After arriving home, Zhang Lian’s WeChat message arrived unexpectedly, just half an hour later, telling her: I’m home.

Zhou Mi had just finished replying to a client’s email. She smiled while thinking this person was quite peculiar, pursing her lips momentarily: Did I ask?

Zhang Lian said: No.

Zhou Mi: Then?

Zhang Lian said: Don’t know, habit, I guess.

Zhou Mi rested her chin on one hand, her face and teeth glowing white in the computer screen’s light: I’m not that concerned.

Then she sneered: You’ve kept that habit for quite a long time.

Zhang Lian replied: I find it strange too.

Zhou Mi pursed her lips, a mix of sourness and joy completely unrelated to each other filling her emotions: Do you still need an IV drip tomorrow?

Zhang Lian said: Depends.

Thinking back to how she hadn’t truly confirmed whether his fever had subsided tonight, Zhou Mi couldn’t help wanting to clarify: What does ‘depends’ mean? Are you still going?

Zhang Lian replied: Just keep an eye on my office tomorrow, and you’ll know.

Zhou Mi snorted: No time, I won’t be looking.

Zhang Lian replied: Then you’ll have to guess from your workstation.

Zhou Mi: You’re overthinking. I don’t have time to guess, okay? Don’t you know how busy your own company is?

Zhang Lian: That’s good, work should look like work. I like employees who stay focused.

Zhou Mi pinched her nose, typing sarcastically: Fine, whatever. At your age, you should still pay attention to keeping warm.

Zhang Lian: Mm.

Zhang Lian: Thank you for the young person’s advice.

Zhou Mi smiled so much her eyes squeezed together, becoming crescent-shaped dark chocolate.

She pressed her phone against the bridge of her nose for a moment, continuing to read Zhang Lian’s new message.

He asked: Have you showered?

Zhou Mi said: Not yet, just finished replying to a client email.

Zhang Lian asked: Which client?

Zhou Mi glanced at the screen: RZ headphones. The weather’s been bad these days, so the photoshoot has been postponed.

There was no response from the other end.

After a while, Zhang Lian suddenly sent a photo: Do you still want this umbrella?

Zhou Mi opened it to look—it was her yellow umbrella, and indeed one of the silver ribs was bent beyond recognition, so she replied: Just throw it away.

Zhang Lian said: You like saying ‘throw it away.”

Zhou Mi choked for a moment, suddenly remembering that time with the rotten succulent, and the ring he had once tried to return to her. Her heart suddenly felt like it had cracked open, releasing long-sealed emotions—not resentment, not anger, but a vague yet persistent pain: Didn’t you already get me a new one? Is there a problem?

Zhang Lian fell silent.

After a moment, he said: I’ll fix it and return it to you.

Zhou Mi responded with an “Oh.” I said I don’t want it anymore.

Zhang Lian said: Alright. Good night, Zhou Mi.

Zhou Mi said: Good night, boss.

It was another sleepless night. As she tossed and turned, Zhou Mi’s nose and eye sockets swelled several times, as if she were floating on an endless sea surface, intermittently lacking oxygen. Finally, she made an effort to breathe and adjust until she fell asleep, exhausted.

Days passed uneventfully. The stormy weather quietly departed after its indulgence, and the weather returned to the appropriate spring sunshine. Flowers were like colorful phrases, weaving into poetry in the roadside nursery boxes.

After completing the outdoor photoshoot for RZ headphones, Zhou Mi welcomed a weekend holiday following her busy schedule.

Sleeping in at home, Zhou Mi simply boiled a bowl of oatmeal to stave off hunger, then went to the nearby dry cleaner’s to pick up Zhang Lian’s cardigan.

The clothing, worth over 10,000 yuan, was placed in a semi-transparent dust cover, exuding a sense of distance.

To avoid running into Zhang Lian again, Zhou Mi called for a delivery service and then called Chen Ayi.

Chen Ayi sounded surprised and thoughtful.

Zhou Mi spoke plainly: “Zhang Lian left a piece of clothing with me. I’m going to have it delivered soon. Are you in Huajun today? Could you help receive it for him?”

Chen Ayi said, “What bad timing, I’ve gone back to my hometown. You should talk to Mr. Zhang, he should be at home.”

Zhou Mi: “…”

Zhou Mi could only call Zhang Lian. He answered quickly but didn’t immediately speak, as if waiting for her to speak first.

Zhou Mi sat back down at the table and blurted out: “I’ve got your clothes. I’ll call a delivery service to your home in a bit. The receipt is in the pocket of the clothes. Remember to file for reimbursement.”

Zhang Lian said, “Okay.”

Both ends of the call went quiet again, but neither hung up.

Zhou Mi’s chest deflated slightly: “I’m hanging up.”

Zhang Lian said, “Don’t have it delivered. I’ll come to your place to get it.”

Zhou Mi’s fingers tapped restlessly on the table: “Then you can return my ring to me while you’re at it.”

Zhang Lian asked: “What ring?”

Zhou Mi’s voice became vague: “The Cartier one.”

Zhang Lian said, “Didn’t you tell me to throw it away?”

Zhou Mi’s thoughts darkened like scattered dust, mockingly retorting: “A person who can’t even bear to change his phone ringtone really threw away the ring?”

Zhang Lian neither argued nor denied, only asking: “What do you want the ring for?”

Zhou Mi mumbled: “To sell it online and pay my rent.”

Zhang Lian was amused, a light, low nasal sound: “You want the ring just to pay rent?”

Zhou Mi raised her voice: “What else?”

Zhang Lian said, “Fine, find a place, I’ll give it to you.”

After the call, Zhou Mi quickly tidied herself up and, for reasons unknown, applied meticulous makeup for the first time in ages. Since separating from Jijie, she had rarely made such a deliberate effort when going out to meet someone.

Only after confirming that the girl in the mirror looked flawless did she put on a simple white shirt with a small turn-down collar and a navy blue flared skirt before heading out.

She didn’t pile on cute elements, aiming to look steady, calm, and elegant—worthy of the description “grown into her own, fearless and without worry.”

But upon meeting, Zhou Mi immediately regretted it, her scalp tightening. She hadn’t expected that she and Zhang Lian would unintentionally be dressed in the same black and white color scheme, making them look like a couple in the eyes of others, just short of holding hands or linking arms.

Walking side by side, Zhou Mi awkwardly kept a distance of over ten centimeters from him.

But this couldn’t prevent the two from looking compatible and eye-catching, like the male and female leads in a British drama, artistic and sophisticated.

Sitting in the coffee shop, Zhou Mi handed over the plain paper bag she had carried all the way: “The clothes are inside, check them.”

Zhang Lian didn’t even look, just placed it on the inside of the green velvet sofa, then passed her the menu: “See what you’d like to drink?”

Zhou Mi casually flipped through it: “Actually, I haven’t had lunch yet.”

Zhang Lian’s eyebrows raised slightly as he glanced at his watch: “It’s 2 o’clock.”

Zhou Mi instinctively retorted: “So what?”

Zhang Lian’s lips curved slightly: “Then you order food first.”

Zhou Mi ordered a seafood fettuccine.

While waiting for the food, seeing Zhang Lian remain expressionless, she directly stated her purpose: “Where’s my thing?”

Zhang Lian looked up and handed her his black bag.

Zhou Mi took it and placed it on her lap to check. The moment she opened the bag, her lips parted in surprise, and her jaw seemed to temporarily dislocate for quite a while.

The sunlight was strong, and the restaurant was bustling with people coming and going—some chatting and laughing together, others dining alone—a scene filled with worldly clamor.

Zhou Mi didn’t want to question or make a scene, nor did she dare to rashly take out the valuable item from the bag. She just looked up to meet Zhang Lian’s gaze: “Is this the ring I asked for?”

Zhang Lian frowned slightly: “Isn’t this one better? Enough for you to pay rent for longer.”

He raised his chin: “The certificate is also inside, convenient for your procedures.”

Zhou Mi held back her irritation for a moment, then accepted it with a forced smile: “OK, I’ll pawn it as soon as possible.”

Zhang Lian remained calm: “Mm.”

—

Back at her rental apartment, Zhou Mi finally took out the deep blue ring box from the paper bag. She opened it to look—the large diamond ring inside still dazzled the eye, no different from before.

After gazing at it for a long time, she closed it and put it back on the table, then took out the neatly folded yellow umbrella beside it.

She unclasped the button on top, found a space, and opened it with a snap. The bright yellow canopy bloomed like a suddenly blossoming primrose, and every rib in the middle had become intact, shining like new, as if it had never been struck by wind and rain.

Zhou Mi stood there, turning it around and around. The snow in her heart melted, growing into patches of soft green grass.

After a while, her phone on the table vibrated.

Zhou Mi put away the umbrella, sat back down, and opened it. It was a WeChat transfer message from Zhang Lian, exactly 250 yuan—her reimbursement for the dry cleaning.

Zhou Mi replied with a businesslike “OK” gesture and accepted it without any psychological burden.

She worked on her PPT for several hours with undivided attention. As the sky gradually darkened, the neon lights outside flickered docilely in the half-blue, half-red twilight.

Zhou Mi suddenly received a distress call from He Miaoyan, saying she had a big fight with her father and asking if she could stay at her place tonight.

Zhou Mi agreed and solemnly said, “Welcome, this house sincerely takes in all kinds of homeless children.”

He Miaoyan sneered: “You sound like a child trafficker.”

Close to 7 o’clock, Miaoyan arrived with a large amount of food ingredients and snacks just bought from the supermarket.

Zhou Mi hurriedly opened the door for her, then ran back to the small kitchen to continue preparing vegetables: “I was just thinking of making two bowls of noodles, but are you here to stay or to increase my living burden?”

He Miaoyan rolled up her sleeves and squeezed in: “Don’t worry, I’m here to help you.”

In the end, the two girls had a steaming hot pot at home, laughing and chatting throughout the meal.

After tidying up the messy dishes, washing them, and putting them away, He Miaoyan tiredly leaned back in Zhou Mi’s chair, patting her stomach.

Just seconds after sitting down, her sharp eyes spotted the ring box on the table. She was dazzled by the golden LOGO on top and immediately opened it to confirm: “Is this the ring you told me about, the one worth a car that he gave you during your fake marriage…?”

Zhou Mi was finishing the last round of mopping, glanced over, and decided not to hide it: “Yes.”

“Wow,” she exclaimed, turning her head: “This is my first time seeing the real thing—wait, are you and Zhang Lian back together??”

Zhou Mi propped up the mop and straightened her back, thinking and judging on the spot: “Not really.”

He Miaoyan stared unblinkingly at the ring inside: “Then what’s going on? How did it get back into your hands?”

Zhou Mi’s tone was level, as was her expression: “He gave it to me to sell for rent money.”

He Miaoyan snickered in disbelief: “Are you guys playing around? A 300,000-plus yuan item, what kind of game is this? I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m speechless, cosmically speechless.”

Zhou Mi fell silent, taking the mop to the small balcony to rinse it.

He Miaoyan followed, bouncing along with the ring box, peeking mischievously: “Can I try it on?”

Zhou Mi looked back and nodded generously: “Of course you can, feel free.”

He Miaoyan chose a finger of suitable size and put it on, immediately smiling like a flower, pretending to be in a dreamy trance: “Holy crap… I’ll be your attendant, responsible for holding the ring. This is too beautiful and luxurious. I suddenly feel like I’m dripping with jewels and my value has increased tenfold.”

Zhou Mi froze for a moment: “Can you not say such inauspicious things?”

He Miaoyan excitedly waved her right hand: “Quick, quick! I’ll have to take it off soon, take a photo for me as a keepsake.”

Zhou Mi looked at her antics and couldn’t help laughing, quickly going back inside to find her phone.

He Miaoyan spread her fingers: “Original camera! Don’t worry about whether my hand is white or not! The focus is that the diamond ring is clear enough!”

Zhou Mi took several photos from all angles and perspectives for her to choose from.

He Miaoyan got what she wanted and carefully placed the diamond ring back in its original place, putting it away safely.

After 10 o’clock, the two of them had finished washing up and squeezed onto a small bed, each playing with their phones.

He Miaoyan pondered absent-mindedly for a while, then suddenly concluded in a “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” tone: “Damn, after all this back and forth, it’s still that bastard Zhang Lian.”

Zhou Mi glanced at her, puzzled: “Why suddenly bring him up out of the blue?”

He Miaoyan’s gaze was sharp as a knife: “How far have you two progressed this time?” Then, warily and with a chill: “Has he slept in this bed? It’s not this spot where I am, is it?”

Zhou Mi rolled her eyes and spread her hands: “No, okay?”

He Miaoyan finally breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good then.”

“Hey,” her expression suddenly turned cunning: “Want to tease that dog of a man, plus test him a bit?”

Zhou Mi returned an equally sly look, whispering: “What do you want to do?”

He Miaoyan said mischievously: “Post that photo of me wearing the ring as a Moments post that only he can see, and see his reaction—whether he can tell it’s not your hand.”

Zhou Mi covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling: “Is that allowed?”

He Miaoyan spread her hands and moved closer to Zhou Mi: “Let’s try. Our hands look somewhat similar anyway.”

Zhou Mi also spread her fingers, stretching and curling them several times like a playful little octopus, nodding in agreement to this mischievous idea.

The two girls put their heads together, carefully comparing and selecting until they chose a photo where the finger shape most closely resembled Zhou Mi’s, wearing the diamond ring. They cropped it to remove parts that would be easy to identify, such as the nail area, then added a filter and posted it to Moments.

Zhou Mi operated with extreme caution, confirming multiple times that it was visible only to Zhang Lian, with the caption: “Suddenly don’t want to sell it. It looks pretty good on my hand [cute][cute]”

As soon as it was posted, the two burst into raucous laughter, doubling over and pounding the bed which shook violently.

After waiting patiently for a while, there was a response to the Moments post. Zhou Mi quickly opened it, tugging at her friend’s clothes: “Hey, here it comes.”

He Miaoyan excitedly leaned forward, then was disappointed: “Just a like?”

Zhou Mi’s eyes sparkled: “Wait a bit more, maybe he’s editing a message.”

But after staring at the small screen for several minutes, there was no further activity, not even a single private chat message.

Zhou Mi’s mood slightly declined as she exited the app: “Forget it.”

He Miaoyan, exclaimed: “Go ask him!”

Zhou Mi lowered her eyelids, pretending not to care as she switched back to the Weibo interface: “Don’t want to ask.”

He Miaoyan pointed out bluntly: “If you don’t ask, you definitely won’t sleep tonight, and then I certainly won’t get a good night’s sleep either.”

Zhou Mi: “…”

“Ask him!” her friend urged, pushing her.

Zhou Mi twisted her shoulders, half-resisting: “Alright, alright—”

She returned to the WeChat chat interface with Zhang Lian, thought for a moment, and then indirectly sent: What does your like mean?

Zhang Lian’s reply seemed casual: It looks good on your hand.

Zhou Mi gritted her teeth: You don’t know whose hand it is?

He immediately countered: You don’t know whose ring it is?

Zhou Mi was stunned for a few seconds, uncomfortably rubbing her eyebrows, her cheekbones twitching slightly from the effort of holding back laughter.

“Ah—” He Miaoyan, who had been watching the whole process, screamed in a painful expression, immediately flipping the quilt to bury herself completely: “Dog couple!!!!! Why did I bring this on myself!!!!!!!!”