Although Chi Yao didn’t seem to be in a good mood right now.

Lin Zhexia felt quite happy.

“Are you jealous?”

Lin Zhexia was a little pleased inside and deliberately said, “Although he does fit my initial bli—my initial criteria for a partner pretty well… but I’m a very loyal person, don’t worry.”

At first, she didn’t take it seriously and tried to comfort him a few times during dinner.

“You’re very handsome too, you should have confidence in yourself.”

“I won’t transfer my affections elsewhere.”

“…”

But even after finishing the meal, Chi Yao’s reaction remained somewhat distant. He rotated his wrist with the black hair tie and picked up the tray in front of her: “I’ll go throw this away when you’re done.”

On the way back, Lin Zhexia was still trying to liven up the atmosphere.

Since the club recruitment registration period lasted two days, she wasn’t in a hurry to go back, so she asked him: “What club are you planning to join? I’ll sign up for the same one as you.”

Chi Yao had his hands in his pockets: “Not joining any.”

“Why not?”

“No time.”

Lin Zhexia carefully probed: “Then… then I signed up for the skateboard club with my roommates?”

Chi Yao glanced at her, his whole demeanor practically screaming “don’t sign up,” but he looked away, still unwilling to interfere with her social freedom, and said: “If you want to sign up, go ahead.”

“I did sign up.”

“…”

“Promise you won’t be angry.” Lin Zhexia said again.

Chi Yao gave a cold laugh: “What, do I need to be all happy and send you off with my blessings?”

Lin Zhexia: “That’s not necessary.”

The two parted ways after eating.

Chi Yao had something to do with his major, and she also had afternoon classes.

She returned to her dorm to get her textbooks and sat in the classroom waiting for the teacher to come in. During this time, she wondered why Chi Yao would be jealous.

Lin Zhexia believed that she might be the person who understood Chi Yao best in the world, without exception.

But even so, she still couldn’t quite understand.

Why would Chi Yao care so much about a joke she made as a child?

He should know that it was just something she said in jest.

It was purely to annoy him, wanting to gain the upper hand during an argument.

“Class is starting,” Lin Zhexia was lost in thought when the classmate sitting next to her reminded her, “What are you thinking about? The teacher has been looking at you for a while.”

Lin Zhexia came back to her senses and temporarily set aside the question—

Meanwhile, in the specialized classroom of the department that had its standalone teaching building at Lian University.

“Our progress on the project is still a bit slow at the moment…”

The professor was explaining the next stage of tasks at the blackboard, doing a pre-class summary, “We’ll continue as before for the next phase, Chi Yao, you’re in charge.”

The person whose name was called was sitting in the back row of the classroom.

The classroom was a computer lab. He looked like he had just woken up, his cap hanging loosely at the back of his head, and he responded indifferently.

After joining the project group, it wasn’t like regular classes where the teacher lectured throughout. Instead, they mostly needed to complete practical tasks on their own. After the professor finished speaking, he left the classroom, and Chi Yao became the leader of the entire classroom.

But he wasn’t like a class monitor; he looked more like the “boss” of the class.

“Brother Yao,” several people gathered around to ask questions, “Give us some guidance, we’ve been puzzling over this for ages.”

Chi Yao’s attitude when explaining problems to them wasn’t usually good, but today it was particularly poor: “Go straight out the door, turn right, professor’s office. Ask him yourself.”

“Don’t dare to,” one of them said. “Last time I went to ask, I got lectured, saying I lacked the spirit of independent research. I don’t want to walk into another scolding.”

Chi Yao pinched his knuckles, then took the pen from someone beside him.

That person understood immediately, flipped open a draft paper, pressing it on a book: “Please go ahead.”

Chi Yao casually wrote down several steps on paper.

As he tossed down the pen, he unusually asked: “Who has cigarettes?”

Smoking wasn’t allowed in the teaching building. Several people immediately cleared themselves: “I don’t have any.”

“I don’t either. I’m the kind of person who pays attention to my health, never smokes.”

“Yes, Brother Yao, no one in our class has cigarettes, rest assured, we’re very law-abiding.”

“Even if you search the entire classroom, you won’t find a single one.”

“…” Chi Yao’s temple twitched, surrounded by this group of people, he felt a bit of a headache and unusually cursed, “Who the fuck asked you to be law-abiding?”

“I mean, if you have some, give me one. Understand?”

The entire classroom was silent for a few seconds.

Then the group who had just claimed they didn’t have cigarettes all pulled out cigarette packs from their pockets, each a different color, all sorts of brands.

They lined up like they were turning in homework, holding out their cigarette packs and proactively asking: “Which brand would you like? We have everything here. Do you want domestic or foreign?”

Chi Yao raised his hand, took a lighter from someone, and then randomly pulled out a cigarette from the nearest pack.

Someone offered friendly advice: “Remember to smoke at the far end of the corridor around the corner, there’s no surveillance camera there, you won’t get caught. If you don’t like that environment, you can also go to the small garden downstairs, enjoying the plants while…”

Before he could finish, Chi Yao had already left.

After Chi Yao left, several people whispered among themselves.

“…Brother Yao’s mood today.”

“Wasn’t he a non-smoker? Why is he suddenly smoking?”

“Could he be heartbroken? That can’t be right.” Someone said, “Looking like that and not having seven girlfriends, one for each day of the week, would be surprising enough, but to be heartbroken? How are the rest of us supposed to live?”

“…”

The supposedly “heartbroken” Chi Yao walked to the end of the long corridor.

The corner was a secluded spot hidden by plants. He leaned against the wall and took out the lighter from his pocket.

This floor had many classrooms, and the sounds of teachers lecturing occasionally filtered through.

Although it had been some time since he last smoked, his gesture with the cigarette was still practiced. He held it between his fingers, lowered his head to bring it to his mouth, and bit it, but just before pressing the lighter, he thought of something and put his hand down.

The unlit cigarette rested quietly between his fingers.

Chi Yao lowered his eyes.

He suddenly thought of Lin Zhexia’s eyes, those eyes that had earnestly told him “smoking is bad” under the streetlights at night.

Forget it.

…

Anyway, the craving for cigarettes that had risen due to irritation on his walk over here had already subsided considerably.

He casually tossed the cigarette into the nearby trash can, then idly pressed the lighter.

The weak flame from the lighter flared up.

After pressing it one last time, he put away the lighter and called He Yang.

He Yang was in the middle of a physical education class. When he answered the phone, he had just come off the basketball court, panting as he asked: “What’s up?”

“Playing basketball?”

“First half just ended,” He Yang said. “What is it?”

He Yang walked to the rest area and took a sip of water, “Just tell me what’s going on.”

The words were on the tip of Chi Yao’s tongue, but he wasn’t sure whether to say them. In the end, he only said, “Just wanted to catch up.”

He Yang knew him well: “Bullshit, when have you ever wanted to catch up with me? I’d consider it impressive if you didn’t completely forget I exist.”

Chi Yao was silent on the other end of the phone for a while.

Then he suddenly said, “Lin Zhexia and I are together because I pursued her.”

He Yang: “I know, you’ve shown off your little love story to me countless times already, no need to specially call me to tell it again.”

However, this time the situation was completely different from what he imagined.

Chi Yao wasn’t here to show off, nor to bring up old matters. He changed the subject, his voice very low: “—Do you think I shouldn’t have pursued her?”

He Yang: “?”

He Yang was a bit dumbfounded: “Wait, what’s going on? Did something happen between you two?”

“Weren’t things fine before? You’ve liked her for a long time, and finally got together. Don’t tell me you’re the kind of man who doesn’t cherish what he’s got?” He Yang made his stance clear, “That’s not good, brother. We’re all such close friends. You can’t do that start-something-and-not-finish-it routine. I advise you to abandon that idea early.”

“…”

Chi Yao was given a headache by this speech and interrupted: “Are you done?”

He Yang: “Just one last sentence.”

Chi Yao: “Hold it in.”

He Yang: “But I’ll feel uncomfortable if I don’t say it. I want to call you a jerk.”

“…”

After He Yang finished, he waited and waited: “Yao Yao, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Chi Yao’s voice was very cool: “I’m calling a car.”

“Why are you calling a car? At this time, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Calling a car to Lianyun Normal,” Chi Yao said, “then to the basketball court.”

“To play basketball?”

“To beat someone up.”

He Yang rubbed his nose: “…Looks like I guessed wrong. So what’s the matter then?”

Chi Yao was silent again for a while.

Finally, rubbing his dry fingertips, he said something puzzling after a long time: “She would have met many more people originally.”

He Yang didn’t understand at all: “How many people?”

“Nothing,” the words in his heart were always difficult to say out loud. Chi Yao wasn’t the type to easily confide in others anyway. In the end, he swallowed what he wanted to say, “Hanging up.”

He Yang raised his voice: “Wait—you’re leaving me hanging with half a story here.”

The response he got was a cold prompt: Call ended.

After hanging up, Chi Yao leaned against the wall again, staring at the long corridor in front of him, mentally completing what he had originally wanted to say.

—She would have met many more people originally. After turning eighteen, after entering university, her life was just beginning to unfold. Before being with him, her world was very small, and she hadn’t met or interacted with many people.

So perhaps she didn’t know what it meant to like someone.

She might have accepted his pursuit simply because she thought he was decent enough.

Perhaps she hadn’t yet met someone she truly liked.

This person could be that skateboard club member who fits her partner’s criteria today, or it could be someone else.

In any case, she would likely meet more people and might like someone who better met her standards.

Thinking about this, Chi Yao ruefully discovered that he lacked security.

The two of them were together, and their relationship was stable. But because he cared too much, even though they were already together, he still worried too much about her.

Worried whether her affection would continue—

“Ring-ring-ring.”

The class dismissal bell rang.

After two consecutive long afternoon classes, Lin Zhexia packed up her textbooks. Just as she walked out of the classroom, she sent Chi Yao a message—

I’m done with class—

When will you finish? Should I come find you for dinner?

In the past, the two would always arrange meals together.

But today, Chi Yao rarely refused her.

Boyfriend: It will be very late

Boyfriend: You eat first

Lin Zhexia replied with an “Oh.”

Although it was just text messaging, without hearing voices or detecting tones, due to a certain kind of spiritual connection unique to her and Chi Yao, she vaguely felt that he might still not have gotten over his mood.

As if to confirm her guess.

He Yang’s message arrived right on cue: Did you and Brother Yao fight?

Lin Zhexia:?

He Yang originally wasn’t sure whether he should say anything—after all, no matter how familiar they were, this was still a matter between the couple. But based on his understanding of Chi Yao, he believed this phone call was probably important, so he reported truthfully: He called me this afternoon for no reason and said some bizarre things.

Lin Zhexia: …

Lin Zhexia felt a bit dazed.

This is jealousy of his.

It must be like century-old vinegar, still sour until now.

Finally, she replied to He Yang: There is a tiny little conflict, but it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.

Da Zhuang: Alright, just letting you know.

Lin Zhexia lowered her head and followed the crowd of classmates out, texting He Yang as she walked. At the same time, Lan Xiaoxue, who had also been having class in the same building, reached the stairwell. Lan Xiaoxue tapped her: “What a coincidence.”

Lin Zhexia looked up: “Xiaoxue, can I ask you a favor?”

Lan Xiaoxue: “Huh?”

Lin Zhexia handed her books to her: “Help me take these back to the dorm, and also help me excuse myself. I might have something to do tonight and won’t make it back.”

After Lin Zhexia handed over her books, all she had left was a set of keys.

Three keys were hanging on the cartoon keychain: one for the Lin family home, one for the dormitory, and the last one was for the off-campus apartment Chi Yao rented.

After such a long time, she had almost forgotten the feeling of using the key to enter his home unannounced.

After arriving at Chi Yao’s place, she looked around and found that the layout was much the same as when she left.

She had originally planned to tidy up for him before he returned, but finding nothing that needed tidying, she could only curl up on the sofa, eating snacks while waiting for him to come back.

Chi Yao did have a lot of “work” tonight; he still couldn’t get away from the classroom after ten o’clock.

He sent two messages to Lin Zhexia in his spare time—

Back at the dorm yet—

Lights out, sleep early.

Lin Zhexia replied with a nodding emoji.

Girlfriend: Mm-hmm.

It was past eleven when he finally returned from the computer lab.

At this hour, the apartment building lobby was empty, with hardly anyone around.

He pressed the elevator button, went upstairs as usual, and after opening the door, raised his hand to press the living room light switch. At the moment the lights came on, a figure on the sofa stirred.

Lin Zhexia had been curled up, sleeping under a blanket, and was disturbed by the door opening and the lights.

Chi Yao saw the girl on the sofa with her hair loose, squinting her eyes, her entire body curled up in the fleece blanket, drowsily sitting up from the sofa, saying to him, “You’re back so late.”

He hadn’t expected anyone to be at home.

Even less had he expected Lin Zhexia to be waiting for him at home.

“…” Chi Yao placed his keys on the rack in the entryway, his whole person still carrying the chill from outside. “Why are you here?”

Lin Zhexia’s sleepiness quickly dissipated. Wrapped in the blanket, she said: “Nothing really, just felt like my boyfriend seemed a little unhappy, so I came over to cheer him up.”