Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

Speaking of Xiao Yilin, Jiang Linyuan received her daily share of updates almost every day during winter break.

Sometimes she'd snap photos of delicious food, other times she'd capture seaside scenery.

It was as if she was saying, "It's so much fun here—when are you coming to play?"

His original plan was to visit Xiao Yilin by himself.

But now, that solo trip wasn't happening anymore.

"Xiao Yilin's from Southern Fujian, right?"

Su Muzhi rolled over on the sofa, shifting from lying on her side to lying flat, tilting her head back to look at Jiang Linyuan.

"Yep."

Jiang Linyuan nodded.

Southern Fujian was quite far from Jinling. That little seaside girl traveled a long way to the big city and ran into this country bumpkin like me.

A sense of familiarity naturally arose.

Xiao Yilin and I are actually from the same roots!

Shen Wanyu shot a glance at Jiang Linyuan but didn't say much—just stated:

"I don't want the External Liaison Department's work to be affected by some romantic entanglement when school starts."

How could romantic entanglement affect work?

Romantic *entanglement*s would.

"Department Head, do you mean that once you step down from the department, it'll be okay for us to get entangled romantically?"

Jiang Linyuan said.

"I don't have that intention. Once I leave the External Liaison Department, I'm going to prepare for graduate school."

Shen Wanyu shook her head.

True enough—by the end of the second semester, entering junior year, the first half could still be relaxed, but the second half would be all-out preparation for the exam.

Given the competition and difficulty in computer science, plenty of people started preparing half a semester early.

"Department Head, I can be your study buddy for the grad exam."

Jiang Linyuan said with a dead-serious expression.

Shen Wanyu looked at him, let out a cold laugh, and turned away.

This Department Head clearly wanted to slack off while studying, and didn't even have the guts to make me supervise her!

"If she wants to take the exam, that's her business—why are you butting in?"

Su Muzhi pinched Jiang Linyuan's earlobe, her small hand soft and warm.

"I want to take it too."

Jiang Linyuan lied without changing his expression.

What else could he do? If he didn't, he'd only drift further apart from the Department Head until they became strangers.

Besides, he had the [Overclocked Single-Jump Brain], with plenty of mental capacity and time to spare.

"Heh, then how are you going to support me and your kids?"

Su Muzhi curled her lips and asked teasingly.

Shen Guoguo no longer found this shocking.

She'd already realized that this Bad Woman could never be serious with her words!

"Xiao Su, rest assured—even if you cut ties with Auntie Shaqima right now, the few of us will still live a good life!"

Jiang Linyuan said.

"Few of us?"

Su Muzhi let out a soft laugh, then shook her head.

Shaking her head for what? Shanghai people aren't traditional at all!

What's wrong with a few people living together?

Unlike me—I'm a very traditional man. As an old Yanjing native, the Department Head should be pretty traditional too, right?

Jiang Linyuan glanced at Shen Wanyu, only to find she was completely unwilling to look at him, leaving only the back of her head.

"With that said, there's no reason for me to stay any longer. Guoguo can hang out with you here—I'm heading home."

Shen Wanyu said, standing up and walking toward the door.

"Sister Wanyu, why are you leaving so fast?"

Shen Guoguo hurried after her and grabbed her hand.

"I want to go back."

Shen Wanyu said flatly.

Shen Guoguo's face scrunched up—she knew she couldn't persuade her—and just said:

"Then I'll go with Sister Wanyu too."

She'd come to ease the tension between Sister Wanyu and Brother Jiang. If she stayed here, she'd definitely get bullied by that Bad Woman!

"I'll walk you two out."

Jiang Linyuan stood up too.

Su Muzhi, still lying down, grabbed a pillow from the sofa and smacked him on the butt.

What are you doing, Xiao Su? That didn't even hurt—are you flirting with me?

Guoguo and the Department Head are already out the door! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Be back within an hour."

Su Muzhi said.

For someone like Jiang Linyuan, trying to rein him in all at once was impossible.

She had to slowly numb him first, make him think he was being reluctantly forced to accept things, and then—when he let his guard down—strike...

Heh, just wait to be properly tamed by me.

We have a long road ahead. You can't escape.

"Xiao Su, why don't you come along?"

Jiang Linyuan added.

"No."

Su Muzhi set down the pillow, lifted her chin like a proud white swan:

"Kiss me before you go."

Jiang Linyuan bent down and kissed her.

"Come back soon."

Su Muzhi released her lips that had been nibbling his and whispered.

"I'll die if I leave Xiao Su, so I'll definitely come back."

"Heh, you said that—you'll die if you leave me. Even if it's a lie, I'll make it true."

"Xiao Su, I never lie."

"Heh..."

...

After chatting with Xiao Su for a bit, he threw on a jacket and ran out.

He hadn't gone far when he saw the receding figures of Shen Guoguo and Shen Wanyu.

"Sister Wanyu, Brother Jiang just said he was coming to see us off."

Shen Guoguo looked at Shen Wanyu beside her and reminded her softly.

"Mm, I heard him."

Shen Wanyu nodded, not slowing her pace at all.

"Department Head, you heard me but didn't wait?"

Jiang Linyuan jogged up from behind, grumbling in exasperation.

"Since the Wild Monkey caught up, of course I have to run—who knows what else he might try to snatch from me?"

Shen Wanyu glanced sidelong at Jiang Linyuan, then faced forward and quickened her pace.

What Wild Monkey!

I think you're begging to get plucked by me!

"It was wrong of me to take your projector, Department Head. Why don't you take something from me too?"

Jiang Linyuan put on a look of bravely marching to his execution.

Shen Wanyu stopped, gave him a once-over, and said:

"There's nothing on you worth taking."

Thinking about it carefully, all the shared memories between them seemed to involve Su Muzhi.

Purple Mountain, the Music Festival, and this trip to Yanjing...

With you like this, what's there worth stealing from me?

"Nothing now doesn't mean nothing later, Department Head."

Jiang Linyuan said.

Warm white mist rose from her sigh as Shen Wanyu exhaled deeply and said:

"Yeah, the future is still long."

A thin layer of snow clung to the roadside trees. Frost and snow could conceal the budding branches, and winter could freeze memories, but it couldn't freeze time.

Actually, come to think of it, her relationship with him didn't seem to have changed much.

"Department Head, do you know? The best age for love is probably 16 to 21—of course, individual differences exist, so it's not absolute."

"Once you're a bit older, you start getting tangled up in real-world problems."

"If you're even older, love becomes a luxury."

Jiang Linyuan added.

"By that logic, wouldn't elderly married couples have no love left for each other?"

Shen Wanyu kept walking ahead.

"No, because by then, they realize they can't live without each other. That spark has long dissolved into the little moments of daily life, like sugar cubes melting into water."

"When you look back, it's all sweet."

Jiang Linyuan said with a smile.

"Have you ever been married to talk like that?"

Shen Wanyu asked.

"No, but I hope my future turns out that way."

Jiang Linyuan said.

"That'll be hard. As a friend, I have to warn you—going on like this, all you'll remember is bitterness."

"Then can you keep reminding me, Department Head? I'm pretty dumb."

Shen Wanyu said nothing, just thought.

I'm pretty dumb too.

The cold wind blew through the treetops, scattering the light snow gathered on the branches.

"Department Head, do you know? Legend has it that in the Arctic, when people speak, their words freeze into ice, and the other person can't hear them—so they have to take them home and slowly warm them up to listen."

Jiang Linyuan smiled:

"So, Department Head, for those words that can't be said, are hard to say, or you don't know how to say—when the future comes, by a warm heater, sitting on the carpet, drinking hot tea, let's listen to each other slowly, okay?"

Shen Wanyu breathed warm air onto her palms:

"Catching up between friends is fine."

PS: That's all for today. Just got out of the hospital. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to work hard to accept three—one for bottom line, two for eye-rolling, and three for pure bliss!