A wonderful morning starts with a good morning kiss, filling the heart with an abundance of happiness all day long.
Its taste, alas, is not intended for outsiders to know.
"Boss, what good thing has happened to you?"
Not only did Sun Wen notice, but Jiang Lingling also saw at a glance that his spirit today was greatly different from usual.
Although Qin Guanglin was rarely like Sun Wen—who occasionally had a gloomy, negative demeanor—always appearing leisurely, this kind of spirited appearance was also rare. Even the action of picking up his pen seemed more vigorous.
"Today’s breakfast was really delicious," Qin Guanglin couldn’t help revealing a hint of a smile.
Teacher He took the initiative, which was more effective than any supplementary lessons, nearly making him late.
"Really?" Jiang Lingling looked at him carefully and couldn’t help asking, "Your lips... what happened to them?"
Qin Guanglin was somewhat puzzled, "What happened?"
"It looks a bit... swollen. Did you eat something too spicy?"
"..."
Swollen?
Qin Guanglin furrowed his brows and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror.
It seemed... they were swollen.
...
...
Damn!
Indeed, nothing should be overdone.
His spirits dampened, he returned to his seat and sat for a while, then couldn’t resist sending He Fang a message.
"My lips are swollen."
He Fang had already returned to her dormitory, lying on the desk writing a novel. When she saw the message, she froze, lifted her hand to take the mirror on the desk, and carefully checked her own lips for a while. Seeing that her lips were fine, she breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn’t help but laugh and typed a reply, "Send me a photo so I can see."
Qin Guanglin flatly refused, how could he take a photo of something like this?
Human evolution really isn’t perfect, too fragile.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I’m fine, not a thing wrong."
He Fang sent him a message with a smirk, her face full of the joy of revenge.
Now they were even.
After a thought, she took a selfie in the bright spot near the window and sent it to him, "Look, all good."
Qin Guanglin clicked on the photo she sent and enlarged it to look carefully. It was still the same rosy and moist as usual, without any change. He felt somewhat aggrieved. Why was only he affected?
He’ll have to make up for it properly when he gets home tonight...
He had taken three days off and had only been back at work for two days, with the weekend approaching tomorrow.
The work efficiency on Friday was very average. Colleagues were somewhat lazy at this time, chatting while slacking off. Holding a pen, he also didn’t feel like working, and simply started chatting with He Fang.
Couples, especially those deep in love, always have endless topics to discuss.
They talked about tomorrow, music, memories.
They talked about atoms, death, aliens, magic, intelligence, quantum mechanics, the meaning of life, distant galaxies, each other’s strengths.
They talked about reincarnation, poetry, religion, humanities, childhood, fears, likes, movies, cooking, sex... oops, scratch that.
When people with similar interests get together, that’s how it is—boundless and unrestrictive in their conversations.
Before they knew it, the sun had set in the west, and the time for slacking off passed too quickly, with the end of the workday approaching.
Jiang Lingling was the only one working seriously, she had no choice but to be dedicated as the second issue of her comic needed to show results, and if the popularity could be maintained for the third issue, she would be able to apply to create a separate series.
After wrapping up the last bit of work for the second phase, she stretched languidly and turned her head, only to see Qin Guanglin grinning foolishly at his phone. Curiosity got the best of her, and she asked, "What’s got you so happy again, big shot?"
This "big shot" seemed to be happy all the time, and he even looked kind of handsome when he smiled. It was just that his unfashionable style really detracted from his appeal, otherwise...
Qin Guanglin turned his head and looked her way, and as Jiang Lingling’s eyes met his, she suddenly felt a bit guilty and quickly looked away.
"Tomorrow’s the weekend, aren’t you happy?"
"...Happy." Jiang Lingling found his reason a bit silly, paused for a moment, then looked at him again. "Do you have time this weekend, big shot? I’d like to take you out for a meal?"
He had freely given her such a great project; whether he cared or not, she felt she had to show her gratitude.
If she acted as though nothing had happened, even if he never mentioned it, the next time an opportunity came along, he probably wouldn’t think of her—and even if he did, she’d feel too embarrassed to accept it.
"I’m not available," Qin Guanglin answered curtly. "If this is about the comic book thing, there’s really no need. You completed it, so just relax and do your job."
He was supposed to spend the weekend with Teacher He anyway. What did he need another meal for?
Hmm... Just the thought of spending time with Teacher He tomorrow made him even happier.
"..."
Jiang Lingling didn’t expect his response to be so direct and was at a loss for words for a moment. She could only nod and say, "Alright... next time, I’ll find another way to thank you."
"No need to thank me," Qin Guanglin said generously, waving his hand dismissively. He couldn’t be bothered to repeat himself and bent down to start cleaning his desk.
Getting off work was truly delightful.
Especially on Fridays, it made one feel thoroughly relaxed.
The most enjoyable part was having a girlfriend to spend the weekend with.
Perfect.
Single people, even on the weekend, just sit around dumbly with their phones all day, no different from any other day... Better to leave off this depressing subject.
After tidying up his things, Qin Guanglin picked up his phone to send Teacher He a message.
"About to get off work. I’ll come to the school to find you, what do you want to eat?"
"My roommate found a job. We’re throwing a celebration for her tonight, come over tomorrow instead."
He Fang’s reply left him somewhat disappointed, spoiling his plans.
He then thought that going back to cook wasn’t a bad idea; he should improve his cooking skills before meeting his future father-in-law, as it could be a bonus.
"Do you have time tonight, big shot?" Jiang Lingling, still not giving up, glided over on her chair to ask, uncomfortable owing him a favor.
"I don’t have time, I have to go back and cook," Qin Guanglin replied without much thought. Seeing Sun Wen had already packed up and was coming over, he stood up, ready to leave. "I’m off. Bye."
"Did Yu Fei let you know about next month’s wedding?" Sun Wen looped an arm over his shoulder as they walked out together.
"He did. We’ll go together," Qin Guanglin had gotten a call from Yu Fei just that morning, telling him he was getting married next month. "If I forget, remind me."
"Don’t worry, I won’t forget," Sun Wen promised, then he sighed. "I wonder when I’ll be able to get married."
"That... Yueyue? Can you even get married?" Qin Guanglin poked at his sore spot without any hesitation. "You argue eight times a month, don’t you?"
Last time, he hadn’t quite understood the situation, but now he’d figured it out. Fighting twice a week, being told to die outside when drunk—it would be strange if such a relationship ever led to marriage.
"Actually, she’s quite nice when we’re not fighting," Sun Wen noted, smacking his lips. "We never fought once in the beginning. Maybe if we got married, things would go back to how they used to be."
"Can things really go back to the way they were?"
"They should be able to."
Qin Guanglin said nothing more, but felt somewhat contemplative.
In his view, it wasn’t that Sun Wen couldn’t let go of the now, but that he couldn’t let go of the person from the past, always clinging to the hope that she could return to the way she was at the very beginning.
It was for this faint hope that he tolerated her current irrational behavior.
But was it really possible to change back?
The novice in matters of the heart, Qin Guanglin felt it wasn’t.