Gu Congli came on a weekday, cooked her dinner using the limited ingredients in her fridge, and then sat across from her, watching her eat.

Shi Yin felt deeply uncomfortable under his gaze.

She pushed the plate toward him. The fried rice was coated with egg yolk, golden and vibrant, dotted with diced cucumbers and carrots—white, yellow, green, and orange—a feast for the eyes. She had even scooped a dollop of Laoganma chili sauce onto the side of the plate.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“No.”

Shi Yin tilted her head. “Why did you suddenly come today?” It was year-end, and he had been incredibly busy lately.

He looked at her. “To make you dinner.”

Shi Yin nodded and didn’t say anything further.

His expression and gaze suddenly made her feel that it was best not to mention Liang Qiushi right now.

She had a nagging feeling that if she brought it up, something terrible might happen.

After dinner, Gu Congli didn’t stay long and left shortly afterward.

Shi Yin returned to her study to finish the last bits of work. At 1:30 AM, she finally sent all the completed drafts to Gu Congli.

Mission accomplished. Shi Yin let out a long sigh of relief, slumping into her chair. She massaged her sore right wrist, the joints cracking audibly as she flexed her fingers.

Staring at her phone, she began to space out.

She had promised Liang Qiushi that she would take him to Qian An’s Below Zero anniversary event.

But given the current situation, she wasn’t sure if he would still want to go.

Shi Yin wasn’t good at handling these kinds of situations. She was upset about his mistakes at work, but as a friend, she felt he had a point.

The two had known each other for nearly two years, and throughout that time, she had always been the one being taken care of.

He was meticulous and skilled at household tasks. Many things she wouldn’t think of, he would handle for her without prompting.

And her? She hadn’t done much for him.

Aside from teaching him what she knew about manga, she wasn’t sure what else she could offer. All she could provide was some help with comics. She had no idea when Liang Qiushi submitted his work for the newcomer’s competition—he had never mentioned it to her.

Shi Yin was troubled. When she didn’t know what to do and felt stuck, she turned to Fang Shu for advice.

Fang Shu had always been someone who stayed on the straight and narrow. Shi Yin couldn’t recall ever seeing her indecisive.

She was her safe harbor, her fountain of wisdom.

Fang Shu, too, was a night owl. A quick scroll through her social media revealed that she had posted a screenshot from an artsy film just ten minutes ago, captioned with a rant about how idiotic the female protagonist was. Delighted, Shi Yin immediately sent her a message.

Fang Shu replied instantly.

So Shi Yin called her.

Fang Shu picked up quickly, her voice slightly muffled. “Hello?”

“Are you eating something?”

“Applying a face mask,” Fang Shu peeled it off, her voice becoming clearer. “What’s up?”

Shi Yin sounded gloomy. “I got into a fight with someone.”

“You?” Fang Shu was surprised. “You’re telling me you actually got into a fight? You?”

“I was a delinquent in middle school, okay? I dyed my hair purple and ruled West Street.”

“I know. Auntie told me. You got beaten up after dyeing it and changed it back the next day.”

Shi Yin: “… Stop messing around. I’m really upset. I fought with someone, and now I don’t know what to say to them.”

“Male or female?”

“Male. My assistant.”

Fang Shu was puzzled. “If he’s your assistant, why are you trying to reach out to him?”

“Because I feel like I’ve neglected him. For so long, I didn’t notice the issues he was dealing with.” Shi Yin explained everything about Liang Qiushi—the background, the argument, the whole story. “I think I made a mistake.”

After listening, Fang Shu fell silent for a moment. “I knew you couldn’t possibly have gotten into a fight—you’re as soft as cotton candy. First of all, the issue started because of his mistakes at work. No matter the reason, during work hours, he is your assistant, and you’re his boss. Just because you two are close doesn’t mean he can keep making mistakes and then use some bizarre excuse to shift blame onto you. Isn’t he being a bit too presumptuous?”

“And it sounds like he doesn’t seem genuinely sorry at all. He probably thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong. In this situation, are you still going to reach out to him? Did a door slam your brain? Just leave him alone. Women don’t make mistakes. Women are incapable of making mistakes.”

Shi Yin: “….”

How domineering.

She loved it.

Shi Yin thought that if Fang Shu were a man, there would be no room for Gu Congli in her life. Before meeting him, she might have fallen in love with Fang Shu.

After hearing Fang Shu’s advice, Shi Yin didn’t reach out to Liang Qiushi.

Liang Qiushi also remained quiet. After submitting his drafts, the assistants entered their temporary break period. With no work to do, he disappeared.

Her other assistant, Xiaoyu, did call Shi Yin and sent her a message on WeChat, trying to comfort her for a while.

The Below Zero anniversary event was on the weekend. That Saturday morning, at 9:30 AM, the doorbell rang—a rare occurrence these days.

Shi Yin’s internal clock had almost synced with Gu Congli’s schedule. Every morning around 9 AM, she inevitably woke up, though waking up and getting out of bed were two very different things.

So when Gu Congli walked in, Shi Yin was sitting on her bed, looking utterly dispirited, her eyelids drooping, glaring at him unhappily.

Gu Congli calmly poured her a glass of water.

Shi Yin took it. “You have a key. Why did you ring the doorbell?”

“To let you know I’m coming in. To avoid seeing anything strange.”

Shi Yin paused. “What strange things?”

“Some people have the habit of sleeping naked,” Gu Congli said casually.

“…”

Shi Yin nearly choked on her water.

She swallowed, wiping her mouth. “Next time, don’t ring the bell. I don’t sleep naked, thank you very much.”

“What a shame.” Gu Congli’s tone was indifferent, showing no trace of regret.

Shi Yin rolled her eyes.

He lowered his gaze at her and suddenly smiled.

Every time he woke her up in the morning and she got irritated, she was adorable.

That liveliness, different from her usual self, was vivid and endearing—it made him want to keep doing it over and over again, an addiction he couldn’t resist.

Such a trivial thing. He once thought he would never do something so mundane.

Shi Yin gulped down the glass of water. Gu Congli took the empty glass and headed out. “Get up, wash up, change clothes. We’re going out later.”

She paused, sitting on the bed and looking up at him blankly. “Huh? Where are we going?”

“Date.”

To be honest, Shi Yin didn’t have high expectations for Gu Congli’s idea of a “date.”

She still vividly remembered his previous attempts at dating, which had nearly driven her to frustration.

So when Gu Congli actually drove them to the entrance of an amusement park, Shi Yin’s jaw nearly dropped.

This was even worse than before.

Shi Yin remained seated in the passenger seat, not getting out, as she heard him unlock the car door.

Gu Congli glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”

Shi Yin explained patiently. “Editor-in-Chief, adults generally don’t choose amusement parks for dates.”

Gu Congli calmly replied, “Aren’t young girls supposed to like it?”

“Not all young girls like it…” Shi Yin sighed weakly, leaning back into her seat.

Moreover, attractions like suspended roller coasters and giant pendulum swings terrified her to no end. Her legs felt weak just thinking about them. If she went in, she’d probably only manage to ride something gentle like the carousel.

But they were already here.

She couldn’t exactly say, I don’t want to go in; let’s go home.

Clearing her throat, Shi Yin unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. “Let’s take a look inside first. There should be plenty of good food, right? Though I’m not sure how crowded it’ll be on a weekend.”

As she pushed the door open just a crack, the suspended roller coaster nearby roared past in a blur, screams echoing loudly. From where they were, she could even see people dangling upside down, their hair hanging loose.

Tilting her head up, Shi Yin froze mid-step, her face turning pale.

Gu Congli glanced at her, then leaned over to slam the passenger door shut. He pulled the seatbelt back across her chest, fastened it, and started the car.

Shi Yin blinked, turning her head toward him. “We’re not going in?”

“It’s too crowded. Annoying.” Gu Congli’s tone was indifferent.

The amusement park was a bit far from downtown, and the round trip consumed a lot of time. By the time they returned to the city, it was already past eleven o’clock. Gu Congli took her directly to a private restaurant for lunch.

The restaurant was tastefully decorated, exuding an old Shanghai vibe. The lighting, furniture, and artwork created an atmosphere brimming with nostalgia. It wasn’t large, but the partitions ensured privacy.

Shi Yin had quite the appetite, while Gu Congli ate sparingly. Midway through the meal, she excused herself to use the restroom.

Walking down a long corridor, she had just reached the restroom entrance when she caught sight of a familiar figure emerging from the men’s restroom to her left.

Shi Yin paused, stopping in her tracks, and looked over.

At the entrance of the men’s restroom stood a short, stout man with a round face that almost squeezed his eyes shut. After a few seconds of recollection, Shi Yin recognized him—he was the man who had awkwardly approached her during the newcomer award ceremony, someone from Yang Culture’s management team.

A chill ran down her spine as she recalled the creepy sensation he gave off back then. Goosebumps rose on her arms.

Opposite him stood Liang Qiushi, speaking quietly with him.

The stout man smiled warmly, but Liang Qiushi remained expressionless.

Shi Yin’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, she walked over. “Liang Qiushi.”

Both men turned their heads simultaneously.

Liang Qiushi clearly looked startled, while the stout man hesitated briefly before glancing fearfully behind her. When he realized no one else was there, he visibly relaxed.

Shi Yin ignored him entirely, focusing her gaze on Liang Qiushi. “What a coincidence. Are you here for lunch too?”

“Yes,” he replied dryly.

Shi Yin tilted her head slightly, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly as she glanced at the stout man. “This person looks somewhat familiar.”

Liang Qiushi hesitated, his gaze shifting uncertainly. He didn’t respond.

The stout man appeared uneasy, muttering nervously before forcing a smile. “Then I’ll take my leave. Mr. Liang, we’ll be in touch later.”

Liang Qiushi nodded.

The stout man scurried away in haste.

Now, only the two of them remained in the corridor outside the restroom, standing apart in silence, neither speaking.

Shi Yin exhaled deeply, her voice calm but tinged with coldness. “What do you mean by this?”

“What do you mean by what?” His brows furrowed.

“This—this is why you’ve been so distracted lately, your work on background characters falling apart?”

Shi Yin felt both hurt and angry, disappointment mingling with rising frustration.

Forcing herself to stay composed, she tilted her head slightly, her tone measured. “If you don’t want to be my assistant anymore, you can just tell me. If you want to create your own work, I can introduce you to reliable editors I know. I won’t stop you from leaving. You don’t need to secretly approach trashy management from garbage companies like this. A publisher like that won’t do any good for your career.”