Birthday was approaching.

Chen Qing Wu was organizing and labeling a batch of test pieces she had recently fired when she received a video call from Liao Shuman.

After reporting on recent events, Liao Shuman got straight to the point: “How are you planning to celebrate your birthday? Last year, I think we celebrated on your birthday, so this year, we’ll follow the usual practice and celebrate on Qi Ran’s day?”

Chen Qing Wu paused her work, holding her phone in one hand and unconsciously twirling a black marker in the other, saying, “Can we not celebrate together with Qi Ran this year?”

“Why?”

“We weren’t born on the same day anyway… It feels like I haven’t celebrated my birthday alone since I could remember.”

“When Qi Ran celebrates his birthday, both families get together once; when you celebrate your birthday, both families get together again. They’re so close together, and it’s the same routine. Why bother? Birthday is just a formality.”

Chen Qing Wu said, “Then let’s just celebrate Qi Ran’s birthday this year.”

“Your aunt Qi and the others will definitely prepare a cake and gifts for you.”

“Then I’ll tell Aunt Qi myself…”

“Such a small matter, you tell them so formally, they’ll think they did something wrong and offended you.” Liao Shuman thought for a moment, “So, let’s do it the same way as before. On your birthday, I’ll take you out shopping and celebrate your birthday, okay?”

Liao Shuman ran a beauty salon. She had three branches in Nancheng.

This kind of business particularly needed to maintain relationships and cultivate connections. When Chen Qing Wu went to the beauty salon to find Liao Shuman after school a few times when she was younger, she was amazed by the methods and rhetoric she used to maintain relationships with her regular customers. It was as if she could unconsciously coax people into being overjoyed, so much so that they would willingly hand over their wallets.

Liao Shuman’s enthusiasm was probably exhausted at work, so Chen Qing Wu often felt that her mother in family life had a gentle perfunctory attitude towards her husband and daughter.

When she was younger, she was often sick, and Chen Qing Wu felt guilty for causing her parents trouble, so most of the time, she accepted all of Liao Shuman’s arrangements and didn’t easily create trouble.

In the past, her desires were in line with Liao Shuman’s wishes, so she didn’t think there was anything wrong.

But now that the two no longer aligned, those parts of Liao Shuman’s personality that were as sharp as soft thorns, always made her feel helpless.

She wasn’t as smooth and sociable as Liao Shuman.

“Mom, I don’t want to be tied to Qi Ran anymore. I told you last time, I really don’t like him anymore…”

“Didn’t we travel together as two families before? You can’t just end the relationship between our two families because you don’t like Qi Ran.”

The two families became acquainted because of the cooperative relationship between Chen Suiliang and Meng Chengyong.

Once, Chen Suiliang’s company warehouse caught fire, unable to deliver goods on time, and subsequent capital turnover also had problems, facing internal and external difficulties. At that time, Meng Chengyong extended a helping hand, providing manpower, financial resources, and all-round assistance to help them overcome the difficulties.

Later, Qi Lin gave birth to Meng Fu Yuan prematurely. At that time, Meng Chengyong was on a business trip in West Africa and couldn’t get back in time. It was Chen Suiliang and Liao Shuman who sent her to the hospital, contacted her family, and took care of her until she successfully gave birth, and the mother and child were safe.

In the years since, the two families have helped each other with big and small matters, and their relationship has become inseparable.

Chen Qing Wu only felt a sense of powerlessness as if she had punched into cotton, “Then can I not celebrate my birthday this year?”

“Didn’t I say, you don’t celebrate yourself, Aunt Qi and the others will still celebrate for you.” Liao Shuman’s expression was somewhat impatient, as if she felt she was making unnecessary trouble again, “Okay, okay, just do as I said, on your birthday, I’ll take you out shopping and celebrate it again.”

Chen Qing Wu could only verbally agree.

She was planning to pay lip service and simply ditch Qi Ran’s birthday, but a call from Qi Lin dashed her plans.

Meng Chengyong’s cousin’s father passed away, and he had to rush to another city to attend the funeral; the Import and Export Commodity Fair was about to be held, and Chen Suiliang also needed to bring a few people to attend.

Qi Lin discussed with Liao Shuman, saying that both fathers were away, and the children couldn’t gather together at home, so why not they two go to Dongcheng to help celebrate the birthday.

“We haven’t been to your studio since you and Qi Ran opened it. This time, we’ll celebrate your birthday and take the opportunity to visit.” Qi Lin laughed.

Chen Qing Wu had no way to refuse, so she could only agree.

The day before Meng Qi Ran’s birthday, the two mothers arrived in Dongcheng.

Meng Qi Ran drove and took Chen Qing Wu to the high-speed railway station to pick them up.

Meng Fu Yuan had already booked the hotel and dinner restaurant in advance.

After arriving, they first checked into the hotel and then went to the restaurant.

The two mothers often came to Dongcheng to buy things, and they knew more about food, drink, and entertainment than Chen Qing Wu and Meng Qi Ran.

As soon as she mentioned the name of the restaurant, Liao Shuman laughed and said, “Then we’ll be at Fu Yuan’s expense today.”

Qi Lin laughed, “Fu Yuan has been in Dongcheng for a long time, it’s only right that he hosts.”

The four of them sat down at the restaurant.

Qi Lin received a WeChat message from Meng Fu Yuan, took a look, and said, “Fu Yuan said he’ll be there later, let’s order first.”

Liao Shuman said, “Then let’s order for him too, so he can eat as soon as he gets here.”

The two mothers studied the menu, Chen Qing Wu rested her chin in her hand, sipped on lemon water, and occasionally lit up the screen of her phone, glancing at the time.

Meng Qi Ran suddenly leaned closer, “What are you daydreaming about?”

“Nothing…” Chen Qing Wu came to her senses, “…Thinking about the next order.”

Meng Qi Ran looked at her, “You seem to be daydreaming a lot lately.”

“Do I?” Chen Qing Wu was immediately alert.

“Yeah.”

“…Really? I don’t seem to have noticed.” Chen Qing Wu feigned ignorance, “Maybe I haven’t gotten enough sleep lately.”

Meng Qi Ran lowered his gaze, picked up his water glass, and took a sip.

It seemed like ever since Chen Qing Wu declared that she no longer liked him, he could no longer understand her.

Their interactions now, her emotions were always calm, and so was her communication with him.

It was as if there was a soft wall of air between them. He could see her, but if he wanted to get closer, he would be silently bounced back by the wall.

This was a very uncomfortable feeling. It was like a two-thousand-piece solid-color puzzle, missing the pieces on the four sides, leaving him unable to start.

After the two mothers finished ordering, Meng Qi Ran and Chen Qing Wu each added a dish.

As they waited for the food and chatted, Chen Qing Wu always unconsciously looked at the time, not paying much attention to what everyone was actually talking about.

It wasn’t until after 6:40 that Chen Qing Wu’s phone vibrated.

She unlocked it and saw a new WeChat message.

Meng Fu Yuan: Look up.

Chen Qing Wu suddenly raised her head.

The restaurant was very quiet, the flowing music, the murmur of voices could only be faintly heard.

Ahead, Meng Fu Yuan was walking over with the waiter, wearing a black long coat, his figure upright and elegant, looking particularly captivating under the soft lighting.

Chen Qing Wu noticed the phone in his hand, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

But Meng Fu Yuan walked over calmly, taking off his coat and handing it to the waiter.

It was a table for six, Qi Lin and Liao Shuman sat on one side, Chen Qing Wu and Meng Qi Ran sat on the other.

The outermost seats were empty.

Meng Fu Yuan sat down on Qi Lin’s side without hesitation, greeting the two mothers with a level voice, “It was hard for you to come over.”

Liao Shuman laughed, “It’s only a few hours, not hard. You just finished work, Fu Yuan?”

“I had a meeting, it took some time. Have you ordered?”

“Yes. It should be coming soon.”

Meng Fu Yuan went to take a look at the order slip, “Do you need to add anything?”

“No. If we don’t have enough, we can add more, but it’s a waste if we order too much.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded, took the water poured by the waiter, and took a sip.

At this time, his gaze, like a dragonfly skimming the water, swept over Chen Qing Wu’s face in the middle of the opposite side.

Even though it was such a fleeting glance, Chen Qing Wu felt a burning sensation behind her ears.

It seemed like the more upright and serious he was in front of everyone, the more excited she felt.

Soon the dishes started coming out.

The two families had a close relationship, and everyone was relaxed.

Qi Lin ate while saying, “Qing Wu and Qi Ran are 26 this year, time flies so fast. I still think of them as kids.”

Qi Lin looked at Meng Fu Yuan and laughed, “Fu Yuan, do you remember when Qing Wu and Qi Ran were little, we deliberately bought the same style but different colors of clothes for them to wear. When we went out, people asked if they were twins.”

Meng Fu Yuan’s voice was exceptionally calm, “I remember.”

Liao Shuman: “They wanted everything to be the same when they were kids.”

Qi Lin: “Yes. That time, didn’t we take them to buy shoes? The styles for boys and girls were different, but Qing Wu wouldn’t agree. She insisted on wearing the same ones, so we had to buy a pair of boy’s shoes for her too.”

Once adults get lost in memories, they become unstoppable.

In the past, Chen Qing Wu listened with great interest, because these memories were undoubtedly proof of her connection with Meng Qi Ran.

Now, listening again, she only felt a faint sense of irony as if things had changed.

Qi Lin continued to recount “funny stories”: “Also, I forget which year they were born, but wasn’t Qing Wu feeling unwell and didn’t go out? Qi Ran went out to play with Jian Yining, and Qing Wu sulked…”

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t help but look up at Meng Fu Yuan.

He caught her glance, met her eyes briefly, then raised the corner of his mouth.

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t listen anymore and changed the subject, “How’s Yining doing lately?”

Qi Lin said, “Oh, I had dinner with her parents a while back. She’s doing fine. She’s going to join her dad’s company to help out.”

Liao Shuman said, “Didn’t she study business administration in college?”

“I think so…”

The topic was finally diverted.

After a while, the waiter came over to refill their water.

Chen Qing Wu took the opportunity to pick up her phone, rested her chin in her left hand, pretended to check for new messages, and scrolled with her right hand for a moment. She clicked on Meng Fu Yuan’s avatar, typed with one hand, and sent a message to the other side: You didn’t help me change the topic!

After sending, she put her phone in her hoodie pocket.

The phone screen next to her lit up, Meng Fu Yuan seemed not to see it, and continued to participate in the conversation in a timely manner.

It wasn’t until after almost two minutes that he picked up his phone and said, “I’ll reply to a work message.”

Chen Qing Wu picked up her chopsticks and picked some vegetables, watching as Meng Fu Yuan put down his phone.

The phone in her hoodie pocket immediately vibrated silently.

She pretended not to notice and continued eating.

After a while, she took out her phone.

Meng Fu Yuan: Why change the topic? Your past with Qi Ran is so interesting.

Text messages lack tone cues, but as long as one isn’t perceptually deficient, they can read how sarcastic the sentence was.

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t help but curl her lips.

At that moment, Qi Lin was saying to Meng Fu Yuan, “We’re going to have a big clean-up at home soon, and the windows in your study need to be cleaned too. I’ll tell you in advance.”

Chen Qing Wu lowered her gaze, glanced down at the table, and saw Meng Fu Yuan’s black leather shoes diagonally across from her.

She moved her left foot gently to the left and upwards, lowered her head to eat, and lightly kicked his shoe.

As if to say he was stingy.

Her foot didn’t move back, it just gently touched the tip of his shoe.

Meng Fu Yuan’s expression didn’t change at all, and his tone of voice was calm as he replied to Qi Lin, “Okay. Remember to tell the cleaner not to touch anything in my study.”

Qi Lin: “Don’t worry.”

After a while, the topic turned to Christmas arrangements. Qi Lin asked Meng Qi Ran if he planned to spend it in Dongcheng or go back to Nancheng.

Meng Qi Ran said he wasn’t sure yet.

At this time, Chen Qing Wu saw Meng Fu Yuan pick up his glass and take a sip of water.

At the same time, she felt the tip of his shoe move, pushing her foot back an inch.

His expression remained unchanged.

Chen Qing Wu abruptly pulled back her foot.

She dared not continue. If she did it a few more times, even the most oblivious person would notice.

Eating, chatting, drinking water…

Raising her head from time to time, her eyes occasionally met, entangled for a second before separating.

That growing anxiety, however, seemed to be a fuel for the excitement.

She felt like she was being bad.

And this badness was tacitly approved and even indulged by Meng Fu Yuan.

The meal finally ended, like a game of espionage full of intrigue.

Meng Fu Yuan paid the bill, and they all walked out of the restaurant together.

The elevator was crowded.

Chen Qing Wu stood next to the right side of the elevator, Meng Qi Ran naturally stood on her left side, separating her from others.

And behind her was Meng Fu Yuan.

As the elevator descended, she heard the sound of Meng Fu Yuan’s fingers tapping the screen to type.

A moment later, her phone in her hoodie pocket vibrated.

In such a scene, she naturally didn’t dare to move, only her back unconsciously stiffened a bit.

Finally, they reached the ground floor.

The two mothers continued to take Qi Ran’s car back to the hotel, while Meng Fu Yuan had to drive back to the company for a while.

Qi Lin: “Then be careful on the road. Don’t stay up too late, get some rest.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded.

After saying goodbye, he opened the car door, his gaze swept over Chen Qing Wu’s face before moving away, “See you tomorrow.”

Qi Lin: “See you tomorrow.”

The hotel wasn’t far. After Meng Qi Ran sent the two mothers back, he turned the car and drove towards the cultural and creative park.

Meng Qi Ran’s car always played the music of his favorite band.

When it came to music, he had exquisite taste.

Chen Qing Wu raised her hand and turned up the volume, then lowered the car window slightly, turned her head, listened to the music, and enjoyed the wind.

Meng Qi Ran, who was used to driving race cars, had an effortless grace when he turned the steering wheel, something that others couldn’t match. As he turned, he glanced at Chen Qing Wu. She was looking out the window, clearly daydreaming again.

“Wuwu.”

“Hmm?” Chen Qing Wu turned her head.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing… Just spacing out.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Meng Qi Ran didn’t know what else to ask.

He could only remain silent in the music.

After sending Chen Qing Wu to the studio, Meng Qi Ran stayed there for a while as usual before leaving.

Chen Qing Wu locked the door, turned off the lights in the work area, and walked towards the back, holding her phone.

At this time, she remembered that she still had an unread message.

It was from Meng Fu Yuan, sent in the elevator just now.

She quickly clicked it open.

Meng Fu Yuan: Your earrings are nice.