Talking with him right now, Shu Nian felt like she was chatting with her psychologist Wang Yue. She confided in him, and he provided timely and correct guidance, gave her encouragement, and helped her emotions gradually calm down.

But it also felt somewhat different.

Shu Nian had once read online that when seeing a psychologist, such situations often occurred.

Because one opens up completely to the psychologist, feeling that only they can understand oneself, feeling relaxed when with them, and then a special feeling develops.

Not the kind of feeling between doctor and patient, but one more inclined toward male-female attraction, a feeling that makes one’s heart race.

Shu Nian had never felt this way with Wang Yue, but at this moment, she felt like she had found it with Xie Ruhe. It was an emotion that made her mind go blank, leaving her completely unsure of how to react.

It was an emotion she was tasting for the first time in all her years.

Shu Nian hesitantly asked: “Find you… really?”

Xie Ruhe raised his hand, hesitated for two seconds, then continued to lift it, comfortingly patting her head and firmly repeating: “Yes, you can find me.”

Once, you illuminated my world.

Now that you’ve fallen into the abyss, even if I can barely protect myself, I’m willing to rush in without regard for my safety to rescue you.

I’m also willing to take the light you gave me, cup it in both hands and return it to you.

Xie Ruhe didn’t let Shu Nian see him off, instead calling Fang Wencheng to come up and help him down. Standing at the stairway entrance, he said goodbye to her: “Then we’ll set off fireworks together next time.”

Shu Nian nodded slightly: “Okay, goodbye.”

She watched their retreating figures, lowered her eyes, and casually brought the bucket by the door inside.

Shu Nian crouched against the door, hugging her legs, seeming lost. Who knows what she was thinking? After a long while, she suddenly stood up and bounced back to her room with bare feet.

But she quickly remembered how late it was and immediately quieted her movements.

She took her clothes to the bathroom and quickly showered, her brain like a pink-bubbling paste being stirred about, no longer feeling that fear.

She felt as if she were filled with something else, her heart full and brimming.

Shu Nian covered her face as hot water slid down from the top of her head, clear and bright, washing away all negative emotions and cleansing the thoughts that had arisen in that instant.

She inexplicably recalled Xie Ruhe’s appearance again.

His short, fine hair; dark, bright almond eyes; dense, long eyelashes covering them like raven feathers; straight nose bridge; lips like flower petals. When he spoke seriously, he would lower his eyes, as if radiating charm, and the corners of his lips would curve slightly.

His figure was slender yet tall, his demeanor noble and outstanding.

He was somewhat good-looking.

Was he somewhat good-looking?

Shu Nian dazedly put on her clothes and returned to her room while drying her hair with a towel. Fresh from the shower, water droplets still fell from her hair tips, her face fair with a light pink flush on both cheeks.

She sniffled and whispered: “Handsome.”

The soft sound dissolved in the quiet room, merging with the air.

Shu Nian instantly came to her senses, realizing what she had said, and hurriedly tossed aside the towel in her hand. She raised her head as if struck dumb and forcefully knocked on her forehead.

Could it be that she had improper thoughts about Xie Ruhe…

“Don’t overthink things,” Shu Nian said in a muffled tone, then emphasized again as if to reinforce, “Don’t overthink things.”

Not wanting to let her mind wander, Shu Nian decided to find something to do. She picked up the script on her bedside table and used a highlighter to mark her lines, reading one aloud: “How can this man radiate such a deadly attraction…”

“…” Shu Nian pursed her lips, turned a page, and continued marking, “Qianqian, I’ve fallen for a friend of mine, what should I do?”

Shu Nian: “…”

She capped her pen, fell backward, buried her face in the pillow, and kicked her feet forcefully in the air. After a long while, Shu Nian calmed down, feeling somewhat confused and helpless.

Shu Nian picked up her phone and searched online for “what to do if you fall for your good friend,” seeing a row of negative answers. She immediately exited and recalled the previous scene.

She paused, hesitantly changing “good friend” to “psychologist.”

Most answers suggested it was due to empathy, finding support during vulnerable moments, becoming dependent on one’s psychologist, and possibly misinterpreting these emotions as love.

Shu Nian naively processed these words.

She exhaled, no longer continuing to read this content, and casually opened WeChat. Only then did she discover that Xie Ruhe had sent her several messages—

[I’m coming over to find you now.]

[What’s wrong with you?]

[I’m at your doorstep.]

Shu Nian licked her lips, not knowing how to respond.

Noticing a red dot on her contacts, Shu Nian instinctively clicked on it—it was a friend request. She glanced at the profile; the person in the avatar was Xu Zeyuan, with a note: [Shu Nian, I’m Xu Zeyuan, I want to talk to you.]

Her gaze paused for a second before she directly exited. Then, she replied to Xie Ruhe: [Take care on the way.]

It had been over a month since she last saw Xu Zeyuan.

Shu Nian had almost forgotten this person. She thought that since his fame had grown, he should be busy with many things every day and shouldn’t contact someone as insignificant as her again.

But he came looking for her again.

Shu Nian didn’t quite understand him.

When she first entered school, her initial impression of him was quite poor. She thought he was frivolous, careless, and playful, always appearing around her for no reason and saying bizarre things.

Later he confessed to her, saying he liked her from the first time he saw her.

Yet he always maintained an ambiguous attitude with other girls, seeming flirtatious everywhere, spreading his affection widely. Shu Nian had no good feelings toward him and always thought he wasn’t a serious person.

She always spoke directly, and when rejecting him, she didn’t know how to be tactful at all, which greatly impacted Xu Zeyuan and made him quiet down for a period.

Seeing Xu Zeyuan again was quite sometime later.

That day, Shu Nian came out of the library, and it was raining heavily outside. She was about to leave with her umbrella when she heard him calling her, saying he didn’t bring an umbrella.

Shu Nian hesitated but decided to accompany him back.

Along the way, Xu Zeyuan hardly spoke. Shu Nian also had nothing to say and planned to lend him the umbrella since the girls’ dormitory wasn’t far, and she could just run back.

But the next moment, Xu Zeyuan immediately tilted the umbrella, covering her head completely.

His body was exposed to the rain again, being washed by the heavy downpour.

It reminded her of Xie Ruhe back then.

It also reminded her of her past self, who didn’t think things through clearly, who judged based on a few details and made assumptions, who was somewhat superficial, quickly labeling good people as bad.

Shu Nian felt she had made the same mistake as Xu Zeyuan.

She reflected on this glumly for a while.

Afterward, Shu Nian changed her attitude toward Xu Zeyuan, no longer resisting him as before, and gradually they became friends. Through their interactions, she discovered that her previous impressions of him were indeed misunderstandings.

He was just a playful, grown-up boy.

He knew how to maintain appropriate boundaries with other girls and took serious matters seriously.

At the end of the first semester of junior year, Xu Zeyuan confessed to her again.

Shu Nian didn’t know if she could be considered to like him, but she did find being with him not unpleasant, even quite comfortable. She thought for a long time and finally agreed.

A boy who had persisted in pursuing her for two and a half years.

There would always be times of softened resolve.

Shu Nian didn’t know if her decision was correct, but at that time, she was indeed very serious about this relationship. She always thought that after starting to date, their interactions wouldn’t change much from before.

But she forgot that there would be intimate behaviors between couples.

Shu Nian wasn’t very comfortable with this and found it awkward. Because of this, she once took the initiative to talk with Xu Zeyuan.

Xu Zeyuan indicated that he didn’t mind and was willing to progress gradually.

Less than half a year later, Xu Zeyuan broke up with her.

This sudden breakup, for Shu Nian at that time, was just another handful of salt sprinkled on an already torn wound. For her, it was an almost numb feeling.

This brief romance also told her a fact.

Xu Zeyuan didn’t like her as much as he had previously shown. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen to retreat completely when she fell to her lowest point.

So now that he came looking for her, Shu Nian really couldn’t understand the reason.

But the appearance of this person also helped her suppress the small spark that had just appeared for Xie Ruhe.

Shu Nian looked at Xie Ruhe’s reply, her expression dazed.

Xie Ruhe: [Alright, sleep early.]

She didn’t reply further.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or truth, it wasn’t something she should be thinking about now. Before her illness was completely cured, she shouldn’t harm anyone. Especially not Xie Ruhe.

He was her best friend.

On the return journey.

Xie Ruhe’s appearance wasn’t as gentle as when he was with Shu Nian; a faint gloom hung between his brows as he stared fixedly at the scenery rushing backward outside the window. He emanated an extremely unbearable emotion.

Fang Wencheng drove in silence, not daring to speak.

After a while, Xie Ruhe said softly: “Go investigate what happened to Shu Nian before.”

Before Fang Wencheng could respond, Xie Ruhe suddenly recalled his conversation with Shu Nian.

—”What happened to you today?”

—”Can I not talk about it?”

It was something she didn’t want others to know.

And she didn’t want him to know either.

Xie Ruhe’s jaw muscles tightened, and the lines of his features straightened. His figure was buried in darkness, cast in alternating light and shadow from outside the window, his expression obscure and somber, seeming extremely distressed.

Fang Wencheng nodded and responded: “Alright.”

Xie Ruhe closed his eyes briefly, his voice hoarse and defeated: “Forget it.”

Fang Wencheng nodded again, not asking further: “Okay.”

The car fell silent.

After a while, Fang Wencheng hesitated and brought up an issue: “Young Master, your grandfather called and said your father is seriously ill. He hopes you can go see him.”

“…” Xie Ruhe’s eyelids moved as if it had been a long time since he’d heard of this person, and he suddenly looked up. He curved the corners of his lips, his almond eyes slightly raised: “My father?”

Fang Wencheng pressed on reluctantly: “Yes.”

Xie Ruhe instantly withdrew his smile, his voice cold as an ice blade, sharp and merciless, easily able to slice through one’s flesh, extremely bitter.

“He’s not dead yet?”