After saying these words, Wen Xue didn’t wait for his response. She withdrew her head and rushed straight to her room, slamming the door shut with a bang. Her rapid breathing hadn’t yet calmed as she curled up on the sofa secretly delighted. The soundproofing of the old house wasn’t particularly good – even He Yan downstairs could hear the sounds of her movement. He tilted his head listening for a while, the furrow between his brows unconsciously smoothing out.
He was a man of few words, and at this moment, he had even fewer emotions and even fewer words to express.
After taking out his keys and entering, he leaned against the door lost in thought for so long that he forgot to put down the rather heavy shopping bag in his hand. When he finally came back to himself, more than half an hour had passed. He stared blankly for a few seconds, his gaze inadvertently falling on the cup he’d placed on the windowsill – the cup Wen Xue had used once.
He Yan put down the bag, rubbed his face, picked up the cup and went out again.
Familiar with the way, he found Wu Yuejiang’s key and pushed the door open unabashedly. Just like yesterday, he scooped two spoonfuls from the milk powder can, boiled fresh water to make the drink, holding it steadily. His expression was somewhat awkward, but he still went up to the third floor and arrived at her door. With slightly lowered eyes, he thought for nearly a minute before finally raising his hand to knock.
Once, then again.
Wen Xue had just finished bathing, wrapped in thick pajamas while applying face cream in front of the mirror. The sudden knocking in the quiet night made her shoulders jerk. Most residents in this building had already moved out, and at this hour, there was only one person who could be looking for her.
“Wait a moment,” she called out loudly.
Sure enough, a deep voice came from outside the door, “Mm.”
She hastily spread the face cream dabbed on her face, making sure her current appearance was presentable before walking over to open the door. The moment the door opened, her sharpened sense of smell detected a faint milky fragrance. Looking closely, she saw He Yan standing at the doorway, holding a cup of milk in his right hand. When she looked at him, he uncomfortably averted his eyes. “Drink some warm milk.”
Wen Xue stared blankly for a moment before understanding dawned and she couldn’t suppress her amusement.
Perhaps due to her family background, she often felt that He Yan sometimes acted like an elder around her.
An elder even older than his actual age.
He wasn’t good at saying sorry, but this was his way of apologizing – very restrained and subtle. Yet on such a cold winter night, a cup of warm milk might be warmer than any apology.
“…Oh.”
She still tried hard to hold back her laughter as she took the cup of milk from him. He hadn’t left yet, as if waiting for her to finish drinking. She recognized it as yesterday’s cup and took a cautious sip to test the temperature – not too hot, just perfect.
Though this meant she’d have to brush her teeth again later.
He Yan wasn’t staring at her directly, his eyes looking elsewhere, but he could tell how much she’d drunk from the sound of her swallowing.
Wen Xue’s appetite had improved somewhat recently. She’d eaten a full bowl at dinner and was still quite full. After drinking most of the milk, she really couldn’t finish it, feeling like ducks could swim in her stomach. “I can’t finish it.”
“It’s fine.”
He Yan reached out, indicating for her to hand him the cup. He glanced at it casually. “I’ll wash the cup. You should sleep early.”
Wen Xue nodded.
This time he left with large strides. After going downstairs, he poured out the remaining small portion of milk.That night came to an end with the sound of Wen Xue vigorously brushing her teeth and He Yan washing cups.
…
The next day was New Year’s Eve.
At noon, Nana and Wan Nian returned sweetly together, surrounded by pink bubbles. It was hard to imagine they had been dating for several years yet remained so inseparable. This Spring Festival, the four of them were spending it together. He Yan and Wan Nian were going out to buy New Year’s supplies. Nana was initially quite interested and tried to persuade Wen Xue to join them, but the moment she heard they were going to a wet market, she immediately lost interest.
Wen Xue still remembered her promise to treat Nana to a drink, so the two hit it off immediately and happily walked arm in arm to Starlight Plaza, entering an ice cream shop.
Nana cautiously glanced at the menu prices and immediately wanted to run away.
She leaned close to Wen Xue’s ear and grumbled angrily, “Dozens for one scoop! They might as well just rob people!”
Wen Xue could tell she genuinely wanted to eat it, so she stopped her from leaving. After scanning the menu, it was just their turn to order. She quickly ordered a banana split with three scoops – that should be enough for Nana.
“Waaah, this is so expensive!” Nana clung to Wen Xue’s arm. “Wan Nian has never bought me anything this pricey!”
Wen Xue smiled. “I told you I’d treat you to something expensive.”
The shop had quite a few customers. They found seats in a corner. Nana handed a spoon to Wen Xue, who shook her head politely. “I can’t eat cold things right now – I’m taking medicine.”
Nana knew she hadn’t been well recently.
During their first meeting, her pale, almost translucent face had left a deep impression.
Hearing this, Nana didn’t press further, though her tone was regretful and her expression sly. “Then I’ll have to eat it all by myself.”
“Eat as much as you want. I’ll buy you more if it’s not enough.”
Wen Xue rested her chin in her hand, smiling warmly.
Nana couldn’t bear to destroy the banana split. Suddenly inspired, she took out her phone and started taking photos from various angles. After gleefully sending them to her boyfriend, she uploaded them to her status for everyone to see. If even one person on her friends list didn’t know she’d eaten ice cream costing over a hundred, she would consider her promotion inadequate.
Meanwhile, Wan Nian was wandering through the market with He Yan when he received the series of photos from Nana. He scratched his eyebrow and chuckled.
He Yan turned around.
Wan Nian explained, “Nana sent me photos – she and Wen Xue went for ice cream. Sent over a dozen.”
“Hmm.”
He Yan continued walking forward. As the crowd thinned ahead, he slowed his pace and took out his phone to send Wen Xue a message: 【Don’t eat too much cold food】
He wasn’t a controlling brother, but the doctor had specifically advised it.
During this period, she should try to eat less stimulating food – both spicy and cold things needed to be consumed in moderation.
Back in the shop, Wen Xue’s phone on the table vibrated, the screen lighting up with this message. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she replied: 【I didn’t eat any.】
He Yan: 【Okay】
“What’s up?” Nana asked curiously between bites of ice cream, noticing Wen Xue smiling.
Wen Xue showed her the chat history. “Good thing I resisted eating any.Nana shrugged, sighing with emotion once more. “Brother Yan keeps refreshing my perception of him every single day now.”” Perhaps because He Yan was mentioned, her thoughts drifted and her eyes lit up as she leaned in to gossip quietly with Wen Xue. “Hey, do you remember that supervisor from the ktv the other day?”
“She seemed like a very nice person. What about her?”Wen Xue didn’t remember every stranger she encountered. The reason she still recalled that head server wasn’t just because they’d met a couple days prior, but more importantly, when He Yan went to the private room to fetch her bag, the head server had maintained a polite distance from her—likely on He Yan’s instructions. Every time their eyes met, the head server would smile at her, a smile that felt incredibly reassuring.
Nana covered her mouth with her hand. “Haven’t you noticed? She has feelings for Brother Yan.”
Wen Xue was astonished. “Huh??”
She genuinely hadn’t noticed!
“Why do you say that?” she asked again.
“We all know. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Sister Jing and Sister Zhou next time,” Nana whispered with a sly grin. “They’ve known each other for years. Apparently, back when Brother Yan was negotiating business deals, she was still a waitress. Some drunk jerk gave her a hard time, and Brother Yan happened to help her out of the situation.”
“So they…”
Wen Xue was deeply surprised.
Nana pursed her lips. “That’s why Brother Yan is so boring. He has no interest in her. What’s the difference between that and winking at a blind person? I would never fall for a man who doesn’t like me back. My life is already bitter enough—if I went looking for more suffering, that would be the end. Don’t you think?”
Noticing some cream at the corner of Nana’s mouth, Wen Xue handed her a tissue and said softly, “Love can’t be controlled.”
If it could be easily controlled, how could it be called love?
“So profound,” Nana said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Wen Xue. “What about you? Would you fall for someone who doesn’t like you?”
“I don’t know.”
The question stumped Wen Xue, because she had only ever liked one person, and that person had already liked her deeply long before she developed feelings for him.
After finishing their ice cream, the two wandered around Starlight Plaza, buying some festive trinkets for the New Year. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that they reluctantly took a car back home. On the third floor, the kitchen was clattering noisily. When they went in, they saw He Yan and Wan Nian organizing the New Year’s goods they had bought.
For some reason, watching He Yan’s efficient movements, Wen Xue recalled what Nana had said and also remembered that very kind head server.
She guessed that He Heng probably had no idea about any of this.
“What are you smiling about?” He Yan asked, seeing her grinning as if she’d found money.
Wen Xue quickly suppressed her smile and murmured, “I wasn’t smiling.”
Wan Nian rubbed his nose and admitted awkwardly, “Bro, that was me laughing.”
He Yan: “…”
Early the next morning, Nana energetically knocked on Wen Xue’s door.
Her excitement was contagious, and Wen Xue found her own mood lifted. The fact that the four of them—unrelated by blood—were going to celebrate the reunion dinner together was truly special. They had discussed the menu over dinner the previous night. Nana had been cooking since she was little, standing at the stove day after day, year after year, until she grew tired of it. Wan Nian didn’t want her to keep doing things she disliked.
As for Wen Xue, before her grandparents passed away, the most she did at home was wash dishes. After they died one after another, she ate at the school cafeteria. While she could manage boiling noodles or frying an egg, preparing a New Year’s Eve feast was far beyond her skills.
As the saying goes, when men and women work together, the task becomes lighter.
While He Yan and Wan Nian handled the kitchen duties, Wen Xue and Nana had their own mission: pasting couplets on every colleague’s door.
“Don’t fall,” He Yan cautioned them.
As they went downstairs, Nana mimicked He Yan’s tone, “Don’t~ fall~ now~”
Wen Xue laughed at her antics. “Hey.”Nana snorted lightly, “He’s warning me, how annoying.”
They had bought many couplets while shopping yesterday. After putting up each set, Nana would take photos and send them to that person, justifying it by saying, “If we don’t tell them it was us who put them up, they’ll think they appeared out of thin air.”
When putting up the couplets for He Yan’s room, Wen Xue had her own private thoughts.
She had picked them from a stall – simple and easy to understand.
“Good health brings cheerful spirits, long life brings abundant blessings.”
This was what she hoped for – she wished for He Yan to have good health and live a long life.
As Wen Xue reached out to paste the character for “fortune” on the door, Nana noticed there wasn’t much paste left in the porcelain bowl and said, “I’ll go upstairs to make more, otherwise it won’t be enough!”
“Mm-hmm.”
Wen Xue found the small rabbit lantern they had bought from the bag. It was small and exquisite, but the light was bright. She knew He Yan was someone who handled important matters – he often had to discuss business with people, and discussing business inevitably involved drinking. Like last time, when he drank so much he couldn’t even hold his keys steady.
She hung the small lantern on the door.
If he came back very late, he could turn on the light to dispel the darkness, and even if he dropped his keys on the ground, he could easily find them.