Ning Sui hadn’t known any of this had happened in the background.

During that time, Xie Yichen had been very busy with his coursework. Not wanting to disturb him — and since the matter had reversed itself within a matter of days — she had never brought it up with him from start to finish.

And he had done all of this for her without saying a word. Without making a sound, he had quietly resolved the problem entirely.

The others were still discussing it animatedly. Ning Sui blinked and quietly raised her eyes, looking over at the figure leaning casually against the bar.

Back when Xia Fanghui and Ning Deyan used to fight, she had often told him that he made her feel insecure.

And then her father would argue sophistically that “sense of security” was too vague and too subjective a concept — could she please be more specific, as that would make it easier for him to improve.

A single sentence, and he’d stop Fang-fang — who won arguments through sheer volume rather than logic — dead in her tracks. If she tried to be specific, the words wouldn’t come — it was just a feeling, that’s all.

Ning Sui thought to herself now: a sense of security lives in exactly these kinds of small details.

These details and gestures are what tell you — there will always be someone standing behind you, shielding you from the wind and rain, clearing the thorns from your path. Even when you say nothing at all.

— A sense of security is a form of faith.

Just then, it was time for Cui Xian to cut her cake. When it was brought out, it turned out to be an absurd novelty design — Patrick Star, bent over with his bottom in the air, two chubby pink cartoon cheeks front and center. The chocolate plaque on top had two lines of text: the first, in large letters, read “Wishing Xian-xian baby a life never short of love!” And below, in a smaller, tucked-away line: “Or short of people to make love with.”

A chorus of gleeful screaming erupted from nearby. Cui Xian’s boyfriend was sitting right beside her, and she couldn’t help but shriek, her face burning red: “Who ordered this cake?!”

Hu Ke’er raised her hand with a supremely smug expression, waggling her eyebrows: “Obviously your daddy.”

Cui Xian immediately jumped up, grabbed a long balloon from nearby, and chased Hu Ke’er around with it. The two of them ran circles around the room while the people watching broke out their phones to take photos, and someone with an eye for chaos even started playing background music for accompaniment.

Outside the windows the city lights glittered. Inside, the room rang with laughter.

After a long chase, both of them were exhausted, and collapsed onto the leather sofa to shake hands and make peace. But one veteran of the scene sidled over with a knowing look, nudging Cui Xian conspiratorially: “Xian, why are you so flustered? Don’t tell me you and Liang Zheng still haven’t……”

She made an expressive gesture with her fingers.

Everyone present understood immediately.

“……”

The color Cui Xian had just managed to let fade from her cheeks surged back in full force. She and her boyfriend were both hopelessly wholesome romantics, and this topic left both of them flustered and mortified. Cui Xian was on the verge of losing her composure: “We haven’t — and isn’t that completely normal?!”

The upperclassman’s glance swept the room with great dramatic flair, and she dropped a bombshell: “Not necessarily. From what I know, a certain someone at this table has already gotten quite comfortable on that front.”

At this revelation, the room exploded: “Who? Who?”

Everyone’s eyes darted around with eagle-eyed sharpness. Observations were made. Some people at the table quietly dropped their gazes, and some others developed a suddenly shifty quality to their eyes. Combined with the upperclassman’s meaningful glances, the picture gradually became clearer — the room crackled with quiet electricity.

“Oh my god, Chong-ge — you’re not a virgin?!”

“Who did you do it with?!”

Wang Chong, determined to drag someone else down with him: “A’Can isn’t either!”

“Oh ho ho!”

“A’Can — the quiet ones truly are the unpredictable ones!”

The ones being teased turned scarlet: “We’re in our second and third year — isn’t this completely normal?!”

Everyone was carrying on in various states of uproar. Amid the chaos of shrieks and wails, Hu Ke’er turned to look at Ning Sui, curiosity piqued, lowering her voice: “Bao’er.”

Ning Sui: “Hmm?”

“You and Xie Yichen……”

Ning Sui looked at her quietly.

Hu Ke’er: “Oh my god, can Brother Chen even — why are you two still so wholesome?”

Ning Sui: “……”

Let’s not go there.

For the entirety of the winter holiday, Fang-fang had been keeping a very close watch on her — staying out all night had been absolutely out of the question.

Everyone had a wonderful time. Drinks flowed freely, and they all left with arms around each other’s shoulders, still not quite ready for the night to end.

Ning Sui hadn’t had much to drink and was still clear-headed. She had just about gathered her things and was going to call out to Xie Yichen when she noticed him already making his way over, single shoulder strap of his bag across one arm.

Xie Yichen was dressed all in black tonight — a lapel jacket that hung loose and sharp on his frame at once.

He took her hand naturally. Ning Sui asked: “Did you finish sorting out the Shanying stuff?”

“Don’t worry, it’s handled.”

It was just past nine — still early. Ning Sui ventured: “So you’re not busy for the rest of the evening?”

“Mm.” Xie Yichen glanced at her sidelong, a faint smile pressed at the corner of his lips: “Want to walk around out here for a bit before heading back?”

The suggestion was exactly what Ning Sui was hoping for. Her eyes lit up and she nodded.

Cui Xian had drunk too much, and a few people scrambled to help her boyfriend get her into a taxi before finally going their separate ways.

The surrounding area was an older commercial street lined with outdoor stalls — very down-to-earth and unassuming, with only a scattering of storefronts that had any decent fitout. Xie Yichen and Ning Sui stayed behind, hand in hand, strolling at an unhurried pace along the street.

Ning Sui didn’t have a particularly strong urge to shop — what she mainly loved was the feeling of walking side by side, pressed close to each other.

Drifting along, glancing and pausing, she felt that as long as this person was beside her, everything they encountered was interesting.

The Beijing night air was cool and refreshing. They even ran into someone selling coconut water on the street — the vendor called out in a perfectly authentic Beijing accent: “Have you eaten yet! Hainan coconuts — self-service or do you want me to do the honors?”

Ning Sui: “?”

The old man grinned and explained: “Meaning — do you want to open it yourself, or do you want me to chop it open for you?”

She’d heard of places in the northeast selling ice cream in the dead of winter, but selling coconuts was a first. Ning Sui was a little tempted.

Before she could say anything, a gentle tug on her wrist — Xie Yichen looked down and said: “It’s too cold. Not good for your stomach.”

Reminded of this, Ning Sui wavered too. She studied the pile of coconuts for a moment, then said with reluctant resignation: “Then forget it.”

The look on her face was so pitiful it was almost comical. Xie Yichen gave a small click of his tongue and reached up to pinch her cheek: “You really want it?”

Ning Sui moistened her lips: “A little bit.”

Xie Yichen turned back to the vendor: “One, please — thank you.”

Ning Sui blinked: “You just said it was cold.”

Xie Yichen said: “I’ll warm it first. Once it’s warm, you can drink it.”

The old man, who clearly knew his business, had the coconut chopped in no time. As they turned to leave, he couldn’t resist giving Ning Sui a parting compliment: “Miss, your boyfriend treats you very well.”

Ning Sui glanced sideways at Xie Yichen. This person, in one unhurried motion, unzipped his jacket, and with the other hand tucked the little coconut right against his chest — she had actually thought he was joking.

They continued walking as usual beneath the glowing streetlamps. Seeming to notice her gaze, Xie Yichen looked over with a half-smile: “What?”

“……”

Ning Sui’s mind wandered involuntarily to the side.

She just wanted to understand how anyone could carry a coconut tucked against their chest and still look as effortlessly cool as someone about to step onto a basketball court.

Further up the street, they spotted a bright new comprehensive supermarket. There was a row of seats along the window. Ning Sui wanted to go in and pick up a few things, and sit down to rest for a bit — it was warm inside, so Xie Yichen wouldn’t have to keep holding the coconut against himself.

But just as they approached the entrance, the doors opened from inside, and a couple came out mid-argument.

The girl was dressed in a sweet, girlish style and looked very young. She was sipping a carton of yogurt as she complained: “You just don’t care about me. During the New Year holiday, I was the one who took the high-speed train all the way to see you. You never once thought to come to my city. And every time we meet, it’s me coming to you — your place never has any essentials prepared for me. You keep promising gifts and painting these grand pictures, but I’ve never actually received a single one.”

The man was impeccably dressed, radiating an air of polished professionalism, and was dutifully following behind her, patiently explaining: “But people express love differently. I feel like I love you a lot, baby. Look — didn’t I come to the high-speed rail station to pick you up? For me, picking you up already shows how much I care.”

“And cutting back on spending recently is all for our future together. What I spend now is less for later — I’m working hard to save up for our wedding. You need to understand and appreciate that a little, don’t you think?”

“……”

The girl was momentarily stunned into silence by his shameless logic. Then she looked up and saw Xie Yichen and Ning Sui walking over, and was struck by an entirely new kind of stunned.

“Are you kidding me. In this day and age, there are actually tall, handsome guys using their abs to warm coconuts for their girlfriends.”

She turned and looked at the man beside her — greasy face and all — and was silent for a few seconds before she offered a genuine and heartfelt suggestion: “Maybe you should do the understanding thing and kindly remove yourself from my life.”

“……”

—

Ning Sui settled comfortably into the window-side high stool and contentedly sipped her sweet, warm coconut juice.

Not that she would ever advocate for breaking up a marriage, but helping a young girl escape a miserable situation — that surely counted as an act of virtue.

Xie Yichen sat beside her. He didn’t seem to have any interest in drinking any, so Ning Sui held the coconut and earnestly drank away on her own.

When she finally finished with satisfaction and looked up, she found Xie Yichen propping his chin in his hand, watching her with full, focused attention.

Ning Sui’s heart gave a small jolt. She pressed her lips together and ventured: “That was actually pretty good.”

He responded lazily: “Mm.”

Her eyes drifted to the shelf beside them stocked with colorful lollipops. She added: “The not-cloying kind of sweet.”

Xie Yichen raised a brow: “Let me try some.”

Ning Sui paused and looked down at the coconut: “……It seems I’ve already finished it.”

She felt a little guilty, and offered in good faith: “If you want to try some, we could go back and buy another one?”

Her lips still held a faint, translucent sheen of moisture, making them look especially vivid and inviting.

Xie Yichen lowered his gaze: “No need for the trouble. I’ll find some right here.”

Oh right — this was a supermarket.

“Then let me look——”

Before she could finish, he reached over and pressed her still, lowered his head without ceremony, and kissed her squarely on the lips.

“Mm.”

Xie Yichen’s low laugh drifted past her ear: “Found it.”

“……”

There were a handful of people passing nearby.

Ning Sui froze, and though the tips of her ears had gone red, her expression stayed perfectly composed. She gave him one quiet, wordless look, then hopped down from the high stool and headed deeper into the store: “I want to look around.”

Xie Yichen, hands in his pockets, followed behind her at an unhurried pace — and the moment before Ning Sui could reach for a shopping cart, he stepped forward and pulled the handlebar: “I’ve got it.”

All around them were shelves upon shelves of goods. The two of them pushed a cart together and began wandering through the aisles.

The store was large. The produce section was right ahead, with strawberries and grapes looking plump and gorgeous, and white peaches in a soft, blush pink.

Xie Yichen noticed Ning Sui eyeing the display with considerable interest: “Any fruit you feel like having?”

Ever since they’d come back from Yunnan, Ning Sui had developed a fondness for dragon fruit. But considering they were more than ten kilometers from campus and she’d have to carry things all the way back, she shook her head and said: “It’s fine. I’m just looking.”

She said this with her mouth, but her bright, eager eyes were still trailing reluctantly over the display.

Little greedy kitten.

Xie Yichen couldn’t suppress a smile and went ahead to pick up the small golden dragon fruit she liked, placing it in the cart: “Get it. I have a backpack.”

Those peach-blossom eyes lit up immediately, and she fell into step right at his side.

“When I was little, I always had a dream — to open a supermarket.”

Xie Yichen glanced over with amusement: “Why?”

Ning Sui said with wonder: “I just thought it felt so warm and alive — the everyday textures of life, rice and oil and salt and vinegar, and whatever you wanted would be right there in your own store. That feeling must be wonderful.”

Xie Yichen’s steps slowed for just a beat, then he gave a quiet, soft laugh and murmured in acknowledgment.

They did a full loop of the store, came across a section selling cotton home loungewear, tossed in a few small snacks on impulse, then made their way to the checkout counter.

Two or three people were in line ahead of them. While they waited, Ning Sui happened to catch sight of a young man reaching toward the rack beside the card reader — and picking up two small boxes from among the rows of brightly packaged items displayed there.

“……”

Several seconds passed before she realized what they were. Her gaze snapped away as though burned, and her lashes gave an involuntary flutter.

The couple paid quickly and left. Now it was their turn.

The items were right there, close enough to touch. The brand name printed on the packaging was clearly visible in English. Ning Sui’s heart thumped quietly. She concentrated carefully on keeping her eyes from drifting in that direction.

The warm, low scent of the person beside her enveloped her. She kept her head down, and from the corner of her eye watched his knuckle-defined fingers scan the QR code to pay.

Xie Yichen appeared completely unfazed. He packed all the purchased items into his backpack, and the two of them filed out of the store one after the other, continuing down the street. The streetlamps on either side cast a faint golden light, illuminating the drifting motes of dust in the spring night air.

Noticing Ning Sui shuffling along slowly behind him, Xie Yichen raised a brow, his tone unreadable: “What are you doing — planning to walk all the way to tomorrow before we get back?”

Ning Sui looked up and buried her nose a little deeper into her collar, sounding perfectly composed: “Oh. I’m generating heat through friction.”

“……”

Xie Yichen’s lashes stirred and he reached out to touch her fingertips: “Cold?”

She was, actually.

April nights in Beijing still had a chill. Ning Sui was only wearing a light knit sweater with no extra layers for warmth. She had meant to bring gloves when she left the dormitory, but in the rush of getting Cui Xian’s birthday present together, she had completely forgotten.

Xie Yichen’s gaze dropped briefly, and without further delay, he unwound his own scarf and draped it around her.

Ning Sui noticed the scarf was the very one she had given him — the one printed with mathematical formulas. Yet it still looked nearly new. All those fragile little tasseled edges she had assumed would fray long ago were completely intact, perfectly preserved.

He carefully wound the scarf around her in several loops, then reached down and took her hand, tucking it into his own pocket.

His hands were large, wrapping her fingertips inside his palm, and in an instant warmth came pouring through — truly like a portable hand warmer.

Ning Sui blinked and couldn’t help but drift closer in his direction.

The two of them walked on slowly.

The posture felt deeply reassuring. She simply pulled her other arm in too, winding it tightly around his.

She was just about to say something when — a low, rolling boom — thunder sounded suddenly overhead.

Before they could find anywhere along the nearby street to take shelter, the rain had already begun to fall in a light, pattering drizzle. Then, what started as scattered drops steadily became a howling wind, and leaves along the roadside branches began to shake and tremble.

April wasn’t really rainy season, but Beijing’s spring rain came when it wanted to. They had walked about a few dozen meters from the supermarket, with no umbrella and no obvious storefront nearby to duck into. Xie Yichen steered Ning Sui back quickly and the two of them retreated to take cover.

When they stepped back into the bright-lit supermarket, both of them were damp to varying degrees.

In that brief rush, the stray hair framing Ning Sui’s face was already completely soaked through. Xie Yichen had shielded her from the rain on the way back, and now his outer jacket was thoroughly wet too, the black fabric mottled with patches of dark and light where the water had soaked through.

Rainwater trickled down his sharp, defined jawline and dripped. Xie Yichen went back in and bought a towel, dried Ning Sui’s hair and shoulders first, and only then took care of himself.

By now, outside had turned into a full downpour. The sky was pitch black, water streaming and rushing over the thoroughly soaked pavement.

Inside and outside felt like two entirely different worlds. Even just standing at the entrance, Ning Sui could feel the cold, damp chill pressing against her face.

“You need to change into dry clothes as soon as possible — otherwise you’ll catch cold.” Xie Yichen pressed the scarf affectionately onto her head and tucked it snugly around her. “But getting a taxi back right now will probably take a very long time.”

At this hour, the ride-hailing app queue was probably in the hundreds.

Ning Sui pulled her collar close, moistened her lips, and said very quietly: “I think there’s some clothing for sale inside the supermarket.”

Through the heavy curtain of rain, the view outside had blurred into indistinction. But across the street, the neon lights continued to flash and glow — as though each one had condensed into a soft, hazy point of light.

“Or we could…… just go back tomorrow……” Ning Sui’s voice grew even quieter. “That works too.”

Xie Yichen followed her gaze, and his eyes came to a sudden stop.

— In the narrow storefront across the way, a pink sign hung above the entrance, light and shadow mingling in an ambiguous blur.

The words “Open 24 Hours” blazed brilliantly bright.