Since we are all reborn, let’s arrest the senior!

On the first weekend after autumn, the morning light shone through the blinds and wove a golden grid on the floor.

Lu Mingze was awakened by the hum of the coffee machine, and a faint, bitter smell wafted into his nostrils.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked toward the kitchen, his steps suddenly stopping in front of the glass sliding door—Jiang Yun was leaning against the refrigerator, the cold light from her phone screen making the dark circles under her eyes even more obvious, and the force with which she gripped the coffee cup caused fine mist to rise on the cup, like dewdrops condensed from her deliberately suppressed emotions.

"Is it about work?" He reached out to take the mug that was trembling slightly in her palm, but his well-defined fingers brushed against her cold fingertips. Jiang Yun suddenly turned to avoid him, the bottom of the ceramic mug clinking against the table, splashing a few drops of dark brown coffee that seeped into the beige marble, much like the panic she was trying to hide.

"It's just a minor issue." She turned her phone upside down on the table, revealing a group photo of the pottery studio on the back. In the photo, the two people were smiling broadly, with clay splattered on Jiang Yun's nose, and Lu Mingze was reaching out to wipe it off for her.

Before he could finish speaking, his phone vibrated again. The moment the screen lit up, Lu Mingze caught a glimpse of the three words "Lin Zhixia" flashing in the contact name bar.

The name was like a tiny thorn, gently pricking his heart.

Lin Zhixia is a newly hired overseas-trained designer at Jiang Yun's studio. Her short, neat hair is always dyed with highlights of silver-gray, and her design drafts, which always appear in the company group chat, are characterized by bold lines. Recently, they've been frequently working overtime to discuss plans. Last week, Jiang Yun even missed her anniversary dinner with Lu Mingze because she was helping Lin Zhixia revise her designs. At that time, he was sitting with his cold steak, looking at the "sorry" message Jiang Yun sent him on his phone, accompanied by a picture of neon lights blurred into hazy spots in the rain outside the office window late at night.

"Mingze, I have to go to the studio today." Jiang Yun hurriedly buttoned up her camel cashmere coat, her pearl earrings swaying gently with the movement. They were a gift that Lu Mingze had specially brought back from his business trip to Japan last year.

“The client suddenly asked for the proposal to be submitted ahead of schedule, and Zhixia can’t handle it alone.” As she bent down to change her shoes, her scarf slipped down, revealing a section of her fair neck. Lu Mingze noticed that there was still half a dried ginkgo leaf stuck below her collarbone. He wondered if it had fallen on her shoulder while she was working overtime last night, or if it was some unspoken secret.

A hurried slam of the door slammed shut from the entryway, causing the couple's photo on the wall to sway slightly. Sitting alone at the dining table, Lu Mingze stared at the cold fried egg, its yolk solidified into a dull shape, much like the empty room at that moment.

My phone vibrated at just the right moment. It was a message from Jiang Yun: "Don't wait for me to eat. I might be home very late." The accompanying picture was of Lin Zhixia yawning while lying on a design drawing. Their heads were close to the screen, and Lin Zhixia's silver-gray hair was almost brushing against Jiang Yun's cheek. The scene was so intimate it was almost jarring.

In the days that followed, this scene became the norm. Jiang Yun's phone accumulated more and more photos of them together: Lin Zhixia tiptoeing to tidy her messy hair, the two sharing oden at a convenience store late at night, Lin Zhixia using a bamboo skewer to pick up fish cakes and feed them to Jiang Yun amidst the steam; there was even a selfie of Lin Zhixia holding Jiang Yun's arm, with an office building in the background at three in the morning, the city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows resembling a dazzling yet cold galaxy.

As Lu Mingze counted these photos, looking through them late at night, he always felt that the smiles in the photos were much brighter than Jiang Yun's in his memory, and a sour ripple rose in his heart, like the calm of a lake in late autumn being broken by withered leaves.

Late that night, when familiar footsteps echoed in the hallway, the clock hands had already struck two in the morning. Jiang Yun, shivering with cold, pushed open the door and entered. Fine raindrops clung to her cashmere coat, and water droplets from her hair left dark stains on the entryway carpet.

She stood there, stunned—the living room was bathed in the warm glow of a table lamp. Lu Mingze was curled up on the sofa, a well-worn photo album spread out on his lap. The photos in the transparent plastic bag were slightly fuzzy from frequent handling. They were photos of them in the pottery studio: Jiang Yun teaching him how to throw clay, splattering clay onto her apron, the two of them laughing so hard they almost fell over; Lu Mingze drawing a crooked little bear on a coffee cup with colored pencils, Jiang Yun resting her chin on her hand and chuckling to herself.

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Jiang Yun looked away guiltily, her gaze sweeping over the cooled honey water on the coffee table, the water droplets condensed on the glass slowly sliding down the side of the glass.

Lu Mingze remained silent for a long time, his fingertips tracing the photo of the apron stained with clay, and asked softly, "Are you happier with her than with me?"

The air seemed to freeze. Jiang Yun opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was blocked by the wet clay in the studio. Her phone rang abruptly, Lin Zhixia's name flashing on the screen, accompanied by her signature cheerful ringtone.

Lu Mingze watched her softened tone as she answered the phone, and saw the gentle smile on her face as she looked at the screen. Suddenly, he got up and walked to the balcony. The autumn wind made his eyes sting, and the ginkgo leaves below swirled and fell, much like his chaotic emotions at that moment. Rain slanted in, dampening his thin pajamas, but it couldn't compare to the chill spreading through his heart.

The next morning, Jiang Yun found a note on her pillow: "I'm going to stay at a friend's house for a few days. You work hard." The handwriting was unusually messy, and the last stroke of the character "作" was torn by the back of the paper.

She rushed to the living room clutching the note, only to find neatly arranged medicine boxes on the kitchen counter—the vitamins she always forgot to take—and a sticky note held to the refrigerator by a magnet: Eat on time, stomach medicine is in the second drawer.

Lin Zhixia keenly sensed Jiang Yun's absent-mindedness.

The short-haired girl, carrying a stack of design drafts, suddenly approached Jiang Yun, her silver-gray highlighted hair brushing against Jiang Yun's arm: "Sister Xiaoyun, you look terrible. Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

Just as Jiang Yun was about to deny it, a message from Lu Mingze popped up on her phone: "8 PM, see you at the usual place." The accompanying picture was of their usual coffee shop, with faded Halloween pumpkin stickers on the window, which they had put up together last year.

As the setting sun bathed the café's windows in amber light, Lu Mingze was already waiting in the corner. A layer of cream had formed on his cappuccino, and the coffee spoon rested askew on the saucer, casting a long, thin shadow. He was staring blankly at his phone's photo album; the screen displayed a picture he had secretly taken of Jiang Yun's profile as she made a wish on her birthday last year, the candlelight casting butterfly-wing-like shadows on her eyelashes.

"I'm sorry." Jiang Yun sat down, stirring up a gust of wind. Raindrops still clung to the ends of her hair, and a few ginkgo leaf fragments clung to the hem of her cashmere coat. She stared at the dark circles under Lu Mingze's eyes and suddenly noticed that he was still wearing their ring on his left ring finger, the platinum band worn smooth and slightly shiny by life's wear. "I've been..."

“Zhixia is a lot like you when you were young,” Lu Mingze suddenly said, his voice so calm it was unsettling. He swirled his coffee cup, watching the foam leave its trail on the sides. “Full of passion, with a sparkle in your eyes, so you wanted to pass on all your experience to her, just like your mentors used to guide you, right?” Jiang Yun froze. Indeed, Lin Zhixia reminded her of herself when she first arrived in this city. Seven years ago, in late autumn, she stood downstairs at the studio, dragging her suitcase, the ginkgo leaves falling like this. The design director at the time had patiently taught her how to sculpt with clay, quietly brewing goji berry tea while she stayed up all night revising designs. The Lin Zhixia of today, with that pure love for design, was just like herself back then. She had never imagined that this care, born of a appreciation for talent, would make Lu Mingze so uneasy.

“I was wrong.” She reached out and grasped Lu Mingze’s cold hand, her fingertips touching the faint scar on his thumb—it was from when he was cutting himself with a tool while protecting her design last year when they were making pottery together. “I was only focused on finding a sense of accomplishment at work, but I forgot that the most important person was by my side. After Zhixia found out about us, she laughed at me yesterday, saying I was an idiot and that I should have had a proper talk with you a long time ago.”

Outside the window, the rain had stopped sometime earlier.

Lu Mingze took out his phone, and a new photo appeared in his album: Lin Zhixia, wearing a comical chef's hat, was frantically making a birthday cake for Jiang Yun, with cream smeared everywhere and chocolate sauce on her nose. The caption read: "Future design director, first learn not to mistake salt for sugar."

“Actually, Zhixia came to see me yesterday.” Lu Mingze chuckled, the light from his phone screen illuminating the tenderness in his eyes. “She said she finally understands why you always mention me, and that if I dare to bully you, she’ll be the first to object.” As he spoke, he opened the chat history, still listening to the long voice message from Lin Zhixia: “Brother Lu! Sister Xiaoyun has been under a lot of pressure lately, please be understanding! I’ll treat you to dinner tomorrow to make up for it!”

Jiang Yun smiled through her tears, though tears still clung to the corners of her eyes. Lu Mingze stood up, walked around the table, and gently pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. The familiar scent of lavender shampoo mixed with the aroma of coffee reminded her of countless mornings spent embracing each other.

"No matter how busy we are in the future, we must set aside time for each other, okay?" His voice rang out above her head, filled with unwavering determination.

On her way home, ginkgo leaves carpeted the streets, shimmering golden under the streetlights. Jiang Yun suddenly remembered something, pulled out her phone, and texted Lin Zhixia: "Tomorrow's the weekend, want to come over for dinner? A gentleman would like to formally meet our future design director."

She quickly received a reply, an eye-rolling emoji followed by a long string of voice messages: "You should have said so earlier! I brought back cheese from France! Also, if Brother Lu's cooking isn't as good as mine, I won't accept it!" She also attached a selfie, with Lin Zhixia holding up a bear apron she'd somehow found, her short hair tied in two little buns, and her expression exaggerated.

Lu Mingze leaned over to look, then snatched the phone with a laugh: "This little girl, trying to get me drunk? Tomorrow I'll show her my sweet and sour pork ribs!" His finger swiped across the screen of Lin Zhixia's funny photos, his tone filled with brotherly affection.

As night deepened, the two walked hand in hand under the streetlights, their shadows stretched long. Jiang Yun leaned on Lu Mingze's shoulder and suddenly realized that perhaps life is like this—occasionally there are little hiccups, and misunderstandings arise because of caring too much. But as long as you're willing to stop and listen to each other's hearts, even the deepest estrangement can be transformed into a gentle smile.

Lin Zhixia's appearance did not become a barrier; instead, it made them cherish each other even more, allowing their love to shine even brighter with the passage of time.

Back home, Lu Mingze tied on the apron printed with teddy bears and hummed an off-key tune as he began preparing ingredients for tomorrow.

Jiang Yun wrapped her arms around him from behind, her nose rubbing against his warm back: "From now on, I'm going to make up for all the anniversaries we missed."

"Okay." Lu Mingze turned around and kissed her forehead. "But let's make it clear first, next time I bring my little apprentice home, I want to have a competition with her to see who can draw the cutest teddy bear."

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains into the bedroom, casting a soft glow at the foot of the bed. Jiang Yun woke to the sound of Lu Mingze's even breathing. Turning her head, she saw a glass of warm water beside her pillow, with a note underneath. The familiar handwriting read: "Breakfast is in the thermos. Remember to drink millet porridge." She sat up, clutching the note, her gaze falling on a framed photo of the two of them on the bedside table—a picture taken in a pottery studio, Lu Mingze with clay on his nose, and her eyes crinkling with laughter.

In the kitchen, a stainless steel steamer was steaming, and the millet porridge in the insulated pot was still bubbling away. Lu Mingze, wearing a bear apron, was tiptoeing to take a blue-and-white porcelain plate from the wall cabinet. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and smiled, "Awake? Today I'm going to show off my specialty." He pointed to the neatly arranged ingredients on the cutting board, the fresh ribs glistening with a pinkish sheen, and the ginger sliced ​​into even, thin slices beside them. "Sweet and sour ribs, I guarantee they'll be more popular than the cheese Lin Zhixia brought."

Jiang Yun leaned against the doorframe, watching him diligently prepare the ingredients, and suddenly realized how much she had neglected him lately. Every weekend before, they would go to the market together to choose ingredients; she would pick out the freshest vegetables, while he focused on the quality of the meat, and they would even buy a bouquet of flowers on the way home. But recently, those times had been filled with overtime work.

"Mingze." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "No matter how busy we are from now on, we should have breakfast together."

Lu Mingze turned off the stove, turned around and hugged her, gently rubbing his chin against the top of her head: "It's a promise, I'll still be your personal taste tester." He picked up a carrot and carefully carved a small flower with a carving knife, "Just like now, you see, even the most ordinary ingredients can be transformed into something beautiful."

Around noon, the doorbell rang. Lin Zhixia stood outside, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box in her arms. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and the silver-gray highlights were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight. "Brother Lu, Sister Xiaoyun! I brought French blue cheese and homemade canelés!" She shook the paper bag in her hand, her eyes sparkling. "But smelling this aroma, I guess my cheese is going to be out of favor."

On the table, the sweet and sour pork ribs were a glossy red, the thick sauce coating the ribs; the steamed sea bass was drizzled with hot oil, and the scallions unfurled in the steam; there was also a plate of vibrant green garlic broccoli, garnished with goji berries. Lin Zhixia picked up a piece of rib, took a bite, and exclaimed with satisfaction, "Brother Lu, with your cooking skills, it's a shame you're not opening a restaurant!"

Lu Mingze smiled and added a piece of meat to Jiang Yun's bowl: "Eat more, you've lost weight recently." His actions were natural and affectionate, making Lin Zhixia tease him: "Oh dear, I'm such a third wheel, I've already eaten my fill of dog food."

After dinner, the three sat on the bay window drinking tea. Lin Zhixia took out cheese from the gift box, and its rich aroma instantly filled the air. "Try it, I bought this from a century-old shop in France." She cut off a small piece and handed it to Jiang Yun, "Sister Xiaoyun, I've always really admired you."

(End of this chapter)