Gu Nianyi caught sight of Lu Jin’an’s sudden smile, and her body went rigid in the passenger seat.
Reflecting on her tone just moments ago, she realized she must have caught it from him—cold and distant, utterly impersonal.
She swore she wasn’t trying to shift blame.
“Sorry, that wasn’t directed at you.”
Being curt with someone she barely knew was a first for her, and Gu Nianyi’s ear tips turned red as embarrassment flooded her chest.
Lu Jin’an turned toward her, his pitch-black pupils locking onto hers. “Do you find life tiring?”
Gu Nianyi blinked in momentary confusion before answering, “It’s all right.”
“That was good just now.” Lu Jin’an’s long fingers idly stroked the steering wheel as he let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.
This man couldn’t be some kind of masochist with a psychological kink, could he?
Gu Nianyi kept the thought to herself, inwardly rolling her eyes as she turned her attention to the countdown on the traffic light.
The man spoke again, his voice as even and detached as ever. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t pry. But I want you to know: think more about yourself.”
Gu Nianyi considered it for a moment before replying, “Dr. Lu, you wouldn’t understand. Never mind—the light’s green.”
To her, true empathy was nothing but a pipe dream. Until the needle pierced your own skin, you’d never grasp the pain.
Plenty of problems couldn’t be fixed just by running your mouth.
She fished her phone out from the crevice in the seat, took a deep breath, and unlocked the screen.
Five missed calls. Not too bad.
Li Huiling hadn’t kept up the phone bombardment; she’d paused for the moment.
Gu Nianyi ignored the red notification dots on WeChat, pulled up Ming Yue, and laid out the whole story. 【Ming Yue, what should I do?】
Ming Yue had just woken up and spotted the message. “Stop,” she said, shoving Xie Yunting’s roving hand away.
【Play it cool. Keep your distance emotionally. Stop trying to win her over—it’s pointless. She doesn’t even see her own favoritism.】
She’d looked into it: legally severing parent-child ties wasn’t an option. Emotional detachment was the only path.
Gu Nianyi: 【Here’s hoping they have some shame.】
She wasn’t about to test the limits of human nature. It would only erode her own boundaries and let guilt manipulate her.
Ming Yue: 【If they show up causing trouble, call me for sure.】
The man beside her piped up. “Call you why? To throw punches or hurl insults?”
Ming Yue shot him a sidelong glare and locked her phone. “Xie Yunting, don’t you have any decency, snooping on private messages?”
Xie Yunting withdrew his arm and pulled her onto his lap. “Decency? Then let me ask you, Assistant Ming—what are we right now?”
“Bed buddies.”
Ming Yue let out a low chuckle, her long nails deliberately trailing over his Adam’s apple.
The car rolled into the dim underground garage. Gu Nianyi typed back, 【All right, you go back to sleep.】
Whatever came their way, she’d deal with it. No sense fretting over what hadn’t happened yet.
The two walked side by side toward the elevator, their steps perfectly in sync, with him carrying their luggage.
At some point, this quiet understanding had taken root between them.
In the brightly lit underground parking lot, with its marble-veined floors, nothing echoed but the steady rhythm of their footsteps.
Gu Nianyi tilted her head to look up at him. His thin lips were pressed together, his sharp jawline carrying a hint of aloofness.
After a moment’s thought, she cut straight to the point. “Dr. Lu, what do you think of Xie Yunting? Be objective—no family ties or guy-code filters.”
Lu Jin’an lowered his gaze to meet hers. It lingered on her pale face and furrowed brows before his lips quirked up. “He’s a person.”
That had to be peak Lu-style deadpan.
Gu Nianyi froze, her expression locked in place as she rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled.
The girl ducked her head in embarrassment. Lu Jin’an looked away, gathering his words. “You’ve met him. He’s not bad-looking, no creepy habits, no childhood betrothal or idealized ex. From what I know, he’s only ever had one girlfriend all these years. We never met her and half-thought he’d made her up—until you came along.”
He stuck to the essentials, aiming for neutrality.
Facial recognition got them all the way; Gu Nianyi reached up and pressed the elevator button. “Does he want to get married? Is he serious about it?”
“Probably.”
Once, purely by chance, Lu Jin’an had glimpsed the diamond ring Xie Yunting kept hidden in his desk drawer.
Engraved with “Yue.”
He’d acted like he hadn’t seen it. What people chose not to share, he wouldn’t press for.
“What about your aunt? And the grandparents on his side? What do they think?”
She and Lu Jin’an had faced no pushback from the elders because her grandfather had once saved his grandfather’s life.
“The aunt won’t object. The grandparents probably won’t either.”
Lu Jin’an got right to the heart of it. “I don’t think the problem’s on Xie Yunting’s end.”
Meaning it lay with Ming Yue.
Gu Nianyi had no idea what Ming Yue was thinking. She’d once resented her for keeping her boyfriend under wraps—wasn’t she a real friend?
Ming Yue had replied back then: no point introducing someone if it wasn’t going anywhere.
Who could’ve guessed it would drag on for years.
By the time her thoughts circled back, they were already at the door.
Two days away, and Nian Gao came flying at the sound of it opening, leaping straight into Gu Nianyi’s arms.
Gu Nianyi crouched down to scoop her up. “Nian Gao, did you miss Mama?”
Nian Gao lifted her head. “Meow-meow.”
She rubbed her face against Gu Nianyi’s relentlessly, pure delight.
Lu Jin’an watched the girl and cat nuzzling in perfect bliss and thought: they always say cats are aloof. Why is the one in our house the exception?
Then again, she was aloof—with him.
Gu Nianyi carried Nian Gao to the kitchen island and poured a glass of warm water, handing it to Lu Jin’an.
“Dr. Lu, something to soothe your throat.”
Her face lit up with a soft smile. “No thanks needed—it’s just water.”
Lu Jin’an had spoken more words to her today than in all their time together, patiently fielding her one question after another.
“Good. That’s progress.” He offered the praise.
The man drained the glass. As the liquid slid over his tongue, a subtle sweetness bloomed on his taste buds. How?
Gu Nianyi couldn’t help thinking it sounded like praising one of his interns.
White Dew had passed, and with the west wind rustling the osmanthus leaves, the low shrub on the balcony had burst into its first bloom.
The fresh, sweet scent drifted in on the wind chimes’ tinkling “ding-a-ling,” mingling with the orange hues of the evening sky.
Lu Jin’an said, “Xie Yunting knows what he wants. If he truly wrongs your friend, I’ll drag him back here myself. Beat him however you like—just don’t kill him.”
His voice was low, almost like he was consoling her?
Unsure, Gu Nianyi teased, “So Dr. Lu resorts to force after all?”
“If it comes to that, he’ll have it coming.”
Right on cue, a message from the hospital pinged. He added, “I’ll handle some work in the study. Shout if you need anything.”
“All right, go on.”
Her focus was on Nian Gao and Ming Yue anyway. The busier Dr. Lu stayed, the better—as far as she was concerned.
Far preferable to awkward staring contests.
The housekeeper had gone home for Mid-Autumn and wasn’t back yet. Gu Nianyi decided to cook; the fridge was stocked with all sorts of ingredients.
She enjoyed making her own meals.
Her old aversion had all come from Li Huiling’s nagging. “If you can’t cook, how will you manage after marriage?”
“How will you ever get a husband if you can’t cook?”
She used to argue back, but now she let it go. Some mindsets were too deeply rooted to bridge.
Cooking was for her own enjoyment.
“Dr. Lu, dinner’s ready.” Gu Nianyi poked her head around the study doorframe, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s all my cooking today.”
She wasn’t confident in her skills and had only meant to make enough for herself. But they shared a roof—his roof, technically—so a little extra wouldn’t hurt.
“Thanks for the trouble.”
Lu Jin’an took off his reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Next time the housekeeper’s off, you can call this number for delivery. Someone will bring it over.”
He sent her the contact info.
He hadn’t said it outright, but Gu Nianyi understood: the house didn’t need her cooking.
Life with him was turning out better than she’d imagined.
Grandpa had good instincts.
Still, Gu Nianyi gave him fair warning. “If it’s not to your taste, don’t force yourself. Eat what makes you happy—no need to worry about my feelings.”
From their time together, she’d learned Lu Jin’an’s temperament was cool and detached, but courtesy was etched into his very bones.
She didn’t want him forcing it down just to be polite.
Growing distant all over again.
Lu Jin’an frowned. “Didn’t I eat it before?”
“I forgot.”
A bowl of noodles hardly counted as a proper meal.
“It’s good.”
Lu Jin’an stepped out with her, glancing her way. “But our family has no tradition of wives cooking. Not ever.”
“Since ancient times”? That was a stretch.
Gu Nianyi burst out laughing at his words, clapping a hand over her mouth to muffle it.
A faint, tender smile shone through her eyes anyway.
Lu Jin’an’s thin lips curved faintly. “Laugh if you want to. Holding it back every day must wear you out.”
“I’m not holding back.” Gu Nianyi muttered from behind him.
Three dishes and a soup graced the table—an impressive spread for one person in an hour. She must have practiced plenty to pull it off so smoothly.
That night in bed, Lu Jin’an noticed a one-meter-long cat plushie had joined them, staring down at Nian Gao on the floor.
Gu Nianyi explained, “Insurance against accidents.”
She had no desire to repeat the homestay fiasco. Dr. Lu’s reputation was on the line.
All night long, Gu Nianyi slept with her back to Lu Jin’an.
She clutched the big plushie like a lifeline, sleeping peacefully and deeply.
The next day brought a cool breeze. Autumn had slipped in unnoticed.
In the Cardiac Surgery Inpatient Department of South City First Hospital, the early morning bustle was in full swing. When Zhou Ziyu spotted Lu Jin’an, it was as if he had seen a living saint.
He had been on Mid-Autumn duty when a patient suffered a sudden heart attack, keeping him busy for a full day and night with no chance to vent his frustrations. Now, he poured it all out to Lu Jin’an. “You’re finally back at work, Dr. Lu, you who save the suffering!”
The man, who had seemed so kindly just moments before (not really), shot him a chilling glance, signaling him to shut his mouth.
After two days off and two days of dating, he was still so heartless.
Zhou Ziyu couldn’t fathom how Dr. Lu had landed a partner. Why didn’t anyone like him? He wasn’t so bad himself.
Today’s surgery didn’t require Zhou Ziyu to take the lead, so he packed up his things, ready to head home.
But then an even bigger drama unfolded.
Qin Shiyu had come to the hospital to consult Lu Jin’an about a medical issue.
Gu Nianyi, entrusted by Ruan Zhixu due to a last-minute notice of evening surgery, had brought food for Lu Jin’an.
Qin Shiyu and Lu Jin’an weren’t exes, but she had pursued him relentlessly for years—four tumultuous years that Zhou Ziyu had witnessed firsthand.
It had only stopped when Lu Jin’an got married this year.
Now, with the two women crossing paths, who knew what might happen?
Zhou Ziyu quickly shut the office door, blocking out the gossiping nurses outside. That way, if a fight broke out, he could step in to break it up.
He paced over to Qin Shiyu’s side and whispered, “Miss, Dr. Lu’s married now. Don’t make things hard for his wife.”
Qin Shiyu’s uncle held a high-ranking position in the government. She could crush a bunch of lowly employees with a flick of her pinky.
Gu Nianyi, on the other hand, was just a powerless little nobody.
Qin Shiyu crossed her arms and gave this self-important man a once-over, her brows furrowing as she began to mock him. “You men really have such shallow views. Just because Dr. Lu got married, you think I’d go after his wife? That underestimates us women far too much. That kind of catty female rivalry? We don’t stoop to it.”
As if she’d ever engage in such trashy nonsense.
Qin Shiyu turned to Gu Nianyi instead. “Cutie, what’s your name?”
A radiant smile bloomed on her striking face, accompanied by a playful wink.
Her attitude had done a complete one-eighty.
Gu Nianyi smiled faintly. “Just call me Yi Yi.”
She wholeheartedly agreed with what Qin Shiyu had just said. Between women, there was far more trust and admiration than any petty rivalry.
Qin Shiyu took her hand. “I heard you work at the Meteorological Bureau. Perfect timing—I manage shipping operations, and our vessels are out at sea for months at a time. I’m looking for a reliable weather forecasting service with high accuracy for mid- to long-term predictions. Any interest in bidding on the contract?”
Gu Nianyi set down the lunchbox. “I’ll check with my boss and give you an answer tomorrow. Sound good?”
“Absolutely. Let’s add each other on WeChat for easy follow-up.” Qin Shiyu pulled out her QR code first.
After they connected, Qin Shiyu sighed in admiration. “Yi Yi, your profile picture is adorable. Is that your cat?”
Upon getting confirmation, she added, “So cute! Can I come over sometime to pet it?”
Wait—it wasn’t her place.
Gu Nianyi turned to look at Lu Jin’an. The man nodded, so she replied calmly, “Sure, you’re welcome anytime.”
“You’re a beauty yourself, cutie.” Qin Shiyu glanced back at Lu Jin’an. In the presence of such a stunner, any man paled in comparison.
“Dr. Lu really hit the jackpot.”
Zhou Ziyu: “…”
Girls’ friendships were so strange—straight to “cutie” and “baby” on first meeting.
One second head-over-heels for a guy, the next tossing him aside.
He didn’t get it, and he didn’t want to.
Flattered in front of everyone, Gu Nianyi’s ear tips flushed pink. She replied softly, “Thank you. You’re gorgeous too—like a big movie star.”
Qin Shiyu tossed her long hair with a smug grin. “Right? I think so too. We should grab afternoon tea or go shopping sometime.”
Gu Nianyi wasn’t sure if it was just polite chatter or a genuine invitation, so she froze in place for a moment.
Lu Jin’an noticed her awkwardness and stepped in to rescue her. “You don’t lack for friends anyway.”
“Who wouldn’t want to gaze at beauties every day?”
Qin Shiyu shot back at him, “Everyone except you. You love work so much that even with a stunning wife at home, you’re stuck at the hospital.”
She looped her arm through Gu Nianyi’s. “Come on, Yi Yi. I’ll drive you home.”
Lu Jin’an said, “Text me when you get there.”
“Got it, Dr. Lu. Don’t forget to eat.” Gu Nianyi left the office with Qin Shiyu.
She walked off without a backward glance.
Zhou Ziyu leaned against the desk and casually picked up a piece of rib. “Your wife’s been snatched away.”
Lu Jin’an gave him a sidelong glance. “I know. You’re the only one who talks too much.”
A chill crept into his eyes, sending shivers down Zhou Ziyu’s spine. He bolted, rib still in his mouth.
It was dinnertime, and the inpatient department elevators were swamped, stopping on every floor and taking forever to descend.
Qin Shiyu and Gu Nianyi waited for the elevator. “What do you even like about him?”
Gu Nianyi replied, “I don’t like him.”
Her answer was straightforward, without a hint of hesitation or uncertainty.
Her clear, luminous eyes shone with sincerity—no blush, no delay. Qin Shiyu was caught off guard, unsure how to respond.
After a brief stun, she burst out laughing. “I get it. Truth is, I don’t like him either. Back then, I chased him for a marriage alliance—to win over those stubborn old board members. Dr. Lu wouldn’t budge, soft or hard tactics. In the end, I got onto the board myself. The less you like him, the better. Just spend his money freely. Love? Leave that for someone else to enjoy.”
Gu Nianyi remained calm and composed. “I know. No emotional ties mean it lasts longer.”
A breezy lightness filled her lovely features, though right now she cared more about when the elevator would arrive.
Qin Shiyu suddenly pulled her into a hug. “I like you so much! Must be love at first sight.”
They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice the person behind them.
Zhou Ziyu clamped his mouth shut to stay hidden and sent a heads-up to Lu Jin’an: 【Dr. Lu, guess what I just heard?】
Lu Jin’an didn’t respond like others might with a “What?” So Zhou Ziyu followed up: 【Your wife says she doesn’t like you.】
This time, Lu Jin’an replied promptly: 【Oh.】
Just one word and a period. He was the only one who cared; the people involved couldn’t have been more indifferent. Talk about meddling in others’ business.
Rush hour in the old city district meant the usual gridlock.
For convenience, Gu Nianyi had taken a cab to the hospital. When Qin Shiyu offered a ride downstairs, she accepted without protest.
But at the south gate of Cypress View Pavilion, she spotted the familiar face she had expected.
Li Huiling had arrived a bit later than anticipated.
Fortunately, Lu Jin’an had business that evening, so their paths wouldn’t cross.
“Thanks for the ride, Shiyu. Dinner this weekend on me.” Gu Nianyi unbuckled her seatbelt, her breathing faltering for a few seconds.
“Take care.”
Outside, dusk had fallen, with wisps of clouds drifting lazily.
Qin Shiyu watched Gu Nianyi walk toward the woman at the gate, still wearing a faint smile. But through the glass, she sensed something was off.
There was no joy—only reluctance and a touch of bitterness.
She immediately called Lu Jin’an, letting it ring until the tone cut off with no answer.
Then she sent a WeChat voice message: “Lu Jin’an, looks like Yi Yi’s mom. She’s here for Yi Yi, and something feels wrong. Hurry back.”
Their features were somewhat similar; it was just a guess on her part.
With no reply from Lu Jin’an and the phone going unanswered, she turned the car around and headed back to the hospital.