Before Xia Xia moved in, Hui Che’s life was quite casual. Skipping breakfast was normal, he ate lunch outside and made instant noodles for dinner when he got home. After living with Xia Xia for two months, with meals ready whenever he opened his mouth, he never had to worry about food. Both his palate and stomach had become spoiled.

Once Xia Xia left, Hui Che’s living standards dropped several levels.

Xia Xia had sealed his instant noodle box with tape until there wasn’t a single gap, thrown out all the spicy snacks and pickled vegetables he had stored in his refrigerator, and left him some fresh ingredients, forcing him to cook for himself. Hui Che tried for a few days, but even using the same ingredients, his cooking tasted nothing like Xia Xia’s.

He sat at the dining table, staring blankly at the ingredients for stir-fried green peppers with pork.

Xia Xia had wrapped the plate in several layers of plastic wrap, deliberately placing it at the front of the refrigerator with a sticky note attached.

[Dear Brother Hui:

This is your dinner preparation. First, heat the oil in the wok, then reduce the heat and add minced garlic to release its fragrance…]

Xia Xia had written a full page of instructions for stir-fried peppers with meat. Hui Che flipped over the note: “You know I don’t like green peppers, are you asking for trouble…”

There was writing on the other side of the note too.

[Green peppers are high in Vitamin C. You’re too picky with food, you must consume some Vitamin C. If you don’t want to eat green peppers, go downstairs to the fruit shop and buy two oranges. Remember to send me a photo after buying them. If I find out you neither ate the green peppers nor the oranges…]

Xia Xia threatened him in writing: […then you’re dead.]

Going downstairs to the fruit shop was like an impossible task for a lazy person like Hui Che. After weighing his options, he obediently took the green peppers to the kitchen and followed Xia Xia’s instructions to cook himself a plate of blackened food. He took a photo with his phone to send to Xia Xia as proof of completing the task, but when he sat back at the table, he couldn’t bring himself to eat it.

“Is this even edible?”

Hui Che picked through the dish and ate a few pieces of meat, but the raw meat taste assaulted his taste buds.

Xia Xia was busy with something and hadn’t replied to his message yet.

The evening sun was setting.

Hui Che played with his phone idly. He had just showered, his hair only half-dried and messily sticking to the sides of his face.

He got up to look for frozen dumplings in the refrigerator, and after cooking them, went to the cabinet to look for vinegar.

The kitchen was usually organized by Xia Xia, and he couldn’t find the vinegar. Out of habit, he called out: “Xia Xia!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.

The house was empty and quiet, with no one to respond.

Hui Che returned to the dining table.

The night was falling, and the moon hung like a pale white mark in the distant deep blue sky.

Before him sat a plate of cold green peppers with meat and a plate of overcooked dumplings. He sat alone, like a lonely child.

His phone vibrated – Xia Xia had replied.

[I was just chatting with a senior student, have you eaten?]

Hui Che’s expression showed a moment of confusion. He picked out the words “senior student” and turned them over repeatedly in his mind, but the text was cold and emotionless, revealing nothing except those words that made his eyes hurt. Hui Che became restless and called Xia Xia.

Xia Xia answered quickly: “Brother Hui?”

Hui Che asked: “It’s so late, who are you with?”

Xia Xia said: “A senior student, he said he’d show me around campus.”

“Which senior student?”

“A graduate student from the same major, he’s specifically responsible for guiding us exchange students,” Xia Xia explained honestly. “Is something wrong?”

Hui Che looked at the clock on the wall – it was nine-thirty at night.

A bunch of words got stuck in his throat, and he finally said in a flat tone: “Nothing.”

Xia Xia was sneakily hiding behind some shrubs.

After hanging up the phone, she smiled at Chen Manxi who was waiting outside: “Sorry, I had to take a call.”

Chen Manxi: “Was it your boyfriend?”

In front of her newly acquainted roommate, Xia Xia easily switched back to her docile bunny-like demeanor, lowering her head shyly: “I suppose so.”

Seeing her embarrassment, Chen Manxi didn’t pursue the topic.

Xia Xia asked: “Now that we’ve finished touring the school, shall we head back to the dorm?”

Chen Manxi was her roommate at Ocean University. From their first meeting, Xia Xia felt this girl was like a combination of Zhu Ziyu and Zhao Shanqi.

Chen Manxi’s appearance was similar to Zhu Ziyu’s glamorous style – tall with a full figure, dressed head to toe in luxury brands that could blind people’s eyes. Previously, Xia Xia didn’t understand these brands, but after living with Zhao Shanqi for a year, she gained some knowledge.

For instance, Xia Xia could tell at a glance that Chen Manxi’s current outfit wouldn’t cost less than thirty thousand yuan.

“I won’t accompany you back,” Chen Manxi said, “My boyfriend asked me to go out.”

After Chen Manxi left, Xia Xia didn’t rush to leave. She sat by the flower bed and opened Weibo on her phone.

A few days ago, she had registered an alternate account where she recorded trivial matters.

[August 15th, caught stealing a kiss from Brother Hui, he was drunk and pinned me to the bed to kiss me. He’s done for.]

[On August 16th, Brother Hui called me, I exposed his tsundere facade, and he got angry and threatened to let me try his thing.]

…

Xia Xia’s fingers flew as she typed:

[August 23rd, Brother Hui messaged me, and I deliberately didn’t reply. He called to ask who I was with, I said I was with a senior student. He sounded angry.]

In the intoxicating night breeze, Xia Xia propped her chin and thought for a moment, then added another line.

[Serves him right, let him suffer.]

She closed her phone, her mind full of images of Hui Che muttering to himself while holding her that night.

When drunk, Hui Che was like a clingy child, retaining only his basic instincts, even his speech became stuttered.

But his embrace was forcefully tight, so much that her shoulders ached from his grip.

The room had no air conditioning, and their body heat mingled together, those ambiguous touches and the sultry air quickening their heartbeats.

Xia Xia was drenched in sweat, listening to Hui Che calling her name over and over.

Xia Xia: “You don’t even like me, what right do you have to stop me from leaving?”

Hui Che’s consciousness was clouded by alcohol, his eyes red as he stared at her, unable to speak a word.

After a long while, his lips moved: “I have money now.”

Xia Xia asked as if coaxing a child: “How much?”

“Fifty thousand,” Hui Che said in a low voice, showing none of his usual arrogance.

Xia Xia casually replied: “Only fifty thousand?”

As soon as she spoke, Hui Che held her tightly against him, his voice deep and suppressed, trembling almost imperceptibly.

His lips against her neck: “There will be more in the future.”

Xia Xia felt like she was being crushed by him, barely managing to create a small gap between them. In the cold moonlight streaming through the window, she carefully studied his eyebrows and expression.

Her mind hazily recalled many things.

— Hui Che’s kindness to her, his fierceness toward her.

As she thought more deeply, she remembered the pleasant soap scent on him when they took the train back to Chang City in winter, his smile as he held his guitar in the falling snow, his impatient frown after she kissed him under the moonlight, the look in his eyes when he stood outside the detention center as the Jacaranda trees bloomed.

Hui Che kept calling: “Xia Xia.”

At that moment, countless thoughts flooded Xia Xia’s mind, and in the next instant, many things became crystal clear.

— Hui Che’s peculiarity, his moodiness, his inability to express his true feelings…

Xia Xia couldn’t help but knock her head, silently cursing herself for being usually quite clever but becoming so stupid when it came to Hui Che.

That night, Xia Xia didn’t sleep. After Hui Che fell into a drunken slumber, she sat in the bay window of the room, watching the moon all night.

Only when dawn broke did she stand up and walk to the bedside to study Hui Che’s sleeping face, bending down to kiss his hair at the temple.

Her voice was gentle but firm: “Brother Hui, don’t be foolish, I won’t leave you.”

…

Xu Dalong could hardly be considered a shrewd businessman.

Reselling construction materials was merely about profiting from the information gap between factories and construction companies. Xu Dalong had made a fortune in steel during the first half of the year, and filled with ambition, he wanted to expand into other areas – cement, river sand, bricks – trying everything he could think of.

Hui Che didn’t approve of this scattered business approach, but he had to admit that Xu Dalong had built extensive connections through his years in construction contracting. Without those connections paving the way, it was hard to say how far his business could have gone.

The first semester of sophomore year was peaceful, with the biggest disturbance being Hui Che frequently accompanying Xu Dalong off campus, causing him to miss many major classes. After the professor called his name three consecutive times with no response, someone was sent to inform Hui Che that if he didn’t come to the next class, he shouldn’t bother coming at all.

After that, Hui Che behaved for a while, spending his free time reading at the school’s delivery point.

His freshman grades had been a mess, with some courses not even reaching the passing mark. If this continued in sophomore year, graduating in senior year would be difficult.

Previously, he had to send his monthly earnings back home, leaving little after paying off the high-interest loans.

Now that his finances were more comfortable, during his free time, he would browse online for good projects near the university town.

When Zhao Yilei heard he was looking for projects, he rushed over to discuss opening a milk tea shop together.

Hui Che didn’t agree.

Zhao Yilei refused to leave the delivery kiosk: “My business wasn’t bad because of management issues, you understand? It was the location! I’ve recently spotted a shop, right across from the Foreign Language University. There are lots of female students there, it’s packed when classes end, guaranteed to make a profit.”

Hui Che slouched in the rattan chair, leisurely eating a bowl of rice noodles from the cafeteria, letting Zhao Yilei’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“I’m talking to you.” Zhao Yilei elbowed him.

Hui Che replied lazily: “I’m listening. If you want my money, fine, but first make me a business plan, including market analysis, project analysis, business model, industry background… no less than five thousand words. Once you’ve done that, I’ll consider it.”

“Five thousand words?” Zhao Yilei said, “Just say you don’t want to partner up.”

“A few years ago, I might have invested on impulse,” Hui Che said. “Not now, I don’t have money to waste, I need to save up to get a wife.”

“Get real,” Zhao Yilei sneered. “You coldly drive away every girl who confesses to you, and you think you’ll get a wife?”

Hui Che didn’t respond. He scrolled through his social media and saw Xia Xia had posted an update.

She shared a photo of a barbecue, clearly at a table for two, with bowls and chopsticks set opposite her, but no one appeared in the photo.

Hui Che immediately sat up straight, putting his bowl on the table, no longer interested in eating.

He enlarged the image, trying to find possible clues in the reflections from the nearby windows and the barbecue equipment.

Seeing his serious expression, Zhao Yilei thought he had found some project.

He leaned in to look, only to see Hui Che staring intently at a pile of grilled pork belly.

Zhao Yilei: “…”

“Yuantai,” Hui Che closed his phone, “message Xia Xia and ask what she’s doing.”

Liang Yuantai obediently opened his phone, and Hui Che added: “Just say you miss her, don’t mention I asked you to ask.”

Not long after Liang Yuantai sent the message, Xia Xia replied: [Having barbecue with a friend.]

Hui Che took his phone directly and replied: [Which friend?]

To make his tone sound more like Liang Yuantai, he deliberately added a cute emoji at the end.

Xia Xia: [With my roommate.]

Hui Che relaxed, slumping back into a shapeless heap.

Zhao Yilei, who had witnessed everything, had an interesting expression: “You don’t like Xia Xia, do you? But I heard from Jing Zhou that you rejected her before. Why are you playing hard to get?”

Hui Che threatened: “You’d better keep your mouth shut.”

“I don’t get it,” Zhao Yilei said. “You like her but don’t dare say it, and you’re afraid she’ll end up with someone else. Do you think she’ll wait for you forever if you keep dragging it out like this?”

Hui Che removed his bodhi bead bracelet, counting the beads one by one.

His gaze fell on the red maple trees dropping leaves across the street: “At least until I’ve paid off the high-interest loans. I won’t make her wait too long.”

“Hui Che,” Zhao Yilei dropped his usual frivolous manner and earnestly advised, “You can afford to wait, but can Xia Xia? By the time you think you’re ready for a relationship, Xia Xia might not be waiting for you anymore.”

“A girl’s youth is precious, especially for a girl like Xia Xia. She’s never lacked attention from guys.”

Hui Che’s fingers paused on the beads.

Zhu Ziyu walked over from the maple trees across the street, talking on the phone: “That senior looks like Nicholas Tse? Really? Are all the guys at Ocean University that handsome? Send me a photo later, I won’t disturb your meal now, but let me know if there’s any progress, okay?”

Zhu Ziyu hung up and stood at the delivery kiosk: “Number 375.”

Hui Che didn’t get up: “Who were you talking to?”

Zhu Ziyu: “Xia Xia, she’s having dinner with a senior student, too busy to talk to me.”

“Senior student?” Hui Che’s voice was soft, biting the words, his eyes filled with deep emotion.

“Hasn’t Xia Xia told you? There’s a senior at Ocean University who’s been taking good care of her, seems like he’s pursuing her lately. He’s handsome and has good grades too.”

Hui Che’s fingers gripped the bodhi beads tightly, his lips pressed together in silence, his cold expression making Zhu Ziyu shiver.

“Hui Che,” Zhu Ziyu probed, “can I get my package?”

Hui Che got up to find her package. On Zhu Ziyu’s phone, Xia Xia sent a message: [How did he react?]

Zhu Ziyu replied: [Seems a bit angry.]

[What do you mean ‘seems a bit angry’? Can you be more specific?]

Zhu Ziyu was naturally carefree and couldn’t accurately judge whether Hui Che was angry or not.

She scratched her head, feeling she wasn’t living up to the important task Xia Xia had given her.

Hui Che tore off her package slip and handed her the box.

Zhu Ziyu’s acting instincts kicked in, and she couldn’t help but add an extra scene beyond Xia Xia’s script.

“Xia Xia likes that senior too,” she said with authority. “The senior is planning to study for his master’s degree and will stay in Hai City during winter break instead of going home for New Year’s. He asked Xia Xia to rent a place off campus with him, and she agreed.”

Hui Che remained silent.

Zhu Ziyu secretly observed him. He looked calm, showing no trace of anger in either his expression or movements.

Zhu Ziyu turned to leave disappointedly when suddenly she heard a series of pattering sounds.

She looked back to see that Hui Che’s bodhi bead bracelet had snapped in his right hand, the beads bouncing and rolling across the ground.

Hui Che lifted his hand, coldly looking at the empty string with no beads left.

Zhu Ziyu paused, messaging Xia Xia: [I think I said something wrong.]

She anxiously added: [It’s bad, Hui Che looks angry. You’re on your own now.]