“I stepped on Man Man’s heart, so from now on, Man Man will only like me alone.”

Tang Man laughed and pinched Si Jiahe’s hand, blurting out a sweet phrase, “I only like Jiahe alone now.”

Si Jiahe laughed. Until now, he still had no resistance to Tang Man’s sweet talk. “Then you have to keep liking only me in the future.”

Tang Man nodded indifferently, “Okay, I’ll always like only Jiahe.”

Si Jiahe laughed happily.

Tang Man sent him all the way to the downstairs of the building before standing outside the main entrance. There happened to be a dim light beside her, the yellowish light occasionally flickering a few times, as if there was a poor contact.

She let go of his hand.

“Alright, go up. Be careful not to get water on your wounds when taking a shower, and remember to take your medicine at night when you get back.”

Si Jiahe still wanted to pretend, “What medicine? I’m very healthy and don’t need to take medicine.”

Tang Man patted Si Jiahe’s head, “Jiahe, be good. You know what I mean. When you go back, don’t stop taking your medicine. Keep taking it on time, following the doctor’s orders. Don’t be petty.”

“I like obedient children.” She added, fearing that Si Jiahe wouldn’t listen.

Si Jiahe was silent for a while before saying, “But that kind of medicine has very big side effects.”

He naturally showed a sense of trepidation and uneasiness, tightly grasping Tang Man’s sleeve, unable to help but bury his head in the crook of her neck and complain, whispering, “But after taking that kind of medicine, I have no desire for anything.”

“But your emotions have stabilized.” Tang Man said, “Have you been having frequent nightmares and unable to sleep at night recently?”

Si Jiahe looked up, a bit puzzled, as if surprised at how Tang Man knew.

She smiled and pressed her hand on Si Jiahe’s face, “Look at your eye bags and dark circles. It’s obvious that you’re sleep-deprived.”

Si Jiahe buried his head in Tang Man’s neck, his entire body leaning on Tang Man like a large doll, boneless, causing her to stagger a step.

This person was also about 1.8 meters tall, and every time he acted coquettishly, it was very smooth, not at all restricted by his height. Tang Man also felt amazed and couldn’t help but laugh, “Why are you acting coquettishly again?”

“I can’t bear to part with Man Man.” Si Jiahe’s voice was muffled, refusing to let go.

Tang Man sighed, looking at the white moths fluttering in the light. She turned her head and kissed Si Jiahe’s earlobe a few times. “Be good. I’m too tired today, and you’ve been making a fuss for most of the day. Go back today, take your medicine, and rest early. Don’t think too much. In a few days, I’ll take you to meet someone.”

Only then did Si Jiahe raise his head, “Meet who?”

Tang Man smiled, “A friend of mine.”

“Man Man still has friends?”

Si Jiahe knew that Tang Man had always been alone in university, having a passing acquaintance with her roommates. He had never seen Tang Man use the word “friend” to define anyone else.

She seemed very lonely and indifferent. Yes, not unsociable, but lonely and indifferent. She could talk to everyone for a few sentences, but she had no real close friends at all.

“Of course I have friends, but I haven’t gone to see this friend for a long time.” Tang Man found Si Jiahe’s question amusing. “Next time, I’ll take you there to meet her.”

Si Jiahe immediately became even happier, the smile on his face evident. This was the first time Tang Man mentioned taking him to meet a friend, and some of the uneasiness arising from Du Henian’s earlier words disappeared.

Perhaps one of the reasons he felt insecure in his previous relationships was that Tang Man had never let him enter her circle.

Tang Man raised her hand and glanced at her wristwatch. It was already past midnight, and no sound could be heard now. The entire city seemed to have quieted down, and the entire residential building was also dim.

“Alright, go up.”

Only then did Si Jiahe turn around, taking one step and looking back every three steps. When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and trotted over to Tang Man, mumbling, “Man Man, it’s dark here. I should still walk you out. It’s too unsafe for you to be alone.”

Tang Man said without any good temper, “Then why were you tugging at my sleeve in the car just now, asking me to send you back?”

She waved her hand, telling Si Jiahe to hurry upstairs. “Alright, it’s very close to the car here. Nothing will happen. You go up quickly. I’ll wait until you’re inside before I leave.”

Si Jiahe hesitantly turned around and walked a few steps, unable to help but look back. Tang Man was indeed standing there watching him, not leaving. Only then did his heart calm down.

He slowly entered the building but didn’t immediately go upstairs. Instead, he stood in the darkness at the entrance for a while before going out again, just in time to see Tang Man’s departing figure, walking step by step towards the light in the distance, her shadow on the ground stretched very long.

He stood there for a long time, not leaving, watching Tang Man’s figure disappear from his sight.

As soon as Tang Man went out, she took out her phone and looked at it, preparing to send a message to Doctor Bei to book the doctor’s time in advance. The doctor was very busy, and even seeing a doctor required an appointment in advance; otherwise, there would be no available time.

She walked a few steps and suddenly noticed something was off. Looking up, she saw a figure standing under a dim yellow light not far away.

The black suit was not so transparent in the night. At first, she didn’t recognize the person and subconsciously froze for a moment, her alertness fully rising. When Xie Li walked out from under the light, Tang Man saw his face clearly and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. She put away her phone and walked over.

“Why are you here?”

Xie Li didn’t know how long he had been standing there. He walked back with her, passing one streetlight after another. When getting into the car, Xie Li still couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really like him that much?”

Tang Man was a bit sleepy and didn’t react at first, subconsciously replying, “Who?”

When she realized, both of them had gotten into the car. In the silent night, only the sound of two people breathing could be heard in this quiet car. Tang Man said with a yawn, “Of course, I like him very much.”

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have reconciled.

Hearing Tang Man’s words, Xie Li didn’t scoff coldly as usual. Instead, after a moment of silence, when Tang Man was drowsy, he suddenly asked, “Then, why can’t I?”

As soon as Tang Man’s spirit relaxed, her mind became a mess. She rubbed her eyes and leaned back on the seat, completely relaxed, not using her brain at all and following Xie Li’s words to ask, “What can’t you do?”

Xie Li fell silent, looking at Tang Man.

In the quiet atmosphere, Tang Man finally sensed something was wrong. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Xie Li beside her, just in time to meet his gaze. At some point, the man had taken off his glasses.

Meeting Tang Man’s gaze, Xie Li laughed as if mocking himself. “Tang Man, I think you’re so smart and sensitive. It’s impossible for you not to know my feelings for you, but why do you keep pretending not to notice, as if you know nothing?”

Hearing these words, Tang Man’s sleepiness mostly disappeared, and her muddled brain became fully awake. After thinking quickly for a few seconds, she still decided to play dumb, as if she knew nothing.

“Your feelings? What feelings do you have for me?” She jokingly said, “Don’t tell me you like me?”

Xie Li didn’t say a word, staring at Tang Man.

Under his gaze, the smile on Tang Man’s face gradually became stiff. “I don’t think it’s possible.”

Xie Li laughed, “Why is it not possible? Does my liking you make you so embarrassed that you’re not even willing to admit it?”

What Tang Man was unwilling to admit was that after finally dealing with Du Henian and Si Jiahe, she still had to deal with Xie Li, which made her feel extremely frustrated.

How come this relationship felt so tiring?

She answered irrelevantly, “Boyfriends and girlfriends can also break up, but you see, if you always remain as Old Tang’s assistant, we won’t have this problem. Isn’t it good to maintain a simple friendship or treat me as your employer’s daughter?”

Why bother making things so clear, as if an answer must be obtained?

After a long while, Xie Li said in a low voice, “Not good.”

He met Tang Man’s bright eyes, his voice almost a whisper. “Tang Man, I don’t think it’s good. It seems too unfair to me.”

You want to gain benefits but are unwilling to pay an equal price.

In this world, how can there be such a greedy and self-entitled woman?

Having suppressed for too long, he felt that the stone slab above that piece of lava in his heart had already cracked, and the gurgling magma below seemed to be about to surge out at any moment.