Their lips parted, a thin, glistening thread of silver stretching between the corners of their mouths.

The moan that escaped between lips and tongue sounded almost like surround sound, lingering low around her ears, unsatisfied, more clinging and sticky than the silver thread at the corner of their mouths, fading slowly like an echo lingering in the rafters.

That intoxicated, low moan hadn’t come from Lin Shuang. It had come from Mr. Polo Shirt.

Lin Shuang had thought she had no bottom line left to hit — but this moment genuinely broke through it.

She didn’t like hearing a man make delicate little sounds like that.

It was a physical, visceral disgust — worse than gulping down a bucket of raw lard.

She could handle Mr. Polo Shirt’s smooth talk, but she hadn’t expected to trip up on this bed.

It was like she’d planned to watch an enjoyable movie — picked the film, cleared her schedule, prepared herself mentally, ruled out any adverse reactions — and then, once the disc finally started playing, the fireworks turned into a full-blown explosion, a landmine going off right on the firecracker’s fuse.

These past few months of carefully managing him had all been groping in the dark. She genuinely felt she had even less of a bottom line than his shirt did.

Lin Shuang clutched the front of her clothes, her eyes hazy, her lovely face flushed, pressing against Mr. Polo Shirt’s sturdy chest, her breath sweet and soft: “Director Zuo, your phone… it’s lit up so many times already. Is something urgent happening at the company?”

She looked toward the bathroom, shy and hesitant: “Why don’t… you handle your business first, and while you’re at it…” her fingertip traced across the man’s chest, her tone coy, “change out of these clothes… and let me get ready too?”

“Alright.” The man, reluctant to let go, frowned and went to get his phone.

Lin Shuang leaned back against the bed, running a hand through her long hair, watching with a smile as he went into the bathroom.

An impatient voice drifted out from the bathroom: “Hello…”

She got up, straightened her long dress, tossed the pearl necklace from around her neck onto the bed, and, carrying her heels, walked out of the hotel room.

Downstairs at the hotel’s convenience store, Lin Shuang bought a bottle of mouthwash and gulped down half of it in one go, rinsing away the sticky, cloying feeling in her mouth. She had just gotten into a taxi when Mr. Polo Shirt called.

“Baby, where are you?”

“I forgot to mention it to you, Director Zuo — I’m on my way home.” She smiled. “Thank you for today’s hospitality.”

The voice on the other end froze for a moment, then shot up a full octave: “What do you mean by that?”

“Your phone kept ringing, Director Zuo, from the start of the movie all the way to the bed. On such a wonderful holiday, there must be other women who need you more than I do.” Her tone was light. “If you head out now, you might still make your next date in time — that pearl necklace is quite valuable, whoever receives it as a gift should be very happy.”

“You — played — me?” The man’s voice had twisted; Lin Shuang could easily picture him seething with rage on the other end.

Her tone was sincere: “How can you say that? I flirted with you seriously from the very start, matched your pace one hundred percent, and looked forward to today’s program with great anticipation — I even wore my favorite dress.”

“It’s just that I suddenly lost interest in you.” She propped up her chin. “Forgive my bluntness, but in your kiss, Director Zuo, I tasted another woman. I’m sorry, it really broke the mood.”

“What do you mean, you find me distasteful?”

“No, no, no, I just have a guilty conscience. You’re handsome and wealthy, Director Zuo, with impressive kissing skills — plenty of women must fall for you.” Her tone was measured and gentle. “The person who can call you again and again like that must genuinely love you — far better than someone like me, who’s only in it for looks and has ulterior motives. You should cherish her properly, Director Zuo.”

Mr. Polo Shirt, who prided himself on drifting through romance without a scratch, was now practically shaking with rage.

“I never meant to stand you up on purpose — my conscience just woke up. You’re clearly an expert at playing the field too, Director Zuo, so surely you can understand. If you feel I’ve hurt you, name a price, and I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you.”

“And also — I’d recommend you find time to visit a skin clinic for a full-body spa and a deep volcanic mud mask treatment.”

She hung up the phone feeling refreshed, then called Miao Cai.

Miao Cai was out on a date with Zhao Feng and listened, stunned.

“Would this cause trouble for Zhao Feng?”

Zhao Feng, a seasoned office veteran, burst out laughing upon hearing the story and grabbed the phone. “No trouble at all — I have Director Zuo’s weak points in my pocket, this only delights me. Lin Shuang, what did you just do? How was he in bed?”

Lin Shuang made a disgusted noise and hung up.

Her phone showed unread WeChat messages, all from Luo Wei — over a dozen essay-length message bubbles explaining what had happened at the movie theater.

[The guy today was a coworker my boss introduced me to. We’ve only just started getting to know each other. He bought the movie tickets and asked me to come see it with him.]

[I know what you’re going to say — about Teacher Zhou… I really did like him quite a bit, and I’d been looking for chances to get closer to him before. But a few days ago he told me some things about his background — he doesn’t have parents, only a grandmother at home. Hearing that… it just felt off to me. I never expected he’d be an orphan, and once my parents found out, they strongly objected.]

[I also have a brother — my parents aren’t in good health, and these past few years they’ve been helping raise my brother’s kid. My sister-in-law is pregnant with a second child now too. When I get pregnant and have a baby myself, my parents won’t be able to help, and there’s absolutely no way I’d quit my job to become a stay-at-home mom. With no one to help watch a child, that’s a really troublesome thing.]

[Even though he’s a teacher, he still hasn’t bought a house. I wouldn’t mind working toward that together with him, but the renovations, the bride price, the wedding, the gold and diamonds — those things really do cost a lot too… a girl only gets one wedding in her life, I don’t want to settle, I want to be careful about this.]

Lin Shuang could only think — the divorce rate these days really was quite high.

[And besides, Teacher Zhou doesn’t seem to care about me much either — he never reaches out to chat first, and even when we talk, he treats me like just an ordinary friend. He probably doesn’t have any real feelings for me… he’s actually a good person, and he even helped me out with something, but after thinking it over for a long time, I don’t want to waste my own time.]

Luo Wei went back and forth saying a lot, and Lin Shuang wasn’t sure if she was using these reasons to console herself, or to console Lin Shuang.

Truly surreal — she had just fled from a hotel suite’s bed scattered with rose petals, and simultaneously, in another world entirely, someone else was tangled up in all the petty conflicts of marriage prospects.

Finally, Luo Wei cautiously, full of worry, asked Lin Shuang: “Lin Shuang, do you think I’m doing the right thing?”

Lin Shuang replied with two words: “Very right.”

She was an outsider in this — she wasn’t concerned with right or wrong.

Lin Shuang turned to look at the streets sliding past the car window and told the taxi driver to change the destination: “Sir, could you turn around, please, and head to Beiquan High School.”

She went back to the tea shop.

Seeing the boss come back, Nana let out a “wow”: “Boss, aren’t you on a date anymore?”

“Date’s over. Don’t you have a date today too?”

The tea shop was only open until six that evening; Nana had a candlelit dinner planned with her boyfriend for the night.

“Go on, I’ll watch the shop.”

Nana was overjoyed: “Thanks, boss.”

Lin Shuang threw every single flower Mr. Polo Shirt had sent into the trash.

Even to this day, roses were still what she disliked most.

Plenty of men had given her roses before, always saying her intensity suited roses — that even her thorns were beautiful.

On Qixi at Beiquan High School, a couple who looked like students came in hand in hand to buy milk tea, and Lin Shuang pitched them the shop’s couples’ top-up card — a heart-shaped card split in two halves, one for each person.

“Milk tea’s buy-one-get-one on Valentine’s Day, and there’s a 20% discount for anniversaries and both birthdays.”

“Boss, what happens to the card if we break up?”

“On the day you return the card, I’ll treat you both to milk tea — heartbreak deserves a celebratory drink, after all, long live being single.”

The boy and girl burst out laughing.

At eight that evening, the tea shop closed for the day, the street nearly empty of pedestrians. She stood at the bus stop, trying to hail a taxi home.

Overhead, the stars glittered in a brilliant river across the sky, the breeze soft and cool. She ran into a familiar face just stepping out of the school gate.

That person’s eyes flickered with surprise upon seeing her.

“Teacher Zhou.” Lin Shuang watched him approach step by step, the wind ruffling her hair. “Still teaching tonight?”

Zhou Zheng scratched his head. “I’m off today — I went to check the student dorms.”

On a sensitive holiday like this, boarding students weren’t allowed off campus without a homeroom teacher’s permission slip; Zhou Zheng, diligent as ever, had gone to count heads in the dorms, worried students might sneak off campus to run around.

Lin Shuang nodded, glancing toward the street — the passing taxis were all full, and the ride-hailing apps showed available cars only at surge pricing, waiting for higher-paying fares.

She put her phone away and turned to ask him, “Have you had dinner yet, Teacher Zhou?”

Lin Shuang smiled, her eyes bright: “If not… why don’t we grab something together? I still owe you a meal.”

Every restaurant in town, big or small, was packed full; Lin Shuang decided they’d just eat something nearby the school.

Passing by a small accessories shop, Zhou Zheng stopped and asked her, “That… are you cold?”

She was wearing that satin green dress, her shoulders and back bare, only her thick, long hair offering any cover.

Lin Shuang arched an eyebrow.

“Let me buy you a shawl.” His tone was vague, eyes down at his feet, scuffing at the dust on the ground.

“Sure.”

Zhou Zheng came out holding a wide silk scarf. Lin Shuang looked at the pale pink shade — the kind fifteen-year-old girls loved — and, twitching her mouth slightly, unfolded it without comment and draped it over her shoulders.

The two of them went to that clay-pot rice noodle shop, Lin Shuang gathering up her green skirt to squeeze into a corner seat.

She was a regular at the noodle shop; the owner knew what she wanted without her even asking — beef noodles, with beef offal, extra spicy.

“Teacher Zhou, long time no see.” The owner turned to Zhou Zheng, tone familiar. “What’ll you have, Teacher Zhou?”

Zhou Zheng ordered a bowl of three-treasure noodles.

Lin Shuang asked him, “Did you come here often back in high school too, Teacher Zhou?”

“I ate here once or twice back then.” He pressed his lips together. “After coming back to teach, I’d occasionally come with Zhang Fan — he’s on good terms with the owner.”

The owner added a poached egg on top of both their noodle bowls.

Zhou Zheng lifted his chopsticks, paused over the egg. Lin Shuang glanced up at him. “Go ahead and eat, it’s on the house.”

The two of them ate their noodles with heads down. Lin Shuang had a habit of playing with her phone while eating, often distracted; Zhou Zheng said nothing, sitting across from her silently like a statue.

“Have you ever been in a relationship, Teacher Zhou?” she asked him.

“…” His gaze wandered, and finally, head down, he said quietly, “Once, a couple years ago.”

“Why’d you two break up?”

“Our personalities weren’t a great fit.” Zhou Zheng ate with some difficulty. “We were both teachers, both very busy with work.”

“What about you?” he asked her cautiously.

“A few times, I guess.” She said it offhandedly. “Can’t really remember.”

“You and that man who sends you flowers…” Zhou Zheng asked vaguely, “did you two have a fight?”

Lin Shuang smiled, unburdened: “Blew over.”

He looked straight at her.

Lin Shuang stirred her noodles, and whether out of irritation or discouragement, felt a sort of self-destructive deflation, and set down her chopsticks. “I’m going out for a smoke.”

Zhou Zheng paid the bill and saw her standing under the tree in front of the shop, smoking, the tip of the cigarette flickering.

The bright city lights and moonlight fell across her dress like a quiet radiance flowing slowly, making even her seem to glow.

He stood silently beside her.

“I’ll just get a taxi myself.” She turned, cigarette between her lips. “You should head home and rest too, Teacher Zhou.”

Taxis weren’t easy to catch at this hour. Zhou Zheng pulled out his phone. “It’s too late, it’s not safe. I have a friend who drives for a ride-hailing service — let me have him take you home.”

Zhou Zheng called Shunzai.

“A-Zheng.” Shunzai was picking up fares nearby and arrived quickly.

Lin Shuang got in the car without trouble. Zhou Zheng closed the car door and leaned toward the window. “Let me know when you get home.”

Shunzai glanced at the radiant beauty in the back seat and thumped his chest, giving his buddy his word: “Don’t worry, A-Zheng, I’ll get her home safe and sound.”

The car drove off into the distance.

“So… you’re a friend of A-Zheng’s, right?” Shunzai twisted around in his seat, sighing with feeling. “Today’s a pretty special day, you know — the two of you…”

“I run a shop near the school. I just happened to run into Teacher Zhou while trying to catch a cab.”

Shunzai let out a disappointed “oh.”

Lin Shuang noticed the hand-knitted wool cover on the driver’s seat. “Do you and Teacher Zhou know each other well?”

“Hey, I’m Zhou Shun. A-Zheng and I are from the same village, grew up together since we were kids, known each other for over twenty years — thick as thieves.”

Lin Shuang nodded.

After a moment, she suddenly spoke up: “Doesn’t Teacher Zhou have a younger sister? I think I saw her once before — she looked a bit like him.”

“That’s his cousin, from his second uncle’s family. His own household is just him and his grandmother.”

“Hm? What about Teacher Zhou’s parents?”

Shunzai shook his head. “His parents passed away — been gone over a decade now.”

“Illness?”

“An accident — a rainy day, the village reservoir flooded, and his uncle and aunt were both lost. That day was really tragic.” Shunzai sighed with a note of sorrow and fell silent.

Lin Shuang fell silent too.

At Zhou Zheng’s instruction, Shunzai insisted on seeing Lin Shuang all the way in: “Let me walk you the rest of the way, don’t worry, I’m a good driver, won’t crash into anything — and besides, it’s pitch dark around here, not safe for you to walk alone.”

The car stopped downstairs from her building, and Zhou Zheng happened to call Shunzai right then.

Lin Shuang thanked him over Shunzai’s phone.

He replied gently: “Good night.”

“Good night.”