At seven in the evening, Rong Ting was still working on her assignments. She had just finished a call with her mother, reassuring her that everything was fine here.
Lately, she often reflected on how fortunate she was—to have found such a good place to live and to have met Ran Jiu. So, any remaining troubles were hers to handle.
If her GPA suffered because of group projects, securing a scholarship would become much more difficult. Rong Ting needed to make up for lost points in other courses by working harder on her assignments.
She had even roughly calculated that winning a national scholarship would cover four months of rent, while a first-class scholarship would at least allow her to treat Ran Jiu to something nice and ease the burden on her family.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound at the door. She looked up to see Ran Jiu wearing only a white lace camisole and black hot pants, her slender legs fearlessly exposed to the cold. Her feet were tucked into blue fluffy slippers, with only two delicate pink toes peeking out.
The stark contrast of colors struck Rong Ting deeply, momentarily making her forget the plans she had just made.
Her hands slowly withdrew from the keyboard. “Jiu Jiu?”
Ran Jiu sighed softly, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Your Jiu Jiu is in a bad mood. Will you take her on a spring outing?”
With those words, the two found themselves sitting side by side on the bed late at night, discussing where to go.
Under the dim, warm glow of the lamp, they resembled two hedgehogs huddled together for warmth.
Both had weathered unpleasant experiences, bristling with defensiveness and irritation. Yet now, they had shed their sharp edges and nestled close, seeking comfort in each other’s presence.
Rong Ting scrolled through travel guides on her phone. “How about Prince Gong’s Mansion?”
Ran Jiu shook her head. “Been there. The alleys are confusing, the river smells a bit, and it might be crowded on a Saturday.”
Her breath, fragrant like orchids, brushed against Rong Ting’s ear. Trying to stay composed, Rong Ting flipped to another page. “What about Qianmen? There’s an art exhibition center there—my friend from the art academy had a show there last time. Oh, and there are lots of comedy clubs and theaters nearby. We could drop in if we get tired.”
Ran Jiu replied, “Tickets are hard to get.”
…
After several suggestions were dismissed so quickly, Rong Ting began to suspect she was doing it on purpose.
Ran Jiu’s body was cool to the touch, like a natural icebox. She took up little space on the bed but leaned closer, a few strands of her hair mingling with Rong Ting’s.
In a daze, Rong Ting felt Ran Jiu’s index finger press against her phone screen, scrolling through the guides. Her light, delicate breaths brushed against Rong Ting’s ear—subtle yet impossible to ignore.
Ahhh, I can’t take this!
Rong Ting closed her eyes briefly and shifted slightly to create some distance. “What kind of place do you want to go to?”
Ran Jiu paused, her amber eyes meeting Rong Ting’s. Unaware of the earlier intimacy, she looked genuinely thoughtful, with a touch of innocent earnestness.
“I want somewhere open and spacious, preferably outdoors.” After a moment, she added, “I don’t want to go where there are too many people.”
Rong Ting fell silent for a second. So, this one wanted to enjoy the open scenery outside. If she had said so earlier, narrowing down the options would have been much easier.
Eventually, Rong Ting suggested Olympic Forest Park. Worried Ran Jiu might reject it again, she quickly added a string of reasons: “It fits your criteria—open and spacious, probably not too crowded at this time, lots of scenic spots inside, and the air is fresh…”
This time, Ran Jiu lowered her gaze, lost in thought for a moment, before offering a faint smile. “Okay.”
They settled on Wednesday for their outing, as weekends were too crowded. Besides, Ran Jiu had her day off on Wednesday, and Rong Ting only had classes in the evening that day.
When the day arrived, Rong Ting unexpectedly stayed awake the entire night. She was usually reserved and rarely got excited about anything. Even if there was a final exam the next day, while others crammed until three or four in the morning, she would still go to bed on time as usual.
But the thought of going on a spring outing with Ran Jiu, just the two of them!—kept her awake.
They agreed to wake up at eight, have breakfast downstairs first, and then head to Olympic Forest Park.
Ran Jiu wore a crisp gray windbreaker and black hiking pants. The loose top concealed the curves of her upper body, revealing only her long, slender legs.
Rong Ting, on the other hand, wore a mid-length cashmere coat with white pants. For convenience, she had tied her hair into two playful braids, looking every bit like a student heading out for a sketching trip.
As they went downstairs, Ran Jiu locked the door and quickly caught up to her, gently tugging at one of her braids. “Your under-eyes are so dark?”
Rong Ting looked as if a spirit had drained all her energy. Even with some concealer, it was still noticeable. She tried to brush it off with a vague murmur, “It’s from working on my paper.”
Fortunately, Ran Jiu didn’t press further. They walked in silence until they reached the ground floor, where Ran Jiu added with a teasing jab, “Is this how all the top students at prestigious schools grind?”
Rong Ting: “…”
They went to the breakfast shop downstairs, where freshly fried dough sticks were being pulled from the oil vat outside. Rong Ting ordered sweet tofu pudding and a dough stick.
Ran Jiu studied the menu at the counter for a long time, seemingly unsatisfied, before finally ordering soy milk and a meat pie. She also asked for two steamed dumplings with pickled cabbage and pork, and before Rong Ting could react, she scanned the code to pay.
Once they sat down, Ran Jiu looked at her suspiciously. “You eat sweet tofu pudding?”
Rong Ting glanced at the pickled cabbage and pork dumplings in front of Ran Jiu, wearing a similarly puzzled expression. “…Yes.”
Ran Jiu picked up the vinegar jar, poured a generous amount into her dipping dish, and began eating the dumplings with vinegar, casually commenting on whether the meat was tender or chewy.
Rong Ting quietly ate her tofu pudding with a spoon. Just as she brought a bite to her mouth, she noticed the other girl looking at her with a complicated expression. “What does sweet tofu pudding taste like?”
Rong Ting paused. “Wait, I’ll get you a new spoon.” She was about to stand up when Ran Jiu gently pushed her back down, quickly picking up Rong Ting’s spoon to scoop a bite into her mouth. “Hmm, so this is what it tastes like.”
Rong Ting watched as Ran Jiu used her spoon. The edge of the spoon barely touched her lips before the tofu pudding slid into her mouth.
No saliva touched it—it was clean, not exactly an offense but Rong Ting’s heart still skipped a beat.
How could she do that?!
Sometimes, Ran Jiu acted like an innocent, clueless child. After tasting it, she handed the spoon back. “It’s not bad, but I’m used to savory ones. A bite of sweet is fine, but too much would get cloying.”
“Oh.” Rong Ting took the spoon back and continued eating.
Ran Jiu dipped the remaining dumpling in vinegar and began unwrapping her meat pie.
The meat pie here was carelessly made. Peeling off the outer paper wrapper revealed a thick pastry with only a thin layer of meat inside. One bite, and you could barely taste any meat.
She frowned, seemingly dissatisfied, but ate quickly, finishing it with the soy milk. Rong Ting couldn’t help but wonder if Ran Jiu had been some kind of animal in a past life—with small, neat teeth and a surprisingly strong bite force, the kind that was oddly endearing…
After finishing her own meal, Ran Jiu idly watched her. Rong Ting’s eating movements suddenly became awkward. She had just split the fried dough stick in half and hadn’t even finished the half in her hand.
She swallowed a mouthful of tofu pudding with difficulty, then tapped her finger on the plate, signaling that if Ran Jiu was still hungry, she could have hers.
Only after Ran Jiu helped her finish the remaining half did Rong Ting finish the tofu pudding.
The two stepped out of the shop into the chilly morning breeze. Ran Jiu sighed, stretched lazily, and squinted her eyes like a contented cat.
Beside her, Rong Ting checked the route. From where they were to Olympic Forest Park, they needed to take two buses and then the subway, which would take about an hour and a half. By the time they arrived, it would be almost 10 a.m.
She took a screenshot of the map and was about to send it to Ran Jiu when the latter spoke without looking up, “Wait.”
A bit puzzled, Rong Ting asked, “Wait for what?”
Ran Jiu tapped her phone a couple of times and showed it to her.
The screen displayed a ride-hailing app page, already showing a license plate number, meaning a car was on its way.
Rong Ting was shocked. “Cancel it quickly! It’s a long way from here to there, and the fare will be expensive!” Besides, the base fare in the capital was already high, and there would be traffic congestion along the way. Once, she had taken a taxi from the train station back to her school, and it cost eighty yuan. Since then, she had never taken a taxi in the capital again.
Ran Jiu turned off the screen, leisurely straightened her collar, and waited. “No, this is more convenient.”
Once they were in the car, Rong Ting had no choice but to accept the situation and began calculating the cost of the trip.
She roughly estimated an amount and transferred 50 yuan to Ran Jiu via WeChat, but the other girl didn’t accept it for a long time. Rong Ting gently nudged her arm. Ran Jiu turned to look at her and said nonchalantly that it wasn’t much money.
Seeing that Ran Jiu didn’t want to discuss it further, Rong Ting gazed out the window, her feelings a jumble of emotions.
Her curiosity grew even stronger. She wondered what kind of person Ran Jiu really was.
She recalled their first meeting, when they were still strangers, and Ran Jiu had bought her a bunch of snacks.
Earlier, after breakfast, Ran Jiu had insisted on paying, and now she didn’t even care about the taxi fare. Rong Ting also remembered that since they had started sharing the apartment, Ran Jiu had never asked her for utility bills…
Thinking about how her dormitory had to pay water bills every half month, Rong Ting suddenly guessed that perhaps Ran Jiu had received the utility bills but had never split them with her.
Rong Ting didn’t know if Ran Jiu needed to immerse herself in emotions for her voice acting work, but she felt that in real life, Ran Jiu rarely spoke and seemed indifferent to many things, especially when it came to small amounts of money. Clearly, following her own whims was more important to her.
She exuded a cool and natural aura, as if she didn’t care about anything, which made her somewhat oblivious to certain matters.
Rong Ting guessed that Ran Jiu probably had a few close friends, often went out to play ball, and drank some cold beer. It didn’t seem like a boring life.
While Rong Ting was lost in her thoughts, Ran Jiu wasn’t overthinking at all. Instead, she stared out the window, yawned, and her eyes grew drowsy.
As the temperature in the car gradually rose, Rong Ting suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. In her peripheral vision, she saw Ran Jiu hugging her bag, her cheek resting against Rong Ting’s shoulder blade. Her small, soft, pale face was tinged with a faint blush, and her jawline was slightly indented from the pressure.
Rong Ting didn’t dare move. “Are you sleepy?”
Ran Jiu let out a long, drawn-out “Mmm,” her laziness fully on display.
As expected, they encountered traffic congestion on this side. Some roads in the capital city had a peculiar charm—traffic lights were set up every 50 meters, forcing the car to stop and go intermittently along the way. It was enough to give anyone a heart attack.
Even Rong Ting was growing somewhat restless. She looked at Ran Jiu’s face and waved her hand in front of her eyes. “It’ll still be a while before we arrive. If you’re uncomfortable like this, why don’t you rest your head on my lap?”
The weight on her shoulder suddenly disappeared as Ran Jiu sat up and shifted to the other side. She then slightly bent her knees, curling up to rest her head on Rong Ting’s lap, her voice lazy and relaxed. “Thank you, Tingting. You’re so kind.”
Rong Ting tried her best to keep her legs close together, but the fabric of her pants was thin, and her leg bones were prominent. She could even feel the weight of Ran Jiu’s head.
Rong Ting tensed her muscles slightly, worried that her bony legs might be uncomfortable for Ran Jiu.
Sure enough, Ran Jiu seemed to adjust the position of her head a few times, none of which seemed satisfactory, before suddenly sitting up again.
Rong Ting felt inexplicably anxious, thinking she might not want to sleep anymore.
But Ran Jiu merely squinted her eyes, reached behind her, rummaged through her bag, and pulled out a small cushion to place on Rong Ting’s lap before resting her head on it again. This time, she seemed much more comfortable and didn’t move at all afterward.
After a long while, listening to the faint breathing below, Rong Ting slowly let out a sigh of relief and quietly rolled up the half-open car window.