Lin Kexing trudged out of the annex building, her spirits low, and happened to run right into Jiang Yan’s mother on her way back.

Seeing the state Lin Kexing was in, the older woman couldn’t help but ask with concern, “What’s wrong?”

She glanced toward the annex building and asked further, “Did Yan bully you?”

Lin Kexing shook her head quickly. “No, no, it’s just that I feel…” She was no good at lying, her eyes darting about anxiously. A sudden excuse popped into her head and she blurted it out without thinking it through: “I think it’s the change in environment! Yes, that’s it — I’m not used to the climate here!”

Jiang Yan’s mother laughed, looking at her with gentle eyes. “Still such a child. Did Yan not go out?”

“He didn’t,” Lin Kexing said softly. “His girlfriend had something come up.”

“Is that so.” Jiang Yan’s mother said, then let out a long, deep sigh, her face creased with worry. “Speaking of which, Yan is turning twenty-one at the end of the year. I never used to think about it, but now that he’s in a relationship, I’ve started to feel anxious. I’d always thought he should establish himself before starting a family, but now looking at things… sigh. I don’t know if that girl will think our family isn’t good enough.”

Lin Kexing answered without thinking: “How could she!”

In her eyes, Brother Jiang Yan was the most capable and wonderful person in the entire world.

How could anyone think less of him? How could anyone possibly think less of him?

Jiang Yan’s mother looked at her. “I suppose only a mother like me — and you — can see Yan’s good qualities. Girls nowadays look at a family’s circumstances. You see, Yan’s father is gone, we have nothing to our name, and when it comes to talk of marriage, our family has nothing to offer. It really is a worry — the thought of some girl looking down on Yan makes my heart ache.”

Hearing her say this, Lin Kexing’s own heart ached all the more.

Jiang Yan’s mother shifted the subject. “Look at me, why am I telling you all this. Right — a few days ago I heard Yan mention he was going with his classmates to a farmstay in the mountains. Kexing, you should go along too.”

Lin Kexing looked surprised. “Me? Would that really be appropriate?”

She didn’t even know Jiang Yan’s classmates and friends. How could she possibly go? And Jiang Ruoqiao would be there too.

“Why wouldn’t it be appropriate?” Jiang Yan’s mother said. “In my heart, we’re all family. And besides, your mood has been up and down lately — just watching you has had me on edge. Kexing, come along with them. I’m actually asking for your help too.”

“What?”

Jiang Yan’s mother smiled. “I want you to go get some fresh air, and while you’re at it, help me take a look at what Yan’s girlfriend is like.”

Lin Kexing said, “She’s very nice.”

Jiang Yan’s mother shook her head. “You haven’t even met her — you’re only going by what Yan says. The real picture only comes from spending time together. Kexing, these are things I can’t say to Yan directly — I’m afraid it would upset him. So help me with this, won’t you?”

Lin Kexing seemed almost under a spell as she gave a small nod.

She truly, genuinely wanted to go and see for herself — to see what kind of person this Jiang Ruoqiao was, the one who had captured Jiang Yan’s heart.

On the other side of the city, Lu Yicheng had taken Jiang Ruoqiao to look at two more kindergartens.

Lu Siyan had fallen fast asleep, and Lu Yicheng’s arm had gone completely numb — yet he still hadn’t let go. Seeing this, Jiang Ruoqiao took the initiative and said, “Why don’t I hold him for a bit?”

Lu Yicheng glanced at her.

Her arms were very slender.

Lu Siyan’s arms were probably thicker than hers.

Lu Yicheng shook his head. “It’s fine. You won’t manage it. I’m used to it. He’ll probably wake up in another ten minutes or so — not worth the switch.”

Jiang Ruoqiao really couldn’t have held him for that long.

A minute or two would be fine; ten-plus minutes and she suspected her arms would give out entirely.

She just hadn’t realized before — Lu Yicheng’s arm strength was truly remarkable.

After going back and forth, neither of them being the indecisive type, they talked it over and chose the Big Windmill Kindergarten. It was also the first time Jiang Ruoqiao had truly experienced what it meant to get genuine value for money. Lu Yicheng offered to cover a larger share of the fees, but she refused. He had taken on more than his share of responsibility in raising this child — she wasn’t willing to take advantage of him when it came to money.

Raising a child was expensive. Kindergarten was expensive too.

But it was only for one year.

She held firm, and Lu Yicheng didn’t try to talk her out of it. After enrolling Lu Siyan, both of them arrived at the same thought simultaneously — they needed to earn more money!

Everything had its order of priority.

With the household registration and kindergarten sorted, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

There were plenty of rental options near A’Da University.

Neither Lu Yicheng nor Jiang Ruoqiao had any experience renting a place, so they muddled through, searching one by one. By eight or nine in the evening, they still hadn’t settled on anything.

“We can’t rush this,” Lu Yicheng said. “Rental contracts are typically for a year — it’s worth being careful about a place you’ll be living in for that long.”

Jiang Ruoqiao nodded.

Lu Siyan was so tired his curly hair had gone flat.

“The contract I signed with my landlord starts from the first of September, so there’s still time.” Lu Yicheng did the math. “Here’s what I’m thinking — over the next week, let’s focus on sorting out the apartment. Finding a housekeeper can wait a bit. I don’t know what your department’s schedule is like, but in my department, third year isn’t that heavy — the start of term won’t be too busy, so I’ll still have time to take care of him.”

“Alright.” Jiang Ruoqiao also ran through her own schedule. “Besides, he still has school to attend. Apart from Mondays and Wednesdays, I basically have no afternoon classes the rest of the week. Two or three more days to wrap up the filming work and that should be about it.”

Two people working together always found more solutions.

Even though there was no shortage of things to deal with right now, having each other to consult made it all manageable.

The following day, the schedule was less pressing. It was only that both Lu Yicheng and Jiang Ruoqiao had nearly forgotten about the farmstay plans. When Jiang Yan announced with great enthusiasm that they were heading into the mountains the next day, both of them were caught completely off guard. Jiang Ruoqiao had been about to politely decline, but then she reconsidered — she might not be looking forward to the farmstay, but her three roommates had been preparing for it with great enthusiasm. If she didn’t go, they certainly wouldn’t either, and there was no reason to spoil their fun.

More importantly, she had already agreed to this a long time ago. Backing out at the last minute would be poor form.

She also wanted to use this opportunity to have a proper talk with Jiang Yan.

Breakups always need a reason.

Even if there isn’t one, you have to come up with one.

She’d warm him up to the idea first.

Once Jiang Ruoqiao had confirmed she was going ahead with the mountain farmstay as planned, Lu Yicheng wanted no part of it. He didn’t want things to get complicated and awkward. He had already worked out in his mind that after the semester started he would be moving out of the dormitory, and even if they were in the same department and the same class, once he got busy, he and Jiang Yan would naturally drift apart.

Jiang Yan had no plans for postgraduate study either. After these two years, they might never see each other again.

So for now, the less fuss the better. At the very least, for these outings, if Jiang Ruoqiao was going, he wouldn’t go; if he was going, she wouldn’t go. Neither had said anything about it, but they had already developed a tacit understanding on this point.

On the morning they were supposed to leave for the farmstay, Lu Yicheng used a last-minute commitment as his reason to decline Jiang Yan’s invitation.

What he never expected was that Jiang Yan would come in person. By the time Lu Yicheng received Jiang Yan’s call, Jiang Yan had already climbed the stairs and was at his door. Jiang Yan’s reasoning was simple: of the four of them in the dormitory, Lu Yicheng and the youngest were set on postgraduate study, another had gone back to his hometown to take over the family business, and Jiang Yan himself had no plans to continue studying. In the past, being on his own hadn’t bothered him — he had drifted along without much purpose — but now that he had a girlfriend he wanted to spend his life with, it was only natural to start thinking more seriously about the future.

He had decided to go straight into the workforce after graduating, earn as much as he could, and somehow scrape together a down payment. That way, he and Ruoqiao would have a home of their own.

A big house was out of reach, but a small apartment of a few dozen square meters — with enough effort over a few years — was something he believed he could manage.

Once that happened, the chances of the four of them getting together would become fewer and fewer.

Not long ago, Lu Yicheng had told the dormitory group chat that he wouldn’t be living on campus after the new semester started. Why he wasn’t staying on campus, Lu Yicheng hadn’t said, and the other three hadn’t pressed. But for this farmstay, Jiang Yan was absolutely determined to drag Lu Yicheng along. Who knew if they’d ever have another chance like this? Who knew if all four of them would ever manage to get together for something like this again?

Lu Yicheng opened the door and saw Jiang Yan standing there. He was deeply exasperated.

Jiang Yan and Lu Yicheng had genuinely been close — they treated each other as their own people — and Jiang Yan wasn’t about to stand on ceremony now. He pushed his way inside. “I already asked the youngest — you don’t have any tutoring sessions these next couple of days.”

“Director Lu, I know you hate crowds, but this time is different.” Jiang Yan pitched his case enthusiastically. “The temperature up there is lower than in the city — we talked about this ages ago. I’ve already booked the rooms. If you don’t come, it’ll completely kill the mood.”

Lu Yicheng: “…”

Very exasperating. Very troublesome.

Just as he was at his wit’s end, Lu Siyan came out of the bathroom. Spotting a stranger in the apartment, he showed not the slightest trace of fear — his large eyes rolling around curiously to study the newcomer.

Jiang Yan hadn’t expected Lu Yicheng to have a child at his place either.

He looked at Lu Yicheng.

Lu Yicheng had no choice but to explain. “You can see for yourself — I really can’t go anywhere. I have to look after the child.”

Jiang Yan stared at Lu Siyan, feeling oddly like he’d seen this kid somewhere before. “A relative’s child?”

It was phrased as a question, but his tone made it sound like a certainty.

They all knew Lu Yicheng’s family situation. To put it plainly, apart from an aunt who had married far away, Lu Yicheng had no family left.

This child — he had to be either a relative’s or a neighbor’s.

Lu Yicheng cast a reassuring glance at Lu Siyan and gave a noncommittal sound. “That’s right. I’ll be looking after him for a while.”

Jiang Yan said, “That’s hardly a problem.” He crouched down and spoke to Lu Siyan in a coaxing tone: “Little friend, we’re going up into the mountains to play — there are fish to catch in the river, trees to climb, birds’ nests to peek into. Want to come along? It’ll be a lot of fun.”

Lu Siyan was, predictably, thoroughly tempted.

Catching fish in the river, climbing trees and peeking into birds’ nests — it sounded incredibly fun!

His brain capacity was only so large, and his memory was limited — he had completely forgotten that this was the voice he had heard before.

The moment Jiang Yan described the joys of mountain life, Lu Siyan forgot everything else. His large eyes were fixed on Lu Yicheng, bright with anticipation.

He had been well taught. Even though he was thoroughly tempted and desperately wanted to say yes, he still looked to the adult first — waiting for the adult’s word.

Lu Yicheng: “…”

“See, even the kid wants to go,” Jiang Yan added. “Besides, many hands make light work — you must get tired looking after a child all by yourself. There’ll be a whole group of us there. And having an extra kid along will be fun, too. Director Lu, you can’t just brush me off when I’ve come all the way here in person.”

“If you don’t come, I’ll have the youngest and the others carry you down!”

What could Lu Yicheng say.

He had been Jiang Yan’s classmate for two years and knew Jiang Yan’s character well.

Jiang Yan was genuinely loyal and generous — but deep down, he also had a stubborn streak, the kind that wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted.

Lu Yicheng had no choice but to go to his room and pack.

Jiang Yan and Lu Siyan were left waiting in the living room.

The day was genuinely sweltering. Feeling thirsty, Jiang Yan went looking for a disposable cup to pour himself some water, but on a table nearby he spotted a small bottle of face mist.

He reached out and picked it up with a puzzled frown.

It looked strangely familiar.

He turned it over in his mind, and then it came to him — this was the kind of mist Ruoqiao used all the time.

It really was the same brand.

But why would Lu Yicheng have something like this at his place?

After two years of living together, Jiang Yan knew Lu Yicheng well. This guy would cut costs wherever he could. One look at this mist was enough to tell you it didn’t belong to him.

He would never use something like this.

So whose was it?

Jiang Yan’s gossip radar fired up —

Just at that moment, Lu Yicheng came out of his room. Their eyes met, and Lu Yicheng immediately spotted what was in Jiang Yan’s hand. Alarm bells went off inside him instantly.

The mist had been accidentally left behind by Jiang Ruoqiao a couple of days ago.

Lu Yicheng stared at Jiang Yan with a rigidly fixed gaze.

Jiang Yan waved the little bottle around with a thoroughly gossipy expression. “Director Lu, something’s going on with you!!”

—