Aunt Qimeng, the Comforting Escort, Safely Home

In Chen Qimeng's flower shop on the commercial street...

Chen Qimeng sat drowsily at the packaging table, a half-wrapped floral ribbon dangling from her hand, swaying left and right. Her eyes were half-closed, her body limp. The overwhelming sleepiness felt just like those exhausting lectures back in her student days. Finally, she could no longer resist the drowsiness and began tilting to one side.

Chen Qimeng: "!!!"

The sudden sensation of weightlessness jolted her awake. In her wobbly state, she instinctively reached out to grab something—but of course, there was nothing to hold onto.

However.

Chen Qimeng didn’t fall. Instead, Du Ruxue, sitting beside her, effortlessly caught her with a calm, almost indifferent motion.

"So, as I was saying..."

"If you're not getting enough sleep, you should stay home and rest."

"Your shop still has Feirong, right? I can help out too."

"Missing one day of work won’t make the sky collapse."

Du Ruxue steadied Chen Qimeng before turning back to arranging the wrapping paper in front of her.

"That scared me... felt like a dream."

"Thank you, Ruxue."

"But there are several orders today that need to be delivered on time."

"I’m not like you—already financially free. I still have to work hard to make ends meet."

"Speaking of which... how are you not tired at all?"

Chen Qimeng stared at Du Ruxue in disbelief.

It was as if she was the only one who had stayed up all night.

Chen Qimeng had even managed to sneak in a short nap earlier that morning.

But Du Ruxue hadn’t slept a wink the entire night!

Yet she looked even more energetic than Chen Qimeng, showing no signs of exhaustion.

"Qimeng, have you forgotten what I do for a living?"

"For someone used to pulling all-nighters, one sleepless night is nothing."

Chen Qimeng: "..."

Oh, right.

Over the past two nights, while chatting with Du Ruxue, Chen Qimeng had learned many stories about her struggles and triumphs.

And that mysterious identity of hers—a hacker!

Du Ruxue had even mentioned her personal record: staying awake for over a hundred hours straight, then sleeping for two full days afterward.

Compared to that, one night was truly nothing.

Still.

Chen Qimeng couldn’t resist calling her out:

"Ruxue, didn’t you say yourself during our chat?"

"That after staying up late, it’s best to recover your energy immediately, or it could cause irreversible damage to your body?"

"I don’t think you’re just used to staying up—you’re preoccupied with thoughts of that kitten, aren’t you?"

In front of Chen Qimeng, Du Ruxue didn’t bother hiding it.

She admitted outright:

"Yeah, since last night, I’ve been feeling... complicated."

"How should I describe this feeling..."

"Qimeng, honestly, I don’t even know how to put it into words."

"With a complex bug, you can at least trace its source and untangle it step by step."

"But tangled emotions? Now that’s tricky. I hate this kind of uncertainty."

The way Du Ruxue spoke with such mechanical precision was, in Chen Qimeng’s eyes, still impressive.

Even in their thirties, they still encountered many "firsts" in life.

Not everything had a ready-made solution.

At this age, it took courage to openly admit one’s struggles.

"Ruxue, whether you believe me or not..."

"I think I can understand a little of what you’re feeling—that moment when you realize the younger generation has grown up."

"Sometimes, when you think about their mindset, their lifestyle, the way they handle problems..."

"It might not be as mature as ours, but we should still try to understand them."

"There’s a saying..."

"Their souls belong to tomorrow—a tomorrow we can’t even dream of reaching."

"You can strive to be like them, but don’t force them to become like you."

"Because life doesn’t move backward, nor does it linger in the past."

Chen Qimeng recounted the quote from memory, speaking softly to Du Ruxue.

Suddenly, Du Ruxue turned to look at her, silent and assessing.

The unblinking gaze made Chen Qimeng’s heart skip a beat.

Oh no, oh no.

Had she said too much? Did it come across the wrong way?

Did mentioning "the younger generation growing up" make Ruxue think of Lin Yu?

Over the past two days, with Du Ruxue around, Chen Qimeng had been extremely careful to keep her distance from Lin Yu.

She... she hadn’t slipped up, had she?

Under Du Ruxue’s unnerving stare, Chen Qimeng quickly backtracked:

"Ahaha... maybe that wasn’t the best example."

"But you get the general idea, right? I just hope it helps, Ruxue."

Du Ruxue shook her head.

Chen Qimeng’s face fell. "You... don’t get it? That’s fine too!"

Du Ruxue shook her head again.

Chen Qimeng: "Huh???"

Then, shedding her earlier robotic tone, Du Ruxue smiled.

"What I mean is, the example was perfect."

"Qimeng, you haven’t changed a bit since college."

"You’ve always been good at comforting people. It really lifted my spirits."

As she spoke, Du Ruxue wrapped her arms around Chen Qimeng and rested her head on her shoulder.

Compared to her earlier detached demeanor, this softer side of Du Ruxue was far more endearing.

"Not really, I’ve just been reflecting on things lately."

"You barely ate earlier. Want to grab a snack to fill up a bit?"

Chen Qimeng waited, but there was no response from the woman leaning on her shoulder.

"Ruxue? Not hungry at all?"

"Ruxue?"

"..."

When Chen Qimeng turned her head slightly, she realized Du Ruxue had fallen asleep.

Just moments ago, she had seemed wide awake.

Chen Qimeng paused her work and had Feirong take over.

She remained seated quietly, letting Du Ruxue rest comfortably against her.

......

Lin Yu and Ye Mengfu returned around three in the afternoon.

On the way back, Lin Yu hadn’t forgotten his promise.

Despite Ye Mengfu’s repeated refusals, he insisted on taking her to a lingerie store to buy two well-fitting sets in a larger size.

This wasn’t just for Ye Mengfu’s sake.

It was an investment in his own future happiness.

No one should suffer—least of all the... nourishment providers.

This was one expense he couldn’t skimp on.

When Ye Mengfu received the new lingerie, she declined the store’s thick paper bag.

Instead, she asked for two soft plastic bags, carefully tucking them into her backpack.

If she walked into the apartment carrying a branded bag and ran into someone...

How could she possibly explain that?

Lin Yu didn’t bail halfway. He escorted Ye Mengfu all the way to the neighborhood entrance.

Ye Mengfu knew Lin Yu had other things to attend to.

From the moment they started heading back, she kept insisting she could return alone.

But no matter how many times she said it, Lin Yu refused every time.

He wasn’t the type to let her take a cab back alone after... well, everything.

No matter how busy he was, this took priority.

"H-here... this is for you."

"L-look at it later. I’m going back now... goodbye, hubby."

......

(First update for today. The second and bonus updates are coming soon!)