"Comrade Zhan... Chunlan?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Zhan Chunlan felt like she wanted to disappear into the ground.

She had been in Haicheng for over two months, and she dared not go out on her days off for fear of running into him. However, she only had two winter clothes with her, and one of them was washed and was slow to dry, so she had to go out to buy a new one. Just as she was about to enter the department store, she unexpectedly met him here.

Wang Wenfeng stood at the bottom of the steps, his tall figure accentuated by a long black overcoat. He looked up at him, his tone calm: "I heard you were transferred to Haicheng Food Factory?"

Zhan Chunlan forced a dry laugh: "Hehe~ Yes, I just transferred here. What a coincidence to run into you here."

“Unfortunately,” Wang Wenfeng raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice low, “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

"Really?" Zhan Chunlan's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm. "I didn't know that. Is something the matter?"

Wang Wenfeng took a half step forward, his gaze calmly landing on her face: "I heard... you're dating me?"

Zhan Chunlan was speechless for a moment, her ears burning: "This... let me... explain..."

Wang Wenfeng crossed his arms over his chest and slightly raised his chin: "Okay, I'm all ears."

Zhan Chunlan lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes: "Well... you know... Xiao Cheng should have told you about my family. Recently, they found me a man in his forties to marry, wanting me to marry him in exchange for a dowry. It's not that I'm scared, it's just that I happened to have this opportunity, so I talked nonsense. I'm sorry, I've ruined your reputation."

After saying that, she bowed deeply to him, so deeply that her forehead almost hit her knee.

Although Zhan Chunlan was unaware of the couple's shady dealings, she had been lying so much that she could just spout off without thinking, even though the lies weren't far off from the truth.

After hearing about his relationship with her, Wang Wenfeng inquired about Zhan Chunlan's situation from his aunt. His aunt did say that after Zhan Chunlan left, her father went to the pastry factory to cause trouble. He said that he had accepted the bride price but could not return the girl and demanded that the pastry factory return his daughter.

The little girl was truly pitiful, and now she was apologizing to his face. Everything made sense, and his initial discomfort had long since dissipated.

“Stand up straight,” he said, taking a half-step to the side. “If you keep bowing, people will think I’m bullying my ‘girlfriend’.”

Seeing that her nose was red from the cold, Wang Wenfeng sighed, "Sigh~ I don't care about this side. I'm a man, but you're a girl. How are you going to find a partner in the future?"

"I'm only seventeen, way too young to get married." Zhan Chunlan glanced up at him, her voice even softer, "I'll just say we're incompatible and break up..."

As she spoke, she looked at him cautiously and said, "I'm a little sorry for you, because I'm afraid it will involve you again."

Wang Wenfeng stared at her for a long time before continuing, "Okay, it's good that you've thought it through. I'm a grown man, it's nothing for me to be talked about. You should worry more about yourself."

After saying that, he walked into the department store. After a few steps, seeing that she hadn't followed, he asked, "What are you doing? Are you working as a doorman here?"

Zhan Chunlan quickly stepped forward, following closely behind: "What are you doing...?"

Wang Wenfeng: "I... will go with you to buy winter clothes."

Wang Wenfeng didn't stop walking, but his voice floated lightly behind her ear, "By the way, play the 'girlfriend' act to the end—so you won't go shopping alone in the department store and then people will say, 'My girlfriend doesn't even have a new coat,' and then I'll really be ruined."

Zhan Chunlan froze for half a second, then jogged to catch up, her nose brushing against the cold wind stirred up by his coat, mixed with a faint scent of soap. She had a bellyful of apologies prepared, but now she felt as if she were stuck in syrup, unable to utter a single word. She could only put her hands behind her back and obediently step on his shadow.

They followed him all the way to the wool fabric counter in the department store.

"Comrade, take that navy blue wool coat down." Wang Wenfeng pointed to the coat hanging at the highest point, then turned to ask Zhan Chunlan, "Do you like it? Navy blue is dirt-resistant and suits you well."

The saleswoman added with a smile, "Young man, you have a good eye. This is a newly arrived 'navy coat.' It's made of five feet and five inches of fabric, and with toggle buttons, you'll look like a movie actor when you wear it."

Zhan Chunlan's ears burned with embarrassment, and she quickly waved her hands, saying, "I... I just need a regular cotton-padded jacket, not a woolen overcoat..."

“Ordinary fabric won’t block the wind, and the wind is strong in Haicheng.” Wang Wenfeng looked at Zhan Chunlan carefully and made a decisive decision, “This style is fine. Could you please get me size 165/88?” As he spoke, he took out fabric coupons and money, his movements fluid and graceful, as if he were really buying clothes for his “girlfriend.”

As the saleswoman looked for clothes, she joked, "These days, it's fashionable for young couples to have the man buy the fabric and the woman make the clothes. But you two are different; you just come to the counter and have them ready-made. It's convenient and looks good!"

Zhan Chunlan opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't know what to say, so she didn't move. She just thought that she would give him the money and tickets later. How could she let him spend money to buy her things after helping her?

After paying, the two walked down the stairs side by side. There was a small window at the corner of the stairs, and a cold wind blew in, making Zhan Chunlan's bangs fly wildly. Wang Wenfeng stepped aside to shield her from the wind.

A deep voice suddenly came to her ear: "Chunlan, you can act, but the path you take is your own. Whether it's one year, two years, or even three or five years, whether you want to stay in Haicheng, go back to Jiangcheng, or go to a place further away, remember—don't let yourself get trapped in 'having to' anymore."

Zhan Chunlan clutched the bag of her coat, her knuckles white. After a long while, she looked up, her eyes reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window, like scattered gold dust: "Comrade Wang, thank you for playing along with me in this 'double act.' Once this storm has passed, I will definitely publish a statement in the newspaper to clear your name."

Wang Wenfeng chuckled and flicked her hat brim with his finger: "Whether you're innocent or not, it's not the newspapers that tell the story, it's your heart. Come on, 'girlfriend,' let's go buy another pair of gloves—so that your hands don't crack from the cold when you're boiling sugar in the winter, and someone doesn't blame me for it."

Today is a rare sunny day, and many people are out enjoying the sun.

The two walked one after the other, their shadows stretching long in the sunlight, occasionally overlapping before quickly separating again. Reaching the alley entrance, Wang Wenfeng suddenly stopped, pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket, and stuffed it into her hand: "This is my department's phone number. You can call me if anything comes up. Back then, your factory leader called our hospital directly, and now the hospital leaders all know we're dating. So, we need to find some time to go over the 'details of our relationship' so that no one will ask and expose us."

Zhan Chunlan held the paper, feeling its heat, yet strangely relieved. She took a deep breath and bowed ninety degrees to him: "Comrade Wang, thank you!"

Wang Wenfeng was amused by her serious demeanor and offered a helping hand: "This is the second time you've called me 'Comrade Wang.' Didn't you call me 'Brother Wenfeng' before, following Xiao Cheng's lead? Keep calling me that from now on."

His voice softened a bit: "Although we're just acting, I still treat you like a younger sister, so you don't need to feel sorry for me. Actually, I should thank you too, otherwise my boss and family would have arranged blind dates for me."

Zhan Chunlan knew that although he appeared aloof, he was actually considerate. He said all this simply to help her let go of her guilt and accept his kindness.

Zhan Chunlan still stuffed the cloth coupons and money she had been clutching into his hand. Wang Wenfeng felt the coolness of her fingertips, and seeing the unyielding stubbornness in her eyes, he had no choice but to accept them, shaking his head and chuckling, "If I had known you were planning this, I should have listened to you and bought the cotton-padded coat."

“I love this coat.” Zhan Chunlan shook her head, her voice soft yet bright. “This is the first coat I’ve ever owned. It’s thick and comfortably warm. I’m really happy.”

Seeing the sincerity in her expression, Wang Wenfeng said no more. As he was leaving, he paused slightly, turned back, and said, "Zhan Chunlan, remember, don't wrong yourself, either on or off screen."

A gust of wind swept by, swirling up a few sycamore leaves from the ground. Zhan Chunlan clutched her overcoat to her chest; the navy blue wool felt soft and warm against her chin—like a sudden, warm winter.

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(The following content is unrelated to this article and is not included in the word count. I originally intended to include it in the author's notes, but it's too long to fit here.)

Yesterday, I got up at six o'clock to walk the dog.

Once on the street, McDull yelled at a dark place.

At first, I didn't see what it was and just thought she was yelling at someone. I was afraid that others would be annoyed by her, so I took her away.

A little while later she came back and yelled at that spot again.

"Moo~" came the sound of a cow. It turned out there was a cow tied up there. I didn't realize it at first, and said to McDull with a smile, "You saw a cow? No wonder it's mooing."

As soon as I finished speaking, I suddenly realized something and felt a little upset. I said to McDull, "Stop yelling at it, it's about to die."

McDull didn't understand anything and kept calling out to the cow. I pulled her away forcefully. McDull kept looking back, wanting to go back, but I didn't want to look at her at all and went straight home.

At noon, I was returning from the hospital after accompanying someone to a doctor's appointment. When I passed by, the cow was gone, and all that remained were the stall piled high with fresh beef and a huge cow's head.

I was in a bad mood all day yesterday.

You say I don't like beef? I love it, I absolutely love it.

But seeing a life die because of one's own appetite is very distressing.

I feel like I'm being a bit dramatic, but the pain I feel inside is real.

Therefore, Zhan Chunlan did not raise chickens in her space. All the animals were really cute when they were young, even the piglets. But she felt a little guilty about raising them from a young age just to kill them and eat them.

But can I resist eating it? I think I can't.

I guess I really am being pretentious and hypocritical.

PS: I tried being vegetarian in college because some people around me were Buddhists, but I couldn't stick to it. I feel like I can't get full if I don't eat meat.