True, nominally we are… but that’s not the point! The point is, as the male lead, how can you just have casual physical contact with a girl?
Even if she was currently just his “cannon fodder” girlfriend.
She opened her mouth to retort but couldn’t find the right words. In the end, she could only glare at him huffily, her cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of crimson.
Xi Liye watched her—this little cat-like creature who was clearly fuming but didn’t dare speak up, looking like she’d had her tail stepped on and had no way to strike back. A trace of almost imperceptible amusement flitted through his eyes.
He had been bombarded quite heavily by that fellow Qin Yu these past few days.
Ever since he’d posted that Moment, Qin Yu had switched into full “nagging mother” mode. Fearing that this “potential madman” didn’t understand the dating rules of normal humans and would scare the girl away or lead her astray, Qin Yu had spent the night stuffing his inbox with various public account articles.
Titles like How to Have a Healthy Relationship: Respect, Communication, and Boundaries, Ten Secrets to a Lasting Bond: Starting from the Details, Daily Small Acts to Enhance Intimacy Between Couples, and even a Thirteen Illustrated Positions for Your Partner’s Physical and Mental Pleasure.
Xi Liye had glanced at that last title with an expressionless face before closing the chat.
Boring.
But the ones before that… driven by some inexplicable impulse, he actually clicked on and read a few.
For instance, one article stated that in a healthy, normal romantic relationship, intimate behavior usually follows a progressive order: holding hands, hugging, kissing, and… making love.
As he read the post, his mind involuntarily projected the steps onto himself and Wen Chu.
A few days ago in the cafeteria, they had already held hands. Her fingers were cool and soft; the feeling of holding them in his palm was… better than expected. The photo for the official announcement also featured ten fingers interlaced.
So, according to this sequence, the next step seemed to be a hug.
Xi Liye never considered himself a person who would follow such mundane, step-by-step procedures. But the feeling of the two previous hand-holds had indeed been pleasant.
So, what about a hug?
To pull Wen Chu entirely into his arms.
Through the fabric of their clothes, he should be able to feel her heartbeat and body temperature more clearly—perhaps even that inexplicably nice scent she carried. And her reaction… it would likely be exceptionally cute.
Just imagining the scene gave Xi Liye a subtle sense of anticipation.
Thus, when Wen Chu jumped up to hit him over that joke, it was only natural for Xi Liye to catch her. The feel of her wrist was just as slender as he’d imagined. The girl’s reaction was also timed almost perfectly to his prediction.
It felt good.
Sure enough, she flushed fiercely, looking both shamed and annoyed—far more vivid than her usual self.
Yes, the feeling of a hug… was even better than holding hands. However, Wen Chu was wearing too many layers; he hadn’t actually felt her body heat.
His gaze swept casually over Wen Chu’s huffy cheeks.
No rush. He would just find another opportunity next time.
“Let’s go, I’ll buy you that Tanghulu. I’ve passed it several times; there shouldn’t be many people at this hour.” He suppressed the slight restlessness in his heart, his tone returning to its usual flatness as if that brief hug had just been an accident.
After leaving the school gates and turning past two intersections, they indeed saw a warm yellow light glowing behind a small glass-cabinet cart. On a biting winter evening, those bright red, glistening strings of candied hawthorn looked quite enticing. Three or four girls were gathered nearby, chirping away as they made their selections.
Xi Liye walked up to the stall. He was tall and carried a cold aura, making him look somewhat out of place in this warm, sweet atmosphere. Even the middle-aged woman selling the treats gave him a few extra glances.
“What do you want?” he turned and asked Wen Chu.
Wen Chu shuffled closer, her eyes scanning the glass cabinet. Hawthorn, Chinese yam, strawberry, orange… all coated in a glistening sugar shell that sparkled under the light.
“Um… strawberry, I guess.” She preferred strawberries.
“One strawberry,” Xi Liye told the vendor. He glanced at the cabinet again. “And one hawthorn.”
The vendor briskly pulled the Tanghulu down and slid them into paper bags. Xi Liye paid, took them, and turned to hand the strawberry one to Wen Chu.
As Wen Chu took it, the cool bamboo skewer met her hand, and the sugar shell made a slight rustling sound against the paper bag. She lowered her head and took a small bite. The sugar shell cracked with a crunch in her mouth, sweetness flooding in instantly followed by the slightly tart juice of the strawberry.
…It’s actually quite delicious.
She stole a glance at Xi Liye. He wasn’t in a hurry to eat his hawthorn one; he just held it in his hand, his gaze fixed on her face.
“How is it?” he asked.
“I-it’s good,” Wen Chu spoke the truth, a bit of sugar sticking to the corner of her mouth.
Xi Liye reached out, using his thumb to very lightly wipe the corner of her lips. His fingertip was warm, and the movement was so fast Wen Chu didn’t even have time to react.
“Something was stuck there,” he explained. Only then did he lower his head to take a bite of his own hawthorn treat.
Wen Chu froze in place, the spot he had touched feeling hot. Her mind was a mess, and she could only lower her head to silently nibble on her Tanghulu.
Sweet and tart—just like her current mood.
Xi Liye finished the hawthorn in a few bites, held the remaining skewer, and looked at her. “Head back?”
Wen Chu, her mouth full of strawberry, gave a muffled “Mhm.”
The two walked back the way they came. Wen Chu ate her Tanghulu in tiny bites, the cold, sweet, and crisp texture helping her calm down slightly.
Eventually, Xi Liye escorted her back to the dormitory building.
Good grief—before they even got close, that familiar “pungent scent of romance” unique to the front of a girls’ dorm at night hit them full force. Under the dim, ambiguous glow of the streetlights, silhouettes of “conjoined-twin” couples were everywhere. Some were whispering and laughing, some were holding hands and reluctant to let go, and in the shadowed corners, some were locked in full embraces, heads so close you couldn’t tell who was who…
Wen Chu’s footsteps froze instantly, her scalp tingling.
Help! How did I forget this major cultural landmark of university campuses? This was a nightmare map for someone with social anxiety like her. Before transmigrating, she had been most afraid of passing the dorms at night, always wishing she had “Wind-Fire Wheels” on her feet so she could dash through without looking left or right.
If I’d known… I should have called a halt at the intersection!
Her cheeks began to burn uncontrollably; she felt an unspeakable embarrassment.
Beside her, Xi Liye naturally saw it too. He hadn’t expected the area in front of the girls’ dorm to be so “open” at night. However, what caught his attention more was Wen Chu, who was trying to shrink herself into a ball beside him.
Her ears are quite red, Xi Liye thought.
He didn’t speak. Instead, he subtly adjusted their direction, leading Wen Chu on a slightly roundabout path that avoided several couples, taking a relatively quieter route through the area.
When they finally reached a somewhat open space near the dorm entrance, Wen Chu practically sighed in relief.
“I’m going in then!” She spoke at lightning speed, a frantic urge to escape in her voice. She turned, ready to swipe her access card.
“Wen Chu,” Xi Liye called her back.
He stood a step away from her, the light from the dormitory building outlining his tall silhouette. Under the streetlight, his gaze rested calmly on her face, his lips curving into a very faint but clear arc.
Not far from them, a couple was hugging goodbye. They had both seen it just now.
“Before you go, should we have a hug too?” Xi Liye’s voice carried a hint of a smile.
Xi Liye hadn’t actually planned on saying much; he’d intended to leave after dropping her off. But perhaps because he’d just witnessed the behavior of that other couple, his mind became active again, wanting to try that feeling of hugging Wen Chu one more time.
Of course, it was mostly a subtle, almost wicked impulse. He wanted to see if her reaction would be even more interesting.
And so, the words slipped out naturally.
The effect was instantaneous. Wen Chu froze on the spot, her face tilted up, staring at him blankly.
The CPU in her brain was running at max capacity. She had never imagined that one day she would become a member of the “sticky-sweet couples” in front of the dorm. An inexplicable sense of shame rose in her heart.
“No need, let’s hug next time.” With that, Wen Chu hurried away.
Only after she was out of sight did Xi Liye slowly withdraw his gaze.
As expected.
The reaction was even more vivid than he’d anticipated.