Meng Taoyu got off the bus at the entrance to Yujiang Lane. From a distance, she saw Feng Ning waving at her. Her eyes lit up, and she happily jogged over.

“Have you had breakfast?” Feng Ning was carrying a small plastic bag with a few steaming, freshly baked buns inside.

Meng Taoyu smiled shyly. “I had a bowl of zhajiang noodles this morning.”

Feng Ning led her inside. “What’s that you’re carrying?”

“Ah, this is a little nutritional supplement I bought for your mom.”

“You didn’t have to be so polite.” Feng Ning laughed. “My mom’s not home, by the way.”

Meng Taoyu looked a bit embarrassed. “I’ve rarely gone to other people’s houses to play since I was little. I don’t really know the etiquette.”

Along the way they ran into Zhao Weichen, who came dashing past them like a whirlwind, then slammed on the brakes and backed up. “Sister Ning! Who’s this?” Feng Ning, still chewing on a bun, swallowed and introduced her. “My deskmate, she’s here to hang out with me. Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to the post office to pick up a package for my mom.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I’ll bring your classmate along later to build a snowman.”

Qi Lan had gone to the hospital that morning for a follow-up checkup, so there were no adults at home. Feng Ning pushed open the unlatched gate, and a big yellow dog squeezed out through the gap, tongue lolling, weaving back and forth between them.

A few seconds later, Meng Taoyu let out a scream, dropping the things in her hands, scrambling frantically off to the side. The big yellow dog gave chase, thrilled beyond measure, scrambling up toward her from behind.

Feng Ning shouted sternly, “Feng Beibei! No jumping on people, get over here now.”

Meng Taoyu had been terrified of dogs since childhood, and was now scared out of her wits. Spotting a shipping container about half a person’s height, she scrambled up in a panic and curled her legs up, gasping for breath.

Feng Ning restrained the big yellow dog.

Still shaken, she suddenly heard Feng Ning call out, “Brother.”

Meng Taoyu turned her head half a beat late. A man in a black jacket stood several meters away, watching her silently, a dripping fish in his hand.

The moment their eyes met, her mind went slightly blank.

Feng Ning tied the dog off to the side. “Brother, why are you here?”

Meng Hanmo had just gotten a haircut, his sideburns trimmed short. His brows furrowed slightly. “Didn’t you ask me to bring you fish?”

“Oh, right, I forgot.” Feng Ning turned, her voice clearly holding back a laugh. “Xiao Meng, I’ve tied up the dog. You really overreacted—come down, come down.”

After a moment, realizing how awkward she must look, Meng Taoyu’s ears flushed red all the way to the roots. She bit her lower lip and climbed down from the container. Passing in front of Meng Hanmo, she kept her head down the whole time.

She was a little afraid to look at him.

Meng Hanmo carried the fish over to the sink. Meng Taoyu asked cautiously, “You… you never told me your brother would come too?”

“Hm?” Feng Ning gave a meaningful look. “You didn’t want to see him?”

“Huh??” Meng Taoyu shook her head vigorously. “No, that’s not it…”

Feng Ning took Meng Taoyu on a little tour, introducing one by one all the various vegetables and fruits she grew in flowerpots.

Zhao Weichen shouted breathlessly from outside, “Sister Ning, this stuff is heavy, come give me a hand.”

Meng Taoyu wanted to go along too, but Feng Ning stopped her. “You just stay here and mind the house, don’t go breaking those skinny arms and legs of yours.”

The faucet in the corner ran water noisily, the fish being washed underneath it. The freezing, bone-chilling water poured over his hands, but Meng Hanmo seemed to feel nothing at all.

Just as she’d pressed her hand into the snow to make an outline, a voice suddenly came from above her head. “What are you crouching there for?”

Meng Taoyu looked up, embarrassed for two seconds, her eyes darting away, and said in a small voice, “I… I’m playing with the snow.”

There was a moment of silence, then Meng Hanmo looked slightly puzzled. “Why are you stammering? Are you that afraid of me?”

“No, no.” Meng Taoyu stood up, burying her head like an ostrich. “I get a bit nervous talking to strangers.”

“Strangers…” Meng Hanmo repeated, as if he found it somewhat amusing. “Kid, you don’t recognize me anymore?”

Feng Ning came back into the yard; Meng Hanmo was already gone. She looked around. “Where’s my brother?”

Meng Taoyu explained, “He said he had something to do, so he left first.”

Feng Ning didn’t mind either, rolling up her sleeves as she headed toward the kitchen. “My mom won’t be back for lunch, so let me show you what Chef Feng can do.”

Meng Taoyu’s eyes went wide. “You can cook too?”

Feng Ning answered with full confidence, “Of course!”

Lunch was just the three of them. Feng Ning made four dishes—tomato and egg soup, garlic stem stir-fried beef, steamed fish, and stir-fried lettuce. The taste had Meng Taoyu full of praise.

After the meal, Shuang Yao called Zhao Weichen over, planning to get four people together for a round of mahjong, but it turned out Meng Taoyu didn’t know how to play.

“You don’t even know mahjong?” Feng Ning thought for a moment. “What about cards, then? Do you know how to play cards?”

Meng Taoyu shook her head. “I… I don’t know any of it, I’ve never played. My mom doesn’t allow me to play cards.” Afraid of spoiling everyone’s fun, she quickly added, “You all go ahead and play, don’t worry about me, I’ll just watch TV on the side.”

“That won’t do. You finally got the chance to come out and have some fun.”

In the end they unanimously decided to go to the arcade newly opened in the Zhenwu shopping district. Most students were already on break, and with it being the weekend too, the place was especially lively.

They bought two hundred yuan worth of tokens at the service desk. Feng Ning was a bit of a gambler at heart, and her favorite game was the slot machines. Next was the basketball machine—every time she came, she had to spend at least half an hour shooting hoops.

By the time they’d used up all their tokens, everyone was drenched in sweat. Feng Ning’s face was flushed red; feeling hot, she took off her down jacket, left wearing only a low-collared sweater. Fortunately, the mall’s central air conditioning was strong, so none of them felt cold.

Shuang Yao fanned herself with a flyer. “Let’s go, head home for dinner?”

“We’re already out, might as well eat outside.”

Feng Ning asked Meng Taoyu, “Xiao Meng, what do you feel like eating?”

“Anything’s fine with me.” This was Meng Taoyu’s first time coming to an arcade with friends; it was novel and exciting.

Zhao Weichen raised his hand, suggesting, “Let’s get Hunanese food. I know a place that’s really good.”

The restaurant was a recently popular, well-known spot. It was on the second floor, and since it was mealtime, there were quite a few people in line; they took a number. Several of them were tired out from playing, so they sat on the chairs by the restaurant entrance, chatting idly.

“You know what, Sister Ning’s been bullying me since we were kids,” Zhao Weichen complained to Meng Taoyu. “Shuang Yao too. When I was little and hadn’t grown much yet, the two of them would chase me down and beat me up something fierce—made me cry good and proper several times.”

Feng Ning dug at her ear impatiently. “Xiao Zhao, for a man, you’ve got such a small heart—how much longer are you going to keep bringing up this old business?”

Shuang Yao stepped on his foot. “Zhao Weichen, why are you acting like such a woman?”

Zhao Weichen nearly jumped up. “Damn, don’t step on my shoes—stepping on a man’s shoes is the same as stepping on his face!”

Just as the group burst into laughter together, a puzzled voice rang out. “—Feng Ning?”

Feng Ning stopped laughing and turned her head to look.

“It really is you.” Zhao Binlin confirmed it. His left arm was hooked through Jiang Wen’s, his right hand resting on Xi Gaoyuan’s shoulder. The three of them stood not far off. “You’re eating here?”

Shuang Yao’s gaze landed on them and froze, her eyes going straight.

Not having seen him for a few days, Jiang Wen looked even thinner, the contours of his face sharper. His hair was dark, his lips pale. There was still weariness lingering about his expression, but his eyes met hers directly, without wavering.

Feng Ning quickly adjusted her expression. “Yeah, you all came here to eat too?”

“What a coincidence, isn’t it?” Zhao Binlin glanced at Jiang Wen. “Why don’t we join forces?”

Since there were many of them, the waiter leading them found a small private room curtained off. It was a half-moon-shaped seating arrangement, and the two groups naturally split apart. Feng Ning went in first, entering from the far left and taking the seat in the middle.

Xi Gaoyuan had originally intended to enter from the right side, but someone tugged at his arm and pulled him back. He turned around; Zhao Binlin gave him a look that said “can’t you read the room” and rolled his eyes at him.

Jiang Wen glanced at them perfunctorily, said nothing, and went in to sit down.

The Hunanese restaurant was bustling; the waiters, unable to keep up, brought out a few small appetizers first to help pass the time.

Feng Ning picked at some fries.

The atmosphere grew a bit awkward for a moment. Shuang Yao coughed once, trying to warm things up. “This is so boring, should we play some kind of game?”

Zhao Binlin responded eagerly. “Sure, what should we play?”

“Hmm…” Shuang Yao thought it over, then nudged Feng Ning with her elbow. “You think of one, you’re the expert in this department.”

Feng Ning, wearing a pale purple low-collar sweater, her fair neck slender and long, folded the napkin in her hands and said offhandedly, “No liquor, no cards—how can we play anything?”

“Then let’s get some liquor up here.”

Xi Gaoyuan, seated at the outermost end, lifted the curtain and called for the waiter.

The liquor arrived quickly. Feng Ning skillfully began shuffling a deck of cards, explaining the rules to them. “There’s A, J, K, Q, and numbers 2 through 10. Each of us draws a card, and we play the game that corresponds to whichever card we draw.”

After shuffling, she took out her phone, took a screenshot of the notes app page filled with game rules, and sent it to them. “That’s all there is to it.”

At first everyone was a bit confused, but after playing through a couple of rounds, they gradually got the hang of it, and their enthusiasm grew.

In the third round, Feng Ning drew the punishment card—show everyone the first photo in her photo album.

If she refused to carry out the punishment, she’d have to drink instead.

How bad could looking at a photo really be? Feng Ning nonchalantly chose the latter.

Under their supervision, Feng Ning unlocked her phone and tapped open the first photo in her album. The moment she saw what it was, her pupils contracted instantly.

Just as she was about to swipe the screen away, Xi Gaoyuan caught the movement clearly and immediately shouted loudly, “Hey, hey, Feng Ning, you can’t cheat!”

Feng Ning flipped her phone face-down on the table, her expression turning slightly unnatural, and tried to negotiate with them, “How about I drink instead after all?”

They firmly refused. “No way, you already chose the punishment.”

“Fine.” Feng Ning stood up slightly and handed the phone to Xi Gaoyuan. “Then you can start.”

Xi Gaoyuan spent a full minute looking at it, his expression becoming impossible to describe. He looked first at Feng Ning, then at Jiang Wen, before passing the phone to Zhao Binlin.

Feng Ning had already thrown all shame to the wind, calmly taking a small sip of her drink.

The next turn should have gone to Jiang Wen, but Zhao Binlin skipped right over him, holding back laughter. “You look at it last.”

By the time the phone had gone all the way around and landed in Jiang Wen’s hands, everyone else’s eyes were fixed squarely on him.

Jiang Wen was a little confused, not knowing what was going on. He picked up the phone; what came into view was a WeChat chat log—

S: [I want to see Jiang Wen kneeling in formal wear!!!!!!]

F: [What’s kneeling in formal wear, is that S&M?]

S: [It means he’s wearing an abstinent white dress shirt and black trousers, hands bound behind him, kneeling in front of you!!!!!!]

F: [I have to say, you’re pretty twisted]

F: [But, I like it.]

Jiang Wen froze solid.

A few seconds later, two patches of red rose sharply on his pale face.