“Are you hungry? Let’s grab something to eat.” Chen Xiao asked Lu Nan as they walked out of the police station. 

It was already past two in the afternoon, and the two of them had missed lunch because of the frustrating situation they had been dealing with. 

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lu Nan said, “I should treat you to a meal since I’ve delayed you for so long. But there’s not much good to eat at this hour, so how about we do it next time?” 

At this time of day, most restaurants that serve stir-fried dishes are closed, and the only nearby options were Shaxian or Lanzhou noodles. 

Chen Xiao acted as if he didn’t catch the hint in Lu Nan’s words. He quickly walked into the noodle shop. “It’s already this late—why bother being picky? Don’t you like noodles?” After saying that, he turned around and urged Lu Nan to hurry. 

Lu Nan, who had tried to decline the meal but failed, glanced at the phone in her hand. 

Earlier at the police station, she had put her phone on silent. 

Seeing a missed call and a voice message from her mother at an unusual time—around eight or nine on a weekend night—was usually not a good sign. Unexpected calls like this often meant trouble. 

This only added to her stress. She hesitated, wondering if she should call back. 

Never mind, I’ll eat first. Lu Nan silently sighed. 

She followed Chen Xiao inside and ordered stir-fried beef knife-cut noodles, adding, “Boss, less noodles for me. I don’t want to waste any if I can’t finish.” 

Chen Xiao, on the other hand, said to the boss, “Same as her, beef stir-fried knife-cut noodles, but give me the noodles she didn’t want.” 

The restaurant owner must have thought they were an odd pair—ordering the same dish, yet one asking for fewer noodles while the other asked for more. 

So, wearing a small white hat, the owner spoke in a thickly accented Mandarin, “I’ll just stir-fry both portions together and give you two bowls. You can split it yourselves.” 

Lu Nan didn’t pay much attention to the boss’s suggestion. She said, “You can sit first. I need to take a call.” 

There was no need to hesitate about calling back anymore—her phone, which she had just taken off silent mode, started vibrating again. Considering her mother’s tendency to raise her voice when upset, Lu Nan stepped outside before answering. 

“Hello, Mom.” 

“Lu Nan! Have you grown wings or something? You didn’t come back for Mid-Autumn or National Day, and you won’t even answer your phone! What are you still doing in Hailin? Or are you off looking for that bastard (Lu Nan’s father)?” 

“Mom, it’s not like that, I was just—” Lu Nan didn’t get to finish before being interrupted. 

“Just what? What could you possibly be busy with? That measly job of yours that pays barely over a thousand yuan? Let me tell you, if I hadn’t asked your father for some money, do you really think you could survive on that? You’d be starving by now! I called you so many times, and you didn’t pick up. What kind of ungrateful creature did I give birth to? Both of you are heartless! What am I supposed to rely on when I’m old? Certainly not you! At this rate, I might as well go live in a nursing home. You’re all a bunch of ungrateful brats. The moment I ask you to come home, you pretend you’re dead and say you’re busy. Busy with what? You’re a fresh graduate—what could you possibly be so occupied with? Living it up, huh? Eating fancy food today, traveling tomorrow, and now you’re even thinking about buying a car? You must feel on top of the world! But don’t forget, you have all this because of me, your ‘beggar of a mother’ who scraped it together for you. On your own, you’re nothing—nothing at all!” 

*** 

The call dragged on for over ten minutes. It wasn’t until her phone gave a low battery warning that Lu Nan snapped back to reality. She quickly interrupts her mother’s seemingly endless scolding: “Mom, I’m out right now, my phone’s out of battery, I’ll talk to you tonight.” 

She tilted her head, closed her eyes for a moment, and adjusted her facial expression before walking into the store. 

Have you ever seen stir-fried knife-cut noodles served in a big plate meant for chicken? Well, today she did. The owner was very honest, and the portion was incredibly generous. 

On any other day, Lu Nan would have found it amusing. 

But today, she wasn’t in the mood for it. 

Lu Nan quietly used a public chopstick to serve herself a bowl of noodles, and then ate in silence. 

During the meal, Chen Xiao received a phone call. 

It was from Manager Wang. 

From what Lu Nan could overhear, Manager Wang was clearly very angry about the situation. Although Lu Nan wasn’t the one on the call, she could catch a few words, and the general gist was that it would be handled severely. 

Lu Nan calmly ate her noodles. She wasn’t the least bit worried that the office leadership would cover for Zhou Lei and Dong Hui—who did they think they were? One was just a department supervisor, and the other hadn’t even completed her probation process. 

Sure enough, after hanging up, Chen Xiao said to Lu Nan, “Manager Wang thinks Dong Hui should resign on her own, but Zhou Lei… he’ll only face a salary deduction. Are you satisfied with this outcome?” 

Whether she was satisfied or not didn’t matter because Lu Nan had already predicted it. This situation wasn’t serious enough to get Zhou Lei fired or demoted. 

Lu Nan shrugged. “Zhou Lei won’t retaliate against me later, will he?” 

Chen Xiao gave her a deep look and then said, “Zhou Lei’s character is rather cautious. Everyone at the office says he’s a nice guy and has no temper. Whether that’s true or not, I think… you shouldn’t worry about it.” His intention was to reassure her, saying Zhou Lei wouldn’t interfere with her work, or in other words, “You’re under my protection.” But once the words were out, they sounded off. 

Lu Nan, whose thoughts had already been on the edge, paused after hearing this. Her instinct told her that something about Chen Xiao’s words didn’t sit right. She picked up a piece of beef, ate it slowly, chewed, swallowed, and after a few seconds, smiled and said, “Although I don’t know why you said that, I’ll just take it as a compliment.” 

Then, unable to resist, she added, “I was just asking casually. I really don’t need to worry about it, do I? After all… Zhou Lei already forced Dong Hui to apologize to me earlier and even compensate me for my skincare products. He had a great attitude about admitting his mistake, didn’t he? Next time, maybe he can apologize in public again—an old trick, but effective, isn’t it? After all, for the sake of harmony in the city office, I should be generous and forgiving, right?” 

“Lu Nan, that’s not what I meant.” Chen Xiao was stunned by Lu Nan’s retort. He couldn’t understand how everything had been fine just moments ago, yet after just a few bites of noodles, Lu Nan suddenly became so defensive. 

Lu Nan put down her chopsticks and took a deep breath, feeling a heavy pressure in her chest. “I never said you meant anything by it. Even if you did, it wouldn’t matter to me. You’re one of the supervisors, and you have your own considerations. Since Manager Wang has decided to put an end to this, I don’t see any reason for us to keep discussing it.” 

The phrases “Even if you did” and “I don’t see any reason for us to keep discussing it” should have been about the matter at hand, but Chen Xiao couldn’t help but feel there was something more behind Lu Nan’s words. 

That thought, combined with Lu Nan’s sudden coldness after reviewing the surveillance footage last night, sparked a bit of frustration in him as well. 

Chen Xiao was never a fool. 

At first, he hadn’t thought much about it in his panic yesterday, but after returning to his place, he started to feel that something was off. 

What kind of person was Lu Nan usually? Someone who remained calm in any situation. 

Yet last night, she had seemed so terrified—was that really her genuine emotion? 

Chen Xiao didn’t want to dwell on how Lu Nan had used him as a shield yesterday. 

However, the feeling of being discarded after being used made him uncomfortable. 

Someone as proud as him had never been in such a situation. 

He blurted out what was on his mind: “I just find it strange. Someone who always locks the door when going out somehow forgot to do so right before the holiday? And while Dong Hui wasn’t sure whether you had returned home, you seemed completely certain that she hadn’t. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?” 

“Are you questioning me or doubting me?” Lu Nan replied without even looking up. “At least wait until we’ve finished eating. Otherwise, it’ll ruin my appetite.” 

Chen Xiao hesitated. “That’s not what I meant. I just think…” But he couldn’t quite put it into words. 

Lu Nan cut in, “You think I’m scheming and unlikeable? It was their own bad intentions that led them to make mistakes—what does that have to do with me? Was I the one who told them to act that way?” 

Chen Xiao thought, You really didn’t do anything. But he said, “I just think… living like this must be tiring for you.” 

He didn’t know everything that had happened between Lu Nan and Dong Hui over the past three months, but piecing together what Dong Hui had said, he could guess most of it. 

For some reason, Dong Hui had grown jealous of Lu Nan. Whether it was stirring up trouble, spreading rumors, trying to be friendly, or acting pitiful, Lu Nan had completely ignored her. And that attitude only made Dong Hui feel even more resentful. 

If Dong Hui’s actions had been a step-by-step process of testing Lu Nan’s limits, then clearly, she was heading straight toward disaster without even realizing it. 

Throughout this process, Lu Nan had to constantly guess the other’s thoughts, change her plans, and turn situations to her advantage. Wouldn’t that be exhausting? 

“No, not at all,” Lu Nan responded, not wanting to talk about her feelings or complain. She carefully wiped her mouth, leaving the last tissue in the packet for Chen Xiao, and said politely, “Anyway, I appreciate the city managers for handling this fairly. I’m full now—take your time eating.” 

She slipped a 50 yuan note under her bowl. 

“Lu Nan!” Without thinking, Chen Xiao grabbed her left wrist. “Stop misunderstanding me all the time… Oh… what happened to your hand?!” 

Earlier, while eating noodles, Lu Nan had kept her left hand clenched into a fist. Chen Xiao hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw traces of blood under her nails. 

Lu Nan immediately clenched her hand into a fist again, trying to pull her hand away. 

But for once, Chen Xiao was firm. “Don’t move.” 

He held onto her left wrist and pried her fingers open. This tough girl—except for her thumb, all the nails on her four other fingers had dug deep into her palm, leaving four bloodied crescent-shaped marks. 

“You…” Chen Xiao wanted to say, what are you doing? Was I that harsh with my words? 

Tap, tap. 

Two drops of tears fell. 

One landed in Lu Nan’s palm. 

The other landed on Chen Xiao’s hand. 

She was crying! 

Chen Xiao immediately panicked. 

He felt like a complete fool. Why did he have to speak so aggressively to Lu Nan? 

The ones at fault were Zhou Lei and Dong Hui! 

No matter what Lu Nan was thinking, she was just protecting herself, right? 

He wished he could turn back time and keep his mouth shut. 

In a soft voice, as if afraid of startling Lu Nan, Chen Xiao said, “There’s a pharmacy nearby. Let’s go take care of it, okay?” 

Holding her hand, they went to a nearby pharmacy, where the staff helped Lu Nan treat the wound. After applying iodine and just putting on a band-aid, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t it need to be bandaged?” 

The pharmacist glanced at him. “No need. Young people always made a fuss over nothing. If you’d come a little later, the wound would have healed already.” 

As for Lu Nan, aside from her slightly red eyes and nose, there was no sign that she had been crying earlier. 

Chen Xiao didn’t ask her why but instead said, “I spoke thoughtlessly earlier. Let me take you out to have some fun, as an apology.” 

Seeing how cautious he was being with his words; Lu Nan knew he had taken the brunt of her misplaced anger. She glanced at her palm, then nodded. “Okay.” She didn’t even ask where they were going—there was no way he’d sell her off. 

Chen Xiao’s idea of fun was an arcade. Since it was the first day of a double holiday, the place was packed with parents and kids, as well as young couples. 

“Do you think playing this is too childish?” Chen Xiao asked nervously, though he was more concerned about whether it would be too noisy for her. 

What’s childish about this? Even eight or ten years from now, I’d still come to the arcade. 

Lu Nan shook her head. “Let’s exchange some tokens and see which package is the best deal.”  Even though she had momentarily lost control of her emotions earlier, Lu Nan still wanted to make sure she got the most out of her game coins. 

Feeling a little embarrassed, Chen Xiao admitted, “I have a card.” A preloaded one. 

He went to the counter and exchanged for 300 game tokens, then handed the basket over to Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan looked at the heavy basket. “Is this all for me?” 

“Yeah, they’re all yours.” Chen Xiao figured most girls would enjoy this kind of thing. “Wanna try the claw machine?” 

“That makes me pretty rich, huh?” Lu Nan smirked, glanced at the claw machines, then shook her head and walked away. After browsing around, she stopped in front of a pumpkin-shaped shooting game. 

The machine was empty, probably because it consumed a lot of tokens. Inside the giant pumpkin were two gun stations. The instructions said each gun cost five tokens per round, while smaller machines nearby only needed two. 

Chen Xiao pulled open the pumpkin’s waist-high door for her. “Go ahead if you want.” He glanced at the tokens in her hand—we were rich. 

He thought she was playing the shooting game to vent, but to his surprise, her skills were pretty good. She took out bandits one by one, skillfully timing her cover and reloads. Before he knew it, Chen Xiao was getting into it too. He stuffed dozens of tokens into the machine without hesitation. 

But of course, it was a token-hungry machine, and even dozens of tokens weren’t enough to finish the game. 

Finally, when only a thin layer of game tokens remained in the small basket, the English words “Level Completed” appeared on the big screen. 

Lu Nan excitedly nudged Chen Xiao with her elbow. “Look at our score! We’re ranked first! Hurry and enter a name.” 

Chen Xiao thought for a moment, then controlled the bullets to hit the virtual keyboard on the screen. From that moment on, the top ranking of this pumpkin shooting token-burning machine had a new name: LC1001. 

With fewer than a hundred tokens remaining, Lu Nan said, “Now we can go catch some claw machine prizes.” 

Then, Chen Xiao watched as Lu Nan walked past a row of claw machines, picked one, tried twice, and on the third try, grabbed a white rabbit. 

Lu Nan handed the rabbit to Chen Xiao, who dutifully took it and held onto it for her. She then switched to another claw machine, continued playing, and after about seven or eight tries, grabbed an orange little dinosaur. 

Needless to say, the little dinosaur was also held by Chen Xiao. 

The third machine used a few more tokens, and after around eleven or twelve tries, Lu Nan won a counterfeit Pikachu. This time, Chen Xiao eagerly crouched down to pick up the yellow electric mouse. 

The fourth machine gave a teddy bear; the fifth gave a pink little pig; and the sixth gave a light green cartoon cow. 

There was no seventh prize because they ran out of tokens. 

Chen Xiao didn’t know when, but he had already gone to the service counter for a big bag. All six stuffed animals were inside. “I’ll go get more tokens.” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “No need, I’m already satisfied.” 

“But we’re just one prize away from summoning the dragon,” Chen Xiao joked, placing the bag of stuffed toys at her feet. Before she could refuse, he ran off and returned half a minute later with a half-full basket of tokens. 

However, Lu Nan was truly done and satisfied. 

Chen Xiao then said, “Let me try for the seventh one. How about this unicorn?” 

“Mm,” Lu Nan nodded, but wasn’t very optimistic. Just a little while ago, a couple had gotten a unicorn from this machine, and now Chen Xiao was just going for the spare attempts. 

Sure enough, after over twenty tries, Chen Xiao still hadn’t succeeded. Compared to Lu Nan’s earlier results, it really felt disappointing. 

[Continue or give up?] The screen prompted. 

Lu Nan spoke at the right time: “Don’t give up, keep going. You’ve already tried so many times; if you give up now, you’ll just make it easier for the next person.” 

Chen Xiao listened to Lu Nan’s advice, and after inserting another coin, he finally succeeded in grabbing the white, dreamy unicorn. 

Leaving the arcade, Chen Xiao carried a bag of stuffed animals on his back, drawing a lot of attention. 

Having never had this kind of experience before, he awkwardly scratched his nose. “Want a cold drink?” 

“Sure.” As they entered the dessert shop, Lu Nan quickly ordered and paid while Chen Xiao was still struggling with the stuffed animals. 

What? Why didn’t she ask what Chen Xiao wanted? 

Because Lu Nan had ordered six different desserts and cold drinks, guessing that at least one of them would be something Chen Xiao would like.