“It’s hard to imagine what you used to come up with this stupid idea—your toes or your brain?”
Ye Xiyan said.
“If I were you, I would jump headfirst from the second floor right now. Even a brain damaged from the fall would be more useful than whatever is inside your skull right now.”
“…You know, Sister Wu Ke got sick this time because she was helping me out. She’s always had a weak constitution. If I just ignored her at a time like this, what kind of person would that make me?” Ye Xijing explained helplessly over the phone.
“Brother, I didn’t plan to hide this from Lan Xiaomei… Dai Lan. But you don’t understand—she has a short temper and gets jealous easily.
Last year, just because of something Wan Yin said, Dai Lan ignored my calls when she went back and even talked about breaking up. You have no idea how long I had to coax her before she forgave me.”
“And what else?” Ye Xiyan held his phone in one hand and pressed his forehead with the other.
“Don’t tell me your ability to discern right from wrong has deteriorated too.”
“…I really shouldn’t have let Wan Yin come over last time,” Ye Xijing admitted.
“But you know, after more than a year, Sister Wu Ke and I have always been innocent. But Dai Lan still minds it… If I tell the truth, she’ll definitely be upset again.
I don’t want her to feel bad, and I don’t want to argue with her. Sometimes, a little white lie is necessary. Besides, Brother, I’m leaving for the UK at the end of the month…”
He hesitated.
“We don’t have much time left together, and I don’t want to waste it all on arguments.”
Ye Xiyan remained expressionless.
“So you decided to call and waste my life instead?”
“No,” Ye Xijing said, “Sister Wu Ke has had a high fever that won’t go away. The doctor said she needs a blood test, but she has to fast for eight hours before that—”
Ye Xiyan interrupted, “I remember you went to the hospital seven hours ago.”
“Yes, but I gave her an apple in between,” Ye Xijing quickly admitted as if expecting this response.
“Sorry, I forgot to bring my brain.”
Ye Xiyan replied, “It’s fine. I never expected you to bring your brain.”
After a pause, he added, “And luckily, you didn’t. If you start being stupid without a brain, I can’t imagine the kind of disaster you’d cause with that muddled thing in your head.”
Ye Xijing called out, “Brother.”
“I can let Qian Dailan stay at my place for now,” Ye Xiyan said.
“But I won’t take care of her—she’s your girlfriend, not mine.”
His tone became more serious.
“No matter what, you must come home tonight. Tomorrow morning, you’d better explain everything to Qian Dailan. I have no obligation to cover for an idiot.”
“I know, I know,” Ye Xijing said gratefully.
“Just help me keep this from her one last time, Brother. You know there’s nothing between me and Sister Wu Ke, I don’t want Dai Lan to misunderstand.
If she asks, could you say I took a university friend to the hospital? Just say it was Pan Xiaoxian… Hello? Brother?—”
Ye Xiyan had no interest in listening to his brother any longer.
He hung up the phone and washed his hands.
The alcohol he had just consumed had been completely purged from his system.
He hated attending these kinds of drinking parties, but he had no choice.
After rinsing his mouth with mouthwash and washing his face with cold water, Ye Xiyan recalled the text Yang Quan had sent him half an hour ago.
Qian Dailan had been successfully dropped off at his home.
Ye Xiyan glanced at his watch.
It was already 8:20 PM.
He sent a short and precise reply to Yang Quan.
“Pick me up at 11:30 PM.”
Ye Xiyan had always been accurate in predicting the timing of these social events.
At exactly 11:35 PM, slightly tipsy, he got into Yang Quan’s car and let out a deep sigh.
“Yang Quan,” Ye Xiyan closed his eyes and asked, “Are you planning to stay with the company this time, or come with me?”
Yang Quan focused on driving and answered without hesitation, “Wherever you go, I go.”
Ye Xiyan let out a faint smile.
The alcohol clouded his thoughts as he turned his head to look outside.
Street Lights flickered past, illuminating the vibrant storefronts.
The city glowed with a million lights, teeming with people and traffic, like boats floating on a vast river.
He had seen this sleepless city thousands of times.
At 12:26 AM, Ye Xiyan changed into slippers and unlocked his apartment door.
There was no expected chaos or “intruder” situation.
Surprisingly, his brother’s girlfriend, Qian Dailan, was abiding by the rules.
The entire house was quiet, as if no one was there at all.
In fact, Ye Xiyan had only moved in last month.
He hadn’t had time to buy many things, and it was solely for hosting Qian Dailan that he had arranged for one of the guest room’s bedding to be replaced with something more “girly.”
Of course, if she didn’t like it, there was another guest room she could use.
He always handled matters meticulously.
Since he had agreed to let Qian Dailan stay (as his brother’s old residence still contained many of Wu Ke’s belongings), he genuinely treated her as a future sister-in-law.
He didn’t know which room Qian Dailan had chosen.
Both were completely silent, as if no one was inside.
He also wasn’t sure if Ye Xijing had come home.
Right now, he was drunk, and dealing with those cunning people at the drinking party had been exhausting.
He just wanted to rest.
With one hand, he pushed open the bedroom door, and with the other, loosened his tie, casually tossing it into the laundry basket made of calf leather and rattan.
Then, he removed his watch.
The room was dark, and he didn’t turn on the lights, relying purely on memory—just like his disciplined, controlled lifestyle.
Yet, for some reason, in his meticulously ordered bedroom tonight, he faintly smelled a trace of jasmine.
He casually placed his watch on the glass tray atop the walnut wood desk.
Click.
Wrapped in a goose-down duvet, Qian Dailan shivered slightly in her half-asleep state.
The mattress here was as soft as the rocking cradle she had slept in as a child.
The light and warm goose-down duvet felt almost weightless on her, which was unfamiliar for someone used to heavy cotton and silk quilts.
She never had trouble sleeping in a new bed—back when she worked in Shenzhen, the factory dorms were infested with cockroaches.
Even when centipedes the size of a palm clung to the walls, she would calmly grab them with her bare hands, crush them underfoot, wash her hands, and go right back to sleep.
Yet, for some reason, she had trouble sleeping in this pristine guest room.
The bed and blanket were comfortable and carried a faint fragrance.
Unlike the overpowering scent of the ones used in Sister Mai’s shop, this one was gentle and harmonious, like freshly cut, peeled, and split wood—mingled with the softness of blooming roses.
Perhaps the delicate scent had a soothing effect, for after half an hour of staring at the ceiling, she finally drifted into sleep.
In her dreams, she returned to the time when she first met Ye Xijing.
After working in the factory for two months, Qian Dailan realized that working on the assembly line wasn’t sustainable—it would eventually break her body down.
It was nothing more than trading her health for money.
So, as soon as she got her paycheck, she found a discounted night school nearby and enrolled immediately.
Though called “night school,” it was actually a tutoring program that ran in the evenings, teaching basic office software skills.
The course consisted of ten lessons, and she could choose when to attend.
Her plan was simple: after completing the factory’s mandatory six-month term, she would look for a clerical job.
Even if she stayed in the factory, she couldn’t be stuck on the assembly line forever.
She met Ye Xijing through that night school.
Qian Dailan was tall and slim, with striking features.
The day after she started classes, a group of people showed up just to get a look at her.
Some even boldly invited her out for a meal, wanting to “make friends” with her.
She politely declined them all.
Most people would take the hint and back off.
But, as always, there were the obsessive ones—persistent, unreasonable, and difficult to shake off.
One evening, outside a food stall, three men cornered her.
They blocked her way, making unwelcome advances and deliberately preventing her from leaving.
Her temper flared—she lashed out, kicking and striking without hesitation.
She even stabbed one of them in the nostril with a disposable chopstick, its rough edges tearing into his skin and causing blood to gush out.
The police arrived swiftly to handle the situation.
Those three were well-known thugs.
The local vendors and shopkeepers feared them, so no one dared to stand up for Qian Dailan.
Even when she insisted she was being harassed, everyone shook their heads and pretended not to know—except for Ye Xijing.
That night, he had come to meet a friend and happened to be buying braised goose feet at a store across the street when the commotion started.
He rushed over, initially intending to intervene—only to witness Qian Dailan single-handedly take down all three troublemakers.
His and his friend’s testimonies confirmed that she had been harassed and that her actions were purely in self-defense.
At the time, Qian Dailan was only sixteen.