Slow to mature after marriage

Meanwhile, on the other side, inside a high-end club.

Bo Yan was listening with great interest to how his brother had been heartbroken by a scumbag woman.

He originally didn't want to come.

On a perfectly good White Valentine's Day, his date with his wife was ruined by a friend who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and to make matters worse, he went out drinking with another man on this day. What kind of nonsense is that?

But Xu Qishan's crying on the phone was truly spectacular.

After recounting the whole story in fits and starts, Bo Yan listened in silence for a moment, realizing that this opportunity to make fun of his brother was now gone forever.

So he put down his work and went out.

Xu Qishan broke up with Lin Qing. The reason was absurd—he discovered that Lin Qing was with him because he looked like her deceased love interest.

This womanizer, who had been through countless romances, suffered such a crushing defeat for the first time, not in love, but because of his own shame.

"She said she loves me," Xu Qishan said, downing a glass of wine, his eyes red enough to bleed, "but she doesn't love me at all, she loves my face, she loves the dead person in her heart."

"I'm not even as important as a dead person?" Xu Qishan slammed his cup on the table, his voice choked. "Brother Yan, tell me, is the 'white moonlight' really that important in a woman's heart?"

Bo Yan leaned back on the sofa, tilted his head back, and downed the whiskey in one gulp. He found it amusing to see his brother acting like he was about to die.

He leisurely took out his phone, turned on the video recording, and pointed it at Xu Qishan's tear-streaked face, speaking in a lazy tone.

"How would I know? I don't have a white moonlight."

Xu Qishan squinted, startled by the camera lens. When he finally saw what the man was doing, he flew into a rage and reached out to snatch the phone. "Do you have any conscience at all—"

Bo Yan raised his hand to dodge it, and with a smile on his lips, continued recording.

Unable to get it, Xu Qishan gave up, flopped onto the sofa, and mumbled, "If you don't have it, you can ask your sister-in-law. Maybe she has it?"

Bo Yan's smile faded slightly.

"Your sister-in-law is even less likely to have one."

He's such a clueless idiot, he probably doesn't even know what liking someone means. How could he possibly have a "white moonlight" (ideal love)?

Seeing his confident look, Xu Qishan was too lazy to argue anymore. He turned over and lay on the sofa, humming.

Listening to Xu Qishan's complaints until exactly 10 p.m., Bo Yan finished his last sip of wine, stood up, picked up his coat, and lost interest.

"That's enough crying, buddy. I don't have time to listen to your sentimental ramblings. I'm leaving."

"Don't go," Xu Qishan said, drunkenly raising his head and grabbing his sleeve. "Stay up all night drinking with me."

Bo Yan brushed his hand away, her tone indifferent. "I have a family, I have a curfew, unlike you—"

He stabbed his brother in the back again, expressionless, "Poor single dog."

Enraged, Xu Qishan stabbed back.

"What are you bragging about? I'll tell you right now—even if you don't come home for three days and three nights, your sister-in-law won't call to check on you even once, do you believe me?"

Bo Yan: "..."

These words really hit him where it hurt.

He believes.

How could he not believe it? He believed it too much.

Bo Yan turned and left expressionlessly, not forgetting to send the video he had just recorded to his brothers' group chat before leaving.

【Bo Yan】: v50 unlocked the real record of a simp breaking through defenses.

[Childhood Friend 1]: I've already missed it and won't look at it anymore.

[Childhood Friend 2]: I've already missed it and won't look at it anymore.

……

When the designated driver parked the car at the entrance of Muyan Garden, it was not yet 10:30.

Bo Yan leaned back in the passenger seat, not moving, and waited patiently for another half hour.

It's 11 p.m.

The car window was half-rolled down, and the night wind blew in, dispelling the last trace of alcohol from Bo Yan's body. He stared at the outline of his house under the streetlights; the light in the bedroom on the second floor was on.

Mu Siwan is still awake.

Bo Yan's Adam's apple bobbed as he recalled Xu Qishan's words—"Even if you don't go home for three days and three nights, your sister-in-law won't call to ask about you."

He took out his phone and glanced at it. The screen was clean; there were no missed calls or messages. She didn't ask him when he would be back, nor did she ask him why he wasn't home so late.

Mingming is still awake.

Bo Yan stared at the clean screen, ran his fingers along the edge of the phone a couple of times, and then tossed it back into his pocket.

-

Mu Siwan returned to Muyan Garden at around 8 p.m.

She washed the pair of porcelain cups clean and placed them on the drainer. Both cups were decorated with snakes and bones, one blue and one pink, with the snake tails hooked together to form a heart shape.

Mu Siwan stared at it for a while, then turned around and went to the refrigerator to get a drink.

The refrigerator was crammed full. Juice, sparkling water, milk, beer, and mint-flavored drinks took up half a shelf, all of which Bo Yan added later.

She didn't drink these things much before; the refrigerator was empty except for a few boxes of yogurt that Aunt Chen had left.

When she opened the door, she realized that the refrigerator was already full of Bo Yan's things without her noticing.

Mu Siwan's finger slid across a row of drinks, finally stopping on the mint-flavored milk beer in the corner.

I've never seen this brand before; it's probably something Bo Yan just bought.

She took it out, pulled the tab, and poured it into the pink cup. White foam rose up and slowly subsided, the coolness of mint mixed with the aroma of milk spreading in the air.

Mu Siwan took her cup, walked to the sofa, sat down cross-legged, turned on her computer, and began working on the PPT for tomorrow's forensic publicity meeting.

The living room was quiet, with only the sound of the keyboard clicking away.

Mu Siwan occasionally took a sip of milk beer; the cool mint flavor slid down her throat, subtle, neither sweet nor harsh.

Moreover, the mint flavor is indeed refreshing and invigorating.

No wonder Bo Yan likes to drink it so much.

After finishing the PPT, Mu Siwan glanced at the time and realized it was almost 10:30.

Bo Yan has not returned yet.

After rinsing the cups clean, Mu Siwan put the pink one back on the drain rack.

Two cups are placed side by side on the shelf, their snake tails hooked together, with a gap in the middle and a missing corner of the heart shape.

She stared at them for a while, then reached out and pulled the two cups together.

They leaned against each other.

The snake's tail hooked in perfectly, completing the heart shape.

-

When Mu Siwan came out of the shower, the clock had already struck eleven.

Bo Yan used to go out with friends on weekends, but she would always be back by 10 PM at the latest. She wouldn't stay this late. She held her phone, her fingertip hovering above the screen, hesitant to press the button. She bit her lip and put the phone down—they had agreed not to interfere with each other. Calling her now wouldn't be appropriate.

But... what if something happens to him?

Before she could react, her phone vibrated. Bo Yan's name appeared on the screen. Mu Siwan answered, but there was silence on the other end, only the sound of breathing, one breath after another. She spoke first.

"Thin inkstone".

"Um."

"Aren't you coming back tonight?"

"Yes, I'm back." His voice was muffled. "You're still awake?"

"not yet."

"Then come down and open the door for me," he said in a light, airy voice. "I can't open it."