Liu Wenrui had developed an addiction to driving recently; whenever he saw a car, he wanted to get behind the wheel. Even though He Chuan’s car was pretty beat-up, it still held a massive appeal to him.

“I’ll drive,” Liu Wenrui patted his chest and pulled open the driver’s side door to get in. “I’m a pro driver now… Wait, is it a manual?”

“Did you learn on an automatic when you got your license?” Zou Yang asked, standing outside the car window looking at him.

“I learned on a manual, but…” Liu Wenrui gestured wildly at the steering wheel. “Fine, no problem, I can drive it. I used to drive my uncle’s crappy manual car, no problem at all.”

“Get out,” Zou Yang said.

“Don’t question my skills.” Liu Wenrui gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“I am ordering you. Hurry up,” Zou Yang pulled the car door open. “If we’re late, our table reservation is going to get canceled.”

Liu Wenrui held out for another moment before finally gritting his teeth and reluctantly getting out of the car.

Zou Yang got in, set up the navigation, and cleared his throat—though he didn’t quite know why driving required clearing his throat. But it was his first time driving this bunch around, so he couldn’t afford any mistakes. Otherwise, he’d be relentlessly mocked for the next five years, and they’d probably do a group recap of the incident on his deathbed…

Start the engine, launch, turn signal, merge, accelerate… Mm, no problem. Smooth.

“Zou Yang is driving pretty steadily now,” Li Zhiyue commented. “Have you been practicing a lot with this car?”

“I’ve driven it a few times,” Zou Yang replied.

“Only a few times? That’s pretty good,” Li Zhiyue said. “My goal is just to be able to actually get the car moving when I go test drive one after graduation.”

“Is your family buying you a car?” Zhang Chuanlong asked.

“Yeah, they promised,” Li Zhiyue said. “But who knows, they might find some excuse to back out when the time comes.”

“That’s still not bad. My mom said when I graduate, she’ll just pick out a used, beat-up car from our large extended family and buy it for me,” Liu Wenrui said, kicking the back of Zou Yang’s seat. “Zou Yang, the acting gig money you saved up should be enough to buy a car, right?”

“Depends on what kind of car I want to buy,” Zou Yang smiled.

“Originally, I thought if you didn’t have enough, you could just sweet-talk your dad into pitching in the rest so you could buy a nice one,” Liu Wenrui sighed. “I guess that’s completely out of the question now, huh?”

“Now I can only rely on you guys,” Zou Yang said.

“Leave it to me!” Liu Wenrui slapped his chest.

Fan Jun turned his head to look at Zou Yang. Although Zou Yang’s meeting with his father yesterday hadn’t been very pleasant, it hadn’t seemed that severe either. Zou Yang had just gone to his student teaching practicum today and hadn’t even seen his dad; why did it sound like they had completely severed ties?

Zou Yang caught his eye and smiled.

Fan Jun was just hesitating on how to react when Liu Wenrui smacked his seat. “Fan-ge, you probably don’t know yet, do you!”

“Hm?” Fan Jun looked back.

“We got assigned to do our practicum in Zou Tianrui’s class!” Liu Wenrui looked incredibly annoyed. “Fuck, it’s ridiculous… You know who Zou Tianrui is, right? Zou Yang’s scumbag dad’s daughter.”

“Did you guys clash?” Fan Jun asked.

“No, how could we? Zou Yang isn’t that kind of person,” Liu Wenrui clicked his tongue. “But it’s hard to say what other people will do.”

“Will it affect your practicum?” Fan Jun asked, looking at Zou Yang.

“It won’t,” Zou Yang replied.

“The supervising teachers can still tell right from wrong,” Li Zhiyue added. “Even if someone tries to cause trouble, it’ll be fine. Zou Yang is the star pupil of several of our professors. The kind of love where he can’t even skip a class without them noticing.”

Fan Jun smiled. In front of the whole dorm, he couldn’t exactly ask too many questions for now.

With no classes in the afternoon, Zou Yang dropped the guys back at the university after lunch and drove straight to the Trade Center.

He Chuan had gone out to eat and hadn’t returned yet. The shop was closed, with a “Be Back Soon” sign hanging on the door. Xiao Bai was wagging his tail behind the glass.

“He brought the dog?” Zou Yang waved at Xiao Bai through the door.

Xiao Bai wriggled frantically in response.

“Yeah, Boss He thought he’d be safer in the shop,” Fan Jun pulled out a key and unlocked the door. “He provided dog food and snacks, and hired him to work the front desk.”

“Crazy.” Zou Yang laughed. He walked into the shop, rubbed Xiao Bai’s head, chatted with the dog for a bit, then collapsed onto the recliner by the window, stretched, and closed his eyes.

“Bai, go rest,” Fan Jun called out to the dog, who wanted to follow Zou Yang. Xiao Bai obediently trotted over to the thick cushion by the shop’s back door and lay down.

Fan Jun walked over to the tea table, set the kettle to boil, grabbed a small stool, and sat down next to Zou Yang.

“Making tea?” Zou Yang asked with his eyes closed.

“Mm.” Fan Jun stroked his hand. “Did your dad look for you today?”

“Zou Tianrui snitched,” Zou Yang turned his head and opened his eyes. “Class hadn’t even finished before my dad called, demanding answers and accusing me of a crime.”

“What crime are you guilty of?” Fan Jun asked.

Zou Yang laughed. “‘Of the three thousand offenses included under the five punishments, there is no crime greater than unfilial conduct.'”

“…I take back my previous question, say that again,” Fan Jun deadpanned.

“It basically means that whatever the unfilial son does is wrong,” Zou Yang explained.

“Is Zou Tianrui filial?” Fan Jun asked.

“I don’t know… but he really does dote on his daughter,” Zou Yang grabbed Fan Jun’s left hand and squeezed it hard. “So, aside from her feeling like I’m always trying to steal her dad away from her, Zou Tianrui probably hasn’t suffered many grievances in her life.”

“What’s there to steal about a dad like that? Let her have him as a reward.” Fan Jun squeezed his hand back, then lowered his head and kissed his fingertips.

“Yeah,” Zou Yang smiled. “Anyway, I have you now…”

Fan Jun looked up at him, pausing. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“Fuck,” Zou Yang froze for two seconds before realizing what he meant. “What the hell are you thinking about!”

Fan Jun smiled, saying nothing.

“The atmosphere at your 21st High School is really terrible,” Zou Yang laughed, squeezing his hand again. “Seriously, what kind of things are you learning there…”

“Will her being like this… have any impact on you?” Fan Jun continued to hold his hand tightly.

“Probably not. Anyway, I already told her not to push me to act crazy,” Zou Yang stared at his hand. “I’m only doing my practicum here for a couple of weeks, but she still has to attend this school for three years.”

Fan Jun smiled and squeezed back.

“Not bad,” Zou Yang pulled Fan Jun’s hand up to inspect it. “Your grip is stronger than before.”

“Is it?” Fan Jun squeezed again. “I can go a bit harder, but it pulls at the wound and hurts a little.”

“Mm,” Zou Yang brought his hand to his lips and kissed it. “This recovery… it’s really slow, but at least there are results.”

“So you’re still the one driving tomorrow,” Fan Jun said.

“Taking me along?” Zou Yang raised an eyebrow.

“Consider it a spring outing,” Fan Jun said. “Taking the unfilial son out to relax.”

Right as they were talking, someone knocked on the glass window.

They turned their heads to see a very wildly dressed girl—who was wearing at least ten different colors between her clothes and accessories—turning around to walk toward the door.

Zou Yang jumped in fright and violently flung Fan Jun’s hand away.

Their seats were only separated from the street outside by a pane of glass; what they were doing right now was no different than sitting on the curb touching and kissing each other in broad daylight…

“You didn’t even warn me!” Zou Yang hissed.

“There was no one there just now.” Fan Jun stood up.

“That wasn’t a nobody, a person literally knocked on the glass!” Zou Yang glared at him.

“I wasn’t looking outside when she walked up,” Fan Jun chuckled. He turned and walked toward the door, looking back to whisper, “It’s fine, she’s an acquaintance.”

“The materials you asked for arrived… Hi! Xiao Bai!” The acquaintance had a booming voice, shouting the moment she entered the room, startling the sleeping Xiao Bai right off his cushion.

“Got it,” Fan Jun replied. “When are you free?”

“Anytime, whenever is convenient for you.” The acquaintance glanced over at Zou Yang.

Whether He Chuan was too broke or too lazy to fix it, the curtain dividing the room hadn’t been replaced since Xiao Bai tore it down. So, they made direct eye contact.

“Hi,” the acquaintance waved at Zou Yang.

“…Hi,” Zou Yang had no choice but to greet her back.

“I’m Xiao Long,” she smiled. “The blacksmith from the next street over.”

“What?” Zou Yang was stunned.

“A blacksmith! A black… smith…” Xiao Long raised her voice. “Are you Fan Jun’s fellow patient?”

“I’m a bit… better off than him,” Zou Yang said, still extremely surprised.

Despite the chaotic outfit, he could see that this Xiao Long was a rather pretty girl. Her appearance was a far cry from the stereotypical image of a blacksmith.

“Don’t worry! I just have a loud voice!” Xiao Long said.

“Don’t listen to her joke around,” Fan Jun laughed. “This is the friend I told you about, Zou Yang.”

“Ohhh—” Xiao Long nodded. “Pleased to meet you!”

“…Pleased to meet you,” Zou Yang said.

“Alright then, I was just passing by to let you know,” Xiao Long pushed the shop door open and stepped out. “Just come over whenever you have time, I don’t have any jobs scheduled for the afternoons over the next few days.”

“Okay.” Fan Jun closed the door and walked back to Zou Yang.

“A blacksmith? You guys have a blacksmith shop here?” Zou Yang looked toward the window; the blacksmith Xiao Long was already striding away down the street.

“Her family has been doing it for generations. They have an old workshop in the village down south. The shop here in the Trade Center is mainly for selling their goods,” Fan Jun smiled.

“What are you getting her to forge?” Zou Yang looked around at the items in the shop. “Is He Chuan planning to sell custom ironware now?”

“No,” Fan Jun said.

“Then what is it?” Zou Yang asked.

Fan Jun walked over, picked up the boiling water, and started brewing tea.

“Are you making something?” Zou Yang asked again.

Fan Jun remained silent, entirely focused on prying open the tea cake and weighing the leaves…

“Jun’er!” Zou Yang couldn’t help but laugh, raising his voice. “Keep pretending, why don’t you!”

Fan Jun continued the tea-brewing process without changing his expression.

“Fan Jun,” Zou Yang leaned back in his chair. “Do you like me?”

“I do,” Fan Jun said.

“Sigh,” Zou Yang chuckled. “Fine, don’t tell me then.”

He got the feeling that Fan Jun was trying to make something, and the fact that he was keeping it such a rigid, forced secret probably meant it was a gift for him… Tsk, I shouldn’t have asked. Gotta maintain some mystery and surprise.

But why would he be giving him a gift? The only upcoming occasion that required a gift was Fan Jun’s own birthday.

Not a gift? Doesn’t have anything to do with me? That’s a bit embarrassing, Zou Yang…

Forget it, let’s not overthink it. Focus on the spring outing first.

If there was one major perk to this job, it was probably the frequent business trips. Even though not every destination was fun… Zou Yang simply opted out of going to the boring ones.

Before leaving, Zou Yang looked it up. Linjiadu wasn’t far away. It had abundant waterways and vegetation, making it a top choice for short road trips in the summer. Camping, playing in the water, stargazing—it was a great vibe.

Right now it was only early spring, still too cold for water activities, and the plants hadn’t completely woken up yet, so there wasn’t much greenery. But looking out over the landscape, that sense of desolate, quiet isolation had its own unique charm.

“This place is going to be incredibly gorgeous in another month,” Zou Yang couldn’t help but turn to look out the window as he drove. “Bringing a group of people here to camp would be nice.”

“How about you pull over for a second,” Fan Jun reached out and steadied the steering wheel. “I’ll drive for a bit, you enjoy the view.”

“Okay.” Zou Yang steered the car to the right and parked.

“Why did you stop in the middle of the road?” Fan Jun quickly got out of the car.

“How is this the middle of the road? There’s a ditch over there, if I went any further right the wheels would’ve…” Zou Yang also got out. When he ran over to the passenger side, he took a look. “…There’s still this much space?”

“Wearing glasses is useless for you, huh.” Fan Jun got into the driver’s seat.

“This crappy car is too big, I just haven’t adjusted to it yet,” Zou Yang clicked his tongue and got in as well.

“Thinking about buying a car?” Fan Jun asked as he fastened his seatbelt and drove off.

“Hm?” Zou Yang turned to look at him.

“Aren’t your friends all buying cars when they graduate?” Fan Jun asked. “It’s convenient for commuting to work.”

“That depends on whether I actually have a job to commute to, and where it is,” Zou Yang held up his phone, snapping photos out the window.

“You won’t be without a job,” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang turned to him. “Are you thinking of buying a car?”

“No,” Fan Jun smiled. “I was thinking… if you want to buy a car, I can…”

Fan Jun paused mid-sentence, casting a glance at him, seemingly gauging his reaction. Then he finished, “…I can pitch in a little for you.”

Zou Yang’s heart suddenly softened, and his nose inexplicably felt a little sour. He turned his head back, continuing to hold up his phone and watching the scenery through the screen. “What were you saving that money for originally?”

“No specific purpose,” Fan Jun said. “I didn’t have many expenses anyway, so I just saved whatever I could.”

“Weren’t you planning to start your own business so the shareholders wouldn’t baa baa baa at you?” Zou Yang teased.

“What ‘baa baa baa’ nonsense,” Fan Jun laughed. “There’s no rush. Things are going smoothly working here for now. As for things further down the line… I haven’t thought about it yet. Depends on how my hand recovers…”

“We still have a year,” Zou Yang put down his phone and reached out to touch his face. “When the time comes and I really need to buy one, if I don’t have enough money, I’ll ask you for it.”

“Mm.” Fan Jun nodded.

There were a lot of small guesthouses in the Linjiadu area. It was the off-season, so they were all empty.

The Boss Ding they met this time was younger than the Boss Li from before. He owned two guesthouses, but only three rooms were occupied these past few days, so he gave them the best room available.

Pushing open the front door of the room led right out to a large grassy field, and the back door opened up to the river. The environment was beautiful, but it was freezing cold; the heater in the room ran for ages without the temperature going up much.

Fan Jun chatted with Boss Ding for a while, and they decided to head into the woods out back before dinner to check out the lightning-struck wood He Chuan wanted.

“Tomorrow morning I’ll take you guys to see those old stumps. I’ve been collecting them for a long time and didn’t plan on selling them before,” Boss Ding said as he led the way, chatting with them. “I wanted to set up a studio and keep them as decorations, but now… the economy is bad, so I never got around to it.”

“I saw quite a few people coming here, is business still bad?” Fan Jun asked.

“It’s not great. Most are day-trippers. If they stay overnight, they just camp,” Boss Ding explained. “Plus, we only really get people during those two or three summer months. The rest of the year, I just squat in the courtyard and count ants for fun. No business is easy to run nowadays.”

“True,” Fan Jun nodded.

Behind the guesthouses was a small hill covered in a dense forest. A small dirt path led deep into the woods, though there was a “No Entry for Tourists” sign at the entrance, and more signs along the path as they walked further in.

“Is this dangerous?” Zou Yang asked.

“It’s easy to get lost if you don’t know the area,” Boss Ding said. “There are small wild animals here, and in some places, the ground caves in when the snow melts, which you can’t see on the surface. It’s dangerous for tourists to wander in.”

“Do we count as tourists?” Zou Yang asked again.

“You do,” Boss Ding laughed. “Actually, even I do, since I’m not a local. But the tree we’re going to see isn’t too deep in; we’ll be there after a short walk. There’s another one on the other side of the slope, but I’ll have to get someone to guide you there tomorrow.”

The atmosphere was actually quite interesting. The path beneath their feet was uneven, causing them to stumble occasionally. The three of them were the only ones in the silent forest, following the faint dirt path deeper in. It inexplicably gave off the thrilling vibe of an expedition.

His dormmates would definitely love this place…

Just as Boss Ding said, they hadn’t walked far when they spotted a large tree with a blackened trunk, about ten meters off the dirt path.

Walking around to the other side, they saw that half of the trunk had been cleaved off by lightning, leaving irregular, charred patterns on the damaged wood.

“What kind of tree is this?” Zou Yang pulled out his phone.

“Jujube tree,” Boss Ding said. “For this kind of thing, it has to be hardwood. This one is very good.”

Fan Jun walked over, knocked on the trunk with his hand, and looked up. “This one isn’t that big, is it?”

“Even finding one like this is hard enough,” Boss Ding said. “There’s another one further ahead that’s a bit bigger, but it was struck completely dead. This kind of stuff is all about luck, you can’t just seek it out…”

Zou Yang had never seen anything like it. He held up his phone, slowly panning his camera, recording Boss Ding’s explanation at the same time. The tree was quite beautiful. He slowly took two steps backward, panning from the bottom to the top, resting the frame on the sky fragmented by the branches, then slowly panning back down until the lens landed on Fan Jun’s face—Zou Yang’s exclusive video watermark.

He took another step back, wanting to capture a wide-angle shot of the whole scene.

The moment his foot moved, he felt the dead branches beneath his heel give way with a crack.

But following that single crack was the continuous sound of shattering and splintering.

There was nothing underneath.

By the time Zou Yang registered what was happening, his entire body was already leaning backward. He instantly tossed his phone forward and wildly threw his hands out to his sides, trying to find something to grab onto.

But the space beneath his feet wasn’t just a simple pit. The angle he stepped on was incredibly steep; it felt like a crevasse.

Fan Jun heard the commotion and spun around, instantly taking a massive stride toward him.

The moment Zou Yang slid down, Fan Jun dropped into a lunge, his right hand blindly snagging a protruding tree root nearby as his left hand shot out toward Zou Yang.

But as Zou Yang slid down in the chaos, he only managed to blindly grasp at the dead branches nearby; he didn’t catch Fan Jun’s hand.

Finally, Fan Jun backhanded him, securely locking onto Zou Yang’s wrist.

The instant the sharp ache transmitted through his arm, Zou Yang’s roar echoed up from below: “Let go, goddammit!”