Chapter 4: Wild Grass

By Sunday, He Chong still hadn’t been able to reach Zhou Mo. He had returned to Yannan Town and spent the entire day fixing cars at the repair shop, restless and distracted.

In truth, there were only so many reasons she might be unreachable: either she had been dragged off to some banquet, or, like last time, she had suddenly left the country without a word. Tyrannical and overbearing though the Zhou family was, they protected Zhou Mo well; it wasn’t his place to worry about her in the slightest.

What made him so restless was a sense of powerlessness: he realized that if Zhou Mo ever decided to stop seeing him, there would be nothing he could do. Once someone held you by your weak spot, you ended up second-guessing every step, unable to move an inch.

It was not until Monday morning that He Chong finally received a call from Zhou Mo. She apologized to him and said she was fine, explaining that she had been at home all weekend because her parents hadn’t let her leave the house.

“Where are you right now?”

“At school.”

“I’m coming to find you. Go to class first.”

When He Chong arrived at Xicheng University, the second period had just begun. He sat on the steps in front of the teaching building and sent Zhou Mo a message: I’m here. Come out when class ends.

Less than ten minutes later, he heard footsteps echoing through the empty first-floor lobby behind him. Turning around, he saw Zhou Mo coming out.

She was wearing a T-shirt and trousers, her hair worn down, with a face mask covering her features. Stepping up to him, she turned her head away to dodge his searching gaze. “Did you go to Chengnan Old Street on Saturday? You didn’t wait too long, did you?”

He Chong chuckled. “Did you think I’d wait for you until the dead of night?”

Zhou Mo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. A moment later, she asked, “Can you take me out somewhere? I don’t want to stay in class.”

Without asking where to go, He Chong simply said, “Let’s go.”

The rain had stopped today, but the sky remained overcast. His car was parked not far from the school gate. He had driven over in a hurry, and because the bumpy road was muddy, mud splatters covered the windows.

Zhou Mo sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window without a word.

He Chong glanced over at her. “Did you catch a cold?”

When Zhou Mo didn’t answer, he reached out to pull down her mask. She quickly turned her head and blocked his arm.

He Chong’s brows knit together. He slammed on the brakes, grabbed Zhou Mo’s arm with one hand, and pulled off her mask with the other, more forceful than ever before. “Let me see.”

Zhou Mo couldn’t overpower him in the end. The instant her mask came off, she immediately turned her face away.

He Chong cupped her chin and gently turned her head back, drawing in a sharp breath. The right side of her face was completely red, with five distinct finger marks clearly visible across it.

Suppressing his anger, He Chong asked in a deep voice, “Who hit you? Your dad?”

When true hurt took over, Zhou Mo stopped crying altogether. Her clear, dark eyes looked at He Chong quietly, her voice so faint it seemed the slightest breeze could scatter it. “He Chong, will you take me away?”

The car traveled east and exited the highway. Vast farmland stretched endlessly along the road, golden waves of wheat rolling all the way to the horizon.

Music from the radio drifted in and out, swept through the car windows by the wind and scattered along the road.

Amid the silence, the car pulled to a stop. Ahead stood a row of two-story factory buildings, with the faint hum of running machinery drifting through the air.

Zhou Mo got out of the car and followed behind He Chong. “Where are we?”

He Chong paused. “My uncle’s garment factory. He makes amazing pancakes. I’ll have him whip up a batch for you.”

Zhou Mo froze for a moment, then quickly hurried after He Chong as he strode ahead.

The person who opened the door was He Yifei. Surprised to see them, he asked, “Brother, what brings you here?”

“Came to grab a meal. Where’s Uncle?”

“He went to the workshop.” He Yifei glanced toward Zhou Mo. When she offered him a subtle smile, he scratched his head sheepishly. “Come on in.”

He Yifei bustled around looking for tea leaves to brew a pot, then called He Zhengkui. A moment later, He Zhengkui hurried over.

He Zhengkui asked with a chuckle, “Why didn’t you call before coming over?”

He Chong smiled and said, “I suddenly got a craving for your pancakes, Uncle, so we just dropped by.”

“No problem at all! Take a seat. I’ll head out to buy groceries right now.”

Behind the factory buildings stood a row of dormitories. He Zhengkui occupied two rooms himself and had bought basic cookware so he could make his own meals.

While He Zhengkui went to buy groceries, He Yifei took Zhou Mo and He Chong on a tour of the factory. He had never been very good at dealing with strangers, and seeing how refined this girl brought by He Chong was, so starkly different from humble folks like them, he felt a bit nervous at first. But no matter what he said, Zhou Mo would pick up the conversation and naturally offer another question, never letting things turn awkward.

Encouraged by Zhou Mo’s attentive responses, He Yifei spilled every single detail: how the machinery operated, how many workers they had, what kind of orders they took. He Chong finally couldn’t help stopping him. “Alright, alright. Keep going and you’ll give away every single trade secret.”

He Yifei scratched his head and grinned at He Chong, his expression clearly seeking approval.

He Chong chuckled and reached out to pat his head, but He Yifei ducked out of the way.

Before long, He Zhengkui returned with groceries. Soon, cooking smoke drifted out of the dormitory building, carrying the savory aroma of sizzling oil in the breeze.

At that moment, Zhou Mo was squatting on the open lawn in front of the dorms, playing with a Golden Retriever kept at the factory. Smelling the delicious scent, her stomach grumbled loudly. “I’m hungry.”

He Zhengkui worked deftly and quickly whipped up four or five dishes: scallion egg pancakes, braised pork belly, garlic ribs, and more.

Since it was time to eat, Zhou Mo naturally had to take off her mask. Both He Zhengkui and He Yifei caught sight of the slap mark on her face and exchanged a glance, but neither of them pried.

He Chong placed a scallion egg pancake in her bowl. “Give it a try.”

Zhou Mo ate in a hurry and burned her mouth, blowing on the food repeatedly. Once it had cooled down a bit, she took a proper bite. Her eyes instantly widened, and she nodded enthusiastically at He Zhengkui, giving him a thumbs-up.

He Zhengkui beamed so broadly his eyes crinkled into slits. “Eat up if you like them! When He Chong was little, he loved these too. He used to fight with Yi Fei over them, not acting like an older brother at all.”

He Chong laughed and said, “Uncle, can’t you save me a little face?”

The Golden Retriever trotted inside and circled the table legs, barking repeatedly. He Yifei picked up a rib and gave it to the dog. “Go play outside, don’t bark!” Clamping the rib in its mouth, the dog scampered off, completely satisfied.

It was an exceptionally ordinary meal, yet it made Zhou Mo’s eyes sting with tears several times. In all her twenty years, she had no memory of such a lively atmosphere at her own family’s dining table. The three of them had sat on separate sides of a massive table, and far from talking, she would be scolded if her spoon so much as clinked against the rim of her bowl.

She finally understood why He Chong had brought her here. When someone suffered an injustice, their first instinct was to turn to family for comfort.

Once they finished eating, He Zhengkui shooed them off to go play, telling them not to worry about clearing the dishes.

He Yifei asked, “Dad, what about me?”

“What do you think?”

He Yifei’s face fell. “Oh.”

Zhou Mo couldn’t help but laugh.

He Chong said to her, “Go ahead and play. I’ll help Yi Fei wash the dishes and come find you in a bit.”

Watching Zhou Mo head outside, He Yifei leaned in and wiggled his eyebrows. “That hair tie belongs to her, right?”

“Why are you so gossipy?”

“Come on, spill! Is it? Is she my future cousin-in-law?”

He Chong tossed the bowls into the sink and turned on the tap. “Only if I actually have what it takes.”

He Yifei caught on. “Good family background? Bro, how do you keep attracting rich young ladies…” He Chong shot him a glare, and realizing he’d slipped up, He Yifei immediately shut his mouth. A moment later, he muttered under his breath, “Though I think Miss Zhou is different. She seems really nice.”

By the time He Chong finished the dishes and walked outside, Miss Zhou was already wrestling around with the Golden Retriever. She didn’t care at all that her T-shirt and jeans had cost two or three thousand Yuan, letting herself get covered in dirt and dust.

He Chong hauled her up by her collar. “Go wash your hands. I’ll take you for a walk around here.”

He Chong went over to wait by the car first. Before long, Zhou Mo emerged from the kitchen, shaking water off her hands. The moment she saw him, she quickened her pace, trotting right up to him. “Where are we going?”

“Feeling better?”

“Mm.”

He Chong looked at her. For a moment, he had so much he wanted to say, but the words stalled on the tip of his tongue.

“He Chong,” Zhou Mo hesitated, looking down at the tips of her shoes. “Last time, you asked if I thought your social circle was too complicated. I don’t think that at all. Boss Han, Boss Wang, your cousin—they’re all really nice people. Far better than most of the people I’ve known in my life… I really envy you.”

He Chong chuckled. “Envy me?”

“I really do.”

He Chong didn’t know what to say. In the end, he reached out and patted her head. “Let’s go.”

A thirty-minute drive brought them out into the deserted countryside. Yellowed leaves lined the road, and a stretch of rusted railroad tracks emerged from the tall weeds, extending off into the distance.

The two got out of the car. Zhou Mo followed behind He Chong as they walked slowly along the tracks. The wooden ties under the rails were all cracked, with tufts of withered grass sprouting from the gaps.

As they walked, an abandoned green train car^[1] came into view ahead, covered in rust. It blended seamlessly with the desolate surrounding scenery, as if time itself had decayed here.

He Chong bent down to pick up a pebble and threw it at the car. With a clank, the stone dropped to the ground and vanished into the grass.

“When I was six or seven, I used to come here all the time. My uncle lived near here back then. After school, I’d climb up that tree over there…” He Chong pointed not far away. “At five-thirty in the afternoon, a train would pass by right on time. I didn’t know where it was heading, but I kept hoping that one day I’d board it and travel far away.”

Zhou Mo listened spellbound. “And then?”

He Chong smiled faintly. “Later on… before I could save up enough money, the railway line was abandoned. And later still, the first time I ever traveled somewhere wasn’t by train, but by bus, when I went to Xicheng to borrow money from my mother.”

Zhou Mo’s heart skipped a beat as she remembered the first time she saw He Chong. He had been around fifteen or sixteen then, standing outside the Gu family compound saying he wanted to see He Mi. Gu Zhiru happened to be returning home, sitting inside a luxury car worth tens of millions. The look she gave him was like looking at a stray dog begging for food, and without a word, she ordered the housekeeper to kick him out.

A lump formed in Zhou Mo’s throat. She finally understood the deep meaning hidden behind He Chong’s half-smiling rhetorical question when she had said she envied him earlier. That night, he had also said that what she was desperately trying to escape was something most people longed for.

“In the end, I didn’t get to see my mother. My uncle couldn’t repay the money in time, so people trashed our home, and that was when my aunt decided to divorce him.” He Chong lowered his head, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shook one out to hold between his lips, and clicked a lighter to ignite it.

“The next time I saw my mother was six years later. Yi Fei fell ill and needed surgery, and I had no other choice…” He looked toward the distant stretch of railroad tracks. A gust of wind blew past, carrying a heavy scent of tobacco smoke through the air.

He Chong flicked the ash from his cigarette and looked at Zhou Mo. “I’m not telling you this for any special reason, just to let you know that my life really is complicated. Along the way, I’ve met all kinds of people: some helped me, some I helped, and with some I share life-and-death bonds. Honestly, there’s no need to tell you all this anyway, because you’ll never come into contact with that world in your entire life.”

He had once walked the town’s dilapidated, desolate streets on an empty stomach; he had once slept on bone-chilling benches at the train station; he had once shared a single room with eight people, surviving on just fifty Yuan a month; he had once lain in a hospital bed, listening to the doctor tell him there was a thirty percent chance he might never stand again…

“Little girl,” He Chong concluded their conversation, “don’t think too highly of me. I can’t take you away, and I can’t take you anywhere. The only person who can do that is yourself.”

The wind carried away the echoes, leaving the surroundings even quieter.

The wooden ties that had once shouldered dreams, now reduced to a resting place for moss and fungi; the green train that had traveled tens of thousands of Li in its lifetime, now unable to journey anywhere ever again; and the station that had once welcomed reunions and departures, bustling in days past, now left with only cold crows coming to perch…

The cold wind stung her eyes. This place was completely different from the seemingly lavish backdrop of her own short life, yet she understood it completely.

Just as she understood the out-of-place bouquet of bright red roses at the funeral that day.

Zhou Mo sniffled and raised her eyes to look at He Chong, standing tall in the wind. “You said all that, but so what? Given another chance, if you saw me stranded alone in that bar, you’d still save me. If I asked you to take me out, you’d still say yes. He Chong, that’s just the kind of person you are, such a good person…”

After a moment of silence, He Chong laughed.

The wind swept the scent of smoke toward her as He Chong jumped down from the tracks and walked closer to her.

The two of them had never been so close. The moment she raised her eyes, she looked straight into his.

His lowered voice brushed against the tip of her nose, warm air carrying his words: “Zhou Mo, you don’t actually think I’m treating you this well without wanting anything in return, do you?”

Zhou Mo abruptly held her breath. Blood rushed to her head in an instant, flushing her entire face deep red.

He Chong’s gaze was sharp, carrying a dangerous air she had never noticed before, pressing down on her so heavily she didn’t dare move a single strand of hair.

Zhou Mo swallowed with difficulty and braced herself to meet his gaze. “Aren’t you just after my help mediating the joint burial? I’d help you even if you didn’t ask.”

He Chong: “…”

Was this girl playing dumb, or was she just born exceptionally stupid?

Then again, knowing her, if she were capable of playing dumb like that, he wouldn’t have been worrying about her so much lately.

He Chong let out a long, silent sigh, his impulse to confess his feelings evaporating completely. Taking a step back, he shoved his hands into his pockets, returning to his usual lazy demeanor as if nothing in the world mattered.

Zhou Mo hurried after him. “He Chong?”

“Don’t talk to me.” He Chong picked up his pace.

“Slow down! So what if you can walk fast?”

“I told you not to talk to me.”

“Then you can just ignore me.”

“…”

They got back into the car. The earlier conversation about his childhood had piqued Zhou Mo’s interest in He Chong’s past, so she insisted on visiting where he used to go to school.

The primary school He Chong had attended was torn down years ago, the area turned into a residential complex with no trace of the past left. His middle school was still there, but after mergers and expansions, it was completely unrecognizable. This was He Chong’s first time visiting in years. Standing outside the large iron gates and looking inside, the classroom buildings, sports field, and cafeteria were all newly renovated, bearing no resemblance to his memories.

Classes were in session across campus, and students taking PE were scattered over the sports field, with the occasional whistle from a teacher floating through the air.

He Chong pointed to a classroom building inside. “That building used to have only four floors. If a window broke, nobody replaced it. In the winter, whoever sat by the window had to seal it with newspaper.”

“Did you ever do that?”

“I never sat by the window.”

“Then where did you sit?”

“The back row. Either next to the back door or next to the trash can. The teacher wouldn’t move me because I was tall, and sitting up front would block other people.”

Zhou Mo turned around and bounced up on her tiptoes, barely reaching eye level with He Chong. Unwilling to admit defeat, she let out a huff.

He Chong poked her shoulder. “What are you huffing about? Grow this tall yourself if you’re so capable.”

Zhou Mo muttered, “Big deal.”

This back-and-forth was childish enough for kindergarten, and when He Chong realized it, he gave a helpless laugh.

Zhou Mo said, “When you were in school, you must have been the ringleader making trouble in class.”

“Is that really what I’m like in your head?”

“You said so yourself. You said you were illiterate.”

He Chong: “…”

Having stumped He Chong several times today, Zhou Mo was in a fantastic mood and kept pressing him, “So, did any girls chase after you back when you were in school?”

“We were from a small place with traditional values. We never jumped on trendy things like puppy love^[2].”

Zhou Mo let out an “Oh,” then said, “So nobody chased you.”

He Chong raised an eyebrow, turning slightly to look down at her. “A guy like me, with no girls after him? Back then, as soon as school let out, girls would line up by the sports field in crowds to cheer for me.”

“Really?”

“What do you think?”

“Probably true.”

He Chong couldn’t help but laugh. “Back then, everyone just buried their heads in their studies. A few in class matured early, but they were the minority. Besides…”

“Besides what?”

He Chong looked at her deeply. “If I liked someone, I’d definitely be the one to pursue her. I wouldn’t sit around waiting for a girl to come to me.”

Zhou Mo didn’t notice his gaze at all. “So confident?”

“Yeah.”

Zhou Mo gave him a thumbs-up. “Then I wish you speedy success.”

He Chong: “…”

He felt like she was going to drive him crazy sooner or later.

Zhou Mo asked again, “Back then, what else did you do besides study?”

“Back then, an old man in our neighborhood ran a breakfast shop. I got up really early every day to help out at his place and earn some pocket money so I could take Yi Fei to the arcade.”

“You’re really good to your cousin.”

He Chong smiled. “Jealous? Am I not good to you?”

Zhou Mo thought about it. “I guess you are… but I feel like it’s not the same thing.”

He Chong said in annoyance, “Of course it’s not the same thing.”

As they walked out of the residential area, He Chong pointed out landmarks along the way: over there was once a bookstore, tiny as a palm yet packed with over a thousand comic books; over there used to be a bubble tea shop that also sold fried chicken strips, which tasted pretty good; that was a convenience shop that sold soda and crispy noodles packed with the Water Margin hero cards^[3] Yi Fei loved to collect; and that adult toy store over there used to be the arcade, where his skills were good enough to make two coins last a very long time…

Zhou Mo listened intently. He Chong’s youth seemed completely different from hers. In her memory, her first twenty years had been nothing but a straight line between home and school, filled with all kinds of tutors for etiquette, posture, piano, ballet…

Zhou Mo couldn’t help sighing. “It would’ve been so nice if we were classmates. I’d have wanted to go to the arcade with you too.”

He Chong glanced at her with a half-smile. “Be glad you weren’t my classmate. Back then, nerds like you annoyed me the most. I bullied every single one that came along.”

Zhou Mo glared at him. “I knew it.”

After wandering around all afternoon, dusk began to settle. As night fell, a few solitary stars appeared in the sky overhead.

After having dinner at a restaurant by the riverbank, He Chong prepared to drive Zhou Mo home. But when he brought the car around, he saw her sitting on a large rock with her legs pulled up.

The river pebbles had been washed smooth and round by the tide, crunching softly underfoot. He Chong walked over to Zhou Mo’s side. “It’s windy out here. Aren’t you cold?”

Lights spilled across the river as a fishing boat passed by. Zhou Mo stared out absentmindedly and murmured softly, “I don’t want to go back.”

He Chong leaned against the rock and lit a cigarette. Holding the filter between his teeth, he turned his head to look at her. “Your rebellious phase came a bit late, didn’t it?”

“That’s because I didn’t meet you sooner.”

He Chong froze for a moment.

Zhou Mo had clearly spoken without thinking, yet her words struck deep into his heart. If he had met her earlier, back in his wild, headstrong youth, he probably would have taken her to wander to the ends of the earth, even if it meant making an enemy of the whole world.

At his current age, though, he had more to consider. He couldn’t help hesitating and overthinking, afraid she would get hurt, and afraid that his own strength was not yet enough to keep her completely safe.

After a long silence, He Chong asked, “Can I ask… why did your dad hit you?”

Zhou Mo spoke in a low voice. “Do you remember when I asked if you were ever afraid of anything?”

“I remember.”

“If I said I was afraid of painting, would you believe me?”

He Chong glanced over at her. “I don’t quite understand, but I believe you.” Seeing her pull her head down against the wind off the river, he held his cigarette between his teeth, took off his jacket, and tossed it over her head.

Caught off guard, Zhou Mo was covered up completely. She grabbed the jacket, pulled it off her head, and draped it over her shoulders. The inner lining still held He Chong’s body heat, carrying a faint scent of tobacco.

“When I was little… around seven years old, my dad dragged me to a painting competition. He was full of confidence in me, but I only took second place. He locked me in the study and hit my hands with a wooden board about this thick…” Zhou Mo held up her index finger and thumb to show the thickness. “He hit me so hard that a week later, it still hurt to hold a pen. Ever since then, I’ve been terrified of entering any competition…”

He Chong frowned deeply, not daring to dwell on the scene she described. Though he had grown up without a mother or father, his uncle had never once beaten him.

“Are you afraid your dad will hit you again, or…”

Zhou Mo shook her head. “My dad said I didn’t practice hard enough, but I really gave it everything I had. I saw the winner’s painting. Compared to her, even five more years of practice wouldn’t let me catch up. Some people are just born with a natural talent that others don’t have. Sometimes I think I’ve climbed high enough, but there’s always a taller mountain standing in front of me. So after that, whenever it was a competition, I couldn’t take it casually. Everything I painted turned out rigid and ugly…”

He Chong blew out a puff of smoke. “Fear aside, you’ve stuck with it for so many years. You can’t hate it, can you?”

Zhou Mo paused for a moment. “No, I don’t hate it.”

“There you go then. Don’t overthink it. There will always be a higher peak, as long as you still have the spirit to keep climbing.”

Zhou Mo lowered her head in silence.

“I only know you paint, but I’ve never actually seen any of your work. Let me take a look so I can see just how ‘ugly’ it is.”

Zhou Mo glared at him. “I was being modest. In any case, it’s definitely better than anything you could draw.”

“Is comparing yourself to me really something to brag about? I’m illiterate.”

Zhou Mo: “…”

She pulled out her phone, found a photo in her gallery, and passed it to He Chong. “The ones before and after it are all mine, too.”

He Chong took it and swiped across the screen.

Zhou Mo fixed her eyes on his face, closely monitoring every subtle shift in his expression. “Well?”

“Not bad.” It had eyes and a nose, after all^[4].

“Really?”

“Yeah. The filter is applied nicely, too.”

Zhou Mo sensed something was off and snatched the phone back.

On the screen was a selfie of her.

“You!”

He Chong looked entirely innocent. “You told me to swipe back and forth.”

“You still should’ve known better!”

Seeing her about to bristle, He Chong quickly reached out and pressed a hand over her head, soothing her, “I saw the paintings, and they really are good. At least I can actually make sense of them.”

Zhou Mo burst out laughing. “That is way too low a bar.”

“If you painted a portrait, like one of me, I’d definitely hold you to a higher standard.”

“You’re not that hard to draw…” Zhou Mo paused, cutting herself off abruptly.

He Chong’s gaze snapped back to her. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “How do you know I’m not hard to draw? Have you drawn me before?”

“Draw you? Don’t be ridiculous, that’d be a waste of ink.” Feeling guilty, Zhou Mo jumped down from the boulder and turned to run toward where the car was parked. “Let’s get going, it’s getting late!”

Before setting off, He Chong took a slight detour to the garment factory to say goodbye to his uncle and Yi Fei.

Work at the factory had stopped for the night, and He Zhengkui and He Yifei were watching television in their dormitory. They walked them both out to the factory entrance and watched them get into the car.

He Zhengkui smiled so broadly his eyes squinted into narrow slits, exceptionally warm and kindly. “Miss Zhou, whenever you have time in the future, come visit with He Chong. I’ll make more pancakes for you.”

“Dad, who cares about a couple of pancakes?” He Yifei looked at Zhou Mo and laughed as he recommended his cousin: “Miss Zhou, my cousin is a great guy, really reliable…”

He Chong cut in, “Yi Fei.”

He Yifei shut his mouth instantly and waved. “Come by often!”

When the car was far down the road, Zhou Mo turned back for another glance. In the darkness, the factory was no longer visible. She turned back around and looked at He Chong. “Thank you for today.”

That was the kind of family she had always dreamed of. Even if incomplete, it was warm enough, finding contentment in simple, everyday meals.

He Chong gave a quiet “Mm” by way of reply, but a smile flickered in his eyes.

By the time Zhou Mo arrived home, it was right around the time she would normally get back after her evening elective class.

He Chong parked along the street not far from her house. Before Zhou Mo got out, he added a few words of advice: “If anything like this happens again in the future, just play along on the surface. Don’t give him a chance to put his hands on you.”

Zhou Mo said, “Okay.”

Looking at the glaring handprint on her fair cheek, He Chong had heartfelt words right at the tip of his tongue, but he held them back.

Zhou Mo said, “I’m heading in, then.”

She got out of the car and walked through the shadows toward the light in the distance.

She had taken only a few steps when she heard He Chong call out behind her, “Zhou Mo!”

Turning around, she saw that He Chong had already gotten out of the car and was striding toward her, his steps easy and confident, as if carried on the wind. Just as she was about to speak, he stepped right up to her, stopping barely half a fist away. His tall frame blocked out the lights behind him, enveloping her completely in his shadow.

Zhou Mo felt her blood rush once again, her breath tightening.

In the darkness of the night, she saw He Chong smiling, a grin touched with slyness and something unreadable. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he suddenly reached out toward her shoulder. Startled, she reflexively held her breath.

However, He Chong merely tugged at the jacket she was still wearing.

“You’ve got to give this back to me, or your dad is going to give you another beating when he sees it.”

Only then did Zhou Mo realize what he meant. She quickly took it off and handed it back. “Thank you.”

“Hurry on home.” He Chong slung the jacket casually over his shoulder and smiled. “Good night, little girl.”

His voice was low and pleasant, carrying an indefinable trace of tenderness.

Zhou Mo’s heart leaped into her throat again. A strange feeling stirred within her, like the stifling air before a sudden summer storm, suffocating her.

“Good night.”

He Chong turned, blew a whistle, and strode back to his car. The headlights flashed in the night, casting a pale yellow beam that stretched out into the distance.

Zhou Mo watched until the car completely disappeared into the darkness before jogging into the residential complex. As she reached the steps outside her front door, she paused.

Her heart was still thumping fast.

She pushed the door open and went inside. Zhou Sipei was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, while Tang Shulan stood by the window with a sheet mask on, talking on the phone.

“I’m back.”

The two barely lifted their eyelids, casting her a fleeting glance by way of response.

Zhou Mo’s cheerful mood was dampened a little, but the rare peace at home today was already a blessing. Not wanting to invite trouble by lingering downstairs, she just called out a greeting and went straight upstairs.

After taking a shower in her room’s bathroom, Zhou Mo fetched her bag, pulled out her sketchbook, and turned to the page featuring He Chong.

Ever since the day she realized she had unconsciously drawn He Chong, Zhou Mo hadn’t dared open it again. She was naive and dense, but she was by no means completely oblivious.

She didn’t dare probe into these feelings, even though the answer in her heart was already far too clear to ignore.

Zhou Mo looked at He Chong’s outline, sketched in just a few quick strokes. Those eyes seemed to quietly gaze back at her through the paper, just as he always did, mocking the world yet appearing deeply devoted.

She hugged the sketchbook to her chest and collapsed onto the bed. Thinking back to the afternoon at the abandoned station, where she and He Chong had been mere millimeters apart, her cheeks burned hot and her heart pounded like a drum. Curling into a ball, she tried to suppress that fluttering pulse, as if something were about to break out of its shell.

For a while after that, He Chong’s life went on as usual, except he picked up a new habit.

If anyone had told him before that at twenty-eight he would still be glued to his phone chatting back and forth with someone, he would have scoffed. Yet here he was, doing just that. Though he found it childish and tiresome, he still patiently replied to the messages the little girl sent him from time to time.

One day, He Chong suddenly got a call from Sun Qi, inviting him to check out a car over the weekend. Ever since collaborating with Sun Qi the first time, he knew there would inevitably be a second and third time. Fortunately, this rich young master didn’t bother him on normal days, paid promptly, and never bossed him around, making him a generous patron.

He Chong contacted Yan Tianyu and Lin Xinghe, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, to go over to Sun Qi’s place to inspect the car together.

Yan Tianyu chattered non-stop along the way. “Brother Chong, what kind of car is it this time?”

“Don’t know yet. Sun Qi didn’t say.”

When they arrived, Sun Qi came forward to greet the three of them. Yan Tianyu shook hands with Sun Qi, but his gaze was fixed straight behind him: right in the center of the open lot sat a bright yellow Lamborghini Aventador SV.

Sun Qi followed his gaze and asked with a chuckle, “Want to take it for a spin?”

Yan Tianyu nodded vigorously.

Sun Qi generously tossed him the keys, unable to hide his pride. “Let me tell you, in all of Xicheng, there aren’t more than five of these.”

Yan Tianyu’s hands trembled with excitement as he took the keys and carefully opened the car door.

Watching the car drive off, He Chong walked over to Lin Xinghe and asked in a low voice, “Xinghe, what do you think?”

“What about you, Brother Chong?”

He Chong pondered for a moment. “This car costs eight million. I wouldn’t dare get ahead of myself.”

Lin Xinghe nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Yan Tianyu drove a dozen laps around the track outside, barely satisfying his craving before bringing the car back. He raised his arms as he hit the brakes, shouting excitedly at He Chong and Lin Xinghe, “You guys try it too! A Lamborghini is a Lamborghini, this feels amazing!”

He Chong frowned slightly.

Sun Qi took back the keys and asked He Chong and Lin Xinghe, “Want to give it a try too?”

He Chong said, “It’s enough that Tianyu tried it.” Lin Xinghe shook his head as well.

Yan Tianyu rubbed his hands together, eager to start. “Young Master Sun, is this Aventador SV the one we’re modifying?”

Sun Qi said, “Of course not. Not to burst your bubble, but I don’t think anyone in the country would dare touch this car.”

He Chong let out a sigh of relief. “Even if you were willing to let us test the waters on it, Young Master Sun, I wouldn’t dare take the job.”

Only Yan Tianyu couldn’t hide his disappointment. The moment he heard they weren’t modifying the Aventador SV, his spirits deflated completely.

Sun Qi pointed to another car not far away. “The one I want you to modify is this Mercedes-AMG E 63.”

He Chong asked, “What are the requirements?”

“Its factory zero-to-hundred acceleration is 3.4 seconds. I want to shave some time off that.”

“This model is already the fastest-accelerating in the entire AMG lineup.”

Sun Qi chuckled. “Well, a car can never be too fast.”

He Chong and Lin Xinghe took the car out for a test run to check all its parameters. After driving it back, He Chong asked Lin Xinghe in a low voice, “Are you confident?”

“Theoretically, yes, but the conditions are very demanding. The engine, exhaust system,” Lin Xinghe counted on his fingers, “and the entire aerodynamic kit might all need to be modified.”

He Chong pondered for a moment before delivering their conclusion to Sun Qi. “Young Master Sun, our rule remains that we only provide theoretically feasible plans. We won’t be involved in anything beyond that.”

Sun Qi responded crisply, “Got it. This is our second time working together, after all.”

On the way back, Yan Tianyu was still fixated on that Lamborghini. Resting his arms over the back of the driver’s seat, he asked He Chong, “Brother Chong, since you have this kind of prestige and connections, why don’t you start a studio? Recruit talent, take on more orders… You wouldn’t even have to limit yourself to just design plans; you could get hands-on yourself. With such a great chance to make money, are you really not tempted?”

“What, think I didn’t pay you enough commission?”

Yan Tianyu chuckled. “Of course not. But when it comes to money, the more the merrier, right?”

He Chong said plainly, “Some money burns your hands when you take it.”

Yan Tianyu brushed off his cautionary advice, which carried the tone of someone who had seen it all, and leaned back to start discussing modification plans with Lin Xinghe.

This time, He Chong asked Sun Qi for a relatively flexible deadline, organizing Yan Tianyu and Lin Xinghe to tackle the problems step by step. Both of them were seniors now with few classes left. Aside from holing up in the computer lab writing papers, they spent all their free time at the garage.

He Chong and Zhou Mo communicated via WeChat these days, so naturally, she didn’t drop by very often.

One day, while researching the engine system of a Mercedes-AMG E 63, Yan Tianyu suddenly poked his head out, glanced toward the door, and called out, “Brother Chong, have you made things official with your ‘niece’ yet?”

He Chong was sitting on the steps by the door texting Zhou Mo. Hearing that, he locked his phone screen and turned his head. “Is it that obvious?”

Yan Tianyu chuckled and said to Lin Xinghe, “Super obvious, right? Last time at breakfast, Brother Chong, you guarded her like a mother cow protecting her calf.”

Lin Xinghe maintained a cold, distant expression, keeping his head down as he tightened a screw, offering no reply.

“Brother Chong, you’ve got to step it up. I’m telling you, college guys nowadays are eager. Someone with Zhou Mo’s looks and charm won’t stay single for long.”

He Chong chuckled. “Not bad. Hurting the enemy a thousand while taking eight hundred damage yourself.”

“Seriously, don’t doubt me.” Yan Tianyu whistled and went back to his research.

Prompted by Yan Tianyu’s reminder, He Chong realized with a sudden jolt that his progress with Zhou Mo really was a bit slow. In truth, the key didn’t lie with him, but with when Zhou Mo would finally catch on.

Moments like this made He Chong particularly despise Zhou Mo’s ex-boyfriend. Perhaps she was too used to Lin Heng’s textbook, formulaic courtship, leaving her oblivious to his subtle, quiet care.

He also harbored some rather childish anxieties, terrified that Zhou Mo truly hadn’t thought of him in that way at all. If he acted rashly, he might end up scaring her.

Ever since realizing his own feelings, He Chong had been restless day and night. He had never been so helpless over a woman before.

Feeling deeply guilty about flaking on Ye Yinyin because of the startup competition finals, Zhou Mo offered to treat her to a meal as an apology, inviting Han Yu and He Chong along as well. But because everyone’s schedules clashed, it took three full weeks before the dinner finally happened.

The weather in Xicheng grew colder by the day. After several bouts of rain, darkness fell completely by six in the evening, accompanied by a biting wind.

Arm in arm with Ye Yinyin, Zhou Mo jogged all the way to the Japanese restaurant. When they pushed the door open, they found Han Yu and He Chong already there. The two had shown no restraint, ordering two of the most expensive bottles of Japanese sake in the house and sipping them together.

Removing their shoes, coats, and bags, Zhou Mo and Ye Yinyin entered the private room and slid their legs into the sunken space under the table. Quick-eyed and fast-handed, Ye Yinyin spotted Han Yu’s freshly poured cup of sake, snatched it up, and downed it in one gulp, smacking her lips in satisfaction afterward.

Han Yu didn’t even have time to react. “That’s my cup!”

“I don’t mind.”

Han Yu clicked his tongue twice. “Well, I mind!”

Ye Yinyin patted his shoulder. “Don’t get worked up, Boss Han. We’re close business partners now, so why turn your nose up at me?”

Speechless, Han Yu clutched the sake bottle and shifted away from her, looking terrified that Ye Yinyin would ruin the rest of it.

While ordering, Ye Yinyin asked He Chong, “Boss He, what have you been up to lately? I haven’t seen you meet up with our Mo-Mo at all.”

He Chong said, “Boss Han is the real boss. I’m just an odd-job guy at a bar.”

Han Yu chimed in, “Don’t be so modest, Boss He. You’re about to make a fortune. ‘If you strike it rich, don’t forget your old pals^[5].'”

Zhou Mo looked up from the menu and asked curiously, “What fortune?”

He Chong pushed her head back down. “Just order your food.” Han Yu was referring to the new job he had taken from Sun Qi. He wasn’t particularly keen on sharing all these details with Zhou Mo. For one, he was afraid she would worry again about his complicated social network; for another… there was an indescribable pleasure in her mistakenly believing he was down on his luck and broke.

Zhou Mo: “Oh.”

Han Yu took in their interaction, finding it an absolute eyesore. He gave a soft snort, snatched the menu from in front of Ye Yinyin, and grumbled, “Order, order! Hurry up, I’m starving.”

The four of them were very close, so the atmosphere over dinner was relaxed and comfortable. Since He Chong didn’t plan on returning to Yannan Town tonight and intended to crash at Han Yu’s place, he drank quite a bit more freely.

The alcohol wasn’t particularly strong, but it had a powerful delayed kick. By the time they wrapped up, Han Yu and Ye Yinyin, who both had lighter tolerances, were feeling tipsy. Abandoning their earlier bickering, they draped their arms around each other’s shoulders like best pals, staggering toward the exit.

He Chong waited for Zhou Mo to finish settling the bill at the front desk before walking out with her. In a corner of the pedestrian street plaza, they caught up with Ye Yinyin and Han Yu. For reasons unknown, the two had gone from acting like best pals a second ago to suddenly shouting at each other.

Ye Yinyin stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at Han Yu. “Stingy! So what if I only got second place?!”

“Who was the one who guaranteed me first place?! I invested so much money in you, and how many college students did you bring me?!”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t care about college students who group-buy a single bottle of beer?!”

“Even a fly’s leg is still meat^[6]!”

Han Yu glared at her. “You have zero sense of contract, shameless and utterly unprincipled!”

Ye Yinyin glared back at him. “And you have no sense of brotherhood, blinded by greed!”

The two were aggressive and heated, rolling up their sleeves and trading curses. Zhou Mo looked on with concern, turned to He Chong, and asked, “Should we go over and break them up?”

He Chong said, “Yeah, let me step in. This is embarrassing.”

They were just about to step in and pull them apart when they heard Han Yu raging in frustration, “Didn’t we have a deal when I gave you that money? I supply the cash, you introduce me to a girlfriend. Where’s the girlfriend? Now I can’t get my money back, and I didn’t even get a girl…”

Ye Yinyin interrupted him, “Didn’t I introduce someone to you?”

Han Yu glared. “Where?”

Ye Yinyin widened her eyes even more. “Right here!” Stepping forward, she grabbed Han Yu’s wildly gesturing arms and stood on tiptoe.

Zhou Mo was dumbfounded.

He Chong was dumbfounded.

He Chong was the first to react. Pulling Zhou Mo by the arm, he said, “Let’s go. Let’s not disturb them.”

As He Chong dragged Zhou Mo out of the crowd, she still couldn’t help looking back over her shoulder. But the two of them were already kissing in public, completely oblivious to everyone around them.

Zhou Mo was still a bit dazed. “That was fast.”

He Chong glanced at her and thought, That was slow.

Having just finished a full meal, their bodies were comfortably warm, making the cool breeze feel extra refreshing.

Strolling along, they gradually left the central pedestrian street behind and reached a nearby street. Small shops lined both sides of the road, but since it was past nine-thirty, most of them had already closed for the night.

Zhou Mo was still thinking about Han Yu and Ye Yinyin. “When on earth did those two hook up?”

“You’re so close with Ye Yinyin, and you didn’t notice?”

“No.”

“You’re dense, so no surprise there.”

Zhou Mo glared at him.

He Chong smiled and kindly explained to her, “Han Yu really is a bit of a cheapskate usually. Taking his money is like taking his life. But he’s incredibly generous to people he likes. Back in college, he worked part-time jobs for three months and didn’t keep a single cent, spending all of it on a birthday gift for a girl he liked.”

Zhou Mo’s focus, however, landed elsewhere. “Boss Han went to college?”

“What’s so strange about that?”

“It’s not strange that Boss Han went to college,” Zhou Mo said, looking at him with a smile. “What’s strange is that you actually have a friend who went to college.”

He Chong raised an eyebrow. “I don’t quite get what you mean by that. Care to explain?”

“It’s literal. What’s there to explain?”

He Chong realized that Zhou Mo’s knack for banter was improving day by day. This was likely from spending so much time around him and picking up his habits. Far from being annoyed, he actually felt a gratifying sense of pride, like watching a daughter grow up.

As the two walked and chatted, half an hour passed before they knew it.

He Chong suddenly came to a halt. “Let’s make a bet.”

Zhou Mo stopped alongside him. “What kind of bet?”

With his hands tucked in the pockets of his trench coat, He Chong merely jutted his chin toward the shop across the street. “Smash the glass of that shop. Dare to do it?”

“Why?”

“To do something bad.”

“That wasn’t on the list I gave you.”

“Consider it a buy-one-get-one-free bonus. The stuff on your list is boring. If we’re doing this, let’s do something actually exciting.”

Zhou Mo lightly licked her lips. “What would the consequences be?”

“That depends on how fast you run. If you don’t get caught, there are no consequences at all. If you do get caught… you might end up in detention.”

Zhou Mo instantly shrank back.

“Don’t worry, though. I’m a very loyal guy. I’ll definitely come post bail for you and give you the exact same treatment I gave Yi Fei,” He Chong said with deadpan seriousness.

Hearing him say that made Zhou Mo shrink back even more.

He Chong suddenly stepped closer, standing right behind her and leaning down slightly near her ear. His voice held an inexplicable touch of temptation. “Look, there’s only one surveillance camera on this street, and it broke down a long time ago. They’ll never catch you.”

A faint hint of alcohol lingered on his breath, brushing against the hair by her ear and leaving a light tickle. Her ears thrummed, and the spark of thrill-seeking desire inside her was thoroughly stoked. “Really?”

“Really.”

Zhou Mo clenched both hands. “Then… should I give it a try? I’ll leave money to pay for the damage, double… no, triple.” She turned her head to glance at him. “How much does a pane of display window glass cost?”

He Chong let out a chuckle, his slightly tipsy eyes filled entirely with her reflection. “Either way, you can definitely afford it.”

Zhou Mo hesitated for a long moment before taking a step forward.

Once the first step was taken, the second step came easier. Her footing felt unsteady, stumbling slightly with every stride, but she managed to reach the display window at last. As luck would have it, there happened to be a handy stone lying right on the ground in front of the window.

She picked up the stone and held it tight in her hand, but looking at the window glass, hesitation seized her once more.

Half a minute went by, and she still couldn’t bring herself to strike.

Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded behind her. Before she could turn around, a hand reached out, snatched the stone from her grip, threw it to the ground, and grabbed her hand in the same motion, barking low, “Run! The police are here!”

Zhou Mo stumbled as He Chong yanked her along, but quickly regained her footing. By the time she snapped out of her daze, she was already sprinting alongside him.

Wind rushed past her ears, making them sting. The hems of their coats whipped up, rustling loudly, as two sets of hurried footsteps overlapped one after another.

Her mouth parted as her breathing turned ragged. Streetlights flashed past her vision one after another, and the streetscape retreated in a blur. After taking turn after turn, she completely lost all sense of direction.

But He Chong held her hand tightly, the sweat from their palms mingling together, warm and damp.

She didn’t need to know where they were going. She only needed to follow him, running headlong forward.

If a solid stone wall rose to block their path, He Chong would smash through it for her, carving out a way forward.

She believed this implicitly, without any reason at all.

Zhou Mo felt an exhilarating rush of freedom, her eyes wide as she gasped for air with a joyful smile.

Her heart had never pounded so fiercely before, like spring sprouts bursting up through the soil, swelling until it throbbed with a faint ache.

The stagnant waters of her first twenty years had barely stirred, perhaps all for the sake of this single moment, for right now.

She didn’t know how far or how long they had run. Reaching a bridge, He Chong finally came to a stop. He let go of her hand, turned around to face her, panting heavily for breath.

He tried to speak, but ended up laughing instead.

Clutching her chest, Zhou Mo said, out of breath, “I… I’ve already figured out your tricks. There were no police, right?”

“Right.”

“Either a friend of yours runs that shop, or you gave them a heads-up beforehand. So even if I really did smash it, it wouldn’t have mattered, right?”

“Right.”

“Even the stone was prepared by you, right?”

“Right.”

Zhou Mo smiled. “So the whole ‘doing something bad’ thing was completely fake.”

“Is that so?” He Chong looked down at her. After a brief silence, he suddenly reached out, scooped her up, and set her down on the bridge’s stone railing.

Zhou Mo nearly let out a small cry, but the moment she caught He Chong’s gaze, she forced herself to hold it back.

The light from the streetlamp cast over He Chong, leaving half of him illuminated and half hidden in darkness, giving his handsome profile an intriguing duality. She had seen this man act cynical, and she had seen him act completely upright, yet she still couldn’t fully read him.

Yet whether she understood him or not, she allowed herself to trust him, completely and without reservation.

He Chong’s gaze was as dark as an abyss, looking as though it concealed everything, yet as though a single look was all it took to make everything clear.

Zhou Mo’s shoulders tensed, and that swelling ache in her heart returned, causing her fingers to tremble faintly.

He Chong’s eyes drifted lower, from her forehead to her eyes, then down the bridge of her nose… Beneath the lamplight, her fair skin was faintly flushed from running. Her breath came unevenly, deep then shallow, as if she were idly pressing keys on a piano, every note landing with absolute precision on his heart.

Finally, his gaze settled on her slightly parted lips. Suddenly, whatever patience he had possessed to take things step by step dissolved. A surge of restlessness and impulse turned him back into a rash teenager no older than eighteen.

“Then let me teach you how to do something truly bad…” he said hoarsely.

Zhou Mo’s breath caught in her throat. Under He Chong’s gaze, she could no longer feel her heart beating, as though it had long since flown right out of her chest.

She didn’t dare blink, nor did she dare close her eyes. She seemed to sense what was about to happen, though it was nothing more than a hazy outline.

He Chong reached out with slightly trembling fingers, carefully touching the strand of hair resting against her cheek, then gently cradled her head.

He slowly leaned in.

Shadow fell, shifting toward Zhou Mo inch by inch.

Inch by inch, closer and closer…