With meals taken care of, Cen Jin’s holiday anxiety eased, allowing her to settle into being a homebody advertising professional. Li Wu’s days were equally fulfilling – beyond his daily routines, cooking, and studying, he set aside two hours of free time to assemble the Lego set Cen Jin had given him.

Every afternoon from two to four, like clockwork, the young man would set aside his schoolwork and sit on the study room floor, focused entirely on following the instruction manual. By New Year’s Eve, the intricate castle had taken shape, lacking only a few minor details.

When Cen Jin woke up and passed by the study, she caught a glimpse of the grand fairy-tale castle on the cabinet, as if Disney World had been magically miniaturized and brought home. She instantly became alert, walking closer to admire it from all angles, even taking a photo to document it.

But more than the finished product itself, she was amazed by Li Wu’s frightening efficiency, asking if he had secretly worked on it overnight.

The youth, sitting at his desk twirling a pen, denied it: “No, once I looked at the instructions and pieces, I had the structure in my mind, so assembly was quite fast.”

Leaning against the doorframe, Cen Jin’s tone wavered between praise and mockery: “Who knew you were such a prodigy.”

Li Wu: “…”

He exceeded expectations in many ways, and Cen Jin felt an inexplicable sense of threat.

Unwilling to be outdone, she crossed her arms and immediately reclaimed her authority and confidence from her area of expertise: “How is it that you put so much effort into English yet still fall just short?”

Li Wu was silent for two seconds: “I don’t know.”

Cen Jin asked: “Did you bring your final exam papers back?”

Li Wu said: “Yes.”

Cen Jin walked in, dragging a chair to sit at an angle from him: “Let me see.”

Li Wu looked at her: “Aren’t you going to have breakfast first?”

“Later, I’m not hungry.”

Li Wu pulled out the final exam papers from his backpack and placed them on the desk.

Cen Jin glanced at them – the stack of test papers still had that “Li Wu style,” consistently neat and orderly as always, secured with a black binder clip.

Li Wu removed the clip and quickly found the English test paper and answer sheet.

Cen Jin watched his movements while resting her chin on her hand, adding another request: “Let me see your science answer sheet too.”

Li Wu raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised.

“Wasn’t it a perfect score? I want to worship it properly,” her word choice was amusing, not an attempt to hide her sudden interest.

“…Mm.” Li Wu pulled it out and handed both it and the English papers to Cen Jin.

Cen Jin first looked at his science answer sheet.

As an art student who had long bid farewell to high school, the solution steps looked like hieroglyphics to her, but she could confirm that the young man’s writing was crisp and flowing, without a single correction, clearly showing his confidence level.

Cen Jin asked curiously: “Did you check it after finishing?”

Li Wu replied: “Yes.”

Cen Jin asked: “Not a single doubt?”

Li Wu said: “Not a single mistake.”

“Oh…” Knowing he was stating facts rather than boasting didn’t make it any less jarring. Cen Jin twirled her hair near her ear and returned the answer sheet to him, offering dry praise: “Pretty impressive.”

She sat up straight, returning to the main topic, analyzing his English test papers.

“Just three points higher than last time,” Cen Jin frowned slightly, flipping through the pages: “Cloze seems to be your weak point, and the composition too – just stacking fixed phrases doesn’t make a good essay.”

She scanned roughly, returning to the first page: “Your listening is quite good though, looks like the MP3 I gave you earlier did help.”

“Mm.”

“If you want to improve further, mere memorization might not help much anymore,” Cen Jin offered advice: “Starting tomorrow, try watching some American and British TV shows without subtitles. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ should suit a science kid like you.”

Li Wu seemed like an ancient person: “Without subtitles?”

Cen Jin sighed inwardly, explaining: “It means foreign shows without Chinese subtitles. You have to try understanding the meaning of each line yourself.”

As a warrior who had fought her way through the IELTS battlefield, Cen Jin’s English training methods weren’t limited to just this. They needed to permeate every aspect of daily life: “We can occasionally use English for conversation at home. You don’t need to respond fluently, just organize your thoughts and express them clearly to me.”

Li Wu was dumbfounded.

Cen Jin kept her eyes fixed on him, her gaze conveying a kind of warm encouragement: “Try it now, say something to me in English.”

Li Wu felt his scalp tingle and his ears burn under her stare.

“Don’t be afraid, look at me,” thinking he was nervous, Cen Jin maintained her smile, like a patient instructor: “Be confident, just like when you solve physics problems.”

Li Wu hardly dared to look directly at her, feeling only a violent force pulling and pushing into his chest, making it almost impossible to speak. But Cen Jin was still waiting, so he forced himself to stay calm, his knuckles cracking slightly under the desk before he managed to squeeze out a fairly complete short sentence: “Could you please go for breakfast?”

He was still thinking about that, Cen Jin admitted defeat inwardly and smiled helplessly: “OK, fine, as you wish.”

—

Because Yi City had a Spring Festival custom of not washing clothes until after the fifth day of the lunar new year, that afternoon, Cen Jin, finding nothing else to do, gathered several sweaters she’d only worn once from her bedroom coat rack and put them all in the laundry basket, carrying them to the washing machine on the balcony.

Li Wu’s two-hour Lego time became a TV series time.

The sitcom Cen Jin recommended was indeed interesting, but the main characters spoke extremely fast and occasionally used specialized terms, forcing him to pause frequently to look up words and understand their meaning.

But what made him most uncomfortable were the repeated risqué dialogues in the show.

After encountering the word “coitus” for the third time, Li Wu couldn’t bear it anymore and stopped watching.

He checked the time and decided to get some air on the terrace.

The surroundings were clear and bright, the daylight dazzling. Li Wu squinted slightly, leaning against the European-style iron railing, letting the wind pass through his palms and between his fingers.

Confirming his distracting thoughts had dissipated, he walked back inside, his peripheral vision inadvertently catching the fully packed drum washing machine.

He paused – hadn’t it finished washing quite a while ago? Why hadn’t she come to hang the clothes?

Li Wu walked back to the hallway and found Cen Jin’s bedroom door closed, guessing she might have already taken her afternoon nap, completely forgetting about the laundry.

The compulsive housekeeping factor within him stirred again. Li Wu knew he couldn’t resist, so he returned to the balcony, bent down to open the washing machine door, and took out the sweaters one by one, shaking them gently, placing them on hangers, carefully smoothing them, and straightening out the wrinkles before hanging them evenly on the retractable drying rack.

The fragrance of laundry crystals scattered in the wind, like some pleasant flower.

After finishing hanging the laundry, in the bright daylight, Li Wu let out a breath, standing in the wind to admire his orderly work.

His gaze slid from left to right, stopping abruptly at the end of the rod, then quickly looking away.

A set of women’s underwear hung on the drying rack, pure black, simple in style, with only lace trim around the edges.

The third time he’d seen them.

But every time it was the same:

They hung there openly and naturally, while his mind wandered.

An indescribable heat surged through his body, and Li Wu no longer lingered. Without looking back, he ran to the study room.

Cen Jin slept until five o’clock. In her line of work, overtime was more common than meals, making it hard to maintain a regular schedule. Now on holiday, it was even worse – her biological clock was completely disrupted, unable to distinguish day from night.

Cen Jin washed her face and lazily shuffled back to the living room in her slippers.

The lights were on, and someone was already busy in the kitchen, preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Having slept all afternoon, Cen Jin felt ashamed. She walked quickly over, rolling up her sleeves to help: “Little brother, is there anything I can do?”

The pronunciation of “little brother” was in the second tone – it was her first time addressing him this way, slightly coy yet playful.

Li Wu’s shoulders tensed, his hand freezing on the knife’s spine as he turned around awkwardly, “You’re awake.”

“Mm,” Cen Jin returned to her normal tone: “How about you, did you watch the show this afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“How was it?”

“Good,” Li Wu didn’t want to hide his true feelings: “But it’s still difficult to understand.”

“Take it slow. Even at my level, I might not understand everything. Having you watch it is mainly to train your sensitivity to sentences and vocabulary.”

“Mm,” Li Wu continued chopping garlic, and after a while, feeling he should inform Cen Jin, he looked at the woman who was poking around trying to join the New Year’s Eve dinner preparations: “I hung up the clothes from the washing machine for you.”

Cen Jin suddenly remembered: “Oh, right, I forgot about that.” She gently rubbed her temples, feigning distress: “My memory’s gotten terrible lately with my days and nights reversed. Thank you.”

Li Wu said: “It’s nothing.”

“Are you making garlic prawns?” Cen Jin poked at the cleaned prawns in a nearby bowl, picking one up to examine it.

She noticed the prawn’s back had been cut and the black vein thoroughly cleaned. Just as she was about to praise him, the prawn suddenly twitched, slipping from her fingers toward the floor. Cen Jin let out a startled cry, stepping back twice, and falling against Li Wu’s arm.

Li Wu reacted quickly, dropping his knife with a clang and turning to steady her.

The woman’s back collided directly with his chest. Though not hard, it felt like his heart would jump out, leaving him completely petrified.

Her soft hair tips brushed against his neck, and as she turned her head, they swept across his Adam’s apple, creating an unbearable tickle. Li Wu’s throat felt dry and oxygen-deprived.

The next moment, Li Wu’s hand, as if burned, withdrew from her shoulder and dropped to his side, tightly clenched.

Seeing his slightly strained expression, Cen Jin quickly created space between them, concerned: “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Li Wu bent down to pick up the prawn, taking the opportunity to take several deep breaths to steady his heartbeat. Heaven knows, at that moment, how much he wanted to embrace her, but fortunately, he could control himself, wasn’t so bewitched, wasn’t so insane.

Li Wu stood up, rinsing the prawn with water, trying to wash away the lingering sensation on his fingertips.

The woman smelled so nice, like the clothes he had hung up that afternoon, while his hands reeked of garlic. The youth sniffed, his face completely red, utterly unable to lift his head. He could only keep his head down as he tossed the prawn back into the bowl, absentmindedly chopping scallions, trying to minimize his range of motion to avoid any accidental physical contact with Cen Jin. After a while, he finally managed to say in a steady voice: “Sister.”

Cen Jin showed no unusual reaction, focusing intently on picking through some fresh green pea shoots: “Mm?”

“Is there a garlic smell on your shoulder?” The question took considerable effort: “I think I touched it earlier.”

Cen Jin shrugged and tilted her head to smell: “Yes.”

“…”

“It’s not a big deal. I don’t mind garlic.”

“Mm.”

…

Though tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner wasn’t as lavish as when Cen Jin’s whole family gathered in previous years with their mountains of delicacies rivaling an imperial feast, it was still refined and varied: an assortment of cured meats, garlic prawns, charcoal-grilled lamb chops, yellow chives with shredded pork, steamed fish in black bean sauce, stir-fried pea shoots – all perfect in appearance, aroma, and taste.

Li Wu was simply gifted in cooking. Several dishes were his first attempts, yet they rivaled restaurant quality. Cen Jin ate heartily, even having some red wine to enhance the mood. After dinner, she held her full stomach as she helped Li Wu clean up, washing dishes and bowls. When they were almost done, she returned to the living room, turned on the TV with the Spring Festival Gala as background noise, and video-called her father.

The other end connected quickly, her father’s face creasing with smile lines on the screen: “Jinjin, I saw the New Year’s Eve dinner photos you sent. Did you and Li Wu make it?”

Cen Jin laughed: “Li Wu made it. I was just a helper, an extra pair of hands.”

“Your mom was stunned, saying how can such a young kid cook such an impressive spread, even better than her,” Father Cen looked around curiously: “Eh? Why are you alone? Where’s the kid?”

Cen Jin glanced toward the kitchen, confirming: “He’s still in the kitchen cleaning everything, such a hard worker.”

“Why are you letting him do all the work? Shouldn’t you, as the elder one, be taking care of him?” Her mother’s face squeezed into the same frame, accompanied by her usual scolding.

Cen Jin defended herself: “I just helped wash the dishes, okay? He has high standards, and won’t be satisfied until everything’s spotless.”

“Good, being clean is good,” Father Cen’s smile deepened, “Call him over, it’s been several months and your mom and I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Oh,” Cen Jin responded, raising her voice: “Li Wu―”

The youth still focused on wiping the sink turned around.

“My parents want to see you, do you want to see them?” Cen Jin waved her phone with its back to him: “No pressure if you’re shy, we’re very democratic in our family.”

Li Wu fell silent.

His eyes were like mirror-like lakes, quiet and innocent. Cen Jin felt like she was forcing an honest person to do something unseemly.

Just as she was about to decline on his behalf, the youth had already untied his apron and walked back to the living room with large strides.

“He’s coming,” Cen Jin’s mood lifted as she cheerfully announced, raising her arm: “Get ready to see your handsome grandson.”

Li Wu: “?”

Mother Cen grumbled to her husband: “Look at what nonsense your daughter is spouting.”

Father Cen remained indulgent, chuckling: “Let her be, children say innocent things.”

Li Wu took the phone, and amid his embarrassment, there was an indescribable subtle feeling, a mix of emotions battling in his heart.

So, by the time he met Cen Jin’s parents’ gaze, his face was already red to his ears.

The elderly couple seemed somewhat stunned, whether due to his appearance or something else.

He sat back on the sofa, stammering, his thick lashes half-lowered, then forced himself to look up properly out of politeness: “Hello Uncle, hello Auntie.”

Mother Cen responded first, her eyes crinkling: “Hi! Hello, Li Wu.”

Father Cen quickly followed, praising: “My, this child is different from what I imagined, such a good-looking boy.”

Their warmth and praise only made Li Wu more uncomfortable, overwhelmed with embarrassment.

“That’s because I’ve raised him well,” Cen Jin claimed top credit, waving in front of the camera, forcefully asserting her presence: “And his grades are amazing too, ranked first in his class this semester finals. Can you believe it? And he’s only been at Yi Middle School for such a short time.”

“First place? Look how outstanding he is,” Mother Cen spat at her daughter: “Much better than you were back then.”

“Mom, you’re so annoying! It’s New Year’s, can you stop putting me down? I wasn’t bad either, okay?”

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about ancient history,” Father Cen was the eternal peacemaker, turning his attention back to Li Wu with heartfelt words: “Little Wu if you have any difficulties with life or studies, you must not keep them to yourself. You should tell your Sister Jinjin. She’s my daughter, and I know her temperament – sometimes she might speak harshly, but she doesn’t have any ill intentions. She’ll help with whatever she can, and if that’s not enough, you have us too. Uncle and Auntie aren’t unreasonable or difficult people. You just focus on your studies, get into a good university, and next year when there’s no epidemic, you can come to Uncle and Auntie’s place with your Sister Jinjin. We’ll all be lively together, just like one family, okay?”

As Li Wu listened, his nose tingled, and he nodded heavily.