It was the first time in Wen Ci’s life that she had done anything so thrilling. Her heart seemed ready to leap into her throat, and her mind went briefly blank.
“Have I?” Wen Ci replied. “But I’ve been eating all my meals on time at school lately.”
“It seems Jiangcheng Middle School’s canteen is still as terrible as ever,” Zhou Wu said.
Suddenly, several noises came from the window behind them.
The two exchanged a glance. Wen Ci hurriedly climbed down from Zhou Wu’s arms as quietly as possible and went to retrieve her bag.
Zhou Wu picked up her high heels, took her hand and pulled her to hide beside the window.
The window opened, revealing Wen Ci’s parents’ bedroom.
Mother Wen looked outside.
Father Wen asked, “What is it?”
“I thought I heard something just now.”
“Probably a stray cat.”
Mother Wen closed the window. Her voice could still be faintly heard from inside.
“Honestly, Wen Ci has been acting stranger and stranger lately. She insisted on going to Qin Yun’s birthday party. You know what those boys from her high school class were like—rich and completely lacking in manners. Back then, I asked you to arrange for her to change classes, but you insisted there was no need as long as it didn’t affect her grades.”
“And do you remember the other day? She went to Yiqing’s house without telling me in advance. I only realised no one was home after checking the living-room camera…”
Wen Ci lowered her head as she listened, her ears turning red with embarrassment.
She suddenly remembered something from when she was very young.
Her mother had once carried her away from a friend at kindergarten while muttering that the other child was dirty and badly raised, telling Wen Ci never to join in those kinds of games again.
Mother Wen had assumed children did not understand anything and had said it directly in front of them.
After that, Wen Ci had never had another playmate at kindergarten.
Would Zhou Wu be angry?
Would he think it was strange?
The sounds inside the room gradually disappeared.
Wen Ci bit her lip. The words *I’m sorry* had only just reached the tip of her tongue when the hand holding hers tugged her forwards.
“Let’s go.”
Zhou Wu looked back at her with laughter in his eyes.
Wen Ci walked with extreme caution the entire way.
The alley was too small, and many of the neighbours knew her family well. If they encountered anyone, there was a risk her parents would discover what she had done.
Fortunately, it was already dark and there were not many people wandering outside.
The journey went smoothly until they were only one turn away from the entrance to the alley.
A middle-aged woman in a qipao approached them, fanning herself.
Wen Ci immediately shrank backwards and hid behind Zhou Wu.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“That woman ahead.”
Wen Ci turned her face away and whispered nervously, “She plays mahjong with my mother.”
Their luck was terrible. They happened to be walking along a narrow path and had no way to avoid her.
Wen Ci was dressed entirely in white, while Zhou Wu naturally attracted attention. They were far too conspicuous on the dimly lit path, and the woman had clearly begun looking towards them.
Determined not to be recognised, Wen Ci steeled herself and raised her hands to cover her face.
Although it would look strange, at least she would not be caught.
But Zhou Wu pulled her into his arms first.
Before Wen Ci could react, he had already pressed her against his chest.
She froze, then instinctively wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against him.
The three passed one another.
Wen Ci heard the woman click her tongue and mutter quietly, “Young people these days…”
There were more people the closer they came to the entrance of the alley.
Zhou Wu did not release her.
Wen Ci could barely see the road ahead and simply followed his movements until they safely reached his car.
Zhou Wu had driven an extremely flamboyant sports car that day. It looked completely out of place beside the old, modest alley.
Several people nearby were already watching.
Wen Ci did not have time to be stunned by the Bugatti’s unfamiliar doors. Under everyone’s gaze, she hurried into the car.
Zhou Wu took a jacket from inside and tossed it across her lap.
Wen Ci immediately picked it up and covered her entire face.
Zhou Wu pulled the parking ticket from beneath the windscreen wiper, opened the door and climbed inside.
With one press of the accelerator, he disappeared from everyone’s sight.
The black Bugatti sped along the road.
Zhou Wu held the steering wheel with one hand and finally could not resist laughing.
“Wen Ci.”
One corner of the jacket lifted, revealing half of Wen Ci’s face.
“Mm?”
“The windows are tinted. Unless someone stands directly in front of the car, they can’t see inside.”
Wen Ci sighed in relief and finally lowered the jacket, exposing her entire face.
Her mind was still filled with what her mother had said inside the bedroom.
The moment she found an opportunity, she apologised.
“Zhou Wu, about what happened earlier… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“What my mother said.”
Wen Ci had intended to explain, but once she opened her mouth, she realised there was nothing she could say.
She could only repeat, “I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t care.”
Zhou Wu continued, “Old Yu used to scold me so viciously, and I never listened to a single word. You shouldn’t care either.”
His phone began ringing.
Zhou Wu glanced at the small camera ahead that resembled a sparrow, then tossed his phone to Wen Ci.
“It’s Qin Yun. Answer it, or he’ll keep calling and annoy me to death.”
Wen Ci answered.
The other end was extremely noisy, filled with music and overlapping conversations. Qin Yun’s voice was raised to compensate.
“Brother, what’s going on? Do you know what time it is? Has it been so long since you drove the Bugatti that you’ve forgotten how to use the accelerator?”
Wen Ci glanced at the navigation screen.
“We’re almost there. About twenty minutes away. Sorry, I delayed us for a while.”
Qin Yun froze.
“Oh, oh. Right. You have Zhou Wu’s phone? All right. Fine, fine.”
After a string of baffled responses, Qin Yun ended the call.
Wen Ci held Zhou Wu’s phone, wondering where to put it, when she caught sight of the parking ticket beside her.
Cars were only allowed to stop temporarily at the entrance to the alley for ten minutes. Any longer would result in a ticket.
Zhou Wu drove quickly, but unlike Qin Yun, he was very steady.
The navigation estimated twenty minutes, yet they arrived in a little over ten.
Although Wen Ci had mentally prepared herself, she was still overwhelmed by what she saw.
A three-storey building stood hidden among the mountain forest.
It was not particularly tall, but its enormous size was astonishing. Almost the entire exterior consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows, making it look spacious and luxurious.
The heavy, exaggerated beat of drums could be faintly heard from inside.
People occupied every floor and every balcony. Some were dancing and singing, while others played arcade games or billiards.
There was even a gambling table.
This was not the kind of birthday gathering Wen Ci had attended before, where everyone simply sat around a table and shared a meal.
It was a genuine, extravagant party of the kind she had only ever seen in television dramas.
Apart from the villa, she could not see any other buildings nearby.
There might have been some, but they were hidden among the dense trees. There was no concern about disturbing neighbours.
Sports cars were scattered casually across the grounds outside.
Wen Ci had only just escaped from her family’s narrow alleyway.
Standing beside the car, she felt immensely grateful that she had not changed back into jeans.
“Bring the jacket.”
Zhou Wu’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“It’s cold inside.”
Wen Ci thought for a moment, then bent down and picked up his jacket.
“I’ll take good care of it.”
His phone began ringing again.
Zhou Wu declined the call directly, then casually placed a hand at Wen Ci’s waist.
“Let’s go inside. They’re urging us again.”
…
The villa’s interior was even more astonishing than its exterior.
A swimming pool glowed beneath the lights, while chefs grilled meat beside it.
People floated in the water on inflatable loungers, occasionally splashing those standing along the edge.
Waiters moved through the crowd.
Zhou Wu led her farther inside.
Almost everyone they passed greeted him, then allowed their gaze to drift towards Wen Ci.
Whether his response was distant or casual, Zhou Wu always acknowledged them without stopping, continuing to guide her forwards.
“Wen Ci!”
Wen Ci did not know whether it was a teacher’s natural talent or simply because Dou Yiqing’s voice was loud enough, but she heard her immediately despite the surrounding noise.
Wen Ci instinctively shifted aside, increasing the distance between herself and Zhou Wu.
Near the swimming pool, Dou Yiqing waved towards her.
“Over here! Hurry!”
Dou Yiqing wore a denim slip dress that day. Her hair had been curled, and she wore simple, clean makeup.
She looked completely different from the day of the school anniversary.
She lounged beside the pool with her long, attractive legs casually crossed.
When they approached and she saw Wen Ci’s outfit, Dou Yiqing’s eyes lit up.
“I’m so touched. I thought I would never see you wear this dress a second time in my life.”
Wen Ci laughed.
“I’ll definitely wear it more often in future.”
Dou Yiqing understood what she meant and did not say anything else.
Her gaze then shifted to the jacket Wen Ci was holding.
It was a black outdoor jacket.
“What’s that?” Dou Yiqing asked.
Zhou Wu was about to answer, but Wen Ci spoke first.
“It belongs to Zhou Wu. I borrowed it from him. I realised it was a little cold after getting out of the car.”
“It really is cold. The temperature in the mountains is already lower, yet someone apparently doesn’t consider electricity expensive and has left the doors wide open while running the air conditioning. It’s freezing.”
Dou Yiqing handed them some grilled meat.
“Are you hungry? Eat something.”
Wen Ci accepted it and gave half to Zhou Wu.
Zhou Wu naturally took it from her.
His phone rang for what must have been the hundredth time that evening.
Zhou Wu answered and lazily raised it to his ear.
Qin Yun stood on the second-floor balcony, looking down.
Seeing Zhou Wu follow Wen Ci to the pool and remain there, he asked in confusion, “Brother, why are you standing down there? Why haven’t you come upstairs after arriving? We’ve been waiting for you forever.”
Zhou Wu ended the call and said to the two women, “I’m going upstairs to find Qin Yun.”
Wen Ci nodded.
“All right.”
After Zhou Wu left, Wen Ci suddenly realised something.
“Shouldn’t I go and greet Qin Yun too? I haven’t given him his gift yet…”
“Don’t go. It’s filled with cigarette smoke upstairs. I took a look earlier, and it’s nothing but rich young men, each with a woman beside him. It’s a complete mess.”
Dou Yiqing held her back.
“There’s no hurry. Give it to him when he comes downstairs later.”
Wen Ci considered it and nodded.
She sent Qin Yun a WeChat message explaining the situation.
He replied quickly, telling her to enjoy herself and that he would come downstairs to find them later.
Naturally, there was nothing here that Wen Ci particularly wanted to do.
She and Dou Yiqing occupied one lounger each.
Wen Ci sat upright while Dou Yiqing lay down.
They spent their time peacefully, completely out of place among the excited partygoers surrounding them.
Dou Yiqing was extremely satisfied.
She bit into a piece of grilled meat and sighed.
“I can’t imagine how expensive this meat must be.”
Wen Ci had also tasted some earlier.
“It is delicious.”
Dou Yiqing gazed at the scene before her and released a long sigh.
“This is so excessive. Wen Ci, do you think these people genuinely live in the same world as us?”
Wen Ci fell silent.
She had thought the same thing long ago, while standing inside the penthouse suite Zhou Wu booked for more than a hundred thousand yuan per night.
“By the way, have you noticed someone else we know?” Dou Yiqing suddenly asked in a lowered voice.
“Who? Qin Yun?”
“No. Who’s familiar with him? Look over there—”
Wen Ci followed her gaze and saw Duan Wei in the swimming pool.
Duan Wei was lying on an inflatable lounger.
She wore a bikini with a crocheted top draped over it. The garment concealed almost nothing and instead made her appear even more seductive.
Her beautiful, strong figure was fully displayed, clearly shaped through exercise.
“Even her figure is beautiful,” Dou Yiqing said.
Wen Ci agreed.
“Yes.”
Dou Yiqing added, “There’s another familiar person here today…”
“Who?”
“Wen Ci.”
Just as Wen Ci finished speaking, someone called her name from behind.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Wen Ci turned.
Xiang Wenwen stood behind her and smiled gently.
“It really is you. Long time no see.”
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