“After Wu Nian dropped out, her situation didn’t get better—it became even harder. Leaving that ivory tower of school, she saw the thorns and ugliness of this world earlier—dyed hair, smoking, fighting… I followed by her side, and I saw it too. That direction terrified me. I didn’t dare follow anymore. I studied like my life depended on it and ran with everything I had toward another direction. I tried to pull her to run with me, but I could no longer drag her back to school.”

Cold wind poured in from outside, cool against the back of her ears. Jin Zhao buried her face in her palms, her voice flowing out between her fingers.

“But if Wu Nian hadn’t gone first and tested that wrong path for me, then the one struggling and unable to break free at the crossroads now would be me.”

The bench was metal, icy cold at night. Meng Yanxi watched her quietly. The fingers resting on the back of the bench behind her moved slightly.

After a while, he asked hoarsely, “How old were you then?”

“Thirteen.”

“Too young.”

Meng Yanxi’s voice was very light—so light that it lacked his usual cool distance. Scattered into the cold night, it unexpectedly carried warmth.

“You couldn’t even be responsible for yourself. Other people should be even less your responsibility.”

The mediation went far more smoothly than Jin Zhao had expected.

They had fought so fiercely earlier that she thought it would at least go to court. She hadn’t expected that in the end there would be no arguing, no compensation—both sides quickly and harmoniously signed the mediation agreement.

Leaving the police station, Wu Nian took the three textbooks out of her bag and handed them to Jin Zhao. “Sorry for getting your books dirty.”

Jin Zhao took them and said, “It’s fine. The school has new ones.”

The night wind was cold. Wu Nian stood in place with both hands in the pockets of her trench coat, not moving.

Jin Zhao glanced at the two men in black who had gone to fetch the car and asked softly, “You’re not going back to stay tonight?”

Wu Nian smiled. “Did you forget? I join the crew on the 3rd. Even though my role isn’t big, at least this time I have a name. If not for this interruption, I’d already be on the plane now.”

Jin Zhao asked, “At this hour, are there still flights? Why not leave tomorrow?”

Wu Nian looked at her quietly, then suddenly said, “Lingling, stop worrying about me.”

Jin Zhao’s lashes trembled lightly. “Niannian…”

“Don’t tell me you weren’t scared today.” Wu Nian cut her off, lowering her head to kick at a pebble by her feet. “We actually stopped being people of the same world a long time ago. You have your ivory tower and poetry. I have my jianghu and my three meals a day.”

Jin Zhao blinked rapidly twice, forcing back the heat at the corners of her eyes.

Wu Nian continued, “The lease was going to expire on the 10th this month anyway. After it expires, don’t live here anymore. It’s far from your school, and commuting back and forth is actually very inconvenient for you. Go back and live at school. Once National Day passes, winter will come soon, and there won’t be bugs anymore. Won’t your school be assigning housing next year? When the time comes, I’ll go help you… forget it. Let’s not stay in contact for now.”

On the other side, Wu Fei and Wu Guo followed all the way to Meng Yanxi’s car to thank him.

“Brother Yanxi, thank you so much for today,” Wu Guo said, his face swollen and bruised.

Wu Fei also smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Brother Yanxi.”

Their father, Wu Liang, and Meng Shixu had been elementary school classmates back then. Though the connection spanned mountains and seas, when facing a towering tree like the Meng family, ordinary people would rack their brains to find intermediaries and build ties even without a connection—let alone with an existing bond of former classmates. Over the years, Wu Liang had taken his children to visit the Meng family twice, and Wu Guo and Wu Fei had always politely addressed Meng Yanxi as “Brother.”

Wu Fei had liked Meng Yanxi since childhood. Today, being slapped twice in front of the man she loved, her face was still burning with pain. Unable to help herself, she shot a vicious look at Wu Nian, who was talking with Jin Zhao, and complained with grievance and anger, “That Wu Nian—she’s been no good since she was little, dressing improperly all day long, surrounded by a bunch of little hooligans and delinquents. She’s really both toxic and filthy.”

Meng Yanxi had been looking at Jin Zhao. Hearing Wu Fei’s words, the expression on his face cooled instantly.

He swept a glance at the Wu siblings. “Someone has leverage on you, and you couldn’t come to an agreement?”

The Wu siblings’ faces went pale all at once. Wu Guo even stammered, “Brother Yanxi, what do you mean by that?”

Meng Yanxi said, “In this world, anyone can look down on Wu Nian—except you two.”

Wu Guo’s heart jolted.

Wu Fei asked in disbelief, “Brother Yanxi, are you helping Wu Nian?”

Meng Yanxi looked at the two of them calmly. “I never meddle in other people’s business. On the condition that you don’t implicate my person.”

“Your person?”

Meng Yanxi didn’t bother with the Wu siblings anymore and strode toward Jin Zhao.

As Jin Zhao and Meng Yanxi were leaving, Wu Nian suddenly called out to her, “Lingling.”

Jin Zhao turned back.

Wu Nian stood where she was, pulling her thin trench coat closer around herself. “If later you hear any bad news about me, don’t come see me, and don’t ask me about it on your phone. But if one day you hear good news about me, you have to remember to come find me the first chance you get. I’ll be waiting to celebrate with you.”

Jin Zhao moved her lips and asked softly, “What kind of good news?”

Wu Nian suddenly beamed at her. “For example, if I become a big star.”

Jin Zhao smiled too. “Alright! Teacher Wu, keep it up!”

“Teacher Zhao, you keep it up too! Work hard on your professional evaluations—become a great professor in the future. We’ll meet at the peak!”

It was as if they’d returned to that night when Wu Nian had gone through countless hardships to secure a role, the two of them sitting face to face at a seafood stall, the sound of beer glasses clinking under the lights ringing out once more.

Jin Zhao nodded hard. “Alright—meet at the peak!”

Meng Yanxi drove Jin Zhao back to Lanshan Garden and went upstairs with her to get her things.

Like Wu Nian, Meng Yanxi also advised her not to stay there tonight.

Actually, even without them saying anything, Jin Zhao had already planned to grab some things and go back to stay in the school dorm tonight. Even though she’d just been through a fight, she was now a little scared to go back and get her things by herself. But there was no helping it—she needed at least some clothes to change into.

With Meng Yanxi willing to accompany her back, she felt a wave of relief in her heart. She didn’t even bother being polite with him, afraid that if she said she didn’t need him, he would take it seriously and agree.

Although it was an old residential complex, the inside of the apartment was actually quite nice. Two bedrooms and one living room, both bedrooms facing south, the living room kept very neat and tidy.

There were no men’s slippers at home. Jin Zhao took out her own slippers for Meng Yanxi to change into. He barely managed to squeeze into them—long arms and long legs, with half a foot hanging out.

Jin Zhao squatted in front of him, looking up apologetically. “It’ll be quick.”

She then stepped into the bedroom in her autumn cotton slippers to pack her things.

Meng Yanxi sat in the living room waiting for her, picked up the poetry textbook she’d left on the coffee table, and flipped through it casually.

The phone placed to the side suddenly lit up—it was Jin Zhao’s. An incoming call from a string of unfamiliar local numbers.

Whether it had been muted by accident or intentionally, the phone made no sound, just lay there quietly with its screen lit.

Aside from being lucky, Meng Yanxi often trusted his instincts even more. Staring at the unfamiliar incoming call, the image of Jin Zhao’s absurd blind date from that afternoon flashed through his mind. He answered.

“Hello, is this Miss Jin? I’m Li Jin.”

So it really was him.

Meng Yanxi held her phone to his ear, his gaze flicking toward the bedroom.

Inside, Jin Zhao was bustling about, hurriedly packing, as if afraid he might grow impatient and leave.

Someone unimportant—Meng Yanxi couldn’t bear to interrupt her while she was busy.

Li Jin on the other end of the line didn’t wait for Meng Yanxi to speak and continued rapidly, “It’s like this—I had something urgent this afternoon and left in a hurry, forgot to pay the bill. On a blind date, how could I let the woman pay? If it’s convenient, why don’t we add each other on WeChat? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Heh—still trying to add WeChat.

Meng Yanxi said, “Not convenient. She’s taking a shower.”

The person on the other end fell silent at once. After two seconds, still unwilling to give up, he asked, “And you are…?”

“Meng Yanxi.”

“Click!” Li Jin hung up.

Jin Zhao quickly packed a few changes of clothes and necessities and soon came out, pushing her suitcase.

Meng Yanxi closed the book on his knees and, as an afterthought, picked up the bag and phone from the coffee table for her. “All set?”

Jin Zhao nodded. “All set. Let’s go.”

“There was a scam call just now. I answered it for you,” Meng Yanxi said as he went to take the suitcase from her.

Jin Zhao felt embarrassed letting him both show up and do the work. She held onto the suitcase handle. “No need, it’s not heavy.”

Then she lifted her eyes and asked, “Was it another one asking if I want a loan?”

Meng Yanxi’s brow twitched. “You’ve gotten those too?”

Jin Zhao let him go out first, then pulled the door shut behind her and locked it, saying as she did, “Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been getting them a lot lately. It’s kind of annoying.”

Meng Yanxi nodded in agreement. “It is a bit annoying. I already blocked it for you.”

Jin Zhao said, “Okay, thanks.”