How should I treat you?

I went in excitedly, and came out feeling melancholy.

The store manager kept a close eye on their progress and even waited outside the door to ask, "How did you all feel about this trip?"

I'm afraid that because of what happened last time, I might have negative thoughts about them.

In this way, the boundary becomes indistinguishable.

"Is this the only ending?" Ji Shu was still reeling from the shock of the final outcome.

Hearing this familiar question, the store manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Yes, our script uses a method that is both psychologically and physically terrifying. Even if you have divergent thinking, we will only compress the time and provide more misleading clues."

These words, once spoken, will not have a good ending.

"I didn't expect that everyone in the cast would be villains..." Chi Nuo never imagined that her role in the story would be like this.

As we approached the store, the manager stopped with a smile and said, "We are committed to creating stories that leave our customers with lasting memories. We welcome you to visit us again."

Wen Zhuyao cleared her mind and made what she thought was a righteous decision from her own perspective, only to find that the justice was just a fabrication.

In fact, everyone became part of the evil party.

"Take a break, let's go get something good to eat." Seeing that they all looked distracted, Ji Shu decided to move on in the simplest way possible.

Time flew by, and while we were engrossed in eating, drinking, and having fun, the day of parting soon arrived.

Wen Zhuyao and Mo Wen, who were not needed for the time being, came to see them off together. She also specially bought some local specialties that could fit in the bag for them to take with them.

The three of them booked the same day and around the same time, so they went in together to wait, without needing to be delivered twice.

Wen Zhuyao sighed slightly, "Time really flies."

I never expected the excitement to pass so quickly, and now it's going to turn cold and lifeless again. I feel a sadness I can't quite describe.

"Send it here. If there's extra time, I'll come find you again. We should be able to go in and have a meal now." Chi Nuo quickly arranged for them to go inside.

Bai Yuzhou still had his bag on him, but was holding Ji Shu's coat in his hand. He said, "The time difference isn't much. Your shift is even faster. We'll keep an eye on you before we leave."

"Let's get together again at a better time next time," he said, full of apology for the sudden interruption.

Mo Wen, however, could accept it, feeling a sense of shared misfortune: "Definitely. Next time, let's see if the planning maniac can predict his own schedule. If he doesn't plan well, he'll be laughed at."

"You have a slight edge, I won't argue with you anymore." Bai Yuzhou conceded defeat.

Tender affection and sharp confrontation.

Ji Shu hugged Wen Zhuyao and patted her back gently, saying, "See you next time, bye."

"Let's go." Chi Nuo went over and hugged them, then turned and followed the two inside, waving goodbye to each other in silence.

Once they were completely out of sight, the two of them turned around and walked back in unison.

The road was quiet. Wen Zhuyao casually smoothed her hair and asked, "What time are you going tomorrow?"

The loneliness after the bustling atmosphere made her need a lot of time to adjust. She couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't burst into tears when she returned to see him off tomorrow after adjusting to the situation today.

That would be too embarrassing.

"I……"

In the end, Mo Wen still needs to answer this question: "I'm not leaving tomorrow."

"You changed the time again?" Wen Zhuyao turned her head to look at him, assuming it was for work and didn't think much of it. "You guys are really busy."

The fact that she didn't have to say goodbye to her good friends one after another brought her some comfort.

It's a comforting feeling of guilt, built on work.

Mo Wen continued vaguely, without being honest: "Yes, I'll be going back in the next few days."

"But before I go back, will I be able to see the vlog of us having fun together?" He changed the subject; if he asked any more questions, he would give himself away.

Mo Wen hadn't thought of any way to explain this.

He could only confess, but what would happen after he confessed? He wanted a few more days, just a few more days to see that rare smile.

Wen Zhuyao put her hands on her hips and said confidently, "Of course, you can see it tonight."

"Okay." Mo Wen expressed his belief and said no more.

The two took separate taxis at the airport entrance. After returning home, Wen Zhuyao didn't rush. She took a shower before starting to edit the video.

Immersed in my own time, I reflected on the past few days together.

"Ding-dong..."

Wen Zhuyao heard the sound but ignored it until it was posted, only to find it was a message from Mo Wen.

"Want to go out for dinner tomorrow?" He only had time to ask after he got home, dealt with the phone calls pressuring him to get married, and finished his work.

Wen Zhuyao: "Okay, what time?"

"Lunch, I'll give you the address later." After saying this, Mo Wen turned around and went to get busy, missing a message.

Wen Zhuyao: "By the way, when we were discussing the location, why did you agree to choose this place?"

A long time has passed, and there has still been no reply.

"Alright, busy man, I won't ask you anymore." Wen Zhuyao tidied up and drifted off to sleep.

I went to sleep relatively early, but I still missed replying.

Mo asked, "I didn't see it. I didn't mean to not reply."

Mo asked, "Because I want to see you, but based on our previous interactions, you seem very guarded. I'm afraid that if I do anything unusual, you'll be scared away."

"Are you asleep?" he murmured softly, glancing at the time.

However, this is something Wen Zhuyao can do. In the past, many times, people were captivated by her early bedtime. They would call her to play when she was already asleep.

We had no choice but to give up.

I woke up in the early morning, said a few words, and then went back to sleep.

Mo Wen shook his head helplessly, but at the same time breathed a sigh of relief. New questions meant new answers, and he looked forward to filling the gaps.

I'm also afraid—can he accept this answer?

The group chat, which had been quiet for an afternoon, suddenly became lively again; more accurately, it had been quiet for several days.

I'm watching the Zhuzhu group chat.

"See? I told you they had great chemistry, I could practically see them together." Chi Nuo attached screenshots from the vlog and sent them one by one.

Ji Shu, with a face mask on, enjoyed the sliced ​​fruit and a massage from her younger brother: "The main character is still in the group chat, and you're already doing it again?"

"Don't come crying to me later saying, 'If only I had known this would happen.'"

"A workaholic like me doesn't have time to look at his phone. If you're not satisfied, kick him out." Chi Nuo was happy, immersed in the atmosphere of shipping the couple, and prepared to draw a few fan art pieces.

As she passed by the room, Chi's mother saw the person staring at their phone and grinning foolishly. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Don't get so close, or you'll ruin your eyes!"

Chi Nuo subconsciously let go, got up, turned around with an embarrassed smile, and got up to close the door, promising, "I will, I'm going to sleep now, see you tomorrow."

"Wait a minute, how are you and Xiaozhu playing? Is she doing alright over there by herself?" Chi's mother gently pushed the door open again.

Chi Nuo leaned against the door frame and replied respectfully, "It's fine. I can take care of myself, so don't worry."

"Oh, right, she specifically told me not to overwork myself and to take good care of myself. Even the local specialties I brought back were bought by her." She felt she had said everything she needed to say and was about to close the door.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? Why are you only telling me now?" Chi's mother's gaze was fixed on her, her tone aggressive.

Chi Nuo instantly became timid: "I forgot... I'm going to sleep, goodnight."

While she was gathering her strength, she closed the door, grabbed her phone, and lay down on the bed. It was time to catch her red-handed again.

"Look, it's great."

Mo Wen didn't think there was anything wrong with it. They were both single and had the status of being chivalrous, so they knew their limits. It was normal for them to joke around and gossip a little.

Moreover, if things are really developing into a romantic relationship, then there's nothing wrong with that.

You never know when you might need to ask for help.

Chi Nuo covered her face in anguish, chirping in pain, "My mom caught me playing on my phone when I got home, and now she's caught gossiping..."

“A lifetime will pass quickly, don’t worry about it,” Ji Shu said gloatingly, noticing that her words had come true. “Besides, they really don’t care. They know what kind of person you are, so don’t worry.”

Chi Nuo: "Okay, I'm going to go cry~"

The next day, Wen Zhuyao looked at the missed messages and Chi Nuo's tearful complaints, and just smiled it off.

When the time came, she admired her outfit in the mirror: a beige dress paired with a matching bag. After confirming it was perfect, she turned and left.

On the bus, she recalled the reasons for her initial hesitation. Family factors made her lose hope, and it seemed that she needed to spend more time alone with them to explain everything in advance.

She did not have a harmonious relationship with her family of origin.

It's as if everyone is connected to a stretching line; the closer you are to the line, the shorter it is, and the farther away you are, the longer it is.

No matter how close she got, even if they stood side by side, her line would still fall to the ground.

Round and round.

Sometimes they would get tangled up and form knots that she couldn't untangle or cut, and her thread looked worse than before.

It seemed that she couldn't think about these things yet. After getting off the car, Wen Zhuyao was disturbed by these thoughts. She took a deep breath in front of the door, pushed it open, and went inside.

The wind chimes played a beautiful melody in the hall, and the simple style complemented Wen Zhuyao's outfit today, like a five-minute conversation between urban beauties.

Wen Zhuyao saw him waiting for a long time in the restaurant.

"I heard about your taste when we were chatting during the game, so I thought I'd give it a try and see if it suits your taste." Mo Wen pushed the menu in front of her as she approached.

Under the expectant gaze of the other person, Wen Zhuyao nodded and casually started a conversation: "Why is it that every time we go out, you're the one who takes me out to eat?"

They wanted to cover up the negative effects.

She looked down at the menu and was drawn in; the cute cartoon design was an unexpected contrast.

At the same time, she didn't even look at her own question, which startled Mo Wen.

Isn't eating the most important thing?

Of course, he embellished his words a bit: "I don't have much time, but I want to see you, so I have to ask you to have dinner with me."

"Besides, if I ask you to go out and play every day, you probably won't go out anymore. But if I ask you to eat different things every day, you'll never lose interest."

Mo asked, "Of course he'll agree to it every time."

It must be said that his analysis of Wen Zhuyao was very accurate. As someone who is used to going out for meals and having some fun along the way, this was entirely based on personal preference.

"You've really thought of everything. You're so thoughtful." Wen Zhuyao picked up her lemonade, took a sip, picked out two drinks, and pushed the menu towards him.

Mo Wen quickly glanced at her selections, added them to the ones she had chosen beforehand, and rang the bell to send the menu away.

Seeing that the time was ripe, in a harmonious atmosphere, he released the heartbeat that stirred up ripples, and said, "Actually, I came here on a business trip."

"You?" Wen Zhuyao thought she had misheard.

He calmly admitted, "Yes, I lied to you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Wen Zhuyao was stunned by his words. Her initial choice to reply had become a reason to hurt him.

She dared not imagine the torment she would endure during the two days of waiting.

As the past flashed before his eyes, Mo Wen concealed his dejection: "It's too presumptuous of me. After all, I have no status, and I can choose your location and come here for you without consulting you."

"But you don't need to feel pressured. I like you, so I've exaggerated your feelings. Actually, putting aside emotions, from the perspective of environment, adaptation, and comfort, this is also my first choice."

"Whether our relationship is close or distant doesn't affect my coming here." Mo Wen was afraid that the whole incident and her first sentence would bring her guilt under normal circumstances.

Every decision she makes is a well-thought-out choice, and it is always suitable for her.

Mo Wen didn't want her simple selfishness to become a source of internal conflict, making her think that her decision was unreasonable because her voluntary sacrifice wasn't taken into consideration.

It's a voluntary act, nothing more, and no reward is needed.

"If you want to say something good about yourself, just tell me after you've done it."

She didn't continue speaking after that.

Wen Zhuyao lowered her head, always able to immediately detect cautious, tentative, or flustered emotions, no matter whose they were.

He is very gentlemanly, has a certain distance from others, and knows how to take care of people; these are the descriptions of him.

Regardless, it will be shown.

Her feelings are the opposite. If you don't tell her, how should she respond? By pretending she doesn't see the need, or by pretending she doesn't need it, but she can still feel it.

Eating is just eating.

After the meal, they went their separate ways. The feedback from their first formal interaction wasn't very strong.

Everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts.