Xu Zhilin turned toward the voice and paused at the sight of a familiar back.

The young man smiled and greeted him. Though Xu Zhilin had taught many students, this particular one did look familiar, though he couldn’t recall his name.

“Professor Xu, you’re here too? What a coincidence,” the young man said with a smile.

“Mm.” Xu Zhilin replied flatly, “Just getting a coffee.”

The young man added, “Do you have class later? If not, why don’t you join us for a movie?”

“…”

??

Jiang Ling raised her eyes slightly and exchanged glances with He Nan beside her, amazed at this young man’s thought process.

Xu Zhilin said, “No need, I have something to do later.”

The young man nodded with some disappointment. “Alright then.”

Jiang Ling rested her chin on her palm and looked out the window, her back to Xu Zhilin, until that familiar voice sounded behind her: “—Jiang Ling.”

She turned to look at Xu Zhilin, without much hesitation, and politely said, “Teacher Xu.”

Xu Zhilin: “…”

He didn’t know what he’d done to offend this girl. Things had been fine a while ago, but suddenly she was back to formally addressing him as “Teacher Xu.”

“You left something at my place last time.”

“What?”

Xu Zhilin: “An earring.”

“…”

That comment was decidedly ambiguous. Jiang Ling instantly noticed three curious gazes turned toward her.

When she had returned home the last time, she’d noticed one earring was missing. She’d thought she’d lost it somewhere along the way and hadn’t bothered to search. So it had been left at Xu Zhilin’s place.

Jiang Ling paused, ignoring the surrounding gazes, and asked, “Do you have it with you now?”

“No, it’s still at my place. I’ll bring it to you another day.”

After saying this, Xu Zhilin casually left, leaving Jiang Ling bewildered. The young man who had been sitting across from her blinked and asked in confusion, “You know Professor Xu too?”

“Ah, yes.” Jiang Ling nodded, guiltily rubbing her ear.

The young man also nodded, looking quite pleased. “So you like mathematics too? That’s great! You must have attended Professor Xu’s lectures. His classes are very popular; many math enthusiasts from other majors attend as well.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Jiang Ling thought to herself, those weren’t math enthusiasts at all—they were Xu Zhilin enthusiasts.

When Xu Zhilin returned home after finishing his classes that evening, he took a small diamond earring from a drawer after showering.

The earring refracted brilliant, colorful light under the lamp.

It looked just like the light that had shimmered in the girl’s half-closed eyes that night, like a handful of crushed and reassembled stars.

Xu Zhilin recalled the scene he’d witnessed earlier in the day: four people, two men and two women, all good-looking. Having taught for so many years and seen so many students, he could easily guess what that gathering was about.

For some inexplicable reason, irritation rose from the depths of his heart.

Xu Zhilin closed his eyes, and once again the image of the woman in that silver sequined spaghetti strap dress appeared before him.

Unlike Jiang Ling, he hadn’t drunk to the point of blacking out. The intimate memories of that night remained clear and complete in his mind, occasionally invading his thoughts late at night.

Then he thought of the girl’s face that easily turned red, her black hair hanging limply against her cheeks in the hot weather, a thin layer of sweat beading on the tip of her nose, her eyes curved with a smile as she deliberately called him “Teacher Xu” in a sweet, obedient manner.

Suddenly, Xu Zhilin’s entire body stiffened. After a long moment, he straightened up from the bed, cursed under his breath, and went back into the bathroom.

When he came out again, his pajamas were soaked in large patches, clinging to his abdomen, faintly outlining the still-taut muscle lines.

Xu Zhilin felt he was going crazy.

He sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand through his wet hair, when his phone rang beside him. He glanced down.

“Hello.”

The voice on the other end said, “Want to join us on Saturday?”

Xu Zhilin pressed his brow. “Where?”

“Jacob’s new place. It’s opening on Saturday. Come with us.”

Xu Zhilin agreed, “Alright.”

“But there’s one condition,” the person on the phone said mischievously. “All of us are either engaged or married. We’ll give you an easier requirement—just bring a girl with you.”

Xu Zhilin was silent for two seconds, then laughed softly. “Then you guys have fun without me. I’m not going.”

“No, no, no, don’t you have someone in mind? It’s different from before. You even have a woman’s earring at home—are you still trying to hide it?”

Jiang Ling’s earring had been found in the sofa cushions by this friend of his, who had immediately shared the news with their other friends. After persistent questioning, Xu Zhilin had reluctantly admitted it belonged to the girl he’d met at the bar that time.

“I told you, she’s my former student,” Xu Zhilin sighed.

“Former student is still ‘former’. Come on, I know you. Would you bring someone home without having any feelings at all?”

Xu Zhilin didn’t respond.

After hanging up, he sat on the edge of the bed in silence for a while before picking up his phone again.

He found Jiang Ling’s number and carefully composed a message.

“Are you free on Saturday? My friend is opening an archery club. Want to come?”

Jiang Ling felt she was truly hopeless.

After telling He Nan about this, she was thoroughly mocked. He Nan earnestly told her, “You can be heartless, but you absolutely cannot date a heartless man.”

Jiang Ling mumbled for a while, then weakly said, “Actually… Xu Zhilin isn’t that heartless, is he?”

He Nan propped her arm forward, reminding her, “Then what about that egg you gave him?”

“I gave it to him in my second year of high school, and he still has it… That’s pretty impressive,” Jiang Ling said slowly.

“…” He Nan gave up and sincerely gave her a salute.

In the end, Jiang Ling was still young. When she arrived at the archery club with Xu Zhilin on Saturday, she was driven by curiosity to wander around everywhere, completely forgetting about her crush.

The owner of the archery club was named Jacob, a handsome English guy.

Jacob was quite curious about Chinese culture, and the archery club even had traditional Chinese bow styles. When he heard that Jiang Ling was studying Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, he pulled her aside to chat for quite a while.

Jiang Ling’s knowledge was somewhat superficial, so she nervously chatted with Jacob along the way.

Xu Zhilin walked five steps away from her, talking with several men beside him. He stood with his hands in his pockets, appearing quite relaxed.

As soon as Jiang Ling entered the archery club, she recognized several familiar faces—people she had seen briefly at the bar that night. They were likely Xu Zhilin’s good friends.

She looked back and accidentally met Xu Zhilin’s gaze, their eyes locking.

Xu Zhilin smiled at her.

Jiang Ling froze.

She watched as he walked straight toward her, then tilted his head toward a target nearby, the corners of his narrow eyes crinkling. “Want to try?”

“Ah,” Jiang Ling stared at him blankly, not immediately processing his question. “I don’t know how.”

Xu Zhilin glanced at Jacob, who, out of Jiang Ling’s sight, gave him a suggestive smile and quickly retrieved a bow and arrow from the wall.

Xu Zhilin’s fingers caressed the bow slightly as he said calmly, “I’ll teach you.”

The man stepped forward to the shooting line, holding the bow in his left hand and drawing the string with his right. He looked sidelong at the sight, his jawline smooth and distinct, chin slightly raised, gaze lowered. The usual gentleness and humor had faded from his expression, now showing a hint of imperceptible arrogance.

Jiang Ling silently held her breath to the point that she didn’t hear the casual instructions he was giving her.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. As he drew the bow, the muscles in his arms were fully displayed. Then he released, and the arrow shot out with a whoosh, hitting the bullseye with a dull thud.

Jiang Ling applauded enthusiastically, being very supportive. In the spacious shooting range, only her applause could be heard. When she looked back, she realized that the others had left at some point.

Xu Zhilin lowered the bow and took another arrow from a leather quiver nearby, offering it to Jiang Ling.

He had returned to his usual demeanor. “Want to try?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ling took the bow and arrow from him, imitating his earlier stance as she drew the bow. She tilted her head and asked, “Like this?”

“That way you’ll hurt your hand.”

Xu Zhilin stepped forward, reaching around her from behind. One hand gripped her wrist, his touch slightly cool, carrying the pleasant scent of his men’s cologne.

He enclosed Jiang Ling’s hand, guiding her to draw the bow, and said softly, “It should be like this.”

Jiang Ling was stunned.

How could this guy be so smooth?!

Teaching is one thing! Why get so close?!

She felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat, but fortunately, Xu Zhilin released her hand at that moment, stepping back and completely returning the bow to her.

Jiang Ling’s hand suddenly lost strength, and she trembled as the arrow was released, missing the target completely.

Behind her, Xu Zhilin laughed softly, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “Want to try again?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ling nodded, not daring to look at him, her face flushed as she drew another arrow.

Xu Zhilin remained leaning against the wall, his gaze falling carelessly on the girl holding the bow in front of him. From his angle, he could see the slightly pink nape of her neck.

Xu Zhilin curled his lips, his Adam’s apple moving smoothly up and down, saying nothing.

Jiang Ling only shot a few arrows, none of which hit the target. Since the archery club had just opened, all the equipment was brand new, making it particularly strenuous to draw the bow. Before long, she felt her arms growing sore.

Xu Zhilin took the bow from her hands and hung it back on the wall. “Let’s go outside.”

A bit later, as more customers came to play at the archery club, Jacob attended to them for a while before bringing fruit platters and desserts to sit with everyone.

Jiang Ling sat with the group but didn’t join the conversation, quietly listening to their chat.

These people looked completely different from Xu Zhilin’s style. Jacob, for instance, had tried all kinds of extreme sports. Jiang Ling sat lazily in the corner, eating fruit while listening to their wild discussions.

She hadn’t been there long. Everyone was speaking English, and she couldn’t understand some parts, but it didn’t affect her overall comprehension.

“Hey, little sister, when did you get to know our Zhilin?” one of the men suddenly asked.

Jiang Ling put down her small fork and looked up, saying, “Second year of high school.”

“So you’re old friends, it’s been several years, right?”

Jiang Ling: “Huh? No, he just taught me math for one semester before he left. We only met again after I came abroad.”

The man drew out an “Oh,” glancing at Xu Zhilin, then leaned a bit closer to Jiang Ling. Lowering his voice, he spoke with suggestive mystery, like a criminal selling opium: “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“…?”

Jiang Ling instinctively glanced at Xu Zhilin beside her. The man showed no reaction, still sitting in his original position.

“No,” Jiang Ling replied, looking away from him, adding quietly, “I still need to focus on my studies.”

“You’re already in graduate school; love and study don’t conflict,” the man raised his eyebrows at her, looking like a pimp. “Little sister, are you interested? I know many handsome young men with eight-pack abs who are gentle and cute.”

“…”

Jiang Ling couldn’t help but laugh at the last half of this sentence, and others joined in the laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Xu Zhilin finally straightened up. His distinctly bony hand picked up a wine glass and handed it over, clinking it against the glass of the man who had just spoken, making a crisp sound.

Xu Zhilin looked up with a faint smile: “Don’t tease her. Give me some face.”

The others all looked at Xu Zhilin, teasing and joking, before finally raising their glasses to clink with Xu Zhilin’s.

Jiang Ling’s heart skipped a beat at his ambiguous statement. She didn’t hear clearly when the group moved on to other topics, so she excused herself to play archery again.

However, reality proved that playing archery while unable to concentrate was a high-risk activity.

By the third arrow, a piece of flesh on Jiang Ling’s index finger was directly rubbed off. The wound was quite deep, and blood instantly flowed down, staining the entire finger red. Jiang Ling was stunned for two seconds before the pain hit her, causing her to gasp sharply as cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

The next second, her wrist was grasped by Xu Zhilin. His brows were tightly furrowed as he immediately asked Jacob for a first aid kit.

Jiang Ling was pulled aside, watching as he skillfully opened the first aid kit.

The others gathered around, urgently asking what had happened. Jiang Ling smiled through the pain, pretending it wasn’t a big deal. “I accidentally cut myself while playing archery.”

Xu Zhilin took out rubbing alcohol and gauze.

The man’s eyes were dark, all his usual relaxed humor completely gone, like a deep pool drawing people down. He looked up at her and said softly, “This will hurt a bit.”

Jiang Ling had been afraid of pain since childhood, but because she was active and playful as a child, she had been injured many times. Xu Zhilin’s words, “This will hurt a bit,” immediately reminded her of the stinging pain of disinfecting wounds in the past.

She closed her eyes tightly and, as if desperately grasping for some sense of security, suddenly asked: “Xu Zhilin, what did you mean earlier by ‘give me some face’?”

Xu Zhilin’s hand holding the cotton ball paused. He looked up at her and suddenly smiled: “It means I intend to pursue you.”

Jiang Ling’s eyes widened.

The next second, Xu Zhilin pressed the alcohol-soaked cotton ball onto her wound.

Instantly, whatever feelings of being moved that had risen in Jiang Ling were completely erased.

“Hss…”

Jiang Ling’s body trembled, her small face wrinkling as she tried to pull back from the pain, her eyes immediately reddening.

Xu Zhilin looked up at her, pausing his movements briefly. He bent down and gently blew on her fingertip. The alcohol contact immediately created a cooling sensation, somewhat alleviating the pain.

But it still hurt.

By the time Xu Zhilin finished bandaging, Jiang Ling’s entire eye area was red from the pain. She had deliberately pulled back, half-sinking into the sofa.

Xu Zhilin put everything back into the first aid kit and looked up at the young girl.

Her eyes were red, with natural tears produced from the pain wetting her long eyelashes into little clumps. Her lips were slightly pale as she looked pitiful, staring at her bandaged index finger and sniffling.

Xu Zhilin thought he had been quite gentle during the bandaging. Why was she still in so much pain?

His gaze paused, and he returned the first aid kit to Jacob, then stood up and told the others, “I’ll take her home first.”

Then, ignoring the knowing looks from everyone around, he led Jiang Ling out of the archery club.

Jiang Ling got into the car with Xu Zhilin.

It was sunset. Jiang Ling carefully cradled her injured index finger as she reached for the seat belt. Xu Zhilin simply leaned over and helped her fasten it with a click.

As his body leaned close, the man’s scent was particularly clear, like the smell of a thick sweater, warm and lingering, enveloping her completely.

Jiang Ling was so startled that she sat straight up against the backrest.

Xu Zhilin laughed, lowering his eyes: “What are you afraid of?”

“Why shouldn’t I be afraid?” Jiang Ling finally had some confidence, arguing quietly, “You’re now someone with ill intentions toward me.”

Xu Zhilin raised an eyebrow, looked at her for a moment, then leaned back in the driver’s seat and laughed. He nodded: “Alright, what you say isn’t wrong.”

After driving for a while, Jiang Ling realized they weren’t heading to her apartment. She looked around at the streets: “Where are we going?”

“My place,” Xu Zhilin said.

“??” Jiang Ling turned to look at him: “Why is your place?”

Xu Zhilin said, “Ill intentions.”

Jiang Ling felt like thousands of question marks could appear on her forehead at that moment. She unconsciously swallowed and immediately said, “Teacher Xu,” then continued, “Can you not break character so quickly?”

Xu Zhilin asked with a smile: “What character am I supposed to have?”

Jiang Ling remembered what the man had said earlier when trying to introduce her to guys, so she gave him a thumbs up: “Eight-pack abs, gentle and cute.”

Xu Zhilin smiled, no longer joking with her: “With your hand like this, let’s have dinner at my place, then I’ll take you home.”

Jiang Ling was surprised: “You can cook?”

“What else?” Xu Zhilin stepped on the brake, stopping at a red light, his arm resting on the car door. “Do you think I’ve been eating at restaurants every day all these years?”

Jiang Ling trusted Xu Zhilin’s character, so she followed him upstairs without any wariness. It was her second visit; she changed into slippers and followed him into the apartment.

Xu Zhilin first went to his bedroom to retrieve the diamond earring for Jiang Ling.

“You didn’t notice it was missing last time?”

“I did notice, but I didn’t think it would be at your place, so I didn’t look for it.”

Worried she might lose it again, she immediately put it on one ear.

Xu Zhilin’s refrigerator revealed what kind of man he was—the refrigerator and freezer compartments were neatly and orderly arranged, showing he was a homey man with a quality of life.

Xu Zhilin prepared several simple Chinese dishes. Jiang Ling stood at the edge of the kitchen, almost moved to tears by the aroma.

Both she and He Nan in their dorm completely lacked cooking talent, so they mostly ate out. Even on weekends when they all ate together, it was usually Chris who made Western food.

Jiang Ling felt like she hadn’t eaten such authentic Chinese food for half her life.

“Is it good?” Xu Zhilin asked.

“It’s amazing.” Grateful for the food, Jiang Ling exaggerated, “It’s so delicious, Professor Xu. You could open a Chinese restaurant!”

Xu Zhilin didn’t bother correcting the girl’s various forms of address, sometimes “Teacher Xu,” sometimes “Professor Xu.” He watched as she took a photo with her phone, then smiled, biting her chopsticks while pressing the screen.

Jiang Ling sent the photo to He Nan, who had also been craving Chinese food these days.

Soon, He Nan replied with a series of question marks, along with several red exclamation point emojis, finally sending: “Where are you eating?”

This was exactly what Jiang Ling had been waiting for.

She replied smugly: “At Professor Xu’s home.”

He Nan sent another string of question marks and a thumbs-up emoji.

“That’s amazing, baby. Are you coming back tonight?”

“…”