At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

Despite the danger, Su Che gritted his teeth and nodded hesitantly.

"make a deal."

"OK, let's go."

Ning Ye turned aside, letting him leave.

He had barely left when Yuan Xiao, carrying a small schoolbag, came up and looked at his back with great curiosity.

"Ningning! What were you and him talking about just now?"

"..."

"Why did he just leave me like that? Doesn't he want me anymore?"

The child's pitiful words stirred Ning Ye's maternal instincts, making her quite reluctant to let go, so she smiled and said:

"Xiao Su is going out to meet clients today, which basically means she'll be going to their homes to drink with them. So I'll take you home later, I'll drive you right to your door."

"No, no! I want to go with A-Che!"

Yuan Xiao almost burst into tears after hearing this, feeling that her master hadn't even told her, and wondered if he disliked her.

But then I thought, he must have something on his mind and be unhappy today, so I could understand.

So she pursed her lips, slung her bag over her shoulder, and decided to go home by herself, without asking Ningning to take her.

Seeing this, Ning Ye couldn't stand it any longer. A brilliant idea flashed through his mind, and he hardened his heart and said, "Here's what we'll do, Xiao Yuan, come with me, and I'll take you to find him."

She can't stand seeing children cry, especially innocent and adorable little girls.

Yuan Xiao is such a lovable little guy, besides Su Che, anyone who dares to touch her will be chopped up by her.

"what?"

Yuan Xiao didn't quite understand. "Isn't he supposed to be seeing someone else? How are we supposed to find him? It wouldn't be good to bother him."

"Do not."

Ning Ye put away his e-cigarette and took out a set of car keys from his pocket: "Let's follow him and see where he goes."

"!"

"After all, monitoring employees' attendance is a right of the boss, isn't it?"

"Good good!"

Yuan Xiao stopped in her tracks, her eyes shining.

Now, the two have reached an agreement.

She obediently followed Ning Ye downstairs.

The shop was nearly empty, and even fewer customers were coming in.

-

……

At the corner of the entrance, on one side of the honeycomb storage cabinet.

Jiang Nai carried her zither and waited for Su Che to appear.

All the drinks were prepared, and the house was specially decorated, inspired by the interior design of a couple's double room.

This is a rare opportunity, and tonight's plan is clear: either get him drunk or sleep with him.

There's no way you can run away. Even if you insist on going home, you have to finish your business first before you leave.

Jiang Nai reviewed the plan in her mind again, and after confirming that everything was correct, she took out her lipstick and applied another layer of fresh lipstick to her lips.

Before long, Su Che appeared in the darkness.

"How long have you been waiting?"

A familiar voice came from inside.

Jiang Nai's face tightened, but she quickly changed to a smile: "Not long ago, I just arrived."

"Don't be nervous, I'm off work now. So, where are you going?"

Su Che, carrying a shoulder bag, asked casually.

"We agreed to go to my house, which is nearby and just a short walk away."

Jiang Nai stepped forward and examined his face closely, then noticed something was wrong.

Are you feeling down? Are you... unhappy today?

She thought that he was unhappy because she had forced him to go on the date.

He simply shook his head, too exhausted to even explain: "I've been like this lately, don't worry about it."

"what……"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nai felt immense pressure.

I don't know how to help him resolve his emotional issues.

"Are you busy with band matters?"

She took his arm and they talked as they walked.

"Sort of, but not really. Because essentially, what I'm doing right now makes me very confused; I don't know if it's meaningful at all."

This left me exhausted, unable to sleep well, unable to practice the piano effectively, and even almost losing the desire to express myself. I felt this was wrong.

For once, Su Che showed a pained expression.

"Xiao Che..."

Jiang Nai felt heartbroken, because this was the first time he had shown her his vulnerable side.

In this situation, all desires are extinguished as if doused with ice water.

All she could think about was how to help him share some of the pressure and make him feel less pain.

Is there anything I can do for you?

"You're already helping me."

Su Che looked into the darkness ahead and followed her. "You're helping me take care of Gu Zhi, so you're already helping. And you're helping a lot."

"Yeah……"

Jiang Nai recalled the unpleasant experience in class and felt somewhat guilty.

Regardless of whether he had shared all his essential knowledge, Gu Zhi's rebellious nature alone made it difficult to say that his hard work had any effect.

After thinking about it, she decided to help him analyze the problem from its root.

"If the band is the source of unhappiness, then Xiao Che should just not play in a band."

Suddenly, she said something that made him pause slightly.

"Not playing?"

"Yes, I've heard that if something causes you pain, you should cut it off completely and stay away from it to prevent further suffering. This can be considered a form of emotional 'damage control.'"

She used herself as an example:

"I used to like recording videos, and I would record a lot of my favorite songs and nice tunes and post them online. But apart from you praising me often, most people criticize me, and they don't criticize my piano skills, they only criticize my figure."

Hehe, you probably don't know, but I deleted all those comments and blocked all those people, that's why you can't see them. But actually, my account has been constantly bombarded with personal attacks.

"..."

"Until one day, you left me and stopped paying attention to me. And I was still being insulted and mocked by those people... At that moment, I finally understood—"

I choose to give up recording.

I'm not recording anymore.

I distanced myself from things that made me unhappy.

They were sources of anxiety; I cut them off, so I'm less anxious now.

"what…"

Su Che listened intently.

After all, it's easy to imagine how Nana was cyberbullied back then.

An out-of-shape figure, a socially anxious personality, unfiltered candid shots, expensive musical instruments...

She was completely different back then compared to now.

Like mortals before entering the immortal realm and becoming fairies.

The most primitive mortals.

"Xiao Che, I think you seem to have fallen into a similar misconception."

Jiang Nai gently comforted him in his ear:

"You look very tired, perhaps not physically, but mentally. This fatigue may stem from interpersonal relationships or the enormous pressure you put on yourself."

"... "

"I guess you and I are both people who have extremely high standards for ourselves."

"Ah."

"You don't want to see your cowardly self, and you're even less willing to admit that you're just an ordinary person in the crowd."

You used to want to express a lot, but after experiencing certain setbacks, that desire to express yourself has become less and less, even almost nonexistent. This is what caused your panic, and your anxiety to the point of making you sick. Am I right?

"Um……"

Su Che nodded and stopped walking.

He agreed with Jiang Nai's words.

"I can barely walk anymore."

He said weakly.

"Ah...do you need me to help you?"