Xiu Gou's Taming Record

Qin Lu looked at him, her eyes showing even deeper weariness.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she swallowed it back.

"Never mind." She stood up. "I'll go see how Qin Ya's tidying up is going."

Yu Heng also stood up.

As Qin Lu walked past him, he smelled a faint scent of smoke.

It wasn't the scent of her usual perfume, nor was it the scent of coffee.

It smells like smoke.

Yu Heng narrowed his eyes.

Qin Lu's steps were a little unsteady as she went upstairs, and she held onto the stair railing.

Yu Heng watched her retreating figure, his mind starting to race again.

My makeup is smudged, my eyes are red, my clothes are dirty, and my stockings are snagged.

He smelled of smoke and had red marks on his wrists.

This is...

Could they have actually done it?

Did they fight?

or……

Driving while working?

Yu Heng was amused by his own thought and shook his head.

Qin Ya's voice came from upstairs: "Mom, wait a minute! My backpack zipper is stuck!"

Yu Heng sat back down on the sofa and picked up his phone to check the time.

4:20.

He opened WeChat and saw a message Ning Yutong had sent a few minutes earlier: "I'm at the dorm! See you tonight (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ".

Yu Heng replied, "Okay."

I had just put down my phone when the two people upstairs came down.

Qin Ya carried her schoolbag, and Qin Lu followed behind her, her expression calmer than before.

"Let's go!" Qin Ya waved to Yu Heng.

"Okay," Yu Heng got up and saw them to the door. "Take care on the way."

Qin Lu walked to the door and bent down to change her shoes.

This angle...

He was eager to see exactly where that hooked thread extended.

"Yu Heng," Qin Lu suddenly called out to him.

"Hmm?" Yu Heng looked up.

Qin Lu had already changed her shoes and stood up to look at him.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

"It's nothing..." she said, "Just play well in the basketball game."

"Of course," Yu Heng smiled, "I'm still waiting for your reward."

Qin Lu pursed her lips, didn't respond, and turned to open the door.

"Counselor," Yu Heng suddenly called out to her again.

Qin Lu turned around.

Yu Heng looked at her, his tone unusually serious: "If anything really happens, feel free to contact me anytime."

Qin Lu's eyes flickered, and she nodded: "Mm."

Yu Heng stood at the door, listening as the two walked further and further away.

He closed the door, turned around and went back to the living room, sitting down in the spot where Qin Lu had just been.

The sofa still retained a little warmth.

And a very faint perfume scent mixed with the smell of smoke.

Yu Heng leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

I started to review the details of what had just happened in my mind.

Her makeup was definitely going to be ruined by crying.

Red eyes are not just caused by not sleeping well.

Dust on clothes...

And there were stocking snags... red marks on my wrists...

Yu Heng opened his eyes and clicked his tongue.

Is this definitely not a post-event situation?

It was intense, in particular.

But Qin Lu's expression didn't seem to show satisfaction or pleasure.

more like...

Exhausted? Or even humiliated?

Yu Heng recalled what Qin Ya had said before.

Is Qin Lu actually quite fragile?

Is all that acting on the outside just an act?

He rubbed his temples.

So today's events were about going to the city to see Qin Ya's father, and then...

Were you forced?

Or was it a case of half-hearted resistance?

Yu Heng didn't know.

But he was certain of one thing.

Qin Lu is in a very bad state right now.

Yu Heng picked up his phone and tapped on Qin Lu's WeChat profile picture.

The chat history was from yesterday, when she asked Qin Ya how her live stream was going.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then typed: "Advisor, let me know when you get home."

Yu Heng put down his phone, got up, and walked to the window.

It was getting dark, and the streetlights were gradually coming on.

Downstairs, Qin Lu and Qin Ya were walking through the community garden.

Qin Lu walked very fast, and Qin Ya had to jog to keep up.

The hem of her trench coat fluttered with her steps.

Yu Heng watched them turn the corner and disappear from sight.

He turned and walked back to the living room, picking up the cup that Qin Lu had used from the coffee table.

There were still faint lip prints on the cup.

Yu Heng took the cup to the kitchen and turned on the tap.

The water flowed over the cup, and the lip print quickly disappeared.

Water leaves no trace.

At least that's how it appears on the surface.

Just like Qin Lu today.

I'll go home and wash up today, and tomorrow I'll probably be back to my usual routine, right?

.......

.......

The film club's activity room is on the third floor of the arts education building.

When Yu Heng arrived at the dormitory building, Ning Yutong was already waiting there.

She changed her clothes, wearing a light pink sweater with a beige skirt, her hair loose, looking gentle and sweet under the streetlights.

"Have you been waiting long?" Yu Heng walked over.

"No, I just came down." Ning Yutong smiled and handed me a cup of milk tea. "I bought it for you, it's hot."

Yu Heng took the milk tea, his fingertips touching her hand; it was cool.

"Your hands are so cold?" He frowned. "You're not wearing enough clothes."

"It's alright," Ning Yutong said, pulling her hands back into her sleeves. "Let's go, don't be late."

The two walked side by side toward the arts education building.

Occasionally, acquaintances would greet them on the way, their eyes sweeping over the two of them.

Ning Yutong's face turned slightly red, but she didn't stop walking.

Yu Heng didn't mind at all. He took a sip of the milk tea, which was quite sweet.

"I'll edit the three videos that aired today when I get home tonight," he said. "The final cut should be ready by tomorrow."

"No rush," Ning Yutong said softly, "Take your time."

"Post it sooner to attract more traffic," Yu Heng said, turning his head to look at her. "With your qualifications, it would be an injustice if you didn't become popular."

Ning Yutong smiled slightly but didn't reply.

She actually quite enjoyed hearing Yu Heng praise her.

Especially this kind of praise that is unambiguous and focuses on the facts.

The arts education building was quite lively, with various clubs holding activities.

A poster was pasted on the door of the film club's activity room, which read "The Truman Show".

Yu Heng pushed open the door, and there were already more than a dozen people sitting inside.

The lights were off, but the projector was already on.

"Come in quickly!" A boy wearing glasses waved to them, lowering his voice, "We've been waiting for you!"

Yu Heng and Ning Yutong found a seat at the back.

The chair was a foldable plastic chair that creaked when you sat on it.

"I'm sorry," Ning Yutong said softly, "the conditions are a bit basic."

"It's okay," Yu Heng leaned back, "It's just watching a movie, as long as the content is good."

"Yutong," the boy with glasses turned around, "your boyfriend is quite good-looking!"

Ning Yutong blushed slightly, but did not refute it. Yu Heng couldn't very well say that they weren't dating at this point.

Since Ning Yutong isn't going to explain, let the misunderstanding remain.

The lights went completely off.

Jim Carrey's face appeared on the screen.

Yu Heng had actually seen this movie before; he had seen it in his past life.

But watching it again is fine; a classic is a classic.

The movie had been playing for about ten minutes.

Truman begins to doubt the world he lives in.

Yu Heng was engrossed in reading when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He frowned, took it out, and glanced at it.

Qin Ya?

Why is this girl making a phone call at this hour?

He muted the phone and put it back in his pocket.

Less than half a minute later, the phone started vibrating again.

Yu Heng clicked his tongue and whispered to Ning Yutong, "I'm going to take this call."

He crouched down and slipped out of the activity room, then picked up the phone in the corridor.

"Feed? Why?" His tone was a bit sharp.

"Report!" Qin Ya's voice was urgent. "My mother is drunk!"

Yu Heng was taken aback: "Drunk? By yourself?"

"Hmm!" Qin Ya spoke quickly, "She started drinking as soon as she got home, and now she's in the bathroom throwing up terribly. I can't lift her up..."

"Send me the address," Yu Heng said, rubbing his temples. "I'll be there right now."

"Okay! I'll send it to you right away!" Qin Ya hung up the phone.

A few seconds later, a location popped up on WeChat.

Yu Heng clicked on it and saw that it was in a residential area next to the university town, only a 20-minute walk away.

He glanced at the time: 7:20.

Yu Heng turned around and went back to the activity room, patting Ning Yutong on the shoulder.

Ning Yutong turned her head and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"I have to go," Yu Heng said in a low voice, "I have something urgent to attend to."

Ning Yutong paused for a moment, a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but she still nodded: "Okay, then go quickly, be careful on the road!"

"Hmm," Yu Heng paused, "I'll watch it with you another day."

"It's alright," Ning Yutong smiled gently, "business is more important."