Lu Henqin first saw Zhong Yi in the library.
At that time, Xia Tingchan was sitting in the library working on practice problems, while Lu Henqin sat across from her, propping his chin on his arm. Pretending to study was just an excuse—his real goal was sticking close to his girlfriend, stealing glances at her now and then.
Zhong Yi transferred in during their second year. Even before his arrival, he had been the subject of much discussion, so when he appeared in the campus library, he naturally drew a lot of attention.
He lingered at the borrowing desk for a long time, with frequent glances and whispers directed his way. Lu Henqin gave him a disinterested look before shifting his gaze back to the girl absorbed in her work across from him.
Amid the hushed murmurs and giggles, she never once turned around to curiously glance at the commotion.
Instead, it was Zhong Yi who, after borrowing his books and heading toward the study area, accidentally bumped into the corner of their table while scanning for an empty seat. The table let out a sharp squeak as it shifted a few inches.
Without moving his upper body, Lu Henqin casually twisted his slightly spread legs to the side, lifting the tip of his shoe to deftly brace against the table leg. Still, the cup in front of Xia Tingchan—its lid fully open as she waited for the water to cool—swayed from the impact, spilling a little.
She finally pulled her attention away from her test paper and looked up at Zhong Yi.
Zhong Yi was deeply apologetic. With a gentle appearance reminiscent of melting snow in early spring, he leaned down and apologized in a soft, cautious voice, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Xia Tingchan only glanced at him before looking away. “It’s fine.”
But Zhong Yi leaned in a bit too close, his eyes like a rain-washed clear sky, gazing at Xia Tingchan with sincere remorse. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and tried to blot the dampened test paper.
An arm abruptly cut between them, boldly blocking the space. Lu Henqin reached over and pulled five or six tissues in quick succession, then propped his chin lazily as he pressed them onto the wet spot. Taller than Zhong Yi, his slightly downturned eyes when looking at others carried a subtle, challenging edge.
“She said it’s fine. Be more careful next time.”
Only then did Zhong Yi glance at him, as if noticing his presence for the first time. After a brief pause, he slowly withdrew his handkerchief, apologized once more, and left.
Xia Tingchan paid him no further attention, treating the incident as nothing more than a trivial interruption.
After Zhong Yi left, Lu Henqin casually asked Xia Tingchan what her first impression of the transfer student was.
She didn’t answer, only giving him a look that said, “How boring.”
When he pressed further, she put down her pen and regarded him with a mix of exasperation and honesty. “Lu Henqin, ever since I met you, I’ve been disillusioned with all the ‘popular figures.’ You alone are enough to torment me.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
Later, she was admitted early to Wufeng National University. He would visit her every weekend, except for one time when he skipped classes on Thursday and Friday to surprise her without notice.
That day, artificial rainfall started just before he reached the campus. He entered the school gates holding an umbrella.
He had her complete class schedule memorized, along with detailed plans for her part-time job, club activities, and workouts.
At this hour, she should have been heading back from the library.
Wufeng National University’s library boasts the longest staircase in the country, resembling a pilgrimage path. Looking up from the bottom, it resembles a pyramid.
Lu Henqin was halfway up the pyramid steps when he sent a message to Xia Tingchan. He had typed half of it but hadn’t sent it yet when he casually glanced up and saw her standing at the entrance, holding a sea-green umbrella.
Across from her stood Zhong Yi, tall and straight. Despite the rain, he didn’t shelter under her umbrella but remained fully exposed to the downpour, maintaining a polite social distance as if to avoid any suspicion—nothing anyone could fault him for.
Lu Henqin’s gaze lingered on Zhong Yi’s half-damp shoulder, and a short, breathy sound escaped his throat, as if amused by some clumsy, low-level tactic.
Zhong Yi didn’t understand her at all. When dealing with her, one had to speak directly, not make her guess.
The two seemed to exchange a few brief words before Zhong Yi handed her a meal card.
Lu Henqin halted, his shoulders tensing and pulling back slightly. He narrowed his eyes and stood silently on the steps below, watching coldly from a distance.
Xia Tingchan showed no particular expression as she took the meal card. It was Zhong Yi who lowered his gaze and gave her a gentle smile, like soft fabric naturally dried by the sun during the rainy season—warm and comforting.
Xia Tingchan had a strong sense of time. Her life was always orderly, with detailed and clear lists. After finishing her conversation, she turned to leave, but Zhong Yi took half a step forward, as if calling her back.
“The rain… suddenly… umbrella… is that okay?”
Xia Tingchan raised her umbrella slightly to avoid blocking her view before turning back. A hand rested lightly on her shoulder, then an entire arm draped lazily over her, pulling her close.
The umbrella handle was lifted higher, instantly broadening her field of vision.
Lu Henqin took the umbrella from her, sheltering both of them beneath it. With his broad shoulders and long legs, sharing an umbrella meant they had to press closely together.
Xia Tingchan clearly hadn’t expected him to arrive at this time and let out a surprised “Huh?”
Lu Henqin tightened his arm around her shoulders, leaning his forehead against her long hair. With a soft chuckle, he hooked his pinky finger around the delicate, plain chain around her neck.
“Came in a hurry, forgot my umbrella.”
A lie told too poorly was like flipping the table without even bothering to pretend.
He was completely dry.
“Hungry? Come on, I’ll take you for something good to eat.” Lu Henqin wrapped his arm around her shoulders and turned to descend the steps. Xia Tingchan’s “Goodbye” to Zhong Yi was spoken over her shoulder.
Zhong Yi remained silent, the irritating smile finally fading from his face.
Lu Henqin’s left shoulder remained relaxed as he leaned against Xia Tingchan. After descending two or three steps, he tilted his head back slightly and glanced over his shoulder at Zhong Yi with an air of indifference.
His brow arched almost imperceptibly, cold and subtly warning.
Turning back, Xia Tingchan chatted intermittently about daily matters, pulling out her phone to share something new with him. Lu Henqin kept his arm securely around her shoulders, listening with a smile as she spoke. As they passed a wide platform on the steps, an open umbrella lay overturned on the ground.
He guided her past it, his attention fixed entirely on her. Xia Tingchan was busy scrolling through her phone, and neither of them seemed to notice the fallen umbrella.
But as they passed, the tip of his shoe casually nudged it aside, as if kicking away a pile of unsightly, obstructive trash, sending the umbrella skidding toward the edge of the steps.
The umbrella frame scraped against the steps with a creaking sound, tumbling awkwardly before landing upside down. Soon, a small puddle of rainwater collected in its hollow, like a beggar’s bowl shamelessly begging for alms.
Zhong Yi remained standing in place, the rain completely soaking his clothes. A classmate exiting the library spotted him and mustered the courage to ask, "Hey, didn't bring an umbrella?"
Half of Zhong Yi's eyes were obscured by the wet black hair plastered to his forehead. He kept staring at that clown-like umbrella wobbling on the steps, forgetting even basic courtesy as he wordlessly stepped into the rain.
"Hey…?"
…
Xia Tingchan and Lu Henqin had walked quite a distance before he finally brought it up: "Why did he come to your school?"
The answer was simple—the electronic screen right in front of the school gate displayed a warm welcome for the distinguished alumnus Mr. Zhong Liqun, who was visiting to give a themed lecture!
But Xia Tingchan shook her head. "Not sure."
Lu Henqin glanced at her silently, unable to tell whether she genuinely didn't know because her packed schedule left no time to attend the lecture or if she was lying.
A few days earlier, he had pestered her to share her location, but she flatly refused, unwilling no matter how much he insisted. He immediately decided to come see her ahead of time.
Bai Haoying had teased him then: "Seriously, dude, would anyone really drop everything and travel miles just because their girlfriend won't share her location?"
Lu Henqin didn't think it was abnormal. What was abnormal were the hyenas who couldn't take a hint and still tried to get a piece of the pie.
He asked, "Was Zhong Yi just returning your meal card?"
"Yeah, the pockets on today's pants are shallow. I accidentally left it on the seat."
Lu Henqin chuckled. "What a coincidence. Just as you were about to leave, he took your seat."
Xia Tingchan showed no reaction, as if it weren't a topic worth discussing. She never meddled in others' affairs and casually remarked, "Even if he sat on the water dispenser, it's none of my business."
He had been closely watching her expression, not missing even the slightest change. There, he detected a faint trace of indifference—she seemed a bit annoyed with Zhong Yi.
That subtle hint of disdain soothed him perfectly.
Xia Tingchan said, "I remember you had an umbrella in your car? Move your arm, it's heavy."
Lu Henqin couldn't suppress the smile at the corner of his lips. After struggling for a while, he still let out a muffled laugh. "No, my umbrella's broken."
He buried his head even deeper into the crook of her neck, clinging to her like a boneless creature. "Besides, isn't it tiring holding the umbrella? Let me hold it for you. I'll massage your wrist later."
During their meal, they chatted about other things. Xia Tingchan's phone rang several times, but she didn't answer any of the calls, keeping the screen face down on the table the entire time. When she went to the restroom midway, she took her phone with her, and it never rang again after she returned.
Lu Henqin's smile faded with each ring of her phone. He remembered how long he had spent picking out fish bones for her that day.
A certain sense of insecurity felt like a thin thread tightening deeper and deeper. Since they had been apart, he wanted to stay on voice calls with her every day. The last words before he closed his eyes were "goodnight" to her, and the first thing he did upon waking was send her the day's weather forecast.
Even if she went about her own business and they didn't communicate, the soft rustle of her turning pages while reading, the gentle gurgle of water as she poured a drink, the click of a pen cap pressed repeatedly while she was deep in thought… In short, every sound related to her allowed him to effortlessly visualize the vivid scene she was in at that moment, and it also helped soothe the vines of anxiety that grew wildly in his chest.
He suddenly spoke up: "By the way, did you know Ruan Chengli broke up with his girlfriend?"
"When did that happen?" Xia Tingchan paused her chopsticks, looking surprised.
"A few days ago. He thought he could salvage things, but after meeting once, it was over… I guess you could call it a peaceful breakup."
"What a shame," she sighed. "They were together for a long time."
Lu Henqin gazed at her for a long moment before saying abruptly, "If we ever broke up, it definitely wouldn't be peaceful."
Xia Tingchan tapped her chopsticks lightly against the edge of her bowl and asked in return, "Are you saying we'd have a huge fight?"
She thought for a moment, seemingly picturing the scene in her mind, and nodded seriously in agreement. "Yes, now that I think about it, Zai Ronghao once remarked that your words can be pretty sharp."
He chuckled softly, neither confirming nor denying her statement, and simply said with measured calm, "Well, we won't break up."