The dormitory was a four-person room. Besides Ruan Yu’s roommate Jian Xiangxiang, there were two other girls with very different personalities – one called Chen Manbai and the other Xia Qiaofeng. Chen Manbai was vivacious and cheerful, a somewhat famous beauty blogger online.

Because she had to livestream for her followers every day and the dormitory space was too restrictive for her to work properly, she rented a place outside and rarely came back. Xia Qiaofeng, on the other hand, was reserved and introspective – her quiet presence was almost like absence.

When Ruan Yu returned to the dormitory, she took a shower first and then started reading afterward. A little while later, Xia Qiaofeng came back too. She greeted Ruan Yu, grabbed her change of clothes, and went into the bathroom. The sound of running water soon emerged from within.

Ruan Yu checked the time – the lights out was approaching. She usually went to bed on the hour, maintaining a precise biological clock. As drowsiness gradually emerged, she yawned several times before closing her book and climbing into bed.

Xia Qiaofeng came out before lights out, hung her laundry on the balcony, and then climbed into her bed as well. The dormitory fell silent, and Ruan Yu fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She had always been a good sleeper, rarely waking up at night, and could usually sleep straight through until morning.

The next day was the weekend, but Ruan Yu didn’t allow herself to sleep in. She got up at dawn while Xia Qiaofeng was still snoring softly. Jian Xiangxiang’s bed was empty – clearly, she hadn’t returned last night. Though Yang Shan University’s student handbook strictly prohibited staying out overnight, the dormitory management was lax in enforcement, making it a common occurrence among students.

Ruan Yu didn’t dwell on it. She quietly went about her morning routine, then took her book and headed to the university’s small park to memorize vocabulary words.

The early autumn morning was cool, with a thin veil of mist hanging over the campus. As the morning sun rose, light and mist intertwined, giving everything an ethereal, dreamlike beauty. When passing by the auditorium, Ruan Yu’s footsteps faltered.

The auditorium’s main doors were tightly shut, her reflection visible in the glass. As she stood there staring at herself, her mind kept returning to the image of those five young men energetically dancing on stage last night. Other people’s youth was vibrant and passionate – what about hers?

Ruan Yu gripped her vocabulary book tightly. A voice in her head said: Just endure it, someday it will all pay off.

After finishing her vocabulary practice, Ruan Yu went to the cafeteria for breakfast. On her way back to the dormitory, she happened to run into Jian Xiangxiang. Despite not having slept all night and sporting dark circles under her eyes, she was still excited.

“Ruan Ruan Ruan Ruan, let me tell you, that Teng Yi is amazing! Not only is his dancing incredibly cool, but his singing is fantastic too!” Jian Xiangxiang started chattering non-stop upon seeing Ruan Yu. “Last night at the KTV, he was captivating! If I didn’t have a boyfriend, I would… oh well, never mind. I have a boyfriend, and he has a girlfriend too, so I shouldn’t have such relationship-breaking thoughts.”

Ruan Yu listened absent-mindedly, not surprised to hear that Teng Yi had a girlfriend. For someone as dazzling as him, it would have been strange if he didn’t have one.

“We’re going to hang out again this afternoon. Ruan Ruan, don’t you want to come and have some fun too?” Jian Xiangxiang asked tentatively, really wanting to bring Ruan Yu into their group.

“No, I have a tutoring job interview later.”

“Another part-time job?”

“Yes.”

“You’re already doing work-study at school, and now you’re taking outside jobs too? Are you that short of money?”

Ruan Yu froze for a moment.

Realizing she had spoken thoughtlessly, Jian Xiangxiang quickly linked arms with Ruan Yu and swayed playfully, “Ruan Ruan, I mean, you shouldn’t push yourself so hard. You should relax sometimes too.”

Ruan Yu nodded and smiled at her.

“Maybe next time,” she said.