Tu Ming had just fastened his seatbelt when Lumi’s car had already left the parking lot in a flash, her eagerness to start the weekend was evident. He also remembered her tilting her head to blow a tune earlier, and he didn’t find it unpleasant.

When he arrived home, his ex-wife Xing Yun was already there, packing things in the bedroom.

He placed the car keys on the dresser and went to the study to read. The house in Summer Palace belonged to his parents; the old couple now lived on campus for the convenience of teaching and meetings. His house was one of the few large units in the area, over 150 square meters, more than enough for a couple to live in. His own house in the old city was only sixty to seventy square meters, not very big, and he had given it to Xing Yun during the divorce. They had known each other for so many years, and Tu Ming couldn’t bear to leave her with nothing.

He sat there reading, listening to the sounds of Xing Yun packing things, her knuckles gently tapping against the edge of the suitcase. Then came the sound of the suitcase wheels rolling on the floor, stopping at the door of his study.

The study door was open, but Xing Yun still knocked. Knocking on doors was a habit she had developed since childhood.

Tu Ming stood up and walked to the door: “All packed?”

“All packed.”

“I’ll walk you downstairs. Also, give me the keys.”

Since they were already divorced, he wanted to keep things clean. Tu Ming didn’t want to be entangled any further; it was too draining. From the first time Xing Yun mentioned divorce to the actual paperwork, he didn’t want to go through any of it again.

“Will you let that woman move in?” Xing Yun asked him, grabbing his sleeve: “Can we talk a bit more?”

“What’s there to talk about?” Tu Ming held her wrist and moved her hand away from his clothes.

Tu Ming didn’t want to discuss this issue anymore. He picked up her suitcase and walked out the door. He preferred the ordinary—ordinary objects, ordinary people, ordinary days. No matter what happened, he treated it with a light touch, lacking a bit of warmth. Xing Yun had initially liked his cool and aloof nature, his upright and firm character, but when it came to living together, the constant calmness made life gradually dull. And when Xing Yun met a younger man and experienced passion, she felt that Tu Ming had probably given his passion to someone else.

Their marriage ended with a real affair and an imagined “affair.”

Tu Ming escorted Xing Yun downstairs and held out his hand, waiting for her to return the keys to him. Xing Yun’s young boyfriend was waiting for her by the car. She looked at Tu Ming: “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Give me the keys.”

Tu Ming persistently asked for the keys, reflecting his stance. He didn’t want Xing Yun to use any excuse to enter his home without permission; the story ended here, with no sequel.

Xing Yun looked at him for a long time before nodding: “I know what you’re thinking, I’ll return the keys to you.” She placed the keys in his palm. Tu Ming’s palm lines were simple and clean; in terms of palmistry, such a palm indicated a life without surprises or dangers, smooth sailing: “Since it’s the end, can I know who that person is?”

Tu Ming frowned and turned to leave.

There was no basic trust between them as a couple; a phone call or a message could be imagined as an affair, and every woman who appeared in his life seemed to have a secret relationship in her eyes. It was really boring.

He took back the keys and called a locksmith to change the locks on his house. The locksmith worked on the door, asking with pursed lips: “Do you want to change the locks in the bedroom?”

“No, thank you.”

Once the door locks were changed, it was just him and the night.

His nightlife was very regular: an hour of running, an hour of reading, lights out at 11 p.m., unchanged for many years, except for very occasional social engagements. In this noisy and bustling era, his bland lifestyle didn’t seem like that of a modern person.

But he also had hobbies: playing badminton on weekends, hiking, and attending book clubs.

His circle was simple, and his life was uneventful. There was also a soft spot in his heart, which he reserved for the children at the orphanage.

Lumi, on the other hand, was different.

In Lumi’s world, the word “quiet” barely existed. Her teenage dream was to become a female knight-errant, wandering the world with a sword. But as she grew up, she realized that carrying a sword wouldn’t even get her on the subway, let alone wandering the world. But the wildness in her bones remained; she was a playful and unruly woman who loved to have fun.

While Tu Ming was sleeping, Lumi’s nightlife had already begun.

The nightclub was noisy, and she sat in the VIP area, joking and playing with the men and women around her. Then she turned and rushed to the dance floor to work up a sweat.

Her boyfriend Zhang Xiao followed her like an intimidating sidekick, pointing his index finger at anyone who looked at her too long: “What are you looking at, you bastard!”

Lumi was used to this. After sweating, she went to drink, and after drinking, she sweated again, playing until the wee hours of the morning before going home.

Zhang Xiao followed behind her. She opened the door, and he clung to her, only to be pushed away by her: “Get lost!”

“Didn’t we agree to duel three hundred rounds today?”

“I can’t, I’m tired.”

“Damn it, Lumi, you’re doing this again, aren’t you?” Zhang Xiao glared at Lumi, but she ignored him. While dancing, he was both swatting flies around her and acting like a fly himself, sticking to other girls. Did he really think she was blind!

Lumi knew Zhang Xiao didn’t have the guts, but she just couldn’t stand the way he couldn’t take his eyes off beautiful women, losing his dignity!

She kicked and pushed Zhang Xiao out of the house, took out her phone, and sent him a message: “Go home now! If you make a scene outside, I’ll never forgive you!” After sending it, she stood there and listened for a while. After a long time, she heard the elevator door open, took off her dress, and went to take a shower.

The lace lingerie she wore was as thin as a cicada’s wing, revealing her tender skin. When she came out again, she was wrapped in a bathrobe, her face flushed, contentedly lying on the sofa with a face mask, beginning her beloved weekend.

She didn’t argue with Zhang Xiao; once it was over, it was over. There was no point in dwelling on the past. But she was like that; if she was angry, don’t add fuel to the fire, she would calm down on her own. She was very open-minded, never letting herself be wronged, and was very good at cheering herself up.

Lumi’s weekend included an unbreakable family gathering. The whole family would find a restaurant, have a good meal, and after eating, they would stroll around the park. In the evening, Lumi would go to the hutong to check on the family’s properties or collect rent for her elders. The Lu family called rent “rent,” and their small, rundown courtyard in the hutong was rented out to six families, each paying a thousand yuan, and the price hadn’t increased in many years.

“If you kick me out like that again, I’ll really get mad at you!” Zhang Xiao sent her a message to argue.

“If you flirt with others again, I won’t want you anymore.” Lumi replied. She was neither soft nor hard; when she saw something she didn’t like, it didn’t matter who it was. Zhang Xiao knew her temper; sometimes he couldn’t stand it and wanted to fight with her, but in front of her, his anger would dissipate. Lumi was someone you couldn’t defeat; she had a strong backbone. Zhang Xiao was well aware of that.

By the next week, Lumi was no longer late, but she was still scolded by Tu Ming. This time, Tu Ming reprimanded her for clocking in and out at the very last second.

Tu Ming said: “You arrive at your workstation one second before the attendance checkpoint and leave one second after it ends. Is this responsible behavior?”

Lumi didn’t agree and argued with him: “I’m neither late nor leaving early, and I finish my work within working hours. If I don’t go home, what am I supposed to do? Sit at my desk and lay eggs? Didn’t you say not to be late or leave early, and to have a good work attitude? My attitude is so proper…”

“You call your behavior proper?”

“You stare at employees clocking in and out every day. Isn’t your workload insufficient?” Lumi muttered under her breath. After just a few days, she had figured out Tu Ming’s style, similar to Luke’s—only good at scaring people. A bit sneaky, but not malicious to the core.

She had a cheeky grin on her face; no matter how much he scolded her, she wouldn’t get angry, acting as if she couldn’t be intimidated.

Tu Ming looked at her with a stern face.

Lumi thought to herself that she wasn’t afraid of him and stared back defiantly, thinking that if he said anything more, she would lose her temper! She hadn’t been late or left early, and she submitted her work on time. Why did he always scold her!

She believed her gaze was fierce as it met Tu Ming’s eyes, only to find his eyes calm and a bit intimidating. For some reason, Lumi felt a bit guilty and also a bit discouraged: “Fine, fine, fine, you’re the boss, you’re right. I won’t clock in at the last second anymore!”

“Can you do it?”

“If I can’t, I’ll call you grandpa!”

“…” Tu Ming had never heard of such a way to swear an oath. He was taken aback and didn’t know how to respond for a moment. So, he lowered his head and waved his hand: “You can leave now.”

“Okay.”

Tu Ming heard the office door close, placed his pen on the table, and suddenly burst into laughter. Calling him grandpa—this girl had a whole deck of cards and the ability to play them with anyone she met. Was it something she was born with? The more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed, and he laughed heartily for a few moments before calming down.

From the turmoil of his divorce to the actual divorce, it had been a long time since he had been amused by the words “calling you grandpa.”

Lumi told Shang Zhi Tao about Tu Ming’s habit of watching employees clock in and out, and while speaking, she was puzzled: “What’s the point of watching the clock-ins? For our type of job, we can find an excuse to slip away anytime! Can he really keep an eye on everyone?”

Shang Zhi Tao thought seriously about it and felt that the issue wasn’t about clocking in but rather that Tu Ming had taken notice of Lumi after hearing her boast in the elevator.

“Think about it, has he watched anyone else clock in?”

“No.”

Shang Zhi Tao nodded and patted the back of Lumi’s hand: “Mentor, I think that’s the crux of the issue.”

Lumi suddenly realized: “Got it. I’ll find a chance to talk to him today.”

Lumi sat at her workstation, enduring until after 8 p.m., and saw Tu Ming and Luke leaving together. She grabbed her bag and ran after them: “Bosses, heading home?”

Luke glanced at her and then checked his watch: “You’ve changed your ways?” The person who used to clock in and out on the dot was now staying at the company this late.

“I’ve turned over a new leaf. I’ll come early and leave late from now on.” Lumi smiled at Luke.

Luke snorted lightly, showing obvious disdain. Lumi didn’t bother to argue with him and turned to ask Tu Ming: “Boss, is my behavior change noticeable?”

Tu Ming didn’t respond, and Luke laughed: “Trying to curry favor with your boss? Do you think your boss can be won over?”

“Strengthening communication with my boss.”

“Waiting this late to communicate, I doubt your intentions.” Luke said to Lumi as he exited the elevator: “Take it easy.”

He left.

Tu Ming finally spoke: “What do you want to talk to me about?”

“I want to talk to you about what I said in the elevator about wanting to sleep with the boss.”

“Huh?”

“I really don’t want to sleep with you. You’ve been my boss for over half a month now, and you know I talk a lot and my mouth has no filter, but I was just joking.” Up to this point, she had spoken well, but Lumi then added: “You’re not the kind of person who makes others feel impulsive… and I…”

Tu Ming couldn’t stand listening to her nonsense anymore and turned to leave.

Lumi quickly reviewed the situation and felt that she had spoken well; it was just that Tu Ming didn’t like what he heard. It was his problem, not hers.

She quickly caught up with Tu Ming and asked: “Boss, where are you going? How about a drink?”

“I don’t like drinking.”

“Tea is fine too.”

…

Tu Ming stood in front of his car, looking at her. He was like the business car he drove, low-key and reserved. But when he looked at you, his gaze was sincere, and his speech was gentle: “Do you think I’m targeting you?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No.” Tu Ming smiled at her, a very open smile: “Take it slow, Lumi. You’re a good employee, just your behavior needs to be regulated; I’m not a terrible boss either. There’s no need to rush.”

But I just want to get by. Lumi muttered to herself.

Tu Ming saw through her and added: “Just getting by is boring.”