Unraveled

Hesitation

Gu Quan couldn't help but feel that Yuan Ye's judgment was skewed. Did he really see her as nothing more than a desperate single woman craving a man? The thought annoyed her—she hated being placed at a disadvantage.

She typed back: "If you said things that crude in front of your little freshman girl, maybe you'd be sleeping with her tonight."

Yuan Ye didn't reply. Gu Quan wondered if she had struck a nerve.

Glancing at the time, she slung her bag over her shoulder and left Starbucks. Just as she stepped outside, her phone buzzed. A message popped up—an address to a hotel. "Ten o'clock. I'll be waiting."

The thought lingered in her head the entire afternoon. Should she go? She had promised herself after their first hookup that no matter how strong the urge, she wouldn't sleep with the same man twice. Yet here he was—someone she had unexpectedly run into in real life—someone who had the nerve to ask again.

And it wasn't even as if he'd enjoyed himself that much the first time… had he?

Work wasn't particularly busy that day, no overtime required. When she left the office and boarded the subway, she found herself absentmindedly opening the hotel location he'd sent. It was just ten minutes away. Not far at all. Almost too convenient.

It felt intentional, as if he had calculated the distance—enough time for her to go home, hesitate, change clothes, and still make it.

Her pulse quickened at the thought, a sudden heat rising to her face. She shoved her earbuds in and turned up the music, trying to drown out her own restless mind.

At home, she nibbled on some bread before opening her laptop to handle a few lingering work tasks. In an age of constant connectivity, work crept into every corner of private life.

Around eight, her phone lit up again. It was Yuan Ye.

"Have you eaten? If not, meet me at the first barbecue place on Fanxin Street."

So dinner first, then the hotel.

Gu Quan stared at the message, considering. Was this all just a game for him? A cocky young guy who thought it was exciting—taking her virginity that night, finding out later she was his junior's boss, then daring to push the boundary further? Did he think she was just another notch in his belt?

Still, she typed back: "Alright. I'll be there in about half an hour."

She touched up her makeup in the mirror, swapped her pencil skirt for jeans, threw on a pair of white sneakers, and layered her old toggle coat over a black fitted sweater. The look was casual, but flattering.

Before leaving, she thought about grabbing her ID card, then deliberately chose not to.

The night air was bitterly cold. Her hands stayed buried in her pockets, but they never warmed up. Every breath turned into a pale mist in front of her face. The icy wind stung her eyes, and she wondered why she was even doing this. Why hadn't she just stayed in, curled under her blanket?

Fanxin Street wasn't far. A brisk twenty-minute walk beat taking the bus or subway. The famous food street was one of the few places still buzzing close to nine on a winter night.

The barbecue place was packed. Every table full, waiters rushing with trays of skewers, the air thick with smoke and sizzling oil. Bright white lights had been dimmed to a yellow haze under the greasy fumes.

And yet, she spotted Yuan Ye instantly.

He was sitting by the window in the corner, head bent over his phone, still in the same white hoodie from earlier. Completely unfazed by the cold.

Gu Quan walked straight over and slid into the seat across from him. The heat from the grills wrapped around her, and she tugged off her coat. Underneath, her black knit top clung to her frame—petite, yes, but unmistakably curvy.