Xie Huai held her finger in his mouth. Though he was only sucking the blood from her fingertip, it gave her the illusion that it wasn’t her finger but something else entirely.

That winter when Qiao Ru was in the hospital, they had played freely at home. The novelty of their first intimate experiences combined with youthful vigor made them dizzy with passion. They tried every position, and dared to do it anywhere – the bathroom, living room, kitchen, balcony. Turn off the lights, draw the curtains, and they’d lose all inhibition in their frenzy.

Xia Xia could still remember how her whole body would tremble uncontrollably whenever Xie Huai embraced her, just like at this moment.

Xie Huai withdrew her finger. His lips were accidentally stained with her blood, a light red mixed with crimson, giving his already handsome face an indefinable touch of wickedness.

Standing in place, Xie Huai reached out and pulled her into his embrace.

As if seeing through her thoughts, he lowered his head to bite her ear, asking suggestively, “What are you thinking about?”

Xia Xia’s earlobe burned like black marble pavement scorched by the August sun. Her face was hot too. Xie Huai’s palm pressed against her dress, lifting it slightly to her waist, revealing two long, slender legs as fair as white jade.

Xie Huai bent down to kiss her. He wasn’t gentle at all – heavy, domineering, his movements hurried and intense, showing no tenderness, as if trying to sweep all the air from her lungs. Xia Xia let out a soft “mm” but didn’t refuse. Instead, her fingers gripped his shoulders as she docilely accepted his kiss.

Outside, separated only by a rolling shutter, the weather was perfect, with the setting sun casting a faint gleam through the window gap.

A female voice called out: “Liang Yuantai, why are you sitting outside eating? Quick, open the door, I need to get my package.”

Liang Yuantai replied with a foolish laugh: “Brother Huai won’t let me open it.”

Xia Xia suddenly snapped to attention, grabbing Xie Huai’s hand that was wandering under her dress and shoving him away forcefully.

Caught off guard, Xie Huai stumbled back a step, a glistening thread of saliva stretching between their parted lips.

He wiped it away with a roguish smile, raising an eyebrow wickedly as he looked at her: “Last time you enjoyed yourself and then pretended nothing happened. At it again? Though this time you’re at a loss – you didn’t even get to enjoy yourself.”

Xie Huai couldn’t say one decent thing, and Xia Xia glared at him fiercely. But her eyes were dark and bright, sparkling with life – that glare didn’t look fierce at all, more like she was being coy.

Receiving her embarrassed glare, Xie Huai’s mood couldn’t have been better. He bent down to open the rolling shutter.

Xia Xia’s cotton dress was wrinkled all over, and her face was flushed red. With Xie Huai opening the door so brazenly, she was afraid of being seen and gossiped about, so she ducked behind the shelves.

Xie Huai glanced at the girl’s pickup code, then humming a tune, walked to the back of the shelves.

Xia Xia had just finished straightening her dress when she heard movement near her ear. As she looked up, she unexpectedly hit Xie Huai’s chin. The angles of his face were as hard as they looked – Xia Xia’s scalp tingled as she covered her head with one hand and used the other to stifle her cry of pain.

Xie Huai gave an almost imperceptible laugh.

He reached past Xia Xia’s head to take a package from the shelf, glanced at the pickup code written on the cardboard, and then casually lowered his head to softly kiss her still-damp hair from her recent shower.

Xia Xia’s eyes were very close to his, and as their gazes met, she marveled at how Xie Huai’s eyes were as dark and deep as if they contained millions of stars.

But Xie Huai wasn’t planning to end it with just a kiss. He curved his lips mischievously and, taking advantage of Xia Xia’s daze, pinched her hard.

Xia Xia couldn’t help crying out in pain, and the girl at the door asked curiously, “What was that sound?”

Xie Huai smirked and started to say brazenly: “It’s me…”

Xia Xia quickly grabbed Xie Huai’s arm and twisted it hard, just as he had done to her. Xie Huai’s intended words “It’s me and Xia Xia playing around” were forcibly swallowed back. Wincing in pain, he changed his response: “Nothing, just my wild little cat. She’s disobedient and scratched me.”

Xie Huai rubbed his arm, looking at the red mark there, and gave Xia Xia a warning glance that was neither light nor heavy.

He went to the front to give the package to the girl.

Xia Xia leaned against the shelf, trying to calm herself as she listened to Xie Huai chat with the girl: “It’s a stray cat, very wild. Won’t behave no matter how I train it. Gets angry and jumps up to bite. Won’t listen without a beating, but I can’t bring myself to hit it.”

The girl said: “All newly adopted pets are like that. They’ll only learn if you discipline them when they misbehave.”

Xie Huai: “If I hurt her, I’d feel bad too. I’ll have to think of other methods.”

He emphasized the words “other methods,” and though they were perfectly normal words, Xia Xia somehow heard a suggestive tone in them.

Her face burning red, she emerged from behind the shelves as soon as the girl left.

Xie Huai wasn’t in any hurry, putting down what he was holding and following leisurely behind her.

The old dormitory area wasn’t crowded, with begonia trees sprouting emerald leaves along both sides of the tree-lined path.

Xia Xia’s wine-red dress hem fluttered in the wind, revealing a glimpse of her beautiful calves. Just looking at them made Xie Huai feel utterly peaceful.

He followed closely, continuously calling near her ear: “Xia Xia, Sister Xia, look at me, why is your face so red? Could it be you’re shy?”

Xia Xia was furious with embarrassment and snapped fiercely: “Get lost!”

Xie Huai blocked her path and affectionately pinched her cheek: “We’re practically an old married couple, why are you being like this with me?”

Xia Xia’s nose turned red, her voice tiny and full of grievance: “It hurts… you’re already so strong, can’t you be a bit gentler…”

Xie Huai paused, then laughed: “Sorry, I’ll be careful next time.”

“But that’s only if Sister Xia gives me a next time.” He lowered his head, looking at the small whorl on top of Xia Xia’s head, his eyes filled with even more tenderness, impossibly gentle. “We’ve been at this for so long, isn’t it time to make up?”

Hearing his words, Xia Xia’s eyes inexplicably grew hot.

She sniffled and said softly: “I’ve never been playing around with you. Every word I’ve said was carefully considered, both being with you and breaking up…”

Xie Huai didn’t let her finish, interrupting casually: “Then reconsider it.”

“Reconsider.” His words were forceful, though his expression remained casual.

He said lightly: “You were in a bad mood, I gave you time to cool off. You felt pressure, I’ve been working hard to earn money to give you security. But I never agreed to break up.”

“You’ve kept me at arm’s length for so long, whatever grievances you have against me or whatever self-blame you’re harboring, you should have worked through it by now. Don’t say nonsense about holding me back – neither of us can live properly without the other.”

“After all these years, don’t you understand me yet?” He gazed at her, emphasizing each word: “Once I, Xie Huai, decided to spend my life with you, don’t think about running away. Even if you don’t like me anymore, don’t think about running. You can throw tantrums, you can get angry at me, but if you keep ignoring me like this, my patience will wear thin.”

“If you still won’t behave.” Xie Huai paused and smiled at her.

With his red lips and white teeth, he looked like a clean and bright youth: “Brother Huai will have to help you relieve stress in his way.”

Xia Xia had applied for a summer internship stay at school before the holiday, and everyone in her dormitory had left, leaving her alone in the huge room. She went out for her internship in the morning and returned in the evening, occasionally running into classmates staying for graduate exam preparation in the washroom, exchanging greetings as they passed, neither paying much attention to the other.

She got off work early today and took the subway to University Town station, walking back to school along the pedestrian street.

She bought takoyaki at a roadside shop, listening to the owner chat with the customer in front of her.

“It’s going to rain, the weather is so stuffy.”

“The rainy season is coming,” the owner looked up at the sky while packing, “Looking at this weather, there’s going to be a thunderstorm tonight. This road is low-lying, there’s always lots of rain this time of year, so it might flood. I better sell out quickly and close up early to get home.”

Xia Xia took the takoyaki, and considered buying a portion for Xie Huai, but after some hesitation decided against it.

Xie Huai appeared and disappeared unpredictably. Although Xia Xia had seen his name on the summer stay student list in the counselor’s office before the holiday, he didn’t stay on campus every day, and she didn’t ask what he was doing, nor did he volunteer the information.

Xia Xia ate her takoyaki while walking toward school, stopping by the ATM at the school gate to check her bank balance. This card held her savings from years of part-time work and her internship salary. Xia Xia counted – she had just received this month’s salary, and her balance was just over forty thousand.

Forty thousand.

To her former self, it would have been a huge sum, but for future life, it was still a bit short.

Xia Xia was walking toward the dormitory when someone blocked her path.

She looked up to see Xie Huai thoughtfully examining the takoyaki in her hand.

“Tomato-flavored takoyaki with seaweed and meat floss, quite a fancy dinner.” He looked displeased and demanded, “Why didn’t you buy me any?”

After being threatened by him last time, Xia Xia didn’t dare ignore him and said: “I didn’t know you were coming back to stay today. Haven’t you had dinner?”

Xie Huai nodded, and seeing how intensely he was staring at the takoyaki as if he hadn’t eaten in centuries, she tentatively asked: “No money for food again?”

Xie Huai: “…Are you serious? Last time having no money for food was an accident, why do you keep bringing that up? Am I, a grown man, not allowed to have any dignity? Repeatedly reminding me about not having money for food, you’re truly a vicious woman.”

Xia Xia wasn’t trying to bring up that incident, she was just worried that Xie Huai had again given his money to others and left himself hungry. She was concerned about him going hungry, but Xie Huai completely missed her concern and took her good intentions as malice. Xia Xia didn’t want to deal with him anymore and angrily walked around him to leave.

But Xie Huai wouldn’t let her go, grabbing her wrist as she passed: “Wait a minute.”

His words and tone were all domineering as if brewing something significant.

Xia Xia quietly looked at him, waiting to hear what he would say next.

Xie Huai’s eyes fixed on the small box in her hand: “You can go, but let me have a bite of the takoyaki first.”

His expression was like a highway robber, full of arrogance.

“If you want to eat, why not buy your own?”

Xie Huai replied matter-of-factly: “It’s not the same, I want to eat yours.”

Xia Xia: “…”

She simply gave up on eating it herself and handed him both the food and the box.

Xie Huai was satisfied and let her go.

He chewed the takoyaki, his cheeks stuffed full, watching the direction Xia Xia left in until her figure disappeared into the dormitory building entrance, then finally withdrew his gaze indifferently.

The conditions in Nanda’s old dormitory building were worse than students imagined.

Unused for over a decade and only temporarily reopened for the school’s new district construction, the corridors were full of countless dust mites, the washroom floors crawled with cockroaches and moss, the tiles were corroded by time and humid air into sticky yellow filth, and while washing up, rats would unexpectedly emerge from the drain and jump across one’s feet.

Xia Xia had seen rats in the washroom several times, and in the corridor too. Some girls had been frightened by rats jumping around in their dormitory rooms. The dormitory manager was unconcerned, just buying sticky rat traps and telling them to handle it themselves.

Some people couldn’t stand these terrible conditions and took photos of the dormitory’s interior to post in the student group chat. Those students who had moved their belongings and left didn’t know their accommodation was so poor, and suddenly everyone was outraged, causing an uproar on Weibo.

At night, fierce winds arose and torrential rain began to fall.

Xie Huai was packing for a long-distance trip tomorrow when Xin Pu sent a message: [Brother Huai, quick, look at Weibo, our department’s students are arguing with the school’s official account.]

Xie Huai rarely used Weibo because Xia Xia didn’t like it either, and he found it boring to use alone. But Xin Pu was both excited and agitated as if watching a great drama unfold, so Xie Huai became somewhat interested. He had almost finished packing his luggage, so he sat at the desk eating the takoyaki he’d taken from Xia Xia while browsing Weibo.

The students’ protest was organized and planned. First, they posted detailing the situation with photos of the dormitory conditions, then tagged the Provincial Education Department, City Education Bureau, and some influential verified users. Initially, Nanda’s official account didn’t take it seriously, but when the situation escalated, they couldn’t help but step in with a few responses.

It was just students arguing with the school, not as dramatic and exciting as Xin Pu made it sound. Xie Huai was about to close Weibo when he suddenly noticed a striking username in the comments.

“Concerned Citizen Xia Xia.”

Xie Huai clicked on the profile. The most recent post was from an hour ago, containing just four characters:

“Garbage Xie Huai”

Xie Huai: “…”

Someone held quite a grudge about him taking her takoyaki.

He noticed that Xia Xia had posted over 500 tweets in total, quite contrary to her claim of not using Weibo. Intrigued, he sat at the desk by his bed, opened the window slightly, and in the humid air of the pouring rain outside, began reading through Xia Xia’s posts one by one.

Initially, his expression was calm, thinking Xia Xia had just created an alternate account to vent about him. But as he read further, his brows furrowed deeper.

When first meeting her, Xia Xia gave the impression of a gentle girl. Only after getting to know her did one discover her strong side. After being together for so long, Xie Huai had almost forgotten her pretense of being docile – in his heart, Xia Xia had always been an independent and brave girl. He rarely saw her vulnerable or heard her complain about life.

As a guy, Xie Huai was rather straightforward and not as perceptive as girls. There were many subtle thoughts that, unless Xia Xia spoke of them, he found hard to guess.

[If he liked someone else instead of me, his life would probably be much easier. Anyone else wouldn’t be so embarrassed, and wouldn’t make him work so hard. Only I am useless, unable to help him at all.]

Xie Huai vaguely remembered what Xia Xia had said when she cried and asked to break up.

“At least after breaking up you can find someone else, anyone would be fine, anyone would be better than me.”

That day he had been too angry to think carefully about her words. Now reflecting on them, he realized Xia Xia hadn’t said this casually.

She had truly thought this way.

In Xia Xia’s mind, if Xie Huai’s girlfriend were anyone else, they could have easily helped him resolve his crisis in that situation. But she couldn’t.

The girl had gotten stuck in a mental trap, blaming all inadequacies and mistakes on herself.

Xie Huai continued reading.

[He’s free of debt now and can handle everything well. But if I continue being this useless, still burdening him with my family issues, won’t even the best relationship fade? What if he gets tired of me in the future, and stops liking me?]

[We weren’t from the same world to begin with.]

…

Over a dozen posts, all filled with negativity.

Xie Huai closed his phone, suddenly realizing he didn’t understand Xia Xia as well as he thought. The girl always appeared either willfully cute or understanding and clever in front of him, always positive and energetic. Her insecurities and negativity, she had never shown even a trace of, yet Xie Huai read such emotions in Xia Xia’s soliloquies on Weibo.

He couldn’t help but wonder if, had he not been buried in debt back then, but remained the well-provided-for young master he once was, would Xia Xia have been so bold and passionate in confessing her feelings to him.

Thinking of this, he felt an indescribable heartache and self-reproach.

Xia Xia never said anything, and he had never discovered all these unnecessary thoughts and ideas in her heart.

Xie Huai wasn’t one to hold back his feelings. He directly commented on her Weibo:

[Brother Huai isn’t looking for a sugar mama. Even if I liked someone else, would I accept their charity?]

[Whether I’m prosperous or destitute, as long as I’m Xie Huai, you’re the only one.]

[Keep overthinking, and I’ll have to discipline you.]

Xie Huai’s gaze passed through the window to the girls’ dormitory building, to the brightly lit room directly opposite.

Xia Xia wore a white sleeveless dress, sitting at the desk by the window writing something. Her shoulders were slender, the line from her neck flowing down was graceful and smooth, and her skin was bright as snow. She tilted her head, revealing a delicate, luminous chin, her ink-black hair brushing against her shoulder, making her appear even more fair and delicate.

She heard her phone notification, picked it up to look, first paused briefly, then turned to look out the window.

Across the curtain of pouring rain and the swaying palm tree tips in the fierce wind, Xie Huai and Xia Xia’s eyes met, and an indescribable tenderness spread through his heart. He wanted to rush over right now, even braving the downpour wouldn’t matter. He wanted to rush over, grab her ears and ask what she was thinking, hold her in his arms, and scold her to never overthink again.

Xie Huai looked down and typed on his phone.

Xia Xia froze when she saw the message that popped up on her screen: [I want to see you, now.]

One moment cursing Xie Huai as garbage, the next praising Brother Huai as the perfect man, occasionally feeling depressed about life being meaningless, then cheerfully feeling the next day that being alive was wonderful.

Just thinking about such an erratic Weibo account being discovered by Xie Huai and reading through completely made the tips of her ears burn with embarrassment.

She replied: [The rain is too heavy, let’s talk tomorrow.]

She felt too embarrassed to even make eye contact again, hurriedly pulling the dormitory curtains closed.

Xie Huai stood silently by the window, staring at the window where nothing could be seen anymore.

The fierce wind and rain swept in through the window gap, dampening his clothes and chilling his expression.

Xie Huai’s face was expressionless. Although Xia Xia used the rain as an excuse not to see him, he felt this matter wasn’t over. Something stuck in his chest that he couldn’t swallow down. If he couldn’t find her and clear things up, he wouldn’t be able to sleep well tonight.

Xie Huai stood by the window for a long time, not leaving even after Xia Xia turned off her lights.

He opened his phone and reread Xia Xia’s Weibo posts countless times in the light from outside the window.

The downpour was magnificent as if something had torn open a gap in the sky. The rain wasn’t falling in drops but gushing down in streams, hitting the ground like a breached flood, the sound alone making one’s heart tremble.

Lightning struck, thunder roared.

A sharp female cry came from the girls’ dormitory building opposite: “Water’s coming in!”

After about ten minutes of silence, footsteps sounded on the stairs. The dormitory manager climbed up, knocking on each occupied room’s door: “Students, water’s coming in, quick, get up.”

Not many students stayed for summer break, only about twenty in the whole building. The boys were woken from their dreams, bleary-eyed and annoyed.

The manager called them downstairs: “The first floor is flooding, come down quickly to help carry sandbags.”

“We were just sleeping, so noisy. Do you need so many people to carry sandbags?”

“The girls’ dormitory needs help too, their ground is lower than ours, and the flooding is worse there, almost up to the stairs. You’re all strong young men, can’t you be a bit more gentlemanly?”

“Gentlemanly my foot,” a boy muttered, “In such heavy rain, I just want to sleep well.”

Xie Huai was in his room, hearing every word of the conversation outside.

He closed his dormitory window, took the plaid shirt hanging on his bed rail, and opened the door to go out.

The manager was in the corridor, earnestly trying to persuade the boys to go help, but few paid attention to her.

Xie Huai opened his door, his gaze cool: “I’ll go.”

Eight boys came to the girls’ dormitory building, which had four main entrances.

The manager gave each person a broom and dustpan, first having them sweep out the water, then directing them to get sandbags from the storage room and place them in sequence at the doorways.

Though the rain poured heavily, the weather remained stuffy. Xie Huai hadn’t put on the shirt he’d brought, instead tying it loosely around his waist. Wearing only a black tank top, the firm muscles of his shoulders and arms were exposed, getting splashed by the swept-in rainwater, soaking both clothes and skin.

Xie Huai worked silently, carrying sandbags back and forth between the storage room and doorways many times, his body drenched in sweat.

The boys spent half an hour cleaning up the first-floor hall and blocking all door gaps with sandbags. By the time they finished, they were completely exhausted.

The dormitory manager smiled: “Thank you for your hard work, you’re all good boys.”

The rain showed no signs of letting up. Several boys linked arms and ran back under umbrellas, but Xie Huai didn’t leave. He looked at his hands covered in sand and asked the manager: “May I use the washroom to wash my hands?”

Having troubled them all night, the manager had no reason to refuse, pointing to the end of the corridor: “The washroom’s over there, go ahead.”

Xie Huai headed in that direction, but instead of entering the washroom, he went straight up to the third floor via the side entrance stairs.

Xia Xia couldn’t sleep – at first because of the thunder outside, but even after the thunder quieted, she still couldn’t rest. Her mind kept returning to Xie Huai’s words “I want to see you.” When she stood at the window, she saw Xie Huai wearing just a black tank top, and even through the blurry rain, she could imagine his expression – surely with his usual unruliness and roguish charm.

Xie Huai had a beautiful body, not bulky like a bodybuilder but not weak either. Every muscle was just right, giving off a clean, beautiful youthful feeling whether looking or touching. Just thinking about how he looked without clothes made Xia Xia’s throat go dry.

Unable to sleep despite tossing and turning, she got up to get water from the dispenser.

While sitting at her desk drinking water, she inexplicably opened the drawer where the little monster that Zhu Ziyu had given her lay quietly.

She could still hear Zhu Ziyu’s words: “It works well, try it and you’ll know, I guarantee after using it once you won’t want men anymore…”

Xia Xia played with it in her palm, her face burning, putting it back like she’d been shocked, only to pick it up again shortly after.

She was about to drive herself crazy with indecision. Finally, steeling herself, she bit her lip and placed it in the most visible spot on the desk.

Just as she was about to turn on the desk lamp to read the instructions, someone knocked on her dormitory door.

Xia Xia’s breathing almost stopped in the darkness. She perked up her ears and asked: “Who is it?”

The person outside didn’t respond. She walked to the door and asked again: “Who’s there?”

Still no response.

It must be the dorm manager or maybe a girl scared of thunder, Xia Xia thought. Zhao Shanqi was also afraid of thunder and used to share her bed during thunderstorms. The dormitory was locked at night, and the managers were responsible – they wouldn’t let outsiders in.

Without thinking too much, she opened the door.

A familiar figure – the one she had just been thinking about – stood in the doorway.

Xia Xia froze: “…How did you get up here?”

Xie Huai didn’t give her much time to be stunned. He entered without a word, closing the door behind him.

His body was soaked through with rain and sweat, the damp pressing against Xia Xia, making her feel not like she was indoors but caught in the pouring rain.

He remained silent, making Xia Xia nervous. She asked again: “What are you doing here?”

Xie Huai’s eyes were unusually bright in the darkness, their brightness carrying a hint of ferocity. He spoke, his voice hoarse: “To discipline you.”

Before Xia Xia could react, he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace. The next second, his burning lips pressed heavily against hers.

That night, Xia Xia didn’t have many thoughts, just kept remembering what Xie Huai had said that day:

“If you still won’t behave, Brother Huai will have to help you relieve stress in his way.”

His way of relieving stress was indeed exactly as he’d said.