So, the two people he encountered in the morning were actually Song Ruichi and his friend.

What a coincidence, such an unbelievable coincidence.

As Xu Er slowly finished his bowl of noodles, he kept recalling the details of the sunrise from that morning.

When did he realize someone was behind him? It wasn’t only at the moment he left. Now, thinking carefully, he remembered that at some point during the sunrise, in the corner of his eye, he vaguely noticed a few moments when a dark figure drifted past.

And when he left the mountaintop, as he drove out of the parking lot, he glimpsed that same figure in a black SUV.

It was all Song Ruichi.

Then, he recalled that brief response, “I can’t.”

So, he went on matching the tone of those two words to phrases like “What’s wrong?” “Do you need something?” “Do you want it?”

It was somewhat similar, yet not entirely the same.

Maybe it was the morning weariness—the way he said, “I can’t” had a certain heaviness, a hint of hoarseness.

The tone of the words that afternoon was different—noticeably clearer, with a slightly higher pitch, and sounded quite friendly.

So Xu Er had been right; a pleasant voice did indeed match a handsome face.

It was like accidentally stumbling upon a question, only for common sense to lead to the correct answer. A dry matchstick in his heart suddenly ignited, flickering. After analyzing everything to his satisfaction, Xu Er, feeling quite pleased with himself, cleaned up the empty bowl of noodles.

After taking out the trash, he sat back down, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone and spacing out. He glanced at the balcony—he’d already watered the plants. Then, he looked at the clock on the wall. Eight-thirty.

His phone screen was still on the Moments feed, and since he was there, Xu Er scrolled down to find the post that Song Ruichi had asked about with the comment, “Is that you?”

As he looked at it, Xu Er found himself smiling inexplicably.

But soon, he started wondering—why hadn’t Song Ruichi replied to him?

Xu Er’s smile froze.

Could it be… he wasn’t asking about him?

But who else could he have been asking about? The photo was clearly him!

Could it be that he’d come across as a bit too enthusiastic? He’d even added an exclamation mark.

It sort of made sense—they’d only just met, after all. Was there really any need to sound so excited?

Of course, Xu Er only mulled this over briefly; he wasn’t actually bothered by it. And since he couldn’t get an answer, he simply exited the app.

Not entirely, though. He quickly clicked back into Song Ruichi’s Moments. This time, his attention was drawn to the signature under Song Ruichi’s profile picture.

“Just me.”

 Xu Er let out yet another laugh of the night—he’d lost track of how many times by now.

He even murmured to himself, “Just me.”

At home, Xu Er’s nickname was “Little Er,” and some people called him “Xu Er Er.”

Of course, there was no way Song Ruichi would know that.

Above the signature was Song Ruichi’s Moments background photo. It looked like a sky view taken from a balcony—a beautifully composed shot. In the top left corner, a faint rainbow was visible, while in the lower right, there was a barely noticeable edge of a table and a glass of wine.

In that moment, all the praises Xu Chen had casually mentioned about Song Ruichi suddenly rushed into Xu Er’s mind.

“I admit he’s a bit better-looking than me, quite the tasteful guy—really tall too, at least 1.9 meters, with a great build and long legs. I have good taste, don’t I?”

And that rainbow… what an interesting coincidence.

Xu Er’s own Moments background also featured a rainbow—a photo he’d taken himself, right around the May Day holiday this year.

That day, not long after seeing the rainbow, he managed to snag a ticket he’d been on the waitlist for, so he saw it as a lucky charm and set it as his background on Moments.

Given the connection, Xu Er figured he might as well like this stylish artist’s background too.

Outside, the rain had finally stopped after nearly an entire day of on-and-off showers. Opening the window, he was greeted by the distinct scent of the post-rain air.

Xu Er’s place was close to the company, but not particularly close to the downtown area. The lively center of A City lay within a five-kilometer radius, bustling with lights and activity, while his view from just outside that radius was a distant glow of color against a quiet backdrop.

Well, since things were so quiet, why not…

Half an hour later, Xu Er’s footsteps had already taken him to the street across from his neighborhood.

He walked into the lively five-kilometer radius.

Connecting to the bustle was a river, with perfect weather and a weekend crowd. Many people were strolling along the riverbank, and there were plenty of food stalls.

Having just eaten, Xu Er only passed by, buying nothing. However, he made a mental note of a stall selling candied hawthorn skewers and decided to come back for the glutinous rice-stuffed hawthorn variety on his way back.

A few minutes later, he reached a fork in the road. Straight ahead was still the riverside, to the left was a bridge, and to the right, an unremarkable street.

Xu Er left the choice to the traffic lights. When he reached the intersection, the crosswalk light turned green just in time, so he crossed and continued walking along the river.

In this way, Xu Er drifted onto the next street.

This riverside road was quieter than the previous one. The stalls had disappeared, and the crowd had noticeably changed, shifting from a mix of all ages to mostly young adults.

The reason was obvious—this was a bar street.

Xu Er rarely came to this area. Drinking wasn’t part of his social life, and work functions didn’t require his attendance either.

Initially, he intended just to pass through, but he was soon drawn in by a brightly colored sign.

It was a newly opened bar, holding a grand opening promotion, with a large sign at the top that read in bold characters: “If You Dare, Come On In.”

Who wouldn’t stop to take a look after seeing those words? Xu Er was immediately hooked.

The board was covered with details of the opening activities, listed in neat order, explaining that if you could finish the drinks they provided within half an hour without sleeping, vomiting, using the restroom, or passing out, you could get your drinks for free and even receive a small gift.

But the challenge had one basic rule: it required at least two participants.

“Interested in trying?”

As Xu Er leaned over to check the list of drinks provided by the bar, he suddenly heard a voice nearby.

He turned, momentarily taken aback.

Song Ruichi.

Xu Er straightened up. “How did you…” he paused, then laughed, “What a coincidence.”

Song Ruichi smiled back at him. “Yes, quite the coincidence.”

Xu Er slightly lifted his head and smiled at Song Ruichi.

It was in that moment that Xu Er realized what Xu Chen had mentioned about Song Ruichi—he must be at least 1.9 meters tall.

Xu Er’s height was always a solid 1.8 meters, no matter where it was measured. In his everyday life, he rarely encountered anyone he needed to look up to.

At that moment, the chef’s counter wasn’t just occupied by the two of them; there were also four or five others gathering around to check the rules, bringing them closer than the usual social distance.

Song Ruichi was wearing a white sweater and loose brown trousers.

That was when Xu Er directly felt that Song Ruichi’s legs were indeed long.

“How are you here?” Song Ruichi asked Xu Er.

Xu Er gave a small smile.

This question was actually something Xu Er had wanted to ask just a moment ago but had swallowed instead.

When it comes to relationships, his thoughts always come first, but his mind quickly overwhelms his words. He often finds himself instinctively about to say something, only for his brain to immediately tell him it’s not appropriate, it’s unnecessary, it’s none of your business. So, the words remain unspoken, leaving just half of the thought behind.

“What’s so funny?” Before Xu Er could answer, Song Ruichi added another question.

Xu Er shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I was just walking.”

Song Ruichi asked, “Do you live nearby?”

Xu Er glanced in the direction of his neighborhood. “Over there.”

“And you?” Xu Er now felt it wasn’t too forward. “How come you’re here?”

Song Ruichi replied, “Came to play,” and then immediately asked Xu Er, “Do you want to play?”

Xu Er pointed at the board. “This?”

“Mm.”

Xu Er replied, “But I’m alone.”

Song Ruichi said, “You have me.”

Xu Er’s eyes curved into a smile. “You…”

Song Ruichi tilted his head slightly, looking as though he was teasing. “Can I?”

Xu Er’s smile widened. “Of course you can.”

Song Ruichi took a small step back, clearing the way to the bar. “Shall we go?”

“Let’s go!”

In truth, Xu Er wasn’t particularly interested in the activity, but he really enjoyed these coincidental connections. There had been so many coincidences between him and Song Ruichi today, and it made him feel happy and eager to walk side by side with him.

Especially when their right legs stepped into the bar at the same time, that joy reached its peak in his heart.

However, just a short while after entering the bar, Xu Er realized that Song Ruichi wasn’t quite the person he had imagined.

At the table in the middle, there were probably five or six people waving in their direction.

It was then that Xu Er realized—of course, Song Ruichi wouldn’t come to the bar alone, unless he had two things on his mind.

Haha, he’s quite humorous, isn’t he?

Song Ruichi waved at them, and at that moment, Xu Er’s steps slowed just a little.

So, Xu Er began to convince himself that sitting with Song Ruichi’s friends was no big deal. After all, he had eaten with strangers before.

After a few hurried steps, Xu Er had finally persuaded himself, but then Song Ruichi suddenly tugged on him.

It wasn’t a small pull—Xu Er was almost yanked back.

“Sit here,” Song Ruichi said, already standing beside a small round table.

Xu Er paused for a moment, glancing toward Song Ruichi’s friends.

Song Ruichi seemed to know what he was about to ask. “Don’t mind them.”

Xu Er gave a small “oh.”

But after thinking it over, Xu Er still didn’t sit down. Instead, he said, “I can go over there.”

Song Ruichi made his stance clear by sitting down. Now, he no longer had the height advantage, and he had to tilt his head quite a bit to look up at Xu Er.

“What’s wrong?” Song Ruichi asked, his question hitting too close to the mark.

Xu Er glanced again at the direction of the friends. “You were supposed to be with them.”

Song Ruichi responded, “I don’t know them.”

Xu Er blinked. “Huh?”

Song Ruichi pulled the chair next to Xu Er out a little further. “Sit first.”

Confused, Xu Er sat down. “You don’t know them?”

Song Ruichi suddenly smiled. “I do know them.”

Xu Er furrowed his brow. “What does that mean?”

Song Ruichi then asked, “How’s your tolerance for alcohol?”

Xu Er thought for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Song Ruichi seemed to be analyzing his answer. “Do you drink often?”

Xu Er shook his head. “I don’t drink.”

At that moment, a voice came from Song Ruichi’s friends’ direction. “Song, what are you trying to say?”

Xu Er, with his back to them, suddenly felt inexplicably guilty.

But Song Ruichi seemed not to have heard. He said, “Drink as you like, leave the rest to me.”

Xu Er pressed his lips together and glanced briefly at the large table. “How about…”

Before Xu Er could finish, Song Ruichi cut him off. “The prize for two people is a small bear.”

Xu Er froze for a moment, then laughed. “The way you say it, it sounds like I’ll be tempted by the bear.”

Song Ruichi said, “I do.”

Xu Er was a bit incredulous. “You like teddy bears?”

Song Ruichi replied, “My cat likes them.”

Song Ruichi’s words clashed with Xu Er’s common sense. It was the first time he’d heard of a cat liking teddy bears, but since he had never owned a cat, he quickly chose to believe him without question and let out an impressed “Wow.”

Xu Er echoed, “Wow.”

Xu Er then asked, “Is it the cat in your profile picture?”

Song Ruichi nodded. “His name is Soso.”

Xu Er repeated, “Soso.”

No one can remain indifferent when a friend mentions wanting something, especially when it’s their friend’s cat.

In Xu Er’s mind, he already pictured Soso rubbing up against a teddy bear, nuzzling it playfully.

Xu Er was immediately fired up. He sat up straight.

Got it!

He had to win this!

Win, win, win!