The campus dusk was hazy. The snow that had fallen yesterday had long since been cleared away by sanitation workers, leaving only a few remaining patches around the flower beds, which were already melting away by today.
Pierced by the nighttime chill, moonlight spilled through the clouds down onto the mortal realm, casting its glow upon the thriving, vibrant trees.
With surprise, Lin Qing’an noticed that the flower beds were glittering with light, as though he had stepped right into a fairy tale world.
Stepping closer, he saw that the foliage and branches were covered in a thin layer of frost, and that sparkling brilliance was simply the reflection of streetlamps bouncing off the sheets of delicate ice.
Taking a few steps back, Lin Qing’an snapped a photo of this dreamy, ethereal scene, and by the time he registered what he was doing, he had already out of habit sent it straight to Xie Tingchuan.
And the other person, as always, replied in a split second.
Ping.
Xie Tingchuan: “Is that a southern magnolia?”
Xiao Qinggan: “……?”
Realizing belatedly that the photo he had just sent seemed to leak clues about his surrounding environment, Lin Qing’an felt a sudden jolt of tension in his chest.
His heart hovered uncomfortably in midair, suspended by a string—a string determining Lin Qing’an’s fate, which he had carelessly handed right over to a completely oblivious Xie Tingchuan.
Ping.
Xie Tingchuan: “As expected, schools everywhere are cut from the exact same cloth. My A-University also planted a ton of southern magnolias. When they bloom around May or June, the whole campus fills with a rich fragrance, and whenever you walk out of the school gates, your clothes are practically soaked in that scent.”
Lin Qing’an let out a soft breath of relief, casting a lingering gaze toward the magnolia trees with a dazed, bewildered expression on his face. Do southern magnolias actually smell fragrant when they bloom?
He slid his Bluetooth earbuds into his ears, where they flickered with a steady, pulsing blue light.
Hesitantly, Lin Qing’an stared at Xie Tingchuan’s avatar: a bold, striking black letter X set against a stark white background, looking arrogant, composed, and quite fitting for the male lead of a novel.
Yet…
Lin Qing’an’s gaze drifted back down to their chat history—filled with tender, warm-hearted care. This was the real-life Xie Tingchuan, a flesh-and-blood Xie Tingchuan.
Ping.
Xie Tingchuan: “How are you feeling right now? Still uncomfortable? Don’t stay outside too long, the night wind is way too cold right now. Be careful not to catch a cold and give yourself a headache.”
This was Xie Tingchuan, the one who cared about him; this was Xie Tingchuan, burning with fiery affection.
Without a single shred of hesitation, Lin Qing’an’s fingertip tapped directly onto the voice call icon.
The moment he pressed it, the call was picked up on the other end.
A low chuckle drifted straight into his ear, the sound seemingly charged with an electrical current as it traveled across space and landed deep inside Lin Qing’an’s chest, leaving his earlobes tingling with numbness.
Xie Tingchuan: “An’an, I’m so happy.”
Lin Qing’an glanced around. Students were walking past in twos and threes, and Duan Xuan and Qin Zhiyi had already returned to their dorms, meaning absolutely nobody was paying attention to him right now.
“So happy, did you pick up money off the street?”
Lin Qing’an kept his voice very low. Using the soft palate resonance technique made his naturally bright voice sound even more ethereal and penetrating, every single syllable striking straight at the soul.
Xie Tingchuan clutched his wildly pounding heart, his body growing hot so rapidly that he had no choice but to push his window open, allowing the freezing night wind to rush inside and help him cool down.
‘I’m not a pervert, I’m not a pervert.’ Xie Tingchuan chanted inwardly. Just hearing her voice is enough to trigger a physical reaction, I’m completely hopeless.
Xie Tingchuan couldn’t help mentally berating himself, yet that soft, shallow breathing sounded as though it were whispering right against his ear a temptation Xie Tingchuan was powerless to refuse, causing his previously steady breathing to turn ragged.
“Being able to receive an active voice call from An’an makes me happier than finding money.”
Xie Tingchuan’s voice carried a smile brimming with infectious warmth, filling Lin Qing’an’s heart with sweetness and curving the corners of his lips upward.
“Is An-bao happy?”
“Huh?” Lin Qing’an’s voice bubbled with amusement as he couldn’t resist asking, “What did you just call me?”
“An-bao.” Xie Tingchuan closed the window, drew the curtains, unbuttoned the top of his pajamas to reveal a broad expanse of his chest, and his chiseled abs flickered in and out of view as he paced about.
“My An’an baby.”
Hearing this, Lin Qing’an let out a soft laugh. “Is that so? Then shouldn’t I call you Chuan-bao?”
“Chuan-chuan baby…” A soft, feather-light whisper escaped his lips, carrying a bewitching charm that Xie Tingchuan found entirely irresistible, willingly sinking deeper into the spell.
Yet, tonight was clearly the wrong time for this. Remembering Lin Qing’an’s delicate health, Xie Tingchuan kept his voice strictly gentle as he asked, despite suppressing a desire that had grown strong enough to strain the veins on his forehead:
“An-bao, how are you feeling right now? Does it still hurt?”
Even knowing Xie Tingchuan couldn’t see him, Lin Qing’an shook his head instinctively.
“I’m much better. My head still feels a bit heavy, but it’s fine. I’ll go right to sleep once I’m back.”