After washing up, Lin Xuechun walked to the wardrobe.
The temperature in the capital today was pleasant—twenty degrees Celsius, no wind.
She picked out a light blue off-shoulder top. The fabric was soft and form-fitting, a thin layer hugging her body, making her back look slim, her chest perky, her waist narrow, and her hips peach-shaped.
She paired it with straight-leg jeans and canvas shoes.
After changing, she sat down at her desk and braided her hair in front of the mirror.
She swept all her glossy black hair to one side of her shoulder and braided it into a plait that tapered from thick to thin, hanging loosely over her shoulder, with a white hair tie at the end.
Without makeup, her skin was naturally baby-soft—pink and delicate. Her big eyes were bright and sparkling, dark and luminous. A touch of lip balm was all it took to make her stunningly beautiful.
She slung a large tote bag over her shoulder, stuffing her laptop and various odds and ends inside.
Done. Time to head out.
The moment she stepped out of the dormitory building, she saw Xi Chenzhou standing under the locust tree across the way.
“Classmate Xi,” Lin Xuechun’s eyes lit up, and she trotted over to him like a little deer. “Sorry, have you been waiting long?”
Xi Chenzhou’s gaze landed on her bright, delicate face. A flicker passed through his eyes as he drawled out two words: “Just got here.”
He raised his left hand, holding out a brown paper bag.
“Brought this for you.”
“What?” Lin Xuechun’s rosy lips parted slightly, her lively eyes shimmering with curiosity.
“Breakfast. A sandwich from Subway.”
Lin Xuechun hadn’t expected him to bring her breakfast.
She’d thought he seemed cold and aloof, not the type to look after others.
Those sandwiches cost around thirty yuan each—not exactly cheap.
“How much was it? I’ll transfer it to you.”
“No need.” Xi Chenzhou tucked his left hand back into his hoodie pocket, his tone indifferent.
“Well, thank you then. I’ll buy you a coffee later.” Lin Xuechun smiled softly and took the sandwich from his hand.
The two walked side by side toward the school gate.
He was 188 cm; she was 168 cm barefoot, 170 cm in shoes. Walking beside him, the top of her head barely cleared his shoulder.
The sunlight was lovely, casting two shadows on the ground—one tall, one short, nestled close together.
A breeze blew down from the tree-lined path, carrying the scent of early autumn foliage.
He didn’t speak. She didn’t either.
The straps of her bag swayed gently with each step.
Lin Xuechun tightened the tote on her shoulder. Eating wasn’t allowed on the subway, and the bookstore they were heading to didn’t permit outside food either—so she had to finish the sandwich now.
She tore open the sandwich wrapper.
Lowering her head, she took small bites, chewing slowly.
The tote on her shoulder, loaded with her laptop and assorted odds and ends, kept slipping down. While eating, she had to juggle the bag too—taking a few bites, then adjusting the strap. Both hands were busy.
She was wearing a slightly off-shoulder top, leaving half of her fair shoulder exposed. Before long, the strap had left two distinct red marks on her delicate skin.
Xi Chenzhou’s gaze landed on those red marks for a couple of seconds.
“Give me the bag. I’ll carry it for you.”
Carrying someone’s bag was usually something couples did. Lin Xuechun was briefly taken aback, a little embarrassed: “No need, it’s pretty heavy.”
As she spoke, she reached up and tugged the strap back into place.
Xi Chenzhou simply reached over and lifted the bag off her shoulder. “Give it to me—otherwise you won’t even finish eating by the time we get on the subway.”
The instant the weight left her shoulder, she did feel noticeably lighter. Lin Xuechun didn’t insist any further.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go.”
Xi Chenzhou continued walking ahead.
Her bag looked weightless in his hand, as if it held nothing at all.
He was really strong.
Lin Xuechun took a bite of her sandwich and glanced sideways at him, then suddenly remembered: “Oh, right… did you eat breakfast?”
Xi Chenzhou replied flatly: “Yes.”
“Also a sandwich?”
“Yeah.”
“I sometimes order from that place too. What combo do you like?”
“The one you’re eating now.”
The one in Lin Xuechun’s hand was the Western-style ham.
She nodded. “I like this combo too.”
Xi Chenzhou: “Mm.”
Lin Xuechun: “Oh.”
She’d tried her best—she wasn’t good at small talk to begin with, and he spoke so little too.
It took over ten minutes to walk from school to the subway station.
She’d only eaten half the sandwich. She really couldn’t finish the rest, so she held the remaining half in her hand without touching it, a conflicted look on her face.
Xi Chenzhou glanced at her, understanding dawning in his eyes: “Can’t finish it?”
“Yeah,” Lin Xuechun flushed slightly, explaining, “I’m not that hungry in the morning.”
Xi Chenzhou didn’t mind: “If you can’t finish it, just throw it away.”
She really had a stomach like a cat’s.
She didn’t eat much in the cafeteria either.
She’d pick at her rice grain by grain.
No wonder she was so thin.
Lin Xuechun hesitated: “Wouldn’t it be wasteful to throw it away? I feel a bit guilty about it.”
“Trust me, even if you keep it, you won’t eat it later.” His cousin was exactly like that—every time they went out to eat, she insisted on packing up the leftovers, then either forgot to eat them at home or left them behind on the way back.
Lin Xuechun felt a pang of guilt at being seen through. She truly hadn’t planned to eat it again, but she also couldn’t get past the feeling of wasting food.
This question had come up in a conversation with friends before, and they’d found that girls all seemed to have a bit of a problem with having eyes bigger than their stomachs—wanting to try a little of everything, and in the end not finishing any of it. They’d feel a bit wasteful about it too, but they didn’t want to change.
However, he seemed to understand girls’ minds quite well.
He must have dated quite a few girlfriends, right?
Lin Xuechun pretended to glance sideways casually, stealing a look at Xi Chenzhou.
Sunlight filtered through the layered branches and leaves, sprinkling flecks of gold over him.
One hand was tucked into his hoodie pocket, the other held her bag for her, his pace unhurried.
He was wearing a grey Essential hoodie, with broad shoulders and a straight, upright back. His backpack hung from one shoulder, the strap loose and dangling, swaying against the hem of his clothes with each step.
His sharp, cold features carried a hint of nonchalance.
Almost every girl who passed by would let their gaze linger on him for a few seconds, and then they’d look at her too, their eyes turning gossipy.
Lin Xuechun instinctively slowed her steps, putting a bit more distance between them.
Xi Chenzhou stopped walking and turned his head. “Give it to me.”
Huh?
Lin Xuechun was confused.
Xi Chenzhou tilted his chin toward the trash can nearby, and Lin Xuechun realized he meant the sandwich.
She handed him the sandwich in her hand.
He took it and tossed it straight into the trash can, saying flatly, “Now I’m the one wasting it, not you.”
Ah?
Lin Xuechun’s lips curved up at his logic, and the guilt she’d felt about wasting food inexplicably dissolved.
She hadn’t expected that despite looking so cold, he knew how to handle a girl’s feelings.
So thoughtful.
In that moment, she felt a tiny flutter of attraction.
“You’re really good at comforting people.”
She couldn’t help but praise him.
Was he good at comforting people?
His mom was always complaining about his lack of empathy.
Xi Chenzhou tilted his head, his gaze landing on her fair, delicate face. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, like black grapes touched with dew, her lips full and rosy with a slight pout at the center. His Adam’s apple rolled gently, and he looked away from her lips, his voice dropping a notch. “Mm, as long as it comforted you, that’s enough.”