It was hard to delve into the odd sensation born of that momentary intuition, fearing that I might be overly sensitive.

Meng Fu Yuan’s voice was extremely calm, and his tone was deeply enigmatic, as if excluding everyone, including me, from this secret.

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “Sorry, I seem to have asked something a bit presumptuous.”

Meng Fu Yuan raised his hand, lightly turned the tail ring on his pinky finger, and said softly, “It’s fine.”

Knowing it was impossible to break the secret, he didn’t mind telling her the significance of the tail ring.

Just like that impossibly rare fortune slip.

Chen Qing Wu glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, “Do you have plans for tonight, Brother Yuan?”

Meng Fu Yuan pondered whether to say “yes” or “no.”

Chen Qing Wu continued, “If you’re not in a hurry to go back, let me treat you to dinner. It’s the least I can do after you made the trip today.”

After a moment of silence, Meng Fu Yuan heard himself say, “Okay.”

Chen Qing Wu said, “Then could you wait for about ten minutes? I want to finish marking the remaining test pieces.”

Some of the test pieces on the felt cloth had labels, while others did not.

Meng Fu Yuan nodded.

Chen Qing Wu pointed to the seating area ahead, indicating that Meng Fu Yuan could go sit and rest.

Meng Fu Yuan said, “You go ahead and work.”

Chen Qing Wu didn’t insist further.

Meng Fu Yuan walked over to the seating area.

Chen Qing Wu picked up the test pieces on the felt cloth one by one, took a pen and some labels, and started recording.

Not long after, she heard footsteps approaching.

Looking up, she saw Meng Fu Yuan returning with a book in his hand, Masanobu Ando’s “Perception of Beauty.”

Meng Fu Yuan walked straight to the workbench, picked up the unopened bottle of purified water.

She withdrew her gaze and continued working.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Meng Fu Yuan take a sip of water, then casually pick up a labeled test piece from the table.

“Reduction, Cone 9.” He read the label seriously, “What does it mean?”

“Oh,” Chen Qing Wu said as she continued transcribing labels, “The oxygen and fuel ratio in the kiln creates either an oxidizing or reducing atmosphere. More oxygen than fuel is an oxidizing atmosphere, more fuel than oxygen is a reducing atmosphere.”

“The difference?”

“For example, Turkish blue glaze, which contains copper and barium, will turn blue in an oxidizing atmosphere and tend towards brown in a reducing atmosphere.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded, looking like he had learned something new.

“Cone 9 refers to the number 9 pyrometric cone. Sometimes pyrometric cones are used to determine the temperature inside the kiln. Different cones have different softening points, and Cone 9’s softening point is around 1310°C.”

After explaining, Chen Qing Wu looked up at Meng Fu Yuan.

Is it interesting?

Why was he listening so intently?

She suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.

Qi Ran wouldn’t care.

What kind of trials must those beautiful porcelains endure to transform from mere clay into works of art?

He was never interested.

Sometimes, even Zhao Yingfei would casually ask about the difference between Langyao red and sacrificial red.

But Qi Ran never asked, not even once.

She didn’t realize she had been lost in thought until Meng Fu Yuan looked at her, “What’s wrong, Qing Wu?”

“Ah… nothing.” She snapped out of it and smiled, shaking her head.

She had just remembered a long article she read on Weibo about an entertainment industry couple who had been divorced for many years, titled “Expired Blood Sugar.”

There was a sentence in that article she particularly liked and had memorized.

The sentence went: “You love me, but you do not understand the outlet of my soul.”

It felt like walking along a road, filled with cold wind, chilling to the core.

She finally understood this sentence.

Meng Fu Yuan’s gaze behind his glasses dimmed.

He almost watched as melancholy appeared in her eyes.

It must be because she was thinking of Qi Ran.

In about ten minutes, all the test pieces were labeled.

Chen Qing Wu capped her pen with a click, “All done!”

Her voice had a cheerful tone, like clocking out from work.

She walked to the sink to wash her hands, grabbed her canvas bag from the chair, and slung it over her shoulder, “Let’s go.”

As they walked out of the studio, the sky was filled with colorful clouds.

Chen Qing Wu said, “Wait a moment,” and hurriedly pulled out her phone from the canvas bag, opened the camera, and pointed it at the sky.

While she was framing the shot, Meng Fu Yuan stood slightly behind her, one hand in his pocket, watching without looking away.

After a moment, she said, “OK.”

Meng Fu Yuan withdrew his gaze.

The restaurant was a bit of a distance away, so they drove there.

As the sunset faded, the sky turned a beautiful rosy pink.

Chen Qing Wu lowered the car window, letting the wind blow in, carrying a hint of dust.

“By the way, Brother Yuan, didn’t you say your research wasn’t going well and you were stuck on the materials for the parts?”

Meng Fu Yuan turned to look at her and nodded.

“I have a friend who is a PhD student in polymer material science. I asked her about it during dinner once, and she said her advisor’s lab has a collaboration with the University of Tennessee, specializing in new composite materials… I didn’t catch the specific name…” Chen Qing Wu turned to look at him, “I’m not sure if it will help, but if you need, I can arrange for my friend to talk to you. Maybe she can provide some ideas or cutting-edge information.”

Meng Fu Yuan was surprised.

Whether it helps or not is secondary.

The key is that she is so considerate.

A good kid who reciprocates.

He even felt a bit flustered in accepting it.

Meng Fu Yuan said, “If your friend is willing, please help arrange a time.”

“When would you be available?”

“I’ll work with your schedule.”

Chen Qing Wu nodded, “I’ll ask her then.”

“Is your friend in Dongcheng?”

“Yes, at the nearby university town.”

“That’s great, so you can look out for each other.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled and hummed in agreement.

They arrived at the restaurant.

Entering through the fence gate covered in climbing rose vines, they found a quaint little courtyard.

There were still outdoor seats available, so they chose to sit outside.

The waiter asked them to scan the QR code to order. After scanning with her phone, Chen Qing Wu handed it to him.

Her phone case was a simple black one. Meng Fu Yuan glanced at it but didn’t take it, “You’re familiar with this place. You order.”

Chen Qing Wu took back her phone, “Can I order what I’ve tried and liked?”

“Anything is fine.”

Chen Qing Wu selected four dishes and submitted the order. Worried that Meng Fu Yuan might try to pay later, she also paid for the order herself.

While waiting for the food, they drank tea without speaking for a while.

They weren’t particularly close, so there weren’t many topics to discuss.

In such moments, talking about Meng Qi Ran might have been the most appropriate opening.

Meng Fu Yuan glanced at Chen Qing Wu and then lowered his gaze to drink tea.

He preferred to maintain the silence.

Chen Qing Wu put down her teacup and casually chatted, “Brother Yuan, are you going home for the Dragon Boat Festival?”

“Hard to say. I might need to go abroad around that time.” Meng Fu Yuan looked up, “What about you?”

“It depends on whether the tea set I’m making for Sister An fires successfully.”

“No rush. If it doesn’t go well, I can just inform her.”

“No need. I don’t want to leave an unprofessional impression. I can sense that Sister An doesn’t fully trust me yet. I can only prove myself through my work.” Chen Qing Wu smiled, “Besides, I don’t want to ruin your reputation as the person who introduced me.”

Meng Fu Yuan put down his teacup, “Qing Wu.”

Chen Qing Wu paused.

She had always felt that when her parents called her this, it carried a different meaning when Meng Fu Yuan called her.

She couldn’t quite describe what it was.

Meng Fu Yuan looked at her, “I don’t easily use my connections to do favors. Introducing you to Sister An was because I absolutely believe in your ability.”

Chen Qing Wu had heard many affirmations and compliments before.

But at this moment, she felt only three people’s words carried significant weight.

One was her graduate advisor, another was Teacher Zhai Jingtang.

And the other was Meng Fu Yuan.

Because in her impression, he was never one to flatter or dissemble.

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “Then I have to work even harder.”

Dinner passed by without them realizing it.

Meng Fu Yuan drove them back to the studio.

The dinner conversation wasn’t deep, but it felt fulfilling.

Every time he was alone with her, it felt like drinking a light wine, a slight sense of intoxication that made him cautious.

After nightfall, the car felt especially quiet.

Even her presence seemed stronger.

Meng Fu Yuan lowered the driver’s side window, letting the wind blow in, and then turned on the car’s music.

Chen Qing Wu listened for a moment, slightly startled, “This is Qi Ran’s song.”

“Misty Miss,” the song Meng Qi Ran sang at the last performance.

Chen Qing Wu’s lips pressed into a thin line. Suddenly, she raised her hand, tapped the screen, and skipped to the next song.

Meng Fu Yuan looked at her in confusion.

Her expression was calm, “I don’t like it.”

She had hated assigned essays since school. Being part of an assignment herself made her hate it even more.

Meng Fu Yuan didn’t say anything.

He adhered to his principles and never commented on their relationship.

Although he had often felt the urge to scold Qi Ran to be more attentive.

With Qi Ran’s personality, Qing Wu must be the one suffering the most.

But whether or not to swallow this bitterness was for her to decide.

Perhaps everyone could give advice, but he couldn’t.

Only the lonely music continued, and they soon reached the studio.

The car pulled over. As Chen Qing Wu unfastened her seatbelt, she smiled and said, “I’ll confirm the time with my friend and contact you.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded.

Chen Qing Wu habitually reminded, “Drive safely,” and got out of the car.

As the car door closed, a shout from the studio entrance reached inside, “Qing Wu!”

Meng Fu Yuan was startled.

He turned and looked through the passenger window, seeing someone striding towards them in the night. It was Meng Qi Ran.

Meng Qi Ran stopped beside Chen Qing Wu, glanced into the car, and looked surprised, “Brother, why are you here?”