“Alright, alright, if you say it’s not, then it’s not,” the woman waved her hand, wearing an expression that said, “I understand.” “A suitor, then, okay?”
“But let me say one more thing as an elder: that girl clearly isn’t from an ordinary family. For her to go to such lengths for you isn’t easy. Cherish her properly.”
Jiang Xianzhuo didn’t speak.
The wad of cash in his pocket suddenly felt so hot it made his fingertips tingle.
He gave a slight nod to the middle-aged woman as a farewell, then turned and walked out of the convenience store.
The wind chime above the door let out a light jingle before falling silent again.
The night wind was cold, carrying the desolate chill unique to late autumn, rushing straight into his collar.
Walking back to his apartment, Jiang Xianzhuo unconsciously slowed his pace.
He had walked this road countless times; the old buildings on either side and the dim streetlights were so familiar they felt numb. But tonight… everything around him seemed unreal.
Images of Shen Zhili from today kept surfacing in his mind.
She wore a plain black hoodie and jeans, carrying that heavy insulated box.
She rushed out to help him out of a tight spot.
She said… she’d come again tomorrow?
Jiang Xianzhuo suddenly stopped walking.
He stood in the small circle of light cast by a streetlamp, looked up at the pitch-black night sky above.
No stars. So ugly.
So damn annoying.
What exactly does Shen Zhili want?
Before, her eyes were full of annoyance and disgust when she looked at him—that gaze was utterly genuine, impossible to fake…
Now, she’s suddenly being inexplicably nice to him?
Jiang Xianzhuo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He suddenly pulled out his phone and opened Green Bubble.
In the chat window were still those two lonely messages Shen Zhili had sent him.
He stared at those two messages for a long, long time.
So long his fingertips grew cold.
Finally, his fingers landed on the keyboard.
A line of text lit up on the screen.
Then he deleted it, character by character.
Typed again.
Deleted again.
After several repetitions, the screen was still blank in the end.
Jiang Xianzhuo directly exited the chat interface, shoved his phone forcefully back into his pocket, his movements tinged with suppressed irritation.
…
The next day.
As soon as the first light of dawn seeped through the heavy curtains, casting a faint, hazy brightness into the room, Shen Zhili woke up.
She opened her eyes, stared at the intricate chandelier on the ceiling, and cursed with a laugh.
“Damn it, why didn’t my eighteen-year-old self sleep in?”
Shen Zhili sat up, quickly ran through today’s plan in her mind, then got out of bed.
In the walk-in closet, she didn’t choose another low-key hoodie and jeans like yesterday. Instead, she picked out an expensive but fresh-styled dress.
Ivory white as the base, adorned with delicate light blue embroidery—it showed her status without appearing too aggressive.
Perfect. Today’s strategy was to boil the frog slowly.
Shen Zhili winked at her reflection in the mirror, quite satisfied with the youthful, dewy version of herself.
By the time she finished getting ready and went downstairs, Shen Zhiyu was sitting at the dining table, staring blankly at the breakfast on his plate.
Seeing Shen Zhili, he straightened up instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“Why did you take a taxi and leave at noon yesterday?”
“Because I didn’t have afternoon classes, of course. Our university schedule is different from your high school’s. Just be jealous.”
As she spoke, Shen Zhili pulled out a chair and sat down. Mom Liu immediately brought over warmed milk.
“I’m not asking about that,” Shen Zhiyu frowned. “What I mean is… why did you leave the driver for me?”
“Of course, you still need to go home tonight, don’t you?”
Shen Zhili replied naturally, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Shen Zhiyu: “…”
Did she even understand what he was saying? Was that the point?
Shen Zhili quickly finished her breakfast, downed the hot milk in her glass in one go, and very naturally pushed her plate over.
It still held half an untouched avocado.
“Eat, or the truck dies.”
Shen Zhiyu: “…”
“Hurry up, finish it and I’ll take you to school.”
Shen Zhiyu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stabbed the avocado with his fork.
“You’re still taking me today?”
“Yeah,” Shen Zhili said matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, if you wait for the bus, the first class will have already started by the time you get to school.”
With that, she stood up and picked up an exquisite shopping bag from the nearby sofa.
Inside was a bag she bought last year, quite expensive, but she didn’t like it—she got tired of it after using it twice.
Now was the perfect time to give it as a convenient favor.
Shen Zhiyu took a bite of the avocado and asked doubtfully, “But… isn’t Xie Yuchi coming to pick you up?”
“I don’t care if he comes or not.”
“…”
Shen Zhiyu didn’t dare say another word.
Afraid the witch would scold him again, he obediently finished the avocado.
…
In the black Bentley, Shen Zhili elegantly took her seat, wearing high heels adorned with tiny diamonds.
Following closely behind was Shen Zhiyu, trailing after her like a downtrodden little follower.
The driver started the engine, and the car smoothly drove out of the villa area, passing through streets bathed in morning light.
Shen Zhili leaned back on the soft rear seat, casually scrolling through her phone.
The chat interface on Green Bubble still showed only the two messages she had sent, with no reply from Jiang Xianzhuo.
She stared thoughtfully at Jiang Xianzhuo’s profile picture.
The picture looked like a silhouette casually splashed with thick ink, outlining only half of a cold, hard profile, exuding an aloof and gloomy aura.
She had once joked that the picture looked too depressing and told him to change it to something brighter.
But Jiang Xianzhuo never did.
He said the shadows were always there, and he needed to constantly remember the pain etched into his bones to stand firmer.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhili gently traced her fingertip over the profile picture through the cold screen.
It seemed… he drew this himself?
An idea suddenly struck her.
That’s right.
Jiang Xianzhuo liked to draw!
Shen Zhili’s eyes lit up, inspiration striking again.
Beside her, Shen Zhiyu was secretly observing Shen Zhili.
Seeing her staring at her phone screen again—sometimes thoughtful, sometimes squinting, a strange smile curling at the corner of her lips, and finally even showing a delighted expression…
Shen Zhiyu very consciously shifted his position, one hand quietly reaching for the door handle inside the car.
Today, he had to be ready to jump out of the car at any moment.
…
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of Qinzhou Academy.
Before getting out, Shen Zhiyu glanced back at her.
Shen Zhili raised an eyebrow. “What are you looking at me for?”
“You’ve been a bit strange these past two days,” he muttered softly.
“Strange how?”
“Just… hard to put into words,” Shen Zhiyu struggled to articulate. “It feels like you’ve changed.”
After hearing this, Shen Zhili suddenly laughed.
She reached out, making a gesture as if to affectionately ruffle his hair.
Shen Zhiyu’s eyes widened, his body stiffening.
No way…?
The next second, a crisp flick landed precisely on Shen Zhiyu’s forehead.
“Ow!”
Clutching his forehead, he let out a pained cry.
“Shen Zhili! What was that for?”
“Helping you regain your memory, so you won’t think I’ve changed.”
Shen Zhili gave a light humph, withdrew her hand, and began her routine display of “humanistic concern.”
“Enough nonsense. Get to class.”