After the car started, Lin Wutong kept her gaze fixed on the window, trying her best to minimize her presence.
The car window was slightly reflective, and through the reflection, she could make out the faint glow of the boy's phone screen.
It illuminated his blurred silhouette.
After a while longer, the light from the phone went out.
Lin Wutong averted her gaze, pretending to casually glance in his direction.
Sure enough, his head was tilted slightly back, and his eyes were already closed.
His thick, dark lashes cast a faint shadow under the dim, flickering light of the streetlamps.
Lower down was his tall, refined nose bridge.
His lips, beautifully shaped…
She couldn't look any longer.
Lin Wutong quickly snapped her gaze away.
"Tongtong."
It was Du Weiwei, sitting in the passenger seat, calling her.
Lin Wutong steadied herself and leaned forward slightly, asking in a soft voice, "What's wrong?"
As if afraid of waking the person resting beside her.
Du Weiwei asked her, "Are you sleepy?"
Usually, she had a habit of going to bed on time in the dorm, but tonight had ended a bit late.
Lin Wutong: "I'm fine."
After turning right through a traffic light, Zhou Xuyan said with a smile, "We're almost there."
He said something else, and Du Weiwei continued chatting with him.
Before sitting back in her seat, Lin Wutong instinctively glanced sideways at the person beside her.
She saw that his eyes, which had been closed just moments ago, had opened at some point.
The two of them locked eyes.
The distance was so close that Lin Wutong's breathing grew tense.
Her lashes trembled, and she unconsciously swallowed.
It took her a moment to find her voice. "Did… did I wake you?"
He was naturally handsome, with eyes that were especially deep and striking. When he looked at someone steadily, it seemed incredibly affectionate.
Lin Wutong found it hard to handle, her gaze slightly evasive.
Ji Ciye noticed her fluster and smiled. "No."
"I wasn't asleep."
His lips curled lazily, and his voice carried a hint of hoarseness from the alcohol.
It was a little grating on the ears.
Lin Wutong lowered her gaze, about to sit back in her seat.
Just as she moved, she heard him say, "I thought you knew."
Knew?
Knew what?
Knew that she had just been secretly looking at him?
Lin Wutong looked up at him in disbelief, meeting a pair of eyes that were both intrigued and completely at ease.
The air flowed silently between them.
"Tongtong, what are you two talking about?"
Du Weiwei turned around, asking with a curious expression.
Lin Wutong lowered her lashes, momentarily unsure of what to say.
A low, magnetic, teasing laugh slowly drifted into her ears. "Classmate Lin, she's asking you a question."
He spoke slowly, deliberately drawing out his tone, sending a tingling sensation through her ears.
Lin Wutong was somewhat grateful that it was nighttime. Enduring the heat rising to her face and ears, she said softly, "Nothing."
After returning to the dorm, Du Weiwei said she wasn't sleepy yet and let Lin Wutong shower first.
After they had both washed up and lay down on their beds, Du Weiwei noticed she wasn't asleep yet and curiously started a conversation. "Tongtong, what do you think of Ji Ciye?"
Lin Wutong didn't know why she suddenly asked that.
Before she could even speak, Du Weiwei continued, "I think Ji Ciye seems a bit different with you."
She turned over to face Lin Wutong, ready to analyze it in detail. "Look, everyone says he's pretty aloof, but tonight in the car, I thought he was actually pretty easy to get along with."
But that was only limited to when they were in the car.
At other times, it felt like there was a layer of mist around him.
Impossible to get close to.
But he actually flirted with Lin Wutong.
"Classmate Lin"—such a simple address, yet when spoken from his mouth, it inexplicably carried a hint of ambiguity.
She'd said it before—he was like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
Though he was indeed a bit handsome—no, not just a bit, much more than that.
But their Tongtong wasn't lacking either. Good grades, pretty face, well-behaved, and her personality was beyond reproach.
"Tongtong, be honest—have you felt even a tiny bit moved by Ji Ciye?"
Lin Wutong's eyelashes flickered. "No."
Her voice was very soft, so soft it nearly dissolved into the night.
But Du Weiwei still heard it and felt somewhat relieved. "That's good!"
Forget Lin Wutong—
Even tonight at the KTV, when she heard them singing together, she'd almost started shipping them.
Say what you will, they really did look good together.
Even a casually snapped photo was brimming with couple vibes.
But—
It was only under that kind of atmosphere at the time.
Du Weiwei's tone grew more serious. "Too many people like him. To him, feelings are probably just a pastime. So you absolutely, absolutely must not let yourself fall easily."
She didn't say she couldn't fall—only that she couldn't fall easily.
Lin Wutong knew what she was worried about and smiled. "Don't worry."
Actually, she knew it herself too.
Someone as dazzling as him—how could he ever lack admirers?
Tonight, hadn't she witnessed one with her own eyes?
Du Weiwei moved on to another topic. "By the way, how's your part-time job search going?"
At the mention of part-time work, Lin Wutong thought of that recruitment posting.
It was just one short sentence.
"As long as you can stay."
Other than that, nothing else.
It was the first time she'd seen such a strange requirement.
Lin Wutong: "There's one. I'm still considering it."
But she probably couldn't consider it for too long—after all, the hourly pay was very high, and they likely had no shortage of applicants.
So after waking up the next day, Lin Wutong decided to give it a try.
She dialed the number.
The "ring" lasted only a few seconds before the other end picked up.
From the voice, it was a very capable professional woman.
After introducing themselves, the other party only asked when she could start.
Today was the weekend—no classes.
Lin Wutong: "Any time."
"Alright."
The other party didn't say much more, simply sending her an address.
When Lin Wutong checked the route, she discovered it was one of the most exclusive villa districts in the capital. That made her understand the sky-high hourly wage even better.
After breakfast, she took the subway there.
But after exiting the subway station, she still had to walk a stretch.
By the time she reached the entrance, it was almost ten.
After she rang the doorbell, a woman dressed as a housekeeper opened the door.
Her smile was gentle. "You must be Classmate Lin?"
Lin Wutong nodded obediently. "Yes, that's me."
"Madam just called to remind us. You can go straight upstairs."
She pointed toward the staircase. "First door on the left."
It seemed people like her came here often.
The housekeeper didn't even offer to show her the way.
After changing into slippers, Lin Wutong followed the direction the housekeeper had pointed and went up the stairs.
First door on the left?
After reaching the second floor, Lin Wutong walked to the first door near the staircase and knocked tentatively.
No response.
She knocked a second time, a bit harder this time.
Sure enough, she soon heard faint footsteps.
Somewhat heavy.
While waiting, she felt a bit anxious, unsure what kind of student she was about to face.
The next second, the bedroom door opened.
The moment she saw the person clearly, Lin Wutong was somewhat stunned—she thought she was dreaming.
But she wasn't the only one who mistook it for a dream.
Ji Ciye blinked his drowsy eyes, his voice still carrying the lazy weariness of someone who hadn't woken up. "Classmate Lin, what are you doing here?"