Chapter 3: Officially Moving In

Ning Si drove straight into the underground parking garage of Wen Qingye's building. Wen Qingye lived in a high-end gated community with strict security—a full-floor penthouse with private elevator access.

Jiang Li followed with her suitcase. Inside, she took in the space: an open-concept layout with the living room, dining area, and Western kitchen flowing together. Minimalist and grand. The most striking feature was a large watercolor portrait on the wall behind the sofa—it was Wen Qingye, styled for some fashion magazine shoot, radiating elegance.

Ning Si led Jiang Li familiarly to a side bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, matching the living room's aesthetic. This guest bedroom alone was already the size of Jiang Li's entire living room back home.

After showing Jiang Li her room, Ning Si pointed to the door next door. "This is Xiaoye's master bedroom."

Jiang Li gave a small nod in acknowledgment. Ning Si flopped onto the sofa, phone in hand, and asked them both: "What do you want to eat? I'll order delivery."

Jiang Li replied: "I'm fine with anything. No dietary restrictions."

Wen Qingye sighed irritably. "Salad. I'm joining a production next month, need to lose weight."

"Got it." Ning Si noted it down and thoughtfully added a request to the restaurant to hold the dressing.

Jiang Li quietly went to unpack. Thinking back, she still found it surreal. How had she inexplicably become her ex's bodyguard? And moved into her ex's penthouse? The thought of living under the same roof with her for at least three months—she couldn't tell if she felt more panicked or pleased. Maybe both.

The food arrived before long. Ning Si had ordered a steak combo for herself and Jiang Li that looked appetizing. Wen Qingye's salad and iced Americano, on the other hand, looked thoroughly unappetizing—but she ate without any trace of suffering, as if she'd long grown accustomed to it.

She was already so thin, and still dieting. What was wrong with people these days and their sick beauty standards? Did they think looking like a skeleton was attractive? Jiang Li wanted to frown again.

After lunch, Ning Si grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Xiaoye, don't forget—the dinner at Haoting Hotel at 7 PM! I'm going to meet with the platform people now. Once I'm done, I'll come pick you both up."

Wen Qingye nodded. "Thanks for the hard work, Sisi."

Ning Si winked at her. "You two have fun chatting."

Once Ning Si left, the weird atmosphere settled in again. That damn silence—wanting to break it but not knowing how.

Thinking about what Ning Si had just said, Jiang Li found the words at her lips: "What kind of dinner is it tonight?"

Wen Qingye was swiping through her iPad without lifting her eyes. "Company arranged it. Dinner with a magazine executive."

"Oh." Jiang Li didn't follow the entertainment industry, so naturally she didn't know this world. But now she found herself wanting to understand it a little. With that thought, she pulled out her phone. No WiFi connected. She asked Wen Qingye: "What's the WiFi password?"

Wen Qingye's hand froze. Thankfully her eyes were lowered, so Jiang Li couldn't see the panic beneath.

"I forgot the password. Ning Si set it up. Let me ask her."

"Oh, okay."

The password was 0325JL&WQY. 0325—both their anniversary date and Jiang Li's birthday. Plus both their initials. She must have been out of her mind when she set that password! Wen Qingye cursed herself internally.

She immediately looked up how to change a WiFi password and followed the tutorial step by step until it was done.

Thinking of something, Wen Qingye looked up at her. "Let's add each other on WeChat. Easier to communicate."

"Sure, give me a second." Jiang Li held up her QR code. Wen Qingye scanned it—four years later, she was adding Jiang Li's WeChat again.

Jiang Li's profile picture was still the same one from four years ago. It made Wen Qingye's mind blur, as if she could see all their old chat history. Couples' little games, heart emojis, angry messages, bickering, acting spoiled… vivid and sticky. Thinking about it for even one more second was torture. Wen Qingye forced herself to snap out of it.

A line appeared in the chat: You've added A-Li. You can start chatting now.

Wen Qingye had long since switched to a new WeChat account. Her profile picture was a simple line drawing of a cat—entirely at odds with her actual image.

Wen Qingye sent the WiFi password to Jiang Li via WeChat: 10300925.

0925 was Wen Qingye's birthday. What did 1030 mean? Whose birthday was it? Jiang Li wanted to know. But she knew she had no right to ask.

Her chest tightened. Her thumbnail dug into her index finger again.

Wen Qingye stood up and went into the bedroom. Jiang Li watched her go.

How was it that even her back looked this good?

At 6 PM sharp, Ning Si appeared at the door. Wen Qingye emerged from the bedroom right on cue, having changed outfits and applied light makeup. A flowing cream-white shirt suit, the top two buttons undone, revealing elegant collarbones. A black metal-buckle belt as accent, a long black ribbon tied at her neck, black patent leather heels, hair swept up into a sleek bun.

So sharp that Ning Si teased her: "You don't look like you're going to a dinner. You look like you're going to negotiate an acquisition."

Wen Qingye slipped her hands into her pockets and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Should I go change?"

"Don't!" Ning Si grabbed her. "This outfit will absolutely intimidate that old gay!"

Wen Qingye laughed. "You even dug up his sexual orientation?"

Ning Si flashed a cheeky grin. "Are there any straight men in fashion?"

Wen Qingye thought about it. "Fair point."

As the personal bodyguard, Jiang Li naturally had to go along. On the way to the underground garage, Ning Si's eyes bounced between the two of them.

Wen Qingye shot her a sideways glance. "What are you looking at?"

Ning Si grinned, full of gossip. "Don't you think you two are dressed like a couple today?"

Jiang Li couldn't help looking at herself, then at Wen Qingye. Both in shirts with black pants. There really was a certain vibe.

Wen Qingye coughed lightly and changed the subject. "Let's go. Wouldn't want to be late."

"Alright!"

Ning Si followed the navigation to Haoting Hotel, tossed the keys to the valet, and led Wen Qingye inside.

They arrived twenty minutes early. Wen Qingye's new company's artist director, Brother Qi, was already there. Half an hour later, the magazine executive finally strolled in—a middle-aged man in a tailored suit, hair combed meticulously, sporting a full beard. He broke into a wide smile from afar and gave Wen Qingye a big hug, all warm familiarity.

Wen Qingye smiled brightly—courteous, performative. "Mr. Zhong, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Qingye."

Jiang Li observed from the side. She noticed that Mr. Zhong maintained proper boundaries with Wen Qingye—but his gaze kept drifting toward Brother Qi. Jiang Li recalled Ning Si's comment about "no straight men in fashion" and had to admit it made sense.

They ate and talked inside the private room. Jiang Li couldn't stay inside, so she waited by the door. Before long, Ning Si cracked the door open and whispered to her: "Jiang Li, there's no danger here. Don't starve—go find something to eat."

"Okay."

There was a convenience store exactly a hundred meters away. Jiang Li didn't want to wander too far, so she bought a sandwich and ate a couple of bites. During the wait, she transferred money into the hospital account and called the caretaker, Sister Zhang, to check on her mother. Sister Zhang said everything was fine and told her not to worry.

Jiang Li thanked her and hung up. Standing in the brightly lit convenience store, she watched the city night through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The street was bustling—crowds streaming past, cars flowing endlessly, everything alive and busy.
All that warmth, nowhere to anchor it. She still felt like a piece of driftwood.