After Chen Qing Wu finished speaking, Meng Fu Yuan was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Is the beer cold enough?”

Chen Qing Wu thought he wanted a drink and handed him the beer.

Meng Fu Yuan grabbed her wrist, took the can from her hand, placed it on the bedside table, and then lifted her chin, leaning down to say, “Let me taste it…”

The slightly bitter taste, once shared, became almost imperceptible.

A moment later, Chen Qing Wu pushed his shoulder with her hand, breathing heavily, “Did you want to do this last time too?”

Meng Fu Yuan chuckled lightly.

The moment just now had been long enough and somewhat messy.

Chen Qing Wu put on her nightgown and went to the bathroom to shower.

Meng Fu Yuan watched the glass sliding door close, then took a cigarette from the box beside him and lit it.

There was a creak.

The door opened slightly, and Chen Qing Wu poked half her head out.

Meng Fu Yuan looked over, “What’s wrong? Need something?”

Chen Qing Wu stared at him, “You.”

One second, two seconds…

Ten seconds.

Meng Fu Yuan remained unmoved and said, “Take your time with your shower.”

Chen Qing Wu snorted lightly and closed the door.

Meng Fu Yuan exhaled a long breath of smoke.

Physiological reactions don’t lie, and this was merely imagining that scene.

It was her first time, a bit uncomfortable, and he didn’t dare overestimate his intention not to hurt her.

After Chen Qing Wu finished her shower and came out, Meng Fu Yuan extinguished his cigarette and walked into the bathroom.

When he came out of the bathroom, he saw Chen Qing Wu sitting at the foot of the bed, eating the durian mille crepe they had bought that afternoon with a small spoon.

“Qing Wu, you know I don’t allow anyone to eat on my bed.”

“I know. Qi Ran told me.”

Meng Fu Yuan sat down beside Chen Qing Wu.

Chen Qing Wu scooped a spoonful of cake and brought it to Meng Fu Yuan’s mouth.

Meng Fu Yuan paused for a moment, then naturally opened his mouth and took it.

It was as if that rule didn’t exist.

Meng Fu Yuan frowned slightly, “I have to say…”

“Hmm?”

“I might not be able to indulge this preference of yours.”

Chen Qing Wu laughed and scooped another spoonful.

Meng Fu Yuan still took it.

On the third spoonful, he pushed her hand away, “Sorry. No matter how much I like you, I can’t take a third bite.”

Chen Qing Wu burst out laughing.

“Are you hungry?” Meng Fu Yuan smoothed her long hair over her shoulder.

“A little. It’s not too bad. I just get hungry quickly, often having late-night snacks while working.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Hmm?”

“That way, I’d have more reasons to find you.”

Chen Qing Wu smiled.

After finishing the cake and brushing their teeth, they returned to bed and lay down.

The lights were out, and they lay in the darkness, chatting and kissing without realizing it.

It was strange; although they had just gotten together, it felt like they had been in love for years.

They didn’t know how late it was, and no one cared. They kissed, touching each other’s skin, long and never tired. Out of consideration for her condition, they didn’t go all the way. She lingered on his fingertips and then reciprocated equally.

After cleaning up and lying down again, they were reluctant to sleep until exhaustion took over, and they naturally drifted into slumber.

***

The next day, Chen Qing Wu woke up naturally.

She opened her eyes to find no one beside her, got out of bed, and walked out of the bedroom yawning, seeing a busy figure in the kitchen.

The heating was very adequate indoors, and Meng Fu Yuan was only wearing a thin dark gray sweater. His broad shoulders made one feel that hugging him from behind would be very safe.

Chen Qing Wu tiptoed closer.

Just as she was about to reach out, Meng Fu Yuan spoke, “I heard footsteps.”

“You can pretend you didn’t hear.”

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Chen Qing Wu laughed and hugged him, “What are we eating today?”

“Seafood risotto for lunch. Tonight, I’ll make Typhoon Shelter Crab, pan-fried cod, and mushroom chicken soup…” Meng Fu Yuan turned his head to look behind, “You can also order.”

“I’ll eat whatever you make. Need help?”

“Feel free.”

After washing up and changing clothes, Chen Qing Wu returned to the kitchen.

She rolled up her sleeves and stood next to Meng Fu Yuan at the sink, helping to rinse and soak the dried goods for tonight’s soup under his guidance.

After lunch and a short nap, they began preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner at four in the afternoon.

Chen Qing Wu still assisted with some chores on the side.

The time was long and quiet, and they worked leisurely, chatting while preparing.

“I remember you didn’t go home for a few years during your postgraduate studies.”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded.

“Did you spend it alone?”

“One year, I went to Mai Xunwen’s house. There were many international students, and there were gatherings, but I left after half an hour.”

“Why? Too noisy?”

“Not really. I couldn’t quite fit in. Maybe the school I went to had too strong a science and engineering vibe.”

“I also couldn’t mix with other international students,” Chen Qing Wu laughed, “Our major was too demanding. It was busier than working for Teacher Zhai Jingtang. And I always felt like something was chasing me, like if I didn’t hurry and learn everything, my dad would cut off my funding and force me to return home one day. Also, in the arts, talent is paramount. The higher you go, the more you realize there are many people more talented than you, and you have to work hard to keep up.”

“In my eyes, you’re already very excellent, able to turn your hobby into a career and have a place in it,” Meng Fu Yuan said, “You push yourself too hard.”

“In terms of self-motivation, I still have to bow to you,” Chen Qing Wu glanced at Meng Fu Yuan amidst the running water and smiled, “So, let’s learn together how to enjoy life from now on.”

For a moment, Meng Fu Yuan felt a warm tide rising in his heart.

“Alright,” he said in a deep voice.

Around 7:30, all the dishes were served on the table.

Meng Fu Yuan opened a bottle of white wine.

They raised their glasses, toasting across a bunch of light purple eustoma flowers that had bloomed even more fully after a night’s awakening.

“Happy New Year, Brother Yuan.”

Meng Fu Yuan chuckled and said, “Happy New Year, Sister Qing Wu.”

“Happy New Year, boyfriend.”

“Happy New Year, girlfriend.”

Chen Qing Wu tilted her head slightly, “Happy New Year, husband.”

“…”

Chen Qing Wu laughed, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Eat.” Meng Fu Yuan kept a straight face.

Although it was just the two of them for New Year’s Eve dinner, it didn’t feel lonely at all. Instead, it felt like a rare peace.

In previous years, both families celebrated with parents and grandparents, lively but always somewhat uncomfortable.

“Suddenly, I remembered something.”

“Go ahead,” Meng Fu Yuan looked up.

“What did you and Qi Ran compete in to fight for the study?”

Meng Fu Yuan hesitated, “I’m afraid you’ll be upset if I tell you.”

“Just tell me. I’ve been curious for a long time. If I get upset, you’ll have to comfort me.”

Only then did Meng Fu Yuan speak.

At that time, Meng Fu Yuan was twenty-one, and Meng Qi Ran was fifteen.

His younger brother was six years younger, so it would be unfair to compete in terms of physical strength, intellect, or knowledge. Thus, he let Meng Qi Ran decide the content of the competition.

Meng Qi Ran chose a competition he believed he had a 100% chance of winning: listing Chen Qing Wu’s hobbies and habits. Whoever listed more would win.

In the end, Meng Fu Yuan won by two points.

Perhaps because he had taken care of his younger siblings more, he naturally knew some things without deliberately remembering them.

“The two points I won by were the flowers you like and your favorite author. Qi Ran was not convinced and went to ask you for confirmation, remember?”

Chen Qing Wu thought for a moment, “Maybe. I don’t remember it clearly.”

Meng Fu Yuan looked at her, as if confirming if she would feel sad because of this.

Chen Qing Wu smiled, “It’s alright. No wonder he never told me, afraid I would be upset.”

The competition, which theoretically had a 100% win rate, was lost. Apart from not paying enough attention, there was no other explanation. And for the younger her, she could list a hundred of Meng Qi Ran’s likes and habits without repetition.

“Alright, let’s not talk about him,” Meng Fu Yuan placed a piece of fried crab in Chen Qing Wu’s bowl, “Try this.”

The crab was cut open, making it easy to eat.

Chen Qing Wu took a bite and immediately gave a thumbs up, “Did you really learn this from a tutorial? It’s amazing!”

Meng Fu Yuan said, “You’re flattering me.”

Chen Qing Wu seemed to ponder, “No wonder. Your learning ability is so strong, so anything you do for the first time is…”

“Qing Wu.”

“We’re not in public now,” Chen Qing Wu feigned grievance.

“…We’re at the dinner table.”

“You’re so strict. So, only in bed…”

“Qing Wu.”

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t stop laughing.

Naturally, they couldn’t finish all the dishes. The leftovers were wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the fridge, saving them for the next morning to symbolize “surplus year after year.”

After starting the dishwasher, Meng Fu Yuan cleaned the countertop, washed his hands, and returned to the living room.

Chen Qing Wu was sitting on the carpet in front of the sofa, connecting to the Bluetooth speaker to play music.

She had candy in the bag and unwrapped a piece of milk candy, putting it in her mouth.

She wore a white sweater with slightly long sleeves, partially covering her hands, giving her a fluffy look.

“Not watching TV?”

“Actually, I’ve never liked watching the Spring Festival Gala. I feel it drains my emotions. For someone like me, happiness is a resource, and once it’s exhausted, it takes time to regenerate,” Chen Qing Wu bit the milk candy and suddenly turned her head, “But it seems, with you, this resource regenerates continuously.”

Meng Fu Yuan sat down on the sofa beside her and smiled, “My pleasure.”

“Want some candy?” Chen Qing Wu handed him a piece, “Not sure if it’s an illusion, but the ones I had as a kid seemed softer.”

“If it’s this brand, I heard there are two factories. The harder ones are produced by new equipment.”

“Really?”

“I forgot where I read it, but it should be true.”

Chen Qing Wu immediately picked up her phone to search and found it to be true.

She laughed, “How do you know such random facts?”

“I’m just an ordinary person, occasionally playing on social media.”

“Do you have Weibo?”

“Yes.”

“I want to follow you.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“No reason.”

Chen Qing Wu looked up at him, “Did you like other girls’ posts?”

“…”

“Otherwise, why are you afraid of me following you?”

“I’ll tell you next time.”

“Next time, you’ll delete everything you need to!” Chen Qing Wu laughed, stood up, and turned around, squeezing her knee between his, kneeling on one leg, “If you don’t let me see it today, we’ll have a trust crisis.”

Meng Fu Yuan sighed.

He handed her his phone from the side.

It was a phone without a case, showing some signs of use.

Chen Qing Wu lit up the screen, “Unlock code?”

“My girlfriend’s birthday.”

Chen Qing Wu laughed, “Oh, copying me?”

“I set it first.”

“Alright, then I wronged you.”

Meng Fu Yuan chuckled.

The phone wallpaper was a black-and-white architectural silhouette. The app types were very different from hers, mostly developer tools.

Having a Weibo app there seemed somewhat out of place.

Upon opening it, she found that all the content on the homepage came from the account “Freesia1027.”

That was her Weibo.

And Meng Fu Yuan’s username was “User0117,” using the default avatar, looking somewhat like a zombie account.

Upon opening it, he hadn’t posted a single Weibo, but his like list was full of the sentimental fragments she posted whenever she was in a bad mood over the years.

Her Weibo occasionally posted photos and reports from porcelain exhibitions, so most of her followers were enthusiasts in that field, with only a few mutual friends in real life like Zhao Yingfei and some classmates.

She had never paid attention to who liked her posts, so she didn’t know that among them was a “User0117,” silently comforting her during her moments of low spirits.

At this moment, she suddenly remembered receiving a mention a long time ago.

It was when she was in London, having just had a fight with Meng Qi Ran, and posted a long Weibo while sitting on a park bench.

The bad mood passed after venting, and nothing seemed more urgent than the assignment deadline. Just as she was about to close Weibo, she got a mention.

That Weibo was a repost of information about a Malaysian-run dessert shop opening in London, with durian cake as its signature product.

Apart from mentioning her, there was no other content.

She had mentioned her city before on Weibo and expressed her love for durian more than once. So when she received this mention, she understood it as a fan’s comfort.

That day, she did go to the dessert shop and bought a durian cake, and her bad mood vanished.

After returning, she replied with a thank you under that Weibo.

“Did you delete Weibo posts?”

Meng Fu Yuan nodded, “Afraid you’d find out it was me.”

“Your homepage is empty, no one would find anything…except the birthday information.”

But there are so many people born on January 17th in the world, and at that time, Chen Qing Wu might suspect anyone but Meng Fu Yuan, who she only saw at most twice a year.

Chen Qing Wu put down the phone and immediately hugged the person beside her, “Thank you.”

Meng Fu Yuan placed his palm on her back and asked seriously, “Trust crisis resolved?”

Chen Qing Wu laughed, her shoulders shaking, “What was our original topic?”

“Milk candy.”

“Oh, do you really not want one?”

“No.”

“Don’t eat durian cake, don’t eat milk candy, you’re too picky.” Chen Qing Wu suddenly leaned forward and looked into his eyes, “Then I know.”

Before Meng Fu Yuan could speak, Chen Qing Wu kissed him, her tongue lightly sweeping over his lips before pulling away.

It was too late.

Meng Fu Yuan pressed her head, the kiss deepening, still tasting a bit of the milk candy sweetness.

Chen Qing Wu braced her hand on the sofa back, then straddled Meng Fu Yuan’s lap, her hand pressing down on his shoulder and pushing him back hard.

His back hit the leather backrest, and as her breath moved from his lips to his collarbone, he squinted slightly.

Chen Qing Wu grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it up, tossing it aside.

Meng Fu Yuan didn’t stop her, nor did he take the initiative, wanting to see what she intended to do.

He was wearing a white shirt underneath, with two buttons undone. Chen Qing Wu’s fingertips touched the buttons, moving one by one downwards.

She observed his expression, sure he thought she was going to unbutton his shirt, and then suddenly leaned forward.

Meng Fu Yuan’s Adam’s apple rolled.

Through the white shirt fabric, that spot became slightly wet, revealing the color underneath. Chen Qing Wu maintained her position, watching his expression and applying pressure bit by bit.

Meng Fu Yuan felt the pain of the bite but said nothing, just lightly pinching her chin as if wanting to see her expression more clearly.

Soon, Chen Qing Wu sat up straight. Still not playing by the rules, she crossed her arms and grabbed her sweater’s hem.

She continued to watch his expression, not missing his slightly labored breathing and the darkening of his eyes.

Chen Qing Wu granted his expectations.

Next, she guided his hand to the clasp on her back.

She had a graceful spine, the protruding vertebrae resembling white pebbles picked up by a river.

Meng Fu Yuan looked at her, with a face like green porcelain, always seeming a bit cool, and unfastened the clasp one by one. It felt like he was guiding a saint into corruption step by step.

The living room light was a slightly cool white, casting a porcelain-like glow on her skin.

Meng Fu Yuan watched her without moving.

Yet under such scrutiny, she felt goosebumps on her skin and a clear secondary sexual characteristic reaction.

This time, all the preparations were completed with just a glance.

Meng Fu Yuan was still wearing that shirt, and Chen Qing Wu deliberately left it that way. She didn’t know that the contrast between being naked and fully dressed would make her so excited.

The rhythm of rising and falling gradually became unbalanced, yet Meng Fu Yuan seemed to have no intention of helping, only watching her, letting her find it herself.

He could see her face, her everything, her slightly dilated pupils, the light sweat on her nose

Her breath seemed to become something tangible.

At this moment, Meng Fu Yuan felt moved.

Moved by her fearlessness in revealing her true self to him—sincere, brave, and free.

It was a tribute to him, trusting that he would understand, appreciate, and be more willing than anyone else to encourage her to be true to herself.

In his mind, there could be no better intimate relationship, with absolute spiritual resonance.

Because that was how he felt.

Admiring every aspect of Chen Qing Wu.

Chen Qing Wu braced her hand on his shoulder, “…Meng Fu Yuan.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think they’re doing now?”

“I don’t know. I only know what I’m doing.”

“What?”

Meng Fu Yuan didn’t answer.

Chen Qing Wu smiled, looking at his face, which was as cool as snow, and his eyes, where dark currents surged silently, “What?”

“Qing Wu,” Meng Fu Yuan reached out and gently brushed her long, ink-black hair behind her back, “Are you expecting something by repeatedly provoking me?”

Chen Qing Wu paused.

At that moment, Meng Fu Yuan finally understood her intention—perhaps she had also sensed his long-standing care, so she used continuous provocation to encourage him to be true to himself.

Just like her philosophy.

Love and objects should be used, not worshipped.

“As you wish? How about that?” Meng Fu Yuan asked softly.

Chen Qing Wu’s eyes widened.

“I just wanted to say,” Meng Fu Yuan looked at her and suddenly raised his hand, “Were you shaking too much?”

The force was very light, like a breeze brushing past her chest.

Yet from her feet to her head, it felt like an electric current, making her heart race almost to the point of numbness.

She shook even more.

Unable to support herself, she leaned forward to hug him.

His voice had been cold just now, but knowing it was deliberate still made her tremble.

She buried her face in his shoulder as if pleading, “Meng Fu Yuan…”

Meng Fu Yuan finally took control, kissing her earlobe with a gentle voice that sounded almost innocent, “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t make a sound.

Meng Fu Yuan laughed softly in her ear, “Alright.”

It wasn’t. This reassurance was just a smokescreen to relax her guard, and his subsequent actions were intended to utterly destroy her, to watch her collapse layer by layer above him.

He succeeded.

When Meng Fu Yuan tightly held her, Chen Qing Wu trembled uncontrollably, her breathing rapid, her heart racing as if she might die the next second.

Meng Fu Yuan took a thin blanket from the sofa, wrapped her in it, and gently kissed her cheek, as if comforting someone who had almost drowned.

She gradually calmed down in the warmth and oxygen.

Meng Fu Yuan hugged her, suddenly leaned over, took a milk candy from the table, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

“…I don’t have low blood sugar,” Chen Qing Wu mumbled, chewing on the candy.

“I know,” Meng Fu Yuan smiled, “It’s a reward for a good girl.”

***

In the big city, fireworks were not allowed, but close to midnight, they still moved to the balcony to watch the night scene.

Chen Qing Wu was dressed warmly, not afraid of catching a cold.

Drinking beer seemed to have become a fixed habit.

Chen Qing Wu held a can, clinking it with Meng Fu Yuan’s, “I’m so happy today.”

Meng Fu Yuan looked at her.

“I used to talk about marriage a lot, but I didn’t really have a clear idea of the future, nor did I truly feel…Qi Ran was someone who could build a future. He could belong to anything but definitely not to mundane life,” Chen Qing Wu leaned on the railing, looking at him, “Today, I realized what kind of future I want.”

Meng Fu Yuan felt a warm surge in his heart, “Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”

Chen Qing Wu was about to speak when they heard people counting down downstairs.

Ten, nine, eight, seven…

Three, two, one.

“Happy New Year.”

They said at the same time and then laughed simultaneously.

This night was like lovers’ eyes.