The person who came in, however, wasn’t Lu Shicheng. Standing at the front was Kuang Zhilin, and behind him were Huang Yuanshan and a group of girls.

“Yes, yes, you won.” Yan Zhenzhen and Gao Xiaowen wouldn’t hear otherwise and pushed Wen Tingli back onto the bed. “Injured and still not behaving—get back in bed and lie down properly.”

Wen Tingli laughed helplessly: “Why did you all come? Don’t worry, I’m fine, the doctor said I can be discharged in a couple days if I rest well.”

“Gao Xiaowen has the best information network—she heard you’d made it through the screen test and immediately called around to get everyone together to congratulate you. We couldn’t find you, but ran into Sister Huang who was busy dealing with the reporters. Once Sister Huang managed to shake them off and came to see you, we followed along.”

The girls chattered on and on, and Wen Tingli’s heart warmed with joy. “Sit down first and have some water, won’t you? There’s fruit over there, tea over here. I’ve got my arm in a sling so I can’t move around much, please help yourselves.”

Kuang Zhilin smiled and instructed the nurse: “Cut up the fruit and bring it over, and pour tea for the ladies too.”

Only then did everyone notice the room was stocked full of fresh fruit and nutritional supplements—even the tea canisters and tea sets came in matching Chinese and Western styles. Though they were all pampered at home, they couldn’t help but be impressed: “This pile of food and drink alone could open an import trading company. This is all from Mr. Lu—”

Wen Tingli quickly speared a piece of melon with a toothpick and stuffed it into Yan Zhenzhen’s mouth to shut her up.

Huang Yuanshan waved from the side: “I’m saying, this honeydew really is sweet, why don’t you all try some?”

“Sister Huang, don’t take sides—the film hasn’t even started shooting yet and you’re already acting as Wen Tingli’s manager?”

Amid the laughter, Kuang Zhilin smiled and took his leave, and Wen Tingli got out of bed to see him off.

“Mr. Kuang.”

Kuang Zhilin paused outside the door: “Haven’t even congratulated Miss Wen yet—I heard today’s screen test was intensely competitive, for Miss Wen to have come out on top is truly impressive.”

Wen Tingli asked, “Mr. Lu, he… didn’t come?”

“Oh, Young Master Cheng is at the office discussing the Sands of Time partnership with Golden Film Studio’s people. Since this is the Lu family’s first time investing in film, Young Master Cheng specifically had a few lawyers close to the Lu family take charge of the contract matters. Besides that, there are several urgent matters at the shipyard awaiting Young Master Cheng’s decision, all pressing issues that need handling. Young Master Cheng will come find Miss Wen as soon as he’s free.”

Wen Tingli didn’t know quite what to say, and could only smile and hum in acknowledgment.

Kuang Zhilin looked at Wen Tingli’s injured shoulder, his smile fading slightly.

“Forgive my presumption in saying this: no competition, however important, matters more than your own health. Not just Young Master Cheng, but even we were quite shocked hearing about what happened today.”

Wen Tingli nodded, a bit embarrassed.

“I’ve already sent someone to fetch Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi. Miss Wen, just focus on resting and recovering. If you need anything, just let them know.”

Wen Tingli watched Kuang Zhilin leave, and back in the room heard Huang Yuanshan saying: “Ordering cakes and booking venues—what if she already has other plans? Let’s hear what Wen Tingli herself has to say first.”

“She’s back. Wen Tingli, the day after tomorrow is your birthday. What are you planning to do?” Yan Zhenzhen asked.

Wen Tingli was stunned for a moment.

“You forgot yourself, didn’t you?” Zhao Qingluo came up to support her. “Last time outside the Carlton Cinema, you promised us in person you’d celebrate your birthday with us—don’t tell me you’re backing out now.”

“Backing out of what? Of course I’ll celebrate with you all. We haven’t had a proper get-together all summer, let’s take this chance to have a great time. We’ll go feast at Kangle Restaurant, then catch a movie afterward. I’ll cover all the expenses.”

Huang Yuanshan waved her hand: “This time, let me treat. I’ll have someone book a big private room at the Ciro’s, order some drinks and Western pastries, and we can all dance and play games all day—wouldn’t that be even livelier than a movie? Today’s screen test really did me proud, Wen Tingli—it’s only right that I should host, consider it a toast to Southern Beauty‘s smooth production.”

But Gao Xiaowen said, “No, let’s not—we’re all sick of eating at the same old places over and over. My brother’s just opened a new Cantonese restaurant, set to formally launch this Sunday, with chefs specially brought in from Guangzhou and Chaozhou. I guarantee you’ve never had those dishes before, and on opening day, each table will be discounted anywhere from one to five silver dollars—wouldn’t that be much better value than Kangle Restaurant?”

Yan Zhenzhen said in surprise: “You’re actually willing to help promote your own brother’s business?”

Gao Xiaowen said, annoyed: “He’s got too many businesses to manage on his own, and a few days ago he lured me in with half the profit share to be one of the proprietors, otherwise I wouldn’t bother drumming up business for him.”

Wen Tingli clapped happily: “Then it’s settled.”

Just then, Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi arrived. The girls swarmed around Xiao Taozi like bees to honey.

Huang Yuanshan glanced toward the door and saw it was one of the Lu family’s attendants who had helped bring Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi over, and couldn’t help but smile knowingly, winking at Wen Tingli: “Don’t worry, we’ll wrap up by evening that day, we won’t monopolize your whole day.”

Wen Tingli just played dumb.

Huang Yuanshan didn’t push it either: “Rest well these next few days—Southern Beauty officially starts filming next week, and this time it’s for real. Use these next few days to get things sorted at school and at home, so you don’t end up scrambling later.”

Everyone stayed until four o’clock before leaving.

When Zhou Sao heard from the nurse that Wen Tingli had dislocated her arm for the sake of the competition, she was so frightened she kept muttering “Amitabha,” and scolded Wen Tingli for not taking her own body seriously enough, saying what if this caused some lasting complication.

Wen Tingli sighed helplessly—today everyone who saw her had something to scold her about, and explaining herself seemed rather pointless, since they all genuinely cared about her. She could only nod along with mumbled acknowledgments, all while helping Xiao Taozi with her flashcards.

After waiting over an hour without Lu Shicheng showing up, Wen Tingli grew restless, and asked Zhou Sao to go buy some newspapers outside to pass the time.

Not long after, she heard Zhou Sao say outside the door: “Mr. Lu.”

Wen Tingli hurriedly slipped on her shoes and got out of bed.

This time it really was Lu Shicheng coming in, with Director Liu behind him. Director Liu was briefing Lu Shicheng on her condition.

“Absolutely no running around or moving carelessly these next two days. For the two months after discharge, also avoid lifting heavy objects with the affected side. No need to worry, Miss Wen is young and healthy, there shouldn’t be any lasting complications.”

Wen Tingli stood still, but her eyes were fixed on Lu Shicheng, unable to hide her smile.

Director Liu took his leave with a smile, and Zhou Sao handed the newspapers to Wen Tingli: “Here, Hujiang Morning Post and Film Weekly were both sold out, only Shenjiang Post left.”

Before Wen Tingli could reach out, Lu Shicheng took the newspaper directly from Zhou Sao’s hands, and with his other hand held Wen Tingli’s elbow, steadily guiding her toward the bed. Seeing this, Zhou Sao immediately pulled Xiao Taozi out without a word.

Wen Tingli was led all the way to the bedside like this. Lu Shicheng casually set the newspaper aside, pressing down on her uninjured shoulder to have her sit on the edge of the bed.

Wen Tingli looked up at Lu Shicheng, knowing it was now his turn to lecture her.

Of everyone, Lu Shicheng had the most right to be angry—after all, he’d been the first to rush to her side the day she got injured, and had cared for her attentively throughout her hospital stay.

Yet she’d gone and aggravated her injury again over a competition. There was no way to argue against this; Lu Shicheng had been there at the screen test too, and had seen with his own eyes just how hard she’d pushed herself.

She had no idea what his reaction would be, and stole a glance at him—his appearance remained as impeccably neat as ever, but there was sweat at his temples, clearly showing he’d rushed over the moment he was free.

She thought quickly and spoke first: “Let me pour you some water.”

But he pressed her back down onto the edge of the bed again, leaning over to examine her injured shoulder. After a long silence, he looked up and asked her with his eyes.

【Does it hurt?】

Wen Tingli quickly shook her head.

Lu Shicheng silently crouched down to examine the few scrapes on her legs, then straightened up again to study her complexion. After a moment, his expression eased slightly, and he took out that little notebook he never went anywhere without, quickly writing a few lines and handing it to her.

Wen Tingli was certain he’d give her a proper scolding. Like that time at the charity bazaar when she’d angered Lu Shicheng—his few understated words then had left her wanting to crawl into a hole from embarrassment.

He was always rational and courteous, but that didn’t mean his words weren’t sharp when he was angry.

She wanted so badly to squint her eyes to sneak a peek at the notebook.

Lu Shicheng watched her and began to smile.

【You haven’t eaten properly all day, are you hungry? What would you like for dinner tonight?】

Wen Tingli was stunned for a moment, then her heart relaxed. “I’m not hungry, I have no appetite right now anyway, I’ve been waiting for you this whole time!”

She sat up excitedly, leaning her face close to his as she spoke.

“I won! I really won, I’m so happy!”

He nodded—yes, she’d won, and he was very happy for her.

“But you don’t look very happy, are you a little upset with me?”

Lu Shicheng gave her a sidelong glance.

Victory and glory made her whole being glow.

Who had any standing to blame her for this?

No one had that right, himself included.

She was an orphan, everything was hers alone to decide. A role that might mean nothing to others meant everything to her right now. Even with only the slightest chance, she’d fight with everything she had to seize it.

However much it pained him, faced with this kind of hunger and ambition for success in her, all he could do was choose to understand and be considerate.

Under Lu Shicheng’s long, silent gaze, Wen Tingli gradually grew uneasy. His eyes remained calm and gentle throughout, giving her no way to read what he was feeling.

This was probably the first time since they’d become a couple that the two of them had come into any real friction over something. He had his own position, but she—she didn’t want to back down on matters of principle either.

Would he end up thinking she didn’t care about his feelings at all? She thought about it, then gently took hold of his hand: “Listen to me—”

Lu Shicheng shook his head instead.

【I’m not blaming you, because you didn’t do anything wrong. This time it was my own carelessness that let a bad person hurt you. Next time I’ll protect you better.】

The deeper and more complex an emotion, the harder it is to express calmly—he’d written quickly, so the handwriting looked a bit hurried, yet the characters seemed to pulse with life, dancing on the page. Wen Tingli unconsciously touched the lines on the paper, and it was as if she’d touched his heart itself—scalding hot, and soft.

Having finished writing, he touched her head, the motion full of tender concern.

Wen Tingli only felt as if a lump of cotton had lodged in her throat.

No reproach, no admonishment—he’d kept “be more careful next time” to himself. Looking at that line, she called his name softly: “Lu Shicheng—”

Lu Shicheng immediately took on a serious, attentive expression to listen to what she’d say next. He didn’t know how much this gentle, focused look of his made her heart melt. She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his neck, whispering something in his ear.

【What?】He tilted his head with a smile to look at her.

“I said—” She closed her eyes and kissed his lips, murmuring against them, “Lu Shicheng, I really like you.”

Over the following days, Lu Shicheng spent most of his time at the hospital tending to Wen Tingli.

Ever since her mother passed away, Wen Tingli hadn’t felt this at ease in a long while—aside from eating and sleeping, nothing else required her attention. After a few days, not only had her wound healed nicely, but her complexion had also improved compared to before her hospital stay.

During this time, an old acquaintance came to visit her—Miss Liu Yaqiao, an assistant lawyer working alongside lawyer Bao.

It happened that Lu Shicheng and Zhou Sao were both out at the time. Wen Tingli had just woken from her afternoon nap when she heard Liu Yaqiao in the corridor, carrying a bag of nutritional supplements, asking around: “Which room is Miss Wen Tingli staying in?”

Wen Tingli was overjoyed and quickly told the nurse, “That’s my senior schoolmate, please show her in.”

The moment Liu Yaqiao entered the room, she let out a sigh of relief.

“I thought I’d gotten the wrong room. I called your house yesterday and no one picked up—I got worried something happened to you, so I called Qingluo and the others, and they told me you were hospitalized. What exactly happened, are you alright?”

Wen Tingli smiled and said, “Nothing serious, I dislocated my arm last week by accident, it’s mostly healed by now. Sister Yaqiao, what brings you here?”

Liu Yaqiao smiled and glanced at the nurse, and the nurse belatedly picked up the water pitcher. Once the nurse had shut the door and left, Liu Yaqiao spoke: “Lawyer Bao is back from America. He heard you’d tried to reach him several times without luck, and feels quite sorry about it—he’ll be staying in Shanghai for a while now, and wants you to bring the contract as soon as possible to exchange it for that money.”

Wen Tingli hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll go tomorrow—”

No, tomorrow was her birthday.

“Would the day after work?”

“No problem. By the way, when does your film start shooting? Shanghai University of Commerce opens mid-September—by then you’ll have to attend class and film at the same time, will you really be able to manage?”

Wen Tingli smiled. “Sister Yaqiao, you know I’ve always had boundless energy. Besides, Sister Huang will adjust things around my class schedule when the time comes, it won’t affect my studies.”

That evening, Wen Tingli told Lu Shicheng about her plans to go out with friends tomorrow, but didn’t mention it was to celebrate her birthday, only saying her good friends wanted to get together.

She wasn’t sure whether Lu Shicheng still remembered her birthday—rather than telling him herself, she’d rather he remember it on his own.

As she said this, Lu Shicheng was peeling an apple for her, and looked up at her in apparent surprise upon hearing this. He asked what time she’d be back tomorrow, and whether she needed him to come pick her up.

“No need to pick me up, I’ll probably—be out until six or seven, then head home.”

Lu Shicheng didn’t ask further. The whole evening, he never once brought up her birthday on his own, and Wen Tingli felt a faint twinge of disappointment.

The next morning after being discharged and arriving home, the first thing Wen Tingli did was open the windows to air the place out. Zhou Sao had heard some home remedy from a fellow patient, and the moment she got home, boiled a pot of mugwort leaf soup and made Wen Tingli take another bath with it, saying it would drive away illness and bad luck.

After washing up, Wen Tingli dug out that lily-colored Western dress from before and put it on—the soft, gentle color suited her mood perfectly at the moment. She also put on the pink diamond necklace Lu Shicheng had given her, and admiring herself in the mirror, was quite satisfied. Happily dressed up, she then pulled Xiao Taozi over to dress her up too.

Suddenly she heard a car horn outside the window—it was Gao Xiaowen and the others, driving over to pick her up.

Wen Tingli coaxed Zhou Sao: “Why don’t you come with us, please?”

Zhou Sao shook her head like a rattle drum: “I’m not going, you’re all a bunch of young girls, what would an old woman like me be doing tagging along.”

Wen Tingli had no choice but to take Xiao Taozi’s hand and head out. Zhou Sao hurried after her to the door: “Aren’t you going dancing this afternoon too? Places like that have all sorts of people around, if no one’s watching her closely that’ll be trouble. Why don’t I come pick Xiao Taozi up after lunch—I mentioned before that her shoes have gotten a bit tight, might as well buy her a few pairs of shoes and socks while I’m at it.”

Wen Tingli thought about it. “Come by the restaurant at Gao’s place around half past one to pick her up, and I’ll have some dishes packed for you to bring home and try—that restaurant’s address is…”

Just then someone knocked at the door, and when it opened, a large gift box appeared.

“Happy birthday!” Zhao Qingluo and the others called out cheerfully at the door. “Quick, open it and see.”

Wen Tingli didn’t hesitate to untie the ribbon on the box. Inside was a smooth, cream-colored leather handbag.

“Ordered from Lelong’s in Paris, Gao Xiaowen said it’s a limited edition, entirely handmade. What do you think, do you like it?”

Wen Tingli was moved beyond words. Gao Xiaowen and Yan Zhenzhen laughingly pulled the bag off Wen Tingli’s shoulder. “You’re a public figure now, no more running around with that old book bag of yours all the time. Besides, you’re the birthday girl today—quick, put on this new bag and let us see.”

Wen Tingli happily gathered both the old book bag and the new leather handbag into her arms. “Let me go tidy up a bit and I’ll be right out, you all wait in the living room. Zhou Sao, please make tea quickly.”

Going into her room and closing the door, Wen Tingli excitedly took the money and gun from her book bag to transfer into the new handbag, but unfortunately the new bag was too small to also fit her wallet.

Wen Tingli found herself in a bind—to treat her friends to a good meal, she’d specifically stuffed a lot of silver dollars into her wallet. After some thought, she had no choice but to drag her “treasure box” out from under the bed, put the wallet inside it, and take out a bank note instead, in case she needed to exchange it for more silver dollars at a bank on the street later.

She then carefully tucked that contract back into the box as well.

Having finished all this, she straightened up beside the bed and, to her sudden alarm, spotted Xiao Taozi standing nearby.

She jumped: “When did you sneak in here?”

“Money money, treasure box.” Xiao Taozi crouched down and touched the leather case under the bed.

Wen Tingli relaxed, relieved that Xiao Taozi hadn’t noticed the pistol. She quickly locked the box and picked Xiao Taozi up. “That’s right, the box is full of sister’s savings, lots and lots of money, enough to buy lots and lots of things, but Xiao Taozi mustn’t touch this box, come on, let’s go out.”

The group piled into Gao Xiaowen’s car, with Yan Zhenzhen and Zhao Qingluo claiming Xiao Taozi on either side and refusing to let go, so Wen Tingli was pushed into the front passenger seat. Seeing a stack of newspapers piled on the seat, she picked them up idly to browse.

Every film-related newspaper was blanketed with news of Golden Film Studio’s screen test competition, and every article ended without fail with a line like “Miss Wen remains elusive as a dragon, showing neither head nor tail—this writer deeply regrets being unable to secure an interview with her.”

“See that? This screen test really made you famous,” Gao Xiaowen said. “Everyone’s curious just what kind of acting genius could outshine big stars like Yu Peiling and Zhou Manru. There are even rumors that the role was decided beforehand, that Yu Peiling and the others were nothing but sacrificial pawns for Golden Film Studio to generate buzz. Most fans right now are feeling for them, and don’t have much goodwill toward you and Golden Film Studio.”

Zhao Qingluo chimed in from the back: “Wen Tingli, I’d advise you not to read the papers these next few days—I’m worried those nasty comments will upset you.”

But Wen Tingli took it in stride.

“Mouths belong to other people, let them say what they want. The film will get released eventually anyway—whether this newcomer got in through the back door or not, people can judge for themselves once they’ve seen the film.”

Yan Zhenzhen clapped her hands. “Listen to her, I really do love this arrogant streak of hers.”

Gao Xiaowen laughed dryly. “Other people are flowers, but she’s a cactus—won’t die of thirst, won’t die in the sun, wind can’t topple her, thunder can’t strike her down—”

Wen Tingli laughed at this, but her attention was quickly seized by another piece of news in Flower Cinema.

The article was accompanied by a photo, its center Yu Peiling, beside her the silhouette of a young man, the two of them standing very close together—clearly a candid, secretly-taken shot, the man’s outline somewhat blurred in the photo.

But Wen Tingli recognized at a glance that it was Lu Shicheng. She recognized the location too—it was that same corridor from the day of the screen test.

The headline read: “Another Wealthy Young Master Falls at the Feet of Film Queen Yu Peiling.”

The article read: “That day the weather was scorching hot, yet this wealthy young master, in pursuit of Miss Yu, specially made the trip to wait outside the screen test venue, staying until afternoon before finally leaving. This man, highly educated and worth a fortune, is known for his low-key, humble manner, and has long been favored by Shanghai’s socialites… Whether this devoted gesture will succeed in winning Miss Yu’s heart remains to be seen.”

The full article never mentioned Lu Shicheng’s name directly, but the text subtly referenced several details about the Lu family background, making it easy to guess who was meant.

No need to guess—this piece was surely put out by that manager surnamed Chen at Yu Peiling’s side.

With this scandal in hand, even if it had been Xiao Diejun or Zhou Manru who’d won that day, public attention would have been entirely absorbed by Yu Peiling alone. Being pursued by someone did nothing to harm her image—if anything, it helped win her scripts and roles suited to her particular charm.

It was just too bad that day’s competition had produced such a huge upset, dashing Chen Maoqing’s careful scheme—otherwise, these past few days the entertainment papers would surely have been filled with nothing but gossip about Yu Peiling and Lu Shicheng.

Gao Xiaowen couldn’t help asking: “This is about Young Master Lu, isn’t it? I’ve dealt with Yu Peiling a few times myself, she’s not a bad person at heart—the worst one is that Chen Maoqing beside her, he’s an old hand in the film industry, always likes using this kind of dirty trick to help his actresses steal the spotlight. By the way, does Young Master Lu know about this? Is he just going to let them write whatever they want?”

Yan Zhenzhen scoffed: “They’re hoping for a response from the Lu family. If the Lu family steps out to spar with them over this, in the public eye it’ll look like admitting guilt, and then this whole thing will never be untangled. The smartest move is exactly what Lu Shicheng’s doing—not paying it any mind at all.”

Just then, a burst of lively firecrackers sounded up ahead—they’d arrived at the restaurant.

This restaurant, newly opened by Gao Tingxin and his sister, was called “Dingxin Grand Restaurant,” taking its name from the idiom meaning “casting off the old, establishing the new.”

When it came to business, Young Master Gao Tingxin only grew bolder with each setback. After the failed investment in Yifeilin Department Store, this time he’d decided to start small—compared to the Gao family’s other ventures, a Cantonese-style restaurant was admittedly modest, but compared to similar establishments, it was still quite impressive. Today being opening day, the Gao family had invited plenty of guests to show support, all either dignitaries or business tycoons.

Going inside, the decor was extravagant to a jaw-dropping degree—the main hall floored entirely in teak wood shipped from Sumatra, even the wall sconces in the restrooms reportedly custom-made crystal lamps imported from Italy.

Hearing his sister had brought a group of friends to show support, Gao Tingxin personally came downstairs to greet them, and upon seeing Wen Tingli, a smile surfaced on his handsome face.

“Well now, the big star has arrived.” With that, he had the servants show the group to a private room upstairs on the second floor, standing by the table with his arm resting on the back of Wen Tingli’s chair. “Word is Miss Wen is the birthday girl today? What perfect timing, coinciding with my restaurant’s grand opening—isn’t that double the happiness? Order whatever you like, this table’s on me.”

Wen Tingli smiled but leaned forward slightly, a bit uncomfortable. Gao Xiaowen swatted her brother’s arm away from behind Wen Tingli’s shoulders.

“Watch your mouth if you’re going to talk—can you keep your stinking hands to yourself?”

Gao Tingxin raised his hands innocently, feigning innocence.

“Gao Xiaowen, ask yourself honestly, when have I ever had designs on any of your classmates? Haven’t I always been perfectly courteous to all of you? Besides, Miss Wen already has—” he said with a smile, “You all enjoy your meal, I’ll go greet the other guests.”

Everyone smiled and saw him off. Once reseated, Zhao Qingluo flipped through the menu while asking.

“Where’s Sister Huang? She’s still not here?”

“Isn’t that her voice outside?”

Huang Yuanshan seemed to have run into an acquaintance, chatting for a while outside before finally coming in. The moment she entered she said: “Xiaowen, your Gao family really has connections. Just walking up these few flights of stairs, I ran into the head of the Public Concessions Bureau, the captain of the French Concession police station, and people from the Wang, Bai, and Meng families—had to greet everyone along the way, my face is about to freeze from smiling so much.”

“Who were you just talking to out there? The voice sounded a bit familiar.”

Huang Yuanshan glanced at Wen Tingli: “Oh. Just an acquaintance, a bit older, you wouldn’t know them even if I told you. So, has everyone ordered?”

“The host hasn’t even arrived yet, how could we dare order?” everyone laughed.

The meal went cheerfully along, and halfway through, Xiao Taozi needed the restroom, and Yan Zhenzhen, having had too much to drink, also felt the need, so Wen Tingli went out along with her sister and Yan Zhenzhen.

This restaurant was designed in a rather Western style, with two adjacent private rooms each having a hidden door leading to an elegant shared restroom, plus a ladies’ powder room, furnished with a few peach-pink sofas for resting.

After taking her sister to the restroom, Wen Tingli heard voices from the adjoining lounge: “There’s been nothing but this story in the news lately, this Miss Wen’s name sounds so familiar—oh, I remember now, isn’t she the student who was once involved with the eldest young master of the Qiao family?”

“That’s her. That night they only said she was Baoxin’s classmate, but I remember Xingchu kept this girl by her side the entire evening.”

Another voice couldn’t help sneering: “Nonsense, when did our Xingchu ever keep this Miss Wen by her side? Clearly she was trying to get close to Xingchu by using her friendship with Baoxin, and failed. Don’t you remember? That very night the Qiao family saw through what kind of person she was and threw her out. A lowlife is a lowlife, and look, now she’s about to become an actress no less.”

“Don’t underestimate her—I hear she’s been seeing the young master of the Lu family lately. My daughter went to see a movie at the Carlton once and happened to see Lu Shicheng and Miss Wen going in together. My daughter said Young Master Lu keeps this Miss Wen very much on his mind, sending cars to pick her up and drop her off.”

“Then—why does this article say Lu Shicheng is pursuing Yu Peiling instead? Look, this is about Lu Shicheng, isn’t it? Which girlfriend is the real one?”

Mrs. Qiao laughed instead: “Never mind whether Yu Peiling is real or not—either way, there’s no chance Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli are anything real. Don’t think men are all just slaves to their lust—every one of them is shrewd deep down. Even though it’s Lu Shicheng running the Lu family now, Old Master Lu is still alive—would Old Master Lu ever agree to let his grandson marry some poor girl into the family? No money, no family status, no prospects—what man would take her seriously? It’s nothing but play.”

In a fit of anger, Wen Tingli was about to storm out, when she suddenly realized her right hand was being tightly gripped—looking down, she saw her sister staring wide-eyed, listening intently, her face full of fright and confusion.

Wen Tingli had no choice but to swallow her anger back down, and said gently to Xiao Taozi, “Let’s go use the restroom first.”

But Yan Zhenzhen simply couldn’t swallow this insult, and said furiously to Wen Tingli: “If we don’t teach her a proper lesson this time, she’ll only get worse.”

With that, she rolled up her sleeves and slipped out, saying coldly: “I was wondering which lady had such a loose tongue—turns out it’s Mrs. Qiao. Wen Tingli and I are classmates, I had no idea she was the kind of person you describe. Calling her a lowlife, saying no one wants her! I can’t believe such words could come from the mouth of a supposedly respectable lady. Have you forgotten you have a daughter too? Do you even deserve to call yourself a woman and a mother?!”

Mrs. Qiao froze for a moment, then her face darkened as she snapped: “And where did you spring from? Eavesdropping behind doors, absolutely no manners at all.”

Several other ladies quickly rushed to her defense: “Little girl, don’t be so fierce—Mrs. Qiao is an elder after all, how can you speak to her like that?!”

“Being an elder means acting like one. Mrs. Qiao has bullied Miss Wen more than once or twice already—last time outside Ciro’s, Sister Yaqiao must have already told you the consequences of spreading rumors, and it’s only been this long and you’ve already forgotten last time’s lesson? Should we invite the great lawyer Liu back again to teach you another one?”

The thing Mrs. Qiao hated most in this world was being crushed helpless in front of everyone by Wen Tingli that time at Ciro’s. Now with Yan Zhenzhen bringing it up again, she trembled with rage.

“You still dare bring that up? That was nothing but your accomplices ganging up to help you. As it happens, I have two lawyer friends here today too—why don’t we invite them to judge fairly as well.” She grabbed Yan Zhenzhen’s hand to drag her outside, but was suddenly shaken off by Wen Tingli.

“Mrs. Qiao.” Wen Tingli’s gaze turned sharp, her tone icy. “Know when to stop!”

A chill ran down Mrs. Qiao’s neck. In just two short months apart, Wen Tingli seemed to have gained something new about her—those eyes, level with her own, clearly concealed a blade, cold and gleaming, its edge turned outward, ready to strike. She spoke without a trace of agitation, calm and composed instead—this was no longer the fragile little sapling anyone could snap at first meeting, but had taken on, faintly, the shadow of a towering tree, rooted deep, unshakeable.

This kind of dangerous aura, Mrs. Qiao had only ever seen in the most desperate, reckless sorts of people. She found herself inexplicably intimidated, and more than that, confused. In the standoff, her arrogance shrank visibly.

“You—”

By this point, people in both private rooms had heard the commotion in the restroom, and were craning their necks to look.

Wen Tingli, expression unchanged, pulled Yan Zhenzhen away from Mrs. Qiao.

Huang Yuanshan guessed at once what had happened, and dragged Mrs. Wen aside in exasperation: “Aunt Jiang, why do you keep giving Wen Tingli trouble?”

Mrs. Qiao feigned composure, raising a hand to smooth her hair. “Me, giving her trouble? I don’t have the time for that. We ladies were just chatting in the lounge, and this little girl suddenly burst out to lecture me—don’t believe me, ask Mrs. Zhao and the others.”

“Alright, alright, it’s fine now.” Several ladies came out to smooth things over. “Yuanshan, so you and Miss Wen are actually quite close? Miss Wen, we hear you’re about to star in Golden Film Studio’s big new production? Congratulations, congratulations, that was truly just a misunderstanding just now… Mrs. Qiao, weren’t we supposed to go pick up jewelry at the Cartier store across the way? We’re done eating anyway, why don’t we head over, walk off the meal while we’re at it.”

Wen Tingli and Yan Zhenzhen were escorted back to their private room amid the crowd.

Once seated, Wen Tingli checked on Xiao Taozi worriedly. Xiao Taozi hadn’t cried or made a fuss, but seemed a bit dazed—whether frightened by what Mrs. Qiao had said, or simply a bit sleepy, it was hard to tell.

Wen Tingli regretted deeply having brought her sister out at all, and hurriedly poured her some juice.

“That Aunt Jiang—” Huang Yuanshan rubbed her face wearily. “Never mind, there’s no reasoning with someone like that. Tingli, today’s your birthday, don’t let boring people and things like this ruin your mood.”

“Exactly, exactly, we’re not letting people like that spoil our fun. Yan Zhenzhen, you were absolutely fearless back there—here, a rib as your reward.”

“Pfft, treating me like Zhang Fei or something?”

Everyone laughed, and Wen Tingli’s smile returned too, raising her glass with renewed spirit.

After eating a dessert, Xiao Taozi perked back up too, tilting her little head, chattering away about wanting this and that. Wen Tingli finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

The meal lasted until two o’clock, and just as it was about to wrap up, Zhou Sao finally showed up.

“Why are you so late?”

Zhou Sao smiled and greeted everyone at the door, then mysteriously pulled Wen Tingli aside.

“Let me tell you something.”

It turned out Zhou Sao hadn’t arrived too late, but rather too early.

Actually, she’d arrived downstairs by twelve-something already. But she’d thought, before going up to fetch Xiao Taozi, she might as well buy the child’s shoes and socks first, so that once she picked Xiao Taozi up, they could head straight home by car.

Only after browsing around did she discover the prices at the department stores near the racecourse were outrageous—children’s shoes and socks there cost even more than adult ones. Being the frugal type, there was no way she’d bring herself to spend that much on a pair of children’s shoes, even though Wen Tingli had given her more than enough money.

In the end, she decided to just go to a fabric shop and cut some cloth to make the shoes herself instead, only to find the fabric there was pricier than elsewhere too.

She wandered the streets for an hour, coming up empty-handed in the end, and somehow ended up in front of an extremely grand, dazzling foreign trading house.

At a glance, she could tell this shop was different from the rest—begonia-red ribbons hung from the entrance, the shop window lights bright as a starry sky, the lobby floor made of some material so bright it looked like a mirror—she worried she’d slip just walking on it.

The sign above bore a string of foreign letters, and Zhou Sao couldn’t quite figure out what this trading house sold. Driven by curiosity, she pressed her forehead against the glass window to peek inside, and saw the people in the shop seemingly bathed in a strange golden glow.

Just as she stared, entranced, a Western-dressed shop boy rushed out to shoo her away.

“Go on, go on, no loitering and staring at the entrance.”

Zhou Sao hurried to leave, when she suddenly heard someone exclaim in surprise: “Zhou Sao?! What are you doing here?”

Turning around, she saw Lu Shicheng and Kuang Zhilin getting out of a car—it was Kuang Zhilin who’d spoken.

Lu Shicheng glanced at the shop boy, who immediately switched to a different expression. “Mr. Lu, I didn’t realize you knew each other. Ma’am, my apologies for the offense just now.”

Lu Shicheng looked around, then curiously looked behind Zhou Sao as well.

Zhou Sao was still dazed, but Kuang Zhilin already guessed what Lu Shicheng wanted to ask, and smilingly asked: “Zhou Sao, are you out here alone? Where are Miss Wen and Xiao Taozi?”

Zhou Sao snapped back to herself, and quickly explained today’s arrangement with Wen Tingli.

“I just wandered and wandered… and somehow ended up in front of this shop, and of all things ran into Mr. Lu and Mr. Kuang here, what a coincidence.”

Just then, a middle-aged manager pushed open the door and warmly greeted Lu Shicheng: “Young Master Lu, right on time. Everything’s ready, just waiting for you to look it over personally.”

And so, in a daze, Zhou Sao followed Lu Shicheng into this crystal-palace-like jewelry shop.

There were only a handful of customers inside, each dressed exquisitely.

Lu Shicheng led Zhou Sao inside as if no one else were there, and Zhou Sao, not daring to look around too much, was quickly seated like a VIP guest in a dark purple reception room. Behind it was an inner chamber, where a group of managers and Westerners busied themselves attending to Lu Shicheng.

Kuang Zhilin was on a call at the other end, and shortly after, walked over to apologize with a smile to Zhou Sao before heading inside to report back to Lu Shicheng.

So it was that Zhou Sao was left alone in the small reception room, with fruit and pastries brought to her from time to time, everyone treating her with the utmost courtesy.

Zhou Sao didn’t dare say much or move much, sitting rigidly upright the whole time, only occasionally straining her ears to catch what was happening inside. The attendant in the inner chamber kept speaking to Lu Shicheng in a foreign language, and she couldn’t quite tell whether Mr. Lu was here discussing business or buying something.

Suddenly the sound of high heels came down the stairs.

Several bejeweled ladies were coming downstairs. The one leading said: “Mrs. Qiao, congratulations on this gorgeous new pair of earrings, if I were you, even the worst anger would melt away.”

Another lady gave a laughing snort.

“Mrs. Qiao’s never been one to hold grudges, it’s just that today those two little girls jumped out on their own to make trouble—we were just chatting among ourselves, and they came at us so seriously, who knows where such wild children came from, absolutely no manners at all.”

“With her background, of course she wouldn’t know manners,” someone said with a mocking laugh. “I’ve finally figured it out—this little tramp has suddenly gotten so arrogant, all because she’s about to become a movie star, or because she’s landed Lu Shicheng as her new boyfriend. She thinks she has backing now, so she can look down on the Qiao family—what a dream.”

The ladies laughed along: “The girl’s still too young, doesn’t know men are the least reliable thing in this world. If she really thinks a man’s favor is something to bank on, she’ll be left with nothing in the end. That article just now made it perfectly clear—Lu Shicheng’s been chasing after Miss Yu Peiling lately—”

Before she could finish, a shop clerk walked up to the top of the stairs and interrupted in a low voice.

“Mrs. Qiao, Mrs. Zhou, Mrs. Liu!” The clerk gestured nervously toward the reception room.

Confused, the group looked down, only to see a plainly dressed, older middle-aged woman—about to demand what the clerk was up to—when suddenly a young man emerged from the reception room.

The shop floor fell instantly silent.

The man walked straight into the light and stopped, tilting his head up to look at the group on the stairs. Such beautiful eyes, and yet like needles, seeming to pierce straight through one’s heart.

Mrs. Qiao’s legs went weak, but she forced composure, saying to the others: “Let’s go.”

Just then, a Westerner inside the reception room caught up to Lu Shicheng, asking in broken Chinese for confirmation: “Mr. Lu, let me confirm with you once more—should this be engraved in Chinese characters, ‘Happy Birthday Miss Wen’?”

The Westerner held a heavy red brocade box in his hands—one glance made clear it held some precious piece of jewelry. Mrs. Qiao looked back, and her expression turned even uglier.

Lu Shicheng didn’t respond to the Westerner, but instead gestured for Kuang Zhilin to stop Mrs. Qiao.

“Mrs. Qiao.” Kuang Zhilin’s usual worldly smile had vanished, his tone rather cold. “We don’t know exactly what grievance you have with Miss Wen, but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of you publicly slandering her. This behavior is quite indecent—it insults Miss Wen, and it also lowers your own character! As Miss Wen’s friends, we hope Mrs. Qiao will show her proper respect from now on. This isn’t a suggestion, but a solemn warning! This one time only—we hope Mrs. Qiao won’t do anything she’ll come to regret.”

He spoke slowly, sentence by sentence, without a trace of hostility in his tone. Yet with each sentence, Mrs. Qiao’s heart trembled a little more.

It wasn’t that she was truly set against Wen Tingli—it was just that there had been too much trouble at home lately. Her husband kept hitting walls at every turn, her son and daughter-in-law were also giving her headaches—it turned out Liyun wasn’t pregnant after all, just having irregular periods, and was currently busy taking medicine to regulate her body. Xingchu, though he came home on time every night, seemed to have his heart somewhere else entirely.

Most infuriating of all, Baoxin had also started becoming disobedient lately—not only refusing to accept the marriage arranged by the family, but also constantly clamoring to go study in Beiping.

Faced with this spiraling situation, Mrs. Qiao felt a deep sense of powerlessness. As a mother, could she really be trying to harm her own children? All these years she’d done so much for this family, why did it all come back to nothing but resentment from her own children?

If only her husband were more capable, why would she need to be so forceful about everything herself? No, Xingchu and Baoxin hadn’t been like this before—ultimately, these changes had all started since the siblings met Wen Tingli. That’s why the mere sight of Wen Tingli set her off.

But—Lu Shicheng’s icy, still-water gaze told her that there wasn’t the slightest hint of joking in what he’d just said.

The warning was serious, and toward Wen Tingli—it seemed serious too.

She couldn’t help gritting her teeth secretly.

But no matter how unwilling she felt inside, she had no choice but to swallow it on the surface. To resolve their financial troubles, her husband had been relying on Gao Tingxin to help arrange a loan from the Lu family’s bank recently, and as the head of the eldest branch of the family, she’d had to swallow her pride and make the rounds herself—otherwise she wouldn’t have specially come to support Young Master Gao’s new restaurant today.

A family like the Gaos, upstarts as they were—the Qiao family would never have given them the time of day before.

None of that mattered now. She only knew that if she offended Lu Shicheng too badly, the Qiao family’s days ahead would certainly be ten times harder than now.

She could only give an awkward laugh, though the laugh sounded as dry and grating as if she’d swallowed a mouthful of sand.

“Speaking of which, back when Miss Wen transferred to Wushi Middle School, it was actually me who helped arrange it—why would I deliberately make things difficult for her? It was a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Please, Mr. Lu, do convey my apologies to Miss Wen.”

Though Zhou Sao had never had much schooling, she was quite good at telling a story, and she described the scene as if it were unfolding right there.

“So many shop clerks, so many friends, everyone just watching as Mrs. Qiao apologized to Mr. Lu, Mrs. Qiao’s face was paler than a corpse’s—I tell you, the angrier she’d been before, the more satisfying it was to watch after! Always bullying people all day long, now she’s finally met her match.”

Wen Tingli listened silently. She didn’t take any particular satisfaction in Mrs. Qiao being humbled—or rather, she’d never deeply hated Mrs. Qiao to begin with. Ever since hearing what Dean Deng had said, she’d come to deeply understand that in a feudal household like the Qiao family, Mrs. Qiao herself was nothing but a puppet trapped in a cage.

What made her happy was Lu Shicheng’s attitude—he always stood up openly to defend her, and what’s more, to think he’d pretended nothing was wrong last night, when in fact he hadn’t forgotten today was her birthday at all.

She really wanted to ask Zhou Sao whether she’d seen what was inside the brocade box, but in the end decided to keep a bit of mystery, and simply carried Xiao Taozi out to hand her over to Zhou Sao.

Zhao Qingluo and Yan Zhenzhen helped hail a rickshaw on the street, and everyone stood there seeing Zhou Sao and Xiao Taozi off before happily heading together to Ciro’s.

Wen Tingli thoroughly enjoyed herself at Ciro’s that afternoon, running into quite a few schoolgirls from Wushi, Xiude, and even Huizhen Girls’ School on the dance floor.

Everyone had come out to dance simply because there was nothing to do over summer break, and hearing it was Wen Tingli’s birthday today, these girls simply joined the celebration crowd too—some dancing, some playing bridge, all having a wonderful time.

By half past five, Wen Tingli finally started feeling restless.

They’d agreed to wrap up around this time, but her friends didn’t seem to have any intention of calling it a day. Not wanting to dampen everyone’s mood, she could only pretend nothing was wrong, laughing along, dancing and chatting with everyone.

In the end, it was Huang Yuanshan, the most experienced of the group, who noticed Wen Tingli was distracted.

She checked her watch and clapped her hands with a smile. “I only booked the afternoon slot yesterday, and time’s almost up. If everyone’s still interested in dancing, I’ll extend it into the evening session right away. If you’d rather switch things up—say, catch a movie, get ice cream—then no need to extend.”

“Let’s go, let’s go, eat something first then catch a movie.”

The girls responded enthusiastically all at once, and Wen Tingli took the chance to slip off to the front desk to settle the bill, only to be told Huang Yuanshan had already paid the day before.

She had no choice but to pull out a handful of tips for the foreign floor manager, asking him to hurry across to the Grand Theater to buy twenty-one first-class tickets. She’d just counted—there were twenty-one girls present.

“Once they get to the theater entrance, hand out these movie tickets and tell them it’s already been paid for.”

This was overheard by a classmate passing by just then: “What’s going on here—treating everyone to a movie, and now rushing off yourself?”

Wen Tingli kept insisting she wasn’t in any hurry to leave, only that something had come up at home requiring her to head back.

Zhao Qingluo burst out laughing. “Sure, sure, you’re not in a hurry—then please, stay a while longer. Hey, hey, off you go again?”

Huang Yuanshan, even more mischievously, called a rickshaw for Wen Tingli and pushed her into it, then instructed the driver with mock seriousness: “She says she’s not in a hurry, not in a hurry at all, take your time on the way.”

Wen Tingli said nothing more, just smiling and waving to her friends.

Checking the time, she’d ended up leaving half an hour later than planned after all. Lu Shicheng was always punctual—by now he’d probably already been waiting at her house for an hour.

Eager to get home as quickly as possible, she wished she could fly straight there, but no sooner had they set off than the sky suddenly opened up in a torrential downpour. The rickshaw puller, drenched until he could barely keep his eyes open, had no choice but to stop and search the back seat for a rain cape.

Just then, a car came speeding down the street. Fortunately, Wen Tingli’s sharp eyes caught it in time and she warned the puller, or the two of them would have been struck by the car that wasn’t watching where it was going.

Even having dodged in time, the puller still slipped and fell in the rain, apparently scraping his knee, and sat there dispiritedly in the rain, saying: “Little miss, better find another rickshaw, I—I can’t go on.”

The puller’s pitiful state reminded Wen Tingli of her own father—how could she bear to blame him? She still paid him the full fare, then hurried to the telephone exchange to hire a new car from the rental company.

Frustratingly, on a rainy day like this, far too many people were calling for cars—after four consecutive calls without securing a single one, she ended up stuck at the telephone exchange for over half an hour before a car finally came.

Lu Shicheng knocked on the door of the Wen residence, and footsteps quickly sounded inside.

Zhou Sao opened the door and, seeing it was him, smiled warmly: “Mr. Lu! Please come in!”

Lu Shicheng nodded politely, and upon entering, unconsciously glanced around.

“Our young lady isn’t back yet,” Zhou Sao said warmly. “But she should be soon. Please sit, I’ll make you some tea.”

Lu Shicheng watched Zhou Sao head into the kitchen, then sat down on the sofa.

This was his second formal visit to the Wen household. The living room furnishings were exactly as before, except the coffee table was now piled with the medications the hospital had prescribed her this time, along with one of Wen Tingli’s own English books, its pages bearing a library borrowing tag—Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

She’d always loved reading plays. Lu Shicheng leaned over to pick it up and flip through it, then looked toward the cabinet on the left side of the living room, where photos from Wen Tingli’s elementary school performance of Journey to the West were displayed. He walked over to the cabinet, examining the photos of her with interest—she’d been all childish innocence back then, yet she’d played even Pigsy so well.

It happened to be dusk now, the bedroom doors all open. Looking toward the orange-tinted light, he suddenly recalled the time he’d recuperated in her home, and couldn’t help feeling a bit lost in thought. He took out the jewelry box and a letter from inside his coat, gently placing them on the coffee table.

He hoped she’d see the birthday gift he’d brought her the moment she walked through the door.

“Mr. Lu, please have some tea.” Zhou Sao’s voice interrupted Lu Shicheng’s train of thought.

Zhou Sao seemed a bit ill at ease, and after setting down the teacup, didn’t dare linger to chat with Lu Shicheng, retreating back to the kitchen with a timid smile.

Lu Shicheng sat alone drinking his tea, but after a while grew rather bored, and idly picked up the stack of flashcards on the coffee table, flipping through them one by one.

In this somewhat modest household, children’s items were everywhere—flashcards, small toys, little snacks… each one steeped in Wen Tingli’s love and patience for her little sister.

She cared for her family so devotedly—this was something he’d known since his very first visit to her home.

By the way, where was Xiao Taozi? Just then he heard a child’s sleepy babbling coming from one of the rooms—seemed she was still napping.

Before he knew it, night had fallen, and still Wen Tingli hadn’t returned.

He checked the clock—already half past seven.

Zhou Sao came out sheepishly to turn up the living room lights. Lu Shicheng stood, and it was only then he realized this household relied entirely on Wen Tingli alone to support it, which was why they economized on everything, even down to the electricity.

“Miss must be on her way.” Zhou Sao rubbed her hands together. “Should I call a few of her classmates to check?”

【No need, I’ll wait for her.】

Suddenly a crackling sound rang out—it had started pouring rain outside.

Lu Shicheng looked out at the white sheets of rain on the veranda, and began to worry something had happened to Wen Tingli. He went to the kitchen to ask Zhou Sao to call Kuang Zhilin.

Kuang Zhilin called back quickly.

“The floor manager at Ciro’s said Miss Wen parted ways with her classmates outside Ciro’s a little past six. The girls went to see a movie across the street, while Miss Wen took a rickshaw and left on her own. With this heavy rain, so many people needing rides—she’s probably stuck somewhere in traffic. Should I send someone to fetch her right away?”

Lu Shicheng nodded at Zhou Sao, and Zhou Sao said into the phone: “That would be a great help, thank you, Mr. Kuang.”

After hanging up, Lu Shicheng gave Zhou Sao a look meaning “don’t worry,” and returned to sit on the sofa himself.

Zhou Sao, still somewhat at a loss, tried to ease the atmosphere by speaking up with a smile: “Mr. Lu, why don’t—”

Just as she began, a small figure darted out from one of the rooms. Xiao Taozi had woken up. She’d been so excited from being out and about today that she’d insisted on playing until nearly five o’clock before finally collapsing into bed for a nap, and now, just waking, still looked a bit groggy. Suddenly spotting Lu Shicheng in the living room, she froze for a moment, then, still half-dazed, toddled straight toward him.

Lu Shicheng gave a silent laugh, crouching halfway down to catch Xiao Taozi as she charged at him like a little locomotive.

“Xiao Taozi, quick, say hello to Mr. Lu properly,” Zhou Sao said, trying to lift Xiao Taozi off Lu Shicheng’s arm. “Good girl, let’s go wash your face first, mind you don’t get drool on Mr. Lu’s collar.”

But Lu Shicheng didn’t mind at all, letting Xiao Taozi pull him up and lead him wandering around the living room.

Passing the coffee table, Xiao Taozi pointed at the jewelry box.

Zhou Sao said quickly, alarmed: “That’s what Mr. Lu brought, Xiao Taozi mustn’t touch it.”

Xiao Taozi, quite sensible, pointed instead at her own new little chess set.

Lu Shicheng pointed at it too—want to play?

Xiao Taozi nodded happily.

Zhou Sao relaxed, going back to the kitchen to refill Lu Shicheng’s tea, then came out with a smile: “I’ve never seen a young man as patient as Mr. Lu. Oh, and by the way, it’s thanks to Mr. Lu that Miss got some backing today at that trading house—otherwise that Mrs. Qiao would have only gotten worse and worse. I really don’t know what to say about that woman, she’s just—”

Xiao Taozi, busy playing chess pieces with Lu Shicheng, seemed struck deeply upon hearing the words “Mrs. Qiao,” and said angrily, “Bad person! Big bad person!”

Lu Shicheng understood at once and touched Xiao Taozi’s head. Xiao Taozi’s little face tightened, and she tugged at Lu Shicheng, pulling him deeper into the house.

“Go beat up the bad person!”

Zhou Sao came to her senses and hurried after them: “You can’t do that, that’s your sister’s room.”

But Xiao Taozi refused to let go, and soon dragged Lu Shicheng right through the door into Wen Tingli’s bedroom.

Lu Shicheng stopped at the doorway, unwilling to enter, pointing into the room and shaking his head at Xiao Taozi.

【Without your sister’s permission, Xiao Taozi mustn’t bring anyone into your sister’s room, understand?】

But Xiao Taozi grew quite agitated, and seeing she couldn’t budge Lu Shicheng, ran on her own straight to Wen Tingli’s bedside.

Once inside, she struggled to drag a small leather case out from under the bed, then dug out Wen Tingli’s book bag too.

Lu Shicheng decisively walked into the room, intending to carry Xiao Taozi back out.

But Xiao Taozi had already pulled a wallet out of the case to show Lu Shicheng: “Money money, sister has lots of money money, sister isn’t a beggar, bad people mustn’t bully sister.”

Lu Shicheng froze for a moment, then fell silent. Even Zhou Sao vaguely understood at this point—whatever nasty things Mrs. Qiao had said about the young miss, this child must have overheard all of it.

A child couldn’t tell truth from nonsense, and had simply taken what Mrs. Qiao said at face value. The child was probably worried that Mr. Lu, as Mrs. Qiao suggested, might look down on the poor Wen family and not treat her sister seriously.

Once she’d worked this out, Zhou Sao immediately understood all of Xiao Taozi’s strange behavior—the child, in her own way, was trying to stand up for her sister.

Sure enough, far from mocking Xiao Taozi, Lu Shicheng played right along with her.

Xiao Taozi tilted her head and patted the leather case: “Does Mister Lu have more money money, or does sister have more money money?”

Lu Shicheng didn’t hesitate for a second, pointing at Wen Tingli’s case.

Satisfied, Xiao Taozi eagerly laid out several checks and the contract from inside the case in front of Lu Shicheng.

The largest one was that contract—she was certain that meant big money, and specifically flipped it open to show Lu Shicheng.

“Sister has big money money.”

Lu Shicheng smiled helplessly, about to fold it back up and tuck it back into the case, when out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to catch sight of the three characters “Lu Shicheng” on the contract’s title page.

He thought he’d misread it, but looking closely, his smile froze on his face.

Wen Tingli kept craning her neck to look out the car window. The rain had delayed her over an hour, and by the time she finally got home, of all things, the rain had suddenly let up. Paying the fare and getting out, she immediately spotted Lu Shicheng’s car parked below, and her heart leapt with joy as she took the front steps two at a time.

At the door, wiping raindrops off her face with a handkerchief, she fumbled for her keys in her new bag, only to find the house strangely, unusually quiet.

Opening the door, there wasn’t a soul in the living room.

Wen Tingli changed her shoes by the shoe rack, calling out, “Zhou Sao, Zhou Sao. Where’s Mr. Lu? Did he go to meet me at the alley entrance?”

Suddenly she spotted a begonia-red jewelry box and a letter on the coffee table, and puzzled, hurried over to pick them up.

The envelope read: To Miss Wen Tingli, to be opened personally.

It was Lu Shicheng’s handwriting.

A smile immediately spread across Wen Tingli’s cheeks. She happily held up the jewelry box and letter, but didn’t rush to open the box, instead glancing around, and spotted someone standing on the veranda at the end of the hallway.

Though separated by a glass door, she recognized Lu Shicheng’s figure at a glance—no wonder he hadn’t heard the commotion in the living room.

Just then Zhou Sao came out of the bathroom with Xiao Taozi in tow, and seeing Wen Tingli, stamped her foot anxiously: “Where have you been, Mr. Lu’s been waiting for you for hours.”

Wen Tingli tiptoed to push open the door, setting the jewelry box down on the wicker table on the balcony along the way.

She crept slowly up behind Lu Shicheng, and on impulse, tiptoed up to cover his eyes with her hands.

“Guess who?”

Lu Shicheng gave no response at all.

“Meow, meow.” Wen Tingli playfully mewed twice, still covering his eyes, then circled around in front of him with a smile. Just then, Lu Shicheng, very slowly, very stiffly, pulled her hands off his face.

A flicker of unease crossed Wen Tingli’s heart: “What’s wrong—did I make you wait too long, are you upset?”

Lu Shicheng turned to look at her.

Wen Tingli’s heart lurched. Lu Shicheng’s gaze was like a thousand feet of ice, freezing the smile right on her face.

She was a bit stunned, and was about to take his hand when she suddenly noticed something clenched in his.

A chill shot up from her feet through her entire body.

That contract!

The contract she’d signed with lawyer Bao Yaming, with its two-thousand-silver-dollar payment.

Cold sweat began breaking out on her back—that thing had always been locked in her leather case, how could it possibly have ended up in Lu Shicheng’s hands.

She began to panic. Lu Shicheng’s expression was deeply wrong, as if he were seeing her, this person, for the very first time—just staring at her with a cold, unfamiliar gaze.

She hurried to explain, but a mouthful of words suddenly caught in her throat.

He must have seen it all clearly by now—this contract was precisely the original motive behind her repeatedly getting close to him.

Her name was written plainly on it, her fingerprint pressed clearly upon it, hidden beneath her bed, with no one to plant it there falsely.

She suddenly felt too devastated even for tears.

“I…” She’d only managed this one word when Lu Shicheng flung out his hand and threw the contract in her face.

With a rustling sound, the thin sheets of paper fluttered down to the ground in the night wind, landing open exactly on the page reading “two thousand silver dollars”—unbearably ironic.

Wen Tingli stared blankly at the contract at their feet. Lu Shicheng strode off.

Wen Tingli snapped back to herself and chased after him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind.

“I admit it! I signed this contract!” Her tears fell in streams. “But that was all in the past. During that time, my father was in the hospital, and my days were incredibly hard—if someone hadn’t helped me then, I wouldn’t have survived. To repay that kindness, I agreed to help investigate you—but the task ended soon after. After that, every time I dealt with you, it was never with any ulterior motive anymore. I fell for you for real, I’ve loved you for a long time now! You know all of this already.”

The line of Lu Shicheng’s profile showed faintly through, revealing he was clenching his teeth tightly.

She was such a skilled actress—no one could tell which of her words were true and which were false. All he knew was that this contract bore her own signature, in her own hand. What Weiying Society nonsense? From the very beginning, she’d been lying through her teeth! From the very beginning, she’d come to him with a mission.

How laughable that he’d been so utterly captivated by her! He felt his heart bleeding out drop by drop, each breath bringing agonizing pain to that place. Catching sight of the jewelry box on the wicker table only made his eyes sting further.

On this dimly lit veranda, even the vivid begonia-red seemed to turn into a filthy black!

He abruptly picked up the jewelry box, and opened the lid right in front of her.

Wen Tingli’s tear-filled black eyes were lit up by the treasure gleaming inside the box.

It was a strand of pigeon-blood red ruby necklace.

Each stone was the size of a thumbnail, full and round in shape, deep crimson in color, like so many beating hearts. Beneath the lid was white satin lining, embossed with a line of gold characters.

【Happy Birthday, Miss Wen Tingli】

Wen Tingli’s heart twisted like a knife, but her eyes were veiled thick with tears, unable to make out his expression clearly in this moment.

She only saw him, expressionless, grab the necklace from the box as if about to fling it off the veranda. Wen Tingli’s pupils contracted, and she rushed to grab his arm on tiptoe: “Please! Please don’t hurt your own feelings like this, calm down first and listen to me—”

Lu Shicheng’s chest heaved violently, his eyes burning like two small flames. Before she could speak again, his hand loosened, letting the necklace fall and dangle in front of her.

That flowing red glow swayed there before her eyes.

Through her tears, she watched, stunned, as he calmly fastened the necklace around her neck, studied it for a moment, then slowly raised his eyes, looking at her with an expression of boundless irony.

【This is probably what you wanted, isn’t it.】

He turned mercilessly and pushed open the balcony door, walking away.

Wen Tingli cried and wrapped her arms around his waist again: “At least listen to what’s in my heart before you get angry! From beginning to end I never deceived your feelings, in all our time together, anything I could tell you, I never withheld a single word—except this one thing, just this one thing! Because it involves too much, that’s the only reason I couldn’t explain it to you clearly. But whether my feelings for you are genuine, surely you can tell—”

But he shook her off.

She fell back into the wicker chair, then frantically grabbed the letter from the table and chased after him with everything she had.

Outside it was still raining. By the time she reached the front of the building, Lu Shicheng had already driven off.

She resolutely ran to the group of guards the Lu family had originally arranged.

“Please, hurry, take me to the Lu mansion.”

She herself hadn’t expected that the first time she’d ever asked the Lu family’s people for help, it would be to chase after Lu Shicheng.

Halfway there, the drizzle outside the car window turned back into a torrential downpour.

Wen Tingli, however, paid no attention to the sound of the rain outside. She read the letter in her hands, biting hard on her finger to keep from crying out loud.

【Tingli:

Today is your nineteenth birthday.

I’ve prepared a birthday gift for you, though I’m not sure whether you’ll like it.

I wanted to make it as memorable as possible, since this is the first birthday we’re celebrating together since we met.

It’s a bit of a regret to say—I’d hoped that after a period of careful treatment, my muteness might have improved, but unfortunately, despite the many methods several doctors tried, nothing ultimately worked. They say there’s nothing wrong with my vocal cords at all; my inability to speak may simply be lacking some trigger.

In any case, up until this day of your birthday, I still haven’t managed to speak to you face to face as I’d hoped. So once again, I can only write down what I want to say to you on paper.

I imagine you’ll laugh reading this—I’m not someone skilled at speaking words of love. Just as when you once asked me exactly when I fell for you, I truly didn’t know how to answer, though I’m quite certain the first time I saw you, you already left a deep impression on me.

That night in the backstage room at the Golden Theater, because of your sudden intrusion, that bullet meant for me instead grazed your arm.

Worried you might die, you burst into tears on the spot, and once you learned it was only a surface wound, you smiled through your tears again.

I mistakenly assumed then that you were some sheltered young lady who’d never known hardship, but I later learned that at the time, you were single-handedly supporting your entire family. You cried because you were worried that if something happened to you, your young sister and ailing father would have no one to care for them.

Ever since, whenever I’ve seen you, there’s always been a smile on your face. You may not know how much I love seeing you smile—it’s as if everything can be resolved with a smile, nothing too serious.

For your livelihood, you’ve filmed movies, delivered newspapers, cared for your father, entered every kind of competition, braving wind and rain, never complaining even when sick.

Just as Principal Zou said, you are someone with tremendous vitality.

The only time I ever saw you truly angry was that night at Ciro’s when you fought with Mrs. Qiao—you fought so fiercely, like a small beast with bristling spines. I worried the matter wouldn’t end well and thought of quietly helping you, but you not only resolved it yourself without any trouble, but resolved it so beautifully too.

That night, back home, I couldn’t help but keep thinking of the things you said to Mrs. Qiao. You said she was pitiable, you said your character was a hundred times more noble than hers. Just picturing your expression as you said those words made me smile helplessly.

My tenderness and affection for you probably began around that time.

I simply didn’t realize it myself.

I imagine you’ll laugh again—I admit, all this had already begun well before I was badly injured and stayed at your home. Even without that accident, I would soon have realized how much I liked you anyway; that period recovering at your home only deepened my feelings for you further.

By now, my love for you has grown deeper than I myself expected.

If love cannot be expressed in words, then let actions speak instead.

I thought long and hard, and in the end chose this necklace as your birthday gift. Since ancient times, rubies have been imbued with meanings of courage, passion, and vitality—qualities that mirror the very traits I see in you.

Yes, in my heart, you are like a one-of-a-kind ruby—bright, brave, resolute, beautiful, radiant.

Even when occasionally caught in darkness, you still shine brilliantly, lighting up every corner around you.

There could never be anyone more fitting for this necklace than you. I hope you’ll like this birthday gift.

Do you still remember that phrase in Russian? My most sincere, most beautiful, most beloved Miss Wen Tingli, happy birthday to you.

Yours,

Lu Shicheng.】

By the time she finished reading, Wen Tingli was already in tears. She touched the necklace at her throat, her chest aching so much she could barely breathe. In a daze, she looked up to find they’d already arrived at the gates of the Lu mansion.

She quickly wiped away her tears, and as if cradling her own heart, carefully tucked the letter into her coat.

The Lu family’s iron gate stood beside a bright white streetlamp. She stepped forward through the pouring rain to knock on the door.

Before long, the side door opened in response, and someone emerged holding a large black umbrella—a Lu family servant she recognized.

The man recognized her too: “Miss Wen.”

Wen Tingli forced out a faint smile: “Hello, I’m here to see Young Master Lu, could you please announce me?”

But Manager Liu wore a look of difficulty: “I’m sorry, Young Master Cheng gave instructions—he won’t see anyone tonight.”