A few more rounds and the atmosphere became fully warm and lively.
Sun Hao had done ten push-ups behind Lin Shuyu’s back. Zhang Yuge had to call the sixth contact on his list and insult them with one word — and discovered it was his mother. He was now being subjected to a storm of her ferocious temper and had retreated to the bathroom, shaking in his boots as he tried to explain himself.
“Take note of the cautionary tale, everyone.” Lin Shuyu was laughing so hard he was hitting the wall. “From now on, anyone who can’t complete a dare can just take a drink penalty instead of trying to tough it out.”
Xu Zhou got picked for truth. The person to ask him a question was Zhao Yingyao.
She first glanced at Hu Ke’er, then pressed her lips together, smiled sweetly, and said: “How many girlfriends did you have before Ke’er?”
The room fell into a momentary hush. She certainly had nerve — but as they all knew, gossip was built on other people’s sacrifice, so everyone held their breath and waited for the drama.
Xu Zhou instinctively looked at Hu Ke’er. Hu Ke’er raised her eyebrows without much concern, and nudged him with her elbow: “Why are you looking at me? Just tell the truth.”
“Two.” Xu Zhou rubbed the beer bottle with reasonable calm — fortunately he had already told her this long ago — and added with emphasis: “But neither lasted long.”
Lin Shuyu clicked his tongue. “This guy’s survival instincts are pretty strong.”
The bottle spun again and landed on Hu Ke’er. Hu Ke’er groaned at her bad luck.
This time Sun Hao was the one to set the task. Since he didn’t know her well, he kept it very mild and simply asked her to share a fun fact about someone present.
Hu Ke’er said: “Suisui’s nickname is Coconut. Her parents usually call her Little Coco.”
Lin Shuyu: “Why coconut?”
Hu Ke’er explained about the coconut juice habit and the peace-sign pose, and everyone found it charming.
Another round, another spin — and this time it landed on Xie Yichen.
Ning Sui was sitting next to him and had just been watching him laugh. He now said in an unhurried voice: “Truth.”
“Truth? That’s nothing — a real man picks dare!” Zhang Yuge challenged the moment he walked back in.
Xie Yichen looked at him without hurrying, as if he’d considered it for a moment, then said with complete tranquility: “I choose truth.”
Zhang Yuge: “…”
The question-asker was Shen Qing. He had no intention of making things difficult for anyone, so he let the program pick one at random: “What season do you like best, and why?”
For Xie Yichen to get picked and land on something this simple was a genuine waste of an opportunity. Zhang Yuge was so exasperated he could only roll his eyes.
Xie Yichen met his stare with a composed half-smile. “Winter.”
Zhang Yuge was actually somewhat surprised. He’d assumed he’d say summer.
“Why?”
Xie Yichen looked up with an easy tilt of the eyes: “Snow on a winter night is romantic?”
A great answer — but Zhang Yuge casually mentioned: “Huai’an doesn’t get snow, does it?”
Xie Yichen was noncommittal: “Hmm.”
Zhang Yuge: “…”
Right, so what exactly was the point of that answer?
He didn’t notice how the lashes of the person sitting diagonally across from him had given a barely perceptible flutter. He just turned back to the group and announced with pointed suggestiveness: “Next round, everyone needs to bring some real effort — answers like that will get you a drink penalty!”
…
It was almost two in the morning. Empty beer bottles were everywhere, lying in all directions, a scene of cups, plates, and disarray.
Zhao Yingyao and Sun Hao had both given up and dozed off in the corner. Lin Shuyu was yawning and said one more round and they’d call it a night.
As fortune would have it, the spin finally landed on Ning Sui, who had not been picked once.
She thought for a moment: “Dare.”
Xie Yichen glanced at her sidelong. Ning Sui thought he was probably a bit drunk too — or maybe it was the dimness of the light — but the sharp lines of his profile in silhouette gave off a faint coldness.
The person assigned to give the dare turned out to be Zou Xiao. She clearly hadn’t expected it either. Her expression shifted, and after a moment she leaned forward slowly and said, word by word: “Then — do a cross-cup drink with the person of the opposite sex you’ve known the longest.”
During the poker game, when Xie Yichen had said he was drinking on Lin Shuyu’s behalf, Zou Xiao suspected he’d actually been drinking for Ning Sui.
Zou Xiao regretted her miscalculation earlier and was desperately looking to tip things back in her favor.
Regardless of whether Ning Sui ended up doing it with Xu Zhou or Shen Qing, the result would be favorable to her. And if it turned out to be Xu Zhou, and Hu Ke’er got upset with Ning Sui because of it — well, that had nothing to do with her.
Lin Shuyu was the first to frown. He swayed as he sat up, his tongue a little thick: “Ning Sui is allergic to alcohol.”
“She’s the one who said a little bit is fine just now — this is just a token gesture, barely even symbolic.” Zou Xiao flicked a glance at him, soft voice laced with teasing: “Ning Sui hasn’t even said anything yet, Shuyu — why are you in such a rush?”
Lin Shuyu, having been knocked back, fell quiet in displeasure.
But he was looking at Ning Sui, and the meaning in his eyes was perfectly clear: ignore her. If you want to refuse, just refuse. This is just how she is.
Ning Sui pressed her lips together and said nothing.
She could feel the other person beside her growing subtly still, their breathing carrying just a trace of alcohol — slow and low, like the warm, damp temperature of the summer night — pressing steadily into the surrounding air.
Ning Sui tilted her head, surveyed the circle, then glanced at the glass she had set on the coffee table earlier.
She turned to the side and gently said: “It looks like there’s no more to drink.”
—
A stuffy summer night, with a gentle evening breeze moving through.
The speaker had long been switched off and the room was quiet. Only the faint turning of the hands on the wall clock remained. One wall sconce was left on, casting its light over the little circle below.
The final dare had dissolved without conclusion. Everyone was exhausted, and once the last thread of tension snapped, they all went sprawling in various directions — drunk into a tangled heap.
Lin Shuyu had drunk the most. At the dinner table he’d already nearly hit his limit, and then came back and pushed hard again. His stomach finally gave out, and he was in the bathroom hunched over the toilet.
Zhang Yuge had gone absolutely off the rails — he was lying face-down on the floor with his phone out, calling the dorm supervisor: “Teacher Wang Li? Yeah hi — it’s me, Octopus. Aw come on, don’t just launch straight into yelling the second I—”
Hu Ke’er had collapsed against Xu Zhou, mumbling something incomprehensible.
A room full of drunks. Not a single capable person among them.
Hu Ke’er was still aware enough to move on her own. She draped an arm heavily over Ning Sui’s shoulder. Ning Sui helped steady her to her feet, and instinctively glanced sideways at Xie Yichen.
She hadn’t said a word yet.
They simply made eye contact — and he switched on his phone’s flashlight and came straight to her side. “Let’s go.”
Why were they so in sync?
Ning Sui felt like maybe she was drunk too — her thoughts moving a little slowly.
Xie Yichen lit the way with his flashlight and walked Hu Ke’er and her back to their room.
The moment they got near the bed, Hu Ke’er very cooperatively pitched face-first into it and passed out completely.
Xie Yichen leaned in the doorway and watched Ning Sui head into the bathroom to start boiling water. “Need any help?”
Ning Sui came back out and rummaged through her suitcase, head still down. She made a vague, ambiguous sound. More or less: no.
Like a small animal.
Xie Yichen half-narrowed his eyes and watched as she efficiently retrieved a box of vitamin C effervescent tablets from a zippered travel pouch.
“What’s that for?” His curiosity was genuine, his voice a little rough from the drinking.
Ning Sui crouched in front of the suitcase, studying the instruction leaflet closely. At the sound of his voice she looked up, her delicate features carrying a drowsy blankness. “I heard this helps with hangovers.”
She thought for a moment, then said: “Don’t go yet. Once the water’s ready, have a glass too.”
She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like the corner of his mouth might have curved — she hadn’t caught it clearly. She only heard Xie Yichen give a low sound of assent, then ask, glancing downward: “What is all of this?”
The travel pouch was stuffed with a whole assortment of small boxes.
“Medicine my mom packed.”
Cetirizine antihistamine, Gold Throat Lozenge, Rhodiola Rosea capsules, iodine swabs, and a bottle of Cetirizine Hydrochloride — that last one specifically packed in case Ning Sui accidentally ate taro balls.
Ning Sui had been physically delicate since childhood — cold hands and feet, prone to getting sick. Their home medicine cabinet was therefore always comprehensively stocked. With so many trips to the hospital over the years, Xia Fanghui had gradually absorbed enough knowledge to become half a pediatrician.
By then the electric kettle had clicked off. Ning Sui rinsed the guesthouse’s teacups with the boiling water, then diluted it with mineral water to a drinkable temperature, dropped two effervescent tablets into each glass, handed one to Xie Yichen, and carried the other over to the bed, patting Hu Ke’er’s shoulder. “Drink this.”
Hu Ke’er had her eyes shut and turned her head away in resistance, making an incoherent protesting sound: “Ugh, I don’t want to.”
Ning Sui bent close to her ear and coaxed in a soft voice: “There’s a handsome guy watching.”
Hu Ke’er kept her eyes closed — but suddenly bolted upright like a corpse spring to life, grabbed the glass, and downed it in one go.
“…”
—
The next day, everyone gradually surfaced around noon.
The aftermath of heavy drinking was not pleasant. Xie Yichen had taken the effervescent tablets and was faring somewhat better. Sun Hao, Zhang Yuge, and the others generally reported headaches. “What the hell — Lin Shuyu, did you buy fake booze last night?!”
Lin Shuyu came down the stairs looking like a bird had nested in his hair, clothes all rumpled: “Oh come on, I feel fine. Don’t go making false accusations.”
He sent a message in the ten-person group chat asking about everyone’s plans for the day. They’d been here a while; all the main sights had been covered, so really the only option was to tag along with the new friends.
Shen Qing’s group had plans to take the boat to Nanzhao Fengqing Island that afternoon, which might mean temporarily splitting up. Lin Shuyu gave them a tip: “You can take that massive five-deck ferry — there are ethnic minority song and dance performances on the top deck.”
Hu Ke’er dragged things out until past two o’clock before going to eat. After the late meal, the four of them just barely caught the last boat.
The island was, in its own way, something else. It looked small — a full loop took less than an hour, and there weren’t many buildings — yet the land area came to nearly a hundred mu. The waters of Erhai Lake were crystalline and lush, rippling in clean waves. Under the blazing afternoon sun, the surface shimmered and sparkled, casting an orange-tinged panorama of beauty.
Ning Sui felt the Sun Palace was worth seeing. She used the photos she had taken earlier to persuade Hu Ke’er, and once they left the island, the group trooped over in high spirits to buy tickets.
Even long after their visit, Hu Ke’er was still sighing: “The wealthy have bathrooms bigger than my entire house. Tell me, when will I ever be able to afford a place this good? Actually forget it — if I ever have that kind of money, I wouldn’t buy a house. I’d buy a small island like that one, and not build a single thing on it. Just raise pigs.”
“…”
The stretch of coastline had been extensively commercialized, with a variety of trendy beverage shops among the businesses. While they were walking, a male internet influencer dressed in hip-hop style came their way, filming a video as he walked. Beside him was a woman who appeared to be his creative director: “Our topic this time is a special feature on local culture and customs in the old town, so we need to gather as much diverse material from as many age groups as possible.”
“The core of comedy is tragedy. Only by uncovering the inner core of different groups can you truly connect with people and create something viral — you understand? For example, the girl over there who was just saying she couldn’t afford to raise pigs — that’s excellent material…”
As she spoke, she led the influencer straight over to Hu Ke’er. He approached with a broad, sunny smile, microphone extended: “Hello, student — you look pretty young. Still in school?”
Hu Ke’er nodded. “Ma’am, we just finished our college entrance exams.”
The woman: “…Ha ha, well why did you come to Shuanglang Old Town?”
“Graduation trip.”
“So how do you feel the college entrance exam went? Are you happy with how it turned out?”
Hu Ke’er: “It was okay — I’m not completely satisfied with myself though.”
“Oh.” The woman exchanged a look with the male influencer. There’s the core right there. She adopted a tone of sympathetic regret: “Did you come here to clear your head after things didn’t go as well as you’d hoped? Which school ended up accepting you?”
“Peking University.”
“…”
The woman’s smile became somewhat strained. The male influencer stepped up, slightly off-balance, and redirected the camera toward Ning Sui: “And how about you, student? How do you feel your performance was? As good as your friend?”
Ning Sui gave it genuine thought: “If I hadn’t skipped some steps on the last big problem in math, it would have been full marks. Everything else I’m fairly satisfied with.”
“…”
The influencer shifted targets again, this time to Xu Zhou: “Are you two pairs couples?”
Xu Zhou: “No — only the one right here is my girlfriend.”
The influencer: “Ha ha, got it. If I may ask — do you feel a lot of pressure, having a girlfriend or female friend who is this accomplished?”
Xu Zhou nodded: “Yes, there’s pressure. I’ve always deeply admired people who can stay steady on the college entrance exam path and follow it through to the end.”
The influencer: “And what schools did you both get into?”
Xu Zhou: “Johns Hopkins.” Shen Qing: “Yale.”
“…”
Was the old town really this competitive now?! This was actually insane!!
A few minutes later, the male influencer dragged his creative director away.
Along the old town’s blue-brick, tiled-roof streets, the sound of a life being fundamentally reconsidered drifted faintly into the distance: “Sis, I think I might be the real core content here.”
—
Dinnertime was approaching, and since no one particularly felt like heading back, they found a local restaurant in the town and also took shelter from the sudden light rain.
Lunch had been late, so Hu Ke’er and Ning Sui weren’t especially hungry and ordered just a Qi-Pot Chicken and one bowl of chicken-strip rice noodles to share.
The students heading to Peking University and Tsinghua University had spontaneously created a Huai’an group chat and were still adding people. The group was named “The 5th Ring Road / Yuanmingyuan Vocational and Technical College Mutual Love Society.” The high of just having finished the exams was too much to contain — messages popped up one by one, the conversation blazing with life.
[Genuine question — what is everyone doing this summer?] [GRE prep, driver’s license, self-study of advanced math :)] [Come on man, ease up] [Checked the note — figures, that’s the rival school next door (666)]
Someone wrote: [Apparently the top ten scorers in the province get tens of thousands in prize money — I’m so jealous. I wonder if it’s true.]
Someone clearly from Gao Hua instantly jumped in: [Just ask Xie Yichen about that, can’t you?]
[Who’s that? The name rings a bell.] [Only the top scorer in our entire province (hands pressed together)] [He’s not in the group, is he?] [The invite was sent but he hasn’t accepted — his Moments show he’s in Dali right now, probably not checking the phone.]
About half the group were from Gao Hua. There wasn’t one among them who hadn’t heard the name Xie Yichen.
One girl tentatively spoke up: [Is he really as good-looking as people say? I haven’t seen any interviews with him.]
[(laughing dog face)] [Are you interested?] [He didn’t give interviews. If you want to see photos, here — this is our school’s anonymous confession and compliment board. You need to enter a code to get in: just search Gao Hua’s founding date. That’ll get you access.] [Haha, I just went and looked — there’s already something in the top hot posts.]
A link was dropped into the chat.
It acted like a fuse. With him not present, a whole crowd launched into enthusiastic discussion.
All kinds of secondhand accounts and rumors.
— Xie Yichen’s personality is genuinely good. He can solve any problem and is excellent at both math competitions and computer science competitions.
— A lot of girls at school have feelings for him. But the way he turns people down is always graceful — he never embarrasses the other person, and he would never casually say anything disparaging about anyone.
— His family background is very good and his parents have a solid, happy relationship. His uncle is a professor at Tsinghua University and has been teaching him mathematics since he was young.
— He’s also quite skilled at computers and got into it early. It seems he even joined the AXIS lab. That VE smart mini-robot that’s been all over the market lately was actually developed by their team.
— Despite all this, he is very humble and has never talked about any of it in front of others.
Ning Sui opened the link someone had dropped, entered the access code, and the page loaded quickly. She immediately spotted a notably prominent HOT thread near the top: [Confessing my feelings for a third-year senior!!!]
The post had gone up back during that year’s winter break — some time ago now, though it had recently been bumped back up, accumulating over a thousand replies.
The original poster wrote: [HELP HELP HELP!! I had a close encounter with Senior Xie Yichen today and my heart is going crazy!!]
[So here’s what happened. I’m the Chinese class representative for our class, and the day before yesterday I was collecting homework to bring up to the teachers’ office on the upper floor. The exercise books were thick and stacked high — quite a struggle for one person to carry. I couldn’t really see the road ahead. The upper floor is the third-year area, and a senior happened to be coming down just as I rushed up. I was going too fast and collided straight into him — pretty hard. I heard a thud, and the books scattered all over the floor.]
[He had a cake in his hands at the time. The collision knocked it over — it fell to the ground and was ruined. I was so embarrassed. I was just about to apologize when he said it first. Not only was he not angry — he actually crouched down to help me pick up all the books.]
[That was the first time I dared look at him up close, and oh my goodness (×5). The lighting on that staircase is so beautiful — it fell in at just the right angle — and that’s when I saw that his eyes are this warm amber color!! My heart literally stopped — you understand what I mean, right?!]
Below this, a long string of: [AHHHHHHH!!]
The original poster continued: [His appearance honestly looks cold and unapproachable, so I really didn’t expect his temperament to be so gentle.]
A reply followed: [+1!! When our team had a technical problem during the business competition, we asked him for help. He was patient the whole time, going back and forth with the organizing committee on our behalf (sobbing face)]
Original poster: [But I think he probably has a girlfriend. Because that strawberry cake was a pretty cute style — was it maybe for some girl? It’s a shame, now that I think about it. I had heard his name for so long, always seeing him at the top of the year-group rankings, and this was the very first time I had a proper face-to-face encounter. I was too flustered and embarrassed and just ran away (crying)]
A reply: [Nooo wait — does Xie Yichen have a girlfriend??] [No no, I checked — don’t panic. Could be some girl who confessed to him and sent the cake as a gift.] [(sobbing) I can’t believe he actually kept it though. He never accepted letters before. I genuinely envy whoever that person is…]
…
The thread had seen quite a bit of traffic at the time. Once the discussion died down, it had become more of a photo collection. Scrolling down, she found candid photos from all kinds of angles and distances — many taken in the classroom buildings or on the sports field, so Zhang Yuge and Lin Shuyu had even ended up in some frames.
About six months later the thread had been bumped up again — because someone had taken the top score for the entire province. Many people from Gao Hua came to the confession board to dig through old posts, and quite a few students from other schools came to see what all the fuss was about.
Ning Sui felt somewhat impressed with herself for having read the entire thread. She didn’t search Xie Yichen’s name directly on the board, since that would probably surface many more threads of exactly the same nature.
Just as she sat there staring at the screen, something warm and slow breathed across the back of her ear.
Ning Sui turned — and there was Xie Yichen, elbow propped lazily on the back of her chair, his dark eyes drifting meaningfully across her phone screen, where a candid shot of him playing basketball was clearly enlarged.
He smiled with great amusement. “What are you looking at?”