That afternoon, after Cen Jin had fallen asleep, Li Wu quietly slipped out of the room. He told Aunt Tang, "I'll be back soon. If Sister wakes up and needs anything, have her call me," before heading out.
His voice was hushed, but his clean, handsome face was radiant with energy. Aunt Tang stared blankly, not having had the chance to respond before the young man had already vanished.
Li Wu first returned to Meet to apologize and resign to the manager.
Upon hearing about his urgent family matter, the manager understood and didn't deduct any wages, paying him the full amount for his part-time work.
Cheng Rui stood nearby grumbling, hurling insults like "prioritizing romance over friendship," "hormones overriding brains," and "stabbing your bro in the back" at him. Li Wu took it all in stride, even chuckling, before asking Cheng Rui for the keys to go pack his luggage. He worked with remarkable efficiency, finishing everything and hailing a taxi to return in under two hours.
By the time he arrived back at the villa, Li Wu was drenched in sweat from his busy schedule. Aunt Tang felt sorry for him and quickly handed him an ice pop.
Li Wu thanked her, glanced toward Cen Jin's door, and asked softly, "Has Sister woken up?"
Aunt Tang replied, "Not yet."
He asked again, "How did she injure her leg?"
Aunt Tang said, "She said she fell off a stage. Ever since she came back from the hospital a few days ago, she's been crying every day. It breaks my heart to see it. I've watched Jinjin grow up since she was little—she's always been incredibly strong-willed. Now that she can't do anything and can't go out, she must be utterly miserable."
Li Wu fell into thoughtful silence.
Aunt Tang took the opportunity to chat with him: "Xiao Wu, I heard from Jinjin's mom that you were sponsored by Jinjin and her former husband?"
Li Wu paused for a moment, then nodded.
Aunt Tang sighed, "You're such a determined child, achieving such excellent grades. My grandson, who's starting high school after summer break, is so playful—I have no idea where he'll end up for college."
Li Wu never handled praise well and simply said, "If it weren't for Sister, I wouldn't even be able to attend school."
He glanced again in the direction of Cen Jin's bedroom: "How long does Sister usually nap before waking up?" It hadn't been long since he last saw her, yet he already missed her.
Aunt Tang said, "Hard to say. Sometimes she stays quiet all afternoon."
Hearing this, Li Wu quickly pulled out his phone and sent Cen Jin a WeChat message: I'm in the living room. Call me if you need anything.
Cheng Jin happened to have just woken up. As she propped herself up and picked up her phone to check, the message appeared before her eyes.
She closed the chat interface, closed her eyes briefly, then reopened it, issuing a warning to this kid who got carried away with the slightest encouragement: I'm awake, but I don't need anything. Li Wu replied: Okay.
He added: I'm going to take a shower.
Cen Jin paused for a moment: No need to report every single detail to me.
The young man acted as if he hadn't heard: Ten minutes.
Cen Jin: "..."
Ten minutes later, just as Cen Jin was checking her company's WeChat group and her heart skipped a beat at the knock on the door, she asked impatiently, "What—"
Li Wu's voice was clear: "I've showered. Can I come in?"
Afraid that her refusal might make Aunt Tang overthink things, Cen Jin had no choice but to agree: "Come in."
Li Wu pushed the door open and entered. He had indeed just showered, looking much fresher than he had in the morning. His hair was fluffy and dark, like wild grass growing rampant in midsummer.
With his long limbs, he walked through a beam of light. For those few seconds, the young man seemed surrounded by a halo of light, relaxed and radiant.For a moment, Cen Jin was lost in thought, inexplicably recalling her father's comment at lunch: "He grew from a little handsome boy into a tall handsome guy." When she snapped back to reality, she found it strange herself and averted her gaze as if nothing had happened.
She scoffed inwardly—it was all thanks to her good upbringing anyway.
Cen Jin pulled out her tablet to binge-watch dramas, while Li Wu continued reading. They didn't disturb each other, and the atmosphere remained peaceful.
Over the next few days, Li Wu was utterly compliant—he played online games with her, accompanied her on the Wii, read to her, brought her meals and water, and even pushed her wheelchair around for strolls in the evenings. Because his care was so meticulous, attentive, and flawless, Cen Jin gradually shifted from feeling awkward and uncomfortable to taking it all for granted. She could now let Li Wu carry her around without batting an eye, and even began ordering him about like an empress lounging on a palanquin.
It had to be said—the young man's sturdy, strong arms were far more convenient than a wheelchair or crutches.
One night, Cen Jin shared this sentiment with a friend over WeChat.
Chun Chang replied with ten "hahas" in a row: "So you've finally come around, huh? Aren't you going to thank me?"
Cen Jin refused to admit it and instead asked, "Am I being too much? I turned him down but still enjoy all this care."
Chun Chang said, "Then just agree to be with him. What's the big deal about dating? Don't overthink the future—just be together, enjoy a young man's affection and physique. How great is that?"
Cen Jin reflexively replied, "No way."
Chun Chang: "Why not?"
Recalling the details of the past year, including this holiday, Cen Jin admitted honestly: "If I really dated him, I’d feel like it was almost incestuous. But if he stays in the 'little brother' role, it’s fine—I can accept these gestures that seem like courtship."
Chun Chang: "Damn, what kind of modern heartbreaker are you? You’re even now. He treats you like this because he likes you, okay?"
Cen Jin replied, "I know, but he just won’t leave no matter what. What can I do?"
Chun Chang: "Are you bragging or just playing coy? I couldn’t even dream up a scenario like this."
Cen Jin: "I’m just stating my true feelings. I’m really annoyed by this ambiguous relationship, but I do care a little… I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t want him to leave me completely, and I don’t want to ruin our relationship entirely. If you call it liking, it doesn’t feel like that—it’s not that strong or clear. I can’t figure it out."
...
After ending the chat, Cen Jin fell into deep thought—both contemplation and self-reflection.
She pondered until midnight.
Li Wu would always leave her bedroom promptly at 10:30 p.m. to rest in the adjacent room.
Recently, with no work pressures and company around, Cen Jin’s sleep quality had improved dramatically, and she rarely woke during the night. But tonight, troubled by her friend’s criticism, she lay awake. After scrolling through Weibo for half an hour, she decided to have a proper talk with Li Wu.
She opened WeChat and messaged him: "You there?"
The young man replied almost instantly: "Yes."
Cen Jin asked: "Do you still like me?"
Lying on the bed with his arm under his head, the boy felt his mind go blank. He sat up abruptly, staring straight at the message for a long moment before rubbing his head and typing back with heated ears: "Yeah."
Cen Jin pinched the bridge of her nose, carefully wording her next message: "Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. Don’t get as worked up as last time in the dorm."
Li Wu pressed his lips together: "Okay."
He was still apprehensive: "Are you going to tell me not to like you again?"
Cen Jin replied: "No."She said, "I've been thinking about the situation between us just now, and I realized I still can't accept a relationship beyond that of siblings for the time being. So I wanted to have a serious talk with you about this today."
Li Wu's chest tightened with pain, but he still responded, "Mm."
Cen Jin also sat up and immediately sent him a voice call.
He picked up right away.
Separated by a wall, they both leaned against their headboards in nearly identical postures.
Cen Jin organized her thoughts before speaking calmly, "Li Wu, personally speaking, being liked by a young man like you—both outstanding inside and out—is an honor and quite flattering to my vanity. But have you considered that if we were really together, we'd have to face many challenges? For example, you're in school while I'm at the company—our environments naturally limit our interactions. The gap in life experience would also create a significant generation gap between us. And how would we explain all this to our parents?"
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued methodically, "Do you remember my colleague? The one who flirted with you at Meet? She often maintains relationships with younger guys for a while—sometimes physical, sometimes emotional—gathering when compatible and parting when not. It's enjoyable and pressure-free. But if that were us, could you accept it? A proud kid like you wouldn't want that either. Not to mention what you told my dad about your reason for choosing F University—you already have your own considerations and plans, which shows you're thinking about long-term development with me, right?"
The atmosphere on his end felt heavy as he listened, only uttering a quiet "Mm" at this point.
Cen Jin let out a soft sigh. "I know what I'm saying now is very realistic and blunt, but not addressing these things clearly would be harmful and irresponsible to both of us, especially to you. You've just become an adult, still full of youthful spirit, and you might not have the most rational judgment about many things yet. Relying solely on passion can easily lead you astray."
"I don't want to talk about relationships with any superiority of having been through it all, but I have indeed experienced a failed marriage. At the very least, I've opened that textbook and studied it wholeheartedly, while you haven't—you're truly a beginner. When it comes to matters of love and affection, they're ultimately elusive and unpredictable. They might start intensely like fire, but even fire burns out eventually. Not everyone can maintain that spring breeze forever. I've also been reflecting—perhaps because I was the one who helped you leave the mountains and have been supporting your education, I've developed a sense of control and entitlement toward you. But actually, we're settled now, and I shouldn't continue viewing you or handling our relationship with these distorted thoughts.""In the past, your life revolved solely around studying at Yi High School and spending time with me, which wasn't fair to you. Why not wait until university to see? When this summer ends, a bigger world will await you—full of discoveries and opportunities to meet all kinds of remarkable people, including outstanding individuals of the opposite sex. Perhaps by then, you'll realize that Sister Cen Jin isn't all that special after all. I don't want to be that single leaf or that narrow well—they're too limiting. I refuse to be something that obscures your vision or confines your world. Li Wu, step outside and explore: see the forests, climb the mountains, behold the oceans, experience all the richer and more beautiful things out there. Then make your choice."
After she finished speaking, silence lingered on the other end for a long while before any sound emerged.
The boy's nose was stuffy, his voice slightly choked: "Sister, there will never be anyone better than you."
He said "person," not just "woman"—the words carried deeper, weightier meaning.
An ache bloomed irresistibly in Cen Jin's chest.
Yet even as she genuinely felt the dull pain of his sincerity, she still had to gently console him: "Don't speak in absolutes. Let's both give ourselves some time."
"If by this time next year you still feel as strongly about me as you do now, and if I haven't developed feelings for anyone else, then we can reconsider this matter. In the meantime, I'll adjust my mindset and try interacting with you differently. How does that sound?"
Cen Jin laughed at herself after speaking—she couldn't believe she was making such concessions, loosening her conditions to this extent, willing to gamble the precious final years of her twenties on this unpredictable experiment.
The boy's voice suddenly brightened: "Really?"
Cen Jin affirmed: "Really." She smiled faintly: "And thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I might be getting my cast removed at the hospital the day after tomorrow, but I still won't be able to walk normally yet. I'll need to trouble you quite a bit during this holiday—consider it pre-university training."
Li Wu replied without hesitation: "Okay."
Cen Jin thought for a moment, confirming she had nothing else to add: "Well then, good night?"
Li Wu made an affirming sound, then hurriedly asked: "Can I still keep liking you?"
Cen Jin responded: "Suit yourself."
As if receiving a promise, the boy's laughter instantly spilled through, brimming with conviction: "I could never stop liking you."
"Oh," Cen Jin replied lightly: "I'll tentatively believe that for now."
Li Wu said: "Good night."
Cen Jin lowered her eyes: "Alright, good night."
After ending the call, Cen Jin exhaled slowly. She stared at Li Wu's WeChat for a moment, about to turn off her phone when her recently relaxed heart suddenly clenched again.
A single sentence waited in the chat box.
It sounded like defiance, like a vow, like a curse cast upon himself.
Li Wu: I will love you until I die, and only you.
Tsk... youth truly is something, Cen Jin sighed. Just as she was about to close the app directly, her finger paused, moved to the input box, and swiftly tapped out two words: How ambitious.
Seeing her reply, he grew bolder, pressing his advantage: Starting today, can you please not just see me as a little brother?
Cen Jin snorted and replied: Then what should I see you as?
After some deliberation, he sent back a two-word answer: A man.
Cen Jin was amused: Go to sleep early, "man." You haven't even finished growing yet.
Li Wu: ...After bidding each other goodnight once more, Li Wu focused intently, a smile playing on his lips as he reread those messages countless times, nearly burning holes through his phone screen, before reluctantly lying down.
Still tossing and turning unable to sleep, he reopened his phone and searched "at what age do males stop developing," planning to use this as a rebuttal against her tomorrow.
The webpage answered: around 22 years old.
Annoyed, he turned off the screen, ruffled his bangs, and grew irritated wondering if Cen Jin might already know this.
After a while, he lit up his phone again, went straight to WeChat, and reread his chat history with Cen Jin. Feeling both incredulous and ecstatic, his lips curled into a continuous smile. Certain he'd be up all night, he wondered if the woman next door felt the same and cautiously sent a message: Sister, are you asleep?
Cen Jin: Shut up. Go to sleep.
Li Wu: Oh.
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