Night fell.
“See you tomorrow… Dafu!”
Gu Xiyu’s voice echoed in Chen Dafu’s ears as she said goodbye.
He looked up at her figure going upstairs and, regardless of whether she could see him or not, lifted his hand with a broad smile and waved enthusiastically.
Only after watching her go inside and waiting a bit longer to confirm she wouldn’t be coming back out, did Chen Dafu finally turn around silently, walk over to an electric scooter, swing his leg over it, turn the key, and twist the handlebar.
The scooter started.
Like the wind, he sped off with flair, leaving that place behind.
The cold wind stung his face as he rode along the road, his hair whipping up, ears flushed red from the chill.
The snow had stopped around sunset and hadn’t lasted long, but the roads were still slippery.
Yet Chen Dafu didn’t seem to care. He had the handlebar twisted all the way, speeding like a gust of wind—like a flash of lightning.
Of course, riding this recklessly was bound to lead to trouble.
When Chen Dafu reached a turning point at the intersection, he spotted another electric scooter heading directly toward him.
Everything happened so fast. To avoid a collision, he slamd the brakes and yanked the handlebars to dodge.
But thanks to the snow-slicked road, the scooter lost control. Like a wild horse slipping its reins, it skidded out from under him, both man and vehicle crashing down hard.
Chen Dafu hit the ground.
The scooter fell with him, but thanks to his decent physical condition, he was able to climb back up not long after.
Aside from pain in his knees and arms, he seed relatively unscathed.
Pedestrians on the sidewalk glanced over at him.
He didn’t care. Looking down at his now-soaked clothes, his brow furrowed.
He raised a hand and tried patting the wet spots a few tis, but it didn’t help much…
Just as he was considering whether to head ho and change first, his phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He paused.
Then he pulled the phone out, flipped open the crystal cover, and used his fingernail to press hard on the screen, answering a call from Liu Changqing.
He brought the phone to his ear.
Before Chen Dafu could speak, Liu Changqing’s voice rang out.
“You said you’d be here half an hour ago. Where are you? We’re all waiting on you!”
“Don’t rush , don’t rush —I’m almost there!”
“Alright… then hurry up.”
After hanging up, Chen Dafu sighed, stuffed the phone back in his pocket, and walked over to his fallen scooter.
He picked it up, twisted the handlebar to check it, and after confirming it hadn’t suffered any major damage, twisted the throttle again and headed for Liu Changqing’s new place.
Liu Changqing was setting the dishes on the table.
The dining table, big enough to seat eight or nine people, was now covered with all sorts of dishes he had personally cooked.
Feng Qian ca out of the kitchen carrying a dish, placed it on the table, then turned to Liu Changqing, who was laying out bowls and chopsticks.
He asked,
“Chen Dafu’s still not here?”
“No idea what that guy’s up to… I called him just now and he said he’s almost here.”
After distributing the tableware, Liu Changqing checked his phone. Twenty-five minutes had passed since the last call.
He muttered helplessly,
“That guy’s version of ‘almost there’ sure takes forever…”
Just as he said that, the phone rang—Chen Dafu was calling.
Liu Changqing blinked, then picked up.
“I was just about to call you. Where are you? Hm… they’re not letting you in? Got it, I’ll be right there.”
He hung up, tucked the phone back into his pocket with a helpless smile, and looked at Feng Qian.
“I’ll go downstairs to get him—he got stopped by the security guard. Help finish bringing out the food.”
“Alright.”
Liu Changqing walked to the door, swapped his slippers for shoes, grabbed the coat hanging on the wall, put it on, and stepped outside.
When he arrived at the gate, he saw the familiar figure—Chen Dafu, still looking a ss, standing outside with his scooter.
Spotting Liu Changqing, he waved and called out loudly.
Liu Changqing hurried over, explained things to the security guard, and was finally able to bring him in.
Once inside, Chen Dafu hopped back on his scooter but this ti rode much slower, with Liu Changqing walking alongside him.
Looking at his friend, Liu Changqing couldn’t help but crack a joke.
“Boss Chen, tired of driving luxury cars? Trying out the common folks’ ride now?”
“Don’t tease ! It’s all your fault—you rushed on the phone and got flustered… when we get to your place, lend a set of clothes. I’m soaked through…”
“Sure. But… are you sure you still have room in your stomach? Weren’t you out on a date with that girl?”
“We didn’t eat much. Just grabbed a few dishes at a small restaurant…”
Despite what he said, the mont Liu Changqing brought up the date, Chen Dafu couldn’t help but beam. It was obvious—he was over the moon but still trying to act cool.
After all this ti and effort, he’d finally managed to weasel his way into Lan Yixian’s shop to help out. At first, that woman nad Gu Xiyu had been totally guarded around him, barely speaking.
But thanks to his persistence, he’d finally won her over.
Just washing dishes alone, he’d managed to break five in one go.
It was through that absurd “talent” that he finally caught Gu Xiyu’s attention. That day, they finally started talking.
Chen Dafu still vividly rembered her shocked expression.
In her eyes, no one could possibly be that clumsy. After witnessing his disaster firsthand, her first reaction was to suggest Lan Yixian fire him.
Though she failed to get rid of him, Gu Xiyu eventually had no choice but to teach him herself—just to stop him from breaking more dishes.
As they worked together, Gu Xiyu slowly realized that even if Chen Dafu wasn’t handso, he had a good heart and took things seriously. Over ti, their relationship began to shift.
And just today—on the very last day of the year—Gu Xiyu had finally agreed to go out for dinner with him.
Rembering that dinner scene made Chen Dafu grin again.
“Hehehe…”
He rode slowly, giggling with that weird self-satisfied laugh. Liu Changqing, walking beside him, heard every bit of it loud and clear.
Looking at the grinning fool, Liu Changqing thought:
This guy’s not the sa one I first t. The more ti we spend together, the more he seems like…
Snapping out of his daydream, Chen Dafu suddenly rembered sothing and turned to Liu Changqing.
“Hey, how far along is your wife now?”
“Twelve weeks. We’re going for a checkup the day after tomorrow.”
“Ti flies… Wonder if it’s a boy or girl. Actually, I already have a plan. If I marry Xiyu in the future, and both our kids are boys—they’ll be best bros. If they’re both girls—they’ll be besties. And if one’s a boy and one’s a girl—”
“Stop right there. What, are you trying to arrange a marriage already? I’m all for letting the kids choose who they love.”
“Co on! Wouldn’t it be great if we beca in-laws?”
“Cut it out. Don’t even think about it.”
Liu Changqing shot that idea down without hesitation. Realizing there was no negotiating, Chen Dafu looked a little disappointed.
The two of them took the elevator up and arrived at the front door. After stepping inside, Liu Changqing helped Chen Dafu change into dry clothes.
While Chen Dafu was changing, Liu Changqing opened his son’s door and called him out for dinner.
Then he headed to his daughter’s room.
As he opened the door, he saw the curtains drawn, the lights off, and a big bump under the blanket on the bed.
He paused.
Just as he was about to call the kids for dinner, he said nothing and instead walked over carefully. He grabbed the blanket—and yanked it off.
There were two kids huddled together under the covers, seemingly hiding sothing.
The mont the blanket ca off, Liu Xiazhi and Feng Shuyan turned around in shock and looked up at Liu Changqing holding the blanket.
Their eyes darted around, and Liu Xiazhi suddenly grinned, then quickly stuffed sothing under the pillow.
She turned over and sat up in a kneeling position, trying to change the subject.
“Daddy… you’re supposed to knock before coming in… I’ll forgive you this ti, but next ti, you can’t do that!”
“……”
Liu Changqing said nothing. He stared at her with a scrutinizing look. Feng Shuyan mirrored Liu Xiazhi’s pose and sat beside her.
The two little ones were about the sa height, and seeing them like that, Liu Changqing decided not to press the issue.
“Ti to eat. You two stop ssing around.”
“Got it!”
“Okay, Uncle Chubby!”
Hearing Feng Shuyan call him "Uncle Chubby," Liu Changqing chuckled. He wasn’t exactly chubby anymore after all that exercise and weight loss.
Still, hearing the nickna brought back mories of the first ti they t.
He rembered it vividly.
That night… when he ca ho from work and found a bruised little girl hiding by the roadside.
Had it really been that long?
Looking at Feng Shuyan’s usual blank expression, Liu Changqing watched for a mont, then suddenly pinched her cheek before she could react.
Gently tugged.
“Little one, from now on, it’s ‘Uncle Handso!’”
“Ah! Daddy, stop!”
Seeing her friend under attack, Liu Xiazhi jumped in, grabbing Liu Changqing’s hand and pulling it away, then wrapping her arms around Feng Shuyan protectively.
She shouted loudly,
“Even if you’re my dad, you can’t bully my best friend!”
“Hahaha, alright, alright… you two co eat already.”
Watching their tight bond, Liu Changqing burst out laughing. He turned to leave but quickly spun back around and ruffled their hair with both hands.
The two girls squealed.
Done with his mischief, Liu Changqing fled the room and shut the door behind him.
Bang—the door closed, and Liu Xiazhi’s room dimd again.
The two girls stayed on the bed.
After a while, Liu Xiazhi lay down again and motioned for Feng Shuyan to do the sa. Once they were both lying down, she yanked the blanket over them.
She reached under the pillow and pulled out the thing they were hiding.
It glowed softly.
Under the blanket, the two girls stared at the glowing watch.
Liu Xiazhi spoke with pride,
“Cool, right? My mom bought this watch!”
Just as Liu Changqing closed the door to his daughter’s room, he saw Chen Dafu, now in dry clothes, standing across from Liu Zhiyue.
The two stared at each other.
Chen Dafu looked a bit nervous, like he still had lingering fear. Liu Zhiyue stared back, expressionless.
Noticing the tension, Liu Changqing walked over, grabbed his son by the wrist, and pulled him toward Chen Dafu.
Seeing Chen Dafu’s guarded look, he spoke to his son.
“Apologize to Uncle Chen.”
“……”
After a mont’s silence, Liu Zhiyue looked at Chen Dafu, and his mind flashed back… to that shadow hiding in Zhou Shiyan’s bike shed that night.
That shadow gradually overlapped with the man in front of him.
A wave of guilt surfaced. Liu Zhiyue looked at the cautious Chen Dafu, lowered his head slightly, and said,
“I’m sorry, Uncle Chen. For what I did to you last ti…”
“……”
Looking at the boy who was now taller than him, Chen Dafu fell silent, then glanced over at Liu Changqing.
“It’s fine, it’s all in the past. Just focus on your studies—Uncle doesn’t hold a grudge.”
Relieved, he smiled and waved it off like it was nothing.
Hearing that, Liu Changqing patted his son’s back and said,
“Go… call your mom for dinner.”
“Okay.”
As his son walked away, Liu Changqing watched him for a mont, then turned to Chen Dafu, led him to the dining table where Feng Qian was texting, and pulled out a chair.
Sitting down, Liu Changqing said,
“How about a drink? Beer or liquor—your pick.”
“Nah, I drove here…”
“Then just crash at my place if you drink. Share a room with your daughter or sothing!”
“…Alright, in that case, I’ll have a little. Gotta celebrate your new ho anyway.”
“Hahaha… great! Tonight, the three of us are drinking!”
Laughter drifted from the balcony, echoing far away.
On the last night of the year, Liu Changqing’s ho was warm and lively.
He still rembered that day.
Waking up with a hangover after a drunken night, stumbling out of his room, seeing that expressionless chubby boy—
And the crying, fussing girl.
It felt like a long ti had passed…
But sohow, it also felt like it had just happened yesterday.
An empty room.
Li Wanran had taken her ti getting ready. She looked at the table in front of her, carefully arranged with a homade al and an expensive bottle of red wine.
A candlelight dinner.
What should’ve been romantic and heartwarming now felt cold and desolate—because she was the only one there.
She sat in a comfortable chair.
In front of her was the latest model of smartphone, with a call still ringing on speaker—marked with the contact na: “Husband.”
It rang for a long ti, and then disconnected automatically without being answered.
Li Wanran stared at the screen. Her expressionless face dimd slightly.
Who knew how long she sat there.
Eventually, she lifted her gaze to the window and stared at the view outside.
Though the room wasn’t cold, for so reason…
Li Wanran felt a chill creeping into her heart.
“Hoo…”
She exhaled softly.
Then reached out and turned off the glowing phone screen.
She picked up the wine, poured a little into the glass, set the bottle down, and gracefully lifted her glass.
She gently swirled it.
Eyes fixed on it.
Sitting there,
All alone,
Watching…
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