Chapter 3 – A Second Encounter
The next day
Tang Xiaohe was woken up by her alarm—for the fifth time.

She’d barely slept a wink last night.
Lying in bed, she kept overthinking what kind of message she should send Ji Yanli.
She thought about asking how the case was going, but that sounded too formal… and kind of like she was impatient.
She typed. Deleted. Typed again. Deleted again.

In the end, she sent:

“Tomorrow will be sunny! Don’t forget sunscreen~ Goodnight.”

A few minutes later, the delayed embarrassment hit her like a truck.

What the heck did she just send?!
Was she a weather app now??
Even asking “Have you eaten yet?” would’ve been better than that!
Was this seriously how she tried to start a conversation?!

She wanted to retract it—only to realize it was already too late.
Face buried in her pillow, she kicked her legs at the air like a panicked seal.

Thanks to the emotional rollercoaster of the day, her dreams that night were a chaotic mess.

In one, Ji Yanli scolded her sternly for not downloading the National Anti-Fraud App.
In another, she tried messaging him—only to get a giant red exclamation point and a notice: “You’ve been deleted.”
Then she dreamed the scammer called her again, saying they’d already spent her 20,000 yuan, and asking her to send another 20,000…

When she woke up, Tang Xiaohe’s head felt foggy and heavy.
That sleep? Utterly exhausting.
She scrolled through her messages.
Still nothing from Ji Yanli.
Maybe he hadn’t checked his phone…
Or maybe—he just didn’t want to reply.

She washed up, quickly put on some makeup, and threw on an off-shoulder top with cropped pants. Then she rushed out the door.

At work, she opened her drawer and pulled out some nut-and-oat cereal, poured it into a mug, squeezed in the yogurt she bought from the convenience store, and carried the cup into the pantry.

Inside, her colleague and co-teacher, Ms. Zhang Wan from the Math department, was brewing her morning coffee.

Tang Xiaohe stirred her cereal and greeted, “Morning!”

Zhang Wan looked tired and nodded.
“Xiaohe, that Poetry Quiz Bowl question set you submitted before taking leave yesterday—
There were some issues. The director said it was too easy, no differentiation between students.
I’ve already revised it and sent the updated version over.”

Tang Xiaohe immediately leaned over, threw an arm around Zhang Wan’s shoulder, and pretended to give her a kiss:
“Thank you, my goddess Wan-jie! Love youuu~”

Zhang Wan, as her name suggested, had a very gentle temperament.
In her early thirties, she’d gotten married young and had a daughter who had just started elementary school. She’d been working at the school for seven or eight years.

When Tang Xiaohe first arrived, clueless about the school and its procedures, it was Zhang Wan who patiently taught her everything.
Even when Xiaohe messed up during her probation period, Zhang Wan had helped cover and fix things, allowing her to pass her trial and become a full-time teacher.

To Tang Xiaohe, Zhang Wan wasn’t just a colleague—she was half mentor, half friend.
Aside from her bestie Lin Jing, she was one of the few people in Nancheng Xiaohe really trusted.

As she slowly ate her yogurt cereal, Tang Xiaohe suddenly noticed something—
Zhang Wan had a faint bruise near her eye, barely visible under a layer of concealer.

“Jie… what happened to your eye?”

Zhang Wan hesitated, visibly flustered for a moment. Then she smiled.
“Just bumped into something, that’s all.”

Tang Xiaohe frowned.
“Aiyo, what’s going on with us lately?
I got scammed, and now you’ve got an injury.
Is our department cursed or something? We need to find a temple to cleanse the bad luck!”

Zhang Wan chuckled at that, a gentle smile revealing her dimples—though it quickly faded into something more bitter.

That afternoon around five o’clock, Tang Xiaohe finished her work for the day.
She opened a variety show tab on her computer and started watching the trending show 《Masked Dance King》, claiming it was “research”… but really, she was just slacking off.

Suddenly, her phone lit up with a message.

[Deep Sea Whale]: “Big news, bestie!!!”

It was her overly dramatic best friend Lin Jing.

Tang Xiaohe sent back a confused reaction sticker.

Deep Sea Whale: “Big news, girl!!”

Eggy Wallet: “What’s the big news?”

Deep Sea Whale: “My boss is sending me on a business trip to Beicheng. The flight’s at 8 PM tonight, and I’ve got to start packing now.”

Eggy Wallet: “How is that big news?”

Deep Sea Whale: “I’m going to be gone for several days, maybe even longer. No one’s gonna take care of Zhaotaohua, Zhaocai, and Laifu. You gotta help me out for a few days!”

Zhaotaohua is Lin Qing’s corgi. Zhaocai and Laifu are two stray cats she adopted — an orange tabby (Zhaocai) and a black-and-white tuxedo (Laifu).

These three are Lin Qing’s darlings. Even their names reflect her three life wishes: love, fortune, and good luck. Usually, she takes care of them personally, and when traveling, she boards them at a pet hotel.

Eggy Wallet: “Didn’t you always board them at the pet hotel?”

Deep Sea Whale: “Last time I sent Zhaotaohua there, he got depressed for some reason. He’s only just recovered. I can’t risk sending him again.”

Eggy Wallet: “Alright, I’ll come over after work.”

Deep Sea Whale: “Sending flying kisses! Love you, sis. I’ll treat you to a big dinner when I’m back!”

Outside the Golden Garden Residential Complex, Tang Xiaohe stood by the elevator with a large tote bag. Inside were clothes and daily essentials she had picked up from home after work.

There was also an elderly lady waiting with her grandson. The little boy kept sneaking glances at Tang Xiaohe. When she smiled at him, he shyly hid behind his grandma.

Ding— The elevator arrived.

The grandma entered with the boy. Tang Xiaohe followed and pressed the button for the 21st floor. She glanced at the control panel and saw buttons for floors 8 and 21 lit up. Satisfied, she looked down at her phone.

What she didn’t notice was the little boy, curious as ever, pressing random buttons. Now, floors 8 and 20 were lit instead.

The elevator didn’t stop for any other passengers. When it stopped next, Tang Xiaohe walked out, assuming it was her stop. She headed left — Lin Qing’s apartment was right there.

She’d been here many times. Noticing the doorplate had fallen off, she thought, “When did Lin Qing lose the number plate? And she didn’t even mention it.” Then she casually entered the password.

Beep— Incorrect password.
Huh? Did she type it wrong?

Beep— Incorrect password.
She frowned. No, she was sure this was Lin Qing’s birthday.
Beep— Incorrect password.
She bent down and saw the tiny text on the smart lock screen: “Two attempts left. Too many failed attempts will result in a 10-minute lockout.”

Did Lin Qing change her password and forget to tell me?

She was just about to call Lin Qing when the door opened from the inside—
And a completely unexpected face appeared.

Ji Yanli.

He was wearing a white T-shirt and gray pants. His hair was still damp from a recent shower, a few wet strands hanging loosely over his forehead. He looked incredibly relaxed — domestic, even.

When he saw Tang Xiaohe, Ji Yanli didn’t seem all that surprised. From his angle, the girl standing at the door had thick eyelashes, bright, clear eyes full of surprise and a bit of hesitation. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders, exposing a graceful neckline.

Unlike the other day, she wasn’t wearing a dress. Instead, she wore a short-sleeved off-shoulder top that revealed her collarbone, a crop top that showed her slim waist, and high-waisted shorts that highlighted her long legs.

Ji Yanli subconsciously cleared his throat.
“How did you know where I live?”

He thought she had come looking for him.

Tang Xiaohe, on the other hand, was running an entire inner monologue.

What the heck is going on?! Isn’t this Lin Qing’s place?! Why does Ji Yanli look like this is his home?!