Yu Qing preferred working in the living room, while Wen Yang liked staying in her bedroom. She didn’t mind the dim lighting—it gave her more space for imagination.
Tonight was bound to be a late one. By the time the final render was completed, Wen Yang stared at the screen in a daze. The clock at the bottom showed 2:30 AM. When she snapped out of it, excitement surged through her, and she immediately shouted, “Yu Qing!”
Yu Qing was deeply focused on sketching outside. Startled by Wen Yang’s call, she glanced at the time—damn, it was that late already! She jumped up and said, “Coming!”
She rushed into the bedroom.
Wen Yang pointed at the computer. “Come quick! My draft is done!”
Yu Qing’s eyes lit up. In one swift motion, she climbed onto the bed and leaned in to look at the final render. “It’s really done! And this time, it looks amazing!”
The project was a luxury penthouse in Washington, fully visualized, with even the furniture placements marked out. To be honest, when Yu Qing first started in the industry—despite completing many projects in school—her first large-scale penthouse design had been a bit rough. She had to redo it twice before getting it right.
But Wen Yang’s draft? It was good to go.
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Wen Yang was intrigued.
She remembered that was during Yu Qing’s senior year internship.
Yu Qing grabbed a USB drive from her nightstand, extracted an old file, and transferred it to Wen Yang’s laptop. She opened it.
A 256-square-meter penthouse render appeared on the screen, dated Summer 2020.
Time and experience really made a difference. Looking at it now, Wen Yang couldn’t believe Yu Qing had designed this—there was no trace of her current style.
“This doesn’t look like your work at all,” Wen Yang remarked.
Yu Qing burst into laughter. “Of course not! My skill level back then was nothing compared to now. Besides, I’ve improved after so many drafts. The layout of that penthouse was actually pretty bad, but at the time, I thought I was amazing because I’d won a bunch of awards. Turns out, my first real-world project was a total failure.”
Wen Yang couldn’t help but chuckle too.
They sat side by side, scrolling through the designs—first Yu Qing’s old work, then Wen Yang’s latest render.
Even when they were about to go to bed, Wen Yang still felt a bit excited. She saved the final render and sent it to Fu Xingzhou.
Along with a message:
Wen Yang: President Fu, the final draft is ready.
After sending it, exhaustion hit her. She and Yu Qing lay down together, moving the laptop to the nightstand. With a click, the light went off.
After several nights of working late, Wen Yang finally felt relieved. Her body was exhausted, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
—
The next morning.
Yu Qing was woken up by a client’s call and hurriedly got up.
Wen Yang, still half-asleep in bed, groggily reached for her phone to check the time.
On the screen, she noticed a message from Fu Xingzhou.
She instinctively clicked on it.
Fu Xingzhou: What is this?
Wen Yang blinked, suddenly wide awake. She scrolled up—and froze.
Last night, she had sent the wrong file.
Instead of the final render, she had accidentally sent Yu Qing’s first-ever penthouse design from years ago.
All her sleepiness vanished in an instant. She sat up straight, grabbed her phone, and hurriedly recorded a voice message.
Wen Yang: President Fu, I’m so sorry! I sent the wrong file. Please wait a moment—I’ll send you the correct one right now.
Her morning voice was still a bit soft and husky, with a touch of urgency.
Fu Xingzhou replied with a voice message as well.
His deep, magnetic voice came through the speaker, calm and unhurried.
Fu Xingzhou: No rush.
The tone was so smooth and soothing that it made Wen Yang even more anxious.
She quickly grabbed her laptop, reattached the correct file, and sent it through WeChat on her computer to Fu Xingzhou’s phone.
Then, she double-checked it on her phone to make sure it was the right one before sending another voice message to clarify.
Wen Yang: President Fu, this is the correct file. Please have a look. Apologies again for last night—I accidentally sent an old project by our designer Yu. Her work is nothing like that now.
Just in case he thought their studio still produced work like that, which would be terrifying.
Fu Xingzhou didn’t reply immediately.
About seven or eight minutes later, a new message popped up.
Fu Xingzhou: I’ll leave the renovation to you.
Seeing this, Wen Yang finally relaxed.
Sitting on her bed, hair slightly messy, she held her phone and quickly typed out a reply.
Wen Yang: Thank you, President Fu! Appreciate the opportunity!
Fu Xingzhou: Mm.
Fu Xingzhou: Did you sleep late last night?
Wen Yang replied: Not too late, just my usual time.
Wen Yang: President Fu, I’ll start making arrangements on my end.
Fu Xingzhou: Mm.
After receiving his confirmation, Wen Yang put down her phone and got out of bed. Since she couldn’t sleep anymore, she decided to head straight to the studio. When she arrived, she told Yu Qing and Tao Li about the mix-up from last night.
They both responded, “Good thing President Fu didn’t mind.”
Wen Yang sighed, “Right?”
—
Afternoon.
Wen Yang went through the renovation company contacts using the information Yu Qing had. The company Yu Qing was working with wasn’t particularly great, and it was uncertain if they would continue collaborating. Wen Yang wanted to find a new one—one that specialized in smart home systems.
The three of them—Wen Yang, Yu Qing, and Tao Li—stood in front of Yu Qing’s desk, flipping through renovation company portfolios.
Just then, Wen Yang’s phone rang on the desk. She instinctively picked it up and saw that it was a call from Zhu Yun.
Wen Yang answered: “Mom.”
Zhu Yun: “Yangyang, what are you up to?”
Wen Yang sat down at her desk. “Working.”
Zhu Yun coughed lightly and said, “Yangyang, your dad and I just arrived in Nancheng. We just got off the high-speed train. Please don’t be mad—we know we came unannounced, but I just couldn’t wait another two weeks. I wanted to see you.”
Wen Yang froze. Then, in an instant, she shot up from her seat. “Mom, you guys are in Nancheng?”
Zhu Yun nodded. “Yes. Where’s your new place? We’ll take a taxi there.”
“I’ll come pick you up. Don’t move.” Wen Yang was caught off guard but also felt a surge of urgency. The last time she had spent time with her parents was during the New Year in Nanan.
Before she knew it, October was almost over.
It had been over three months since her divorce—a separation that had taken place in the heat of summer, a season meant for love.
Zhu Yun: “Just send me the address, and we’ll take a taxi there. No need to trouble yourself.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Just stay put.”
Wen Yang pulled out her chair. “I’m coming to get you.”
Zhu Yun knew she couldn’t argue with her daughter. “Alright, we’ll wait for you.”
After hanging up, Wen Yang grabbed her bag.
Yu Qing turned to her. “Let’s have dinner together later. Let me know once you’ve picked up your parents.”
Wen Yang nodded. “Okay.”
Then, she left the studio, hailed a taxi downstairs, and headed to the high-speed rail station.
—
The sun was setting, casting a golden glow across the sky. It was a beautiful sight.
When Wen Yang arrived at the station, she spotted her parents from afar, standing at the exit, waiting for her.
Zhu Yun was holding a large bag, with part of a Nanan pastry box peeking out of the top.
It was a childhood favorite of Wen Yang’s—something she had grown up eating and never tired of, yet it was incredibly difficult to find.
Her eyes instantly turned red.
As a daughter, she had not lived up to her parents’ hopes of her being happy and carefree. Instead, they had to travel all this way out of worry for her.
Wen Yang got out of the taxi and ran toward them.
“Dad! Mom!”
Zhu Yun and Wen Li saw her running over and quickly said, “Slow down!”
Standing in front of them, Wen Yang reached out and hugged Zhu Yun first.
Zhu Yun was still holding the bag in one hand, but the moment her daughter threw herself into her arms, she instinctively lifted her other hand and gently ruffled Wen Yang’s hair.
And this time, behind Wen Yang, there was no Cheng Yanyu following her anymore.
Wen Li looked at Wen Yang. “Have you lost weight?”
Wen Li had always been a man of few words. Because of his job, he carried an air of authority.
Wen Yang turned to look at her father and said, “No, I haven’t lost weight. I’ve actually gained some.”
But in reality, she hadn’t gained weight.
She had, in fact, lost some.
Zhu Yun could tell the moment she hugged her daughter, but she didn’t expose Wen Yang’s little lie. She also had no interest in bringing up a certain “Mr. Cheng” anymore. Instead, she patted Wen Yang’s back and said, “Alright, enough. You’re getting all sweaty from hugging.”
Wen Yang mumbled, “It’s already getting cold. How could I be sweating?”
Zhu Yun sighed helplessly and smoothed down her daughter’s long hair.
The three of them lingered at the train station entrance for a while, then flagged a taxi. Wen Yang sat in the front passenger seat and turned back to her father.
“Dad, did you take your annual leave early?”
“Mm. Took it early.”
In reality, he had requested time off.
Wen Yang nodded.
She picked up her phone and booked a hotel before turning to her parents.
“Dad, Mom, I’m currently living with Yu Qing. Originally, she had rented a small place, but after I moved, she came to stay with me. It’s a two-bedroom apartment with a living room and a balcony—it’s nice. But since it’s just the two of us girls, it’s not that convenient for you and Dad to stay there. So I booked you a hotel instead. I think it’ll be more comfortable for all of us.”
Zhu Yun nodded immediately. “That’s fine. Hotels are convenient anyway. And as long as you and Yu Qing can take care of each other, your dad and I are at ease.”
Wen Yang smiled and took her parents to the hotel, where they first dropped off their luggage. Soon after, Yu Qing arrived, and they went to a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner.
Upon seeing Yu Qing, Zhu Yun warmly held her hand and handed her a big bag of gifts. Yu Qing laughed and pushed it back. “Auntie, you’re being too polite. Every year during New Year, I go to your house to freeload a meal, and you’re still treating me like a guest?”
Zhu Yun smiled. “Just take it. And you better come over to freeload again this year.”
Yu Qing chuckled and accepted the gift.
Fair enough.
The four of them sat down and ordered food.
During the meal, Zhu Yun asked about Yu Qing’s health.
Yu Qing smiled. “I’m just taking it easy for now. But with Wen Yang helping me, it hasn’t been too tiring.”
Zhu Yun nodded. “It’s good that you two can help each other out. That’s what good friends do.”
They were all from Nanan, and Yu Qing had often visited their home back in high school. Zhu Yun was grateful that Wen Yang had such a close friend.
After dinner, Yu Qing returned to the studio.
Wen Yang accompanied her parents upstairs to their room. The train ride from Nan’an to Nancheng wasn’t long, but the day’s travel had been exhausting for them.
It had been a long time since Wen Yang had spent time with her parents—especially Zhu Yun. Despite how serious Wen Li appeared, it was actually Zhu Yun who had been the stricter parent growing up.
She was a mother who prioritized rationality over emotion, raising Wen Yang with a strong sense of morals, though never in a harsh way. Her love was just as deep as Wen Li’s, if not more. Wen Yang had always relied on her mother more.
She decided to go back to her place to grab some clothes and stay at the hotel for the night to keep Zhu Yun company—after all, it wasn’t far.
After telling her parents, she headed downstairs.
—
It was nighttime. The scent of blooming flowers filled the air, neon lights flickered, and the streets of Nancheng were vibrant.
Just as Wen Yang stepped out of the elevator, she spotted Jiang Yue at the front desk.
She greeted him with a smile. “Secretary Jiang.”
Jiang Yue was discussing something with the receptionist. He looked up and said, “Miss Wen, what a coincidence. Are you staying here too?”
Wen Yang nodded.
Jiang Yue smiled. “Perfect timing. Since you’re back in Nancheng, I brought the things for you. President Fu is outside right now. You can go get them from him.”
Wen Yang paused, then suddenly remembered—the bag from Hong Kong that she couldn’t bring back herself.
“Got it.”
She then headed toward the entrance.
The hotel lobby was grand and brightly lit, seamlessly connecting to the glowing neon-lit street outside.
The night in Nancheng was stunning. The pavement was sprinkled with fallen flowers.
From a distance, she saw two tall figures standing beside a car.
Fu Xingzhou, dressed in a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up, was engaged in conversation with the man beside him. The lights cast a glow over them.
They looked like two celebrities standing under the spotlight.
He still had that same poised elegance. Unchanged.
Wen Yang walked toward them.
The two men, mid-conversation, noticed her approaching.
The man beside Fu Xingzhou gestured toward him, and Fu Xingzhou lifted his gaze.
Wen Yang was wearing a light-colored dress with a matching, thin outer coat. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her delicate features.
She stepped off the last stair and stopped in front of Fu Xingzhou.
“President Fu, you’re in Nancheng?”
The man beside Fu Xingzhou looked at Wen Yang with curiosity.
Fu Xingzhou gave a slight nod. “Mm.”
Wen Yang lifted her gaze and smiled. “Secretary Jiang said you have something for me?”
Fu Xingzhou raised an eyebrow, seemed to think for a second, then turned and walked toward the trunk of the car.
Wen Yang followed.
It was late autumn, and the air was cool with a gentle breeze. The wind lifted strands of her hair.
She stood beside the trunk as Fu Xingzhou opened it—either pressing a button or triggering a sensor—and reached inside. He pulled out a delicate shopping bag and handed it to her.
Wen Yang took it.
Their hands brushed lightly against each other as they exchanged the bag.
The wind blew a few loose strands of her hair across her face, grazing her brow and eyes.
She softly said, “President Fu, thank you.”
With a quiet thud, the trunk closed.
Fu Xingzhou looked at her. “Check to make sure everything’s there.”
Wen Yang nodded. “Alright.”
Sansukini: Mr. Fu’s replies to her actually already shows signs of interest in her. The simple messages actually shows a bit of ambiguity on his part but Wen Yang is oblivious.
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