Miao Jing went BBQ-ing with her colleagues at a local coworker’s suburban family home. With its small courtyard, a yellow dog, a vegetable garden, and a melon patch, the atmosphere was relaxed and joyful. Lu Zhengsi transformed into a grilling master while Miao Jing sat nearby preparing skewers. Miao Jing never integrated as well as others in such social settings, lacking their natural ease and cheerful congeniality—her aloofness typically manifested in these moments. She was hard to empathize with; from her appearance and demeanor, one couldn’t fathom her experiences or thoughts. She maintained a somewhat mysterious air of detachment.

After a day of festivities, Lu Zhengsi drove Miao Jing home. Noticing a hint of melancholy and faint worry in her clear eyes, he showed her the group photo from today. Even sitting beside the smoky barbecue grill, she remained the most graceful and beautiful one, wearing a slight smile—neither cheerful nor indifferent.

“Are you going back home for Spring Festival this year? I remember you mentioned your mother lives in your hometown,” Lu Zhengsi sincerely invited. “If you’re going back, we could drive together—you, me, and another colleague from the workshop.”

Spring Festival was still several months away.

Miao Jing smiled and shook her head: “I probably won’t go back.”

“Will you stay in Teng City for the holiday?” Lu Zhengsi asked. “When was the last time you went home?”

“The first year after I started working,” she rested her chin on her hand. “I had a business trip to Province Z, and it was on the way, so I went to take a look. I couldn’t remember many places anymore.”

Even Wei Mingzhen’s face had become blurry in her memory. She had calmly called out “Mom,” while Wei Mingzhen broke into tears with countless emotions to express. Miao Jing had stayed for a while, shared a meal, and then left.

“Engineer Miao, where have you spent previous Spring Festivals?”

“Working overtime on projects at the company. One year I went to my ex-boyfriend’s home. New Year customs vary by region; some places have nice festival atmospheres.”

They continued chatting about regional Spring Festival customs until Miao Jing reached her destination. She bid farewell to Lu Zhengsi—it was late, everyone was tired from the day, and he still had colleagues to drive back to the company, so Miao Jing didn’t ask him to stay in the city district.

Upon opening her door upstairs, there was a faint smell of smoke in the apartment. Chen Yi was home, sitting in his room playing games with his legs crossed. Miao Jing, having been around charcoal smoke all day, went straight to her room to change clothes, organize her things, wash her hair, and shower. Walking to the balcony, she slowed her steps—in the corner stood a brand new drum washing machine, the old one nowhere to be seen.

Her expression softened as she tossed her clothes into the washing machine, and then gathered the dry clothes from the balcony. She draped a light blue dress over her arm, her expression faltering as she imperceptibly furrowed her delicate brows.

The dress was slightly damp.

The gaming sound effects thundered from the room as Miao Jing sat quietly on the sofa folding clothes. She carried her stack back to her room, leaving Chen Yi’s pile on the sofa as usual for him to retrieve. When Chen Yi finished gaming and passed by to collect his clothes, his movement suddenly froze—Miao Jing had silently thrown that dress into the nearby trash bin.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I don’t want it?” She sat at the dining table eating, her back to him, but it was as if she had eyes in the back of her head as she casually tossed out this question.

Chen Yi swallowed, his tall frame tensed as he pressed his shoulders up, moistening his dry lips.

“The dress was rewashed? But rather carelessly, with some perfume smell, and the waist seam was stretched out.” Miao Jing pushed back her chair and went to the kitchen, her voice cool. “Chen Yi, did Tu Li look pretty in my dress?”

His fingers touched his lips, the lingering tobacco scent strong as he feigned composure: “Her clothes got dirty, she just borrowed it temporarily.”

“I asked if she looked pretty. Did she look good?”

“I’ll buy you a new one.” Chen Yi stuffed his hands in his pockets, hunching his back as he stood lazily in the kitchen doorway. “You can buy it yourself, or I can buy it for you, whatever you prefer.”

“No need, it’s just a dress, not worth much.” She turned around, wearing a smile as clear as the wind and bright as the moon. “Talking about compensation makes us seem like strangers. How could I accept that when I’ve lived here for months without paying any rent? We should calculate the rent—I’ve already arranged to move to the company this weekend, to give you two some private space.”

“…” His thick brows furrowed deeply as he stared at her with dark eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “This weekend?”

“Yes, I’ve already applied for the dormitory. This way it’ll be more convenient for me and Zhengsi too.”

Miao Jing went back to her room, took out an old bank card, and placed it on the dining table in front of him. Her fair fingers tapped the card surface as she spoke calmly, “I’ll transfer the rent to this card. Do you still remember this card and its password? You keep it.”

This bank card.

Chen Yi’s expression immediately darkened, his eyes showing extreme impatience as he pressed his lips together in irritation: “Miao Jing. What exactly are you doing?”

“Nothing, I’ve already told you.” Miao Jing’s voice carried a hint of impatience too. “The weather’s getting cold, commuting is inconvenient, and I work overtime a lot. Living at the company will be more convenient.”

“You can drive my car to work.” His tone was harsh. “If you were going to move, why didn’t you just live at the company from the start? Why bother moving back and forth here?”

“I didn’t know before, but now I do.” Miao Jing’s lips curled up, her eyes delicate but cold as she spoke, “If you really can’t wait, I can move tonight, so as not to disturb your interests.”

“Whatever you want.”

His eyes flashed sharply as he affected an indifferent attitude, slamming the front door hard enough to shake dust loose.

Miao Jing indeed turned back to her room to pack, gathering her commonly worn clothes and daily necessities into her suitcase. Before leaving, she called Chen Yi to explain that she’d left the key in its original place, had prepaid some utilities, and would come back later for the larger items she couldn’t move right now. On Chen Yi’s end, there was background noise and he could faintly hear a man’s voice near her. He hung up the phone impatiently, his thick brows furrowed, his expression growing increasingly dark, his aura increasingly cold as he cursed under his breath.

Women were fucking annoying. Since Miao Jing had returned to Teng City, he hadn’t had a single comfortable day, with endless trivial troubles. His hand trembled holding the pool cue, and when people around laughed at his mistake, Chen Yi simply threw the cue onto the pool table with a bang. His head buzzing, he went to a friend’s boxing gym, unleashed a barrage of hits on the punching bag, and then got in the ring until his smooth, full pecs gleamed with sweat. Finally, the gym owner knocked him to the ground with a kick. Chen Yi lay there panting heavily, drenched in sweat, as someone pulled him up.

“What’s wrong with you today? Every punch was just brute force.”

“Lost at pool, not happy.”

Someone laughed: “You can lose at the pool?”

“I’ve lost plenty of games.” Chen Yi shook his water bottle as he drank, his expression gloomy. “Haven’t had much left by now either.”

–

The technical department’s dormitory was slightly better than the workshop department’s, typically with two-person rooms and private bathrooms, like standard hotel rooms. Female employees stayed on the top floors, male employees below. Because the rooms weren’t very large and had limited storage space, many employees chose to rent outside. Cases like Miao Jing moving from home to the company were rare. Her roommate was a female engineer from the procurement center whom she’d met a few times and got along with well. Being on different floors but close to Lu Zhengsi, he was naturally happy about her moving to the dormitory. From any perspective, interactions with Miao Jing were always pleasant.

The company had an activity center with a yoga room and gym. After work, people could play badminton or ping pong together. The union did a good job in this aspect—with mostly young people, they arranged various sports activities. Miao Jing could work less overtime, being drawn by friends to watch games at the courts, which was better than staying in the office drawing blueprints. Everyone knew she and Lu Zhengsi were close, knew there must be something between them, though they hadn’t gone public. Many people in the company wanted to pursue Miao Jing, but they were all blocked by Lu Zhengsi.

After Miao Jing quietly moved back to the company, she lived peacefully for a week. Lu Zhengsi spent more time with her, fully understanding her social and daily habits. However, he hadn’t expected to receive a call from Tu Li asking if he knew about the situation between Miao Jing and Chen Yi.

Chen Yi completely ignored Tu Li, and she was too proud and hurt to resort to desperate pursuit or humble reconciliation. She could accept Chen Yi cheating or transferring his affections to another woman, but if the object was Miao Jing, it felt like swallowing flies—living under the same roof, they might already be sleeping together at night, maintaining appearances during the day while being intimate in private, which seemed too hypocritical or disgusting.

When Tu Li questioned him, Lu Zhengsi was stunned. He was playing badminton on the court with Miao Jing nearby. Finding an excuse to step away, he heard Tu Li say on the phone that Chen Yi and Miao Jing had something unusual between them. Of course, Tu Li didn’t mention wearing Miao Jing’s dress to seduce Chen Yi, only saying these two had meaningful glances, and asked Lu Zhengsi if he’d noticed anything strange about his girlfriend.

But speaking of meaningful glances, there was no tangible evidence. Lu Zhengsi truthfully said Miao Jing had moved back to the company dormitory, and since he and Miao Jing came and went together and lived in the same dormitory building, he hadn’t seen Chen Yi recently, nor had he seen Miao Jing maintain any contact with him. If anything seemed strange before, it was only Miao Jing’s unusual indifference toward Chen Yi to the point of knowing nothing about him when asked; otherwise, there were no signs of anything unusual.

Unable to find evidence from Lu Zhengsi, Tu Li hung up the phone dejectedly. She had wanted to confront Miao Jing directly, to have it out with her, but on what grounds? Besides Chen Yi’s behavior, she hadn’t caught any substantial evidence of wrongdoing between the two, and Miao Jing had even moved back to the dormitory instead of staying with Chen Yi, which seemed completely contrary to logic.

After finishing the call, Lu Zhengsi silently pondered for a long while, holding his phone. Tu Li didn’t know his boyfriend’s status was in name only, and she’d forgotten to ask why, on that rainy day, he’d entered Miao Jing’s room but later left.

“What’s wrong?” Miao Jing noticed his hesitant return and slightly gloomy expression. “Are you alright?”

“Tu Li just called me, said Chen Yi broke up with her.” Lu Zhengsi carefully studied her expression, touching his nose. “She asked if I knew about it. I said I didn’t.”

He cautiously asked: “Seems like it happened a few days ago. Did you know about this, Engineer Miao?”

“Oh?” Miao Jing held her badminton racket, her expression completely calm, as if hearing casual gossip that didn’t cause even a ripple of reaction. Her tone was sincere and gentle, “I didn’t know either. Chen Yi never told me, and Tu Li hasn’t contacted me.”

They continued playing and chatting with colleagues as usual until the lights were out. Miao Jing’s behavior remained composed and steady, showing no signs of distraction or irregularity. Everyone made plans to eat hotpot together the next day off, and Miao Jing nodded in agreement. Lu Zhengsi parted with her at the dormitory entrance, watching her graceful figure as she went upstairs.

He couldn’t figure her out at all.

And this inability to understand only made him more curious.

–

Miao Jing had lived at the company for nearly a month without returning home. She had only packed some seasonal clothes and necessities, leaving behind off-season items and larger belongings. Due to overtime work and various activities, she hadn’t gone back to retrieve them.

Of course, she hadn’t contacted Chen Yi either—not a single call or message.

While she didn’t contact Chen Yi, he was perfectly happy living carefree, even more relaxed and cheerful without Tu Li. He spent his days hanging around pool halls and various entertainment venues, returning home late at night to shower and sleep, as free as could be.

He received Miao Jing’s call during the late autumn cold wave. Though Teng City wasn’t too cold, the nights carried a chill, and it was raining. Miao Jing called to ask if Chen Yi could bring her silk duvet and a few items from her wardrobe, as she didn’t have a house key and couldn’t get away that day.

Her voice over the phone was soft and cool, with a slight nasal tone.

Chen Yi chewed gum as he spoke lazily: “I’m busy during the day. If you can wait until evening, I’ll find time to go back.”

“Thank you.” Miao Jing used her professional courtesy. “I appreciate your help. Please call me when you arrive.”

Chen Yi bit his gum, his face as dark as a pot bottom.

He dragged it out until eight in the evening before lazily coming over. Miao Jing waited by the road in the complex, holding a black umbrella, wearing a white knit top and light green dress that revealed her slender, porcelain-white neck and ankles. She wore a long, thin knitted coat, its hem caught by the night wind and flying beyond the umbrella’s protection, dampened by raindrops, swaying silently with both lightness and weight. Her entire being was like a pure and serene night-blooming flower emanating a faint halo, silently blooming in the dim, rainy night.

A black Cadillac stopped by the road. The window rolled down, and she met Chen Yi’s gloomy, indifferent eyes.

“You’re here.” Miao Jing nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.”

Chen Yi’s face was numb and cold: “The things are in the trunk.”

He opened the car door and stepped out, still in his tough, dark style—short boots and long windbreaker, the coat hem fluttering, his features sharp, fiercely handsome as he walked in the rain.

Miao Jing’s umbrella circled, and they moved to the car’s trunk. She held the umbrella high above his head. Water droplets splashed up from the raised trunk wing, landing on his brow. The crystalline drop trembled, then slowly slid down from his forehead.

Men really couldn’t be trusted. Chen Yi had brought a small box, having swept everything from her desk into it, but several items were still missing.

“There’s still the hair dryer, the box of power cords, and a thermos. Did you forget?” Miao Jing pushed her dampened hair behind her ear, looking down to check. “This isn’t the right duvet—the size doesn’t match.”

He crossed his arms impatiently, putting on an arrogant attitude: “Don’t be picky. Why don’t you go home and get them yourself?”

Miao Jing frowned slightly, glancing at him: “Then I’ll… go back for a bit.”

Chen Yi let out an indifferent sneer, pressing down the trunk with his hand. It closed with a bang: “Whatever you want.”

They got in the car. Miao Jing put her umbrella by her feet. The car started, wipers sweeping away the fine streams of rain. The rainy night was dim, street lights hazy and dark. The car moved very slowly, neither of them speaking, the interior quiet and stuffy except for the engine’s sound.

Chen Yi opened the window a crack and lit a cigarette while driving. As tobacco smoke filled the car, Miao Jing bit her lower lip, frowning deeply but holding back from speaking, until finally, she couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Smoking while driving interferes with safe driving—two points deducted, 200 yuan fine. If there’s an accident, harming yourself is one thing, but harming others would be truly evil.”

“Others? There’s not even a shadow on the road at this ghost hour.” He lazily flicked his ash. “You mean yourself?”

“I’m afraid of being poisoned by secondhand smoke.” Miao Jing spoke calmly. “You can die however you want, no one would care, but don’t drag others down with you. No one wants to keep you company.”

Chen Yi gave a cold laugh: “You’re so vicious. Do others know? Know how harsh your words can be?”

Miao Jing’s chin lifted slightly, her eyes reflecting the passing street lights: “Harsh or not, vicious or not, it depends on who it’s directed at. Some people deserve it, some don’t. Being harsh and vicious has its uses.”

“A few years away, seen the world, learned things, learned to put on an act.” Chen Yi took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaling as he spoke mockingly. “Not bad, Miao Jing, you’ve made something of yourself.”

“Certainly more than you have.” Miao Jing coldly retorted. “You’d better just live like this forever—carefree, doing whatever you please, until you rot in the ground.”

“You don’t seem to be doing that well yourself. Never mind anything else, I thought you’d be high and mighty, brilliantly successful, and snagged some impressive man, but in the end, you’re just slaving away at overtime work like everyone else, settling for a simpleton like Lu Zhengsi.” He smiled maliciously. “Can’t even earn half what I make. I wasted those years raising you. What a fucking waste.”

His tongue angrily scraped his back teeth, his eyes fierce but smiling: “If only there were such a thing as regret medicine in this world.”

Miao Jing curved her lips in a slight smile: “You’re quite proud of yourself. Isn’t it good to see firsthand how I live? Doesn’t it just prove you’ve been right all along? You keep living however you please, and I’ll live according to my plans. We’ll see who has the last laugh.”

Chen Yi laughed at her provocation, grinning again and again: “Well isn’t that just… fuck it all.”

Miao Jing sat properly upright, her eyebrows and lashes still, eyes fixed ahead, her tone light: “What are you angry about? It’s not like you haven’t fucked before.”

The air suddenly froze for a long while, everything around them magnified and slowed—the fine raindrops on the windshield, the flickering confused lights, the howl of the night wind and car engines, the suppressed breathing of the person beside her, and his frozen, sharp, young and handsome profile.

They had tacitly never mentioned it, but also never forgotten.

The fingers resting on the window sill twitched, and the burning cigarette silently fell, dropping into a roadside puddle, releasing a final wisp of smoke before fading to nothing.

Chen Yi blinked slowly, his tough, tense face twitching, his mouth corners moving as he swallowed a surge of agitation, smoothed his lips, and maintained a stern expression without speaking.

After a long while, he finally couldn’t hold back, his fingers trembling on the steering wheel.

“So that’s it, you came back to get fucked?” He showed a cynical smirk. “Well, you’ll have to wait in line—girls are queuing up to climb into my bed.”

“You mean me and Lu Zhengsi? That’s none of your business. The company dormitory is quite convenient.” Miao Jing’s expression remained proper and calm as she sharply retorted, “You should be careful about getting diseases. I have a medical checkup voucher here, I’ll give it to you. Better to check and treat early, don’t harm yourself and others.”

The man blinked hard, his chest tight as he pressed his lips together without speaking, his face as dark as miasma—furious at her words.

He slammed the accelerator to the floor, the car suddenly speeding up, roaring down the empty road. Miao Jing’s body jerked back, caught off guard by the sudden acceleration. She gripped the safety belt, sitting silently with a cold expression.

The steering wheel suddenly turned, swerving to the roadside. The car braked sharply, tires making a long screeching sound. Miao Jing’s body lurched forward, but before the safety belt could pull her back, the person beside her moved with lightning speed. With a light click of the safety belt, she was roughly yanked and pulled sideways in the passenger seat. That dark and fierce face loomed over her menacingly, his large hand pinning her down firmly. Before Miao Jing could catch her breath—

Outside the window, the rain suddenly intensified into a downpour, the night wind cold. In the dim light, she saw a pair of deep, bright yet cold and frenzied eyes. The man’s lips suddenly descended on her face, wet and burning hot, turning desperately as if starving and thirsty, so hot it froze her breath. Her cold hands and feet curled tightly, her heart scratched by a thousand needles until it twitched and spasmed slightly, as she clutched her dress hem tightly.