A flashy car stopped at the stairwell entrance. Li Jiajia rolled down the window and gave He Qi, who had just come out, a full-power flirtatious glance.
He Qi twitched the corner of her mouth, unamused, tossing back a look of disdain. She put her bag in the back seat and slid into the passenger seat. “You sure you’re sober?”
“Of course!” Li Jiajia flipped her hair and declared confidently, “I blew through the breathalyzer several times before leaving. Totally safe.”
She talked while gripping the wheel and stepping on the gas, the car nimbly moving from the narrow lane to the main road.
He Qi looked out the window, laughing absurdly. “You’re proud that your house has a breathalyzer?”
“Who else is to blame? My sister He Qi is almost twenty-six and still can’t drive!” Li Jiajia shot back without courtesy, then suggested, “Seriously though, you’ve got time now—why not go get your license?”
Yes. He Qi was twenty-five this year. The reason she didn’t drive wasn’t dislike—it was that she simply didn’t know how.
After college entrance exams, her parents had signed her up for driving school. She wasn’t particularly interested but went along with it, attending lectures and passing the written test.
The practical part, however, was a disaster.
She had always been the theoretical type—perfect on tests, zero skill in practice. Even a microscope had once stumped her; she had barely passed with help.
At driving school, once she gripped the wheel, her mind went blank. Commands like “press, shift, turn, horn, release, handbrake” sounded fine in theory, but she was a mess in practice.
Her assigned instructor was a stereotypical irritable middle-aged man. Any hesitation or mistake would make him yell and swear freely.
He Qi tolerated him for two days, but on the third day, after being berated again, she tearfully slammed the car door and left.
He Yunping, learning this, scolded her out of frustration but concern for wasted tuition, then stormed the driving school to get part of the fee refunded.
After that, He Qi never considered retaking the test. She also didn’t own a car, and other transportation was convenient—so she postponed it until now.
Now, with Li Jiajia unexpectedly bringing it up, He Qi realized relying on others for rides wasn’t a solution. If some emergency happened, she might regret it too late.
She nodded. “Okay, I’ll go check out the driving school and this time get a female instructor.”
The two of them chatted a little more about the time after college exams. The car merged onto the highway, and Li Jiajia noticed that He Qi hadn’t touched her phone since getting in. She asked, “Why didn’t you check in with your brother-in-law before heading back to Jiang City?”
He Qi had just opened her mouth to answer when a sudden itch hit her nose. She grabbed a tissue, turned her head, and sneezed. After regaining her composure, she said, “Check in for what?”
Li Jiajia was caught off guard by her natural retort. She glanced at her through the rearview mirror, muttering, “I mean like couples letting each other know everything… are you two even dating?”
“We?” He Qi thought for a moment. “Just… living together, I guess.”
That answer brought out the question Li Jiajia had been holding back: “So, do you still have feelings for Chen Jin? You know, that kind of passion. Were you like this when you first got together?”
Clearly, neither He Qi nor Chen Jin was an outgoing, expressive type. Li Jiajia would describe their relationship as a union between nuns and monks. But thinking back to those college years, while it wasn’t overly romantic, it had been better than now.
At least back then, He Qi was actively observing how other girls were in relationships, learning and imitating.
Li Jiajia summarized, “So basically, you’re just… emotionally distant toward Chen Jin.”
He Qi’s throat itched again. She coughed lightly and, half-jokingly, warned, “Don’t stir things up now—I still need his money. If you wake me up to this reality, how am I supposed to keep living with him… for money?”
“Ah! I’m not stirring anything!” Li Jiajia shouted, pulling her voice comically, “Two naturally cold-blooded people! Lock them down!”
He Qi rubbed her temples, both amused and exasperated, choosing not to argue.
….
By the time they returned to Jiang City, it was already lunchtime. Having gotten up early, He Qi had little appetite and had only drunk half a cup of soy milk for breakfast. Walking into the house now, the faint aroma of food from the dining room made her suddenly hungry.
Chen Jin, cooking in the kitchen, heard movement at the entryway. He removed his apron, dried his hands, and picked up her bag that had been left on the floor.
“Go wash your hands and eat. I was just about to call you,” he said.
The slippers at home had been replaced with soft cotton ones. He Qi slipped hers on and dragged her feet into the dining room.
Today, Chen Jin had cooked personally. His culinary skills were excellent, and the flavors matched both Jiang City and Ning City’s preferences: not spicy, slightly sweet. The table was filled with dishes He Qi liked.
He Jin served her rice, and they sat across from each other, eating in quiet.
Midway, Chen Jin asked, “I’m heading to my parents’ place this afternoon. Are you coming?”
He Qi immediately shook her head vigorously.
Chen Jin’s family was highly educated, his parents both university professors, socially equal, but their emotional atmosphere was extremely delicate.
He Qi remembered the first meal when Chen Jin had introduced her to his parents. It was almost completely silent.
After the initial polite greetings, not a word was spoken for the next hour—not to her, not between Chen Jin’s parents, not even between the couple themselves.
They didn’t initiate conversation; Chen Jin didn’t either. He Qi, never skilled at small talk with elders, sat there like a needle-pricked pin cushion, finishing the meal with discomfort.
Afterwards, thinking she had probably failed to impress them, she was frustrated with Chen Jin. Yet his parents politely said goodbye, leaving her utterly confused.
She even questioned Chen Jin sharply, asking if his parents disliked her—and why he hadn’t said a word.
Unexpectedly, Chen Jin, just as puzzled, asked, “Why would my parents dislike you?”
Back then, He Qi was baffled, but she realized for the first time that families could be bizarrely diverse—not just like hers or Li Jiajia’s, but like Chen Jin’s too.
She couldn’t adapt to their interaction style, and his parents weren’t curious about their partner. Whether she visited or not made no difference—she thought it was all for the best, and never visited again.
Chen Jin anticipated her refusal and nodded. “Tomorrow I’ll be on a business trip to Guang Province for a tech summit, probably back by the 10th in the morning. Want to come? You could bring Li Jiajia. If yes, I can book flights and hotels now.”
He Qi liked the idea and quickly messaged Li Jiajia. The reply came fast, a crying Mr. Bean sticker.
“Schedule’s full, next time!”
He Qi replied okay, pouted, and put her phone down. She then sneezed, “She’s busy, says next time.”
“Caught a cold?” Chen Jin asked.
“Probably chilled while drinking yesterday.”
He Jin, who ate fast, cleared his dishes, then retrieved a cold remedy from the living room medicine box, brewed a cup, and returned slowly.
Remembering something, he asked, “Li Jiajia’s cousin has been hanging out with you often?”
He Qi froze. He meant Fang Yi. Uneasy, she coughed lightly. “Not really, he’s at the same university in Ning City, just happened to meet him twice.”
Seeing Chen Jin approach with the steaming cup, she added awkwardly, “Actually, he’s not Li Jiajia’s real cousin, just a friend of her cousin.”
The glass hit the table heavily, the cold remedy splashing out.
He Qi flinched, and Chen Jin calmly wiped the table. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
He Qi wanted to say it was convenient, but even saying “friend of her cousin” sounded flimsy. Lowering her eyes, she finished her rice and mumbled, “About the same… Li Jiajia keeps calling him her half-cousin anyway.”
Chen Jin studied her silently, then collected the dishes into the kitchen. By the time he returned, He Qi had already taken her cold remedy back to her room.
….
In the afternoon, Chen Jin went to his parents’ home. He Qi took a relaxing hot shower, changed into pajamas, and sat on her bed reading.
She methodically listed several classic children’s literature books she planned to finish soon, wanting to study the genre through the texts themselves.
Li Xiulan had dealt her a big blow, but He Qi believed it was only Li Xiulan rejecting her; children’s literature itself hadn’t rejected her.
Her prior attitude had been careless, due to time pressure, but she was willing to endure the “punishment” because this was something she wanted to do—so she wouldn’t give up easily.
The side curtains were only halfway drawn, letting sunlight brighten the room. He Qi focused entirely on her tablet.
Autumn days were getting darker earlier.
By the end of the afternoon, she had finished Anne of Green Gables and Heidi’s Grandfather, still deeply moved. Looking up, she realized it was already completely dark outside.
She set down her tablet, pressed her tired eyes, opened her bedroom door, and unexpectedly saw Chen Jin back home.
He Qi yawned, poured herself a glass of water, and casually said, “You’re back.”
Chen Jin bent to change his shoes, asking, “Have you eaten?”
“Not really, just two slices of toast.”
“Stopped by a congee shop and got you some sweet fermented taro balls.”
Her eyes lit up. She put down the cup and went to the entryway, reaching for the thermal bag Chen Jin was carrying.
The moment her fingers touched it, Chen Jin suddenly kissed her, then withdrew the bag and placed it safely on a nearby counter.
Caught off guard, she felt the cold of his coat and the warmth of his fingers rolling up her pajama hem.
She shivered, instinctively hunching her back to pull away. “I want to eat!”
“Wait,” Chen Jin said, pushing her pajama upward.
The cold air on her stomach made her shiver, but her neck flushed. She tugged at the hem. “It’ll get cold!”
“I’ll heat the bag for you later,” he said gently, holding her waist and proposing a solution.
Her legs weakened from his grip, and she began to respond.
She turned to him, chest rising noticeably, staring at the handsome man in front of her, realizing this might be the only time they could meet over National Day.
So she stopped resisting, letting him take the lead.