Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

As ginkgo leaves rustled down, Xiao Fangfei was oiling the chain at the motorcycle club.

The late autumn wind blew in through the half-open roller shutter, blowing up the dead leaves on the ground and casting mottled shadows on the metal tool bench.

My phone suddenly vibrated on the greasy workbench. Gu Fanxing's message popped up with a popping bubble: "Saturday evening at 6 o'clock, the private restaurant in Wutong Lane. If you dare not come, I will hide your motorcycle keys in the microwave!"

The accompanying picture is an emoticon of Ling Jiuer wearing an archaeological safety helmet and holding a Luoyang shovel, with three drooling puppy heads underneath.

She stared at the screen and chuckled, oil stains rubbing onto the cuffs of her work clothes.

The memory was suddenly pulled back to the late autumn of last year in Yunqi Mountain. At that time, Ling Jiuer was still doing an archaeological internship. It happened that Xiao Fangfei had an accident during the competition. She picked up the aluminum pole used for exploration and rushed over to stop the out-of-control off-road vehicle.

The moment the aluminum pole deformed, mud splashed all over Ling Jiuer's goggles, but she turned around and made a provocative gesture towards Xiao Fangfei.

"What are you grinning at again?" Kong Haoyu's voice came from behind, with the tiredness of someone who had just got off work.

He was holding the ginger and jujube tea that Xiao's mother had asked him to drink, and his suit jacket was draped over his arm, revealing a dark blue sweater with a motorcycle pattern underneath - he had just bought it a few days ago.

Xiao Fangfei wiped her hands hurriedly, but ended up smearing the oil stain even more, causing him to laugh softly.

"Fanxing asked me out for dinner this weekend." Xiao Fangfei unscrewed the thermos, and the warm aroma of ginger and jujube tea mixed with the smell of motor oil filled the garage. "Jiuer is coming too."

What she didn't say was that Gu Fanxing specifically added in the message: "Don't bring your family members, sister bureau."

Kong Haoyu's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and he reached out to wipe the stains off her cheek. When his fingertips touched her skin, both of them froze slightly.

The private restaurant in Wutong Lane is hidden deep in the old city, and the bluestone road is paved with golden ginkgo leaves.

When Xiao Fangfei pushed open the carved wooden door, the aroma of sandalwood mixed with braised pork hit her face.

Gu Fanxing, wearing a smoky purple wool dress, was serving sugar-roasted chestnuts to Ling Jiuer, who was poking at the sweet-scented lotus root on the plate with her chopsticks: "Can you give me something more substantial? This lotus root is so sweet that it's making my teeth fall out."

“I knew you were a carnivore.”

Gu Fanxing smiled and added another piece of lamb ribs. Suddenly, she caught sight of Xiao Fangfei at the door. Her eyes lit up like stars. "You're finally here!"

When she pounced on him, the cedar perfume in her hair overlapped with the smell in her memory, reminding Xiao Fangfei of the nights when she was young and crowded in the dormitory to watch horror movies.

When the three of them sat down, Ling Jiuer had already finished chewing two lamb shank bones.

"Come on, Miss Gu's dinner is definitely for more than just reminiscing about the past."

Ling Jiuer held a straw in her mouth and glanced at Gu Fanxing.

"Last time, during the Yunqi Mountain incident, you already said thank you five times."

Gu Fanxing waved her hand: "Let's not talk about this for now, let's just have a good time together as sisters today!"

She filled both of their glasses with hot rice wine, then suddenly turned to Xiao Fangfei with a sly glint in her eyes. "But you, tell me the truth. Is Kong Haoyu's affectionate nature really real? I remember that before he pretended to be your boyfriend, he was very attentive to you. He went to watch your games, followed you around with a camera the whole time, and even helped you fix your motorcycle... That's a perfect example of a great boyfriend!"

Xiao Fangfei tightened her grip on the wine glass slightly, and the heat from the rice wine blurred her hot cheeks.

"Don't talk nonsense, we are just playing around..."

"Come on!" Ling Jiuer suddenly came over and nudged her shoulder with her elbow. "The last time I went to the club to see you, I saw him squatting on the ground, patiently helping you clean the motorcycle parts. That look in his eyes, wow, was even more focused than when I was watching bronze restoration!"

Gu Fanxing put down his wine glass with a smile, and looked at Xiao Fangfei with his chin in his hand.

"I don't think you dislike him. Why don't you consider letting him become your real boyfriend and develop a relationship with him? Look, he's thoughtful and reliable, and the key is that his love for you is overflowing from the screen!"

Xiao Fangfei's ears flushed, the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised, and the sweetness in her eyes could not be hidden.

She lowered her head to stir the rice wine in the cup, and softly talked about everything Kong Haoyu had done for her, her tone full of nostalgia.

Looking at her friend's happy little woman appearance, Ling Jiuer's hand holding the wine glass suddenly tightened, and her nails almost dug into her palm.

The wind outside the window blew up the ginkgo leaves, making them rustle on the glass.

Ling Jiuer tilted her head back and took a big gulp of wine. The spicy liquid burned her throat, but it couldn't suppress the bitterness surging in her heart.

She thought of Du Fei, the professional manager who managed the Gu Group for Gu Fanxing's father.

They first met at a party, where they lost a game and kissed each other for the first time.

Although they didn't meet many times after that, there seemed to be some inexplicable feelings growing between them.

Especially when Yunqishan was injured last time, Du Fei took care of her like a boyfriend in love takes care of his girlfriend.

But whenever Ling Jiuer tried to get close to him, he would use "Gu Group is busy" or "our lives are too different" as excuses to escape and hide himself in a cold professional shell.

Even at the end, he didn't even dare to say goodbye to her. He used a business trip as an excuse to disappear from her world quietly.

"Jiu'er, what's wrong with you?"

Gu Fanxing's voice was filled with worry, and he reached out and held her cold hand.

Ling Jiuer forced a smile, but it looked uglier than crying: "It's okay, it's just that the wine is too strong."

She put down her wine glass, picked up her chopsticks and fiercely picked up a piece of lamb ribs. "Eat it quickly, or you will grab it all if you don't eat it soon."

But Xiao Fangfei and Gu Fanxing still noticed that something was wrong with her.

Xiao Fangfei gently touched her arm: "Jiu'er, if anything happens, don't handle it alone, we are all here."

Ling Jiuer's throat tightened, and the image of Du Fei turning and leaving the hospital appeared in front of her eyes.

"What's the matter?" She said, pretending to be nonchalant. "I just thought of a coward."

She tilted her head back and took another sip of wine, the alcohol making her eyes slightly hot. "Some people, obviously like someone, but don't even have the courage to give it a try."

In Du Fei's eyes, the uncertainty of the future is more important than the current excitement.

Gu Fanxing put his arm around Ling Jiuer's shoulders: "Du Fei, that guy, just thinks too much. You are so good, you deserve to be firmly chosen. He always says that he can't give you stability, but he doesn't know that what you want most is his honesty."

"Yes, Jiuer, don't be wronged."

Xiao Fangfei held her hand.

"If he doesn't dare to take that step, it's his loss. You weren't even afraid of the dead in the ancient tomb, so why are you afraid of this emotional difficulty?"

Ling Jiuer leaned on Gu Fanxing's shoulder, listening to the wind outside the window and the gentle comfort of her friends, and finally couldn't help but tear up.

She thought of every moment she spent with Du Fei, the perfect amount of concern, the gazes that seemed to want to say something but couldn't, and now all of them turned into a dull pain in her heart.

But she also knew that some knots in her heart had to be untied by herself.

As the night deepened, the warmth of the rice wine dispelled some of the chill.

Ling Jiuer wiped away her tears and picked up the wine glass: "Let's not talk about this anymore! Today is Sisters' Day, we should be happy! Come on, cheers!"

The three cups clinked together, making a crisp sound. Ling Jiuer looked at her friends' concerned eyes and suddenly felt that no matter how tortuous the road of love was, with them by her side, she had the courage to face everything.

When the show was over, Gu Fanxing insisted on sending Ling Jiuer home, saying, "It's so late, I'm worried."

Xiao Fangfei stood at the entrance of the alley, waiting for a ride-hailing service. Her phone screen lit up with a message from Kong Haoyu: "The club lit a fireplace, and they left you some roasted oranges sprinkled with cinnamon."

She looked up at the night sky, dotted with cold stars, and recalled everything that happened tonight, and the corners of her mouth rose again.

The roar of the engine came from far away, and she ran towards a new direction on the golden ground. Behind her, the lights of Wutong Lane were still warm and bright, just like the never-fading friendship between them, illuminating their respective life paths.