Excluding their brief encounter on the stairs last time, it had been three months since they’d properly seen each other.

Such a period wasn’t enough to change a person, yet there was a hint of unfamiliarity and probing in their eyes as they regarded each other. Chen Luzhou hadn’t changed drastically, but he wasn’t entirely the same either.

His gaze remained sharp, his eyelids and the corners of his mouth, which she had kissed several times, were still thin. Xu Zhi had once wondered why Chen Luzhou’s lips, despite being so thin, felt so soft when kissed. His facial features were still handsome and distinct, but the air of detachment around him was heavier than before. He appeared more composed and resolute, like a lone boat that had finally silently docked after drifting at sea for days without a helmsman.

However, when he wasn’t smiling, that unyielding coolness immediately resurfaced.

The cafeteria was crowded, with people coming and going. However, due to its vast size, the various sounds in the spacious dining hall seemed fragmented. The air was filled with the clattering of trays being thrown. Xu Zhi stared at him for a long time, and Chen Luzhou gazed back at her silently, his eyes still sharp but more possessive than before.

He had thought of many opening lines, each awkwardly rolling around in his mouth several times. He was still chewing on a piece of candy, sitting there in the noisy cafeteria amidst intersecting gazes, looking at the person across from him. In the end, he suppressed the tingling sourness in his chest. Having come this far, there was no need for her to know how he got here or what he had gone through in the process.

Chen Luzhou nodded at the pork trotter rice in front of her and asked with a smile, “Is the pork trotter rice good?”

It was just like that night when he helped her fill out her college application form, refusing to let her see it, stingily covering his legs with a blanket. Xu Zhi had provocatively asked, “Is the pork trotter rice good?” implying that with her sharp eyes, she could have seen it that afternoon if she wanted to.

Using this phrase to greet her upon their reunion was somewhat intended to evoke her memories.

But Xu Zhi remained silent, just sitting there, staring at him intently. Li Ke felt that only Chen Luzhou could calmly endure such scrutiny from across the table. The sharp and direct intensity in Xu Zhi’s eyes made his heart tremble, and he couldn’t help but start recalling if he had ever done anything wrong in the past…

At six, breaking someone’s window; at ten, stealing melons with others and being chased by an old man; at sixteen, perhaps deeply hurting a girl’s heart…

But Chen Luzhou was composed. At six, he hadn’t broken anyone’s window; at ten, he hadn’t stolen melons; at sixteen, he hadn’t hurt any girl’s heart. He had only truly been involved with one girl, who was now sitting in front of him, looking like she might cry.

“Don’t you recognize me?” he asked softly.

Xu Zhi calmly replied, “What’s your relationship with Chen Luzhou?”

Chen Luzhou thought for a moment and said, looking at her, “His younger brother, perhaps? Chen Sanzhou?”

The cafeteria was vast and spacious, but Xu Zhi felt the air was stifling. She had barely eaten two bites before putting down her chopsticks, ready to leave. She said coolly to Chen Luzhou, “Fine, let’s keep our distance from now on. After all, your brother should be in Liverpool now.”

It was also on that night when Xu Zhi had said, “I might not necessarily go to Beijing. If A University doesn’t accept me, I might go to Shanghai. Anyway, I won’t tell you where I am then, and you don’t tell me where you’re going abroad.”

Afterward, they both deliberately avoided mentioning this, so hearing Liverpool come from her mouth felt odd. Chen Luzhou had thought she really wouldn’t ask where he was going to study abroad, so he couldn’t help but ask if it was Zhu Yangqi who told her.

“Xu Zhi, I—”

Before he could finish, a clear male voice suddenly interjected from the side, with a familiar urgency, “Xu Zhi, are you done eating? The meeting is about to start.”

Xu Zhi didn’t look at Chen Luzhou again, she just stood up with her tray. The male student was very tall, his face not visible, waiting for her at the tray return area.

Li Ke glanced at Chen Luzhou and only spoke after finishing his coffee, “You don’t know how lively the school was at the beginning of the semester. There was a senior who, rain or shine, brought her breakfast to the dormitory at eight every day. Guess what Xu Zhi told him?”

“What did she say?” Chen Luzhou watched their retreating figures, slowly crunching the candy in his mouth.

“She said, ‘Senior, if you deliver at this time, I’ve already eaten.’ The senior curiously asked, ‘What time do you have breakfast?’ She replied, ‘Four o’clock.’ The senior came back and told his roommates, ‘This girl is not considerate. Even if she had said six o’clock, it wouldn’t have felt like such a complete rejection. Who gets up at four in college?'”

No wonder he couldn’t win her over, giving up so easily.

Chen Luzhou chuckled and turned to look at Li Ke, saying, “She does get up at four.”

On the day they got their ears pierced, chatting casually under the rain shelter, they had discussed their high school routines. Xu Zhi had mentioned that she slept at eleven and woke up at four, maintaining this schedule for over a year. She spoke of it lightly, but only those who had experienced the college entrance exam would know how difficult that was.

Li Ke was stunned, “Really? How do you know?”

The third floor of the second cafeteria was getting more crowded, with the clattering of trays never ceasing. Chen Luzhou felt a tightness in his chest, at first thinking it was congestion, but later realizing it was heartache. He lowered his head and peeled off the newly applied protective film from his student ID card, revealing the fresh side with a youthful photo. Because he hadn’t arrived in time for the start of the semester, the photo used was from his first year of high school. His features weren’t fully developed then, looking like a peeled spring onion, white and tender.

Chen Luzhou sighed and said lazily, “You think it’s easy being a dark horse? It’s exhausting. Ruijun is just an ordinary high school, right? How many top universities have they sent students to over the years? Probably not even many 211 universities. That school has only produced someone like her once in so many years. Without some determination, you really can’t get into a place like this. Li Ke, you probably don’t know how much I admire her. Our grades were produced by the No. 1 High School, in an environment where time, place, and people were all favorable, a result everyone could predict. But she’s different. Her appearance gave hope to many people. Don’t you think that’s cool? Much cooler than us.”

Li Ke was stunned by these words. Indeed, those who sing under the starry sky are merely adding flowers to brocade, while those who struggle in the mud are truly stars in the meaningful sense. Xu Zhi was rare, and he couldn’t help but reflect, “Putting it that way, I have been slacking off lately. Last night I went to bed at two and only got up at eight for class.”

Chen Luzhou sighed again, “Then I’m even worse, I skipped a month of classes.” After saying this, he put his phone and student ID card back in his pocket, then, seemingly casually, asked, “Are there many people pursuing her?”

“Well, quite a few. There were more at the beginning of the semester when everything was new, I guess. I’ve run into her several times on the road, and she’s always being stopped by people asking for her WeChat. It’s calmed down a lot now, maybe because everyone knows she’s not easy to pursue. Even Jiang Yu couldn’t win her over, so no one’s willing to go up and face rejection anymore.”

Chen Luzhou raised an eyebrow, the candy in his mouth had already melted and was very sweet. He asked, “You mean that guy just now?”

Li Ke nodded.

As they stood up to head back to the dormitory, Chen Luzhou, without even seeing the guy’s face clearly, suddenly said, “He’s alright, quite handsome.”

Li Ke: “Come on, you’re just sour.”

Chen Luzhou smiled, and the two of them went downstairs, chatting casually. He lazily put his hands in his pockets, slowly descending the stairs step by step. He was already tall and stood out from the crowd, and with that casual and relaxed air about him, the eyes falling on him never seemed to stop.

He had always been oblivious to these curious or shy glances, ignoring them with his usual ease. He continued chatting with Li Ke about Xu Zhi, not at all concerned about others knowing he had a girl he liked.

Chen Luzhou said, “Really, if she could meet someone serious, and if she wanted to be choosy, I wouldn’t mind. It’s not because of anything else, you probably won’t believe me, but the first time I felt inferior was the day I helped her check her exam results. When I say I admire her, I mean it. If I were thrown into Ruijun High School, I might not even be able to achieve her scores.”

Both admiration and heartache.

Li Ke also chuckled, “That’s true. If you weren’t so competitive, I wouldn’t have achieved these scores either. But, Jiang Yu, his conditions seem quite good in all aspects. I heard he’s a local. I don’t know much else, but as soon as you arrived, I helped you inquire a bit. Xu Zhi is in his department now, and I heard there’s a senior in their department who happens to be Xu Zhi’s roommate. Xu Zhi’s joining the publicity department was encouraged by that senior. Anyway, he’s closer to her than you are.”

**

Next week would be the inter-department basketball tournament, which was the current focus of the publicity department’s work. Xu Zhi was sitting in the temporarily rented meeting room of the department, hugging her laptop and looking at her structural assignment due tomorrow in bewilderment. She had been thinking about Chen Luzhou so much these days that if Xu Gongzhu hadn’t borrowed her PowerPoint just now, she would have completely forgotten about this assignment.

After a while, Jiang Yu came in and handed her the sponsorship form for the basketball tournament. He pulled up a chair and sat across from her, resting his chin on the back of the chair, and said, “I’ve contacted two companies, both showing interest. I’m thinking of going over tomorrow at noon to discuss the specific details. Can you bring your laptop to record their requirements?”

Xu Zhi closed her laptop, took the sponsorship form from his hand, looked at it, and confirmed the time with him: “Tomorrow at noon?”

Jiang Yu made an affirmative sound. He didn’t know why, but Xu Zhi was the kind of person who seemed very indifferent at first glance, detached from worldly desires, but the more you looked at her, the more captivating she became. Especially when she was being sarcastic. During the Mid-Autumn Festival gala, when they were liaising with a company, due to the school’s reputation, most company representatives were quite polite when dealing with them.

But that time they encountered an eccentric company that not only demanded last-minute changes to the plan but was also never satisfied no matter how the plan was modified. Simply put, the company itself lacked strength and had no promotional focus, but they were arrogant and picky. They kept saying things like, “The students from your esteemed school are indeed precious. We cooperate with students from other schools like this, why do we have to give you special privileges?”

Xu Zhi had casually thrown out a line, “It’s not that we want special privileges, it’s that your company lacks special features. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be so difficult.” The other party’s face turned green with anger, but she had hit the nail on the head.

Jiang Yu, still resting on the back of the chair, persisted and asked, “No time?”

“The Youth League secretary has a meeting at noon tomorrow.”

Jiang Yu thought for a moment, “How about in the evening? After the department’s regular meeting?”

“The club also has a meeting. Tomorrow’s meetings will probably end at ten, and the dormitory lights will be out by then.”

“Your whole day is packed? You’re such a busy person,” Jiang Yu said disappointedly. “So there’s no time to even invite you for a meal?”

Xu Zhi coldly hummed in agreement, not even lifting her eyelids. She returned the sponsorship form to him, her eyelashes gently and softly drooping, with a faint tear mole at the bottom of her right eye, making her whole person look cold and ascetic. People in the dormitory had suggested that Jiang Yu try to win her over with money, but Jiang Yu had beaten them up. Xu Zhi was the type who had no interest in money.

Jiang Yu took back the sponsorship form, disappointedly dusted it off, and blew on it, saying, “Then I’ll take Chaochao.”

Chaochao, who was chatting happily with someone about the handsome guys in the cafeteria, turned her head and glared at Jiang Yu when she heard this, “Don’t you dare take me. If I go, you’ll just treat me like an assistant, even sending me to buy cigarettes.”

Jiang Yu: “I’m taking you.”

Chaochao wailed and swore she wouldn’t go, crying and begging Xu Zhi to save her. Xu Zhi patted her head, truly unable to help, and said, “I have a meeting at noon tomorrow, the Youth League secretary’s regular meeting, and our department has a full day of classes tomorrow.”

Monday was generally a full day of classes for all departments, so Monday morning was considered the busiest and most vibrant day at the school. Especially after returning from the National Day holiday, as the weather gradually turned cold, there were many enthusiastic top students, all vying to be the first plum blossom to bloom in the cold wind.

It was just entering autumn then, and daybreak came relatively early. Around 4:30 AM, the sky was already showing a fish-belly white. Outside the window, it was gray and misty. Opposite the girls’ dormitory was a small wood, with a tree-lined path scattered with yellow fallen leaves on pebbles. Occasionally, someone would walk by, making a soft rustling sound.

By the time Xu Zhi had finished washing up and completed the rest of her structural assignment, and was heading downstairs for breakfast, she saw that first plum blossom in the cold wind right outside the dormitory building.

Chen Luzhou was wearing a gray hoodie and a pair of sports pants with side stripes. The logos on both his clothes and pants were still from that niche brand he liked. Almost all of his clothes were from this brand. Xu Zhi later searched for model photos of this brand online, and after her search, she didn’t even have the desire to open the full-sized images. The models were all foreigners, and the outfits were quite questionable, like sweaters paired with shorts, and shirts with leather pants, and the prices weren’t cheap either.

Xu Zhi had very curiously asked him why he liked this brand, and Chen Luzhou had been quite embarrassed to say that it was recommended by a model friend from his mother’s TV station. Because he was tall with exceptionally good proportions, it was very difficult for him to find clothes that fit well. The pant legs were either too short or too big. This brand was said to be popular among male models.

It was already 6 o’clock by then, and the cafeteria usually opened at this time. She typically came down around this time too.

When Chen Luzhou walked up to her, Xu Zhi felt that the sky behind him had brightened a bit, with the morning light gently scattering through his hair. He had his hands in his pockets, looking down at her from his height. He just gazed at her dispassionately for a long while before saying, “Want to have breakfast together?”

Chen Luzhou had imagined many scenarios for this conversation, but he didn’t expect to end up back in this noisy, bustling cafeteria. However, at this hour, the cafeteria wasn’t very crowded, a bit quieter than last night, but the clattering of trays could still be heard from time to time.

Xu Zhi came over after finishing her breakfast. As she turned to grab a spoon, Chen Luzhou placed one directly into her bowl. She paused for a moment, then turned to get chopsticks, only for Chen Luzhou to set them beside her. In the next instant, a small dish of vinegar appeared in front of her, and he nodded toward the soup dumplings on her plate.

Xu Zhi had no choice but to sit down.

“What time did you come over?”

Chen Luzhou had only taken a bottle of milk and a boiled egg. He tapped the egg twice and absentmindedly began to peel it. “Four o’clock.”

Xu Zhi replied, “You didn’t text me first?”

Chen Luzhou shot her a glance. “I did text you. Did you reply?”

Last night, he had sent her a message, but given that Xu Zhi had stayed up late working on a structural diagram, getting only three to four hours of sleep, she hadn’t responded to his unhelpful message that simply asked, “Are you there?”

“I know you’re busy today,” Chen Luzhou said, still peeling the egg. “I just wanted to say a couple of things. It won’t take much of your time.”

“How do you know I’m busy today?”

With lazy eyelids, Chen Luzhou placed the peeled egg into her bowl. “Just so happens that Liu Yisi’s boyfriend from your dorm is my roommate. I got the course schedule, student council meeting, department meeting, and club meeting from him. Quite a few titles you have there; have you gotten addicted to being in charge?”

Author’s Note: Chen Luzhou: This is how you pursue someone.

The rest of the chapter is just their interactions, and I guarantee you’ll find it entertaining. Reading is all about enjoyment, so let’s all have fun.