Li Li was thoroughly fed up.

The road was thick with traffic, noise roaring all around — every sound made him more irritable.

Several taxis went by, not a single one empty. Pedestrians rushed past on all sides. The city at morning rush hour was full of fast rhythms and relentless urgency.

He gave up on hailing a cab and pulled out his phone to book a rideshare.

As he typed in the destination, he hesitated. In truth, there was nothing on at the Research Institute this morning. If he went, he’d just be bored. Go home? He’d definitely face his mother’s questions.

When he thought about it that way, there was actually nowhere for him to go.

Li Li scrolled through his phone, spotted Wu Xinghai’s last messages, and on impulse made a call.

He’d only half-expected anything, but surprisingly, the man picked up immediately: “Hello? What’s up?!”

The background noise on the other end was loud. Li Li frowned at the sound of it. “The sun must be rising from the west — you’re up this early?”

“Ha! Been up all night! Come hang?” Wu Xinghai hollered.

“Send me the address.” Li Li said.

……

Wu Xinghai and his friends had spent the whole night at a club, and things had gotten wildly out of hand. Still not done when dawn broke, Wu Xinghai led a whole sprawling crowd of men and women to relocate to his newly purchased villa and keep the party going.

By the time Li Li arrived, a large portion of the young men and women had already collapsed in a heap. Four or five still-energetic holdouts were drinking and dancing, music blasting so loud the whole villa shook with it.

Li Li found a spot and sat down.

Other than Wu Xinghai, he didn’t know a single person there. But people in this kind of environment were typically the self-introductory type — grab a drink and have at it, hear a song and join the dance. No formalities required.

Li Li poured himself a glass and stared at the men and women in the center of the living room swaying to the music. He drank in steady, brooding swallows, one mouthful after another.

Wu Xinghai drifted over and draped an arm over his shoulders, grinning. “What’s going on with you? Who got to you this early in the morning?”

“Su Man.” Li Li said, in two words.

“Ha ha! You two fought again?!” Wu Xinghai gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Normal, normal. Just make it up with her later — buy her some flowers, if that doesn’t work try a necklace, still no good, buy her a car…”

Li Li looked at him the way you look at an idiot. “Do you think Su Man is one of those influencer girls you surround yourself with?”

Wu Xinghai blinked, slapped his own forehead, and laughed in apology. “Aiyah, right, I forgot! Drank too much, drank too much. Su Man doesn’t care about that stuff — and her family’s not short on money either. Ha ha ha ha…”

Li Li was even more irritated watching him laugh. He stared at his glass, took another sip, and said:

“This fight is different from the ones before. She’s completely under that man’s spell. This morning I was trying to warn her out of genuine concern, and not only did she not appreciate it — she actually kicked me out of her car. Tell me, has she lost her mind?”

Without waiting for Wu Xinghai to answer, Li Li gave a cold laugh. “Actually, she hasn’t lost her mind. She just never had one to begin with.”

Wu Xinghai laughed and said, “Women need to be coaxed, you know — just coax her back, and you’re sorted!”

“Coax her?” Li Li gave a hum, his tone utterly dismissive. “Let her do whatever she wants. I couldn’t be bothered.”

Wu Xinghai thought for a moment, then offered another idea. “What if we put together a dinner? Round up all the old crowd from the compound — everyone catches up, reconnects a bit.”

Li Li heard this, shot him a glance, and said nothing.

Wu Xinghai was always the one to organize gatherings and parties. If it were set up this way, Li Li could get Su Man out to see him without having to swallow his pride. Once they were face to face with the whole group around them, the childhood memories would naturally smooth things over.

“How about this Saturday?” Wu Xinghai pulled out his phone, enthusiastically scrolling through his contacts for Su Man. “I’ll call and ask her.”

Li Li sat in silence, drinking his liquor, watching Wu Xinghai out of the corner of his eye — neither agreeing nor stopping him.

—