Yan Ting leaned against the sofa in his room, long legs casually propped up on the coffee table, with Yunnan Baiyao and medicinal wine for bruises spread out beside him.
He stared at the message, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.
【Bored? Come find me. Interested? Come find me too. Anyway, you can’t get rid of me now, so accept your fate, brother】
The little white flag was raised with utter confidence, as if she was certain he wouldn’t argue back.
Accept his fate?
When had Yan Ting ever accepted his fate?
But this woman had been clinging on relentlessly since that first friend request, like a piece of sticky candy—can’t pull it off, can’t shake it loose.
The craziest part was that he’d actually read every single message. And replied.
His right arm rested on the armrest, the swollen bruise looking even darker under the light.
He picked up his phone, scrolled to his contacts, and sent Tang Shuqing a message: 【Want noodles tomorrow? Join me?】
The next morning, Xu Yuan’s eyes snapped open and she got out of bed, leaving her room immediately.
The hallway was quiet—her parents had probably already gone to the noodle shop.
Xu Shen’s door was closed. Xu Yuan walked over and knocked. “Brother, are you awake?”
“Come in.” His voice came through, still thick with sleep.
Xu Yuan pushed the door open.
Xu Shen was indeed still curled up under the covers, only his head poking out, hair a complete mess like a chicken nest, phone held up in front of his face, the screen light making him squint.
“What’s up?”
Xu Yuan sat down on the edge of the bed. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Brother, Yan Ting’s arm… is he okay?”
Xu Shen glanced at her. “Why are you asking about that?”
“Just asking.”
Xu Shen said slowly, “I asked him. He said he’s fine.”
“Nothing broken?”
“No. Just swollen. A few days of rest and he’ll be fine.”
Only then did Xu Yuan let out a relieved breath. “That’s good.”
Xu Shen tilted his head to look at her. “You came running over this early in the morning just to ask about this?”
“Yeah.”
“Why are you so concerned about him?”
“It’s because of you! If he hadn’t taken that hit for me, would his arm be hurt? And now you’re sitting here making sarcastic comments?”
Xu Shen gave a lazy smile. “Alright, alright, it’s all my fault.”
Xu Yuan stood up. “It was your fault to begin with.”
With that, she walked out and slammed the door behind her.
Xu Shen: …That girl is acting very strange today.
In the evening, when Li Meng arrived, Xu Yuan was curled up on the second-floor terrace, rocking in a wicker chair, holding an ice pop in one hand, a small fan blowing on her face.
Li Meng walked over carrying two cups of milk tea, wearing a floral print dress. She handed one over. “Here.”
Xu Yuan took the milk tea, stabbed the straw in, and took a sip—the pearls were chewy, the sweetness just right.
Li Meng settled into the wicker chair beside her, propping both legs up on the railing, her posture even more relaxed than Xu Yuan’s.
She took a sip of her milk tea and asked, “How’s your capture plan going?”
Xu Yuan let out a sigh, pulled the ice pop stick out of her mouth, and gestured with it in the air. “Don’t even mention it. That guy… I’m telling you, he’s a block of ice. No wait—ice melts. He’s a rock. The kind of rock that won’t even grow moss after being soaked in water.”
“Speak human.”
“He replies based on his mood. In a good mood, he sends a period. In a bad mood, he just doesn’t reply at all. I sent him ten cheesy pick-up lines, and he replied with three punctuation marks.”
Li Meng bit her straw. “The fact that he’s even willing to talk and chat with you is already something. Do you know what he’s like at school?”
Xu Yuan shook her head. She didn’t pay attention to him anyway.
Li Meng sat up straight. “Last month, a girl from their school blocked him at the classroom door, handed him a bouquet of flowers, and said—Senior Yan, I’ve liked you for a long time. Guess what he said?”
“What did he say?”
“He said—What do you like about me? I’ll change it.”
Xu Yuan almost dropped her ice pop. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. The girl burst into tears on the spot.”
Li Meng wore an expression of someone who’d seen it all. “And there’s worse. Last semester, a school beauty-level senior confessed to him, and he said—You’re great, but I’m not, so go find someone better. The senior said—What’s wrong with you? He looked at her and said—My taste is bad.”
“What does ‘my taste is bad’ even mean?”
“It means he didn’t fancy her.” Li Meng spread her hands. “And another time, someone confessed to him on the track field, with a crowd gathered around cheering. He stood there expressionless, listened to the whole thing, then said—Are you done? You’re blocking my way.”
Xu Yuan took a sip of her milk tea and fell silent.
She thought about the messages she’d sent Yan Ting. Based on the level of venom Li Meng was describing, she should have been torn to shreds by now.
But Yan Ting hadn’t scolded her.
So should she be grateful, or should she be scared?
“What do I do next?” Xu Yuan tossed the ice pop stick into the nearby trash can. “I still want to get that twenty thousand to buy Tang Shuqing a gift.”
Li Meng said, “School hasn’t started yet. You still have time.”
“That’s not the point. The point is I don’t know where to start now.”
“You chat with Yan Ting every day. Haven’t you felt anything different from it?”
Xu Yuan bit her straw. “What kind of feeling?”
“Like your heart racing or something?”
“That’s because I’m afraid he’ll block me.”
Li Meng gave her a look that clearly said “like I’d believe that,” but didn’t press further.
The two sat in silence for a while, the rocking chair swaying back and forth, the small fan blowing on their faces—perfectly pleasant.
Occasional dog barks drifted up from the alley, along with the sound of the old man downstairs playing chess under the tree.
Li Meng finished her milk tea, crumpled the cup in her hand as she thought for a moment: “Why don’t you try a different approach? Stop sending those cheesy pickup lines all day and talk to him about something real. Doesn’t he like suspense films? Go watch a few and discuss the plot with him.”
“I’ve already watched them.”
“Then talk to him about them. And stop with all the ‘bro’ this and ‘bro’ that—you’re not his little sister.”
Xu Yuan was about to retort when Li Meng suddenly sat up straight, her gaze shifting past Xu Yuan’s shoulder toward the entrance of the alley: “Holy shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
Li Meng got up and leaned over the railing to look down: “Speak of the devil.”
Xu Yuan followed her gaze.
Three people were walking over from the alley entrance.
The one in front was wearing a wrinkled white t-shirt, his hair slightly messy, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a plastic bag—it was her brother, Xu Shen.
The one in the middle wore a blue shirt, his pace unhurried. The sunset glow fell on him, making him seem even softer and warmer—it was Tang Shuqing.
Walking behind the two of them was Yan Ting, hands in his pockets, his stride lazy and casual, radiating a “don’t mess with me” attitude from head to toe.
The black t-shirt made his fair skin look even paler, and a band-aid was stuck on his collarbone, giving him the ruffled look of someone who’d just been in a fight.
His expression was indifferent, completely blank.
The moment she recognized who it was, Xu Yuan crouched down so fast it looked like someone had kicked her from above.
She huddled beneath the balcony railing, her back pressed flat against the wall.
Li Meng stood beside her, looking down at her crouched best friend: “What are you doing?”
“Shh!” Xu Yuan pressed her index finger to her lips. “Keep your voice down!”
“What are you hiding for? Aren’t they all your dear brothers? One biological brother, one secret crush, and another… dear brother.”
“Shut up! Get down here! Don’t let them see us!”
Not only did Li Meng not crouch down, she leaned over the railing and waved at the people below, beaming brightly: “Hey!”
Xu Yuan: …