The instant she heard his voice, it was like walking alone through a rain-soaked night of endless darkness and suddenly lifting her head to see a warm-colored lamp, silently illuminating her.

But saying that would be too affected.

Jin Zhao said, “Didn’t you say you’re afraid of the dark, afraid of ghosts, afraid of bugs?”

Meng Yanxi raised an eyebrow. “I said I’m afraid of the dark, afraid of ghosts, afraid of bugs—and you give me a lamp. Then what about being afraid of ghosts and bugs?”

Jin Zhao looked at him sincerely. “There are no ghosts in this world.”

Meng Yanxi said, “Then what about bugs?”

Jin Zhao assessed her own capabilities in her heart.

Making the lamp had already used up all the potential she had in this lifetime; she really couldn’t make a bug catcher.

“Then next time you see a bug, call me. I’ll come catch it for you.” She made her greatest concession.

Meng Yanxi said, “From so far away, you’re quite diligent.”

Jin Zhao said, “It’s not far, just eight hundred meters.”

Meng Yanxi was a little speechless.

Looking at her, half-smiling, he said, “You really didn’t disappoint the note I gave you.”

Jin Zhao: “?”

Seeing that she couldn’t figure it out herself, Meng Yanxi magnanimously fed her the answer. “You never thought about staying close and personally protecting your boyfriend?”

After saying this, Meng Yanxi went into the bedroom to put the lamp down, leaving Jin Zhao standing there alone.

Her heart was beating a little fast.

She knew he always spoke like this—teasing, a little shameless. Talking about personally protecting him—when he had never lost a fight since childhood—yet he made himself sound so delicate.

But when he said it like that, she couldn’t help thinking more.

Staying close and protecting him—didn’t that mean only if they lived together could it count as staying close?

In the evening, Lu Jingyue and Luo Heng arrived. Si Tian was busy at the hospital and would come later, first entrusting Lu Jingyue to bring a bottle of wine.

As soon as Lu Jingyue entered, he looked around the place and smiled with deep meaning. “You’ve hidden it well.”

Lu Jingyue always spoke in this sort of tone, making it impossible to tell what he really meant.

Luo Heng thought he was talking about the apartment and immediately flew into righteous indignation.

“Bullshit! This is my place! I put in so much effort, spent a full year finishing both the hard and soft renovations, even planned to let it air out for another year before moving in—and before I ever got to live here, he swooped in and forcibly bought it off me!”

Jin Zhao: “?”

That was not how Meng Yanxi had put it at all.

Dinner was prepared by the Meng family’s aunt, who came over to cook. Later, Si Tian also arrived, and the five of them sat around Meng Yanxi’s dining table to eat the first meal in the new home.

Luo Heng looked at the apartment, and the more he looked, the more regretful he felt.

Across from him, the little lovebirds were even exchanging glances, irritating him.

Mainly because of those exchanged glances—at first, he hadn’t felt that reluctant to part with the place. It was very nice, but Lawyer Luo owned plenty of properties, and most importantly, Meng Yanxi’s offer had been high enough.

There was no house that money couldn’t buy; if there was, it just meant the money wasn’t enough.

But now, watching Meng Yanxi and Jin Zhao—especially Meng Yanxi—under the warm-colored lights, with stars seemingly hidden in his eyes, even a casual glance at Jin Zhao turning sticky and sweet, it made the apartment look like a love nest prepared just for him to woo his girlfriend. It gave Luo Heng the feeling of having played the sucker, making a wedding dress for Meng Dog.

The more Luo Heng disliked the sight of Meng Yanxi, the more he wanted to force drinks on him.

Meng Yanxi couldn’t hold his liquor. Jin Zhao had originally wanted to drink on his behalf, but Meng Yanxi said he was happy to drink today. In the end, Meng Yanxi drank—and Jin Zhao drank too.

Everyone at the table drank.

After finishing the bottle Si Tian had brought, Meng Yanxi even took out two more bottles from the wine cabinet.

The five of them had been classmates in their youth and shared many common topics. Talking about teachers and classmates from their younger days, about those long-past years—some remembered, some didn’t.

Luo Heng drank the most, alcohol entering his sorrowful gut, and before long he was drunk. He started poking where it hurt, asking Jin Zhao right in front of Meng Yanxi, “How was Linshi No.1 High?”

Si Tian glanced at Meng Yanxi and, furious, kicked Luo Heng under the table.

But she herself had drunk too much and kicked the wrong person—kicking Lu Jingyue instead.

Lu Jingyue, who had suffered an unprovoked disaster: “?”

Drunk, flushed-faced, and fond of showing off just like Meng Yanxi, Luo Heng said, “I actually really wanted to go to Linshi No.1 High back then, but my grades wouldn’t allow it—no matter what, I just couldn’t drop out of Class A.”

Jin Zhao: “……” Enough.

Si Tian mercilessly exposed him. “Back then, who exactly was it that sat steadily at third from the bottom every year? So hard to guess.”

Luo Heng pretended not to hear, focusing on chatting idly with Jin Zhao. “Were the boys at No.1 handsome? How do they compare to Meng Yanxi?”

Jin Zhao looked at Meng Yanxi.

After drinking, Meng Yanxi was different from most people. Most people flushed in the face; he flushed in the ears. His expression was normal, only the roots of his ears reddened, making him look shy.

He was also looking at Jin Zhao. The light refracted in his eyes, but his gaze had already lost some focus—he was probably quite drunk.

Jin Zhao said honestly, “Not just No.1—anywhere you go, compared to Meng Yanxi, Meng Yanxi is the more handsome one.”

Under the light, the drunk Meng Yanxi grinned.

Si Tian let out a “wow” in teasing applause, and Lu Jingyue also gave a short, soft laugh.

Luo Heng suddenly slapped the table. “Then why did you lie to him back then?”

Drunk, Lawyer Luo clearly both loved and hated Meng Yanxi—hated how much of a bastard he was, yet couldn’t bear to see someone so bastardly end up wanting and not getting.

“He really believed what you said back then. Whenever he had time, he’d run abroad. To find out which school you were at, he even went to look for your dad.”

With a bang, Luo Heng tipped his head back and drained his drink, then set the glass back on the table.

Jin Zhao’s fingers trembled.

Meng Yanxi had gone to look for Jin Wenhui?

Later, the very drunk Lawyer Luo was dragged away by Lu Jingyue. As he was being taken out, he was still shouting that this was his home, that he wasn’t going anywhere, struggling toward the master bedroom.

Lu Jingyue failed to hold him back, and Luo Heng darted inside.

Meng Yanxi, who had already been sitting on the chair in a daze like an old monk in meditation, suddenly remembered something and sprang up, rushing back into the bedroom.

Luo Heng was kneeling on the floor, staring in confusion at the golden rain tree lamp on the bedside table.

“Huh, when did an extra lamp appear here? I don’t remember buying one.”

He reached out to take it.

“Smack—”

Meng Yanxi rushed in and slapped his hand away.

“Get lost.”

Having his hand slapped away, Luo Heng exploded, jumping up. “Meng Yanxi, I already gave you the house—what’s wrong with taking one lamp? Why are you so stingy!”

As he spoke, he went to grab the lamp.

Two grown men, their combined ages over fifty, came to blows over a single lamp.

If Jin Zhao hadn’t come in in time, after taking Lawyer Luo’s house, Meng Yanxi would have gone on to beat Lawyer Luo up as well.

In the end, Lawyer Luo was dragged away by Lu Jingyue and Si Tian together, and Meng Yanxi also collapsed into a deep sleep.

He was still holding the lamp in his arms.

Jin Zhao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She tried to take it from him, but he wouldn’t let go, threatening in a low voice, “Don’t touch it. I’ll hit you.”

Jin Zhao said helplessly, “It’s me.”

Meng Yanxi half-opened his eyes, the beautiful peach-blossom eyes filled with confusion. After three seconds, he probably recognized her and obediently loosened his grip.

Jin Zhao put the lamp back on the bedside.

Meng Yanxi was very well-behaved when drunk, quietly sleeping on his own. Jin Zhao wrung out a damp towel and wiped his face; he was half-asleep, clearly wanting to sleep badly, woken by her, yet he only good-naturedly half-opened his eyes to look at her.

It was rare for him to be this dazed and pure. Jin Zhao couldn’t help laughing, and took the chance to pinch his cheek.

Drunk, Meng Yanxi offered no resistance at all.

Then she suddenly remembered what Luo Heng had said—that Meng Yanxi had gone to look for Jin Wenhui.

But Jin Wenhui would certainly not have told him the truth, and would most likely have lost his composure.

“Jin Wenhui said very unpleasant things to you, didn’t he?” she murmured.

She stopped touching his face, and Meng Yanxi’s eyelids soon couldn’t hold on.

Jin Zhao didn’t disturb him anymore. “Sleep.”

She stood up, but her hand was suddenly grasped.

Meng Yanxi closed his eyes and murmured softly, “Lingling.”

“Mm?”

He said something in a low voice; Jin Zhao didn’t hear it clearly and leaned closer to his lips.

His voice was very light, like incoherent sleep-talk.

When she heard what he said, Jin Zhao froze all over.

“I haven’t done anything bad… my hands are clean, I’m worthy of you.”