Is that man out of his mind?

As the workday drew to a close, Xu Hongxin, unwilling to waste the golden opportunity of his girlfriend working overtime, joined Ma Tao in deciding to play a few rounds of League of Legends at the internet café. They followed behind Lin Pengfei and left first.

Li An and Chen Xuan boarded another elevator soon after.

Inside, they were alone. Chen Xuan asked in a soft voice about Li An’s morning lesson. Li An modestly replied it went alright, then asked about her own class the day before. He’d meant to ask earlier, but since Chen Xuan hadn’t mentioned it after class, he’d held his tongue.

Chen Xuan admitted, “Not so well.”

Li An glanced at her, noticing the shadow of worry on her face. “That’s all?”

Chen Xuan pursed her lips. “Principal Qin didn’t say anything after class, just left.”

A brief silence.

Li An said, “Relax, the important thing is to take part.”

Chen Xuan, a little dissatisfied, retorted, “Is that how you comfort people?”

Li An smiled quietly. “Then tell me, what happened exactly?”

Chen Xuan sighed. “The students were nervous, and I felt a bit uneasy too. There were a few parts I delivered awkwardly.”

Li An murmured in agreement. “Because you felt someone’s eyes on you?”

His words struck a chord. “Yes. How could anyone feel comfortable with him watching?”

Li An replied, “I’m a man, I wouldn’t be afraid of him.”

Chen Xuan persisted, “I’m serious.”

After a moment, Li An offered advice: “You still have four more lessons to go, right? Next time, just face whichever direction the observing teacher sits. Your instrument only needs you to shift the music stand, after all.”

The thought made Chen Xuan feel instantly more at ease, though she quickly spotted a problem. “But what if he comes in after I’ve already started?”

Li An shook his head. “Silly. If he enters and you turn to face him, it shows you respect his presence.”

Suddenly enlightened, Chen Xuan said, “It takes a teacher like you.”

Li An encouraged her, “Keep it up. If you get the premium evaluation, treat us to hotpot.”

Chen Xuan scoffed; in her mind, if anyone in the west office could win such an honor, it would only be Li An. She’d signed up this time just to challenge herself.

‘Elevator has stopped.’

“See you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

Once outside the office building, Chen Xuan waved goodbye to Li An. The conversation in the elevator had lightened her mood considerably. From yesterday after class until just now, she’d felt as if something pressed on her heart.

After the heavy rain, the street was filled with the lingering scent of car exhaust. The evening glow in the sky spread like crimson ink from a haze, dyeing the city’s skyscrapers red.

As usual, she walked home alone, slowly recalling the week. Though the summer term was more exhausting than usual, immersing herself in work felt solid and reassuring. She also found herself growing more relaxed in the office; getting along with her two colleagues was not nearly as difficult as she’d once imagined.

Upon opening her door, her phone rang from her bag.

She answered.

On the other end, the background was noisy. “Xiaomi, what time are you finishing tonight?”

“We didn’t get enough people, so it’s canceled.”

The voice sounded surprised. “Seriously? Even a single beauty like you agreed—who’s being so lazy?”

“Everyone’s got their own business,” Chen Xuan thought of Li An’s innocent face.

“Unlike you, who only knows how to play all day.”

She kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the sofa with the phone.

A chuckle came from the other end. “Then why aren’t you coming to find me?”

Chen Xuan refused, “I’m already home. Maybe another day.”

A pout followed. “We haven’t seen each other in a week, are you still mad at me?”

Chen Xuan paused, then remembered last Saturday’s dinner. If Sun Yuman hadn’t mentioned it, she would have forgotten. “No, I’ve been teaching all day. Spare me, please.”

Sun Yuman persisted, “Come on, it’s all girlfriends tonight. We’re going somewhere fun—apparently the pianist there is really handsome.”

Chen Xuan said dismissively, “Then I wish you success.”

Sun Yuman replied, “Fine, you don’t care anymore. If you don’t come this time, I won’t invite you again. Bye!”

“Bye.”

Chen Xuan slumped on the sofa, feeling she could only truly be herself in this tiny apartment. In truth, she’d always envied Sun Yuman, ever since university—her life seemed endlessly fresh and exciting.

After a rest, she opened the food delivery app and started scrolling. Choosing dinner was her second greatest daily challenge.

Her finger suddenly paused as she scrolled.

“Hmm—”

“You’ll do.”

Order placed.

While waiting for her meal, Chen Xuan showered. By the time she dried her hair, her delivery had arrived.

“Just leave it at the door, thank you.”

Wearing only a nightdress, she couldn’t open the door. She waited until the footsteps outside faded entirely, then opened the door a crack, quickly reached out to grab the food, and closed it immediately.

Sun Yuman had rented her this apartment in a high-end complex; the security was good, but Chen Xuan was always careful.

She unpacked her dinner, and a tangy, spicy aroma filled the room.

The fried instant noodles exceeded all her expectations.

Soon, the plastic container was empty.

“Burp~”

Patting her stomach, she returned to the bedroom.

After dinner, Chen Xuan usually spent her evening lying on the bed, watching dramas and variety shows.

Sometimes she thought Sun Yuman was right—wasting such precious time on trivial things was shameful.

Yet she’d watched “Empresses in the Palace” nearly ten times, and still found it gripping.

She savored once more the scene where Zhen Huan was forced to prove her parentage with blood, and when Consort Qi was banished to the cold palace, she still felt a rush of satisfaction.

Before she knew it, it was past midnight.

Following her routine—first Weibo, then Moments—she scrolled through Weibo and found no juicy gossip, so opened Moments.

Scrolling, she suddenly paused and tapped on a post Sun Yuman had shared half an hour ago.

Her gaze skipped over the eight group photos and food shots, landing directly on the ninth image.

A strange smile appeared on her lips.

The photo’s background was a refined restaurant corner; a man, strikingly similar to Li An, sat at a piano, gazing down at the keys, wearing that familiar smile she knew so well.

For a long time she stared.

“What a peculiar filter.”

So this is what you do at night?

For a moment, she couldn’t quite tell which Li An she truly knew.

In a flash, all the memories of her interactions with Li An over the past two months surged from the depths of her mind.

It was a feeling hard to describe.

At first, Li An struck her as stingy—always meticulous when it came to money.

But thinking back now, the two flowerpots in the office were bought by Ma Tao and Xu Hongxin; the watering can was purchased by Li An a week later; and the tissue boxes in the office seemed to always be supplied by Li An.

Initially, Li An had seemed like a robot whose office was set in a classroom, there only to eat instant noodles and fetch water each day.

Until one day, when Xu Hongxin got into a dispute with a parent, and Li An had been the first to return to the office and mediate.

Had she not overheard, she would never have connected Li An with keeping cats.

How did he interact with them?

Had she not seen it herself, she never would have imagined that the old-fashioned Li An would play piano in a restaurant at night.

What did he play? Chopin? Beethoven?

If she hadn’t come to Yudong, she would have thought only in university practice rooms would she find someone so dedicated to daily piano practice.

Why was he so driven?

If not for Li An, she probably never would have ordered fried instant noodles.

Why did he only eat instant noodles every day?

If Li An really didn’t have a girlfriend—

Right now, she wanted to send Li An a message.

To thank him for those words in the elevator.