After switching seats with that classmate, the two finally sat together.

University Chinese Literature truly deserved to be a popular major course – not only was it packed without an empty seat, but the professor’s eloquent and interesting presentation was worth every preference point.

Chun Zao stared at the whiteboard the entire time without blinking.

Several times noticing his girlfriend’s earnest, transfixed expression from his peripheral vision, Yuan Ye couldn’t help but smile slightly.

After class, students left their seats and streamed out.

Xue Yiming from the front row said goodbye to this pair of “dog-abusing maniacs” and walked away.

Yuan Ye consciously took Chun Zao’s laptop bag, held her hand, and they walked downstairs side by side into the bright sunlight.

Chun Zao found an opportunity to pick a fight: “Didn’t you always tell me you had nothing to do?”

Yuan Ye: “Hm?”

Chun Zao glanced at him: “But you also went to play board games?”

Yuan Ye explained: “I went to the library to find materials. They were short of people, and my roommate dragged me over.”

Chun Zao: “Anyway… in any case… You also ‘socialized,’ so don’t accuse me of being a thief while you’re the real thief.”

“Alright,” Yuan Ye nodded: “From now on I’ll be more active, more social, following Student Chun Zao’s example.”

Chun Zao went along with his words, speaking sarcastically: “Exactly, don’t waste that face – let more people see it.”

Yuan Ye: “Mm, that makes sense.”

Chun Zao turned away, her fists slightly clenching: “You’re about to join clubs soon. I suggest you go to the drama society, the guitar association, and the like. Boys should have more skills. Show your face a few more times, and becoming Building 35’s heartthrob is just around the corner.”

Yuan Ye had researched with his roommate before and immediately understood her meaning: “No need to be so troublesome – there’s a Love Association.”

Chun Zao hadn’t noticed there was such a club: “What do they do?”

Yuan Ye said flatly, “Specialize in helping people get out of singlehood.”

Chun Zao: “…”

Yuan Ye coughed: “Someone is sparing no effort to push me outward, so naturally I can’t disappoint her high expectations.”

Chun Zao squeezed two words through gritted teeth: “You join.”

“Sure,” Yuan Ye couldn’t help laughing: “But will I still be alive on club recruitment day?”

Chun Zao: “Hard to say.”

In late September, autumn gradually arrived.

Peking University’s “Hundred Clubs Battle” arrived as scheduled.

During this month, Chun Zao’s roommates included those who joined the student council and those who participated in debate teams. Chun Zao was more introverted and didn’t want to spend too much energy on highly utilitarian affairs right after breaking free from constraints, so she focused on interesting association recruitment and pre-selected two clubs – “Us” Literature Society and Youth Photography Association.

Her sister’s graduation gift was a reasonably priced ten-thousand-yuan mirrorless camera.

Moreover, she had secretly studied Photoshop courses during summer vacation, so she wanted to take this opportunity to test her learning results.

On “Hundred Clubs Battle” day, Chun Zao left early, dragging Yuan Ye to the activity site to seize the initiative.

But the campus avenue was already crowded with people, noisy as a daytime marketplace, with booths displayed on all sides.

Various clubs showed their skills – there were young men in long robes performing crosstalk, cool girls demonstrating drum performances; calligraphy society members wore unified Tang clothing, writing on the spot and giving away ink treasures, and there were warriors in full outdoor gear waving climbing poles to attract outdoor enthusiasts.

It could be said to be a gathering of heroes, dazzling to behold.

Students stopped to watch, occasionally cheering and laughing.

Chun Zao and Yuan Ye walked through the crowd, looking around.

Because of their outstanding appearance and temperament, they were repeatedly stopped by seniors along the way, eagerly asking if they were interested in joining.

After less than half an hour of browsing, their hands were full of flyers and freebies.

Unable to hold everything in one hand, Chun Zao put the items in her canvas bag.

Yuan Ye handed over his share for her to carry together.

Chun Zao asked: “Don’t you want to take them back to the dorm to look at?”

Yuan Ye answered: “I’ve already decided.”

Chun Zao tilted her head: “What?”

Yuan Ye raised an eyebrow: “I told you before.”

Chun Zao hummed and stood on tiptoe, looking around: “Love Association, right? Let me help you find it.”

“Don’t rush.” Yuan Ye raised his hand, placing his palm on the girl’s head, turning her wandering face straight: “Register for yours first.”

After registering her name and major at her desired booth, Chun Zao turned back, coldly: “Okay, go pursue your dream Love Association.”

She even imitated the voice-over from racing games: “Ready—go!”

Yuan Ye smiled, pulled her back, and finally stopped in front of the [Stray Cat Care Association] sign, looking up and down.

A girl behind the booth came over, her eyes bright: “Hello~ Junior students, are you interested in our Cat Association? You can learn more about it! Our school currently has about 80 stray cats. Join us and you can pet every little kitty at PKU at public expense~ You can look at our club introduction flyers, or follow our Cat Association’s public account – there are many stories about the little cats inside…”

Yuan Ye didn’t hesitate: “Where do I register?”

Chun Zao followed in confusion.

The boy bent down, scrawled his name on the form, added the vice president in charge of recruitment on WeChat, then left the booth.

On the way back, Chun Zao’s gaze was sharp: “This is the Love Association you mentioned?”

Yuan Ye was straightforward: “All things have spirits – doesn’t love for cats count as love?”

Chun Zao smiled: “I just didn’t see that you have such ‘great love in your heart.'”

“After all,” Yuan Ye paused, “You can’t play board games with cats either.”

Chun Zao choked.

A joke from nearly twenty days ago, and he still remembered it clearly.

“Then I sincerely wish Student Yuan smooth development in the Cat Association and good relationships with every cat on our campus.” She offered sincere blessings.

Yuan Ye glanced at her sideways and smiled: “Come on, let’s go buy cat food now.”

Chun Zao was stunned: “So fast? Not browsing more?” Though they had both found their bases.

Yuan Ye: “Mm, what do you want for lunch?”

Chun Zao realized what he meant, pinched his palm in annoyance, but was caught by the boy who wouldn’t let her misbehave anymore.

—

The Cat Association had a cute name, but the work wasn’t easy. New members mostly had to take turns feeding, getting up at 5 AM to search and feed over eighty stray cats along the east and west routes on campus.

Boys like Yuan Ye, with long arms and legs and agile movements, were often pulled in by the group protection department as laborers to catch cats and send them to pet hospitals for neutering or treatment.

The vice president would @ him in the group every few days, urging him to get vaccinated.

Yuan Ye took many courses and spent his free time looking for Chun Zao, so he kept procrastinating.

Once, to stop two food-protective stray cats from fighting, he was bitten on the tiger’s mouth by a black-and-white tomcat. Even gloves didn’t help – the tooth marks were deep and blood kept seeping.

Yuan Ye took off his gloves and pressed tissues against the bleeding point. After returning to the dorm, he found iodine to rinse the wound, stuck on a band-aid, and sent a photo of the cat to the group, asking: Do you know this cat?

A member replied: That’s Xixi, he’s super fierce.

Yuan Ye asked: Has he been vaccinated?

The person replied: Yes. He’s a strange cat who became even more irritable after being neutered.

Yuan Ye breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at his phone calendar.

Seeing that tomorrow was Saturday, he immediately tore off the band-aid, took a close-up photo of the dark red bite mark, and sent it to Chun Zao.

Just sent the image without words, waiting for her to understand.

The girl’s worried words indeed appeared quickly: You were bitten by a cat?

Yuan Ye: Mm.

Chun Zao: Does it hurt?

Yuan Ye hastily stuck the band-aid back on and typed: A little—deleted, changed to: It hurts.

This content was completed using the very hand that had just been bitten and claimed to “hurt.”

Chun Zao asked: You got shots, right?

Yuan Ye said: No.

Chun Zao was surprised: Haven’t gotten shots yet? I remember your membership guide specifically warned about getting vaccinated first.

Yuan Ye: Too busy. Getting up early and staying late every day, feeding and catching cats, plus picking up and dropping off my girlfriend.

Chun Zao: …How long could getting a shot delay you?

Then said: Forget it, tomorrow’s a rest day, I’ll go with you. I checked – injection within 24 hours is still effective.

Yuan Ye got the outcome he wanted and leaned back in his chair contentedly: It’s fine, that cat was already vaccinated. Don’t you want to go to the library to study on weekends?

Chun Zao: How can I be in the mood to go? Better safe than sorry – you’re not worry-free.

After speaking, she shared the address of a nearby community hospital, brooking no refusal.

Yuan Ye smiled.

Since she was so persistent and worried, he could only obediently agree.

The next day, Yuan Ye came to find Chun Zao downstairs at her dorm.

As soon as they met, the girl found his injured hand, lifted it, and gently pinched the skin through the band-aid: “You were bitten here?”

Hiss, Yuan Ye sucked in a breath.

Chun Zao looked back, her dark eyes moist: “Does it hurt that much?”

Yuan Ye said: “It’s okay.”

Chun Zao’s face showed obvious distress: “Don’t try to be tough.” After speaking, she walked to the outside of the curb to hold his other uninjured hand.

Yuan Ye let go and switched sides with her: “Hey, walk on the inside.”

Chun Zao refused.

Yuan Ye could only roll down his twice-folded shirt sleeves: “Hold this, then.”

Chun Zao was amused by his suggestion and obediently grabbed that corner.

After getting vaccinated, Chun Zao finally felt relieved.

There was still an afternoon to spend, but they felt a bit directionless.

There were many shopping mall restaurants nearby, and movie theaters to choose from. Both browsed aimlessly on their phones.

Chun Zao looked at the bustling street with people and traffic, falling into thought.

She was thin-skinned and rarely had excessive intimate physical contact in public, much less being lovey-dovey and clingy like a conspicuous couple downstairs at the dorm. Thinking about it, in this month since entering Peking University, she had thrown herself into a new life and a new ecology, somewhat neglecting Yuan Ye. Except for occasionally kissing and embracing a few times by Weiming Lake after nightfall, her opportunities for intimacy with him had sharply decreased compared to summer vacation, countable on one hand, not to mention staying overnight off-campus, even though the dorm had no curfew.

No wonder this guy was always resentful.

Chun Zao took a deep breath, turned off her phone screen, and looked at Yuan Ye:

“Do you want to get an hourly room?”

—

After entering the guest room, Yuan Ye inserted the card, then turned around, using both hands and legs to pin her against the door, impatiently kissing her down.

He kissed fiercely and urgently. The girl’s thin shoulder blades kept rubbing against the door panel, making soft sounds.

Besides that, there were increasingly rapid, heavy breaths rising and falling.

They didn’t even have time to put down bags. In their scattered thoughts, the canvas bag slid from Chun Zao’s shoulder to her feet, messily scattered on the ground. She shrank her shoulders, avoiding their overly scorching breaths, worried, lowering her head to check the fallen items. But Yuan Ye controlled the back of her neck again, not allowing her to be distracted by anything other than him.

She had no memory of how they had tangled from the dark, narrow hallway into the room.

Only remembering the moment Yuan Ye lifted and carried her, she nervously lost her footing for a moment. Her fingers involuntarily clutched his shoulders, not even given a chance to ask, “Doesn’t your hand hurt?”

Still kissing her.

Kissing her as if he wanted to dismantle and swallow her, each kiss more intense than the last.

Desire grew wildly between them.

The boy’s hand had a band-aid, so when it rubbed against her skin, unlike before, that roughness, like a blunt instrument, felt more invasive.

It also made her more sensitive.

“Wait!” Chun Zao stopped Yuan Ye, who was buried at her neck, using what little clarity she had left to fumble for her phone, tapping to search: “Can you have sex after rabies vaccination?”

The phone screen illuminated the girl’s slightly furrowed brow. She looked focused and didn’t speak for several seconds.

Yuan Ye’s patience ran out. He freed one hand, snatched the phone, and looked at the results.

The online doctor’s answer was: Sexual activity is permitted.

Yuan Ye tossed the phone aside and continued kissing her deeply.

Chun Zao’s breathing was chaotic, unable to express herself coherently: “It also said above…”

“What?” The boy inhaled and propped himself up again.

Chun Zao was distracted, unclearly repeating those precautions: “Avoid strenuous exercise, keep the injection site dry and hygienic…”

Yuan Ye pressed down again, whispering in her ear: “Don’t care.”