Lu Mi spent the night at the hospital and was so tired the next morning that she could barely maintain human form, swaying as she walked. Auntie Lu came to take over, and as Lu Mi walked to the entrance of her residential complex, she saw Zhang Qing with his face bruised from her beating. Zhang Qing blocked her way: “I was too drunk that day.”

“Get lost!” Lu Mi threw at him: “Try touching me again, and see what happens! I’ll kill you! Look at your behavior!”

“Go ahead and curse me. After you’re done, let’s talk properly. Who doesn’t have moments of bad behavior? I won’t drink anymore in the future.”

“Was that even alcohol you were drinking? Cat piss, more like!” Lu Mi shook off his approaching hand. “Don’t touch me! Do you believe I’ll beat you every time I see you from now on?” Lu Mi turned to find a weapon and found a stick that some child had discarded. She started hitting Zhang Qing with it. He jumped away to dodge: “Lu Mi, are you crazy? You’re always like you’ve eaten gunpowder. Besides me, who the hell would like you?”

“Who asked you to like me? Get lost!”

Lu Mi returned home, packed up all of Zhang Qing’s things that were at her place, went downstairs, and threw them at him, saying: “Just throw away my stuff at your place. Don’t let me see you again. You disgust me!”

Lu Mi truly had a fiery temper and never allowed herself to be wronged. At worst, she’d say “to hell with you.” She might feel bad for a moment, but it would always pass. She returned home and fell into a deep sleep, but the thoughtless Shang Zhitao came to find her in the evening.

It was Saturday, and her French class was nearby, so she went to see Lu Mi after class. Seeing that Lu Mi’s mental state had improved a bit, she felt relieved.

“So what did you do today?”

“Today this lady gave a good beating to a drowning dog.” Lu Mi told Shang Zhitao about beating up Zhang Qing. When she said “one strike almost hit his family jewels,” Shang Zhitao laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten up.

“Are you still upset?”

“I’m not fucking upset anymore. My dad’s being discharged on Monday, and I plan to go clubbing. Aren’t men everywhere?”

“Right, right, right.”

Lu Mi was the queen of nightclubs; men would casually approach her all the time. But each time, she just enjoyed the lively atmosphere and wasn’t trying to hook men. In Lu Mi’s words: “Why would I hook men? Aren’t I rich enough myself?”

Shang Zhitao chatted with her for a while, accompanied her to Jishuitan Hospital, went up to check on Papa Lu, and then left.

Shang Zhitao felt that if Zhang Qing’s cheating had happened to her, she wouldn’t have handled it as well as Lu Mi. She thought that if her boyfriend cheated, she would probably cry for many days and might not be able to break up decisively. She might get entangled for a while.

Lu Mi was impressive. I should learn from Lu Mi.

She was on the subway when she saw Wan Jun’s message: “Are you treating me to a meal?”

Shang Zhitao thought for a long time before replying: “Sorry, I just saw this. Sure, my treat. What would you like to eat?”

“How about buffet? I won’t lose out eating at a buffet.”

“Okay.”

They chose a place a few subway stops from Shang Zhitao’s home. By the time they met, it was around eight o’clock. Wan Jun was very busy on weekends. He had an ice hockey equipment bag on his back and said to Shang Zhitao: “Just finished teaching.”

“Ice hockey stick?”

“Want to see it?”

“Yes.”

Wan Jun opened the long case and took out an ice hockey stick for Shang Zhitao: “Try it.”

Shang Zhitao mimicked a pose: “Like this?”

Wan Jun corrected her posture: “Like this.”

Shang Zhitao tried again and returned it to him. Wan Jun wasn’t fussy about food; a 198-yuan buffet was fine. Shang Zhitao liked seafood, so she went to get shrimp and crab, while Wan Jun went for steak. The two had plenty to talk about, with Wan Jun talking a bit more. He was a simple person who described himself as not very smart. He pointed at his head: “I hate using my brain the most.”

“What a coincidence, I don’t have much of a brain either,” she said, suddenly remembering Luan Nian’s comments:

“Don’t you know how to use your brain?”

“What’s your brain for?”

“Didn’t bring your brain today?”

Shang Zhitao didn’t know why, but while she was eating just fine, thinking about Luan Nian suddenly made her lose her appetite. The steak at this restaurant wasn’t good either, not as tasty as Luan Nian’s. So after eating a few shrimp, she stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Wan Jun asked her.

“I’m full.”

“Eating so little? Are you trying to maintain your figure?”

Shang Zhitao quickly shook her head: “No, no, I ate some snacks at a colleague’s place before meeting you.”

“That’s good.” Wan Jun smiled: “Don’t be too thin. Being healthy is good.”

“I think I’m already too healthy.” She wasn’t lying about the information she gave to Sun Yu—171 cm, 108 jin (54 kg), relatively healthy. During her school days, the phrase “a good woman doesn’t exceed 100 jin” was popular, and she had earnestly tried to lose weight for a period. Back then, there weren’t many scientific weight loss methods, just plain starvation. She was so hungry that she felt dizzy. When walking around the track with Xin Zhaozhou, she almost fell. Xin Zhaozhou got angry with her and gave her a stern lecture.

Wan Jun seriously looked at Shang Zhitao’s figure and said: “You’re very healthy.” He even analyzed the muscle and water ratios in Shang Zhitao’s body through sports science, like a true expert.

The two ate until ten o’clock, then walked back to Shang Zhitao’s home. Wan Jun was athletic and direct in everything he did. When crossing the street, he naturally grabbed Shang Zhitao’s wrist, but as his hand moved down, Shang Zhitao pulled her hand away. She felt it was too fast. After experiencing an absurd relationship with Luan Nian, she knew that a relationship between a man and a woman should start properly to have a good outcome. She didn’t want to walk down the same old path she had with Luan Nian with anyone else.

Seeing Shang Zhitao’s serious expression, Wan Jun smiled: “Did I scare you?”

“No.”

“Sorry, I’ve always been quite direct. When I like a girl, I go for it.”

“Then you must go for it often.”

“No,” Wan Jun said. “I don’t often do this.”

They were now outside Shang Zhitao’s residential complex, standing face to face, listening to Wan Jun speak. At this moment, Wan Jun looked like Xin Zhaozhou from years ago, with a touch of shyness, appearing sunny and bright no matter how you looked at him.

“When we were eating mushroom pot in Dali Old Town, I secretly looked at you and thought this girl was really cute. You might have sensed it—all our coincidental meetings in Dali were me putting in effort. Until the day I left, I was still troubled about not having your contact information. Later, I went to find the bar owner and got your contact from him. You didn’t know this part, but it’s not important. You think it’s too fast, so I’ll slow down. But you should know, I like you.” Wan Jun scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. He had dated before, but those times the girls had pursued him. This was his first time pursuing a girl, and his methods weren’t so skilled. His directness even made him appear a bit frivolous.

“I’m honored,” Shang Zhitao said, and it wasn’t just a polite phrase. “I don’t dislike you, and I feel relaxed when I’m with you. I think it’s too fast, so fast that we haven’t gotten to know each other yet.”

“I want to slow down.”

“Fine.” Wan Jun smiled: “Then we’ll slow down. I have an ice hockey match tomorrow. Would you like to come watch?”

“Tomorrow won’t work. I need to prepare work materials and pack my luggage in the morning. I’m flying to Shenzhen tomorrow afternoon. Our company has three super clients in Shenzhen, and next week we’ll be in Shenzhen.”

“Okay, next time then.”

Shang Zhitao waved goodbye to him and went upstairs.

Strangely, though she had been working for several years and had gone to many places, she had never been to Shenzhen. This was her first time going to Shenzhen, and Shenzhen was special in Shang Zhitao’s heart because a person named Xin Zhaozhou was there.

People are strange, always remembering their firsts most deeply. Like first love, first breakup, first travel.

When they broke up, one went south, one went north, prepared to never see each other again for the rest of their lives.

Later, Shang Zhitao heard from classmates that Xin Zhaozhou had taken advantage of government policies and opened a foreign trade company in Shenzhen. Initially, business was difficult, and his parents brought out all their savings to support him. Last year, business started to improve. He made several major deals and suddenly became “Director Xin.”

Xin Zhaozhou had called her once, late at night. He had gotten her phone number from a classmate and sounded like he had been drinking a bit. He vaguely said on the phone: “Shang Zhitao, I have money now. Will you come to Shenzhen to be a wealthy wife? You won’t need to work. I’ll support you for life.”

But Shang Zhitao wasn’t the same person she used to be. She had fallen in love with someone else and found joy in work. She could never be a wealthy wife staying at home for beauty treatments and yoga because she liked working.

“I’m sorry, Xin Zhaozhou. I can’t come to Shenzhen to marry you, but I’ll contact you when I visit Shenzhen.”

Meet up, reminisce—after all, they had spent the purest, most innocent time of their lives together.

But Shang Zhitao hadn’t contacted him.

As she was packing her luggage, she saw a message from a Shenzhen phone number: “Are you coming to Shenzhen on a business trip? Xin Zhaozhou.”

Shang Zhitao remembered she had arranged to have dinner with two university classmates working in Shenzhen. Most likely, Xin Zhaozhou had found out.

She replied: “Yes.”

“If I come too, will you turn and leave?”

“No.”

“Then let me treat everyone to dinner.”

“That’s too much trouble.”

Shang Zhitao remembered that during their school days, their living allowances weren’t particularly generous. Xin Zhaozhou would take her out on weekends to improve their meals—sometimes barbecue, sometimes hotpot, sometimes buffet—never wanting his girlfriend to suffer.

She was grateful for the time when she was loved by Xin Zhaozhou.

When boarding the plane, she saw Luan Nian and greeted him: “Hello, Luke.” She sat in the same row but a few seats away from him. She took a book from her bag and started reading. People came and went around her, but she didn’t look up. Luan Nian went to buy coffee and returned, but her posture hadn’t changed.

After boarding, they both walked toward economy class. The Airbus A330 was spacious, with window seats arranged in pairs. Shang Zhitao had checked in late, so her seat was further back. She wondered why Luan Nian wasn’t sitting in first class, and if in economy, at least he should have an exit row or first row seat. But he kept walking toward the back and stopped at her row to store his luggage.

Shang Zhitao checked her seat, worried she had misread something—their seats were next to each other. Luan Nian coldly watched her try to lift her suitcase herself, but when her arms raised, revealing her snow-white waistline, he finally stood up and took it from her, silently putting it away.

Luan Nian didn’t quite understand why, with so many nice clothes in the world, she had to choose one that exposed her waist. He moved aside to let her in, and she held her breath, tilting her head back slightly to avoid contact with his body. When she sat down, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Luan Nian sat silently in the aisle seat.

Neither spoke. Luan Nian took out his phone to reply to messages, while Shang Zhitao updated her Guangzhou branch colleagues about her itinerary—they would arrange a car to pick them up at the airport. She was benefiting from Luan Nian’s status. She put on her earphones and closed her eyes to sleep. Perhaps because Xin Zhaozhou’s message had disturbed her, she hadn’t slept well the night before. Now she was a bit tired and didn’t even know when the plane took off.

As the plane ascended, strong light came in. Luan Nian turned to close the window shade. When he withdrew his hand, he saw Shang Zhitao open her eyes. Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart. Shang Zhitao smelled the familiar scent of Luan Nian’s aftershave.

She pretended to be calm, reclined her seat backward, and avoided the pressure brought by Luan Nian. His gaze was deep and somewhat cold, as if Shang Zhitao had offended him.

Luan Nian sat back in his seat, ignoring his racing thoughts from a moment ago.

The fighting cocks in both their hearts started acting up again, with Shang Zhitao’s being especially agitated. She curled up, determined not to have any contact with Luan Nian, not even the brushing of clothes.

When the plane landed, Shang Zhitao turned on her phone, and a call came in immediately. It was Xin Zhaozhou’s number, the one that had messaged her last night. After some thought, she answered: “Hi.”

She hadn’t heard Xin Zhaozhou’s voice for several years. That voice carried the flavor of old times: “Taotao.”

He called her Taotao. Back then, he had various ways of calling her name—Shang Zhitao, Taotao, Zhitao, Peach—all according to his mood. Shang Zhitao didn’t speak.

“You’ve landed, right?” Xin Zhaozhou asked her.

“Yes.”

“I’m coming to the airport to pick you up. Can we sit together for a while?”

“Okay.”

Shang Zhitao wanted to refuse him, but she also felt that her heart was clear and there was no need to avoid him. What had happened between them was several years in the past. They had each started their work and lives. Times had changed, and there was no need to revisit the past.

She hung up and called her Guangzhou branch colleague: “Lee, just pick up Luke.”

“Yes, I have a friend in Shenzhen who happens to be coming to the airport to pick me up.”

“Yes, also at the parking lot. I’ll go with Luke.”

Shang Zhitao hung up and said her first words to Luan Nian since boarding: “Lee has sent a car to pick you up, waiting in the parking lot. He’ll send me the location shortly, and I’ll take you there.”

“Mm.”

An “mm” was just an “mm,” but he sat without moving. Shang Zhitao watched as passengers gradually disembarked. Luan Nian still sat motionless. She couldn’t help asking him: “Aren’t you getting off the plane?”

“What’s the rush?”

Shang Zhitao fell silent. When most passengers had disembarked, Luan Nian finally stood up, took his luggage, and walked forward, ignoring Shang Zhitao.

Shang Zhitao knew he was doing it on purpose. She stood on tiptoe to take down her luggage and ran several steps to catch up with him.

“There’s no work arrangement tonight, right? If not, I’ll go my separate way. I made plans with a friend.”

“Friend?”

“Ex-boyfriend,” Shang Zhitao said these three words very clearly, and smiled at Luan Nian.