The room fell silent for three seconds.

“…Wait a moment.”

Chen Luzhou locked himself in the bathroom, spending half an hour studying the correct way to use that thing. He made sure to lock the door, but not before tossing out the hair dryer.

With a “thud,” it landed on the table, cold and aloof.

Xu Zhi, while blow-drying her hair, couldn’t stop laughing. She couldn’t resist stirring up more trouble by asking through the door, “Chen Luzhou, have you figured it out yet? Want me to come in and help?”

Chen Luzhou ignored her teasing. He sat on the bathtub, arms crossed indifferently across his chest. A newly unwrapped condom lay discarded nearby. He glanced at it, sighed, looked at it again in disbelief, then stared at the ceiling with a sense of despair.

“Chen Jiaojiao?” The hair dryer stopped, and he heard her tentatively call out.

Chen Luzhou responded lazily, “Not dead yet. Don’t make noise.”

Only when the hair dryer started again did Chen Luzhou let out a deep sigh. He picked up the slippery thing beside him and looked at it helplessly once more.

He hadn’t paid attention earlier because he had put it on under the covers. He hadn’t looked down, just feeling his way as he put it on. At first, it slipped off several times, and even when he got it on, it felt uncomfortable. He thought he had bought one that was too small, not realizing that he had managed to force it on backward, as the internet said it’s difficult to put on backward.

Chen Luzhou had no intention of trying again. Backward or not, the main point was to avoid accidents. The internet said that wearing it backward doesn’t affect its effectiveness, just that there might be a slightly higher chance of problems. But Chen Luzhou thought it was unlikely. The process had been quite rushed, as he hadn’t even fully… half was still outside. He had been angry at the time and had just perfunctorily moved a couple of times before finishing.

Xu Zhi finished drying her hair and, seeing he still hadn’t come out, lay on the bed savoring the lingering feelings. It felt as if she had just moved a pawn, and the opponent had immediately called checkmate, telling her the game was over, giving her just a taste of sweetness. But she didn’t think Chen Luzhou had held back; she felt he might genuinely not be very good at it.

They hadn’t communicated during the act. When Chen Luzhou was doing it, his hands were propped on either side of her pillow, looking down at her. His eyes carried a sense of maintaining reason while extinguishing desire, full of “Satisfied? Got what you wanted? Happy now?”

But those eyes, black and bright, seemed to glisten with sweat, youthfully restrained yet captivating to the soul.

Just as Xu Zhi’s patience was wearing thin and she was about to knock on the door, Chen Luzhou happened to come out. Their eyes met at the doorway, and Chen Luzhou looked at her and asked, “When is your… you know… due?”

Xu Zhi was stunned for a moment before realizing he meant her period. “Soon.”

Chen Luzhou made a sound of acknowledgment, “Let me know if it’s delayed.”

Xu Zhi responded with an “Oh,” inexplicably nervous from his words. “It probably won’t be.”

Chen Luzhou was about to charge his phone when he realized Xu Zhi had already plugged in the hotel’s provided charger. Neither had brought their chargers. He tossed his phone on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed, giving her a meaningful look before saying casually, “It won’t be. I just want you to pay attention.”

Chen Luzhou had just glanced at it, and Xu Zhi understood. She went over and unplugged her phone. “You can charge yours.”

Chen Luzhou didn’t care either way and didn’t plug it in. Since she was nearby, he didn’t need to check his phone. After a final check for any WeChat messages needing replies, he tossed the phone back on the bedside table. Leaning against the headboard, he calmly pointed to the spot at the foot of the bed in front of him, raising his chin slightly, his tone both lazy and serious: “Come here, let’s talk.”

It was late at night now. The sound of cars outside was sparse, and human voices were few and far between. The hotel’s KTV only operated until midnight, and it was about to close. The surroundings returned to complete silence. Moonlight seeped through the gaps in the window, like a light mist, softly draping over the corner of the bed, as romantic as water.

Xu Zhi put down her phone and moved over. Their knees touched, and Xu Zhi nudged closer to his leg.

“Don’t rub against me,” Chen Luzhou said, arms folded as he leaned against the headboard, deliberately moving his leg outward. He looked at her with a half-smile, “We’re talking, be serious, okay?”

“…I accidentally touched you!”

“Girlfriend, be honest,” he said with a smile. “You think I can’t tell you want to rub against me?”

Xu Zhi looked at him, exasperated, not bothering to argue. She asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

Chen Luzhou had spent most of his time in the bathroom thinking about how to respond to her little essay. Xu Zhi’s willingness to say these things had indeed surprised him. Chen Luzhou sighed and said, “Let’s talk about our future.”

“Isn’t it a bit heavy to discuss this when we’re just freshmen?” Xu Zhi said.

“We’ve come this far, shouldn’t we talk about something more serious?” He grabbed a pillow to put behind his back and looked at her, saying, “Do you have any thoughts about me changing my major? Or what you want me to do in the future?”

“Don’t you have your ideas?” Xu Zhi asked.

“I do, but I want to hear yours.” Chen Luzhou’s posture remained unchanged as he looked at her seriously for once.

The soft yellow light from the bedside reading lamp fell on his head, highlighting his straight nose. His eyelashes were beautiful, and his hair was softly pressed against the headboard. He looked both gentle and determined. The occasional breeze from the window carried his scent, but Xu Zhi didn’t feel cold at all. Her heart felt full.

“Actually, I think you’re more suited for academics,” Since he wouldn’t let her nudge him, Xu Zhi could only stretch out her legs and look at him sideways. “I think you’d do well in any major. Staying in school to become a professor after graduate school wouldn’t be bad either.”

He made a sound of acknowledgment, turned his face slightly, and after a moment’s thought said, “Then I might have to stay in Beijing.”

Xu Zhi bent forward, hugging her knees, and looked at him sideways: “You don’t want to stay?”

“What about you? Do you want to go home or stay here,” Chen Luzhou glanced out the window, thought for a moment, then turned back to look at her and said, “I guess you want to go home. If that’s the case, wouldn’t we have to do long-distance in the future? Have you thought about that? Also, professors don’t make much money. A full professor only makes 300,000 yuan a year, and it would take me until I’m at least thirty to become one. Don’t you want a boyfriend who can earn more?”

It wasn’t that he thought being a professor was bad, just that compared to starting his own business, he might earn less. But Xu Zhi’s love for money was well-known.

This was quite tempting. “What do you think yourself?”

Chen Luzhou leaned back, his head tilted slightly, looking down at her. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I originally planned to transfer to the Social Science Experimental Class and then switch to Economics in the second year. But transferring to Social Science might mean an extra year of study, which I think is too much trouble. If you think being a professor in the future is good, I’d have to consider applying for graduate school first. We can decide later whether to stay at the university or not.”

By this point in the conversation, Xu Zhi was getting drowsy. Blinking her sleepy eyes, she finally lay on his leg and said sincerely, “Let me tell you, I have an uncle who’s a professor at Qing University. He graduated from A University’s Academy of Fine Arts. In their year of job assignments, the school offered two places: one at a university in Hong Kong, and one at Qing University. But when Qing University hired him, they said they could arrange a job at the school for his girlfriend. So my uncle chose to stay at Qing University. Later, every time I went to their house for dinner, I often heard them arguing. My uncle would say, ‘If it weren’t for you, I’d be in Hong Kong by now.’ What could my aunt say? She’d always be silent, unable to respond, after all, he had compromised for her. That’s why I said earlier that love should make people brave, not compromise with each other, understand? Dating is dating, but in terms of studies or work, we should both make the best decisions for ourselves first. We shouldn’t tie our futures to each other. We’re not immortals who don’t need to worry about the basics of life.”

Chen Luzhou absent-mindedly pinched her ear, leaning against the headboard and giving a faint “Mm” in response.

For them, everything was indeed too early to decide. He wanted time to slow down, to enjoy these few years of college romance with her, but he also wished time would speed up, to settle things sooner.

But some things really can’t be settled yet. Even a closed coffin can be reopened. Love isn’t something you can casually maintain for nine or ten years. Even after enduring a long-distance relationship, many couples break up when it comes time to discuss marriage.

As they fell silent, he remained leaning against the headboard. In the dim light from above, he gazed down at her. Xu Zhi lay on his lap, with Chen Luzhou’s hand cushioning her face. Unable to resist, he gave her cheek a gentle pinch, eliciting a muffled groan from the drowsy girl. She buried her face deeper into his hand, her eyelashes tickling his dry palm. Her voice, tinged with impatience and resignation, murmured, “Chen Luzhou, why do you keep pinching my cheek?”

Chen Luzhou lowered his head to tease her, “Eyelash fairy, are you already asleep?”

“Do you still want to do it?” she mumbled.

With that thought dominating his mind, he replied, “No, go to sleep.”

“Hmph,” she grunted.

Soon after, the eyelash fairy drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, probably due to the air conditioning being set too high, Xu Zhi woke up feeling hot. By then, all the lights were off, and in the pitch-black room, she vaguely sensed someone still sitting by the bedside. Turning her head, she realized Chen Luzhou was still leaning against the headboard. Rubbing her eyes groggily, she asked, “You’re still awake?”

Chen Luzhou, sitting there in a daze, gave a low “Mm” in response. “No, I just woke up. Had a dream.”

Xu Zhi inquired, “What did you dream about?”

Chen Luzhou’s voice was hoarse as he cleared his throat and said, “I dreamed I was back in my senior year of high school.”

Xu Zhi, still rubbing her eyes, chuckled lazily, “Did it scare you awake? I’ve had several dreams about going back to senior year that woke me up in fright. It’s truly terrifying.”

Chen Luzhou smiled without saying anything. In truth, in his dream, he had been searching for Xu Zhi, only to find she wasn’t there in his senior year. He reached out to caress her face and said, “Go back to sleep.”

Xu Zhi mumbled a sleepy “Mm” in response.

In reality, he hadn’t expected their relationship to begin so hastily. If it weren’t for Tan Xu, he might have waited a while longer, at least until after the midterm exams. He would have followed the proper steps. But since meeting Xu Zhi, nothing between them had ever followed the usual course. Yet, he felt that this was perhaps their style.

Chen Luzhou leaned against the headboard, closing his eyes to rest for a while. Then, opening them to gaze out the window, he mused: Even the most beautiful moon needs someone to appreciate it together, and even the most melodious summer cicadas need someone to listen with. Why think so much? Let’s just love passionately first. If they were to break up in the future, after dating him, could she ever find someone inferior?

The next day, they checked out and returned to the school canteen for breakfast. Chen Luzhou sat across from her, having just peeled an egg and placed it in her bowl. Xu Zhi, her eyes still bleary with sleep, immediately stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed vigorously. He thought to himself that this love was indeed becoming quite intense.

“Is this how you plan to scare away your boyfriend on the first day of our relationship?” Chen Luzhou remarked as he put a second egg in her bowl, gesturing with his chin, “Dip it in vinegar.”

Xu Zhi replied, “I’m hungry. I was hungry in the middle of the night, but you insisted on chatting with me. I originally wanted to order a late-night snack.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Chen Luzhou asked, taking a bite of a soup dumpling and glancing at her.

“You were talking so seriously about your major, I didn’t dare interrupt,” Xu Zhi said, then noticed a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. “Isn’t that your roommate?”

Chen Luzhou turned to look, a soup dumpling in hand, then slowly turned back. It was Zhao Tianqi and another boy.

Xu Zhi asked curiously, “I heard from Liu Sisi that you guys in the boys’ dorm talk about girls when the lights are out. Do you join in?”

Chen Luzhou chuckled, dipping his soup dumpling in vinegar, “Do I have time to chat with them?”

When he first arrived, Li Ke had told him that university was different from high school. High school relationships between boys might be simpler, but in university, there were more entanglements of interest. He hadn’t planned to make friends here, let alone discuss such matters. He spent more time with Li Ke and the other provincial top scorers, which added to his pressure. These people only focused on studying hard, and with midterms approaching, they were about to face a real challenge. To be honest, he was a bit nervous.

Xu Zhi thought about it and agreed. She leaned back in her chair and looked outside. The university’s campus was bustling even on weekends, with people already hurrying towards the library with books in hand, not even sparing a glance at the autumn scenery by the lake. She asked, “Are you going to the library later?”

Chen Luzhou’s phone buzzed just then. He looked down at it and said, “Yeah, I’ve been catching up on calculus the past few days and haven’t looked at Marxist philosophy yet. Li Ke is trying to outdo me again. Look at what time it is now.”

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll accompany you to the library today.”

“Weren’t you going to photograph buildings?” Chen Luzhou looked up.

The canteen was getting more crowded, with the curtains constantly opening and closing, letting in gusts of wind. Xu Zhi rolled up her sleeves and huddled her hands, saying, “Not anymore. The photos I take are terrible and very abstract. Some guys from our photography club have been working on aerial shots of the ball games recently. Midterms are on Wednesday, so I should probably study a bit. But… what’s with that expression?”

Chen Luzhou gave her a meaningful look, put down his chopsticks, sighed, and said, “Then don’t rub my leg.”

Xu Zhi: “…”

They went back to their dorms to get their books before heading straight to the library. Several tables were already full when they arrived. As soon as they entered, they saw Li Ke, the study enthusiast, already sitting in their usual spot, with two books reserving the seats next to him. As Chen Luzhou sat down, Li Ke glanced at Xu Zhi beside him and then whispered in his ear, “Where did you go last night? You haven’t been back to the dorm for two nights in a row?”

Xu Zhi had gone to throw away some trash before coming over. Chen Luzhou pulled out a chair for her as he sat down, then turned to look at Li Ke with a nonchalant expression, “Since when did you become so nosy? Even you know I didn’t return to the dorm, and we’re five floors apart.”

“Zhao Tianqi mentioned it. I guess everyone on your floor knows by now,” Li Ke said.

Chen Luzhou leaned back in his chair, one hand casually resting on the back of Xu Zhi’s chair, the other flipping open a book. He smirked and lazily made up an excuse, “Zhu Yangqi came, so I stayed with him at a hotel.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Luzhou felt a subtle brush against his leg.

Here we go again.

How the hell was he supposed to study like this?

Chen Luzhou ignored her and continued talking to Li Ke as if nothing had happened: “Doesn’t your department study linear algebra? Do you have a textbook I could borrow? I’m planning to transfer to Business Administration next semester.”

The leg was still persistently rubbing against him.

Chen Luzhou turned his head towards her with a hint of exasperation, giving her a cold, warning look: “Girlfriend? Behave yourself, will you?”

Xu Zhi also looked annoyed, pointing at his pants pocket and whispering behind a small book: “No, your condom is showing.”

Author’s Note: 200 red envelopes.

Light Haze’s new work “A Touch of Romance”

Synopsis: For three years, there was a saying circulating in No. 1 High School: Wang Xiaoqi is the top dog, and Xu Yinong is the eternal second place.

One day after evening self-study, Xu Yinong was doing her duty as class monitor, silently sweeping the floor. When she straightened up, she found the “top dog” leaning against the classroom doorframe, watching her.

Xu Yinong: “What are you looking at? Stop showing off.”

Wang Xiaoqi smiled, “I’m not doing anything.”

She continued sweeping, her tone unfriendly, “Move your feet!”

Wang Xiaoqi obliged, “I’ve already outscored you in exams, so how about I take a loss and treat you to a meal?”

Xu Yinong’s focus was a bit off, “You’re taking a loss?”

“Then you take the loss. After the college entrance exam, you can accept me as your boyfriend.”

“…”

Years later, when they meet again, she’s a team leader on the client side, and he’s a project manager on the contractor side.

One day, his subordinates were discussing how the client’s female team leader was perfect in every way – looks, temperament, and especially her figure.

Wang Xiaoqi hung up the landline receiver and interrupted, “Are you all very free?”

Later, Wang Xiaoqi and Xu Yinong ran into each other in the break room.

“Miss Xu, don’t your female employees have looser sizes for their shirts?”

Xu Yinong: “Mr. Wang, what do you mean by that?”

Wang Xiaoqi leaned against the doorframe, as lazy as he was years ago, “What do you think I mean?”

Xu Yinong wasn’t bothered and retorted, “Mr. Wang, is this how you speak to your client?”

“Then, dear client, what role do you think would be appropriate for me?” Wang Xiaoqi smiled, “Ex-boyfriend?”

“…”