Her response took He Yan by surprise, but within moments, he understood why she had agreed—she simply wanted to help him, just like at that charity banquet where, despite her own troubles, she had still asked if he needed assistance.
He frowned almost imperceptibly. To say he had no regrets would be a lie.
In his previous life, he had left her a business card and specifically told her that if she encountered any unsolvable difficulties, she could call him or visit him at the address provided. Yet throughout those eight years, he never once received a call from her. He had assumed she was doing well.
Now, thinking back, she simply hadn’t wanted to trouble him.
“Alright, when is your break?” He suppressed his unsettled emotions with effort and asked.
Wen Xue readjusted her scarf. “We just finished exams this morning. I can leave tomorrow.”
She had forgotten to buy a train ticket but wasn’t worried. It wasn’t peak travel season yet, and tickets back to Haicheng could be purchased anytime.
In Haicheng, she still had some relatives—sometimes she spent New Year’s at her aunt’s place, other times at her cousin’s.
People seemed to have an obsession with reunion dinners.
But ever since her grandmother passed away, she felt out of place in the cheerful atmosphere. Yet if she didn’t return to Haicheng, she didn’t know where else to go. Now that He Yan needed help, she could go assist him—it felt like a good arrangement.
“Okay.”
He Yan nodded. “Then I’ll pick you up tomorrow at noon.”
Wen Xue hummed in agreement, her scarf covering nearly half her face. They maintained the same distance as when they had arrived, walking back toward the campus. This was He Yan’s request—in his eyes, Wen Xue seemed fragile now, and he wouldn’t feel at ease unless he personally saw her to the building entrance and watched her go inside.
“Can parents enter your dormitory building during the day?”
He Yan asked again.
Wen Xue paused, exhaling a puff of white air. “Parents entering?”
“Your suitcase must be quite heavy, right?”
He Yan had plenty of experience raising He Heng, but as a younger brother, he didn’t need to worry much—just providing enough living expenses was sufficient. As for how He Heng traveled to school, moved his luggage into the dorm, or whether his bags were heavy, that wasn’t his concern.
But Wen Xue was different. She didn’t seem very strong, and there were no elevators in the dormitory building.
He suspected that in her current state, she might tumble down the stairs while carrying her suitcase.
For some reason, Wen Xue laughed. “It’s fine. I don’t have much luggage. I can carry it in batches.”
“Can parents enter?” He returned to the question.
“Probably not.” Wen Xue seemed distracted. “Last time he tried to help me pack, the dorm auntie wouldn’t let him in. Only parents are allowed, right?”
He Yan knew the “he” she referred to was He Heng.
He nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait for you downstairs. Twelve o’clock?”
“Okay.”
Strangely enough, during their previous meetings, they had spoken very little and weren’t familiar with each other. This time, however, their relationship seemed to have drawn closer, and their conversation felt relatively comfortable—at least not awkward. He Yan thought that in his past life, he should have treated her like an ordinary relative. Perhaps the outcome would have been different.
Crossing several pedestrian pathways, Wen Xue, familiar with the campus, led him on a shortcut.
If she were alone, she would have taken the busier main roads. But with He Yan around, even darker paths didn’t seem to be a problem.
As they approached the girls’ dormitory building, He Yan pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her. “My phone number is on here. Do you have your phone with you?”Wen Xue didn’t take the business card. “I left the previous one you gave me in the dorm.”
He Yan felt a sense of helplessness toward her. Since she hadn’t thrown away his card, why hadn’t she reached out to him when she faced those difficulties later?
“What’s your phone number?”
Wen Xue recited a string of digits. A few seconds later, her phone vibrated in her down jacket pocket, buzzing through the fabric. She took out her phone, confirmed it was his call, saved the number, and hesitated briefly while editing the contact name before settling on “Brother.”
“Let’s go.”
“Mm.”
The two continued walking toward the dormitory building. It wasn’t late yet—not even eight o’clock—but the crowd had thinned significantly. Before He Yan could remind her of a few more things, an impulsive young man suddenly appeared from somewhere, calling urgently, “Wen Xue!”
He Yan didn’t recognize him and shifted his gaze back to Wen Xue’s face.
Her expression was calm, even somewhat indifferent.
The young man hurried over cheerfully but then halted abruptly, his smile freezing as he looked at He Yan with suspicion and wariness. He blurted out, “Wen Xue, who is he?”
He Yan understood immediately.
This was one of the boys pursuing Wen Xue.
Wen Xue wasn’t exactly disgusted by these pursuits, but she was utterly exhausted and had no energy for their repetitive, meaningless chatter. She could only ignore them, yet a small portion remained undeterred. Though she never voiced it, she knew deep down they weren’t truly fond of her—it was more about conquest and a savior complex.
As if winning her over and making her move on from He Heng could satisfy their vanity.
“I’m here,” Wen Xue said, ignoring the boy and turning to He Yan instead.
He Yan understood. “I’ll wait until you’re inside.”
Wen Xue nodded, waved, and quickly ascended the dormitory steps. The boy anxiously tried to follow, but a strong grip pulled him back, nearly making him stumble. He turned around, “You—”
“Stop bothering her,” He Yan said expressionlessly. “Understood?”
…
Without looking back, Wen Xue entered the dormitory building. The hotpot meal had left her hands and feet warm, and though climbing the stairs was tiring, it wasn’t as breathlessly uncomfortable as it had been at noon.
Her three roommates were chattering excitedly about their winter break plans.
As Wen Xue pushed the door open, the conversation abruptly ceased. They all unconsciously toned down their bright smiles, as if by silent agreement.
“Oh?”
Ye Manni noticed something new and pointed at Wen Xue’s scarf and gloves. “Are those new? They’re so pretty!”
The other two roommates looked over as well, chiming in enthusiastically, “They look so warm! Wen Xue has fair skin—white doesn’t wash her out at all. It suits her!”
Wen Xue took off the scarf and gloves and smiled faintly.
It’s hard to control one’s emotions.
At least for her, just past her twentieth birthday, she hadn’t mastered that skill yet. She knew her roommates were carefully and gently looking out for her, and she wished she could engage in their fun conversations as actively as she had during her freshman year. She had tried, but every time, her mind would wander, drifting off to who knows where.
When they called her name again, she’d realize she had been spacing out.
She knew she was a terrible roommate and friend, but she felt utterly powerless. She had tried medication to improve her focus and even pinched herself during conversations to stay present. Eventually, she grew exhausted, and so did they.
Slowly, a wretched thought took root.
She wished they would give up on her and stop caring altogether.Her heart’s door was blocked by a massive boulder. She couldn’t push it open from inside, and others struggled too hard to move it—she didn’t want to trouble them.
“What did that person come to see you for?”
On the balcony, Ye Manni whispered to Wen Xue while she was washing up.
Wen Xue was drying her face. “He offered me a part-time job.”
“Ah?” Ye Manni sounded surprised, then asked with concern, “Are you short on money? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“No.” Wen Xue hung up the towel and smiled faintly. “He’s short-handed, and I happened to be free.”
“Oh, I see.” Ye Manni thought for a moment. “Well, let’s keep in touch during winter break. Call me if you need anything!”
“Okay.”
Carrying the scent of hot pot on her clothes, Wen Xue took a hot shower. Returning to her desk, she pulled open a drawer and took out a deep green notebook—thick with excellent texture, paired with a fountain pen she’d received as an eighteenth birthday gift.
He Yan’s business card was tucked inside.
She hadn’t examined it closely before. The slim card bore his name, company, position, phone number, and address.
Xicheng was such a vast city; she hadn’t explored much of it. She vaguely recognized the address as part of the old town district—likely somewhat remote, near the docks. She booted up her computer and searched for the company name. Her eyes widened at the registered capital.
Does it really require that much money?
She didn’t understand these matters well, but thought to herself, He’s really impressive.
Still…
The pressure must be immense, right?
She recalled He Heng mentioning long ago how difficult He Yan’s life had been. Their parents’ compensation money had been divided among relatives—after all, taking in two extra children was a burden for any family. Their relatives weren’t entirely heartless; at least they preserved the family home and contributed some renovation funds, ensuring the brothers had somewhere to return to during holidays.
Since his early teens, He Yan had found ways to earn money—from one or two yuan to dozens, then hundreds. He never let He Heng face embarrassment at school.
Wen Xue’s thoughts drifted far away again.
After spacing out for a while, she snapped back to reality and carefully put the card away again.
Meanwhile.
He Yan got back in his car, preparing to return home. The drive wasn’t short—about one to two hours. This manual transmission vehicle was something he’d picked up secondhand a couple years back. He wasn’t entirely accustomed to driving himself anymore. The car slowly pulled out of the parking space and merged into traffic.
The winter night temperature was bitterly low, yet he still rolled down the window, allowing the cold wind to rush in.
From the moment he was reborn until now, his mind had never truly rested. Having accomplished one thing, he felt a sense of relief. After fiddling around a bit, he turned on the car radio, half-listening to the broadcast.
By 10 PM, the car stopped in front of a Residential Building. These were all small-property-rights apartments, with about ten households per floor. The units were compact, but located conveniently close to his current company—just a five-minute walk. Life here was fairly convenient, so he’d rented out several vacant units as dormitories.
He took his keys upstairs, pausing on the third floor. Passing two doors, he stopped before one painted green with light seeping through. He raised his hand and knocked.
The door opened quickly.
A mixed group of men and women were gathered around a mahjong table.
“Brother Yan, what’s up?” asked a lanky young man. Hearing this, the others inside overturned the mahjong tiles and looked at him with innocent expressions.Some had been working with him for years, while others, though newcomers, already understood his temperament. He Yan didn’t enjoy playing cards—in fact, he had few hobbies to speak of. If he was in a good mood, he’d pretend not to notice their games. But if he was in a foul mood? Then it was over—every last one of them would be subjected to his scathing reprimands.
“Take it easy, all of you,” He Yan scanned the group, “No all-nighters.”
“We’ll wrap up after this round!” a short-haired woman said cheerfully.
He Yan neither agreed nor disagreed, instead gesturing for the lanky man to step out.
The two stood on the balcony. He Yan pointed toward the room at the far end and instructed, “Do me a favor tomorrow—hire a cleaning auntie to tidy up that room. Make sure it’s spotless and orderly.”
That room had previously been occupied by a pregnant employee.
A few months prior, the couple had discussed their options, gritted their teeth, and managed a down payment on a small two-bedroom apartment nearby. They moved out of the dorm immediately.
Wang Yuan was surprised, “Who’s going to live there?”
“Don’t worry about who’s moving in for now. Just get it cleaned up.”
After giving his instructions, He Yan turned to head back to his room for rest—he was exhausted too. But after a few steps, he remembered something and doubled back to add, “Also, buy a space heater and hot water bottles to put in there.”
Wang Yuan: “?”
Bro, you’re the tough guy who doesn’t even wear long johns when it snows—and you know about space heaters?