Li Wu arrived at school before five o'clock. The room was unlit, and it seemed none of his roommates had come yet. After glancing around, he hung his bag on the back of his chair and was about to pull out a book when a sudden shout came from the balcony toilet:
"Who is it? Who's there?"
Startled, Li Wu paused, recognizing Cheng Rui's voice, and raised his voice appropriately in response: "It's me, Li Wu."
"Oh! You!" Cheng Rui said, "I just got here too. I'm taking a shit! Do you need to use the toilet? I can wrap it up quickly."
Li Wu was silent for two seconds: "No need."
Cheng Rui didn't seem inclined to end the conversation there: "Did you go home?"
Li Wu: "Yes."
Cheng Rui asked again: "Do you have relatives in Yi City?"
"..."
Li Wu didn't understand why he had to converse like singing folk antiphonal songs in that situation. Wouldn't it be better to talk after finishing? He stopped responding and sat back at his desk, opening his physics workbook.
"Li Wu???" Cheng Rui persisted relentlessly.
Li Wu propped his forehead, his temples throbbing faintly.
"Why aren't you answering me—"
Li Wu couldn't take it anymore: "Just focus on shitting."
"You're being mean to me!" Cheng Rui was possessed by the whining monster, "Don't get assimilated by that asshole Lin Honglang! Answer me, it's boring squatting here, okay!"
Li Wu exhaled and asked, "Where's your phone?"
"Charging on the desk," Cheng Rui made an unreasonable request, "Go check how many bars it has and bring it to me."
Li Wu immediately pretended to vanish into thin air.
After a while, Cheng Rui finally emerged. He walked back to his bed, his face deliberately darkened, his tone unfriendly: "Li Wu, I really misjudged you. I thought you were different from them."
Li Wu twirled his pen, turned his head to look at him: "Sorry."
Huh? This time it was Cheng Rui who was stumped. Had he asked for an apology?
His new roommate was quite good-looking, especially his eyes, which always carried a natural melancholy innocence—deep yet pure, capable of making people feel inexplicably guilty.
After recovering from his speechlessness, Cheng Rui put on a cheeky grin: "I was just joking."
He asked again: "Have you eaten yet?"
Li Wu replied: "Not yet."
Cheng Rui extended an invitation, tilting his chin toward the door: "Me neither. Want to go together later?"
Li Wu said: "Okay."
Taking advantage of the others' absence, Cheng Rui decided to unravel the mystery of his background, as he had been curious about Li Wu for a long time.
The boy decisively dragged his chair over, stopping beside him. When Li Wu's gaze turned to his face, Cheng Rui lowered his voice and asked: "Li Wu, did something happen in your family, and you were adopted by relatives before transferring here? I won't tell anyone."
"..." Li Wu paused, unsure how to respond, but considering his guess wasn't far off, he nodded.
"Damn," Cheng Rui gritted his molars, proud of his detective skills, "I knew it. I'm too smart—Sherlock Rui."
Li Wu glanced at him expressionlessly.
"Are your relatives not treating you well?"
Li Wu said: "They treat me very well."
"Then why do you always buy meals at the financial aid window?" Cheng Rui asserted, "They must not be giving you money."
"No," Li Wu stated firmly, even with a hint of pressure, "Don't talk nonsense."
Cheng Rui didn't understand why he suddenly turned serious and seemed about to get angry. He gave him a pitiful glance: "I'm just concerned about you as a good bro. Let me treat you to dinner tonight."
"No need." He turned back to his book."Bookworm," Cheng Rui curled his lip, sliding his chair back like rowing a boat, creating a sharp screech against the floor to show his displeasure.
Li Wu furrowed his brow slightly and continued reading the questions. After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and initiated conversation with Cheng Rui: "My treat tonight."
Cheng Rui was flattered: "Really?" Then he asked in a small voice: "At the subsidized cafeteria window...?"
Li Wu said: "No."
Cheng Rui patted his chest with genuine delight: "Awesome!"
...
After leaving the cafeteria, they stopped by the convenience store. Cheng Rui returned the favor by buying Li Wu a drink. He chugged half a can of cola in one go, burping loudly while forcibly slinging an arm over Li Wu's shoulders. Being a head shorter, he looked like he was hanging off Li Wu's frame.
Their brotherhood had achieved a qualitative leap and advancement through their heart-to-heart talk and private meal - or so Cheng Rui unilaterally believed.
Meanwhile, Li Wu wore a slightly furrowed brow, distracted as if calculating something.
Evening had fallen, with the sun bowing out and homing pigeons slicing through the boundary between sunset and night.
Back in the dorm room, Lin Honglang had already arrived.
Shirtless, he sat on his chair examining his abdomen, making it contract and relax repeatedly.
"Pervert," Cheng Rui exclaimed dramatically the moment he entered.
Lin Honglang cursed and immediately crumpled a paper ball to throw at him.
Cheng Rui nimbly dodged: "What are you doing?"
Lin Honglang pulled on his T-shirt, looking smug: "When I showered yesterday, I noticed I might have abs."
"? Can't tell," Cheng Rui brushed past him: "Let me find a magnifying glass."
"..." Lin Honglang couldn't be bothered to respond, instead turning to look at Li Wu who stood tall and straight by the desk. Suddenly competitive, he asked: "Li Wu, do you have them?"
"Have what?" Li Wu looked at him.
"Of course he does, who doesn't have abs these days," Cheng Rui chimed in to deflate Lin Honglang's ego.
Lin Honglang lifted his chin, staring directly at him: "Abs. Do you have them?"
Li Wu was still figuring out how to scrimp and save next week to balance the budget after treating Cheng Rui, so he simply said: "Don't know."
"Then let's see."
Cheng Rui's eyes darted between them as he let out a mischievous laugh, eager to stir up trouble: "Yeah! Li Wu! Proof is in the pudding!"
Li Wu looked puzzled: "Why do we need to see that?"
"You're so fake," Lin Honglang scoffed: "Just show us, we're all guys here. What's the big deal? Either you have them or you don't, stop dragging it out."
Just wanting to end the nuisance so he could focus on his calculations, Li Wu directly lifted the hem of his sweatshirt with one hand.
The entire dorm fell silent.
Having never paid attention to such things, Li Wu wasn't sure if he had them. He pressed his lips together and asked: "Well?"
His tone carried slight impatience, though to others it sounded vaguely challenging.
Cheng Rui stared wide-eyed, clapping like a seal as he praised slowly: "In-cre-di-ble."
After a moment of silence, Lin Honglang said dryly: "Just about the same as mine."
Cheng Rui burst into monkey-like laughter, the mockery unmistakable.
"What are you laughing at!" Lin Honglang immediately flew into a rage.
Li Wu released his shirt, secretly sighing in relief - finally he could sit down and focus on his accounts.
—
The next day, Cen Jin arrived at the company very early. Her colleagues had probably pulled another all-nighter, as barely anyone was in sight. Recently, while handling work transition, her tasks had significantly decreased, leaving her with unexpected leisure - indirectly enjoying the early-to-bed-early-to-rise lifestyle of a civil servant.As soon as she swiped her card to enter, the receptionist said there was something for her, then brought out a bouquet from behind the counter.
The packaging logo looked familiar—it was from the flower shop where Cen Jin had been ordering weekly bouquets. She took it, frowned slightly, opened WeChat, and messaged the shop to ask if there had been a mistake, since she had canceled her subscription the previous week.
The owner replied quickly: "This is sent under my personal name."
Cen Jin paused for a moment, thanked them, and asked, "What kind of flowers are these?"
The owner replied: "Herb of oblivion."
Cen Jin pressed her lips together and smiled: "My new workplace isn’t far from here—I won’t run off."
The owner responded: "Sis, you’re being so conventional. Do you really think I’m just trying to keep a customer?"
Cen Jin felt somewhat comforted: "Thank you, regardless."
The owner said: "You’re welcome."
Cen Jin turned off her screen, placed the bouquet in a glass vase, and set it in its usual spot.
After sitting down, Cen Jin rested her chin in her hand and gazed at the flowers. They were like a bright yellow flame, igniting the small, desolate space that had long been shrouded in gloom.
And they ignited her, too.
She plucked the card nestled among the blooms and opened it.
Written in delicate, graceful script were the words: "How to forget sorrow? Do not be trapped by the heart."
Cen Jin lowered her eyes and smiled, a genuine smile this time. She never expected that one day she, too, would be moved to tears by such sentimental words.
Over the next few days, Cen Jin forced herself to step outside her own emotions and face her colleagues’ gazes directly. She even dared to meet Wu Fu’s eyes, though their exchanges were sparse, barely a few words spoken all day.
Once she stopped confining herself, these days didn’t feel as agonizing as she had anticipated.
During this time, Cen Jin sought help from a lawyer friend to review the agreement. After finalizing the divorce date, she went to ask Wu Fu for his opinion. The man seemed to have some reservations, saying he had work that day and asking her to rearrange it.
Their conversations were no longer heated or biting. Instead, they were so rational, so measured, it felt like they were engaged in a friendly roundtable discussion.
It was hard to describe this state.
Cen Jin only felt detached, as if she were watching another version of herself—perhaps a stronger, more resilient self, or perhaps one completely disillusioned—helping and pushing her through it all. Yet it wasn’t about proving herself; it was numbness, a sense of indifference.
Friends and family closely followed her situation, praising her decisiveness and bestowing upon her all sorts of flattering labels. But she couldn’t draw any comfort or sense of accomplishment from their words.
Cen Jin could only describe it as: "Inspiring on the outside, depressing on the inside."
One evening, Cen Jin left work early and arranged to meet a friend for dinner.
The friend’s name was Chun Chang, so artistic it sounded like a pen name. It was this very name that had first attracted Cen Jin and sparked her desire to become close friends.
They had studied in the same university, same department, and same major. During college, they lived in the same dormitory building, and after graduating, they ended up working in the same office tower. Their connection was undeniable.
They agreed to meet in the lobby. As soon as Cen Jin reached the first floor, she spotted Chun Chang from a distance.
Chun Chang was facing away, engrossed in her phone, unaware of Cen Jin’s presence.
Cen Jin smirked, opened WeChat, and sent a drawn-out voice message: "Turn aro—und—"
The woman seemed to check her phone, then immediately turned around and flashed Cen Jin a radiant smile before rushing over and enveloping her in an enthusiastic bear hug.
Cen Jin gently pushed her away: "Alright, that’s enough."
"Darling!" Chun Chang grabbed both of her hands, looking her up and down. "Let me see how you’re doing."
"I’m fine," Cen Jin said lightly. "Still in one piece."Chun Chang laughed: "That's good, you can still eat by yourself without needing to be fed."
With that, she gave her a hard pat on the back: "Come on, what do you want to eat? Your sister's treating today."
Cen Jin shot her a sidelong glance: "I want to eat that seafood hotpot that costs twelve hundred per person."
Chun Chang choked on her breath and gritted her teeth: "Fine! Let's go!"
After finishing the hotpot, they went to a quiet bar to listen to music and had a few drinks to unwind.
A little past ten, Cen Jin was already slightly tipsy, so she simply left her car at the company and took a taxi home with her friend.
As the night scenery flowed past, she took out her phone and saw a message from Li Wu saying he had already picked up his school uniform.
Cen Jin lowered her eyes and typed: Have you tried it on? Does it fit?
Li Wu replied with an "Mm."
Remembering the shoe-buying incident from the other day, Cen Jin wasn't quite convinced: Could you ask your roommate to take a photo for me?
Li Wu: ...
This string of ellipses gave Cen Jin a whiff of defiance. Unfortunately, fueled by the alcohol, she wasn't willing to let it go: What's wrong? Don't want to?
There was no further response from the other side.
A moment later, a photo appeared in the message box.
Cen Jin opened it. The boy was wearing a blue-and-white school uniform, looking clean and tall—praising him as a little white poplar wouldn't be an exaggeration. However, his expression and posture were anything but relaxed; his entire being seemed to scream eight words: awkward, uncomfortable, and all crumpled up.
Cen Jin covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled softly. How could she have such a wicked sense of humor?
Seeing her laughing at her phone as if no one else was around, Chun Chang leaned in: "What are you looking at?"
The next second, she exclaimed: "Holy crap, who is this?"
Cen Jin raised her eyelashes slightly and lazily uttered three words: "My son."
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