Cheng Wanyue’s work hours were quite flexible. When Cheng Yanqing called her at three in the afternoon, she was just about to leave for her studio.

He asked various questions and rambled for several minutes, but what he wanted to know was whether Huo Zhi had contacted her today.

Cheng Yuzhou would be getting married on October 5th, and Huo Zhi would certainly return to China to attend the wedding. She could fly to Shanghai for a layover or fly to Beijing first before going to Nanjing.

The phone remained silent, which couldn’t be good.

It wasn’t that Cheng Yanqing underestimated the abilities of internet users, but he never imagined someone could trace his personal Weibo account from Qin Hua’s secondary account. The comments section was full of people checking in.

Huo Zhi didn’t care about Qin Hua’s rumors, but when her boyfriend suddenly became Qin Hua’s fans’ “brother-in-law,” no one would be generous enough to pretend nothing had happened.

Not only did she not ask questions, she also didn’t reply to messages. Cheng Yanqing couldn’t focus on work at all.

In the evening, Qin Hua called him.

Her first words were an apology. “I’m sorry for affecting your life.”

When Cheng Yanqing arrived at the company in the morning, more than one colleague gave him a thumbs up. Even when he went to the break room for water, he could hear people gossiping about his family background.

One colleague from another department had said, “Impressive! Rich and powerful young masters are different, casually hooking up with female celebrities.”

At that moment, Cheng Yanqing had almost smashed the water cup in that person’s face: Your father could be even more impressive.

But it wasn’t necessary. He would likely return to his previous company by the end of October or early November at the latest.

“Please have your team remove the trending topic as soon as possible. Don’t buy more publicity, and please delete that Weibo post that could cause misunderstandings. I’ve used my account for many years. It holds many memories of my girlfriend and me. I don’t want to register a new account because of this incident.”

Qin Hua explained, “We didn’t buy any trending topics. We just didn’t respond to it.”

Cheng Yanqing had logged in once this morning. The comments from four hours ago were already outrageous.

“That night you were drunk, and I spoke very clearly. If you didn’t understand then, I’ll say it again.”

“During those 369 days we were together, we broke up and got back together countless times. After each breakup, it was always me who asked you to reconcile.”

“You have your celebrity dreams, but I just want to be an ordinary person. I have no regrets about you or the feelings we once shared. When I loved you, I truly loved you. When I stopped loving you, that was real, too. Don’t misunderstand why I remember the time so clearly—it’s not because I still have feelings for you. It’s simply because those three numbers are easy to remember. The fact that I haven’t changed my phone number has nothing to do with you either. The last four digits are my girlfriend’s birthday. She wouldn’t let me change it, which is why I’ve used it until today. Coming to Beijing was for work, not for you.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, and I don’t want to know. Since you liked my Weibo post, you must have seen her photos. Yes, it’s Huo Zhi. I’ve been with her for a long time, and I love her very much.”

Qin Hua knew Huo Zhi.

Huo Zhi’s father and Cheng Guo’an were old classmates. After Cheng Guo’an was transferred from Baicheng, the two families became neighbors. But that wasn’t how Qin Hua knew Huo Zhi. She had never visited the Cheng home. Huo Zhi was her junior at the same university, a top student in the directing department. By the time she graduated, Huo Zhi was just starting her freshman year, so they never met at school. Huo Zhi’s family had connections in the entertainment industry, allowing her to join film crews under directors even as a freshman. They had met on a film set.

“Before… you loved me very much too.”

“That was before.”

“How is Huo Zhi different from me?”

“She made me understand that love is equal.”

Cheng Yanqing could no longer remember how much self-respect he had lost back then. If loving someone requires losing oneself as a prerequisite, it’s destined not to last.

Qin Hua heard him say, “We shouldn’t keep in touch anymore. Although Huo Zhi isn’t that petty, she would be unhappy. I wish you success in your career and all the best in your future.”

She sat on the terrace for a long time. There was no sunset glow today; the sky simply and properly fell into darkness.

At eight o’clock in the evening, she posted a clarification on Weibo.

The glass of wine that intoxicated me with memories of the past ends here.

…

Cheng Wanyue worked overtime for two hours. Her colleagues at the studio were all young people who arranged to go drinking after work. When Huo Zhi’s plane landed, she called Cheng Wanyue first.

She sent Huo Zhi the address, and Huo Zhi quickly replied with a flying kiss emoji.

Since Cheng Wanyue didn’t drink, she didn’t join her colleagues in the car. Qing Hang was also working overtime, so she planned to buy some late-night snacks to bring to the hospital.

While waiting for a taxi, she was debating whether to inform Cheng Yanqing, when suddenly someone rushed over and forcefully hugged her from behind. Her phone was knocked to the ground. She instinctively struggled, but before she could call for help, a hand covered her mouth.

A strong smell of cigarettes entered her nostrils, mixed with an unpleasant body odor, making her nauseous.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I just like you.”

The man wasn’t tall, but his arms were strong. Cheng Wanyue couldn’t break free or shout, only able to make muffled whimpering sounds.

“I’m your fan. I sent you flowers before, remember?”

As soon as the man finished speaking, someone grabbed his hair and dragged him backward. His grip loosened from the pain, allowing Cheng Wanyue to escape.

She had no recollection of the man who fell to the ground, but she recognized Chi Yue. Chi Yue had one foot on the man’s chest and was lifting his helmet to smash it on the man’s head.

Cheng Wanyue stopped Chi Yue. She picked up her phone to call the police, and the man scrambled away.

“Some random lunatic out of nowhere.”

“There are surveillance cameras here. The police should be able to find him,” she said as Chi Yue helped pick up the scattered contents of her bag. “Were you scared?”

“It’s fine, just a bit disgusting,” Cheng Wanyue shuddered just thinking about being hugged by that lunatic. “Thank you.”

Chi Yue smiled. “You saved me before, too, so we’re even.”

Cheng Wanyue liked settling accounts properly. “Let’s get reacquainted. My name is Cheng Wanyue.”

“Which characters?”

“The ‘wan’ in ‘wanhui’ (to retrieve), and the ‘yue’ in ‘yueliang’ (moon).”

Chi Yue followed her on Weibo. “Rapunzel, Princess Rapunzel?”

Cheng Wanyue frowned. “You can’t call me that.”

“I think you’re more like Sailor Moon. Princess Rapunzel was trapped in a tower without freedom because of her magical hair. That’s not like you.”

“She escaped later.”

“Is that so? I’ll finish watching it next time,” Chi Yue had been teased by his roommates for a week for watching girly fairy tales in the dorm. “Let’s go file a report at the police station.”

He took out a pink helmet, obviously a women’s model.

There was no place to store helmets on the bike. The white man’s helmet from last time had been kept at his friend’s place, and he had just happened to have it with him that day after having dinner there.

This pink one was different; he had it in his bag.

It fit Cheng Wanyue perfectly. “Did you just finish class?”

Chi Yue said, “I’m a senior. I haven’t had classes for a long time.”

“Then why are you carrying a backpack?”

“The helmet is inconvenient to carry. It’s easier in a bag.”

Filing a report at the police station wasn’t too troublesome. Afterward, Chi Yue took Cheng Wanyue to the hospital and only left after seeing her go inside.

Cheng Wanyue had bought a box of sliced mangoes. Qing Hang had just finished with a patient and took her to the break room. She waited for half an hour before Qing Hang was free.

There were other doctors in the break room, so she didn’t mention the harassment incident. She just kept him company while they finished the fruit.

As they walked out of the elevator, Qing Hang asked her first, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Cheng Wanyue said quietly, “I just went to the police station…”

Qing Hang’s expression changed.

“Don’t worry,” Cheng Wanyue held his hand. “It was just a strange man who harassed me. I called the police and filed a report.”

“When? Where? What did he do to you?”

“Around 8 o’clock, near my studio. He said he was a fan and wanted to hug me. He covered my mouth because he was afraid I would call for help. He didn’t do anything to me.”

Qing Hang examined her thoroughly from head to toe. Only after confirming she had no injuries or pain did his tense nerves slightly relax. As he hugged her, his palm gently patted her back. “In the future, call me immediately if you encounter any trouble. Don’t worry about disturbing my work. Patients are my responsibility, but you are my everything.”

“Mmm,” Cheng Wanyue nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Can I stay at your place tonight? My sister-in-law has returned to China, and Cheng Yanqing will face great difficulties tonight.”

She knew Zhou Heng had moved out.

Qing Hang took out a key and put it in her bag. “You can stay as long as you want.”

“Come back with me first to get clothes and toiletries.”

“I’ve already bought those things.”

“Then let’s go back to watch the show,” Cheng Wanyue checked the time; it should still be fine to go back now. “And get revenge for you on the way.”

—

The Cheng family children were all brave, open, and fearless.