"You finally came to your senses?"

  Gu Yizhou jolted up from the sofa. "You're not pnning to keep pying monk anymore?"

  Jiang Yihuai remained expressionless in the face of his teasing, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "It’s just a game, nothing new."

  Gu Yizhou cpped his hands, relieved that his good brother was finally back to normal. "Alright, I'll set it up for you right away. Clean and hassle-free, I promise."

  Less than five minutes after hanging up, Gu Yizhou sent an address.

  [Jinyu Mantang 1080][I've had my eye on this girl for a while. Still a virgin. She's yours now.]

  Jiang Yihuai smirked, grabbed his coat, and walked out. The night was deep. A fleeting moment of pleasure.

  The next morning, Gu Yizhou walked out of the neighboring room in a bathrobe. He had drunk a lot the night before, and when he woke up, it was already midday.

  Jinyu Mantang was owned by the Gu family, and he stayed in a luxury suite reserved exclusively for him—more spacious than an average three-bedroom apartment.

  Yawning, he ruffled his hair, feeling a bit thirsty. He poured himself a gss of red wine and walked into the living room. As soon as he stepped out, he saw a woman's seductive back. Her bare shoulders were marked with a few ambiguous red traces.

  She gazed at Jiang Yihuai with a mix of grievance and longing, but the man remained indifferent, handing her money and sending her away.

  Jiang Yihuai gnced up and met Gu Yizhou’s amused gaze. Leisurely, he lit a cigarette.

  "That look in her eyes is so pitiful, even I feel tempted. Yet you have no reaction at all. Do you even know how to cherish beauty?"

  Jiang Yihuai chuckled coldly. "A fair trade. Nothing to pity."

  "Fair enough." Gu Yizhou raised his gss. "Drink?"

  "No."

  Only a drunkard like Gu Yizhou would drink this early in the morning.

  The cigarette burned between his fingers. He took a slow drag, exhaling smoke in a zy haze. After a night of indulgence, he didn't seem particurly satisfied.

  Gu Yizhou narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Aren't you worried Su Yumian will make a fuss about this?"

  Jiang Yihuai’s brows furrowed. "Make a fuss over what? Just an ex-girlfriend. Does she deserve that?"

  Hiss—

  So, they weren’t back together.

  But…

  "Then why isn’t Shi Muxi by your side? You’d rather let me find you a girl from Jinyu Mantang than sleep with her?"

  That girl wasn’t bad—nice figure, pretty face. Maybe not as cssy as Su Yumian, but she had a fresh, youthful appeal. Yet he had ignored her, despite having her right in front of him.

  Jiang Yihuai exhaled another smoke ring. "Good girls are troublesome."

  Gu Yizhou ughed. "Then why weren’t you afraid of Su Yumian being troublesome? She was the kind of woman who’d take things seriously."

  Jiang Yihuai paused for a moment. "Yeah. That’s why it took six years to shake her off."

  Gu Yizhou burst into ughter. "Only you would say something like that."

  —

  Mid-October, Su Yumian finally received an email from SCI—her paper had passed the initial review.

  Shao Yuwei was stunned. "Oh my god, Mianmian! You’re a genius! That’s SCI! Holy crap!"

  Su Yumian smiled. "Calm down, it’s just the first review. Nothing’s set in stone yet."

  "With your skills, the next two rounds of review should be fine. Don’t worry."

  "Hmm… How about I treat you to a big meal to celebrate?"

  Su Yumian chuckled. "Shouldn’t I be treating you?"

  Shao Yuwei raised an eyebrow. "Come on, no need to be so formal between best friends. It’s settled. Get ready, I’m coming to pick you up."

  After hanging up, Su Yumian went to her room, opened her closet, and picked out a v-neck floral dress.

  Two months had passed, and her hair had grown to her colrbone. Since it was hot outside, she tied it up with a matching headband. Half an hour ter, Shao Yuwei texted that she was downstairs. Changing her shoes, Su Yumian grabbed her bag and headed down.

  Shao Yuwei’s car was parked at the alley entrance. As she waited, she pulled out her phone to py around. Looking up casually, she saw Shao Wenbai walking over.

  Beside him was a student—backpack slung over one shoulder, short hair, and a bright, handsome face. They were chatting about something, Shao Wenbai’s expression calm, occasionally nodding in approval. When their conversation ended, the boy turned and left.

  Shao Yuwei immediately waved at Shao Wenbai. "Ge!"

  He gnced over, eyes calm behind his gsses. "What are you doing here?"

  "I’m taking Yumian out for lunch. That guy just now… is he your student?"

  The boy wasn’t the trendy, pretty-boy type, but he was clean-cut, with a unique warmth to his features. Especially when he smiled—those dimples could melt hearts.

  Shao Wenbai wasn’t stupid. He immediately saw through her thoughts. "He’s a grad student from another school. He just came to ask me something."

  Shao Yuwei wanted to ask more, but at that moment, footsteps sounded from the stairwell—Su Yumian had arrived.

  Shao Wenbai adjusted his gsses. "Aren’t you two going out? I’ll get going then."

  Shao Yuwei called out, "Wait, have lunch with us!"

  "No, I need to get back to the b."

  He had only returned to pick up some things. Su Yumian hadn’t even reached the first floor when she heard his voice. Since their st meeting, Shao Wenbai had been buried in the b. It had been over a month since they’d seen each other.

  In the stairwell, he stood on the third step. Sunlight streamed through the small diamond-shaped window, casting dappled light over his face and body. Even his normally cool eyes seemed to carry a trace of warmth.

  Their eyes met.

  Su Yumian spoke first. "I never got the chance to return your jacket."

  She had washed it long ago but hadn’t run into him.

  For a second, Shao Wenbai was dazed. Then he remembered. His voice was slightly hoarse. "I've been busy tely, staying at the b. I only came back to grab something."

  She could see the exhaustion in his eyes and nodded. "Alright, take care. Get some rest."

  "Mm."

  As they passed each other, Su Yumian, unaccustomed to heels, misstepped and nearly fell. Shao Wenbai reacted instantly, bracing her with his body and catching her by the waist.

  Scared-witless, she patted her chest in relief—only then did she notice the faint scent of pine.

  Shao Wenbai’s unique scent.