This was something that did not happen in the previous life. 

Lu Nan clearly remembered that in her previous life, her mother did not find out until six or seven years later that her ex-husband already had a “late-born daughter” who was about to start elementary school. 

At this time in her past life, the young Lu Nan chose to sell the Mid-Autumn Festival welfare wine to her colleagues in the distribution channel. Also, she returned home for the double holiday break—driving her new car. At that time, her mother was busy telling relatives and friends about the efforts she had put into helping her daughter get that car, and had not chosen to visit her former sister-in-law’s house today. 

So, this is the butterfly effect, huh? 

Today, Lu Nan deeply felt that rebirth doesn’t guarantee everything is within one’s control. In fact, it was precisely because of her rebirth that certain changes brought about even greater uncertainties. 

That afternoon, her mother’s irrational cursing reminded Lu Nan of the fear she felt in her school years when the phone would ring. 

Back then, whenever the phone rang—or even just vibrated continuously—her heart rate would spike to 120 in an instant, followed by a wave of panic, shortness of breath, and cold sweats. 

This reaction had improved somewhat after a few years of working, but she still preferred texting over phone calls. 

Even now, that habit remained. 

It was only after realizing that her mental state was off in the afternoon that Lu Nan, after having dessert, told Chen Xiao that she owed him a favor. 

Because she had been there before, Lu Nan knew that if it weren’t for Chen Xiao, after ending the call in the afternoon, the next step would very likely have been to sink into endless negative emotions due to the overwhelming stress. 

That feeling was truly terrifying. 

The sound of her heartbeat would magnify, her eardrums would start buzzing, her limbs would stiffen, and her fingertips would go numb. 

She might even unconsciously engage in self-harming behaviors, like pinching her arms and legs. 

Although Chen Xiao’s words had angered her, they also allowed Lu Nan to vent her negative emotions right then and there. 

She was also grateful that someone had been there at that moment—especially someone as sharp as Chen Xiao. 

Once she had let out all her frustration, he ended up dragging her to an arcade. 

She let go of everything and focused solely on playing shooting games. 

The rhythmic sound of gunfire—rat-a-tat-tat—was oddly soothing. Right now, any kind of repetitive, rhythmic noise could help her relax. 

In a way, Chen Xiao had reached out and pulled her back just as she was about to sink into the mud. 

Although even without his help, Lu Nan would have been able to pull herself together using her self-discipline, it probably wouldn’t have been so quick for her to adjust her mindset. 

… 

After a long wait, the ringing tone turned into a short, busy signal. 

Lu Nan’s mother didn’t answer. 

Lu Nan let out a bitter laugh. She knew this was her mother’s way of getting back at her—for not answering her call at noon and for having a dead phone in the afternoon. Her mother saw those as nothing more than excuses. To her, they were acts of betrayal. 

This wasn’t just Lu Nan making wild guesses. 

That afternoon, she had told her mother, as seriously as possible, “I’m a bit busy right now. I’ll call you tonight.” 

But in her mother’s eyes, that had simply meant, “I don’t want to hear you talk. 

Just like her ex-sister-in-law—acting all warm and friendly on the surface, but in the end, hadn’t she already accepted her brother’s mistress and child? Well, it makes sense. They are real siblings, after all. And her, the former sister-in-law? Of course, she’s just an outsider now. 

Trying to keep her composure and save face at her former sister-in-law’s house, Mrs. Lu managed to hold it together. But the moment she stepped outside and called her daughter, only to get no answer, she completely broke down. 

And when Mrs. Lu lost it, that meant the moment Lu Nan called back in the afternoon, she had to endure a round of indiscriminate verbal attacks. 

Originally, the insults aimed at her ex-husband turned into harsh accusations against her daughter. She called her ungrateful, a traitor, someone who only cared for her rich father and didn’t want a poor mother, and so on. She said every hurtful word she could think of because, at that moment, she had no rationality left. All she could think was that Lu Nan was her own child, and she bore the surname “Lu,” so she should bear the brunt of her anger. 

Hours passed—six, seven at least—but Mrs. Lu’s anger showed no signs of cooling down. 

Judging by past experience, Lu Nan figured this time was serious. 

For the next week or two, it was likely that her mother would use cold treatment. 

At this thought, Lu Nan actually let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

She silently repeated to herself: “Avoidance may be shameful, but it’s effective.” 

Then, she reasoned: “I’ve been through way too much in the past twenty-four hours. I need to sleep and clear my head.” 

So, half an hour later, after calling again with no answer, Lu Nan decided—this was it. 

Time to sleep! 

She thought she’d have trouble falling asleep, but surprisingly, she slept soundly… except for one strange dream. 

A soft, adorable white unicorn chased after her, constantly asking, “Why don’t you catch me? Do you not like me?” 

… 

Meanwhile, Chen Xiao returned to his place and sat on the sofa, lost in thought for a while. 

Then, he picked up his tablet and opened an encrypted folder. 

That day, when he received the video materials of the Grand Tasting Event from Pei Xuedong, Chen Xiao wasn’t sure what drove him, but he dragged the progress bar to the classical dance segment, then took a screenshot, saved it, and encrypted it. 

He had to admit, Feixiang Advertising really was a pro at what they did. The camera work was top-tier. 

Though Lu Nan stood in the back row, Chen Xiao spotted her immediately. 

She was the one who stood out so brightly in the crowd. 

As the music began, Lu Nan raised her hand to cover her face with her sleeve, revealing half of her face with a gaze full of emotion. 

The silver butterfly on her hairpin seemed ready to take flight, its slightly trembling wings fluttering like it was stirring something in the hearts of others. 

When her delicate face fully appeared, the sound of the zither echoed. Lu Nan leaned back, her soft waist forming an enchanting curve. 

She tilted slightly, then immediately stood up again, as if she were both rejecting and welcoming something. 

Her wide sleeves shielded her face, but this time, she only covered it briefly before pulling it away. Her left hand rested on her waist, and with a flick of her right hand, she held a flower-like gesture near her ear. Her lotus-like foot moved lightly as she spun in a circle. 

As she turned, her red skirt flared out like a blooming flower. 

When she stopped, her slender foot arched as she stepped sideways, her snow-white bare foot peeking out from the red skirt. 

Like a young girl testing the waters of boldness. 

Lu Nan’s eyes and cheeks were tinged with a rosy flush, as delicate and beautiful as peach blossoms. 

Her eyes were seductive, like silk. 

For the first time, Chen Xiao felt like this word had actually come to life. 

He saved the video carefully, but while doing so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was some kind of pervert or creep. 

He despised himself for it. 

Even though the video had been filmed in a public setting, and the person filmed was aware and had consented. 

He still felt like he had gone mad. 

Because he had always had his own principles. 

That is, he would never engage in any emotional relationship beyond professional friendship with a colleague. 

But when faced with the pull between reason and emotion, that principles… was hanging on by a thread. 

Sticking to principles was really, really hard. 

Chen Xiao tossed his tablet aside, lay back on the couch, and frowned as he drifted off to sleep. 

…… 

The next day, due to her biological clock, Lu Nan woke up around eight in the morning. She opened her eyes and saw seven plush dolls on her bedside, with the unicorn squeezed at the edge, looking quite aggrieved. 

After thinking for a moment, she flipped it over so that its tail faced outward. 

After washing up, her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten dinner the night before after having too many desserts in the afternoon. 

There was a large fridge in the dorm, so she grabbed some eggs and milk, made a quick breakfast, and then tied up her hair before settling in at the dining table with her laptop. 

The whole apartment was empty except for her, and she loved the quiet, uninterrupted space. 

Her writing flow was exceptionally smooth that morning. Three hours later, she typed the final words: The End. 

She picked up her phone, which had been on silent, and glanced at it. 

A single unread message: 

“Feeling any better? Want to go out for a bit?” 

Sent by Chen Xiao around 10 AM. 

When he sent it, he had convinced himself it was just a normal show of concern from a boss to an employee after everything she had been through yesterday. 

Lu Nan replied, saying she had plans for the day, and wanted to stretch her muscles a bit. 

It wasn’t an excuse; she had already decided last night that after finishing her work today, she would spend the entire afternoon at the gym. 

Around 10 PM last night, she had contacted the membership consultant, and arranged to try a boxing class that afternoon. 

Her request had clearly caught the guy off guard. After all, she had haggled aggressively when signing up for her annual membership—she definitely didn’t seem like the type to pay extra for personal training sessions. 

When he didn’t respond for a few seconds, Lu Nan, being considerate, sent another message: 

“If there aren’t any free trial spots left, I don’t mind paying for a single session.” 

It was obvious that the membership consultant had decent EQ and quickly replied that they could help Lu Nan arrange a trial class, free of charge. 

A while later, he confirmed the time, which was set for 2 PM the following afternoon. 

Lu Nan went out for lunch and had a steak. When she arrived at the gym, she unexpectedly saw Chen Xiao in the lounge. 

“Such a coincidence?” Or perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence at all. Lu Nan thought she should return the favor to Chen Xiao soon. 

Once the issue with the smuggled alcohol was settled, Chen Xiao should be transferred back to headquarters—so he wouldn’t be constantly in his face, which was rather annoying. 

Surprisingly, Chen Xiao admitted, “I came to try my luck. Didn’t you say you wanted to loosen your muscles? I heard you signed up for a membership at this gym.” 

Heard? From whom? Lu Nan had never deliberately told anyone where she had signed up, only her roommates knew. And she was sure the four girls from Yunan Province wouldn’t have spread it around. 

So, it must have been Dong Hui who mentioned it. 

Lu Nan smirked. “Then what you heard probably wasn’t anything nice.” 

It really wasn’t. But Chen Xiao didn’t want to bring it up now and ruin her mood — they both knew Dong Hui had already been asked to resign voluntarily. After the holidays, she wouldn’t be coming back. 

“Brother Xiao, is there something you need?” Lu Nan glanced at her phone: 1:45 PM. “I booked a trial boxing class at two.” 

Chen Xiao, however, took the initiative and said, “That sounds great. I’ll watch for a bit and decide if I want to sign up.” 

The membership consultant looked between them and smiled knowingly. “Of course, since you two know each other. Ms. Lu, please store your things and change into workout clothes. The coach is waiting in the private training room. As for you, sir, let me show you around. What kind of program are you interested in?” 

To set the mood, Lu Nan styled her hair into boxing braids before leaving. She wore a sports tank top and a quick-dry long-sleeve jacket, with athletic pants that appeared to be two pieces but were actually one. 

After storing her bag and entering the private training room, Lu Nan removed her jacket and began warming up. 

Lu Nan knew a little about boxing, and her punches and kicks looked decent enough. 

The coach enjoyed working with members like her because their strikes created solid thumping sounds, making it feel quite rewarding. 

An hour later, Lu Nan sat on a yoga mat, drenched in sweat. 

The coach walked over and said, “Let me help you stretch.” 

Honestly, today’s coach was pretty good-looking and didn’t talk too much—just the way she liked it. 

Lu Nan didn’t need the coach to have extensive teaching experience or a detailed training plan. She just wanted to relax and vent. The fact that the coach didn’t try to sell anything during the entire session made Lu Nan feel very comfortable. 

After the stretch, Lu Nan asked about the price for private boxing lessons. 

The coach was surprised. He had assumed that, like many young women before, Lu Nan was just trying the class. But seeing as she wasn’t a complete beginner, it made sense that she was genuinely interested. 

“Our private lessons are priced like this: 12 sessions for 240 yuan per lesson; 24 sessions for 220 yuan per lesson; 36 sessions for 200 yuan per lesson; and 48 sessions for 180 yuan per lesson…” 

It didn’t seem too expensive. The personal training sessions Lu Nan bought in her past life were around 400 yuan per session, but considering inflation, this price was quite reasonable. 

After hearing the coach’s quote, Lu Nan bargained, “I just started working and don’t have much savings… 12 sessions for 200 per lesson is what I can accept. Also, I’m the type to make a quick decision, so if I try it today, I’ll commit. Could you throw in two extra sessions? That’s not too much to ask, right?” 

The coach hesitated. The discount was within the store’s policy, but adding two free sessions would make the price per session too low. 

“If I sign up with her for 12 sessions at the same price, no extra sessions for me. Would that work?” Chen Xiao spoke up. 

He had been sitting quietly in the private room for over an hour, and Lu Nan almost forgot he was there. 

“You don’t have to…” help me bargain because I was confident, I could get a good deal. Lu Nan didn’t finish her sentence. 

Chen Xiao, however, responded confidently, “I’m interested in boxing too.” 

Fine, whatever makes you happy. 

If you get transferred before finishing your classes, I might even ask if you’d like to transfer the remaining lessons to me—at a big discount, of course. 

Chen Xiao had no idea that Lu Nan was already planning to take advantage of the classes once he was transferred. 

After leaving the gym, Lu Nan helplessly said, “Today is still the second day of the holiday, don’t you have any other plans?” 

“I don’t have any friends or classmates here, so of course, no plans,” Chen Xiao replied nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets. “Treat me to dinner.” 

“Why?” 

“I saved you money earlier,” Chen Xiao thought he had figured out how to get along with Lu Nan. If he asked her to treat him, she probably wouldn’t agree, but if he asked her to treat him, there was a good chance she would.  

Too bad he was wrong this time. 

Lu Nan pressed her lips together and nodded. She pulled out her phone, pressed a few buttons, then put the phone back in her gym bag and slung it over her shoulder as she walked away. 

At the same time, Chen Xiao’s phone rang. He checked it and saw that she had transferred him fifty yuan with the note: “Treating you to dinner.” 

… 

Lu Nan didn’t have dinner with Chen Xiao, not only because she didn’t want to, but also because she actually had other plans. 

On her way home, she stopped by a nearby supermarket to buy some fruit. After getting home, she set down her gym bag, then took two bottles of twenty-year-old liquor (100ml each, scaled down) from her small wardrobe, and made a phone call. 

“Teacher Zhang, are you home? I’m bringing you the new keys.”