The supervisor was taken aback by Xia Jiao’s words.

She took a long time to respond.

Xia Jiao, wrapped in her blanket, propped herself up and spoke clearly, “I don’t like socializing over drinks, and I dislike being forced to take work calls during my personal time.”

With determination, Xia Jiao continued, “I will send you my resignation letter tomorrow. Goodnight.”

After ending the call, Xia Jiao took a deep breath and turned her head to look at Wen Chongyue.

Their eyes met, and she asked, “Was that a bit too impulsive?”

“Not at all,” Wen Chongyue replied, shaking his head. He gently patted the back of Xia Jiao’s hand, offering reassurance. “If you’re unhappy, we can find a new job.”

Xia Jiao nestled back into her blanket.

Although today’s tasks were completed, Wen Chongyue seemed lost in thought. He turned off the lights and quietly joined her in bed.

When his hand brushed against Xia Jiao’s arm, she flinched slightly but didn’t pull away.

Wen Chongyue withdrew his hand, and the couple lay in the same bed, each covered by their own blanket, rarely sharing a moment of closeness.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, Xia Jiao fell asleep quickly. She curled up slightly, facing away from the edge of the bed, with her palm resting against her cheek. Her sleeping posture was peaceful, almost silent, much like the plants she carefully tended.

Wen Chongyue, on the other hand, struggled to fall asleep.

After a while, he got up and stepped outside.

The little cat rubbed against his feet, meowing softly. Wen Chongyue bent down to scratch the cat’s head and dialed a number.

The call was answered quickly, and the background noise indicated a lively atmosphere. Wen Chongyue pinched the bridge of his nose, hearing the enthusiastic voice on the other end. “Hey, big brother, what’s up?”

Wen Chongyue replied, “Zhaocong, Mom called me earlier, and she sounded a bit upset. Have you done something recently?”

Song Zhaocong’s voice shot up in disbelief. “Ah?”

A few days ago, Song Zhaocong had snuck off to Macau for a gamble and ended up losing terribly.

The Song family had strict values, and with their father’s sensitive job, Song Zhaocong had kept this a secret from his parents—especially his mother, Bai Ruolang, who was strong-willed and held significant authority in the household.

Their relationship was complicated.

In her youth, Bai Ruolang defied her family to marry Father Wen. Unfortunately, their personalities clashed, and they divorced when Wen Chongyue was five. Afterward, Bai Ruolang accepted a proposal from Father Song, quickly remarrying and giving birth to Song Zhaocong the following year.

Regardless, before Wen Chongyue reached adulthood, Bai Ruolang made a point to cut ties with Father Wen, essentially erasing any connection with him or the past, insisting that he not call her Mom or Mother.

It wasn’t until Wen Chongyue started working that Bai Ruolang attempted to build a relationship with him.

Moments later, Song Zhaocong hurriedly said, “Come on, I just went out for a few games. Compared to my fourh uncle’s family, I’m not that reckless, right?”

After ranting for a while, Song Zhaocong lowered his voice and pleaded, “Brother, you have to help me this time. Mom listens to you the most.”

“Don’t worry,” Wen Chongyue stroked the cat’s ears, his gaze dropping. “Listen to me. You should lay low for a couple of days, and when she calms down, you can return.”

Song Zhaocong answered repeatedly and said a few more words before ending the call.

Wen Chongyue looked sideways and saw that the bedroom was still quiet. He thought about it and called his cousin Chen Zhuren to ask him for help.

At present, Xia Jiao was not in a suitable position to meet Bai Ruolang.

When it came to resigning, Xia Jiao didn’t procrastinate. She quickly completed the resignation procedures and smoothly handed over her work.

On her first day off after resigning, Xia Jiao celebrated by sleeping in until late morning.

She invited Jiang Wanju to enjoy Cantonese cuisine, choosing the restaurant that Wen Chongyue had taken her to before. The seasonal special, fried spring rolls, was available, differing in flavor from what Wen Chongyue had made. The spring roll wrappers were thin, prepared with flour paste, and the fillings varied—shredded pork, chicken, shrimp, along with chives, bamboo shoots, and winter mushrooms—fried to a golden crisp and bursting with freshness.

She also tried the honeycomb taro balls, made with Liyu taro and Chengmian flour, shaped like olives. Biting into them carefully, the outer skin was slightly crispy while the inside was soft and fragrant, filled with fresh shrimp and the aroma of bamboo shoots.

Jiang Wanju asked Xia Jiao, “Haven’t you met Wen Chongyue’s mother?”

Xia Jiao shook her head.

After a pause, she asked, “Is her last name Bai?”

Jiang Wanju nodded.

She was quite particular about managing her figure, rarely eating fried foods. Today, she had only a little of the taro ball and mostly enjoyed the rose oil chicken.

Perhaps after being with her ex-boyfriend for a long time, she had developed a discerning palate and was very picky. The chicken served today was delightful—tender, savory, and slightly sweet.

“It’s probably for the best,” Jiang Wanju said, “The Bai family is all about power and profit. We don’t belong in the same circle.”

Xia Jiao listened, stunned, as the waiter served a plate of steamed vegetables in front of Jiang Wanju.

Jiang Wanju looked up and said, “Please bring us two cups of barley tea, thank you.”

She adjusted her napkin, noticed the look in Xia Jiao’s eyes, and smiled.

“But don’t worry,” Jiang Wanju reassured her, “Wen Chongyue isn’t like them.”

On their way out, they encountered an old classmate at the checkout. It was Yang Ye, their high school class monitor. At first, Xia Jiao didn’t recognize him. While she was chatting, she heard someone exclaim in surprise, “Dumpling?”

Xia Jiao looked up in confusion and saw a tall man in a black T-shirt and black pants, his sun-kissed skin somewhat bewildering her: “Who are you…?”

“It’s me, Yang Ye, like the leaves of a poplar tree,” he said with a smile, revealing his bright white teeth. “Don’t you remember? During the summer sports meet in our sophomore year, you brought me a bottle of water.”

Xia Jiao couldn’t recall that incident but remembered the person: “Ah.”

In high school, Xia Jiao had always been introverted, with few good friends and only a distant relationship with her classmates.

As for Yang Ye, she only had a vague impression of him. Nothing concrete remained.

For someone with social anxiety, running into an old classmate after so long, especially one with whom she didn’t have a close relationship, was a terrifying experience.

Whenever she walked down the street, whether listening to music or not, Xia Jiao always wore headphones. Even at unavoidable class reunions, when she wanted to avoid conversation, she would frantically scroll through her phone, trying to diminish her presence.

However, these measures were completely ineffective in the face of someone with extreme social skills.

Especially since Yang Ye was an extreme chatterbox, a social butterfly.

Even if Xia Jiao hardly responded, he could talk enthusiastically about anything, even bringing up how she had left early from a class reunion years ago.

Fortunately, Jiang Wanju was there, allowing Xia Jiao to say her goodbyes smoothly.

Before leaving, they exchanged new WeChat numbers.

Xia Jiao initially thought their encounter was a coincidence. However, two days later, she ran into Yang Ye again.

She had submitted her resume and received several interview invitations.

The HR from the first two companies appreciated her, but Xia Jiao was not satisfied with their overtime expectations and offered salaries. The third company was a domestic beauty brand with acceptable overtime hours, weekends off, and a salary that made her willing to forgive occasional overtime.

Another advantage was that the new company was located in the same building as Wen Chongyue’s current workplace. It would only take half an hour to drive from their home. At least, until Wen Chongyue left for Suzhou, Xia Jiao could hitch a ride with him.

Perfect.

However, the interview results were not ideal. The HR politely sent Xia Jiao off, and at the glass door, she heard a man’s surprised voice: “Hey, Xia Jiao!”

Xia Jiao turned around and saw Yang Ye approaching with a few cups of Starbucks. The HR smiled and called him “Xiao Yang,” and Yang Ye handed her a cup, grinning: “I ran into an old classmate, so I walked her out. Please take these coffees back for my team—keep the one I gave you. Thanks for helping me out.”

The HR agreed with a smile and looked at Xia Jiao before heading off.

Yang Ye asked, “What are you doing here?”

Xia Jiao shook her resume: “Interview.”

Yang Ye said, “I remember your major was English, right?”

Xia Jiao nodded: “Yes.”

Yang Ye asked, “What position are you interviewing for?”

As they spoke, the elevator arrived, the door slowly opening. Yang Ye gestured for Xia Jiao to enter first. He intended to follow but his phone rang, so he smiled apologetically and stepped aside to answer.

Inside the elevator were several people, and Xia Jiao didn’t pay much attention. She put her headphones back on and focused on her toes, standing properly.

The elevator reached the first floor, and Xia Jiao stood at the edge, planning to wait until everyone exited before leaving herself.

It was just after work hours, so most people hurried out. Only the last man walked leisurely toward the exit. Lost in her thoughts, Xia Jiao wondered why he was moving so slowly.

Suddenly, the man reached out and pulled Xia Jiao gently, his familiar voice laced with laughter: “What are you daydreaming about? Are you out of energy?”

Xia Jiao looked up in confusion, took off her headphones, and exclaimed, “Teacher Wen!”

Wen Chongyue pulled her out of the elevator and asked, “How did the interview go?”

Xia Jiao replied, “It seems it didn’t go well.”

Although she hadn’t received the official results yet, Xia Jiao felt the interview would likely not be successful. From the time she entered to when she left, the entire conversation had lasted less than ten minutes. Based on her previous experiences, this interview was probably a bust.

But that was okay.

Xia Jiao shook off her disappointment and said, “The nature of this job isn’t much different from the previous ones. If I don’t pass the interview, so be it. After all, I’m not good at interpersonal relationships.”

Wen Chongyue didn’t comment on that. Instead, he asked, “Who was the person you were talking to just now?”

“Who?” Xia Jiao reacted and then realized, “Oh, that’s Yang Ye! He was my class monitor in high school.”

Wen Chongyue responded with a light acknowledgment as they left the building side by side. The sunlight was blinding, and after a few steps, he turned back to see the tall man who had been talking to Xia Jiao running out, seemingly searching for her.

Wen Chongyue instinctively pulled Xia Jiao in front of him.

Xia Jiao was surprised, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s windy today,” he subtly shielded her with his coat, “don’t catch a cold.”

Xia Jiao thought he was overreacting. Winter had passed; surely she wouldn’t catch a cold now.

What a joke.

Little did she expect that upon returning home, she would start feeling congested, and by the next day, her nose was so red from wiping that it began to hurt.

She didn’t attend the interview the next day, opting instead to enjoy the lotus root and spare ribs soup that Wen Chongyue had ordered for her.

Although Xia Jiao had little hope for this interview, at seven in the evening, she received a call informing her that she had passed.

She also received the confirmation via email.

It was hard to believe.

Recalling the HR’s attitude during the interview, she could easily guess that Yang Ye’s help was a significant factor.

This left her feeling quite conflicted.

Wen Chongyue was draining the water from some fresh shrimp when he asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Xia Jiao spoke with a nasal tone, “I’m considering whether or not to accept the offer.”

Wen Chongyue didn’t seem surprised, “Is it from yesterday’s interview?”

“Yeah,” Xia Jiao said as she weighed the pros and cons. “Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes… Of course, it’s a good thing to pass, but that means it might not be much different from my previous job…”

As she voiced her worries, Wen Chongyue reached out and handed her a coin.

Xia Jiao turned sideways, puzzled, “Huh?”

Wen Chongyue said, “Since it’s a tough decision, let’s flip a coin.”

Xia Jiao took the coin but fell back into her dilemma: “So, which side—heads or tails?”

“Heads, you’ll refuse tonight. Tails, you’ll refuse tomorrow morning,” Wen Chongyue said calmly. “If the coin lands upright, you’ll accept the job.”

He added, “Now, flip it. You can’t go against fate.”

**

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