Determined to seek Kang Chen's assistance, Xu Xing became notably more attentive during her recent visits to his home to cook.
This manifested in her arriving earlier and leaving later, transforming her usual fare of three vegetables and one meat into a delightful balance of two meats and two vegetables.
She kept the stack of script proposals and graduation photos in her bag, waiting for the right moment to present her plight to Kang Chen.
Unbeknownst to her, the season had shifted into summer.
Spring in Star City had always been rather indistinct, but now the air was filled with warmth, and short sleeves began to appear on the streets.
On the day she went to cook for her patron, Xu Xing noticed him at the forefront of fashion, having donned a light short-sleeved shirt in a rare cream color, stepping away from his usual dark hues.
Standing by the sunlit floor-to-ceiling window, he radiated warmth and approachability.
Xu Xing's restless heart fluttered with excitement.
He looked so innocent today; surely, he must be in a good mood. :）
While preparing the meal, she frequently glanced back at Kang Chen, who was basking in the sunlight, all the while continuing to stir-fry with precision.
As soon as the dishes were ready, she eagerly offered to serve him rice and handed him chopsticks.
Words danced on the tip of her tongue, but just as she was about to speak, she reconsidered; it felt inappropriate to bring up serious matters before they even began eating. So, she swallowed her words, her gaze fixed intensely on Kang Chen as he dined.
Kang Chen, unfazed by her scrutiny, remained completely unaware, never once meeting her eyes throughout the meal.
Xu Xing grew puzzled; she had anticipated him to ask, "What are you staring at?"
As Kang Chen leisurely finished his meal and set down his chopsticks, preparing to leave, Xu Xing called out, "Hey!"
He paused momentarily.
"Um, could you sit down for a moment?"
Kang Chen glanced at the now-empty table, and Xu Xing, reading the situation well, swiftly cleared away the dishes, leaving the surface desolate.
Reluctantly, he took a seat again.
Xu Xing beamed with sparkling eyes, radiating hope. "Kang Chen, I need your help with something."
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharpening. "What is it?"
Quickly, Xu Xing pulled out her long-prepared tool for invoking sympathy, softening her voice to a pitiful whisper, "You know I've lost my memory, and recently, I've been receiving packages… humiliating me, yes, that's right—humiliating me."
Seeing her face crumple in distress, Kang Chen raised an eyebrow, first inspecting the graduation photo before flipping through the stack of scripts.
Xu Xing continued her lament, "They know I haven't graduated yet, yet they send me graduation photos and project reports. If that's not humiliating, what is? I must have offended someone during my studies, and now they see me in this pathetic state and periodically send me these reminders. Perhaps they don't realize I've lost my memory and think sending me these things will…"
Kang Chen interrupted, "You want me to help you find out who's sending these packages?"
Xu Xing paused in surprise. "Can we actually track them down?"
Before Kang Chen could respond, she felt it might be an unreasonable request and quickly changed her mind. "No, I actually need your help to locate my advisor. After my release, I completely neglected to think about my advisor; they haven't contacted me either—"
Naturally, who would want to acknowledge a former inmate as their student?
"I figured during graduate school, advisors and students maintained a close relationship, so I wanted to inquire a bit. I'm swamped with multiple responsibilities and thought you might assist…"
"...What gives you the impression that I have ample free time?"
"..."
Cautiously glancing at Kang Chen's expression, Xu Xing felt she had not merely misjudged his availability but rather sensed that today, he seemed particularly cheerful.
As Kang Chen stood to leave, panic surged through her.
Oh no, oh no.
In a sudden, reckless move, Xu Xing jumped up and grasped Kang Chen's arm.
"I misspoke! You're incredibly busy! But I'm not as capable as you are. If I were to go to Yong University to find my advisor, just think—I'm the one who brought disgrace upon the university by being incarcerated. Who knows if the younger students would throw rotten eggs at me or if my advisor would kick me out? You, on the other hand, exude an air of respectability and charm…"
"..."
Xu Xing clutched Kang Chen's arm, giving it a gentle shake while wearing a pitiable expression. "I beg you! How about I treat you to dinner and a movie?"
After a long pause, Kang Chen finally glanced at her, reminding, "You already owe me a meal."
It seemed that was indeed the case.
Xu Xing paused abruptly, her eyes shining with delight. "So, you agree?!"
Unconsciously, she shook Kang Chen's arm again. "Then I'll treat you to dinner tonight, and afterwards, we can catch a movie, how does that sound?"
With that, she released his arm and pulled out her phone to search for restaurants and movie tickets.
By a stroke of fortune, as soon as she opened the app, a notification popped up:
"Congratulations! You've won a pair of vouchers for a complimentary meal at Yuanyue Hong Kong-style Tea Restaurant. Please use them promptly."
???
She entered several group-buying apps daily, hoping to win a complimentary meal or discount coupons, but had only ever won a fifty-yuan voucher for hotpot. The likelihood of winning a complimentary meal felt like hitting the lottery; she had never dared to hope for it.
Xu Xing couldn't help but stare at her app, a broad smile spreading across her face.
Noticing Kang Chen about to head upstairs, she quickly waved her phone and called out, "Kang Chen!"
Kang Chen halted.
"How about we go to the Hong Kong-style tea restaurant tonight?" To preempt any refusal from him, she added quickly, "I've already made the reservation."
Kang Chen replied, "Sounds good."
With the restaurant settled, Xu Xing began to select a movie. Thankfully, due to Li Yuanjun's penchant for takeout, her app points were just enough to redeem two tickets for a 3D film.
What she had initially feared would be a costly outing now felt like a blessing from the heavens. Taking advantage of Kang Chen's absence, she rolled around on her beige sofa, her face radiant with joy as though she had stumbled upon a windfall.
As Kang Chen stepped into the room, he suddenly remembered he had left his phone on the coffee table. Just as he began descending the stairs, he spotted a peculiar creature rolling around on the sofa, resembling a little madman.
He watched for a moment in silence before retreating back into the room.
***
Xu Xing, unlike Kang Chen, couldn't afford to be so busy at home. As work hours approached, she hurried back to Qizhen.
When her shift ended, she intended to call Kang Chen to meet her at the restaurant, but as she left with her colleagues, she spotted Kang Chen's car parked by the roadside.
Her colleagues had sharper eyes than hers; while she was distracted scrolling through Weibo, someone exclaimed, "Hey, Xu Xing, isn't that your boyfriend's Porsche? Looks like it."
"Must be… five ones; I remember that license plate from the other day."
Upon hearing "five ones," Xu Xing's heart raced.
Her gaze darted across the street's parking spots like radar, and alarm bells rang—
Oh no, it really is Kang Chen's car!
She had never considered he might come; his presence was not a surprise but a thunderous shock.
The driver's window of the Porsche had already rolled down as she stood there in disbelief.
Kang Chen rested one hand on the steering wheel, his head tilted slightly. The light gold-framed glasses complemented his sharp features, adding a touch of reserved allure.
Xu Xing's colleagues were captivated:
"Xu Xing… is your boyfriend a professor? No way, professors aren't this young."
"Is he a lawyer? So handsome…"
Xu Xing couldn't respond, as she, too, was spellbound.
What should she do? If Kang Chen discovered she had silently assigned him the role of boyfriend, he wouldn't just help her; he'd likely send her to meet the Grim Reaper!
As her colleagues prepared to approach him directly, she snapped back to reality, flustered. "Um! We have something super important to attend to, so we need to leave first. I'll arrange for him to treat you all to dinner another time!"
"What's so urgent? We just want to say hi…"
Xu Xing's mind went blank; lacking any convincing excuse, she blurted, "His mom is eager for grandchildren, so we've booked a hotel!"
"..."
"..."
The moment those words left her mouth, silence enveloped the air for several seconds.
Her colleagues exchanged glances, suddenly wearing knowing smiles.
After a brief pause, Xu Xing realized what she had said; her face turned crimson. Without another word, she rushed across the street.
Her colleagues interpreted her embarrassment as shyness and didn't think much of it.
As she climbed into the car, her cheeks still flushed, Kang Chen couldn't help but steal glances at her.
Flustered, she turned her eyes away and mumbled, "My colleagues thought you were my boyfriend…"
That excuse seemed plausible enough; Kang Chen had no reason to doubt it.
Internally, Xu Xing marveled at her cleverness while grappling with guilt for the deception.
She profoundly felt the truth in her realization: pretending to be someone you're not means crafting countless lies to support that facade, which is exhausting.
She silently vowed to arrange one last breakup scene with Kang Chen in a few days to put an end to this ruse.
***
The car ride was quiet.
Once they arrived at the tea restaurant, Xu Xing suddenly remembered she had won the complimentary meal voucher.
Kang Chen was probably the type to refuse discounts, insisting on paying full price lest he feel disrespected, so she absolutely couldn't let him know they were dining for free.
Upon entering the restaurant, she instructed, "You go ahead and sit; I'll ask at the front desk about the voucher I got."
Kang Chen chose a booth.
When Xu Xing presented her winning voucher, the front desk staff's attitude noticeably shifted to one of indifference. "The voucher has fixed meal items; you can't order a la carte. Please give us a five-star review first, and then we can proceed."
Xu Xing blinked in disbelief. "…Review first?"
The staff, not bothering to look up, pointed to a QR code sign. "Just scan this WeChat code and save a few pictures to rate us."
Is this how it works?
This felt absurd, but the restaurant clearly demanded a review before serving, so she begrudgingly complied.
She thought that would be the end of it.
However, when she returned to Kang Chen, another male server was already instructing them to leave the booth.
"...You two are using a complimentary voucher; you can't sit in a booth. Please move to the main dining area."
Seeing Xu Xing arrive, the server reiterated impatiently.
Xu Xing didn't miss the disdain in the server's eyes; her complexion fluctuated as she fought to maintain her composure.
"Your restaurant's voucher clearly states there's no additional charge, equating to a normal order. Your booths start at 188, but this voucher is clearly worth 399. Why can't we sit in a booth?"
The server appeared momentarily stumped but soon stiffly replied, "That's the policy here; I can't help it. Please change your seats."
The atmosphere became tense.
The server wore an expression of indifference, while Kang Chen remained unfazed throughout.
Xu Xing stole a glance at him, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
Since her release, she had accepted various challenges with a spirit of understanding, refusing to dwell on minor inconveniences.
But for some reason, seeing Kang Chen being treated this way unsettled her.
After a brief silence, a surge of determination coursed through her, and she grasped Kang Chen's hand, pulling him up.
"Let's go; we won't eat here."
Kang Chen raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised.
Xu Xing herself was taken aback by her own sudden strength, practically dragging him outside.
The server blinked, calling after them. "You're not staying?"
Turning back, Xu Xing coldly shouted, "No! By the way, when I tried to submit the review, my connection dropped, so I'll be filing a complaint against you. No need to thank me!"