Cen Jin lived by the principle of never letting arguments last overnight, but she still couldn’t sleep well that evening. Dizzying nightmares pressed down on her until she could barely breathe. Not yet five o’clock, she sat up in bed, leaning against her pillow in a daze.

She opened WeChat and clicked on Wu Fu’s Moments feed.

To her surprise, he had posted a new status—a photograph.

The content wasn’t unfamiliar: it showed the convenience store below their office building. A pedestrian was walking past the front entrance, their body a blurred shadow like a spirit in the night.

Wu Fu had an eye for composition. Even with just a phone, he could edit photos to have the quality of film stills. His talent for aesthetics was remarkable—the designers in his department all said it was a waste of his abilities to have started in copywriting.

But regardless of which path he’d taken, he was now an ACD (Associate Creative Director), able to oversee everything from above.

As Cen Jin stared at the photo, she was gradually enveloped by a deepening sense of loneliness. She found it hard to discern whether this loneliness stemmed from herself, from Wu Fu, or both of them. Even with numerous colleagues and clients liking and bantering in the comments below, creating a lively atmosphere, the image itself remained desolate.

Cen Jin felt somewhat better—she guessed Wu Fu wasn’t having an easy time either.

She lay back down, planning to properly sleep through her remaining two hours.

The quality of her second sleep was excellent. The woman felt as if she had barely closed her eyes when the sound of a rolling suitcase outside startled her awake.

Cen Jin picked up her phone to check the time, then got out of bed and walked out of her room.

A tall, white figure was already standing in the living room.

It was Li Wu, wearing the sports jacket she had bought him. The sleeves bore the classic three-stripe design, one black and one gold, giving the young man a brighter, more spirited air. But he had zipped it to the top as if deliberately containing this unfamiliar vibrancy.

His clear black-and-white eyes slid over to meet hers.

Just as he was about to say good morning, Cen Jin spoke first: “When did you wake up?”

Li Wu replied, “After six.”

Cen Jin looked at the suitcase beside his leg: “All packed?”

“Mm.”

Cen Jin was unsurprised by his efficiency and low-maintenance nature. She smiled and asked, “What would you like for breakfast?”

Li Wu said, “Anything is fine.”

“I’ll go back to my room to freshen up. Wait for me on the couch.”

“Okay,” Li Wu nodded.

Cen Jin returned to her room, efficiently ordering breakfast during gaps while brushing her teeth. After changing into casual clothes, she walked out of the bedroom.

Li Wu had indeed obediently sat down, silently reciting English vocabulary from his textbook.

Cen Jin laughed: “Is the college entrance exam tomorrow? Why such urgency?”

He had been quite absorbed, only noticing the woman’s presence in the living room when he heard her voice. His eyelids lowered, first noticing her slender white ankles below camel-colored cropped pants. Above that was a gray-brown cardigan. Her hair was loose today, with a slight wave, one side tucked behind her ear, giving off an effortlessly soft appearance.

Cen Jin was different from the women in the village. During their three days together, she had never piled on any bright or gorgeous colors, yet she wasn’t plain. On the contrary, she was beautiful, effortlessly so.

Li Wu closed his book with both hands, quickly moving his gaze from her face.

He was putting the textbook back in his backpack when Cen Jin asked, “Did you pack your phone and charger?”

Li Wu looked up: “Yes,” he added, “They’re in the suitcase.”

“Good,” Cen Jin walked to the entryway, took out a stack of money from her bag, walked back, and placed it on the coffee table: “Take this cash with you. It’s not much, just two thousand yuan, for unexpected needs.”

Li Wu froze, immediately refusing: “No need, I have a meal card.”

Cen Jin touched her forehead: “What if you need to buy books or stationery? There’s good food outside campus too. I don’t want you eyeing what other kids have.”

“…”

Her thoughtfulness made it difficult to feel at ease. Li Wu began to regret it—that KFC meal might have given Cen Jin the wrong impression about him. He wasn’t as fond of food as she imagined.

“Take it.” Cen Jin dropped the subject and walked to the kitchen to operate the coffee machine.

Li Wu wanted to return the money, but looking at the woman’s casual figure behind the counter, he couldn’t bear to disturb her.

He noticed some books and magazines under the coffee table and took out one of the thicker ones. Then he inconspicuously glanced at Cen Jin—she was facing away, one hand propped on the counter, her posture relaxed. She probably wouldn’t turn around anytime soon.

He lowered his eyes, quickly slipped the two thousand yuan into the book, smoothed the title page, put it back in its original position, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

—

After breakfast, Cen Jin expertly led Li Wu to Yi Zhong School.

Teacher Qi had sent the dormitory building and room number to Cen Jin’s WeChat early on. With the dorm manager’s directions, they quickly found the place.

It was a very typical, very basic four-person male dorm room. Books were scattered about, shoes lay crooked every which way, and chair backs had become the most convenient place to store clothes instead of closets. The waste bin was mostly filled with drink cans, and plastic basins on the balcony were piled with dirty clothes, waiting to be taken to the laundry room when they could hold no more.

Li Wu’s desk and bed hadn’t been used before, becoming a temporary storage space filled with the other three students’ miscellaneous items.

The students were all in class now, leaving the dorm room empty and silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Finding nowhere to stand, Cen Jin simply stationed herself by the door next to the water dispenser.

Li Wu also didn’t know where to start, not wanting to move others’ belongings, so he could only stand there.

But they couldn’t just wait like this. Cen Jin looked around for a moment, then rolled up her sleeves and walked over, sweeping everything on the desk nearest the door to one side with a single motion, ignoring whatever crashed to the floor. Then she gathered all the clothes piled on the chair and distributed them onto the other three chairs.

After finishing this, she turned back, dusting off her hands: “Use it.”

The young man was startled by her bold actions, somewhat dazed.

“What are you afraid of? It’s your territory to begin with.” Cen Jin walked to the balcony, turned on the faucet to wash her hands, and then called inside: “Bring a towel over, and wipe down the desk and chair before putting your things there.”

“Okay.” Li Wu responded, quickly taking an old towel from his suitcase and running to the balcony.

Cen Jin held out her hand: “Give it to me.”

Li Wu said: “I’ll do it.”

“Give it to me.” Her tone brooked no argument.

Li Wu handed the towel to her.

As soon as it was in her hands, Cen Jin complained: “Is this a tile? Why is it so hard?”

“…”

She began scrubbing it under the tap water, her movements and strength completely missing the mark—it looked less like washing cloth and more like kneading noodles. Whether due to the towel’s material or the cold water temperature, the woman’s fair knuckles gradually turned red.

Li Wu couldn’t bear it and offered again: “Let me wash it.”

Cen Jin tilted her head to glance at him, her eyes full of questions.

Li Wu held his breath and remained silent.

Cen Jin turned off the water tap and wrung out the towel: “Is there something wrong with how I wash?”

“…No.”

“Then why try to take over? What are you trying to prove?” She handed the towel to him: “You can clean up the rest yourself.”

Who’s trying to prove something here? Li Wu accepted the still-dripping cloth bundle, unable to voice his thoughts.

With the ritual complete, Cen Jin walked back inside, taking out soft tissues from her bag to slowly wipe her hands. During this time, Li Wu very quickly wrung the cloth several more times until it stopped dripping, then walked back inconspicuously.

Half an hour later, Li Wu’s desk, wardrobe, and bed were all spotlessly clean, standing out as an oasis of order in the room. He worked so efficiently that he needed no supervision at all, surpassing even the expensive hourly cleaners Cen Jin usually hired. She couldn’t help but think that this ability could be a valuable skill—if Li Wu didn’t get into university in the future, he would surely earn a decent income in the domestic service industry.

The sound of the young man closing a drawer interrupted her thoughts. Cen Jin immediately came back to herself: “All done?”

Li Wu turned back: “Mm.”

Cen Jin glanced at her watch: “Class will be over soon. When your roommates come back, I’ll treat everyone to lunch. They’re your classmates, might as well get to know them early,” she arranged everything systematically: “After the lunch break, I’ll take you to meet your homeroom teacher, then go get measured for your school uniform.”

Li Wu’s face showed difficulty.

Cen Jin noticed: “What’s wrong?”

Li Wu’s brow smoothed: “Nothing.”

“There you go again,” Cen Jin’s eyes were sharp, catching his subtle changes in expression: “Don’t you remember what I told you yesterday?”

“It’s too much trouble.” Li Wu no longer concealed it. He was here to study and didn’t want Cen Jin to spend money and energy on these unnecessary social interactions.

Cen Jin looked at him briefly, then agreed: “Alright, you can make friends with them yourself. You’ll have more to talk about with people your age, I won’t interfere.”

Li Wu stood up: “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know, I’m giving myself an out,” Cen Jin was impressed by this wooden head, reorganizing her plan: “Then let’s go eat first after eating you’ll return to the dorm, and I’ll rest in the car, and we’ll meet at the front of the Wenzhilou building at two o’clock.”

Li Wu made a sound of agreement.

They found a random restaurant near the school gate. As their food was being served, the long ring of the end-of-class bell sounded from within the school. Soon after, the restaurant was flooded with students, all wearing blue and white uniforms, their faces young and fresh.

The elegantly made-up Cen Jin stood out like an anomaly, drawing quite a few side glances, but she still calmly spooned her rice bowl.

She was full after eating less than half, wiped her mouth, and began observing the surrounding clamor.

Cen Jin looked at the menu on the wall again, scanning it from top to bottom before saying: “I was quite foresighted, Li Wu. Look, it’s already full of students in just this short while, surely some are boarding students who are tired of cafeteria food. That money I gave you this morning was right after all.”

Li Wu, holding his soup bowl, choked suddenly and started coughing heavily.

“How did you…” Cen Jin started to speak but stopped, quickly pulling out tissues to hand to him: “Drink slowly!”

Li Wu took them, recovered, and continued eating with his head down.

The young man’s plate was completely clean, not a grain of rice left. This reminded Cen Jin of her friend’s large dog who would wolf down its food at every meal, and she couldn’t help but smile.

For some reason, she couldn’t sense any poverty in Li Wu, only sincerity—sincerity toward food. This sincerity carried a sense of times past; he didn’t seem to belong to this age of extravagant spending, making her think of the simplicity and enthusiasm found in the smoke of modern history.

After eating, the two walked out side by side. As they approached the school gate, Cen Jin asked: “Does it feel real yet?”

Li Wu lowered his eyes: “What?”

“The feeling of going to school,” Cen Jin’s gaze followed a ponytailed girl passing by: “Not having to think about anything else, just being able to study without worry, just like most children here.”

She was genuinely happy for him.

But for Li Wu, it wasn’t quite true that he had nothing else to think about, after all, he was still concealing something from Cen Jin.

He could only nod, without saying a word.

Cen Jin took something from her bag and held it out to him: “Take it, your dorm key.”

Li Wu took it and immediately stuffed both hand and key into his pocket.

“Don’t lose it.” She repeatedly cautioned, then asked: “You remember the way back to the dorm, right?”

“I remember.” He gripped it tightly, feeling it press against his palm, just as she said, it felt truly real now. Another door in his life was about to open.

With half her mission complete, Cen Jin’s chest rose and fell slowly: “I’m going to sleep in the car for a while, you head back.”

“…” Li Wu pressed his lips together tightly.

Cen Jin lit up her phone to check it: “See you this afternoon.”

Li Wu nodded.

The woman turned and walked toward the underground parking garage.

Perhaps because the weather was too good, the sunlight too dazzling, Li Wu’s eyes became slightly moist but were immediately dried by the wind. He involuntarily followed her steps.

“Sis…”

He called out softly and quietly, not letting it out, then gritted his teeth and called louder: “Sis!”

Cen Jin turned back, squinting slightly, her face bright.

Li Wu ran up to her, his breathing steady: “The money you gave me this morning, I put it in the book called ‘Blossoms’ under the coffee table, the one with the gray cover.”

His eyes, always so intense, were particularly focused and serious: “I don’t need it, and I can’t accept it.”

After their eyes met briefly, Cen Jin’s expression darkened, and she said coldly: “Suit yourself.”

Throwing down these two words, she turned and walked away without hesitation.

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Wu called to her retreating figure: “If I need anything in the future, I’ll ask to borrow from you.”

The woman’s figure paused, then continued forward without looking back.

Li Wu stood in place, the corners of his mouth turning up in an almost imperceptible curve. He kept watching, kept watching until she disappeared from view.