She woke and slept, slept and woke, never quite settling into restful sleep. In her hazy state, she felt someone moving about. Fu Xueli forced her eyes open—everything was blurry. She could only make out a figure sitting in the chair beside her, very close to the bed.

She was too lazy to lift her gaze fully, seeing only a jade-pale chin and thin, light-colored lips.

As if he had been sitting there for a very long time, he remained motionless.

Seeming to sense her gaze, Xu Xingchun turned his eyes toward her.

Their gazes met.

Fu Xueli had slept until half her arm had gone numb and soft, unable to move. She glanced at him once before looking away and turning over.

After a while, there was no movement behind her. She simply closed her eyes and lay still.

Xu Xingchun leaned down, lowering his lashes to look at her for a moment. Drawing close to her ear, he lowered his voice, hoarse as he asked, “Are you feeling better?”

Fu Xueli buried her head under her arm, using her elbow to push Xu Xingchun away while avoiding his gaze, mumbling sullenly, “Why did you come here?”

“Are you thirsty? I’ll pour you some water.”

Fu Xueli held back and held back, but still couldn’t contain herself. She suddenly flipped over, saying irritably, “I don’t need you to take care of me. Get lost, as far away as possible. I want to sleep now.”

Xu Xingchun remained calm and collected, as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He lowered his eyelids and poured some water on his own. “You’ve been sleeping for a long time. Get up and drink some water.”

It was like punching cotton—no pain, no itch. He was impervious to everything, never arguing with her, never getting angry at her, calm and even-tempered as if he had no temper at all.

Usually she didn’t feel anything particular about it, but somehow, right now, looking at him like this made her especially irritated.

Fu Xueli was holding back a bellyful of anger. She shouted loudly, “Do you always treat everything I say like passing gas?! Xu Xingchun, do you understand human speech or not? I said I don’t need you to take care of me! If you want to take care of someone, go take care of someone else, please?! Aren’t you the class monitor? There are so many people in the class lining up for you to manage! Oh right, didn’t you just meet someone recently? Why don’t you go take care of her instead of staying here with me?!”

She panted heavily as she viciously scolded him at length, speaking through gritted teeth. As soon as she finished, she regretted it herself.

This tone sounded way too much like a resentful wife.

Xu Xingchun’s heart stirred slightly as he gazed intently at her.

Fu Xueli decided to go all in, breaking the jar and smashing it, glaring back at him. “What are you looking at?”

“Are you angry?” he asked.

“I’m not!” She instinctively denied it.

Xu Xingchun grasped her slender wrist, silent for a moment, then softly called her name: “Fu Xueli?”

Fu Xueli turned her head away without making a sound.

The room fell into silence.

“My goodness, what a grand time you’re having, Big Pear! We’ve been working hard all afternoon while you’ve been enjoying yourself here all afternoon.” Song Yifan and his group—their voices and laughter arrived before they did.

The curtain was pulled aside, and several tall boys came flooding in. The quiet, cramped space instantly became lively.

“Whoa! Class monitor, what a coincidence, you’re here too?! The teacher was just looking for you!” Song Yifan familiarly slung his arm around Xu Xingchun’s shoulder.

Fu Xueli found Song Yifan’s loud, boisterous voice extremely annoying and frowned. “Why are you so noisy?”

“How am I noisy? I’m just happy to see you, my treasure.” Song Yifan said with a grin to Fu Xueli, then deliberately turned in front of everyone to grasp Xu Xingchun’s hand. “Thanks, class monitor! You’re so busy yet you took the time to look after our Fu Xueli for me. Much appreciated, hehe!”

Xu Xingchun looked at him impassively and withdrew his hand. “I never do things for other people.”

His voice was calm and slow.

A boy nearby chimed in, “Sister Xueli, are you feeling better? It’s almost dinner time.”

Everyone was talking at once—it was annoying to death. Through the gaps between people, she looked outside. Xu Xingchun had already quietly left at some point.

Fu Xueli’s mood suddenly soured considerably. She yelled at them, “—Everyone get out!”

—

The military training had barely lasted two days when a shocking piece of gossip began spreading gradually before dinner.

A boy from Class Four had set up candles in the bushes late at night to confess his feelings, playing at romance until he nearly started a fire. Fortunately it was discovered early and the flames were extinguished—otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The girl being confessed to was Fu Xueli. The incident was quite serious—all the people involved were pulled in for criticism and education. Once back at school, a disciplinary notice was probably unavoidable.

“If you ask me, that Hong Jiarui from Class Four is truly an idiot. He just got here and he’s already getting a probation warning. The key thing is, of all the people to pursue, he had to go after Fu Xueli. Is his brain broken?!”

“Huh? When I saw Fu Xueli a few days ago I thought she was quite pretty, and her family has money too. Isn’t it normal for boys to like her? People from Class Four told me Hong Jiarui has liked Fu Xueli since middle school. That’s pretty devoted.”

A girl said disdainfully, “What kind of taste do you have? Look at her hanging around with a bunch of boys every day—so slutty it’s disgusting. She just knows how to dress up. Plus her grades are terrible and her personality isn’t good either. Apart from a pretty face she has no other merits. Can’t stand how shallow boys are nowadays.”

Someone couldn’t stand her bitter sarcasm and scoffed, “Ugh, why are you so full of resentment? Acting like Fu Xueli knows you or something. Isn’t it just that the boy you like likes Fu Xueli? Are you jealous?”

The rebuked girl’s face went pale. She stiffened her neck and said, “What do you mean? I stopped liking him ages ago. Are you joking? Who’s jealous of her!”

“Alright, alright, stop arguing. But have you guys heard? Today a friend of mine saw Fu Xueli and Hong Jiarui having lunch together during break. They seemed completely unaffected, laughing and chatting afterwards. Could they have actually gotten together?”

“What?! Hong Jiarui? No way, how could Fu Xueli possibly be interested in him? Hong Jiarui looks pretty average to me.”

“His family has money, and he’s well-connected.”

Another person sighed wistfully, “Honestly, I feel Hong Jiarui is really quite pitiful.”

They chattered away, talking over each other for quite a while, when suddenly a girl said in a panicked whisper, “Keep it down, keep it down—Fu Xueli is coming.”

—

“Xueli, tomorrow I… tomorrow can we still have lunch together?” Hong Jiarui, nearly six feet tall and built like a bear—dark and sturdy—had a dry smile on his face, but his voice was as soft as a mosquito’s whine.

“Xueli?” Hong Jiarui had been talking about his exploits on the basketball court for ages. When he got no response, he looked down and realized she was spacing out. He couldn’t help asking with concern, “Are you not feeling well? What’s wrong? You don’t look very happy.”

In Hong Jiarui’s eyes, Fu Xueli agreeing to have lunch with him already counted as her tacitly agreeing to be his girlfriend. Even the buddies around him were already clamoring about treating everyone to dinner when they got back.

“Huh? What.” Fu Xueli shook her head and said flatly, “Nothing, I’m fine.”

The two walked side by side. Fu Xueli was actually extremely annoyed inside, finding the boy beside her too chatty—jabbering on endlessly without stopping, somehow having so much nonsense to say.

Usually when she was with Xu Xingchun, most of the time she was the one talking. Xu Xingchun rarely spoke, only quietly watching her, his listening demeanor quiet and earnest.

The difference was immediately clear—truly there was no harm without comparison.

But thinking about it again—

Xu Xingchun had been getting so close to a girl from class recently. That time on the bus, the two of them even sat together. Fine, putting that aside, Xu Xingchun had been cold and indifferent toward her these past couple days. She tried to provoke him with Hong Jiarui’s situation, but he didn’t seem to have any particular reaction.

She also recalled just running into Xu Xingchun earlier.

She had deliberately laughed and talked loudly with Hong Jiarui.

But when Xu Xingchun passed by them, he didn’t respond to her provocative gaze at all. He didn’t say a single unnecessary word, as if she were just the most ordinary stranger.

Fu Xueli was furious.

Xu Xingchun really was a scumbag who enjoyed playing with people’s feelings!

“Xueli, are you really okay?” Hong Jiarui touched Fu Xueli’s arm.

As soon as his hand came near, she reacted violently and shook it off. “Damn it, don’t touch me.”

Hong Jiarui: “……”

Having inexplicably had someone lose their temper at him, he wasn’t angry either. He just sullenly apologized, “I’m sorry.”

His posture was too humble, making it impossible for Fu Xueli to say the rest of what she wanted to say.

After a long moment, all she could say was, “I’m sorry. You don’t need to come looking for me anymore.”

After speaking, she left without looking back, without a trace of hesitation or reluctance.

Leaving only the dumbfounded Hong Jiarui standing alone, disheveled in the wind.

—

After the evening training ended and they had just returned to the tent, the instructor sent someone to inform them that there might be a meteor shower at eleven o’clock tonight. Anyone who wanted to go should gather by class in a bit—they would take jeeps together to another mountaintop with a wider view to watch.

“Xueli, aren’t you going to watch the meteor shower?” A girl from the same tent came back to get something. Seeing Fu Xueli not moving as she was leaving, she asked curiously.

Fu Xueli was sprawled out on the mat, hands tucked under her belly, lazy. “Not going.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to see the meteor shower? It’s so rare.”

Fu Xueli couldn’t muster any interest. “I got my period. You guys have fun.”

“Then rest well. I’m leaving now.”

“Mm, bye.”

After a little while, the surroundings became completely quiet.

Fu Xueli spaced out for a bit, humming songs out of extreme boredom. It was still early—she didn’t feel sleepy at all.

She sat up in one motion. Wearing her nightgown, she simply threw on a jacket and went out for a stroll.

Tonight the sky overhead was extraordinarily beautiful, like a deep blue curtain with brilliant stars.

She sat down somewhere random for a while, her hair falling loose. Staring blankly at the night sky, Fu Xueli rubbed her eyes.

Suddenly she sensed with heightened awareness that someone was watching her.

She turned her head.

Just a few meters away, a figure was vaguely hidden in the darkness, leaning against a tree. She didn’t know how long he had been standing behind her.

In that instant, Fu Xueli got goosebumps all over. Startled, she stood up. “Holy crap, who are you?!”

Complete silence.

After a few minutes, she asked tentatively, “Xu Xingchun?”

The person still didn’t make a sound. It was really quite creepy.

So Fu Xueli gathered her courage and moved a few steps closer. Finally able to see clearly, she let out a long breath. “Are you trying to scare me to death?”

Her nose was very sensitive. As soon as she got close, she smelled a faint scent of cigarette smoke.

Xu Xingchun had just been smoking.

Fu Xueli frowned. By the light of her phone, she saw he was wearing a black t-shirt, the collar loose with most of his collarbone exposed. His black hair was slightly damp, as if he had just showered.

Tall and handsome, with a pure and desireless appearance.

The cold moonlight in countless girls’ hearts.

“Why are you following me?” Fu Xueli laughed mockingly, looking at him very calmly. “Didn’t you go watch the meteor shower with your Ma Xuanrui?”

She had already found out that girl’s name.

Xu Xingchun looked at Fu Xueli, quiet in a way that made one’s heart panic.

He looked at her for a long while, his eyes never as cold and penetrating as they were now.

“Wh-what are you looking at?” Fu Xueli clenched her fists, not daring to meet his gaze. “If you keep looking, I’ll kiss you—believe it or not?”

Looking at her fierce expression, one would think she was about to say something threatening. But such words came out instead.

He stared at her for a long time, so long that she felt chilled to the bone.

Seeing Xu Xingchun remaining silent, Fu Xueli suddenly stepped forward, placed both hands on his shoulders, stood on tiptoe and moved close to kiss his lips.

He watched coldly from the side, tilting his head back slightly—her attempt fell through.

“……”

Fu Xueli pushed him away and stepped back two steps, trembling all over from shame and anger. She turned to leave. But her wrist was grabbed.

Gripping her wrist bone, he used force that hurt her terribly. She couldn’t shake free no matter how she tried.

Fu Xueli struggled fiercely, trying to pull her hand out. Lowering her head, tears came out. “You’re hurting me! Xu Xingchun, let go quickly!”

“Are you sick or something?” She pinched and hit him, pushing him away with all her strength. “Don’t touch me wahhh!!!”

Xu Xingchun looked at her reddened eyes and asked, “Does it hurt?”

“Get lost!”

[Hong Jiarui was probably too invested. In the end, the one benefiting isn’t Fu Xueli.]

[Over time, he fell deeper and deeper. As for Fu Xueli, girls with her type of personality seem so enthusiastic, like they can smile happily at anyone, but actually don’t put their heart into it at all.]

[Making others unconsciously fall for her, in the end only the other person falls in, while she herself is just playing around.]

[They all enjoy trampling on and toying with other people’s feelings. Tsk tsk, truly pitiful.]

Xu Xingchun’s eyes surged with dark currents. With a slight gentle smile on his face, he repeated very patiently once more, “Does it hurt?”

“I told you to get lo—mmph!”

Xu Xingchun lowered his head. The words just leaving Fu Xueli’s mouth were blocked by his lips.

Her heartbeat violently skipped a beat.

They had been dating for so long, yet Xu Xingchun had almost never done anything substantive to her. This was the first time he had kissed her so fiercely and boldly.

The force was so great it seemed he wanted to crush her in his embrace.

At first it was just lips lightly touching, then his tongue entered her mouth, prying open her lips and teeth to entangle.

Later, somehow, Fu Xueli’s days of frustration evaporated into thin air. Her arms clumsily wrapped around his neck, her ears and neck growing hot.

Her legs gradually went weak, kissed dizzy by him. Xu Xingchun kissed her temple once, lingering to her ear, licking and biting her earlobe as he said in a low voice:

“Can I make love with you?”

In his youth, he had once controlled the rapidly growing desire and love in his heart. Even when feeling oppressed, he was unwilling to release it easily.

But it seemed he could barely hold on anymore. Each time, she made him feel more pain than the last.

On the surface, Xu Xingchun was gentle and kind, restraining himself in every way, working hard to maintain the appearance of a normal person.

Only because she was still innocent and carefree.

While he had already reached the point where he would go mad if she so much as glanced at someone else.