Due to the heavy rain, Li Wu didn’t go home. Cen Jin wanted to meet him in person to purify her heart but couldn’t, so she had to settle for a video call from her sofa.

Seeing her call, Li Wu temporarily completed his homework to chat with her wholeheartedly.

The young man was only wearing a thin T-shirt, and Cen Jin raised her cup to ask, “Aren’t you cold?”

Li Wu also held up his Einstein mug to the camera, saying, “I have hot water; I’m not cold.”

Seeing this, Cen Jin smiled brightly: “Move that away, it’s blocking my view of the handsome guy.”

The white obstruction was quickly moved aside, replaced by the young man’s handsome face. Did his front camera have some professional beauty filter? Why did Li Wu’s eyes look bigger and brighter? Staring at them for a moment felt like being wrapped in a liquid crystal ball, becoming like snowflakes or sparkles within – light, clear, and rippling.

Cen Jin looked again and again, her eyes curving into slits, then suddenly narrowing sternly like a homeroom teacher supervising: “Do your homework.”

Li Wu’s eyebrows raised slightly: “What about you?”

Cen Jin said, “I’ll watch you do yours.”

Li Wu asked with a smile, “Won’t you be bored?”

Cen Jin shook her head: “No, I love watching my baby study seriously.”

Li Wu moved his phone farther away, probably propping it against something – giving his directly filmed face a slight angle change, but not diminishing his attractiveness one bit.

The young man’s well-defined fingers twirled his pen: “Shall I start then?”

“Go ahead and write,” Cen Jin flicked a gentle tap at his forehead through the screen.

“Ouch-” Li Wu played along, rubbing his temple: “That hurts.”

Cen Jin also pretended to be concerned, blowing air: “Let me blow it better, pain fly away.”

They looked at each other laughing, their gazes sticking to each other’s faces like beeswax.

It wasn’t until she faintly heard Li Wu’s roommate groaning complaints that Cen Jin stopped teasing him. She propped her phone against her cup at an angle, planning to go to her room to get her laptop so they could both do their work.

Just as she settled on the sofa, Cen Jin discovered the video had disconnected. When she checked, she saw their director was calling.

Cen Jin hurried to call back and was immediately met with instructions: “I can’t get in touch with Yi Hao anymore. He said he didn’t want to work and needed to clear his head, then turned off his phone. The client has an urgent matter and can’t find him – can you cover for now?”

Due to her strong personal abilities, Cen Jin had always been direct about work matters: “How is his going on strike my problem?”

The director said: “The client he’s handling this time is quite troublesome, I guess they pushed him to his breaking point.”

Cen Jin coldly mocked: “How long has he been doing this job? Even when I was still creative, I remembered more information than him as an account manager every time. What kind of super impossible project is this that drove him to this state? He doesn’t want his salary?”

The director sighed heavily: “Don’t even start. He’s completely vanished. Asking you to cover is our only option – Yuan Zhen’s father has been unwell and hospitalized these past few days, otherwise, would we dare trouble you? It’s a deadline, what can we do? I’m out of options.”

Cen Jin rubbed her brow, resigned: “Fine, I’ll clean up this mess, but please add performance commission, don’t credit it to Yi Hao in the end.”

The director said: “No problem, I’ll apply to the boss tomorrow.”

Cen Jin finally agreed: “Which project is it?”

“The Pina Christmas lipstick pre-launch. I’ll send you her WeChat and phone number.”

Cen Jin was incredulous: “All this drama over just lipstick?”

“Hao-hao used to get by on his looks, but this female client isn’t swayed by that. She has high demands and that approach just doesn’t work,” the director said urgently. “I have to go, please hurry.”

Cen Jin switched back to WeChat, quickly adding the contact card the director forwarded, and then went to explain to Li Wu.

The young man only asked: Why did it disconnect?

Cen Jin replied: Sorry, there’s an urgent work matter I need to handle.

Li Wu: No problem, go ahead with your work. I’ll just do my homework.

Cen Jin: Okay, I’ll find you when I’m done.

Li Wu: Mm.

Exiting their chat, the female client with the username “Ci” had already accepted her friend request.

Cen Jin briefly introduced herself.

The other side was even more concise: Pina, Song Ci.

Cen Jin said: You have a nice name.

Song Ci said: Can we discuss business?

Cen Jin stopped the pleasantries: Of course, please tell me what the issues are.

…

Cen Jin chatted with her until nearly one o’clock. This was her first time taking over a project mid-way, with neither beginning nor end in sight. Like a flag-bearer suddenly dragged into the smoke of battle, charging at the front yet completely lost, she could only feel her way forward based on the materials and progress temporarily provided by her superiors.

But unexpectedly, even this state of fumbling through the mud caused Song Ci’s attitude to improve. She eventually even began thanking her, grateful that Aoxing finally found a capable and clear-headed contact person, revealing just how inadequate Yi Hao’s previous work performance had been.

It’s never too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost.

Cen Jin extensively revised Yi Hao’s original brief and pulled the previous creative planners to build a new team group, not wanting to parachute into the old group and embarrass Yi Hao.

Everyone had been badly burned, but after cursing up a storm, they could only battle through the night encouraging each other, finally modifying all the PINA makeup Christmas lipstick set placements to Song Ci’s basic satisfaction.

After finalizing, Cen Jin checked the time – it was already past four.

Ad workers are true immortals. Cen Jin’s temples throbbed twice as she fell back onto the sofa with a long sigh, finally able to check her boyfriend’s WeChat.

Their chat was still paused at his “Mm.”

Cen Jin figured Li Wu must be asleep by now, so she sent a “Good night” to make up for neglecting the young man due to work, then prepared to wash up and rest.

Her phone vibrated lightly. Cen Jin quickly looked – surprisingly it was Li Wu’s reply.

Cen Jin was shocked: You’re still not asleep?

Li Wu replied: You said you’d find me when you’re done, what if you couldn’t find me?

So heartwarming – Cen Jin felt somewhat moved: But it’s so late, please don’t stay up like this next time, okay? I’ll worry.

Li Wu: It’s fine, didn’t feel tired while waiting for you.

Cen Jin’s heart melted like a soft candy: Don’t you have morning classes tomorrow? I remember you do.

She had seen his class schedule before.

Li Wu sent a smiley face: Mm, I do.

Cen Jin: You’re smiling about that?

Li Wu: Because you remembered.

Cen Jin laughed with a snort: Behave.

Then urged him: Good baby, go to sleep.

Li Wu replied: Good jiejie, go to sleep.

Little mimic. Cen Jin wrinkled her nose: Didn’t I tell you not to call me jiejie?

Li Wu changed his words, pushing his luck: Oh, good Jin-jin, go to sleep.

Cen Jin sent a fist emoji as a warning.

Li Wu, thoroughly familiar with her chat style, immediately played along by “lying down to accept the punch.”

After flirting and bantering for a while longer, they finally reluctantly said good night to each other.

–

The next day, Cen Jin slept until almost ten before getting up. Her first reaction was to check the group chat and email, confirming everything was calm with both the client and company before relaxing. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, ordered takeout, and sat in the living room idly waiting.

Li Wu probably didn’t want to wake her, so there were no messages all morning.

Worried he was still focused on lectures, Cen Jin didn’t rashly disturb him either.

Perhaps due to getting rained on plus staying up all night, Cen Jin felt a bit dizzy. She went to her room to dig out an ear thermometer to check her temperature.

Fortunately, no fever, so work wouldn’t be affected. Cen Jin returned to the living room and lay on the sofa browsing Weibo for a while, and then her workaholic tendencies kicked in. She opened her photo album, pulled up last night’s final lipstick poster draft, and zoomed in to check carefully.

While flipping through previous images, she accidentally clicked on a video screenshot of Li Wu.

One she had casually saved last night.

In it, the young man’s bangs were longer than before, slightly covering his brows and eyes, but still clear and bright, looking this way with endless affection.

He was wearing earphones, one white cord dented by his collarbone into a prominent arc before continuing to wind downward.

Like a slender tube, Cen Jin’s heart uncontrollably jumped in, rolling along with it like a marble, sliding toward areas unseen in the photo.

Cen Jin’s mouth went dry, her thoughts growing slightly hot.

Drinking some warm water didn’t dilute these thoughts. On the contrary, they burned even more intensely, like adding fuel.

She missed Li Wu.

Missed everything about him.

She opened WeChat, planning to tease him with words to relieve these sudden feelings: In class?

Li Wu replied: Mm.

Cen Jin asked again: Guess where I am?

Li Wu replied: Company?

Cen Jin denied: No, at home, on the sofa at home.

Li Wu asked: Did you sleep well last night?

Cen Jin didn’t answer, continuing to ask: Know what I’m thinking about?

Li Wu was always her biggest supporter: Mm, what?

Cen Jin typed with a raised smile: Thinking about doing inappropriate things with Didi on the sofa.

There was no more response from his end.

Cen Jin wondered if she had scared the pure young man, after all, he was still seriously attending class, but she was satisfied with successfully teasing him. Even her dizziness symptoms had lessened somewhat.

Whatever. Cen Jin laughed to herself for a while, then sat up with a flip.

Just past ten o’clock, another client came looking for her, demanding changes like it was life or death. Cen Jin communicated patiently for a while, sent off this Buddha, and then went to guide the creative team before settling all suggestions and arrangements.

Just as she let out a breath, the doorbell rang.

Cen Jin answered – it was the takeout.

She had just received it and hadn’t even opened the bag when there was another knock at her door.

Cen Jin thought the delivery person had forgotten something, blinked, and quickly went back to open the door.

Just as she opened it 45 degrees, a tall figure swiftly entered. Before Cen Jin could react, she was pushed against the wall.

With a bang, the door was closed with one hand by the figure’s owner.

Before she could scream, Cen Jin’s lips were sealed.

The young man’s hot tongue invaded deeply, familiar male pheromones overwhelming her.

His kiss was fierce and urgent, his hands equally so as they ignited fires beneath her clothes.

Cen Jin was nearly pressed into the wall, caught front and back. Her skin and bones were uncomfortably squeezed, making her try to resist, only to be met with even more violent attacks. Her neck was sucked and bitten painfully, her soft body largely exposed to the air in the push and pull of resistance and acceptance. She instinctively pressed against the hot and hard body before her as the young man wasted no time lifting her with one hand, the other reaching from back to front, unlocking her already leaking gates.

Cen Jin was unable to resist, aroused, calling out one complaint after another, cycling through various loving curses, all wrapped like in peach juice – sweet and thick.

Li Wu carried her toward the sofa, her beige loungewear pants that had been hanging from one foot were pulled onto the floor.

She clung to his shoulders, her toes like two strings of ginkgo nuts desperately trying to plant themselves in his back: “No morning classes?”

Li Wu nuzzled her neck, breathing hotly: “Have them.”

“Skipping… class?” Cen Jin couldn’t tell if she was wrapped around his waist or caught in his hands, her face flushed red as she let herself overflow, voice broken: “Are you crazy?”

He still gave just one word: “Mm.”

The leather sofa creaked. When placed on it, the cold invaded her body. Cen Jin shrank back, leaving a trail of wetness.

Li Wu’s eyes grew darker. He immediately bent down, caught her legs, directly pulled her back, and pressed down over her. Before her surprised cry could escape, Cen Jin was blocked above and below, unable to let out even a breath. Her limbs locked around him like in spasms, and only when her mouth found the chance did she arduously push out words between the intense impacts: “Next time… ah… don’t… mm… do this…”

…

In the flash of dazzling light, only one thought remained in Cen Jin’s foggy mind: Next time must be like this again.

Next time must be like this again.

…