Chapter 082　 No matter how she thought about it, she always ended up back in this dead loop.

  *

  Yes, he had plenty of little tricks to seduce people.

  But none of them worked.

  Su Xian gave him a brilliant smile. "Zhao Nanfeng, whatever you do now just feels like a joke to me, because you have absolutely zero sexual attraction to me anymore. Hahaha!"

  He stopped. "That’s fine. I’m not asking you to like me; just enjoy my services. You know I’m good."

  Su Xian muttered a curse word.

  The 21st floor arrived. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Su Xian pushed him out.

  Zhao Nanfeng turned back and smiled at her, looking like a victor.

  She was truly speechless.

  *

  Su Xian’s room was on the 23rd floor, but this small northeastern city didn't have much of a night view to speak of.

  After washing off the smell of grilled meat, she sat lazily by the window in her pajamas for a while, feeling extremely bored.

  She had to represent the company to ask questions tomorrow, so she got up, found the documents, and reviewed them to ensure no key points were missed.

  At exactly midnight, Zhao Nanfeng sent a message: "If you're not asleep yet, you should go to bed."

  She ignored it.

  After getting into bed, she absentmindedly scrolled through her Moments on WeChat app. Old Zhang and Wang Jing were back from their trip to Yunnan; Liang Wenya had played several rounds of golf; Li Chengshi was hiking in the mountains with his mother and her friends.

  The hat he was wearing was the pink knit beanie she had bought to help him cover the injury on his head after he was attacked by thugs last year. It made his skin look even fairer.

  Stinky puppy, are you hinting that you miss me?

  Hmph.

  Wait until I'm done with this busy stretch...

  But he wants a child.

  Ah, that thought immediately discouraged her.

  **

  Around 11:00 PM, Li Chengshi was playing a small game on his phone when he suddenly sneezed.

  Is she thinking about me?

  He knew Su Xian would definitely see his Moments on the WeChat. That pink hat was his little calculation. His mother had bought it while shopping yesterday. She didn't know he had originally worn a hat to hide a wound; she just thought it looked cute when she saw it on a video call, and since he hadn't brought it back this time, she bought a similar one for him.

  He didn't understand why he was trying to seduce her in such a roundabout way. Could he really forgive her for having an affair?

  Absolutely impossible!

  He sneezed a few more times. He was certain he’d caught a cold in the mountains.

  Li Xiao was already asleep but was startled awake by his sneezing. She knocked and came in, felt his forehead, and made him a cup of cold medicine.

  **

  The project launch the next morning was very lively. Many peers attended, including Wakui Ryo and several highly respected senior architects.

  The types of buildings that easily leave a mark on architectural history are usually these: art museums, opera houses, and libraries. Government library projects are expected to last over a century, have ample budgets, and lean heavily toward environmental concepts and materials. Once built, they are frequently cited in industry journals and university textbooks. Who wouldn't want to compete for one?

  Looking around, Su Xian felt a bit nervous. At times like this, she fully appreciated Zhao Nanfeng’s strengths—the man always appeared to be in his element.

  *

  The launch lasted over two hours. After it ended, they walked out of the hall with Wakui. Their hotels were close by, and they were on the same Shinkansen back, so they agreed to pack, check out, and meet at the station for lunch.

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  However, ten minutes before departure, an announcement echoed through the station: a line failure meant all trains were temporarily suspended.

  It was already 3:00 PM. It didn't look like service would resume anytime soon. With a large number of passengers stranded, the three of them made many calls before finally finding a remote traditional guest house called "Kuromatsugi" (Black Pine). There were few houses nearby; a giant tree stood in the front yard, and the front faced an endless expanse of rice fields.

  Unfortunately, the rice had just been harvested, leaving the fields bare.

  The host was Grandma Watanabe, a woman in her seventies. She welcomed them and immediately assigned Su Xian and Zhao Nanfeng to the same room, praising them as "とても美男美女なカップル" (a very handsome and beautiful couple).

  Su Xian quickly clarified, and Grandma apologized profusely, moving Zhao Nanfeng to the adjacent room.

  *

  It was a very old house—so old it felt like a yokai might sprout out of the walls at any moment.

  Photos of summer hung on the hallway walls, showing the lush green rice fields as they once were.

  Su Xian wandered around and loved it, thinking she must bring Li Chengshi here next summer.

  But before that, their appointment in Furano for this winter was still up in the air.

  Because... they had broken up.

  Hahaha, how ironic. Broken up again, and again he was the one who just walked away.

  Why did she keep thinking that if she went back for him after this busy stretch, he would just obediently come back with her?

  He could perfectly well come back on his own.

  He just didn't want to.

  And, he wants a child.

  No matter how she thought about it, she always ended up back in this dead loop.

  *

  The most beautiful thing about Japanese architecture is that when you slide open the paper screens, the architectural space merges with nature. At dusk in this season, wearing a patchwork haori hand-sewn by Grandma Watanabe, sitting on the veranda watching the sunset dip into the distant horizon... the wind gradually grew cooler, the glass wind chimes tinkled crisply, and the chirping of insects felt a little lonely.

  Zhao Nanfeng came over and sat beside Su Xian. He was also wearing a patchwork haori sewn by Grandma Watanabe. Their outfits shared some of the same patterns, creating a harmonious look.

  Grandma brought them two cups of hot barley tea and handed Su Xian a pack of senko hanabi (sparklers) and a lighter.

  What a surprise. "ありがとう、おばあちゃん。 (Thank you.)"

  Zhao Nanfeng took the lighter and lit one sparkler, using it to light another which he then handed to Su Xian.

  Su Xian was already excited.

  The sizzling little sparks illuminated her warm, smiling face. She couldn't help but sway happily.

  As one was about to burn out, another was handed to her.

  "Thanks."

  "You're welcome, my girlfriend."

  "Get lost!"

  Su Xian flicked the sparkler toward him. He jumped back and yelled, "You almost singed my hair!" But Su Xian felt no remorse at all.

  "You'd better watch it!" Zhao Nanfeng pretended to flick his sparkler at her, and Su Xian quickly ran away.

  The dancing sparks in her hand condensed into a flowing trail of light in the night.

  *

  Wakui smiled and took several photos for them.

  Zhao Nanfeng was extremely satisfied. "Send them all to me. These are literally my 'life photos'! Ryo, your photography skills have improved again."

  Su Xian loved them too, especially the one where they both turned back at Wakui’s call. She was in front, smiling brilliantly, while Zhao Nanfeng was a few steps behind, looking at her with a tender, warm smile.

  The composition, lighting, and movement were perfect. The patchwork haori and the sparklers gave it a Showa-era vibe, and the graininess from the low light made the entire photo look artistic yet vivid.

  But having a photo like this now was awkward. She couldn't share it with friends, and even looking at it herself gave her a guilty sense of "cheating."

  But Zhao Nanfeng had already forwarded it to her.

  "ごはんできたよ?！ (Dinner is ready!)" Grandma called out to them.

  **