After hearing these words, Xu Sui’s running footsteps paused and she stopped, but after a moment she ran away again.

These past few days, whether in class or during intensive training, Zhou Jingze’s mind kept conjuring up the image of Xu Sui crying that day—her eyelashes and nose tip red, stained with tears, her clear eyes filled with grievance.

Every time he recalled those eyes, Zhou Jingze felt he was utterly inhuman.

Wednesday afternoon, with brilliant sunshine, a group of young future pilots wearing gray-green uniforms were on the field, performing physical training in perfect unison, like a vast surging green wave.

Sheng Nanzhou had just finished 50 rounds of suspension ladder training and was sprawled on the green field, panting like a dog. Zhou Jingze had a foxtail grass in his mouth, hands in his pockets, and kicked at Sheng Nanzhou’s corner, his voice somewhat muffled:

“Let me ask you something.”

Sheng Nanzhou rolled over and replied cheerfully, “Ask away, your brother Zhou knows everything and tells all.”

Zhou Jingze considered his wording and hesitated, “If you did something wrong, how would you apologize to someone?”

“That’s simple—treat them to a meal,” Sheng Nanzhou snapped his fingers proudly, “If one meal doesn’t work, then two meals.”

Zhou Jingze’s gaze toward Sheng Nanzhou turned icy cold. He withdrew his attention from this idiot and walked away directly.

“I have the most experience with this. Not to mention others, just take Qianxi—every time she gets angry, doesn’t she eat my wallet cleaner than my face…”

Sheng Nanzhou was still talking enthusiastically. After rambling for a while, he realized no one was paying attention. When he turned around, he discovered the damn guy had already left!

“What kind of attitude is that!” Sheng Nanzhou complained indignantly.

These past few days, Xu Sui noticed that Hu Qianxi had changed compared to before—she had become even more fond of dressing up than previously, not forgetting to make herself radiant even when carrying a food tray to the cafeteria.

In the evening, after the two finished eating in the cafeteria, they walked along the campus pathway. A cool breeze blew, and the orange-red sunset clouds on the horizon hung low. Summer seemed to arrive quickly.

“Suisui, are you free this weekend?” Hu Qianxi asked.

“What’s up?” Xu Sui asked her.

“Come with me to watch a basketball game—the North Aviation Institute’s school basketball competition,” Hu Qianxi said.

Xu Sui looked surprised, feeling something was off: “Why are you suddenly interested in going to North Aviation Institute to watch a game? To cheer for Sheng Nanzhou?”

“Am I crazy from overeating?” Hu Qianxi immediately spat, then remembered something and became embarrassed, “I heard that Lu Wenbai will be working part-time there, probably hired by the basketball competition’s sponsor. I don’t know why he’s doing part-time jobs everywhere…”

“Sigh, and why does a broken basketball game need tickets that are internally distributed? Where am I supposed to get tickets?” Hu Qianxi looked troubled.

Xu Sui understood Hu Qianxi’s purpose and deliberately teased her, smiling with crescent-shaped eyes: “So you’re trying to get something for nothing. Let me check my schedule—I might not have time.”

“You’re going to kill me.”

Hu Qianxi became embarrassed and angry, starting to tickle her in public. Xu Sui laughed and dodged sideways but still couldn’t escape her clutches. Hu Qianxi asked, “Do you still dare to tease me?”

“I don’t dare, I was wrong,” Xu Sui immediately begged for mercy.

After Hu Qianxi let go, Xu Sui immediately ran forward, letting out clear laughter: “I’ll dare again next time!”

The evening fragrance of gardenias lingered around the two girls chasing and playing, with a long string of laughter echoing above the campus.

Thursday, Xu Sui was studying in the dormitory when someone from the neighboring dorm came to get something from Hu Qianxi. Hu Qianxi moved a small stool to reach into the cabinet and rummage around.

While waiting, the girl chatted gossip with them, her tone shocked: “Incredible sight—Zhou Jingze from North Aviation Flight Academy is actually waiting for someone downstairs at our dorm. I just passed by and glanced—he’s so handsome.”

“My second uncle?” Hu Qianxi snorted, her tone casual, “He’s alright, I guess.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Liang Shuang burst through the door in a hurry after getting her package, her voice excited: “Zhou Jingze is actually downstairs! Damn, he’s so conspicuous. Just standing there, several girls went to ask for his WeChat.”

“But why is he at our dorm building? Don’t tell me he’s taken a liking to some girl again? Or is he here for you, Qianxi?” Liang Shuang’s tone shifted.

Hu Qianxi scoffed, then jumped down from the stool, blurting out unconsciously: “Looking for me? If he wanted to order me around, wouldn’t one phone call suffice? He’s just—”

The latter half of the sentence “here to find some girl,” Hu Qianxi glanced toward the person on her right and swallowed it back, changing her words: “It’s possible. When he’s bored, he does this kind of thing.”

Xu Sui’s dark eyelashes trembled, and she didn’t say a word throughout, continuing to read.

Just as the words were spoken, Hu Qianxi’s phone rang. She looked at the caller ID with a puzzled expression and walked to the balcony to take the call.

After a moment, Hu Qianxi returned to the dorm and called out: “Suisui.”

“Mm?”

“Zhou Jingze is waiting for you downstairs.” Hu Qianxi showed her the call record on her phone.

As soon as Hu Qianxi finished speaking, the other girls in the dorm gasped in succession. One girl exclaimed in amazement: “Zhou Jingze! He came to find you!”

“Suisui, damn, does Zhou Jingze have a crush on you?” Liang Shuang immediately reacted.

Knowing that Zhou Jingze came to find her because of that incident, even though she knew Liang Shuang was joking, Xu Sui’s heart still couldn’t help but skip a beat.

“No,” Xu Sui still denied it.

She then looked at Hu Qianxi, about to say “I don’t want to go,” when Hu Qianxi, seeing her expression, immediately continued: “He said if you don’t go down, he’ll wait until you do.”

Perfect—this was indeed Zhou Jingze’s style: not giving up until he achieved his goal.

Xu Sui had no choice but to go downstairs. When she ran down, she immediately spotted Zhou Jingze standing not far away at the dorm entrance, his features lazy, head down looking at his phone, his dark brows carrying a hint of hostility.

Passing girls couldn’t help but steal glances at Zhou Jingze, then blush and whisper with their companions.

Xu Sui jogged up to Zhou Jingze, her smooth forehead beaded with bright sweat. Not liking being observed by too many people, she unconsciously tugged at Zhou Jingze’s sleeve and pulled him under the elm tree outside the dorm entrance.

When the wind blew, the leaves rustled, scattering fine fragments of golden light. Zhou Jingze stood under the dappled shadows with his hands in his pockets, shadows falling across his shoulders.

The pale fingers gripping his sleeve—Zhou Jingze lowered his neck, raised an eyebrow, and looked at her hand with an ambiguous smile.

Xu Sui’s face inexplicably heated up. She immediately let go, calmed her breathing, and asked: “What did you want to see me about?”

This question reminded Zhou Jingze. He slightly restrained his smile, his tone casual: “Can’t I look for you when there’s nothing wrong?”

Xu Sui pursed her lips without responding. Zhou Jingze continued speaking, grinding his back teeth:

“I called you and sent messages.”

But received no replies. Young Master Zhou was left out in the cold for the first time in his life.

“During New Year, didn’t I tell you that the wrong message incident was because my phone broke?” Xu Sui didn’t want to bring up that matter, but still explained, “I haven’t bought a new phone since returning to school.”

After she said this, both fell silent. Zhou Jingze was especially reminded of the bastard thing he had done before. Xu Sui’s toes pointed outward as she said:

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go first.”

Xu Sui stood in front of him, eyes downcast. Facing this incredibly well-behaved face, Zhou Jingze felt like he had lit a dud firecracker and appeared particularly despicable.

Suddenly, Zhou Jingze noticed a dandelion petal on top of her head. His fingers hung by his pants, his throat itched, his fingertips moved but he stuffed them back into his pockets.

“Fine, just remember to check your messages when you go back.”

“Mm.”

After Xu Sui returned, she still didn’t buy a new phone, though she planned to look at new phones over the weekend, because if she didn’t replace her phone soon, her mother and grandmother wouldn’t be able to contact her and would worry.

But one question kept lingering in Xu Sui’s mind—what did Zhou Jingze mean? Was he planning to make up?

The next evening, Xu Sui had just come out of the bathroom after washing, tilting her head and using a white towel to dry her dripping hair.

Hu Qianxi handed her the phone, winking at her: “Here, Zhou Jingze’s call.”

Xu Sui’s heart tightened. She pulled a tissue from the desk to dry her hands before taking the phone. She walked out of the dorm and stood on the balcony to take the call.

The May wind was cool, and several stars in the sky gave off faint light. Looking downstairs, she saw late-returning girls shuffling in slippers, their lotus-white arms carrying white plastic bags containing several popsicles. The water on the first floor was running strongly, and they passed by the pool giggling and chatting.

“It’s me.” Zhou Jingze’s low, husky voice came through the receiver.

Xu Sui held the phone to her ear while using the towel to dry her hair, responding: “I’m here.”

“Roll call?” Zhou Jingze let out a soft snort of laughter, then seemed to light a cigarette. The crisp click of a lighter came through the receiver.

Zhou Jingze exhaled, his voice carrying a grainy texture: “Come out tomorrow. Didn’t you want to watch the game? I saved you two tickets.”

Game? Basketball game?! Xu Sui was confused—when had she ever said she wanted to watch a basketball game? Except for Qianxi… thinking of her, Xu Sui immediately understood what was going on.

“I didn’t want to come, it was Qianxi—”

The next second, Zhou Jingze’s low, seductive voice came through the unstable electromagnetic waves, drilling into Xu Sui’s ears, tickling and stirring:

“Just consider it as me wanting you to come.”

Xu Sui wore a white cotton camisole dress, her slender arms exposed. Her hair was blown half-dry by the wind, with a slightly fluffy feel.

When the evening breeze came, she should have felt cool, but at this moment, Xu Sui felt her entire face burning, her neck throbbing, her blood vessels hot, her whole being feverish. This caused her to hang up the phone in a daze, and when she returned the phone to Hu Qianxi in the dorm, she forgot to settle accounts with her.

He always liked to do this—disturb her heartstrings with just a casual sentence.

Sunday afternoon at five o’clock, Xu Sui appeared punctually at the fountain square near the school, as Zhou Jingze had specified.

Xu Sui stood by the fountain wearing a water-blue dress. A few drops of water splashed onto her calves, so she walked forward a few steps, unconsciously looking around, but didn’t see anyone coming.

Xu Sui sat and waited, waited until her calves felt a bit sore. At this time the fountain happened to stop, and she sat on the flower bed feeling somewhat bored. Xu Sui decided to wait another fifteen minutes—if the person still didn’t come, she would leave directly.

She was daydreaming when suddenly a little girl appeared before her, wearing white knee-high socks, with beautiful curly hair and brown eyes, asking: “Are you Sister Xu Sui?”

“I am. What’s wrong?” Xu Sui smiled in response.

The little girl was hiding her hands behind her back. Hearing this, she produced a green cabbage patch doll and handed it to Xu Sui. Xu Sui looked surprised, pointing at herself with her finger and asking:

“For me?”

The little girl nodded. She spoke in a sweet, childish voice: “A big brother just asked me to give this to you. He also had something to ask you, but… I can’t remember.”

After the little girl finished speaking, she stuffed the cabbage patch doll into Xu Sui’s arms, then ran away in a flash. People came and went in the square. Xu Sui held the cabbage patch doll, staring at its smiling face until her eyes felt sore.

So he had always remembered.

Being remembered by someone felt different.

Xu Sui remembered that after her father died in that accident when she was young, her mother, not wanting people to point fingers behind their backs, was very strict with her education. Most of the time, she was either doing homework or reading.

Going to KTV with friends, going out to have fun would distract from studies. During holidays, wanting to try the adventurous ice skating, her mother wouldn’t scold her, but would say in a particularly tired voice: “Go later. The most important thing now is studying.”

After moving houses, when the cabbage patch doll was lost, Xu Sui once suggested wanting to buy a new one. Her mother said that if she could test into the top three of her grade, she would buy her one.

In the end, Xu Sui worked hard and made it to the top three of her grade. Her mother, as promised, handed her a gift at the dinner table. Xu Sui unwrapped it with joy, her smile freezing on her face.

There was no cabbage patch doll she had been longing for—it was a learning machine. Her mother looked relieved, her tone gentle: “Yiyi, do you like it?”

Xu Sui had wanted to say “I only wanted a doll,” but when she looked up and saw the white hairs at her mother’s temples, she swallowed her words and smiled: “Yes, I like it. Thank you, Mom.”

Now that she was in college, could earn scholarships, and had the ability to make money tutoring, she never thought about buying that cabbage patch doll again.

She always felt she had still lost that doll.

But now, Zhou Jingze had brought her former companion back to her.

Xu Sui was lost in thought when a lazy, lowered voice came:

“He wanted to ask if you could forgive that bastard?”

Xu Sui looked up and met a pair of sharp, dark eyes. Zhou Jingze wore a black T-shirt and stood before her holding a bottle of ice water.

Zhou Jingze sat beside her, unscrewed the cap and took a sip of water, his tone relaxed: “I was wrong about the New Year incident. I was too emotional. I thought I was messaging a friend abroad, so I chatted without restraint.”

“After I realized I was messaging the wrong person, I actually panicked. I just… was afraid you’d know another dark side of me,” Zhou Jingze smiled self-deprecatingly, his tone honest. “When I can face myself properly, I’ll tell you about it someday if there’s a chance.”

“I apologize to you. I was being foolish.”

So that was it. Xu Sui sighed with relief inwardly—as long as he didn’t dislike her. After this incident happened, Xu Sui felt sad and even disliked herself, so she had been avoiding and afraid to see him.

As long as she wasn’t someone he liked.

After this matter was explained clearly, Xu Sui’s mood cleared up like the weather. She held the cabbage patch doll in front of her and shook her head at him:

“Then it’s fine. Just don’t be fierce with me anymore.”

“I won’t.” Zhou Jingze looked up at her.

In the end, the two reconciled and even had a meal together. Zhou Jingze sent her to the school gate before going back. After he left, Xu Sui felt everything was relaxed and comfortable, and she even called Hu Qianxi to accompany her to buy a phone.

Xu Sui finally chose a white phone and inserted her original SIM card back in. That evening, after returning to the dorm, Xu Sui was planning to save important contacts one by one when she turned on the phone and saw several missed calls flooding the screen.

Xu Sui lay on her bed and clicked to look. She was stunned—they were all missed calls from Zhou Jingze from this time period. Actually, he had been swallowing his pride and actively reaching out to her all along.

She suddenly remembered what Zhou Jingze had said downstairs at the dorm and quickly logged into WeChat. Zhou Jingze wasn’t a talkative person—he had only sent her two messages in total.

The first message’s timestamp showed it was from the night of the wrong message incident during winter break. Zhou Jingze had sent: “Sorry.”

The second message was sent when Zhou Jingze saw her with Shi Yuejie at school and Xu Sui fled from his presence.

After seeing this message, Xu Sui’s cheeks began burning red hot, her breathing became unnatural. She could even imagine Zhou Jingze speaking in a casual yet inexplicably seductive tone. He said—

“Is our Yiyi planning to ignore me?”