University A’s campus was like a huge park. Because it had just snowed last night, the flower beds along the roadside were covered with a thin layer of snow. At this moment, snow was also falling from the sky with a tendency to get heavier, and there were very few pedestrians on the road.

Shen Ting walked slowly along the road, and when he casually turned his head, he saw Wu Mangmang walking backwards from the lakeside.

Shen Ting stopped and wanted to see what exactly Wu Mangmang was doing.

The area by the lake still completely preserved last night’s snow blanket, and Wu Mangmang’s footprints were the only set of prints in the vicinity.

At this moment, to avoid ruining the aesthetic beauty, she was stepping backwards along the footprints her snow boots had just made, one step at a time.

Wu Mangmang finally managed to retreat back to the roadside, quickly pulled out her phone, and captured the winter lake surface and her string of footprints in a photo, posting it to her Weibo.

This was an account Wu Mangmang had only applied for when she started graduate school, called “Mangmang Huanghuang.” She often posted artistic little sentences and pictures, and had barely managed to gather over two thousand followers.

Wu Mangmang stamped her feet while stiffly typing on her phone: “Thousands of mountains I walk alone, ten thousand mirrors (paths) with no human traces.” Using mirrors as a metaphor for the lake surface while creating a homophone—this was simply too brilliant. Wu Mangmang couldn’t help but give her own literary flair a thumbs up.

Indeed, in the vast white snow, that string of lonely footprints had quite a fresh, artistic feel.

Wu Mangmang put away her phone, brought her hands to her mouth to breathe warm air on them, turned around and prepared to ride away, only to look up and see Shen Ting.

“What a coincidence, you haven’t left yet?” Wu Mangmang was somewhat surprised, but her next reaction was to shove her phone into Shen Ting’s hands. “That’s perfect then, I was just worrying about not finding anyone. Take a photo of my silhouette, will you?”

Wu Mangmang swiped open her phone, clicked on the photo editing app, then without caring whether Shen Ting agreed or not, quickly walked back along her string of small footprints to the lakeside, turning back to tell Shen Ting, “Go ahead and shoot, make it natural. I’ll just walk forward slowly like this—anyway, just take several candid shots.”

As Wu Mangmang was speaking, she spotted a male student approaching nearby and immediately pointed at him, shouting, “Don’t move!”

The male student was startled by Wu Mangmang’s shout.

Seeing that the person had stopped moving, Wu Mangmang quickly urged Shen Ting, “Hurry up!”

Shen Ting stared at Wu Mangmang for three seconds before raising her phone.

After the photos were taken, Wu Mangmang ran to the male student and apologized, “Sorry, classmate, that was very rude of me just now. You can move around freely now.”

The male student was somewhat displeased at being shouted at, but considering Wu Mangmang’s good looks, he magnanimously waved his hand, “It’s fine.”

Only then did Wu Mangmang walk back to Shen Ting’s side. “Thank you, let me see how they turned out.”

Wu Mangmang took back her phone and looked. Though not entirely satisfied, they were passable, so she quickly added another photo to her Weibo post.

Although she was bundled up like a bear in winter, Wu Mangmang had a tall, slender figure, so even as a bear, she was a cute polar bear. As soon as this silhouette was uploaded, it received quite a few likes.

“The blogger has such long, thin legs. (drooling emoji)”

After Wu Mangmang finished with her Weibo, she finally had the mind to properly observe Shen Ting.

In the dead of winter when she was freezing like a dog, Shen Ting had actually taken off his coat and draped it over his arm. How hot must he be feeling, Wu Mangmang thought.

“Thank you for helping me just now. I have some things to do, so I’ll be going,” Wu Mangmang said as she got on her bicycle.

“Mangmang, could you accompany me for a meal?” Shen Ting asked abruptly.

Wu Mangmang didn’t understand why Shen Ting would make such a request, but seeing his gloomy expression with his brow constantly furrowed, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

In the end, with Shen Ting’s “anywhere is fine,” Wu Mangmang directly brought him to a spicy hot pot small shop behind the school’s back gate.

In winter, one should eat spicy food to stay warm.

Wu Mangmang familiarly ordered dishes, enthusiastically invited Shen Ting to sit down, and pulled out several napkins from the table to wipe the greasy, slippery tabletop.

“Don’t let the small storefront fool you, but the taste here is the most authentic on this whole street,” Wu Mangmang said.

Shen Ting spoke as little as ever.

When the spicy hot pot arrived, Wu Mangmang’s appetite was greatly stimulated. She took a deep breath over the bowl, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating, too lazy to pay attention to Shen Ting.

This Young Master Shen probably had a cleanliness obsession. Sitting in the small shop, his whole body was tense, as if afraid of being touched by unclean people.

Expecting him to pick up his chopsticks was even more impossible.

Wu Mangmang couldn’t be bothered to accommodate this master’s temperament and ate on her own. Although her eating manner was quite refined, before long her nose tip began to sweat—this was the charm of spicy hot pot.

Wu Mangmang first took off the fuzzy earmuffs from her head, then finally removed her down jacket to be done with it.

Shen Ting looked at Wu Mangmang’s flushed cheeks from the spice and spoke up, “These things aren’t healthy. You should eat less—they’re bad for your stomach.”

Wu Mangmang understood the psychology of older men who had begun to focus on health preservation, so she didn’t argue with Shen Ting, just smiled and nodded.

“Wu Mangmang!” A loud female voice rang out in the narrow space. Wu Mangmang looked up and saw it was Zeng Ruling calling her.

“Well, well, it’s only been a few days and you’ve changed to another one,” Zeng Ruling quickly walked to Wu Mangmang’s side, curiously examined Shen Ting, then whispered in Wu Mangmang’s ear, “So handsome! I just love this type of iceberg man.”

Zeng Ruling was a romance novel enthusiast, the type who chased stories daily while cursing and shouting, and loved iceberg-faced, emotionally paralyzed men the most.

“Hurry up and win him over,” Zeng Ruling said, fearing the world wasn’t chaotic enough.

Wu Mangmang’s face was indistinguishable between being red from spice or embarrassment. She gently shook her head, “It’s not like that.”

Zeng Ruling would be damned if she believed her.

“Alright, alright, I won’t disturb you two.” Zeng Ruling pulled the girl who had come in with her toward the back to order food.

Wu Mangmang made a helpless surrender gesture and said to Shen Ting, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Shen Ting shook his head.

Just as he finished speaking, Wu Mangmang’s phone rang. She answered the call—it was from Guo Xuefeng.

“Mangmang, where are you?”

“I’m eating,” Wu Mangmang’s voice naturally softened a degree when facing this suitor she quite favored.

“With whom? Male or female?”

Wu Mangmang frowned upon hearing this.

He hadn’t even secured his position yet, but just because her attitude had softened a little, Guo Xuefeng was already starting to check up on her, and this wasn’t the first time.

“Male,” Wu Mangmang said coldly. “I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m eating.”

Speaking of dating, it was most comfortable with someone like Guo Xuefeng. Wu Mangmang was clearly in queen mode here—hanging up the phone whenever she wanted, losing her temper whenever she felt like it.

Wu Mangmang had just hung up when the next moment, Guo Xuefeng rushed in, charging straight to Wu Mangmang before stopping, then taking a deep breath and smiling, “Mangmang.”

Wu Mangmang glanced at Guo Xuefeng. No wonder he had called to check up on her earlier—he had seen her.

“What a coincidence, you’re also eating here. Why don’t we sit together?” Guo Xuefeng said, inviting himself.

Wu Mangmang didn’t object. Actually, she rather enjoyed Guo Xuefeng’s obvious jealousy and concern.

“Mm, go order your food,” Wu Mangmang certainly couldn’t fail to give Guo Xuefeng face—after all, he was her future boyfriend.

“And this is?” Guo Xuefeng turned his head toward Shen Ting, who had remained motionless.

Only then did Wu Mangmang introduce Shen Ting, “This is my senior, Guo Xuefeng.” Then she said to Guo Xuefeng, “This is my cousin’s girlfriend’s brother, Shen Ting.”

Guo Xuefeng blinked. What a convoluted relationship, but since there was some kind of family connection, Guo Xuefeng’s hostility decreased considerably. He turned to look at Wu Mangmang and said gently, “Sit for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

Wu Mangmang didn’t know what had gotten into Guo Xuefeng, but she still nodded with a smile on her face.

“Your boyfriend?” Shen Ting asked.

Because Shen Ting’s tone made Wu Mangmang somewhat unhappy, she didn’t refute, only asking, “Are you really not going to eat?”

Shen Ting shook his head.

Guo Xuefeng returned quickly, holding a bottle of hot milk tea that he handed to Wu Mangmang, “For you, wheat-flavored milk tea, no pearls added.”

“Thank you.” Wu Mangmang’s smile immediately bloomed into a brilliant one. She held the warm milk tea with both hands. In winter, she rarely drank cold beverages, and this small shop only had Sprite and Coke, so she hadn’t ordered any drinks.

Wu Mangmang hadn’t expected Guo Xuefeng to be so thoughtful. She secretly added five points for him, hoping to shorten his probation period.

Throughout the meal, Shen Ting didn’t touch his chopsticks once and didn’t speak, while Guo Xuefeng chattered away like a motor mouth, constantly making Wu Mangmang talk, trying to show Shen Ting how much he and Wu Mangmang had in common.

Any man with a bit of self-respect should have automatically withdrawn.

Who knew that Shen Ting would accompany Wu Mangmang until she finished her spicy hot pot before getting up.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you back to your dorm,” Shen Ting said.

Actually, Wu Mangmang couldn’t quite figure out what had gotten into Shen Ting. She could only say goodbye to Guo Xuefeng.

“Then I’ll go to the library tomorrow morning to save you a seat,” Guo Xuefeng said.

Wu Mangmang nodded. During final exams, library seats were always insufficient.

Shen Ting walked Wu Mangmang all the way to the streetlight below her dorm building. Though he knew he shouldn’t be meddling, looking at Wu Mangmang under the lamplight with her almost translucent skin, he said, “He’s not worthy of you.”

Impetuous, acting on impulse, even quite childish—this was Shen Ting’s assessment of Guo Xuefeng after observing him for an entire evening.

Wu Mangmang tilted her head. Honestly, she didn’t share Shen Ting’s perception.

“Thank you for your advice. I’ll consider it,” Wu Mangmang had long learned the art of superficial placation from the Lu family.

There was no need to discuss these matters with outsiders.

Perhaps in Shen Ting’s view, Guo Xuefeng’s conditions weren’t good enough and he wasn’t mature enough, but Wu Mangmang liked exactly that energy in him—the sincerity and passion that couldn’t be experienced when dating mature, career-oriented men.

Precisely because of this, Wu Mangmang could tolerate some of Guo Xuefeng’s not-too-terrible flaws.

For instance, his tendency toward jealousy and checking up on her—these were harmless quirks.

Seeing Wu Mangmang’s dismissive expression, Shen Ting knew this girl hadn’t listened to a word.

“You don’t need to give up on yourself just because you broke up with Lu Sui,” Shen Ting said. He rarely meddled like this—for Wu Mangmang, this was quite an exception.

Wu Mangmang looked directly into Shen Ting’s eyes. Which eye of his had seen her giving up on herself?

In the past, Wu Mangmang would have directly told Shen Ting off.

But now she had learned restraint and wouldn’t discuss her romantic experiences with irrelevant people.

“Thank you for your concern. I’m going upstairs,” Wu Mangmang picked up her books and entered the dorm building without looking back.

Cursing inwardly, what had gotten into Shen Ting?

That night, lying in bed, Wu Mangmang received daily WeChat greetings from Du Yuntao, whom she had met on a blind date. Although Wu Mangmang was quite interested in his profession, she wasn’t very enthusiastic about him as a person.

Du Yuntao had work responsibilities and worked overtime daily. Though he was interested in pursuing Wu Mangmang, unfortunately, he could never find time to visit her at University A.

Regarding such mature career men, Wu Mangmang was now thankfully declining, so she didn’t reply to Du Yuntao’s WeChats, but this man was really persistent.

As for Ning Zheng, he also sent WeChats or called at night, roughly every two or three days, and Wu Mangmang mostly pretended not to see them.

Before winter break, Ning Zheng finally made time to come to University A to catch her, his yellow Lamborghini blinding many people’s eyes.

Wu Mangmang teased, “Didn’t you always cry poor? Why don’t you sell the car?”

“Used cars aren’t worth much, and besides, if I sold the car, how would I pick up beautiful women for dinner?” Ning Zheng leaned against the door, smiling at Wu Mangmang.

“Sorry, I have plans tonight,” Wu Mangmang really did have plans—her time was very hard to book, okay?

“No problem,” Ning Zheng smiled.

That evening, after Wu Mangmang finished dinner, karaoke, and returned with Guo Xuefeng and her roommates, she had just returned to the dorm when she received a call from Ning Zheng. Wu Mangmang poked her head out and saw the person downstairs, a bit of red glowing between his fingers.

Ning Zheng seemed very tired, with overnight stubble around his mouth, looking somewhat haggard, but his charm was undiminished—if anything, he looked more wickedly attractive.

In Wu Mangmang’s dorm, two girls had different preferences—Zeng Ruling favored Shen Ting, while Tang Xiaojun was infatuated with Ning Zheng. As for Guo Xuefeng, in the young girls’ eyes, he really didn’t have as much appeal as a handsome older man.

“How come you didn’t leave?” Wu Mangmang inwardly exclaimed “Oh my!” The playboy’s tactics for chasing women were almost too much for her to handle—this deep, affectionate act was performed too well.

“Waiting for you to have a late-night snack,” Ning Zheng said.

“I don’t eat late-night snacks—they make you gain weight,” Wu Mangmang said.

Ning Zheng sighed, “Sorry, I’ve been really busy lately. I haven’t slept in two days, and I have to fly to America tomorrow night, so I haven’t been able to come see you for so long.”

Ning Zheng brought out Wu Mangmang’s sense of guilt. She was just playing around with him, but seeing Ning Zheng so busy yet still making time to come wait for her in the cold wind, she felt she had gone a bit too far.

“Ning Zheng, I…”

The next moment, Wu Mangmang’s words were blocked by Ning Zheng’s slightly cool lips.

The “wall slam” was too powerful. Wu Mangmang hastily pushed Ning Zheng away, immediately covering her mouth with the back of her hand, completely forgetting the rejection speech she had prepared.

Ning Zheng slowly traced his lips with his finger, as if savoring and remembering, with a smug expression on his face. “Mangmang, don’t say things I don’t want to hear. I know I’m not qualified now—give me some time, don’t rush to agree to that kid.”

Walking into the dorm building, Wu Mangmang kept covering her burning face with both hands.

Oh my goodness, Wu Mangmang had been quite stirred up by Ning Zheng tonight. This was the charm of a playboy—like chocolate, knowing it would make you gain weight but still unable to resist having a taste.

Guo Xuefeng was truly much better than Ning Zheng, but this young man was too honest. With Wu Mangmang’s queenly demeanor, he didn’t even dare hold her hand, let alone attempt a wall slam.

This was inexperience. Women didn’t necessarily like men who were always gentle—when it was time to be firm, you had to be firm; when it was time to be aggressive, you had to be aggressive.

Wu Mangmang almost wanted to teach Guo Xuefeng a few moves to use on herself.

A semester passed quickly. During winter break, Wu Mangmang originally didn’t plan to return to the city, intending to stay at University A to help Professor Cheng and earn some extra money so she could travel in spring.

Foreign countries were out of the question, but places like Dali and Erhai Lake were still within reach for a good tour.

Unfortunately, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Wu Mangmang had just entered the laboratory when she received a call from Ms. Liu saying that Boss Wu had been in a car accident.

This scared Wu Mangmang so much she nearly tumbled down the stairs. Without a word, she didn’t even bother packing her things and went straight to the high-speed rail station.

These days, high-speed rail was faster than planes, but Wu Mangmang couldn’t buy a seat ticket and had to stand the entire way back to the city.

“Dad, are you okay?” Wu Mangmang rushed into the hospital room.

Liu Lewei was peeling an apple for Wu Song. Seeing Wu Mangmang enter, she said indifferently, “Your father broke his leg. It takes a hundred days to heal from bone and tendon injuries. Now he’s fine—he won’t be able to go out and fool around every day.”

Wu Mangmang looked at Wu Song’s leg in a cast. Though she couldn’t tell much from looking, seeing that Wu Song’s complexion wasn’t too bad, she finally felt relieved.

“I’m worried about Dandan being home alone. You go back and watch him. Have the housekeeper make some bone broth and bring it over tomorrow for your father,” Liu Lewei instructed.

Wu Mangmang nodded.

The next day when Wu Mangmang went to the hospital, she not only brought soup but also brought Wu Song a tablet loaded with American TV series she had downloaded overnight.

American TV series had such wild imagination that they appealed to both men and women. Although Boss Wu could still work while sick, he wasn’t as carefree as before. Having some free time to watch American series was pretty good entertainment.

Moreover, Liu Lewei, this devoted wife, couldn’t always accompany Boss Wu. She was too busy with various banquets and exhibitions, as if the world couldn’t function without her.

Back when Liu Lewei had built many connections through Wu Mangmang’s relationship as Lu Sui’s girlfriend, and she herself was very capable, so although Wu Mangmang and Lu Sui had broken up, Liu Lewei’s social circle had expanded countless times. With too many commitments, she was spread too thin.

“You can go back, you don’t need to stay here. I have a nurse and that’s enough,” Wu Song said, looking at Wu Mangmang.

Wu Mangmang shook her head, hugged her laptop, and sat on the sofa nearby. “I have nothing to do if I go back. I’ll stay here and keep you company. Dandan has been sent to Grandpa’s house, so don’t worry.”

Wu Mangmang sat on the sofa, concentrating on writing her thesis. Although the sitting position wasn’t comfortable, it was manageable.

She was experienced and knew that when sick or injured, even with housekeepers and nurses attending to you, it couldn’t compare to having a family member nearby.

Even if they did nothing but just keep you company.

Putting herself in his shoes, Wu Mangmang didn’t want to leave her old dad lying alone in a hospital bed.

Boss Wu had some standing in society, so quite a few people came to visit, sending even more fruit baskets. However, what no one expected was that Lu Lin would come to visit.

“Sister Lu Lin, how did you come?” Wu Mangmang quickly stood up.

Wu Song also sat up straight.

Lu Lin handed the fruit basket to Wu Mangmang. “I heard that Mr. Wu was in a car accident, so I came to see how he was.”

Lu Lin’s arrival absolutely made the hospital room shine. Wu Song’s face was beaming with smiles. He was usually quite dignified, but facing the Lu family was different—if not exactly groveling, then certainly being respectful and apprehensive.

Lu Lin sat briefly before getting up to leave the room. Wu Mangmang walked her to the door. “Thank you, Sister Lu Lin.”

“Why are you being polite with me? I’ll treat you to dinner in a few days. Take good care of your father for now,” Lu Lin patted Wu Mangmang’s shoulder.

Wu Mangmang nodded. “Alright, but I should be the one treating you to dinner. I haven’t thanked you for the clothing matter yet.”

Speaking of the clothing matter, that was a recent incident. Wu Mangmang and Zeng Ruling had gone shopping. Zeng Ruling’s family was well-off, and the brands she liked were all expensive, especially her love for the brand LL Weekend.

LL was Lu Lin’s brand, and Weekend was targeted at weekend casual wear, very suitable for young people, with prices slightly cheaper than LL.

But it was still quite expensive—a shirt started at four thousand yuan, and Zeng Ruling could only afford one or two pieces a year.

But if you couldn’t buy, you could always look. Zeng Ruling had set her eyes on a winter dress that she absolutely loved, but unfortunately, it was too expensive at nine thousand yuan.

But because she loved it so much, she had the nerve to ask the sales assistant if there were any discounts.

Actually, asking was pointless since this brand never went on sale.

However, sales staff in such stores were very good at reading people, and smiled, “If you have our brand’s VIP card, you can get a 5% discount.”

To get an LL VIP card, you needed annual consumption of one million yuan or a single purchase of over three hundred thousand yuan.

People who saved for months just to buy luxury brands didn’t need to think about it.

Zeng Ruling shook her head but couldn’t help asking Wu Mangmang, “Do you have this store’s VIP card?”

Because Wu Mangmang’s clothing brands were all good quality, Zeng Ruling asked this question.

Wu Mangmang had indeed worn many clothes from this brand, dating back to when she was with Lu Sui, when clothes would automatically be sent to her wardrobe as soon as new collections arrived.

Actually, Wu Mangmang herself didn’t particularly like LL—it was too socialite-ish.

“I don’t know,” Wu Mangmang really didn’t know if she had one. “But my mom might have one. She likes this brand.”

The sales assistant immediately smiled and said, “Miss, just give us the phone number.”

Wu Mangmang casually said, “139…”

After saying it, Wu Mangmang realized she had given her own phone number. “Oh, wrong, I gave my own number.”

But the sales assistant’s expression became strange, looking at the computer, then at Wu Mangmang, then at the computer again. “Sorry, could both young ladies please wait a moment?”

Wu Mangmang and Zeng Ruling looked at each other in confusion.

After a minute, the sales assistant came back. “Miss Wu, your friend can enjoy a 50% discount on our brand’s clothing.”

Zeng Ruling had an “Did I hear that right?” expression, her mouth already smiling crookedly.

Wu Mangmang immediately called Lu Lin.

Lu Lin said, “I’d be absolutely delighted if you could wear my clothes. I’ve already given your information to the staff below—you can choose whatever you want. From now on, any friend of yours buying my clothes gets 50% off.”

When a domineering female CEO made a move, it was different. Wu Mangmang didn’t even have to pay for clothes.

Because of the clothing matter, Wu Mangmang naturally had to thank Lu Lin. Although she herself hadn’t chosen anything, Zeng Ruling absolutely adored Wu Mangmang for it—even her cousin had to step aside.

Wu Mangmang took care of Wu Song in the hospital for a week. Liu Lewei would come to stay overnight, while she brought bone broth in the mornings.

This day, Wu Mangmang was hurrying into the hospital main entrance carrying a thermos, running because it was raining outside and traffic was a bit congested. Liu Lewei kept calling to rush her because she had things to do later and was waiting for Wu Mangmang to bring the clothes and jewelry she wanted.

Wu Mangmang saw the elevator doors about to close and shouted loudly, “Wait, please wait!”

Wu Mangmang, holding a thermos in one hand and a large paper bag in the other, ran into the elevator with her legs pumping, gasping as she said, “Thank you, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

This voice was like thunder on a clear day. Wu Mangmang looked up and saw Lu Sui.

At this moment, there were only the two of them in the elevator car.