Twenty—this is bad. Jiang Mochen is about to make a move against me.

“Have you laughed enough?”
Jiang Mochen pressed his hand to his forehead. “Sorry, there’s… there’s something on your nose.”
Hearing this, Su Wan fished a small mirror from her trouser pocket and finally realized she looked like a sooty little cat.
She wiped her face with her sleeve, then turned back to Jiang Mochen, staring at him with deadpan eyes. “What’s so funny?”
Jiang Mochen shook his head, deciding not to tell her about that fat fox. “It’s my fault. I was wrong.”
Su Wan stood up and lifted the pot lid, only to find not even a wisp of steam rising from the porridge. “Looks like we won’t be eating this. Why don’t you come home with me? Su Chen must have finished cooking by now.”
Jiang Mochen skillfully tended the fire in the stove. “No need. I can cook for myself in a bit.”
Su Wan sat back down beside him. “Come on, I still owe you a meal from last time!”
With that, she forcibly pulled him up from the ground. “I can’t leave a sick man at home alone.”
Seeing his hesitation, Su Wan quickly extinguished the fire in the stove and dragged him toward the Su house.
When they arrived, Su Chen had just brought the dishes to the table.
Su Wan pulled Jiang Mochen over to sit. “Hey, the food looks good today.”
Su Chen shot her a glare. “Of course it does. You could smell it from a mile away.”
He lowered his head to scoop some rice, only to be smacked on the hand by Old Master Su’s chopsticks. “Watch your mouth!”
Then he turned to Jiang Mochen. “How are you feeling, Xiao Jiang? What made you faint?”
Jiang Mochen bowed slightly. “Good day, Grandpa Su.”
“Thank you for asking. I just got a bit of heatstroke.”
Su Chen pouted in protest and quietly mimicked Jiang Mochen: “Thank—you—Grand—pa—for—your—concern—I—just…”
As expected, he got another smack with the chopsticks.
The old man glared at him fiercely, then turned back to Jiang Mochen with a sudden warmth, continuing their conversation.
Su Chen clamped his mouth shut, fuming.
They’re all mad, he thought—Su Wan and Grandpa have both lost their minds. Jiang Mochen is nothing but a fox spirit, and both Grandpa and Su Wan have fallen under his spell!
He eyed Jiang Mochen warily, so distracted he forgot to eat.
Jiang Mochen, who had been speaking earnestly with Old Master Su, noticed Su Chen’s gaze and suddenly turned, flashing him a bright, dazzling smile.
That smile… it was almost radiant.

Su Chen froze, his internal alarm blaring. This was it—Jiang Mochen was about to make his move!
Throughout the meal, Su Chen was restless and barely tasted a thing.
Meanwhile, Su Wan ate plenty of cold cucumber salad, half a bowl of rice, and a bit of lean meat.
Losing weight wasn’t so hard—just eat less carbs and more protein and vegetables.
Later, she planned to take Su Chen to the rice paddies to catch shrimp. Tonight, they’d have boiled shrimp with cucumber—no rice.
Su Wan was in high spirits, oblivious to the fact that, because of her broken engagement, Wang Luo was facing his first low point in the story.
Ever since Su Wan left, fierce arguments had erupted in the Wang household.
Cui Juan sat on the floor, wailing over the black-and-white television and the sewing machine that the Su family had taken.
Wang’s father was equally dejected, sitting on the threshold thinking about the wheat in the fields—just about to be harvested after half a year’s toil, now handed over to the Su family. He was deeply unwilling.
“You’re useless!” Cui Juan hurled her shoe at Wang Luo. “Can’t even keep hold of the Su family!”
Now that the engagement was off, Wang Luo felt a strange sense of relief. Smiling, he picked up the shoe and placed it at her feet. “Don’t be angry, Mom. Now that Su Wan’s gone, Wan Jun can marry me fair and square.”
At the mention of Chen Wanjun, his parents finally felt a little better.
“A-Luo, go into town and ask Wanjun when we can propose,” Cui Juan said, now referring to Chen Wanjun more affectionately with her backup plan gone.
Wang Luo was overjoyed. “Alright!” he replied eagerly, then hurried to the storeroom to fetch his bicycle.
But after searching, he found it was gone—taken by the Su family.
He was frustrated; he’d forgotten that Su Wan had secretly given him the bicycle years ago so he could get to school more easily.
Later, when Su Chen and Su Wan started school, Old Master Su bought each of them a new Phoenix-brand bicycle.
Their family had two already, yet they still took his.
So greedy, he thought. Good thing he’d broken off the engagement.
Still, as he fumed, the image of Wanjun’s smiling face floated into his mind.
Once she married him, he would buy a Phoenix-brand bicycle and take her to see the mountain scenery.
The more Wang Luo imagined, the happier and quicker his steps became.
He walked for a long time before reaching Chen Wanjun’s house.
Today, a black sedan was parked downstairs, which puzzled him—something felt off.
Nervous, he called out Chen Wanjun’s name loudly.
Before long, a fashionable woman appeared upstairs, glaring at him coldly. “What are you shouting about?”

Wang Luo looked up at her. “Auntie, I’m looking for Wanjun.”
She smoothed a curl behind her ear. “She’s busy—can’t have visitors now.”
A wave of unease swept over Wang Luo. “What’s she busy with?”
Before the woman could reply, a strange male voice called out from inside the apartment.
“Auntie, who’s looking for Wanjun?”
Wang Luo felt as if he’d been plunged into icy water. He stared dumbfounded at the woman, who suddenly looked flustered. “It’s a colleague. He has some work matters to discuss with her.”
She shot him a threatening glare. “I’m warning you—don’t come looking for Wanjun again, or you know what’ll happen.”
Wang Luo stood there, trembling, unable to believe what was happening.
He hurried up the stairs, grabbing the woman’s hand. “Auntie, who is that inside? Why did you tell him I’m just a colleague? We’re supposed to—”
“Supposed to what?” she snapped. “Look at yourself. Who do you think you are to my Wanjun?”
She glanced down at his travel-worn trousers and dusty black cloth shoes.
“I’m warning you, if you dare tarnish Wanjun’s reputation, you’ll regret it.”
With that, she gave him a hard shove. Unprepared, Wang Luo stumbled and tumbled down the stairs, coming to a halt at the bottom.
The woman looked down at him contemptuously, then turned and went back inside.
Wang Luo wanted to go up again, but the door slammed shut, shutting him out completely.
He couldn’t believe it. All he could hear in his mind was that stranger’s voice and remember the black sedan.
He didn’t know what to do, only instinctively pounded on the iron gate. “Wanjun! Wanjun, come out! Didn’t we agree to work hard together, to see the grasslands and the sea? Wanjun! Please come out!”
His commotion quickly drew everyone inside to the door.
It opened.
Chen Wanjun appeared, her face streaked with tears. “I’m sorry, Wang Luo. Please, just go home.”
A young man in a suit stood beside her. “Is this the one from the countryside?”
He stood on the second-floor landing, looking down at Wang Luo. “Hello. I’m Wanjun’s fiancé.”