Wen Yi had come back today to break the news, but there’s a difference between doing it voluntarily and being forced. Now, she was panicking, worried that Ms. Wen would get angry.

After thinking for half a minute, a touching story formed in her mind. She started with the result: “Mom, I’m pregnant. We’re planning to get married and have the baby.”

Then she moved to the beginning: “His name is Qin Nanshan. We were high school classmates, so we know each other well. We ran into each other at an academic forum a year ago. He pursued me for six months, and I agreed.”

“I didn’t tell you because I wanted to wait until the relationship was stable, plus I’ve been busy. I was actually planning to bring him home for New Year’s this year.”

“The pregnancy was unexpected, but we’re prepared. Haven’t you always said I’m getting older and should find a partner soon? Well, everything happened naturally.”

Wen Yi’s expression was sincere, and Ms. Wen listened attentively. Wen Yi walked behind her, massaging her shoulders, adding more: “Mom, he’s a really great guy. His personality—”

She paused slightly before continuing, “He’s gentle and easygoing. He teaches at A University, and he’s really impressive. Not even thirty, and he’s already an associate professor—something a lot of people could never achieve.”

“We truly love each other, and this baby came as a result of that love. How about you take a day off work and let him come over to meet you? If you’re okay with him, we’ll go get the marriage certificate. Deal?”

Standing behind her, Wen Yi couldn’t see her mother’s expression, but she heard her voice lower. “A teacher at A University?”

“Yes, why?”

“What does he teach?”

“Math.”

“Last name Qin?”

“Mhm.”

In the silence, Wen Yi thought she heard a soft, barely noticeable sigh. Ms. Wen finally spoke, with some helplessness, “I can’t control you.”

They say you can’t keep an adult daughter at home, and she had never tried with Wen Yi. Since childhood, Wen Yi had always been independent—doing her homework, managing her own studies and life. Ms. Wen had rarely had to worry about her.

When she grew up, Wen Yi chose her own major, university, and career. She became a pharmaceutical rep, which wasn’t considered a good job by the neighbors in the alley back then. When Ms. Wen found out, she was furious and demanded she quit. But Wen Yi insisted and had been doing it for years.

Now she had quietly taken another major step in life. Ms. Wen shook her head. Truly, she was her daughter.

Seeing her mother’s silence, Wen Yi leaned down and hugged her shoulders. “Mom, I know what I’m doing.” Then she whispered in her ear, “And he’s really handsome.”

Ms. Wen turned to see her daughter’s starry-eyed expression and couldn’t help but laugh, though she still scolded her. “Wen Yi, you’re being impulsive. Do you realize how irresponsible this is? What if he doesn’t want this? Will you get an abortion? Or raise the child on your own? You can barely take care of yourself, let alone a baby.”

Wen Yi gently soothed her. “Yes, yes, Mom. I know what I’m doing. If he wasn’t reliable, I wouldn’t have done this.”

“What does his family say?”

His family… That was a good question. Judging by how Qin Nanshan had discussed their post-marriage finances, she guessed it wouldn’t be a problem. And even if there were problems, they couldn’t be now. “They have no objections. His parents are thrilled.”

“Bring him over tomorrow.”

“Okay!”

Wen Yi let out a sigh of relief—she had made it past this hurdle.

Ms. Wen went back to the kitchen to cook some porridge and watched her finish it. She also asked about her early pregnancy symptoms, and Wen Yi answered honestly. Thus, she was granted residence rights at Chang Le Alley.

Ms. Wen gave her advice and instructions until after 8 p.m. Wen Yi showered, tidied up, and went back to her small bedroom. She picked up her phone, which she hadn’t looked at in a few hours.

That scoundrel of a man had been thoughtful enough to send her two messages: “Have you eaten?” and “Have you rested?”

Each message had exactly four words. Adding a single punctuation mark would’ve been too much for him.

Forget it. Qin Nanshan probably doesn’t even know the phrase “express concern.” The heavens had opened the door to math for him, so they had to take back some of his language skills.

She called him. He didn’t answer. Five minutes later, she called again—still no answer. Her finely arched brows furrowed in frustration.

Bored from waiting, Wen Yi opened her account to check her finances.

The happiest part of working was counting money. She was shallow like that. Watching the numbers in her account slowly grow erased all the frustrations from work.

In the six years since graduating, Wen Yi had maintained a high standard of living, but her salary was good. Now her bank account had seven figures.

The house in Chang Le Alley was small and old, only valuable for its location. She had been planning to save for a few more years, sell the house, and get her mother a bigger one. But now, that plan had to be shelved.

The tenant in her belly was a money-eater. She needed cash in hand. Who knew if the marriage would happen or how long it would last if it did? She had to prepare an escape route for herself.

Wen Yi set down her phone, feeling defeated. It was over. Even counting money wasn’t making her happy anymore. The more she counted, the more stressed she got.

An hour later, Qin Nanshan finally called back. “Sorry, I was working.”

Wen Yi was already lying down, half-asleep. She’d forgotten about her earlier tantrum and the missed calls. She got straight to the point: “Do you have time tomorrow? Come to my house.”

“I’m free.”

Then she recounted the story she had made up, emphasizing, “Remember, we reunited a year ago, you pursued me for six months, we’re very much in love, and your parents agree.”

There was sudden silence on the other end. Wen Yi waited for a response but heard nothing. Sleepy, she nudged him softly, “Say something.”

“I’m here.”

“My mom’s conservative. Can you please just go along with me?”

“Okay.”

“Alright then, goodnight.”

After hanging up, Qin Nanshan put his phone on the desk and sat quietly. On the desk was a sheet of paper filled with dense calculations. Beside it was a half-drunk cup of tea, and at his feet, Xia Tian (Summer) the dog was playing by himself. Everything was as it always had been, yet everything had fundamentally changed.

On his computer screen was the latest top-tier journal article from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He needed to verify the derivations in the paper, a task he should have completed by last Friday. But he had gone to Su City, delaying two days, and tonight, for some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t concentrate, even making mistakes with decimal points.

It felt as though many new people and things had suddenly appeared in his life—Wen Yi, the baby, the future mother-in-law. Visits, caring gestures, responsibilities—they had disrupted his orderly life and barged in uninvited.

He wasn’t ready to be a husband, a father, or to build a family with anyone.

His sense of order was unraveling, the future was uncertain, and the balance he had been used to was broken. It left him feeling both unsettled and frustrated, yet he understood that the responsibilities on his shoulders couldn’t be shrugged off. So he pressed his frustrations down.

Instinctively, Qin Nanshan opened a drawer where he kept a half-finished pack of cigarettes. He pulled it out, but then Wen Yi’s words popped into his mind. He sighed, closed his eyes, and tossed the pack into the trash.

Sensitive by nature, Xia Tian sensed his owner’s mood and barked at him twice.

Qin Nanshan glanced at him, crumpled a sheet of scratch paper, and tossed it into a corner of the room. Xia Tian eagerly ran over, fetched it, and dropped it into the trash can, wagging his tail for praise.

Qin Nanshan bent down, petting his fluffy head. Xia Tian affectionately nudged his palm.

Looking out at the swaying branches of the camphor tree, he murmured, “Xia Tian, you’re going to have a new friend soon.”

After two seconds, he corrected himself with a smile tugging at his lips, “No, two new friends.”