When Lu Zhe woke up, it was already 10:30 in the morning, and the sun was already high in the sky.

He opened his eyes, and his first instinct was to look for his phone. He fumbled around the pillow for a while, but found nothing. He sat up, lifted the pillow, and finally discovered the phone hidden in the corner of the bedside table.

He picked up his phone and saw that his boss, Mao Kai, had already approved his leave request—though he wasn't really worried about that.

Get up, wash up, and get dressed.

After Lu Zhe finished tidying up, he walked out of the bedroom and saw Tang Qi curled up on the sofa playing games.

The young lady dropped the controller, ran over in a few steps, and threw herself into his arms. Since they were alone together, and Xue Xiaodie had already left for work, there was no need for any restraint.

Tang Qi kissed him and smiled, "Were you in a bad mood last night?"

Lu Zhe hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "A little."

Tang Qi: "So, what about now?"

"Now……"

Before Lu Zhe could finish speaking, Tang Qi kissed him again. Like a woodpecker targeting a pest, she was ready to peck at him if he said he was unhappy again.

Lu Zhe was both amused and exasperated: "So, you can't be unhappy, is that it?"

Tang Qi raised her little face, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone: "Of course! When I'm with Xiao Cai Tang, I have no right to be unhappy! Just tell me, what do you want to do? I'll go with you!"

She had a somewhat spoiled air about her, but Lu Zhe didn't dislike her. To be honest, he actually quite liked her, after all, the girl was so cute and liked him so much.

But lately, whether he was spending a blissful night with Xia Xiaobing or spending time with Tang Qi, another beautiful figure inevitably flashed before his eyes.

That girl, wearing glasses, yet her eyes couldn't hide the gentleness and understanding in them.

Tang Qi then speculated, "Are you feeling a bit bored? Isn't playing games all the time a bit too dull?"

Lu Zhe countered with, "Would you find it boring?"

Tang Qi shook her head without hesitation: "I'm already very happy to stay at home and play games. But I know you're a little different from me; you really enjoy going out and exercising. So, how about we go out and have some fun sometime when we're free?"

Lu Zhe: "What games?"

Tang Qi thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea: "That's it! We can go swimming! You probably can't swim yet, right?"

Lu Zhe: "Indeed not."

Unlike children who grow up with their parents, he never went to swimming pools or similar places alone from a young age. He hadn't learned how to swim, so naturally, he couldn't have.

Tang Qi said confidently, "Your athletic ability is amazing! Although you can't do it now, you'll learn in no time, and you'll even swim better than me!"

Lu Zhe asked with a smile, "Is it something that will happen in the future?"

Tang Qi: "Yes, it's something I witnessed with my own eyes. And I was the one who taught you to swim!"

Lu Zhe: "So you mean you're going to teach me how to swim now?"

Tang Qi nodded: "Although I'm not a professional coach, I'm still fine with the most basic things... How about this weekend?"

Lu Zhe remained silent, lost in thought.

For him, the same problem still existed. He was indeed quite happy with Tang Qi, but whenever he thought of the lonely Xue Xiaodie, especially when she waved her hand and said she wasn't lonely, he found it hard to be happy again.

Tang Qi suddenly whispered, "How about we invite Sister Xiaodie over this weekend?"

Lu Zhe was slightly surprised: "I thought you didn't want to bring her along."

Tang Qi explained, "I was just thinking about it, and... she's a good friend of ours too, so it doesn't feel right if it's just the two of us going out without inviting her."

Lu Zhe breathed a silent sigh of relief, but remained outwardly calm, saying, "Then you should ask her. I don't have any problems."

Tang Qi nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, I'll ask her when we eat later. Now, do you want to play with me some more?"

Lu Zhe: "Okay..."

————

Lu Zhe, Xue Xiaodie, and Tang Qi's lunch was as usual. After lunch, Tang Qi said goodbye, and Lu Zhe and Xue Xiaodie returned to the company office side by side and sat back down at their respective workstations.

It was 12:30 pm, and there was still half an hour left in the lunch break, enough time to take a nap. But Lu Zhe didn't want to nap, since he had only gotten up two hours ago and naturally wasn't sleepy now.

He turned his chair around and looked at the girl at the workstation next to him, only to see that she hadn't taken a nap either.

Xue Xiaodie was wearing headphones, her gaze drifting forward, clearly not focused on the computer screen. It was unclear whether she was listening attentively to music or simply daydreaming.

Lu Zhe stared at her for a long time.

Finally, Xue Xiaodie noticed the gaze from beside her. She glanced at him, took off her headphones, leaned closer, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Lu Zhe shook his head slightly: "It's nothing."

Xue Xiaodie laughed and said, "Then why are you staring at me?"

Lu Zhe didn't answer, but instead asked, "What were you doing just now?"

Xue Xiaodie waved the earphones in her hand: "I'm listening to music, do you want to listen too?"

Lu Zhe smiled and said, "Okay."

So he took the girl's headphones, and the two of them each put one on and started listening.

The song playing in my headphones was a pop love song sung by a male singer with a somewhat deep voice. His singing style didn't seem technically sophisticated, but for some reason, it carried a particularly profound emotional weight.

"I don't want you to leave; distance can't separate us."

Longing has become an ocean, unable to enter through the window.

Forgiveness was said too quickly; love became an obstacle.

The kite in my hand was flown too fast and can't be brought back...

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhe couldn't help but look into the girl's eyes again.

Xue Xiaodie didn't look at him, but calmly stared ahead, even though all that was in front of her was a glass wall and a computer screen. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, her gaze wasn't focused on any one point, yet she didn't appear lost. It was as if her gaze could penetrate the screen, penetrate the wall, and see somewhere infinitely far away.

It's as if she can see the future.

The lyrics in the headphones continued to play.

I don't want you to leave; the memories are too painful to erase.

I owe you my love, and I'm waiting for it to start over.

The sky is still bright, it loves the sea…

Lu Zhe moved his lips, wanting to say something, but unsure how to organize his thoughts.

Suddenly, Xue Xiaodie took off her headphones and turned to stare at him.

The girl smiled slightly and asked softly, "Are you having a lot on your mind?"

Lu Zhe: "You..."

The girl tilted her head: "What's wrong with me?"

Lu Zhe also laughed: "Stop guessing. If you could just say it, would you still be unable to let go?"

————