Chen Qing Wu was slightly stunned.

Hearing footsteps from inside, she turned to see Meng Fu Yuan coming out with a brown paper bag.

Pei Shao turned and headed to the parking lot first.

Meng Fu Yuan followed two steps behind, walking slightly behind and to the side of Chen Qing Wu.

He asked in a low voice, “What were you talking about just now?”

MBTI tests have suddenly become popular these past two years, and Pei Shao is a typical “E” type. Meng Fu Yuan worried Pei Shao’s overly familiar nature might make Qing Wu uncomfortable.

MBTI tests

The MBTI assessment identifies people as one of 16 MBTI personality types. Each type reflects how a person naturally prefers to direct and receive energy, take in information, make decisions, and approach the outside world. Knowing this provides a powerful framework for understanding and relating to people. “E” stands for Extraversion, and people who have this personality preference are energized by the outer world of people and things.

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “Nothing much, just some casual talk.”

There was a flashy bright yellow sports car in the parking lot that Chen Qing Wu had noticed earlier.

She didn’t expect it to be Pei Shao’s.

Meng Fu Yuan unlocked his SUV and glanced at Pei Shao. “A new car?”

“Picked it up yesterday. How is it, cool right?”

Meng Fu Yuan: “I can’t agree with your taste.”

Pei Shao: “……”

Chen Qing Wu chuckled softly, finding it rare to see Meng Fu Yuan bickering with someone.

Pei Shao opened his car door and teased, “Meng, remember to come back to the office to review the report after dropping off your girl!”

Meng Fu Yuan hesitated for a moment.

He leaned over to Chen Qing Wu, who was fastening her seatbelt in the passenger seat, and said, “Wait a moment, I need to have a word with Pei Shao.”

Meng Fu Yuan shut the car door he had already opened and walked over to Pei Shao on the other side.

Pei Shao, leaning on the door of his sports car, looked puzzled.

When Meng Fu Yuan reached him, he lowered his voice, “Do you know who she is?”

“She said your families have been friends for generations.”

Pei Shao knew Meng Fu Yuan to be consistently serious and upright, and now he appeared even more stern than usual, which made Pei Shao drop his usual joking demeanor.

Meng Fu Yuan’s voice was cold and calm, “Qi Ran is her boyfriend.”

The implication was clear: no more inappropriate jokes.

Pei Shao was taken aback, then said, “You should have said so earlier.”

Meng Fu Yuan frowned slightly, “What did you say to her?”

“What could I have said… It’s not my fault. As soon as I heard her name, I got sidetracked. Besides, during the meal, you spent half the time staring at her like you couldn’t look away.”

Meng Fu Yuan lived a monk-like existence, adhering strictly to rules and regulations, almost to the point of becoming a monk. This was the first time he brought a girl out for socializing, and he was protective of her, making it impossible for Pei Shao not to make bold assumptions.

Meng Fu Yuan took a deep breath, “What did you tell her exactly?”

“I just told her what kind of tea you like.”

“You know what tea I like? Even my parents don’t know that.”

“…” Pei Shao almost jumped up, “What do you mean? I’m not that kind of person!”

“What kind of person?”

“…”

The saying “fight fire with fire” came to mind. Pei Shao had to admit defeat in this battle of wits, bent down, and got into his car, no longer willing to engage.

Meng Fu Yuan returned to the car and started it.

He stared straight ahead without glancing at Chen Qing Wu and spoke in a calm voice, “Pei Shao likes to joke around. If he said anything, don’t take it seriously.”

“Okay,” Chen Qing Wu nodded.

That made sense. Perhaps Pei Shao found her name coincidentally similar to the tea Meng Fu Yuan was drinking earlier and made a casual joke. In a place full of tea and porcelain experts, when she visited other kilns with Teacher Zhai, people would joke, “Your name is Qing Wu? Then let’s brew you some Wu Li Qing tea.”

She knew Meng Fu Yuan’s character and felt that he had never crossed any boundaries in their interactions. Thankfully, she didn’t dare interpret Pei Shao’s joke in any other way.

After all, this was Meng Fu Yuan, whom even her father, Chen Suiliang, had to respect.

The drive back was slightly silent.

Chen Qing Wu could only guess that Pei Shao’s joke had displeased Meng Fu Yuan, causing him to maintain a distance.

When they arrived, Meng Fu Yuan’s actions confirmed her guess—

Meng Fu Yuan handed her the brown paper bag, saying, “Sister An bought this honey from a beekeeper on the mountain. She bought too much and couldn’t finish it. Take it and enjoy.”

She didn’t dare be polite and refuse, so she accepted it.

Meng Fu Yuan glanced at her and added, “If you have any questions during the process, you can directly contact Sister An on WeChat.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled and said, “Okay.”

She felt it was inconvenient to trouble Meng Fu Yuan too much and didn’t want him to be a middleman any longer.

Chen Qing Wu opened the car door. “I’m going in. Be safe on your way back, Brother Yuan.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded.

He only turned to look after hearing the car door close.

She used the long handle of her transparent umbrella to prop herself up and lightly stepped onto the porch stairs.

He started the car, made a U-turn in front, and passed by the studio entrance again, just as Chen Qing Wu stepped inside.

In the next moment, she disappeared behind the door.

He always watched her from the shadows, so most of his memories were of her back.

He placed one hand on the steering wheel and reached for a cigarette from the storage compartment.

He lit one using the car’s lighter.

With the window open, the misty wind blew in, scattering the ash, but he didn’t bother to brush it off.

As the saying goes, some things are like a cough, impossible to hide.

Even if you cover your mouth and wrap yourself in three layers of blankets, the shaking shoulders will give you away.

He thought he had hidden it well, but Pei Shao saw through it at a glance.

Today, he managed to get by, but what about the future?

What isn’t yours shouldn’t be approached from the start.

***

Three weeks passed, and as summer began in Dongcheng, the greenery flourished.

Meng Fu Yuan left the laboratory and received a WeChat message from Sister An, saying she was at the gate of the tech park to deliver something.

Meng Fu Yuan asked her to wait and walked to the gate.

Sister An carried a basket of pastries, thanking him for connecting her child with someone who wrote a recommendation letter. “I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

Meng Fu Yuan said, “No need to be so polite.”

Sister An laughed, “How is your little friend doing with the tea set? She hasn’t contacted me on WeChat. She didn’t ghost me, did she?”

“She wouldn’t. She’s introverted and warms up slowly. If she hasn’t reached out, it means things are progressing smoothly.”

Sister An nodded, “True, artists tend to be a bit socially anxious.”

Sister An handed him the pastries, “I baked these myself. Try them.”

“I won’t take the pastries. You know Pei Shao and I don’t like sweets.”

“Then take them to Qing Wu. She seemed to enjoy them when she had tea at my place last time. Consider it a gesture of encouragement, and also check on the progress for me.”

Meng Fu Yuan hesitated for a moment but took them.

After a casual lunch in the park and a meeting in the afternoon, Meng Fu Yuan left the office around 4 PM and drove to the cultural park in the southern suburbs.

Upon arrival, he saw a medium-sized pickup truck parked in front of the studio.

A small cart was in the back of the truck, and Chen Qing Wu was unloading things from the truck bed.

The white urea bags were full to the brim.

She lifted one onto her shoulder and steadily placed it onto the cart.

Meng Fu Yuan quickly parked the car, got out, and walked over briskly.

Seeing him, Chen Qing Wu paused her movements and smiled, “Brother Yuan, long time no see.”

A simple phrase, yet it made his heart tremble.

Long time no see.

Meng Fu Yuan stepped closer, rolling up his sleeves, “Why didn’t you ask someone to help with such heavy things?”

“It’s okay, I can handle it,” Chen Qing Wu smiled. “I’m quite strong.”

She hadn’t been sick since middle school. She had deliberately strengthened her body, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, running, swimming, and even taking a boxing class.

Though thin, her low body fat made her not weak.

Work had reduced her workout time, but she still tried to maintain a habit of running more than five kilometers twice a week.

Meng Fu Yuan glanced into the truck bed. There was still a corrugated box left. He reached in, lifted it, and placed it on the cart.

When Chen Qing Wu reached for it, Meng Fu Yuan took the handle first, “I’ll do it.”

Chen Qing Wu let him.

“Is it a new car?” Meng Fu Yuan glanced at the pickup. The tires still had their fresh treads, clearly a new vehicle.

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “My parents wanted to give me a car when I graduated with my master’s, but I didn’t need one working in the Jingdezhen city, so I never got it. Now I need to transport things, so I asked them for help.”

The black Jeep Gladiator pickup suited her tough style.

Despite her delicate appearance, her toughness always showed through.

They pushed the cart into the studio, and Chen Qing Wu directed Meng Fu Yuan to unload the items and place them in their designated spots.

Every time she tried to help, Meng Fu Yuan refused.

Wearing a dress shirt and trousers, he looked elegant, like a man out of place lifting heavy objects, yet he seemed indifferent to it.

“Is this material for making porcelain?” Meng Fu Yuan asked.

“Natural glaze materials like quartz and plant ash.”

“Plant ash can be used as glaze?”

“Yes,” Chen Qing Wu nodded. “Glaze mainly consists of silica, alumina, and flux. These can be found in plant ash. For example, rice husk ash is rich in silica, and seaweed ash contains water-soluble salts, such as sodium chloride. Sodium is a flux.”

Though usually not talkative, she became lively discussing her field.

Her voice was clear and pleasant.

Realizing she might be giving a chemistry lesson, she looked at him, worried he’d find it dull.

Meng Fu Yuan lowered his eyes and said, “I understand. My chemistry wasn’t that bad.”

Humble.

Chen Qing Wu knew he almost always scored full marks in science during high school.

This was a perennial topic at family dinners, something Aunt Qi Lin would brag about more proudly than any rare Hermes.

After unloading, Meng Fu Yuan washed his hands at the sink near the workbench and then retrieved the pastries Sister An sent from his car.

Chen Qing Wu took them, a bit apprehensive, “Is Sister An pushing for progress?”

“No. She said it’s a gesture of encouragement.”

“Good… I’m progressing slowly because I’ve been experimenting with glaze colors.”

Meng Fu Yuan noticed a felt mat on the floor beside the workbench with neatly arranged circular porcelain pieces.

Chen Qing Wu saw his gaze, “These are test pieces.”

She crouched down and picked up two pieces from the top left corner, “Perfect timing. I’m undecided about these two colors. Which one do you think looks better, Brother Yuan?”

“My opinion might not be authoritative.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled and shook her head, “If there were an authoritative standard for beauty, we’d be in trouble.”

Meng Fu Yuan took the two pieces, moving slightly towards the window.

Both were gray-white, but with subtle differences visible only when compared side by side.

Chen Qing Wu walked over, “These are made from grain straw ash and iris ash.”

Meng Fu Yuan held his breath for a moment, affected by her cool fragrance as she approached.

He lowered his gaze and examined them under the natural light.

After a moment, he raised his right hand slightly.

“You like this one?” Chen Qing Wu asked.

Meng Fu Yuan nodded, “It seems to have richer color layers and doesn’t look dirty.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “My first instinct was that this one looked better! It seems I should trust my gut.”

Meng Fu Yuan responded with a quiet “Hmm,” not letting his emotions show.

Chen Qing Wu took the test piece from his hand and returned it to its place.

Looking at the test pieces, Meng Fu Yuan asked, “Are these for Sister An’s project?”

“Yes. I think she’ll prefer natural glaze over commercial glaze.”

Meng Fu Yuan asked about the difference.

“Commercial glaze has a fixed formula and stable color effects but lacks the randomness of natural firing.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded.

It was hard not to let his gaze fall on her.

When talking about her passions, she had a radiant brightness.

He had planned to leave after delivering the items, but now he felt stuck, like being trapped in quicksand.

That desperate, clear-headed feeling was like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Suddenly, Chen Qing Wu exclaimed, “Ah!”

Meng Fu Yuan looked at her.

She smiled sheepishly, “I haven’t offered you water yet.”

“No need,” he started to say, but she was already walking quickly to the fridge.

She took out a bottle of purified water and handed it to him.

Meng Fu Yuan took it and thanked her.

Noticing something on his sleeve, Chen Qing Wu pointed at it.

Meng Fu Yuan looked at his sleeve and saw some dust.

He placed the water bottle on the table and brushed it off.

His hands were elegant, with long, slender fingers, and his cool skin highlighted his veins with a restrained allure.

Chen Qing Wu’s eyes were drawn to his left pinky, “Brother Yuan, are you against marriage?”

She remembered Aunt Qi Lin once teased him about marriage, and he had jokingly said, “If you keep pushing, I’ll never get married.”

Meng Fu Yuan followed her gaze to the silver ring on his pinky.

“No,” he said quietly.

Chen Qing Wu looked at him.

“It’s a vow of chastity.”

“For whom?” she asked without thinking.

Silence.

Meng Fu Yuan’s gaze flickered like smoke, lightly brushing her face before settling into the void.

That brief touch made her breath hitch, as if she heard a distant thunder in a silent valley.

“I can’t tell you.”