Ji Cheng's rented place was in an urban village—an old residential complex with no property management at all. The stairwell was cluttered with junk, the walls peeling and blackened, everything exuding a cramped, shabby feel.
Wen Li helped him carry his things upstairs, looking around at the terrible surroundings, half-suspecting he'd been scammed by the agent. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"Sure."
"But it's not even close to the hospital."
"The closer ones are expensive."
"If you're worried about money, why move out at all? And to a dump like this?"
She couldn't understand his logic, but Ji Cheng didn't seem the least bit bothered. He rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning.
Wen Li hated housework more than anything, so that was his problem. She wiped down the sofa, lay on it, and ate oranges. She hadn't been lounging long before Ji Cheng sent her downstairs to take out the trash.
She pouted and went down reluctantly.
On her way back, she happened to run into the next-door neighbor coming in—a young woman with delicate wire-rimmed glasses, gentle and refined in temperament, pleasant to look at.
Wen Li instinctively glanced at her twice, and that second look was enough to recognize a familiar face.
"Teacher Jiang?" she said, somewhat surprised.
Jiang Shuwan turned, her gaze pausing on Wen Li's face with a hint of confusion before she asked softly, "Sorry, you are…?"
"My name's Wen Li. I graduated from Haining No. 3 Middle School—I transferred there in my senior year, so you never taught me. It's normal that you don't recognize me." Wen Li smiled. "But I know you. You were famous at our school—everyone secretly called you the goddess. I didn't expect Teacher Jiang to live here!"
"Hello," Jiang Shuwan said with a smile, glancing at the open door behind Wen Li. "Did you just move in?"
This old building from the last century had no elevator, with only two units per floor. Besides Jiang Shuwan's place, the other unit had been vacant for years—looked like it had been rented out recently.
"Not me—my brother rented it."
"Your brother?"
"Yeah, he was actually your student too. He was the top scorer on the college entrance exam back then, so you must remember him." Wen Li turned and called out toward the room, "Ji Cheng, come out for a second—there's someone you know!"
"What for? I'm busy." Ji Cheng was mopping the floor inside. Hearing the call, he came out still holding the mop. Their eyes met, and both froze.
Wen Li happily introduced him: "It's Teacher Jiang."
But Ji Cheng said nothing. Those already sharp eyes lingered on her face for a few seconds, then slid down to her neck. Though it was only early autumn, she was wearing a turtleneck sweater, her neck wrapped up tight.
Jiang Shuwan felt uncomfortable under his gaze, instinctively tugging her collar up. Just as she was about to speak, Ji Cheng turned and went back inside with a blank expression, looking completely indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Wen Li: "?"
Damn you, Ji Cheng. So rude.
Wen Li quickly smoothed things over with Jiang Shuwan: "Sorry about that, Teacher Jiang. He's… probably still half asleep today."
Jiang Shuwan smiled again, said "It's fine," and took out her keys to go into her own unit.
"What was that attitude?" Wen Li went inside to confront him. "Don't you know to respect your elders and teachers? And Teacher Jiang used to tutor you all the time in high school. Ungrateful jerk."
Ji Cheng didn't answer, silently continuing to mop.
"Did Teacher Jiang do something to offend you before?"
Still no response. His jaw was clenched tight, his breathing heavier than usual.
So weird.
Since they'd just moved in, the gas wasn't connected yet, so Ji Cheng didn't cook lunch. He ordered two takeout meals—Wen Li got rice noodles and was slurping them while watching a variety show.
Suddenly, urgent knocking came from outside.
Wen Li's chopsticks froze mid-air. She could hear arguing outside—a man's rough, grating voice and a woman's trembling one.
Before she could figure out what was happening, Ji Cheng had already set down his takeout box and walked out, his expression darker than before.
"Wait—" Wen Li had only half-finished her noodles. She hurriedly put them down and followed.
The door pulled open, and a draft swept through the hallway.
Jiang Shuwan was struggling with a man—large and burly, with broad shoulders and a thick back. She looked as thin as a sheet of paper in front of him. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out in a few pulls. "Come home with me."
"Pei Ziqian, we're already divorced!" Jiang Shuwan's voice trembled as she fought back tears. The harder she struggled, the tighter his grip on her wrist became.
"Divorced?" The man pulled at her, closing in step by step. "Did I agree to that?"
"You promised before—please, don't—"
Her plea was cut off by a sharp slap that echoed through the stairwell. Jiang Shuwan was knocked off balance, her shoulder slamming into the wall, pain breaking out in cold sweat.
Pei Ziqian grabbed her by the throat. Jiang Shuwan instantly struggled to breathe, her face flushed red, her resistance growing weak.
"Don't want to be with me anymore, huh? Or am I not satisfying you enough?"
This was domestic violence, right?
Wen Li's fists clenched.
Before she could even charge up her ultimate move, Ji Cheng had already rushed out ahead of her, kicking the man square in the lower back. "Get lost. Don't touch her."
Wen Li was momentarily stunned. It was the first time she'd seen her brother this brave—usually he couldn't care less about anything. Since when did he stand up for people?
But the man only staggered slightly before turning his head, his gaze sweeping over Ji Cheng's face for two seconds, his tone dripping with contempt: "You again?"
Ji Cheng said coldly, "I told you to get lost."
The man let out a "hmph." "Here to meddle again? Looks like last time I put you in the hospital wasn't enough of a lesson, was it?"
Ji Cheng's face went pale.
Wen Li: "??"
This was the person who put Ji Cheng in the hospital?
"No wonder you never come home and insist on divorcing me—so you've taken up with this pretty boy. Is he richer than me?"
Jiang Shuwan struggled: "It has nothing to do with him. I'm the one who wants to divorce you!"
"I'm telling you, Jiang Shuwan, it's not happening. I'll never agree. Even if you sue, it'll take two or three years. I'll drag you down until you're dead."
Before he could finish, Ji Cheng's fist slammed into him with full force, no restraint whatsoever, landing solidly on the man's face. Pei Ziqian staggered backward and crashed to the ground.
Ji Cheng lunged at him, fists raining down recklessly, but within seconds Pei Ziqian recovered, flipped over, grabbed him by the collar with a large hand, and physically lifted him up before slamming him down onto the ground.
A dull thud—the man's hard knee drove viciously into his abdomen.
"Going after a married woman, you shameless piece of trash!" His moves were clean and ruthless—clearly someone who'd had real training.
"Ji Cheng!" Jiang Shuwan cried out in terror, a sob caught in her throat as she tried desperately to rush forward, terrified he'd end up in the hospital again like last time.
Wen Li grabbed her and held her back. "Call the police first!"
"Okay." Jiang Shuwan fumbled for her phone, trembling as she dialed.
Wen Li turned and went inside, grabbing the mop by the door. While the two were locked in their fight—no, that wasn't right—while Ji Cheng was getting beaten one-sidedly, she watched for her moment and brought the mop handle down hard on the man's back.
She put every ounce of strength into that swing, the impact jarring her arm numb.
Even with Pei Ziqian's sturdy build, the blow made his vision go black and a metallic sweetness rise in his throat. He slowly turned his head, staring at Wen Li with eyes so dark and venomous they looked ready to devour her.
Ji Cheng's heart clenched. He shouted at Wen Li, "Lili, get back inside!"
Wen Li didn't move. She stood right there and tilted her head at him with a smile.
Pei Ziqian swallowed the blood in his throat and staggered to his feet, malice pooling in his eyes. He'd barely taken a step when his body betrayed him, swayed, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
Ji Cheng: "??"
By the time Pei Ziqian woke up, half an hour had passed. Inside the police station, enduring searing pain, he tearfully accused someone of conspiring with his wife to murder him.
The officer asked, "Who hit you?"
He was stumped. Honestly, he had no idea who'd hit him—his attention had been entirely on Ji Cheng. Behind him had only stood his weak-willed wife and…
He turned to glance at Wen Li, who was sitting on a chair playing with her phone. The girl was fair and clean, looked young, with a hint of baby fat in her cheeks. Sensing his gaze, she looked up and smiled at him, two dimples appearing on her face. She looked completely harmless.
It couldn't have been her.
How could a little girl like that have that kind of strength?
He turned back to the officer. "I don't know."
"If you don't know, then there was no one. This is domestic violence—a serious offense. Under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, you're looking at five days of detention."
Pei Ziqian refused to accept it, insisting someone had colluded with his wife to attack him and that he'd acted in self-defense. But he couldn't name his attacker, and the old neighborhood had no surveillance cameras. In the end, he had no choice but to swallow the loss.
Outside the police station, Jiang Shuwan thanked them both profusely. Since her daughter was still at the kindergarten, she couldn't stay long.
Wen Li was surprised. "Teacher Jiang, you have a daughter?"
Jiang Shuwan gave a dry smile and nodded. She glanced at Ji Cheng, whose face was still dark in the corner, didn't dare speak to him, left Wen Li her contact info, and hurried away.
Watching the woman's anxious retreating figure, Wen Li sighed. "What a sin."
Ji Cheng snorted in agreement. "He got off easy."
"I meant you."
"?"
Wen Li clicked her tongue twice. "I was wondering why you'd give up a perfectly good dormitory to move to this godforsaken place. Turns out it was for Teacher Jiang. She's not even divorced yet, and she has a daughter. If that's not a sin, what is?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
He refused to accept that accusation. Ji Cheng turned and walked off.
Wen Li strolled along behind him with her hands clasped behind her back. "I remember back in high school, right before the college entrance exam, you got caught writing a love letter and refused to admit who it was for. It got so bad your parents were called in. That person wouldn't happen to be Teacher Jiang, would it? You like Teacher Jiang! You've got some nerve!"
Ji Cheng's steps faltered, as if she'd hit on something he didn't want exposed. He looked back at her warily. Wen Li grinned slyly. "What, did I hit the nail on the head?"
"It wasn't a love letter."
"Then what was it?"
"A thank-you note." Ji Cheng said flatly. "That's how high school deans are—anything not related to academics gets labeled as dating."
In high school, Ji Cheng had poor health and frequently took leave, which caused him to miss quite a few lessons. Jiang Shuwan was his math teacher at the time, and she would occasionally tutor him during recess. That was how their interactions gradually increased.
Jiang Shuwan was the gentlest person he had ever met—always smiling warmly, speaking in a soft voice, like willow catkins drifting down onto a lake in spring.
He began to vaguely look forward to seeing her every day. Back then, he didn't understand what that anticipation meant; he only knew that sometimes, when he thought of her at night, a faint, inexplicable dampness would stir in his chest.
But this budding fondness wasn't enough to withstand the long passage of time. After graduation, they never contacted each other again. If it hadn't been for that chance encounter at the hospital, he would have almost forgotten her.
The corridor reeked of disinfectant, and the fluorescent lights hummed faintly. From a distance, he saw a figure sitting on a bench—hair disheveled, back slightly hunched.
As he drew closer, he recognized her.
The smile was still on her face, but it was no longer the gentleness of those days. Instead, it was a cautious, polite smile, as if she was afraid of causing anyone any trouble.
If she had been doing well, he probably would never have disturbed her. But of all things…
It shouldn't have been like this, he thought.
Ji Cheng snapped back to the present and wanted to explain himself to her again, but he noticed Wen Li beside him rubbing her wrist. He immediately grew anxious. "What happened to your hand? Are you injured?"
"No," Wen Li said, flexing her wrist a couple of times. "I just used too much force earlier. The impact left my thumb web a bit numb."
"Why didn't you say so earlier." Ji Cheng pulled her into a pharmacy on the street, bought some safflower oil, and applied it to her wrist while grumbling, "I told you not to get involved. If you got hurt because of me, Mom and Dad would skin me alive."
"If it weren't for me today, you'd definitely have been beaten into the hospital again."
"Then I'd deserve it. Who told me to stick my nose where it doesn't belong?" He muttered with self-deprecation, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Wen Li lowered her head to look at him, and as she watched, she suddenly laughed. "I never thought my brother would be such a romantic."
"…"
"Although stealing someone's wife is immoral, Teacher Jiang's husband isn't a good person anyway. I support you." Wen Li added, "But once that Pei Ziqian gets out, he'll definitely go looking for Teacher Jiang again. When that happens, remember to call me. Don't try to handle it alone."
Ji Cheng found it amusing. Just how pathetic had he lived his life that he needed his little sister to protect him?
"You…" He finished applying the medicine, stood up, and poked her between the eyebrows with his finger. "Do you really think you're some kind of chivalrous heroine?"
Wen Li was sitting on a tall stool, and caught off guard, the poke threw off her balance, nearly sending her toppling backward. In a panic, she grabbed Ji Cheng's arm and pitched forward, crashing into his chest.
"You scared me!" She huffed and kicked him.
Ji Cheng laughed and teased her: "Weren't you just all high and mighty a moment ago? Heroine Wen."
_
The scenery outside the window receded rapidly like a revolving lantern.
Xiao Jinyu gazed out the window, his eyes inadvertently glancing toward a glass window on the roadside.
Two people sat at the bar counter—Wen Li and Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng said something to her, and she raised her hand to hit his arm but missed, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. The young man smiled, leaned over, put his arm around her shoulder, and coaxed her for a bit, and only then did her brows finally relax.
The glass was polished so clean, so clean that he could see the curve of her eyes in an instant.
For some reason, a strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind—the person who got to be with her must be very happy too.
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat to rest.
The taxi stopped at the destination. This area was a famous old villa district in Hai City, tucked away in the city center. Anyone who lived here was either wealthy or powerful.
It was already dark. Because of the dense vegetation, the luxurious villa looked pitch-black, devoid of any sign of life—more like it had been uninhabited for a long time.
He turned on the lights. A white Persian cat crouched a few steps away, watching him warily, letting out an unfriendly meow in his direction.
He reached out his hand. Nian Gao took a step back.
His hand hung suspended in midair.
"Don't bother looking. It's just me here. She won't take you."
"Meow~"