Chapter 6

“We’re here.”

Yu Wan’s voice pulled Fang Nianchen back from her daze.

She glanced out the window—it was indeed near her home.

The rundown neighborhood didn’t even have a front gate, while just one street over was North City’s famous upscale residential area, where only the rich and powerful could afford to live.

The community had all sorts of extravagant facilities—artificial lakes, mini ecological gardens, you name it.

At night, when all the lights came on, the whole place looked dazzlingly luxurious.

By comparison, her own place seemed pretty shabby.

Yu Wan clearly hadn’t expected her to live here. She signaled a turn and slowly pulled over to the side of the road.

She wanted to ask something but didn’t know how to broach it.

The hazard lights were flashing, the clicking sound making the surroundings feel eerily quiet.

As if sensing something, Fang Nianchen smiled and spoke first. “Does it look too rundown?”

Tao Zhixing, Qiao Yan—every friend who’d been to her place had complained about how sketchy the security looked here and urged her to move.

So when Yu Wan suddenly went quiet, she guessed that’s what she wanted to say.

Yu Wan replied, “No.”

“This neighborhood was built ages ago. It does look pretty beat-up on the outside, but the neighbors are all really warm and take good care of me,” Fang Nianchen explained. “It’s actually pretty comfortable living here.”

Ninety percent of the residents were elderly folks who’d been here for over thirty years, close as family.

Housing in North City was pricey, and rentals came with tons of rules. When she first graduated and moved back, she’d nearly ended up homeless.

This was her second year here, and she’d gotten plenty of help from the uncles and aunties—including the landlady grandma turning a blind eye to her keeping pets.

With that said, Fang Nianchen fell silent.

She was waiting for Yu Wan to ask.

To ask if she was having some hardship, if she needed help.

She didn’t mind hearing it again—the same things her friends had said.

Fang Nianchen wasn’t a kid anymore. She wouldn’t let pride make her think people were looking down on her.

She could tell concern from mockery.

But no matter what anyone said, she wasn’t moving. There were far more reasons to stay than to leave.

Unexpectedly, Yu Wan only asked, “If there’s a chance next time, could I come up for a visit?”

Not today, not any specific day—the timeframe left wide open.

She was the one making the request, yet the decision was back in Fang Nianchen’s hands.

“Of course.”

Fang Nianchen didn’t want to seem too awkward. She was already trying hard to get used to their friendship.

For a friend, inviting Yu Wan over was perfectly normal.

“Then I’ll head out.” Fang Nianchen opened the car door, one foot already out, when she suddenly remembered something. “Thanks for today, Director Yu.”

It slipped out almost automatically. Of all things, she’d adapted to that title these past few days.

The air chilled for a second, and Fang Nianchen immediately realized her mistake.

“It’s fine.”

Yu Wan’s response—was it brushing off her excessive politeness, or forgiving the wrong form of address?

Fang Nianchen didn’t want to dwell on it. What if Yu Wan changed her mind and corrected her later?

She hurried out of the car and headed into the pitch-black neighborhood.

“Fang Nianchen.”

Just as her figure was about to vanish into the night, Yu Wan called her name from behind.

“Hm?” Fang Nianchen turned back. Dim light fell on her shoulder; the evening breeze blew, and she brushed away the stray hairs covering her eyes.

The street was shrouded in gloom, but her eyes were clear and bright.

In that moment, reality and memory overlapped. A tingling sensation spread through Yu Wan’s heart.

A soft smile appeared on her face. “Good night. See you tomorrow.”

“Mm, good night.” Fang Nianchen replied cheerfully. “Drive safe.”

She entered the stairwell, and the voice-activated lights flickered on layer by layer before going out one by one until the glow vanished at the top floor.

She’d grabbed her keys first thing that morning. The moment she opened the door, she stuck out her foot to block the cats lunging out, sweeping them back inside.

This scene played out every day. Once the door was shut, the good-tempered Fang Nianchen sat on the floor, waiting for the kittens’ welcome ritual.

She gently bumped her head against the little one draped over her shoulder. It immediately started purring contentedly, rubbing its fluffy head hard against her neck.

There was no creature in the world more eager to show her affection than these cats.

Surrounded by them, one hand petting a fluffy little head, her thoughts began to wander.

For some reason, she wondered how long it would take Yu Wan to get home from here. If it was too long, that meant she’d gone out of her way to drop her off.

But even if she had, what did that prove?

Right now, the puzzle pieces in front of her were all jumbled up. Every interaction with Yu Wan just added another fragment.

It was getting harder and harder, but she was the only player from start to finish—no audience even.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out.

Yu Wan had sent a voice message. Fang Nianchen was a bit stunned and converted it to text.

Yu Wan: [I won’t be at the company tomorrow—heading to An City for a meeting. Next time we’ll meet is Monday.]

Why bother telling her this?

Fang Nianchen stared at the baffling message. Why would she think Yu Wan was reporting her schedule to her?

As the sole witness to her one failed secret crush, Fang Nianchen knew she had to nip this illusion in the bud.

She simply flipped her phone face down, pretending nothing happened.

But she had to reply with something.

Not too formal, or Yu Wan might feel chatting with her was too distant—especially after calling her the wrong title tonight, which was still fresh.

Though Yu Wan hadn’t said a word about it, her gut told her she cared.

After agonizing over it, Fang Nianchen flipped the phone back and sent a cartoon shark thumbs-up emoji.

It took a long while before Yu Wan replied: [Very cute]

Fang Nianchen looked at those three words on the screen. Not a voice message this time.

She scrolled up the chat a bit. Yu Wan rarely sent voice messages anyway; she was probably driving earlier and couldn’t type.

Her finger hovered over that voice message but didn’t press play. After a moment, she sighed silently and exited the chat.

After her shower, Fang Nianchen lay on the bed reading as usual, her eyes scanning the pages without taking in a single word.

Her mind kept replaying Yu Wan’s words: “I believe you.”

It wouldn’t be hard to hear Yu Wan say she trusted her or something like that. Even back then, almost every time they went out alone, Yu Wan would let her plan the itinerary.

Fang Nianchen wasn’t like Tao Zhixing, who was a pro at fun spots, so she always worried if the places she picked would be enjoyable or if the restaurants would be any good.

When she dithered too much to decide, Yu Wan would smile and reassure her. “It’s fine. I don’t think you’ll pick wrong.”

It was precisely because she’d realized so strongly for the first time that she liked someone—learning Yu Wan’s preferences bit by bit, clumsily trying to please her.

But the truth was Fang Nianchen had her misses too, like dragging Yu Wan to an archery range—a place that felt less like a date and more like a friend meetup.

That day at the range, when a strange guy asked Yu Wan for her WeChat, her heart had soured with jealousy, but she had no right to stop it.

Fang Nianchen gave that “date” a big red X and never suggested the archery range again.

—

Sure enough, Yu Wan wasn’t at work the next day.

The director’s office stayed shut all afternoon. Qiao Yan finally noticed something off and found Fang Nianchen after lunch. “Director Yu didn’t come in today? No wonder the room feels warmer.”

This past week had been pure torture for her. Every morning meeting, locking eyes with Yu Wan made her feel like she’d be silenced the next second.

A few more Yu Wans in the world, and global warming would be solved.

Fang Nianchen stared at her screen, replying offhandedly, “Yeah, she went to An City. Won’t be back till Monday.”

“How do you know?”

“Hm?”

“How do you know she went to An City?” Qiao Yan caught a whiff of something unusual. “You even know when she’s coming back.”

Fang Nianchen’s hand paused as she realized what she’d said.

Not many people tracked a director’s schedule besides the secretary or assistant.

Qiao Yan pressed, “Why are you paying such close attention? Something going on?”

“I didn’t…” Fang Nianchen panicked inwardly but played it cool on the surface. “Zuo Anfeng said.”

Blame it on Zuo Anfeng in a pinch—that was the right call. Otherwise, she couldn’t explain.

“Did he?”

“Yeah, that day.”

Qiao Yan tilted her head. “Which day?”

One slip of the tongue, one gossip hound on the prowl.

Just as Fang Nianchen thought this conversation would drag on forever, Zuo Anfeng walked in, bags in hand.

He cleared his throat dramatically, and all eyes turned his way.

“Director Yu is treating everyone to afternoon tea. I went to great lengths to lug it up from downstairs—you all hurry and grab some. Don’t waste my hard work.”

It was clearly Director Yu who footed the bill, yet Zuo Anfeng’s tone made it sound like he’d made some massive sacrifice.

Fang Nianchen felt inexplicably irritated.

But this interruption successfully diverted Qiao Yan’s attention.

A boss treating employees to afternoon tea or handing out little perks was par for the course in the company.

Fang Nianchen admired Yu Wan’s people skills. No matter how icy she came across, she still knew best how to build rapport.

Not to mention, she’d just taken up her post, and smoothly getting through this first week was a subtle way to win some goodwill.

“Everything’s bought and delivered upstairs.” Secretary Cao reported to Yu Wan after getting the message. “Manager Zuo’s efficiency seems pretty decent.”

“If he can’t even handle something this simple, he can pack up and leave.” Yu Wan flipped through the recent meeting notes, her finger pressed to her temple. “What did President Qin say? Are we canceling tomorrow’s meeting?”

The meeting had originally been scheduled for two days, but word just came that President Qin from Mengyang Company had something come up and might not make it tomorrow. They were still waiting for confirmation right before the break.

“Most likely. I heard President Qin’s mother was suddenly hospitalized.”

“Mm.”

After a moment of silence, Secretary Cao probed cautiously, “So, how are you planning tomorrow?”

“What’s up?”

“Miss Quan called me asking about your schedule. She said if you’re free tomorrow, she’d like to invite you camping.” Secretary Cao watched Yu Wan’s expression. “Should I tell her now, or help you turn her down?”

Back when Yu Wan had said she had a meeting on Saturday, Quan Cige hadn’t bought it one bit: “What kind of masochist works on a Saturday? Does Yunqi pay you overtime for that?”

Quan Cige had just wrapped up filming a web drama and had two weeks off.

She was the one without any fixed holidays, yet in Quan Cige’s eyes, Yu Wan’s occasional overtime was just an excuse to brush her off.

After Secretary Cao finished, she added, almost pleading on Quan Cige’s behalf, “She’s been calling nonstop these past few days to ask about you.”

Yu Wan looked up at her, her eyes showing no trace of emotion.

Secretary Cao steeled herself and continued, “She’s really worried about you coming back to North City this time. Qing-jie is too.”

“Got it.” Yu Wan lowered her gaze, unclear which words had finally softened her stance. “Tell her I’ll go.”