Jiang Yubai sent a WeChat friend request to Lin Zeqiu. After successfully adding him, Jiang Yubai sat on the sofa, slightly covering the screen with his left hand while his right hand tapped on the keyboard, labeling Lin Zeqiu as “Brother-in-law.”

Lin Zhixia leaned over to peek.

Jiang Yubai’s gaze inevitably fell on Lin Zhixia’s face. He saw her thick eyelashes blink, and her fair cheeks turned slightly pink as she whispered, “Don’t let my brother find out.” Then she asked, “What’s my name in your contacts?”

Jiang Yubai’s voice was even softer than hers: “Xiaxia.”

Lin Zhixia appeared somewhat shy: “I thought you might call me Xiaxia wifey.”

Jiang Yubai smiled: “I’ll change it right away.”

Lin Zhixia held his phone: “No need, that’s not what I meant.”

But Jiang Yubai said, “That’s what I meant.”

While Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia were whispering to each other, Lin Zeqiu stood nearby observing them. For some reason, Ke Zhuangzhi’s parting curse of “green tea” suddenly flashed through Lin Zeqiu’s mind.

If “brother-in-law” were evaluated on a hundred-point scale, Lin Zeqiu would temporarily give Jiang Yubai sixty points—just passing, not a point more.

However, Lin Zeqiu’s parents seemed to be developing an increasingly favorable impression of Jiang Yubai.

At lunch, Dad helped Jiang Yubai with food twice, and Mom asked him numerous questions. Jiang Yubai maintained excellent patience throughout. His tone was gentle, his conversation witty, and even when faced with dangerous topics like “What do you think of Lin Zhixia’s uncle and aunt?” he could skillfully defuse the awkwardness, both saving face for the uncle’s family while still siding with Lin Zhixia.

That afternoon, the snow stopped, and the sky began to clear. The sunlight was dazzling as Lin Zhixia’s father was drying radishes on the balcony, with Lin Zeqiu efficiently helping. Jiang Yubai, wanting to demonstrate his helpfulness, volunteered to wash dishes in the kitchen.

Jiang Yubai rarely did housework. He accidentally dropped a bowl, and ceramic fragments scattered all over the floor.

Lin Zhixia was the first to hear the commotion in the kitchen. She ran over to help Jiang Yubai, but he immediately stopped her: “Don’t come over, I’ll clean it up.”

After picking up the larger pieces, Jiang Yubai used a broom and dustpan to sweep the floor.

Lin Zhixia kept staring at him. He self-deprecatingly said, “I’m so clumsy. Don’t hold it against me.”

Lin Zhixia stepped into the kitchen: “You’re not clumsy at all. You’re especially good, kind, and smart.”

Jiang Yubai leaned toward her. She hooked her arms around his neck and gave his cheek a quick kiss with a “smack” sound.

Jiang Yubai continued washing dishes with renewed energy. Standing at the sink, he scrubbed the pot meticulously while surveying the kitchen environment. He noticed cracks in the tiles, water pipes wrapped with tape, a rusted stove top, and window frames with peeling paint… He also recalled Lin Zhixia writing in her diary that her mother had rheumatoid arthritis, and during the annual rainy season, their floors and walls would get damp, making her mother uncomfortable. Therefore, both Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu were eager to move.

Jiang Yubai planned to purchase a large flat near the university district. It didn’t need to be too big—just over 700 square meters would be enough. It would take about a year to renovate the unfurnished property. By the time Lin Zhixia finished her postdoctoral work and returned to the provincial city to take up her teaching position, she could move in directly.

The university district was located in the city’s main urban area, in a geographically advantageous position. There was a high-end residential area there with extremely expensive properties. The residents were either wealthy or noble, and even just a parking space cost a fortune.

Jiang Yubai had his eye on a “custom-designed” penthouse that came with a “sky garden.” His secretaries had prepared several design proposals for him, printed on art paper and bound into four volumes.

After the Spring Festival holiday ended, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia returned to England.

Lin Zhixia rested for just one short day before eagerly devoting most of her energy to her scientific research. As Lin Zhixia had anticipated, her advisor created a precedent for her, allowing her to graduate with her doctorate this October.

When her groupmates heard the news, they all congratulated her.

Lin Zhixia increasingly looked forward to her life after turning twenty. She occasionally browsed housing information in the provincial city, calculated the savings in her little treasure trove, and searched online for prices of furniture such as sofas, tables, lamps, and other household items.

On several occasions, when Jiang Yubai came to find Lin Zhixia, he happened to see her selecting sofas online.

One night, Jiang Yubai, carrying four volumes describing decoration plans, knocked on Lin Zhixia’s bedroom door.

Lin Zhixia had just finished bathing. Her eyes were watery, her face flushed, and as she looked at him uncomprehendingly, he blurted out as if possessed: “I want to buy you a house.”

“Buy me a house?” Lin Zhixia replied, “I’m planning to buy one myself.”

Jiang Yubai probed indirectly: “You haven’t formally started working yet…”

Lin Zhixia laughed heartily: “I have many bonuses. Just the other day, I received an email saying the academy is going to pay me again.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t speak. He placed the four heavy volumes on her desk.

Lin Zhixia opened one of them and saw a spacious living room with high ceilings and panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. She exclaimed in admiration: “How beautiful.”

Jiang Yubai cautiously asked: “Do you like it?”

Lin Zhixia sat at the desk, and Jiang Yubai sat beside her. They were like an engaged couple planning their future home. Lin Zhixia curiously read through each page, unable to reach the end, and couldn’t help asking: “How big is this house?”

“It’s decent, not very large,” Jiang Yubai evaluated, “The living area is 794 square meters, almost 800.”

Lin Zhixia was momentarily stunned, thinking: 800 square meters isn’t considered a large house?

But then she remembered that Jiang Yubai had grown up in an estate. By comparison, an 800-square-meter luxury home indeed wasn’t very large.

This mansion also came with a “sky garden.” Lin Zhixia mused aloud: “I’ve heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It’s said that the King of Babylon, to please his queen, built a sky garden according to her wishes.”

Jiang Yubai opened another volume: “Not just this garden—all the supporting facilities can be designed according to your wishes.”

Lin Zhixia thought for a moment, cupping her face in her hands: “Hmm… forget it. This is your house; you decide on the decoration style. I’ll just stay at your place for a few days when I have time.”

Jiang Yubai’s fingers paused on the page: “You said that once you start working, we would live together.”

“Yes,” Lin Zhixia acknowledged frankly.

Jiang Yubai’s voice deepened: “During those few days of the Spring Festival, without holding you at night, I didn’t sleep very well.”

But Lin Zhixia was pondering another question: “I’m about to go to the United States for my postdoc, and you’ll be returning to China to work. What will you do at night?”

Jiang Yubai patted his leg, and Lin Zhixia, well-practiced, sat on it. He embraced her waist with one arm, kissing her while saying, “I’ll wait for you to come home.” The kiss lasted a long time, and the room’s temperature seemed to rise. The stuffy air made Lin Zhixia’s mind less clear. When Jiang Yubai asked again if she wanted to live with him, she agreed in a daze, though her inner thought remained unchanged—she would still buy her own house.

In the blink of an eye, February passed, and March brought spring. Unnamed wildflowers bloomed on the lawns, and the school’s tranquil life continued as always.

The laboratory work progressed orderly. Amid her happiness, Lin Zhixia also began to worry about Wen Qi’s situation.

During a morning meeting in March, Wen Qi was tactfully criticized by their advisor—the advisor believed that since last September, Wen Qi had not only failed to produce experimental results but also hadn’t seriously read any new papers or completed the reading tasks assigned to him.

Lin Zhixia was concerned that if this continued, Wen Qi might not pass the doctoral program’s stage assessment.

Lin Zhixia found several groupmates, and after discussing, they decided to visit Wen Qi. Even the Indian senior student Aishwarya joined them, which surprised Lin Zhixia, as she thought the Indian senior had a poor impression of Wen Qi.

On a Saturday morning in early February, Lin Zhixia and her classmates knocked on Wen Qi’s door. They waited for over ten seconds before Wen Qi slowly appeared—he had just woken up, was unshaven, and wearing pajamas, though he still looked relatively clean and tidy.

“Good morning!” Lin Zhixia was full of energy.

Wen Qi responded wearily: “Good morning…”

Lin Zhixia lifted the plastic bag in her hand: “We all brought some gifts. Last week I went back to China for the Spring Festival. My mother prepared many delicious things for me. I have a few bags of tea tree mushrooms, whitebait, walnuts, and raisins… all for you.”

Wen Qi was stunned.

Wu Pinyan peeked out from behind Lin Zhixia: “Senior!”

Wu Pinyan was an undergraduate student whom Lin Zhixia had taught. She had excellent grades, was quick-witted, and her research direction was very innovative. This January, she received her doctoral admission letter and will become a female doctoral student in Wen Qi’s group in October.

Wu Pinyan was from Taipei. This Spring Festival, she had also gone home for the New Year. She gave Wen Qi several boxes of specialties from her hometown: phoenix pastries, golden moon cakes, and peanut egg rolls. She said, “Senior! Try them! They’re super delicious!”

Wen Qi took a step back.

He couldn’t handle the enthusiasm from his compatriots.

The visitors gradually entered his room, stood in the center, and surveyed his furnishings. He brought chairs for Lin Zhixia and Wu Pinyan, inviting them to sit.

Wu Pinyan asked: “Can you chat with people?”

Wen Qi said, “Yes.”

Lin Zhixia got straight to the point: “Has your doctor talked with you about how you’ve been doing lately?”

Wen Qi’s gaze shifted to the side. Among today’s visitors, apart from Lin Zhixia and Wu Pinyan, none of the others spoke Chinese, yet Lin Zhixia was chatting with him in Chinese—clearly, they had planned this. He acknowledged that his relationship with these classmates wasn’t deep, except with Lin Zhixia. He had indeed talked quite a bit with her, but it was mostly him listening to her speak at length.

The goodwill conveyed by his classmates made him somewhat uncomfortable.

He said, “I’m improving.”

Lin Zhixia then asked: “So what’s the specific situation now?”

Wu Pinyan echoed: “Yes, what’s the situation?”

Wen Qi knew that Lin Zhixia was subtly asking why he had made no research progress. He and Lin Zhixia had enrolled at the same time; in just a year and a half, Lin Zhixia was about to graduate, while he was stuck in a prolonged period of confusion.

Lin Zhixia waited for a long time, until the other classmates had started playing with their phones, Wu Pinyan was staring absently out the window, pigeons were cooing on the windowsill, and a cup of hot tea on the table had gradually cooled. Finally, Wen Qi spoke: “I want to drop out.”

His tone was calm: “It has nothing to do with anyone else. It’s my decision.”