The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

Chen Zhiyi didn't say much all morning.

Zhang Guifang was busy in the kitchen preparing lunch.

The guest room door remained closed.

Pei Ningxue didn't come out all morning, as if she didn't exist in the room at all.

At 11 o'clock, Chen Zhi sat on the sofa and turned on his phone for the sixth time.

Twenty minutes ago, Lin Wanwan posted a selfie on the high-speed train, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, holding a cup of milk tea, with the caption: 【Almost there!!!】

Chen Zhi replied with an "Mm" and locked the screen.

He stood up and walked to the door of the guest room.

After hesitating for two seconds, I raised my hand and tapped it.

Pei Ningxue.

It was quiet inside for a while.

"What is it?"

"I'm going out for a bit; I need to pick someone up this afternoon."

Chen Zhi added, "The two families will have dinner tonight at a hotel, not at home."

There was no response from the other side of the door.

Chen Zhi waited for five or six seconds, then turned and left.

As she passed the kitchen, Zhang Guifang tossed out a remark without even looking up.

"When are you leaving?"

"1:30."

"Then have lunch before you leave."

"I'm not very hungry—"

"Eat what I tell you to eat."

Chen Zhi obediently returned to the dining table and sat down.

Zhang Guifang brought out two bowls of noodles, placing one in front of Chen Zhi and holding the other herself. She hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the guest room.

"Xiao Pei, come out and have a bowl of noodles."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough to carry.

The guest room door opened.

Pei Ningxue walked out, her hair neatly tied up, her face expressionless, revealing no emotion.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Zhang Guifang brought out another bowl from the kitchen and placed it on the table, along with chopsticks.

The three people sat around the table eating noodles, and none of them spoke.

The only sound was the chopsticks touching the rim of the bowl.

Chen Zhi took a couple of bites, then looked up and stole a glance at Pei Ningxue.

She kept her head down, eating slowly and deliberately, without any expression.

Zhang Guifang was also stealing glances at her.

Each of the three was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and it took them nearly twenty minutes to finish a bowl of noodles.

Chen Zhi put down his chopsticks, took the bowl into the kitchen to wash it, and then came back to pick up his coat from the sofa.

"Mom, I'm leaving."

"Um."

He glanced at Pei Ningxue again.

Pei Ningxue held the bowl without even raising her head.

Chen Zhi opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, opened the door and went out.

In July, Jiangcheng was as hot as a steamer. Chen Zhi stood at the entrance of his residential compound, hailed a taxi, and gave the address of the high-speed rail station.

In the car, he stared at his phone, scrolling through Lin Wanwan's messages from top to bottom.

Every word Lin Wanwan posts is sweet.

"Honey, I'm getting in the car!"

[Husband, the high-speed train is so fast!]

Honey, I bought a blind box, guess what it is!

[Honey, what are you doing? Why aren't you answering me?]

[Fine, you're probably sleeping in, hmph.]

The last one was from ten minutes ago.

[Almost there! Almost there! Almost there!]

Chen Zhi held his phone, leaned back in his seat, and felt a strange sense of unease.

When he arrived at the high-speed rail station, it wasn't time yet, so Chen Zhi found a pillar outside the exit and leaned against it to wait.

One fifty-eight.

The train's arrival announcement came on.

The electronic screen at the exit swiped, and trains starting with G turned green.

People started pouring out.

A middle-aged man dragging a suitcase, a group of students who looked like they were on summer vacation, some holding up their phones looking for someone to pick them up, and others walking quickly forward while talking on the phone.

Chen Zhi tiptoed.

Then he saw it.

A girl in a black and white sailor uniform walked out of the crowd, dragging a suitcase.

Her bangs were freshly permed and fluffy, and two small braids hung in front of her, draped over her chest. She had a small nose and almond-shaped eyes that were slightly narrowed, as if the sunlight was shining through them.

She has a cool and sweet demeanor, quite different from her usual cheerful self on variety shows.

The wheels of her suitcase rolled on the ground with a "gurgling" sound. She tilted her head and looked around, one hand shielding her forehead from the sun.

Then she saw Chen Zhi.

Liu Hai's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Chen Zhi!"

The suitcase was loosened, and the wheels were still sliding forward due to inertia.

Lin Wanwan jogged over, jumped two steps away from him, and threw herself into his arms.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and her chin rested on his shoulder.

"I don't know Chen Zhi."

Chen Zhi put one arm around her waist and used the other to catch her suitcase that almost tipped over.

Please don't ask questions you already know the answers to.

Lin Wanwan lifted her head from his shoulder, putting on an innocent expression.

"But I don't know."

I missed you so much.

Hehe~

She heard the four words she wanted, and her whole demeanor brightened. When she loosened her arms, her lips curled up high, and she tugged at Chen Zhi's sleeve, shaking it back and forth.

"Do I look good today?"

"nice."

"You didn't even look carefully!"

"I've seen it."

"What are you looking at?"

"Your bangs are newly permed, your braids are newly braided, your skirt is new, and your shoes are new, but you are old."

Lin Wanwan paused for a second, then punched him.

"What do you mean I'm old!"

"Childhood sweethearts are only valuable if they're old."

These words immediately appeased Lin Wanwan, and her fists that were meant to punch him turned into tugging at his sleeves as she walked out, hanging on his arm.

Chen Zhi helped her drag her suitcase, and the two of them walked out of the station hall.

A wave of heat hit us.

Lin Wanwan exclaimed "Wow!" and fanned herself with her hand.

"It's so hot in Jiangcheng! Even Beijing isn't this hot."

"Yeah, you'll have to get used to it once you're back."

"Let's go, let's go," Lin Wanwan grabbed Chen Zhi's arm and pulled him towards the taxi stand. "I haven't seen Auntie in so long, I want to go back and see her."

Chen Zhi paused for a moment.

I broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

Pei Ningxue is still at home.

If he takes Lin Wanwan back now, the moment he opens the door, his life is over.

"Why don't you go back to your own home and check on things first?"

Chen Zhi tried his best to sound as natural as possible.

"Chen Zhi, let's go home first. I miss Auntie."

"Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin will be furious when they hear this. The first thing you do when you come back is not to see your parents."

Lin Wanwan snorted, her little braids swaying slightly.

"My parents aren't that petty, hmph~"

"You should go back and put your luggage down first. What kind of behavior is it to drag a suitcase to my house?"

Chen Zhi himself found this reason weak, but Lin Wanwan thought about it and it seemed to make sense.

"Okay, okay, let's go back to my place first, you can come with me!"

"OK."

Chen Zhi felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

First, go back to the Lin family home, drop off your luggage, and chat with Uncle and Aunt Lin for an hour or two. Then, go directly to the hotel for dinner at 6:30 pm, without going back to your own home at all.

As long as Lin Wanwan doesn't step into the Chen family's house today, Pei Ningxue's side won't be exposed.

At least not tonight.

He hailed a taxi and gave them the address of the old neighborhood.

After the car started moving, Lin Wanwan leaned on his shoulder and chattered on and on about the fun things that happened while filming the variety show, the scenery she saw on the way, and what new jobs Su Man had gotten for her.

Chen Zhi responded with "uh-huh" and "yeah," his mind racing with strategic planning.

The dinner at the hotel that evening was attended by both families: Lin Shuxian, Lin Jing, his parents, himself, and Lin Wanwan, a total of six people.

Pei Ningxue cannot appear at that dinner table.

But it wasn't right for Pei Ningxue to stay home all night; the atmosphere would be terrible once his mother got back...

Chen Zhi rubbed his temples.

"What's wrong with you?" Lin Wanwan tilted her head to look at him.

"It's okay, it's just a little hot."

"Turn on the air conditioner."

Lin Wanwan reached out and turned up the car's air conditioning by two levels, and the cold air blew in.

As the car turned into the residential area, Lin Wanwan leaned out the window to look outside.

"Wow, that tree has grown so tall!"

"We were about the same height as you when we were in junior high school."

"How do you remember everything?"

"I don't remember who does."

Lin Wanwan smiled, her two dimples sinking in.

The car was parked downstairs at the apartment building.

Chen Zhi helped her carry her suitcase down, and the two walked into the stairwell.

As Lin Wanwan passed by Chen Zhi's house, she glanced in that direction.

"Let's go see Auntie first—"

"Let's go home first."

Chen Zhi grabbed her sleeve, quickened his pace, and dragged his suitcase directly into the Lin family home.

Lin Wanwan was led by him up two steps, panting heavily.

"What's your rush!"

Chen Zhi didn't answer, but reached out and pressed the Lin family's doorbell.

The door opened.

Lin Jing stood at the door, dressed in her home clothes, her smile not yet fully blooming.

"Wanwan!"

"mom!"

Lin Wanwan released Chen Zhi's hand and buried her head in Lin Jing's arms.

Lin Jing hugged her daughter, her eyes immediately reddening, and she stroked the back of her daughter's head.

"You've lost weight, you've lost a lot of weight."

"No, Mom, I've actually gained weight."

"What do you mean 'fat'? Your face is all pointy now."

Lin Wanwan snuggled against her mother, acting all cute and completely different from the up-and-coming singer who dominates the stage.

Chen Zhi pushed his suitcase through the door and stood in the entryway.

"Chen Zhi is here." Lin Jing looked up and smiled when she saw him. "Come in quickly, your Uncle Lin went out to buy something, he'll be back in a bit."

"Aunt Lin."

Chen Zhi changed his shoes and went inside, sitting down on the sofa in the living room.

The Lin family's living room was a bit bigger and newer than his. There were sliced ​​watermelon and several cans of drinks on the coffee table.

Lin Wanwan was already sitting on another sofa with her mother in her arms. The two of them were whispering to each other with their heads close together, and Lin Wanwan's laughter could be heard from time to time.

Chen Zhi leaned back on the sofa and picked up a slice of watermelon.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

He glanced down at it.

Pei Ningxue.

Only two words.

What time will you be back?

Chen Zhi gripped his phone, his thumb hovering above the screen.

Lin Wanwan's laughter came from the side, clear and sweet.

Just as he was about to reply, he heard the sound of a key turning in the doorway.

The door opened.

Lin Shuxian walked in carrying two large bags of things. When he saw Chen Zhi in the living room, he was stunned for a moment, and then he grinned.

"Oh, Chen Zhi is back?"

"Uncle Lin."

"Good lad, you look more like a grown-up now."

Lin Shuxian put the things in the kitchen, walked over and patted Chen Zhi on the shoulder twice, with considerable force.

"You're doing pretty well in Beijing, aren't you?"

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

It's easy to find out that Pei Ningxue is the CFO of Deep Space Technology.

"What did my dad brag about to you?"

"He said you set up a company in Beijing, doing some kind of high-tech business, but he couldn't explain the specifics, anyway, he said it was awesome."

Lin Shuxian sat casually on the sofa, picked up a watermelon and took a big bite.

"Well done, kid. You've got some ambition. But you're not allowed to bully Wanwan anymore."

Lin Wanwan blushed.

"Dad, what are you saying!"

"What did I say? Do you still need to hide your relationship with Chen Zhi? Everyone in the neighborhood knows about you two since we were kids."

Lin Jing, standing nearby, chuckled and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, stop making fun of the kids."

Chen Zhi sat on the sofa, watching Lin Shuxian's smiling face, watching Lin Jing gently wiping the sweat from Lin Wanwan's head, and watching Lin Wanwan happily swinging her legs back and forth.

The feeling of unease in my heart intensified.

These two families have been neighbors for almost twenty years.

It's precisely because we're so familiar with each other that I feel guilty.

And what he's doing now—

Pei Ningxue sent another message.

Your mom just came in and told me she won't be home for dinner tonight, and that I should heat up the food in the fridge myself.

After a two-second pause, the third one followed.

So, I'm going to eat leftovers alone in your guest room tonight?

"Chen Zhi, have some watermelon." Lin Jing handed him a slice of watermelon.

"Thank you, Auntie."

He took the watermelon, and with his other hand, he flipped his phone over and placed it face down on his lap.

Lin Wanwan hopped over and sat next to him, tilting her head and leaning closer.

"What are you looking at?"

"Didn't see anything, just work-related messages."

"Tch, still working even after getting home."

Lin Wanwan took a slice of watermelon from his hand, took a bite, and without spitting out the seeds, sprayed them directly onto the coffee table with a "pfft".

"Eat slowly."

"hey-hey."

Lin Shuxian looked at the two of them from across the room, exchanged a glance with Lin Jing, and the couple both smiled.

Chen Zhi was also smiling.

But the screen of his phone, which was resting on his lap, lit up again.

Pei Ningxue sent another message.

Chen Zhi, I hate you.