The taxi pulled over to the curb.
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, caught sight of the two people on the sidewalk tangled up like a twisted knot, and silently muttered to himself—young couples these days, can't even wait a moment, hugging and clinging right out on the street.
Xiao Jinyu opened the rear door and said to Wen Li behind him, "Get in."
But the girl acted as if she hadn't heard, lying completely still against his back like a hibernating koala.
"Wen Li?"
No response.
He tilted his head to check if she'd actually fallen asleep, but the moment he moved, the arms around him tightened instantly, squeezing him so hard he could barely breathe.
"Wen Li, let go."
She still wouldn't speak. Xiao Jinyu had no choice but to pry her hands off—he peeled away her pinky, and her ring finger tightened; he peeled away her ring finger, and her middle finger pressed down harder. When he finally managed to get them all off, she flipped her hands over and clasped them back together, even tighter than before.
Xiao Jinyu: "…"
Was she an octopus?
Those hands were slender, fair, and soft, looking no different from any ordinary girl's, yet somehow they held a strength that wrapped around his waist like a lock he couldn't break no matter what.
The driver slowly rolled down his window and urged him impatiently, "Are you two coming or not?"
Xiao Jinyu had no choice. He gave up struggling, apologized to the driver, and canceled the ride on his phone.
The driver muttered something about "no regard for appearances" and rolled the window back up, grumbling as he drove off.
The taillights faded into the night, disappearing at the mouth of the alley.
The street fell quiet.
Xiao Jinyu stood there, thinking about how to get her back. The buses and subway had already stopped running. Taking a taxi was out, and shared bikes were even less of an option. Fortunately, the school wasn't far—just over a kilometer away.
Carrying her on his back… that would work.
He bent slightly, trying to guide the arms around his waist upward. Perhaps sensing that he had no intention of escaping, the person behind him cooperated this time, naturally looping her arms around his neck along with his movement.
He straightened up and hoisted her a bit higher.
She was lighter than he'd expected.
The night was already deep. Most of the shops along the street were closed, with only a few barbecue stalls still lit, the air carrying the smell of cumin and charcoal smoke.
He walked along the sidewalk with her on his back, his pace neither fast nor slow.
Her hair fell loose, brushing gently across his cheek.
That fragrance drifted over again, mingling with the night breeze, threading its way into his nose in wisps. He turned his head to avoid it, but the scent seemed to seep through every gap, clinging to him no matter how he tried to escape.
He wasn't used to being this close to someone—especially now, with her entire body pressed against his back, her soft form against him, her breath at his ear, warm and tinged with alcohol, making the back of his ears go numb.
He couldn't take it anymore. "Don't breathe on my ear."
But the person on his back knew nothing, lying quietly, occasionally nuzzling into the hollow of his neck like a small animal half-asleep.
He had no choice but to quicken his pace, to end this torment sooner.
Streetlights swept past one by one.
"When are you going to like me?" A soft, syrupy voice sounded from behind him again, drunk and slurred.
Xiao Jinyu's steps faltered.
Those words were like a small pebble, landing squarely in the calm lake of his heart. He knew she was drunk, that nothing she said could be taken seriously, but his heartbeat still skipped half a beat beyond his control.
"I really like you." She buried her face deeper into the hollow of his neck, her voice even more muffled, like sleep-talking. "Will you like me too?"
He was silent for a moment. "Who are you talking to?"
His voice was very soft, as if asking himself.
Ji Cheng?
Or… him?
But the person on his back gave no answer. Her breathing gradually grew long and even—she'd truly fallen asleep.
Forget it.
Why argue with a drunk.
The girls' dormitory was on the east side of campus, requiring a walk down an entire tree-lined path. The night wind rustled the leaves, and occasional laughter drifted from the windows, mingling with the warm yellow light, scattering into the darkness.
Xiao Jinyu stopped at the bottom of the building.
He didn't know which building she lived in, didn't know who she knew, who her roommates were, or whether anyone could come down to get her. The only person he knew who might have a connection to Wen Li was one.
Ji Cheng.
_
Ji Cheng was already asleep when the call came in.
He fumbled groggily for his phone, squinting at the caller ID—Xiao Jinyu??
He jolted awake, nearly scared out of his wits. Xiao Jinyu was calling him? What serious thing had happened? Did the lab catch fire? Did the hospital go bankrupt? Or something even worse… the end of the world?
He answered with trembling hands, pressing the phone to his ear: "Hello?"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
A very subtle pause, as if Xiao Jinyu had picked up something from the sleepiness in his voice. When he spoke again, his tone had suddenly dropped: "You're sleeping?"
Ji Cheng was caught off guard by the question, baffled, and glanced at the time.
Eleven at night.
"Obviously," he replied.
The other end fell silent again.
The person on the other end of the line was breathing heavily. Even through the receiver, Ji Cheng could vaguely sense the suppressed anger on the other side.
Anger?
Could Xiao Jinyu even get angry? Didn't he usually just ignore people outright?
It was strange—even though he hadn't done anything at all, he inexplicably felt like he'd done something guilty.
"No, seriously," Ji Cheng couldn't hold back anymore, "do you have something or not?"
"Nothing."
A cold voice came through the receiver, and the moment the words landed, the call was cut off.
"Beep, beep, beep…"
Ji Cheng held up his phone, his head full of question marks.
This guy's got a screw loose, what the hell is he doing losing his mind in the middle of the night!
He tossed the phone back on the nightstand, ready to go back to sleep, but the moment he closed his eyes, his mind started spinning out of control.
What was Xiao Jinyu doing up at eleven o'clock?
Reading papers? Writing articles? Doing experiments? He hadn't submitted to another core journal, had he? He'd heard from his senior that Xiao Jinyu had indeed been revising a review article recently.
Ji Cheng sat up abruptly.
That bastard Xiao Jinyu was definitely grinding.
Ji Cheng couldn't sleep at all now. He scrambled out of bed, turned on his computer, and opened the paper he'd only half-finished during the day.
He'd pull an all-nighter tonight too. He'd stay up even later than Xiao Jinyu.
He was going to grind him into the ground.
_
Xiao Jinyu hung up the phone.
Five years in the same dorm, and he'd never really had any concrete impression of Ji Cheng. If he had to say something, it was that Ji Cheng used him as a benchmark for everything.
Whatever time Xiao Jinyu woke up, Ji Cheng would set his alarm ten minutes earlier. If Xiao Jinyu went to the library, Ji Cheng had to come back later than him. Whatever journal Xiao Jinyu published in, Ji Cheng would submit to it too—even if he couldn't get in, he'd force it. Even when Xiao Jinyu joined Dean Wu's research group for grad school, Ji Cheng had tagged along eagerly.
After a while, Xiao Jinyu got used to it.
A shadow. That was the label he'd stuck on Ji Cheng.
Back when Ji Cheng was with Wen Li, Xiao Jinyu had just thought Ji Cheng had a bad temper—fierce on the surface, but at least he knew how to protect her. If anyone in the dorm made a joke about her, Ji Cheng's face would stay dark for half a day.
He'd thought Ji Cheng cared about her, at least.
Now it seemed he'd overthought it.
She was out there drinking like that all alone.
And Ji Cheng was at home sleeping.
He didn't think any further. It wasn't his business anyway.
Xiao Jinyu scrolled through his contacts again. The list was short—two swipes and he hit the bottom. He'd never saved many numbers, and right now he couldn't think of anyone else Wen Li might know.
Finally, his gaze landed on the last number.
Cheng Xiling.
…
In the dorm, Cheng Xiling received the call.
She stared at the caller ID several times before she could confirm it was really him—the number she'd saved for a year, the person who had never once contacted her on his own.
Her heart suddenly raced. Clutching her phone, she ran to the balcony, closed the door, took a deep breath, and pressed answer.
"Hello?" she said cautiously. "Ayu-ge, you're looking for me?"
"Yeah." He paused on the other end, no pleasantries, straight to the point. "Do you know Wen Li from your college?"
"Our college?"
"Yeah, the Music College."
"…"
Since when was Wen Li in the Music College?
"Do you know her?" he pressed.
"I do know her." Cheng Xiling clenched her fist. "Is something wrong?"
"She's drunk. Can you take her back to the dorm?"
"Drunk?" Cheng Xiling was taken aback. "Where is she?"
"Outside Building 3 of the female dorms."
Though she didn't want to think that way, she couldn't help but probe: "Is she… with you right now?"
"Yeah."
One word, light and airy, but like an extremely fine needle, it pierced straight into her heart. Cheng Xiling forced a smile, trying to keep her voice sounding normal: "Okay, I'll be right down."
"Thanks."
The call ended, and the balcony fell quiet.
Cheng Xiling held her phone, standing still in place.
Wen Li was a local—she often went home on weekends. Cheng Xiling had assumed she'd gone home today. How could she be drunk, and with Xiao Jinyu of all people?
A thought suddenly surfaced.
Could they be… together?
That was impossible.
Xiao Jinyu clearly hated girls who clung to him. Back in high school, the prettiest girl in the neighboring class would block him at the school gate every day, and he'd rather skip school than deal with her. There was no way he'd let someone like Wen Li catch him.
Cheng Xiling leaned against the railing, looking down at the ground below. It was pitch black—the streetlight's glow was blocked by the leaves, and she couldn't make out whether anyone was there at all.
She stood on the balcony for five minutes before going back inside to grab her jacket and head downstairs.
The night was clear, the moon hanging high in the sky, casting a silver glow across the ground.
The dorm building had terrible soundproofing—from some window drifted the sound of girls laughing and messing around. Cheng Xiling stepped out of the dorm and immediately spotted the two people under the streetlight.
The young man stood beneath the light, tall and lean. Beside him, a girl was hugging the utility pole, draped in a man's jacket, her head tilted to the side as if she'd fallen asleep.
It was Wen Li.
Xiao Jinyu stood to the side, the streetlight casting sharp contrasts of light and shadow across his face from an angle. His expression was blank, but his gaze never once left Wen Li. That look was dark and intense, like a beast lurking in the shadows, guarding prey that was about to be claimed.
Cheng Xiling thought she was seeing things.
There was no way Xiao Jinyu would ever wear such an expression.
He was someone who couldn't care less about anything. Sometimes she even wondered if he had normal human desires at all—if there was ever anything he actually wanted.
She rubbed her eyes and looked up again. The boy had already turned to look at her, his gaze back to calm.
So she must have been mistaken just now.
Cheng Xiling nodded at him, then walked over to Wen Li and gently patted her back. "Lili?"
Wen Li didn't respond.
Cheng Xiling hooked Wen Li's arm over her own shoulder. All of Wen Li's weight pressed down on her, and it was a bit heavy. She stumbled a few steps before Xiao Jinyu steadied her. "You got her?"
"I've got her." Cheng Xiling smiled. "Is this jacket yours?"
"Yeah."
"Then take it back."
She tried to pull the jacket off Wen Li's shoulders, but found the sleeve clenched tightly in Wen Li's fist. No matter how hard she tugged, she couldn't get it free.
"Let her keep it for now," Xiao Jinyu said.
"Oh, alright."
"Thanks." He thanked her again.
"No need for thanks." Cheng Xiling laughed. "With our relationship, saying thank you feels a bit distant, doesn't it?"
Xiao Jinyu nodded and was about to leave when she called out to him again. "Will you come next month?"
Xiao Jinyu asked back, "Where?"
"The orphanage," Cheng Xiling said. "It's Mother Director's birthday."
Silence fell between them again. After a moment, Xiao Jinyu said, "I won't make it. Send her my regards."
…
The bathroom was thick with steam. Xiao Jinyu stood under the showerhead, eyes closed, letting cold water pour down over his head.
The body wash was still his usual brand, but something was off today. Mixed into the familiar scent was a fragrance that shouldn't be there.
A floral scent.
Jasmine.
He turned off the faucet, and the bathroom fell abruptly silent. The scent still clung to him in wisps, as if it had seeped into the very texture of his skin, impossible to wash away.
He tossed aside the towel and pushed open the bathroom door into the bedroom.
Seeing him, Nian Gao, who had been curled up at the foot of the bed dozing, perked up its ears, shot him a wary look, and bolted out of the bedroom without looking back.
Lying in bed, that strange scent still wouldn't fade. Even with his eyes closed, her figure appeared—her smiling at him in the steamy crayfish shop, her eyes shimmering with light, her voice chattering on and on.
He was dazed, not hearing a word she said. He only noticed that her lips, soft and glowing, parted and closed, looking impossibly alluring under the light.
He watched the corners of her mouth curve upward and suddenly wondered what it would feel like to touch them.
Whether kissing them would be soft.
So he actually did it. And then many things governed by bodily instinct began to spiral out of control.
…
Xiao Jinyu's eyes snapped open.
Light filtered through the gap in the curtains. It was already bright outside. The air conditioner hummed, and the bedroom was chilly, yet he was drenched in sweat.
Nian Gao had slipped back in at some point, lying by the head of the bed, sweeping its tail across his face.
He must be out of his mind.
How could he dream about someone else's girlfriend?
And a dream like that, no less.
He threw off the covers and rushed to the bathroom for a cold shower.
The next day, Ji Cheng walked into the office with a pair of panda eyes.
He'd stayed up all night reading papers. By four in the morning, he felt like he was becoming one with the literature, ascending to immortality. He'd been floating on air since morning.
Just as he sat down at his desk, he noticed a breakfast sitting on it.
A McDonald's paper bag, with a cup of black coffee beside it.
Ji Cheng tore open the bag in a few quick motions—it was a pork and egg McMuffin and a hash brown. He grinned. "Senior brother's so thoughtful. He knew I stayed up reading papers and bought me breakfast. This is what a real senior brother looks like. How embarrassing, really."
Even as he muttered "how embarrassing," he honestly cracked open the coffee and took a sip.
Iced, lightly sweetened. Perfect.
Ji Cheng bit into his burger and saw his senior brother walk in with a thermos. He raised his coffee cup and tilted his chin at him. "Thanks, man."
His senior brother looked confused. "Thanks for what?"
"The breakfast."
"Oh," his senior brother said, walking to his own seat. "That breakfast wasn't from me."
Ji Cheng paused mid-chew. "If not you, then who?"
"Xiao Jinyu."
"Cough—cough, cough, cough…" At the sound of that name, Ji Cheng choked on his coffee, nearly coughing himself to death.
His senior brother quickly handed him a tissue. "Is it that big a deal?"
Ji Cheng took the tissue and wiped his mouth. "Who did you say bought this?"
"Xiao Jinyu."
The burger in Ji Cheng's hand suddenly lost all appeal. "Wait, why would he buy me breakfast?"
"No idea. I saw him put it on your desk with my own eyes."
Ji Cheng shoved the burger back into the paper bag with disgust, as if touching it any longer would dirty his hands. "Senior brother, something's off. Something is seriously off!"
"What's off about it?"
"Xiao Jinyu called me at eleven last night, then hung up without saying anything. And this morning he bought me breakfast. You know what that means?"
"It means…" the senior apprentice said, stroking his chin, "he wants to pursue you?"
"Bullshit," Ji Cheng nearly jumped out of his skin, his voice cracking. "It means he wants to harm me. Haven't you seen those news stories about med students poisoning their roommates? He's definitely jealous of my talent. Have any of the lab's chemical reagents gone missing recently?"
The senior apprentice laughed at him: "I think you're overthinking it. Maybe he just wants to patch things up with you."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Ji Cheng said with finality. "Xiao Jinyu's eyes are on top of his head. When have you ever seen him take anyone seriously? In five years of college he never once thought about reconciling with me, and now he suddenly wants to? What's he after? He definitely wants to harm me!"
The senior apprentice was about to speak when the door was pushed open.
Xiao Jinyu walked in, his white coat accentuating his elegant bearing, holding a medical chart in his hand.
Ji Cheng straightened up instantly, staring at him intently.
Xiao Jinyu's steps faltered under his gaze. He looked up, his eyes pausing on Ji Cheng's face for a second before quickly looking away and heading to his own desk.
"What do you mean by this?" Ji Cheng couldn't hold back and walked over to confront him.
"What?"
"You bought the breakfast?"
"Yes."
"For me?"
"Mm."
"?" Ji Cheng was genuinely bristling now. "Are you insane? What do you mean buying me breakfast?"
Xiao Jinyu was rarely at a loss for words. His gaze drifted elsewhere, as if somewhat uncomfortable.
He didn't know how to explain. He couldn't exactly say that because he'd dreamed about Ji Cheng's girlfriend last night, he was buying this as an apology. And she might not even be his girlfriend anymore—according to Wen Li, their relationship had already fallen apart, a bad ending, likely heading for a breakup.
Although he also thought Ji Cheng wasn't all that reliable, and getting dumped was Ji Cheng's own fault, not deserving of sympathy, still—dreaming about Wen Li… and in that kind of dream—wasn't exactly moral.
In the end, he made up a random excuse: "Not eating breakfast can easily cause gallstones."
Ji Cheng looked like he'd seen a ghost. He'd gone nearly five years without eating breakfast. Had he been blind all this time, and only now Xiao Jinyu remembered he might get gallstones?
Psycho!
Just then, the attending physician at the door called out: "Time for rounds!"
Xiao Jinyu immediately grabbed his chart and headed out, his steps half a beat faster than usual.
The door closed, and Ji Cheng returned to the senior apprentice with a dark face to summarize: "See that? That bastard is definitely feeling guilty. He couldn't even look me in the eye just now. Do you think he really wants to harm me?"
The senior apprentice slid his chair, leisurely picked up his thermos, took a sip, and then said: "He did look a bit guilty when he looked at you."
Ji Cheng: "Right? It's not just my imagination!"
_
Wen Li woke up on her dorm bed.
She sat up in a daze, her unfocused eyes staring blankly at the black jacket hanging on the railing of the bunk across from her.
"Where am I?"
As soon as she said it, a sharp voice exploded in her ear: "Congratulations, host, on binding to the Male God Seduction Plan! Current progress: 100%. Successfully unlocked the bridal chamber segment!"
Wen Li was startled, almost thinking she'd actually transmigrated. She turned around to see Fu Qin tapping her instant noodle bowl with chopsticks, wearing a teasing grin as she enjoyed Wen Li's embarrassment.
Wen Li grabbed her pillow and threw it at her. Fu Qin caught it with a laugh: "Get up already, the sun's practically burning your butt."
"What time is it?"
"Almost noon."
"Ah, that late? How did I get back last night?"
"Lingling helped you up."
"Lingling?"
"Yeah, she probably ran into you downstairs."
Wen Li instinctively glanced at the empty lower bunk: "Where is she?"
"Went to the library. She's way more motivated than you," Fu Qin leaned in, barely containing her nosy curiosity. "That jacket is Xiao Jinyu's, isn't it? What did you do yesterday, drinking yourself into that state?"
Wen Li rubbed her forehead, trying to recall last night. She and Xiao Jinyu had been at the restaurant eating crayfish, and he'd even peeled them for her. She'd been so happy she opened a bottle of beer, and by the end she was a bit drunk. Xiao Jinyu had carried her back on his back.
At the thought, Wen Li's cheeks grew warm. She could still remember the warmth of his body.
Wen Li curled her fingers, suppressing her inexplicably racing heart as she reached for her phone. When the screen lit up, a small flicker of hope quietly surfaced—maybe there'd be a message from Xiao Jinyu.
But her WeChat was completely empty.
Her hopes fell flat.
Wen Li couldn't help feeling a hollow ache in her chest, but she still took the initiative to send him a message.
Big Pear: [Thanks for yesterday. How should I return your jacket?]
Big Pear: [Cute bunny head.jpg]
Sent. She stared at the words on the screen, waiting nervously for a while, but he didn't reply.
Fu Qin called her to go eat lunch, and only then did Wen Li get out of bed, wash her face, and head downstairs with her.
Over the next few days, Xiao Jinyu still didn't reply. Her message had sunk into the sea without even a single bubble rising to the surface.
Wen Li was puzzled—why wasn't he replying to her messages again? Just a few days ago, he'd at least respond with something like "Mm," and she'd finally felt like the two of them were starting to warm up to each other. How had it all reverted back to square one overnight?
What had she done to upset him this time?
So annoying!
Wen Li tugged at her hair in frustration as Fu Qin walked by holding a teacup, glancing at her. "I'm just saying—you didn't get drunk and take advantage of him that night, did you?"
"Impossible." Wen Li looked up. "Even if you don't trust my character, you should trust my drinking manners. I'm a very graceful drunk—I never make a scene even when I'm wasted."
"Then why isn't he talking to you? Did you confess to him after drinking?"
Confess?
Wen Li froze, a sudden image flashing through her mind—dim streetlights, her draped over Xiao Jinyu's back, her cheek pressed against the back of his neck, mumbling "I like you" over and over.
Oh no, she really had confessed!
So he thought she had designs on him, and that's why he was deliberately keeping his distance?
Wen Li was equal parts mortified and annoyed. How overly cautious was this man!
She'd just muttered some nonsense after drinking—what was there to make a fuss about? Even if it were true, so what? Getting confessed to wouldn't cost him a pound of flesh. It wasn't like he'd never been confessed to before. Why was he acting so chaste and defiant, as if she were about to do something to him?
She grabbed her phone and typed furiously:
Big Pear: [Those things I said when I was drunk that night weren't directed at you]
This time the reply came quickly.
Five minutes later.
Little Goldfish: [I know]
He knew?
He knew jack shit.
Wen Li was so angry she threw her phone down.
_
The next day, Wen Li arranged to meet her physical trainer at the school gymnasium.
At ten in the morning, the gym was nearly empty. Sunlight slanted in through the high windows, cutting ribbons of light across the tiled floor.
Wen Li stood at the entrance waiting, and spotted a young man in a black tracksuit jogging toward her from a distance.
So this was the person Coach Zhang had specially brought in?
Coach had said this guy had deep credentials and had even trained world champions, so she'd assumed he'd be a middle-aged uncle in his forties or fifties. But the man who arrived was young—looked under thirty—lean and wiry, with a set of defined forearms visible beneath his T-shirt sleeves.
"You're Wen Li?" He stopped in front of her, smiling.
"Hello, Coach Cheng." She bowed in greeting.
"Hey, no need for that—'Coach' makes it too formal. Just call me Cheng-ge." The man waved his hand with a laugh. "We'll be colleagues from now on, no need to be so polite."
"Colleagues?"
"Yeah, aren't you coming back to the team? We'll be seeing each other often. Come on, let's run a few tests first to see where your body's at."
Wen Li nodded and followed him into the gym.
The tests were fairly simple—shuttle runs, vertical jumps, core strength.
Cheng-ge didn't talk much, but his eye for form was sharp. Occasionally he'd call out reminders like "knees higher" or "land softer."
Wen Li finished the last test and leaned over, hands on her knees, gasping for air.
Cheng-ge jotted a few notes in his book and nodded with satisfaction. "Solid foundation. Coach Zhang wasn't exaggerating—you're a good prospect."
Wen Li laughed between breaths. "So I passed?"
"Passed." He closed his notebook. "If you follow my training plan, I guarantee your results will reach a new level before the end of the year."
"Then thank you in advance, Cheng-ge."
"Alright, I'll refine the plan and send you the training schedule next week. In the meantime, just keep training at your own pace."
"Got it."
Wen Li walked him out. Those tests had left her knees weak, and her legs felt unsteady as she descended the stairs. Meanwhile, Cheng-ge strolled beside her with his bag, chatting and laughing, his steps light—showing no sign of having just spent two hours training someone.
His stamina was incredible.
She was starting to believe he really was a highly experienced physical trainer.
When they reached the entrance, Wen Li remembered something and pulled out her phone. "Oh, Cheng-ge, how about we add each other on WeChat? Makes it easier to stay in touch."
"Sure."
He took out his phone and scanned the QR code she held up. With a soft ding, the friend request went through.
"Big Pear?" He read the name aloud. "That's a fun name."
Wen Li rubbed her nose. "Just something I came up with."
"Nice. Easy to remember." Cheng-ge put away his phone, still smiling. "Alright, Big Pear, see you next week."
"See you, Cheng-ge."
Once he was out of sight, Wen Li looked away and saved his contact info. Just as she was about to put her phone down, she caught sight of two people standing at the entrance out of the corner of her eye.
She looked up. It was Xiao Jinyu, with that classmate she didn't recognize standing beside him.
Su Yucheng leaned in close to Xiao Jinyu's ear and murmured, "See what I told you? She won't cling to you for long. She's already found a new target—seamless transition. At this rate, you could call it spot-welding."
Xiao Jinyu frowned. "Can you just not talk?"
Su Yucheng clicked his tongue. "See, you're getting worked up again."
Wen Li hadn't heard anyone badmouthing her. She was actually happy to see them, hopping down the steps and waving at him. "Hey, Xiao Jin—"
Before she could even finish her greeting, Xiao Jinyu turned and walked away as if he hadn't seen her at all.
Wen Li: "??"
That classmate of his followed with a grin, glancing back at her as he went—looking very much like he was enjoying her misfortune.
Wen Li's raised hand froze mid-air.
What was going on? Why did he just leave the moment he saw her?
Fine. If he wouldn't talk to her, then she wouldn't talk to him either.
Wen Li shoved her phone into her pocket and turned to walk in the opposite direction, but as she walked, her steps gradually slowed.
No, wait—why was he ignoring her like that?
She'd only said hello. It wasn't like she was pestering him. Did he have to look at her like she was the plague? Was she some kind of man-eating monster?
Wen Li stopped in her tracks.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The angrier she got, the more wronged she felt.
Some things could be endured, but not this. Patience had its limits, and Wen Li had reached hers.
She spun around and strode back with long, determined steps.
Xiao Jinyu and his classmate hadn't gotten far—they were walking along the path outside the gymnasium. His classmate was saying something beside him, but Xiao Jinyu kept a cold face and didn't respond.
Wen Li rushed over in three quick strides and blocked his path directly.
"Xiao Jinyu, why are you ignoring me?"
"…"
Xiao Jinyu had indeed been deliberately avoiding her lately. Every time he got close to her, he felt like he was losing control, his emotions pulled along by her.
He'd realized that she was slowly dismantling his defenses, piece by piece. The feeling was foreign to him, and he wasn't used to it.
So he'd wanted to put some distance between them. After all, they shouldn't have any connection in the first place. What he hadn't expected was for her to charge straight over and confront him, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Su Yucheng caught sight of the scene and immediately felt guilty about the things he'd just been saying behind her back. He'd heard about this girl's legendary exploits—she'd once pinned a two-hundred-jin guy to the wall with a fork. He wasn't about to mess with her. He swallowed hard, quietly backed up a few steps, and then bolted out of sight.
"Say something." Wen Li planted her hands on her hips, looking like she was settling accounts after autumn.
Xiao Jinyu remained silent, his gaze resting on her face.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed—whether from running too fast or from anger, he couldn't tell. Her bangs were a mess, making her look like a small animal with its fur all ruffled up.
"We're not close," he said.
What he meant was that they weren't familiar enough to exchange greetings. But to Wen Li's ears, it sounded like he was drawing a clear line between them.
She bit her lower lip and said, sounding aggrieved, "Nobody's born close to someone. You get close by chatting more and building a connection."
Speaking of chatting, she seized on another one of his offenses: "And why didn't you reply to my WeChat message? How are we supposed to get close if you don't reply?"
Xiao Jinyu couldn't quite bring himself to meet her eyes. He looked away. A breeze blew past, sweeping his dark hair across his forehead. His lips were vividly colored, and his whole bearing carried an air of restraint that was somehow alluring.
Wen Li felt herself bewitched, the anger in her chest dissipating considerably. Her tone softened: "Besides, I don't have any bad intentions. I just want to be friends with you. Is that such a big deal?"
"I don't make friends."
"Don't make friends—then do you make girlfriends?" The words slipped out before she could stop herself.
The moment she said it, she regretted it immediately.
Xiao Jinyu was reserved to the bone. He'd even taken her drunken ramblings seriously before. If she dared to show even a hint of romantic interest in him, he'd definitely go cold-faced and ignore her again.
"I-I meant girl friends, as in friends who are girls. Don't misunderstand." She quickly patched things up.
"I don't make those either."
"…"
This guy was really…
Then who did he make friends with, aliens?
The autumn breeze brushed past gently, and the leaves overhead swayed softly.
Xiao Jinyu said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Fine, go then."
Wen Li turned and walked back too, but after a few steps, she regretted it.
She looked back at him, her expression unapologetically bold. "One more thing."
Xiao Jinyu stopped. "What?"
Wen Li said, "You paid for the crayfish that day, didn't you? Let me pay you back."
"No need."
"No way. I'm a person of principles—I only let friends pay for me." She deliberately emphasized the word "friends" and pulled out her phone to transfer him the money.
Xiao Jinyu glanced briefly at her phone. "You usually transfer money using the friend-add QR code?"
Wen Li froze and looked down at her phone. The screen happened to be showing the scan-to-add-friend interface.
He'd almost annoyed her into confusion—she'd even tapped the wrong code.
She quickly backed out and reopened the payment QR code, only to hear his light, airy voice drift over.
"Adding people on WeChat everywhere you go."
"??"