It was dinner time, and the aroma of food wafted from the small eateries along the street. Waiters stood outside handing out flyers to attract customers. Jiang He led Yu Yingying into a familiar small restaurant, ordered three dishes and a soup as usual, and then, thinking of something, got up while waiting for the food and went next door to buy two milk teas.
Yu Yingying was a bit surprised and took the drinks. “Thank you.”
A few minutes later, the owner brought over two bowls of food and greeted Jiang He with a smile: “Not here with friends today, bringing your girlfriend?” Evidently, they were well-acquainted. Jiang He glanced at Yu Yingying sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow, and smiled: “Yes.”
When the dishes were served, Yu Yingying looked at the table—fish-flavored shredded pork, sweet and sour ribs, stir-fried loofah, and kelp and pork rib soup—everything she liked. She couldn’t help glancing at Jiang He again. The meal went smoothly.
After dinner, night had fallen. Walking back to campus one after the other, Yu Yingying thought about what she could give Jiang He in return. He had paid for coffee and dinner today, but the relationship between them didn’t feel real, so she couldn’t comfortably accept it. She didn’t want to argue about the bill either, so giving him a gift seemed the simplest solution.
Before they knew it, they had reached the school gate. As Yu Yingying was about to turn and tell Jiang He to head back, he grabbed the handle of her backpack. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and almost fell. Stumbling a few steps back, she spun around angrily: “Jiang He, what are you doing?!”
Jiang He awkwardly withdrew his hand. “…Why are you so fierce?”
“Just say what you need to say—why are you grabbing my backpack?” Yu Yingying’s heart raced, and she asked irritably, “What is it?”
“It’s just…”
“Spit it out. Hesitating isn’t your style,” Jiang He said.
“Fine!” Yu Yingying raised her eyes to him.
The streetlights flickered on, piercing the darkness. The tall, upright young man stood before her with one hand in his pocket. His face was backlit and hard to see, but his mischievous voice was as brazen as ever.
“Hey, Yu Yingying. I know you want to break up, but don’t say it yet. Even a death sentence needs a verdict first. You’ve got to give me two months to spend time with you before making a final decision.”
“Of course, you can choose to agree or not.”
“But if you don’t agree… you’re dead.”
“I can get fierce and bite, just so you know!”
…
Yu Yingying didn’t know how she made it back to the dorm. Her mind felt short-circuited, like a sedentary person suddenly running 800 meters. Aside from breathing, she couldn’t focus on anything else. Fortunately, her desk brought her back to reality. She had to go through all her freshman and sophomore textbooks again—a huge workload. She couldn’t waste her evenings, so after showering, she sat at her desk to study.
She read until nine o’clock, when Yu Qing and Jian Mei returned, laughing and chatting. They were shocked to see her studying in the dorm.
“When I asked if you wanted dinner, you said you were on a date at a café with your arrogant guy. How come you’re back so early?”
“I thought you two would be in the little grove downstairs, hugging and kissing. Sorry, I overestimated your courage and underestimated your morals,” Yu Yingying replied.
“How much did you two eat tonight?” Yu Qing asked.
Jian Mei didn’t understand. “Yu Yingying, are you mocking us for being full and meddlesome?”
“…Yes.” The three of them burst into laughter.
After laughing, Jian Mei looked at Qian Bao’s empty bed and sighed. “I wonder when Bao will be back… Honestly, she might as well have agreed to Jiang Chengyu’s pursuit. At least Jiang Chengyu was clearly a jerk, so she wouldn’t have to deal with a third party, and she could still be your sister-in-law.”
Sister-in-law? Save me! Yu Yingying thought for a moment: “Getting hurt by hemlock and saying arsenic is better… I don’t think life should be like that. Forget it.” Jian Mei laughed heartily.
Yu Qing was curious: “Yu Yingying, what about your arrogant guy? How was your date today? Sweet?” Jian Mei perked up her ears as well.
Seeing their eager gossip, Yu Yingying turned her back to them and muttered vaguely, “Mm… just so-so.” The expression hinted there was a story. Yu Qing and Jian Mei exchanged knowing glances and decided not to press further.
At 10:30 p.m., the dorm lights went out. Yu Yingying got into bed early, turned on the small fan by her pillow, and leaned against it while reviewing vocabulary for the English CET-6 exam.
As she studied, her phone suddenly pinged. She opened WeChat—it was a message from Jiang He’s secondary account.
Jiang He (secondary account): [Yu Yingying, what are you doing?]
Yu Yingying felt a little strange. This secondary account seemed unusually normal, as if possessed by someone else. She hadn’t been familiar with Jiang He before, and even as a boyfriend, she didn’t remember him. But after spending the afternoon together, she had formed a fairly deep impression.
If the main account Jiang He was passionate, loud, a little arrogant and childish, then the secondary account seemed disciplined, cautious, and proper.
But which one represented the “real” Jiang He? That would have to be the main account. After all, not everyone could casually call a girl “little miss” and do little heart gestures—but main account Jiang He could.
Before, Yu Yingying would have ignored this playful side, but today… after a brief hesitation, she replied: [Studying.]
Jiang He (secondary account): [So serious? Yu Yingying, you’re awesome.] [smallcat_with_flowers.jpg]
Yu Yingying: “……” Great. Still didn’t want to respond.
Lights out, she quickly replied: [Lights out, good night], and shoved her phone under the pillow, letting out a sigh of relief.
But before sleeping, she remembered Jiang He’s words at the school gate earlier, and her mind wandered. She had felt stressed and resistant at the time, but she remembered saying one word: “Okay.”