The red Ferrari stopped on a road far on the suburbs of Yanzhou. Beside it were weeds and a small rivulet. Along the small rivulet was a field. Still, only an endless stretch of darkness could be seen at this time of night.

  One could barely make out the form of anything.

  Still, it was possible to hear the sound of wind blowing the leaves of those rice plants, of various little creatures and insects crying out in their habitats.

  The front lights of the car were turned on. Various insects could be seen flying about beneath its illumination.

  Tan Yao lit a cigarette, plucked it from his lips and passed it to Ye Qing before lighting up one himself.

  “Fang Chen.”


  Rather than sounding like a confession, his tone had more of the vibe of a calm ultimatum. Some time had already passed since he had naturally drifted apart from Ye Qing. Ye Qing sensed it, and Tan Yao knew that she knew too.

  Ye Qing avoided looking at Tan Yao, gazing into the distance as she asked, “So you ultimately still like her more then? You’ve never forgotten her?”


  Tan Yao considered it, “I don’t know, actually. Maybe it’s her……but perhaps it is you I like more.”


  Ye Qing said, “Then……”


  Tan Yao asked, “Would you marry me?”


  Ye Qing furrowed her brows, not saying anything. The two had previously avoided bringing up this matter for a long time, maintaining a relaxed, easygoing relationship. Still, Tan Yao had once jokingly hugged her from behind as he said into her ear: How about we get married?

  Ye Qing had laughed and said, “Are You crazy, Tan Yao? Do you know what you’re saying?”


  In saying that Tan Yao was crazy, Ye Qing was not alluding to their age difference of over ten years. More primary was the fact that if she chose to get married with Tan Yao, be his wife and birth him children, it would entail……her giving up on assets that might surpass two billion with the succession rights to the entire Ye family along with it.

  Afterwards, they had often argued because of this.

  “Is it because you feel I’m an orphan anyway that I’m probably not concerned about such things?” Tan Yao asked, “On the contrary, it’s the exact opposite. A family, a wife, kids……are really what I want most in this life. While this may sound very corny and unlike me, that’s just how it is. I want a family, because I’ve never had one before.”


  Ye Qing should be virtually speechless at this point, silently accepting the result of her own choice……especially being the aloof woman that she was.

  Yet, she still struggled for a time as she asked, “And Fang Chen will? She will marry you?”


  Resisting like this made her seem very unwilling to accept this conclusion as Tan Yao was somewhat taken aback. He had not thought that someone might actually care so much about him.

  “She will,” Tan Yao answered, “Fang Chen told me……if there’s a day, maybe next year, when I’ve graduated-She may have slept with a few, dozens of men even by that time. Then, if she luckily hasn’t died, got sick or gone crazy by that time……she asked if I’ll still be willing to want her, to go overseas with her, find a small town in Northern Europe with a fireplace and live together. She’ll give birth to a few children for me and learn to be a wife……I thought about it. I’d be willing.”


  Tan Yao had once thought that beneath his usual facade, only Ye Qing could sense that he was an orphan. Only afterwards had he learnt that Fang Chen……had discovered it too.

  This sort of feeling was very miraculous. It was like his soul was being earnestly stroked and soothed. It had brought Fang Chen back to the table……and then, she had raised her chips with something Ye Qing would surely never bring to the table no matter what.

  Ye Qing was silent for a while before she said, “Oh.”


  Some time passed before she added, “What if I were willing too?”


  Tan Yao was dazed and lost for words. He had actually never considered this before. If Ye Qing were also willing, how would he choose?

  “Relax, I’m not,” Ye Qing said before he could say anything……

  Fang Chen and Apple were chatting on Weixin. The ‘Xu Tingsheng, what more do you want me to do’ incident was already over. Both parties having chosen not to express anything on this matter seemed to have been an okay decision too. Things like these would naturally fade, disappearing into obscurity.

  Of course, this seemed to be an okay result also because Apple did not know what her father was currently doing to Xu Tingsheng. Those two men had both not told her about it.

  They were talking about Fang Chen’s affairs right now.

  “Why Tan Yao? Isn’t he together with Ye Qing……” Apple asked in puzzlement.

  “It’s impossible for anything to come out of their relationship anyway. It’s impossible that Ye Qing would marry him. I know this better than anyone. So, it can’t be considered stealing. Also, of all the men who like me, Tan Yao is the only one whom I still have a little bit of liking for. His looks are great at least, right? You don’t know, but he actually has a cool, distant side beneath all of the apparent slickness, noisiness and worldliness that rather attracts me. So, who else if not him?” Fang Chen said matter-of-factly.

  Apple continued, “Why do you have to choose a guy then? For you, well, aren’t girls fine too?”


  The two were already on close enough terms that they could freely discuss such matters now. Fang Chen had even confessed directly to Apple, and not just once too. It was just that Apple had never succumbed.

  “It’s actually not that girls are fine too,” Fang Chen said, “In truth, I only liked girls before. As soon as guys touch me, I puke.”


  Apple asked, “Huh? Why then does everyone say that……?”


  Fang Chen answered, “Pretending to be a ‘bi’ gives you greater tolerance in the market. It’s easier to be accepted too. How would I have had so many convenient suitors otherwise? How would these past few years have been so interesting? I found that guys actually don’t really care that girls are fine with both types. It makes for quite an exotic imagination.”


  Apple replied with a string of ‘.……’.

  Fang Chen happily said, “So, maybe Xu Tingsheng is like this too, with this sort of interest……say, you wanna try?”


  Apple went with another ‘.……’.

  “Try it!” Fang Chen said.

  “But you still haven’t said why you must choose a guy……didn’t you say that you puke when guys touch you? In that case……” Apple changed the topic.

  “It’s Grandpa’s wish……very likely his last wish,” Fang Chen said, “Also, I didn’t want my first man to be someone I completely don’t like at all. So, I seduced Tan Yao.”
……

  Tan Yao continued accounting for things to Ye Qing.

  “It was when we were in Chengdu,” He said.

  “She puked, right?” Ye Qing asked.

  “Huh?” Tan Yao sat bolt upright in astonishment, “How did you know?”


  Ye Qing looked at him and just smiled.

  Tan Yao said a little tragically, “Yes, she did. She puked all over me……still, she said that it doesn’t matter. We can persist and she’ll get used to it eventually. She also said that I’m her first man……”


  Tan Yao’s voice trailed off weakly.

  Ye Qing continued looking at him, the corners of her lips upturned.

  “What is it?” Tan Yao asked guiltily.

  “I was her first woman,” Ye Qing said.

  Tan Yao’s worldview flipped over……

  “I used to be together with Ye Qing,” Fang Chen told Apple.

  Apple’s worldview flipped over……

  “So, a threesome would actually be fine too.”


  Ye Qing said to Tan Yao, and Fang Chen said to Apple.

  Apple completely did not know what exactly was going on anymore.

  Tan Yao rubbed his hands together in glee and smiled vilely, “Well……that’d be great?! For sure.”


  The scene of a big harmonious family surfaced in Tan Yao’s mind, to the extent that he forgot the precondition Fang Chen had spoken of: If she luckily had not died, got sick or gone crazy……