A student’s daily routine is quite ordinary: study, study, and study.
Yet Lin Qing’an’s daily routine included one extra item compared to ordinary students: dating Xie Tingchuan.
Strictly speaking, the only one actually in a relationship was Xie Tingchuan, while Lin Qing’an was simply placating him, waiting for an opportunity to slip away and prevent the male lead from finding out that his online-dating partner was actually a guy, which would trigger a vengeful retaliation.
Time is the most unreasonable thing. In the blink of an eye, two months had slipped by, and it was now mid-November. Lin Qing’an had clearly forgotten his original intentions.
The morning sunlight was gentle. Pulling back his curtains, Lin Qing’an saw the bright red sun and casually snapped a photo to send to Xie Tingchuan.
Xiao Qinggan: “Ah-Chuan, good morning.”
Xie Tingchuan’s reply came very quickly virtually a second-reply, as if he had been glued to his phone the entire time.
Xie Tingchuan: “Good morning. The temperature is a bit chilly today, remember to wear a thick coat.”
Xiao Qinggan: “Got it, Ah-Chuan should remember to wear a coat too.”
What kind of person obsessively tracks the weather every single day? Only you, Xie Tingchuan!
Lin Qing’an grumbled inwardly while obediently opening his wardrobe to pull out a thick coat. He didn’t even notice when the smile blossomed across his lips, but he felt thoroughly happy and sweet.
A University was exceptionally bustling today. Around this time every year, a basketball tournament was held, and this year was no exception.
Following a series of intense matchups, the final championship would be decided between the Computer Science department and the Finance department.
Eager to catch the championship-deciding game, Lin Qing’an, Duan Xuan, and Qin Zhiyi arrived bright and early at the gymnasium to stake out their spots.
Evidently, everyone else had the exact same idea.
Looking out over the sea of humanity crammed inside the gymnasium, Lin Qing’an wanted nothing more than to look up at the sky and howl: Don’t you guys feel tired waking up this early?!
You’re never this enthusiastic about attending regular morning classes!
“Over there.”
Whether it was Duan Xuan or Qin Zhiyi who spoke, someone grabbed Lin Qing’an and dragged him plunging right into the thick of the crowd.
Dizzy from being jostled by the masses and completely disoriented, Lin Qing’an suddenly found himself pressed down into an empty seat.
“You guys finally made it.” Their fellow department classmate, Zhang Yang, sighed in relief. “If you’d been any later, I wouldn’t have been able to hold these three spots.”
Duan Xuan laughed in response. “Thanks, bro, I’ll treat you to meal next time. I honestly didn’t expect so many people to watch the game; if I’d known, we would’ve come even earlier.”
“You think this is a lot?” Zhang Yang suddenly broke into a chuckle. “Wait, you guys didn’t know? This is the Finance department’s basketball match!”
Duan Xuan: “I know, it’s just the Finance vs. Computer Science game, what’s so strange about that?”
Gazing at their three clueless classmates, Zhang Yang cleared his throat twice, delivering his lines with the dramatic cadence and intonation of a professional storyteller.
“As the saying goes, while the Finance and Computer Science departments…”
Before he could finish, a slap landed squarely on the back of his head—it was Zhang Yang’s girlfriend, Yang Xue.
Looking thoroughly aggrieved, Zhang Yang withered under Yang Xue’s glare before instantly returning to normal.
Yang Xue giggled. “Most of the girls are here to see the campus heartthrobs from the Finance and Computer Science departments. They’re handsome, and watching them play basketball is a visual treat.”
With that, Yang Xue swept her gaze back and forth across the three of them, clicking her tongue in regret. “Too bad none of you three joined the basketball team, otherwise our department would’ve drawn this many spectators when we played too.”
Lin Qing’an shrugged. “I don’t know how to play.”
Qin Zhiyi: “Me neither. My three years of high school were spent swimming in a sea of books, I rarely even set foot on the athletic field.”
Duan Xuan nodded thoughtfully. “I used to know how to play basketball back in the day, but playing by myself got boring so I stopped. Seeing this now, though, I feel like I could give it a try.”
“Zhiyi, let’s play basketball together.” Duan Xuan draped an arm around Qin Zhiyi’s shoulders, smiling with unrestrained bravado.
“The match is about to start.”
A sudden wave of cheers erupted inside the gymnasium, drawing everyone’s eyes toward the center of the court. Two teams of players wearing red and blue jerseys respectively stepped out; at a glance, it was crystal clear which players belonged to the Finance department and which to Computer Science.
Catching sight of a familiar figure, Qin Zhiyi nudged Lin Qing’an in confusion. “Hey, Qing’an, isn’t that guy in the number 15 red jersey the bar owner?”
The handsome neighbor?
At Qin Zhiyi’s words, Lin Qing’an looked over at the number 15 red jersey, and a familiar face snapped into focus. Today, he looked somewhat different from his usual self—like an aloof wolf king stepping down from his throne, radiating significantly more vitality and approachability than usual.
And besides… was he actually smiling that brightly?
Tch, tch, tch, Lin Qing’an pouted. Having run into him so many times in the elevator, he had never once seen the guy crack a smile, let alone heard him say more than a few words.
Repeated time and time again, Lin Qing’an’s initial urge to make friends with him had gradually fizzled out, mellowing down into a simple polite nod of acknowledgment whenever they crossed paths.
“Yeah, that’s him. He lives on my floor, so I guess you could call him a friend.”
“You guys are talking about the Finance department’s heartthrob?” Yang Xue chimed in from the side. “His name is Xie Tingchuan, the undisputed department heartthrob of this year’s Finance cohort. Back when we were freshmen starting our first semester, he almost became the campus heartthrob, but students from the other departments disagreed. After everyone debated and argued their cases, Xie Tingchuan ended up settling as the department heartthrob.”
With that, Yang Xue cast a bewildered look at the three of them. “You guys didn’t know?”
Duan Xuan and Qin Zhiyi shook their heads in unison.
Qin Zhiyi: “Right after the semester started during freshman year, it was military training. As soon as military training wrapped up, it was rushing to catch up with coursework and getting to know new classmates, so we never paid attention.”
“Fair enough.” Yang Xue nodded in understanding, taking it in stride. “Freshman year is always hectic, plus you guys being guys don’t usually track that stuff.”
The name Xie Tingchuan echoed repeatedly inside Lin Qing’an’s head, leaving him struggling to process the reality of it.
Xie Tingchuan? He is Xie Tingchuan?
Yang Xue nodded. “Right, that’s him. Doesn’t he look super handsome?”
Hearing Yang Xue’s confirmation, Lin Qing’an finally realized he had accidentally spoken his internal confusion aloud.
Handsome? How could he not be handsome?
Back when he had wanted so desperately to befriend him, wasn’t it precisely because he looked drop-dead gorgeous and had a vibe that hit all the right notes?
Yet right now, Lin Qing’an wished he could travel back in time and knock some sense into the past version of himself who had been so keen on making friends with him. Why on earth did he ever want to befriend this guy?!
He genuinely wanted to punch his past self hard. They had known each other for so long, had run into each other so many times, yet asking his name for a single second was really that difficult?!
Lin Qing’an wasn’t even sure whether he should feel grateful that the guy hadn’t wanted to be friends with him back then, or feel something else entirely. A chaotic storm of complex emotions churned in his chest.
He actually turned out to be Xie Tingchuan.
He actually turned out to be the male lead of the novel.
Lin Qing’an didn’t pay much attention to how the match progressed; his gaze remained glued entirely to the player in the number 15 red jersey, watching him leap, watching him shoot hoops, watching him embrace his teammates, watching him celebrate.
So this was what the novel’s male lead was like.
So the Xie Tingchuan he had never met in real life—the Xie Tingchuan who said good morning every sunrise, good night every moonrise, reminded him to wear extra layers when it got cold, and reminded him to carry an umbrella when it rained—was like this.
That’s wonderful.
Xie Tingchuan should definitely be like this.
The ruthless, decisive, uncompromising Xie Tingchuan described in the book ought to be someone who commanded the spotlight of the crowd.
The attentive, thoughtful, sometimes cold and sometimes passionate Xie Tingchuan inside WeChat ought to possess such boundless charm.
That’s wonderful.
Ah, truly wonderful.
After the match concluded, the next time Lin Qing’an saw Xie Tingchuan was inside their residential building’s elevator. Standing near the back of the pack, Lin Qing’an watched Xie Tingchuan stationed right at the front.
Standing at least half a head if not a full head taller than everyone else, he stood out glaringly in the cramped space. From Lin Qing’an’s angle, he had a clear view of Xie Tingchuan’s profile, where a gentle, faint smile graced his face, radiating infectious charm.
Lin Qing’an couldn’t help the corners of his lips curving upward. Naturally, winning the basketball championship for the Finance department was definitely something worth celebrating.
Still, didn’t they plan to celebrate their victory?
Or did they not invite Xie Tingchuan along?
The second that thought popped into his head, Lin Qing’an laughed at himself. As if!
That was Xie Tingchuan, after all! As the star figure of the Finance department and the absolute driving force behind their basketball championship victory, how could they possibly leave him out?
The elevator stopped floor by floor, passengers stepping out in twos and threes until in a rare stroke of luck everyone else cleared out when the car paused on the fourth floor.
A brief moment of quiet blanketed the cramped space before Lin Qing’an spoke up.
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations on winning the championship.”
Xie Tingchuan had spotted him the moment he stepped into the elevator, and was well aware that a pair of eyes had been fixed on him the entire ride, though he remained surprised when the fellow actually spoke up today.
Though he didn’t know why, Xie Tingchuan was in a great mood today, so he smiled and nodded.
“Thank you.”
With that brief exchange, the elevator fell silent once more.
Leaning back against the wall, Lin Qing’an swept his gaze across Xie Tingchuan’s brows and eyes before murmuring softly,
“I know your name now.”
“Xie Tingchuan. Such a nice name.”
Frowning slightly, Xie Tingchuan glanced back at him. “…Uh, thanks.”
“I’m Lin Qing’an. Lin Qing’an from the Mathematics department. Very nice to be classmates with you.”
Xie Tingchuan: “…”
Letting out a long breath, Lin Qing’an smiled and straightened his posture as the elevator hummed smoothly to a halt on the fifth floor, emitting a crisp ding.
“Xie Tingchuan, goodbye.”
Staring in utter bewilderment at the look of profound relief washing over the other person’s face, Xie Tingchuan watched as the elevator doors slowly slid shut, cutting off the back view of Lin Qing’an unlocking his apartment door.
Lin Qing’an?
A name both unfamiliar and slightly familiar.
Xie Tingchuan had once heard classmates mention him: a student deeply favored by the professors, a remarkably attractive guy whose gender was hard to distinguish at a glance.
Only, this was the first time Xie Tingchuan had connected that name to his downstairs neighbor. So they were actually the same person.
Back home, Lin Qing’an headed straight to the bathroom and took a long, thorough scrub from head to toe. When he finally stepped out, he felt like a brand-new person.
Pushing aside the faint, lingering heartache echoing deep in his chest, Lin Qing’an standing tall at over 1.85 meters curled up lazily on the sofa. His fingertips scrolled slowly across his phone screen, carefully browsing through the new photos Xie Tingchuan had just sent him, while a relaxed smile lingered at the edge of his brow.
Ding-dong.
Xie Tingchuan: [Photo] (Let’s pretend there’s a picture here)
Without hesitating for even a second, Lin Qing’an tapped it open. It was a photo of Xie Tingchuan wearing his number 15 red basketball jersey, spinning a basketball on his fingertip with a light, confident smile, his eyes radiating absolute, unshakeable certainty of victory.
Xiao Qinggan: “Great photo.”
It really was a fantastic photo, and the person in it looked wonderful too. Staring at the image over and over again, Lin Qing’an realized by the time he snapped back to reality that he had already tapped ‘Save to Album’.
“Oops…”
Lin Qing’an’s brow furrowed, followed quickly by a sigh. Whatever, it’s not like it takes up much storage.
Xie Tingchuan: “Does An’an like it? How about you set this photo as your lock screen wallpaper?”
Xiao Qinggan: “Let’s stick to the chat background instead.”
Xie Tingchuan: “No way, the chat background is already my abs shot. This picture has to be your wallpaper, hurry up and change it.”
Lin Qing’an couldn’t help sighing, casting a glance at his current chat background. Sure enough, it was still Xie Tingchuan’s photo showing just his lower jaw, his bare upper torso, perfect abdominal muscles, and arms with slightly bulging veins, radiating raw masculine power at a single glance.
Xie Tingchuan: [Transfer: 5,000 yuan] (Note: Voluntarily bestowed.)
Xie Tingchuan: “Did my baby An’an change it to your wallpaper yet?”
Xie Tingchuan: “An’an baby, hurry up and change it.”
Xie Tingchuan: “An’an, An’an…”
Xie Tingchuan: “…”
It was the exact same routine as before: financial bribery paired with relentless, clingy sweet-talking. Lin Qing’an was most vulnerable to people playing the soft card with him.
Xiao Qinggan: “Alright, fine, changed it.”
Xie Tingchuan replied instantly: “I don’t believe you, screenshot it and show me.”
Helpless, Lin Qing’an took a screenshot and sent it over.
Satisfied at last, Xie Tingchuan wrote: “Kisses”
Kisses, hugs, lifting you up in the air…
Lin Qing’an snorted softly, expertly responding with a kissing emoji, then exited the chat and swapped his wallpaper back to his original one a cartoon character cradling bluebells, smiling as radiantly as the Xie Tingchuan in that basketball photo.
“Smiling so happily?” Lin Qing’an chuckled, answering his own thought.
“Happy is good, you should be happy every single day.”