“I can understand agreeing last night because I was drunk, but what was your reason?”
The following day, a now-sober Dou Yiqing rubbed her aching temples as she questioned the person on the phone.
No one understood Dou Yiqing better than Wen Ci.
The first thing Dou Yiqing did after waking from her hangover on Sunday afternoon was contact Qin Yun and try to back out. She casually invented an excuse:
“Wen Ci definitely won’t go. It would be boring if I went alone.”
Qin Yun replied, “Hello? You wouldn’t be going alone. I still count as a human being, more or less. Besides, Zhou Wu said he already asked Wen Ci, and she agreed.”
So Dou Yiqing immediately called Wen Ci.
Wen Ci was preparing the questions for the final mock examination of the term.
At Dou Yiqing’s words, she uncontrollably remembered what had happened the night before.
She put down her pen and could not resist covering her cheeks.
How was she supposed to explain to Dou Yiqing that she had also been slightly carried away last night?
“And when did you become so close to Zhou Wu?” Dou Yiqing asked again.
“We’re not close.”
Wen Ci immediately denied it and began making things up.
“…We aren’t close. We simply spoke a little more at Qin Yun’s birthday party. He suddenly contacted me last night, and when I heard what you were saying on the phone, I thought you had already arranged everything, so I… agreed.”
Dou Yiqing lay flat on her bed.
In truth, she and Qin Yun really had arranged it the previous night.
Qin Yun had described the holiday in irresistible detail—surfing, snorkelling, jet skis and sea fishing.
Every activity had completely hooked Dou Yiqing.
Sensing her hesitation, Wen Ci considerately said, “If you don’t want to go, then we won’t.”
“I don’t particularly mind going. I only thought you wouldn’t come.”
Dou Yiqing continued, “If I had to spend several days alone with Qin Yun, wouldn’t we end up fighting our way into a police station?”
Then she asked, “Do you want to go?”
Wen Ci tried to control her voice so she would not sound overly excited.
“Mm. Walking along the beach and enjoying the sea breeze sounds rather pleasant.”
“You’re right. It’ll be cooler there too. I’ve nearly died from the heat lately. Fortunately, it rained yesterday.”
Then Dou Yiqing reached the crucial issue.
“But will your family agree to let you travel outside the province?”
She remembered that Wen Ci’s family had not even allowed her to attend her university graduation trip.
Since the two of them had met, Wen Ci had never left Jiangcheng alone.
“I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”
Wen Ci blinked.
“I might need you to cooperate with me if my mother asks you about it later.”
“All right.”
Dou Yiqing sighed.
“Every time I help you coordinate a lie, it’s so you can meet that wild man. Finally, for once, it’ll be for your best friend.”
“…Do you want to try the new buffet nearby on Thursday afternoon? I’ll treat you.”
“?”
Dou Yiqing froze.
“Sure. Why so suddenly?”
“I’ve been paid.”
Wen Ci answered quietly and guiltily.
After ending the call, Wen Ci released a long sigh.
Why did it feel as though she had been lying every day recently?
Her phone chimed, interrupting her worries.
The Samoyed profile picture moved to the top of WeChat.
After waking that morning, Wen Ci had transferred Zhou Wu money for the previous night’s dinner.
She did not know how much the dishes had cost, only that none of them looked inexpensive.
She transferred eight hundred yuan and wrote:
**Wen Ci: Money for last night’s dinner. Please tell me if it isn’t enough, and I’ll send the rest. Thank you for yesterday.**
Zhou Wu returned the money and sent a voice message.
“We didn’t have s*x yesterday, so there’s no need to split it equally, Ms Wen.”
Zhou Wu sounded as though he had only just woken up. His voice was lazy, with a subtle trace of amusement.
“…”
Struck by the return of her own drunken words, Wen Ci held her phone between both hands and did not know how to respond.
And…
Why had he been calling her “Ms Wen” so often lately?
After hesitating for a long time, Wen Ci replied:
**Wen Ci: All right. Then I’ll pay for dinner next time.**
…
With summer holiday approaching, Wen Ci began considering how to speak to her family about the trip.
At first, she tested their reaction by saying that her university roommates had invited her away for a few days.
She did not even dare mention somewhere far away. She only named the neighbouring city, which could be reached in two hours by car.
Mother Wen did not even raise her eyelids.
She said she would not feel comfortable allowing Wen Ci to travel alone.
If Wen Ci genuinely wanted to go somewhere, she and Father Wen could accompany her.
It was the refusal Wen Ci had expected—direct and decisive.
The moment she heard it, she knew there was no hope of persuading them.
Fortunately, another opportunity quickly appeared.
“Summer training?”
Two days later, during dinner, Mother Wen put on her glasses and narrowed her eyes at the phone Wen Ci had just handed her.
On the screen was a long message from “Group Leader Ms Xu,” asking whether Wen Ci wanted to attend a teacher-training programme in another province.
Their school had only two available places, and one had been offered to Wen Ci.
“I think I did hear about this training programme recently… The location is rather far away.”
Mother Wen looked at the destination.
“But you absolutely need to attend activities like this. You can learn a great deal, and it’ll also help when you apply for professional promotions in future.”
Wen Ci nodded.
“Then I’ll accept?”
“Wait.”
Mother Wen turned towards her husband.
“Xiao Ci’s training is at the beginning of next month. Could you go with her if you’re free?”
“I recognise two of the speakers’ names in the programme details. You should know them. If you go, you can ask them to take better care of Xiao Ci.”
Wen Ci’s heart tightened.
Then Father Wen took a sip of soup and said slowly, “When would I have the time? I have to give lectures in another province next month.”
“Besides, it’s only a training programme. Why would she need someone to look after her? She’s already grown up. She can take care of herself.”
“I completely forgot about your lectures.”
Mother Wen hesitated for a long time before returning the phone to Wen Ci.
“All right. Once you’re there, remember to video-call us every day and let us know you’re safe.”
“You’ve only worked there for a year, yet the school has already given you such a major opportunity. You need to listen carefully and perform well.”
Wen Ci nodded and agreed.
She calmly finished dinner and returned to her bedroom.
After locking the door, Wen Ci walked to the bed and threw herself onto it with a thud.
Then she rolled back and forth several times.
After silently expressing her excitement, Wen Ci opened WeChat and sent a message to “Group Leader Ms Xu.”
**Wen Ci: It worked ^^Y**
**Group Leader Ms Xu: Really??**
**Group Leader Ms Xu: That’s wonderful! Your mother didn’t notice anything, did she? You took so long to reply that I was nearly terrified to death.**
Wen Ci changed “Group Leader Ms Xu” back to “Yiqing’s Alt Account.”
Dou Yiqing had specifically created this extra WeChat account to play a mobile game.
Neither of them had expected it to become useful one day.
Wen Ci had only been employed for a year. There was no possibility such a training opportunity would already be offered to her.
She had merely heard about the programme and taken a small amount of advantage of the information.
**Wen Ci: She didn’t notice. Don’t worry.**
**Yiqing’s Alt Account: Are you sure we won’t be exposed? Your parents know many of the older teachers at the school.**
**Wen Ci: It should be fine. They don’t know the teachers from the primary school division.**
**Yiqing’s Alt Account: Okay, perfect. Now another problem has appeared.**
**Wen Ci: What?**
**Yiqing’s Alt Account: [Shared Taobao shop link: Bandong’s Swimwear Shop]**
**Yiqing’s Alt Account: We’re going to the beach soon, so obviously we need to choose swimwear! Hurry and pick with me. Which one will look best in photographs? I borrowed a camera from my neighbour. We absolutely have to take loads of pictures!**
…
By late June, each day was becoming hotter than the last.
Inside a billiards room—
Zhou Wu cleared the table with one shot.
He saw Qin Yun throw his phone onto the sofa and curse.
“Did one of your stocks hit its lower limit?” Zhou Wu asked indifferently.
“Not exactly.”
Qin Yun clicked his tongue.
“F*ck, Dou Yiqing isn’t replying to my messages again. She’s supposed to be a teacher. Does she have no basic manners?”
Zhou Wu said nothing.
“I’ve never met a woman as strange as Dou Yiqing,” Qin Yun continued. “Either she ignores my messages, or she immediately starts insulting me.”
“And I’m always the one who messages her first. She has never voluntarily contacted me…”
He asked, “Do you think she has some kind of manic disorder? I’ve heard teachers all develop problems like that.”
“No,” Zhou Wu corrected him. “Wen Ci doesn’t.”
“Oh… That’s true.”
Zhou Wu put down the cue and went to rest on the sofa.
He picked up his phone and replied to several work messages.
Finally, he opened his conversation with Wen Ci.
Wen Ci’s profile picture showed a clear blue sky with a butterfly-shaped kite drifting lazily in the centre.
Their chat history still ended with the conversation where Wen Ci had transferred him money for dinner.
Zhou Wu scrolled upwards and confirmed something.
Apart from arranging to meet him and asking for his WeChat contact on someone else’s behalf, Wen Ci also never voluntarily messaged him.
Zhou Wu lowered his eyes, uncertain whether to feel irritated or amused.
He locked his phone and watched Qin Yun play billiards for a while with nothing to do.
Then he picked it up again.
**Zhou Wu: Ms Wen, what are you doing?**
Wen Ci replied immediately.
**Wen Ci: Sorry, the end of term is approaching, so I’m rather busy. This week probably won’t work.**
Zhou Wu:
“…”
**Zhou Wu: I know. I only wanted to chat. I wasn’t asking you to have s*x.**
**Wen Ci: …Oh, oh.**
**Wen Ci: It’s the school lunch break. I’m choosing clothes and can’t decide which set to buy.**
**Zhou Wu: What kind of clothes? If you don’t mind, send them to me and I’ll help you choose.**
The other side did not reply for a long time.
Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow.
Just as he wondered what kind of clothes could be so difficult to choose, an image arrived.
It was a screenshot of a swimwear shop.
Wen Ci had drawn circles around two options.
They were the most conservative one-piece swimsuits available, both designed to cover the stomach.
The only difference was that one had an additional bow.
…
Wen Ci sat at her desk, checking her phone after correcting every question.
She somewhat regretted showing Zhou Wu.
She had previously chosen several swimsuits, but Dou Yiqing had rejected all of them as old-fashioned and told her to keep looking.
Did Zhou Wu also think her taste was terrible?
After hesitating, Wen Ci long-pressed the picture, intending to withdraw it.
Her phone vibrated.
Zhou Wu had returned the same image.
He had drawn a circle around a swimsuit in the bottom-right corner.
**Zhou Wu: Of the two you chose, I prefer the one on the left.**
**Zhou Wu: Could you also buy this one?**
**Zhou Wu: The room we booked has a private pool. They won’t see you.**
Wen Ci looked at the swimsuit Zhou Wu had selected.
It had thin straps and a wraparound tie design.
The top was barely more than a layer of sheer fabric, while the bottoms were tied at both sides and could be loosened with a single pull.
Wen Ci’s disposable face towel contained more fabric than the entire swimsuit.
…
The other side fell silent again.
Zhou Wu waited for a while, then lazily began typing:
*It’s fine if you don’t want to—*
**Wen Ci: All right.**
**Wen Ci: There were other teachers nearby just now, so I couldn’t open our conversation…**
**Wen Ci: Which colour do you prefer? It comes in black and white.**
**Zhou Wu: Buy both.**
Zhou Wu checked the price of the two swimsuits and transferred half the cost.
**Zhou Wu: This needs to be split equally.**
Wen Ci remained “typing” for almost ten minutes.
Then she accepted his transfer.
**Wen Ci: All right.**
Zhou Wu could almost imagine how red Wen Ci’s face must be at that moment.
He tossed aside his phone and stood.
“…Why are you smiling like that?” Qin Yun asked blankly.
“I’m not.”
Zhou Wu lit a cigarette and took a drag.
After a long while, he suddenly asked for no apparent reason, “Why hasn’t summer holiday started yet?”
Qin Yun:
“?”
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