Wen Chu: “!!!”
Her social anxiety reflex exploded instantly. She whipped her head down, burying her face back into the scarf, her voice muffled and trembling: “No… no thanks. I—I have a boyfriend…”
The look of anticipation on the boy’s face dimmed: “Oh, I see… Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.”
He was just about to offer a quick apology and leave when a calm, emotionless voice—one that carried a natural chill—drifted over from not far away.
“Wen Chu?”
The voice wasn’t loud, but like an icicle, it pierced through the freezing morning air.
Wen Chu’s entire body stiffened. She looked up slightly to see Xi Liye walking toward them. He was wearing a long black overcoat, unbuttoned to reveal a crisp, off-white sweater underneath. Wrapped around his neck was a dark grey cashmere scarf. He stopped just a few paces away.
He didn’t even spare a glance at the boy who had just hit on his “girlfriend”; his gaze dropped directly onto Wen Chu.
Wen Chu’s heart hammered against her ribs. Facing the male lead who would eventually be the death of her made her incredibly tense. She scrambled over to him—moving her arms and legs in a stiff, uncoordinated rhythm—and blurted out her rehearsed lines:
“Xi Liye! What took you so long? I’ve been waiting forever!”
“I’m not late.” Xi Liye looked down at his phone. “It’s 7:45 AM.”
Wen Chu choked for a second, then immediately doubled down on her unreasonable act. “So what? This is our first date! Don’t you know you’re supposed to come early? I’ve been waiting here since seven o’clock! I’m freezing!”
She feigned deep dissatisfaction, while secretly observing Xi Liye’s reaction.
Xi Liye truly couldn’t comprehend why a girl would choose to wait here so early. They had clearly agreed to meet at eight, and there were still fifteen minutes left. To him, given a set appointment time, waiting in the bitter winter cold was undeniably foolish.
However, as his quiet gaze fell upon her frost-reddened nose and her eyes—wide and round with feigned anger—he unusually refrained from defending his logic. Even though her being frozen here had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Feeling like she was about to crack under his scrutiny, Wen Chu stomped her foot. “Do you even care about this date at all? If you don’t care, then let’s just not go!”
Xi Liye explained, “That wasn’t my intention.”
He reached up.
Then, he unwound the long, dark grey scarf from his own neck and wrapped it around Wen Chu. The scarf was long and carried his lingering body heat along with a crisp, clean scent that instantly enveloped her. This sudden warmth and intimate gesture effectively silenced whatever Wen Chu was about to say next.
“Sorry.”
Xi Liye looked down at her face, which appeared even smaller framed by his oversized scarf. The girl seemed a bit underdressed for the biting wind. Fine, he thought. Since she’s been freezing for so long, I won’t argue with her.
Wen Chu was utterly baffled. Wait, wasn’t the male lead supposed to have zero patience for any girl other than the female lead? What is this?
Shouldn’t he have turned around and walked away coldly after she said “then let’s just not go”? And then they would have parted on bad terms?
The boy who had been about to leave witnessed this entire scene and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. As a medical student, he naturally recognized the legendary genius Xi Liye. They were in the same department and ran into each other occasionally, though they had never spoken. Seeing Xi Liye personally wrap a scarf around a girl—and even bowing his head to apologize?
The boy scratched his head awkwardly, forcing himself to speak: “Xi… Brother Xi, is this your girlfriend…?” The realization that he had just tried to pick up the genius’s girlfriend made him want to vanish on the spot.
“Yeah,” Xi Liye replied curtly, giving a casual nod.
Wen Chu shrank to the side in embarrassment, burying her head even deeper until she was practically burrowing into the scarf. She had been so immersed in her “quarrel with the male lead” theater that she hadn’t realized the passerby was still there. The thought that her arrogant and bossy performance had been witnessed by a stranger felt like a total “social death” (She si).
“Oh, oh, I see. That’s… that’s great,” the boy chuckled nervously. “Then I won’t disturb you two. I’ll be going now! Wishing you a hundred years of harmony!” With that, he practically fled, his retreating back radiating pure awkwardness.
They were alone in the snow once again.
Only then did Xi Liye shift his focus back to Wen Chu, who was currently trying to shrink herself into a quail-like ball.
“So, where are we going for our date?” he asked.
Upon hearing this, Wen Chu’s “drama queen” energy returned. She puffed out her chest and tried to look fierce. “Why are you asking me? Didn’t you make a plan for our date? I knew it! You don’t care about this at all!”
She was inwardly triumphant. Didn’t expect that, did you, Mr. Male Lead? I have a Phase Two.
She hadn’t spent her week in vain. She had specifically sought out several “high-maintenance heroine” novels, studying them day and night to perfect her role as a clingy, “thermally violent” brat!
Little did she know, her attempt to appear intimidating looked… incredibly small in Xi Liye’s eyes.
At 163 cm, she looked tiny standing before his 187 cm frame. Even as she craned her neck and tilted her face up, most of her “momentum” was dissolved by the massive height difference. Xi Liye was suddenly reminded of a cat he had raised as a child—one that would hiss and scratch at first, but would eventually roll over and let him pet it once it got used to him.
“Didn’t you suggest the date first? I thought you would have it planned out,” Xi Liye explained.
His tone was flat, devoid of emotion, but to Wen Chu’s ears, this was a golden opportunity!
“Are you blaming me?!” she raised her voice, trying to make her expression look both tyrannical and aggrieved.
She watched his face closely. In her understanding, this kind of irrational questioning was the easiest way to make a guy feel frustrated and impatient. Especially for someone like Xi Liye—a favored son of heaven accustomed to being in control—he surely wouldn’t stand being pointed at and accused like this.
“Then where do you want to go?” he asked.
“How should I know!” Wen Chu continued her output. “If the girl has to think of these things, what’s the point of having a boyfriend?”
“Mm.” Xi Liye nodded and suddenly took a step closer to her. “Then… have you eaten breakfast? Want to get something first? I know a place that specializes in breakfast. The taste and environment are good, and many people make reservations every morning.”
Wen Chu hadn’t expected him to not get angry; instead, he was actually starting to brainstorm a plan. Several “bratty” scripts she had ready were choked back halfway.
But… many people make reservations?
Plan “Drama Queen” needed a temporary pause. For someone with social anxiety, going to a crowded place was worse than being killed.
“No, no! Forget it!” she immediately waved her hands, offering an alternative. “Let’s… let’s just eat at the cafeteria? That’s fine too…” Her voice got smaller and smaller, lacking confidence.
Who goes to a school cafeteria for a date?
Fortunately, Xi Liye didn’t seem to mind.
“Okay.” The two of them eventually walked toward the cafeteria side-by-side. Wen Chu glanced down and saw the man’s hands tucked into his black coat. She remembered the “Thermal Violence” guide mentioned that increasing physical contact was key.
“Xi Liye, my hands are so cold,” Wen Chu said, blinking her eyes and acting frail.
In the book, the male lead never had physical contact with any girl besides the female lead. Using “cold hands” as an excuse to demand he warm them was a brilliant move. As soon as he refused, wouldn’t she have the perfect chance to “get angry”?
To make it more convincing, she thrust her frost-reddened fingers right in front of him. Her fingers were soft and slender, though the tips were indeed flushed pink from the cold.
“I turned into this state just from waiting for you. You have to take responsibility!”
“How should I take responsibility?”
“You have to warm my hands up,” Wen Chu said bossily.
Then, she saw Xi Liye move.
He pulled his well-defined hand out of his coat pocket, wrapped it around the frozen fingers held out before him, and tucked them both—his hand and hers—back into his overcoat pocket.
Wen Chu: “???”