The next morning, Sunday sunlight spilled softly into the cramped apartment. The clatter of footsteps in the stairwell announced the arrival of Auntie Wu and Auntie Chu, each balancing a basket.
"Breakfast for you two!" Auntie Wu sang out the moment the door opened.
On the other side stood Gu Ze Yan, tall and broad, dressed in a flowery cotton shirt and trousers borrowed from the neighbor last night. He looked more like a clumsy nephew than a dignified CEO.
The aunties beamed. "Ai-yo, look at this good young man. Even in uncle clothes, still so handsome!"
Qing Yun nearly tripped over her own slippers. "Auntie…" she tried to protest, but her cheeks flushed.
Ze Yan only smiled calmly, receiving the food with a polite bow. "Thank you for your kindness. I'll return the favor."
Inside, they ate warm soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns together. When Sunny reached to clear the table, Ze Yan intercepted her hand. "No. You sit. I'll handle it."
She gave him a look. "Are you going to wash dishes in those uncle pants?"
He rolled his sleeves. "Then let me be your exclusive handyman."
After breakfast, he set about tightening loose screws on her door, fixing the curtain rod, and replacing a flickering bulb in the hallway. Watching him work, hair falling over his forehead, Qing Yun felt a strange warmth—domestic, gentle, dangerous.
By noon, he finally took her to his own apartment so he could change. Properly dressed in a casual beige suit, he looked once again like the Gu Ze Yan everyone knew. Then, smiling, he suggested, "Let's go to the mall. Lunch is on me."
At the mall, they wandered like an ordinary couple. Qing Yun bought a few small gifts for Si Yao—cute stationery, a hairband, a notebook covered with cherry blossoms. When she tried to pay, Ze Yan slid his card across first.
"You've forgotten?" His voice was light. "Girlfriend contract. All expenses covered."
She rolled her eyes, but her lips curved. "Right, how could I forget."
They strolled from shop to shop, and Ze Yan pulled her into the arcade. She laughed at his sulking when she beat him easily at a racing game, then teased him mercilessly when he lost again at claw machines. Still, he grinned like a boy each time she smiled.
Evening fell. Outside, clouds gathered, the sky darkened. The rooftop Ferris wheel lit up against twilight, each carriage glowing like a lantern.
"Want to try?" he asked.
She hesitated, then nodded.
The cabin rose slowly, the city unfolding beneath them, glittering in streams of light. Qing Yun leaned toward the window, her face reflected against the glass.
Quietly, Ze Yan reached into his pocket and brushed her hair aside. He clipped a delicate hairpin—silver with a faint sparkle—into her hair.
She turned, startled. He only smiled, soft as dusk. "It suits you."
Her eyes curved. "Thank you," she said, voice warm, gentle.
The cabin swayed gently as silence stretched between them. He looked like he wanted to speak, but couldn't. She saw it and broke it first.
"Yesterday," she began softly, "Wei Ran offered me double the money… to stop being your 'girlfriend.'"
The words landed heavy. Ze Yan stiffened, his hands curling. "…And you?"
"I didn't take it."
"Why not?"
She tilted her head, lips curving faintly. "Maybe I'm picky."
He gave a short laugh, almost bitter. "But he's famous. Talented. Handsome. Shouldn't you be tempted?"
Her eyes glimmered with mischief. "What, are you secretly his fan?"
The tension eased, but only a little. Her voice grew softer. "That's his life. His choice. Not mine. We were close once. We kissed once… but it was a goodbye kiss."
The words pierced him, yet he forced himself to stay quiet.
"I never replied to his messages," she continued. "I hoped he'd get tired and forget me."
"…Do you still like him?" His voice was low, almost a plea.
She shook her head slowly. "With Wei Ran, it was like looking in a mirror. Familiar, but only a reflection. Not something real. He was a good ally, and I mistook that for romance. But he's not what I'm looking for."
The Ferris wheel carried them higher. The city stretched wide, lights scattering like stars.
Ze Yan turned fully to her, eyes steady, almost trembling with restrained hope.
"Then what is it you're looking for?"
Lin Qing Yun met his gaze, lips parting slightly. She didn't answer—her silence itself was an answer he both longed for and feared.
The cabin swayed gently, and the chapter ended there.