Xiao Le swallowed.
The last time he saw Duan Yan at the clinic entrance, his mind had been completely occupied by Rong Jiqiao’s face, and he hadn’t paid much attention to the man himself.
Now that he looked closely, even though Duan Yan’s skin had been tanned a little darker, the foundation of his features was unmistakably there.
Especially that cold, detached aura—it was almost identical to Duan Chi.
He quietly withdrew his gaze and pretended to casually continue walking.
Zhu Xiaoyue noticed him and immediately put her phone away, stepping forward.
“Why are you only here now? I’ve been waiting forever.”
Xiao Le casually responded with “traffic,” but his eyes kept drifting back.
Rong Jiqiao walked up to Duan Yan and said something.
Duan Yan looked up at her, took a helmet from under the seat, and handed it to her.
After a few brief words, she sat on the back of the scooter. Duan Yan started the vehicle and merged into the evening traffic.
Xiao Le stared at the direction the electric scooter disappeared in, his mind working rapidly.
If Duan Yan really was from the Duan family, then he needed to rein in his earlier intentions toward Rong Jiqiao.
He didn’t have the courage to offend the Duan family.
But if he wasn’t…
Then that would be even better.
He could pursue Rong Jiqiao without restraint.
Xiao Le decided to observe quietly first, and find an opportunity to “run into” Duan Yan at the property management company to test his background.
Seeing him lost in thought, Zhu Xiaoyue pushed him impatiently.
“What are you looking at?”
Xiao Le snapped back and forced a smile.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
He opened the car door for her.
Zhu Xiaoyue got into the passenger seat and, while fastening her seatbelt, glanced at Xiao Le still looking into the rearview mirror.
She followed his gaze—but only saw an empty street.
“What exactly are you looking at?”
Xiao Le started the car and said calmly, “I think I just saw your coworker.”
Zhu Xiaoyue froze. “Who?”
“The one called Rong Jiqiao.”
Her face immediately darkened, her tone turning sour.
“Why are you looking at her? Her boyfriend came to pick her up.”
Xiao Le didn’t respond. His fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel.
“Your coworker’s boyfriend… he’s really just a security guard?”
Zhu Xiaoyue let out a cold laugh.
“Of course he is. Even rides that broken electric scooter. Honestly, she’s so pretty—it’s such a waste suffering with a security guard.”
Xiao Le remained silent, his eyes flickering in the shadows.
Zhu Xiaoyue added, “I heard they’re even renting a shared apartment. Only a few thousand a month. What’s the point of that? If it were me, I would’ve broken up long ago.”
The corner of Xiao Le’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Do you think she would break up?”
Zhu Xiaoyue turned to look at him. “Why are you asking that?”
Xiao Le smiled lightly, casual in tone.
“Just asking. Your coworker is really beautiful—it’s a shame she’s with a security guard.”
Zhu Xiaoyue’s expression completely fell.
She bit her lip so hard her nails nearly dug into her palm.
“Nothing to be picky about. If she wants to follow a security guard, that’s her business. What does it have to do with you?”
Xiao Le glanced at her and said nothing more.
……
Back home.
Duan Yan ate dinner with her, then went out again to work.
Compared to before, his workload had clearly intensified.
Rong Jiqiao didn’t understand why he had suddenly become so desperate, and nothing she said could dissuade him.
Was the rent really that stressful?
She sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, pulled out the cash Duan Yan had given her, then checked her mobile banking app.
The glow of the screen lit her face as she stared at the balance page.
Together with the cash in hand—five thousand.
Total: thirteen thousand.
Aside from his security job contract, everything he earned from side gigs—delivering food, working at construction sites—was basically transferred to her card.
She pressed her fingers against her forehead, mentally calculating expenses.
At his previous pace, he could only make a few thousand extra per month at best.
Now it had only been less than two months, and even after paying rent, he had already saved 13,000?
Her fingers curled slightly, going numb.
Honestly.
She was a little afraid he might work himself to death.
If that happened… wouldn’t the Duan family drag her down with him?
She exited the banking app and opened her call log. Normally, no matter how late he got off work, he would send her a message in advance.
But in the past few days, that had completely stopped.
She pressed the call button.
The ringing lasted a long time before it connected.
A loud rumbling sound from a mixer truck hit her ears, mixed with workers shouting in the background.
Duan Yan’s voice sounded dry. “What is it?”
“Where are you?”
“Construction site. Something wrong?”
She originally wanted to tell him not to push himself so hard, but the words shifted at the tip of her tongue.
“…Nothing. Just asking what time you’ll be back.”
A pause.
“Not sure. Probably very late. Sleep first.”
“You be careful,” she said quickly.
“Mm.”
Then he hung up.
She gripped the still-warm phone and stared out the window at the dark night.
Forget it.
If she couldn’t persuade him, then so be it.
He was strong anyway, and there were only a little over four months left before he returned to the Duan family.
It should be fine.
She slipped on her slippers and went into the kitchen.
Prepared a late-night meal for him.
Cooked rice porridge, made a simple cucumber salad with vinegar, and stir-fried a plate of shredded pork.
She covered everything tightly with cling film.
The wall clock pointed to ten.
There was still no movement outside.
She curled up on the sofa and scrolled through short videos.
Click.
The door lock turned.
Duan Yan came in, bringing in a wave of cold night air.
His dark blue work uniform was covered in white dust, his pant legs stained with yellow mud. Smudges of black marked his jaw, and exhaustion seeped out of him like he might collapse at any moment.
Seeing the bright living room and her sitting there, he paused mid-step.
“You’re still awake?”
“I warmed up food for you,” she immediately stood up.
He pulled down his jacket zipper. “I’m not hungry. Don’t bother.”
She had already gone into the kitchen and brought out the clay pot. “How could I—”
“Not hungry,” he said. “You barely ate a few bites at dinner and then rushed off. Next time just don’t come pick me up. I can take the subway home myself.”
Duan Yan replied flatly, with a hint of sarcasm, “It’s fine. It’s not like it’s a hassle. If you get taken away by some random guy, where am I supposed to go cry?”
Rong Jiqiao: “……”
Was he talking about Xiao Le?
She had no feelings for Xiao Le at all.
Since when did this man get so jealous?
She muttered inwardly as she went to reheat the food for him.
On the sofa lay a jacket whose sleeve had been torn by rebar.
A few days ago, she had confidently volunteered to mend it, promising it would be “perfectly restored.”
Duan Yan picked up the jacket.
His fingertips brushed over the tangled black-and-white stitches at the cuff.
Black thread for the outline, white thread as the base, two uneven dark “eyes” in the middle—together forming something vaguely like a distorted face.
He studied it carefully for a long moment and said very sincerely, “This dog you stitched is quite… unique.”
Rong Jiqiao came out carrying the dishes and immediately objected, speechless.
“That’s a panda.”
Duan Yan raised his brows and looked again at the deformed patch of fabric.
“Very distinctive,” he said, hanging the jacket back on the sofa. “If this were medieval Europe, you’d definitely be the kind of person everyone gathers firewood to burn.”
Rong Jiqiao froze mid-motion.
“…Huh?”
She didn’t understand at all.
She put the dishes down and reached for the jacket again.
The two black “eyes” were too far apart, the white outline had shrunk, and the crooked edges made it look nothing like a national treasure—more like a cursed doll full of resentment.
Medieval Europe.
“Gathering firewood to burn.”
Witch trials.
“……”
A vein throbbed at her temple.
Ugly is one thing.
Did he really have to insult her like that?
She mentally screamed:
Doubao, Doubao—download his sarcasm skills into my brain.
After this interruption, she completely forgot what she originally wanted to say.
“Go wash your hands and eat. Then shut up and sleep.”
She slapped the chopsticks onto the bowl rim and stormed back into the room.
Duan Yan stood there watching the bedroom door close. The fatigue in his eyes faded, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
……
The next morning at the clinic, Rong Jiqiao was bending over to change a dressing for an elderly woman in her eighties. The patient had a palm-sized pressure ulcer on her calf. She was carefully applying iodine with a cotton swab when her phone suddenly vibrated.
She startled slightly and pressed too hard.
The old woman hissed in pain.
“Sorry, Auntie, just bear with it, almost done.”
The phone vibrated again.
This time it wasn’t a short buzz—it kept vibrating continuously, as if trying to drill through her bag.
After finishing, she brought the tray out, placed it down, took off her gloves, and finally pulled out her phone.
Unknown number, Beijing.
She swiped to answer and brought it to her ear.
“Hello?”
No response.
Not a hang-up—someone was still on the line.
Her throat tightened.
“Who is this?”