"Hanlu, can you believe how quickly time flies? I still remember the first time I treated you to soup, it was just the beginning of spring, and now the leaves are turning yellow," Xushuping said as she mentioned the yellow leaves, unconsciously smoothing her companion's hair.

　　"I don't remember if it was warm or not back then, or if the flowers were blooming. All I remember is that you put a lot of high-quality ingredients into that soup. It was like a tonic... the next day I had a blister on my lip, I wonder if it was related," Hanlu replied.

　　"You... how can you repay kindness with complaints? You're heartless!" Xushuping tossed a handful of hair as if venting her frustration, the strands falling just enough to cover half of Hanlu's face. Seeing her friend looking disheveled, Xushuping quickly smoothed out the hair and tucked it behind her ear.

　　"You really believe that? Shuping, you know how much I cherish you," Hanlu pouted, turning her head in mock annoyance.

　　"I know, I know. Let me tell you, the soup I brought today had eighteen ingredients. I don't care if tomorrow morning you wake up with blisters on both sides of your mouth and your eyes glowing green, you still have to drink it," Xushuping chuckled.

　　Despite keeping their voices subdued, their conversation still caught the attention of their neighboring colleagues, who were busy consulting materials at the adjacent tables. One of them, a deputy professor from the Spanish department who worked in the same building as Hanlu, often cast cold glances at her due to doubts about her conduct.

　　She cleared her throat twice, not bothering to lift her eyes. Her pen pointed to the "No Noise" sign on the wall, expressionless but clearly signaling a complaint to Xushuping about "knowing the rules but breaking them."

　　Xushuping immediately covered her mouth upon realizing the situation, feeling embarrassed. She gestured to Hanlu to check the time, then nodded towards the direction of their office.

　　Half an hour later, their unspoken understanding led them to reunite.

　　During the lunch break, Ling Hanlu was "abducted" by Xu Shuping in the office to savor her concocted divine soup.

　　"You have no idea, preparing the ingredients for this thing takes much longer than cooking it! I've been busy for two whole days for this!" Xu Shuping exclaimed as she retrieved a porcelain jar from the microwave and ladled its contents into small celadon cups. The creamy yellow soup, with dried scallops, abalone, mushrooms, and sea cucumber... Every time Xu Shuping scooped a spoonful, she glanced at Ling Hanlu, enjoying her mesmerized expression.

　　"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?" Ling Hanlu stared at the precious seafood in the celadon container, recalling the name from her limited culinary experience.

　　"Yes, have you tried it?"

　　"No, I haven't. I just know it's a famous dish from Fujian. My understanding is that it's like a sophisticated stew? When did you start studying Fujian cuisine?" Ling Hanlu's eyes narrowed with pleasure at the aroma, feeling that such luxurious cooking was well deserved.

　　"...Just trying out different cuisines," Xu Shuping sat face to face with Ling Hanlu, watching her friend indulge in the delicious soup, feeling comforted. "If you like it, there's another jar for you to take home."

　　"I love it, you're like a culinary goddess to me."

　　"Don't, I'm so afraid of that word 'goddess'. Haven't you heard, making a god or destroying one is just a thought away."

　　"Uh, noted," Ling Hanlu's speech became more concise as the delicious food occupied most of her oral functions.

　　"Let's be real, you praising me, it makes me happy. But honestly, this is my first attempt, and I still feel it's not good enough. You're just flattering me too much."

　　"Shuping, I have to say, you're just amazing. Successful parenting, excellent cooking skills, and you play the piano so well..."

　　Xu Shuping listened, but sighed softly. While her eyebrows had returned to their Hollywood early-starlet style, there was a hint of sadness etched between them. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "Hanlu, do you think every household in Fujian can make this dish?"

　　"Hmm?" Ling Hanlu was momentarily caught off guard by the question. She quickly assessed whether it was a statistical question, a cultural inquiry, or a riddle... After a moment of thought, she slightly modified her response and threw it back, "Do you think every household here can make Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish?"

　　"Well, that's true."

　　Ling Hanlu scrutinized Xu Shuping, sensing both joy and worry in her, feeling restless. She felt like this woman's physical body was present, but her soul seemed to be swinging on a swing, carried away by the breeze.

　　She was swinging on a swing, tied to two long iron chains, not some unbounded flying machine. No matter how high or far she swung, she would always come back...

　　Ling Hanlu realized that what Xu Shuping had just asked was actually an ethical question.

　　"Shuping, The one at the property center, is he from Fujian?" Ling Hanlu pondered for a moment before asking.

　　"Yes, he's from a small town over there. Hanlu, why do you ask about him all of a sudden?" Xu Shuping's heart was stirred by these sudden keywords, smiling gently.

　　"Oh, just came to mind, you know?"

　　"What, did Buddha Jumps Over the Wall remind you of Red Apricot Climbing Over the Wall? How cheeky!" Xu Shuping responded with a teasing yet slightly defensive tone towards the topic.

　　"I didn't say anything..." Ling Hanlu stopped there.

　　She didn't feel qualified to imply anything profound. Her good friend had plenty of life wisdom and a kind nature. She was willing to believe in the benevolence of heaven, hoping it would protect this good woman from harm. Even if there were complications, they would eventually settle down, living a peaceful and prosperous life.

　　"Alright, you didn't say anything. As for me, rest assured, you're sensible. At our age, with a family to take care of, who wouldn't fear unexpected troubles?... Wait a sec," Xu Shuping suddenly fell silent. Her ears perked up, and she looked around, then said, "What's that sound outside? Someone there? Listen..."

　　"I don't hear anything," Ling Hanlu confirmed after careful listening, "What were we talking about just now?"

　　"I said, you can rest assured, I'm sensible!"

　　"I trust you, okay? Shuping, that jacket of yours looks good!" Ling Hanlu cleverly changed the subject.

　　"Is it nice? Why don't you try it on without me?" Xu Shuping didn't wait for a response of her， swiftly pulling down her short jacket with a hint of fragrance, "Take off your outer layer and try this on, I think it would suit you too."

　　Ling Hanlu didn't want to reject her kindness, so she went along with it. She unbuttoned her long coat and took it off, revealing her fitted base layer.

　　As Xu Shuping watched her change, they suddenly heard the sound of a book hitting the ground. They exchanged glances and then looked towards the door that hadn't been closed properly.

　　A figure slowly approached on the ground. The two women held their breath, hearing footsteps neither hurried nor slow, echoing through the quiet of the reading room outside the door.

　　Ling Hanlu gripped the front of her small jacket, clutching it to her chest. She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously moved towards the door to investigate. Just as her body touched the doorframe, she collided with a tall figure coming from the other side. The person froze almost simultaneously, looking stunned, as a book fell from their hands to the ground.

　　"Ling Hanlu immediately bent down to pick it up and returned it. As she uttered a 'sorry,' she received a 'sorry' from the other person.

　　She was taken aback by the voice. It sounded too familiar, so she couldn't help but look up to confirm.

　　"Ling Teacher, hello!"

　　Before Ling Hanlu could respond, the middle-aged man greeted her first. This made her feel quite rude after identifying the person.

　　"Director Fang, hello!"

　　Xu Shuping took the thick journal. "Director, you could have asked someone else to bring it over, no need to come personally."

　　"Oh, it's no trouble. Everyone is busy. I borrowed this bound volume for quite a few days and never had time to return it. Since I had a bit of free time at noon, I came over. I'm about to go out of town for a meeting, so if I delay, it will take a while. Well... I won't disturb your rest anymore! Goodbye!" With that, Director Fang left the reading room, stepping away with a crisp echo.

　　Xu Shuping watched the visitor walk away. As soon as the figure disappeared around the corner, she headed towards the bookshelf with the journal in her arms. She glanced back at Ling Hanlu and winked, "You know, Director Fang manages his figure quite well! Broad shoulders, narrow hips, like a jade tree in the wind. Tut-tut, doesn't look a day over forty..."

　　"Shuping, you're quite bold now... huh? Director Fang? Who are you talking about?" Ling Hanlu still held onto her jacket.

　　"Director Fang, oh sorry, forgot he's your superior. My bad!"

　　"How did he offend you? He's a distinguished Ph.D., a professor, and you call him 'Fang Spray Spray'? What's that about?"

　　"It's got nothing to do with 'spray spray.' It's about what he sprays. You were just so close to him earlier, didn't you smell the scent on him?" Xu Shuping placed the journal back on the shelf and tidied up. She sniffed her fingers that touched the magazine and nodded, indicating she wasn't making it up. "I said it earlier, it's that smell!"

　　"A smell? I didn't notice." Ling Hanlu tried to deduce the scent from Xu Shuping's slightly furrowed brows, probing, "Body odor? Perfume masking body odor?"

　　"You're overthinking. I call him 'Spray Spray' because whenever he reads magazines here, he sprays his hands with disinfectant after flipping through each one, those pocket-sized spray bottles. You have no idea, he sprays like his life depends on it. Seeing him like that, I feel like I'm soaking in viruses every day, won't last a few days..."

　　"Haha!" Ling Hanlu was amused and couldn't stop laughing, but considering the earlier reminder about the "no noise" rule, she immediately reflected and promptly corrected herself. "Shh!" she whispered, putting a finger to her lips.

　　"No worries, forget about it," Xu Shuping rolled her eyes at the air. "Seriously, though, it's too much. He talks to me with that disinfectant smell, I seriously suspect he uses it as mouth freshener too."

　　"Obsessive cleanliness, I guess. Everyone has their quirks, right?"

　　Ling Hanlu didn't have much interaction with Director Fang. Due to the difference in their ranks during departmental meetings, they didn't sit together and hardly had any chance to talk.

　　However, she had heard a bit about his background. Fang Yucheng, thirty-eight years old, Ph.D., researching English-speaking country cultures and translation theory. Divorced, no children.

　　Other than that, Ling Hanlu wasn't interested in digging deeper, so she knew very little. Who doesn't have a few secrets? Just like his extreme caution with his hands after touching books, perhaps it stemmed from some unspoken difficulties!

　　Ever since she became the focus of gossip in the department for a moment, enduring the pain of being speculated and criticized by others, she had become very cautious about speaking ill of others behind their backs, being careful in every step she took. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, right?

　　After work, Ling Hanlu had a simple meal.

　　On one corner of the dining table was a half-empty bottle of red wine, forced upon her by Xu Shuping during a previous visit. It was like cold white fingers painted with wine-red nail polish, teasing this solitary woman.

　　She lifted the bottle and headed to the balcony.

　　Late autumn had arrived, and the night breeze inevitably carried a hint of chill. Enhanced by the alcohol, this chill brushed over her flushed cheeks, making her feel light-headed, her mind drifting. Outside the balcony, the maple leaves were yellow, green, orange, and red, wild and unrestrained. The night sky before her seemed like a painted wall. It attracted her with its artistry but also confined her gaze.

　　"Hehe, another night falls..." Ling Hanlu chuckled, feeling intoxicated. She leaned against the railing, leaning forward, straining to see into the bushes. And at this moment, her phone suddenly lit up in the living room behind her.