Tu Ming couldn’t figure himself out. He considered himself a mild-mannered person, yet he had repeatedly wanted to grab Lumi by the collar and throw her out. Lumi had a unique talent for irritating people with just a few words, or even without saying anything. The fragile peace that had been established between them recently was now gone again.

“I was just… trying not to pry into your privacy…” Lumi felt guilty, completely forgetting that she had just been eavesdropping while hiding her neck, almost ready to take off her ears and place them on Tu Ming’s table. She had even been making up stories in her head as she listened. This seemingly upright savior had his soul stolen by some fairy, and his wife couldn’t bear the humiliation and filed for divorce. As the story unfolded, it changed—this boss had been cuckolded, a pitiful person! And yet, he gave his house to his ex-wife.

“Do you two know each other?” Grandma found their behavior too strange and couldn’t help but ask. The elderly woman was spirited and had a loud voice, passing down her way of speaking to her descendants.

“He’s my boss.” Lumi felt short of breath as she said this, her eyes darting elsewhere, not daring to look at Tu Ming. Such a prestigious person in the company, yet his personal life was also full of trivialities and chaos. She felt guilty as if Tu Ming’s divorce was somehow her fault.

“Hello, boss, hello.” Grandma patted Lumi on the shoulder: “Chat with your boss! We don’t need you today!”

She led the grandchildren on a walk through the alley, leaving Lumi behind. Lumi wanted to follow, but she felt she hadn’t cleared things up with Tu Ming yet. So she cleared her throat and said to him: “Boss, usually when you scold or criticize me, I accept it. But there’s one thing—today, I really wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping on your privacy. The place for our family gathering was chosen in advance, and I didn’t know you had plans here, right? We have to be reasonable. Personal life is one thing, work is another. Please don’t make things difficult for me at work because of today’s coincidence; I’d really be wronged!”

After speaking, Lumi paused and then muttered: “Besides, it’s just a divorce! You can find someone else!”

“Are you crazy?” Lumi’s careless words made Tu Ming’s head ache: “Who told you I’m divorced?”

“You’re not?”

“…I am.”

“That settles it! Anyway, don’t wrong me!”

Lumi felt wronged, and Tu Ming also felt that she was quite wronged. She was happily dining with her large family when she ran into him and his ex-wife. She couldn’t cover her ears and not listen, and now she was scared by him, which was also quite pitiful. So he waved his hand: “It’s fine, go on.”

“I’ll keep it a secret for you!” Lumi raised two fingers as if to swear, but Tu Ming pulled her sleeve and lowered her hand: “No need.”

What was there to keep secret? Was divorce something to be ashamed of? He conducted himself properly, and besides, could Lumi’s mouth be trusted? By tomorrow morning, the whole company would know. If she swore less, she might live a few more years.

Hearing that there was no need for secrecy, Lumi breathed a sigh of relief and ran off. After a few steps, she looked back and saw Tu Ming standing there, alone, looking as if he were missing something. Remembering how he had stood up for her at the company building, she suddenly felt sympathy for him, somewhat afraid that he might do something rash like jump off the Second Ring Bridge. So she ran to a nearby shop, bought a pack of beer, and when she came out, she saw Tu Ming still standing there. She ran to him and handed him a can of beer.

“The Lu family’s tradition: when there’s trouble, have a big drink, and when you sober up, the sky clears up!” Lumi skillfully pulled the tab with one hand, and with a pop, white smoke rose, forming a layer of foam. She chuckled and licked the foam, truly refreshing.

“I’m not good with alcohol.” Tu Ming said: “Do you always drink heavily to drown your sorrows?” Even at this moment, he didn’t forget to lecture Lumi.

Lumi felt a moment of heartache and wanted to snap back at him, but remembering that he was already troubled today, she kindly decided not to provoke him and spoke gently: “I know, in Chongqing, didn’t you throw up right after the drinking started? Then just drink less, it might still help a bit.”

Tu Ming found the Lu family’s tradition quite fitting for drinking and nodded: “Alright, let’s try.”

He also opened a can, and the two of them found a place to sit, each downing a can of beer. People passed by on the street, and in the midst of the hustle and bustle, this man and woman drank in silence, as if they were unfamiliar with the world and each other. Lumi thought of martial arts novels, where masters would meet, part in silence after drinking, and with a flick of their sleeves, forget each other in the rivers and lakes. How carefree! If only everyone had such heroic sentiments! Unfortunately, they were often bound by romantic entanglements.

“This won’t do, right? How about this, let’s go to my place, I’ll cook you a couple of dishes.” Even the children of the rivers and lakes couldn’t drink without snacks; their stomachs couldn’t handle it.

Tu Ming turned his head to look at Lumi. Her expression was open and free of any impure thoughts. So he said: “Alright.”

He followed Lumi to her home without any second thoughts.

Lumi’s home was on the edge of the Second Ring Road, in a very old residential complex, not far from the neighborhood where Tu Ming had given Xing Yun a house. The old complex had poor facilities, narrow roads, and no separation of vehicles and pedestrians. Tu Ming walked side by side with her towards the inside, and under one building, he saw Lumi’s eye-catching red car. Next to the red car was a motorcycle, covered with a protective cover.

“You really ride a motorcycle?” he asked Lumi.

“Of course I do! What’s there to fake?” Lumi, seeing his question, walked straight to her motorcycle: “Let me show you my baby!” Without waiting for Tu Ming’s reply, she pulled off the cover, revealing a motorcycle as flashy as her car.

“What do you think? Isn’t it cool?” Lumi patted her seat, swung her long legs over, and rested her feet on the ground, whistling at Tu Ming: “Handsome guy, want to go for a ride?”

Tu Ming stood like a statue, still holding the remaining four cans of beer, expressionless in the face of Lumi’s whistle. After two seconds, he shook his head: “No, thank you.”

“Alright then! I’ll take you for a ride in the mountains when we have the chance; it’s really fun.” Lumi jumped off the bike, covered it back up, and led Tu Ming upstairs.

Tu Ming suddenly asked her as they walked: “Do you know that riding a motorcycle is very dangerous?”

“Ah… yeah… it is…” Lumi used her usual vague response, trying to gloss over it.

Tu Ming felt quite novel about himself, actually following a single, carefree colleague home alone. Ten or fifteen years ago, even at his birth, he had never done such a thing. In the dim stairwell, a strand of Lumi’s hair brushed against Tu Ming’s trench coat, making a soft sound that stirred an itchy feeling in his heart. He suddenly felt that his actions today were too abrupt.

But it was too late.

The door opened, and Tu Ming got a glimpse into the home of a single woman.

Lumi’s home was as unconventional as her personality. The entrance was cluttered with several pairs of shoes, and next to the coat rack hung several designer bags. Clothes were scattered on the sofa, and when Tu Ming stood at the door, his gaze swept over to see the transparent lace underwear draped over the back of the sofa, causing the back of his neck to suddenly feel hot. He finally regretted taking the wrong medicine and following her home.

Lumi also noticed her untimely underwear and quickly rushed over to gather the clothes on the sofa, including the underwear, and threw them into her bedroom, closing the door. As she did these actions, she didn’t stop talking: “I didn’t know I’d have a guest today, please excuse the mess, please excuse the mess.” She was still thankful that the style wasn’t outdated and could showcase her taste.

“Come in, don’t be shy, I’ll cook a couple of dishes, and we can drink slowly!” Lumi was so skilled it seemed as if she often brought men home, but in fact, it was either a group of people or a boyfriend; this was the first time with a single male colleague with whom she had no relationship. She wasn’t the least bit coy. Will was an upright person, and she was clear about that. Seeing Tu Ming still standing at the door, she said to him: “Shall I give you a tour?”

“I live alone. My parents think it’s too small here for them to stroll around, so they live elsewhere and enjoy their freedom.” She was simply stating facts, but it sounded like she was showing off her wealth. Tu Ming glanced at her, placed the pack of beer on the dining table, took off his trench coat, looked around, and finally draped it over the back of a chair. He silently declined Lumi’s offer.

“Then please sit for a while, feel free to play with anything interesting. Since you’re at my home, don’t be a stranger.” After Lumi said this, she turned and went into the kitchen.

She worked efficiently. There were ready-made dishes from the Rice Village in the refrigerator, and she casually stir-fried two more dishes. In less than half an hour, she had set a table full of food and took out a bottle of white wine from the liquor cabinet. She sat across from Tu Ming, poured some drinks for both of them, and while arranging the dishes, she said to Tu Ming, who was sitting upright: “Don’t be shy, don’t be shy, it’s your own home. If you drink too much or get too hot, feel free to take off your clothes. If you’re embarrassed, I’ll take mine off too to keep you company.” She chuckled: “Shall we?”

“Thank you for the hospitality.” Tu Ming automatically filtered out the part about taking off clothes.

It was rare for him not to scold her today. He drank one mouthful after another, accompanied by Lumi’s incessant chatter. She talked about everything—being punished by standing in class as a child, studying linguistics well enough to be sent abroad by her parents, enjoying motorcycles and nightclubs, learning to paint and play the pipa. In just a short while, she had revealed her background. She really didn’t treat Tu Ming as an outsider.

Tu Ming was used to a quiet life, and Xing Yun was also not a talkative person. They usually spent their time at home tending to flowers and plants, reading and writing, with their home being peaceful and orderly. There had never been any disorder. Lumi’s words were quite fitting for the alcohol, and Tu Ming didn’t find them particularly noisy. Unknowingly, he had drunk quite a bit.

His tolerance for alcohol was poor, and after drinking too much, his body heated up. He rolled up his shirt sleeves, and on the back of his hand and wrist was a noticeable blue vein. Lumi took a bite of the lamb face, and when she looked down at his clean hand, she suddenly felt thirsty.

Her desire was aroused, and it was just a momentary thing. No one could explain exactly what happened, nor was there a need to explain. Lumi didn’t want to trace back to how her desire was aroused; she indulged in it completely and took a big gulp of alcohol.

From then on, she became a bit distracted.

She had never studied Tu Ming particularly closely before, but upon closer inspection, she found that this man was really not bad. He was clean and carried a bit of scholarly demeanor, and with the story of him taking on two people at the company building, she suddenly felt that there was a tough masculinity hidden beneath his calm exterior, which was the type Lumi had always liked.

Her heart raced, and her eyes drifted to his Adam’s apple and his calm face, and she suddenly decided to dance on the head of the year.

What would such a man look like when he got tough? She had never slept with him and was curious. Lumi pondered these messy thoughts in her head, and without drinking much, she was already drunk.

Tu Ming clinked glasses with her and saw a small flame ignite in her eyes, like a wolf that had been thirsty for a long time in the wilderness.

A wolf-like woman, he had never seen one before. He also found it novel and drank quietly, wanting to see what this wolf could do.