The advantage of having a room to oneself was that no matter how late one slept or how early one woke, there was no longer any worry about disturbing others.
Wen Xue woke from a dream at five o’clock, having had a nightmare. Sweat beaded on her forehead and the tip of her nose. Her first night here had been restless; she was slightly particular about beds and needed a few days to adjust to unfamiliar environments. It was still dark outside. She got up and washed as quietly as possible, but even taking her time, she was ready before 5:30 a.m.
The whole world was so quiet.
Sitting by the bed, she realized she had come too hastily and hadn’t fully understood many aspects of the transportation involved. She picked up her phone and searched online for relevant knowledge as much as possible. Her reading speed wasn’t what it used to be, but she had enough patience to read word by word and comprehend carefully.
Knock, knock, knock—
When the knocking sound came, Wen Xue looked up and only then noticed that the sky had completely brightened.
Checking her phone, she saw it was already eight o’clock without her realizing.
She stood up to open the door. It was both unexpected and expected—the person at the door was He Yan, holding takeout bags in both hands. He handed them to her and said succinctly, “Breakfast.”
Wen Xue felt at a loss.
She didn’t really need such meticulous care from him; it made her feel pressured. But the words stuck in her throat, and she could only take the bags quietly. He had bought a lot—enough for two or three people. She murmured, “It’s too much. I can’t finish it all.”
He Yan’s gaze fell on the top of her head, not considering it a big deal. “Pick what you like, leave the rest for me.”
He had a bag hooked on each finger.
Wen Xue only took the steamed buns, estimating they had just come out of the steamer as they were still steaming hot. “This is enough for me.”
“Alright, eat first. I’ll wait for you downstairs. Come down after you finish.” He Yan said, “There’s still plenty of time, no rush.”
“…Mm.”
He Yan didn’t enter the room and went downstairs carrying the other breakfast items. It was a December morning; the sun hadn’t fully risen, and the temperature was low. He had already reached the car and opened the door, but glancing at the tea eggs, pancakes, and savory soy milk he bought—their fragrant aroma filling the air—he realized eating in the car would inevitably leave odors. After a moment’s thought, he firmly closed the door again, walked a few steps away, standing several meters from the car to finish his breakfast.
Wen Xue didn’t want to keep him waiting too long downstairs, so she ate a bit too quickly and nearly choked.
The thermos was of good quality; the water she had poured last night was still somewhat hot. Sipping the water slowly, she worried: Was this breakfast just for today, or would it be like this every day from now on? If it was the former, she could breathe a sigh of relief.
But if it was the latter, what should she do?
She didn’t regret agreeing to come with him, but whether in daily life or emotionally, she didn’t want to trouble others—especially He Yan. That’s why she had carefully tucked the business card he gave her into her notebook but never thought about calling him.
Ah…
Wen Xue drank half a cup of water, gathered her thoughts, packed simply—putting her commonly used notebook, ballpoint pen, and phone into her bag—grabbed her thermos, and headed out. On her way down the stairs, she ran into the energetic Nana and her partner.
Young couples in love are especially sweet; the strong man was carrying Nana on his back, deliberately jostling her playfully.
The young couple’s laughter and cheerful chatter were continuous.”Wen Xue!” Nana gasped breathlessly, pounding her boyfriend’s arm. “Stop messing around, put me down!”
“Good morning.” Wen Xue smiled.
“This is Brother Yan’s sister, Wen Xue.” Nana said cheerfully. “Wen Xue, this is my boyfriend, Wan Nian.”
Wen Xue had no memory of Wan Nian.
But Wan Nian remembered her. As one of the earliest employees who had worked with He Yan, after that major incident occurred, he had kept it from the other drivers and hadn’t even told Nana about it. He went alone to Haicheng to pay his respects, where he saw Wen Xue at the funeral home.
He told her, “My condolences.”
She was crying so hard her whole body trembled, nearly fainting. It was Brother Yan beside her who reached out to support her.
“Hello.” Wen Xue greeted politely.
Wan Nian snapped out of his thoughts and, seeing she didn’t remember him, smiled back. “Hello.”
The three of them went downstairs one after another. He Yan’s car was parked right outside the building entrance. Wen Xue waved to Nana and quickened her pace to get in the car. Watching the car turn around and drive away from the Residential Building, Nana linked arms with Wan Nian and pouted sentimentally. “Brother Yan is so good to Wen Xue. By the way, have you met her before?”
“Never have.”
Wan Nian thought to himself: Brother Yan tells everyone Wen Xue is his sister, never mentioning her relationship with He Heng. Probably he has his reasons for being cautious.
…
Along the way, He Yan drove very slowly, occasionally giving her directions. The distance from the Residential Building to the company was quite short. He might not have time to drive her to work every day, so she needed to learn the route.
Wen Xue rolled down the car window. The morning breeze was cool, tousling her hair. She adjusted her scarf, her clear eyes looking outside. The old city district was far less clean and spacious than the new district, but it was full of life, very much like her hometown.
As He Yan chatted with her, he suddenly caught a faint, unfamiliar fragrance.
He unconsciously sniffed, his nose following the scent as his face turned toward her. Confirming the elusive fragrance came from Wen Xue’s hair, he uncomfortably tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
The car smoothly entered the industrial park. This area was mostly transportation companies, with large container trucks visible everywhere – some for short distances, others for long hauls, some carrying regular goods, others refrigerated cargo. After parking, Wen Xue followed He Yan into the office. The space wasn’t large, and several drivers were chatting and laughing together. When they saw him, they called out in unison: “Brother Yan!”
He Yan stopped and turned to Wen Xue, introducing them to her one by one.
Unsure how to address them, she could only nod slightly.
The drivers stared at her unblinkingly until He Yan subtly stepped in front of her, his tall frame completely blocking her from view. Then they realized their behavior. All young men, the oldest not yet thirty, they blushed like Wang Yuan despite the winter cold, smiling sheepishly.
“Wen Xue, my sister.”
He Yan gave them a silent warning with his eyes. “She’s here to help. Look out for her.”
Next, he took her around the company, introducing everyone. Wen Xue gradually relaxed from her initial reserve because she realized they seemed unaware of her true relationship with He Yan.
She also learned that the short-haired woman who waited outside the restroom for her yesterday was Li Jingru.
“So Yan Sir does have some humanity after all.” Li Jingru complained frankly to Wen Xue after He Yan left. “With Sister Cai on maternity leave, he’s being stingy with that Wu guy, refusing to hire more help. Making me do two people’s work!”Wen Xue listened intently and asked, “Yan… sir?”
Li Jingru flipped through the documents rapidly. “He doesn’t like us playing cards. He cracks down hard every time, and on a few occasions when he got really angry, he even flipped the table. Isn’t that just like a cop?”
Wen Xue looked surprised, feeling that He Yan didn’t seem like the type to do such things.
Noticing her expression, Li Jingru chuckled. “I’m not making this up. If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Zhou—Sister Zhou!”
Sister Zhou, the accountant in her forties, was steeping a cup of tea. Blowing lightly on the tea leaves, she didn’t even lift her eyelids. “Ingrates. President He is afraid you’ll lose all your hard-earned money. Otherwise, why would he bother with you?”
The office atmosphere was pleasant. Li Jingru patiently taught Wen Xue how to check the documents. Occasionally, when Wen Xue’s attention wandered uncontrollably, Li Jingru would study her profile and then whistle—exactly like the boys she used to encounter on her way to and from school.
Li Jingru grinned. “You’re so pretty, little sister.”
Wen Xue’s cheeks warmed, and she apologized softly, “Sorry, I’ve been having trouble focusing lately.”
“No worries, I love whistling. How was it?”
Wen Xue smiled shyly in response.
The morning passed uneventfully. During the lunch break, after finishing their meal, Sister Zhou urged them to carry their chairs outside to sunbathe—part of her health regimen. “Don’t worry about UV rays. People need to see more light and bask in the sun.”
Wen Xue didn’t feel like moving. She sat quietly at her desk, chin in hand, staring intently at the cactus on her desk. If left undisturbed, she could watch it for hours.
While immersed in observing the cactus, she suddenly sensed something amiss. With Nana on her left and Li Jingru on her right, they lifted her—chair and all—and carried her outside.
Wen Xue, startled, exclaimed, “Ah?! Let me down!”
Nana and Li Jingru burst into laughter.
And so, four women of different ages sat downstairs shelling sunflower seeds. Forty-five-year-old Sister Zhou, thirty-year-old Li Jingru, twenty-two-year-old Nana, and twenty-year-old Wen Xue.
He Yan stood by the office window, gazing absently at her bathed in sunlight from a distance. She didn’t seem engaged in the conversation, yet she accepted the sunflower seeds Sister Zhou handed her, lowering her head to eat them slowly—while others shelled five, she managed only one.
“What are you looking at?”
Wu Yuejiang had just ended a tedious call with a business partner. His throat parched, he gulped down a glass of water until it no longer felt like it was on fire. Looking up, he saw He Yan standing leisurely by the window. He rose and walked over, asking irritably.
He Yan withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “By the way, my dinner with President Zhou has been rescheduled to tomorrow night.”
Wu Yuejiang asked, “Do you have plans tonight?”
“Yes, I’m taking Wen Xue to the home furnishing store to buy some things for her room.”
Wu Yuejiang nodded, saying, “That’s appropriate,” then added, “How about I join you? I’ll treat her to dinner as well. What does she like to eat—Western, Chinese, or seafood? I’ll make a reservation in advance.”
He Yan fell into thought.
She rarely spoke to him, let alone to Lao Wu, whom she knew even less.
“Maybe Japanese or Korean food?” Wu Yuejiang muttered. “Girls her age probably prefer that?”
“No.”He Yan quickly cut him off, “Another day. Don’t go today. If there are too many people, I’m afraid she’ll feel pressured.”
Wu Yuejiang was utterly confused. He pointed a finger at He Yan, then at himself, and asked doubtfully, “Wait? Too many people?”
Where were the many people?
Weren’t there just three of them?