At a little past one in the morning, Fang Yongnian stood by the elevator with his hands in his pockets, half-asleep and half-awake.

The moment the elevator doors opened, he saw Lu Yixin.

The girl was wearing a somewhat worn sleep dress, holding a garbage bag in her hand, about to step out to the corridor to throw it away.

Her hair was a mess. Hearing the sound, she opened her mouth and yawned toward the elevator direction without restraint—only to see the elevator suddenly open halfway through the yawn, her face freezing in alarm.

Fang Yongnian narrowed his eyes…

He straightened up, and while the girl stood there with her mouth open and eyes wide, he walked straight toward her.

Lu Yixin instinctively took a step back with the garbage bag in hand.

He was so tall. Why had she never felt it so strongly before?

“Next time you go out in the middle of the night, wear more clothes.”

Fang Yongnian came closer and spoke the first sentence from above.

Going out at such an hour wearing only a sleep dress—he could only look at her from the neck up, because he knew, by common sense, she definitely wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

Lu Yixin tugged at the garbage bag, lowered her head, and glanced at her own outfit. It was that same sleep dress covered in little carrots.

Half a month without seeing her, and she really looked ugly…

“Um… the cat’s been coughing up hairballs these days…”

Lu Yixin wanted to scratch her head, but since one hand held the plastic bag and the other clutched the wrinkles of her sleepwear, she could only stand there awkwardly.

That fat cat had vomited up hairballs in the middle of the night; she got up to clean the floor and thought she’d throw out the trash on the way, never expecting to run into Fang Yongnian.

Fang Yongnian took the garbage bag from her hand, walked quickly to the corridor’s trash bin, and tossed it in.

Lu Yixin followed behind him, her slippers dragging along the hallway, hesitant and unsure.

“Talk?” Fang Yongnian opened his door and turned to look at her.

It was past one in the morning. He stood at his doorway, the door open, asking if she wanted to talk.

He had never been this forward, nor this unrestrained.

Lu Yixin’s heart raced, her fists clenching tightly.

That afternoon, so it hadn’t been her imagination.

And after that day, Fang Yongnian hadn’t regretted it either.

“You haven’t come back for half a month…” she said from behind him, still with her head down.

Why was he so tall!

Why was she being so cowardly today?!

“Mm.” Fang Yongnian waited for Lu Yixin to change shoes and come in before sitting down to change his own.

“The company’s submitting the BE filing. Once it’s approved, things won’t be as busy.”

Lu Yixin turned around. “But in a few days, I’ll be starting school.”

Her only summer break free from all restraint and academic pressure was about to end.

Feeling a bit wronged, she finally lifted her head.

And the moment she did, she saw Fang Yongnian, who had finished changing his shoes, looking straight at her.

Lu Yixin tugged at the carrot prints on her sleep dress, instantly shrinking back again.

Why did Fang Yongnian now look so much like that night long ago at the hospital—the night he had stood in the stairwell, gazing down at her from above.

Her mouth felt dry.

“Hot cocoa?” Fang Yongnian finally spoke, opening the kitchen cabinet.

During this period, he had asked the company’s procurement department to help buy some food; the cabinet was stuffed full.

He first boiled some water, then found a yellow mug and made hot cocoa for Lu Yixin.

The mug looked a lot like the one she had bought in Hecheng—cartoon-shaped, with a big round belly.

The cocoa powder was also the same brand she always bought. Once opened, a thick, sweet scent of chocolate filled the air.

Lu Yixin sniffed lightly and sat down at the dining table. The warm sweetness of chocolate finally made her relax a little.

Though he hadn’t been home for half a month, he had still left traces of her in this place.

The lively, colorful cabinet was filled with all sorts of snacks.

Just like that hug after she got drunk, Fang Yongnian’s affection was so quiet that one had to press close to feel it.

She held the cup and took a sip of hot cocoa, squinting her eyes, swinging her feet.

A hint of amusement showed in Fang Yongnian’s eyes.

She was still the same child who could be won over with food.

“I’ve been very busy lately.” Fang Yongnian sat across from her at the dining table and poured himself a glass of water.

Lu Yixin licked her lips, set down her mug, and looked at him with her big, blinking eyes.

Fang Yongnian took a sip of water.

He had spent more than half a month preparing himself mentally, but now that they were face to face, he still couldn’t shake off the feeling of guilt.

Lu Yixin, with her messy hair, wearing pajamas and completely defenseless… it was really…

“I’ll get you a blanket.” Fang Yongnian stood up.

He truly couldn’t bring himself to talk with her dressed like that. Not because his mind was wandering, but because he honestly felt like a beast for even trying.

This was the girl he had watched grow up, little by little.

It was maddening…

Lu Yixin blinked, confused by where the topic had gone. “I’m not cold.”

It was August in Huating, and Fang Yongnian’s air conditioner had just been turned on.

Drinking hot cocoa, she was nearly sweating.

“Put it on!” Fang Yongnian’s voice came out rough.

Lu Yixin lowered her head.

She wasn’t wearing a bra.

A normal person definitely wouldn’t wear one to sleep at night.

No wonder the moment he came back, he told her to put on more clothes.

“I didn’t know you’d suddenly come back…”

Lu Yixin, still somewhat embarrassed, obediently wrapped herself in the blanket, sweating as she watched Fang Yongnian pick up the remote and lower the air conditioner temperature by two degrees.

Lu Yixin’s face turned slightly red.

She was a little flat-chested, and Fang Yongnian… saw it.

Fang Yongnian coughed once.

“I’ve been busy lately, and I also needed some time to think about our situation, so I haven’t been contacting you often.”

He forced himself to pick the topic back up and continue.

Lu Yixin hugged her mug, tilting her head slightly.

“I wanted to ask you…” Fang Yongnian paused. The water in his cup had long been finished; he picked it up, then set it back down.

“After that day… do you regret it?”

Lu Yixin: “Ah?”

“If you regret it, I can understand.” Fang Yongnian put down the cup. “I apologize for what I did that afternoon.”

She probably did regret it.

She had turned timid as a rabbit now.

Sure enough, no matter how intense or pure it had felt, it was just the restless impulse of youthful hormones. It was him who had taken it too seriously.

When it really came to the relationship between a man and a woman, this girl was clearly still unaccustomed to it.

But how was he supposed to step back now?

He frowned. He really had crossed a line.

As a man fourteen years older than her, losing control had been entirely his fault.

“If it really doesn’t work,” Fang Yongnian thought for a moment, “I can move to the company dormitory.”

After all, he wouldn’t be working at this company much longer, and avoiding her was something he was quite skilled at.

“What… did you say?”

The words were so absurd that Lu Yixin’s eyes widened like a frog’s.

“What, what, what?”

She didn’t even know where to start asking.

“No!” Shock instantly burned away the timid, hesitant part of Lu Yixin’s girlish heart.

“You think I regret it?!”

Her voice was loud—so loud that in the middle of the night, echoes bounced through the empty living room.

“Laozi chased you for so long, and you finally gave in. I’d have to be brain-dead to regret it!”

She blurted out her true thoughts without a shred of restraint or polish.

Fang Yongnian: “……”

Realizing what she’d just said, Lu Yixin: “……”

“Um…” She pulled the blanket back up, which she’d thrown off in her excitement. “That’s what I meant—rough words, but the meaning’s right.”

Fang Yongnian: “……”

A very colorful proverb, used quite aptly.

“You usually call yourself laozi [I, your father]?” he asked faintly.

Lu Yixin stammered: “…Only when you push me too hard.”

Fang Yongnian nodded slowly. “Alright.”

He was currently frozen—rebooting.

Things were completely different from what he had imagined.

Lu Yixin hadn’t regretted it at all, but the two of them weren’t exactly in an ambiguous relationship either.

No man could possibly have any lingering ambiguous thoughts after hearing what Lu Yixin had just said.

“It’s late.” He felt he needed some time to process everything and began ushering her out.

“Yeah, it’s already two.” Lu Yixin glanced at her phone. “You guys get off work way too late. Do you think you’ll end up like my dad, slowly going bald?”

Fang Yongnian: “……”

This was his fault.

He shouldn’t have thought too much.

“Your dad isn’t bald,” he said, not even sure why he was answering this, “and there’s no baldness in my family’s genes.”

Utter nonsense.

“Finish that and go.” He began bluntly sending her away. Lu Yixin never understood subtleties, not even now that she was grown.

“You said we’d talk.”

Fully revived, Lu Yixin held her half-finished cup of hot cocoa, looking completely puzzled.

Fang Yongnian: “……”

Damn it.

“Why would you think I regretted it?”

It was unbelievable, just the thought of Fang Yongnian actually pondering that question seriously made every cell in her body scream.

He’d been afraid she regretted it!

He even wanted to apologize!!

“That’s enough,” Fang Yongnian lost all interest in continuing the talk. “I can still beat you up, you know.”

Lu Yixin took another sip of hot cocoa and grinned at him, showing a row of bright white teeth.

“When will you be done being busy?” she asked, actually knowing when to stop.

“In two weeks.” Fang Yongnian rubbed his brow.

“……” Lu Yixin pouted. “Then I’ll already be back at school.”

“Mm. Got everything ready for the term?” He spoke lazily, half in conversation, his tone slow and relaxed.

“I packed my luggage today.”

Lu Yixin swung her legs and took another sip of hot cocoa.

Her expression no longer carried the cautiousness from when she first came in. She was sneaking glances at him. Sneaking glances and frowning at the same time.

Fang Yongnian shot her a look. “What else do you want to ask?”

“How many days have you not slept?” Lu Yixin gestured at her own face. “Your dark circles are already this big.”

She drew two huge circles on her cheeks.

Fang Yongnian: “……”

He was tired. He didn’t even know why he was still sitting here talking to her.

He didn’t even feel like chasing her away anymore.

“Do you still have work tomorrow?” Lu Yixin tilted her head back and finished the rest of her hot cocoa.

“I’ll come find you again tomorrow.”

She was about to leave.

Fang Yongnian looked utterly exhausted.

“I have to go back to the company in the morning,” he said, taking Lu Yixin’s mug and rinsing it clean in the sink.

“Then why did you even come back today?”

Lu Yixin followed closely behind him, step for step.

Fang Yongnian’s hand paused mid-wipe.

He lifted his head and looked at her.

Lu Yixin suddenly understood.

Quietly, she moved closer—like that fat cat—and rested her head lightly against his back.

He had come back for her.

Because they hadn’t seen each other for half a month, he had come back for her.

“I’m going back to sleep.”

She ignored the way his back suddenly tensed, straightened up, and said, “Good night.”

She could finally say those words to him face to face.

“Good night.” Fang Yongnian turned his head and smiled.

At last, they could say those words to each other. Face to face, without evasion, without pushing the other away.