Yu Zhi was the first in her dorm to return to school after the eleven-day holiday.
Her home was far away, and train tickets were notoriously hard to secure. It was impossible for her to return on the last day of the holiday, so she had to book a ticket for the day before.
Her dorm was on the fifth floor. Pushing open the dorm door and tossing aside the large and small bags she had lugged up, she felt as exhausted as a dead dog.
She had left the city as a carefree, stylish urban beauty with empty sleeves, only to return to school in a disheveled state, weighed down by a pile of belongings.
Just as she gulped down half a bottle of water, her mother called.
“Momo, have you arrived at school yet?”
Her mother really knew how to time her calls.
Momo was Yu Zhi’s childhood nickname. When naming her, her parents had debated between “Zhi” and “Mo.” In the end, she was given the formal name Yu Zhi and the nickname Momo.
“Yes, yes, I just arrived.”
“Don’t just rest as soon as you get there. Hurry up and unpack—some things can’t stay in the suitcase for too long.” Her mother began her usual nagging. “Also, the bag I prepared for Aunt Ning is the red one. Don’t mix it up. Give it to Yihan as soon as possible so he can take it back.”
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”
Yu Zhi responded briskly, but as soon as she hung up, she sat motionless like a meditating monk, staring at her phone. It wasn’t until her stomach growled with hunger that she finally remembered her mother’s instructions.
She glanced at the floor, where a tightly wrapped red plastic bag contained various jars and bottles of local specialties. In particular, there were pickled vegetables and fermented tofu her mother had made herself.
Aunt Ning and Yu Zhi’s mother were close friends. Their families had once lived next door to each other and were very close. Later, Aunt Ning’s family moved to Jiangcheng, and their contact gradually dwindled.
It wasn’t until Yu Zhi was admitted to Jiangcheng University, the same school as Aunt Ning’s son, Chen Yihan, that her mother became overjoyed. Every time Yu Zhi returned to school, her mother would prepare these things for Aunt Ning’s family.
She said Aunt Ning had a particular fondness for these treats.
This was true. When it came to pickling, nothing mattered more than the hands doing it. Her mother’s hands seemed to possess a kind of magic—the things she pickled were always tastier than anyone else’s. Aunt Ning had even tried to learn from her, replicating the process step by step, but the flavor still fell far short.
Yu Zhi sighed. Everything else was manageable, but this Chen Yihan…
If possible, she really didn’t want to see him.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, her phone happened to refresh to a recent post by Chen Yihan’s roommate.
“Fu Bin: Finally managed to snag a spot on the basketball court during the holiday.
[Image][Image]”
The attached photos showed a noticeably emptier basketball court than usual, with a figure visible in the background. Yu Zhi immediately recognized it as Chen Yihan and could even picture the boy’s flawless face.
As childhood friends in a sense, Yu Zhi was naturally familiar with him.
Was he at school?
Chen Yihan’s family lived in Jiangcheng, so Yu Zhi had assumed he would be at home during the holiday.
Her eyes swept over the bag on the floor again. Well, better to get it over with sooner rather than later. She opened her chat window with Chen Yihan.
Yu Zhi: Are you there?
She didn’t expect Chen Yihan to reply immediately, so after sending the message, she set her phone aside and began unpacking the pile of bags.
Her mother knew about her procrastination habits and would surely ask again in the evening. By the time she had taken out all the jars and bottles that needed unpacking and checked her phone again, Chen Yihan had already sent several replies.
At first, she had just sent the message when a reply came almost immediately.
Chen Yihan: What’s up?
After a while, probably because he hadn’t received a response from her, he sent a few more messages.
Chen Yihan: Why aren’t you saying anything?
Chen Yihan: Is something wrong?
Chen Yihan: Next time, remember to get straight to the point.
How was Yu Zhi supposed to know he would reply so quickly? Wasn’t he playing basketball?
Yu Zhi: Sorry, I was just a little busy.
Yu Zhi: Are you at school?
This time, she kept her eyes on her phone, and sure enough, his reply came quickly: Yeah.
Yu Zhi: I’m back at school from home. My mom brought something for your mom. Let me know when it’s convenient for you to pick it up.
Chen Yihan took a moment to reply this time: Right now.
He then sent the location as well.
Oh, what a young master. Can’t you see I asked you to come pick it up? Yu Zhi grumbled to herself, but since the basketball court was on her way to the cafeteria anyway, she decided to just get it over with as soon as possible.
Jiangcheng University was huge. After leaving her dorm, Yu Zhi had to ride her bike, winding through the campus for quite a while before finally reaching the agreed-upon spot.
The basketball court was indeed less crowded than usual, but it was still bustling with energy as always. Most of the people there were guys, the rhythmic thud of basketballs hitting the ground mingling with occasional shouts and cheers.
Yu Zhi parked her bike by the roadside. She wasn’t particularly fond of such settings and just wanted to leave quickly. With a quick scan, she spotted Chen Yihan.
His height alone made him stand out in the crowd, not to mention his flawless features. Dressed in sporty casual wear, he leaped lightly, arm raised, and the ball swished perfectly through the hoop.
“Nice!”
Cheers erupted from his teammates.
Yu Zhi had no idea when he would finish, and she certainly didn’t want to wait around.
“Chen Yihan,” she called out.
Hearing her voice, Chen Yihan turned to look. Their eyes met, and the others paused their movements, their gazes shifting toward her as well.
Yu Zhi remained unfazed.
If it weren’t for the fact that this was her mother’s heartfelt effort and she was worried about losing it, she would have just tossed it there and been done with it.
Chen Yihan had already stopped playing. He tossed the ball to someone else, exchanged a few words with the group, and as they resumed their game, he walked over to pick up his jacket and phone before heading toward Yu Zhi.
Even from a distance, he asked, “Back at school so early?”
Chen Yihan wasn’t exactly known for his good temper or patience, but that didn’t stop him from having plenty of friends—both guys and girls. Yu Zhi had practically watched him grow up and knew that, ever since childhood, he had always been the center of attention wherever he went.
Even though she could barely claim the title of childhood friend, their relationship now was lukewarm at best. Still, given the ongoing ties between their families, they maintained a surface-level politeness. So Yu Zhi replied, “Yeah, tickets were hard to get.”
She kept one foot on the ground, not getting off her bike, and pointed to the front basket.
“There, it’s this bag.”
Her bicycle had a fairly large front basket, which was quite convenient.
Chen Yihan reached out and lifted the bag. It was heavy, and his arm reflexively sank a little under the weight.
“Godmother really went all out.”
“My mom said Aunt Ning would like it.”
Chen Yihan glanced at her. “Everyone in my family likes it.” Then he added, “Have you eaten yet?”
“Yes.”
Actually, she hadn’t, but it was easier to answer that way.
Chen Yihan seemed a little surprised by her response, his grip tightening slightly on his jacket, but he let the topic drop.
“My family’s driver will come tomorrow, my mom said to invite you over for a meal.”
“Ah? Tomorrow…” Yu Zhi pretended to hesitate briefly. “I have something to do tomorrow.”
“Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll just…” Before she could finish saying “leave,” someone suddenly pressed down on her bicycle basket. The knuckles were clearly defined, obviously using considerable force.
“What do you have to do? Isn’t tomorrow still during the holiday?”
Yu Zhi hadn’t expected Chen Yihan to press for details. When she looked over, she noticed that the usual casual ease on the boy’s face seemed frozen, and his dark eyes appeared somewhat heavy.
The young master was acting up again.
Yu Zhi was momentarily stuck. “Having something to do” was a generic excuse—she hadn’t thought of a specific reason yet.
The longer she took to think, the more anything she said would sound like an excuse. The situation became awkward for a moment.
After a brief standoff, Chen Yihan withdrew his hand.
“If you don’t want to go, just say so. No need to think up excuses. Do you think I’d force you?”
His tone carried a hint of irritation and anger. Even when annoyed, the boy was still good-looking—probably why many people tolerated him.
Of course, sometimes human dynamics are strange. The weaker someone is, the more likely they are to be bullied, while those who seem harder to provoke often receive more leniency and even flattery.
As someone who had been through it, Yu Zhi understood this all too well.
That was in the past, though. Now she wouldn’t overthink it.
Well, you said it yourself, she thought, pushing off with her foot as her bicycle circled around Chen Yihan and continued forward.
She thought that was awkward enough, but what made it even more awkward was that not long after, she ran into Chen Yihan again in the cafeteria.
Jiang University had several cafeterias, each with at least two floors. Who would have thought they’d still bump into each other?
Yu Zhi saw him first. As usual, the boy was surrounded by quite a few people, but the bulging red plastic bag in his hand clashed completely with his refined demeanor.
Besides Chen Yihan, Yu Zhi recognized two others in the group—Chen Yihan’s roommates.
Across the bustling cafeteria, their eyes met. Yu Zhi tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
“Chen Yihan, isn’t that your childhood friend?” Fu Bin said. “Should we go sit with her?”
Chen Yihan’s gaze lingered on her briefly before he casually looked away, turning toward another direction.
“Would she even want us to sit with her?”
Fu Bin naturally picked up on the tension in his tone, not to mention his roommate’s obvious low mood. Wisely, he kept quiet.
Yu Zhi watched as the group left in a lively procession, with Chen Yihan still the center of attention.
She turned her attention back to her meal, finished eating calmly, returned her tray to the collection area, and left.
On the last day of the holiday, Yu Zhi’s roommates gradually returned.
Their dorm was a four-person room with bunk beds and desks below. Sitting at her desk, she greeted each roommate as they arrived.
“Yu Zhi, you came back so early?”
“Yeah, I got here yesterday.”
“Ah! You brought chili sauce! My favorite!”
“I went out the day before yesterday and brought back souvenirs for you all.”
Yu Zhi was now a sophomore. Everyone in the dorm had good personalities, and after a year of getting along, they had become close friends.
The quiet dorm gradually grew lively. Yu Zhi received a call from Aunt Ning and took it on the balcony. Aunt Ning didn’t ask why she hadn’t come over but thanked her several times instead.
“I told your mom to prepare just a little, but she made so much for me.”
“And she even had you bring it all the way here—that must have been so tiring.”
Yu Zhi could only say it was no trouble. In the end, Aunt Ning still reminded her as usual: “If anything comes up at school, just go find Chen Yihan. Oh, that boy has actually been thinking about you all these years. You two used to be so close.”
Hah, she’d believe that when pigs fly.
But Yu Zhi still smiled and agreed.
That night, Yu Zhi stayed up very late—she was a habitual night owl. As a result, the next day, her alarm went off again and again, and she kept hitting snooze, refusing to get up.
Until her phone rang once more. She was about to dismiss it again when she suddenly realized it wasn’t the alarm this time—it was her phone ringing.
Yu Zhi groggily answered.
“Momo, still not up yet?”
It was Chen Yihan’s voice, but unlike his usual polite or even indifferent coldness, this time his tone carried a hint of laughter and affection.
At the same time, the System’s cute, doll-like voice echoed in her mind: “Host, you have now entered Chapter 15 of *The Spoiled Childhood Sweetheart*.”
Yu Zhi was wide awake.
“Why didn’t you remind me earlier?”
The System’s voice sounded aggrieved: “I did, but you never woke up.”
Right—she had filtered out the alarm, the phone ringtone, and probably the System’s prompts as background noise.
Yu Zhi thought of the Otome games everyone played—she had her own Otome game too.
She had been in contact with this so-called System for half a year now.
Before turning twenty, Yu Zhi’s life had been utterly uneventful. Her family wasn’t extremely wealthy, but they were comfortably well-off. She wasn’t top of her class, but her grades were decent. She wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but she looked normal enough. She wasn’t the sociable type with a wide circle of friends, but she had a few close ones.
In other words, she was utterly ordinary.
So when the System appeared and told her she was actually the female lead in a book—and that there were four books in total—Yu Zhi once suspected she had a mental problem and needed to see a psychiatrist.
The reality was, even a psychiatrist couldn’t solve her troubles.
After a moment of silence, Yu Zhi brought the phone back to her ear.
Chen Yihan was still patiently waiting on the other end: “Still not up? If you don’t get up now, you’ll really be late.”
The boy’s voice had always been so pleasant it could make one’s ears tingle. But Yu Zhi only ever heard tenderness in it during the storylines.
Yu Zhi recalled their rather unfriendly conversation from the day before.
“Chen Yihan.”
“Hmm?”
“Break up.” After saying those two words, she hung up and blocked him.
Author’s Note:
Pre-ranking updates every other day.