After hearing her words, Lin Qingye paused, then laughed, his laughter low and husky, resonating from the bottom of his throat. If not for their current relationship, one might even detect a sense of indulgence in it.

“Fine,” Lin Qingye obliged her.

Xu Zhinan turned on the tattoo machine, which emitted a buzzing sound as the coil rapidly rotated.

Lin Qingye suddenly said something, but Xu Zhinan didn’t hear clearly. She turned off the tattoo machine and asked, “What?”

“Don’t tattoo ‘Xu Zhinan.'”

“Then what should I tattoo?”

“Ah Nan,” Lin Qingye said calmly. “I like calling you that.”

Xu Zhinan thought this person was annoying, always saying such things with an air of nonchalance, just like before.

She didn’t argue with him, nodding and asking, “Okay, any other requests?”

“No, you decide the rest.”

Lin Qingye knew that Xu Zhinan was quite skilled as a tattoo artist. Though the shop was small, it had a good reputation.

Xu Zhinan turned on the tattoo machine again. She had done this type of tattoo many times.

This area was a university town, and many student couples considered tattoos a romantic gesture. Some would tattoo each other’s names on their bodies, or a date with special significance, or each person getting half of a character.

Besides requiring artistic skill, tattooing also required calligraphy skills.

When she first started practicing, she had even bought various master calligrapher copybooks—regular script, running script, cursive script—and practiced copying them repeatedly.

For someone with Lin Qingye’s personality, the rigid formal script wouldn’t suit him, while cursive script would make just these two characters look messy on his back.

Xu Zhinan finally decided to use Mi Fu’s running script style for “Ah Nan.”

Once decided, the tattooing process was straightforward. Xu Zhinan mentally designed the layout, moved closer, placed her hand against Lin Qingye’s shoulder blade, and the needle head with black ink pierced into his skin repeatedly.

The skin on the shoulder blade was thin and close to the bone, especially for the second character, “Nan,” which had many strokes and was right on the protruding shoulder blade.

Each needle prick brought a stinging pain.

Without anesthesia, the consecutive needle pricks formed a sheet of pain.

Lin Qingye initially remained expressionless, but later had to grit his teeth to keep from making a sound. His jawline tightened as he recalled what Xu Zhinan had told him before—that everyone’s pain response to tattoos differs.

Neither spoke during the tattooing process, leaving the room completely silent.

Xu Zhinan’s technique was skilled, and after setting aside distractions, she worked quickly. Soon, she had tattooed the two characters “Ah Nan” on his back.

The running script, in black, had clear outlines and smooth lines. The surrounding skin was still reddening, especially noticeable against his cold, pale complexion.

Xu Zhinan wiped away the blood seeping from the tattoo with a tissue, threw it in the trash, applied a protective film, and stood up: “Done.”

Lin Qingye had maintained the same position for so long without moving that when he finally moved, it pulled on the tattoo on his back. He hissed, slowly furrowing his brows.

Xu Zhinan threw the gloves into the trash bin and glanced up at him, only to find his eyes reddened, with a vibrant ring of color at the bottom, as if he’d been crying.

Yet he hadn’t made a sound earlier, probably holding it in.

Xu Zhinan lowered her head again: “Don’t use shower gel on the tattooed area when bathing. Avoid alcohol and spicy food during the healing period. Also, the skin is very thin in that area, so there may be blood seeping out in the next day or two, which is normal. Minimize touching the wound with your hands.”

Lin Qingye put on the clean t-shirt that Xu Zhinan had thrown to him earlier.

It had a unique laundry detergent scent, different from his other clothes.

Lin Qingye had certainly been injured before in his life and had never considered himself particularly sensitive to pain.

This time, however, it was unexpectedly painful.

Perhaps because Xu Zhinan had chosen this spot well.

As she said, it hurts more here.

Lin Qingye tilted his head slightly, pressed his shoulder, and stood up. He walked in front of her and took out his phone: “How much?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Xu Zhinan shook her head, sterilizing and organizing the equipment, calmly saying, “From now on, we’ll have no relationship. You go your way, and I’ll live my own life.”

Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow, said nothing for a moment, then stepped forward, approaching her: “You’re something else.”

His voice carried amusement but was kept very low, sounding both mischievous and roguish, carefree.

“So merciless with the needle, then immediately saying such things to me.”

His step was large, his shoe tip touching hers, almost pressed together.

Xu Zhinan reflexively stepped back, her back hitting the shelf, causing it to shake, and a tissue box fell by her feet.

She swallowed, her chest slightly heaving, then looked up and said, enunciating each word: “Lin Qingye, you should feel pain too.”

Sunlight poured in, illuminating her clear pupils.

In response to her words, Lin Qingye gradually straightened up.

Tomorrow was the last final exam subject, and Xu Zhinan hadn’t scheduled any customers anyway. After Lin Qingye left, she stayed alone for a while, composing herself before locking up and returning to school.

The morning encounter between her and Lin Qingye outside the dormitory was bound to cause discussion.

As soon as Zhao Qian woke up, she saw the new post on the school forum. Now an insider, she immediately forwarded the link to Xu Zhinan as soon as she returned to the dormitory.

The forum also contained many secretly taken photos—Lin Qingye sitting on the steps with Xu Zhinan standing in front of him, and later ones of Lin Qingye grabbing her wrist.

It seemed like a series of consecutive shots, almost enough to compile into a video.

“Shocking!! Two Pingchuan University legends spotted together again! Lin Qingye was waiting for Xu Zhinan early in the morning outside the dormitory building!!!”

WTF??? Do they have a relationship???

Wasn’t there just a post asking if there were any photos of Lin Qingye and Xu Zhinan together? How did it suddenly progress to this stage???

Suddenly my internet is slow, am I on 2G???

OP, don’t leave. How can you post pictures and leave, what’s going on exactly???

…

OP here, just got back from lunch and found so many people, I’m shocked.

I couldn’t hear clearly what these two legends were saying (Lin Qingye’s presence was too strong, I didn’t dare get too close, I’m a coward…) Anyway, Pingchuan’s Light threw a piece of clothing at Lin Qingye, and when she turned to leave, the boss grabbed her wrist, then Lin pulled hard, and Pingchuan’s Light almost fell into his arms (aaaaahhh I’m having a fangirl explosion!!! Just imagine it!!! Those faces, a real idol drama happening right in front of me!!!)

Anyway, Pingchuan’s Light had a cold face the whole time, super cool! And… I feel like Lin Qingye was smiling somewhat indulgently…

Later, Lin Qingye said something, and Pingchuan’s Light left with him. A friend of mine said they seemed to go to Xu Zhinan’s tattoo shop.

!!!! A man and woman alone!! What are they doing!!!

Sorry, but from the OP’s description, these two not only know each other but seem to have some entanglement…

After hearing what was said above, I suddenly remembered that thing discussed at the graduation party before. Could it be that Xu Zhinan is Lin Qingye’s ex-girlfriend, and that water was splashed by her?

Terrifyingly plausible!!!!

My scalp is tingling!!!!!

To be honest, only Pingchuan’s Light would dare to splash water on Lin Qingye’s face, look at these photos! She’s not even smiling!! Someone like me, who shows 20 teeth, just seeing a handsome guy has no hope.

…

Since they didn’t hear what was said, it was all speculation, and nothing conclusive was determined.

And with the first episode of “I Come for Music” about to air, the pre-show promotion had rekindled Lin Qingye’s formerly quieted fans, making the school forum one of the sources for fan materials.

Soon, that post was moved to the fan supergroup.

However, the fan circle was much more regulated than the school forum. This kind of unconfirmed gossip was quickly and orderly stopped and deleted by fans, not causing much of a stir.

The next day, after finishing the last exam subject.

Xu Zhinan returned to the dormitory with Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue’s family lived in the north, and she planned to stay at school to study during the summer break. Zhao Qian had already bought her ticket and was leaving in the afternoon, while Xu Zhinan had also applied to stay in the dormitory.

During the summer, she would often stay at the tattoo shop and participate in the tattoo design competition she had registered for earlier. Her home was quite far away, and it would be more convenient to sleep in the dormitory when it got late.

“Finally vacation!!” Zhao Qian was so excited that she almost bounced as she walked. “I’ve been cramming for so many days, my head is spinning, I was about to die.”

Jiang Yue asked with a smile, “From the looks of it, you must have done quite well in your exams.”

Zhao Qian waved her hand: “With my level, I can’t even tell if I did well or not. I guessed on a lot of answers. Anyway, whatever happens, I’m on vacation! If I have to retake exams, that’s a problem for next semester!”

Xu Zhinan: “There are still regular scores, and you studied for so long, you’ll pass.”

Jiang Yue also encouraged, “That’s right, look at Lin Qingye who didn’t come to class all semester, his Modern History also…”

She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something was wrong.

Before, mentioning Lin Qingye was just gossip, but now it was different.

Jiang Yue paused, looked at Xu Zhinan, and fell silent.

Xu Zhinan shook her head, not taking it to heart: “It’s fine, just be like you were before, say whatever you want to say.”

Yesterday at the tattoo shop, after she said that final sentence to Lin Qingye, he looked at her, then stepped back, no longer pressuring her with his presence.

He nodded, smiled, said “okay,” and turned to leave.

Even by last night, lying in bed, recalling this incident, Xu Zhinan still felt as if what had happened during the day was like a dream.

She had tattooed her name on Lin Qingye’s back.

But, as he had never taken her to heart before, let it be as he said—carved into his flesh and blood.

If he already had a girl he wanted to take to heart, it wouldn’t be too late to have the tattoo removed.

“Holy shit.”

Zhao Qian was the first to enter the dormitory, and as soon as she looked up, she cursed in shock.

The room was a mess, with books, pencils, and broken glass scattered all over the floor.

“What happened?” Jiang Yue peeked from behind her and was also stunned. “…Did a thief break in or something? I’ll go ask the dorm supervisor.”

Zhao Qian held her back: “No thief.”

Only the items on one desk had been thrown to the floor; everything else was perfectly in place. How could it be a thief?

The things on the floor were all Xu Zhinan’s.

She looked for a moment and quickly understood who had done it.

Ruan Yuanyuan had been embarrassed at the senior graduation party when she confessed to Lin Qingye, and now she had probably seen the discussion on the forum about the relationship between Xu Zhinan and Lin Qingye.

Considering that Xu Zhinan had known about her intention to confess earlier, she must have done this out of anger.

“I’m gonna—” Zhao Qian also realized what happened. “Is Ruan Yuanyuan sick in the head? Does the school belong to her? Can she do whatever she wants?!”

Jiang Yue helped pick up the books and papers from the floor, agreeing: “That’s right, she was laughing and chatting with Ah Nan normally before, and now suddenly this.”

Xu Zhinan lowered her gaze, bringing a broom to sweep up the broken glass pieces: “I was also at fault.”

Zhao Qian was almost angry to the point of fainting and wouldn’t allow her to say that, immediately responding: “What fault do you have!”

Xu Zhinan poured the glass shards into the trash can, then put another bag over the outside of the garbage bag.

Still speaking softly: “I knew Lin Qingye wouldn’t accept her confession, but I never tried to dissuade her. In the end, when she came looking, I even told her where Lin Qingye was, knowing full well that Lin Qingye would certainly treat her poorly at that time.”

“She’s an adult, okay? She should bear the consequences of her own decisions. Are we her parents? Do we need to warn her if she might get hurt?”

Zhao Qian became angrier as she spoke. “Besides, she said she didn’t need Lin Qingye to accept, it was just so she wouldn’t have regrets. Your relationship with Lin Qingye is your privacy. Why should you go to the trouble of dissuading her in this situation? Our relationship with her was just casual anyway.”

“I bet even if you had dissuaded her from confessing, who knows what she would have said about you behind your back.”

After Zhao Qian’s tirade, Jiang Yue had already helped pick up all the items.

“Ah Nan,” Zhao Qian looked at her seriously, “Dating is the most normal thing. Some people are discreet, wanting to wait until the relationship is clear before telling others. It’s all human nature, breaking up too. Whether it’s Lin Qingye or whoever, isn’t he just a guy?”

It was rare to hear from Zhao Qian, who used to praise Lin Qingye’s handsomeness daily in the dormitory, now saying, “Isn’t he just a guy?”

And the relationship that Xu Zhinan had previously found difficult to talk about, after hearing Zhao Qian put it this way, seemed to be just a normal, failed love affair.

“Thank you,” Xu Zhinan sincerely thanked her.

Zhao Qian, who had been ranting with impressive momentum, immediately cooled down when sincerely thanked: “With our relationship, why say thanks?”

Xu Zhinan insisted: “Really.”

“…”

Zhao Qian was uncomfortable with such formal exchanges between friends and quickly changed the subject: “Honestly, if I looked like you, I might change boyfriends morning, noon, and night.”

She painted a beautiful future for Ah Nan: “If you want a boyfriend, it’s just a matter of beckoning with your finger, and they’ll all come running.”

“…”

Jiang Yue rolled her eyes: “Come on, if Ah Nan dated other guys, who knows who would be getting the better deal?”

“That’s true,” Zhao Qian said, walking out with her phone in hand. “Enough talk, I’ve got to go into battle.”

Xu Zhinan was puzzled: “Battle what?”

Zhao Qian continued walking without stopping, waving her hand without looking back, walking out of the dormitory door like a female warrior.

Jiang Yue explained to her, “She’s going to scold Ruan Yuanyuan.”

“…”

Half an hour later, Zhao Qian returned in high spirits, raising her noble head and announcing: “I fought Princess Ruan for three hundred rounds and angered her enough that she decided to change dormitories next semester.”

Xu Zhinan: “…”

Jiang Yue: “…”

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Zhinan asked: “What time is your train?”

Zhao Qian let out a yelp: “Oh no!!”

She quickly stuffed her things haphazardly into her suitcase, racing against time, eventually leaving without even checking if she had forgotten anything.

Fortunately, Jiang Yue and Xu Zhinan would be around during the summer and could help mail any forgotten items back to her.

From childhood to adulthood, Xu Zhinan had never had a tense relationship with anyone. Ruan Yuanyuan was the first.

Initially, she felt somewhat uncomfortable, but after hearing Zhao Qian’s speech, she stopped thinking about it.

With the last exam finished, Ruan Yuanyuan moving out of the dormitory, and the first episode of “I Come for Music” officially airing, summer vacation had arrived.

“I Come for Music” achieved high ratings as soon as it aired.

Besides the few flow stars who already had numerous fans, Lin Qingye was the most attention-grabbing.

No one found this strange. Whether in terms of looks, talent, or temperament, Lin Qingye was bound to attract attention.

Xu Zhinan had been very busy these days, completing appointments that had been postponed due to finals week. She didn’t have time to deliberately follow the show, but still managed to watch the entire first episode of “I Come for Music” through a customer.

The customer was a woman in her early twenties, a professional photographer, getting her first tattoo—a flower design covering her entire back.

Xu Zhinan had informed her in advance about tattoo precautions and reminded her that a full back design would take a long time, suggesting she prepare some entertainment videos.

Unexpectedly, the video she prepared was “I Come for Music.”

The customer lay on the workbench, with Xu Zhinan focused on tattooing her back, the show’s audio playing in her ears.

When Lin Qingye appeared, she exclaimed, “Ah!”

Xu Zhinan immediately stopped and turned her head to ask: “Does it hurt?”

“No, no,” the customer laughed, pointing at her phone screen. “He’s so handsome! I can’t even!”

Xu Zhinan happened to see the close-up shot of Lin Qingye on her phone.

His features could withstand any close-up angle. From a distance, one would be attracted by his temperament, but up close, it was impossible to look away.

His features weren’t excessively delicate to the point of looking generic, but rather sharp and cold.

Xu Zhinan looked away and turned on the tattoo machine again: “Okay, please turn back, and don’t move.”

Mixed with the buzzing sound of the tattoo machine was Lin Qingye’s singing voice from her phone.

Xu Zhinan recognized it—the lyrics of “Robinia.”

Over the years, Lin Qingye had rarely sung this song, usually performing newer songs at the bar.

The style of “Robinia” wasn’t suitable for noisy, bustling, fast-paced places like bars, but was perfect for the stage in the show.

The camera occasionally panned to the audience, showing fans holding his photos and light sticks.

After the song ended, the female customer said: “I can’t take it, I’m in love with him.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan didn’t respond, and she immediately asked, “Are tattoo artists not allowed to talk while working?”

“…We can,” Xu Zhinan said.

She then felt comfortable chatting: “By the way, have you watched this show?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“It’s really good, such high quality! I bet my brother will get first place in the first round!”

“Your brother?”

“Oh, I mean Lin Qingye, I just became his fan a minute ago.”

“…”

She couldn’t help but wiggle her body, moaning: “He’s so handsome, so handsome! What divine looks! His face gives off a bad yet cold feeling. At first glance, he has a bit of a playboy vibe, but looking more carefully, you’d think he wouldn’t even bother to play with you, more like aloof and arrogant.”

Under the dual stimulation of her movement and words, Xu Zhinan almost misplaced a needle, startled.

“By the way, I just saw in the comments that Lin Qingye is from Pingchuan University, an academic genius, right?”

“Mm.”

Not knowing that Xu Zhinan was also a student at Pingchuan University, let alone aware of the matters on the school forum, she asked: “Your shop is so close to his school, have you ever seen him?”

Xu Zhinan wasn’t good at lying, nodded, and made an affirmative sound.

She immediately became excited: “Really!?”

“Yes, the bar where he used to perform is also nearby, very close.”

“I’ll go check it out later!”

Xu Zhinan reminded her: “After getting a tattoo, you should avoid alcohol.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan had tattooed many people, but the woman in front of her was the least afraid of pain. She had been tattooing for so long without any complaints of pain, still chatting with her energetically.

She suddenly recalled how Lin Qingye’s eyes had reddened from holding back when she tattooed him.

The shoulder blade area.

Xu Zhinan glanced at her phone screen, which had finished the main episode and switched to the subsequent individual interviews, with Lin Qingye holding a microphone being interviewed.

Xu Zhinan stared at it, wondering if her name was now tattooed on his back.

Perhaps after some time, when the impulse passed, he would go and have the tattoo removed.

That type of tattoo was relatively convenient and clean to remove.

However, removing a tattoo was much more painful than getting one.

The female customer asked again: “By the way, when you saw Lin Qingye, what did you think of his appearance? I don’t know if he wears makeup on camera.”

Xu Zhinan looked away and said softly: “He’s okay, I guess.”