The two of them stared at each other for a long while—one rubbing his nose and looking up at the ceiling, the other frowning deeply and staring down at the floor tiles.
Finally, Xu Huaisong hesitantly moved the bathroom door aside.
Ruan Yu peeked out from behind him, immediately spotting her parents huddled together in intense discussion. At the sound of movement, they sprang apart like they’d been electrocuted, then nonchalantly resumed eating hotpot, even turning to give them a kindly, amiable smile.
The kind of smile a teacher gives when catching students in a puppy love situation but not wanting to spell it out too bluntly, lest they embarrass the kids—a gently encouraging smile.
Xu Huaisong cleared his throat softly.
Ruan Yu trailed slowly behind him back to the table, forcing a dry laugh. "It’s nothing, just a bit carsick from the long ride today…"
Xu Huaisong remained perfectly still above the waist, but below, it was like a "raging storm"—his shoe nudged hers lightly, cutting off her explanation that sounded all too much like a "poor cover-up," something along the lines of "there was nothing, but now there is."
Ruan Yu glared at him, holding back her irritation: What’s with the attitude?
Just as Xu Huaisong was about to shoot her a look in return, he suddenly saw Ruan Chengru bend down under the table, pull out a bottle of strong liquor, and slam it onto the table with a loud "thud."
"…"
Ruan Yu was startled by the almost confrontational gesture. "Dad, you—"
"Just eat your food," Ruan Chengru cut her off with a sharp glance, then turned to Xu Huaisong with a grave expression. "Huaisong, come, have a few drinks with your teacher."
Xu Huaisong straightened up with a polite smile, nodded, and picked up a glass to pour the liquor.
Ruan Yu gulped. "Dad, his stomach…" She abruptly stopped mid-sentence, quickly backtracking. "...Why is pouring so slow? Let me do it." She snatched the glass from Xu Huaisong’s hand and stingily filled it only a third of the way.
Xu Huaisong glanced at her, covering his mouth with a fist as he chuckled. But when he looked up and saw Ruan Chengru’s stern face, he quickly schooled his expression and handed the poured drink over. "Teacher."
Ruan Yu tried one last desperate attempt. "Wait, if you drink that, won’t you be over the limit for driving?"
Ruan Chengru answered for him, "There’s a spare room upstairs."
"But this is such strong liquor, you might still be—"
Qu Lan cleared her throat and gave her a meaningful look. "Come, help me upstairs to prepare the bedding."
Ruan Yu let out a reluctant "Oh," slowly standing up. Before leaving, she cast a pained glance at Xu Huaisong, her eyes silently conveying two heartfelt words: Stay strong.
Xu Huaisong clinked glasses with Ruan Chengru and downed the entire cup of strong liquor without blinking, his complexion unchanged.
Ruan Chengru glanced toward the staircase, then suddenly said out of the blue, "Huaisong, I heard you and Xiao Liu are colleagues. So, do you know why I initially introduced Xiao Liu to Yuyu?"
Xu Huaisong’s mind raced, recalling what Ruan Yu had told him at Principal He’s birthday banquet.
—"Do you know what my dad likes about Lawyer Liu?"
—"Because he’s a lawyer?"
—"Because he’s honest, kind-hearted, straightforward, not flashy, won’t bully others, and actions speak louder than words."
He repeated these words verbatim.
Ruan Chengru seemed momentarily taken aback, then shook his head. "No, because he’s a lawyer."
"…"
Ruan Chengru gave him a puzzled look. "What?"
Xu Huaisong shook his head. "Nothing. Please continue—why a lawyer?"Ruan Chengru nodded and continued, "Because Yu Yu happened to need a lawyer's help at the time."
Xu Huaisong frowned slightly. "You mean...?"
"That incident where people were slandering her." Ruan Chengru chuckled. "She thought she had kept it well hidden from her mother and me, but we actually found out her pen name years ago. We've been quietly following her work, aware of every little thing that happens. She just didn’t want us to see the negative stuff, so she never mentioned it, and we pretended not to know."
Xu Huaisong froze.
"Our daughter has grown up. She’s considerate of us now and doesn’t share her troubles anymore. So what could we do? We had to find someone to take care of her, protect her, and shield her from the storm—someone who wouldn’t hesitate even in the toughest situations." As he spoke, he pointed at the empty cup in front of him.
Xu Huaisong nodded silently.
Then Ruan Chengru changed the subject. "Another drink?"
Xu Huaisong reached for the liquor bottle to pour, but just as he was about to pick up the cup, he heard Ruan Chengru say, "Yu Yu mentioned you have stomach problems."
"Yes."
"In that case, you should know your limits." Ruan Chengru pointed at the strong liquor in his hand. "Shielding someone from the storm isn’t about reckless bravery or showing off. You have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of her."
Xu Huaisong set the cup down. "You’re right."
Ruan Chengru took the cup away and replaced it with a new one, then personally poured a full glass of warm water from the kettle. "Drink this instead."
Xu Huaisong drank half of it, then heard him ask, "The water tastes bland, doesn’t it?"
"Yes."
"It’s bland, so many people, like you, stop after half a glass. But life isn’t always as intense as strong liquor. Most of the time, it’s as plain as this water. Enduring the highs isn’t anything special—what matters is enduring the ordinary. That’s what really counts."
Understanding his meaning, Xu Huaisong finished the remaining half of the water.
Ruan Chengru smiled. "Alright, as my student who knows me well, I trust you. Go on upstairs."
Xu Huaisong nodded. "Thank you for today’s lesson, Professor."
"If you really want to thank me, stop calling me 'Professor' soon."
Xu Huaisong laughed. "I’ll do my best."
While Ruan Chengru was downstairs peacefully dispensing "life advice," Ruan Yu was upstairs fretting over the bedsheets. "Mom, don’t you and Dad get the wrong idea. We’re being careful..."
Qu Lan gave her a sidelong glance. "We know. We’ve raised you—we can tell what you’re thinking just by the way you raise an eyebrow or sniff."
At first, they had been startled, but after seeing Ruan Yu’s reaction when she came out of the bathroom, she and Ruan Chengru realized they’d misunderstood.
Ruan Yu pouted. "Then why did Dad still invite him for a drink?"
Qu Lan glanced at her while straightening the sheets. "Worried a few drinks will ruin things between you two? Unless he starts causing a drunken scene downstairs, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Of course, if he causes a scene, that’s—"
She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something was off.
What had that police officer mentioned earlier that evening? Her attention had been focused on the case at the time, but she seemed to have missed a crucial detail.
Staring at the ceiling light, she began piecing it together, her eyes widening slowly.
Xu Huaisong was the one who knocked on the door of Unit 302 in Jinjiang City? That drunkard who caused a late-night disturbance and public panic was actually Xu Huaisong?
Since when did he have such terrible drinking manners?Ruan Yu was stunned and bewildered. After a long pause, she gasped sharply and hurried out, only to collide headlong with someone just around the corner.
Xu Huaisong steadied her by the shoulders, looking surprised. "What's wrong?"
She reached up to touch his face. "You're not drunk?"
"No," he said with an amused smile. "It's not like I can't hold my liquor."
"You can drink, but you also throw drunken tantrums!" She frowned at this point. "Ah, this is actually quite embarrassing. I only found out now and haven’t even apologized to the neighbors..."
Xu Huaisong choked slightly.
Ruan Yu touched his face again. "Really nothing happened?"
He sighed. "No, I didn’t embarrass you."
"How much did you drink?"
"Less than half the cup you poured."
"That little took you so long?"
He chuckled. "Because the rest of the time was spent drinking chicken soup."
"Dad killed a chicken today? Why wasn’t it served to me?"
Xu Huaisong lightly tapped the tip of her nose. "That was a special treat just for me."
They stayed overnight at Ruan’s family home in the suburbs. Early the next morning, Xu Huaisong flew to the U.S. for work, while Ruan Yu went to Huanshi Entertainment.
The movie script’s project establishment and filing were officially approved, and even the daringly provocative title luckily passed censorship. Cen Rong decisively announced they would shoot before the New Year, scheduling the first day of filming on the last day of the Gregorian calendar at Suzhou No. 1 High School for a scene depicting the New Year’s Eve fireworks—a symbolic gesture for good fortune.
On the morning of the 31st, a car from Huanshi picked up Ruan Yu for the opening ceremony. After a morning of rituals and lunch, the crew headed to Suzhou.
Overwhelmed by the busy schedule, Ruan Yu only checked her phone once in the car. Just as she was about to ask Xu Huaisong if he was asleep, she saw his message from four hours ago: Didn’t sleep much last night, going to bed early. Set an alarm for 12 hours later—will celebrate New Year’s Eve with you.
Four hours ago, it wasn’t even 7 p.m. in San Francisco. Sleeping at this hour was utterly unlike Xu Huaisong.
But at least he remembered the New Year’s Eve plan, so Ruan Yu didn’t dwell on it. Assuming he was sound asleep, she didn’t reply and leaned back, closing her eyes. Just as she was about to doze off, her phone buzzed in her bag.
She glanced down and jolted awake at the caller ID: Zhou Jun .
Answering, she heard a slightly hoarse voice. "Ruan Yu? It’s Zhou Jun."
She paused. "You can use your own phone now?"
"Yeah, I... got out today."
Her throat tightened, eyes stinging. After a moment, she whispered, "That’s wonderful."
Silence followed until they both spoke at the same time.
"Has the case—"
"I’m sorr—"
The latter was Zhou Jun.
His voice sounded exhausted. After a pause, he said, "You go first."
"I was going to ask—has the case been solved?"
"Yeah. Otherwise, I’d still be waiting."
Ruan Yu didn’t press for details about the culprit, not wanting to reopen wounds. That the case was resolved now likely tied back to the discovery on the winter solstice.
Her heart swirled with emotions until Zhou Jun spoke again. "About what happened before... I never got the chance to apologize to you properly."
"It’s alright. Rest for now. When Huaisong returns from the U.S., we’ll all meet up and talk."
"He’s in America?"
"Yeah.""I just called his U.S. number and it went to voicemail. I thought he was back in the country."
Ruan Yu paused for a moment. "Maybe his phone died. He could be sleeping."
"I'll try again later then."
"Okay."
Their conversation was stiff and hollow. Six months had passed, and it seemed like everything had changed.
When the silence stretched for the third time, Zhou Jun ended the call first. Before putting her phone back in her bag, Ruan Yu recalled what he had just said.
In the U.S., to protect user privacy, phone carriers wouldn’t specify why a call couldn’t go through—it would just redirect to voicemail. A dead battery was one possibility, but being out of service range or simply not hearing the call were also plausible.
After all, Xu Huaisong was meticulous. There was no way he wouldn’t check his battery level when setting an alarm.
Doubt and unease overshadowed the mixed emotions she had felt while talking to Zhou Jun. Ruan Yu picked up her phone again and dialed an overseas call.
A prerecorded voice answered: "This is Hanson. I'm unavailable. Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
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