

When they separated, Xu Zhinan realized his eyes were dark and deep, filled with desire that couldn’t be dispersed, enveloping her heavily, almost tangibly.

His hands still cupped her face.

His hands were large, and Xu Zhinan’s face was small, almost completely enclosed in them. He lightly played with her earlobe, watching as it reddened further.

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, and asked hoarsely: “Is this okay?”

Xu Zhinan, red-faced, didn’t speak.

She suddenly understood what he meant by “soon” that time in the rental when he had abruptly stopped, and what he had been restraining all this time.

He wanted to truly achieve success and prove he could give her a good life before taking that step.

All the insecurities Xu Zhinan had initially felt due to his casual nature, he was now carefully guarding against.

But…

Xu Zhinan looked around.

The bright living room—looking down, she could see her reflection in the shiny floor. Outside the 22nd-floor windows was Yan City’s bustling night scene, with cars flowing endlessly.

This was her first time in this new home. She wasn’t familiar with it yet—it felt almost like a strange place. There was no way she could agree to Lin Qingye’s request in such an unfamiliar setting.

It was too embarrassing.

She couldn’t do it.

Lin Qingye bent down again, eyes closed, pecking her with kisses. His burning palm pressed against her neck, his fingertips rubbing up and down, the meaning unclear.

Xu Zhinan felt her entire body growing hot, gripping his arms tightly.

He asked again by her ear: “Is it okay?”

Xu Zhinan trembled uncontrollably and made a final struggle: “There’s no… that here.”

“What?” He was deliberately playing dumb.

Xu Zhinan felt her entire body was no longer her own, completely under his control. She hit his arm: “You know very well.”

Lin Qingye smiled, taking something square-shaped out of his pocket.

Xu Zhinan’s heart skipped a beat: “When did you buy that?”

“When I came to pick you up.”

Xu Zhinan wanted to die from this shameless bastard’s behavior. Just now she had been moved by him bringing her here, only to realize that he had clearly planned this all along.

In her anxiety, her voice took on a crying tone: “You did this on purpose, you pervert.”

This time, seeing her cry didn’t make him sympathetic. Instead, he laughed with immense pleasure: “I’m not a pervert. I originally planned to wait until we got back.”

His voice was so hoarse it was sexy. His forehead pressed against hers, his breath falling on her face. “But now I can’t hold back anymore.”

Xu Zhinan didn’t want to hear him speak anymore. She raised her hand to his mouth, but he bit her fingertip.

His teeth pressed against it, grinding slightly as he said softly: “Is it okay, baby?”

Xu Zhinan felt this man was really too much. He knew she had always found it hard to refuse his various requests, and now he was using a tender, lingering “baby.”

She bit her lip and remained silent.

Lin Qingye gave her three seconds, took her silence as consent, and suddenly displayed a completely offensive stance, pushing her directly.

Xu Zhinan was pressed by him, her back against the glass. It was cold.

She came to her senses completely.

Floor-to-ceiling windows.

Cars coming and going below.

She immediately cried out in shock, desperately trying to break free.

Lin Qingye no longer gave her a chance to resist, directly sealing her lips.

His hand touched the delicate skin at her waist. Lin Qingye’s eyebrows twitched, and he couldn’t help but curse under his breath: “Fuck, I’ve been thinking about this for three years.”

Later, seeing that Xu Zhinan really couldn’t take it anymore, he finally coaxed: “Don’t worry, they can’t see inside from the outside.”

But this wasn’t just about being seen or not—she could see outside, and that made her uncomfortable and unable to accept it.

It had always been like this. From childhood to adulthood, she had been conventional in every way. Except for meeting Lin Qingye in university, she had never done anything particularly outrageous. But Lin Qingye had always been without concerns or taboos.

She cried from helplessness, not because she really wanted to cry, but because she couldn’t help it.

Lin Qingye suddenly stopped his movements and looked at her up close.

The young woman’s eyes were flushed, with clear tears streaming down. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she looked at him pitifully, seemingly trying to evoke his last bit of sympathy.

She looked as aggrieved as possible.

After a while, Lin Qingye raised his hand and wiped away her tears.

Xu Zhinan thought he had finally found his conscience and wouldn’t continue here, but then heard him laugh softly, saying roguishly: “Save some tears. You’ll cry more later.”

In the next hour, Xu Zhinan truly realized that a man’s promise during a confession that “I won’t make you cry again” absolutely couldn’t be trusted.

In her daze, she recalled the night they returned from Zhao Qian’s wedding when she was drunk, and Lin Qingye had whispered in her ear, “Carrying you while doing it won’t be tiring.”

Xu Zhinan glanced at him through tear-filled eyes.

The man was completely satisfied. Although he was also sweaty, compared to her looking like she had just been pulled out of water, he was in much better shape.

Xu Zhinan’s legs were still supported by him, clinging to him like a koala. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse: “I want to get down.”

Lin Qingye bent over, carefully setting her on the ground.

But her thighs were extremely sore. As soon as her feet touched the ground, her legs suddenly gave way, and she was about to slide down.

Lin Qingye quickly caught her again. He pulled up her pants, rezipped and rebuttoned them, and then pulled down her rolled-up sweater.

“Do you want to shower here or back home?” He smoothed her messy hair and asked softly.

Xu Zhinan didn’t want to stay here a moment longer. She wiped her tears, her voice filled with thick sobs: “Back home.”

She was carried down by Lin Qingye.

At this point, she was truly grateful for the building’s excellent security system, ensuring they wouldn’t encounter others. In her current state, if someone had seen her, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to lift her head.

They drove back to the old rental apartment.

With sweat coating her body, she felt uncomfortable and sticky. As soon as they got home, Xu Zhinan rushed to take a shower.

Her legs were weak; she had to support herself against the wall to stand. However, halfway through washing, Lin Qingye entered again.

Xu Zhinan was now afraid when she saw him. She shrank back, watching as he walked in. The shower was still running, water hitting the floor and splashing up, quickly wetting his clothes too.

Lin Qingye wasn’t concerned at all, seeming not to notice as he pulled her over again.

So they did it once more in the bathroom, and when they returned to bed, she was about to fall asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, but Lin Qingye pulled her in for yet another time.

…

In the end, she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.

Her entire body was like a mud puddle, completely sinking into the mattress.

In her drowsy state, she thought of the previous Lin Qingye, who had never been this unrestrained. Although she had been tired before, there had never been a time like now when Xu Zhinan almost thought she would die on the bed.

Wasn’t he already 26 years old? How could he be more terrifying than when he was 20?

Just before her consciousness sank to the bottom, her mind flashed to the chives and okra in the refrigerator.

Since the last time, Xu Zhinan had never cooked them again. Not wanting to waste them, she hadn’t thrown them away either, just leaving them there. They were probably rotting by now.

She would throw them away after waking up tomorrow, Xu Zhinan thought.