Li Wu stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by a Body Immobilization Spell, staring at the page for what felt like an eternity.
Though the content was sparse, it seemed endlessly profound.
It wasn't until his phone vibrated in his pocket that he finally closed the notebook with one hand and answered the call.
It was Cheng Rui, his voice impatient: "How much longer are you going to be? I've been waiting downstairs forever—it's boiling out here."
Li Wu replied: "Right away."
After packing his things and carefully tucking the journal into his backpack's inner compartment, he left the office and headed toward the stairwell.
The moment Cheng Rui spotted him, his face flushed with sweat from the summer heat broke into a grin: "Did your classmates corner you for autographs? Is that why you took so long?"
Li Wu glanced at him: "I'm not the top scorer."
Cheng Rui grinned cheekily: "Close enough. You're the top scorer in my book."
A faint smile touched Li Wu's lips as he shifted the topic: "Have you decided where you're going?"
Cheng Rui groaned: "I just escaped my mom, and now you're on my case! Li the Great, Wu the Scholar, have mercy on us struggling plebs just trying to get by—"
Li Wu fell silent.
The sun beat down fiercely as they descended the corridor and moved into the shade of roadside trees, walking toward the school gate.
Along the way, Cheng Rui received a call—from his mother, judging by his tone.
After a few irritable grumbles, Cheng Rui asked Li Wu: "My mom's at the supermarket. She wants to know if you feel like having sweet and sour ribs tonight."
Li Wu said: "Anything Auntie makes is delicious."
"Hah," Cheng Rui snorted, then spoke arrogantly into the phone: "He says he doesn't want sweet and sour ribs—he wants braised pork."
Li Wu tilted his head to look at him: "?"
Cheng Rui hung up, satisfied: "What? I want braised pork. You're her real son—can't I, the adopted one, tag along for some perks?"
Li Wu chuckled softly and averted his gaze without comment.
Coincidentally, ever since Li Wu had considered moving out of Cen Jin's place, he'd planned to find a short-term rental to get through the summer before school started.
After extensive searching and comparing, he'd selected a few places that seemed clean, affordable, and well-equipped, intending to visit them in person.
Upon settling on the first one and contacting the owner, he was surprised to find Cheng Rui, drenched in sweat, showing up to give him the tour.
The two old classmates stared at each other in the stairwell, equally stunned.
After a moment of mutual bewilderment, Cheng Rui asked: "What's going on with you?"
Li Wu asked: "I'm looking to rent a place. Is this yours?"
Cheng Rui replied: "It's my mom's. She's playing cards and can't make it."
Processing the unexpected turn, Li Wu said: "Then show me around."
Cheng Rui looked puzzled: "You have nowhere to stay? What about your sister?"
The boy's eyes darkened abruptly, and he couldn't utter a single word.
That day, Cheng Rui directly brought this "most tragic seventh-place provincial scorer in history" home.
Cheng's mother was initially surprised, but upon learning that Li Wu was her son's former roommate and classmate—and a top-ten provincial scorer at that—she grew so excited and enthusiastic she hardly knew how to welcome him properly, insisting he stay for dinner.
When she heard from her son that Li Wu had nowhere to go, Cheng's mother generously waved a hand and invited him to move in with Cheng Rui, declaring him a God of Literature gracing their home who deserved to be well-fed and cared for—all while thoroughly criticizing her own son.
Overwhelmed by the hospitality, Li Wu asked Cheng Rui if this was appropriate.
Cheng Rui laughed dryly: "Forgive her. She's been terrible at academics her whole life, and her son's no prize either. She goes starry-eyed at the sight of a good student."
His mother's palm came down on his head: "Watch your mouth!"Gazing at the lavish feast spread across the table, Li Wu sighed with genuine admiration: "Being a good student really does put food on the table."
From that day on, Li Wu had found his sanctuary.
For the first couple of days, Cheng Rui stayed home gaming day and night while Li Wu devoured every extracurricular book in his bedroom. Cheng Rui tried to drag him into the virtual world to conquer battlefields together, but Li Wu remained unmoved, even becoming something of a domestic expert in Cheng Rui's household.
The more Cheng Rui's mother observed him, the more pleased and fond she grew. She secretly wished she could trade sons, lamenting that Cheng Rui hadn't been born a girl - otherwise she'd have tied Li Wu down as her son-in-law right then and there.
Cheng Rui could only stare speechlessly at the ceiling.
After several days of gaming frenzy where Cheng Rui spent all his money on virtual currency, he found himself completely broke. He started contemplating finding part-time work, and discovering Li Wu shared the same intention, the two teenagers immediately joined forces in their quest for their first earnings.
Before bed, lying side by side in the dark with their faces illuminated by phone screens, the two boys presented contrasting pictures - one with fierce determination in his eyes, the other with focused concentration - as they scrolled through local job listings together.
Being particularly sharp about money-making opportunities and considering Li Wu's personal circumstances, Cheng Rui eagerly suggested: "Let's look around Jiuli Plaza. That way you might even bump into your goddess. With all the foot traffic there, shops must be understaffed, and the daily pay would definitely be higher than elsewhere."
Li Wu: "..."
Ever since learning about Li Wu's clandestine connection with Cen Jin, Cheng Rui had upgraded what he previously called "Li Wu's sister" to a title that never failed to give Li Wu goosebumps whenever he heard it..."goddess."
Perhaps he still preferred calling her "sister."
"Don't just stay silent," Cheng Rui complained while snatching Li Wu's phone, only to discover Li Wu had already settled on a target: Meet Coffee on the first floor of Jiuli Plaza.
Cheng Rui sighed in admiration, returning the phone with newfound respect: "Not bad, Li Wu. I was thinking about looking around the area, but you went straight for the enemy's stronghold."
Li Wu glanced at the screen again: "That wasn't my intention." He'd simply come across this particular shop and remembered the last day of 2019, when he sat inside with her, watching the night view side by side. Back then, he thought it would take much longer to muster the courage to say those three words, but an unexpected turn of events had made him say them too soon, pushing her further away ever since.
"Cut the denial! If you really want to pursue a girl, you need to constantly make your presence known around her until she can't forget you even if she tries," Cheng Rui declared confidently. "See how I've been busy gaming lately and haven't been chasing Tao Wanwen much? Guess what - she actually asked me about college applications today!"
Li Wu took the opportunity to show concern: "So where are you applying?"
"Get lost," Cheng Rui retorted, enthusiastically tapping his screen. "Tomorrow we're going to check out this place."
―
By early July, Cen Jin was spending increasingly longer hours at the company. With four projects on hand, three of which required her proposals, she was overwhelmed with work. Having just been promoted to ACD in the creative department, her situation appeared to be that of a new official showing great enthusiasm, but the reality was having to embody the phrase "the capable should do more work."
Who said being in leadership meant taking it easy?
What an enormous scam.Especially during the graduation season, the company had seen an influx of interns. Two well-connected individuals had been assigned to her project—the type whose only skill was talking. They would constantly pester Cen Jin with questions, leaving her inwardly exasperated but outwardly patient as she guided them on key tasks and workplace wisdom.
One day, as soon as Cen Jin arrived at the office and took a sip of water after sitting down, she noticed the WeChat group at the bottom of her screen flashing incessantly.
The group was named 【Cloud City! Go!】.
This was a tourism promotion project their team had recently secured. Since it was a collaboration with the provincial government, the company took it very seriously. They had spent over a month preparing the pitch presentation alone, with several departments refining and revising the plan repeatedly. It was this effort that allowed Aoxing to surpass two other 4A agencies and two media companies, emerging as the winner.
Cen Jin assumed they were venting about the project again and was about to join the discussion when she realized they were actually chatting about a handsome guy.
Aoxing - Yuan Zhen: Damn! My standards have been upgraded again.
Aoxing - Lù Qíqí: I told you guys yesterday, but no one believed me without proof. Now that there’s a photo, you’re all speechless.
Aoxing - Ann: Seems like he just started a few days ago. I asked the store manager, and she said he’s a summer intern.
Yuan Zhen: I need to see him in person by noon today! Immediately! Right now!! I’m going to try to sleep with him before summer ends!
Lù Qíqí: Take me with you!
Yuan Zhen: You’ve already seen him a few times? Don’t be so insatiable.
Lù Qíqí: Only twice, thank you.
…
They were chatting merrily; Cen Jin couldn’t help but ask: Who are you talking about?
Lù Qíqí said: There’s a handsome temp at Meet, ridiculously good-looking. Scroll up—I sneaked a photo of him this morning.
Cen Jin raised an eyebrow and scrolled the mouse wheel, sifting through hundreds of gushing messages before finally finding the photo Lù Qíqí mentioned.
She clicked to enlarge the image and froze for a moment.
Her gaze didn’t linger on the photo for long. Expressionless, Cen Jin closed the enlarged image, minimized the WeChat window, and opened other documents to review.
After working for a while, Teddy called everyone for a meeting, and the team filed into the conference room one by one.
Lù Qíqí pulled Cen Jin along, while a few other female colleagues followed behind, chattering like a flock of magpies.
Yuan Zhen’s voice stood out the most: “I messaged the store manager on WeChat, and she said she’ll have that guy deliver the order soon!”
The women cheered triumphantly.
Cen Jin knew exactly who "that guy" was. Wishing she had earplugs, she had no choice but to let their words flood her ears, making her feel uneasy.
Noticing her distraction, Lù Qíqí asked, “Jinjin, what would you like to drink?”
She turned back and called out, “Don’t forget our Cen Jin!”
Yuan Zhen suddenly remembered, “Oh right, Cen Jin, what do you want? My treat!”
Cen Jin smiled faintly, “An Americano, please.”
Once everyone was seated in the conference room, the floor-to-ceiling window flooded the space with bright light. Teddy walked over and closed half the blinds. Just as he turned to speak, Yuan Zhen raised her hand: “I ordered coffee. Hope no one minds if we’re interrupted.”
Teddy raised an eyebrow, “Is there one for me?”
Yuan Zhen grinned, “Of course, and it’s being delivered by a handsome guy.”
Teddy said, “Then I definitely don’t mind.”
Teddy began the slideshow, speaking in his usual unhurried manner.Cen Jin also opened her laptop, pressed her lips into a straight line, and began reviewing the creative proposal they were about to discuss.
Shortly after, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Teddy stopped looking at the door, and the women in the meeting room grew restless.
Yuan Zhen shouted, "Come in!"
The door was pushed open from the outside, and a tall figure slipped through the widening gap. The previously murmuring meeting room fell silent instantly.
Everyone, except Cen Jin, turned their eyes to the newcomer in unison.
"Where should I put these?"
The young man glanced around, his voice as clear and refreshing as water, sprinkling into this dry and dull space.
A female colleague replied in an unusually soft and delicate tone, "Just on the table is fine."
The young man gave an "Mm" and approached, carefully placing two large paper bags of coffee at the far end of the conference table. He added, "Ten cups in total—two Americanos, two caramel macchiatos, three lattes, and three espressos. Would you like to check them?"
Yuan Zhen said, "No need."
The young man said, "Then I’ll take my leave."
Polite and gentle responses like "Alright," "Thank you," "Goodbye," and "Hope it’s you delivering next time too" gradually filled the room—comparable to one of the world’s top ten wonders. After all, these harsh and irritable corporate slaves were usually too exhausted to bother with such niceties.
Cen Jin remained focused straight ahead, her gaze unfocused on the screen, as if seated inside a soundless, vacuum-sealed glass dome.
As soon as the door closed, everyone grew restless again, sighing and eagerly sharing their impressions.
Suddenly, Yuan Zhen stood up from her chair: "Interrupting for a minute! I’ve decided on the spot to go ask that guy for his contact info—I can’t wait any longer!"
The others laughed and teased her, telling this "female wolf" to hurry up and come back.
True to expectations, Yuan Zhen dashed out after him.
Only then did Cen Jin glance sideways, her eyes flickering toward the door that had just been closed again.
A moment later, Yuan Zhen returned, though she looked somewhat dejected.
Lù Qíqí asked loudly, "How did it go?"
Yuan Zhen spread her hands, shrugged, and muttered with great regret, "Ugh~ He didn’t give it to me. Said he already has someone he likes."
As soon as the words fell, Cen Jin’s chest rose and fell almost imperceptibly. She remained seated, still motionless.
A moment later, she picked up the binder beside her and, amidst the chorus of lamentations, inexplicably and without reason, fanned herself with it twice.
OpenNovel