Lumi truly handed over the exhibition hall design work to Wumeng and took her to the northwest.

During the on-site survey, Lumi was frozen like a child. Shang Zhi Tao found a large yellow cotton coat to wrap her up, feeling sorry for her while nagging: “Didn’t I tell you to wear more?”

“The weather forecast didn’t say it would be this cold.”

“This place changes weather quickly!”

“Alright, I admit I was careless. Wumeng, are you cold?”

“A little.” Wumeng was a bit curious. Shang Zhi Tao had also sent her travel tips, but she hadn’t listened.

“If you’re cold, say something! Are you planning to freeze?” Lumi wrapped herself tightly in the cotton coat and told the supplier: “Find another one, how can you be so insensitive?”

The supplier complied and found another coat after a while.

Then it started to snow, and the construction site had no windows installed, with the howling wind. Lumi was completely frozen.

She sneezed one after another, finally enduring until the end, and also wanted to have a meal with Shang Zhi Tao, returning to the place she rented. Lumi insisted on staying with her, dismissing the idea of staying at a hotel. The small house wasn’t big, and the two of them had to squeeze into one bed, which Lumi was very excited about.

She teased Shang Zhi Tao with her words: “We can both wear long sleeves tonight, good brothers should meet ‘naked’.”

Shang Zhi Tao chuckled and pressed her onto the sofa, wrapping her up with a blanket, and turned to the kitchen to cook instant noodles. Others might know how to cook, but instant noodles were barely edible. The two of them each had a bowl, sitting on the sofa watching a drama while eating.

“I think you should come.” Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit guilty: “Over the years, every time you accompany me through thick and thin, you get sick. Do you remember taking me to the first advertising film? In the deep mountains, you had acute gastroenteritis, vomiting and diarrhea. I was so worried. If you catch a cold today, I really feel like I’m unforgivable. After all, if I were here, you probably would have come.”

“Nonsense! I love my work so much, of course I have to come.” Lumi slurped her instant noodles: “Can you treat me to a good meal tomorrow? It’s my fault for being competitive today, but I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll treat you, Miss Lu, to a variety of foods, eating our way through the county.”

“That works!”

Lumi ate her instant noodles and took her medicine, simply washed up, and lay down in bed with Shang Zhi Tao. She talked about Tu Ming with Shang Zhi Tao, sharing honest thoughts between friends.

“He’s such a strange person, clearly likes me, but he’s also very good to me. Only later did I realize that he’s like that with everyone, no exceptions.”

“Even so, I trust him a lot. I think he’s reliable.”

“The other day, Wumeng told me that for a period, she had problems with her rental and was homeless. Tu Ming and his ex-wife lent her the empty house they had before.”

“I heard that a male colleague’s surgery deposit wasn’t enough, and he directly helped pay the deposit.”

“He’s a good person, you know? I like that he’s a good person. His attitude is very proper, he only wants to be friends with me. As for me, my attitude is proper, I only want to…”

Shang Zhi Tao listened to her rambling, touched her forehead, and found she had a fever. She got up to find medicine, boiled water, and watched her take the medicine.

When Lumi was sick, she was like a child, still talking back but speaking a bit slower. Shang Zhi Tao knew. The two of them had lived together for so many years, she understood Lumi the most. She would pour her heart out to whoever she acknowledged, caring even if she might get hurt. Or if she was hurt, she would care, nursing her wounds and then continuing on her way.

On the other end, Wumeng reported her work to Tu Ming and mentioned Lumi’s cold, saying: “Lumi was hit by the wind and sneezed a lot. I’m a bit worried it might get serious.”

“Okay, I understand. Rest early.”

Wumeng had only said half of her sentence, but Tu Ming vaguely understood her thoughts. It was reasonable to let a sick colleague withdraw in such circumstances, especially since this was an opportunity for her, but Tu Ming felt her approach was too hasty. Therefore, he told her: “Lumi is your mentor. She took the initiative to hand over the design and follow-up work to you. This is the highlight of the project, and it’s also a gesture of goodwill from her. I hope you understand this point.”

“Alright, I understand, Boss.”

“Keep up the good work.”

After chatting with Wumeng about work, Tu Ming called Lumi, but she didn’t answer. She was asleep.

Lumi slept for a long time and sweated a lot. When she opened her eyes the next day, she felt a little better. Seeing Tu Ming’s missed call, she sent him a message: “What’s up, Boss? Missing me already after just one day?”

“If I had known that a business trip would make you contact me proactively, I would have gone on business trips every day!” Lumi teased him half-heartedly. If Tu Ming said that friends could talk like this, she would send him a screenshot of her conversation with Wang Jiexing, letting Tu Ming see how friends chat.

But Tu Ming only asked her: “Feeling better?” ignoring her messy chatter.

Lumi felt that his “Feeling better?” was not as thoughtful as “Drink more hot water,” so she tossed her phone aside and ignored him.

She lay in bed for a while longer, then got up, enduring her whole body’s fatigue, and went out with Shang Zhi Tao to eat ramen before heading to the construction site, where she saw Wumeng had already arrived.

“Lumi, if you’re feeling really bad, you can go back. I can keep an eye on things here for you.” Wumeng seemed a bit worried about her.

Lumi looked at her for a moment and then said: “Alright, you keep an eye on things. I’ll go back to Beijing tomorrow.”

Lumi was very smart. She knew when to stand firm and when to let others take the lead in a project. Since Wumeng wanted to take charge, then let her do it. Lumi didn’t care.

“Alright, Lumi, I know what to do when you’re gone. I think you should rest well, and I’ll run errands for you.” Wumeng explained to Lumi.

“Alright, thank you.” Lumi said and really found a warm place to rest. Lumi was willing to compete, but so far, Wumeng had taken the initiative to give way, which wasn’t a big deal.

She sat there watching Wumeng, who was carefully comparing the site with the blueprints, sometimes using a ruler to roughly measure. Lumi unexpectedly saw a bit of Shang Zhi Tao’s shadow in her. They were both equally serious. But there were also differences. Shang Zhi Tao was never in a hurry for success, while Wumeng had a bit of a hidden agenda. But Lumi didn’t like such hidden agendas. In her view, serious people deserved respect, and Wumeng was no exception.

“What are you doing! Want to hang out this weekend?” Wang Jiexing invited her.

“Sure.”

“You have to give others a chance, or they won’t have an opportunity to take advantage.”

“Do I need to give you a chance? Get lost.” Lumi scolded him: “Are you drunk?”

“I’m being serious, accompany me to look at some courtyards in the hutong.”

“What’s the plan?”

“I want to take back the courtyard and open a restaurant.”

“Alright then.”

When Lumi met Wang Jiexing, she hadn’t fully recovered. Her nose was red, and her voice was hoarse. Wang Jiexing teased her when he saw her like this: “What’s wrong? Did you sleep too much?”

“None of your business.” Lumi kicked him: “What kind of restaurant are you opening? Have you run out of places to spend your money?”

Wang Jiexing chuckled, put his arm around her shoulder, and said to her: “Lumi, do you know that the guy you’re interested in is divorced?”

Wang Jiexing’s teasing continued:

“Do you know he left with nothing and no house?”

“Do you know what it means to be the one at fault in a divorce? It means he still has feelings for his ex-wife.”

“Have you ever seen a man be so generous in a divorce? In today’s society, people fight tooth and nail.”

Wang Jiexing and Lumi grew up together. They had been through so many years of bickering and had no secrets from each other. He admitted that Tu Ming had a good reputation in the circle, but his divorce was strange, and Wang Jiexing didn’t want Lumi to get involved in Tu Ming’s mess just because she was momentarily infatuated.

Lumi found his words annoying, so she slapped his hand away from her shoulder: “Keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll mess you up!”

“I’m just saying, how do you feel about it? You’re living a clear life, right? Other people’s divorces are none of your business! Why are you so enthusiastic? Why don’t you go work for the neighborhood committee? At least as the boss of a company, you’re interested in all this gossip. Aren’t you tired?” Lumi lectured him, one sentence after another. After all, she never lost in a verbal battle.

“I’m concerned about him, and he’s concerned about his ex-wife. Is there a conflict between the two…” Lumi sat on the threshold with her legs stretched out: “You wanted me to accompany you to look at the courtyard, right? When did you learn to be so bad? You could have said all that over the phone.”

“It’s better to meet in person.” Wang Jiexing sat down next to her, and the two of them blocked the peeling wooden door tightly. Wang Jiexing patted Lumi’s shoulder: “Come on, buddy, let me show you how to get a hickey.”

He pinched a piece of skin on his neck with his index and middle fingers and made a clicking sound, scaring Lumi so much she almost jumped up: “Are you crazy?”

Wang Jiexing ignored her and pinched a few more times: “Is it red? Is it purple?”

“A little.”

“I’ll take a photo for you tomorrow. It’s similar to cupping. After a few days, when it fades, it looks like a hickey. To be honest, I think you have a prejudice against me.” Wang Jiexing nudged Lumi with his elbow: “Don’t bother with the divorced Will anymore. How about you take a look at me?”

Lumi really took a moment to look at him seriously, then shook her head: “You’re not my type.”

“Why?”

“I don’t feel anything for you, buddy. We’re too familiar with each other. I’ve seen you naked when we were kids, and my dad even played with your little bird!” Lumi was ready to explain in detail why Wang Jiexing wasn’t her type.

“That’s what I’m saying. Didn’t I help you deliver a love letter to our classmate in middle school? When I was on a date with my first love in high school, weren’t you keeping watch for us? And when you were keeping watch, couldn’t you hear what we were doing? It was quite lively when we kissed. Are you uncomfortable with that?”

“Yeah, your mom said she wants two grandsons within three years, so I’m not suitable. I haven’t had enough fun myself yet.”

“Really?” Wang Jiexing asked her.

“Is that enough? Then let me think about it.”

Lumi really thought about it carefully. She stood up and paced back and forth in front of the door, her shadow alternatingly covering Wang Jiexing and then moving away. Wang Jiexing felt that she was just like when they were kids, except with more hair and still as mischievous. He had thought about holding her hand, but he decided to wait, not to rush, but then she turned her attention to someone else, and now it might be too late to wait.

“Have you thought it through?” Wang Jiexing asked her.

“No, let’s leave it at that. Anyway, it’s fine.” Lumi took out a tissue from her pocket to wipe her nose, her voice nasal: “Isn’t it great being friends? Don’t get any funny ideas. Even if I wanted to sleep with Will, I wouldn’t sleep with you. A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass around its nest!”

“Would you be upset if I said it like that? Then let me rephrase it. I might suddenly want to be with someone, but being friends with you is fine.”

“Would you choose me in any situation?”

“Sure, why not.” What kind of situation could there be! You must have taken the wrong medicine today! Lumi muttered to herself, feeling too strange!

“Alright then.” Wang Jiexing stood up and dusted off his butt: “Shall we eat some braised food? Let’s go to that place.”

“Sure!”

The two of them agreed immediately and strolled through the hutong. This hutong was just like when they were kids. In the past two years, the city had been renovated, and it was cleaner with fewer people. As they walked through the hutong, it felt like they had returned to their childhood, when they knew nothing and found joy in simple things every day. Wang Jiexing suddenly asked her seriously: “Have we known each other for twenty-six years?”

“Almost, I guess. Don’t say anything else, or I’ll stop playing with you.” Lumi snorted: “Let’s block each other after eating this bowl of braised food. We can add each other back when you get married.”

“Are you crazy? You block everyone who likes you?”

“Why do you care? I’m just blocking you!”

The two of them bickered all the way to the old and shabby braised food shop. Lumi ordered a generous portion and poured a lot of garlic sauce over it. Wang Jiexing watched her eat with abandon, not at all ladylike, and teased her verbally: “Will likes to eat braised food too.”

“What else does he like to eat?”

“Steak and coffee, probably. So I’m saying, you two are like peas in a pod, get it? It’s a rough analogy.”

“He likes braised food? Then he’ll just have to eat it. Poor guy.” Lumi said indifferently, amusing Wang Jiexing.

Lumi said it like that, but what she ate wasn’t really important. She hadn’t had much motivation during her illness. Apart from reporting work in the group, she hadn’t spoken to Tu Ming privately. Today she felt much better, and she felt her motivation was back.

So she asked Tu Ming: “What are you up to, Boss? Want to come out for some braised food?”

“Sorry, I have plans.”