Since they had a flight that evening and Dou Yiqing was worried she might feel dizzy again, she once more sat in the front passenger seat.
The car travelled in silence for ten minutes.
Apart from the low music playing inside, there was no other sound.
Finally unable to endure it, Qin Yun turned his head.
“Dou Yiqing, you’ve been staring at me for ten minutes. If you have something to say, say it.”
“I have nothing to say.”
Dou Yiqing folded her arms and silently moved her gaze away.
Several seconds later, she shook her head and sighed.
“Your social circle is such a mess.”
Qin Yun:
“…”
“What does that have to do with me? Even if it’s messy, it’s the three of them who are involved.”
Qin Yun turned the steering wheel and explained, “That hug just now was a habit. Her grandmother is German. That’s how her family and close friends greet each other.”
Dou Yiqing nodded.
“No wonder she’s so beautiful. She’s mixed-race.”
Qin Yun glanced towards the roadside and lightly pressed the brake.
“We’re about to enter the motorway. Do you want to buy something to drink for the journey?”
“I don’t.”
Dou Yiqing turned around.
“Wen Ci, do you—”
Wen Ci sat in the back seat with her head resting against the car door.
Her hair fell across half her face, and her shoulders rose and fell gently.
At some point, she had apparently fallen asleep.
“Neither of us wants anything. Drive.”
Dou Yiqing lowered her voice before continuing, “What’s going on between Duan Wei and Xiang Wenwen? Their marriage seems good one moment and terrible the next.”
After spending the past few days together, her relationship with Qin Yun had changed slightly from before.
They were almost friends now.
For some reason, Dou Yiqing also felt more relaxed in front of him, so she openly displayed her curiosity.
“That’s normal. I said back then—”
Dou Yiqing slapped his arm.
“Keep your voice down. Wen Ci is sleeping.”
“Hiss—That hurt! Dou Yiqing, are your fists made of iron? Is this the attitude you use when asking someone for gossip?”
Qin Yun shook his shoulder.
“You know both of them. We were all high-school classmates. Do you genuinely think they’re suited to marriage?”
Xiang Wenwen had been their class monitor throughout all three years of high school.
He lived up to his name: gentle, refined and scholarly.
His grades consistently placed him within the top twenty of the year, making him a genuine model student.
Duan Wei was beautiful, youthful and energetic.
Her grades were slightly below average, her family was wealthy, and she loved excitement and having fun.
She was interested in every activity except studying.
“They are suited,” Dou Yiqing said after considering it. “Isn’t that the standard pairing in romance novels?”
“Those books have damaged your brain,” Qin Yun evaluated.
Then he was hit again.
“How are they suited at all? Duan Wei loved having fun when we were students, and she’s even worse now.”
Qin Yun analysed, “She hates living according to a routine. She has to travel once every month. Even the clothing shops she opened were only for amusement. Her family is rich, so all that matters is whether she’s happy.”
“Xiang Wenwen, on the other hand, is unbelievably boring. He studied while he was at school, then worked after graduating. He barely has a few free days each month.”
Besides, Qin Yun had known Duan Wei since childhood.
He understood her personality.
She was spoiled, delicate and often behaved outrageously.
For the rigid and conventional Xiang Wenwen, she had always been slightly too much.
Before they married, Xiang Wenwen had behaved quite well.
He was patient and knew how to coax her.
Who would have expected his attitude to change less than six months into the marriage?
Duan Wei visited Qin Yun every day to complain that Xiang Wenwen ignored her and subjected her to the silent treatment.
Recently, however, she had even stopped complaining as much.
Instead, she constantly wanted to find Qin Yun and Zhou Wu.
Of course, Qin Yun believed she mainly wanted to find Zhou Wu.
Qin Yun had always suspected that Xiang Wenwen’s motives were not pure.
However, he could not say that directly to Duan Wei, and it was even less appropriate to mention it before other people.
“In any case, I think they’ll divorce sooner or later,” Qin Yun concluded.
Dou Yiqing considered it.
“Could she and Zhou Wu already have reconciled?”
“Of course not. Is Zhou Wu insane? Why would he have an affair with her?”
Qin Yun continued, “Besides, he’s extremely busy. He only recently returned to the country.”
“Then why are they staying together?” Dou Yiqing asked. “Is living with your ex-boyfriend also common in Germany?”
“…”
Qin Yun was rendered speechless.
Only after a long while did he say, “You stayed there too. There’s more than one bedroom in the villa.”
“Anyway, someone like Zhou Wu would never have an affair. It might be possible after Duan Wei divorces, though.”
“Wasn’t Zhou Wu cheated on by Class Monitor—”
Dou Yiqing paused.
“And he’d still be willing to reconcile with Duan Wei? Does he love her that much?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. It didn’t count as cheating.”
Qin Yun hurriedly removed the imaginary green hat from his friend’s head.
“They were in a long-distance relationship abroad at the time, with different time zones. Duan Wei thought Zhou Wu was too cold and never contacted her, so they broke up.”
“She only began dating Xiang Wenwen after the breakup.”
As for the second half of her question—
“Who knows?”
Qin Yun spoke slowly.
“But when Duan Wei got married last year, Zhou Wu genuinely seemed irritated beyond belief.”
“And after breaking up with her, he never had anyone else around him.”
They had briefly discussed it at the supermarket.
At the time, Qin Yun had believed Zhou Wu truly no longer cared.
Unexpectedly, Duan Wei had arrived immediately afterwards.
Qin Yun clicked his tongue twice.
“He probably really does like her quite a lot.”
One wheel rolled over a stone, making the car jolt.
Wen Ci’s head struck the door with moderate force.
The impact was heavy, but it made no sound.
In the back seat where no one could see her, the fingers resting on Wen Ci’s knees calmly twisted together.
All the unnecessary thoughts she had entertained earlier that day had now completely disappeared.
Her mind was empty.
She only regretted not truly being asleep.
…
After they reached the airport and checked in their luggage, boarding began.
Dou Yiqing sent Qin Yun a voice message saying they had boarded.
He replied.
Inside the cabin, his flamboyant voice played aloud.
“Dou Yiqing, if you run off the plane and come with me now, there’s still time.”
A flight attendant who had just closed the cabin door passed beside them and turned back cautiously.
“?”
“Are you ill?”
Dou Yiqing still insulted him, though she could not suppress the smile on her face.
“I’m switching off my phone. Bye.”
After putting down her phone, Dou Yiqing turned towards Wen Ci.
“Should we tell Zhou Wu too?”
Wen Ci spread out the blanket and covered herself.
She smiled faintly.
“There’s no need. He’s busy. He probably won’t care.”
Dou Yiqing nodded.
“That’s true. We shouldn’t disturb him.”
By the time the plane reached Jiangcheng, it was almost ten in the evening.
After saying goodbye to Dou Yiqing, Wen Ci entered a taxi.
Tall buildings and trees rushed past outside the window.
Wen Ci leaned against the seat, holding her phone.
Out of habit, she opened Moments and began scrolling down.
Then she stopped.
She had nearly gone to look at Zhou Wu’s posts again.
She had barely drunk any water on the plane, and her throat felt dry.
Wen Ci swallowed and was about to close her phone when she noticed half of Duan Wei’s profile picture appearing below.
Unable to resist, she scrolled down.
**Duan Wei: My luck is incredible. The typhoon passed just as I arrived. We’re going diving together tomorrow!**
A photograph accompanied the post.
Duan Wei sat on the sofa wearing an oversized T-shirt.
The design looked familiar.
After thinking about it, Wen Ci remembered that Zhou Wu had worn it on the day he collected her for Qin Yun’s birthday party.
The post had been uploaded ten minutes earlier.
The background was the villa living room.
Only the night before last, Wen Ci had sat on that same sofa watching a film until she nearly fell asleep.
So giving someone clothes meant nothing at all.
Once again, she had overthought it.
They had already agreed to remain friends with benefits—to comfort one another while waiting for someone else to change their mind.
Why had she begun imagining things merely because of several insignificant gestures?
She was only creating trouble for herself.
The taxi was dim.
After staring at the bright phone screen for too long, her eyes began to ache.
Wen Ci blinked forcefully twice and put the phone into her pocket.
The taxi stopped.
The driver, who had been working all day, turned around impatiently.
“We’re here. You can remove your luggage yourself, right?”
Wen Ci paid and got out.
She went to the boot and struggled to lift down her twenty-four-inch suitcase.
A light rain was falling outside.
Wen Ci lowered her head as she walked.
She encountered someone familiar—one of her mother’s mahjong friends.
When the woman saw her, she greeted her enthusiastically.
“Wen Ci, did you travel somewhere? Why are you returning so late? Would you like Auntie to share her umbrella with you for a while?”
Wen Ci did not respond.
She lowered her head and passed beneath the edge of the woman’s umbrella.
The woman had never been ignored by Wen Ci before and froze.
Several seconds later, Wen Ci seemed to realise what had happened.
She turned back and smiled.
“No, thank you, Auntie. It’s only a short distance. I’m almost home. Goodbye.”
…
Wen Ci’s parents would not return until the following day.
The house was currently dark and silent.
Wen Ci removed her shoes in the entrance hall.
When she looked up, the black staircase before her resembled a beast opening its jaws.
The familiar smell of home surrounded her.
From the living room came the scraping sound of the clock’s second hand, faint and lifeless.
At that moment, Wen Ci belatedly realised that her holiday had ended.
She struggled to drag her suitcase upstairs.
Without unpacking, she turned and went straight to shower.
Afterwards, she carelessly dried her hair and fell heavily onto the bed.
She was so tired.
Even though she had done nothing that day.
Wen Ci pressed her cheek against the pillow.
Just as her eyelids began closing, WeChat chimed.
Her mother had sent a voice message lasting several dozen seconds.
She rambled about many things, then finally asked, “By the way, did you take notes during the training? I told you before that you must write everything down to deepen your impression.”
“When I return tomorrow morning, bring me the notes so I can look at them.”
The phrase *misfortunes never come alone* inexplicably appeared in Wen Ci’s mind.
But she quickly accepted it.
She had been so happy over the past several days.
Naturally, some compensation was required.
She replied, **All right**, then messaged the teacher who had attended the training course.
She asked whether the teacher could send her photographs of the notes.
The teacher replied quickly.
**Teacher: Sorry, Ms Wen. I’m extremely lazy and didn’t really take any notes.**
**Wen Ci: All right. It’s fine. Sorry for troubling you.**
…
At midnight, Wen Ci sat before her computer.
Online lessons previously recorded by the training lecturers played on the screen while she lowered her head and fabricated her own training notes line by line.
Perhaps because she had been caught in the rain, Wen Ci’s head had begun aching faintly again.
Occasionally, the dense writing on the page tangled together before her eyes, becoming impossible to read.
Wen Ci rubbed her eyes.
She was about to stand and pour some warm water when her phone rang.
Zhou Wu was video-calling her.
Wen Ci stared at the screen for a long time.
Then she instinctively tidied her messy hair and answered.
Zhou Wu also appeared somewhat tired.
His eyes were lowered lazily.
Only after she answered did he raise the phone until it was level with his face.
After seeing the background behind her and realising she was at home, his expression relaxed slightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me when you arrived, Ms Wen?”
“I was afraid of disturbing you, so I didn’t say anything.”
Wen Ci looked listless.
Yet hearing Zhou Wu’s voice seemed to trigger an automatic response, making her heartbeat quicken unconsciously.
Noticing the desk lamp beside her, Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow.
“You began reading the moment you returned?”
Wen Ci gave a quiet hum.
“I—”
“Zhou Wu, did we leave my surfboard with yours at that little shop beside the beach?”
Behind Zhou Wu, the door opened.
Duan Wei leaned inside and asked, “The pink matching one we bought together before.”
When she saw what was happening, Duan Wei glanced towards the familiar, delicate face on the screen.
Pretending not to understand, she pouted coquettishly.
“What time is it? Why is work still contacting you?”
“Didn’t I say I wanted to walk along the beach tonight?”
…
By the time Wen Ci reacted, she had already pressed the button to end the call.
Zhou Wu sent her a question mark.
She found it slightly difficult to breathe.
She felt regretful and upset, yet none of it was unexpected.
Wen Ci held her phone and stared blankly for a long time before replying:
**Wen Ci: I’m organising work. Since I’ve been away for several days, a lot has accumulated. I’m slightly busy. Let’s talk another time.**
**Zhou Wu: All right.**
**Zhou Wu: I didn’t get the chance to tell you. I have something to handle, so I won’t return to Jiangcheng for a while. I’ll contact you when I’m back.**
Wen Ci put down her phone and continued taking notes.
The lecturer’s voice entered through her earphones, blending into indistinct noise she could no longer understand.
Fine rain tapped densely against the window.
Wen Ci removed her earphones, buried her face in her arms and felt that she might be falling ill again.
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