“Uncle Shen! Look! The sunset outside the window is so beautiful!”
It was 6:39 p.m., and the plane was preparing to land.
The flight attendants were making announcements over the intercom, their voices a bit loud. Shen Li’s right leg throbbed with sharp pain, so he didn’t catch what the girl sitting next to him had said. Only when the excited young woman couldn’t hold back any longer and tugged at his sleeve again, repeating her words, did he lift his pale face and glance out the window. “Mm, it really is beautiful. Is your seatbelt fastened? We’re landing soon.”
“Mm-hmm!”
The girl, whose face was tanned dark, fumbled hurriedly to check her seatbelt. She spent a full minute getting it right before scratching her head sheepishly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
A few seconds of silence passed. Then the girl straightened her neck, reciting the speech she’d rehearsed the entire flight, and declared with solemn conviction:
“Uncle Shen, I’ve always wanted to say this to you, but I never found the right moment—um, thank you so much for sponsoring my college tuition. The second I get that scholarship, I’ll pay you back right away. And once I start earning my own money, I’ll take good care of you, just like I would my parents!”
Shen Li pressed on his leg, feeling a slight headache coming on. He was terrible at handling these emotional moments. He tossed out a casual word to change the subject. “Take care of me… You make it sound like I’m some old man.”
“Hee hee, no way! Shanshan and the others wanted to call you ‘Brother,’ too, but you absolutely refused.” Geng Qiuqiu flashed two rows of white teeth in a grin, her gaze fixed earnestly on Shen Li. “Uncle Shen, I mean it. You look so young—really handsome, like a movie star. You’re not one bit inferior to your ex-husband!”
Shen Li: …
You just had to bring that up.
“…Thanks.”
Seeing his lackluster response, Geng Qiuqiu hurried to elaborate, stressing her sincerity. “I’m serious! Your features are like a painting—eyebrows fine as distant mountains, every line of your face chiseled to perfection. Yesterday, when the program group posted those promo shots of the regular guests, everyone else looked like they were in a different dimension from you!”
Shen Li frowned. “Where’d you get those words? Some novel?”
Geng Qiuqiu beamed. “I memorized them from web novels. The authors love writing like that.”
Shen Li had never read any web novels. His mind jumped to the initials and assumed they were some kind of steamy erotica. He thought, This girl really doesn’t hold back around me, does she? Telling me everything. He kneaded his leg absentmindedly and mumbled, “Mm. Just don’t read too much of that stuff. It’ll rot your brain.”
Oblivious to how her Uncle Shen was silently judging her in his head, Geng Qiuqiu nodded obediently. “Got it! I’ll cut way back. Once school starts, I’ll focus on studying. You know me, Uncle Shen—I’m always serious about my schoolwork.”
“Mm.”
“But… Uncle Shen, these plane tickets—can they really be reimbursed? Don’t pull my leg.”
“Of course.”
“Wow, the program group is so generous? I checked—this flight, even in economy, costs 2,959 per ticket! It’s the most expensive one all day, leaving at 2 p.m. That’s over 2,300 more than the night or red-eye flights! And you even brought me along—mine gets reimbursed too?”
Shen Li sighed helplessly. “The program group said every guest can bring one personal assistant. What’s wrong with me bringing you?”
“But I’m not really here to take care of you. I’m just going with you to the hotel, then heading off with Aunt Lin…”
“I’ve got hands and feet. Do I need someone fussing over me?” Shen Li snorted coldly. “Besides, filming and the live stream start tomorrow. No one’s assistants will be allowed in anyway.”
The plane came to a stop. The flight attendants announced that the cabin door was about to open.
Shen Li unfastened his seatbelt, switched his phone off airplane mode, and checked his messages. He turned to Geng Qiuqiu. “Aunt Lin is working the night shift tonight. You’ll bunk with me at the program group’s hotel for the night. Tomorrow morning, she’ll come pick you up. She’s off in the afternoon on the 19th and will take you to check in at S University.”
“Okay!”
“Remember what I told you?” Shen Li furrowed his brow, typing replies as he asked.
“Mm-hmm.” The girl replied sensibly. “When you’re away from home, even with close friends, don’t take their help for granted. So the moment I get to Aunt Lin’s, I’ll stuff her with those local specialties from home—even if she refuses, I’ll insist.”
Shen Li choked a little. He’d only mentioned that in passing, yet Geng Qiuqiu remembered it so clearly. But that wasn’t what he’d meant to ask about.
“Mm. And?” Shen Li pressed.
“And I’ll take good care of myself. I won’t be afraid to spend money at university. If I run short, I’ll tell you—don’t worry, Uncle Shen. I remember.”
“Good. You’re ready to go solo. Grab your luggage.”
Shen Li nodded in approval and gestured for the young girl to stand. He reached up to the overhead bin for their bags, figuring it’d give her a chance to practice ordering a ride-share on her phone app.
Geng Qiuqiu happily accepted the task and dove into her phone.
Meanwhile, Shen Li quickly replied to a few messages and shot a quick update to his “former disciple,” Lin Jie, letting her know they’d arrived.
Lin Jie replied almost instantly, asking if she should swing by and drop them at the hotel on her way to work—she had interviews nearby anyway.
Shen Li promptly refused, telling her to focus on her job and come pick up Geng Qiuqiu tomorrow when she was off.
Once the entire economy cabin had cleared out, Shen Li yawned and slowly rose from the cramped seat. He stretched his aching legs and stepped aside to let the young girl out, motioning for Geng Qiuqiu to go ahead.
He checked under his seat to make sure nothing was left behind.
Then Shen Li reached into his left pocket.
ID, boarding pass, and that all-too-familiar plain ring.
Everything was there.
Only then did Shen Li follow Geng Qiuqiu at an unhurried pace, disembarking the plane.
–
The hotel wasn’t far from the airport—half an hour by car.
Shen Li had arranged everything in advance. Upon arrival, he swiftly checked in, got the key cards, and they headed to the hotel’s all-you-can-eat Xitulan Ya Restaurant for dinner.
The young girl had just gotten into university. She’d never even been to a provincial capital like S City before, let alone left her mountain village much. Everything was new and exciting to her right now.
Shen Li wanted to give her some independence, and with his leg bothering him, he let her handle everything. He watched as Geng Qiuqiu went to grab plates and pick out food, then found an empty table and sat down. Alone for a moment, he used his thumb to massage the pressure points on his right leg. Before long, an argument from a nearby table—a man and a woman—drifted over, conveniently loud.
Shen Li poured himself a cup of water, settling in to sip tea and watch the drama, when he heard the man say:
“What do you mean, no favoritism? If there’s no favoritism, why did you guys edit and airbrush the lead actor’s promo pic yesterday, but not mine? Can’t you give me the same treatment?”
The woman sounded flustered too. “Brother Yang, we did edit yours! We got rid of your acne scars and sharpened your jawline. Our designer spent fifty minutes on it!”
“My face looks so fake, and you’re telling me that took fifty minutes?! Who are you kidding? Did the program group cheap out on staff? Interns? Outsourcing?”
At this point, Shen Li set down his teacup and looked toward the voices.
He saw the follow-up director from the photo shoot three months ago, standing with a man who sat with his legs sprawled wide.
The middle-aged man was aggressive, one hand on his knee, jabbing a finger at the young woman with the other. “I’m seeing some real half-assed effort from this program group, and we haven’t even started filming.”
The bespectacled woman stood pale-faced and let out a heavy sigh. “All right, Brother Yang. If you’re really not happy, I’ll tell the designer to run your next promo shots by you first for approval. How’s that?”
The man crossed his legs with a flourish and waved her off condescendingly. “No, no, you’re missing the point. It’s not just the promo pics—it’s the attitude of treating guests differently. That’s what I’m feeling now. You get it? Why give others the deluxe edit and not us? I’ve got live streams ahead. If you don’t protect my image, how am I supposed to show my face online? Answer me.”
“Brother Yang, I think you’re being a bit unreasonable here. I just explained, we didn’t…”
Before the woman could finish,
someone approached from behind her.
She turned and saw:
A lean, refined young man in a simple white polo shirt and jeans. His clean-cut presence was striking, his finely sculpted features exceptionally captivating.
Especially those eyes—perfectly shaped with long, tapering corners. A single cool glance could make anyone hold their breath, their whole body tensing. It was an aggressively beautiful look.
“M-Mr. Shen?”
The woman recognized him instantly, a smile lighting her face. “You’re here!”
Shen Li nodded expressionlessly. His slightly critical gaze shifted to the seated man as he asked her, “Xiao Chen, who’s this?”
“This is Yang Zhiqi, one of the guests filming with us tomorrow.”
Yang Zhiqi’s eyebrows shot up. He’d already sized Shen Li up from head to toe. With a tsk, he grinned and extended a hand. “Hey, I’m probably older than you. Just call me Brother Yang.”
Shen Li shook his hand without expression. “Shen Li.”
The woman behind him let out a long breath, diffusing the tension with a touch of humor. “I wasn’t exaggerating, was I, Brother Yang? Mr. Shen looks just like that. Our designer only needed three minutes on his face, and it was ready to go.”
But to everyone’s surprise,
No sooner had she spoken than Yang Zhiqi’s fake smile stiffened again, his eyebrows rising as he sniped sarcastically, “What’s that supposed to mean? Beating around the bush calling me ugly?”
“I-I…”
The woman licked her lips, her face showing disbelief. She glanced at Shen Li, about to speak, but he cut her off abruptly.
“Xiao Chen, you’ve worked hard. If there’s nothing else, go get some rest.”
Shen Li spoke directly to her without expression, ignoring the middle-aged man’s tantrum entirely. Then he shot the other man a cold look and said in a low voice, “Brother Yang, cool it. They’re just working stiffs. Picking fights with them won’t get them a raise.”
Yang Zhiqi ground his teeth, flicking another glance at Shen Li’s face. His nostrils flared with a hard snort.
Snort!
Shen Li almost thought he was about to hawk a loogie.
He gave the man an amused glance, too lazy to spare another, and turned back toward his seat.
Just then, Qiuqiu returned from across the room with two heaping plates of food. Shen Li guided her to their table.
Geng Qiuqiu chattered away happily, describing to him how the hotel’s buffet had an incredible variety of dishes—more kinds than she’d eaten in her entire eighteen years of life.
Shen Li taught her that she didn’t need to grab more now; she could always get seconds later if needed. But then Yang Zhiqi’s voice cut in with a snide edge. “Tsk tsk. If you can’t afford a proper assistant, don’t hire one. Where’d you pick up this country bumpkin schoolgirl to play the part?”
Geng Qiuqiu clearly heard him too. She froze for a moment, then turned toward the voice.
There was the man, patting his pocket before pulling out a lighter and lighting a cigarette.
The next second, the little girl’s voice rang out loud and clear: “Isn’t this a dining hall? Why are you smoking?!”
Yang Zhiqi clearly hadn’t expected that. He turned to look at her, his disdain even more evident in his eyes. “Mind your own business. You ever been out in the world? Getting this excited over a four-star hotel buffet? If I tossed you my cigarette pack, you’d be thrilled for a whole day, wouldn’t you?”
Geng Qiuqiu blinked, frowning as she lowered her head.
Her dad loved smoking, and her older sister had kept it up even during pregnancy, leaving her sister’s health in ruins to this day. She just couldn’t understand why city folk acted the same way.
Shen Li stepped in front of her.
“No need to argue with him.”
“B-But…”
Geng Qiuqiu puffed out her cheeks in frustration but obediently let Shen Li press her back down into her seat.
She glared at him sulkily, only to see Shen Li’s face pale and slick with fine beads of sweat. He shot an irritated glance toward the Xitulan Ya Restaurant entrance, then pointed to a spot in the corner by the window—the closest one to it—and ordered, “Take your plates and go sit by the window.”
“Huh…?”
Geng Qiuqiu tilted her head to look, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. But she held it back and, obedient as ever to Uncle Shen, picked up her two heaping plates and headed to the window seat.
Geng Qiuqiu sat down by the window, pouting as she wiped her chopsticks clean. She gazed out at Shen Li in the distance, who was on the phone as he slowly made his way over.
It wasn’t long before she couldn’t hold back anymore. Neck stiff with resolve, she asked Shen Li, “Uncle Shen, I read online that smoking here is against the rules, right? In cases like this, don’t we have to sit near the window?”
Shen Li blinked, picking up a strand of glass noodle and eating it casually. “People like him won’t listen no matter what you say.”
“Then we just let him get away with it? He was clearly in the wrong!”
Shen Li picked up a piece of beef, changing the subject. “Alright, let’s eat. Don’t let something like this ruin your mood.”
Geng Qiuqiu held back her tears, burying her face in her food and eating big mouthfuls. At last, she stopped talking to Shen Li.
Not even three minutes passed.
Geng Qiuqiu stood to get a drink when she spotted a group of five people storming in aggressively. They appeared at the entrance to the Xitulan Ya Restaurant, scanned the room, and moved with purpose.
Two of them wore police uniforms and marched straight toward the smoking man. The other three were in plain clothes but headed directly for Shen Li’s table.
Geng Qiuqiu froze.
She hurried over.
The smoking man stood up, peering closely at the police officer IDs the two officers flashed him. Looking utterly baffled, he scratched his head. Then, upon a closer look, he broke into a fawning smile and bowed his head in apology.
One officer pulled out a form for the man to fill out on the spot, then scanned a code.
The whole process was over in moments.
Geng Qiuqiu’s face lit up with delight. She even forgot about her drink and rushed back to Shen Li’s side, only to see the three plainclothes officers chatting with him. Shen Li smiled as he exchanged a few polite greetings and urged them to head back quickly.
“It’s fine—a tiny issue like this. I figured Little Lin could handle it alone. You all making such a big fuss—isn’t it cutting into work time?”
A beautiful plainclothes officer replied, “No issue at all. There’s been a string of thefts in the area lately, so we’re out on patrol with the local cops. We were passing by anyway—and when Captain Shen summons us, how could we not come running!”
Another chimed in, “Yeah, Shen. These past few days since you left, even our station dogs have been sniffing everywhere for your scent. And we’re people—how could we stay away?”
Someone else added, “Oh, right—your ex has dropped by the station a few times too.”
Shen Li chuckled and shook his head, swiftly wrapping up the conversation. “Enough teasing. Get back to work, all of you. Lin Jie, thanks for this. Come pick up Qiuqiu tomorrow.”
“Oh, no trouble at all. She’s just staying a few days till reporting for duty. What trouble?” Lin Jie said. “We’re off then! Haha, tomorrow’s my day off, so I’ll definitely watch that live variety show of yours. I’ve told the whole family already—the handsome civilian on it who’s got everyone buzzing? That’s our former brigade captain, my legendary master!”
“Get lost, all of you. Nothing but that boundless energy every day.”
“But Master, getting back together with that guy wouldn’t be so bad, after all—you’re still wearing the wedding ring—”
“—You gonna get lost or not?”
“Fine, fine, not saying another word. We’re gone.”
They exchanged goodbyes with Shen Li, laughing and chatting as they headed out the door.
Geng Qiuqiu watched from a short distance away, clutching an empty cup. She blinked in surprise, then hurried back over, eager to talk to Shen Li.
But Shen Li sat there with his back to her, left hand in his pocket, staring off into space for a moment.
Geng Qiuqiu hadn’t meant to spy.
She was just coming from behind, and the angle happened to reveal it.
Shen Li unlocked his phone’s screen, swiped, and opened the pinned chat.
The contact was represented by a “coin” emoji, with a profile picture of a big golden retriever.
Their chat history held only a few words, stark and lonely—an hour-old message from the other side:
【You there yet?】
Shen Li hadn’t replied.
He pressed the power button to lock the screen again.
