Chapter 1

In May, the city of Jiang was gently breezed, with sunlight filtering through the plane trees lining the streets, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The tranquility of Jiang City Elementary School was broken by the ringing of the school bell signaling the end of class. Wen Ci exhaled a barely audible sigh of relief and announced the dismissal of the class.

Wen Ci had pulled many all-nighters in preparation for this open class. Fortunately, judging by the expressions of the teachers and leaders seated in the back row, she hadn’t messed it up.

After exchanging a few words with the observing teachers and thanking the attending leaders, Wen Ci returned to the teachers’ office. She threw herself heavily onto a chair, feeling a weight lift off her chest.

“Congratulations, Xiao Wen, it’s finally over,” a teacher remarked as she walked past Wen Ci’s desk after filling her water bottle, smiling. “The director praised you in the group chat, said you taught well and handled yourself very gracefully.“

When Wen Ci straightened up again, her smile from earlier had returned. “No, I’m still far from it. I lack experience and need to learn more from you and the other teachers.“

Wen Ci had joined Jiang City Elementary School in the second half of last year and had just become a full-fledged teacher this semester, currently teaching English to third graders.

The teacher who passed by was an old hand at the school, surnamed Xu. She was the head teacher of one of Wen Ci’s classes and generally took good care of Wen Ci.

“You’re really modest, young lady. When I first learned, you were going to teach our class English, I felt very reassured. Really, even though you’re a new teacher, I could tell you were very patient and made your classes interesting, which is rare. Our students praise you every day, saying they look forward to your classes.”

“Thank you.” Wen Ci raised the bag on her desk and smiled. “Would you like some strawberries, Teacher Xu? My mom grew them herself, they’re very sweet.“

Whether facing colleagues or students, Wen Ci always wore a smile like this—gentle and light, like the morning sun that neither harms nor dazzles.

“No, thank you,” Teacher Xu replied. “By the way, Xiao Wen, I remember asking you before if you had a boyfriend, and you said no?”

Wen Ci paused slightly, just as she had last time, then replied, “That’s right.”

Teacher Xu asked, “You’re so good-looking, weren’t you a school belle? Didn’t any boys pursue you? Or did none of them catch your eye?”

Actually, the first time she saw Wen Ci, she didn’t think Wen Ci was particularly beautiful, just pleasing to the eye and seemed like a very well-behaved girl. After spending some time with her, she realized that Wen Ci was actually very attractive, the kind of beauty that grows on you, especially her eyes.

Wen Ci had beautiful eyes, with slightly upturned corners that resembled crescent moons when she smiled. She had a tall, straight nose and smooth, pretty black hair. Today, for convenience in teaching, she had casually tied her hair into a bun, with some loose strands hanging around her ears, giving her a fresh and casual look.

“No way, there were plenty of girls prettier than me at school,” Wen Ci said. “I’ve always been… quite busy. Now I’m just starting to teach students and don’t have time for a relationship.”

“You can’t be like this; you’re at the perfect age for a relationship. Date for a year or two, and if it works out, get married. It’s the perfect time.” Teacher Xu finally revealed her intention. “My nephew recently brought something over to me and saw you somehow. He told me he’d love to meet you. He’s your age, just started working at his own company, has good prospects, and is tall, fair, and handsome. Why don’t you two get to know each other?”

Wen Ci listened politely before replying, “No, thank you, Teacher Xu. I’m not considering a relationship right now.”

“It’s fine, just get to know each other. Think of it as making a new friend.”

Her phone rang. Wen Ci glanced at it and started packing her things. “Maybe next time, Teacher Xu. I have to go now… my family’s waiting outside for me. You know, it’s hard to park near the school.”

“Oh, it’s just adding a friend, it won’t take long, Xiao Wen—“

Wen Ci hurried out of the office, her long skirt swaying in the air, leaving a gentle yet resolute figure behind. “See you tomorrow, Teacher Xu.”

Naturally, no one was waiting to pick her up outside the school.

Wen Ci sat on her bicycle, searching through her bag, and sighed softly sure enough, in her rush, she’d left a set of notes in the classroom.

Fortunately, the open class was over, so there was no urgency to summarize it tonight.

Her phone buzzed again, this time a message from her mother.

She hadn’t had time to reply to the last message while escaping earlier. It was a photo of tonight’s dinner, prepared especially for visiting relatives, with a lavish spread of both meat and vegetables, and a pot of soup in the middle.

[Mom: Come home quickly after class, or the soup will get cold.]

Wen Ci replied, “Got it,” and rode her bicycle into the crowd.

—-

The evening breeze gently caressed her face. Wen Ci stopped at a pedestrian crossing, inhaling the aroma of nearby street food, contemplating whether to secretly buy a sweet cake to end her ordinary, tiring day, when her phone buzzed again in her bag.

Wen Ci took out her phone, and a line of black text popped up on the screen:

[Zhou Wu: 5899]

The red light turned green, and the crowd around her kept moving, but Wen Ci remained still for a long time. It wasn’t until she heard urging voices behind her that she snapped out of it and quickly moved her bike to the side.

Wen Ci stared at his profile picture for a long time, opened the chat, typed a sentence— “When did you get back?”—then deleted it.

Finally, she opened her mom’s chat and sent a message: “Mom, there’s a last-minute dinner at school, so I can’t come home for dinner. I’ll be back late tonight, don’t wait up, sleep early.“

She then turned her bike around and left in the opposite direction.

Some buildings, although in the same city, seem like two extremes. Half an hour ago, Wen Ci was waiting at a red light on a crowded street. Half an hour later, she rode her bike into the most luxurious and expensive Jinjiang Hotel in Jiangcheng.

The valet must have been seeing a guest arrive by bike for the first time. He awkwardly but courteously arranged a spot for her bike at the electric vehicle parking. Wen Ci smiled and thanked him, deciding that next time she would leave her bike at home and take a cab instead.

At the hotel front desk, she gave her name.

“Welcome, Miss Wen. Here’s your room card. We’re delighted to have you stay with us.” The new receptionist handed over the card, glancing curiously at her.

A simple beige knitted sweater, a white long skirt, wind-blown hair, and a plain tote bag with no brand logo. From her appearance, it was hard to imagine she was staying in a suite that cost five figures a night. According to the notes on the computer, this room was usually reserved for a regular guest.

When Wen Ci looked up, the receptionist quickly looked away and smiled, “A staff member will escort you upstairs. Please wait a moment.”

“No need to trouble anyone,” Wen Ci smiled, “I can go up myself, thank you.“

Wen Ci expertly took the elevator upstairs, swiped her card, and entered the suite, which was unsurprisingly empty.

She was used to it. She placed her bag down, undressed, and walked into the bathroom.

—-

After a day of tension from public lectures, all she wanted was a good shower.

Hot water hit her body, and Wen Ci couldn’t help but sigh in comfort. The steam fogged up the glass, blurring the outline of her graceful figure beneath the simple clothes.

Wen Ci tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and quietly enjoyed the shower. The next second, she heard the sound of a key card, and the door opened.

Wen Ci didn’t move. She listened as the man’s leather shoes approached and stopped in front of the shower.

“Why didn’t you respond to my message?” His voice was low, blending with the sound of water.

Wen Ci thought for a moment and realized she hadn’t replied: “Sorry, I forgot. I was on the road at the time. Your message was too last-minute, and I came by bike.”

Zhou Wu was silent.

The quite lasted so long that Wen Ci thought he had left when Zhou Wu suddenly asked, “Can I come in?”

Wen Ci moved her head out from under the water, opened her eyes, and said yes.

—-

The next moment, the shower door opened, and the man stepped in. It turned out his silence earlier was because he was undressing.

Zhou Wu had broad shoulders and long legs, with an excellent physique. The shower that felt spacious with just Wen Ci in it suddenly seemed cramped when Zhou Wu joined.

Wen Ci had just washed her hair, which was now wet and hanging behind her, revealing her beautiful forehead. She pushed her hair aside and said, “Wait a minute, I haven’t rinsed my hair properly yet, let me…“

Before she could finish, he lifted her chin and kissed her, effortlessly lifting her up.

—-

When Wen Ci’s breathing steadied again, it was already dark outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. She lay lazily on the bed, completely drained of energy, with her hair sticking to her forehead from sweat.

She picked up her phone and saw that it was 8:40, almost three hours had passed.

Wen Ci put down her phone, hugged the pillow, and couldn’t help but look out the window.

Zhou Wu was smoking on the balcony.

The man wore only a bath towel, with red scratch marks visible on his back.

After finishing his cigarette, Zhou Wu extinguished it and came back inside. Wen Ci felt the blanket being lifted, and Zhou Wu turned her over, grabbed her ankle, and was about to kiss it when Wen Ci dodged.

Zhou Wu raised an eyebrow and then smiled, “Forgot, I just finished smoking.“

Zhou Wu’s face was even more captivating than his physique, with sharp and defined features, a strong jawline, and a mix of charm and wildness. His eyes were darker than most, lazily staring at Wen Ci with a relaxed smile.

“It’s not that,” Wen Ci looked back at him, “I’m just a little hungry.“

Zhou Wu was surprised and glanced at her flat stomach, “Didn’t you eat before coming?”

“No, I came right after school.“

Zhou Wu let go of her ankle and called for room service.

The hotel was quick, and the food was soon delivered. Wen Ci looked at the table full of dishes and said, “I can’t eat all this.”

“Let’s eat together.” Zhou Wu broke apart some chopsticks and handed her a pair.

Wen Ci asked, “You haven’t eaten either?”

“I had airplane food.“

Wen Ci didn’t bring any clothes, so she ate wrapped in a bath towel. She wasn’t very focused on eating, and after being offline for almost three hours, her phone was flooded with messages.

—-

After dealing with her mom, Wen Ci responded to work matters.

Too tired to type, Wen Ci cleared her throat and used voice-to-text: “Mr. Xu, thank you for your kind offer, but it’s really not necessary. Maybe another time.“

As soon as she sent the message, she heard a soft laugh from across the table.

Wen Ci looked up in confusion and met Zhou Wu’s eyes.

“Nothing, I just thought it was a bit…” Zhou Wu shrugged lightly, “You sounded like you were talking to Old Yu.“

Old Yu was their high school homeroom teacher.

Just as Wen Ci was about to say something, her phone buzzed again. She could only smile at Zhou Wu and continue replying to messages.

Wen Ci’s shoulder was exposed outside the towel, with a few kiss marks left by Zhou Wu just a moment ago. Wen Ci’s skin was very fair, making the marks particularly noticeable. Zhou Wu’s throat tightened.

With so many messages, she wondered when she’d ever finish her meal.

The phone rang, this time it was Zhou Wu’s. He glanced at the caller ID and hesitated before answering.

“Hello. Yes, I’m back. How did you find out… Blue Note? Not going.”

“Not doing anything, just busy.”

“How do you know I’m in Jinjiang?”

Whatever was said on the other end, Zhou Wu’s expression turned impatient. “Get lost, don’t come… Got it, I’ll be there later.”

Zhou Wu tossed the phone aside and continued watching Wen Ci reply to messages.

Wen Ci swallowed her food and said, “You should go first.”

Zhou Wu: “What?”

“I still need a while, a parent is asking me about a student’s classroom performance,” Wen Ci said. “If you’re in a hurry, you can leave first. I’ll go by myself once I’m done.”

—-

Seeing Wen Ci so busy, Zhou Wu couldn’t bring himself to ask her again. He said nothing more and got up to change his clothes.

When he came out dressed, Wen Ci seemed to have finally finished her tasks and was slowly sipping soup. She had no particular expression, but her cheeks were still a bit red.

Zhou Wu looked at her and, almost involuntarily, asked, “Want to come along?”

Wen Ci was startled and looked up at him.

Zhou Wu himself wasn’t sure why he had invited her, but since he’d said it, “Qin Yun invited us. You know him, he was also in Class Three before.”

“No,” Wen Ci snapped out of her daze, “You go ahead.”

“Okay.” Zhou Wu nodded. “Then I’m leaving.”

“Alright.”

Just as Zhou Wu was about to reach the door, Wen Ci seemed to suddenly remember something.

“Zhou Wu, remember to send me the bill for this meal later.”

“No need,” Zhou Wu said.

“It’s necessary,” Wen Ci said gently. “We agreed to split all expenses fifty-fifty after meeting.”

Originally, they had agreed to split the hotel costs as well, but after two meetings, Zhou Wu couldn’t stand the several hundred-yuan hotel costs. He insisted Wen Ci follow his arrangements and stated that since the suggestion was his, the high expenses would naturally be his responsibility as well.

“Got it.” Zhou Wu opened the door and left.