When Yu Ju woke up, his head ached as though it might explode.

He squirmed on the bed for nearly a minute before he remembered what had happened the night before.

Plum wine.

Gu Qianxing.

Zhang Qiming.

Yu Ju didn’t have time to dwell on his headache. His eyes snapped open.

It was the familiar bed, the familiar scent of shower gel, and his apartment.

Yu Ju stared at the ceiling, trying hard to recall exactly what had happened yesterday.

His phone was by the bed, and the person who brought him back had kindly charged it for him. The time displayed was 12:00.

Yu Ju’s memory was a bit fuzzy; he hadn’t forgotten everything, but he also couldn’t recall it all.

For example, he still remembered that it was Gu Qianxing who had brought him back.

But how Gu Qianxing had gotten him into the room—he had no memory of that.

He had a photoshoot scheduled for 1:00 PM today, so there wasn’t time to dwell on last night’s events.

Yu Ju wasn’t sure whether he had set his phone to silent or if Gu Qianxing had done it for him, but he had no recollection of it. Sister Xiao had already tagged him in the work group three times, and called several times, but he hadn’t heard any of them.

Yu Ju quickly replied to Sister Xiao in the group, saying he’d be there soon, and then hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

While squeezing the toothpaste, Yu Ju remembered some more details.

It was about what had happened at the entrance of his apartment when Gu Qianxing had brought him back.

Yu Ju placed the toothbrush in his mouth, and his mind filled with the image of him tugging on Gu Qianxing’s sleeve, saying, “Give it back to me, give it back to me.“

Yu Ju tilted his head slightly, looking down at the pants he hadn’t changed out of yet. He slowly reached into his pocket.

Sure enough, he pulled out a piece of paper.

It was the sheet from his experiment report, crumpled but neatly folded four times.

Yu Ju bit down on the toothbrush and unfolded the paper. As he looked at the page covered in tiger heads, he furrowed his brows.

What was this hideous thing?

Who drew this?

It definitely wasn’t Gu Qianxing, the talented graduate of the Fine Arts Academy.

He clearly remembered working on questions yesterday.

Yu Ju recalled the scene at the door again. It seemed Gu Qianxing had wanted the paper, but he hadn’t given it to him.

He glanced at the ugly, worthless tiger heads with disdain and casually crumpled the paper into a ball, aiming for the trash can.

But just as his hand went up, he thought for a moment and lowered it. He opened the paper again.

What if Gu Qianxing really wanted it?

Yu Ju folded it three times and finally tucked it into the cabinet under the sink.

Yu Ju closed the cabinet door and looked at himself in the mirror, smiling.

It was pretty ridiculous. Who would want something like that?

In the group chat, Xiao Jie had replied to him. First, she asked where he had disappeared to, then she asked where he was.

Not yet leaving the house, Yu Ju immediately typed: [On the way.]

A small lie.

Learned from the fox.

Since he said he was on the way, Yu Ju didn’t dare to delay any further.

He quickly took a shower, grabbed some fresh clothes, and went downstairs to hail a cab, heading to Xinli.

Halfway through the ride, Yu Ju suddenly thought of certain fragments.

Did he really touch Gu Qianxing’s mouth?

As he thought about it, Yu Ju’s hand couldn’t help but tremble.

The sensation, soft.

He couldn’t be a pervert, could he?

This fragment flashed into his mind, and other small, fragmented memories followed.

He seemed to have said: “Have you ever been kissed?”

He also seemed to have said: “A mouth like yours, it’d be a pity not to kiss it.“

It seemed that after saying all that, Yu Ju had leaned toward Gu Qianxing, pressing himself against the coffee table.

But they didn’t actually make contact; Gu Qianxing leaned back.

Yes, Gu Qianxing had pulled away.

Yu Ju tightly gripped the handle on the car window, closing his eyes.

Indeed, Gu Qianxing was right to pull away.

Yu Ju curled his toes in frustration.

What the hell had he done yesterday…?

How could he have become this kind of person?

Why didn’t Gu Qianxing just throw him out the window?

Yu Ju awkwardly sat there for a while, trying to shake off the thoughts, desperately wanting to erase that memory.

Gu Qianxing had also talked to him about Zhang Qiming. Yes, they’d even talked about that past incident.

Also, he had cursed loudly yesterday.

Maybe the reason he felt so lighthearted when he woke up today was because he had vented all that frustration yesterday.

It wasn’t a fleeting lightness; it was like a little stone, the one that had been pressing on his chest, that neither hurt nor itched, had suddenly been kicked away, leaving him with a sense of relief.

But soon, he remembered trying to kiss Gu Qianxing, only to be dodged.

Ah, so annoying!

What’s wrong with you? Why would you go kiss someone else?

Yu Ju picked up his phone and glanced at it. The last message from Gu Qianxing was still from yesterday, just a simple “Hello, Mr. Gu.”

Yu Ju’s memory wasn’t enough to recall everything that happened yesterday, nor could it help him remember Gu Qianxing’s attitude toward him.

So, even now, no contact, not even a word of concern.

Yu Ju’s heart was left hanging by Gu Qianxing, uncertain, in limbo.

It wasn’t right to look for him, but it also didn’t feel right not to.

There was a slight traffic jam on the way today, so he arrived at the company ten minutes later than scheduled.

Yu Ju was never one to be late, so he felt a bit guilty when he saw Xiao Jie. But to his surprise, Xiao Jie seemed happy to see him, with a smug expression as if she had finally caught him in the act.

“Didn’t expect it, you can be late too.”

Ah Ling had already been waiting in the makeup room. As soon as Yu Ju sat down, Ah Ling excitedly said, “Late again, huh? Were you doing experiments again yesterday?”

Yu Ju shook his head. “I went drinking.”

Ah Ling let out a loud, exaggerated “Oh!”

“My goodness,” Ah Ling said, looking very curious. “You drink too?”

Yu Ju replied, “Why wouldn’t I know how to drink?”

Not only Ah Ling, but also the colleagues on both sides turned their heads, curious, asking him what happened, why he suddenly went drinking, and who he went with.

Yu Ju thought for a moment, then stole a response. “I got dumped.”

The makeup room went silent in an instant. Just a second ago, everyone had been looking at him with an expression of curiosity, but now, after hearing Yu Ju’s words, their expressions all turned serious, as if they were still watching the drama but were now deeply concerned.

Yu Ju continued to pretend to be upset, mixing truth with lies. “I went to that person’s house yesterday, tried to kiss him, but was rejected.”

The makeup room grew even quieter.

Clearly, everyone was shocked by Yu Ju’s words. They were used to him being quiet and reserved, so hearing him say something this dramatic was startling.

They were also wondering—what should they do now? How should they comfort him?

“Who is it?” Ah Ling was the first to speak after a few seconds. “How could anyone reject our Yu Ju?”

Yu Ju shrugged, fully embracing the “heartbroken” act.

Ah Ling was displeased. “Is that person good-looking?”

Yu Ju replied, “Very good-looking.”

Ah Ling became even more upset. “So what if they’re good-looking? Are they the campus goddess or something? How could they dare to reject you?”

Yu Ju continued to act sorrowful. “I’m not good enough for him.”

Ah Ling shouted loudly, “Pah!” He vented his frustration on the makeup brush, hitting it with all his might. “Forget about him! The next one will be better!”

Yu Ju chuckled inwardly. “Okay.”

With Ah Ling leading the charge, everyone else joined in to comfort Yu Ju, saying things like, “It’s okay, with someone like you, you won’t have trouble finding a girlfriend,” and “Just drink it off, I’ll introduce someone to you!”

The atmosphere continued to build, and Yu Ju almost started believing he was truly heartbroken.

Because of Ah Ling’s efforts, Yu Ju’s makeup took extra long today, with many little details added that Yu Ju himself couldn’t even notice.

Ah Ling even called it the “heartbroken makeup.”

On the way to the photo shoot, Yu Ju, in a strange moment of impulse, took a selfie and sent it to Zhao Yi.

He wasn’t sure if Zhao Yi would be able to tell he was pretending to be heartbroken.

Yu Ju: [What do I look like?]

Zhao Yi quickly replied: [??]

Zhao Yi: [What do you look like?]

Yu Ju gave a hint: [How do I look?]

Zhao Yi: [How do you look?]

Zhao Yi added: [Uh, can I send this photo to Gu Qianxing?]

Now it was Yu Ju’s turn to be confused.

Yu Ju: [??]

Yu Ju: [Why send it to him?]

Zhao Yi: [I told you not to get mad.]

Yu Ju: [What is it?]

Zhao Yi: [Ahh, you look so cute, I really want to show him.]

Yu Ju: [??]

Yu Ju: [Cute your head.]

Yu Ju: [Why would you show it to him?]

Zhao Yi: [Hehe.]

Zhao Yi: [If you don’t want me to, I won’t send it.]

Zhao Yi asked again: [Why can’t I send it to him?]

Yu Ju: [Of course you can’t send it to him.]

Yu Ju: [What if he thinks I’m hitting on him?]

The question marks were flying around.

Zhao Yi: [??]

Zhao Yi: [How is it that you’re the one hitting on him? This selfie is totally innocent, just a normal photo.]

Zhao Yi: [What’s wrong with friends sharing photos?]

Yu Ju tilted his head back.

What do you know, what do you know!

I tried to kiss him yesterday, and he rejected me!

Yu Ju: [Get lost.]

When they arrived at the photo shoot location, Yu Ju realized that not only was Xiao Jie inside, but also Lin Jian, who seemed to have finished and was about to leave.

As Yu Ju walked past, Lin Jian suddenly turned around and gave him a direct look.

At first, Yu Ju didn’t understand what Lin Jian was trying to do, until he saw the necklace hanging in front of him.

The silver leaf pendant.

The big one.

Yu Ju looked up, and just in time, Lin Jian was also looking at him.

Their eyes met, and Lin Jian immediately smiled.

Lin Jian deliberately tugged at the necklace: “Xiao Jie,” he took a small step toward her, “Have you noticed I’m wearing a necklace today?”

Xiao Jie, who had been looking at her phone, glanced up slightly: “Don’t you always wear necklaces? What’s special about this one?”

Lin Jian: “Take another look.”

Lin Jian spoke to Xiao Jie, but his attention was clearly on Yu Ju.

Yu Ju: “……”

How could he be so sure Yu Ju would understand the meaning of this necklace?

Though, Yu Ju did, in fact, understand.

After hearing this, Xiao Jie lowered her phone and asked Lin Jian, “What kind of necklace is this?”

Lin Jian didn’t look at Yu Ju but turned his head slightly in his direction. “Can’t recognize it? It’s the one Gu Qianxing wore that day.”

Xiao Jie raised an eyebrow. “Where did it come from?”

Lin Jian smiled smugly. “I know people at Gu Qianxing’s studio. I told them I liked it, and they sent it to me.”

In short, it was a gift from Gu Qianxing.

Yu Ju clicked his tongue internally and quickly left the scene of this gossip.

“You know people at Gu Qianxing’s studio? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Xiao Jie asked.

Lin Jian: “I know too many people.”

Xiao Jie: “Who do you know at Gu Qianxing’s studio?”

…

Yu Ju entered the room to take the photos, and as soon as the door closed, the conversation behind him faded away.

From the time Xiao Jie discovered him in his junior year, Yu Ju had been working part-time at Xinyi for over three years. Now, taking photos was as simple as a slight smile and a tilt of the head.

After spending half an hour in the studio, Yu Ju picked up his phone and saw that Xiao Jie had asked him to go to the conference room after finishing the photos. She wanted to discuss the magazine for next month.

When he entered the conference room, the first thing Yu Ju noticed was Lin Jian.

And the necklace on his chest.

However, Yu Ju only glanced at it briefly, ignored the person, and walked straight out.

He didn’t know what Lin Jian was so proud of, shaking his legs in such a smug manner.

“Yu Ju’s here, so I’ll quickly say a few more things,” Xiao Jie clicked back on the PowerPoint presentation. “Next month…”

“Xiao Jie.”

A voice suddenly interrupted Xiao Jie from outside the door.

Xiao Jie: “What’s up?”

It was Xiao Ye from the external team, holding a computer and looking a little excited. “Someone from Gu Qianxing’s studio just added me, saying they have an event tomorrow. They want to invite us and are wondering if we can make room in our schedule…”

“Of course, we can,” Xiao Jie instantly became excited, turning to Lin Jian. “You’re good at this, right, Lin Jian?”

Lin Jian was momentarily stunned before a smug expression spread across his face.

Yu Ju picked up his phone, but Gu Qianxing still hadn’t contacted him.

Xiao Ye continued, “They gave two invitations, Xiao Jie, would you like to take a look?”

Xiao Jie replied, “Just me and Lin Jian, then.”

Xiao Ye nodded, “Alright.”

But just as Xiao Ye was about to finish, she let out a small “uh.”

Xiao Jie asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Ye looked at her computer. “They said one of the invitations is for Yu Ju, and the other one is up to you to decide.”

“Yu Ju?” Xiao Jie repeated.

As the words left her mouth, all eyes in the conference room turned to Yu Ju.

Yu Ju remained calm, looking unfazed, as if he was immune to both praise and criticism. He looked up and asked Xiao Ye, “Is it tomorrow?”

Xiao Ye nodded, “Yes.”

Yu Ju said, “I’m not available tomorrow.”

Xiao Ye asked, “How about the day after? The event lasts for two days.”

Yu Ju answered, “I have a project, I’ll be away for three days, not in A City.”

Lin Jian, whose emotions were always written all over his face, looked visibly disturbed at that moment.

The atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly awkward.

“Tell them Yu Ju won’t be available for the next three days,” Xiao Jie instructed Xiao Ye, “Ask if someone else can go instead.”

Xiao Ye hesitated, “But they specifically invited Yu Ju.”

Xiao Jie raised an eyebrow, “What about Lin Jian?”

Xiao Ye glanced at Lin Jian, who was practically radiating displeasure, “They didn’t mention him.”

Lin Jian’s face was practically dark enough to summon a storm.

But Yu Ju? He looked like he was basking in the sun.

He was absolutely basking in it.

“Ah,” Xiao Ye suddenly spoke again, “They just asked when Yu Ju will be available after three days, when he can find some time. They said any day works.”

A burst of laughter came from the conference room. “Is this an appointment or what?”

Yu Ju remained unfazed, as always, “Not necessarily. When I get back, I’ll probably need time to organize and summarize. I still have experiments to do.”

Xiao Jie felt a headache coming on.

Just as things were at an impasse, Yu Ju’s phone suddenly vibrated.

He picked it up and saw a message from someone named “G.”

Interesting.

Yu Ju unlocked his phone and saw the following message on WeChat.

[Kid, so heartless.]

Yu Ju immediately pressed his lips together, the tension that had been hanging over him all day finally easing.

Yu Ju: [What?]

Gu Qianxing: [Did you forget what happened yesterday?]

Yu Ju slowly straightened up. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to go along with Gu Qianxing’s words: [I forgot.]

He then asked, [What happened?]

Gu Qianxing: [Nothing. You didn’t do anything to me.]

Gu Qianxing: [You don’t need to be responsible for me.]