st, Master would respond with a string of ellipses, expressing their speechless state. But gradually, they became immune, able to accept any amount of cheesy pick-up lines she threw their way.

However, now that she was out of the game and knew Master’s gender, Shen Mi had become somewhat restrained.

dsm: “It’s cold outside, remember to wear clothes when you go out.”

Shen Mi was about to say she was already dressed, but then she looked down and realized her coat was still in the lobby.

Shen Mi replied: “I’m indoors, it’s not cold. Master, you should also keep warm.”

dsm: “Mm.”

dsm: “I’m busy now, we’ll chat later.”

Shen Mi: “Mm-hmm.”

Master was the one who cared about her the most, unlike that capitalist inside who was ripping her off!

The luxurious conference room on the top floor of the hotel was filled with the aroma of cigarettes and alcohol. Men clinked glasses, flattering each other, seemingly close friends, but in reality, they were all subtly vying for their own maximum benefit.

Xie Rongzhuo’s thoughts drifted away from the roundabout tactics, he raised his hand to check his watch, turned on his phone, opened Shen Mi’s number, and lowered his head to type a message.

Shen Mi sat on the sofa in the restroom’s lounge, lulled into a doze by the warm air.

Her phone buzzed in her bag. She opened it and saw a text message from Xie Rongzhuo.

Boss: Go back first.

Shen Mi glanced at the time. It was almost time for dinner.

Shen Mi: Okay. Do you need me to book a restaurant?

Boss: No need.

Shen Mi replied with an “okay” and stood up, walking out of the hotel’s revolving door. As soon as she stepped out, the cold air abruptly seeped into her collar, like falling from a warm furnace into an ice cellar. Shen Mi couldn’t help but shiver, pulling her coat tighter and opening the ride-hailing app.

Her outfit today wasn’t suitable for squeezing onto the subway.

While waiting for the car, Shen Mi idly clicked on “dsm”‘s WeChat profile picture to check his Moments.

There was still not a single post.

Shen Mi folded the business cards she had collected at the cocktail party, took a picture, and shared it with her mentor to share her joy.

Shen Mi: Today’s harvest is quite fruitful.

Shen Mi: When I become big and strong, I will fire the boss and take his job!

dsm: Good idea.

Shen Mi: Haha, just kidding. My boss is pretty good to his employees. He saw it was almost dinner time and specially let me out to eat.

When it came to meals, Xie Rongzhuo would always make sure they had time to eat properly, no matter how busy he was. Even Zhang Wenzhu said the boss was becoming more and more humane.

dsm: This is the first time I’ve heard you say good things about him.

The car arrived, and Shen Mi put away her phone and got in.

Seeing her mentor’s reply, she complained again: Not good at all!

Shen Mi: He bought flowers for his rumored girlfriend, and he actually made me pay for it! Six hundred and ninety-nine! Rich people are really stingy!

Suddenly, she remembered that her mentor was also a rich man.

Shen Mi: You’re an exception.

dsm: Since it’s a rumor, why not clarify the truth before making a decision.

Was her mentor defending Xie Rongzhuo?

Shen Mi: I asked him if he wanted to buy it, and he didn’t say anything, so I thought he implicitly agreed…

She sent a sulky emoji.

The next second, a five-figure transfer popped up in the chat box.

Shen Mi was stunned and typed: Why? Are you close to him to pay for him?

It was a bit of a roundabout question.

dsm: Close.

As expected.

But her mentor seemed unwilling to talk about real-world relationships, and his deliberate attempt to shift the conversation to a different dimension was off-putting. Shen Mi already had a general idea, and since her mentor wasn’t bringing it up, she wouldn’t ask further.

dsm: But it’s not paying for him.

dsm: It’s for you.

Shen Mi replied with a smile: Are you testing me, Master?

Shen Mi: When it comes to money, your precious apprentice has no principles.

Shen Mi: In a few seconds, you might be disappointed!

Shen Mi: I’m going to accept it!!

Then she clicked “reject”.

Shen Mi: Don’t test me like this next time, I really won’t be able to resist!

A few seconds later, another transfer popped up in the chat box.

dsm: Don’t resist.

Shen Mi: “…”

dsm: It’s getting cold. Go buy some warm clothes and don’t catch a cold.

Shen Mi stared at the new message in the chat box. A warm current suddenly flowed into her heart, like melted sweet chocolate spreading. She was speechless.

•  

Shen Mi didn’t accept the money.

Her relationship with her mentor was pure, a bond of confidants who could talk about anything. He had given her spiritual strength and guided her many times. Her trust in him was deeper than any so-called family member in the real world, and her dependence on him had already transcended the shackles of gender imposed on men and women.

But when she saw her mentor transferring money to comfort her and make her happy, her heart skipped a beat uncontrollably once again.

A person who has been repeatedly abandoned in the cold darkness is particularly sensitive to warm light sources. Shen Mi could strongly sense that her mentor was taking her feelings into account and trying to cheer her up.

She suddenly felt scared.

Not scared of that “fleeting heart flutter.” But scared that she was simultaneously experiencing “fleeting heart flutters” for two men.

She began to doubt her moral standards and was concerned about her values.

Shen Mi threw herself onto the bed, staring at the ceiling in self-reflection.

It had to be one or the other.

“……”

No, she hadn’t prioritized her feelings, and love wasn’t even part of her life plan for the past ten years. Why did she have to choose?

Besides, where did she get the confidence to decide?

Shen Mi suddenly found herself laughing at her own thoughts.

Crazy.

Crazy, crazy.

She suspected it was because her period was approaching, and the hormonal changes were affecting her emotions. Nature’s gifts to the Earth were causing her, as a living being, to start feeling romantic.

She picked up her phone and saw that her period was still three days away.

Sure enough.

The human race and its damn reproductive instinct.

•  

After dinner, Shen Mi took a nap, not realizing she had slept until nightfall.

She suddenly sat up, her heart racing, and frantically searched for her phone beside the pillow.

Fortunately, Xie Rongzhuo hadn’t tried to reach her.

Missing her boss’s call could mean losing her bonus for the year. The end of the year was approaching, and she couldn’t afford to be caught in a bind.

Throwing her phone aside, Shen Mi slipped on her slippers and got up, unsure if it was from sleeping too long, but her head felt foggy and her stomach was uncomfortable.

After taking a few steps, she felt a dull pain in her lower abdomen and headed to the bathroom to check.

Her period had arrived early.

Her phone rang; it was a call from Zhang Zhiqing.

“Mimi, you left work early today?”

Shen Mi’s work hours were flexible now, she didn’t have to clock in, and Xie Rongzhuo not calling her meant she was off work.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Zhang Zhiqing could tell something was wrong from her voice: “Are you feeling alright? You sound weak.”

“My period came.”

It was probably because the hotel had the heating on full blast at noon and the temperature difference with outside was too great, causing her to catch a chill.

A wave of dizziness hit her, and Shen Mi grabbed the wall for support.

Zhang Zhiqing heard the commotion on the other end of the line and quickly asked: “Mimi, are you okay!?”

“Yes, I’m fine”

Xie Rongzhuo, sitting opposite her, looked up at her.

“Okay, okay, call me if you need anything, okay, okay.”

She hung up the phone and looked up at Xie Rongzhuo, asking cautiously, “Uncle, do you know where Shen Mi lives?”

“Who’s Shen Mi?” Xie, the old man, put down his chopsticks and asked with a smile.

“She’s my college roommate, the one who helped decorate my birthday party on my 19th birthday. Grandpa, do you remember?”

The old man shook his head, “You had many college roommates, they all look alike, I can’t remember.”

“The one with the best handwriting, remember?”

“Oh, oh, is it her? I remember her.”

Zhang Zhiqing nodded, “She works at your company now.”

“Oh really? That’s a coincidence.” The old man looked at Xie Rongzhuo, “Since she’s Qingqing’s friend, we should take good care of her.”

“She’s very capable, she doesn’t need special treatment.” Xie Rongzhuo glanced at Zhang Zhiqing.

Zhang Zhiqing, whose work ability was abysmal, felt like she was being subtly insulted.

The old man smoothed things over for his granddaughter, “You rarely praise people, it seems this girl is indeed very capable. Bring her over sometime, let’s have dinner together.”

Xie Rongzhuo, for the first time ever, didn’t refuse, “Mm.”

Zhang Zhiqing looked at Xie Rongzhuo suspiciously. Seeing that he was in a good mood, she dared to speak up, “Uncle, you still haven’t told me Shen Mi’s address.”

Xie Rongzhuo, “She’s your friend, you ask me where she lives?”

“I only got in touch with her after I returned to China.”

Zhang Zhiqing mumbled softly, “If it wasn’t for Mi Mi being sick, I wouldn’t have asked you…”

•  

In a daze, Shen Mi heard someone knocking on the door. She got up, clutching her stomach, her head heavy and legs unsteady, the world spinning with every step she took.

It was the delivery guy, “Hello, your delivery.”

Shen Mi was confused, “I didn’t order anything.”

The delivery guy looked up at the door number, “1502, phone number ending in 6229, Ms. Shen, right?”

“…”

Back in her room, Shen Mi opened the shopping bag. It contained a box of ibuprofen, a hot water bottle, and a heating pad for her lower back.

It must be Zhang Zhiqing who bought them for her.

Shen Mi took the medicine first and then turned on the lower back heating pad.

Her phone vibrated. It was her Master.

dsm: What are you doing?

Shen Mi wanted to send him a picture of her balcony at home, but the backlight made it look bad no matter how she took it.

A few minutes later, a voice call request from “dsm” popped up on her phone.

Feeling too lazy to type, Shen Mi answered, “Master, you wouldn’t believe it, I’m sleeping at home.”

Her voice was lazy, no longer the decisive and fluent tone she used for business, and her voice was a little soft from just waking up, making her sound strangely docile.

Her Master must have been in a situation where he couldn’t speak, so he replied with an “Mm.”

dsm: I’m in the office, you can talk, I can hear you.

Her body felt cold, Shen Mi put her phone next to her pillow and pulled the blanket tighter, “Won’t your boss notice you’re slacking off?”

dsm: Overtime.

Shen Mi sighed, “Ugh.”

dsm: What’s wrong?

Shen Mi: “I want to be the boss, that way I don’t have to be anxious and stare at my phone waiting for instructions.” She couldn’t even sleep soundly when she wasn’t feeling well.

dsm: Why don’t you take a day off?

Cheap things are never good, this bed and blanket weren’t warm at all. She had been lying in them for a while and her hands and feet were still freezing. Shen Mi huddled in the blanket, her voice weak and sickly, “No, taking a day off means losing at least six hundred yuan in salary.”

dsm: Why are you shivering like that? Should I have someone send you to the hospital?

Going to the hospital was expensive, so Shen Mi had always endured her discomfort since she was a child. Not to mention period cramps, which she had to go through every month. She was used to drinking hot water and letting it heal itself.

“It’s okay, no need. I’ll just sleep for a while and I’ll be fine.”

dsm: Be good.

Shen Mi hadn’t felt upset at first, but when her master comforted her, her nose suddenly tingled with a sour feeling.

dsm: Are you crying?

Shen Mi, suppressing her nasal tone: “Nope.”

dsm: Where are you feeling unwell?

No one had ever asked about her feelings before, so she’d never had the chance to express them. Now that she was asked, Shen Mi couldn’t help but act a bit spoiled: “I feel unwell all over.”

dsm: …

After taking the medicine, Shen Mi didn’t feel as bad as before. She blinked and shook off her earlier melodramatic mood, then honestly said, “My neck still hurts a bit.”

A moment later:

dsm: Can you use this medicine?

Her master sent a picture of the contraindication list on the back of the medicine box.

Shen Mi opened the image and zoomed in with her fingers, but instead of focusing on the text, her attention was entirely captivated by his hand.

The man’s fingers were long and slender, with faint veins visible on the back of his hand. His skin was a cool, pale tone—clean and exuding a restrained elegance. Even without showing his face, just the sight of this perfectly proportioned hand was enough to set off a wave of imagination in anyone with a hand fixation.

Now Shen Mi felt that not only did her neck hurt, but her heartbeat was also becoming irregular.

Her perception of her master’s “fatherly love” instantly shifted.

On a whim, Shen Mi couldn’t resist asking, “Master, do you have a girlfriend?”

Author’s Note:
Online dating, anyone? I have 5G internet.