Jin Zongmin replied ten minutes later. He didn't send a message—he called directly.
Before Duan Sikai could even speak, the voice on the other end pressed down on him: "What are you playing at?"
Duan Sikai laughed. "How would I dare? This is the one you brought last time, isn't she?"
Jin Zongmin didn't answer, only asked, "How is she at your place?"
"Xu Weiyue brought her. Said they're friends from middle school. The two girls are catching up."
Duan Sikai added, "Don't worry, I'll personally look after her."
The other end of the line stayed silent.
Inside the private room, Xu Weiyue was enthusiastically reminiscing about their shared memories.
"…I was so lucky to have you back then. No one wanted to partner with me for the dance group, but you were the only one who stepped up and said, 'I'll be with Xu Weiyue.' You have no idea—I almost cried!"
Xu Youqing smiled faintly. "That had nothing to do with being thin or not. Didn't you end up dancing really well later? The teacher even praised you for finding your rhythm."
"That was only because you guided me step by step."
Xu Weiyue seemed to remember something and asked with a smile, "Is Uncle Xu still the ultimate silver fox? I remember he always came to pick you up and bought us ice cream. Everyone was so jealous that you had such a gentle and handsome dad."
Xu Youqing's smile faded, but her voice remained calm. "My parents… they passed away in an accident. It happened when I was a freshman in high school."
Xu Weiyue froze, the cheerfulness on her face instantly solidifying. "I—I'm so sorry, I didn't know… I…"
"It's fine. It's all in the past." Xu Youqing shook her head and picked up her teacup.
Just then, a soft knock came at the door, and Duan Sikai walked in. "Miss Xu, last time you came, I didn't host you properly."
"You two know each other?" Xu Weiyue was surprised.
"Miss Xu is a friend of Zongmin's."
Xu Weiyue was even more astonished. "You know Brother Zongmin?"
At those two words, Xu Youqing's heart skipped a beat. "We've met a few times."
Duan Sikai sat down without ceremony. "Then I'll have to personally keep you company. A friend of Zongmin's is a friend of mine."
He smiled.
Xu Youqing didn't want to be associated with Jin Zongmin, and even less did she want to owe him a favor—especially in a private setting like this.
She explained, "You've misunderstood. Mr. Jin and I… we're actually not that close. We've only met twice before due to some matters."
Duan Sikai raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Oh? Not close?"
"Miss Xu, you might not know Zongmin that well. He doesn't bring just anyone to my place, especially not—" He paused, leaving the sentence hanging with meaning.
Xu Weiyue noticed Xu Youqing's discomfort and awkwardness, and shot Duan Sikai a glare. "Go attend to your business. Don't disturb old friends catching up."
Duan Sikai raised his hands in surrender, laughing. "Alright, I'm not wanted here."
"Fine, you two chat. I'll head out."
As he stepped out of the private room, the smile on Duan Sikai's face deepened. He walked to the corridor and made a call.
"Zongmin, you've got sharp taste!"
"But guess what? The young lady told me, right to my face, clear as day—"
Duan Sikai deliberately paused, mimicking Xu Youqing's distant tone:
"'Mr. Jin and I are actually not that close.'"
Just thinking about Jin Zongmin getting shot down made Duan Sikai gleeful.
Jin Zongmin wasn't surprised. "That does sound like something she'd say."
Duan Sikai recalled the fragments of conversation he had overheard and adopted a more serious tone. "I heard her tell Xu Weiyue that both her parents passed away during her freshman year of high school."
"Her parents… both gone?"
"You didn't know?"
Jin Zongmin suddenly understood—she had probably been visiting her parents' graves that day.
"After the meal, make sure she gets back to school safely."
Duan Sikai laughed. "Since when did you become so considerate?"
"Cut the nonsense. Just get her back safely."
"Alright, alright, alright," Duan Sikai glanced toward the private dining room. "I'll drive her back myself, how about that? I promise to return her with not a single hair out of place."
After the meal, Xu Youqing and Xu Weiyue walked out of the private room. Duan Sikai was smoking outside the door and immediately stubbed out his cigarette when he saw them emerge.
"Miss Xu, let me give you both a ride back."
Xu Weiyue crossed her arms and sized up Duan Sikai. He was being unusually attentive today.
Xu Youqing hated troubling others more than anything, and especially so when it came to a friend of Jin Zongmin's. She quickly declined. "Boss Duan, there's no need to put you to the trouble."
"That won't do," Duan Sikai said with a smile. "Miss Xu, someone specifically gave me strict instructions to make sure you get back to school safely. If I slack off, he'll tear this place apart when he comes looking for me."
Xu Weiyue's eyes darted around. "Who?"
Xu Youqing genuinely wanted to distance herself from Jin Zongmin, and the more that was said, the harder it became to explain.
She quickly spoke up. "No one… Boss Duan is just joking with me."
Duan Sikai could see what Xu Youqing was thinking and stopped teasing the young woman.
Xu Weiyue had been a bit too enthusiastic with her drinking earlier and her head was foggy, so she didn't press further.
However, she wasn't shy about accepting. "Sure, let him drive us. I've been drinking, so I can't drive anyway."
Refusing further would only seem deliberate, so Xu Youqing had no choice but to lower her voice and thank him. "…Then I'll trouble you, Boss Duan."
…
Back at school, after saying goodbye to Xu Weiyue, Xu Youqing had just reached the dormitory building when her phone buzzed in her bag. It was Jin Zongmin calling.
His surname wasn't exactly common, and she didn't want to invite unnecessary questions, so she had only saved him under the pinyin "Jin."
Staring at the flashing name on the screen, Xu Youqing hesitated over whether to answer. What could he possibly want at this hour?
In the end, she walked to a quiet spot and picked up.
"Arrived?" Jin Zongmin asked.
"Yes, I'm here. Thank you for having your friend drive me."
She tried to keep her tone as natural as possible.
"One drive in exchange for a project he's been after for half a year. He's thrilled."
Xu Youqing froze. She hadn't expected such a trade to be happening behind the scenes.
When she fell silent, Jin Zongmin seemed able to picture the way Xu Youqing's eyes would widen slightly, a little at a loss.
Jin Zongmin deliberately fabricated a lie. "I was going to give it to him anyway."
Neither of them spoke for a moment. A silence hung over the line, broken only by the faint hum of static—like some hidden heartbeat.
"Xu Youqing," Jin Zongmin's voice suddenly sounded again. "Are we really that unfamiliar?"
His voice was low with a hint of magnetism, impossible to read.
Xu Youqing's fingertips tightened slightly, pressing against the cool edge of her phone.
They really weren't familiar.
But she didn't dare say that to his face.
She was still weighing her words, trying to craft a response that was both polite and would bring the call to an end.
"Do you have time tomorrow? Come out for a meal." Jin Zongmin spoke first.
"No time." Xu Youqing barely hesitated.
"The day after, then."
"…I don't have time either."
The breath on the other end of the line seemed to sink for a moment. Jin Zongmin's silence was more unsettling than his words.
There was no need to actually provoke his displeasure.
Xu Youqing softened her tone and offered a plausible excuse. "I've been trying to secure a very important project at the university lately. I'm really busy."
She attempted to shift the focus away from herself. "Perhaps you… could ask some friends."
Jin Zongmin let out a low chuckle and spoke slowly, deliberately. "Xu Youqing… do you think I'm that idle?"
Xu Youqing was left speechless.
A man like him—how could he ever lack people to dine with? Naturally, he wouldn't lack female companions or girlfriends either.
She followed along with the conversation. "Then… your girlfriend should be happy to have more of your company."
Meaning: let his girlfriend keep him company.
Jin Zongmin laughed.
"I'd like to keep someone company…" He drew out his words, like a soft hook. "But someone isn't taking the bait."
Xu Youqing's palms suddenly began to sweat.
What was he saying? What did he mean? No… it definitely couldn't be what she was thinking.
Xu Youqing stayed silent. There was no way to respond to that.
Another stretch of silence.
"Xu Youqing," Jin Zongmin spoke.
"What?"
"Do you want me to keep you company?"
On the other end of the line, Jin Zongmin's voice was light and clear, like night wind passing through a bamboo grove, drifting straight from the receiver into Xu Youqing's ears.
Her breath caught. She was so flustered she nearly dropped her phone.
"I… I have someone to keep me company." She answered too quickly.
A light laugh came from the other end, utterly nonchalant. "Then just switch to someone else."
Jin Zongmin was operating entirely on highway-robber logic. Xu Youqing was displeased, but she couldn't very well lose her temper, so she kept her patience. "Please don't joke around."
"Then…" Jin Zongmin said unhurriedly, tossing out something even more startling:
"Shall we meet in secret?"
Xu Youqing finally couldn't hold back. She raised her voice.
"What are you saying?!"
"See," Jin Zongmin's tone was languid, carrying a satisfied, teasing edge. "You still can't take a little teasing."
Xu Youqing was annoyed, and now she didn't care anymore. "Fine. I really can't take teasing."
She hung up directly.
Han Zheng was right—guys like him just loved toying with people.
Xu Youqing stood there for a long moment, letting herself settle, before walking toward the dormitory entrance.
…
A week later.
The launch meeting for the Tomb No. 2 archaeological project was held at Jing University.
Professor Zou thought highly of Xu Youqing and had specifically asked her to come help, with the private hope that she might network a bit. After all, the university leaders—rarely seen on ordinary days—were nearly all in attendance today.
Xu Youqing had just stepped out of the break room when she heard the host announce: "…This project has received generous support from the Changfeng Cultural Heritage Foundation! Now, let us give a warm welcome to the Foundation's Chairman, Mr. Jin Zongmin!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Xu Youqing's body went rigid. She looked up, her gaze passing over the sea of bobbing heads, landing directly on the figure who had just taken his seat at the side of the podium.
It was Jin Zongmin.
He wore a well-tailored dark gray suit, no tie, with the top button of his shirt left undone. Among the formally dressed university leaders and elderly professors, he looked conspicuously relaxed—and conspicuously… eye-catching.
He didn't seem to pay any mind to the eager or probing gazes directed at him. He only gave a slight nod, his bearing noble and aloof. On his face was the calm of someone who truly held resources in his hands, looking down upon the world.
Just like at this moment, he stood high above, surrounded and admired by the crowd. She stood in the corner, across the sea of people, lifting her head to quietly watch him.
A school leader was leaning sideways, introducing something to Jin Zongmin, an unguarded, eager smile on his face.
"Xu Youqing, hurry up and help hand out the VR headsets." A classmate beside her nudged her and passed her a bag.
"Oh, okay."
The launch event had created a 3D Digital Reconstruction of the archaeological site. With the VR headsets on, one could immerse themselves in seeing the full historical appearance and structural layout of the cemetery.
Xu Youqing was in charge of handing out headsets to the guests in the front rows. When it came to the main guest table, she kept her eyes lowered, deliberately not looking in Jin Zongmin's direction.
When she reached Jin Zongmin, it just so happened that several of the headset lenses had scratches on them.
Xu Youqing lowered her head and rummaged through the plastic bag holding the equipment, but the headsets inside all looked less than ideal.
Finally, she found a good one, but it got snagged on something and wouldn't come out. Flustered, Xu Youqing casually set the bag down on Jin Zongmin's lap.
Jin Zongmin hadn't said a word the whole time, yet his gaze had been fixed on her face with unabated interest.
He watched her nervously swap out the headsets, the tips of her ears flushing pink, and how she, in her panic, had dumped the bag onto his lap…
A faint smile flickered across Jin Zongmin's lips.
"Youqing… what are you doing?" Professor Zou, seated beside him, spoke up to remind her.
Xu Youqing snapped back to reality in an instant and hastily reached out to retrieve the bag. "Sorry…"
"No matter." Jin Zongmin accepted the headset Xu Youqing handed him, then said with a smile to Professor Zou beside him, "This student picked the best one for me. Quite diligent in her work."
Professor Zou relaxed. Since Jin Zongmin said it that way, there was presumably nothing wrong.
Xu Youqing pressed her lips together, still refusing to look at him.
….
After the launch event concluded, the guests filed out one by one. Xu Youqing helped with the cleanup, deliberately dawdling until the very end, hoping only that the man had already left.
As she stepped out of the lecture hall, the sky outside was heavy with leaden clouds, the daylight dim, and the wind carried the dampness of impending rain.
She quickened her pace, heading toward the school gate.
Suddenly, the sound of unhurried footsteps came from behind her, growing closer.
"Xu Youqing."