Fang Yu had invited Ling Hanlu for a face-to-face meeting, saying that what he needed to discuss couldn’t be fully explained over the phone.

　　Yet, from their past interactions, Ling Hanlu found that despite the involvement in a massive project with countless details, the conversations weren’t so complex or overwhelming. They could easily have been handled over a phone call.

　　She was puzzled, but she still agreed to meet.

　　Setting aside her current tasks, Ling Hanlu made her way to the meeting.

　　The door to the director's office was slightly ajar, allowing a narrow beam of light to cast itself onto the marble floor of the corridor, carrying a slight chill.

　　Inside, the air conditioning was set to a comfortable 26 degrees Celsius. A striking burgundy lidded teacup, a favorite of Fang Yu's, had already been cleaned and was filled with herbal tea.

　　But this time, it wasn’t placed on the coffee table as usual. Instead, like something cherished, it was tucked away near the bookshelf in the inner room.

　　It sat there like a guest, poised to make its entrance.

　　---

　　“Director Fang, what are you looking at?”

　　Ling Hanlu followed Fang Yu's gaze, trying to find what he was looking at on her. She was wearing a simple, knee-length light gray cotton-linen dress, with no embellishments. Unable to spot anything unusual, Fang Yu's intense stare felt even more peculiar. She scrutinized herself again and finally noticed the "highlight" while absentmindedly fidgeting with her bag strap.

　　It was her pearlescent, nude-pink nails. Two days ago, after sharing a kids' meal with Gu Pan, they received a voucher for a free manicure at the restaurant.

　　Gu Pan had picked the color, dismissing Ling Hanlu's initial choice of silver-gray. He had squatted nearby, blowing on each freshly painted nail as they were done. The nail technician had smiled knowingly behind her lace mask, clearly understanding the moment.

　　Now, thinking back to how serious Gu Pan looked, and later, the youthful scent of his t-shirt during their evening walk, Ling Hanlu couldn’t help but smile. Not even her tightly pressed lips could hide it.

　　However, Fang Yu’s interest wasn’t just in her pink nails or the kind of joy she had never shown when alone with him.

　　This evident, unrelated happiness stirred a curiosity in him that he couldn’t suppress.

　　“It seems, Ms. Ling, you’ve kept a youthful spirit!” Fang Yu said gently, drawing back his gaze. “Do you like *One Piece*?”

　　Ling Hanlu paused, then looked down at the Luffy keychain that Gu Pan had stubbornly attached to her bag’s zipper. “Oh, Luffy. The name comes from the English word 'Luff,' which means to sail against the wind. I guess no one really dislikes him, right?” She decided to give a non-committal answer, feeling that anything related to Gu Pan should remain untouched.

　　Fang Yu laughed lightly. “True. My cousin’s son is absolutely obsessed with *One Piece*. His clothes, his bedroom walls, everything is covered with Luffy’s images and posters. I’m surprised you like it, but I can understand.”

　　“Hmm, thanks for understanding.” Ling Hanlu found herself slipping into a reverie. Her pearlescent nails and the dangling keychain created a mesmerizing scene. Colorful bubbles seemed to float before her eyes, blurring her vision and muting Fang Yu’s underlying message. She had no desire to explore it further.

　　“If you have no other plans this evening, Ms. Ling, would you do me the honor of joining me for afternoon tea?” Fang Yu glanced at the wall clock and straightened his jacket. His hand slipped into his pocket, gripping his car keys. “I know a delightful café with a lovely atmosphere and great coffee. It’s a bit out of the way, but we...”

　　"Thank you for the invitation, Director Fang. I have classes tonight, and I need to head home to rest for a bit. I'm sorry!"

　　"Oh, I see. Rest well then." Fang Yu's expression betrayed a hint of doubt about Ling Hanlu's sincerity in wanting to rest. "In that case, I won't insist. Would you mind having a cup of tea with me before you go?" He stood up and went into the inner room, returning with a cup of herbal tea that had been prepared in advance.

　　2

　　Evening. Outside the main teaching building.

　　Hurriedly, Ling Hanlu navigated through the waist-high bushes along the pathway. She had planned to take a quick nap at home, but woke up to find the sky already darkening, causing her to panic.

　　Skipping dinner, she hastily brewed a cup of herbal tea, grabbed her laptop and thermos, and rushed back to school.

　　She walked briskly. Her heart raced, breathing shallow, more intense than her previous episodes. She even felt a slight nausea.

　　Ahead, the path seemed to narrow in her blurred vision. Not only that, she sensed footsteps of a different frequency behind her again. But with time pressing, she didn't stop to look back.

　　She almost ran into the classroom. Still, she was five minutes late. As the students saw their teacher take her place, they immediately quieted down.

　　Ling Hanlu scanned the rows. In the familiar second-to-last row, Gu Pan sat next to the girl with bangs. Yet, this time, the girl seemed devoid of her usual mix of pride and humility. When their eyes met, Ling Hanlu even received a sweet smile from her.

　　She didn't quite understand. She twitched her lips into a returned smile. This expression was already her physical limit at this moment.

　　But what truly struck Ling Hanlu differently than usual in this classroom was the person sitting behind Gu Pan, sporting a black fisherman's hat. Indoors, at night, this obviously out-of-place item, along with the footsteps she may or may not have hallucinated downstairs, collectively clouded her thoughts.

　　"Teacher, it's time for class!" the girl near the podium reminded her.

　　The projector flickered to life.

　　Seeing Somerset Maugham displayed on the screen, Gu Pan immediately recalled the conversation with Ling Hanlu about "the ordinary life."

　　"This is clearly a gift for me!" he thought proudly, flashing a big smile at the Hobbit-like figure on the stage, who seemed to have added a personal touch.

　　"What are you laughing at?" Lu Yiting asked, puzzled.

　　"I just feel like laughing," Gu Pan replied, overwhelmed by a sense of being cherished, letting his expression go out of control. His leg couldn't help shaking under the table, his knee accidentally knocking into Lu.

　　"Gu Pan, if you had bumped into me with your leg before, I might have imagined you were flirting with me. But not anymore," Lu Yiting managed her emotions with reason and dignity, feeling grateful. Despite her verbal banter, it was a ground she wasn't ready to abandon easily. "Gu Pan's legs are really nice, long and straight, with just the right amount of hair ..."

　　"Focus! Did you come all this way just to talk nonsense?"

　　"Mind your own business!" Lu Yiting rolled her eyes.

　　At that moment, there was a creak from behind their seats, and the figure in the black fisherman's hat shifted position.

　　Glancing sideways, Gu Pan saw rhythmic tapping of fingers on the table. It was a replay of a scene from several days ago. Gu Pan remembered the elusive figure, moving stealthily and oddly, clearly not just an ordinary listener.

　　Who could this person be? Gu Pan began to wonder, when suddenly he heard a cry from ahead.

　　He suddenly realized Ling Hanlu was missing. The cover of *Theatre* was still on the screen, but the lecturer had vanished from where she stood? Standing up and walking towards the platform, he looked beyond the students already gathered and finally saw Ling Hanlu lying on the ground.

　　Two girls were crouching, trying to wake her. Gu Pan pushed through the crowd to check on her, signaling Lu Yiting, who was following closely, to call for emergency help.

　　3

　　At the Medical University Hospital, doctors diagnosed Ling Hanlu with chronic poisoning based on blood and urine test results, leading to her fainting.

　　For Gu Pan, this was akin to a dark cloud looming overhead. The word "poisoning" instinctively filled him with dread. His first thought was of his own potential fault. Had there been a mistake in the ingredients, seasonings, or cooking method he chose?

　　Seeing his blank expression, Lu Yiting became even more bewildered.

　　The attending physician recommended hospitalization. But for Gu Pan, the anxiety couldn't be assuaged with mere reassurances of "no immediate danger." He persistently questioned what kind of poison it was. The doctor only mentioned, "A scholar accidentally ingesting disinfectant? Quite unusual."

　　"Doctor, can this disinfectant be flushed out? Will there be any long-term effects?" Lu Yiting worriedly asked.

　　"It's rare in China. It should be a very stable disinfectant. A few years ago, I encountered a severe case. Fortunately, the toxin levels in your system aren't too high, so the poisoning isn't deep. Let's observe her in the hospital for a few days."

　　"Are you sure it was ingested orally?" Gu Pan couldn't shake off his concern about the poison entering through the mouth.

　　"Positive."

　　"When will she wake up?"

　　"Tomorrow morning." As the doctor turned away, he glanced at Gu Pan and Lu Yiting, "Family members can wait outside. There's no need to worry excessively."

　　Lu Yiting accompanied Gu Pan, enduring a suffocating half-hour of silence outside the hospital room.

　　Gu Pan buried his head, trying to shut out the surrounding light and noise to find peace. Yet in the darkness, the image of Ling Hanlu on the lecture hall floor with a pale face and fading breath became increasingly vivid. At that moment, he was at a loss, kneeling in confusion as he held the woman by the back of her neck, much like Ling Hanlu had twice rescued fallen female students before.

　　When the ambulance arrived and the woman was lifted, he even quickly felt through the backpack compartments, thinking that the heart-shaped chocolates inside might offer comfort once the patient regained consciousness.

　　But the doctor informed him it was poisoning, not the "lack of appetite" he had speculated causing dizziness.

　　He crossed his arms, silent. Lu Yiting beside him dared not disturb, her head bowed, accompanying him as they waited for dawn.

　　In the emergency room's late night, the crowd remained restless. Gu Pan immersed himself in contemplation. Occasionally looking up, he spotted from afar the figure in a fisherman's hat and large sunglasses. It instantly sharpened his focus, his intuition suggesting something suspicious about this person's unusual appearances in Ling Hanlu's class.

　　He didn't wake Lu Yiting curled up on the bench. He went alone to track the fisherman-hatted figure. Yet that shadow only briefly lingered at the inquiry desk before disappearing without a trace.

　　Agitated and panicked, Gu Pan stood panting outside the hospital ward's entrance. He forcefully spread his arms wide, expanding his chest. Encountering such an utterly bewildering crisis for the first time in his nineteen years of life, he felt frustration and self-blame. Only by fiercely exhaling in the dark, deserted night could he extinguish the fire of agitation burning within his pores.

　　He stood there until dawn broke. His pocket buzzed, momentarily catching him off guard. After hesitating, he pulled out his phone to see a message from Lu Yiting.

　　"Where are you? She's awake!"