Yan Lüji, who had not rested properly for several days, drove home. The first thing he did after arriving was collapse into bed and sleep.
However, as someone whose sleep had always been poor, he slept for less than four hours before waking again.
Accustomed to the headache brought on by insufficient sleep, Yan Lüji only rubbed his temples briefly. When it became truly unbearable, he picked up the small red pouch beside his pillow and took a deep breath of its scent.
This small red pouch was a mosquito-repelling sachet Yan Lüji had bought online. Originally, it was only meant to repel mosquitoes and insects, but after using it for a while, Yan Lüji discovered that besides keeping insects away, the little sachet seemed to have a calming effect. Placing it by the head of the bed let him sleep a little longer at night than usual. Sometimes, when his headache was severe, smelling it could also ease the pain.
He turned off the air conditioner, pulled open the curtains, and opened the window, letting fresh air flow back into the room.
Yan Lüji went to the bathroom to wash his face. Then, looking at the sloppy, bearded man in the mirror, he unintentionally remembered what Lin Yao had said about him during the day.
So in other people’s eyes, I already look this terrible?
After showering, shaving off his beard, and tidying himself up, Yan Lüji looked at the much younger-looking man in the mirror, his expression somewhat dazed.
“I’ve always thought men look handsome with beards, but when you grow one, you look like a homeless man.”
“Then do you want me to grow a beard or not?”
“I want you to stay by my side forever…”
Yan Lüji casually threw the towel in his hand onto the counter, as if throwing away those memories that had surfaced unconsciously along with it.
Was it time he started dating someone?
So he would stop constantly recalling these pointless memories.
He changed into running shoes and sportswear, picked up half a bag of cat food, and went out to the small park nearby. The park was not large, but it was full of lush trees. Many stray cats hid in the dense bushes. Whenever he had time, Yan Lüji often came here to feed them.
The cats seemed to recognise Yan Lüji. Seeing him walk over, they all ran out from the bushes one after another, meowing at the man as if begging for food.
Yan Lüji smiled and poured out the cat food while asking, “I’ve been too busy recently. I haven’t come to feed you. Has anyone else come to feed you?”
The cats only lowered their heads and focused on eating, paying no attention to the man. Yan Lüji also knew the cats would not respond. He was simply used to talking to them.
After petting the cats for a while, Yan Lüji threw the empty cat food bag into the bin, put on his earphones, and began jogging around the park.
At this time, Student Lin Yao, who should have been waiting for her male god in the park, was sitting in a restaurant with Student Xiao Ming, furiously venting.
“Do you know? That guy called Yan Lüji or whatever is seriously hateful,” Lin Yao said while stuffing food into her mouth.
“I know.” Student Xiao Ming, who had already heard this three times, was also speechless.
“If I hadn’t seen that he was unwell, I should have kicked him off the bed right then. How could it have been his turn to kick me?”
“Yes, yes, yes. It’s all because the other party failed to recognise Mount Tai and didn’t appreciate your kind heart.” Seeing that Lin Yao’s cup was empty again, Yue Mingyuan naturally refilled it for her.
“If your cousin hadn’t stopped me…”
“My cousin was wrong too. How could he help an outsider? I’ll go back and tell my cousin to make things difficult for that guy,” Yue Mingyuan said, sharing her hatred. “He dares bully my buddy? He must not want to survive in the company anymore.”
“Are you serious?” Lin Yao asked suspiciously.
“Of course. I’ll call my cousin in a bit,” Yue Mingyuan promised.
“Then call him now.”
“Ah?” Yue Mingyuan blinked, somewhat guilty. “Now?”
“I knew you were lying to me.” Lin Yao angrily slapped the crab leg she had finished gnawing onto the table.
“Fine, fine… I’ll call now.” Yue Mingyuan made a show of taking out his phone.
Ring ring ring…
Lin Yao’s phone rang first.
“Wait, I’ll answer a call first.” Lin Yao took out her phone and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. She answered casually. “Who is this?”
“It’s me, Fang Zheng.”
“Fa… Professor Fang?” Lin Yao was startled. Her previously crooked posture immediately straightened. “Why are you calling me?”
Seeing that Lin Yao had answered a phone call and suddenly become incredibly obedient, Yue Mingyuan immediately grew curious and pricked up his ears, wanting to hear who was calling her.
“Yes, yes, yes. I will. Please rest assured. Yes, yes, I promise… Alright, alright. Goodbye, Professor Fang.”
After hanging up respectfully, Lin Yao could not help letting out a breath.
“Who was that? Look how nervous you were,” Yue Mingyuan asked curiously.
“Professor Fang.”
“Oh, that university professor who kept asking you to apply for his postgraduate programme, and later recommended you to Sixth Hospital?” Yue Mingyuan asked.
“Mm.” Lin Yao said, “Coincidentally, the professor your cousin found is Professor Fang. He found out that I resigned from Sixth Hospital and then ran off to your cousin’s company to become a health-care doctor, so he scolded me fiercely.”
“What did he scold you about?”
“He said I’m young, yet I can’t keep my composure, and that I’ve been blinded by the splendour and money of society. He said he’s deeply disappointed.” Lin Yao shrugged.
“Pfft… that old professor is actually pretty cute,” Yue Mingyuan said.
“Stop changing the subject. Didn’t you say you were going to call?” Lin Yao asked.
“I’ll call, then. As if I’d lie to you.” Yue Mingyuan picked up his phone and dialled.
Seeing that he really was about to call, Lin Yao finally reached out and stopped him. “Forget it. I just wanted to see whether you had any loyalty. You pass.”
Yue Mingyuan smiled and smoothly put his phone away. However, after finishing dinner and sending Lin Yao home, he still called his cousin Xiao Dong.
==
Black Cat Bar.
Xiao Dong had just ordered a drink and was chatting with his friend Xiang Chong when Yue Mingyuan’s call came in. Xiao Dong answered the phone.
“Xiao Ming, about that friend of yours? The interview went smoothly, don’t worry,” Xiao Dong said.
“Alright, I know. I’ll help you look after her.” Xiao Dong shook his head and hung up with a smile.
“Look after who?” Xiang Chong asked nosily.
“A friend of my cousin’s. She came to work at our company. That brat probably likes her, so he called to ask me to look after her,” Xiao Dong explained.
“Isn’t he afraid that while you’re looking after her, you’ll look after her so well she runs off with you?” Xiang Chong teased.
“Get lost. Am I that kind of person?” Xiao Dong laughed and scolded him.
“You are,” Xiang Chong said decisively.
“Go to hell…” Xiao Dong could not help laughing too.
“Fanzi’s here.” Xiang Chong lifted his chin towards the entrance.
Xiao Dong turned around and saw a man in a floral shirt walking towards them, grinning with a mouthful of white teeth.
“What the hell are you wearing?” After the three of them greeted each other with high-fives and shoulder bumps, Xiao Dong could not help mocking his outfit.
“Holiday wear,” Fanzi said. “I just came back from the Aegean Sea. My plane landed an hour and a half ago. My luggage is still sitting in my car.”
“Then why did you come alone? Where’s your girlfriend?” Xiao Dong asked.
“You know him. He definitely broke up with her as soon as they left the airport,” Xiang Chong mocked. “Isn’t it always like this? He finds a girlfriend on the spot when he travels, then breaks up when he comes back.”
Fanzi raised an eyebrow, looking as if he openly admitted it.
“You beast!” Xiao Dong laughed and cursed.
“Just say you envy me,” Fanzi said. He ordered a drink, looked around, and asked, “Where’s Old Yan? Is he not coming today?”
“He just finished the Shengyuan case and worked overtime for more than a week straight. I told him to go home and rest first,” Xiao Dong said.
“He’s still working that hard?” Fanzi suddenly remembered something. He put down the glass in his hand and said, “Oh, right. Guess who I ran into on this trip?”
“Who?”
“Hua Yu.” Fanzi deliberately drew out the name.
Xiang Chong looked suddenly enlightened after hearing it. Xiao Dong’s expression, however, turned rather unpleasant.
“You know, she’s even prettier than before,” Fanzi said with a smile. “Artists really are different. It’s like they naturally carry this unworldly aura. Even when they age, they age slower than other people.”
As Fanzi spoke, he opened his phone album and showed them a photo of the two of them together.
“You didn’t post it on Moments, did you?” Xiao Dong asked.
“I did.”
“Delete it quickly,” Xiao Dong said.
“Why?” Fanzi asked, puzzled.
“You’re afraid Old Yan will see it, right?” Xiang Chong guessed.
“Surely not. It’s already been three years,” Fanzi said. “Old Yan isn’t the kind of person who clings to an ex-girlfriend and refuses to let go.”
“I’m afraid that woman Hua Yu will keep stringing him along. You know how much Old Yan liked her back then.”
“You’re overthinking it. If Hua Yu still wanted to hook up with Old Yan, she wouldn’t have broken up with him in the first place. Besides, she’s been abroad these past few years and hasn’t come back at all,” Fanzi said.
Seeing that they did not believe him, Xiao Dong took the phone from Fanzi’s hand and pointed at the straw hat Hua Yu was wearing in the photo. “Whenever this woman posts selfies, eight times out of ten she’s wearing this straw hat.”
“Old Yan gave her that straw hat?” Fanzi, an old hand in romance, understood almost instantly.
“It’s just a lousy straw hat. It’s not the One Piece,” Xiang Chong said dismissively.
Xiao Dong explained the origin of the straw hat. “About five or six years ago, we went travelling to Tibet. Before we left, the tour guide reminded us that the ultraviolet rays there were especially strong and told us to prepare sun protection. But what did our great artist say?”
Xiao Dong imitated Hua Yu’s tone at the time. “Everything in nature is beautiful, and sunlight is beautiful too.”
“Then the beautiful sunlight burned her skin until it peeled.”
“Pfft…”
“Hahaha…” Fanzi laughed. “Your mouth is really poisonous.”
“Old Yan was so anxious back then. Then not long after, who knows where he got a straw hat from and gave it to Hua Yu to wear,” Xiao Dong said. “From then on, whenever there was sunlight, Hua Yu would wear that straw hat and insist that it was her response to Old Yan’s love.”
“Now that you put it that way…” Fanzi stroked his chin. “Artist Hua really is playing at a high level.”
“In any case, Old Yan isn’t her match, that’s for sure,” Xiang Chong said. “How has Old Yan been lately? Are there no girls in your company who like him?”
“You know him. He’s basically a central air conditioner,” Xiao Dong complained. “In the past, he blew warm air, and everyone around him felt like spring had arrived. But now? He’s switched to cold air. Nothing grows within a hundred miles.”
“That serious?”
“And he’s unlocked the sharp-tongued skill too,” Xiao Dong added.
“So men really can’t be too devoted,” Fanzi concluded, shaking his head.
Author’s Note:
All exes are assists.
All exes are assists.
All exes are assists.
Important things must be said three times.
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