Around ten o’clock, they ended their gathering. Unfortunately, fate had other plans—when they left the KTV, it suddenly started pouring. They had to return before the dormitory closed at eleven, which made the situation quite awkward.
Qu Xing suggested, “How about this—I’ll run out to flag down a taxi, and then you all can get in.”
Qu Bing immediately made a sour face: “We’ll still get soaked running from the taxi to the dorm.”
Meanwhile, Xing Wu had already strode back into the KTV. After some negotiation, he paid a deposit and borrowed three umbrellas.
Two umbrellas went to the girls, while the three guys kept one. Qing Ye’s group’s taxi arrived at the school gate first. Qu Bing paid quickly and opened her umbrella to shelter Sun Wan Jing. Qing Ye opened the other umbrella as Qu Bing urged them, “Hurry back!”
But Qing Ye lingered behind, looking back repeatedly until she finally saw the other taxi stop. One umbrella wasn’t enough for the three guys. Qu Xing called out to the others, “Let’s squeeze together, we can shower when we get back.”
He was about to pull Xing Wu closer, but Xing Wu, uncomfortable with the idea of huddling with two other guys, awkwardly stepped away: “You two share it.”
With that, he walked into the heavy rain. Qing Ye glanced back at Qu Bing and Sun Wan Jing, who were already far ahead, bit her lip, and turned to run after Xing Wu.
From a distance, Qu Xing saw Qing Ye splashing through the water and called out in surprise: “Why did you come back?”
Hearing Qu Xing’s voice, Xing Wu raised his head, his hair dripping wet. The wind lifted Qing Ye’s short t-shirt, water splashing around her. Rain had dampened her eyelashes as she ran toward him against the wind and rain. The two rows of street lights suddenly seemed dim in comparison. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on her approaching figure.
She ran up to him in one breath, stood on her tiptoes, and held the umbrella over his head. Raindrops cascaded down the umbrella’s edge, forming a misty curtain that enclosed them both.
When she looked up at him, he had removed his glasses. Those pitch-black eyes held the brightest stars of the night. Her body trembled slightly as he took the umbrella from her hand.
Qu Xing called back to her: “Senior, thank you! We’ll treat you to a meal next time. We’re heading back first!”
With that, he and Zhuang Si Xian huddled under their umbrella and jogged back to the dormitory. Qing Ye watched their retreating figures, then heard Xing Wu say, “Let me walk you back first.”
They walked toward Building 36. Strangely, although Qing Ye had a stomach full of questions for him—if not for tonight’s dinner, she probably would have called to interrogate him—she hadn’t expected heaven to play such a huge joke on her. He turned out to be the junior student Qu Bing had been mentioning for days. How did all this happen? Why hadn’t he told her? And how did he end up in Class Y?
It had become the most confusing event of the year, but now that they were walking alone together, she found herself inexplicably nervous. Her heart was racing, and she could feel the intense aura radiating from the person beside her like heat waves. Even at arm’s length, she felt herself trembling, so she moved slightly away.
When she moved away a bit, Xing Wu would shift closer to her. When she moved again, he glanced at her sideways, his voice ethereal on the rainy night: “You stuck so close to me in the game, why aren’t you sticking close now?”
Qing Ye crossed her arms irritably and said, “What do you mean by that, Xing Wu?”
His long legs moved slowly as he shifted the umbrella closer to her side: “Isn’t your waist cold?”
“…What’s it to you?”
“It looks cold to me.”
With that, he reached out to try pulling her t-shirt down. Qing Ye immediately slapped his hand away, exclaiming, “What are you doing?”
“Is this how you dress every day in college?”
Qing Ye couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically, extremely annoyed as she sneered: “Who are you to me? You’re being controlling!”
Xing Wu stopped in his tracks, his face completely devoid of warmth. Qing Ye completely ignored him and strode into the rain. He hurriedly caught up with her, and soon a large umbrella sheltered her head again.
As they approached the dormitory building, Qing Ye said curtly: “No need to see me further.”
As she was about to enter, Xing Wu grabbed her arm and pulled her under the rain shelter, putting down the umbrella. Qing Ye was already soaked through, with rainwater running from her hair to her eyelashes, then falling to her lips when she blinked. In the dim yellow light, Xing Wu’s white shirt had become completely transparent from the rain, revealing his enticing contours. He looked down at her lips, his sexy Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as he spoke in a husky voice: “Single? If I remember correctly, someone told me I wasn’t allowed to break up with them.”
Qing Ye felt overwhelmed by his intense masculine presence, her body seeming to shrink smaller. Those dark eyes made her heart race—she couldn’t suppress the excitement of their reunion after so long, but she managed to salvage a bit of pride from her muddle of emotions: “Yeah, I said you weren’t allowed to break up with me, but I never said I couldn’t break up with you.”
Xing Wu’s mouth twitched as he looked down: “So you’re saying you want to break up with me?”
Qing Ye straightened up and tried to push his arm away, but her strength was negligible compared to his. He pulled her back in front of him, caught her delicate chin, and lifted it slightly, suddenly drawing close as he asked again: “Answer me.”
His breath was hot against her face, his broad shoulders completely enveloping her in his embrace. Their lips were so close they almost touched. Qing Ye had to admit she was intimidated—her breathing was completely chaotic, and she could barely stand steady. Her voice trembled as she said: “I won’t be able to get in five minutes.”
Xing Wu didn’t move, giving her a deep look before his lips curved into a slight smile and he raised his arm to let her go.
Qing Ye finally caught her breath and rushed into the building. Xing Wu remained standing in the dark, rainy night, holding the umbrella and watching her with bright eyes. Before she went in, she suddenly turned back and gave him a thumbs-down, taunting: “Beijing girls aren’t that easy to pursue.”
Xing Wu broke into an immediate smile, his enchanting expression warming the cold rain in the darkness.
When Qing Ye ran upstairs, Qu Bing and Sun Wan Jing had just finished showering. Xie Qian Qian had also returned and was lying on her bed drawing design plans on her tablet. This girl had many strange hobbies, and drawing garden landscape designs was one of them.
Qing Ye was completely soaked. After her shower, she came out to hear Qu Bing discussing Xing Wu with Sun Wan Jing: “It’s different from us—educational resources are limited there. He must have endured so many hardships studying for over ten years.”
Qing Ye frowned and casually said: “How do you know he spent ten years studying hard? Who knows what kind of wildlife he might have lived back home.”
As she put down her towel, Qu Bing and Sun Wan Jing both looked at her. The atmosphere in the dorm suddenly grew quiet. It wasn’t until Qing Ye walked back to her bed that Qu Bing finally couldn’t help but say: “Qing Ye, do you have something against Xing Wu?”
Qing Ye replied with surprise: “No, what could I have against him?”
“Don’t you think you’ve been… making snide remarks about him all evening?”
Qing Ye asked dramatically: “I made snide remarks about him?”
Even Sun Wan Jing silently nodded in agreement.
Qing Ye was completely speechless. She stood up from her bed again and said: “I just think you’re all imagining him to be too innocent. Does wearing glasses and a white shirt automatically make someone an honest boy? Then he says he doesn’t smoke, and you all assume he doesn’t? You’ll get deceived by men if you go out thinking like this.”
Qu Bing listened in confusion and asked: “So you’re saying Xing Wu is a playboy pretending to be honest?”
“I didn’t say that. When did I call him a playboy? I’m just saying you’ve only met him once or twice—what makes you think he’s spent ten years studying diligently? Have you read too many news stories? Do you think anyone from a poor area who gets into Q University or B University must be a bookworm who buries their head in studies and ignores everything else? Maybe he’s just naturally gifted in certain areas.”
Sun Wan Jing couldn’t listen anymore and chimed in: “Xing Wu’s home county might only produce one Q University talent in many years. Given the studying environment there, if he was the type who liked to play around, he couldn’t have gotten into our school.”
“…I just think you’re all being too superficial. You need to look past appearances to see the essence.”
Qu Bing immediately responded: “Then let’s talk about appearances. When I went to pay for karaoke, I found out Xing Wu had secretly paid for the room and drinks. I treated you all to the buffet with group vouchers at 198 yuan per person, barely spending over a thousand, but he spent over two thousand on karaoke without hesitation. Knowing his family situation, I feel bad letting him pay. Doesn’t this say enough about his character? That’s why I asked if you have something against him. It was your first meeting, and he didn’t do anything inappropriate, but didn’t you notice you were targeting him all evening?”
“…”
After a long pause, Qing Ye asked: “Did I?”
Xie Qian Qian, who had been drawing on her bed across the room, suddenly turned to look at her: “Kind of.”
Qu Bing clapped her hands: “See? I wasn’t wrong. Even Qian Qian, as an outsider, noticed it.”
“…”
So, the previously harmonious Room 319, which had been peaceful for a whole year, suddenly turned against Qing Ye tonight because of Xing Wu. Everyone unanimously agreed that Qing Ye held deep prejudices against him, or at least their energies didn’t match. Finally, Qu Bing and Sun Wan Jing started discussing how sometimes people’s energies just don’t align, and she talked about people she knew before for another ten minutes.
Qing Ye climbed into bed feeling wronged. She didn’t even dare say that she not only had prejudices—she had feelings for him too, damn it!
Therefore, when Xing Wu sent her two messages before bedtime—first: “Dry your hair before sleeping,” and second: “Which cafeteria are you going to for lunch tomorrow?”—she turned off her phone without replying, temporarily not wanting to see the source of her troubles.
The next morning, Qing Ye stared at her wardrobe for a while. Didn’t someone complain about her current style? So she deliberately wore a high-waisted, form-fitting light green ruffle skirt that showed off her beautiful legs, paired with a fitted T-shirt that accentuated her perfect curves. Even Xie Qian Qian stared at her for a few extra moments in the morning and suddenly said: “Qing Ye.”
“???”
“You have a great figure.”
“…” Thanks, I guess.
Q University had more than ten cafeterias, each with its specialties. However, Qing Ye and her friends usually only went to the Fifth Cafeteria in the northeast corner. There was no particular reason—they could get all kinds of dishes there, and they were used to it.
Classes officially started the next day, and all four roommates quickly got into study mode. After a busy morning, they planned to meet at the Fifth Cafeteria for northeastern cuisine. Although Q University had many cafeterias, they were all packed during meal times. Fortunately, they arrived early and grabbed a table.
Shortly after sitting down, Qing Ye saw Qu Bing wave and call out: “Over here!”
She turned around to see Qu Xing walking over with a grin and his backpack. More importantly, behind him was that “honest boy” who had caused her to be ganged up on by her dormmates last night.
Qing Ye immediately lost her appetite and turned back to ask: “Why are they here?”
Qu Bing smiled diplomatically: “My brother said he wanted to eat with me. Be normal today, we’re all friends.”
“…” Hah, who’s friends with him?
Just as she finished speaking, a figure pressed against her side. He had changed into a plain T-shirt today, covered with a light blue striped shirt and white sneakers, looking every bit the pure innocent virgin boy—which just irritated Qing Ye more.
Unfortunately, there was an empty seat right next to Qing Ye, and when they came over, Xing Wu naturally sat down beside her. His action caused the other three senior girls to fall silent as they watched him.
He didn’t know that Room 319 had had quite an argument about him last night, so everyone knew Qing Ye was prejudiced against him. Yet here he was, completely unaware, sitting next to Qing Ye. The other three silently worried for him.
Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, Qing Ye started wolfing down her food. Xing Wu glanced at her sideways and said softly: “We can order more if it’s not enough. Eat slower.”
Qing Ye looked up at his ambiguous expression hidden behind his glasses, furiously chewing her food to vent her anger. Xing Wu pulled out a tissue and offered it to her. When she didn’t take it, he directly wiped the corner of her mouth himself. The others across the table drew in sharp breaths. Qing Ye had always been somewhat proud and highly alert to boys who showed unnecessary kindness. They thought it was over—Qing Ye would surely explode.
But strangely, although her eyes were practically shooting fire, she didn’t move at all, just sitting there obediently letting Xing Wu wipe her mouth. This contradiction between her actions and her gaze created such a disconnect that the others, including the confused Qu Xing, didn’t know what to make of it. The atmosphere felt oddly strange, though they couldn’t quite put their finger on why.
Xing Wu stood up and said he’d buy drinks, asking what everyone wanted. The weather was hot, so everyone wanted something cold. Qing Ye also ordered a cold drink. Qu Xing worried that he couldn’t carry everything alone, went with him.
As soon as they left, Qu Bing said: “Have you noticed? Yesterday when I treated everyone to dinner, he responded by treating us to karaoke. Today we ordered the dishes, and he went to buy drinks. A boy like this must have had a good family education.”
Li Lan Fang’s face suddenly appeared in front of Qing Ye, who almost choked on her food and couldn’t stop coughing. Xing Wu looked back at her, brought two bottles of drinks back first, and asked what was wrong.
Qing Ye was coughing so hard tears came to her eyes. He opened a water bottle and handed it to her, but she took a sip and snapped at him: “Didn’t I ask for something cold?”
Her matter-of-fact tone startled the three people across the table. In the year-plus they’d known Qing Ye, although she could be somewhat cold and aloof at times, she had always been polite to those around her. They’d never seen her lose her temper with anyone.
Even more bizarre was that Xing Wu didn’t get angry. Instead, he said softly: “Don’t drink too many cold things while eating.”
His voice was calm yet carried a strange tenderness that made the three girls wonder if they were hearing things. Why did his tone somehow sound so… attractive?
Qing Ye lowered her head and patted her chest. At that moment, her necklace slipped out from her collar. Xing Wu’s gaze gradually lowered to the small dandelion pendant, and his eyes suddenly brightened behind his glasses. Qing Ye noticed his gaze and hurriedly tucked the necklace back in just as Qu Xing returned with several bottles of cold water.
Soon after everyone finished eating and got up to leave, Qing Ye walked in front. The light green ruffles of her skirt floated gently with her steps, her smooth, slender legs dazzlingly white. Whether at Zha Zha Pavilion before or now walking through campus, her pure white skin always drew attention.
Even Qu Xing elbowed Xing Wu: “Senior’s legs look great, huh?”
Xing Wu’s eyes darkened. Just as they left the cafeteria, a breeze blew past, and Xing Wu suddenly took off his striped shirt and walked toward Qing Ye. As his hand reached toward her waist, Qing Ye suddenly turned and met his eyes. The glare on his glasses blocked his gaze, and she reached up to remove his glasses. Xing Wu reflexively blocked her, and in that unexpected moment, the glasses fell hard to the ground. Everyone around them froze.
Qing Ye herself was stunned for a moment. She crouched down to pick up the glasses—the right lens was broken. She said helplessly: “This shouldn’t affect you, right?”
She put the glasses on her face and looked through the unbroken left lens. The scene before her suddenly became blurry. She took off the glasses and stared at Xing Wu in disbelief: “You’re nearsighted?”