During the short time they spent in the room, it had drizzled for a few minutes outside, leaving the asphalt of the sidewalk damp and glistening.

After walking for a while, Xie Lan couldn’t help but look back, gazing up at the lit windows of the hotel.

“Don’t think about it anymore,” Dou Sheng said in a low voice. “If he saw it, he saw it. Objectively speaking, your dad’s attitude wasn’t bad.”

“Mm.” Xie Lan nodded slightly. “I know.”

Streetlights lined the commercial street every ten meters. Their shadows on the ground stretched and shortened between the lights, leaning against each other, making it difficult to peel one away from the other.

Dou Sheng glanced at him, took his hand, and said, “Even if he exposes everything tomorrow, it’s fine. Regardless of my mom’s attitude, I’ll take responsibility.”

The air was humid and muggy, but Dou Sheng’s palm was dry and soft as usual. After being pulled along for a while, Xie Lan finally felt as if he had emerged from the “field” of that hotel room.

He gave a light sigh. “I’m not afraid of Auntie Zhao having a bad attitude… I… I’m afraid that us being like this will hurt her.”

It wasn’t just guilt and fear, but also a sliver of feeling out of place.

After Xiao Langjing passed away, Xie Jingming was supposed to be his only kin, his sense of belonging. But the absurdity was that whenever Xie Jingming appeared, he would drag Xie Lan out of his comfortable shell, creating an immense sense of drifting instead.

Xie Lan walked forward in silence. After two steps, he felt a tug on his hand and realized Dou Sheng had stopped.

He turned back and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“In these next two days, I’ll find an opportunity to come clean to my mom.” Dou Sheng’s tone was resolute. “We have to say it sooner or later. The sooner we say it, the sooner you’ll feel at peace, and the sooner she can come to terms with it.”

“What?” Xie Lan was startled. “Do you have any idea whether doing this is right or wrong?”

“I don’t.” Dou Sheng lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then pulled Xie Lan’s hand to continue walking. “I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, but who cares? You only know once you try.”

Xie Lan hesitated, “But…”

“No ‘buts,’ it’s settled.” Dou Sheng looked determined. “She’s my biological mother; there’s nothing that can’t be tried. When I find the right opportunity, I’ll discuss it with you in advance.”

Xie Lan hesitated for a long time but couldn’t bring himself to say “okay.”

As soon as they got home, the rain began to pour outside. Lightning streaked across the pitch-black sky, illuminating the river and the plane trees on the bank, followed by rolling thunder.

As soon as Xie Lan entered, he heard a “Meow!” and Wutong came thumping down the wooden stairs, scurrying toward him in a panic.

The kitten sprinted to his feet, rubbing against him, then sat down leaning against his side. Soon, a comforting purr vibrated from its throat as it began to lick its fur.

“Don’t be afraid.” Xie Lan bent down to pick up Wutong and held it in his arms. “Stay with me if you’re scared.”

The sound of the security door unlocking echoed behind him. Dou Sheng struggled a bit to drag the delivery packages inside, muttering, “Why are there four of them?”

Xie Lan, holding the cat, went over to look. “Is it more cosplay outfits?”

“The cosplays should be these three small ones. There’s an extra large box and I don’t know what it’s for. It’s deathly heavy.” As Dou Sheng spoke, he closed the door and kicked the largest box by his feet. The box had some weight to it and remained stationary.

Xie Lan knelt down and looked at the label. “Enjoy Home Life Pavilion?”

“My mom must have bought it.” Dou Sheng finally realized and rolled his eyes on the spot. “She’s sharp enough—leaving my contact info so I have to haul such a big package for her. Man, I almost got caught in the downpour outside.”

Xie Lan held the cat and watched Dou Sheng unbox the delivery, while Wutong meowed incessantly.

Dou Sheng muttered, “What is this? It better not be my birthday gift. If it is, I’m running away from home…”

The box was opened, and after lifting the foam lid, both of them were stunned.

It was a strange-looking gadget.

Dark green and heavy, it looked like a small wrought-iron stool, but the top was sealed. Between the seal and the “stool surface” was a transparent cylinder containing a coil and blades. On one side of the stool was a hand crank, with a cord connected to the back, and an embossed character on top.

氷 ($Bīng$).

The character for “water” with a dot on top.

Xie Lan was defeated. Such a simple character, and he didn’t even recognize it.

He pointed at the thing and asked, “What is ‘water-dot’?”

“What ‘water-dot’?” Dou Sheng burst out laughing. “That’s a single character, little Xie Lan. It’s pronounced bīng, as in ‘ice and snow.’ It means exactly the same as the standard word for ice.”

Why create two characters for the same meaning? He didn’t understand.

Xie Lan sighed, “Is this an ice maker? Doesn’t the fridge at home make ice?”

Dou Sheng knit his brows and thought for a while, turning the handle twice. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. “I know! A shaved ice machine.”

Xie Lan asked blankly, “Is it going to explode?” (Note: a pun on bào ‘explode’ vs pào ‘shave/scrape’)

“What? No.” Dou Sheng pulled out his phone to check a dictionary. “How do you say pǎobīng in English? Shaved ice? Or water ice?”

“Oh.” Xie Lan understood immediately. “Both terms work. I know what it is now.”

As they pulled the machine out, they found an exquisite gift bag, ribbon, and an envelope at the bottom of the box.

Dou Sheng carried the heavy device toward the kitchen. “If this really is my birthday gift, I’m calling the police. Hurry up and see what’s in the envelope.”

Xie Lan bent over, picked up the small envelope, and opened it. Inside was a packing slip and a greeting card.

The packing slip had the product name “Little Octopus Ice Crusher,” quantity 1, and a note: “No message left for greeting card.” This note had been crossed out with a ballpoint pen, and next to it were several scrawled words—”Called the buyer.”

What does that mean?

Xie Lan opened the greeting card in a daze.

On the card were the same wild, scrawled characters as on the slip:

—【A gift for Lan Lan, the ‘Lan’ as in Poland】

“…”

Dou Sheng came out of the kitchen. “Where’s the card?”

“It has my name on it.” Xie Lan glanced at “Lan Lan” with a hint of disdain and sighed. “It seems Auntie Zhao sent me a gift.”

“Why would she send you this?” Dou Sheng took the card in confusion, looked at it, and immediately burst into laughter.

“This is toxic! Can these sellers please have a heart?” He couldn’t stop laughing. He took a photo and sent it to their small group chat with Zhao Wenying.

Zhao Wenying quickly replied with a stunned emoji.

• Beautiful Girl Boss Zhao: Lan Lan, don’t mind it. It’s just a little gift for you to play with.
  Xie Lan hesitated for a moment, then replied obediently: “Thank you, Auntie Zhao. I like it very much.”
  “You’re too hypocritical.” Dou Sheng “tsk-ed.” “Liking it very much… do you even know which character ‘shave’ (pào) is in shaved ice?”
  Xie Lan asked, “Which one?”
  “Not telling.” Dou Sheng gathered the foam and cardboard boxes. “I’m going to take out the trash. Check if the machine works.”

Xie Lan went into the kitchen and found the manual first. It was filled with Chinese characters, referring to the gadget as an “ice crusher” throughout. He read from start to finish and finally couldn’t resist pulling out his phone to check which pào was used for shaved ice.

When that character appeared, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A very familiar character. Very, very familiar.

After struggling with it for a long time, he suddenly remembered something. He went upstairs to find Xiao Langjing’s journals. Flipping through the oldest one page by page, he finally found a page with a hand-drawn sketch of a shaved ice.

It was one of the daily accounts from the year Xiao Langjing took her college entrance exams.

The weather was rainy that day. Xiao Langjing had bombed her last mock exam before the finals. She wrote a long-winded analysis of her scores in her diary, only recording at the very end with half a line of scrawled small characters: 【Let it be. I only felt a bit better after eating ice with Wenying.】

At the bottom of the page was a simple sketch of shaved ice, with a small arrow pointing to it labeled: “Melon Shaved Ice, Wenying’s Private Recipe Dessert.”

Xie Lan hadn’t paid attention to that unrecognized character before and had always assumed it was a cup of ice cream.

The phone vibrated again. It was a private message from Zhao Wenying—”How was the chat with your dad today?”

Xie Lan hesitated for a while, then typed a reply: “It was okay.”

Zhao Wenying replied with a giant smiley face, the kind that filled the screen with bared teeth: “That’s good. I’ll go straight to the restaurant when I get off the plane tomorrow. See you tomorrow, I’m busy now!”

She was like a whirlwind of a superwoman. Running a business successfully on her own while still finding time to be a bit romantic with the two kids.

Xie Lan unconsciously curled his lips. Although he knew Zhao Wenying had already put her phone away, he still replied obediently: “See you tomorrow, Auntie Zhao.”

Outside, the rain lashed down and lightning continued to flash. The air conditioner in the house hadn’t been turned off, so the whole place felt a bit chilly.

Xie Lan took a hot shower. He left a crack in the bathroom door. Not long after the water started running, he saw Wutong slip through the gap and lean against the other side of the glass sliding door, staring at him worriedly.

From downstairs came clattering and banging, accompanied by the intermittent, piercing sound of a machine running. Xie Lan finished quickly, changed into a pair of fluffy pajamas and pants, and carried Wutong downstairs.

A fresh, sweet scent filled the air.

His nostrils flared. He smelled carefully and realized it was the scent of honeydew melon.

Dou Sheng was in the kitchen on a hands-free voice call with Zhao Wenying.

“Ms. Zhao, I have to say your recipe is simply the bottom of the barrel. Since you bought the shaved ice machine, couldn’t you have bought some fresh cantaloupe along with it?” Dou Sheng was holding a yellowish-brown bottle, squeezing it hard over the bowl of crushed ice.

The label on the bottle had long since worn off. Xie Lan observed in confusion for a moment and suddenly remembered seeing this thing in the fridge. It was stuffed in the innermost corner of the refrigerator alongside some mayonnaise and such; he had never touched it.

It was an ordinary bottle. Dou Sheng squeezed it with one hand, his forearm muscles tensing until his veins almost popped out. With a loud “Pfft—”, a large glob of terrifying green landed on the ice.

Dou Sheng was dumbfounded. “Won’t this food coloring kill me and Xie Lan?”

“What do you know?” Zhao Wenying said impatiently. “The more additives and saccharin, the happier the eating. This is what childhood tastes like.”

Just as she finished, another “Pfft—” sounded. Dou Sheng sighed, “So your childhood was fluorescent green. Tsk.”

Zhao Wenying was busy and hung up after saying a few impatient words. Dou Sheng sighed as he prepared a large bowl of what looked like toxic shaved ice. Turning around, he saw Xie Lan standing in the doorway holding the cat.

“You’re here? When did you come over?” He muttered as he grabbed two spoons and brought the shaved ice to the table. “Here, come eat ice. Ms. Zhao Wenying has been possessed; she insists we test if this shaved ice machine works and demands we replicate her vintage toxic recipe.”

As he spoke, Dou Sheng sat down and scooped a spoonful into his mouth. “Hey, it’s actually quite sweet?”

Xie Lan stared blankly at the pouring rain outside for a moment, then looked at the shaved ice where Dou Sheng was digging out spoonful after spoonful. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is this your first time eating this?”

“Mm. I didn’t even know my mom had this disastrous recipe before, so I can’t guarantee you’ll be alive to see the sun tomorrow after eating this.” Dou Sheng pushed the bowl toward him. “Eat up. You’re not allowed to stop until your tongue turns green.”

Xie Lan sat down and took a spoonful of shaved ice.

It was indeed a very artificial taste, but not bad. It melted on the tip of his tongue, icy and truly sweet.

He took a few bites and stuck his tongue out at Dou Sheng. “Is it green?”

Dou Sheng nearly snorted a mouthful of ice through his nose. He coughed, “Little Xie Lan, do you not know what ‘green’ means in this context?” (Note: a slang reference to being cheated on)

Xie Lan was blank. “Green is green. What else could it mean?”

Dou Sheng waved his hand with a smile, lowered his head to take two more big bites of ice, then turned to peek at him.

“What?” Xie Lan asked.

Dou Sheng also stuck his tongue out at him. “How about me?”

“You’re green too.” Xie Lan said with a serious face. “Though I haven’t looked in the mirror, I reckon I’m not as green as you.”

“…This is toxic.” Dou Sheng couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Clearing his throat, he added, “Even though your tongue is green, your lips are very red.”

Hearing this, Xie Lan also glanced at his lips. “Yours too. Maybe it’s the stimulation from the ice.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Dou Sheng leaned over and pecked him on the lips.

The tip of his tongue brushed against Xie Lan’s lips. It was very cold, with a hint of sweetness.

Outside, the rain continued to lash down. Dou Sheng went back to scooping ice, his dark eyes lowered but filled with a smile. Unusually, the tips of his ears were a little red.

Before, it was always Xie Lan who turned red; today it was his turn.

“Student Xie Lan.” His voice was as casual and cool as ever as he poked the shaved ice with his spoon. “Even with a mouth full of food coloring, I still want to kiss you. I’m really trapped by you.”

Xie Lan was dazed for a moment. He didn’t speak, just lowered his head to poke at the shaved ice with him.

His mood seemed to lift a little.

Those troubles were still there, not one of them gone, but perhaps the excessive sugar had rapidly boosted his dopamine levels, or perhaps he suddenly shared a little secret with Zhao Wenying that even her own son didn’t know. Regardless, Xie Lan’s heart felt much lighter.

He and Dou Sheng finished the shaved ice together while watching the rain. The ice was so cold his head felt a bit numb; he couldn’t even remember his worries.

The next day, Xie Lan asked Xie Jingming several times if he wanted company, but Xie Jingming insisted he didn’t, and Xie Lan didn’t know what he was thinking about by himself.

Afraid of overthinking, Xie Lan simply locked himself away to compose music all day. Dou Sheng didn’t treat his boyfriend like a human being; the OP list he brought over was terrifyingly long. Xie Lan listened segment by segment, repeatedly pondering how to integrate them until his head felt like it was going to explode.

It wasn’t until evening, when Zhao Wenying sent a message after getting off her flight, that he hurriedly took a taxi with Dou Sheng to the restaurant.

Tonight’s restaurant wasn’t as stylish as yesterday’s; it served local cuisine. When Xie Lan and Dou Sheng arrived, they thought only Xie Jingming would be there, but they were surprised to find Zhao Wenying already chatting with him.

Both of their tea cups were only half full, so they had clearly been sitting there for more than a short while.

“Lan Lan.” Zhao Wenying smiled the moment she saw him. “Sit down. Douzi, you sit too.”

Usually, when Zhao Wenying returned from a business trip, she would give Xie Lan a bone-crushing hug. He had thought that in front of Xie Jingming, she would be even more enthusiastic, but it turned out to be the exact opposite.

He hesitated for a moment and chose to sit closer to Zhao Wenying, while Dou Sheng sat next to him on Xie Jingming’s side.

A lot of dishes had already been served. At a glance, they were all things he and Dou Sheng liked to eat—clearly ordered by Zhao Wenying.

“Eat up,” Zhao Wenying urged. “Jingming, you eat too.”

Xie Jingming had a steady smile. “Everyone eat. You two kids don’t just watch, help yourselves.”

Xie Lan gave an “um.” Just as he picked up his chopsticks, Dou Sheng had already placed a rib in his bowl. “Eat this.”

Zhao Wenying glanced at Xie Lan’s plate, her eyes instinctively scanning the nearby crispy pastries he loved. She seemed to want to serve him out of instinct, but as she picked up her chopsticks, she merely nudged Xie Lan’s arm. “Eat that one. Help yourself; I ordered the red bean tarts for you.”

Xie Jingming smiled. “Wenying really takes too much care of Xie Lan. She’s going to spoil the boy rotten.”

Zhao Wenying smiled gently. “He’s Langjing’s son. It’s only right for me to be good to him. We said back when they were young that I would be his godmother.”

Dou Sheng secretly poked Xie Lan’s leg under the table. Xie Lan looked at him, and they exchanged a look.

Zhao Wenying rotated all the sweet dishes to Xie Lan’s side, tapping the table to signal him to eat, then said to Xie Jingming, “Let them eat their food while we talk our business. As we were saying, what’s been doing well in China these last two years are manufacturing and new energy. If you’re interested, I can recommend some to you.”

Xie Jingming hummed and pulled out his phone. “Sure, send them to me.”

Xie Lan was a bit surprised while eating his red bean tart; he hadn’t expected them to be talking about this.

Zhao Wenying, having just gotten off her flight and fresh off her latest deal, naturally started chatting with Xie Jingming about it, continuing on to discuss the developments of recent years.

It was only today that Xie Lan learned Zhao Wenying was in import-export, while Xie Jingming researched economics. The two naturally talked about the domestic and international economic situation, and it wasn’t awkward at all.

Xie Jingming spoke in broken Chinese, but Zhao Wenying listened very attentively, agreeing and disagreeing, and they discussed passionately throughout the entire meal.

Meanwhile, as Dou Sheng was picking up food, he whispered in Xie Lan’s ear, “This is the ‘socialite’ scene.”

“Mm.” Xie Lan nodded subtly.

This dinner was quite different from what he had imagined, and the reactions of the two adults were unexpected. For instance, he had thought Xie Jingming might test Zhao Wenying or even give her some hints, but none of that happened. They didn’t even talk much about him and Dou Sheng from beginning to end.

It wasn’t until everyone came out of the restaurant and Xie Jingming was waiting for his car that he finally reached out and patted Xie Lan’s shoulder, as if finally remembering he had a son.

“Wenying, I’m really troubling you.” He gave a sigh. “The boy is headstrong, insisting on coming back to China for school. Neither Langjing nor I have any relatives left in the country. If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”

His hand was on Xie Lan’s shoulder. Xie Lan felt a bit uncomfortable but looked at Zhao Wenying and endured it without moving.

Zhao Wenying smiled gently, naturally pulling Xie Lan toward her. “Lan Lan headstrong? I’ve never seen a more sensible child. Don’t you worry; I’ll definitely deliver him to university alive and well.”

Xie Jingming nodded repeatedly, saying “thank you” over and over. “If there’s any expense, you must tell me. I know the costs for a senior in high school are high now. Since you’re willing to do such a big favor for me, please don’t be polite.”

As he spoke, the car arrived and pulled over.

Zhao Wenying glanced at the car, the smile on her face suddenly fading a bit.

Her hand rested on Xie Lan’s shoulder; it was thin but soft—the hand of a woman.

She looked at the car, seemingly weighing whether to speak, then looked at Xie Jingming. After a moment of thought, she spoke: “Jingming, I’m not doing you a favor.”

Xie Lan instinctively turned to look. Zhao Wenying’s expression was gentle, but her tone was firm. “Taking care of one more child is no burden for me, especially one like Lan Lan. He’s older now, with his own judgment and persistence. I admire you for being able to respect him. But we must be clear on this: I’m not doing this for you; I’m taking care of the child for Langjing.”

The driver lowered the window and gave Xie Jingming a prompting look.

Xie Jingming’s expression was momentarily awkward, but he quickly covered it with a smile. “I know. You were good friends. I was just expressing my gratitude; I didn’t mean anything else.”

“I didn’t mean anything else either.” Zhao Wenying smiled gently again and opened the car door for Xie Jingming. “Have a good time with your friend. Is your next stop X City? I’ll have my secretary put together some travel guides and send them to you. Oh right, Lan Lan, say goodbye to your dad.”

Xie Lan met Xie Jingming’s gaze and paused. “Dad…”

“Fine, don’t make it so grand.” Xie Jingming sighed and waved. “I’ll be in the country for a few more days. I’ll let you know when I get to the airport.”

“Okay.” Xie Lan nodded with relief. “Travel safely.”

Xie Jingming got into the car, waved to everyone through the window, and then the taxi drove away.

Zhao Wenying’s hand on Xie Lan’s shoulder unconsciously squeezed his collarbone lightly—the same movement Dou Sheng often made.

“Your dad actually hasn’t had it easy, coming all this way just to see you.” Zhao Wenying sighed, but in an instant, she became cheerful again. “But now that he’s seen you, he can rest easy, and you can be at peace too.”

Xie Lan gave an “um.” After a pause, he asked, “Auntie Zhao, how did you arrive so much earlier than us?”

“Not that long, just ten minutes or so.” As Zhao Wenying spoke, her phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at the screen; the caller ID said it was her secretary.

She pressed the button to silence the call and continued, “Your dad was quite polite. I thought he was going to talk about you, but instead, he spent half the time asking about Douzi. Grades, health, everything. My god, truly a researcher—asking so many things about Douzi that I didn’t even know. I couldn’t answer at all, it was so awkward.”

Xie Lan’s heart tightened, and he instinctively looked at Dou Sheng, who rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Maybe you shouldn’t be criticizing others and should reflect on yourself instead.”

“Reflect on what! How should I remember how your first trial went? Could I remember that?” Zhao Wenying’s phone vibrated again. She sighed helplessly. “Fine, I’ll go inside to take this call. The contract isn’t finished yet; the legal department is sending messages every second. You two wait for me a bit.”

She strode briskly toward the lobby in her high heels, already talking to the person on the other end.

Dou Sheng called out irritably from behind, “I was second in the province, thank you!”

“I know, I know.” Zhao Wenying waved her hand dismissively. “Even Lan Lan, who was first, isn’t as boastful as you.”

Dou Sheng: “…”

Xie Lan was still daze. He watched Zhao Wenying communicate about her work with brisk efficiency for a while, then looked in the direction Xie Jingming had left.

He found it a bit hard to believe that Xie Jingming really hadn’t said anything, but alongside that disbelief was a hidden sense of relief.

“A narrow escape.” Dou Sheng looked at Zhao Wenying inside and secretly squeezed Xie Lan’s hand.

He paused and added, “But I still have to find a chance to come clean with my mom. Let’s wait until the math competition is over. Let’s have some peace first.”

Xie Lan gave an “um.” “Just don’t be in too much of a hurry.”

On the way back, everyone was drowsy. Zhao Wenying, having been on a plane all day, even started snoring in the passenger seat.

Xie Lan was also half-asleep with his eyes closed. Halfway through the ride, his phone suddenly vibrated, making his leg go numb.

Drowsily, he pulled out his phone, thinking it was Xie Jingming, but the name on the screen was his senior’s.

He Xiu: Hello, junior. I have some news to clear the air with you in advance.
Xie Lan was confused for a moment and nudged Dou Sheng with his elbow. “What does ‘clear the air’ (tōngqì) mean here?”

Dou Sheng opened his eyes and gave a dazed “Huh?” He sniffled. “Your nose isn’t clear? Did you catch a cold from the shaved ice yesterday?”

“My nose?” Xie Lan followed suit and sniffed. “My nose is clear. It’s He Xiu saying he wants to clear the air in advance.”

“Oh, oh!” Dou Sheng finally understood and leaned over to look at his screen. “It means he has some intel to tell you ahead of time.”
Just as he spoke, the other party sent another segment.

He Xiu: Your situation is special. The admissions office will conduct a separate written exam and interview with you in advance, within a week after the second trial. The specific time will be notified to the English High School at the latest the day after tomorrow. I’m telling you early so you can prepare.
Xie Lan was stunned for a moment and said hesitantly, “What does this mean? Why is T University in such a hurry?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, another message arrived.

He Xiu: Our admissions teacher said that P University is also in contact with the English High School. But as a senior, I have to be honest with you: P University’s math department is slightly stronger.
Just as Xie Lan finished reading those two lines, the message above was suddenly retracted.

He Xiu: Weigh it for yourself.