This was Yulan's last day in Beijing, and she had an 8:40 PM bullet train ticket.
Yulan woke up bright and early. She had originally intended to go find Shen Zhixing in person to say goodbye, but thinking better of it, she decided against it given her awkward standing.
Her original plan for today was to go to the inaugural Milk Tea Expo with Xi Mingzhou, and afterwards, visit the wholesale markets to compare prices across different locations.
She refused to abandon her plans just because Xi Mingzhou was not around. Last night, she had already mapped out a subway transfer guide.
Upon leaving, she sent a text message to Shen Zhiyuan, thanking him for his hospitality over the past few days.
It was meant to be nothing more than polite pleasantries, but to her surprise, a reply came the moment she sent it.
"Take care of yourself and stay safe."
Yulan replied: "Thank you for your concern, Little Uncle. I'm meeting a friend today, so there's nothing to worry about on the safety front."
The mere thought of getting to see Xu Che put Yulan in a wonderful mood. She even had a smile on her face as she stepped out the door.
Yet that smile froze the moment she almost bumped into someone outside.
"Miss Yu, Mr. Shen instructed me to take you and your friend out for a stroll today." A driver with an unfamiliar face, dressed in a black suit and white gloves, gestured toward a Mercedes-Benz business van not far away.
Yulan waved her hands. "No need, really, no need. It's too much trouble."
The driver maintained a standard, professional, polite smile as he replied, "Mr. Shen said this was requested by Young Master Xi. He has no authority to change it and asked you to take it up with Young Master Xi."
Yulan instantly felt depressed. She would have loved to call Xi Mingzhou, but every time she tried, his phone was turned off. In the past few days, she had only received a single message from him, claiming there was no signal on an Arctic cruise ship, along with a specially sent photo of what looked like a gorgeous glacier.
Yulan had even used a reverse image search engine to check it.
It was a Monaco glacier, located in the Svalbard archipelago of the Arctic.Yulan found it a mouthful just reading it and almost felt a sudden impulse to lament the impermanence of life. Fortunately, Xu Che sent her an invitation to dinner. Not only did she feel a sense of "our boy is finally growing up," but she even had the illusion that a child had just received his first paycheck and bought her a gold necklace.
A good kid, not raised in vain, nor was it a waste of all those beatings she had taken.
"Then I'll have to trouble big brother today." Yulan bowed to him as a gesture of thanks.
We're all working stiffs; keeping a good attitude can never go wrong.
Yulan's thought was right, but after all, she was still too green. While Yulan and Xu Che were still waiting in line for the elevator in the underground parking garage, the driver acted like a one-to-one tape recorder, transmitting everything almost word-for-word to Shen Zhixing, save for the tone.
Shen Zhixing gave a bland "Mhm," his fingers tapping methodically on the tabletop.
"Follow them."
"Miss Yu seems somewhat reluctant to have me follow," the driver answered honestly.
"Young Master Xi said so. What can I do, being an uncle?"
"Understood."
As soon as the driver hung up, turning off the engine and closing the car door flowed in one smooth motion.
When Yulan turned her head, she was startled once again. The driver was a middle-aged uncle with a square face who looked utterly ferocious when expressionless. His sudden appearance made Yulan take half a step back in fright.
Xu Che lifted his eyelids, gave him a quick sweep, and immediately reached out to put an arm around her waist. A crimson flush instantly crept up his face: "I'm sorry, Sister Yu, I was afraid you'd fall."
"It's nothing. The child has grown up and knows how to protect people. As an older sister, I am quite gratified."
Xu Che flashed another shy smile. He was in no rush at all about Yulan treating him like a younger brother. Being overly hasty with certain things would only yield zero results; rather, taking things slowly would produce miraculous effects. He had searched for so many years and finally found her—did he really have to fear not being able to wait just a little longer?As for Sister Yu's stellar boyfriend, the kind who made people stop in their tracks out of intimidation, haha? What use was he? Wasn't it still him right now, by her side?Yulan felt incredibly uneasy throughout the journey. The man’s aura was far too overwhelming; if it weren't for the fact that he was one of Shen Zhixing’s men, Yulan would have certainly pegged him as some sort of runaway fugitive from a criminal syndicate.
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
Yulan had done her research and specifically chosen a small, affordable restaurant with good food. She hadn't expected Xu Che to pull her into a restaurant that looked anything but cheap. She truly felt for the kid, but seeing how sincere he was, she let it slide, silently adding another thousand to the red envelope she had prepared for him.
She had originally assumed that someone with such high principles as their driver would politely decline after she offered to eat together as a courtesy. To her surprise, he agreed immediately.
Yulan...
Wallet: -500.
Money was just a worldly possession; what could be spent could be earned back. Yulan kept an open mind about it.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Peking University Health Science Center, Yulan felt hesitant to step out of the car. If there was anyone in this world who could understand why Yulan felt this way, it was Xu Che.
Xu Che caught her off guard by pulling open her door. He leaned in and gave her an incredibly light hug—so light, it was as if he feared Yulan might be a piece of porcelain that would shatter at the slightest touch.
Standing outside the car, he looked for all the world like a boiled shrimp.
"Sister Yulan, I am helping you fulfill your dreams, one by one."
Yulan’s heart sank, and her mind uncontrollably began to drift back to many things.
Xu Che pulled a Kinder Surprise egg from somewhere and pressed it into her hand, breaking her train of thought. "Sister, this is something we once wanted, too."
Yulan was stunned, then let out a small laugh.
The things she had wanted at eight were no longer needed at twenty, yet she still gripped it tightly, the sharp plastic edges digging into her palm.
"Study hard. From now on, when I brag to others, I’ll tell them my younger brother is a doctor who graduated from Peking University Health Science Center."
Xu Che smiled. "Sister Yulan, it wouldn't be bragging if it’s the truth."
"Getting ahead of yourself, are you? You’ve only just started! Goodbye, I’m off. Come find me in Chuanshi when you have time off."
"Mhm, I will."
Things in Beijing felt like a strange, fleeting dream.
Yulan woke up groggily on the high-speed train to find ten missed calls from Xi Mingzhou. She glanced at them, her heart remaining completely calm.
She then opened WeChat. Her face was bathed in the sickly green light of the screen, reflecting the long, rambling message Xi Mingzhou had sent.
After reading through it slowly, she gathered the core theme was still an apology. Yulan had almost forgotten when it started, but apologizing had become the most frequent thing Xi Mingzhou did toward her.
Apologizing for being unable to accompany her due to work, apologizing for deceiving her back then, apologizing for being too busy to reply to her messages... There were too many, so many that, looking back now, Yulan couldn’t feel a shred of anger.
Her fingers flew across the screen, typing out a few words.
"Fell asleep on the train."
On Xi Mingzhou’s end, the "typing..." indicator appeared immediately and stayed that way for five or six minutes.
Yulan already knew what he was going to say—it would be nothing more than another apology.
"I’m sorry, I remembered the time wrong. I’ll come to Chuanshi in a few days to spend your birthday with you. You can punish me however you like."
Oh? Yulan hadn't anticipated the latter part of his message.
She sent a sticker of one puppy pinning another to the ground, with the words "Die for me" written across it.
"You wouldn't be able to bear it."
Yulan pursed her lips. She thought to herself, *True.* But she didn't reply.
Instead, she changed the subject. "Thank your uncle for his hospitality over the last few days, and please thank Auntie Zhou for me as well."
"?"
"What’s wrong?"
Xi Mingzhou’s "typing..." status appeared and disappeared, then appeared again.
Finally, he sent: "It's nothing."