The school had paid to invite moderately well-known online folk and rock singers for the evening, leaving every single table and booth in the bar packed to capacity, with even the temporarily added seating areas filled to the brim with students from both Zijing and Capital universities.
When the young man stepped out of the private room, the stage happened to feature a folk music set performing the song Spring Breeze Ten Li.
The gentle male voice on stage sang: The wind blew toward you again today with rain, I said no wine in the world compares to you.
Dry ice around the stage rose silently, turning into pale mist. Buoyed by a slight buzz of alcohol, he suddenly felt an urge to make a phone call to X.
Opening Qinghe to dial directly, the call rang twice before the other party answered.
With the music bar being noisy, Ji Wenyu couldn’t really hear the voice on the other end clearly.
“Ah Yan,” he called the other person’s name, navigating past layers upon layers of crowds while wearing his headphones.
He saw no silhouettes resembling X, nor anyone suspected of answering a voice call.
A disappointed expression surfaced on the young man’s pretty face as he slipped on his down jacket and stepped out of the bar through the side door.
The singing mixed with accompaniment gradually faded behind him, making X’s voice finally clear and distinct.
“Outside?” X asked him.
Ji Wenyu leaned against the railing at the bar entrance: “Yeah, came out to celebrate the holiday.”
X: “Holiday?” Ji Wenyu: “Singles’ Day.” X: “Can you still celebrate Singles’ Day after breaking out of singlehood?” Ji Wenyu: “Probably? Are you coming over?” X: “Didn’t we say the weekend? Why do you want to see me early today?”
Perhaps amidst those soulful, storytelling songs recounting love, people naturally tended to become sentimental.
Ji Wenyu lowered his head and sniffled: “I just suddenly missed you.” X: “Still coughing today? It’s pretty cold outside.” Ji Wenyu: “Do you want to see me or not?” X: “When?” Ji Wenyu: “Tonight, right now.” X hesitated: “Tonight? It’s getting late, and you haven’t fully recovered from your illness. Do you want to head back to the dorm to rest early?”
Yet tonight was the night he wanted to see his Ah Yan.
Today was Singles’ Day.
Ji Wenyu whimpered softly and aggrievedly: “You don’t want to come out…”
Sensing his mood acutely, X quickly changed tune: “Then tonight.”
The young man brightened up again immediately.
“I’m at Zijing University, it’s eight-forty now, where are you?” X: “I’m near you.” “Then what time should we meet? Nine? Nine-thirty?” Ji Wenyu asked. X: “Either works for me.” Ji Wenyu: “Let’s make it nine-thirty then, I’ll head back to the dorm to change clothes.”
X agreed: “Alright, dress warmly, don’t freeze.” “Where should we meet? Find a place near Zijing’s west gate?” Ji Wenyu probed tentatively.
Opposite Zijing University’s west gate was precisely Capital University’s side.
“The north gate, let’s do Zijing’s north gate,” X replied.
Did he want to pick somewhere closer to his dorm? The young man couldn’t help overthinking. Not wanting to go anywhere too noisy, he tilted his head and pondered for a moment.
“Sure, let’s meet at the coffee shop right by the north gate then? That place stays open until eleven at night. I’ll send you the location in a bit.” X: “Alright. Wear a hat, it’s cold today.” “Got it,” the young man smiled and hung up the call.
After giving Shi Zhiyao a heads-up, Ji Wenyu left the bar early.
Time pressed, so he jogged all the way back to the dormitory.
The dorm was empty; the young man unlocked the door with his key.
Better that it’s empty, Ji Wenyu pulled open the wardrobe and began rummaging through clothes to wear for the night.
For a first meeting, picking something good-looking was still essential. Thick winter clothes all looked roughly the same; after rummaging around, he ultimately decided to trust someone else’s aesthetic judgment and picked a pink graffiti sweater that Shi Zhiyao always praised whenever he wore it. The girl had told him this piece gave off a strong Korean vibe—good-looking people looked exceptionally handsome in it, while ugly people looked atrocious, but on him it was not only attractive but also made his skin look fairer. He randomly pulled out a pair of jeans for his bottoms; thermal underwear looked bulky, and since it was just a few steps to the north gate coffee shop, skipping thermals wouldn’t pose any major problem.
The thought of meeting X immediately made Ji Wenyu’s lips harder to suppress than an AK. Finishing his clothing selection with twenty-odd minutes to spare, he decided to take a quick combat shower.
Hitting peak hours meant the bathhouse was packed, and after waiting in line for a bit, by the time he returned to the dorm it was already nine-twenty-odd minutes.
Pushing open the dorm door, he was surprised to see Xu Yuanzhe, who had returned early. The other person was also changing clothes, exposing a smooth back as he faced away from him.
“Back already,” the young man greeted casually without time for lengthy chats, busying himself with putting on his clothes in a flurry of activity.
Xu Yuanzhe uttered a brief Mhm without saying much else.
There was no time to blow-dry his hair. Fully dressed and groomed, Ji Wenyu used a towel to give his damp hair a vigorous rub before preparing to head out.
A message suddenly popped up on his screen.
[X: Ten minutes late okay? Got caught up with something temporary] [Little Fish: Sure thing]
Ji Wenyu replied hurriedly, breathing a sigh of relief while simultaneously reaching for the hairdryer.
With ten unexpected minutes gifted to him, the young man successfully blow-dried his already semi-dry hair and even had a few spare minutes to unearth a beige beanie from his cabinet.
Everything packed and prepped, Ji Wenyu grabbed his down jacket and headed out.
Stepping into the elevator lobby to press the down button, the young man noticed someone else standing beside him while waiting.
He sidestepped toward the empty space, catching a sideways glimpse of the person next to him—it turned out to be Xu Yuanzhe.
Xu Yuanzhe was heading out at this hour too? Connecting this with the fact that today was Singles’ Day, Ji Wenyu couldn’t help beginning to speculate whether the other person was heading out on a date just like him.
Xu Yuanzhe was wearing that newly purchased dark blue hoodie of his, holding a black down jacket in his hands, with a straight posture making him look as handsome as a model stepping out of a magazine.
Ji Wenyu took the initiative to ask: “Heading out?”
Xu Yuanzhe nodded, keeping his response brief: “Yeah.”
The two of them took the elevator down and put on their respective outerwear outside.
The chill outside seemed a few degrees sharper than when he had returned earlier, though fortunately he had dried his hair before leaving. Ji Wenyu zipped his down jacket up to the collar, covering his chin for warmth.
Despite the late hour, plenty of pedestrians bustled back and forth across the campus.
The thought that he would finally get to see X shortly made Ji Wenyu feel as though he were carrying a portable heat source around; the surging warmth caused his chest to beat at an unnaturally rapid frequency beneath his ribs. Pulling out his phone, he continuously checked his hairstyle and outfit using the reflection on his phone screen beneath the streetlights. Terrified of running late, he practically jogged the entire way, his pace noticeably faster than usual.
Leaving the dorms, Xu Yuanzhe happened to be heading in the direction of the north gate as well. Consequently, Ji Wenyu walked alongside him for another stretch, walking one after the other all the way to Zijing University’s front gate.
Reaching the main gate, the route to the coffee shop required a right turn. Seeing that Xu Yuanzhe showed no intention of parting ways with him, Ji Wenyu asked in bewilderment: “Where are you headed?”
Xu Yuanzhe named the exact same coffee shop.
Ji Wenyu widened his eyes in astonishment: “Going on a date?”
Xu Yuanzhe nodded once more.
This was getting entirely too coincidental, and something felt distinctly wrong.
Going on a date at the exact same coffee shop as his roommate felt somewhat awkward, especially when that person happened to be his former crush. Should he temporarily change locations right now? But what if X had already arrived…
Nearing the vicinity of the coffee shop, Ji Wenyu began progressively slowing his pace. Xu Yuanzhe didn’t deliberately wait for him, taking long strides forward instead and walking straight into the coffee shop shortly after.
The agreed-upon time was nine-thirty, and with X delaying by ten minutes, that made it nine-forty.
At nine-forty, Ji Wenyu paced back and forth at the entrance of the coffee shop, hesitating to step inside. The coincidence of running into Xu Yuanzhe’s date at the exact same venue had completely shattered the initial excitement and joy he felt when leaving the dorm to meet X.
The minute hand pointed at the 8 position when his phone vibrated, popping up a message from X.
Two consecutive texts.
[X: I have arrived, dark blue hoodie] [X: Are you almost here?]
[Little Fish: I’m at the entrance, walking right in]
Ji Wenyu hardened his heart and pressed send. So what if they were dating at the same venue? This shop was right at Zijing’s gate; if Xu Yuanzhe could come, what stopped him? Turning around to drag X to a different location would only make things look less than straightforward. Besides, nothing had ever actually happened between him and Xu Yuanzhe anyway.
Having walked outside for ten-odd minutes and stood at the entrance for a moment, the tip of the young man’s nose had turned slightly red from the cold. Stepping across the threshold of the coffee shop, the indoor warmth and coffee aroma enveloped him simultaneously.
Ji Wenyu looked into the coffee shop to search for X’s figure.
What color clothing did X say he was wearing again…
Dark blue? Wait—
What color?!
The very next second, Ji Wenyu’s gaze happened to land squarely on Xu Yuanzhe, who was wearing a dark blue hoodie.
The youth stood by an empty table near the window, gazing straight toward the entrance, his eyes locking directly with his midair.
The rest of the tables in the coffee shop were occupied by groups of three or five people; as for the male wearing a dark blue hoodie sitting all by himself—there was only Xu Yuanzhe.
With a loud buzz ringing inside his head, Ji Wenyu froze in place.