At first, Ling Xingyan stood alone at the door, waiting.

Later, as the sky darkened, he waited at the door with his son and the nanny.

“Dad, why can’t we go home?”

Ling Xingyan crouched in the corner, hugging his knees, his eyelids drooping with exhaustion.

“Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Ling Xingyan pulled his son into his arms. “Let’s wait a little more. Maybe your uncle will move out soon.”

“Why?”

Ling Siyuan suddenly opened his eyes wide. “I don’t want Uncle to move out.”

Ling Xingyan choked for a second, then said evasively, “You don’t understand yet. You’ll get it when you’re older.”

“Dad always says that.”

Ling Siyuan pouted and muttered, “I’m already grown up. I’m eight, not a three-year-old anymore.”

Ling Xingyan yawned, not wanting to talk anymore, so he took out his spare phone and let Ling Siyuan watch cartoons.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, a neighbor who had just gotten home walked a few steps in their direction.

“Why are you all crouching out here?”

Ling Xingyan said, “The lock’s broken. We’re waiting for someone to fix it.”

There were only two households on this floor, and the two families often ran into each other in the elevator. Both had children around the same age, so they got along well.

“Why don’t you wait at my place? It’s freezing out here.”

Thinking of the child, Ling Xingyan didn’t refuse.

As he opened the door, the neighbor suddenly remembered something and asked, “Where are your relatives?”

Ling Xingyan: “What relatives?”

The neighbor let out an “Oh!” of surprise. “You don’t know? This evening, an elderly couple was asking around near the slide, saying they were your family’s distant relatives who’d come to stay with you, asking which building and floor you lived on.”

The adults suddenly fell silent, all sensing danger.

Ling Xingyan had rushed home today because of the nanny’s call in the first place. Hearing this, he glanced at the nanny, signaling her to watch the child, then headed straight for the property management’s surveillance room.

Only one small lamp was on in the living room, barely lighting a corner of the sofa.

By the dim light, Zhu Wenshu leaned against the door, her back pressed into Ling Chen’s palm, gradually feeling his body warmth returning.

She had no idea how long they’d been standing like that, but Zhu Wenshu still couldn’t relax, and her feet had begun to go numb.

But it couldn’t go on like this—what if Ling Siyuan saw them in a moment? How would Zhu Wenshu explain it?

We were just having a friendly physical exchange with your uncle?

Just imagining that scene made her heart, which had only just calmed down, start racing again.

Just then, Zhu Wenshu heard what sounded like movement outside the door and quickly pushed Ling Chen away.

At this point Ling Chen seemed to have let his guard down completely, and he was pushed away easily.

He stumbled back a few steps, still with his head bowed, his rumpled clothes hanging loosely on him, like a fragile invalid.

It gave Zhu Wenshu the illusion that maybe she’d pushed too hard just now.

Wanting to make it up to him a little, she reached out her hand—but pulled it back the instant before it touched him.

“Have you had too much to drink?”

After asking, Zhu Wenshu sniffed hard, but didn’t catch a trace of alcohol.

Yet Ling Chen’s current state really did resemble a drunk man’s.

He hung his head, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, none of his usual straight-backed posture—more like he’d gone back to his high school days, always slouched in the back row of the classroom.

“Mm.” He gave a low reply. “Had too much.”

“Oh, then… you should get some rest early.”

Just as Zhu Wenshu turned to reach for the doorknob, her wrist was caught by someone.

“You’re leaving as soon as you got here?”

“I just came to check—”

“That’s it? You’re done checking?”

Zhu Wenshu: “…”

“So…” After a moment of silence, Zhu Wenshu asked, quite sincerely, “What else am I supposed to check?”

As she said this, Zhu Wenshu noticed what looked like a few red paper scraps in Ling Chen’s hair.

She instinctively rose onto her toes and leaned toward him, trying to get a better look at what it was.

As their faces drew closer and their breaths crossed, Ling Chen suddenly recoiled backward like a spring.

“There’s no need to look at me like that either.”

Zhu Wenshu: “…”

What is wrong with this man.

A moment ago he’d been pulling her into his arms, and now he was acting like some chaste maiden fleeing eight hundred meters at the slightest approach.

“There’s something in your hair.”

Hearing this, Ling Chen said “Oh,” and grabbed a handful of his hair, sending a few stray scraps drifting down.

Zhu Wenshu looked closely—they seemed to be shreds of hundred-yuan bills.

Even if Ling Chen had money to spare, he wasn’t the type to sit at home tearing up cash for fun.

Zhu Wenshu’s heart sank a little. Her instinct told her something unpleasant must have happened in this house tonight.

But looking at Ling Chen’s current state, she didn’t want to pry, and didn’t feel she had the standing to.

Only, thinking that there was a child in this household, Zhu Wenshu couldn’t help but offer a reminder.

“Destroying currency is illegal.” Her gaze drifted downward, to the large hand still gripping her wrist, and something rustled softly in her chest. “Harassing a member of the People’s Teaching Corps is also illegal.”

Ling Chen: “…”

He let go of her hand abruptly and slowly straightened up. “Understood, Teacher Zhu.”

Actually, Zhu Wenshu felt a bit awkward herself at the thoughtless thing she’d just said, so she quickly changed the subject.

“I ran into an elderly couple at the school gate today. They said they were Ling Siyuan’s great-grandparents. Siyuan seemed a little scared, and I saw them following in a car afterward, so I was worried.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ling Chen said, “They’re my grandparents on my mother’s side.”

Thinking of the cursing she’d overheard from the elderly couple downstairs earlier, and Ling Chen’s dejected state before that, Zhu Wenshu stared into his eyes and asked quietly, “So are you okay?”

Ling Chen tilted his head, reaching up to rub his cheek. “I’ve still got the energy to break the law, so I suppose I’m doing all right.”

What a self-defeating thing to say.

Zhu Wenshu: “…I should go. I have work tomorrow.”

She didn’t wait for Ling Chen to respond, just grabbed the bag by the entryway and left.

Ling Chen really didn’t say anything more, only glanced at the bag in her hand, then leaned against the wall and watched her open the door, step out, and close it.

Seeing how calm and composed he seemed, Zhu Wenshu also put on an air of nonchalance, walking out with her chest raised and head held high.

Until she, Zhu Wenshu, ran into Ling Xingyan, who had just come up, at the elevator.

He didn’t seem the least bit surprised, opening with, “Heading back?”

Zhu Wenshu: “…Yes, I came over because of what happened after school.”

She recounted the incident with the elderly couple, then added, “It seemed like Yuanyuan didn’t recognize them at all, so I wanted to check with you too, so I’ll know what to do if they show up at school again.”

“That’s the relationship, but…”

Ling Xingyan scratched his head. “Anyway, thank you for today. But if it happens again, please, whatever you do, don’t hand the child over to them, and please call me the very first moment something happens—or you can call Lu Manman too, I’ll send you her number in a bit.”

Zhu Wenshu nodded. “Okay. So nothing happened today?”

“Nothing happened. Yuanyuan’s at the neighbor’s place, I’m going to pick him up now.”

Bringing this up, Ling Xingyan’s face soured. “They snuck in with the building’s renovation workers. There’s really no guarding against that.”

Thinking this was their family’s business, Zhu Wenshu didn’t ask further. “Then I’ll head out.”

“All right. Be careful on your way.”

Just as Zhu Wenshu stepped into the elevator, Ling Xingyan suddenly called out again, “You were just in my apartment—”

“Chatting.”

Zhu Wenshu cut in immediately. “We just talked for a bit.”

“Oh.”

Ling Xingyan nodded, pointing at the bag in her hand. “But you’re carrying our nanny’s bag.”

Zhu Wenshu: “…”

She hurried back, and just as she raised her hand to knock, the door opened.

A hand extended out, her bag hanging from its index finger.

“…”

Zhu Wenshu took her own bag and hung the nanny’s bag on his finger instead, as if completing some clandestine exchange, not saying a single word the entire time.

In the taxi, Zhu Wenshu stared at the bag in her lap, lost in thought about something.

Until a ringtone interrupted her train of thought.

She glanced at the caller ID and answered with her eyes drooping.

“Calling me this late, this can’t be good news.”

“As expected of family—I’ve barely opened my mouth and Teacher Zhu already knows what nonsense I’m about to spout.”

Zhu Qisen chuckled a couple of times. “I wanted to trouble you for a favor.”

Zhu Wenshu sighed. “Go on.”

“It’s Xue’er. The pipe in her bedroom bathroom burst, and the repairman’s fixed it now, but her sheets and bedding are soaked through.”

Zhu Qisen hesitated. “There’s no way she can sleep there tonight. She has class tomorrow, and I’m out of town on business, and she’s too scared to stay alone in a hotel, and she doesn’t have any friends in Jiangcheng…”

“So could you possibly do me a favor and let her stay with you for one night?”

At first, when Zhu Qisen was midway through explaining, Zhu Wenshu had thought he wanted her to help air out the bedding.

Hearing it was just for one night’s stay, Zhu Wenshu relaxed immediately. “No problem.”

“Great.” Zhu Qisen said. “I’ll tell her to head straight to your place, then?”

After hanging up, before Zhu Wenshu could reach out first, Shi Xue’er had already sent a message.

【Shi Xue’er】: Waaah, Teacher Zhu, thank you so much, I almost thought I’d have to sit up against the headboard all night.

【Zhu Wenshu】: No trouble at all.

Shi Xue’er’s place was only three or four kilometers from Zhu Wenshu’s.

By the time Zhu Wenshu reached the entrance, Shi Xue’er had just arrived too.

In this cold weather, she was bundled in a down jacket, her makeup-free face looking rather pitiful.

“Teacher Zhu!” she called, hurrying over with her cosmetics bag. “I can’t believe your place is so close to mine.”

She looked around the complex, then asked, “Do you live alone?”

Zhu Wenshu led her inside.

“I have a roommate.”

Shi Xue’er’s steps faltered. “Oh… won’t that be an imposition on her?”

“It’s fine, she’s a girl, and I told her about it on the way here.”

Zhu Wenshu swiped open the entrance door. “Let’s go, it’s freezing out.”

The two reached the front door, and Shi Xue’er still seemed a bit uneasy.

Just then, Ying Fei, who had woken up not long before, was in the kitchen cooking instant noodles.

Catching the smell, Shi Xue’er said as soon as she walked in, “That smells amazing!”

Ying Fei turned around, looked Shi Xue’er over, then looked at Zhu Wenshu. “You’re back?”

“Mm.”

Zhu Wenshu made brief introductions, and the two smiled and nodded at each other.

Zhu Wenshu had meant to get settled and rest early, but after a couple of steps she noticed Shi Xue’er had stopped in the entryway, staring at the noodles in Ying Fei’s pot.

Ying Fei noticed Shi Xue’er’s gaze too and turned to ask, “Have you eaten?”

Shi Xue’er shook her head.

Ying Fei: “Want some? I’ll cook an extra pack.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly…”

Even as she said this, Shi Xue’er drifted toward the kitchen, eyes cast down at the noodles in the pot. “You even added fried egg, tomato, and sausage…”

Ying Fei: “And Lao Gan Ma chili sauce too.”

Shi Xue’er practically swallowed her own tongue. “Then—then I’ll have just a little bit.”

Ying Fei turned back to Zhu Wenshu. “Are you eating?”

“I already had dinner.”

Seeing that Shi Xue’er didn’t seem shy about it, Zhu Wenshu said, “You two eat, then. I’m going to take a shower.”

Friendship between girls really is a strange thing.

Because of one night of instant noodles, by the time Zhu Wenshu came out of her shower, Shi Xue’er and Ying Fei were already chatting animatedly.

Listening closely, they seemed to be exchanging the 108 divine methods of preparing instant noodles.

Shi Xue’er: “Ugh, but I’ve held back these past two years. I’m not at the age anymore where I can eat and not gain weight.”

“Instant noodles don’t make you fat.”

Ying Fei said, “They’re just not nutritious, that’s all. Have you ever seen anyone get fat from eating instant noodles?”

“Really?”

Seeing that Shi Xue’er looked skeptical, Ying Fei continued, “Actually, I’ve had a kind of highland barley instant noodles before, not deep-fried, it’s a slow carb, doesn’t spike your blood sugar as fast even after you eat it.”

If she hadn’t heard it with her own ears, Zhu Wenshu would never have guessed Ying Fei knew things like this.

“Really?”

The moment Shi Xue’er heard “not deep-fried,” she perked right up. “Then send me the link! Let’s add each other on WeChat, and send me tonight’s noodles recipe too, it was so chewy and good!”

She pulled out her phone and held her QR code up to Ying Fei.

Ying Fei didn’t refuse either—but once Shi Xue’er accepted the friend request, her expression suddenly froze.

Solitary Fisherman on the Cold River, Charming, Girl?

Meanwhile, Shi Xue’er, having happily accepted the friend request and about to edit a nickname for her, also found her finger suddenly frozen on the screen.

The dinner table fell into an eerie silence.

Zhu Wenshu, coming out of the kitchen after getting a glass of water, noticed the strange atmosphere and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The two of them stood there, neither saying a word, sparks seemingly flying between all four of their eyes.

“…?”

Zhu Wenshu looked between them. “Seriously, what happened?”

“Nothing.”

Shi Xue’er suddenly stood up and pulled Zhu Wenshu toward the bedroom. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Zhu Wenshu was dragged away, and looking back, she saw Ying Fei’s expression had also turned cold as she retreated into her own room without clearing the table.

The moment the bedroom door shut, Shi Xue’er tore off her composed mask, clutching her head and hissing, “Teacher Zhu! Do—do—do you know who your roommate is?!”

Zhu Wenshu: “Huh?”

Shi Xue’er suddenly balled her fists and pounded the table. “She’s yoki-fatty! Ling Chen’s hater!”

Zhu Wenshu: “Huh??”

“You didn’t know?!”

Shi Xue’er paced around the room, then grabbed her phone and started frantically typing messages. “I was arguing with her on Weibo for three hours just yesterday!”

Zhu Wenshu: “Huh???”

A few seconds later, Shi Xue’er panicked and started digging through her bag.

“Maybe I really should just leave. She didn’t win the argument yesterday, I’m worried she’ll assassinate me in my sleep.”

“…That’s a bit much. This is a society governed by law.”

Zhu Wenshu grabbed her arm and glanced toward the door.

What on earth is happening.

Though she didn’t understand much about the fan wars of the entertainment world, it really was something else that these two had ended up crossing paths through her connection.

“Where would you even go right now?”

Between staying alone at a hotel or living under the same roof as a rival fan, Shi Xue’er’s eyebrows were practically twisted into knots.

“It’ll be fine.”

Zhu Wenshu patted her shoulder. “My roommate’s actually pretty nice. Are you sure you’re not mistaken about her?”

“How could I possibly be mistaken!”

Shi Xue’er said, “Didn’t you see the way she was glaring at me?”

True enough.

Zhu Wenshu’s head was a complete muddle; she still hadn’t quite made sense of the situation.

“Forget it, I’ll go to a hotel after all.”

Shi Xue’er grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Zhu. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime!”

“Hey!”

Seeing there was no stopping her, Zhu Wenshu grabbed her phone, meaning to help her book a room.

Just then, the moment Shi Xue’er opened the door, she ran straight into Ying Fei, who had also just come out of her room.

In the silence that followed, Zhu Wenshu felt, for the very first time, what it truly meant to witness a battlefield with no smoke.

I’ll have an example for my students next time.

The two of them locked eyes in the narrow hallway, dueling silently for a long moment.

Finally, it was Ying Fei who spoke first.

She raised an eyebrow. “What, leaving already?”

“Why would I leave? I haven’t done anything to feel guilty about. Whoever’s twisting the truth knows it in their own heart.”

With that, she went “bang” and retreated back into the room, slamming the door shut.

Zhu Wenshu flinched, startled, staring blankly as Shi Xue’er sat back down on the edge of the bed.

“…You’re not leaving?”

“Not leaving.”

Shi Xue’er lifted her chin. “I’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”

She nodded firmly at this, then marched off toward the bathroom with great resolve.

Watching her start brushing her teeth, Zhu Wenshu pressed her lips together and slipped quietly out to knock on Ying Fei’s door.

Ying Fei answered with a still-cold expression.

“Sorry, I didn’t know…”

Zhu Wenshu said hesitantly, “Maybe I should go stay at a hotel with her instead.”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Ying Fei glanced toward her room. “Just let her stay. I’m not that petty.”

Zhu Wenshu: “…”

After Ying Fei shut her door, Zhu Wenshu sighed and went to the dining room to wash the two bowls they’d left behind.

Back in the bedroom, Shi Xue’er was already lying on the bed, her small face flushed as she typed messages furiously.

Zhu Wenshu sat down on the other side and asked haltingly, “Do you know why she’s a hater of Ling Chen’s?”

“Hmph.”

Shi Xue’er scoffed. “Jealousy, obviously. Her brother gets crushed by Ling Chen in every category.”

Zhu Wenshu: “Oh…”

“Ah, forget it, let’s not talk about this, it’s nothing important, I’m not dwelling on it.”

Shi Xue’er, thinking about how much trouble she’d already caused Zhu Wenshu tonight, didn’t want to badmouth her roommate in front of her.

After all, the two of them would have to live together going forward.

“Teacher Zhang’s about to go live. I’m going to check it out.”

Zhu Wenshu: “Sure, I’ll look at my phone for a bit too.”

At this hour it was mostly messages from parents. Zhu Wenshu replied to them one by one, and seeing how late it was getting, she felt a little sleepy.

But Shi Xue’er beside her was still on her phone, the volume turned down low. Zhu Wenshu had no idea what she was watching, until she glanced over and found the person on the screen looked somewhat familiar.

A middle-aged man in a light-colored Zhongshan suit leaning toward the camera—Zhu Wenshu suddenly remembered, wasn’t this the man she’d seen before, Zhang… Zhang Yuming?

Some memories surfaced in her mind, and Zhu Wenshu leaned in a little closer to Shi Xue’er.

Noticing Zhu Wenshu’s movement, Shi Xue’er said, “This is Zhang Yuming’s livestream, you should know him, right? He produced both Song Lelan’s and Ling Chen’s albums.”

Zhu Wenshu nodded. “Mm, I know.”

At that moment, Zhang Yuming was sitting leisurely in front of the camera, his home visible in the background. He looked relaxed, his face a little flushed.

Someone in the comments asked if he’d been drinking, and he said he’d had a few small drinks.

He then picked up the guitar beside him and started singing.

Seeing nothing particularly interesting, Zhu Wenshu gradually lost interest and picked her phone back up to check the new notifications in her work group chat.

The background noise in her ears gradually shifted from singing to talking, and Zhu Wenshu paid it no mind.

Only after nearly an hour had passed did Zhu Wenshu notice how late it was getting and think to remind Shi Xue’er to sleep.

She turned her head—and just then heard the man in the livestream say:

“Classmate Little Silkworm, well, this is a song Ling Chen wrote when he was a teenager, written for his first love. No wonder the love in it feels so overwhelming.”