The freshman welcome party ended, and the crowd streamed out like a woven tapestry.
Just as Ruan Chaoxi and Lu Yao followed the flow of people out of the auditorium, Jiang Yaoci, holding a large bouquet of Ecuadorian roses, blocked their path.
“Junior Ruan, your speech tonight was absolutely brilliant!”
Wearing what he thought was an impeccable smile, he offered the vibrant, dewy bouquet, his tone warm and enthusiastic. “Just a small token. I’ve reserved a window seat at ‘The View 3912.’ How about grabbing a late-night snack together to celebrate?”
Many students leaving the auditorium cast curious or envious glances their way. Lu Yao stood to the side, her eyes shifting between Jiang Yaoci and Ruan Chaoxi, wisely keeping quiet.
Ruan Chaoxi looked at the flowers, her brow furrowing slightly. Just as she was about to refuse, her encrypted phone in her bag suddenly vibrated—
Nine o’clock sharp. A video call from Miya Gege.
Without hesitation, she completely ignored the roses being offered and Jiang Yaoci’s words, took out her phone, and answered the call.
The moment the screen lit up, the polite yet distant expression she wore for Jiang Yaoci instantly melted away. Unconsciously, a soft glow touched the corners of her eyes and brows.
“Miya Gege~” she said, her voice sweet and soft.
Samia’s low, pleasant voice came through the receiver: “Xixi, is the party over?”
“Mhm, just ended. I was about to head back to the dorm,” Ruan Chaoxi replied, her gaze cautiously flickering toward Jiang Yaoci, who was glaring at her with a dark expression not far away, and Lu Yao, who was watching curiously.
“How did it go? Smoothly?” Samia asked. He had timed the call precisely to check on her safety right after she finished such an “exposed” public event.
“Pretty smoothly, just said a few words,” Ruan Chaoxi summarized briefly, not wanting him to worry too much. “I’ll send you the video Lu Yao took later.”
“Alright. Be careful on your way back. Let me know when you’re in the dorm.” Samia seemed to want to say more, but hearing the faint background noise on her end, he held back.
“Got it, Miya Gege,” Ruan Chaoxi replied obediently.
Jiang Yaoci’s hand holding the flowers froze mid-air, his perfect smile cracking bit by bit.
That unintelligible bird language again!
That instantly softened expression again!
That man who made a fleeting appearance in the shooting club video!
She could actually be so rude as to leave him hanging just to answer that man’s video call!
Jealousy, resentment, and the irritation of being ignored surged to the top of his head in an instant!
Clenching the bouquet’s wrapping paper, he couldn’t help but step forward, deliberately raising his voice as he spoke to Ruan Chaoxi with a sarcastic, mocking tone: “Junior Ruan, your timing for this video call is truly impeccable. ‘The View 3912’ reservations are hard to get; it’d be a shame to miss it. How about we talk over dinner? Some things… aren’t so easy to explain over the phone.”
His words were barbed.
They both complained about Ruan Chaoxi’s cold treatment and carried a subtle hint of provocation toward the person on the other end of the call, as if implying that the other could only reach her through a phone, while he was right there in person.
Ruan Chaoxi hung up the video call, not even bothering to glance at him. She directly addressed Lu Yao, who had been watching the scene: “Let’s go.”
Then, pulling Lu Yao along, she walked straight past Jiang Yaoci, quickly blending into the lingering crowd as if he were nothing more than an inconsequential tree by the roadside.Jiang Yaoci stood frozen in place, holding a large bouquet of roses that no one would accept. The faint, lingering gazes around him made his face burn with embarrassment, and the bitterness in his heart felt stifling to the extreme.
“Shit!”
He cursed under his breath and angrily tossed the flowers into a roadside trash bin.
The night breeze was cool, dispersing the stuffy heat that had lingered from the auditorium. As they walked onto a quieter, tree-lined path with fewer people, Ruan Chaoxi slowed her pace.
“Oh my god, Chaoxi, you were so cool just now!” Lu Yao finally whispered excitedly, lowering her voice.
“Jiang Yaoci’s face turned completely green! But… that video earlier?” She blinked, her expression full of curiosity. “Was that your… boyfriend?”
Boyfriend?
Ruan Chaoxi was momentarily stunned, her heart inexplicably skipping a beat.
Miya… is he a boyfriend?
From childhood to now, Samia had been the most special presence in her life—a protector closer than family, a dependable figure who could do anything.
He taught her everything, protected her in every way. His gaze always followed her, and his gentleness was reserved for her alone.
Before, she had taken it for granted that this was just “brother,” just family.
But in the short month since coming to China, during their nightly video calls, his tension, his silence, his worry…
She wanted to share everything with him first, felt time drag when she missed him, found comfort in hearing his voice, was affected by his emotions… and even hesitated in her decisions because of his possible displeasure.
That unfamiliar feeling, which left her confused and made her heart race, seemed truly different from what she felt for her dad or her brother.
“I… I don’t know,” Ruan Chaoxi said, unusually at a loss for words. She avoided Lu Yao’s probing gaze. “He… he’s just family to me.”
“Family?” Lu Yao clearly didn’t believe it. “Family wouldn’t make you look like that when you answer the phone—you know, obedient, sweet, and a little shy! If he’s not your boyfriend, then he’s… a ‘potential’ boyfriend! I guarantee it, based on my experience of having been in three relationships!”
Ruan Chaoxi didn’t argue. She lowered her head, looking at the call log on her phone screen that had just ended with “My,” and felt her cheeks grow warm.
Lu Yao, noticing her slightly flushed cheeks and somewhat evasive eyes, gave her a teasing smile that said, “I get it, I totally get it,” and didn’t press further.
Back in the dorm, Ruan Chaoxi first sent Samia a message to let him know she had returned safely. Then, she sent him the video Lu Yao had recorded of her on stage earlier that evening.
After sending it, she sat at her desk, still thinking about Lu Yao’s question, her emotions unsettled.
Samia opened the video Ruan Chaoxi had sent and watched it quietly.
His Xixi was dazzling, no matter where she was.
He should be proud of her.
But when the video inadvertently captured the gazes of young men in the audience, his knuckles tightened instinctively, and a violent feeling seized his heart.
His Xixi was standing in a place he couldn’t reach, being watched, admired, and coveted by so many!
He wanted to pull her back immediately, lock her away where only he could see her, and let her brilliance shine for him alone.
He replayed the short video over and over, each scene making his heart race and his blood run cold.
He dialed Ruan Chaoxi’s video call again.
Ruan Chaoxi was staring blankly at her phone when the video request rang. She quickly answered, her heart inexplicably beating faster.On the screen, Samia seemed to have calmed down, though his gaze was deeper than usual as he quietly watched her. Ruan Chaoxi felt a little embarrassed under his stare and instinctively avoided his eyes, the tips of her ears turning red.
After a long while, he finally spoke: “You did great.”
“It was alright.”
She looked at his face on the screen—handsome, stern, yet filled with endless patience and gentleness toward her.
The words “boyfriend” surfaced in her mind once more.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Samia keenly noticed the difference in her gaze tonight.
There was less pure dependence and more confusion and shyness…
This change tightened his heartstrings, making him both eager to understand and afraid of startling her.
They chatted a few more simple words, but the atmosphere seemed somewhat delicate.
Finally, Ruan Chaoxi ended the call with the excuse of “feeling a little tired.”
After the video disconnected, the dormitory fell into silence.
Ruan Chaoxi sat at her desk, staring at the darkened phone screen, feeling her heart swell with a bittersweet ache tinged with a thrilling sweetness.
Miya’s face, his voice, the way he looked at her, and the word “boyfriend”… all sorts of images swirled in her mind.
Perhaps… Miya was a more complicated presence than family, and one that stirred her heart even more.