Ning Sui spent the entire winter break with Xie Yichen, preparing for their graduate school application interviews abroad.

After that day when they had met each other’s parents, Xie Yichen later brought gifts and paid an official visit. He was very thoughtful when choosing gifts — since no one in the family smoked, he bought bird’s nest, wine, and premium tea leaves. Hearing that Ning Deyan enjoyed coffee, he had also tracked down coffees with different flavor profiles from various places, including the famous and expensive “Kopi Luwak.”

The gift for Fang Fang was a carefully selected cashmere scarf. Soft in texture, exquisite in pattern — Fang Fang was absolutely enchanted by it.

From that point on, the two of them went on dates rain or shine, without exception.

And to some extent, Ning Yue had actually helped increase the frequency of their meetups.

Ever since learning of Xie Yichen’s achievements in mathematics competitions and computer science, the little one had been in absolute awe of him, clearly treating him as an idol. After exchanging contact information, he practically pestered Xie Yichen every other day — sending messages, asking about problems, and discussing all kinds of experiences.

When Xie Yichen wasn’t busy, he would come over to the house and talk through math competition problems with Ning Yue.

Ning Yue especially loved chatting with him, because he felt Xie Yichen knew so much — there was no topic he couldn’t discuss, almost nothing he didn’t know about, and conversations with him always broadened Ning Yue’s own knowledge.

So whenever Ning Yue was around Xie Yichen, he was like a human pendant, trailing after him with one question after another.

On Ning Sui’s end, genuinely worried her boyfriend might find it tiresome, she quietly asked Xie Yichen during one of their dates: “Is my little brother bothering you too much? Will it interfere with things at Flash映 or at the company?”

“It’s fine,” Xie Yichen smiled. “Chatting with him is actually quite relaxing.”

Ning Sui let out a breath of relief. “That’s good then.”

“Oh right, Ning Coconut.” Xie Yichen held her hand, toying with it and squeezing lightly — seemingly casual, yet his expression was, unusually, a little serious. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

Xie Yichen lifted his gaze and tightened his grip on her hand. “My aunt said she’d like to meet you sometime. What do you think?”

Ning Sui was momentarily stunned, her fingertips instinctively curling inward.

The other day she had heard Qin Shufen bring it up, but she hadn’t expected it to get on the agenda this quickly.

“…Then, what kind of gift should I prepare?” Ning Sui was a little nervous. “I’ve never done this before. I’m not really sure.”

Well, that was as good as saying yes.

Xie Yichen’s eyes softened, a visible smile forming at the corner of his lips, his voice low and warm, unable to suppress a quiet laugh: “It’s alright. I have experience. I’ll teach you.”

They were in the golden district of Huai’an, right beside a shopping mall. The two had just walked out, hands full of large and small bags from their purchases.

Still mid-conversation, they spotted a five-star hotel up ahead. The entrance was brilliantly lit, and limousines passed along the edges of the red carpet every now and then. Ning Sui felt as though the entire building was gleaming and sparkling, and she couldn’t help but slow her steps.

“Is Auntie out on a business trip again today?” Xie Yichen asked.

Ning Sui’s heart tightened, and her eyes betrayed her. “…Mm.”

It wasn’t that she was intentionally hiding it from Fang Fang — it was just that with her around, things were somewhat inconvenient. The situation would inevitably be a little awkward, and Ning Sui wouldn’t even know how to bring it up. So the two of them usually spent their evenings alone together whenever Xia Fanghui was away.

Xie Yichen’s voice dropped a notch, his palm warm against hers. “How about… we stay out tonight?”

Ning Sui’s voice drifted a little. “Mm. That works.”

Then she paused, remembering something important. “…Um. Do you have any?”

“No.” He gave her a look that was hard to read.

No matter what, they hadn’t quite reached the point of carrying that around on a daily basis.

Xie Yichen lowered his lashes with a meaningful air, his voice especially low. “There’s a convenience store right downstairs from home. Want to go buy some?”

Ning Sui knew he meant his uncle’s place, which was nearby. She couldn’t help drawing in a breath. “…Oh.”

The two walked along the street and entered the store. Ning Sui kept her head down the entire time. She heard what sounded like a few beeps at the register — so he must have bought what they needed. As they walked out, she happened to glance up and their eyes met, both of them a little frozen for a moment.

Just beside them was an older residential area. Most of the residents here were university professors or civil servants. Xie Yichen held her hand, fingers tightly interlaced with hers. “Doesn’t your uncle live around here?”

“Mm.”

“I see a park up ahead — did you used to play there a lot when you were little?”

“More or less. My cousin loved playing outdoors. My aunt used to take him hiking a lot.”

“So you have your own room at your uncle’s place?”

“Mm.”

“Did you mostly stay there, or more at home?”

“Roughly half and half.” Xie Yichen glanced at her with a hint of amusement. “You seem awfully interested.”

He thought for a moment. “As it happens, they’re not home tonight. Want to go up and take a look?”

“Hm? Is that okay?” Ning Sui felt a sudden flutter in her chest. “But your aunt and uncle…”

“They won’t mind,” Xie Yichen said. “Besides, we’d only take a quick look. We’d be back down in no time.”

His uncle’s home, to Xie Yichen, was probably even more of a “home” to him than his own parents’ place. It was somewhere deeply important to him — filled with warm memories.

Something about showing up uninvited felt a little inappropriate, but Ning Sui was genuinely itching with curiosity. She wanted to sneak a glimpse, before the official introduction to his family, of the place where he had grown up.

And the person beside her was gently coaxing her: “Didn’t you say you wanted to see photos of me when I was little? We should be able to find some up there.”

Ning Sui licked her lips and didn’t hesitate any further. “Alright, then.”

It was only a few steps away, and they arrived quickly.

A well-maintained residential complex, well-lit with clear pathways in every direction.

Xie Yichen led her through a series of left and right turns until they reached the building entrance, then took the elevator up.

The hallway was a little dark. He held her hand tightly the entire way, and didn’t let go even when unlocking the door with his key.

The lights came on. Ning Sui couldn’t help craning her neck to peer inside. Xie Yichen handed her a pair of cotton slippers. “Wear these.”

It was a well-laid-out home — one that clearly belonged to scholars. The living room was spacious and serene, with ink stones and decorative pieces arranged on the bookshelves, and elegant calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls.

Seeing Ning Sui curiously taking in the surroundings, Xie Yichen gave her a tour: “This is my uncle’s study. That’s my cousin’s room. My aunt’s bedroom… and the one in the back is mine.”

“Can I go in and look?” Ning Sui asked.

“Of course.”

So Xie Yichen took her on a little tour of his bedroom.

It was a decent size, with a large balcony, clear and bright windows, and a big monitor on the desk for handling work. The light seemed good too — sitting there for an afternoon nap felt like it would be quite pleasant.

Ning Sui didn’t know what his parents’ home was like, but this place had a real sense of lived-in warmth.

Especially the bookshelf — it held all sorts of things. Souvenirs he had brought back from travels around the world: an alpaca hide painting from Peru, a Nordic Viking board game, a Russian balalaika, a crossbow, antique ornaments, hats in curious shapes — it was almost like that shop from “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store.”

Ning Sui went through them one by one, absolutely delighted. She placed a fluffy hat on her head and peered curiously at herself in the mirror. “Where did you get this one?”

Xie Yichen looked at her with a gentle smile in his eyes. “Yunnan.”

“Oh?” She hadn’t noticed this adorable little hat when they were there.

“There’s a place in Dali called the Bed Sheet Factory,” he said. “It’s like the 798 Art Zone in Beijing. In the afternoons, they hold irregular markets there.”

Ning Sui thought that traveling with him must be endlessly interesting. Her boyfriend had such a talent for finding these kinds of wonderful things. “If we have some free time next semester, should we organize a group trip?”

Xie Yichen said unhurriedly, “Sure.”

As it happened, Zhang Yuge had been completely worn down by his lab junior and had been talking about it for a while too. “Where would you want to go?”

The destination wasn’t the point. The point was who you went with.

Ning Sui looked at him without blinking, entirely at ease in her role as the one who leaves all decisions to others. “Anywhere is fine. You pick.”

She then noticed the small robots he had made sitting on another section of the shelf — the original VE-1 and VE-2 were both there, roughly the size of a palm, lined up in a neat row.

The last time Ning Sui had watched Wen Siyuan’s video, she’d memorized how to operate them. While Xie Yichen searched for old photos, she went over and teased the VE-2: “How are you so adorable?”

The little thing giggled and chirped, its screen displaying a big smiley face to show it was in a very good mood.

Neither of the two robot generations could speak, and Ning Sui suddenly had an amusing thought. “Xie Yichen, have you ever imagined what it would look like if you turned both robots on at the same time and had them talk to each other?”

“Funnily enough, a senior in the lab actually tried that,” Xie Yichen recalled leisurely. “He put the robots developed by Jingda and Qingda side by side and had them argue over which was the top university. Neither of them could hold back — they ended up trading insults for an entire morning. Then they both crashed.”

Ning Sui could easily picture the scene, and let out an involuntary laugh.

She played with the robots for a little while longer, then shuffled her way over to him. “…Have you found anything yet?”

“Mm. Two photos.”

Ning Sui had thought he was just saying something vague, but he really did only produce two photos.

It wasn’t that his aunt and uncle hadn’t kept more — it was simply that he had genuinely taken very few photos growing up. He had never been fond of being photographed.

One was from a trip to Window of the World: his uncle’s whole family, plus him, in a group photo beside the miniature Eiffel Tower. He looked to be around seven or eight, reluctantly propped into position by his aunt. Ning Sui’s heart stirred as she looked at it, and she instinctively took out her phone to photograph the photo from different angles.

Even as a child, the raw material was clearly exceptional — handsome and clean-cut features, prominent brows, a sharp nose bridge. He was practically a miniature replica of his current self, the only difference being a great deal more childlike softness than what he had now.

Ning Sui looked at the second photo.

This one was a solo shot — somewhere on a road trip, driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle, with a cascading waterfall in the background.

He really had been quite adorable as a child too. His eyes were bright and dark, full of spirit. Ning Sui’s gaze moved to Xie Yichen’s face — that sharp, angular, defined profile — and she quietly thought to herself: how on earth did this person grow into the way he is now — so unrestrained, so completely without inhibition?

Xie Yichen noticed her staring, and raised an eyebrow with mild interest. “What?”

“…Nothing.”

Still keeping her head half-bowed, Ning Sui honestly raised her phone to take a photo. “Do digital versions of these exist?”

He watched her fixedly, the corner of his mouth curving upward. “Probably. I’ll look for them when we get back.”

The two of them were still mid-conversation when they suddenly heard the sound of a key turning in the lock outside, followed by footsteps and cheerful voices: “That restaurant was better than the private kitchen last time, especially that stir-fried coconut meat — what a fascinating dish…”

Both people inside froze.

They hadn’t planned on staying this long — it was supposed to be just a quick look — but somehow they’d lost track of time entirely. Ning Sui was absolutely dumbfounded. Her first instinct was to spin around and look at the spacious wardrobe, mentally debating the feasibility of hiding inside it.

Xie Yichen was barely containing his laughter as he pulled her back. “Why do you always want to run?”

Ning Sui swallowed. Quietly: “But I haven’t prepared gifts for them yet…”

Xie Yichen looked at her expression and again couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s fine. They don’t care about these formalities.” His gaze drifted meaningfully to the shopping bags piled on the table. Casually: “Didn’t we just buy all those pastries? Giving those is plenty.”

It seemed like the only option, given the circumstances.

Hiding in the wardrobe truly wasn’t a viable option.

The two of them simply came out openly and openly. There were also two people outside — Xie Yichen’s cousin Xie Kuan was not there. Xie Yichen greeted them first, entirely composed. “Aunt. Uncle.”

Qin Shufen recognized Ning Sui at a glance. After a brief moment of surprise, she exclaimed with delight: “It’s Little Ye, isn’t it?”

She hadn’t expected her to know her nickname.

Ning Sui nodded, and — tongue seemingly moving on its own — called out: “Hello, Aunt.”

Her ears went warm a beat after the words left her mouth, but Qin Shufen responded with a hearty, cheerful sound, smiling warmly.

Fortunately, they had bought some lovely Chinese-style pastries while shopping earlier. Ning Sui obediently offered them up. “Aunt, Uncle — these are for you.”

“How lovely. Thank you.”

Qin Shufen was warm and enthusiastic, immediately ushering them to sit on the sofa while she went to prepare some fruit and drinks.

Xie Hongda sat down and chatted casually with Ning Sui.

As expected of someone who taught mathematics at a university, Ning Sui thought — he was remarkably approachable. He wore a pair of kindly reading glasses, and they fell into easy conversation very quickly, with him sharing stories from his teaching life at the university.

“Little Ye, at Jingda — is Complex Analysis taught by Professor Zhang?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of him?”

He was an excellent teacher, but very strict. Ning Sui answered honestly: “I get the feeling he’s not particularly satisfied with our cohort.”

Xie Hongda sat back with sage composure. “Let me guess — he told you you’re the worst cohort he’s ever taught?”

He guessed pretty accurately. Ning Sui slowly murmured a sound of confirmation.

Xie Hongda laughed out loud. “Old Zhang says that every year.”

While this was going on, Qin Shufen came bustling out from the kitchen with a plate of fruit. It was evident she was also the type who couldn’t sit still — a natural chatterbox. “Fruit’s here!”

The four of them sat around the dining table, Qin Shufen and Xie Yichen on either side of Ning Sui, the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable.

Once Xie Hongda finished his stories about university life, it was Qin Shufen’s turn to share all the absurd characters she’d encountered during her legal cases — including a client who, in a burst of impassioned emotion, had bellowed at a judge “Your Honor, you must stand up for me!” as though addressing a deity, and another who had come to blows right there in front of her. It was absolutely spectacular.

Ning Sui listened with great enjoyment. Qin Shufen, seeing her interest, laughed as well: “Being a lawyer is finding joy amid hardship — you encounter all kinds of people. It’s actually quite interesting.”

She paused, then seemed to remember something. “I also got to know two business partners through a case a while back. One thing led to another and I ended up investing in their project — a social media app. I checked yesterday and the valuation has gone up quite a bit.”

Ning Sui hadn’t yet connected it to Flashying. Curious, she asked: “What app?”

Qin Shufen was about to show her, but realized she had left her phone in the kitchen. So she borrowed Ning Sui’s phone and searched directly in WeChat.

“This one — take a look. Do you young people use it?”

When Ning Sui took the phone back, the mini-program had just loaded. The blank page was still loading — nothing showing yet — and she leaned over with Xie Yichen to look together.

At that moment, Qin Shufen raised her voice and said: “A’Chen, do you remember? That summer before your college entrance exam, you helped me test this app—”

Something twinged inexplicably in Ning Sui’s chest — she suddenly felt that something was off.

But it was already too late.

As if by some strange synchronicity, the page loaded at precisely that moment, automatically returning to the chat history.

Because Ning Sui had only ever chatted with one person on this platform, that one conversation stood out in solitary, unmistakable prominence. Both of their gazes came to rest on it at the same time.

Every message she had once sent was laid out, plain as day.

【Can I see your abs?】

【Chest muscles are fine too. I’m not picky.】

【I’ve been thinking about you since we broke up. Can we get back together?】

【I recharged especially for you.】

【I think you’re pretty good-looking.】

Ning Sui: “…”

AHHHHHHH HELP!!

After leaving the apartment, Ning Sui maintained the posture of an ostrich with its head buried in the sand.

The moment they stepped into the hotel room, she kept her face down, grabbed her change of clothes from her bag with practiced self-awareness, and made straight for the bathroom. “…I’ll go shower first.”

Xie Yichen’s eyebrow lifted slightly. He made no move to stop her.

She showered in a daze. When Ning Sui came out, she found Xie Yichen sitting in an armchair scrolling through his phone. Feigning composure: “Um. You can go in now.”

He answered slowly, in that low tone of his: “Mm.”

The sound of running water soon began to rush from the bathroom. Ning Sui curled up alone under the covers, with absolutely nothing to do, silently waiting.

With Xie Yichen inside, every single second started to feel drawn out. Ning Sui quietly counted time, feeling as though — the minutes were stretching like years.

They had talked for a whole evening and she was a little tired. Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes and rested for a moment. Somehow, after a short while, she genuinely drifted off to sleep.

Ning Sui was kissed awake.

He leaned over her, cupped her face, and pressed several firm kisses to it in quick succession, then after a moment moved, with no attempt at restraint, to her lips. Ning Sui felt a burning warmth settling against her ear, her cheeks, and her eyes.

“You’re done?”

Xie Yichen’s hair still had droplets of water clinging to it. His dark eyes held a faint haze, yet were still sharp and clear. He had one arm propped beside her. He gave a low sound of confirmation, then lowered his head again and pressed his lips to hers with an air of idle leisure.

Ning Sui watched him kiss her for a moment, then with one hand pulled his T-shirt off over his head, revealing the firm lines of his abdomen. Her heart was running unusually warm. She felt as though her throat was parched, and curled her arm around the back of his neck to kiss him back — her lips caught by his, his tongue sliding in with practiced ease, until she let out an involuntary soft sound.

Xie Yichen paused. He finally spoke in that languid, unhurried way of his: “Not planning to explain yourself?”

His voice landed against her ear like the low resonance of a bass speaker — practically electric. Ning Sui shivered. He hadn’t asked on the way here, so she’d almost thought she might escape this conversation entirely. Her ears flushing, she struggled to maintain composure: “Explain what?”

Xie Yichen’s lips curved with something between a smile and a smirk. “Explain the part about not being picky.”

She really just wished he could lose his memory right now.

Wipe out what had just happened.

Ning Sui felt that every time she looked at him, her brain short-circuited, her heartbeat hammering loudly in her ears. She wracked her mind for something to say and finally managed to produce an explanation: “It was just… you were using Zhang Yuge’s photo as your profile picture at the time, weren’t you? Hu Ke’er thought it was actually him, so she asked me to send a few messages from my account just to see how he’d react.”

Xie Yichen paused. That was not the answer he had expected.

But her expression was clearly guilty — it didn’t feel like the truth.

Xie Yichen narrowed his eyes with a careless, languid air. His hand traced down along her waist, his voice low and unreadable, with just a hint of something pointed: “Sent on behalf of Zhang Yuge?”

Ning Sui had been about to dig in, but under his direct, unwavering gaze she had nowhere to hide. In a moment of distraction, his warm breath swept close and he lowered his head and bit down lightly, sending a jolt through her entire body. “Xie Yichen!”

He hadn’t actually bitten that hard, but the casual, languid darkness of those half-lidded eyes pressed so close made Ning Sui’s heart race, her face hot. He gave a low, satisfied sound and leaned over to kiss her. “Ning Coconut. I’ll ask one more time. Think carefully before you answer.”

“Who did you recharge for, specifically?”

“Who did you think was good-looking?”

Nearly one question for every kiss.

“Whose abs did you want to see?”

“Who were you thinking about after the breakup?”

What breakup! Someone help!

Xie Yichen kissed her with zero pattern — here, there, completely merciless. Ning Sui couldn’t hold out any longer, face blazing, too flustered even to glare at him properly: “…You. You, you, you — it was all you. Are you satisfied?”

“It’s just… you weren’t talking to me back then, and I was jealous. So I wanted to see what you were doing every day, who you were talking to…”

Xie Yichen was caught off guard. He hadn’t even pressed very hard, and she had tumbled out this much honest, unguarded truth all on her own. His eyes immediately lit with a bright, uninhibited grin, his breath low and uneven: “Mm. Understood.”

Ning Sui: “…”

Still in the flush of youth, thoroughly satisfied, he let out a shallow breath and leaned down for another emphatic kiss. “Good girl.”

Ning Sui: “…………”

Xie Yichen, you really are showing off, aren’t you~ Tsk tsk~~~