Chapter 11: Old Friends

◎ Married Life ◎

The summer buzzed with the cries of cicadas—crowded and noisy.

Lu Shiyin returned to campus to collect some documents and unexpectedly ran into Wu Zihan and her group.

The sun, around ten o’clock, slanted into the hallway. Lu Shiyin squinted against the light, paused as she recognized them.

After the college entrance exams, Wu Zihan had gotten double eyelid surgery. Now she wore sunglasses and was decked out in designer brands. Her lips curled coldly.
“Traitor.”

Lu Shiyin swallowed silently and stood her ground.

“I heard you got into a university in the capital?” Wu Zihan stepped closer, stopping in front of her. “Looks like life’s been good since you left us.”

Still silent, Lu Shiyin stood in the corridor under the 37°C sun, sweat beading on her forehead—but she didn’t notice.

Such a simple story, yet teenage girls always managed to complicate it.

She had simply stopped wanting to waste time and chose to leave the rich-girl clique.

Wu Zihan despised her for it. As she passed, she deliberately bumped into her shoulder.

After they’d all gone, Li Siyin from the group doubled back:
“Yinyin, Zihan’s just mad that you left us. She was really happy when she heard you got into a top university. Honestly, we all miss you. If you’re willing, we’re having a get-together at Jialin tonight—you’re more than welcome.”

“Say a few nice words to Zihan and she’ll get over it. You know her, she doesn’t hold grudges.”

Choked up, Lu Shiyin nodded.

Li Siyin beamed and reminded her before leaving, “See you at Jialin at 8:30 tonight.”

That evening, Lu Shiyin showed up as promised, bringing gifts to apologize. Her home life was hard enough—she didn’t want to lose her friends too.

The staff at Jialin’s Night Lounge all knew her. She used to be a regular.

“Miss Lu, it’s been a long time,” Peter the waiter said, surprised.

Lu Shiyin smiled politely. “I’m here to see my friends.”

“I’ll take you up. Miss Wu brought a lot of people.”

Peter only escorted her to the door. “They’re inside. Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

The same private room. She used to laugh away her loneliness here.

But when she pushed open the ornate golden door, it wasn’t lively like she’d imagined. A muted music video played on the screen, the room in disarray, lit only by the flickering MV.

She took two steps inside. A strong, sickly metallic scent hit her—thick and nauseating.

Something felt wrong. She turned to leave, only to see a trail of blood behind the door—someone collapsed there, trembling, reaching a hand toward her…

She remembered screaming hoarsely at the police station:
“It wasn’t me!”

She remembered the flawless surveillance footage. She remembered how Wu Zihan and the others wore two different faces.

The Lu family was powerful, with money to burn. Cleaning up a mess like this wasn’t hard. Lu Qisheng ran around for her, while Lu Zhengguo was so furious he nearly went mad.

That whole summer she stayed quiet but entered university with a spotless record.

But people are greedy—and more so when they have backing.

Like a blade of grass beaten down by a violent storm, she was trampled and crushed but stubbornly tried to rise again. What hurt more than the rumors was her family’s lack of trust.

Lu Qisheng said:
“Yinyin, if we mess up, we must take responsibility. Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Lu Zhengguo said:
“You ungrateful brat!”

——

Wu Zihan had also learned how to fake civility. When she saw her phone being tossed away, her fury peaked.

But the moment she saw Cheng Jinghe’s face, her fire died down by half.

With an awkward smile, she said,
“It was just a casual dinner with an old friend, President Cheng. No need to be so harsh, right?”

Lu Shiyin came back to herself—in a warm embrace, in a familiar, comforting scent.

This was the second time Cheng Jinghe had pulled her into his arms, like dragging her out of quicksand—she wouldn’t sink again.

She looked up and saw the rage in his face.

Why was she scared? It was all in the past. There was no obstacle she couldn’t overcome now.

Just as Cheng Jinghe was about to speak, Lu Shiyin wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned closer, smiling:

“Nope, my husband’s very strict with me, so I won’t be joining. Have fun!”

Wu Zihan’s brows furrowed.
“Lu Shiyin, you used to have men circling you. Now you’re circling around a man?”

“My husband’s amazing. I wish I could grow on him, so he’d take me everywhere.” She snuggled into Cheng Jinghe. “You wouldn’t understand—you’re not married.”

Wu Zihan let out a ridiculous laugh, like she’d seen something filthy, turned around, and drove off.

Only when her car disappeared around the corner did Lu Shiyin finally release him.

She stood up straight, pretending the whole scene hadn’t just happened.
“When did you get back?”

Cheng Jinghe’s hum lifted in pitch. After a beat, he replied,
“This morning.”

The afternoon sun made his skin glow bright and clear.

Lu Shiyin thought his face looked like a ripe peach—flawless, with a visible blush on his cheeks.

She leaned in and sniffed.
“Oh, you drank… and smoked too.”

He denied smoking, saying it was just alcohol, and the smoke smell came from someone else’s cigarette—his jacket picked it up.

Nearby, Chu Yi was laughing, waving a hand in greeting.

Seeing him, Lu Shiyin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Whoa, I thought today was Tomb Sweeping Day.”

Chu Yi smirked, still roguish.
“Your memory’s bad. Mid-Autumn is coming—time for reunions.”

“Too bad reunions have nothing to do with you.” Lu Shiyin tucked her hair behind her ear. “Cheng Jingzhi still ignoring you?”

Cheng Jinghe said:
“Your memory’s the problem, don’t drag others in.”

Chu Yi just laughed tiredly and waved.
“Whatever. I’m out.”

Once he was gone, Lu Shiyin tossed her milk tea into the trash.

The wind blew her hair across her face. Still used to having no bangs, she pushed it back casually.

“Not healed yet,” Cheng Jinghe said, his warm fingers brushing her temple.

A bit of bruising remained—purple fading into green.

It still hurt a little. When she reached up too, their fingers touched, and Cheng Jinghe flinched like shocked by static.

“Was that static?” she asked.

He nodded.
“Yeah.”

It wasn’t.

She pressed lightly—it still hurt, so she stopped.
“You can go back to work. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not busy. Heading back now.”

“I’ll go too.”

Cheng Jinghe looked at her.
“Let’s go together.”

She pointed up the road.
“My car’s just over there. I need to drive it.”

He licked his lips.
“Can I ride with you?”

She glanced at his assistant.
“Assistant Yuan is still waiting for you.”

“Let him drive my car. I’ll ride with you,” he said, rubbing his temple. “I’m dizzy.”

“Really?” She saw the flush in his cheeks, and his furrowed brow—he didn’t look great.
“Wait here, I’ll bring the car around.”

He shook his head.
“I’ll walk with you. Fresh air helps sober me up.”

That line stirred her memories—
“Still laughing? It’s been days already.”

Cheng Jinghe chuckled, quickly reining it in. He’d forgotten—until those people brought it up again.

“Alright. No more talk.”

Lu Shiyin finally nodded. Cheng Jinghe turned to Assistant Yuan:
“Find out who that woman was. What company she’s from.”

Yuan nodded.
“Yes, sir.”

He wanted to ask more but didn’t want to keep Lu Shiyin waiting.
“That’s it for now. Be quick.”

The two walked along the landscaped path.

This wasn’t a busy street. The greenbelt was newly built and very clean. Not far off was the riverside, where the wind blew strong. Lu Shiyin felt a chill.

She was wearing only a thin blouse. The temperature was fine for an autumn afternoon, but the wind made it cold.

Cheng Jinghe took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Underneath, he wore a white shirt, vest, and a tie with a metal clip.

She really was cold, so she didn’t argue, just pulled the coat tighter.
“Thanks.”

The wind kept blowing. Her hair whipped across her face. She gathered it back and tucked the strands behind her ear. A few strands blew over to Cheng Jinghe’s side. He caught a faint whiff of her shampoo—calming. He turned to look at her—only catching her soft, charming profile.

They walked about 800 meters to the nearby coffee shop, beside an open parking lot.

Lu Shiyin reached into her bag for the car keys. Her shoulder moved, and the jacket slipped. Cheng Jinghe caught it, readjusting it on her shoulders, both hands gently resting there to keep it in place.

Still looking for the key, she murmured,
“Thanks.”

In the car, Lu Shiyin handed the coat back and drove home.

She was a focused driver. Nearsighted but didn’t usually wear glasses—only when driving.

This was the first time Cheng Jinghe saw her drive. Also the first time he saw her wear glasses.

Round silver frames suited her well. He leaned against the window, staring.

She noticed. At a red light, she turned.
“What are you staring at?”

He smiled.
“Just making sure you know how to drive. Supervising.”

Lu Shiyin fumed.
“Don’t look down on me! I was driving when you were still on a bike!”

He shifted slightly to save her pride.
“Fair.”

She rolled her eyes. The light turned green. She didn’t look his way again, lips stubborn, even more focused than before.

Cheng Jinghe turned to the window, hiding his smirk with his hand.

In the underground garage, Lu Shiyin unbuckled to get out—then noticed Cheng Jinghe was asleep.

He slept deeply, clearly exhausted from days of back-to-back work. Even asleep, he sat upright.

Not wanting to wake him, she gently draped his coat over him.

But just then, he woke. Their eyes met—hers wide open, his still groggy.

She tossed the coat at him.
“You’re up? Then get out.”

He caught the coat and watched her unbuckle, amused for the first time by how fun she could be.

She opened the trunk to grab two large bags. He helped, glancing at them.
“Where’s this from?”

She shut the trunk.
“My mom brought it.”

He realized she meant her mom and said,
“I’ll bring something over next time too.”

She turned back just in time to hear him add,
“Next time you visit your mom, take me along. I haven’t met her yet.”

It was the first time he called her mother “Mom.” She replied,
“No need to trouble yourself.”

“It’s no trouble,” he said softly.

Back home, his alcohol smell lingered. Lu Shiyin brewed him honey lemon tea from Zhong Jijia’s recipe.

He took a few sips.
“Mom’s got skill.”

Lu Shiyin took a deep breath.
“What did you just call her?”

He set down the cup and asked,
“What do you call my mom?”

Lu Shiyin didn’t answer—but her silence said it all.

Cheng Jinghe said:
“Whatever you call my mom, I’ll call your mom.”

She had no comeback. “Oh,” she replied softly, then turned to put the groceries in the fridge.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Jinghe came to help. As they stocked the fridge together, one thought popped into Lu Shiyin’s mind:

Married life.

She leaned slightly to look at him. He moved more efficiently than her. She stepped back and let him take over.