Xu Yumo's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she yanked her hand free from Zhou Shiye's grip and hastily lowered her gaze.
The sudden emptiness in his palm made Zhou Shiye freeze for a moment. He looked up and saw He Linxi approaching from the elevator lobby. His expression darkened instantly, his brow furrowing even deeper.
"Isn't that Zhou Shiye? Still messing around with women again." Lu Wenjing followed He Linxi's gaze and remarked with a hint of mockery in his tone.
"Nothing new there." Another person chuckled teasingly. "Come on, let's not hang around and spoil Young Master Zhou's fun."
However, He Linxi acted as if he hadn't heard their jabs at all, walking straight toward the two locked in their standoff.
The others exchanged puzzled glances. Though confused, they could only follow along.
"Xu Yumo."
He Linxi stopped a few steps away and spoke in a flat, even tone.
Xu Yumo was stunned for a moment, completely caught off guard that he would take the initiative to greet her in such a setting.
She opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Zhou Shiye had already spoken first in a cold voice: "He Linxi, can't you see we're in the middle of something?"
He Linxi let out a soft scoff, not even sparing him a glance. He lowered his eyes and slid a black hair tie off his left wrist, then unhurriedly held it out to Xu Yumo.
"Your hair tie. You left it in my bathroom."
Xu Yumo blinked, only then realizing why he had come over. She quickly reached out to take it. "…Thanks."
To the two people involved, this exchange was perfectly normal.
But to the bystanders who had no idea about the situation, it sounded far too intimate.
Lu Wenjing's expression cracked on the spot. His eyes went wide like he'd just seen a ghost.
He Linxi, however, seemed completely oblivious to the eerie silence around them. His gaze lingered for an extra second on Xu Yumo's slightly reddened eyes, then he casually tossed out one last line: "Don't forget to come to my place tomorrow to continue."
And with that, he turned and left with his group of friends, each wearing a different expression.
The corridor fell silent again.
"Why is your hair tie in his bathroom?" Zhou Shiye's face had darkened to its limit. He stared fixedly at the elastic band in Xu Yumo's hand, his voice strained. "And what are you going to his place tomorrow to continue doing?!"
"None of your business." Xu Yumo stuffed the hair tie into her pocket without sparing him another glance. "If you have all this time to pry into my affairs, you'd be better off going home and keeping the person you're supposed to keep company."
With that, she gave him no chance to press further. She turned, stepped quickly into the elevator, and pressed the close-door button.
Zhou Shiye stood frozen in place, staring at the elevator doors as they slid shut, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
Back at her rental apartment, Xu Yumo shrugged off her coat and sank wearily into the old sofa, not even bothering to turn on the living room light.
In the darkness, she closed her eyes.
She had to admit—when Zhou Shiye had chased after her earlier to check on her, there had been a brief moment of hesitation.
He was always like that.
Whenever she was genuinely sick or hurting, he would drop everything and rush over without a second thought, as if her existence always ranked first in his world, never requiring any deliberation.
She still remembered the autumn sports meet in her sophomore year of high school.
That day, she had signed up for the long-distance run. Worried that eating too much would make her nauseous while running, she'd only had some porridge that morning.
Sure enough, just two laps in, her vision went black from low blood sugar and she collapsed right onto the rubber track.
At the time, Zhou Shiye had only recently confirmed his relationship with Jiang Yao. He was standing by the long jump sandpit, holding Jiang Yao's gym uniform jacket and a bottle of water, waiting to cheer on his girlfriend.
But the moment he heard she had fainted, he didn't hesitate for even half a second. He tossed everything in his hands onto the grass, sprinted across half the track field, scooped her up, and ran with her to the infirmary.
Half-conscious, she only remembered the boy's scent mixed with sweat, along with the clean lingering smell of laundry detergent—overwhelming all her anxiety, inexplicably reassuring.
At the infirmary, the school nurse checked her and said it wasn't serious—just low blood sugar, some sugar water would do. He immediately ran off to the campus store and came back with a big bag of White Rabbit candies. He anxiously peeled one open and shoved it into her mouth, his tone urgent and gruff: "Are you stupid? Not eating breakfast and still running the 800—what are you trying to prove?"
The rich sweetness slowly dissolved on her tongue.
In that moment, she couldn't help but think selfishly that maybe he didn't like Jiang Yao all that much.
She was still the most important person in his heart.
After resting in the infirmary for a while, Xu Yumo, now recovered, got off the bed and prepared to head back to the class seating area.
Zhou Shiye had said he'd walk her back, but they hadn't gone far before they ran straight into Jiang Yao, who was storming over with a dark, furious face.
Zhou Shiye's footsteps stopped immediately.
"Sorry, Mo," he said, scratching his head helplessly. "You go back to the track on your own, okay? I need to go make it up to my girlfriend."
Xu Yumo froze for a moment. Before she could even respond, she watched him turn around eagerly and jog after Jiang Yao.
Then, naturally, he took her hand.
An autumn breeze blew past.
Xu Yumo suddenly felt the sweetness of the half-melted milk candy in her mouth turn bitter in an instant.
She took a deep breath through her stuffy nose, lowered her head, and walked alone into the tree-lined path covered with fallen leaves.
Just as she was about to reach the sports field, her shoulder was gently tapped from behind.
The next moment, a crisp, pleasant boy's voice drifted into her ears with the wind:
"Excuse me, you dropped something."
Afraid of being seen with tears welling up in her eyes, Xu Yumo didn't dare turn her head. She instinctively took the item he handed over and stuffed it haphazardly into her school uniform pocket.
"Thanks…" she replied in a hoarse voice, then quickened her pace with her head still lowered.
It wasn't until she returned to her class's seating area and sat down that she slowly steadied her breathing and felt her pocket.
What she pulled out was a box of orange soda candies.
She was stunned for a moment.
This wasn't hers—the person earlier had given her the wrong thing.
Xu Yumo turned her head in confusion, but the tree-lined path was already empty, with only a few leaves swirling past in the breeze.
Meanwhile, on the experimental class bleachers across the aisle, He Linxi was walking slowly back to his seat, one hand in his school uniform pocket.
"Where the hell did you run off to just now? The registration desk could barely find you." Lu Wenjing fanned himself with a cap and asked out of curiosity.
"Went to the convenience store." He Linxi's expression was indifferent as his slender fingers flicked open the tin lid of the orange candy box. "Want one?"
"…Are you okay? Eating candy this early in the morning." Lu Wenjing glanced at him and shook his head speechlessly.
"Suit yourself." He Linxi didn't say more, casually picking up a piece and tossing it into his mouth.
A crisp crunch sounded.
He bit down on the hard candy, his gaze drifting past the bustling crowd to land on the side profile of the girl sitting nearby, staring blankly at the candy box in her hands.
"Master He, what's the actual situation here? You've been a stone-cold bachelor forever, and now you're going all in—straight to hiding a beauty in a golden chamber?"
The moment they sat down in the private booth, Lu Wenjing could no longer contain his gossip-hungry curiosity. He leaned in close to He Linxi and lowered his voice to probe.
"So much talk."
Without even lifting his eyelids, He Linxi picked up a piece of cantaloupe from the table and shoved it directly into Lu Wenjing's mouth.
Lu Wenjing was effectively silenced by the melon. Watching He Linxi sink into the sofa in that languid, keep-your-distance manner, he knew this young master had absolutely no intention of revealing another word.
Though they'd been best friends since childhood, Lu Wenjing knew his temperament well.
If He Linxi didn't want to reveal something, no one could pry a single crack out of him.
Lu Wenjing chewed the melon helplessly, then suddenly caught on.
Wait.
He had only dismissed him for being nosy—he hadn't denied it.
Could it be that the soft, quiet girl in the hallway had actually moved this Buddha who had never shown interest in women?
Lu Wenjing ran the name "Xu Yumo" through his mind and suddenly recalled some old gossip from years past. His expression shifted slightly.
"Let me say one more thing," Lu Wenjing leaned in, his tone unusually serious. "Do you know that Xu Yumo and Zhou Shiye grew up together as childhood sweethearts? Their relationship isn't ordinary."
"And back then, word in the circle was that she gave up her admission to Qinghua just to go abroad with Zhou Shiye. Someone that invested—her heart isn't going to move easily."
The glass in He Linxi's fingers paused briefly, the amber liquid swirling gently against the rim.
"I know." He replied flatly, tilting his head back for a sip of wine. "So what?"
Casual and dismissive, yet carrying an unmistakable finality.
"…" Lu Wenjing was completely at a loss for words.
Right.
If He Linxi had truly set his mind on something, even a childhood sweetheart—hell, even a boyfriend or girlfriend—he'd find a way to break through that wall.
Lu Wenjing didn't push further. When it came to matters like this, outsiders saying too much only invited resentment, so he turned away to shake dice with the others instead.
The private booth gradually grew lively.
But He Linxi said nothing more, slowly rotating the glass in his hand as his gaze sank deeper and deeper.
What Lu Wenjing had said—of course he knew.
In fact, he knew it better than anyone.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned down the Ivy League offer and chosen to attend Qinghua through the recommendation program instead.
And yet, for those four years, he had waited for nothing.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Xu Yumo slept better than expected. When she woke up, it was already past eight in the morning.
After washing up, she remembered the casual reminder He Linxi had dropped yesterday. She opened WeChat, her finger hovering over the chat box for a moment before sending a confirmation: 【What time works for you today to come over and build the LEGO?】
He replied quickly: 【Anytime works, I'm already up】
Xu Yumo paused, a little surprised.
It had been late when she saw him at V-Plus last night, and she'd assumed he'd sleep in today. She didn't expect him to be so eager about building LEGO.
She replied: 【I'll head over after I grab some breakfast】
H: 【Alright】
By the time she arrived at Yunxi Apartments, the massive floor-to-ceiling curtains in the living room had already been fully drawn open.
A flood of clean, unobstructed sunlight poured into the room, brightening the originally cool-toned space into something airy and luminous.
He Linxi wasn't wearing his usual loungewear today—just a simple hoodie. He was crouched by the floor-to-ceiling window, feeding freeze-dried treats to Nian'gao. A few strands of hair fell loosely across his forehead, catching the morning light and softening the outline of his features.
Hearing the movement, he glanced up at her for a moment, then casually rubbed Nian'gao's head, put away the snack bag, and rose to carry the LEGO box over to the coffee table.
The two of them sat down again in front of the coffee table, continuing the monumental project of over ten thousand pieces.
Sunlight drifted quietly through the room, leaving only the faint rustle of plastic pieces being sorted and snapped together—peaceful and steady.
"By the way," He Linxi said, studying a gray piece in his hand without lifting his eyes, as if asking offhandedly, "You and Zhou Shiye—still haven't sorted things out?"
Xu Yumo's movements froze.
She guessed that last night's rather undignified tug-of-war had piqued his curiosity. Steadying herself, she tried to keep her voice calm: "Last night I just had a headache and wanted to go home. He insisted on taking me to the hospital, so we ended up in a bit of a tussle."
"Oh." He Linxi's fingers paused. He set down the piece and leaned in.
Before she could react, his warm palm was already resting against her forehead.
Xu Yumo's breath caught abruptly, her heart skipping a beat.
She froze in place, not even thinking to pull away. "…What are you doing?"
"Checking if you have a fever." His expression was remarkably composed. His palm lingered for two seconds before he withdrew it. "Since you said your head hurt, I was worried you were pushing yourself to come help me out."
"…I don't have a fever." Xu Yumo lowered her head in a fluster, fumbling with the pieces in her hands to hide her inexplicably burning cheeks. "After a night's sleep, my head—it's already, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Good."
He responded casually, as if that slightly intimate boundary-crossing gesture had merely been a capitalist's health check on his labor force.
But Xu Yumo's stirred-up emotions refused to settle.
From the ambiguous words he'd spoken in front of everyone last night, to that touch just now with no warning at all—every step he took felt natural, yet somehow landed right on the line of ambiguity.
She couldn't figure out what he was thinking at all.
Xu Yumo bit her lip, unable to resist sneaking another glance at him.
He Linxi had already lowered his head to study the thick instruction manual in his hands. His long, crow-feather lashes drooped slightly, casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes.
Sunlight traced the side of his face, outlining his handsome, sharp features and making his whole countenance seem even more refined.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Perhaps sensing her stolen glance, he suddenly looked up.
Xu Yumo had no time to look away, and found herself staring straight into those deep, unfathomable dark eyes.
Caught red-handed, her mind went blank, and the words tumbled out before she could stop them: "…Because you're handsome."
The moment the words left her mouth, she closed her eyes in despair, wishing she could bury herself in the base of the Eiffel Tower.
The air went quiet for a few seconds.
He Linxi set down the manual with an air of indifference, his gaze landing on her flushed face. A slow, intriguing smile curved at the corner of his lips.
"Xu Yumo," he let out a soft laugh, "are you flirting with me?"