Chapter 26

A man with a self-restraint personality, translated, means—harmless.

“Then what happened?”

“I replied to him that it was just a joke. He said, although he was a little offended, he was still in a good mood because the actress herself likes scumbags.”

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘That depends on how scummy you are.’ After saying that, I went upstairs. There’s no way I would let him know that my heart was racing.”

Yu Dule gave a thumbs up.

“I’ll never believe again that comedy can dissolve sensuality. When Xu Guanrui got close to me, I clearly felt that at that moment, I was the most captivating sight on the whole of Xiangyang North Road. A woman with long hair, standing alone in the rain, unsure of how to get home—Xu Guanrui would be lying if he didn’t feel something.”

“Yes, the Cinderella version has changed. Before, it was the kind and pitiful girl who hurriedly ran away, leaving behind a shoe, which the prince found. Now, it’s the wicked woman who cuts off the back of her heel and has the prince apply a band-aid.” Yu Dule leisurely ordered more drinks. He had mastered the art of remembering both the number of drinks and continuing the conversation, still sharp-tongued: “Why don’t you mention how your stand-up routine pierced someone’s heart? Which man in the room wouldn’t feel like they were being scolded?”

“This is really just a joke. The audience doesn’t need to rush to think of themselves as scumbags; many are still far from that level. They just take things out of context and think they’re bad, without realizing they’re not even attractive.”

“You’re the toxic one.”

“Those two weeks of undercover work were like being pua-ed; I was constantly asked if I had a household registration, how much I earned, what I liked to do... At that moment, I realized I have no value in the marriage market. I was just doing a survey, but those girls who were truly in the dating scene were being beaten down over time. Even if they got married, their self-esteem would probably be very low.”

Gu Yi sat on the couch, her legs draped over the armrest, her body leaning against the backrest, chatting with Yu Dule in a relaxed manner, while avoiding a potentially ambiguous encounter. The rain was too heavy, and Xu Guanrui, very restrained, tentatively asked if he should drive her home. After being declined, he smiled and said goodbye, his kindness only skimming the surface. Neither of them mentioned exchanging contact information, and when Xu Guanrui lowered his car window, he simply said, “See you next time at Ounce.”

She thought this kind of guy was interesting: they would tread carefully, and the moment a woman showed any hint of rejection, they would immediately step back, even pretending to be still—if they went unnoticed, they wouldn’t lose face.

In contrast, Liang Daiwen, although he had some emotional communication barriers and didn’t care much, ever since meeting her, had been hopping between carriages and pretending to be a tree, even getting his arm injured by a beer bottle, embarrassing himself all day long.

Yu Dule took out wet wipes and carefully wiped every round table, his fingers brushing the corner of a table that had been damaged by a man during a past incident, lightly smoothing over it. Gu Yi suddenly remembered, “By the way, how did you and Guan Xingxin become a couple?”

“We didn’t,” Yu Dule replied. “We never said it.”

“Huh?”

Yu Dule wasn’t the type to talk much about his personal life, but Gu Yi could still pick up on clues. During their group outings, though Lu Ming had subtly expressed his feelings, Guan Xingxin clearly favored Yu Dule more. According to Guan Xingxin’s assessment, Yu Dule was romantic, interesting, and carefree. As Yu Dule appeared on stage more frequently, he would subtly weave jokes into their conversations with Guan Xingxin, hiding his nervousness, but as long as Guan Xingxin wasn’t looking, he would punch his chest and take deep breaths. Pretending to be mature and humorous, in reality, every time he went upstairs, his heart almost exploded from uncertainty. Guan Xingxin never knew. Then one day, on a rainy night, Yu Dule was waiting for the rain to stop in the living room when Guan Xingxin suddenly called him from the bathroom. Yu Dule opened the door a crack, and Guan Xingxin stood in the bathtub, steam swirling around her. She asked, “Can you turn off the light for me?”

Yu Dule had just done so, but then Guan Xingxin jumped out of the bathtub, half of her dress soaked, and fell into his arms, saying, “Are you really afraid of getting yourself wet? Every time it rains, you refuse to leave.”

She had an extraordinary sense of direction in the darkness, as if the darkness was part of her body. Yu Dule didn’t dodge; no one could resist a soft body that smelled of flowers, her delicate skin seemingly wrapped in overflowing water. Initially, he thought it was inappropriate, but at that moment, her actions were simple and understandable, even the teasing and caressing were made deliberately easier. He had seen that widely spread hotel video, but the moment their lips touched, the warmth of his heart and the cooling blood seemed to run in different directions, something clearly felt off. When they were in the bathtub, she tore off the petals and scattered them inside, smiling back for a moment in a strange yet warm way. He understood—this seemingly beautiful detail was something Guan Xingxin had rehearsed many times, something she was completely familiar with, even calling it a form of “hospitality.”

Gu Yi understood; this was the love story Yu Dule wanted, but not the one he had expected. But since it had happened, he hadn’t rejected it. She could see Yu Dule’s sadness, though—they had been old friends for years. He liked Guan Xingxin far more than he let on, but in order to seem worthy of her, he had hidden most of it and pretended to be indifferent, mingling with Lu Ming. Now that he had the relationship of a bed partner, he was definitely very frustrated about it.

But he wouldn’t show it. Halfway through the conversation, Yu Dule stood up: “The rain stopped. I rode an electric bike today; let me call you a cab. By the way—do you think, when you like someone too much, you often mess it up, but when you’re not so invested, you can handle things more easily?”

For the Women’s Day, Gu Yi made the “Fearless of the Storm” series, and the first video got a huge response after being released on Douyin and Weibo, with views over a million. That night, there was a discussion about the topic on the English website. In the video, a woman stands at the marriage market, with a long shot from a distance, as if being scrutinized. The image was even captured as the headline by a female-oriented public account. Gu Yi recalled that her first version had been a comic-style long image, split in half to talk about the differences between modern women and women from the past. The viewpoint was sharper, but it lacked the sense of being scrutinized with blank eyes, which had more viral potential. She had to admit that Jacqueline had a keen eye for trends. Her goal wasn’t to create new ideas but to make a “hit”—exposure equals data, and data equals higher advertising fees.

It was also a testament to Gu Yi’s abilities. She had figured out a bit of Jacqueline’s approach: Jacqueline’s expectation was to create a cutting-edge perspective, then strip away the parts that wouldn’t spread well and replace them with the common pain points. This method was indeed more suited to the tone of old-school media. Jacqueline would never ask Gu Yi to flatter her or write thank-you notes, but she would scrap new topics and make her work overtime. Was there really no place for new, strange angles?

As she sat at the computer writing new copy, an intern drifted over to her ear: “Lindsey is quite pleased with herself this time. Pony is probably quietly cursing in the small group.”

Gu Yi tapped the intern’s head with her pen: “Just focus on your internship. You come in every day to gossip—are all you rich second-generation kids so idle?”

“I’m the one who keeps this office’s veins from clogging up. And don’t you want to hear Jacqueline’s new gossip?”

“What gossip?”

“Her ex-boyfriend is trying to recruit her as a partner in Beijing. It’s been circulating around the company recently. Over here, she only gets director-level treatment and salary, but in Beijing, she could be the boss. The company behind Yi Zhou is a Hong Kong enterprise, and they wouldn’t use her that much. She’s getting older, and going to Beijing to be a partner is practically guaranteed. But—”

“But what?”

“She and her ex reportedly had a very bad breakup. They were once madly in love, together since they were twenty, and their relationship was even spread as a beautiful fairy tale on QQ. Well, now it’s a black history. But Jacqueline values her career more; she’s determined to develop independently in another company, even seeing her ex as a competitor. In the end, they broke up, and it was the guy who couldn’t take it and proposed the breakup. Now, this olive branch feels like there’s still some unfinished business between them, but Jacqueline’s been dating a younger boyfriend in Shanghai for almost two years, you know...”

Gu Yi furrowed her brows as she listened: “You must have eavesdropped through the crack of the door. Is your bed under Jacqueline’s?”

“Skills,” came the reply. “But Lindsey, if Jacqueline leaves, there won’t be such a good leader. You really like her, right? If a foolish woman replaces her, spending every day pretending to be a married woman with Pony, you wouldn’t have the chance to work on a major topic like ‘Unfazed by the Storm.’ I like Jacqueline as a leader too. It’s like watching TVB every day. This atmosphere is the best when interning here. If she leaves, I probably won’t want to stay at No. 8 Bridge anymore. It’s really hard to drive around here.”

This made Gu Yi a bit sad. After holding her feelings all day, she knocked on Jacqueline’s office door that evening. It was cold in there. This woman’s anti-aging seemed to come from not turning on the air conditioning to freeze herself. Jacqueline glanced up at her: “Do you need something?”

“Well, I thought about it. The four topics I gave you before aren’t as popular as ‘Unfazed by the Storm,’ but I’m wondering if we could create a public account focused entirely on cutting-edge topics. With ‘One Week’ as a backer, it might attract attention. If it’s more rebellious, we might even bring in new readers.”

Jacqueline remained cold and indifferent. A room thermometer on her long desk showed 26 degrees, as if that was Jacqueline’s body temperature. She thought for a long time and said flatly, “Write me a plan. It doesn’t need to be complicated, just send the text to me on WeChat.”

“Got it!” Gu Yi, encouraged, added, “I really can’t imagine ‘One Week’ without you.”

Jacqueline showed no reaction. As Gu Yi left the office, she thought, This is the perfect boss—clear goals, seizing resources from peers, and expecting results from subordinates. Jacqueline’s khaki BV trench coat had the extra shoulder piece removed. Her figure was so thin it seemed like paper, and the effort she put in was far beyond what one could see.

Her phone buzzed. It was Liang Daiwen. Gu Yi stared at the message, almost thinking she was mistaken: “Want to meet? Come to my place. I’ll celebrate your birthday.”

Gu Yi’s jaw dropped. Was Liang Daiwen this direct when asking people to meet? There are restaurants, cinemas, parks—who invites someone directly to their home? Is his place a military dormitory?

She complained silently in her mind, but quickly replied, “Sure.”

Also, how did he know it was her birthday? She went to Van Gogh’s Gallery, picked out a bottle of vodka from an import shop, and happily made her way upstairs. The familiar damp elevator smell greeted her, and she felt touched that the man she liked remembered her birthday, no matter how cold the weather. But—she didn’t have the key. She stood at the door like a courier waiting to be let in.

She waited an hour. Liang Daiwen usually would have been home by this time. Her stomach growled. He wasn’t the type to break promises, so where could he be?

After another half-hour, the elevator stopped on the 13th floor, then the 15th, and finally the 14th. Gu Yi’s heart pounded. It was the neighbor.

After enduring the pain of waiting, she sat on the floor and dozed off. In her dreams, there were scenes with Guan Xingxin, Yu Dule, Jacqueline, and unfamiliar men, as well as Lu Ming disappearing intermittently... She was startled awake by Liang Daiwen, who stood in front of her—drenched in cream and ice cream stains, looking like he had been in a fight. The opened cake was half ruined, with only a quarter left to eat. The man stood there with pursed lips, saying nothing, completely unlike someone celebrating a birthday.

Though expressionless, he was full of surprises. He could be called—Little Sakura with a thousand faces.

“How did the cake get ruined?”

“Nothing. Let’s cut the cake.”

Gu Yi could smell his frustration. Who was he angry with? What happened? Was he inviting her over just to vent?

Her disappointment was overwhelming, but she didn’t argue: “Should we light the candles? You have a lighter at home, right?”

“No. Let me look.”

Before Gu Yi could react, Liang Daiwen grabbed a gas can and flamethrower, spraying fire at the candles. The flames shot up a foot high: “It’s lit.”

“Well, it’s lit now. If you spray any harder, the cake will be on fire. Are you roasting salmon with that flame?”

Liang Daiwen clearly didn’t get it: “I actually have salmon.”

Gu Yi didn’t want to listen to more of his nonsense: “Alright, alright, with this little bit of cake left, if we don’t eat it now, it’ll be gone.”

After the cake had been salvaged, only a small piece remained. Liang Daiwen had cake smeared on his face and ate the cake fiercely, his hair disheveled. The bald spot she’d shaved before had grown back and stood up stiffly on his head, making it seem like he had fought to reclaim the cake. What happened to him?

“Were you in a collision?”

“No.”

Liang Daiwen’s bandages were off, and the scar on his hand was as long as a palm, pink, like a badge he’d earned for himself. Gu Yi found a bottle of vodka in her bag and asked, “Want to drink?”

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Please. You’re so worked up with that flamethrower, and you’re not even going to drink with me as a friend?”

The angry man suddenly became obedient. The two of them, both hungry, shared a little bit of cake. Gu Yi went to the kitchen to grab a cup. “You’re not prone to hypertrophic scarring, are you? Don’t drink alcohol and make your scars worse.”

When she returned to the living room, Liang Daiwen had already tilted his head back, drinking half of the bottle. She rushed over and snatched the bottle from him. “God, you don’t drink like that.”

“Don’t worry, I have good alcohol tolerance.”

“I’m not worried about you, I’m worried that I won’t have any to drink later.”

“...”

Liang Daiwen, boasting about his alcohol tolerance, drank on an empty stomach. Less than three minutes later, he lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling with a red face, looking harmless.

Good alcohol tolerance, so much so that Gu Yi didn’t need to worry about herself being in danger while in the same room. Gu Yi finally understood. When she stayed here, Liang Daiwen lived like a wooden mannequin, keeping himself strictly within his limits. Otherwise, like now, he would look completely helpless.

The two of them were sitting a bit too close. This had been the position where Gu Yi and Liang Daiwen often chatted. Liang Daiwen liked to lean against the backrest, while Gu Yi would sit on the couch. But today, it was Liang Daiwen slumped on the couch, and Gu Yi sat next to him, watching him with his eyes closed, looking messy and disheveled, which was oddly endearing. Gu Yi had planned to take the wine glass to the sink, but just as she stood up, she sat back down instead.

Liang Daiwen was truly devastatingly handsome. His lips were a bit dry, and after drinking, there was a mixed scent of sweat and alcohol on him. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a warm sensation hitting her because she was sitting so close. His eyelashes were delicate and tousled, looking obedient and innocent, much cuter than when his eyes were open. The top button of his shirt was still fastened tightly, and his slim, sharp shoulders gave him that restrained, almost monk-like appeal…

Suddenly, she remembered the flushed conversation she had had with Guan Xingxin in the loft. They had joked about what might happen in a romantic movie scenario, and Gu Yi had imagined kissing Liang Daiwen on the couch. She had even added a daring twist: Liang Daiwen, indifferent to his exes, would have his heart race for her—thinking of it as an imagined fantasy for someone with communication issues, she thought it was already an outlandish thought. Guan Xingxin had waved her hand dismissively: “Well, it’s just an imagination, right? Come on, why not make it more exciting? Liang Daiwen is a man, after all. Don’t you think you should imagine him pushing you down, hugging you, and tearing off his own tie and shirt? For a guy so self-disciplined he won’t even look at a woman’s legs, imagine him unbuttoning one by one—it must feel like such an accomplishment. It’s like you’re peeling off a priest’s clothes; after that, you can imagine the rest yourself. I won’t get involved…”

Gu Yi shook her head quickly—no, it had to be gradual!

She quietly moved closer to Liang Daiwen, intending to secretly undo the first button of his collar. No particular reason, just felt it was too tight, worried he might suffocate. It wasn’t like she had never seen him wear a low-cut shirt before, so there was no reason to be shy, but this tight state? It was a problem!

Just as her hand brushed against the button, she nervously thought to herself, Please don’t wake up—if he wakes up now, I’m just a pervert, and I’ll be caught red-handed.

“I’m a bit angry today,” Liang Daiwen suddenly spoke.

Gu Yi jumped back in surprise, and the wine bottle clattered to the floor, spilling the alcohol everywhere. The strong smell of alcohol filled the room. She scrambled to grab a tissue and clean it up, feeling a pang of regret—she hadn’t drunk the wine or kissed him, and now she had to act like nothing had happened. “Oh? What happened?”

“I bought a cake and took a cab back. The heater in the cab was too warm, and I was afraid the cake would melt, so I stuck my hand out the window holding the cake, hoping the cold wind wouldn’t make it melt. My hand was nearly frozen. But then, while waiting for a red light, the ribbon on the cake got caught on the rearview mirror of a delivery truck, and the whole cake was pulled away from me.”

“Ah?”

“I immediately got out and ran after it, chased it for two blocks, and only then did the delivery guy notice. These people are always rushing, not paying attention to their cars, eyes glued to their phones, and won’t even stop.” Liang Daiwen’s words seemed genuinely frustrated. “The string got loose, and the box fell on the ground. I really hate when things are out of my control, damn it.”

Liang Daiwen cursed? Gu Yi covered her mouth, giggling. Liang Daiwen glared at her, saying coldly, “Since I met you, nothing has gone according to plan.”

It seemed… the alcohol was having an effect? At least now, he seemed genuinely angry…

Gu Yi thought for a moment before pointing at the whiteboard. “Come on, tell me honestly, have you tried all three of the treatment methods I left for you?”

“Mm, I’ve been keeping a straight face at work every day, no more expressions, tried everything.”

“Then I’ll add a fourth—tell me about your past.”

Liang Daiwen stared blankly at the ceiling, like a wooden post. Gu Yi suddenly wasn’t in a hurry anymore. She even played a soft, lyrical rock song and dimmed the lights. Sitting next to Liang Daiwen, she stared at the first button on his shirt. She had made up her mind today to get something from Liang Daiwen.