On the way back, Wen Zhe couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Didn’t you two... have a falling out? You’re still going to the tea factory as usual. Is that really okay?"

Tan You replied, "It wasn’t exactly a falling out. I won’t be involved with the tea factory’s business from now on. The most I’ll do is help them promote their tea. I’m just going to learn the tea ceremony from Uncle Qiao, and that’s it."

"A relationship without business interests is probably purer."

Tan You smiled. "You’ve been here for several days now. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to properly host you. I hope you don’t mind my neglect."

Wen Zhe gave a bitter smile. "I don’t. I know you’re busy with important matters. It’s just... you’re so... distant with me now."

He hesitated for a long time before finally saying the word.

Tan You was perfectly relaxed. "We haven’t seen each other in a long time, after all. Plus, we have different jobs and different life experiences. It’s only natural that we’ve grown distant."

Wen Zhe grew anxious. "But we used to tell each other everything."

"You were the one who told me everything," Tan You cut him off. "Haven’t you noticed? In our past interactions, you did all the talking while I barely said a word. Whenever you were unhappy or frustrated, you’d come vent to me. I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time—it’s exhausting being someone’s emotional dumping ground."

"You say we’ve grown distant, so why don’t you try telling me what I like and what I hate. Can you?"

’Tan You was sick and tired of the way Wen Zhe had been looking at her for the past few days, as if she’d committed some heinous crime. All she did was sever the connection between Ji Li and Wen Zhe. After all, a word like ’simp’ never sounds good.’

Wen Zhe was stumped. "I... I don’t know."

"So, you see, I was always the one putting up with you and absorbing your negative emotions. But I have my own life. Why should I have to keep trailing after you like a shadow?" Tan You was brutally direct, completely disregarding Wen Zhe’s pride.

Wen Zhe’s face darkened. "I... I didn’t always dump my negative emotions on you."

"If you say so," Tan You replied, losing interest in the conversation. "You’re a guest, so I can’t just kick you out, but I’m genuinely busy and have no time to host you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. I won’t make you leave."

’But expecting her to put Wen Zhe first in everything, the way Ji Li did, was obviously out of the question.’

Wen Zhe understood her unspoken message and gave a bitter laugh. "Do we really have to be like this? Can’t we go back to how we were before?"

"Of course not. I’m doing great now. I have money, free time, and a career, and I get to do what I love every day. But I wasn’t happy before. Not at all. And life back then was just too hard."

Tan You asked bluntly, "If you had lived the life I used to have, would you want to go back?"

Thinking back on Ji Li’s old life, Wen Zhe had to admit that those years had been genuinely difficult for her.

Tan You continued, "You shouldn’t disturb someone while they’re trying to build a career. If you really care, then just watch quietly from the sidelines. Right now, all I want is to focus on my work."

Wen Zhe relented. "Okay, I won’t bother you."

They walked a few more steps in silence before Wen Zhe said, "I’m planning to leave tomorrow."

"Safe travels," Tan You said calmly. "It’s too quiet here for you, anyway. You’re better suited for the dazzling nightlife and bustling streets of the big city."

Wen Zhe shook his head. He felt as if he and Tan You were from two different worlds. He was a man of the bustling city, while her life was one of poetry and faraway places.

He wanted to ask how she had suddenly changed so much, but looking at her face now, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. It felt like the question itself would be an offense.

Since Wen Zhe didn’t press the issue, Tan You was relieved. The next day, she didn’t even show her face when he left; it was Xu Liang who took him to the station. When Xu Liang returned at noon and Tan You saw that Wen Zhe was gone, the smile in her eyes grew a little brighter.

As Aunt Shen ladled rice for Tan You, she asked, "That young man seemed nice. Aren’t you sad at all that he just up and left?"

"Why would I be sad?" Tan You asked, baffled. "His looks are just for show. He’s had tons of ex-girlfriends. After he transferred to our high school in our sophomore year, from what I know, he had at least a dozen, if not twenty, exes. The shortest relationship lasted three days, the longest, not even three months."

Aunt Shen’s brow furrowed. "Oh, that’s no good. We can’t have someone like that. He’s just playing around, isn’t he?"

"Uh-huh. And I wasn’t interested in him in the first place," Tan You said with a small smile. "I like someone who’s clean, who has self-respect, and who will stand by my side without wavering."

Aunt Shen started to worry again. "You’ll be 23 after the New Year. What kind of man are you looking for? None of the young men around here seem good enough for you..."

Tan You said, "I’m not in a hurry. You can’t force fate. Or... are you getting tired of having me around for meals, Auntie?"

"Of course not!" Aunt Shen patted Tan You’s shoulder, exasperated. "I just can’t stand seeing you all by yourself. When someone’s been alone for too long, it’s hard for them to open their heart to others. I’m just worried you’ll end up alone forever." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"But what if I actually want to be alone?" Tan You asked, half-jokingly.

"Well, there’s nothing we can do then. The most we could do is have Shen Yu look after you in your old age." Aunt Shen thought for a moment before adding, "You have money now, so if you really want to be on your own, you should buy some good insurance. Then you can enjoy a peaceful retirement."

Tan You laughed. "I knew you and I would see eye-to-eye, Auntie."

’Aunt Shen might have seemed a bit petty at first, but Tan You found she could always talk to her. Even if Tan You’s ideas sounded unconventional, her aunt wouldn’t dismiss them outright. Instead, she would mull them over and even try to see things from Tan You’s point of view.’

Aunt Shen’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "You’re the only one patient enough to listen to me. Your uncle and Shen Yu run for the hills the moment I start nagging. I’m a woman of substance, you know. It’s not like I’m always gossiping about household trifles, right?"

Xu Liang chimed in, "It’s hard to find someone with principles these days. Don’t tell me you’re looking for someone who’s a complete blank slate, just like you?"

"I wouldn’t be against it," Tan You said nonchalantly. "But ’having principles’ and ’being a blank slate’ are two different things. Judging whether someone has principles isn’t about counting their exes. It’s about how many of those people they were genuinely in love with."

"Take Wen Zhe, for example. He just likes to play the field too much and has never considered settling down. He’s a ’player,’ as the popular slang goes. And for a player to clean up his act, the woman has to be willing to take him on. I, for one, am not."

Xu Liang said, "But the way he looks at you is anything but innocent. It’s a classic case of being in love and not even knowing it. You’re not tempted, even a little?"

"’In love and not knowing it?’" Tan You let out an amused laugh. "I don’t believe in that nonsense. The person who knows you best is always yourself. How can you not know in your own heart who you like and who you don’t?"