Molly's cheeks flushed pink. She lowered her voice and said,
"It was at the cafeteria. I didn't have money on my card, and he helped me pay."
"Ohhh—" Liang Xixi and Xin Yi exchanged a knowing glance.
"So that's how you got his WeChat. Clever! Was it on purpose, handsome?"
Seeing Molly's face grow even redder, Yuan Ye spoke up, his tone calm.
"It was really just a coincidence, nothing planned."
Then Liang Xixi turned to the opposite side of the table, eyeing Gu Quan who was staring intently at her phone.
"What are you looking at? You're so absorbed."
Gu Quan looked up casually.
"Oh, a client messaged me. I've got to head back first." She popped two more sausages into her mouth, then glanced around.
"Do you have tissues?"
Before anyone else moved, a long, pale hand appeared beside her, offering the box.
Her eyes met his—indifferent, yet with a faint edge of amusement at the corners.
She pulled out two tissues, dabbed at her lips, and said,
"Thanks—alright, I'll get going. You guys enjoy."
In truth, no client was waiting. She simply didn't want to stay any longer. The hotpot remained unfinished.
Hands in her pockets, Gu Quan wandered into the Starbucks on the first floor of the mall. She ordered a latte, sank into the sofa, and idly scrolled through Weibo.
A notification popped up.
Friend request on WeChat.
She tapped it open. It was Yuan Ye.
The last time, after their hookup, she had deleted him. She hadn't expected him to try again today.
What the hell?
Her first instinct was to decline. Yet, for reasons she couldn't explain, her finger tapped Accept.
His profile picture was nothing special—blue sky with a single white cloud. His feed was full of academic articles and reposted research, the kind of thing she couldn't make sense of. Before meeting him in person, she had honestly imagined he must be a balding, geeky engineer.
A message arrived.
Yuan Ye: You look much better today than last time.
Her heart skipped a beat. What woman doesn't like being told she's beautiful? She thought smugly, Well then, the Estée Lauder foundation and YSL lipstick paid off.
But she also knew—he was still at that hotpot table. Molly was probably blushing and telling her friends about how he paid for her meal, while at the same time he was leaning over his phone, flirting with another woman.
Gu Quan: You're pretty shameless. Adding me—does Molly know?
Yuan Ye: If you want to know, you can ask her yourself.
His reply carried no hint of guilt. That made it all the more entertaining.
She took a sip of her coffee, watching the steady flow of strangers outside. Life had felt like the same old pedestrian street she had walked for years—dull, repetitive, unchanged.
But Yuan Ye… he was like a brand-new escape room that had just opened on that street.
She wanted, badly, to play. Just this once.
Gu Quan: Be straight with me. Why add me again?
Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he just wanted her to look after Molly at the company.
Yuan Ye: Let's meet again.
Her hand almost slipped, nearly dropping the phone. After a moment to steady herself, she thought: I need to at least act outraged. Make it clear I'm not so eager. She began typing out a measured rejection.
But before she could send it, another message popped up.
Yuan Ye: Spare me the theatrics. I know you want me.
Her carefully written words vanished with a single swipe. She typed back instead:
Gu Quan: Where do you get that confidence?
Yuan Ye: From your profile picture.
Only then did she remember—her alternate WeChat account had an avatar of a woman in lingerie, flipping off the camera. She'd found it online, thought it looked bold, and used it only for hookups, never on her main account.