"Mm."
Jiang Heng gave a low hum of acknowledgment, and the corner of his mouth seemed to lift in a barely perceptible curve—there and gone in an instant.
He sat up, his voice returning to its usual flatness. "The sun's about to rise."
Jiang Ningchu, clutching her sleeping bag, struggled upright as her consciousness gradually cleared. At the words "sunrise," her eyes lit up. "Yes! Let's watch the sunrise!"
Jiang Heng unzipped the tent.
The damp, cold morning air immediately poured in. Jiang Ningchu, stung by the chilly wind, burrowed a little deeper into her sleeping bag.
Jiang Heng turned back, reached out, and picked up the cashmere blanket draped over the back of a folding chair, handing it to her.
Jiang Ningchu took the blanket, shook her head to wake herself up, and reluctantly crawled out of the sleeping bag.
The temperature at the mountaintop was even lower than it had been at night. The edge of the horizon was already tinged with a faint pale white, threaded with wisps of soft golden light.
The distant mountains were dark silhouettes, layered upon layered, half-hidden and half-visible.
The best viewing platform was already packed with cameras on tripods. The climbers, bundled up tightly, crowded onto the rocks and spread-out mats, phones in hand, waiting.
"Over here, over here!"
Pei Yi spotted Jiang Heng at a glance and waved him over.
He had claimed a relatively quiet spot near the cliff's edge—fewer people around, but a wide-open view.
Jiang Heng walked over, with Jiang Ningchu following close behind in small steps, wrapped tight in her blanket.
The mist lingering all around had not yet dispersed.
Pei Yi sneezed, bent down to snap up the hood of his down jacket, and zipped it all the way to the top.
He turned and leaned forward, reminding Jiang Ningchu beside Jiang Heng, "Little Jiang, wrap that blanket around yourself properly. The mountaintop's nothing like the city—it's at its coldest right about now."
"Okay, thank you, Big brother Pei Yi." Jiang Ningchu sat down beside Jiang Heng and answered with a smile.
Only after sitting down did she notice how thin the windbreaker Jiang Heng was wearing.
A light breeze swept past, stirring the loose strands of hair on his forehead. His face remained as expressionless as ever.
Jiang Ningchu pinched the wide, soft blanket in her hands, then raised her arm, trying to drape half of it over his shoulder.
Her movements were a little clumsy, and one corner of the blanket slipped from her grasp.
"No need." Jiang Heng refused instinctively.
He turned his head—and met her clear, bright eyes.
Cautious, yet with a hint of stubbornness in them.
Jiang Heng paused for a moment, then reached out and caught the slipping corner, flicking his wrist.
The wide blanket settled over them both.
The world was instantly shut out.
Jiang Ningchu stiffened slightly, then slowly relaxed.
Just then, the faint thread of pale gold at the horizon suddenly deepened.
An arc of gold-red light spread along the contours of the distant mountains, little by little tracing the entire rolling ridge with a layer of flowing gold.
The mist sleeping in the valleys was set alight, rolling and churning with vibrant life.
Then, a blazing round sun burst forth.
"Whoa—"
Cheers and gasps of amazement rose from the viewing platform, and camera shutters clicked without pause.
Jiang Ningchu stared, transfixed, her breathing gone soft.
The morning light spilled into the shadow beneath the blanket, illuminating the face beside her, so close at hand.
She suddenly remembered the tenderness that had flashed through his eyes the moment she'd woken and opened them.
As if possessed, she quietly turned her head.
She wanted to see it one more time.
He was looking down at her.
Their eyes met.
In those usually unfathomable pupils, the brilliant light of dawn was reflected—along with her slightly stunned face.
Jiang Ningchu flinched as if scalded, hastily averting her gaze and turning back toward the sun, now blazing in full glory.
"Little Ningchu ah…"
Pei Yi let out a meaningful sigh, full of feeling. "You see, life is so wonderful…"
Jiang Ningchu took a deep breath, attributing that brief moment of confusion to mere disorientation, and answered softly, "Y-yes, it is!"
"So then…"
Pei Yi closed his eyes, as if speaking purely from the heart, or perhaps offering a gentle reminder: "Be kinder to yourself, you know?"
"Don't always shortchange yourself. Even if the sky falls, you've got your brother. And worst case, even if your brother doesn't care—"
He thumped his chest. "There's still your big brother Pei Yi, right?"
"…"
Jiang Ningchu was utterly lost.
How did the conversation… end up on shortchanging herself?
The image of herself crouching miserably by the roadside last night flashed through her mind. She pressed her lips together and didn't respond.
"Boss, you're really not going to argue?"
Seeing her silence, Pei Yi feared the pleasant atmosphere might be ruined by his one loose remark, so he hastily nudged Jiang Heng, who had been quietly sitting beside him the whole time. "My assumption doesn't hold, right? There's no way you'd neglect your little sister?"
"…"
Before Jiang Ningchu could figure out how to answer, Jiang Heng gave a faint "Mm."
"What's 'Mm' supposed to mean!"
The sun climbed bit by bit higher, and the crowd on the viewing platform thinned out. Pei Yi propped himself up on his legs, brushed off his trousers, and reached a hand toward Jiang Heng. "Man, you really are a man of few words."
Jiang Heng ignored the hand suspended in midair, rose to his feet directly, shook off the half of the fleece blanket draped over his shoulder, and turned to walk toward the tent.
"There he goes again."
Pei Yi shrugged, then extended his hand to Jiang Ningchu and pulled her up along the way.
He chattered a few more words beside her as they walked, and Jiang Ningchu absently smiled and humored him.
On the way down the mountain, the car was quiet.
Jiang Ningchu leaned back against the passenger seat, her gaze resting on the gray-green mountain shadows sliding past the window in steady retreat.
After hesitating for a long while, she finally took out her phone and opened WeChat.
The pinned chat at the top had over a dozen unread messages, all from Zhou Yichi.
Startled, she tapped it open.
The last message had been sent at 4:30 in the morning—a very, very long paragraph, its dense wall of text nearly filling the entire screen.
She scrolled up several screens and began reading from the first unread message.
At first, he had messaged to ask if she'd gotten home safe;
Over an hour later, with no reply, he added, "Looks like you're asleep";
After resolving the problem at the lab, he explained the specific situation, then briefly described the issue with the car.
Two hours later, a hint of tentativeness crept into his tone: "Are you angry?"
At 4:30, he sent a very long passage—analysis, reflection, conclusions.
From how each experimental result affected his research, to his character flaw of being unable to resist his advisor's personal requests, to his apology for all the things he hadn't been able to do with her…
Jiang Ningchu read through every word, every sentence, carefully.
Three years.
This was the first time Zhou Yichi had so solemnly, directly confronted the "problems" between them.
Or rather, dealt with her feelings.
But why?
Her gaze stopped on the line: "We're both too busy—we don't even have time to talk properly."
Her finger slid upward, unthinking.
Before the closed-door meeting, she had asked him, full of anticipation, when they could go home and have dinner together, and the reply she received was: "Phone has to be off. Talk later."
From then on, her replies had become very brief—nothing but stickers, or "mm-hm" and "oh, okay."
Those doubled syllables were the gentlest way she could think of to express unhappiness, softer than a cold "mm" or "oh."
So in his eyes, all of this was simply because he was "too busy."
If this had been before, seeing such a long, sincere message from Zhou Yichi would have deeply moved her, and she would have immediately cast all her displeasure aside.
But strangely, at this moment, her heart was unusually calm.
They had walked a stretch of road together, and the scenery along the way had been lovely.
There had been heart-flutters and tears, laughter and bitterness.
It was just that their destinations were never the same.
By now, it seemed, it was time to say goodbye.
Jiang Ningchu stared at the screen for a long while.
She typed and deleted, typed and deleted, until finally only a single short line remained:
【Let's both take some time to cool off and think about what we really want.】
Send.
She exited the chat, locked her phone, and turned to look out the window.
By the time she returned to the hillside villa, it was fully daylight.
The moment Jiang Ningchu stepped into the entryway, she saw Su Wanqing coming down the stairs with her handbag on her arm, apparently on her way out.
"Xiaochu, you're back?"
Su Wanqing's eyes lit up at the sight of her. She set down her bag and hurried over, taking her hand. "Did you have fun? Was it cold up on the mountain? Did you sleep well last night?"
"It was great, Ganma." Jiang Ningchu let her hold her hand and answered with a smile. "The sunrise was beautiful!"
"That's good." Su Wanqing nodded in relief, then remembered something. "Oh, right—how's the packing at school going?"
"Almost done." Thinking of the internship in full swing, Jiang Ningchu didn't commit entirely. "There are still a few odds and ends in the dorm. I'll go bring them back in a couple of days. Other than that, that's everything."
"Good, good. Our Xiaochu has never once given me a moment's worry, from the time you were little."
Su Wanqing patted the back of her hand fondly, then smoothly changed the subject. "So… that outstanding senior boyfriend of yours—when would it be convenient to bring him home for dinner? You've finished your undergraduate degree already; it's about time…"
Before she could finish, Jiang Heng walked past behind them and casually tossed his car keys onto the marble countertop in the entryway.
A crisp clack rang out, unmistakably clear.
As if he hadn't heard a word Su Wanqing said, he passed by without even lifting his eyelids, dropping only a single airy remark: "Didn't notice anything outstanding about him."
Su Wanqing froze, then frowned. "What kind of way is that to talk, young man? If I remember right, Xiaochu's senior… was a top student, wasn't he? Steady, reliable, attentive to Xiaochu—how is that not outstanding?"
She turned to Jiang Ningchu with a hint of puzzlement. "What was his surname again—Chen? Or Zhang? Look at my memory. I can never remember after you tell me."
Jiang Heng went upstairs without looking back.
No comment, no rebuttal—as if he couldn't be bothered.
Jiang Ningchu pressed her lips together.
That assured certainty she used to feel when talking to Su Wanqing about Zhou Yichi—that matter-of-fact tone tinged with a little pride—she couldn't say when it had disappeared.
In its place was an inexplicable hesitation, and… a lack of confidence.
She quietly drew a breath, her voice dropping. "Ganma, his… his surname is Zhou."
The driver was already waiting outside.
Su Wanqing waved her hand, grabbed her bag, and hurried out. Before leaving, she turned back to remind her, "Right, right, surnamed Zhou. Chu, ask Xiao Zhou for me—your godmother will be waiting to hear from you!"
"Okay."
Afraid she might overthink things, Jiang Ningchu quickly put on an obedient smile and waved her goodbye.
Once a person is truly busy, many of those tangled, unsolvable emotions can seemingly be sealed away for the time being.
Jiang Ningchu soon threw herself back into the Firefly Creative project.
She worked with Ada to polish the proposal over and over, prepare for the first formal presentation, research materials, revise the PPT, rehearse again and again… busy beyond measure.
In the meantime, Zhou Yichi had come to find her twice, wanting to sit down and talk things through, and she had resolved to set things straight with him as well.
But by the time she finished being busy, he no longer had time, so it had to be set aside.
Friday night.
The massive facade of ChillPark in Nancheng was entirely covered by LED screens, abstract light and shadow materializing the very pulse of the city.
This was the hottest fashion landmark in Nancheng in recent years.
From the basement level to the top floor, each level had its own theme, the whole complex covering every kind of dining and entertainment.
Guochao retro, cyberpunk, Western electronic music, immersive livehouses… it encompassed nearly every trend element young people chased after.
The space was spacious, the visual impact striking—it had practically become a must-visit check-in destination for Nancheng nightlife.
At the plaza entrance, Lin Wei clutched a big fistful of glow bracelets, holding them high in the air, her face bearing a smile of relief after days of tension: "Tonight, everyone let loose! Recharge over the weekend, and we fight again next week!"
After a period of hard work, both the Jiang Group and Hongyuan Industries first-round presentations had received unanimous praise.
The once seemingly unreachable urban interactive project had finally achieved a key breakthrough.
Ada, who was usually so strict, actually cracked a smile: "Let's drink this whole building down—no one leaves sober!"
The young admin girls took the bracelets and excitedly handed them out, eagerly planning the itinerary: "Wei-jie, are we starting from B1 and drinking our way up? Can we clear the whole tower?"
Colleagues gathered around laughing, each taking a bracelet and putting it on:
"We paid all that money for our passes—how could we not drink our way through? It's all-inclusive, obviously. I've done all the research—the BBQ on the third floor and the burgers on the fifth floor are supposed to be great, and if you can make it to the seventh floor, there's bubble wontons!"
"BBQ and burgers in bars? Whoa, I've heard CP Tower was amazing, but I never knew they were this good at having fun!"
"It must be the hidden menu. No worries, there's a lot of us—we'll prop each other up and definitely make it to the end!"
"Pace yourselves, the night's still young. Let's get in the mood at the lounge bars first, then hit the dance floors on the first and second floors!"
……
Scan, ticket check, the gates swung open.
Jiang Ningchu followed her high-spirited colleagues down the dazzling open-air escalator to the basement level.
In the sunken plaza of B1 was an open-air livehouse with a semi-enclosed design, its theme called "Urban Island."
The stage in the center of the plaza was small, where a small band was playing lazy, soothing jazz.
Below the stage were a great number of lounge chairs and beanbag sofas, already scattered with people, nearly full.
Jiang Ningchu followed behind Lin Wei, her gaze sweeping over the ingenious arrangement before her, marveling inwardly.
This renowned ChillPark belonged to Pei Yi.
That night at the mountaintop campsite, Pei Yi had warmly invited everyone—if they ever came to visit, they should look him up, and all expenses would go on his tab.
At the time, she'd let it go in one ear and out the other, not taking it to heart at all.
Now, actually experiencing the vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere around her, she couldn't help feeling a bit of admiration.
This playboy who usually seemed all jokes and laughter had apparently managed to turn even "having fun" into something innovative.
She figured, since she was here anyway, maybe she should find an opening to go say hello to Pei Yi.
Atop the ChillPark building was the "Outbounds" lounge, closed to the public.
Jiang Heng reclined in a spacious dark-brown leather sofa in the corner, long legs crossed, eyelids lowered, seeming largely indifferent to the conversations, loud and soft, filling the private room.
He looked as if he were taking a quiet rest amid the noise.
After a few rounds of drinks, the colleagues from Lingxi Interactive clamored to go downstairs and dance. Pei Yi arranged for someone to lead them down, and the private room suddenly grew much quieter.
Zhuang Jingyi watched the noisy crowd's departing backs, then turned to Pei Yi with just the right note of admiration in her voice. "I always thought of you as a tech rising star, President Pei. I never imagined that the hottest CP building in Nancheng was also your doing."
"A tech rising star?!" Pei Yi laughed, swirling the crystal whiskey glass in his hand, his gaze drifting casually—deliberately—over Jiang Heng, who was resting with his eyes closed in the corner.
The Pei family's foundations were in tourism and hotels. If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Heng didn't want his own ventures to have any overt entanglement with Jiang Group, Pei Yi would never have taken on the role of CEO of Lingxi Matrix.
"'Rising star' is too generous."
Pei Yi raised his glass. "In professional matters, I still rely on you experts. You two are welcome to visit Lingxi's lab for guidance and exchange anytime."
"Definitely." Zhuang Jingyi agreed with a smile, then turned her head and lightly touched the arm of the person beside her. "Actually, Senior Yichi rarely takes on external technical training. Being able to have such an in-depth exchange with Lingxi's team today is truly a rare opportunity."
Zhou Yichi had been looking down at his phone screen. At her words, his hand paused, and then he placed the phone face-down, gently, on the polished tabletop.
He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, picked up the glass in front of him, briefly reviewed a few key points from the afternoon's training, and concluded:
"The team's overall experimental direction is clear at the moment. It's just that the allocation of attention on a few key details needs optimizing. After adjustments, we should see more definitive results."
He paused briefly, lowering his glass slightly so its rim tapped against Pei Yi's. "If any questions about the experimental results come up later, feel free to contact me anytime, and we can analyze the specific data together."
"Thank you in advance, then!" Pei Yi laughed heartily, raised his glass, and drained it in one go.
"Oh my~" Zhuang Jingyi's gaze drifted back from Zhou Yichi's face-down phone, her tone soft with a hint of reproach. "Senior Yichi, the training is already over and done with, and everyone's gone off to relax. This is precious downtime!"
"…Right."
Zhou Yichi seemed to only just register her words. He blinked, and his gaze drifted involuntarily back toward his phone.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
Pei Yi caught something odd in the subtle exchange of glances between the two and probed with a smile. "Don't tell me it's because your junior is here, Dr. Zhou—feeling a bit stiff?"
The words "junior" made Zhou Yichi's brow furrow slightly.
He picked up his phone again, his fingertip hovering over the screen for a moment before setting it down.
"No, of course not."
Zhuang Jingyi caught the look on Zhou Yichi's face and jumped in first, "As her junior, I could never keep tabs on Dr. Zhou. Dr. Zhou… well, he's someone who has a keeper~"
"Oh?"
Pei Yi arched an eyebrow. He had always assumed Zhou Yichi and Zhuang Jingyi were boyfriend and girlfriend, and now, catching the implication in her words, his curiosity was instantly piqued.
Subtly, he nudged Jiang Heng, who was on the sofa beside him, and played along, "Sorry, my mistake. I'd always assumed you two were…"
"No harm done. It's a common misunderstanding—explaining it too often only makes it seem deliberate."
Zhuang Jingyi gave a slight nod, her manner graceful and composed. "If I hadn't gone abroad as an exchange student back then… who knows, maybe things might have turned out differently. It's a pity—our senior Yichi was just far too popular."
She paused, her gaze drifting lightly over Zhou Yichi's expressionless profile, and let out a half-joking sigh. "By the time I came back, everything had already changed. So now… I suppose I'll just have to nurse the occasional one-sided crush."
"Jingyi."
Zhou Yichi had already had quite a bit to drink and was feeling it, his cheeks faintly flushed.
He frowned and said quietly, "Don't make jokes like that."
The smile on Zhuang Jingyi's face froze. Something flickered in her eyes as she looked at him. Her lips parted, but in the end she said nothing.
The atmosphere took a sharp turn for the worse.
Pei Yi, taken aback, quickly laughed it off to smooth things over. "Is Dr. Zhou worried about answering to someone at home after drinking? No worries—I'll have my driver take you back in a bit. And let me just say, this is a perfectly respectable academic exchange!"
"No need for the trouble." Zhou Yichi unlocked his phone and, out of habit, opened his chat with Jiang Ningchu.
Filling the screen was still the long message he had sent; her reply was brief and calm.
His eyes dimmed. He exited WeChat, locked the screen, and placed the phone face-down on the table again.
Zhuang Jingyi caught that whole sequence of movements with precision, and her mouth twitched.
She took a sip of her wine and said gently, "Senior Yichi, some misunderstandings… might just resolve themselves if you talk them through. If two people were never in the same world to begin with, seeing it clearly sooner rather than later is a relief for both sides."
"What's this all about?" Pei Yi picked up the bottle, refilling Zhou Yichi's empty glass as he looked toward Zhuang Jingyi. "Sounds to me like Dr. Zhou has had a falling-out with his girlfriend?"
Zhou Yichi didn't answer. He raised his freshly filled glass and drained it in one go.
"More like more than a falling-out."
Zhuang Jingyi looked at Zhou Yichi's gloomy expression and shook her head, as if complaining. "It's been days. He can't eat or sleep—he sits in the lab, but his mind is somewhere no one knows."
"Whoa, so our Dr. Zhou is a man of deep feelings after all!"
Pei Yi had already figured out the situation. He tilted his chin toward Jiang Heng. "Reminds me of the time a certain MIT prodigy, lovesick beyond help, kept flying a dozen-hour flight halfway across the globe, and in the end… well, alas, she still became a distant moon—beautiful, but forever out of reach."
Jiang Heng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
Expressionless, he rose, walked over, and took the empty seat beside Pei Yi. Turning his head, he shot him a cold glance.
"Don't glare at me! I'm only trying to share a cautionary tale for Dr. Zhou's benefit!"
Not the least bit intimidated, Pei Yi grinned and took out a clean glass, pouring wine for Jiang Heng.
He turned his head and continued speaking to Zhou Yichi and Zhuang Jingyi: "Our President Jiang was quite the legendary romantic back in the day. For that white moonlight of his, he'd throw around money like it was nothing—diamonds, crystals, limited editions, whatever she wanted, he'd buy it. Such a pity, though. The past is but smoke and mist."
Jiang Heng accepted the wine glass expressionlessly, took a light sip, and replied flatly, "Talk less. No one's going to mistake you for a mute."
"Really now?"
Seeing that Jiang Heng didn't refute her, Zhuang Jingyi asked in surprise, "Who would have thought—there's actually someone President Jiang can't win over?"
Pei Yi exchanged a knowing look with her, pursed his lips, and shrugged. "When it comes to love, who can say for sure? Cherish the one in front of you, Dr. Zhou. Why don't you tell us what's going on, and we'll all give you some advice!"
For once, Jiang Heng didn't return to his usual corner.
He leaned back into the sofa, long legs stretched out, his gaze settling on Zhou Yichi.
Zhou Yichi seemed not to have heard Pei Yi's teasing.
He unlocked his phone once again and opened his chat window with Jiang Ningchu on WeChat, as if hesitating.
Just then, the phone Jiang Heng had left on the table vibrated.
It was Jiang Ningchu.
The private room fell silent for a moment.
Everyone's gaze, as if by unspoken agreement, landed on the glowing phone screen.