Cheng Yanqing attended university in Beijing but didn’t stay there after graduation.

During his four years at university, Cheng Yanqing and Qing Hang met a few times, though not frequently. Despite their three years of high school friendship, they had grown somewhat distant.

Qing Hang’s grandfather was seriously ill. Between working part-time jobs and keeping up with his studies, Qing Hang could barely afford the luxury of a good night’s sleep.

During his most difficult six months, Cheng Yanqing spent all his free time traveling back and forth between the two cities. Cheng Wanyue had been transferred to a hospital in Nanjing, her condition fluctuating. Every time the family left her hospital room, they feared it might be their last goodbye.

In the winter of 2013, Qing Hang’s grandfather passed away in their rented apartment. A week after the cremation, Qing Hang contacted the landlord, hoping to negotiate an early termination of the lease. He had expected his grandfather would at least make it through the Spring Festival in Beijing, as the apartment was rented until spring of the following year. The landlord wasn’t particularly pleasant—he had been difficult to deal with when they first rented the place and probably wouldn’t return the deposit or remaining rent.

On his way to meet the landlord, Qing Hang ran into Cheng Yanqing. This was their first meeting in Beijing.

They found a nearby restaurant to eat together. Cheng Yanqing, who hadn’t eaten all day, ordered many dishes. Seeing Qing Hang’s poor complexion and thin frame, he hadn’t eaten properly either. Just as the food arrived, Cheng Wanyue called.

Cheng Yanqing didn’t hide the call from Qing Hang, talking with his sister while eating.

During her treatment, Cheng Wanyue couldn’t eat many things. Cheng Yanqing lied to her, saying he was eating plain boiled eggs that didn’t taste like much. After chatting with her for a while, he finally handed the phone to Qing Hang.

In those eight years, this was Qing Hang and Cheng Wanyue’s only phone call, and he said just two words.

Cheng Wanyue was the most grudge-holding person in the Cheng family, but she had double standards—extremely unfair ones—applying to people but not situations. Cheng Yanqing wasn’t particularly petty either, but some things weren’t so easily forgotten. Even now, he still remembered how Cheng Wanyue had smiled on the phone, telling Qing Hang that she was sick and asking if he wanted to visit her with her brother. Yet Qing Hang had only said two words: “Not now.”

Then he left.

Cheng Wanyue didn’t seem to mind much, continuing to chat casually with Cheng Yanqing. Later, Cheng Yanqing learned from their grandmother that she had hidden under her blanket and cried for a long time that night.

At that time, she hadn’t even told Zhou Yu about her illness.

…

The door opened slightly, and Cheng Wanyue said softly, “He’s rushing to work…”

Cheng Yanqing reached out and pushed her head back inside.

She reminded him, “He’ll be late…”

This time, Cheng Yanqing closed the door firmly and leaned against it.

Cheng Wanyue had never thought the soundproofing in this apartment was particularly good, but today she discovered that even with her ear pressed against the door, she couldn’t hear anything.

Cheng Yanqing had his key. When Cheng Wanyue heard the door opening, she ran to the kitchen. The refrigerator still contained the food he’d bought before leaving.

She grabbed a can of cola and quietly observed Cheng Yanqing’s reaction.

Hmm, not good.

In this situation, she needed to explain quickly.

Cheng Wanyue opened the cola can, set it at the corner of the table, and slowly pushed it toward Cheng Yanqing with one finger. “I’m not the type of person who’d immediately go stay at someone else’s place while you’re away. There was a reason.”

Cheng Yanqing maintained a stern expression. “What reason?”

“Monday night, I was buying a late-night snack after work when a drunk man followed me. I was scared. You weren’t home. What if he followed me back here and found out where I live? That would be too dangerous!”

“So you went to Qing Hang’s place?”

“…I refused at first! But he said I wouldn’t be safe alone.”

“With all your friends, including some who are police officers, how is it that you only called him?”

“It was just a coincidence! I wasn’t thinking too much at the time—I just called the first Beijing number I found.”

The more Cheng Yanqing listened, the more suspicious he became. He and Qing Hang had only exchanged a few words earlier—Qing Hang had been rushing to work, so he’d only mentioned one key point: his sister hadn’t come to Beijing to be mistreated.

“The person you’ve been dating recently… It’s not him, is it?” He looked at Cheng Wanyue suspiciously.

Cheng Wanyue coughed twice, suddenly straightening her back with determination. “Is that not allowed?”

Cheng Yanqing remained silent for several minutes, his expression complex. “Him? After all this time, you’ve only made thirty percent progress?”

“Don’t underestimate me—we’re at sixty percent already!”

“Hurry up and seal the deal. If you can’t handle it, I’ll take care of it for you.”

“No way, I’ll do it myself.”

It had taken Cheng Wanyue a long time to understand that the biggest issue between her and Qing Hang was trust. He never seemed to believe she could truly love him.

In her younger years, she hadn’t thought she liked Qing Hang that much either.

Perhaps because before she turned eighteen, she had received so much that she didn’t know how to cherish things and never imagined they would part ways.

Cheng Wanyue changed the subject. “Where’s the gift from your girlfriend?”

“In the suitcase,” Cheng Yanqing put down the cola after taking two sips and got up to open his luggage.

When he had gone abroad, he’d packed a full suitcase of snacks his girlfriend liked. Now it was filled with cosmetics and jewelry—all purchased at the airport for Cheng Wanyue.

“Wow! This bag isn’t cheap.”

“You can afford bags that are much more expensive. Just accept her gift. I buy her plenty every year, and after we’re married, I’ll have to hand over my entire salary to her. If we ever fight and she kicks me out, I’ll have to crash at your place.”

Cheng Wanyue genuinely liked the gift. “Mm-hmm! I’ll call her later.”

“Cheng Yuzhou and Yan Ci both have flights on the 17th, one from Nanjing and one from Shanghai. Yan Ci arrives a bit earlier.”

Yan Ci was another childhood friend who had grown up with them—Cheng Yanqing’s best buddy.

“A’Yu probably can’t make it. She’s swamped with work, and it’s hard for her to take time off.”

With Zhou Yu, the group would be complete.

“One family representative is enough,” Cheng Yanqing carried her things to her room, putting everything away neatly. “Uncle and Auntie originally wanted you to go to Nanjing, but I figured even if you went, your heart would be elsewhere.”

Cheng Wanyue said, “Well, since I’m already here, I have to get to one hundred percent.”

Every year for their birthdays, she and Cheng Yanqing would gather with family.

Cheng Yuzhou had certainly cleared his schedule in advance—he had never missed a single celebration.

As for Yan Ci, he happened to have a business trip to Beijing. Everyone was busy this year with few chances to meet, so he had taken two days off to fly in the day before the birthday.

After showering, Cheng Yanqing returned to his room to catch up on sleep. He used to fall asleep instantly, but during the period when Cheng Wanyue was ill, he had stayed awake day and night watching over her, and his sleep had never fully recovered since.

Cheng Wanyue quietly closed her door and changed clothes. Seeing the marks on her body from the night before, she suddenly felt she had underestimated earlier.

This was surely at least eighty percent progress.

…

At the hospital.

Qing Hang had just returned from the director’s office and was preparing to examine a patient’s brain CT.

Li Yu’s research project required clinical data. As her fellow apprentice under the same mentor, Director Li had assigned this task to Qing Hang. The matter of authorship on the paper would be discussed later. For now, he was to help Li Yu overcome the challenges. Qing Hang needed high-quality publications for his professional advancement, and the hospital placed great importance on research. Scientific achievements would also bring certain bonuses to the department.

Sitting in his chair, Qing Hang instinctively checked his phone first.

The pinned WeChat conversation still showed yesterday’s message telling Cheng Wanyue about the band-aids in the bedroom drawer.

She hadn’t slept well—would she be taking an afternoon nap now?

At three o’clock, Qing Hang finally sent a message asking: Still hurting?

A colleague slid over in his chair to Qing Hang’s desk. “Qing Hang, what were the specific requirements the leadership mentioned in yesterday’s meeting? I had something to attend to and couldn’t participate.”

Qing Hang picked up his phone. “I took photos. Just a moment.”

He opened his phone’s gallery, but the entire screen was filled with Cheng Wanyue’s selfies—various expressions from different angles, clearly taken in bed, even without zooming in.

His colleague noticed and asked with a smile, “Got a girlfriend?”

“I’ll send you that PowerPoint in a bit,” Qing Hang exited the gallery and placed his phone face-down on the desk.

The colleague smiled. “Sure, send it to my WeChat. Don’t forget.”

After reviewing the patient’s CT results, Qing Hang went to the restroom. He opened his phone gallery and began looking at the photos from the bottom.

In the photos, Cheng Wanyue had just woken up, her face unwashed and hair uncombed, wearing his clothes and lying in his bed.

This silent intimacy reminded him of last night when his intangible dream had become reality. No matter how much he tried to restrain himself, he hadn’t been very gentle.

A WeChat message popped up.

Y: What do you think?

Qing Hang came back to his senses. Looking at Cheng Wanyue’s WeChat avatar, he suddenly thought about what gift to buy her.

She lacked nothing and had everything. She wouldn’t care for ordinary things, wouldn’t like common items, and wouldn’t even accept gifts without meaning behind them.

Cheng Wanyue was eating watermelon when she received Qing Hang’s reply several minutes later.

Lune: I’ll pick you up tonight. Don’t leave early.

Y: Cheng Yanqing is picking me up.

Lune: Let him sleep at home.

Y: He’s worried his beautiful and sexy sister might be kidnapped by some pervert. He can’t sleep.

Lune: I won’t be able to sleep either if I don’t come.

Reading this message, Cheng Wanyue laughed so hard she started coughing. Cheng Yanqing thought she was choking.

“Eat slowly. No one’s fighting you for it.”

“I’m not choking,” she said with a beaming smile as she moved closer. “Um… would it be okay if you waited for me at home tonight?”

Cheng Yanqing immediately understood what was happening. “He wants to show off, so I have to give him the opportunity? Sister, have some dignity. Don’t spoil men. Give me your phone.”

Cheng Wanyue handed it to him.

Two minutes later, Qing Hang’s phone vibrated.

Y: No way, I love my handsome big brother too much. I feel bad if he can’t sleep. If you can’t sleep, just stay awake.

…

Since Cheng Wanyue had been harassed by a drunk man, Cheng Yanqing definitely wouldn’t let her be alone, dropping her off at work, picking her up afterward. He might as well have hired two bodyguards to follow her around constantly.

On the evening of July 17th, Cheng Wanyue left work half an hour early. She had asked Meng Qi for the next day off.

It was raining in Nanjing, and Cheng Yuzhou’s flight was delayed.

Cheng Yanqing had gone to pick up Yan Ci. Cheng Wanyue was about to call and ask if Cheng Yuzhou had arrived when, just as she turned the corner, she heard an argument nearby.

Looking up, she could see two men under the streetlight. The older one appeared to be in his fifties; the younger one was very young, perhaps in his early twenties, dressed fashionably and sitting on an expensive-looking black motorcycle with an extremely impatient expression.

The older man was shaking with anger. He smashed the guitar the young man was carrying on his back and slapped him hard across the face.

Father and son, or enemies?

“Hey, uncle,” Cheng Wanyue raised her phone high and waved it at him just as he was about to strike again. “I recorded that, and there are security cameras here too.”

Being a person of some standing, the man was conscious of his image in front of strangers. He lowered his hand, straightened his clothes, and before leaving said: “If you’ve got what it takes, never come home again.”

Cheng Wanyue heard this and thought they must be father and son.

Though the father was older, he had proper features. Looking closely, the son resembled his father quite a bit.

Cheng Wanyue turned away and was about to hail a taxi when a black motorcycle stopped in front of her.

“Hey, Pretty Guardian,” Chi Yue removed his helmet and extended his right hand to her. “Let’s get acquainted. My name is Chi Yue—Chi from ‘pond’ and Yue from ‘outstanding.'”