After dropping Wen Ci off, Zhou Wu took Yeye back to the Zhou residence.
The old butler had been waiting at the entrance of the estate to receive him. Yeye refused to get out of the back seat and nudged Zhou Wu’s palm with his nose.
Standing beside the open rear door, Zhou Wu heartlessly lifted him out of the car.
The old butler took Yeye’s leash.
“Would you like to go inside and have a look? The kitchen made a pot of good soup today.”
“There’s nothing worth seeing.”
Zhou Wu lazily instructed him, “Please take care of him for me. I’ll come and collect him after a while.”
“Of course. You can rest assured.”
After patting the dog’s head, Zhou Wu got back into the car and drove away.
From beginning to end, he did not spare a single glance for the grand, old-fashioned villa behind the butler.
Zhou Wu drove to Blue Note.
Perhaps everyone had partied too hard several days earlier, because Blue Note’s theme had been much calmer these past two nights.
By the time Zhou Wu arrived, a female singer was sitting onstage with a guitar, singing a husky love song.
Qin Yun lounged on a second-floor sofa, tapping on his phone.
When he saw Zhou Wu, he sat up slightly.
“You’re finally here. What exactly were you busy doing this afternoon?”
After leaving the stables that afternoon, the others had discussed going racing for a while before continuing into the evening.
At the last minute, Zhou Wu suddenly said he had something to do and left alone.
“Walking the dog.”
“…”
Qin Yun was speechless.
“Your family has about eight hundred servants lined up to walk him. Did you really need to do it personally?”
Zhou Wu did not answer and changed the subject.
“Did you contact the owner of that apartment for me?”
“Of course. Have you forgotten how efficient I am? It only took one phone call. If you like it after viewing the place in person, you can sign the contract next week.”
Qin Yun looked curious.
“Why are you suddenly in such a hurry to buy a home?”
Zhou Wu had not stepped into the Zhou family residence for more than a year.
Whenever he stayed in Jiangcheng during that time, he lived in the penthouse suite at Jinjiang Hotel.
Qin Yun had even suggested that he simply buy the entire hotel.
“Where am I supposed to live if I don’t buy a place?”
“You’ve been away from home for a year, and I didn’t see you buying one before.”
Zhou Wu took a sip of alcohol.
“I didn’t spend much time in Jiangcheng before, so I never got around to it.”
Qin Yun understood.
That was true.
Now that Zhou Wu had left the family company, he temporarily no longer needed to travel constantly to negotiate projects.
“Damn. Can you still afford that apartment, then? I didn’t negotiate the price down for you at all.”
Qin Yun continued jokingly, “If you can’t afford it, you’ll have to take out a loan yourself. You know your father already spoke to mine, so I don’t dare lend you money.”
He amused himself as he spoke.
Everyone knew that no matter what Zhou Wu lacked in this lifetime, it would never be money.
Ignoring his maternal family’s wealth, a project Zhou Wu had casually invested in while studying at university in America was still ranked on the daily overseas game sales charts.
Sure enough, Zhou Wu scoffed.
“Thank you for your concern. Something this minor doesn’t require your pocket money.”
“F*ck.”
Qin Yun laughed and cursed.
“By the way, why aren’t you replying to Duan Wei’s messages? She even came looking for me.”
Zhou Wu had not received any message notifications.
Thinking back, it seemed Duan Wei had messaged him on the night of Qin Yun’s birthday party.
At the time, he had been in the billiards room with Wen Ci. Finding the notifications irritating, he had muted her WeChat messages.
“Did she need something?”
“She asked me to tell you that we’re going surfing on Saturday.”
Qin Yun lowered his voice mysteriously.
“She didn’t sound very happy. She probably argued with Xiang Wenwen again. What exactly is happening between those two lately? They never used to fight this often.”
Zhou Wu took a sip of his drink and appeared completely uninterested in the rest of Qin Yun’s words.
“I’m not going. I have plans that day.”
Qin Yun froze, not expecting Zhou Wu to reject Duan Wei’s invitation so decisively.
“What plans? Are they fun? Take me with you.”
“Get lost,” Zhou Wu said.
“…Fine, don’t take me. Why are you insulting me?” Qin Yun muttered.
…
When Wen Ci reached her front door, she adjusted her expression before entering.
Father Wen was sitting in the living room.
He looked up when he heard her, then lowered his head and continued reading.
Mother Wen came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of freshly washed cherries.
“You’re back? Perfect.”
She picked up a cherry and held it to Wen Ci’s lips.
“These were just washed. Taste one and see whether they’re sweet.”
Wen Ci obediently ate it.
“It’s sweet.”
“Good. Then eat more. One of your father’s former students sent them over. There are several boxes.”
Mother Wen offered her another.
“Take some to the office tomorrow and share them with your colleagues.”
Then she casually asked, “Where did you go for dinner with your colleagues today?”
“A newly opened creative-cuisine restaurant,” Wen Ci replied.
Mother Wen nodded.
“It’s good to get along with your colleagues, but you should still eat out less. The oil restaurants use isn’t good. Food made at home is always the safest.”
“All right.”
Wen Ci lowered her eyes.
“By the way, Mum, Yiqing invited me to go shopping and see a film on Saturday. You don’t need to prepare dinner for me that day either.”
“Look at you. I only just finished speaking, and you’re already going out to eat again.”
“But I already promised Yiqing.”
Wen Ci swallowed the fruit.
“I’ll be more careful in future.”
Remembering their argument from a while ago, Mother Wen sighed and compromised.
“Fine. Yiqing teaches second-year high school students, so her work is harder than yours. You should disturb her less in future and leave her more time to rest.”
Her phrasing was indirect, but the meaning was obvious.
She wanted Wen Ci to spend less time with Dou Yiqing.
Remembering what Mother Wen had previously said about her friend, Wen Ci inexplicably felt irritated.
She pressed her lips together and forced down the resentment in her chest.
“I’m going upstairs, Mum.”
After returning to her room, Wen Ci stood before the mirror and examined her expression.
*You’re terrible at lying.*
Zhou Wu’s words suddenly sounded in her ears.
The Wen Ci reflected in the mirror looked calm and indifferent, without any obvious flaws.
Zhou Wu was simply too perceptive, she thought.
After showering, Wen Ci stood beside the window and dried her hair with a towel.
She had never liked this window before.
Her home stood at the end of the alley, and outside it there was only a narrow lane and a wall.
When she was young, whenever she could not solve a problem and looked outside, she felt as though the world were an airtight prison.
But now, her thoughts had changed slightly.
Wen Ci lowered her eyes.
Her gaze lingered for a while on the empty space where Zhou Wu had stood before, until her phone rang.
It was a call from Dou Yiqing.
The moment Wen Ci answered, Dou Yiqing began singing *Relief* at the top of her lungs before delivering an important declaration:
“Observation lessons can go to hell!”
Wen Ci burst out laughing.
“It’s over? How did it go?”
“I don’t know. At least it’s finished.”
Dou Yiqing sounded exhausted.
“I need happiness. I need to vent. I need to lose control—come to karaoke with me on Saturday night!”
Wen Ci paused.
“Could we go next week?”
Dou Yiqing dragged out her voice.
“That’s too far away! Do you have plans on Saturday?”
“A few.”
Wen Ci said guiltily, “…I’m going shopping, seeing a film and having dinner with Dou Yiqing.”
Dou Yiqing herself:
“…”
“You’re meeting that man again!”
Dou Yiqing immediately understood and quickly tried to remember the date she had last helped Wen Ci lie.
“It hasn’t even been that long! You two are meeting far too frequently!”
Wen Ci’s cheeks grew hot.
Although she knew Dou Yiqing could not see her, she still trapped the phone between her shoulder and ear and pressed her palms together.
“Please, please. How about I go to karaoke with you this Friday instead?”
Dou Yiqing was silent for a long while.
“Forget it. Don’t you have classes all day on Friday? Making you come out to drink and sing with me afterwards would be inhumane.”
“It’s fine. I won’t be too tired. I’ll come and find you after school on Friday.”
“Forget it.”
A person flashed through Dou Yiqing’s mind.
“I’ll ask someone else to come with me.”
Then she shouted, “You! Remember to use protection!”
“…”
Wen Ci closed her eyes and suppressed a laugh.
“I know. I know. You don’t need to remind me every time.”
The two discussed school matters for a while longer before ending the call.
Dou Yiqing stared at her phone.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, she opened their high school class group and began examining every male classmate in the member list.
Wen Ci remained completely unaware of the potential danger.
She dried her hair and worked on her lesson plan for a while, only to realise she could not concentrate at all.
So she picked up her phone again and opened her photo album.
She had taken many photographs of Yeye that evening.
At first, Wen Ci looked only at the dog.
Eventually, however, her gaze inevitably drifted towards Zhou Wu beside him.
She had taken the photograph secretly.
Zhou Wu clearly had not noticed.
He was looking down as he mixed his noodles, a barely visible smile on his face.
His other hand rested lazily on Yeye’s head.
The muscles in his arm tightened slightly with the casual movement, forming clean, defined curves that were neither exaggerated nor bulky.
Wen Ci stared at the photograph for a long time.
Then she pressed her lips together and set it as the background of her WeChat conversation with Zhou Wu.
…
When Wen Ci went to work the following day, Yang Yunfei deliberately came over from the neighbouring office to find her.
Wen Ci had just returned from teaching a class when she arrived.
“What is it?” Wen Ci asked upon seeing her standing beside her desk. “Did something happen?”
“Yes.”
Yang Yunfei waited until Wen Ci sat down before leaning closer and asking mysteriously, “Wen Ci, that handsome man from yesterday isn’t your boyfriend, right? Does he have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
Wen Ci denied it immediately, then replied vaguely, “I don’t think… he has one.”
“Then is he someone you’re in the ambiguous stage with?”
Wen Ci was speechless for a long while.
Someone she was in an ambiguous stage with?
Surely what she and Zhou Wu had could not be considered ambiguous.
How could people in that kind of relationship barely even chat?
“No,” Wen Ci answered quietly.
Hearing this, Yang Yunfei sighed in relief.
“That’s wonderful. Wen Ci, please! Give me his WeChat! My lifelong happiness is in your hands!”
Yang Yunfei pouted.
“That handsome man left too quickly yesterday. I regret it so much. I should have asked him for his WeChat then.”
Wen Ci instinctively wanted to refuse, but the words stopped at her lips.
Yang Yunfei only wanted his contact details.
Would it seem strange if Wen Ci rejected her on Zhou Wu’s behalf without asking him?
Yang Yunfei had another class soon, and it was almost time for the bell.
She urged anxiously, “Can you do it, Wen Ci?”
“I need to ask for his permission first.”
Although Wen Ci felt conflicted, nothing showed on her face.
She gave a faint smile.
“If he agrees, I’ll send you his contact card on WeChat.”
“All right, all right. I’ll wait for you!”
Yang Yunfei blew her a kiss.
“I’m going to class now.”
After Yang Yunfei left, the office finally became quiet.
Wen Ci took out her phone and typed a line.
She hesitated for a long time, repeatedly writing and deleting it before finally pressing send.
**Wen Ci: Zhou Wu, the female teacher who was with me yesterday would like your WeChat. Would that be all right?**
Zhou Wu replied immediately.
**Zhou Wu: ?**
**Zhou Wu: No.**
**Zhou Wu: Arrive early on Saturday.**
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