Li Wenshui ultimately did not agree to move into the large apartment. Although moving in would surely allow him to show off, he had specific requirements for where he lived. A place that made him feel secure was far more important to him. There was still some time before the demolition, so he chose to stay in his current place for now and continue looking for a cheap and stable home.

Although he would miss the view, he had no choice. This was beyond his control. He had grown accustomed to smallness and to never getting what he wanted.

The next day, Li Wenshui rode his electric tricycle to find Li Wenqing. To avoid embarrassing his sister, he parked the vehicle far from the school and walked to the gate just as school was letting out. The students were all energetic and chatting as they flowed out of the school. Li Wenshui stood against the crowd, searching for his sister’s figure.

“Gege!” Li Wenqing’s delighted voice reached him as she jogged toward him with her roommate. It had already turned autumn, but Li Wenqing was still wearing a thin summer outfit. Li Wenshui handed her the fruit he had brought and asked with concern, “Why are you still wearing summer clothes? Don’t you have something warmer?”

“I’m not cold,” Li Wenqing replied as she opened the plastic bag, revealing a full bag of fresh cherries. She was so surprised that her mouth dropped open. “Gege, why did you buy such expensive fruit? It costs ten yuan each at the school supermarket. Can it be returned? I don’t like cherries!”

Li Wenshui stopped her hand. “You haven’t even tried them yet. Just eat them. They’re a gift from my friend.”

Li Wenqing hesitated until she was sure he wasn’t lying, then gratefully accepted the fruit. Her roommate kept glancing at Li Wenshui, slightly shy. She couldn’t help but envy Li Wenqing for having such a good-looking and doting brother!

Li Wenshui waved at them, turned, and walked away. He vaguely heard the roommate telling Li Wenqing, “Your brother is so nice! Unlike my brother, who only plays games and steals my snacks!”

Li Wenshui smiled proudly, feeling extremely pleased. He loved hearing others praise him as a good brother, and he was happy that his sister had something others could envy!

In his delight, Li Wenshui accidentally bumped into a man, causing the books in the man’s hands to fall to the ground. Li Wenshui hurriedly crouched down to pick up the books and handed them back to the man. “Sorry…”

His voice trailed off as his expression turned cold. Although they had only met once, he remembered the man’s face well—the man was the arranged partner that Li Qun had introduced to Li Wenqing for a blind date.

The man, too, recognized Li Wenshui. During the blind date, Li Wenshui had angrily thrown wine at his father’s face, a moment that left a lasting impression on anyone who witnessed it.

Li Wenshui warily studied the man. He wasn’t required to talk to him, but he was so worried about Li Wenqing that he couldn’t help but wonder if the man still had feelings for her, perhaps even tracking her down here.

“I warn you,” Li Wenshui said fiercely, “Don’t even think about it. If you try anything with my sister, I’ll make you pay!”

This was the first time Li Wenshui had ever threatened someone like this, but unlike others who make threats just to scare someone, he meant it. If the man ever harmed Li Wenqing, he would not hesitate to kill him.

The man saw the restrained malice in Li Wenshui’s eyes and spoke calmly. “Calm down. I didn’t know your sister was so young at the time.”

A few students passed by and politely greeted the man. “Hello, Mr. Zhang!”

The man smiled and nodded at them.

Li Wenshui gradually calmed down and asked in confusion, “You’re a teacher here? What do you teach?”

“Chinese Language and Literature,” the man replied.

Li Wenshui looked up and down at the man, who indeed had a scholarly air about him. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Li Wenqing was majoring in computer science.

“Is Wenqing studying here too?” the man asked, suspecting something from Li Wenshui’s reaction.

“No,” Li Wenshui replied, turning to leave. As he walked, he took out his phone. He still wasn’t at ease. What kind of person agrees to a blind date with an eighteen-year-old girl? Couldn’t he tell from the photo how young Li Wenqing was? One could know a person’s face, but not their heart. He didn’t trust the man’s words.

Li Wenshui texted his sister on WeChat, warning her that the man was also on campus and telling her to avoid him if they crossed paths. Shortly after, Li Wenqing replied with a simple “ok” hand gesture.

As usual, Li Wenshui arrived at his stall, setting up his snack cart. He glanced over at the neighboring stall. The stall owner had only been there for a week, selling cold drinks and fruit shakes. He seemed to be about the same age as Li Wenshui, but he had a five-year-old child with him and appeared young, shy, and silent.

While other vendors would actively draw in customers, this one remained completely silent. If a customer approached to ask about prices, his response was barely audible, like a mosquito’s buzz. In a bustling night market full of various delicious foods, a stall like his was hardly popular, and his stall was almost always empty. Could he make any money like this? Li Wenshui wondered. He almost thought this guy might be some rich young master trying to “experience life,” but why bring a child along for the experience?

In contrast, Li Wenshui’s stall always had customers. As soon as he stood in front of his stall, he didn’t even need to say a word. His face alone was a living advertisement. Many girls came just to catch a glimpse of him.

Today, Li Wenshui also closed his stall early. Holding his phone, he was telling Liang Jin about the strange stall owner next door when he suddenly felt a gaze on him. He instinctively turned his head, meeting the eyes of the boy. The boy’s face flushed, and he quickly looked down with an embarrassed smile.

Li Wenshui was confused, but as he was about to get on his vehicle and leave, he suddenly heard a loud argument from behind him.

“Hey! You actually gave me a fake bill! Give me back the real one hundred!”

The boy rushed to shield the child behind him, shaking his head desperately as he clumsily explained, “No, I didn’t, my money is real!”

“Yeah, right! Didn’t you even look at it properly? Can’t you tell the difference between real and fake?”

Passersby stopped and gathered to watch, and Li Wenshui turned to see the man grabbing the boy by the collar and shouting at him. The little boy, scared, was crying quietly.

The man was visibly annoyed: “Can you make your kid shut up? It’s so noisy! It’s driving me crazy!”

“Xiaoyan, don’t cry. It’s okay…” The boy tried to push the man’s hand away, but was helpless as he was still being grabbed by his collar, while also trying to comfort the crying child. His eyes were red, his face pale, and he was clearly panicking.

“Give me the money quickly, my patience is running out!” The man was boasting and threatening, when suddenly, someone pushed him hard from behind. Li Wenshui stood there, hands on his hips, glaring at him: “Let go of him!”

The man sized up Li Wenshui, who was shorter and thinner, and showed no fear: “Give me the money, and let go, or even the king of hell couldn’t stop me!”

Seeing Li Wenshui blocking him, the boy became desperate. He fumbled in his pocket for some crumpled bills and was about to hand them over when Li Wenshui stopped him. Li Wenshui was firm: “You say his money is fake, but how do I know you didn’t switch it? How can you prove the money he gave you is real?”

The man snorted and released the boy’s collar. He pointed at Li Wenshui, cursing: “Prove what, you mind your own business!”

“Since you can’t prove it, why don’t you call the police and let them help you prove it?” Li Wenshui unlocked his phone and dialed 110, making sure the man saw the number on the screen.

The man’s face changed. The bravado he had earlier seemed to fade: “You… go ahead and report!”

Li Wenshui pressed the call button, switched to speakerphone, and spoke into the phone: “Beep—beep—beep—Hello, this is the Nanjie Substation^[1]A substation is a building or part of a building that is designated by a chief of police or sheriff to be used as a police station. , how may we assist you?”

The man cursed loudly and glared at Li Wenshui before turning around and walking away.

Li Wenshui watched his back, then switched off the speakerphone and put the phone to his ear, wiping the cold sweat from his palm onto his clothes. He apologized, “Sorry, I pressed the wrong number.” He hung up, and the crowd dispersed.

Li Wenshui let out a long sigh. The boy, still holding the crying child, whispered, “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I didn’t really intend to help,” Li Wenshui said. He wasn’t someone who liked to get involved in other people’s business. His life was a mess as it was, and he didn’t want to risk angering a scammer. After all, he was small and couldn’t fight anyone. But when he saw the little boy crying from fear, it reminded him of his sister. On the day he and Li Wenqing were abandoned at the orphanage, Li Wenqing was also five years old, scared and crying as she clung to him. Thinking of his sister, he impulsively acted.

“Do you think he’ll come after you?” the boy asked, his face full of worry, his fingers trembling slightly.

“Probably not?” Li Wenshui said, a little concerned, but then he thought about it. The man was just a petty costumer; he wouldn’t have many ways to retaliate other than maybe hitting him. “If he tries to hit me, I’ll call the police. This is a society governed by law. And in this night market, there are all kinds of people. He’s probably a regular scammer who picked on you because you’re a new stall owner. Didn’t he almost get you to give him money just now? If you gave him money once, he’d try again. This low-level scam of switching fake bills—if you’re scared, just call the police.”

The boy lowered his head, feeling ashamed: “You’re really brave. I… I couldn’t do it. Um… would you like some fruit salad? I can make you a portion?”

It was the first time Li Wenshui had been praised for being brave. He waved his hand, signaling that he didn’t want the fruit salad. He thought to himself that he wasn’t brave at all—when arguing with someone, he would always consider if the person was worth confronting. If they were, then he’d go ahead, but if not, he’d back down. If he ended up provoking someone by accident, it was usually due to a moment of impulse. And he had acted impulsively more than once.

The next day, when Li Wenshui returned, the boy gave him a bowl of fruit salad. He just placed it down and left, too shy to say anything else. After a few days, the two gradually became more familiar with each other. Li Wenshui learned that the boy’s name was Chu Wei. After graduating from high school, he didn’t continue his studies. His parents had passed away, and he had been living alone with his younger brother. His situation was even worse than Li Wenshui’s. But Chu Wei, with his shy and quiet personality, had somehow managed to raise his brother—this was nothing short of a miracle. Li Wenshui asked how Chu Wei had been living before, where he had been staying, and what kind of work he had been doing. Chu Wei hesitated, mumbling for a long time before softly saying that he had been living and eating at a friend’s place while earning money. Li Wenshui thought to himself, wasn’t that essentially being supported by someone? It was surprising—he seemed luckier than Li Wenshui, who had no one to rely on.

At the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the weather became colder. Two months later, Li Wenshui once again visited the influencer company. He wore a gray long wool coat, a white fitted turtleneck sweater underneath, black skinny jeans, and black short boots. The black, slim-fitting outfit accentuated his tall, elegant figure, and his small face was only the size of a palm—delicate like a piece of art. Over the past few months, with the success of his cake-making short videos at the night market, Li Wenshui’s social media account had gained increasing popularity. As a result, he finally got the opportunity to be supported by the company.

When he entered the office, the staff already knew that Li Wenshui was one of the selected candidates for the support program. They just glanced at him before going back to their work. Suge also saw Li Wenshui. Although he was still dressed in designer clothes, his fashion sense had clearly improved by a lot. In the past, Li Wenshui’s fashion style hadn’t been very refined—he used to wear flashy clothes with oversized logos and bold patterns, like a peacock trying to show off. He looked like a small-time, tasteless person. But today, his outfit didn’t have any glaring logos, and the coordination of the pieces—both in color and length—was perfect. The cuts were flattering, and the fabric was comfortable, giving him a very high-end look. Those familiar with the fashion industry and runway shows would immediately recognize that his outfit was a new release from a famous international designer’s autumn/winter collection, one that was almost impossible to find in domestic luxury stores.

In just two months, Li Wenshui’s fashion sense had undergone a complete transformation. With clothes so difficult to obtain, the only reason Suge could think of for this change was that Li Wenshui had found a wealthy, tasteful sponsor.

Li Wenshui also knew that his outfit today was quite refined. As he passed by Suge, he deliberately slowed his pace. Suge was really curious about who Li Wenshui had partnered up with to feel so smug, but he couldn’t ask directly, so he could only stew in his curiosity.

In the manager’s office, Li Wenshui sat across from the manager, who was too busy to look up. The manager slid the contract over to him and said indifferently, “Sign it.” Li Wenshui took the contract and carefully read the terms. After the manager finished his work, he looked up at Li Wenshui. Perhaps because of the clothes, Li Wenshui appeared even more striking. The manager had always liked Li Wenshui’s face but had never acted on it. Now, seeing him again, the manager’s dirty thoughts resurfaced. He didn’t hide it and grabbed Li Wenshui’s hand, smiling as he said, “Wenshui, congratulations. Your account has been doing really well recently. I’ve always thought you had a lot of perseverance, and you were bound to succeed. See? It’s paying off now.”

Li Wenshui frowned in disgust and pulled his hand away, rubbing the back of his hand against his pants. He put the contract on the table and said, “Do I really have to collaborate with Suge on videos? Can’t I just focus on my own account? We don’t share the same style, and collaborating won’t bring better results, right?”

Seeing Li Wenshui’s dismissive reaction, the manager’s smile faded. “That’s the condition for your support. You don’t have the right to be picky. If you don’t want this opportunity, there are plenty of people who will jump at it.”

“I focus on food, and he’s a cringy skit blogger. What can we possibly create together in short videos? Why does the company always think Suge and I are in the same niche? We’re not suited to work together at all!” Li Wenshui had finally built up his own audience, and now he had a fixed fanbase. He didn’t want to change his style forcibly.

Because Suge’s agent had been involved, the company was clearly favoring Suge. The manager, looking down on Li Wenshui as a small influencer with no real talent, snatched the contract back. “If you don’t want to sign, then forget it.”

Li Wenshui grabbed the contract back and hesitated. “Can you at least give me some time to think?”

The manager snorted. “Think quickly. I don’t have all day to wait for you.”

Li Wenshui clenched the contract in his hand and reluctantly left the office. This was a rare opportunity. After the company gave him traffic, he could become a big influencer. But if the style didn’t suit him, his fans might not accept it, and the company could pull his traffic if the results weren’t good. A wrongly chosen style could ruin his account.

As he stood at the door hesitating, his eyes drifted to the office of the vice president. The company was just a way for Liang Jin to kill time, and Li Wenshui wondered if Liang Jin was in today.

Thinking that, Li Wenshui walked to the office window. He leaned against the window and peered through the curtain’s gap, just in time to see a figure in the office. Liang Jin was there!

The last time Li Wenshui had seen Liang Jin was a week ago. After that, Liang Jin hadn’t contacted him. He had learned through Liang Yuting’s WeChat Moments video that Liang Jin had gone abroad to attend a charity gala. The event was grand, with many wealthy people, celebrities, and reporters covering it live. Li Wenshui had made sure to watch the live broadcast. Aside from the stars, the camera rarely focused on the rich people, but Liang Jin was an exception. His companion at the event was the top actress Wei Siyao, who had almost won every major award.

Wei Siyao clung to Liang Jin’s arm, looking radiant and beautiful, while Liang Jin exuded a refined and noble air. The two looked perfect together. In the comments below the video, many people were discussing who the young man with Wei Siyao was. His looks and demeanor were on par with celebrities, but he had never been seen in the entertainment industry.

An anonymous comment read: “Of course, you won’t find out. He’s not a celebrity. People at his level value their privacy.”

A fan replied: “Do you know what his relationship with our Siyao Jie(Means, sister or sis, to call someone sis or sister doesnt mean its your biological sister but most of the time to show respect.)) is?”

The anonymous netizen responded: “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Below, Wei Siyu’s fans were going crazy, asking why, but the anonymous netizen never replied. Li Wenshui also wanted to ask why. But more than that, he wanted to ask why Liang Jin didn’t tell him when he returned to the country. Why did he have to find out about Liang Jin’s whereabouts through someone else’s social media? He looked around, saw no one watching him, and quickly opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him. Just moments ago, Li Wenshui had been at the window, not looking carefully, but upon entering, he realized there was another person in the office besides Liang Jin. Ji Xingzhou was sitting on the sofa, speaking softly to Liang Jin. When the door opened, Ji Xingzhou was startled and was about to say something about manners, but upon seeing that it was Li Wenshui, his expression soured.

“Why didn’t you knock?” Ji Xingzhou asked, clearly displeased. The two men stared at each other, tension thick in the air. Li Wenshui, however, wasn’t backing down: “Did you do something shameful here? Are you afraid of being caught?” Ji Xingzhou was about to insult Li Wenshui for his lack of manners, but then remembered that Li Wenshui had no manners to begin with, and it would not hurt him. They both looked at Liang Jin, waiting for him to make a choice.

Li Wenshui nervously clenched his clothes. He didn’t know what Liang Jin would decide, as their relationship couldn’t be seen in the light, and whenever a choice had to be made, he had never been chosen. If Liang Jin told him to leave today, he would—

“Xiaozhou, you can go out for now.”

Li Wenshui was surprised, then secretly happy, realizing his position in Liang Jin’s heart was now more important than Ji Xingzhou’s. Ji Xingzhou, however, couldn’t understand why he was the one being asked to leave. His sharp gaze fell on the jacket that clearly didn’t match Li Wenshui’s status. Did Liang Jin and Li Wenshui really have something going on? What right did someone like Li Wenshui, who was beneath him, have to be with Liang Jin? He reluctantly said, “Liang…”

“Go ahead,” Liang Jin said softly, leaning on his chin. Ji Xingzhou clenched his lips and glared at Li Wenshui, who raised an eyebrow in a small but victorious manner.

Ji Xingzhou was more frustrated and left without a word. Li Wenshui shut and locked the door, turning around to see Liang Jin smiling, his eyes scanning him from head to toe. Liang Jin patted his thigh, signaling for Li Wenshui to sit. Without hesitation, Li Wenshui sat down on his lap. Liang Jin wrapped his arms around his waist and asked with a smile, “Do you like the clothes I bought for you? They suit you well.”

This was something Liang Jin had brought back for Li Wenshui when he was abroad, and when he bought it, he didn’t think much about it, only that it would look great on the “little liar.” Seeing it in person today, he agreed—it really was beautiful.

Li Wenshui nodded. “I really like it, thank you.” If he could have received money instead of clothes, he would have been even happier, but Liang Jin only gave him tangible gifts; cash had never been a part of it.

Liang Jin took off Li Wenshui’s coat and started to unbuckle his belt. Li Wenshui thought that if he could see the office from the window’s crack, then surely others outside could see too. He didn’t really want to do anything here, but he knew Liang Jin liked it. Liang Jin liked thrill, especially doing it in places other than the bed. He liked this position, sitting on the chair.

Li Wenshui pressed his hand down, still bothered by what had just happened. “Why was Ji Xingzhou here?”

Liang Jin forcefully removed Li Wenshui’s hand, and before he could react, Li Wenshui was suddenly lifted by the waist. His pants were pulled down to his knees, and his bare legs shivered in the cold air. Liang Jin then answered leisurely, “We were talking business.”

Li Wenshui remained silent, but his questions didn’t stop there. “Why didn’t you tell me when you came back?”

“You knew I was abroad?” Liang Jin unbuckled his belt.

“Yes, I saw it in someone’s social media,” Li Wenshui lightly bit his lip and looked at Liang Jin’s eyes, hesitating before asking, “Couldn’t you have told me?”

But he didn’t get a response. Li Wenshui’s waist was suddenly pressed down, and his whole body trembled. He lost his balance and frantically clung to Liang Jin’s neck. Liang Jin lifted his chin and pressed his lips to his, passion and desire intertwining.

Li Wenshui felt dizzy from the kiss and no longer had the energy to ask anything else.

A long time later, Li Wenshui was held by Liang Jin as he got off the desk. His face was flushed, and he was gasping for breath as he pulled up his pants, complaining, “My pants are wrinkled, my shirt’s dirty—don’t ruin such expensive clothes! Can we not wear clothes next time?”

“No problem,” Liang Jin replied quickly this time, his hand pinching Li Wenshui’s chest. “I like my baby all naked.” Li Wenshui couldn’t stand such words, his ears turning bright red. He was very conservative about these things and rarely spoke, but occasionally, when he couldn’t hold back, he would let out broken moans.

“Why did you come to the company today?” Liang Jin carried Li Wenshui, who was having trouble moving his legs, over to the sofa. Li Wenshui remembered his business and picked up the contract from the coffee table to show Liang Jin. Liang Jin flipped through it and immediately understood what was going on. He lifted Li Wenshui’s drooping head and asked, “You’ve always wanted this opportunity. Now that it’s here, why do you seem unhappy?”

Mentioning this made Li Wenshui even more upset. “The company wants me to do short videos with Suge. I can’t even continue with my original account style. Why should I? And I don’t think my collaboration with Suge will bring in more traffic.”

“How would you know it won’t work if you don’t try?” The logic was onpoint, and Li Wenshui knew it. But if it failed, the biggest loss would be his, not Suge’s. He felt resentful. Suge just got himself a manager boyfriend, and now all these good resources and opportunities were pouring toward him. Meanwhile, here he was, sitting in the lap of the company’s most authoritative vice president, having just shared the most intimate act, yet he had nothing. He still had to endure unfair treatment at work.

“Liang Jin,” Li Wenshui really wasn’t happy. He knew this was something he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying. What if? What if it could work? He carefully asked, full of expectation, “Can’t you really help me? Is there no way I can get the spot without changing my short video style?”

Liang Jin’s long, narrow eyes were fixed on him, his lips slightly pressed, silent in response. Li Wenshui’s hopeful gaze slowly turned to disappointment. He sighed, “Fine, if you’re not going to help, then don’t. So stingy.”

Liang Jin laughed, then reached out and gave Li Wenshui’s backside a playful slap. “Stingy? Do you know how much your outfit costs?”

“I don’t want to know, even if I did, it wouldn’t matter.” Li Wenshui knew the clothes weren’t cheap, though he didn’t know the exact price. Gifts could make him happy for a short time, but they didn’t solve the problems he was facing right now. Liang Jin clearly had the power to solve all his future problems, but the methods that were trivial to Liang Jin, he wouldn’t use to help him.

Li Wenshui thought, if this was all a test of his sincerity, hadn’t he shown enough by now? Perhaps he hadn’t shown enough, or hadn’t given enough, so Liang Jin still didn’t fully like him. But, did Liang Jin feel even a little bit of affection for him now?

“Liang Jin,” Li Wenshui asked, wanting to confirm. He gently cupped Liang Jin’s face and stared into his eyes. Their gazes met, Liang Jin’s eyes calm and steady. After a while, Li Wenshui felt a little embarrassed and looked away.

“Hm? What is it?”

Li Wenshui suddenly kissed Liang Jin’s lips—a soft, gentle kiss. He nervously clenched his fists and took a deep breath, staring at Liang Jin’s expression. “Do you feel anything?”

Liang Jin blinked lightly. “Feel what?”

“Like your heartbeat?” Li Wenshui thought for a moment and said.

“Heartbeat?” Liang Jin caught Li Wenshui’s hand and placed it on his chest. Li Wenshui felt the strong, steady, and powerful heartbeat under Liang Jin’s chest. It hadn’t sped up, Li Wenshui thought.

The two of them silently looked at each other. Not believing what had just happened, Li Wenshui kissed Liang Jin again. He still wasn’t very good at French kissing, and as soon as his tongue touched Liang Jin’s, he pulled back in nervousness. But in the next moment, Liang Jin kissed him forcefully. Li Wenshui was pressed into the sofa, and his right hand, placed on Liang Jin’s chest, felt—Liang Jin’s suddenly accelerated heartbeat.

At this moment, Li Wenshui had already forgotten about the heartbeat.

The late autumn night was colder than the day. Li Wenshui eventually signed the contract and decided to give it a try. He changed into his regular clothes and arrived at his stall. The night market was less crowded than during the summer.

Li Wenshui set up his stall, and Chu Wei greeted him quietly, “Wenshui, you’re a bit late today.”

Not just a bit late, Li Wenshui was an entire hour late because Liang Jin had made him stay in the car for another round.

“Had something come up. Have you had more customers today?” Li Wenshui asked.

Chu Wei sighed. “No, still not many people.”

“You need to learn how to attract customers,” Li Wenshui gave him some advice. “If you’re shy to call out yourself, buy a little horn^[2]https://shanghaifantasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cute-fun-little-horn-multi-function-recording-voice-changing-toy-300x300.jpg 300w, https://shanghaifantasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cute-fun-little-horn-multi-function-recording-voice-changing-toy-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /> and record your voice to let the horn call out. Also, since it’s cold now, you should sell something warm.”

“Something warm?” Chu Wei glanced at the steaming grilled sausages on Li Wenshui’s stall. “What about selling hot milk tea?”

Li Wenshui rejected the idea. “Hot milk tea have many competition. There’s milk tea everywhere now. Do you go online? You can consider popular hot drinks online, like the hot wine or hot milk tea that’s been trending recently.”

Chu Wei shook his head. “I don’t go online, I don’t know what those are. Hot wine I understand, but what’s hot milk tea?”

Li Wenshui suddenly wanted to ask if Chu Wei had been kept so sheltered by his previous benefactor that he didn’t even know how to go online. Just as he was curious about what kind of person his former sponsor was, Chu Wei suddenly froze, his eyes wide.

Li Wenshui followed Chu Wei’s gaze, and before his sight could focus, someone walked past them, grabbing Chu Wei’s wrist. The person said, “What are you doing here?”

The young man’s back was turned to him, and Li Wenshui didn’t see his face but vaguely recognized the voice.

Chu Wei tried to pull away, his tone more urgent than usual. “I thought I’d make some money. I need to make a living.”

The young man replied, “Didn’t I give you money?”

“I need to save it. What if it run out?” Chu Wei said.

“It’s several million! What could you possibly spend it on?”

Li Wenshui picked up a grilled sausage and ate it while listening. When he heard the “several million,” he almost dropped the sausage in shock. He had always thought Chu Wei was poorer than him, but it turned out that the guy had already achieved financial freedom!

No wonder there were no customers, and yet he wasn’t in a hurry. What was the difference between this and playing around with a stall?

Li Wenshui suddenly felt a little frustrated. It turned out that he was still the poorest. The young man seemed a bit angry. “If you’re out of money, just ask me for it. Why bother putting yourself out here? Look at what you’re selling, you can’t even speak properly. How much money can you make?”

Li Wenshui didn’t like hearing that. The condescending tone was the most discouraging. Chu Wei lowered his head. “But we’ve already broken up. Your first love is back. I’m just a useless substitute. Why are you still trying to control me?”

Li Wenshui: ?

The young man was stunned for a moment, then after a while, he said, “I can’t just ignore you, can I? Who else do you know besides me? Even if we can’t be lovers, can’t we still be friends?”

Li Wenshui was familiar with this “we can still be friends” line. He remembered that Liang Jin had said something similar.

“I don’t need you to control me!” Chu Wei struggled fiercely, eyes red.

The young man held onto Chu Wei, not letting go. Li Wenshui couldn’t watch anymore, so he walked over and patted the young man’s shoulder. “Can’t you see that Chu Wei is rejecting you?”

“Who the hell are you? What does our matter have to do with you?” The young man turned around. When he saw Li Wenshui, his tone softened a little. “What are you doing here?”

Li Wenshui thought it was quite a coincidence that Zhou Qi turned out to be Chu Wei’s ex-boyfriend.

“I think you should let go. Chu Wei twisted his wrist earlier. You’re holding onto the injured part right now.”

Zhou Qi let go, looking at Chu Wei’s swollen wrist. “Is it hurting? I didn’t know. Have you been to the hospital?”

Chu Wei didn’t want to talk to him. He turned and went inside the snack cart, closing the door. Zhou Qi knocked on the door a few times, but Chu Wei didn’t look at him, nor did he intend to open the door.

Li Wenshui found it interesting. He actually saw something called frustration on Zhou Qi’s face, the usually arrogant young master. When Zhou Qi realized Li Wenshui was watching, the frustration disappeared quickly, and his usual reckless demeanor returned.

“You’re setting up a stall here?” Zhou Qi asked, calming down and unceremoniously picking up a grilled sausage to eat.

“Yeah, just experiencing life,” Li Wenshui replied.

Unlike Pei Zhi, who deliberately teased him with words, Zhou Qi was straightforward. “You’ve had too many places to experience life. Stop lying. We all know your real situation.”

Li Wenshui guessed that they knew about it, and being directly called out didn’t embarrass him. “Why are you investigating me?”

“Because of betting…” Zhou Qi quickly stopped himself.

“Betting what?” Li Wenshui was confused.

“Nothing,” Zhou Qi turned his head to look behind and then back at Li Wenshui. “If something happens to Chu Wei, call me.”

Li Wenshui nodded perfunctorily, and after Zhou Qi said a few more words to Chu Wei, he left.

The next day, Zhou Qi came again. He stayed for a while before leaving. Li Wenshui saw Zhou Qi almost every day when he set up his stall. Sometimes, Zhou Qi would make a few remarks, but mostly about Liang Jin.

“You’ve been here setting up a stall for so long, hasn’t Liang Jin come to see you?”

“It’s cold. Why don’t you let Liang Jin buy you a car?”

“How often do you meet with Liang Jin in a week?”

With the arrival of early winter, the temperature dropped rapidly, and the first snow followed. The night market was no longer as busy, and Li Wenshui had no customers that night. He stayed until late, but by the time he went home, his hands were frozen stiff.

That night, he calculated his savings and was surprised to find that he already had 100,000 yuan. He had originally thought it would take a year to save up this amount, but since the influencer company had suddenly given him more traffic, he had made the target earlier than expected.

Li Wenshui decided to look for a cheap storefront to open a small shop. The low-rise residential area was about to be demolished, and many of the old residents had already moved out. Li Wenshui’s new place hadn’t been settled yet, and in the city, every inch of land was precious. Except for the low-rise area, rent for any other location would cost at least 5,000 yuan a month.

Li Wenshui couldn’t bear to spend the 5,000 yuan. After thinking it over, he realized that his only free option now was Liang Jin’s spacious penthouse.

Moreover, in a small house, he would have to supply his own heating. In previous winters, Li Wenshui had bought coal to burn, but now, with the demolition coming, there was no need to buy coal. He had been enduring the cold for a few days in the small house, wearing thick cotton clothes, only to catch a cold. Li Wenshui realized that the place he had lived in for five years was no longer suitable for him.

In mid-November, a warm breeze passed through, and Beijing had a brief two-day period of warming. During these two days, Li Wenshui sorted through all of his belongings at home. He found that, apart from the things in the drawers and a few pieces of clothing, there was very little he could take with him. Li Wenqing had taken all his things to school, and even with his cheap dessert-making tools, they didn’t fill up a tricycle.

His belongings were few, partly because he couldn’t afford much, and partly because after moving so many times, he always felt like the place wasn’t really his home. He didn’t want to buy too much because it would be inconvenient to move.

Li Wenshui pushed the tricycle out of the courtyard and took one last deep look at the place where he had many fond memories, before closing the gate and riding off.

Liang Jin’s penthouse was in the most bustling area of Beijing, far from the small house. Li Wenshui rode the tricycle for two hours before reaching the entrance of the complex. His fair face was red from the cold, and his hands and feet were stiff with cold. The biting wind felt like knives against his skin. Even though he wore thick cotton clothes, pants, shoes, gloves, a hat, and a mask, the cold wind still pierced through, and now his cold had gotten worse.

When he entered the complex with the tricycle, the security guard almost kicked him out, not recognizing him without the access card.

When he reached the downstairs of the building, Li Wenshui was panting, holding a 20-kilogram suitcase with his right hand and clutching an oven with his left as he climbed up the stairs. When he reached the door, he set down the oven to open the door, then struggled to bring everything inside, his back aching.

It took him three trips to get everything into the living room, and the warmth of the room gradually helped him thaw his frozen body. He hung his cotton clothes on the coat rack, feeling dizzy, likely because he was running a fever again. He was about to go lie down in the bedroom when he suddenly noticed a coat hanging on the rack—one neither he nor Liang Jin had worn.

Li Wenshui realized he had overlooked many things. He hadn’t opened this place for half a month, but the house looked as if someone had been living in it. There were teacups on the coffee table, bowls and chopsticks on the dining table, and the windows on the balcony were open.

His body, which had warmed up earlier, started to cool again. Had Liang Jin brought someone here? Footsteps came from upstairs, and Li Wenshui looked up in disbelief. Someone was slowly coming down the stairs, wearing a snow-white bathrobe, their hair damp, skin flushed from a recent shower, and a pair of blue eyes that looked like delicate doll eyes.

The young man, seeing Li Wenshui standing frozen with the clutter on the floor, quickly walked up to him, spinning around to take a good look. “I never expected that after all these years, Liang Jin still likes beautiful things.”

Li Wenshui’s face darkened. “Who are you?”

“Don’t be angry, let me introduce myself. I’m Xie Zhengqing, Liang Jin’s childhood friend, and first love.”

“Call yourself whatever you want. I don’t care, I won’t remember.” Li Wenshui shivered, not remembering who any of these people were.

“I just came back to the country recently. Something happened at home, and I have nowhere to stay, so I’m temporarily staying here. Liang Jin and I are a thing of the past, it will never rekindle, oh no, there was never any real feeling.” Xie Zhengqing walked into the kitchen as if he were at his own home, poured a glass of hot water, and handed it to Li Wenshui. “You’re cold, right? Drink this to warm up. This house is so big, with so many rooms, why don’t we stay together?”

Li Wenshui pushed him away, looking at the mess on the floor. It seemed he would have to move out again.

“Are you feeling unwell? Your face is too red.” Xie Zhengqing seemed concerned and sent a text message to Liang Jin.

When Liang Jin arrived, he saw Li Wenshui unsteadily moving things out. He immediately hugged Li Wenshui and felt his forehead, which was burning hot.

“How did you get a fever?” Liang Jin noticed the suitcase on the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me in advance you were moving in?”

References[+]

References

↑1	A substation is a building or part of a building that is designated by a chief of police or sheriff to be used as a police station.
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