Saturday evening, not yet six o’clock, Teddy was already rallying everyone in the group chat, reminding them to set aside their work and prepare to head out for dinner.

Lu Qiqi, never one to be left behind when it came to food, was the first to raise her hand: I’m ready!

Teddy replied: Ready to pay the bill?

Lu Qiqi immediately went offline tactically: Sorry to bother you.

Cen Jin smiled, and after saving her work, she checked the time and sent a message to the group: Can you wait half an hour for me? I have something to do, you all order first.

Teddy: Is there anything more important than having dinner with everyone?

Cen Jin thought about it and answered honestly: Picking someone up.

Over these past few months, besides the academic concerns, picking up and dropping off Li Wu had seemingly become an essential part of Cen Jin’s life rituals, as indispensable as brushing teeth.

Teddy: If it’s picking up a handsome guy, we don’t mind.

Cen Jin replied: My brother, needs to come home for the weekend.

Teddy said: Then he must be handsome, why not bring him along to eat?

Cen Jin pressed her forehead: Not appropriate.

Teddy stopped joking: Alright then, we’ll wait for you.

…

Neon lights streaked past on both sides as the pure white sports car sped along, stopping as usual in front of Yi High School.

Cen Jin had sent Li Wu a message before leaving, and sure enough, the youth was already waiting there.

He stood alone beside the flower bed, his figure tall and slender, his face dappled with leaf shadows, seeming somewhat distracted.

Cen Jin honked the horn to remind him, and only then did the youth look up like a startled bird, before walking over.

He sat in the passenger seat without a word.

Cen Jin was fully prepared to receive good news, and with the dinner gathering ahead, she was in high spirits, her enunciation carrying rare cheerfulness: “How did you do on this unit test?”

Li Wu turned his head to look out the window, and after a long while squeezed out three words in a low, depressed tone: “It was okay.”

Cen Jin noticed his unusual behavior and glanced at him asking: “Are you not feeling well?”

Li Wu didn’t answer.

Getting no response, Cen Jin called again: “Li Wu?”

The youth didn’t want to talk.

Cen Jin took advantage of a red light to observe him. The youth was leaning sideways, his entire upper body almost turned away from her, his demeanor gloomy and listless. In the past few weeks when she picked him up, he had been like an obedient deer, his big eyes bright with energy. Today he had become a young untamed lion, his whole being suffused with resistance and perfunctory attitude, constantly wrapped in a dark, forbidding mist that kept people at a thousand-mile distance.

It was bewildering.

Cen Jin didn’t understand what kind of mood he was in, and her tone also cooled: “Today I’ll still drop you at the entrance of the complex, I have other matters to attend to.”

Li Wu responded: “Mm.”

Cen Jin had to admit, that Li Wu’s halfhearted response had gotten to her.

She had gone to the trouble of delaying the dinner gathering, making the whole company wait, to come pick him up, and this kid was giving her attitude for no reason.

For the latter half of the journey, Cen Jin gripped the steering wheel tightly, no longer making conversation with him.

Not a single word.

The car stopped at the complex entrance, and Cen Jin spoke with an icy face, each word seeming frozen: “Get out.”

As soon as the locks were released, Li Wu immediately opened the door and got out, not even saying goodbye.

The tall, thin young man walked straight into the complex as if she were invisible. It was this attitude that thoroughly provoked Cen Jin, and she stepped on the gas, following after him.

Noticing a car moving parallel to him, Li Wu paused, his eyes glancing over, colliding with the woman’s gaze through the window.

Just one look and she accelerated again, the white four-wheeled beast directly overtaking Li Wu, roaring toward their building.

Li Wu’s steps faltered slightly, but he continued walking in the same direction.

Cen Jin temporarily forgot about the dinner gathering, waiting for him at the entrance to the stairwell.

Before long, Li Wu arrived too. Cen Jin glanced at him, jerking her chin to indicate he should enter the elevator first, before following in herself.

The elevator car was silent, the metal walls reflecting two people standing side by side, yet neither looking at the other, as if separated by a thousand mountains.

A few seconds later, ding, they exited one after the other.

This time, Cen Jin was in front.

Reaching home, Cen Jin didn’t change her shoes, walking directly to the sofa and throwing her car keys onto the coffee table with a clang.

The youth bending to change his shoes seemed struck by this sound, his hand pausing, but finally unable to endure anymore, he slipped on his slippers and walked over to Cen Jin: “Was it you who told the head teacher to change my dormitory?”

His voice was dry and suppressed from long silence.

Cen Jin froze, thought for a second, then looked at him coldly: “Yes, it was me, what about it?”

Li Wu’s Adam’s apple moved, he looked at her directly once, then turned to walk toward the study.

That one look, though lacking force, was quite meaningful, like an unexpected strike from a blunt knife – at first no feeling, but as the aftereffect came on, the skin began to burn hot.

Cen Jin was irritated by her own flushed reaction, anger rampaging, and she no longer stood there foolishly but followed him like a pursuing killer.

Behind the desk, the youth had already sat down.

Probably not expecting her to come over, he glanced up at her hurriedly, then lowered his eyes to look for other books.

“What, I’m not allowed to ask your teacher to change your dormitory?” Cen Jin stood at the doorway, determined to get clarity on this matter today, at this moment.

Li Wu put his lecture notes on the desk, seemed to endure for a few seconds, then looked at her: “Why didn’t you tell me first? They are they, I am I, can’t you stop meddling so much?”

As soon as the words fell, Cen Jin’s brain instantly became gunpowder, completely ignited, wanting only to explode outward:

“You think I want to meddle? Wasn’t it you who violated school rules first that made your teacher call me? You think I have nothing better to do than want to interfere in your school life?”

“You think I enjoyed going to your head teacher about changing dorms? I’m someone who doesn’t even have kids yet suddenly becoming that parent who gets called in – do you think I enjoyed that? Without you, I’d have so many fewer things to deal with!”

“Saying these things to me now, but who called me on the phone back then? What did you promise me back then? And now what have you become?”

“Who was it that said such nice things, just wanting to study, needing to be able to study? Not even one semester has passed, and now you start being unmanageable, throwing tantrums, full of lies, and that messy profile picture – where did all this come from?”

“Search your conscience, dare you say you haven’t been influenced by those boys in your dorm? They make you take the fall, yet you turn your anger on me – what benefits did they give you to make you so unable to distinguish right from wrong?”

Cen Jin kept talking, while Li Wu kept his head lowered, his chest heaving violently, and after a long while, he spoke a few words: “They are my friends.”

“Heh,” Cen Jin laughed lightly with extreme mockery. The outburst had finally allowed her emotions some relief, her face turning pale, her tone settling down, yet particularly cold and unfeeling: “Impressive, such a noble friendship.”

Li Wu’s hand curled into a fist, and he resolutely raised his head, looking at her steadily: “Wasn’t it you who told me to integrate, to make friends?”

Cen Jin felt like something was stuck in her throat, disbelief welling up in her eyes. She instantly returned to the living room, snatched up her car keys, and left.

Bang!

The woman’s violent door slam seemed to kick Li Wu hard in the spine, his chest hurting so much he almost curled up.

But he still sat upright, shoulders straight, just staring blankly at the cover of his lecture notes before him, silent, miserable, for so long it seemed as if he would never move again.

By the time she arrived at Zhiwei Restaurant, it was nearly eight o’clock.

This restaurant, with its green-tiled roofs and views of lakes and mountains, had a distinctly classical charm and was Yi City’s foremost establishment for Hangzhou cuisine.

Following the pale yellow lanterns along the lakeside, passing a grove of well-tended bamboo, and climbing wooden stairs, Cen Jin expertly found the private room Teddy had arranged and announced in the group chat earlier.

The door was closed. Cen Jin knocked twice, and heard someone inside call out: “Come in!”

Cen Jin pushed open the door.

Pop! Colorful confetti flew at her from all sides. Cen Jin had no time to dodge, her entire body was covered in it, transformed into a living Christmas tree.

Wooooo – the whole room erupted in wolf howls and applause.

“Hey – please,” this kind of embarrassment fought poison with poison, instantly sweeping away her bad mood. Cen Jin laughed helplessly: “This is just a welcome party, not a birthday celebration or New Year’s greeting.”

Teddy the head seat raised his arms, waving them repeatedly: “Let’s treat it as a birthday, Cen Jin’s birthday is in August! Consider this a belated celebration, quick, come sit down, time for cake!”

There was a cake.

Lu Qiqi brought it out – four inches in size, decorated with pale pink roses, quite exquisite and lifelike.

Cen Jin brushed the petals from her shoulders and sat down with a smile.

Lu Qiqi sat beside her, looking expectant: “Can I have some later?”

Cen Jin replied: “You can take the whole thing home if you want.”

“Never mind then,” Lu Qiqi tossed her head, operating on her logic of food-seeking: “It’s fragrant when it comes naturally, but stinks when taken for free.”

Teddy had brought his drinks – several bottles of expensive vintage wine from some brand.

He left his seat to pour for his subordinates, Cen Jin first, and poured especially generously for her.

Several male colleagues clamored for equal treatment, only to be dismissed by Teddy. When they persisted, the director had to declare: “Whoever goes home with me tonight, I’ll pour them just as much.”

Some instantly fell silent, while others opened their arms wide, shouting “Bring it on, I’m yours” with death-defying abandon; the ladies doubled over with laughter.

With plenty of food and drink, the atmosphere was harmonious.

New colleagues were witty and eloquent, making Cen Jin’s eyes crinkle with laughter constantly. Gradually, in the yellow lamplight, she also became somewhat tipsy.

Worried that drinking more would make her see double, Cen Jin set down her glass and rested her chin on her hand, watching everyone debate and chat, cursing their clients over and over.

During the meal, someone mentioned Cen Jin’s previous company:

“This time the LiFubao project couldn’t beat Yichuang.”

“Their media support is stronger than ours.”

“It’s not just the media, their all-around ACD is something else. That sign language commercial they did recently – self-written, self-shot, self-edited – even won a OneShow award. I’m genuinely impressed. His brain must be like a honeycomb, ready wherever needed…”

Cen Jin’s smile froze slightly – they were talking about Wu Fu.

An art director turned her gaze toward her: “Cen Jin, you were trained by him, right? That’s why you write so efficiently.”

Cen Jin smiled gracefully: “Yes, he’s also my ex-husband.”

The table fell silent instantly until someone couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Everyone joined in the foolish laughter, some even banging the table and bowls, successfully dissolving the awkwardness.

Near midnight, the advertising company’s “crazy bunch” finally dispersed.

Cen Jin’s cheeks were flushed, showing an unusual contrast to her normal appearance.

But her mind was still relatively clear. She said goodbye to her colleagues one by one, chatted briefly with Teddy, then took a taxi home.

Sitting in the back seat, Cen Jin was about to tell the driver her complex’s name when a flash of white light crossed her mind, and she gave a different address instead.

Chun Chang’s home.

The woman’s arrival was so impulsive that Chun Chang was still in the shower, wrapping herself in a towel and sliding out to open the door.

As soon as their eyes met, Chun Chang pointed at her disapprovingly: “Well well, drinking without me.”

Cen Jin’s head was fuzzy and eyes hot as she waved her hand and walked in: “Company dinner.”

She collapsed onto the sofa, mumbling: “God, I haven’t had such a great Saturday in so long, just lying here, not having to think about anything. I want to move in with you, Chun Chang.”

Chun Chang went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel to dry her hair: “Why?”

Her eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered something: “What about your little brother, home alone?”

“Ah–” Cen Jin covered her face, wailing in pain: “Why did you have to mention him–“

“What’s wrong,” Chun Chang confused her completely: “What happened?”

Cen Jin hugged a pillow and told her everything about the drama of the past two days.

Chun Chang’s smile was almost crooked: “You two are too funny.”

She looked down at her friend, kicking her slim leg that was lazily propped on the coffee table: “So you came to spend the night at my place?”

Cen Jin nodded dejectedly, then nodded again, utterly exhausted: “Just thinking about having to stay in the same house with this kid makes me feel suffocated. I brought this trouble upon myself…”

“Cen Jin, I’ve noticed you have a problem,” Chun Chang sat down beside her, “Why do you always run away from home when you fight with men? The house is yours, the home is yours – when will you learn to kick them out instead?”

“How can I kick him out?” Cen Jin sat up straight suddenly: “He has no one to rely on, where could he go? Walk for seven days and nights back to Shengzhou?”

Chun Chang poked her arm, enunciating each word: “You, you’re just too, soft-hearted.”

“What can I do? Can we not talk about him? My head starts throbbing just hearing his name.” Riding the buzz of alcohol, Cen Jin started acting cute: “Chun Chang~ Chang Chang~ I want water water.”

Chun Chang got up and went to the kitchen, bringing back a cup of hot water: “If you don’t go back tonight, what if your brother looks for you?”

Cen Jin took the cup and sipped: “He won’t look for me.”

At that very moment, a vibration came from the handbag on the coffee table.

“See, here it comes,” Chun Chang reached for it. Cen Jin let her, but when she got hold of it, she pointed at the screen to show her, exclaiming her discovery: “Li Wu? Is that him? So his name is Li Wu? Oh my~ The kept brother still has some humanity.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” her friend’s choice of words made Cen Jin’s face heat up for no reason. She hurriedly stopped her eagerly moving finger: “Don’t answer!”

Chun Chang had to drop her hand: “Why are you being difficult with the kid?”

“You don’t know how angry he made me today. If you were there, you’d also think, is this how a human talks?”

Chun Chang smiled easily, without principles: “If a handsome guy called me an idiot, I’d happily agree.”

“…”

During their bickering, the vibration stopped.

Chun Chang gently placed the phone back on the coffee table: “I bet Little Brother Li Wu will call again.”

Cen Jin snorted coldly, grabbed Chun Chang’s half-finished bag of cereal, and sat cross-legged as she would at home, munching away while keeping an eye out from the corner of her eye.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the phone vibrated again.

Chun Chang leaned over to confirm: “See?”

Cen Jin spoke with cereal in her mouth: “Ignore it, let’s see how many times he calls. If it’s over ten, I’ll consider answering.”

The two women approaching thirty sat side by side on the sofa, beginning an endurance test aimed at a high school boy.

Chun Chang counted: “The third time.”

“…Fourth time now.”

“Fifth time!”

“Sixth time, damn, he’s persistent.”

“Seven! Have you noticed, he calls every five minutes? Does he have OCD or something?”

“Eight, eight already!”

…

After the eighth call ended, there was no ninth call for over ten minutes.

Cen Jin puffed her cheeks, looking unsurprised: “See? My nurturing grace is only worth eight calls to him-“

Before she could finish, Chun Chang’s phone started vibrating urgently.