Lin Qingye maintained that posture of embracing her for a long time, until Xu Zhinan finally came to her senses and pushed him away.

He obediently stepped back, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was ten o’clock.

“Sit down for a while,” Lin Qingye poured her a cup of hot water. “I’ll take you home later.”

“I’m not going home. I’m staying in the dorm tonight,” Xu Zhinan said softly.

“Alright.” He placed the warm water on the coffee table in front of her. “Have some water first.”

Lin Qingye sat down in the single armchair next to her. Xu Zhinan picked up the water cup, took a sip, and put it back.

They fell silent for a moment. Lin Qingye leaned against the armrest, took out his phone, and looked at his face on the dark screen. The red mark had faded, but the scratch from Fu Xueming’s fingernail was still there.

It wasn’t serious, but it was just there, impossible to ignore.

Lin Qingye rubbed it with the back of his hand, then tossed his phone back on the coffee table. When he turned his head, he caught Xu Zhinan’s gaze. He glanced at her leg: “Does it still hurt?”

She shook her head: “I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Do you want to change your clothes? I have many T-shirts in my room.”

She had also soiled her shirt when she fell earlier, only now noticing it as she sat down.

But given their current awkward relationship, it didn’t seem appropriate to wear his clothes.

Lin Qingye seemed to realize this too. Without waiting for her answer, he curved his lips into a smile: “Never mind.”

Just as he finished speaking, Xu Zhinan’s stomach growled very inappropriately. She was hungry.

“Haven’t had dinner?” Lin Qingye asked.

She felt a bit embarrassed and ran her hand through her hair: “I just had some fruit.”

After the competition ended in the afternoon, the group went directly to KTV, ordering alcohol and fruit platters, planning to go for skewers and barbecue after singing.

Xu Zhinan didn’t fit in with that atmosphere, so she hadn’t eaten much.

“Want to eat something?”

She shook her head: “It’s too late. Delivery would take too long, and I’m afraid my roommate might be sleeping. I don’t want to disturb her when I get back.”

“Not ordering takeout,” Lin Qingye stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll make something ourselves.”

Xu Zhinan was taken aback. She turned her head to see Lin Qingye taking out a package of dumplings from the refrigerator, checking the expiration date, then turning his head to ask: “Do you want these?”

“It’s fine, I’m not that hungry. It’s too much trouble.”

“I haven’t had dinner either.”

Xu Zhinan followed him into the kitchen, watching as he added water to the pot, brought it to a boil, put in the seasoning packet, and dropped in the dumplings: “Just a few is enough for me. If you’re hungry, you can make more for yourself.”

Lin Qingye simply put the entire bag of dumplings in.

Xu Zhinan hadn’t expected him to cook for himself, especially since the few times they had eaten together before had always been at restaurants or with takeout.

The young man stood at the counter, his eyes downcast, stirring the dumplings with a spatula, looking somewhat tired.

“How come you have frozen dumplings here?” Xu Zhinan asked.

“I didn’t buy them. I’m too lazy to cook for myself,” Lin Qingye said. “These should be from Uncle Wang, that is, Wang Qi, who brought them here for me when he stopped by last time.”

That Wang Qi seems quite nice to Lin Qingye, Xu Zhinan thought.

But then she remembered what his mother had done to him at the police station earlier.

Xu Zhinan couldn’t imagine how a mother could say such things to her son.

Although her father had died early in the line of duty, she had indeed grown up surrounded by her parents’ love, never feeling that she lacked either fatherly or motherly love.

Lin Qingye noticed her expression: “Is there something you want to ask?”

Xu Zhinan looked at him and suddenly couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Even if she did ask, what answer would she get? It would only be reopening his wounds.

She didn’t want to satisfy her curiosity in this way. After hesitating for a moment, she asked: “That thing on your face, do you want to put some medicine on it?”

“Where?”

Xu Zhinan poked her right cheek with her index finger: “Here.”

Lin Qingye bent down slightly, lowered his head, turned his right cheek toward her, and again asked: “Where?”

The distance between them was quite close now, close enough to smell each other’s scent. Xu Zhinan didn’t dare look into his eyes and shifted her gaze down to his nose bridge, which was quite straight.

She gently touched the fingernail scratch on his cheek: “Here.”

He laughed hoarsely: “Just this little thing, what medicine would I need?”

Lin Qingye straightened his back, raised his hand to rub her hair, his eyes containing a hint of subtle amusement: “A-Nan, for a tattoo artist who can pierce needles into others without blinking, you’re too soft-hearted.”

The dumplings cooked quickly. The water was bubbling, the dumplings had all floated to the surface, releasing an appetizing aroma.

He took two bowls from the cabinet and rinsed them.

Xu Zhinan watched as he scooped a big ladle into the bowl and was about to scoop a second one when she hurriedly said: “That’s enough, that’s enough, I can’t finish more.”

“This is just a few,” Lin Qingye still pouring half of the second ladle in. “Am I feeding a cat or what?”

“…”

He filled another bowl with the remaining dumplings. Lin Qingye held both bowls in his hands, they were a bit hot. He jerked his chin to the side: “Grab two spoons, A-Nan, let’s eat at the table.”

Following him out of the kitchen, they sat facing each other at the dining table.

These frozen dumplings didn’t require cooking skills. They came with their seasoning packet, and the taste was fragrant and fresh.

Xu Zhinan had a small appetite. She felt full after eating a few, but there were still three left. Not wanting to waste them, she continued to slowly swallow them down.

Lin Qingye quickly finished his bowl, leaning back in his chair. His gaze fell on her face. The young woman was eating somewhat reluctantly, her cheeks puffing in and out as she chewed slowly.

He laughed: “If you’re full, stop eating.”

“It’s a bit wasteful.”

She swallowed what was in her mouth, with only one dumpling left. She scooped it up with her spoon.

Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, Lin Qingye suddenly leaned forward, grasped her wrist, and pulled it toward himself. The dumpling was released into his mouth.

Xu Zhinan froze, her dark lashes fluttering, looking at him up close.

But Lin Qingye didn’t seem to think the gesture was excessive. His expression remained calm as he chewed a few times, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed.

He stood up, pushed the two bowls aside, and picked up his car keys: “Let’s go, I’ll take you back to your dorm.”

It was about a twenty-minute drive from Lin Qingye’s apartment to the university.

He rarely went to school even when he was a student, and after graduating and joining the TV show, he had never returned.

Fortunately, the campus was quite empty during summer vacation. Pingchuan University’s security wasn’t strict; vehicles from outside could enter directly after an infrared scan registration.

Lin Qingye parked his car outside Xu Zhinan’s dormitory complex.

Only a few scattered lights were on in the several dormitory buildings.

She looked up, seeing that the light in her dorm room was still on. Jiang Yue was not yet asleep.

“I’ll head in now,” Xu Zhinan paused, then added, “Be careful on your way back.”

“Mm.”

She shouldered her bag, opened the car door, and got out.

“A-Nan,” Lin Qingye called her again.

“Hmm?”

He picked up the Buddhist scripture that had fallen onto the passenger-side floor mat and handed it to her: “It got blood on it earlier. Do you still want this one?”

Xu Zhinan took it, carefully smoothing out the folded corners: “Yes, Buddhist scriptures can’t be casually discarded.” She answered piously.

After putting the scripture back into her bag, she walked toward the entrance, swiped her card to open the door, and was about to walk in when she suddenly heard a “bang” of a car door closing behind her.

Xu Zhinan looked back to see that Lin Qingye had gotten out of the car. He stood under the street lamp that had been broken for a semester, pressing a baseball cap onto his head.

She paused in her steps, standing there.

The automatic door of the complex, sensing someone nearby, opened and closed several times.

The dormitory administrator couldn’t stand it anymore and stuck her head out of the window: “Hey, student, are you going in or not? It’s so late, go to bed quickly.”

“I’m sorry, auntie, please wait a moment.”

After apologizing, Xu Zhinan walked back toward Lin Qingye.

He watched as she slowly approached him, a smile spreading on his face. His eyes drooped at the corners, looking somewhat casually languid. Then he bent down and pulled her into his embrace.

Xu Zhinan instinctively wanted to push him away.

“Let me hold you for a while, A-Nan,” he said. “Just for a moment.”

Lin Qingye’s voice was a bit hoarse, like a plea. Even his arms tightened involuntarily, afraid she would leave.

Her hands that were pushing him gradually dropped, though she didn’t hug him back, only maintaining her original posture.

After quite a while, Lin Qingye showed no sign of letting her go. Although there were no people outside the school at this hour during summer vacation, she was still worried about being seen by someone suddenly coming out of the dormitory. She couldn’t help but push him again, saying: “…Lin Qingye, I need to go now.”

He buried his face in the crook of her neck one more time, his arms squeezing her waist tightly, then straightened up.

“Go on then,” he said.

When she arrived at the dorm, Jiang Yue was just about to go to bed. She had just turned off the desk lamp when Xu Zhinan pushed open the door.

“A-Nan? I thought you were going home today,” Jiang Yue said.

“I was originally planning to go home, but something came up, so I decided to sleep in the dorm.”

She quickly noticed the torn jeans and several stains on her clothes, and frowned: “What happened to you?”

“I fell earlier, it’s nothing serious.”

“How could you be so careless? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt much anymore,” she said, and to prove it, she extended her leg and shook it. “See?”

“Alright, alright,” Jiang Yue smiled. “Go wash up quickly, and don’t get water on your wound.”

“Mm, I’ll just wash up quickly, you go to sleep.”

Jiang Yue: “It’s okay, take your time. I still need to listen to a politics lecture in bed. I’m not sleeping that early.”

“Do you always sleep this late? And you still get up early to go to the library. Can your body handle it? Didn’t you have a fever last time?”

Jiang Yue climbed onto her bed and sighed: “Once I pass the graduate entrance exam, I must sleep for ten days and nights straight.”

“With how hard you’re studying, you’ll pass.”

“The graduate program at the Academy of Fine Arts is hard to get into, and it’s stressing me out.”

Xu Zhinan took her change of clothes and went into the bathroom. Jiang Yue was listening to a graduate entrance exam politics lecture on her bed. Since she could hear that her roommate was still awake, Xu Zhinan also washed her hair, dried it, and even washed the dirty clothes.

Carrying the plastic basin out, Jiang Yue poked her head out from the bed: “A-Nan, what date do we start school again?”

“September 3rd, about half a month from now.”

“Ah, so soon.”

“Once you finish your graduate exams, you’ll be free.”

Jiang Yue’s head retreated, her voice somewhat muffled: “What if I get shot down on the beach instead?”

“You need to be more confident. You’ve prepared for so long, why can’t you be the one who passes?”

“Sometimes I envy you.”

Xu Zhinan didn’t understand: “Envy me for what?”

“It feels like you’ve always been quite confident, and not just in the ordinary way.”

Jiang Yue couldn’t quite explain it, only feeling that Xu Zhinan was different from many other girls—firm and resilient. Her confidence didn’t make others uncomfortable; rather, it was more of a quality immersed within her.

Because she had her own set of principles for behavior and handling matters, she wouldn’t be easily swayed by others, nor would she easily doubt herself.

To put it simply, even though Xu Zhinan had excellent academic results and might be able to enter graduate school directly, she had already decided on her future path—to continue as a tattoo artist.

And even as a tattoo artist, she still participated in competitions, striving to earn a good ranking.

“Oh, right,” Jiang Yue suddenly remembered. “Today was your semifinal, right?”

“Mm.”

“How did it go?”

She smiled, her eyes curving: “First in my group.”

“Well done, A-Nan!” Jiang Yue was equally excited, stretching her arms out from the bed. “Give me some of your lucky koi spirit! Bless me for a smooth graduate exam!”

Xu Zhinan shook hands with her, then carried the basin to the balcony to hang up her clothes.

After squeezing out the water once more, she hung up the clothes one by one.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Lin Qingye’s car still outside the dormitory building. Xu Zhinan’s fingers paused as she looked more carefully and saw Lin Qingye under the broken street lamp.

He was leaning languidly against the lamppost, his cap brim covering his face, his expression unclear.

After a while, he took out his phone from his pocket, dialed a number, and held it to his ear.

Xu Zhinan watched quietly, and suddenly the phone she had placed on the small stool beside her rang.

The contact displayed: Lin Qingye.

She paused for a second, then answered: “Hello?”

His voice carried a hint of amusement, though faint, as if dispersed by the wind: “Not asleep yet?”

“Mm,” Xu Zhinan stood on the balcony, looking at Lin Qingye under the street lamp outside. “About to sleep.”

She suddenly remembered that in the past, when Lin Qingye occasionally sent her back to the dormitory at night, she always couldn’t help but look back at him longingly, but she would only see Lin Qingye’s back.

Now, like this, it seemed to be the first time.

“Don’t think about what happened today. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Mm, thank you for today.”

He laughed lightly: “Why are you always so formal with me?”

“If you hadn’t come today, who knows what would have happened?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you encounter such a situation again.”

Xu Zhinan’s fingers hooked the freshly washed clothes. Her fingers were very cold, and she couldn’t help but advise: “But don’t be so impulsive in the future. Fortunately, nothing serious happened today, otherwise, it would have harmed you.”

“Then you can keep me in check in the future,” he said lightly.

Xu Zhinan’s fingertips curled, withdrawing from the wet, cold clothes. She didn’t respond.

Lin Qingye didn’t know the exact location of her dormitory room. He leaned casually against the lamppost, slightly raising his chin. He couldn’t see Xu Zhinan, only looking up toward the direction of the dormitory buildings.

Lonely, he looked somewhat desolate.

“I forgot to tell you something earlier.”

Xu Zhinan: “What?”

“Good night,” he said. “A-Nan.”