Ji Jie took over the video call, holding back a laugh. "Is that any way to invite someone?"
"Oh, you've already eaten," he said, refusing to give up. "Then come over to the house and walk off the meal."
Qiao Ling hadn't expected that the cocky Number 4 from school would be so warm and hospitable in private.
Meeting Ji Jie's questioning gaze, she quickly waved her hands, a little embarrassed to go straight to someone's house right after meeting them. "Maybe next time."
Besides, she usually boarded at school. Her home was far away, and commuting by car every day wasn't convenient.
The school had a curfew, so she couldn't be back too late.
Once Ji Jie saw her response, she hung up the phone promptly. With calculated nonchalance, she wrapped up the outing. "Should I drop you back at school first? I'll call the driver over now."
"Oh, okay."
She headed back to the dorm happily. Ji Jie headed home alone, her phone buzzing nonstop along the way.
[What's her name?]
[Where did you meet her? She's like a little doll]
[Holy crap, my heart is racing]
[Why aren't you answering me!! Answer now, hurry up, hurry]
[Just dropped her off at the dorm]
[Her name is Qiao Ling. She's in the same class as Wei Chao. Haven't you seen her?]
[I don't usually go to his class!]
[Can't believe she goes to our school too, this is amazing]
[Can you really not bring her back? My situation is urgent! I need to see her in person to confirm what this reaction is about]
[There are ten thousand deer stampeding in my heart right now!]
[See you at school tomorrow]
[Then I'm not sleeping tonight??!!]
[Okay. You don't need to tell me these things.]
[…]
Ji Jie wanted to ask him what it felt like to have ten thousand deer stampeding in his heart. But flexing her sore ankle, she figured she wouldn't understand even if she heard it.
A young man's first stirring of love was like a thunderclap, rumbling through the entire night.
When she saw him the next morning, sure enough, he had dark circles under his eyes, but he looked energetic enough. He'd even styled his hair and was grinning stupidly at his bowl of oatmeal.
At the breakfast table, Ji Jie and Huo Zhenyan watched him showing off, exchanged an inexplicable glance, and neither commented.
"When are you meeting her?" He squeezed into Ji Jie's car to go to school. "Which class period are you getting together?"
"We're only meeting at lunch."
"Then how did you two meet?"
"She gave Wei Chao chocolate last time. I saw her."
"…"
He Lingfeng was speechless for a long moment. "Damn."
So they'd become friends through a fight after all.
"Does she know you're also pining for Wei Chao?"
"She knows."
"…" He was a little impressed by the bond between girls.
"What's wrong," Ji Jie said. "Worried your charm can't match Wei Chao's?"
"Are you kidding? I can't lose, not even a little." He Lingfeng let out a long sigh. "I'm just thinking, if I'd known, I would've picked up that box of chocolate and eaten it myself."
"…"
The first flutter of his heart in eighteen years had fallen from the sky. It had come so suddenly.
He'd talked big in the car, but when he showed up at school at the very last second at lunch to find them eating together, his tone was actually a bit nervous. "Haha, what a coincidence. Hello there, little sister Xiao Qiao."
Ji Jie: "…"
Cheng Yunqiao: "…"
"Haha, hello." Qiao Ling lowered her head and shoveled food into her mouth.
Cheng Yunqiao's eyelashes fluttered lightly. "Oh, right, I was just about to ask—do you guys want to come to the club this weekend? I heard they switched DJs, so the vibe will be different. Jason, you should come too."
"I'm free whenever." Jason He responded immediately, then looked at the girl across from him. "Are you two coming?"
Ji Jie didn't speak right away.
Qiao Ling was somewhat interested in going out, but thinking about how the places they went to were either members-only or private events with high costs, she shook her head and declined. "I already have plans with someone."
"I'm going to the library." Ji Jie followed up. "You guys have fun."
Qiao Ling visibly brightened a little.
"Then I'm not going either." He Lingfeng said immediately, unable to take his eyes off her.
His gaze was too intense, and Qiao Ling felt too embarrassed to look up, pretending to be very busy eating.
And so passed the quietest lunch she'd had since meeting Ji Jie.
He Lingfeng could tell she was somewhat avoiding him. On the surface he played it cool, but inside he was already panicking.
This manifested in him finding an excuse to squeeze into Ji Jie's car after school that day, claiming they were heading to the same tutoring class. He talked nonstop the whole way.
—"Are you going to hang out with Xiao Qiao this weekend?"
—"If you two are meeting somewhere, I can arrange a chance encounter. It won't be too obvious."
—"You're not giving me even a little insider info—have you no decency?!"
"We haven't made plans." Ji Jie was genuinely fed up with him. "If she ends up going to the library with me, I'll mention you. Now can you be quiet?"
"Sure, sure."
It was destined to be a busy week. Ji Jie's social time was being claimed from all sides, and she finally settled on meeting Qiao Ling on Saturday to go to the library together.
Since it was a rest day and they didn't have to stay in the school dorms, Qiao Ling would go home with Ji Jie that evening, where they could stay up all night chatting in their pajamas.
When He Lingfeng learned she'd be coming to the house, he finally stopped his pestering, satisfied.
Only one person was left feeling less than pleased.
When Ji Jie set out on Saturday, she received another message from Cheng Yunqiao.
[Image: playing ball]
[Sure you don't want to come? You can see Wei Chao today]
In the photo, they were playing tennis. She recalled the plot and confirmed there was nothing related to tennis activities, and since her task bar hadn't reacted either, she declined with peace of mind.
[Can't make it. I still have a short essay to finish]
It wasn't as if she had to be present everywhere Wei Chao was.
She could put on an act on the outside, but she wasn't about to fool herself.
She brought her unfinished assignment to the library, and Qiao Ling readily lent a helping hand. The two discussed it in a quiet study pod. Both were good listeners with active minds, making them far more efficient than any group project.
During a break, Qiao Ling asked about her entrance ranking and was shocked to learn she'd placed last. "You don't seem like someone who was bottom of the class at all."
"The overall caliber of students at Huading is just too high." She didn't explain further.
"That's true—everyone there is excellent. But I'm sure you'll do great on your next exam. You'll improve in leaps and bounds."
For dinner that day, Qiao Ling got her wish and treated Ji Jie out. She was glad they hadn't gone to some unfamiliar club—she was perfectly happy eating at a place that cost a hundred per person.
Most importantly, she was with someone who made her happy.
"Once we get to university, I hope we can still be together." She was already dreaming about the future. "Then we can go to parties and dress to kill."
"Sure." Ji Jie said frankly, "I want to get into an Ivy League school. We'll do it together."
A flicker of surprise passed through Qiao Ling's eyes, followed by appreciation, recognition, and emotion—the look of kindred spirits.
"That's right! Ivy League. If we get offers, Huading will give us financial aid, and the universities will have scholarships too. I'm going for a full ride! Together!"
This had originally been a goal she pursued alone. Now with Ji Jie by her side, her dream no longer stood isolated.
She could already imagine the joy they'd share the day both of them received their offers. It would surely be far greater than achieving it alone.
It was time for their after-dinner walk. Ji Jie had been worn out by her last time, so this time she set the terms in advance: "No more than an hour."
Qiao Ling burst out laughing. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I was exhausted from walking last time too—I was just afraid you'd think I was weak."
The commercial street was ablaze with lights after nightfall.
Pedestrians streamed by endlessly, and the massive billboard at the intersection played a promo for a new animation in cyberpunk colors. It felt like standing in the middle of a surreal, dazzling world.
Ji Jie was lost in a momentary daze when a burst of explosive drumbeats hit her ears. An electric guitar rang out bright and piercing.
"Wow, there's a band performing!" Qiao Ling grabbed her arm, pointing excitedly about a hundred meters away. "Over there—let's go check it out."
They quickened their pace toward the busking band, surrounded by layers upon layers of onlookers. The lead singer's charmingly raspy voice drifted over from afar.
"I, I just woke up from a dream, But you and I had to say goodbye"
Die With A Smile—Ji Jie got goosebumps from the very first line.
It was originally a male-female duet love song, but since all four members of the live band were young men, the drummer and lead singer took turns covering the parts.
The drummer wore a pure black denim jacket, with slightly long bangs and glasses. As the rhythm built to its climax, his body moved with increasing intensity, and when he opened his mouth, it was a run of vocal flourishes, switching seamlessly between chest and falsetto.
"If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you"
"If the party was over And our time on Earth was through"
"I'd wanna hold you just for a while And die with a smile"
The live energy was overwhelming. Qiao Ling screamed along with the crowd, "Amazing! So hot!"
Ji Jie pulled out her phone to record, the hairs on her arms still standing on end, one by one.
Such a sweeping, passionate love song—emotion so intense it bordered on frenzy, like shouting that you'd love even unto death. Love so vast it overwhelmed.
Especially the drummer—he'd kept his head down at first, quiet and unassuming. No one expected such explosive power from him.
Ji Jie remarked, "This band is pretty professional."
"Hm?" Qiao Ling said, still lingering on the performance. "You know about this stuff too?"
"I don't really get it, but it looks like it."
"…"
Even with her untrained eye, she could tell the equipment looked high-end, advanced, and… plentiful.
The floor was covered in equipment and cables, with even boom mics and cameras. Did street performances really need this kind of setup now?
Besides, she was still observing the drummer. Standing at over six feet tall, he looked somehow familiar, but she just couldn't place the face.
When the song ended, he stood up to wipe his sweat and grab some water, but tripped over the cables on the ground. He caught himself with his hands, and his glasses flew off into the distance.
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
The glasses happened to land right at Ji Jie's feet. She picked them up and hurried to return them, when a sudden flash of inspiration struck her, and she called out, "Lin Shu! Over here."
Lin Shu looked toward the direction of the voice, his gaze flickering with surprise.
Qiao Ling also looked at her in disbelief, her eyes full of admiration. "How do you know everyone?!"
A staff member came over to mediate and made a path for her to return the glasses. It was only then that she realized they were filming a band variety show—no wonder it was such a big production.
"Thanks." Lin Shu took the glasses and put them on. "Do you know me?"
Artists all had stage names, so he probably didn't use his real name in the band. Ji Jie said, "I take classes at your family's tutoring center."
There was a photo of him hanging on the wall at the institution, taken when he won a competition. In the photo, he was plain-looking, wearing black round-framed glasses, looking like the type of well-behaved kid who studied hard.
But in private, he could sing and play drums.
Pushing aside his sweat-dampened bangs, Ji Jie thought he was quite handsome. As he spoke, she noticed something shiny in his mouth—but it wasn't saliva reflecting light. Looking closer, it was a tongue piercing.
Huading really didn't keep idle people around.
"Ah." Lin Shu looked at her, perhaps wanting to express gratitude but not being good with words, and said in a stilted manner, "What's your name?"
Qiao Ling was beside herself with anxiety, terrified her friend would miss such a great opportunity. She shouted through the crowd at the top of her lungs, "Duan Baoni! Her name is Duan Baoni, Bonnie!!"
Ji Jie: "…"
"Alright, I'll remember that." He smiled at Ji Jie, a little shyly. "See you at school."
**
Back in the car, Qiao Ling was still savoring the moment.
"Too bad they were still filming the show, or it would've been even better if you'd exchanged contact info."
Ji Jie laughed helplessly. "I don't need too many friends."
"But that's your crush—how is that the same as a friend?"
"It's not that big a deal." She shook her head. "I wasn't that impressed."
She had been moved by the artistic atmosphere of the street performance in the moment, but once she stepped away from it, he was just a handsome guy. Nothing more.
Her mental age was still too old—she automatically categorized her classmates as kids.
"Ugh, what a waste." Qiao Ling clicked her tongue in lament, pulling out her phone to show her. "I just took a photo of you two. Zoom in—his face is really well-proportioned, not worse than Wei Chao's. His bangs are just a bit long."
"He's an artist." Ji Jie said, understanding.
There was another male guest waiting at home.
He Lingfeng had been waiting with bated breath, turning down all his friends' invitations to wait for the two of them. The moment he spotted the car pulling in from the window, he rushed downstairs in a heartbeat.
"Come hang out at my place for a bit? Her room has nothing in it."
It was getting late, and the two had planned to just wash up and go to bed, but they couldn't resist his enthusiastic invitation. "Well… alright then."
Thanks to her friend, it was also Ji Jie's first time visiting his room, and she was utterly shocked at the sight.
Whoever came would be shocked. He Lingfeng had transformed the entire top floor into an arcade, with everything except the sleeping area taken up by gaming machines.
The simulation driving zone had racing machines, high-speed motorcycles, and flight simulators; the shooting zone had jungle hunting and two-player gun battles; fighting arcade cabinets and basketball machines were naturally not lacking either, and there were even dance machines and Taiko no Tatsujin.
The board game area had mahjong machines and various card tabletop games, with a full set of VR all-in-one machines at the very back. Shelves were lined with his collection of various generations of Switch and Sony game controllers, and a massive screen was embedded into the wall covered in game cartridges.
It was quite magnanimous of Huo Zhenyan to tolerate him turning the house into this.
Ji Jie figured it was probably because Huo Yuxi had her own standalone villa, so to balance the kid's competitive spirit, he'd left this entire floor for him to mess around with.
Qiao Ling had been a bit reserved around him at first, but her eyes widened the moment she walked in. Ten minutes later, she'd completely forgotten about her crush, holding a gun and shooting aliens side by side with him, her mind filled only with battle.
Ji Jie got tired after two rounds of racing and, watching the two of them play with such fervor, silently collapsed onto the bean bag sofa to rest.
Lin Shu had also wrapped up work on his end, found her through the school group chat, and sent a friend request. She glanced at it and was about to hit accept when she heard loud banging on the door outside.
The sound effects in the room were too loud, and the two were still absorbed in their game, completely oblivious. Ji Jie was closest to the door, so she got up to open it on her own, and came face to face with a pair of eyes full of hostility.
"…Bro?"
Both of them were taken aback.
Huo Zhenyan hadn't expected her to be the one opening the door. He let out a grunt, his irritation at being woken up slightly receding. "It's this late, why are you still up here?"
"I brought a classmate home to stay today," she reported obediently. "We're playing games with He Lingfeng inside."
"What classmate?"
"She's, well, a student from our school," Ji Jie said, not understanding what he was trying to ask, and attempted to explain. "Her name is Qiao Ling."
Clearly a girl's name.
Huo Zhenyan controlled his tone again, not letting it get too cold and harsh, so it wouldn't come across as scolding. "You bring someone home, and you don't tell me?"
"I thought…" Ji Jie paused, somewhat confused. "Didn't you say you didn't want to be involved in my affairs?"