Gu Xueping was gradually getting used to Li Danxia's daily routine, allowing him to set aside his "game room" business and find some peace. He was quite content with how things were going.

　　Currently, the household was running like clockwork.

　　Yet behind this organized front, a troubling factor had quietly been gaining strength. Gu Pan understood this well. But besides silently letting it simmer, was there a smarter move to make?

　　It was Gu Pan's second week at home, and he was starting to think about heading back to A.

　　Early one morning, Lu Yitong's call interrupted Gu Pan's sleep.

　　"Feeling lonely during your break at home, Gu Pan ge?" she asked.

　　"Cut the act and talk straight, or I'm hanging up!" Gu Pan sharply halted Lu's coy approach.

　　"Don't get me wrong, I've really worked on my emotional resilience. Though the process was tough." Lu Yitong chewed on a vanilla cream puff, washing it down with milk, her recent heartache transformed into appetite. "Don't hang up, I really need to talk to you. It's not about rekindling old flames."

　　"Who's talking about old flames... Alright, what's up?" Gu Pan's tone was firm, but his attitude had softened, less confrontational and rigid, more gentle.

　　"Let's go back to A city together."

　　"What?" Gu Pan perked up instantly at the mention, his brewing thoughts suddenly gaining momentum.

　　"Back to hear our goddess teach?" Lu Yitong downed half a glass of milk in one go, gearing up for the conversation ahead.

　　"She's teaching summer courses? But...," Gu Pan hesitated briefly, leaving the unspoken part: how come I didn't know?

　　"I saw it on the Foreign Languages Institute website. They're the only university in A city with a 'mini-term'. Her course is open for non-majors like us. I did some digging, seems like something we could handle with a bit of effort. It'd be a great opportunity to broaden our horizons!"

　　"You really brought some good news this time. But I heard some schools in other cities start their summer terms at the end of June. The Foreign Languages Institute is doing its own thing, right in the middle, kind of puzzling..."

　　"Well, that's not our problem to figure out. So, what do you say? Let's go? Not just for credits, but for the love of learning! Gu Pan ge, we leave in five days." Lu Yitong tore open another breakfast pastry as she spoke.

　　2

　　Five days later, Gu Xueping saw his son off at the train station. Just before boarding, Gu Pan embraced his father warmly, surprising and moving him.

　　Whispering in his father's ear, Gu Pan said, "Dad, take care of yourself!"

　　"Sure thing! Don't worry!" Gu Xueping patted his son's back, reluctant yet firm as he urged him to go.

　　Not far away, Lu Yitong, who had arrived earlier, called out to Gu Pan. The two young folks lugged their bags and headed for A city after being apart for twenty days.

　　For Lu Yitong, it was a place where she had to forcibly adjust her emotional journey after careful consideration. Tears flowed freely, and harsh words escaped her lips. Yet Ling Hanlu's charisma led her to discard the clichéd "self-destructive" role of the second female lead, transforming into a sharp-minded woman who earned her admiration and sincere gratitude.

　　In the train compartment, the two sat side by side. Lu Yitong fully relaxed in his presence.

　　"Gu Pan ge, what have you been up to at home lately?"

　　"Mostly diving into books and picking up some programming skills. How about you?" Gu Pan pondered briefly before responding.

　　"More or less. I still pitch in at my mom's shop sometimes. By the way, heard Auntie's sleeping better now. I'd like to swing by, but don't wanna put you out. I'm good, but Auntie might still be struggling. My bad... If she needs it, I'll do what I can to cheer her up. I'm the one who started all this mess."

　　Gu Pan turned to see Lu Yitong, her eyes shimmering under those neat bangs. "It's not on you. No need to stress," he comforted.

　　"Oh, this time I'm crashing at my bestie's. Her folks are globe-trotting, so it's just us for about ten days. Figured I'd keep her company." Lu Miss had already distanced herself from Gu Pan's pad in Green Meadow Estate, where she used to hang around endlessly.

　　"Got it," Gu Pan chuckled, picking up on Lu Miss's careful distancing. He remembered her sly wit back in his place, even regretting his earlier standoffishness. Sometimes, being a bit cold might be the kindest way to let someone down.

　　As they approached their stop, Gu Pan kept checking his phone. Lu Yitong got the message loud and clear.

　　"We're about twenty minutes out. Hang tight and call your sis once we're off. This place isn't the best vibe," Lu Yitong smirked and looked away.

　　"Sis?"

　　"Sister Ling. What's up?"

　　"Alright. I've always called her Teacher Ling," Gu Pan muttered. Using titles to bridge gaps was his thing, but when Lu Yitong shifted her focus to Ling Hanlu like she once did with him, it left him puzzled.

　　Women, those mysterious beings, were too hard to figure out. He chose to stay quiet.

　　When they arrived, Lu Yitong's bestie picked her up. Gu Pan headed for the bus stop, dialing Ling Hanlu's number.

　　He tried calling several times, but couldn't get through.

　　The busy signal suggested that Ling Hanlu and Xu Shuping were deep in some girl-talk gossip.

　　Little did he know, ten kilometers away on a balcony in a building at Green Meadow Estate, Ling Hanlu was having a chat with an unknown caller.

　　Before picking up, Ling Hanlu hesitated. She'd been annoyed by calls before—real estate, education stuff—and had developed a habit of avoiding unknown numbers.

　　But this call coincided with her stretching out a sore back from sitting too long, so she took a chance.

　　The voice on the line was professional, calm, with a touch of authority.

　　"Are you Ling Hanlu?"

　　Hearing the directness, Ling Hanlu couldn't help but suppress a laugh. She wasn't intimidated by such confident approaches.

　　"Yeah, speaking. What's up?" Work was tiring, and a free chat sounded good.

　　The caller seemed surprised by her upbeat response and hesitated. But then she got back on track. "This is City A's Public Security Bureau..."

　　"Oh? Really?" Ling Hanlu put on a bit of drama, like a boss from a movie.

　　"..."

　　"Go ahead!"

　　"We found your credit card at Mr. Zhang Fugui's place. Our investigation links it to an economic crime. Please cooperate."

　　"Is that so? Want me to download an app?"

　　"..."

　　"Or maybe send me a login link?"

　　Ling Hanlu covered her mouth, afraid she'd burst into laughter.

　　"..."

　　"Will you give me a bank account to transfer money?"

　　"Ma'am, you..."

　　"Do you think just using my name will make me nervous and obedient?"

　　"..."

　　"Do you know people are getting used to their info being leaked? Can you tell if I've done something wrong?"

　　"..."

　　"How old are you?"

　　"I..."

　　"About twenty? You sound young."

　　"Nineteen."

　　"Oh." Ling Hanlu softened, feeling sorry for the nineteen-year-old. "Not from around here?"

　　"No."

　　"Dear, you've got a long road ahead. No need for shortcuts like this. People are cautious now. Why not use your smarts for a real career?"

　　"..."

　　"Honestly, hearing you're nineteen, I think of my students. I hope things work out for you."

　　"Are you a teacher?" The voice finally asked.

　　"Yes."

　　"What do you teach? Let me guess... English?"

　　"Why English?" Ling Hanlu found it hard to believe.

　　"I can tell by your voice. My middle school English teacher sounded just like you."

　　"Oh, I see."

　　"So, did I guess right?"

　　"Yeah."

　　"I love listening to you! You're so charming!"

　　The girl's excitement was unexpected, but Ling Hanlu took it in stride.

　　"Thank you! Take care and tread carefully! I'll let you go. Goodbye!"

　　"Thanks for talking! Goodbye, you hang up first!"

　　Ling Hanlu hung up the phone and took a deep breath of the moist air outside. It felt like she had just wrapped up a major project with profound meaning, finding more value in those few minutes than in all her previous research endeavors combined. Bursting with excitement, she completely overlooked Gu Pan's greetings until he called again.

　　"Ling Hanlu, I tried calling twice, but it kept saying you were busy."

　　"Yeah, I saw the text. Really sorry... But hey, want me to fill you in on that call?" Ling Hanlu couldn't contain her joy and was eager to share.

　　She spent five minutes telling Gu Pan about the girl's professional broadcasting voice and the heartfelt thanks she received afterward.

　　Meanwhile, Gu Pan reflected on Ling Hanlu's father's worries about her unwavering determination and her knack for understanding people, traits that didn't quite match her intellect and calm demeanor. "Chip off the old block," he suddenly thought. But her genuine happiness at that moment was so infectious that he couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

　　"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, heh..." Gu Pan chuckled along.

　　"Hey, what's on your mind?" Ling Hanlu's tone lightened mysteriously. "By the way, where are you? It sounds noisy."

　　"Near the train station. Just got off. I'm back!"

　　"Why not stay a few more days? It's not even halfway through my trip here for work, and you..."

　　"Missed you."