He didn’t stay well-behaved for long. Out of nowhere, Yan Lie spoke: “You know what?”

Fang Zhuo thought to herself that she didn’t want to know.

She wiped the last of the rainwater clean, folded the cloth, flipped it over, and wiped the surface again.

Yan Lie slowed his speech to a coaxing tone: “I actually bought you a gift, you know.”

Fang Zhuo asked: “Why the ‘actually’?”

“I was going to give it to you, but you weren’t at school. I was in such a rush to get here that I forgot to bring it.” Yan Lie said lightly, “I bought you a few items of clothing.”

That didn’t sound particularly unusual. Fang Zhuo said: “I’ve already bought what I needed.”

Yan Lie sat up straight and raised his voice: “That’s different — I bought these for you!”

Fang Zhuo thought of the last thing Yan Lie had bought her — the cap — and felt it was a little hard to say anything positive.

When the mood struck him, his taste really did lean bold. Unconventional to the point of making one’s heart lurch.

Fang Zhuo went to the bathroom to rinse out the cloth. By the time she dried her hands and walked back, Yan Lie had already straightened the bed.

His clothes from the day before were ruined by mud and couldn’t be changed into; he resigned himself to wearing Ye Yuncheng’s jacket again until he could get back to school.

Yan Lie pulled up the model photos he’d saved earlier and turned his phone toward Fang Zhuo to prove that his taste had been reasonable this time.

Tall as he was, he stood in the doorway with his ears pricked, waiting for Fang Zhuo’s verdict.

A light-coloured knit top and a colour-blocked sweatshirt. They were genuinely quite nice.

Though Fang Zhuo didn’t pay close attention to clothing brands, she sensed instinctively that neither piece was cheap — she’d seen a similar logo on Yan Lie a few times before. She considered a moment, then said: “You don’t need to give me expensive gifts. Clothes especially — please don’t.”

“It’s not that expensive, and it’s money I earned myself.” Yan Lie pocketed his phone. “I want to spend on you. I’ve already been exercising a lot of restraint, Fang Zhuo.”

“Thank you, but no.” Fang Zhuo said. “When I give you gifts, it’s because I want to. But when you give me gifts, I feel pressure.”

Her double standard was stated so honestly that it stopped Yan Lie completely in his tracks, and for a moment he couldn’t find a single one of the counter-arguments he’d prepared.

Yan Lie said carefully: “Do you think this logic… might have some issues?”

“No.” Fang Zhuo said. “Think it over carefully.”

However he turned it over, it was pure bandit logic.

Yan Lie said: “You’re being a bit high-handed here, Fang Zhuo.”

Fang Zhuo wasn’t quite sure how to put it into words.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering whether she was being too sensitive or whether her pride was simply too strong.

An answer surfaced in her mind almost without needing to think.

Yes.

But that wasn’t a flaw.

The Fang Zhuo of the past nineteen years had been this way, and most likely couldn’t change. It was her weakness, and it was also her fuel.

In whatever relationship she was in, her self-respect would always hold a vital place.

Yan Lie probably understood this, more or less. But he still felt a little wronged, and said softly: “Can’t I spend on you? I’m your boyfriend. I’ve never heard of a rule that says two people in a relationship can’t give each other gifts… You said you like giving to me, so can’t I, simply because I like to, give something to you?”

Fang Zhuo looked down, vexed by her own lack of eloquence. She rubbed the calluses on her fingers and tried to explain to him: “I really do have a lot of thoughts about this. I don’t know if you understand. I can’t help caring about what people think… like what your parents think, what your friends think, and my own sense of self-regard.”

“You don’t need to worry about any of that!” Yan Lie made a visible effort to stay calm, resting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not that serious — my parents genuinely aren’t going to make anything of it, and my friends even less so. And besides, what do you have to quarrel with yourself about? I know I’m the most generous person you’ve ever dated, Fang Zhuo.”

“If it were just about me, I wouldn’t care. But when it comes to you, I would mind.” Fang Zhuo’s brow furrowed slightly, her words coming slowly, as though each one had to be carefully weighed. “I don’t want to be the subject of worldly gossip before I’m strong enough to stand above it… and right now I really can’t give you very much. I need to take care of my uncle first. So at the moment, you’re not actually the person I’m most generous toward — I’m sorry.”

Yan Lie wanted to say it didn’t matter, that he could accept that completely. It wasn’t as though he genuinely needed Fang Zhuo to empty her savings for him. He had no intention of draining anyone’s livelihood.

Fang Zhuo added: “Of course, please believe me — I’ll achieve financial independence soon enough.”

She counted it out on her fingers: “Once I have another fifteen thousand, I’ll feel confident spending freely. I’ve heard that graduate students can work on research projects with their supervisors. It won’t be a huge amount of money, but whatever I earn, I can give it all to you.”

By the time she got to that last part, Yan Lie felt an inexplicable warmth wash over him, and found himself bizarrely appreciating the concept of being cheerfully supported. He held his face rigidly straight to keep from laughing, and made one last curving attempt at his original goal, asking quietly: “Can I at least contribute in reverse?”

Fang Zhuo said: “No.”

Yan Lie thought it over. His mind always wound through more twists than Fang Zhuo’s. After a moment of deliberation, he couldn’t hold back a smile: “You really do think far ahead.”

Fang Zhuo wasn’t sure whether he’d understood her point, but she was satisfied by his settled tone and nodded: “I think it’s worth thinking seriously about.”

“Alright, then.” Yan Lie perked up quickly, and even found the energy to seize on something: with a grinning delight he said, “So you care about what my parents think — does that mean you’re planning to marry me?”

Fang Zhuo: “……”

Yan Lie said urgently: “I’ve thought about it too, I’ve thought about it! But the legal marriage age for men in China is twenty-two — I’m still three years short. If you’re not in a rush, I think we could wait until after graduation, that would be a better time. The rumour is that a marriage certificate counts as extra credit, but I haven’t heard of University A accepting that kind of documentation. And in most cases, our credits are already over the limit anyway.”

Fang Zhuo: “……”

Fang Zhuo turned and walked away.

Yan Lie followed close behind her, sticking to her side: “If you’ve already thought that far ahead, then let me consult you on one more matter. When would you like to get married — summer or autumn? Western style or Chinese style?”

Fang Zhuo walked into the kitchen and grabbed the Bald Rooster.

The stub-tailed chicken failed to recognise its benefactor. The moment it saw a human it squawked, thrashing uselessly and sending two feathers flying, before Fang Zhuo clamped down on its fate with a firm hold on its wings.

Yan Lie fell silent. He still had some fondness for the little mascot’s life and said quietly: “What are you doing?”

Fang Zhuo raised her eyes and pointed at the refrigerator with a cool look: “Stay over there. Help yourself to food. I have something to do outside.”

Yan Lie said: “But the topic we were just discussing—”

Fang Zhuo walked straight out the front door with the Bald Rooster in hand, and Yan Lie watched from a distance as she disappeared.

She hadn’t gone far — just about as far as the rice paddies — when the phone in her pocket started to buzz.

He’d apparently figured out she wasn’t going to kill the chicken, and was pushing his luck again.

[Chat messages from Yan Lie — display name: “A Name of Fierceness”]

A Name of Fierceness: Besides your uncle, am I the most generous person in your life?

A Name of Fierceness: So you’re still willing to give me everything, right?

A Name of Fierceness: For what it’s worth, I’m also willing. If you don’t mind, all the household finances can be managed by you from now on.

After a moment — apparently realising Fang Zhuo wasn’t replying — Yan Lie reined himself in a little.

A Name of Fierceness: Something more near-term: what kind of gift do you like? How about I buy you a little cake?

A Name of Fierceness: You like spicy sauce — should I get you some spicy sauce?

A Name of Fierceness: Could you please consider your boyfriend’s desire to spend money on you?

[Chat message from Fang Zhuo — display name: “Little Sun”]

Little Sun: Come back and I’ll treat you to chicken.

A Name of Fierceness: …I don’t really like eating chicken that much.

A Name of Fierceness: But I do like eating food you make.

A Name of Fierceness: 【Husky grinning stupidly】

This person was genuinely straightforward — like a certain historical figure famous for transparent intentions, unable to hide even the smallest of ulterior motives.

Truly remarkable.

Archimedes needed a lever long enough to move the earth. Yan Lie needed no such thing — just one adorable little brain of his.

—

Fang Zhuo made her way quickly to Liu Qiaohong’s home and handed the Bald Rooster over to him.

Liu Qiaohong saw her rough handling and hurried to take the chicken, untied the red string from its feet, and placed it in the wooden cage he’d prepared. After all the jostling of the journey, the Bald Rooster had given up its struggle, its voice gone raspy from squawking; in this unfamiliar environment, it let out only a token crow.

“It might actually be a lucky chicken,” Liu Qiaohong said, crouching down and tapping on the cage. “Look — ever since your family got this chicken, everything has been going well. Brother Ye’s business has picked up, you got into University A, even Little Mu’s condition has improved a lot, no more being cooped up indoors all day. Quite a few people in the village think this chicken is a good omen.”

Fang Zhuo: “??” What on earth had this chicken done to deserve such a reputation?

Fang Zhuo took out the money for the rice and handed over a hundred for now.

Liu Qiaohong accepted it with a smile and said: “I asked around to see who’d be willing to board it, and several people offered. I ended up choosing that orange farmer, Brother Li. His family has a kid taking the college entrance exams in two years — they’ll believe in any kind of luck right now. They definitely won’t let the Bald Rooster go hungry.”

Fang Zhuo genuinely couldn’t understand this chicken’s good fortune or longevity, but when she thought about it, the person who’d indulged it the most was probably herself.

What a loss. She’d raised a chicken and now had to see to its comfortable retirement.

It was all Yan Lie’s fault.

Liu Qiaohong also passed along the welfare supplement that Ye Yuncheng hadn’t collected yet. The weather was turning cold, so he’d used some of it to buy him a thermal undershirt.

As Fang Zhuo stepped out of Liu Qiaohong’s house with the items, she glanced at her phone and saw the most recent message at the top.

A Name of Fierceness: Zhuozhuo, I sat down on a little stool and reviewed the conversation — I’m quite glad you’re willing to talk to me about all of this. Going forward, please share your thoughts with me this directly.

A Name of Fierceness: I like being good to you, and I like the idea of my name being part of your future.

A Name of Fierceness: So when are you coming back? Is the Bald Rooster still alive?