At dusk, North Entrance of Heping Street.
November had arrived, and the air in the mornings and evenings was gradually turning chilly. A light breeze felt bitingly cold. Dong Xuebin had only worn a thin shirt to work today, not even a particularly thick one, yet he did not feel cold. His heart was burning, his chest was burning, and his mind was burning too.
Downstairs from his building, Dong Xuebin ran into his neighbor, Section Chief Xu, and Xiao Dong just as he was about to go upstairs.
Holding several Shenlun test prep books, Xiao Dong's expression changed slightly as he shot Dong Xuebin a vicious glare.
Section Chief Xu, a leader at Customs, looked down at Dong Xuebin disdainfully, curled his lip, and said to his son, "Let's go."
"Mm." Xiao Dong withdrew his jealous, resentful gaze and went upstairs with Section Chief Xu.
Ever since that Civil Servants exam, Dong Xuebin had not seen Xiao Dong for quite some time. So he had been studying—probably preparing for the National Civil Service Exam at the beginning of the year. Thinking of that, Dong Xuebin could not help sighing. Life was truly strange. Two months ago, he had only barely passed the written Civil Servants exam by copying Xiao Dong's paper. Yet two months later, Xiao Dong was still preparing for his next exam, while he had already joined the Party and become a deputy director.
On the third floor, Dong Xuebin rang the doorbell of Qu Yunxuan's apartment, 302.
Ding-dong, ding-dong. No one answered for a long while.
Dong Xuebin found it a little strange. Aunt Xuan had texted him around four, saying she would come home early to cook tonight. Why was she not back yet? He rummaged through his pocket, took out the set of keys