When Wu Man regained consciousness, Yu Jiaze was already gone.

Her throat hurt terribly, feeling like it contained a branding iron, burning so hot that white smoke rose from all four walls. Her entire body felt like it had just been fished out of a steamer, covered in sticky, clammy sweat.

She struggled to raise her arm to touch her forehead, estimating the fever must be around thirty-nine degrees Celsius.

The clock at the bedside showed it was now seven in the evening. She had actually slept unconscious for an entire day.

Wu Man stared blankly at the ceiling, not knowing what to do next. That scorching heat seemed to have burned out her brain’s nerves as well, filling her with weariness toward everything in the world.

The next moment, she still forced herself to pull it together, stepping unsteadily out of bed.

While Yu Jiaze wasn’t back, she had to leave quickly.

Wu Man hurried down to the first-floor living room and froze in shock.

The living room was piled full of uniform cardboard boxes, marked with content labels in marker: shoes, clothes, jewelry… She suddenly had a very ominous premonition and immediately opened one of the boxes.

Sure enough, they were her clothes.

These were all her things that had been kept at the villa.

Wu Man frantically pulled out her phone and immediately called Yu Jiaze. It took several attempts before he answered.

Yu Jiaze’s tone was impatient: “I’m in a meeting.”

“What’s with those boxes in the living room?!”

“Isn’t it quite clear?” Yu Jiaze was brief and to the point. “I’ve already canceled the villa lease for you.”

“…”

Yu Jiaze said with finality: “You’ll live here from now on.”

He hung up directly after speaking.

Wu Man slumped onto the sofa, cursing at the already disconnected busy tone.

As if venting, she pushed over all the boxes. After the entire living room was swept into a messy garbage dump, Wu Man triumphantly lifted the corners of her mouth. Before she could laugh out loud, her phone rang inopportunely. It was Wang Cheng, whom she hadn’t contacted in a long time.

After a few simple pleasantries, he got straight to the point: “Xiao Man, ‘Spring Night’ has been having some issues with the review process recently. I had anticipated this situation might arise, which is why I was so welcoming when General Manager Yu came to invest. Now I wonder if he could help contact the review department to communicate? The entire crew’s hard work can’t be stuck here…”

Wu Man’s smile froze at the corners of her mouth. She experienced what it meant to have words stuck in her throat unable to come out.

She replied with difficulty: “Okay… I’ll ask.”

Wu Man hung up the phone and stood dazed amid the mess on the floor for a full fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes later, she bent down and, supporting her feverish body, bit by bit put everything away into the room.

—

When Yu Jiaze returned to the villa late at night, the boxes in the living room had already been cleared away. Wu Man’s belongings had quietly merged into this house.

He went up to the second floor and pushed open the bedroom door. On the huge bed, a fragile figure was deeply sunken in it, her head full of curly red hair tangled on the dark bedding, like sprawling vines that could only cling to his soil.

This image made Yu Jiaze very comfortable.

He didn’t turn on the light, sitting in the armchair in the darkness, gazing at Wu Man’s sleeping face in the dark, recalling a very, very long time ago, the tenth day after she first followed him.

All the minor celebrities who had followed him before would use every trick in the book on this day, wanting to become the exception who stayed by his side. So his pleasure in keeping people sometimes was merely to wait for this day.

Beautiful appearances were chicken ribs to him. He had seen too many and had long grown tired of them.

What he wanted was interesting.

Therefore, for Wu Man, he was especially looking forward to what move she would make, after all, she was the first person who made him find her interesting from the very first meeting.

Only Wu Man disappointed him.

At exactly 24:00 that night, she sent him a text message: “Thank you for appearing before me in my most difficult time. I will return the money you gave me in the future. Best wishes.”

Playing the victim, playing hard to get. After reading the text, Yu Jiaze curled his lip and tossed it aside.

He bet that within three days, Wu Man would appear before him again with some other excuse. No different from those little playthings he’d kept before.

Only this time he lost his bet with himself. Forget three days—it had been almost thirty days, and Wu Man had no news whatsoever.

It was one day when he suddenly remembered there was still this person called Wu Man, who had so decisively disappeared from his field of vision. Driven by curiosity, he had someone investigate what she was doing now.

The result left him speechless. She was filming a minor supporting role with only three lines of dialogue throughout the entire production.

On a day with nothing to do, he quietly went to visit the set. It happened to be a funeral scene. That little bird stood gray and disheveled as a background character. In the director’s monitor, her face was completely blurred, yet she still cried heart-wrenchingly, cried until even Yu Jiaze felt annoyed.

When the scene ended, Yu Jiaze had someone call Wu Man to his car.

Obvious surprise flashed across Wu Man’s face: “Are you here to visit someone on set?”

“What if I said I came to visit you?”

She was stunned with a blank expression: “…Me?”

“I remember giving you a better role before.”

“Oh, that one…” Wu Man paused, seeming uncertain whether to say it, but finally spoke out.

“It was taken away. The person who got the role is your current lover. You’re an important person with many things to forget—it’s normal you wouldn’t know.”

Yu Jiaze somehow heard several notes of sarcasm in that.

He truly didn’t know about this. Generally, when they asked him for things, he would casually agree and wouldn’t remember at all if there was any overlap.

It wasn’t like there hadn’t been conflicts over roles before, but the first person to ask would immediately rush to him crying and making a scene, absolutely not like Wu Man, who was a complete clam.

“So you just gave up? Didn’t come find me to ask?”

“But we had already ended our relationship.”

Yu Jiaze was at a loss for words. That line had always been his to say.

Now with positions reversed, hearing it from someone else’s mouth felt very strange, yet very interesting.

Yu Jiaze raised an eyebrow: “That role is still yours now.”

“Uh, it’s fine…”

Yu Jiaze interrupted her: “Because my current lover is you now.”

Wu Man’s eyes widened slightly: “So those ten days were… a probation period?”

Probation period? She really could come up with that.

Yu Jiaze couldn’t help laughing: “Then congratulations, you’re the first person to be made permanent so far.”

He had thought this whim of his couldn’t last past a second set of ten days. In fact, he did indeed grow tired very quickly.

That day happened to be New Year’s Eve. He had to return to the Yu family ancestral home for dinner. Before leaving, he said to Wu Man: “You can go back now.”

Wu Man understood his meaning, silently nodded, and said: “Goodbye.”

Yu Jiaze left without looking back. The car sped through the deserted Chang’an Street. He rested his chin on his hand, watching the streetlights outside the car window form countless chaotic streamlines.

One, two, three… Counting listlessly to who knows which number, the car finally arrived at the Yu family estate.

Yu Jiaze personally carried several bags down from the car. Passing through the front garden, his brother, a decade younger than him, suddenly jumped out from the bushes and crashed into his waist.

His form paused. He looked down condescendingly at the remote-controlled realistic tank at his feet.

The little boy was chasing this car and hadn’t expected to bump into Yu Jiaze. At this moment, he cowered and lowered his head, wanting to reach out silently to retrieve his toy.

Yu Jiaze’s leather shoe moved one step faster, extending to step on the tank.

He raised the corners of his mouth in a smile: “How can Yu Jiaze’s younger brother still be playing with this at this age?”

Although he was smiling, there was no smile in his eyes.

Yu Jiaze separated one bag from his hand and gave it to the little boy: “This is a New Year’s gift your older brother bought for you.”

The little boy’s expression brightened, but he hesitated and didn’t dare accept it.

The expression on Yu Jiaze’s face softened, extending it gently: “Open it and see.”

“Thank you, brother…” The boy seemed bewitched by Yu Jiaze’s tone and finally dared to accept it. He couldn’t wait to unwrap the packaging, then froze completely—

Beneath the exquisite packaging was a crude hammer.

Yu Jiaze smiled with great pleasure: “Take it and try the feel?” He kicked the tank with the tip of his shoe. “Or should I help you smash it?”

The little boy screamed and threw down the hammer, running into the main house as if he’d seen a ghost.

Yu Jiaze clicked his tongue: “Ill-mannered thing. Can gifts just be thrown on the ground?”

He kicked away the hammer and tank with one foot and followed into the main house.

The hall had old-fashioned Chinese-style decoration. The furniture was all vermillion gold-threaded rosewood, making everything seem ancient and stale. Therefore, his excessively young stepmother sitting in the main seat was so incongruous.

She stood up with an awkward smile: “Jiaze is back. What were you just saying outside with your little brother?”

“I brought him a gift.” Yu Jiaze lifted the bags in his hand. “Of course, there’s also one for you.”

“Hehe, how thoughtful…”

Though she said this, her body honestly showed no intention of wanting to take it.

Yu Jiaze threw the bags onto the sofa, sat down loosely to the side, and raised his eyes to meet the gaze of Father Yu coming down from the stairwell.

He was holding the hand of the boy with slightly reddened eyes, patted his shoulder, signaling him to go to his mother.

“Come up here for a moment.”

Father Yu spoke impolitely to Yu Jiaze below.

Yu Jiaze shrugged and walked up to the second floor in a few steps. Father Yu was already standing on the balcony, a cigar in his hand, his gaze fixed on the hammer and tank still scattered on the lawn in the garden.

Yu Jiaze approached. That smell drifted to his nostrils. He imperceptibly furrowed his brow. The smell of nicotine made him want to vomit.

“You’re becoming more and more outrageous.” Father Yu’s tone was flat, impossible to read for joy or anger. “On New Year’s Eve, bringing a hammer home?”

“I just saw that little brother’s car has been played with from last year until now. I thought it necessary to educate him. Since you, Father, don’t manage it, as his older brother I should manage it, right?”

“Nonsense! How have I not managed it?”

“Wasn’t it you who taught me? Things loved too much are easily destroyed. One must treat everything with cold eyes. Especially the things you cherish.” Yu Jiaze’s tone was sarcastic. “I used to have to personally kill a bird I liked. Now letting him smash a lifeless car is already quite merciful, isn’t it?”

Father Yu was stunned, took a puff of his cigar. The smoke lingered in his mouth, then slowly drifted out: “If he wants to play, let him play.”

Yu Jiaze’s fingers resting on the railing unconsciously tightened.

His face darkened as he smiled: “This doesn’t seem like you.”

“You don’t need to worry about Chenyang. First manage the subsidiary under your control properly. Another year of deficits—useless.”

A woman’s voice came from the first floor: “Darling, shall we start dinner? Chenyang is hungry too.”

The little boy followed with a soft call of “Dad.”

Father Yu responded, placed the cigar in the ashtray on the balcony, and raised his chin at Yu Jiaze: “Go down and eat.”

Yu Jiaze stood without moving.

“You’re right. The company has a report I haven’t finished processing. How am I qualified to sit at the table and eat? I should go process it first.”

His tone was self-deprecatingly relaxed. Those indescribable feelings of jealousy, sorrow, and resentment were like water droplets falling into a lake, instantly dissipating and merging beneath the waves. Looking at him, he was still a windless lake surface, so calm and self-possessed.

—

Yu Jiaze drove back to his own villa. He had thought it would be pitch dark, but discovered the living room still had dim yellow lights on.

That little bird hadn’t left yet?

Slightly surprised, he pushed open the door. The open kitchen counter was piled with a few vegetable leaves and sliced tomatoes. A small pot on the stove was bubbling as it simmered. Wu Man, with her hair in a bun, was bustling back and forth between the counters, looking so content as if she really were a happy little bird.

Yu Jiaze watched her silently for a while until Wu Man turned around holding the cooked instant noodles and was startled by him. Her hand holding the pot trembled, nearly causing the entire pot of noodles to be ruined.

“…I thought you wouldn’t come back tonight, so I was planning to leave tomorrow.”

“Don’t need to go home for New Year?”

Wu Man lowered her eyes and hummed very softly: “There’s nothing good to go back to.”

Yu Jiaze’s heart suddenly felt a bit more comfortable.

People are such despicable creatures. When someone serves as an even more miserable comparison, one’s own disgusting matters seem to become not so hard to accept.

He leisurely sat down at the table and tapped the surface: “Bring another set of bowl and chopsticks.”

“You’re going to eat too?”

“Is there a problem?”

“This is instant noodles that cost a few yuan per pack… are you sure you want to eat this on New Year’s Eve?”

“You can eat it, why can’t I?”

Actually, Wu Man had guessed correctly. Before this, he had never touched instant noodles. That was something nutritionless that lower-class people ate.

But today, as soon as he entered and smelled that aroma, it instantly aroused his appetite that had clearly already died.

He chose to make an exception this once. Anyway, with Wu Man, this wasn’t the first time he’d made an exception.

She brought over the bowl and chopsticks and set them properly for him, then sat down on her own to eat. She ate with great relish, chewing like a little bird pecking at food, her head bobbing. Someone who didn’t know would think she was eating at a three-star Michelin restaurant.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

Wu Man, in the midst of her busy eating, looked up at him, seeming to realize she was eating too ferociously. She stopped embarrassedly and transferred some noodles into his empty bowl.

Yu Jiaze poked at the noodles and asked: “You’re satisfied with just eating this?”

“Of course. Since my debut, I haven’t eaten instant noodles.” She blissfully inhaled the aroma. “I only dare indulge myself like this during New Year.”

“Since you’ve sacrificed so much wanting to stand out, why not ask me for more resources?”

Yu Jiaze found it very strange. After following him, she had only made two requests: first, could she borrow some money from him, and second, just let her act in any role, no matter what it was.

Nothing more than that.

The minor actors he’d played with were as numerous as fish crossing the river. She seemed like a dead fish washed up on the riverbank.

Wu Man was stunned, then suddenly asked him in return: “It’s always others asking you for things. Don’t you have anything you want?”

His chopsticks paused in stirring the noodles, a very strange emotion surging in his heart.

Someone actually dared to ask him what he wanted?

This was the first time he’d heard such a novel question.

Yu Jiaze put down his chopsticks, his fingers tapping the table, looking at Wu Man with amusement: “Then what can you give me?”

“I don’t have money to give you. What you want isn’t money either, right?” She drew out a long “hmm”: “But… at times like this for you now, I can be with you.”

“What do you mean by ‘times like this for me now’?”

She said bluntly: “You’re sad.”

The air froze for an instant. Yu Jiaze’s tone turned cold: “You’re quite good at being presumptuous.”

Wu Man wasn’t frightened by his tone: “Actors are very sensitive to changes in people’s emotions. Although I haven’t been by your side long, I can feel that you’re indeed unhappy right now.”

“…Interesting.”

Yu Jiaze rested his face on his hand and laughed silently. He had thought Wu Man was so detached from the world and pretending to be noble, but it turned out she was waiting for him here all along.

A crow flying out from wild grass and sprawling vines—how could it be the pure and innocent white dove in front of the cathedral? No one would give bread to crows the way they would to white doves. Therefore, crows could only conceal their true nature, using cunning to exchange for survival.

Compared to the universally loved white dove, he was more willing to keep a crow that everyone wanted to beat.

Because he had never been the person who would kindly scatter breadcrumbs while passing through the square. After all, the bread in his hands also had to be obtained by snatching food.

He would forever hate those who took everything for granted because they were favored—those were the true waste.

—

Time quickly pointed to 12 o’clock. Wu Man came out of her room holding a barrel of fireworks: “Want to set them off together?”

Yu Jiaze was sitting on the sofa processing documents. Hearing this, he looked up at the thing in her hands and said with amusement: “You bought this even when alone?”

“Having fireworks when spending time alone makes it feel livelier.”

Yu Jiaze lowered his head again, his tone flat: “I don’t like fireworks.”

They were nothing but fleeting mirages.

“Oh.” Wu Man obediently nodded. “Then I’ll take them farther away to set off.”

Her steps toward the balcony paused. She turned around, put on her coat, and went out the door.

Before long, Yu Jiaze heard the explosive sounds of fireworks coming from the courtyard, making it impossible for him to concentrate on work.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled open the white curtain, and looking up, beneath the densest blue of the night sky, a rich red rose up. They collided with each other, bouncing off stunning sparks, casting undulating reflections on Wu Man’s face.

She turned her face, her eyes crackling with the brilliant afterglow still remaining.

Extremely beautiful.

At this moment, he had no heart to watch the fireworks, but watched her instead, as if seeing a time-lapse blooming night-blooming cereus, all his senses slowly stretched out.

The two locked eyes through the clear floor-to-ceiling window. The window surface still had shadows of fireworks. She was wrapped inside like the most brilliant flower core. Her hands cupped into a small megaphone, she shouted loudly at him—Happy New Year—

It seemed that with this forceful shout, some of the unhappiness that had been stuck in his heart tonight was truly blasted away.

He didn’t know what that feeling was. He only felt his heart move, making him hazily recall that first time at age seven when he received the mynah bird someone had sent over.

That mynah bird that quietly accompanied him during his loneliest times.

Only the one before his eyes was a scheming little crow who loved eating junk food and setting off noisy fireworks.

It didn’t matter. He wanted to raise her as his little bird.

After this, would every new year, with a shout like that, become a bit happier?