This sensation was quite peculiar.
Her fingertips were ice-cold, yet her palm was scorching hot.
Yu Wan wasn’t just holding her hand; she even gave it a gentle squeeze, asking warmly, “Your hand is even colder than mine. Did you not wear enough clothes?”
Fang Nianchen’s hands were cold all year round, but no one had ever asked about it before—there had never even been a chance to touch them.
In a way, her hands were her only exposed private part.
On one hand, she wondered how much longer Yu Wan would hold her hand; on the other, she hoped it wouldn’t be released so soon.
The feeling of being enveloped by this source of warmth was strangely wonderful. Fang Nianchen savored the temperature with a mix of trepidation and reluctance to let go.
She replied softly, “Maybe because I’m sick.”
“I see.” Yu Wan seemed to have held it long enough and let go of her hand. “Then let’s hurry and eat so you can head home and rest early.”
Her hand was released soundlessly, dropping to her side, and her heart sank along with it. But the lingering warmth remained, once again lifting her spirits with a joyful flutter around her heart.
Fang Nianchen raised her voice cheerfully, “Okay, I’ll lead the way.”
She said she would lead the way, but in truth, they were walking side by side.
Fang Nianchen kept glancing sideways from time to time, confirming that Yu Wan was keeping up—and more than that, to make sure she hadn’t lost patience from walking the night road for too long.
There had been a light drizzle earlier, filling the air with a fresh, damp scent. This dampness was very different from what she’d experienced in the UK, mingled with the unique aroma of North City.
Of course, there was also a faint sweet scent of baby’s breath, which became noticeable when close.
“Do you usually come back this late?” Yu Wan took the initiative to chat with her.
“Normally no, but today I had dinner with… a friend I knew from before.” Fang Nianchen chose her words carefully, politely adding the title of “friend” when introducing Yin Chi.
Yin Chi was a full ten years older than her, far richer in experience both in life and other aspects.
Perhaps because Yin Chi never lectured her from an elder’s high-and-mighty tone, Fang Nianchen had never felt distant from her. Yin Chi thought the same, and calling each other friends had long since become routine.
“Looks like you didn’t eat your fill, or why else would your eyes light up at the mention of late-night snacks? Hmm?” Yu Wan was just teasing. Near the dim light sources, she couldn’t even make out Fang Nianchen’s expression clearly.
Not to mention that Fang Nianchen always had that calm demeanor, unflappable even as the world crumbled before her eyes. It was rare to see any emotions beyond the ordinary on her face.
Of course, shyness excepted.
Fang Nianchen’s shyness was easy to read—she would always lower her head silently first, then embarrassedly touch her neck with her hand.
Like right now, as her hand restlessly touched her neck again. “Western food is all flash with no substance.”
“That’s true enough.” Yu Wan curved her lips in agreement.
Fang Nianchen led her to a nearby barbecue joint, an old establishment in North City. Tao Zhixing had brought her here many times before—the ingredients were fresh, and the sauces were especially delicious.
What set this place apart was its remote location, making it seem insignificant next to the nearby massive food street, almost like an informal operation.
It was nearly eleven, but this was the shop’s peak hour, buzzing with energy.
Perhaps because of the contrast with her earlier experience at the Western restaurant, the noisy crowd didn’t irritate Fang Nianchen for the first time. She felt no discomfort, settling in calmly to place her order.
Besides one service girl, the shop only had the boss and his wife handling the grilling and side dishes.
The moment the boss’s wife saw Fang Nianchen, she dropped what she was doing and poked her head out from the kitchen, greeting her enthusiastically, “It’s been a while! Bringing a friend today?”
“Mm, my senior from university.” Fang Nianchen introduced her deftly.
Back when she was still in university, whenever anyone asked about her relationship with Yu Wan, she would introduce her this way.
Even now, it had become a habit.
Hearing that their connection went back that far, the boss’s wife exclaimed in admiration, “University? You two must be really close.”
Five years without contact didn’t necessarily mean a great friendship, but correcting her would only invite a slew of complications. Fang Nianchen just smiled and said no more.
The boss’s wife led them to a spot under a shelter—safe from the barbecue smoke, yet with a view of the street.
Before they could even sit, the boss’s wife suddenly turned to Yu Wan and gushed, “Xiao Chen here is a regular. Not only is she lovable, even the little animals around like playing with her. The fiercest pup will wag its tail at the sight of her.”
Hearing the boss’s wife start bragging about her “great deeds” to yet another person, Fang Nianchen helplessly interjected, “Auntie Zhao…”
“See, I’m praising you.” Auntie Zhao chided playfully. “You’re the only one who doesn’t like hearing it.”
“Thanks, Auntie Zhao, but I’m starving. Can we eat first?” Fang Nianchen’s lips pursed downward—she knew acting hungry and spoiled with elders worked nine times out of ten.
And sure enough, Auntie Zhao fell for it, promptly ushering them to sit.
After handling everything, the boss’s wife ducked back into the kitchen, not forgetting to instruct the service girl on her way, “Send over a cold dish.”
Shifting her attention back to the menu, Fang Nianchen’s tastes were set in stone, and with so many prior visits, she quickly marked her selections. Looking up casually, she caught Yu Wan watching her.
Fang Nianchen smiled a bit guiltily. “What’s up?”
“I didn’t expect you to have such a high reputation with the boss’s wife.” Yu Wan smiled along with her. “I remember you saying back then that you didn’t like dealing with people.”
During university, as one of the school’s hot topics, Fang Nianchen seemed like a hermit tucked away in the deep mountains to others—barely seen outside of exams.
Later, as they grew somewhat closer, Yu Wan had curiously asked about it. Fang Nianchen had answered bluntly, “It’s too much trouble, wastes time, and pointless.”
She’d even added a hint of disdain: “Plus, if someone approaches me with ulterior motives and schemes against me, wouldn’t I be the one at a loss?”
Such arrogant words, if overheard by others, might have been twisted and spread far and wide. But she was facing Yu Wan.
After listening, Yu Wan had patiently advised her, “You’re so guarded against everyone now because you’ve assumed they’re all bad. Maybe try approaching them without preconceptions?”
At the time, Fang Nianchen couldn’t care less about advice from someone she’d only known for two months—an “outsider.” She immediately bristled all over. “I don’t trust anyone. Not even you, to some extent. So I won’t take your advice.”
Youthful arrogance, or naive to the world—any word for pride fit her perfectly.
It was precisely because of that persona that Yu Wan never imagined the Fang Nianchen years later would handle complex social dynamics with such ease.
It was less like change and more like a complete transformation into someone else.
“The owners here are really nice people. After Tao Zhixing brought me a few times, they remembered me. Later, when their pet dog got sick, I helped take care of it for a few days, and we got close.” Fang Nianchen added some details to jog Yu Wan’s memory, in case she forgot. “Tao Zhixing is my high school classmate. Xiao Ning’an knows her too.”
“Mm, I remember.” Yu Wan nodded.
Fang Nianchen tried earnestly to clear her name. “Actually, I was only that reclusive when I first started university. I got much better later.”
“Later?”
“After you graduated.”
“I see…” The smile at Yu Wan’s lips faded.
After grad school graduation, she and Fang Nianchen had completely lost contact.
“So…” Yu Wan asked hesitantly, “Before I graduated, did you ever consider me a friend?”
Fang Nianchen had once pondered the topic of friendship: If she didn’t like Yu Wan, could they still have become friends?
Even dwelling on it now was pointless, but after realizing her own lowly “like,” Yu Wan’s priority in her heart surpassed everyone else’s.
She would drop anything she deemed unimportant for Yu Wan, completely overturning her habit of not going out.
In that year when they chatted most frequently, Fang Nianchen had also lost her patience—every second without a reply from Yu Wan was pure torment.
She would obsessively reread their chat history, wondering if something she’d said had upset Senior Yu, which was why the reply was so delayed.
She even agonized over every message before sending, more meticulously than writing a thesis.
More than once, she’d thought secret love was a bitter ordeal, sometimes tempted to just confess to Yu Wan in one go.
Better a short pain than a long one—or maybe it wouldn’t hurt at all?
But their intermittent flirtation was like an effervescent tablet in water, the rising fine bubbles making her faintly lost, yet greedily addicted.
It was like playing some addictive game—the straightforward desire was for her to know, while the hesitation at the final step dreaded potential rejection. Pulled back and forth by emotions, yet thrillingly expectant all the same.
This obviously wasn’t a normal state between friends. She had always regarded Yu Wan as the object of her affection, and she was unwilling to deceive Yu Wan on this one point alone.
Fang Nianchen spoke up: “No.”
The answer sounded utterly cruel. She had to quickly shift the topic to avoid hurting her.
“Just these for now.” Fang Nianchen hurriedly handed the pen and the checked menu back to the server.
She sneaked a glance at Yu Wan. Good thing she seemed truly oblivious, her expression unchanged.
“Got it.” The server jotted down the order and casually asked, “Cilantro and onions…”
Before the server could finish, Fang Nianchen jumped in: “No cilantro, thanks.”
Yu Wan had been lost in thought from her heartless “No,” and it took her a moment to realize the server was asking a question. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Fang Nianchen answer for her.
She fell silent and swallowed the words she was about to say.
The server nodded and noted it down, then asked, “Can you two handle spicy?”
“Half and half okay?” This time, it was Yu Wan’s turn to ask.
“Ah, of course.” Though such a request was rare, the skewers these two guests ordered were in even numbers anyway. It was easy enough to separate the seasonings.
“Get your own drinks.” With that, the server dashed off to the kitchen with the menu.
It was mealtime peak, and the server Little Sister was swamped. Most of the diners here were regulars who helped themselves to drinks and booze like it was self-service, so there weren’t any issues like theft.
Fang Nianchen returned with soy milk and handed a bottle to Yu Wan.
Yu Wan took it: “Thanks.”
Fang Nianchen politely said it was nothing, sat back down, opened her soy milk, and sipped it through a straw.
“Fang Nianchen.” Suddenly, she heard Yu Wan call her name.
“Hm?” Fang Nianchen mumbled around her straw.
“You bring me food when I’m busy, remember my birthday, and even know I don’t eat cilantro.” Yu Wan enunciated clearly, a hint of seriousness in her tone. “If I didn’t count as your friend back then, then to you, what was I?”
