Zhou Wu wanted to take her to the hospital to get the injury treated.
After saying that, he added coldly, “We can also get the injury officially documented while we’re there.”
Wen Ci kept smiling and shaking her head.
“I want to go to your place. I haven’t been there in almost two weeks.”
After they returned home, Wen Ci showered and was called over to the sofa.
A cotton swab moved lightly across her forehead, and the faint scent of medicated oil spread through the room.
Once he finished applying it, Zhou Wu threw the cotton swab into the bin.
He sat facing her.
After looking at her for several seconds, he suddenly said, “We should still go to the hospital.”
Wen Ci froze.
“Why? I checked after showering. It isn’t as swollen anymore, is it?”
“You were probably hit in the brain.”
Zhou Wu’s voice was cold and indifferent.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Otherwise, why are you still smiling after being hit?”
Ever since the moment Wen Ci saw him, a smile had remained on her face.
It was not the forced sort of smile someone wore while pretending to be strong.
He could tell the difference.
It was faint, but genuine.
She was truly happy.
There was such a large bump on her forehead, yet he had no idea what she found so amusing.
Hearing him, Wen Ci pressed her lips together, and her smile deepened.
“I wasn’t beaten. I was only struck once.”
She shifted sideways and leaned against the sofa.
Looking up at him, she suddenly said without context,
“Zhou Wu, I feel very relaxed right now.”
Zhou Wu copied her and leaned sideways too.
“Why?”
“I don’t have to lie anymore.”
Wen Ci paused.
“And I don’t have to be an obedient child anymore.”
A large swollen bump sat on Wen Ci’s forehead, yet her eyes were gentle.
As Zhou Wu watched her, the tension that had remained inside him seemed to settle along with her.
The corners of his lips rose faintly.
He continued lazily,
“So you’re actually a naughty child?”
“Not exactly.”
Wen Ci smiled and slowly said,
“Maybe I’m simply… not quite as obedient as everyone thought.”
When Wen Ci was young, whenever relatives gathered during holidays and began chatting about her family, someone always brought up how difficult Mother Wen’s labour had been.
The conversation always ended with the same sentence:
“Wen Ci, it wasn’t easy for your mother to give birth to you. You must always listen to her.”
Wen Ci had always done exactly that.
As a child, she attended whatever extracurricular classes her mother chose for her.
At school, she selected the subjects and university choices her mother wanted.
After growing up, she accepted the job her mother told her to take.
Yet her mother was still dissatisfied.
She was dissatisfied whenever Wen Ci’s grades occasionally declined.
She was dissatisfied with the dog Wen Ci had rescued.
She was dissatisfied with certain clothes that were not dignified enough.
She was dissatisfied with the friends Wen Ci made…
During dinner one evening the previous year, her mother had suddenly said,
“You’re old enough now. Over the next two years, meet more men.”
“Date someone for around a year and then get married.”
“Try to have a child before you turn thirty. Mum will still be young enough to help you raise it.”
At that moment, Wen Ci had suddenly felt unbearably miserable.
Her life did not seem to belong to her.
During that period, she had even begun questioning whether she was truly a person.
Or had this world actually been created for her mother, while Wen Ci herself was only a vessel carrying expectations—a programme that had been configured from the moment she was born?
That was when Zhou Wu appeared.
The instant she saw him at the wedding, Wen Ci thought:
She wanted to prove it.
She wanted to prove that the world did not revolve around her mother.
She wanted to prove she possessed her own feelings and thoughts.
She wanted to prove that she was an impulsive, living and free human being.
Wen Ci quietly watched him for a long time before suddenly calling,
“Zhou Wu.”
“Mm?”
“I want to kiss you.”
Zhou Wu leaned towards her, and their lips met in a brief kiss.
…
Wen Ci’s suitcase lay open in the living room.
Inside were several framed photographs, a few of her usual clothes, some of Zhou Wu’s clothes, the dress Yiqing had given her, her old school uniform, her laptop and her work documents.
Wen Ci had packed extremely quickly.
Even she found the speed unbelievable.
After thinking about it, she realised she had probably rehearsed this moment countless times in her subconscious and had long ago decided what she would take if she ever left.
Zhou Wu was showering.
Wen Ci sat on the balcony lounger, half leaning against Yeye, and messaged her mother.
**Wen Ci: Mum, I’ve found somewhere to stay. I’m safe, so don’t worry.**
She took a photograph of her forehead and sent it too.
**Wen Ci: The swelling is already going down. It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry. Please tell Dad too.**
Naturally, there was no reply.
Dou Yiqing quickly called Wen Ci and urgently asked whether she was all right.
“I’m fine.”
Wen Ci asked, “Did my mum contact you?”
“No. She contacted my mum.”
Dou Yiqing was standing in the corridor outside her classroom during evening self-study.
“My mum said your dad hit you. Is that true?”
Her mother had just called and immediately launched into a furious scolding.
Her voice had been so loud that even the students nearby heard it.
Several students were now secretly watching Dou Yiqing through the classroom windows.
She turned and asked,
“What are you looking at? Do you want to come outside and stand?”
“No. He only threw a book at me. It didn’t hit anywhere serious.”
Wen Ci hugged her legs and sighed.
With guilt in her voice, she said,
“I’m sorry, Yiqing.”
“If you say that again, I’m going to become angry.”
Dou Yiqing rested her head against one hand and stared at the sky.
“You finally ran away. You should have done it ages ago. It was so pitiful.”
Wen Ci smiled.
Then her nose suddenly felt sore.
How strange.
She had not wanted to cry even when she was struck.
Dou Yiqing asked, “So where are you now—”
“At Zhou Wu’s.”
“I knew it.”
Dou Yiqing relaxed.
“What are you planning next?”
“I’m going to find a flat. I was just about to start looking.”
“All right. I’ll keep an eye out too.”
Dou Yiqing hesitated before adding,
“Once you’ve calmed down, you should still let your family know you’re safe…”
“I already did.”
Dou Yiqing made a surprised sound.
She had forgotten that her best friend was a woman with terrifying emotional stability.
When Dou Yiqing had run away from home, the entire situation had descended into chaos.
She dragged her suitcase eight hundred metres away, then turned around and shouted loudly enough for the entire street to hear,
“Don’t worry! Even if I starve to death outside, I’ll never spend another cent of your money!”
Later, after their relationship improved, her mother complained,
“Look at you. You behaved like a shrew. Wen Ci would never act like that.”
Dou Yiqing had strongly agreed.
“You’re right. If Wen Ci ever ran away from home, it definitely wouldn’t be an impulsive decision.”
“She wouldn’t leave in anger or scream insults.”
“She would leave quietly. Once she found somewhere to stay, she might even message her family to say she was safe.”
Returning from the memory, Dou Yiqing sighed emotionally.
“How else could we be such good sisters?”
Wen Ci asked, “What?”
“Nothing.”
Dou Yiqing said, “I’m hanging up now, babe. I’m supervising evening study, and I just spotted someone using his phone. I’m going to confiscate it.”
When Zhou Wu emerged from the shower, he saw the suitcase still lying open on the floor.
Everything inside remained neatly in place.
Wen Ci had only removed her toiletries and pyjamas.
Drying his hair, he leaned beside the balcony doorway.
“Do you want me to help you unpack—”
Wen Ci looked up from her phone.
“What?”
Zhou Wu saw the property app on her screen.
“You’re looking for a flat?”
“Yes.”
Wen Ci’s eyes curved.
“I’m lucky. Quite a few places near the school have recently become available.”
“…”
Wen Ci searched very seriously.
From time to time, she shifted the phone in front of Zhou Wu and asked which of two flats seemed more suitable.
Zhou Wu sat beside her with an unreadable expression and criticised them somewhat harshly.
“Neither is suitable.”
“All right.”
Wen Ci said, “I’ll keep looking.”
“Is my place very far from your school?”
Wen Ci froze and looked up.
Then she understood, and the corners of her lips lifted faintly.
“It isn’t far. But—”
“But,” Zhou Wu lazily finished for her, “moving in together immediately after beginning a relationship would be inappropriate.”
“…And I wake up early every day. I would disturb you.”
Wen Ci smiled.
“I’ll visit whenever I’m free.”
“All right.”
Zhou Wu nodded.
“Although the last time you said that, you didn’t visit for two weeks.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve genuinely been extremely busy recently.”
Wen Ci smiled, leaned closer and kissed his chin.
“I promise I will in future.”
…
Finding a flat went much more smoothly than Wen Ci expected.
A few days later, Dou Yiqing contacted her and said the tenant directly opposite her had been transferred elsewhere for work and was preparing to move out.
Wen Ci viewed the flat.
After discussing it with the landlord, she decisively rented it.
She chose a weekend to move.
Calling it moving was rather exaggerated, because she only had one suitcase.
On the way there, she and Zhou Wu stopped at a supermarket to buy a few household necessities.
The flat already contained all the large furniture, so she did not need to add anything substantial.
Wen Ci placed the food in the fridge and finally crouched down to unpack.
When she opened her twenty-four-inch suitcase, she discovered it was completely full.
It contained not only her possessions but Zhou Wu’s as well.
Zhou Wu sat on the cramped little sofa, lazily supporting his head.
“Living together is inappropriate, but staying for two nights should be acceptable, right, Teacher Wen?”
“It is.”
Wen Ci asked, “But what about Yeye?”
“Who cares about him?”
After saying that, Zhou Wu paused for several seconds.
“I arranged for someone to walk him regularly.”
The flat was only slightly over forty square metres.
Because the previous tenants had all been women, most of the furniture they left behind was relatively small.
Standing inside the flat, Zhou Wu looked completely out of place beside everything.
When showering, he could practically touch the showerhead just by raising his head.
Zhou Wu could tolerate all of that.
But at night—
He had his face buried against Wen Ci’s neck and was about to kiss her ear when she tightly wrapped her arms around him.
At first, Zhou Wu assumed she was overwhelmed with pleasure.
Only when Wen Ci shook him firmly twice did he lift his head.
“What’s wrong?”
In the darkness, the lines of Zhou Wu’s shoulders and neck resembled a chain of mountains.
His voice was faintly hoarse.
Wen Ci’s cheeks were flushed.
With a terrified expression, she placed a hand against his lower abdomen and whispered breathlessly,
“Zhou Wu, d-don’t move yet.”
“Are you close?”
“Yes… No.”
Wen Ci’s face became even redder.
“Can’t you hear it?”
“Hear what?”
“This bed. It makes noise.”
Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow and tested it twice.
It genuinely did.
The wooden boards creaked repeatedly.
He found it novel.
Lowering his head with a laugh, he kissed her.
“It’s fine.”
“?”
Wen Ci froze, then he began moving again.
Panicking, she directly pinched Zhou Wu’s nose.
With his nose held shut, Zhou Wu’s voice became muffled.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Wen Ci hissed at him in a whisper,
“Yiqing lives next door!”
“…”
Zhou Wu had forgotten.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Then what should we do?”
“You could… move more slowly.”
Wen Ci thought about it.
“If you move slowly, the bed won’t make noise.”
Zhou Wu agreed readily.
The result was Wen Ci being driven nearly insane.
She remained suspended on the edge of climax without reaching it, a thin sheen of sweat covering her body as every sensation stretched endlessly.
After enduring it for a while, Wen Ci finally reached her limit.
She leaned towards Zhou Wu’s ear and asked,
“Do you still have strength? Can you hold me?”
…
Her back felt cool where it pressed against the wall, but her body was burning hot.
Zhou Wu supported her beneath the hips.
Wen Ci felt as though she were still floating among the clouds.
She lay against his shoulder, drawing in deep breaths.
Zhou Wu was breathing heavily too.
He casually wiped the sweat from the back of her neck and was about to speak—
Knock, knock, knock.
Both of them froze and silently met each other’s eyes.
Before they could react, another series of knocks sounded.
But this time, it seemed slightly farther away.
After listening carefully, they realised it was coming from next door.
The next second, a familiar voice faintly carried through the wall.
“Open the door, Dou Yiqing.”
…
Qin Yun carried a faint smell of alcohol.
After knocking for a long time without receiving an answer, he muttered,
“Damn it. She must be working with headphones on again.”
He raised his phone and was about to call when he heard a click.
The door opposite opened.
Still leaning against the wall and looking down at his phone, he expertly pulled a red envelope from his pocket and held it out.
“Sorry, little sister. Did I wake you again?”
The person opposite accepted it and opened it.
Then he asked coldly,
“Who are you trying to dismiss with five hundred yuan?”
“?”
Two seconds later, Qin Yun raised the phone that had just connected.
In a calm voice, he spoke towards the opposite door.
“Open the door, Dou Yiqing.”
“I’m not lying. I’m genuinely drunk this time.”
“I just saw Zhou Wu naked.”
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