Chapter 9: Impulse

Su Yu didn't know what to say.

Mu Ran added, "He was handsome—sure. But his temper was awful. He'd blow up over nothing. My phone would buzz and he'd start getting paranoid. I couldn't take it. So I dumped him."

Just thinking about Zhou Wenhao made Mu Ran physically uncomfortable. She swore that stretch of time had pushed her to the edge of a mental breakdown. Good-looking guy, absolutely unhinged.

Su Yu clinked glasses with Mu Ran and took a sip.

Mu Ran pressed on. "I added this hot guy on social media recently. Turned out to be a total player. You know what? Just from my feed alone, I saw him liking a bunch of different women's posts. This circle is way too small—we have a ton of mutual friends."

What Mu Ran didn't tell Su Yu was that to get the guy's WeChat, she'd enlisted several flight attendant friends to DM him on her behalf.

He'd replied to every single one of them. The crew girls had all screenshotted the responses and sent them to her, teasing: "Your husband replied to me."

The night she'd gotten his WeChat, she'd laughed for ages. They'd hit it off well—chatting, flirting. Then, days later, the crash: she spotted him liking and commenting under several friends' posts in her feed.

She'd even DM'd one of those friends to ask if she knew him. The friend said they'd just met—added him on social media.

Player. Absolute player. Taking all comers.

"When are you going to settle down? Every time I see you, there's a different man next to you." Su Yu laughed. "If you were a guy, I'd be worried about your kidneys."

Mu Ran shot her a mock-scandalized glare. "What are you talking about." She took a dainty sip of beer. "While I'm still young, I want to sleep with as many men as I can. And it's not like I'm giving it away for free."

The men she dated were mostly second-generation rich kids—money and looks. She didn't feel she was losing anything. She got what she wanted. And compared to love that only existed in words, material satisfaction made her genuinely happy.

Some people might judge Mu Ran for how she lived. She didn't care. She didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her. Her life was her own. As long as she was happy.

She liked living without restraint. She hated being tied down.

Su Yu shook her head helplessly, giving Mu Ran a quiet look.

Truth be told, sometimes she envied Mu Ran's freedom.

Carefree. Unbound. Answering to no one.

Mu Ran bit into a piece of grilled tofu and looked up. "Don't just talk about me—what about you? Planning to stay single forever?"

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "What, you think I should find a man?"

Mu Ran shrugged, mouth still full, words garbled. "I think you should start looking. Having a man around is actually pretty nice."

Su Yu laughed. "Then introduce me to one."

Mu Ran took her time swallowing, then thought about it.

A few seconds later: "I don't think anyone in my circle would suit you. You probably wouldn't like any of them. Besides—aren't there a whole line of men waiting around you already? My advice: find someone gentle and attentive. Save yourself some stress."

Su Yu waved it off. "Never mind. I'm fine on my own."

She had no interest in tasting the bitterness of love. Men would only slow her down.

Right now, all she wanted was to save enough money, buy her own place in Haicheng, get a cat, and live the life she actually liked.

As for love—she wasn't going to hope for it.

Being alone was fine. Freedom, with a side of loneliness.

Compared to a life where someone else controlled her emotions, she preferred the undisturbed comfort of being unnoticed. Freedom so complete it felt like safety.

Alone might be lonely. But it was also the clearest she'd ever see.

Mu Ran refilled her glass and topped off Su Yu's. "What's so great about being alone? Once you experience the joy of a man, you won't talk like that."

Su Yu sipped. "What kind of joy, exactly?"

"Well..." Mu Ran thought. "In certain areas, for instance. Pretty joyful. Hehe. You know what I mean."

She winked at Su Yu, grinning like a fiend.

Su Yu knew exactly what she meant. "Get lost."

"Hahaha." Mu Ran tipped her head back and drained her glass. "It's been forever since we drank and talked like this."

When she was with Su Yu, everything got lighter. No pressure. Like being back in their school days.

Back when they used to hang out like this all the time.

Back before love had hollowed her out.

Su Yu looked at Mu Ran's bright, laughing face. The corner of her mouth curved into something warm.

Then Mu Ran's words—the joy of a man—flashed through her, and Shen Yan's face materialized behind her eyelids. Along with certain scenes she couldn't unsee.

It was... a little joyful.

"What are you thinking about? Why is your face so red?" Mu Ran squinted at her, investigatory.

Su Yu snapped back, color rising for reasons she couldn't explain. She covered with a cough. "Nothing. The beer's probably too strong."

"Psychopath—this beer's only 8 percent. When did your tolerance get this bad?" Mu Ran gave her a disgusted look. Then, comprehension dawning: "Su Yu... are you thinking dirty thoughts?"

She made a pointed clicking sound with her tongue. Twice.

"..." Su Yu forced calm. "Is your brain just filled with smut? Always thinking garbage. No decency."

She pulled a napkin from the dispenser and wiped the grease off her fingers.

Mu Ran huffed. "You've known me how long? You still don't know what's in my head?"

"You really will say anything."

"I'm just stating facts!" Mu Ran grumbled, pouting.

Su Yu just laughed.

They ate a while longer before deciding to call it a night.

Su Yu stood and grabbed her bag. "Coming back to my place tonight?"

Mu Ran stood too, unable to suppress a belch. "Nah. I'm worried I'll end up clinging to you in my sleep. I'll get a hotel."

Mu Ran was a restless sleeper—especially after drinking.

Su Yu didn't push it. "Fine. I've been drinking, so I can't drive. Call a car to take you back to your hotel."

"OK." Mu Ran gave a thumbs-up. "Later. Get home safe."

Su Yu nodded, watched Mu Ran get into her car, and only then walked toward her own.

The streets at 2 AM were desolate. A few scattered cars. Almost no pedestrians.

Streetlights laid a wash of amber gold over the asphalt.

Su Yu waited a few minutes before her designated driver finally showed up.

She got in. The car pulled away, sliding into the dark.

The cabin was silent and stuffy. Su Yu leaned against the window, watching the city blur past, her mind drifting.

She'd had a crush once—just once. But she'd never actually been in a relationship. Never been in love. Yet here she was, with a one-night stand under her belt.

One she'd initiated.

The feeling had been... distinctive.

Thinking of that man, the corner of Su Yu's mouth curved up—just barely.

The car pulled into her apartment's parking spot. The driver got out, collected his folding e-bike, and disappeared into the night.

Su Yu sat in the back seat, staring out at the dark.

A sudden impulse hit her.

She opened her bag, dug out the crumpled note, and dialed the number on it.

She held the phone to her ear. For some reason, she was nervous.

It rang. And rang. No answer. Su Yu figured it was too late—he was probably asleep. She started to lower the phone.

Right then, the line connected.

A low, rough voice came through the speaker.

"Hello?"