The voice on the other end was loud enough that even Ruan Yu heard it, though she couldn’t immediately tell who it was.
“Who is that? Confessing over the phone—how dumb is that?”
She didn’t lower her voice, and the person on the call clearly heard her. There was instant silence.
“Anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”
Ji Nian was surprised, but her face showed nothing. She just assumed the person had gone crazy.
“Don’t hang up—I’m serious.”
On the other end, Xie Qingwang gripped He Weichen’s phone tightly, extremely nervous. His own number and messaging apps had been blocked—he even had to borrow someone else’s phone just to confess.
He had made up his mind.
“I’m not joking. I’m very, very, very serious. I called just to tell you that I—”
Beep beep beep—
Before he could finish, the line went dead.
“That voice sounded familiar… doesn’t it sound like that guy Xie?” Ruan Yu frowned. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s lost it,” Ji Nian said flatly. “Called just to ‘inform’ me that he likes me.”
“What the hell?” Ruan Yu made a face like an old man staring at a phone on the subway. “Call him ‘crown prince’ and he really thinks he’s royalty? ‘Inform’ you? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Obviously, he just couldn’t handle being ignored. His ego couldn’t take the shift—he wasn’t used to her no longer chasing him, so now he was trying to mess with her again.
Ji Nian sneered inwardly.
Did he really think that just saying “I like you” would make her run back to him like before?
Ridiculous.
She opened her contacts and blocked that number too.
“By the way, Ji Nian… do you really not feel anything for him anymore?” Ruan Yu asked seriously. “You liked him for so long… can you really just let go like that?”
Of course not.
To others, it had only been four months—but to Ji Nian, it was seven full years… even including a child.
But what did it matter if she couldn’t let go?
She would let go slowly—one day, she’d get there.
“At least I won’t chase after him like before.”
“That’s already good.”
“What kind of trash phone is this? It hung up after one call?”
Xie Qingwang glared at He Weichen’s phone. “Must be your phone’s problem.”
“I think you’re the problem,” He Weichen said lazily from his bed. “She hung up on you.”
“Then what do I do? She probably blocked your number too.” Xie Qingwang rubbed his face.
He had just wanted to tell her that he didn’t hate her—that he truly liked her now. He didn’t want her to misunderstand him.
Later, he planned to prepare a proper confession.
But before he could even finish speaking, she hung up. He didn’t even get the chance.
“Does she not even want to hear my voice anymore?”
“Whose fault is that?” He Weichen crossed his legs. “You brought this on yourself. Try harder.”
“But I have no experience with this.”
Xie Qingwang had never been in a relationship. Sure, plenty of people had chased him—but he had never done the chasing.
He didn’t even know how to take the first step.
“Don’t sleep tonight. Help me look up some strategies.”
“You’re relying on me?”
“Not just you—I’ll look too. More people, more ideas.”
“…Unbelievable.”
New Year’s Day was approaching, and the entire campus was filled with a festive atmosphere.
The student council’s performance selections were finalized—Ji Nian and Ruan Yu’s dance made the cut.
Ji Nian would perform “Peach Blossoms Fall,” a modern classical dance full of springtime poetry and youthful emotion—one she had practiced the most before.
Combined with Ruan Yu’s guzheng accompaniment, their performance was seamless—and one of the most anticipated.
There were 25 performances in total: singing, dancing, recitation, and more.
During rehearsal, Ji Nian noticed the high-quality stage setup and props—clearly, the sponsor had contributed a lot.
“Everyone take a break—Senior Zhou is treating us to milk tea!” announced the arts department head.
Zhou Mingyi carried over two bags of drinks. “Not sure what you like, so I just picked a variety.”
“Thank you, Senior Zhou—we like everything,” Ruan Yu smiled.
She quickly noticed that Ji Nian’s drink was different—prettier packaging, too.
Is he interested in her?
Ji Nian used to have many admirers, but ever since she openly pursued Xie Qingwang, most had backed off.
Now that she didn’t like him anymore… maybe a high-quality guy like Zhou Mingyi wasn’t a bad option.
“Thank you, Senior Zhou,” Ji Nian said politely. The drink had too many toppings for her taste, but she still took a sip—it was decent.
“No need to thank me. Your performance makes our student council look good,” Zhou Mingyi said gently. “If you need anything, let me know.”
“Thank you.”
After chatting briefly, he left to check on other things. Ji Nian and Ruan Yu sat down to rest.
On stage, Bai Xiao was rehearsing—a love confession song, singing while playing.
Ji Nian vaguely remembered: in her past life, Bai Xiao had performed the same song—clearly directed at Xie Qingwang.
But back then, Ji Nian had dragged him out halfway because she was hungry, so he never even heard the full confession.
Thinking about it now, Bai Xiao must have hated her.
This time, without her interference, everything could play out properly—the male lead could listen, and the female lead could fully express her feelings.
Everything was… as it should be.
“Qingwang? What are you doing here?” Bai Xiao suddenly called out, surprised.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
There stood Xie Qingwang—dressed all in black, carrying bags in both hands, walking toward the stage.
“Xie, the class monitor is over here!” one of Bai Xiao’s roommates called teasingly.
Bai Xiao blushed and tried to stop her. “Don’t say that—maybe he’s not here for me.”
“If not you, then who? You’re the class monitor,” her roommate insisted confidently.
Ji Nian and Ruan Yu were seated not far from the stage. Not wanting to watch the main couple show affection, Ji Nian simply turned around, facing away from the entrance.
Then—
“Ji Nian, I bought you fruit, snacks, and milk tea. Anything else you want?”
His voice sounded right behind her.
She even felt his hand tap her shoulder.
“I also brought tissues and wet wipes.”