At nearly fifty years old, if she couldn’t see something was off, she’d truly be living in vain.

She sighed: “Miss, I need to ask you something.”

Back at home, the two sat facing each other. Aunt Rong brought up the autumn outing and reviewed Tang You’s recent odd behavior before asking:

“Miss, where did you actually go today?”

Confronted, Tang You was no longer as panicked as before.

Aunt Rong talked at length, earnestly as if she were another version of Fang Lai.

Tang You listened calmly and after a long time, finally said: “Aunt Rong.”

Her voice was soft and carried a hint of grievance.

Hearing this, Aunt Rong’s heart softened instantly, and she hurriedly leaned in: “What’s wrong? Miss, if something’s bothering you, just tell me.”

“I just want to make a few friends,” Tang You looked up, her eyes glistening with tears and showing a vacant numbness. “Are you not even going to give me this small freedom?”

“…” Aunt Rong was at a loss for words.

After years of interaction, she knew Tang You was a well-behaved and considerate child. Although she often felt Fang Lai was too strict, still—

Aunt Rong sighed helplessly:

“What can I do, Miss? If something happens to you, how can I explain it to Madame?”

Tang You understood that logic perfectly well.

Fang Lai controlled everything, including Aunt Rong.

Without saying a word, she stood up and walked upstairs, trying to end this futile conversation.

But Aunt Rong suddenly called out from behind: “Miss.”

After a moment of hesitation: “Madam will be back on the 8 o’clock flight tonight. She didn’t want me to tell you, as she wanted to give you a surprise, but…”

Tang You turned around, her face showing astonishment.

Aunt Rong sighed repeatedly, waving her hand in resignation as she headed to the kitchen: “There’s only a little over an hour left. If you want to see anyone, you’d better go quickly.”

Even Aunt Rong knew that once Fang Lai returned, Tang You’s constraints would become even tighter.

She felt sorry for the girl, so she decided to turn a blind eye and give her a bit more of her own space.

Aunt Rong’s sudden understanding made Tang You feel both grateful and aware that—her freedom was starting to shrink inch by inch.

If freedom was only left for this brief hour, who did she most want to see?

In less than a second, Tang You had an answer in her mind.

She had just said she didn’t know him and that he was a motorcycle rider.

Putting herself in the other person’s shoes, it must be quite upsetting if a friend was unwilling to acknowledge them.

Tang You was very clear that once Fang Lai returned, she wouldn’t be able to go out as easily as she did now.

This also meant that she might not be able to see Zhou Qinyao for a long time.

After a moment of silence, Tang You immediately decided to find him.

She stopped by the kitchen on her way out and told Aunt Rong: “I’m going out for a bit, I’ll be back soon.”

Aunt Rong was selecting vegetables and didn’t turn around: “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you to come back for dinner.”

It was 6:30 in the evening when she left.

On her way back, Zhou Qinyao said he needed to handle some business at AS, so Tang You went straight to the club at the street corner.

When she arrived at the club, she saw Zhou Qinyao’s figure just in time. She wanted to call his name but unexpectedly noticed—

A woman was standing beside him.

The two entered a small room inside the club, one after the other.

Tang You’s words froze, her mouth hanging open as the words got stuck in her throat.

The woman was very beautiful, with long hair cascading down her back, looking noble and glamorous from behind.

Tang You thought that they might be discussing business with a client.

So, she waited by the small flower bed outside the door. But after waiting for nearly half an hour, neither Zhou Qinyao nor the woman came out.

She couldn’t stay out too late.

Tang You was a girl who understood boundaries. Even though Aunt Rong had given her some freedom, she couldn’t disregard limits and self-restraint.

After waiting patiently for a while, it was 7:30.

She had to go home; Fang Lai would arrive soon, and Aunt Rong was waiting for her to eat.

Since Zhou Qinyao still hadn’t come out, Tang You picked up her phone to send him a text message.

At that moment, a young man at the store suddenly spotted her and greeted her enthusiastically:

“Hey, aren’t you the girl who fixed bicycles? Are you here to get Brother Yao to fix a bike again?”

Recognized, Tang You forced a smile: “Um… I need to see him about something.”

The young man looked back at the store and casually replied: “Brother Yao is busy on a date with a beautiful woman. He probably won’t be out for a while. If you need something, I can pass on a message for you.”

“…”

She had already seen for herself after such a long wait.

But seeing it with her own eyes and hearing it from someone else were two different experiences.

She remained silent for a moment, feeling complicated, and put down her phone: “No need, I’ll leave now.”

The young man clearly didn’t notice the change in her expression and continued cheerfully: “Alright, come back and visit us again!”

Tang You politely nodded and turned to leave.

As she walked away, the small room’s door opened.

The woman who had entered earlier looked displeased and silently got into the car parked at the door.

Zhou Qinyao followed her out, looking indifferent and nonchalant.

He grabbed his coat, ready to go home, and suddenly saw a familiar figure at the door, but it vanished in a blink.

Zhou Qinyao thought he must be exhausted from the people and issues at hand, causing him to hallucinate seeing Tang You.

He closed his eyes and frowned, just as a colleague walked over: “Brother Yao, all done with the chat?”

“Mm.”

“By the way, you’re quite the ladies’ man. The girl who fixed the bike last time came looking for you again!”

Zhou Qinyao paused and looked up: “She was looking for me?”

“Yeah.” The colleague scratched the back of his head and smirked: “But I told her you were on a date with a beautiful woman, so she left.”

“…”

Zhou Qinyao’s expression darkened instantly, and he fell silent.

After a moment of holding back, he picked up his coat and chased after her, leaving a cold, resentful comment:

“I was on a date with your mother, damn it.”