Lu Yicheng rode his bicycle away.

On a September morning, the heat wasn’t particularly fierce, and riding through the paths of the campus, Lu Yicheng found his spirits lifting into an uncharacteristic lightness.

As for why his spirits were light, he couldn’t quite work out a reason.

After parking his shared bicycle in the row near the teaching building, he headed toward the multimedia classroom. The campus was growing more and more crowded — A University was the kind of place people put on their itinerary when visiting Jing Shi. He had a general elective course today, and had barely settled into his seat when he heard the girls in the row behind him whispering about the new student welcome ceremony.

“This year it’s the second-years hosting. I saw Deng Jixi from the media and communications department going to find Jiang Ruoqiao yesterday — it seemed like she was asking for advice and tips.”

“Oh wow — those second-years were the freshmen last year, and now they’re suddenly feeling very important. Not long ago I even saw a post on the forum saying Deng Jixi was the real campus beauty… Honestly, Deng Jixi is quite pretty, but compared to Jiang Ruoqiao, I still feel like something’s missing. I can’t put my finger on it. Anyway, that post was probably just testing the waters to see what people thought — the majority were against it.”

“Missing that scholar’s aura, I’d say… Ha, that’s just my take — Jiang Ruoqiao has this bookish quality about her that probably resonates more with our taste. As for why Deng Jixi would go to Jiang Ruoqiao — I actually thought they didn’t get along. “

“Jiang Ruoqiao hosted the new student welcome ceremony last year, and she was really good at it. I remember someone posted a clip on Weibo and it got a lot of reposts and new followers. Deng Jixi was probably going to learn from her. I saw them walking together and drinking bubble tea — they didn’t seem like they didn’t get along. Actually they seemed pretty close.”

These sorts of things had never reached Lu Yicheng’s ears before.

He had a habit of entering full study-absorption mode the moment he walked into a classroom.

But today he listened with careful attention.

The new student welcome ceremony last year — he had been dragged along by a friend to watch briefly.

He had of course seen her there, and still remembered the smile on her face as she walked off to one side, and the confetti in her hair.

After class, as the classroom gradually emptied, Lu Yicheng — without quite knowing what prompted him — picked up his phone and searched for the welcome ceremony from the previous year at A University. It had only been a year ago, but the search immediately returned numerous video clips. He opened them one by one — the longest was under five minutes.

Watching these videos, that memory gradually sharpened in Lu Yicheng’s mind.

So she had been wearing a pale lavender dress that day.

Jiang Ruoqiao on that stage showed not a trace of stage fright. She was natural and composed, completely unintimidated by the sea of people below. Playing off the male host with easy back-and-forth exchanges, she showed a witty and charming side, and also a confident and elegant side — all of it distinctly, unmistakably Jiang Ruoqiao.

There was no question about it: for Lu Yicheng, if he developed feelings for someone, that person would have to have done something brilliant enough to catch his attention in the first place.

He had spent the first twenty years of his life too busy, too immersed in his own world.

If something wasn’t dazzling enough to make his vision swim, he wouldn’t lift his head to look.

If he developed feelings for someone, what would surface first was admiration.

Jiang Ruoqiao — in the beginning, the remarkable composure and capability she had shown during the incident with Siyan.

She had been troubled, yes, but she had accepted the situation as quickly as possible, and taken on her share of the responsibility.

Everything that followed was simply a matter of knowing her better and better — not knowing her as Jiang Yan’s girlfriend, but knowing her simply as herself. Her self-reliance, the earnest seriousness with which she approached her work, her professional capability, her confidence, the radiance that was hers alone. These things were Jiang Ruoqiao — not anyone’s girlfriend. They were just her.

Jiang Ruoqiao had arranged the itinerary with exquisite care.

At midday, she brought Mei Li to the dining hall. She had wavered for a moment over whether to bring Mei Li to the international students’ restaurant a little further away, but then reconsidered — since Mei Li had come all this way, she naturally wanted to eat local food. Jiang Ruoqiao had communicated in advance with Mei Li’s assistant to ask about any dietary restrictions, because many foreign visitors had limited tolerance for the food here. Just like a foreign exchange student she had encountered before who couldn’t comprehend why anyone would enjoy eating chicken feet.

The midday meal was simple — that had been decided after confirming preferences.

Mei Li was very fond of Chinese food. Even more surprisingly, Mei Li said: “Perhaps this is what you call fate? The last time my husband brought me here, he also ordered me a bowl of noodles like this.”

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled. “I don’t know if it’s quite the authentic version, but I heard your husband was from Shen Cheng. I have a classmate from there — and her favorite thing in this dining hall is the noodles.”

She had done thorough research for this visit.

Lunch was a pleasant affair — Mei Li was clearly happy.

What no one had anticipated was that upon leaving the dining hall, they crossed paths with one of the university’s senior administrators.

What was even more surprising: this administrator actually knew Mei Li. After some brief conversation, Jiang Ruoqiao learned that Mei Li’s husband had made generous donations to the university every few years while he was alive — a way of giving back to the institution that had educated him — so the administrator had known both Mei Li and her husband. Running into each other now came as a genuine surprise.

After Mei Li explained her purpose for this visit, she smiled warmly and introduced Jiang Ruoqiao: “This is Qiao — also your student. She’s been my interpreter and guide for this trip. A very clever and capable young woman.”

The administrator turned his attention to Jiang Ruoqiao and asked pleasantly: “Already graduated?”

Jiang Ruoqiao shook her head. “Not yet. I’m in my third year with fewer classes this semester, so I wanted a part-time position to develop my oral English skills and prepare for upcoming certifications.”

That was, of course, the version appropriate for a university administrator.

The part-time work was for self-improvement, a matter of capability rather than income.

The school had no objections to students working part-time. Some came from difficult circumstances and worked to support themselves.

The administrator nodded thoughtfully. “Which department are you in?”

Jiang Ruoqiao quickly gave her department and major. Her palms were slightly damp — most students rarely had any direct dealings with senior administrators. Even though she was in the student council, this level of leadership was well beyond her usual world. She was nervous, but more than that, she was thrilled.

It was apparent that Jiang Ruoqiao from the foreign languages department had left a genuine impression on him.

After the administrator left, Mei Li smiled. “Qiao — he was your husband’s closest friend from his student days here. When my husband went abroad to pursue his studies, he stayed to teach at the university. A truly good man.”

Jiang Ruoqiao had heard of this administrator’s reputation.

Indeed, a very well-regarded person — she had heard he had even sponsored several students who went on to be accepted to A University.

The day’s itinerary passed quickly. Mei Li was still reluctant to leave, but her health wasn’t the best, so around four in the afternoon her assistant arrived to take her back to the hotel. At that point, Mei Li’s assistant and Jiang Ruoqiao also went over the next day’s schedule: Mei Li had plans with friends, while her assistant needed Jiang Ruoqiao to come along to meet with the people at Lin Family Jewelry responsible for their charitable work — to make introductions and discuss the details. Mei Li understood some basic Chinese, but her assistant was a foreigner born and raised elsewhere, with no Chinese at all — so Jiang Ruoqiao was very much needed for interpretation.

Jiang Ruoqiao dragged herself back to the dormitory, utterly exhausted.

Her roommates were all out — it was the start of the new school year, and everyone had their own club gatherings and activities. Jiang Ruoqiao showered and collapsed onto her bed without the slightest desire to move. But she still remembered she needed to complete tasks in the kindergarten app to earn little red flowers for Lu Siyan. She hadn’t spent even half an hour on that when she received a text message from Lu Yicheng.

The two had exchanged WeChat contacts, but when he had something to say, Lu Yicheng would always send a text first.

Lu Yicheng: 【Done for the day?】

Jiang Ruoqiao was too lazy to type, so she just called him directly.

He answered within a second — Lu Yicheng’s clear, distinctive voice came through to her ear: “Hello — is now a good time to talk?”

Jiang Ruoqiao laughed softly.

On the other end, Lu Yicheng held the phone pressed to his ear, and as her slightly drowsy laugh drifted over, something about it felt warm — like it reached his ear and left a faint heat there.

Lu Yicheng lowered his gaze, the tips of his ears warming just slightly.

“Lu Yicheng, I’m the one who called you — are you really asking if it’s a good time?”

Jiang Ruoqiao thought: what an absolute clueless man. Hopelessly so.

Lu Yicheng was quiet for a few seconds.

“Go ahead and say what you need. I’m already done for the day.”

Only then did Lu Yicheng speak: “I need to go by the office at six — something to sort out. If you have time, could you come watch Siyan for a while?”

The matter of the housekeeper was still unresolved.

Even by Jiang Ruoqiao’s rather selective standards, Lu Yicheng had also been less than satisfied with the few candidates the domestic help agency had sent over.

So for now, this arrangement was simply on hold.

Jiang Ruoqiao had absolutely no desire to move.

She just wanted to lie in bed until the end of time. But…

The child. The child!

She was finally beginning to understand that line her already-married-with-children senior friend had posted on social media: no matter how destroyed you feel, you have to drag yourself up to take care of the kid.

At least Siyan was already five — that was something, Jiang Ruoqiao told herself.

“Sure,” she said, pulling the phone away to check the time. “I’ll try to get there before six.”

Lu Yicheng gave a soft sound of acknowledgment, then before hanging up, asked one more question: “Have you had dinner yet?”

Jiang Ruoqiao let out a quiet laugh. “It’s only ten past five — who eats this early?”

She said it, then realized what he was probably asking, and quickly added: “But don’t leave anything for me. I have a shoot coming up in the latter half of the month, so I need to be a little careful for now.”

Lu Yicheng was very attentive about looking after Lu Siyan.

These past few days, he had been giving her a nightly report on what dishes he had cooked — so she would know what Siyan was eating each evening.

Very conscientious.

And every time he listed the menu, he also sent photos — because as a meticulous academic type, he firmly believed that a claim without evidence was no claim at all. Every time Jiang Ruoqiao saw those photos, she would feel: “…………”

Why was he sending food photos to taunt her?!

Lu Yicheng, hearing her say that, hesitated for a moment, then asked: “There’s still time — or I could make you a vegetable salad?”

In Lu Yicheng’s view, he should be responsible for her dinner.

He also understood that she had been busy all day, and strictly speaking, he shouldn’t be disturbing her rest.

But the situation was a special one. He had to go to Li Ge’s office — it wasn’t something that could be resolved in an hour. Leaving Siyan alone at home for several hours was something he genuinely wasn’t comfortable with, and on top of that, Siyan had been fussing all day about wanting to see his mom.

Jiang Ruoqiao thought: a vegetable salad?

She hesitated.

Lu Yicheng seemed to anticipate exactly what she was worried about, and said: “Don’t worry — I won’t use any leafy greens. Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and some shrimp. Would that work?”

—