Lady

heavy rain.

The gray-white curtains in the master bedroom are double-layered, one layer for blackout and the other for sheer fabric. Right now, only the inner, semi-transparent layer is covered. Outside, a strong wind is blowing, lifting the sheer curtains and revealing a small gap.

The dampness beneath me had indeed come in through the window.

Ju Hui pushed Sheng Qijing to close the window tightly.

Sheng Qijing grabbed her hand that was groping her and told her to open her eyes: "Is there really a breeze now?"

Ju Hui picked out these curtains, which were shipped to Shanghai a while ago. They are the same style as the curtains in the master bedroom of her rented apartment in Oslo, but in a different color.

The vines printed on the fine gauze intertwine and climb upwards inch by inch, like blue veins, covering the entire white expanse. She likes to touch it with her hands, as if she can feel a thickness that is different from other places.

She was fascinated by this curtain.

However, this thing was almost worn away by the calluses on her hands, the thin calluses that Sheng Qijing had long since lost.

Especially the area between her thumb and forefinger; when she gripped it, the callus completely enveloped the vines, and the pad of her thumb, which should have been soft, became rough and scratchy, causing a slight pain. This was one of the perverse pleasures that had suddenly appeared in her mind.

He lifted Ju Hui's head and hands high.

Her face is exactly the same as it was years ago.

He covered Ju Hui's eyes, then snatched the pink string from her wrist and put it on.

Sheng Qijing's bone structure isn't the largest, but he has maintained his fitness routine over the years, and his wrists are noticeably thicker and stronger than Ju Hui's, with purplish-red veins tightly bound around his waist.

Ju Hui murmured, feeling as if the rubber band was about to snap.

Sheng Qijing doesn't like to suffer losses, and for the past eight years, he has been taking revenge on her in this way on and off.

He grabbed her hands, which were trying to flail around again, and coldly instructed her to brush her hair back herself. He said her neck was pretty and might be able to distract him.

Ju Hui still wouldn't listen.

Sheng Qijing lifted her and placed her on the long table, then sat her up.

The master bedroom features a cool gray-brown color scheme and simple decor. The lights are mostly recessed into the wall, and the long brown and white table is empty, which seems a bit out of place.

But as soon as Ju Hui saw it placed next to the window, she knew what it meant.

The cool, lacquered surface and the curved, anti-collision corners of the table, along with its perfect height and slope, made her feel like she was about to fall. She was forced to wrap her arms tightly around his neck and try her best to feel his back muscles working. This long table was indeed worthy of his choice.

And then, who knows how much time will pass.

"Sheng Qijing..."

Ju Hui was defeated first.

“Let’s try again,” Sheng Qijing stopped, gently soothing her with his hand, his movements slowing down. “When you don’t want to sit, remember what to call?”

Ju Hui even fell into a deep sleep for a moment, dreaming that she was pointing her index finger at his heart.

She frowned, recently dreaming about the winter when she applied to study abroad during her sophomore year, the beginning that awakened her desire.

"Don't pull your hair, try again."

Sheng Qijing clenched his teeth, forcing her to wake up.

"Ju Hui".

Ju Hui said with her eyes closed, her chest burning.

"You forgot, you don't like this."

"I like this now!"

Ju Hui's chin bumped against his forehead, and she fell asleep again. She dreamt of heavy rain soaking the walls, and the ivy, taking advantage of the momentum, bursting forth and growing like bamboo splitting open with growing pains, like rain pounding on lotus leaves, one sound after another—

Ju Hui woke up four hours later, having taken a nap all morning, and was extremely thirsty.

The cup on the bedside table had been empty for a long time.

She frowned, propped herself up, and saw that there were full cups on the long table, but they were Sheng Qijing's cups.

Ju Hui chose to ignore it, went into the bathroom to wash up quickly, and changed into the pajamas she had left there two years ago. They were pink and she didn't like them. They had been delivered to her home along with her little umbrella.

Why didn't she throw it away? Sheng Qijing opened her collar with two fingers to check the fabric and said, "I was afraid the aunt would want to take it home as a rag."

Ju Hui went downstairs, the escalator sloping straight down.

Sheng Qijing seems to particularly like the loft layout. The first floor has a dining room, kitchen, and living room, while the second floor has a bedroom, study, and a small dressing room. For his work, clothes and jewelry are just as important as the study.

There is breakfast on the table.

On Tuesday, a weekday at noon, Sheng Qijing was sitting idly in the living room scrolling through his phone.

Wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, loose and comfortable, his black hair, which had just been washed, hung down slightly. He took off his glasses, and the lines of his profile were clearer and more stern than before.

Thirty is a turning point, but Sheng Qijing's face and figure haven't changed at all, and he actually crossed this threshold quite smoothly.

No wonder, she exercised early in the morning, and there was a black coffee and a computer on the table. Next to her was her skirt and underwear that she had taken off last night. They were black and stood out against the light-colored sofa.

"Can't you help me tidy up!"

Ju Hui walked over and grabbed the dress.

However, she immediately complained that she still got wet yesterday despite using an umbrella, and that her clothes and small suitcase were both soaked.

She tossed the dress into the entryway, along with her small, dirty suitcase. She planned to hire a delivery person to buy her another outfit and have the suitcase sent back by courier.

The porridge and dishes on the long table were also takeout. Ju Hui felt warm looking at them. Sometimes when she missed China, she missed this kind of meticulous convenience.

"You just got back from Norway?"

Sheng Qijing's voice came from behind.

"Um."

Ju Hui swallowed the first mouthful of porridge.

"You haven't been here for two years, and the first time you come, you're caught in a typhoon. Are you braving the wind and waves to come back to China and sleep with me?"

"Are you that charming? I got back last Wednesday and only came to your place last night."

Sheng Qijing fell silent.

Ju Hui continued to scoop porridge with a spoon. The simple white porridge was neither good nor bad, but what she really wanted to drink was Ruobei's tofu puff soup, without sesame paste. The last time she had it was at the breakfast shop outside Ruomei's school gate.

When are you going back to Norway?

"If the flights aren't canceled today."

Ju Hui finished her quick meal, tidied up the food, and sat back down to check the errand schedule. She would arrive in fifteen minutes.

She wasn't impatient with Sheng Qijing; she just found his questions too strange. In all these years, she had never spent a second night with him.

She first returned to China to find Sheng Qijing five years ago. At that time, Ju Hui successfully passed the entrance exam for the Royal College of Art's MFA program, but she was in poor condition. After enrolling, she was like Ruomei when she first entered the program, lacking inspiration and desire and only wanting to drop out.

After years of study and ups and downs, she realized that she had zero talent for sculpture. Ju Hui accepted the fact, but life had to go on.

At that time, she made some money by taking on domestic commercial orders and doing modeling, which gave her the confidence and impulse to return to China, meet Sheng Qijing, and try to get back into shape.

Even if I find him, I'll most likely get a scolding and be sent back to Norway.

Yun Aonan said that studying art and philosophy for too long can easily damage your brain. Ju Hui's desires clamored, and she returned to China excitedly. She just wanted to see it from afar, preferably sit down and chat, never imagining that she would meet it in bed.

It was a strange feeling that they could still ignite each other's passion after not seeing each other for so many years. Ju Hui kissed him and hugged Sheng Qijing, who had just returned from a drinking party.

The two had always kept in touch on WeChat, but it wasn't until after he left that day that Sheng Qijing sent his first message in three years:

What do you take me for?

Sheng Qijing glanced at the time in the upper right corner of the computer: "Can you leave before two o'clock? I still have work this afternoon. You've made the room quite wet, so we'll have to hire a housekeeper to clean it."

"Just because of these few raindrops on the ground?"

Aren't the sheets wet?

After saying that, Sheng Qijing finally glanced at her, picked up his laptop, and went upstairs.

Ju Hui was exasperated. Sheng Qijing always seemed to be covering her eyes lately, as if looking at her would age him by ten years. Ju Hui picked up her phone and carefully examined her appearance. She'd been taking great care of her skin these past few years, trying to meet clients and secure sponsorships. What was he complaining about…?

When the housekeeper arrived, Ju Hui had just finished packing her luggage and was about to leave. She met the housekeeper briefly, and upon first meeting her, the housekeeper was taken aback and even looked back at the house number.

"This is the home of Sheng Qijing."

Ju Hui smiled politely at her and walked past her.

Ten minutes later, Sheng Qijing finished the online meeting and came downstairs. The living room had been cleaned, and Ju Hui's belongings were all gone.

"President Sheng." The aunt appeared from the bottom of the stairs and greeted him.

“Mm,” Sheng Qijing replied.

The rain is still falling outside.

The aunt smiled and said, "Was that your girlfriend who just left? Just like Xiaohuan said, she's young and beautiful."

-

If it wasn't raining in the north, Ju Hui took a bus towards Ruomei as soon as the high-speed train arrived. The breakfast shop was still there, but it had become a franchised brand. She went in, sat down, and bought pea soup and fried dough sticks.

She was wearing a plain white T-shirt and skinny jeans, with her LV crossbody bag containing her laptop and personal belongings casually placed on the dining table. Her figure blended into the group of students, and she looked like a mature-looking graduate student.

This may be due to Ju Hui's heart-shaped face, which is small with a pointed chin, resulting in firm skin. She looks the same as she did five years ago when she dropped out of MFA, with little change.

As I was leaving, the staff gave me a free coupon, which means I can have a free tea egg next time I come.

Ju Hui handed it to a boy who was about to enter the store, secretly squinted at him, and nodded.

In the lingering summer heat, amidst the chirping of insects, she strolled along the tree-lined avenue outside Ruomei School. Her right shoulder ached. When LV made the thin shoulder straps, they probably never imagined that someone could put all their belongings from eight years in Norway into one bag.

She took another walk, and her agent, Kan Yu, sent her a WeChat message as it was getting dark.

Kan Yu: [Have you returned to Ruobei?]

Ju Hui: [Yeah, I'm just strolling around in front of my alma mater right now.]

Kan Yu: [Wow, you seem to be in a really good mood. Have you decided whether to develop your career in Ruobei or Shanghai?]

Kan Yu was Ju Hui's mentor after she entered the industry, and he became her manager. He was two years younger than Ju Hui, tall, and much more hardworking and dedicated than her. Knowing that Ju Hui often returned to China to find inspiration, he would sometimes check on her condition in advance and book tickets for her.

The results proved to be effective, and returning to China was indeed necessary.

Ju Hui's sculpting career has been smoother than others. She discovered her personal style earlier and basically creates works based on the interaction between the human body and objects. She has a unique and readable series of sculptures.

Ju Hui has won many international awards and enjoys a great reputation. In the past two years, she has been busy with this series of solo exhibitions, which have been quite profitable. She has even expanded beyond Europe and has a market in North America and Australia.

Ju Hui has finally made it through the tough times and obtained permanent residency in Norway, but she still chose to return to China to develop her career.

As Kan Yu put it, "Are you planning to sit in your house when you're old, warming yourself by the fire while watching TV for seven hours a day to knit and fourteen hours a day to watch salmon spawn?"

Ju Hui shivered during the long 18-hour day.

As people get older, they crave companionship more and more, even if that person is a bad person who betrays them.

Ju Hui: [Ruo Bei.]

Ju Hui: [The enemy is here.]

Kan Yu: [So hate lasts longer than love, right?]

Ju Hui: [[Penguin falls down]]

Ju Hui didn't have a car in Ruobei, so after taking a walk, she went to a car rental shop and found an Avita 12 that she liked. She rented it for fifteen days and then drove back to her rented house in Ruobei.

Located in Zhongguancun, Haidian District, it is very close to Jiang Yiying's university. She rented this house for her own convenience, so she could sleep here if she didn't want to stay in the dormitory.

Ju Hui could actually borrow Yun Aonan's car; it would be convenient for her to register it there, and the several cars registered under her name, "Tunji," had been sitting in the garage unused.

However, Ju Hui returned to Ruobei without telling anyone, mainly to prevent Bian Jiaping from finding out, as she did not want to see her enemy.

Moreover, when meeting to borrow a car, there will inevitably be catching up, and catching up inevitably involves bringing up the past... Ju Hui drove the car into the underground garage, found the long-dusty free parking space, parked it, and went upstairs.

Having not been back to Ruobei for so long, everything felt familiar, like returning to her hometown. Ju Hui looked at the stairwell and entrance that were no different from those in the video.

Press the combination lock, and the door beeps as it opens.

Touch the switch with your right hand and turn it on.

A solitary lamp illuminates the entryway.

etc.

Ju Hui stopped and frowned.

She smelled smoke.