Term began.

For Zhu Yun, who had returned two weeks early and been working until the moonlight grew hazy each night, the start of term didn’t feel like much of anything at all.

Maybe having classes would mean she could relax a little?

The automotive company project was finished, and the workspace was currently in a resting phase.

She was sitting in class when her phone buzzed — a bank notification, informing her of a change in her account balance.

The boss really was reliable. He never held back wages.

Zhu Yun looked up. She was sitting toward the back and could see the entire classroom from here. Li Xun hadn’t come to this class. The teacher had taken attendance before the lesson — his bad luck.

Nobody dared answer for Li Xun. His distinguishing features were too obvious — the whole class would see straight through it.

After the lesson, someone came to find Zhu Yun in the classroom. It was the C language class representative from the second cohort.

“Teacher Lin wants you to come to the office.”

“…Oh.”

What for? Term had only been on for three days, and his class hadn’t even started yet.

“It’s probably good news,” the class representative recalled. “Teacher Lin looked happy.”

Zhu Yun had no idea what to make of this. She picked up her bag and headed to the office. From some distance away, she could already hear the sound of Old Teacher Lin in the grip of barely-contained fury —

“What am I supposed to say to you — what do you think you’re doing, you impossibly inconsiderate —!”

Zhu Yun’s feet slowed. This was him looking happy?

She approached slowly. The door was not fully shut. She peered through the gap.

Well, well.

Wasn’t that their top scholar himself.

Only Old Teacher Lin and Li Xun were in the room. Li Xun had clearly reached the outer limits of his patience, but out of some residual deference to Teacher Lin, he could not simply leave. He was leaning against the desk, staring fixedly at the potted plant on the adjacent table.

Zhu Yun knocked gently.

Both of them turned. Li Xun came back to life instantly — he shot out a long arm and reeled Zhu Yun in.

“Her.” Li Xun deposited Zhu Yun squarely in front of Old Teacher Lin.

Zhu Yun attempted to reclaim sovereignty over her own body. Li Xun’s hand had closed around the back of her neck, and she could not move an inch.

“Send her.”

Send her where? Let go of me first.

Even Teacher Lin came to her aid. “Take your hands off her. You and your grabbing.”

Li Xun released her, and apparently decided he had no further reason to stay. He made to leave. Teacher Lin stepped forward and shut the door.

“You stay right there!”

After some further back and forth, Zhu Yun finally understood what was happening.

The class representative from the second cohort had been right — it really was good news. The software they had built for Blue Crown had won first prize in the National University Student Technology Innovation Award.

“I genuinely cannot —” Li Xun looked deeply pained. His hand went toward his pocket, and Zhu Yun knew from the gesture exactly what he was reaching for. She kicked him in the ankle. Li Xun glared at her.

We are in a teacher’s office. Could you show the slightest restraint?

“…” Li Xun appeared to receive Zhu Yun’s unspoken communication. He withdrew his hand.

“It’s just attending an event. How much of your time can it possibly take?” Old Teacher Lin was still working on Li Xun.

Li Xun tilted his chin at Zhu Yun. “Send her.”

“You all have to go! And Gao Jianhong too — the three of you as a team!”

Zhu Yun blinked. As a team for what, exactly?

Li Xun made to turn around again. Teacher Lin physically turned him back.

“At the event you’ll meet outstanding students from all over the country — the exchange alone is worth your while. And it’ll be good preparation for the mid-year computer security competition. What an opportunity. How can you not see that?”

A competition?

What competition?

Could someone please explain this to her.

“Not interested.” The great gentleman Li Xun was not about to extend anyone any face.

Old Teacher Lin stared at him in disbelief, then rounded on Zhu Yun. “Did you hear that? Did you just hear what he said?! Does he think they’re guaranteed to win if they go?”

Zhu Yun: “Not necessarily —”

Li Xun: “Correct.”

Teacher Lin’s face went thoroughly red. He threw back his head and roared: “Li Xun! Do not let that head of yours get any bigger!”

Zhu Yun hurriedly handed over the tea mug and tried to smooth things over.

“Teacher, don’t get upset. Let’s talk it through calmly.”

Old Teacher Lin took the mug and drank from it in loud, agitated gulps.

Li Xun, taking advantage of the moment Teacher Lin’s head was tilted back, unfolded his long legs and slipped out of the office. On his way out he shot Zhu Yun a look. You handle the rest.

Teacher Lin set down the mug and turned to find Li Xun had vanished. His blood pressure immediately spiked again.

“He’ll be the death of me!” He fixed Zhu Yun with a glare. “I’ve seen plenty of brilliant students in my time — but one like him is genuinely unprecedented!”

Zhu Yun stood to one side and kept offering sounds of agreement. “I’ve never encountered anyone quite like him either. It’s infuriating!”

Teacher Lin exhaled a long sigh and sat down.

“Such a good opportunity…”

Zhu Yun didn’t respond to that.

Teacher Lin composed himself somewhat, then continued: “The competition can wait, but you must attend the event. The software you built was excellent — several medical institutions have already come to the school to inquire about it. The contract you signed with the food company — what exactly did it cover in terms of further development on the core functionality? Send me the contract later and I’ll have someone look it over for you.”

Zhu Yun was surprised to hear it. It was just a small piece of software — was it really attracting that much attention?

“Don’t go getting smug!” Teacher Lin immediately doused the thought. “Zhu Yun, do not follow in that infuriating boy’s footsteps — arrogant, wilful, treating everything beneath his notice!”

“…Yes.”

Teacher Lin frowned, muttering to himself with residual indignation.

“…With that temperament of his, he’ll come a cropper sooner or later.”

Zhu Yun pushed open the workspace door, walked straight up to Li Xun, and stuck a note on his computer screen with the event schedule written on it.

The note landed directly over the compiler window. Li Xun was entirely unfazed, and without pausing for a moment began typing blind.

Blind typing complete, he moved on to blind testing.

Blind testing complete, he proceeded to set breakpoints blind.

You must be some kind of deity.

Zhu Yun admitted defeat and peeled the note off, then sat down nearby.

“It’s just a small event. They’ll present the award. Teacher Lin specifically arranged this —” Before Li Xun could object, she added pointedly, “— arranged it for you.”

Li Xun rubbed his eyes. He was visibly disinclined to pursue the subject further.

Zhu Yun tried to find a different angle.

“There’s prize money.”

Li Xun yawned. “Not enough to bother with.”

“Something is better than nothing.” Zhu Yun caught Gao Jianhong’s eye. He picked up the thread: “True — we just wrapped up the project and haven’t taken on anything new yet. Think of it as a funded trip.”

Zhu Yun had never been this persistently persuasive in her life.

“Just go. Teacher Lin is already upset.”

Li Xun gave Zhu Yun an idle sidelong look.

Zhu Yun looked back at him without a word.

Give it a rest, would you. How much has Teacher Lin done for you.

After a prolonged stare-off, the great gentleman finally crooked a finger at Zhu Yun. She put the schedule into his hand.

Li Xun narrowed his eyes and read it. Zhu Yun and Gao Jianhong waited with careful patience for his verdict.

After a moment, the top scholar looked up and asked with deep lethargy: “What’s the weather like in the capital right now?”

Despite every layer of reluctance, Li Xun ultimately agreed to attend the event. Having agreed, however, he checked out entirely — paying no attention whatsoever to any of the logistics.

Which meant the organizing fell to Zhu Yun. She got in touch with the others first — eight students from their school were attending in total; apart from the three of them, there were five more senior students, and a third-year homeroom teacher was nominally accompanying them as faculty supervisor.

To minimize disruption to their coursework, they booked the earliest morning flight on the day of the event.

Zhu Yun sat with Gao Jianhong. Li Xun was further back. Gao Jianhong had the window seat, and when Zhu Yun came and sat down beside him, he asked: “Do you want the window? I’ll swap with you.”

“No, I’m fine here.”

Because of the early hour, the passengers were falling asleep almost as soon as the plane was in the air.

Zhu Yun didn’t sleep. Neither did Gao Jianhong — he gazed out the window for a long time. Zhu Yun asked quietly: “What are you thinking about?”

Gao Jianhong came back to himself. “Nothing much… You’re not sleeping?”

“I can’t sleep during the day.”

Gao Jianhong nodded.

A short silence, and then Gao Jianhong said: “Zhu Yun, what do you think about that competition?”

“What do you mean?”

“The mid-year university student information security competition. Teacher Lin told you about it — he wants the three of us to enter as a team.”

Hmm…

Zhu Yun said hesitantly: “Li Xun… the fact that he agreed to come to this event is already something of a miracle. I don’t think he has any interest in the competition.”

Gao Jianhong smiled. “That’s probably true.”

Zhu Yun read his expression. “You want to enter?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. What about you?”

To be honest, it hadn’t crossed Zhu Yun’s mind. She was a fairly passive sort of person — without a strong wish or a compelling reason, she didn’t go out of her way to enter these kinds of competitions.

“It would be good for us,” Gao Jianhong said. “If we placed in a competition like that, it would look excellent — whether for going overseas or for postgraduate retention.”

Overseas…

Postgraduate retention…

Zhu Yun turned the safety buckle over in her hands, her mind drifting somewhere else.

The plane landed at the capital airport just before eight in the morning.

The event started at one in the afternoon, at a university in the city center. The organizing committee had arranged accommodation inside the university itself.

They arrived at the hotel. The accompanying teacher sorted out everyone’s rooms and said: “Head upstairs and rest for now. We’ll meet at the venue entrance at twelve-thirty.”

Zhu Yun was sharing a room with one of the senior female students. Once inside, the senior student switched on the air conditioning and settled down to work on her own project.

“Your group took first prize, didn’t they,” she said.

Zhu Yun: “Mm.”

“And you’re only first years. That’s impressive.”

Zhu Yun: “It’s our team lead who’s impressive.”

The senior student looked at her briefly, then said nothing more.

Zhu Yun looked out the window at the students moving to and fro across the campus below.

Her thoughts wandered. What was Li Xun doing right now?

Probably napping…

Shortly after noon, Zhu Yun and her roommate walked to the venue together. The event was not a small one — there were guides posted the whole way there.

The main hall was the grand lecture theatre in the administrative building. The entrance was festooned with banners welcoming distinguished guests and officials. It wasn’t quite time yet, and the hall was in its final stages of preparation. The doorway was crowded with people — mostly students from local universities.

“Zhu Yun!” Gao Jianhong called out from somewhere in the crowd. Zhu Yun made her way over. There was no sign of the distinctive golden head.

“Where is he?”

“He’d just woken up when I left. Said he’d be along.”

The accompanying teacher came over to Zhu Yun. “Your group is in the first batch to receive awards. You’ll need to sit up front when you go in — go and get ready.” Then, looking around: “Wait — where’s Li Xun?”

“He’ll be here shortly.”

Zhu Yun did not mention that she had called five or six times without an answer.

The teacher frowned. “Tell him to hurry! The rest of you go ahead!”

Outside the venue, in front of a small grove of trees, a teacher was standing on a step calling out names. Zhu Yun said to Gao Jianhong: “You wait here. I’ll go check in first.”

“Alright.”

It was packed in front of the grove — dense as an assembly point at a sports day. Zhu Yun joined them and listened to the teacher calling out school and team names.

She waited patiently.

After a while, their turn finally came. The teacher raised his voice: “Guided Pharmacological Wellness Function Development Project Team!”

…

Something short-circuited in Zhu Yun’s brain.

Who had renamed it? Was this still the health product promotion software they had built?

“Team lead: Li Xun!” the teacher continued. “Present? Li Xun!”

Zhu Yun finally snapped back and tried to push forward.

“Li Xun! Is there a Li Xun here?!”

She was struggling to raise her hand in the crowd, trying to catch the teacher’s attention. “I —”

“Present.”

That unhurried voice again, as though he had all the time in the world.

Zhu Yun stopped. This scene felt suddenly, uncannily familiar. She turned around, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

The young master had apparently not only slept through the morning but taken a shower afterward. His golden hair was tousled every which way. He had changed into a casual blazer worn open, with a clean shirt underneath.

Looking upward…

It was the middle of the day and the sun was high. He had put on a pair of sunglasses.

What a performance. Thoroughly, impeccably, breezily put together.

He had genuinely treated this as a funded holiday trip.

Zhu Yun looked at him, and felt something complicated move through her — the urge to stand a little taller and show him off, and simultaneously the urge to bow her head and hide her face from sheer secondhand embarrassment.

In the moment when every pair of eyes in the vicinity had been drawn to this blindingly conspicuous figure, someone tapped Zhu Yun on the shoulder.

She turned. The moment she saw the young man standing behind her, her smile froze.

“It really is you — I thought I was seeing things. It’s been so long, Zhu Yun.”

It really had been a long time.

“How have you been?”

Fine, thanks. How are you still alive?

“How is Teacher Liu doing? I haven’t seen her since graduation — I’ve been meaning to go visit her sometime… Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you recognize me?”

She recognized him. How could she not.

She would know him if he were reduced to ashes.

The necklace felt as though it was burning — that cross at her collar, the one she so often forgot she was wearing, felt in this moment heavy as lead.

“Zhu Yun?”

She smiled at last. She extended her hand and shook his.

“It’s been a long time. Fang Zhijing.”