Xu Zhinan’s heart pounded from his actions. Directly opposite was a completely transparent glass window—anyone passing by could see them with just a glance. She had no mind to analyze the meaning of his words.

“What?”

Lin Qingye furrowed his brows, then, after a moment, “Nothing.”

He didn’t ask anymore.

“Nanan!” Zhao Qian’s voice rang through the supermarket, “Where are you? Did you get what you needed?”

“Coming!” She responded quickly, unable to stay any longer, pushing Lin Qingye aside and running straight over.

Lin Qingye was pushed back two steps, the warmth of her hand still lingering on his palm. He curved his lips slightly, grabbed a bottle of water for himself, and walked out.

Xu Zhinan paid for her purchase and immediately left with Zhao Qian.

The dormitory wasn’t far away. Fan Li, also holding a cup of milk tea, walked beside them, accompanying them back to the dorm.

Zhao Qian was naturally sociable and had somehow already established a friendship with Fan Li. They chatted as they walked, leaving Xu Zhinan in the middle feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles.

Knowing Lin Qingye was standing behind her, she didn’t dare to look back, only grateful that there weren’t many people on this path during the scorching summer noon.

Guan Chi stuck his head out from the car, following Lin Qingye’s line of sight: “That guy next to Pingchuan’s pride seems to like her, doesn’t he?”

Lin Qingye gave him a sidelong glance and snorted, disdainful and mocking.

Guan Chi paused, glanced up at Lin Qingye, and teased: “But who could compare to our captain? Getting Pingchuan’s pride would just be a matter of minutes for you.”

Lin Qingye still had no reaction and simply got into the car, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink.

Guan Chi understood his temperament and smiled casually: “It’s been so long, aren’t you tired of it yet?”

Lin Qingye licked away the water droplets on his lips: “She’s quite obedient.”

After saying goodbye to Fan Li at the dormitory entrance, Xu Zhinan and Zhao Qian went upstairs to their dorm.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter lately. Going out felt like being roasted on a fire, immediately making one sweaty. As soon as Zhao Qian entered the dorm, she turned on the air conditioner: “I can’t take it anymore. I need a shower. I feel terrible.”

She grabbed her change of clothes and shower gel, then asked: “Nanan, are you going to shower?”

“I’ll shower later. I need to go to the shop in a bit.”

Zhao Qian glanced at her—the young woman’s face was clean and fair, without makeup, her skin had a natural glow, showing no signs of having just walked in the scorching sun.

…So this was the difference between an ordinary person and a fairy.

Zhao Qian felt inadequate and resigned herself to taking a shower.

Xu Zhinan used a stapler to bind each set of printed review materials and placed them on her roommates’ desks. She kept two copies for herself, one of which was for Lin Qingye.

Ah, Qingye Ge…

Xu Zhinan paused, regretting that she hadn’t given him the materials earlier.

She recalled what Lin Qingye had asked. At the time, she was too flustered to think carefully, but now she realized that the “who” he referred to must have been Fan Li.

But why would he ask about Fan Li?

Xu Zhinan rested her chin on her hand, looking at the spine of a Buddhist scripture on the bookshelf in front of her.

Golden and dazzling.

After a moment, she took out her phone, opened her contacts, found Lin Qingye’s number, and called.

After some music played, a mechanical female voice came on: “Hello, please hold the line. The number you are calling is currently in another call.”

Zhao Qian had quickly finished her shower and came out wrapped in a towel: “It’s freezing, freezing!”

Xu Zhinan looked back at her: “Why did you come out without drying yourself? The air conditioner is on. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Zhao Qian hissed a few more times from the cold. Xu Zhinan got up to bring in the bathrobe hanging outside. Zhao Qian slipped her arms through, tied the belt, and pulled the towel out from underneath.

Finally, she sighed with satisfaction: “Ah, that feels good.”

“By the way, Qianqian, let me ask you something.”

“What?” Zhao Qian began patting toner on her face.

Xu Zhinan hesitated, then said: “If when calling someone, you hear the music ringtone, but then it says the line is busy, does that mean they hung up on you?”

“I think so.” Zhao Qian turned to look at her with her hands covering her face. “What’s wrong? Did someone hang up on you?”

Xu Zhinan puffed her cheeks: “Mm.”

“Who would dare hang up on our fairy? Which blind fool?” Zhao Qian asked in surprise.

Xu Zhinan remained silent, sitting back in her seat and resting her chin on the desk.

Zhao Qian didn’t pay much attention and continued: “Maybe they pressed the wrong button, or they’re busy and can’t talk. Try calling again later.”

“Mm.”

After enjoying the air conditioning in the dorm for a while longer, Xu Zhinan left for the tattoo shop with a parasol.

Her shop didn’t just do tattoos; some people commissioned her for tattoo designs. As a professional in the field, Xu Zhinan had outstanding grades in her university major courses, and her tattoo designs always satisfied clients.

This time, a customer had asked her to design a full-back tattoo. By the time she finished all the modifications, it was already evening.

Broad rays of sunset light stretched down. Xu Zhinan put down her pen, sat in the sunlight and stretched, picked up her phone, took a deep breath, and called Lin Qingye again.

This time he answered quickly.

His voice was still lazy: “I thought you weren’t going to call me again.”

Xu Zhinan unconsciously flipped the corner of the drawing paper, and after a moment said: “I called you earlier. Were you busy?”

“Not busy.”

“…”

He laughed, his magnetic deep voice coming through: “I was angry and didn’t want to answer, is that okay?”

He didn’t sound angry at all. Xu Zhinan pressed her lips together: “What were you angry about?”

“Why did you run away in the supermarket?”

So it wasn’t about Fan Li. Xu Zhinan lowered her eyes: “My classmate was calling me.”

“So you pushed me?” There was the faint metallic sound of a lighter being pressed, and his voice carried a hint of amusement: “You hurt me when you pushed me.”

Xu Zhinan was fairly familiar with his tone of voice. Right now he was just teasing her, so she smiled slightly: “I didn’t push you that hard.”

“Still trying to deny it.”

He persisted with this topic, and Xu Zhinan didn’t know what to say. Lin Qingye asked again: “Where are you now?”

“At the shop.”

“Any customers?”

“No, I just finished drawing a design. Business isn’t great lately. I’m heading to the cafeteria for dinner soon.”

He asked: “Can I pick you up for dinner?”

Although this relationship with Lin Qingye had continued for quite some time, going out to dinner alone was extremely rare.

Xu Zhinan agreed. After waiting in the shop for a while, Lin Qingye arrived.

Two car horn beeps sounded outside the shop door. His eye-catching black sports car was parked outside, but fortunately, the windows had one-way film, so no one could see who was inside.

Xu Zhinan locked the shop door and got in the car.

“What do you want to eat?” Lin Qingye asked.

“Anything is fine with me.” Xu Zhinan paused, then added, “Just not somewhere crowded.”

“Afraid of being seen? Then let’s order food and eat at my place. Didn’t you say you needed to tutor me in that Mao Zedong Thought course or whatever?”

“…That’s Modern History, not Mao Zedong Thought.”

He smiled: “They’re all about the same.”

“…”

Lin Qingye’s grades weren’t bad. Xu Zhinan had looked into it before—he was specially recruited into Pingchuan University’s Music Department, was skilled with various instruments, understood music theory, and had top grades in his professional courses. It was only in some general education courses that he barely passed.

“Oh right.” Xu Zhinan suddenly remembered something and pulled out the stack of freshly printed review materials from her bag on her lap. “This is for you.”

Lin Qingye glanced at it: “So serious.”

“All the key points the teacher mentioned are in here. You should be able to pass if you memorize them.”

He smiled indifferently: “Alright, thank you, Teacher Xu.”

This time, they didn’t go to that messy studio but to Lin Qingye’s apartment.

It was very spacious. Upon entering, directly opposite was a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the only natural lake in Yan City, where land was worth its weight in gold. The furniture was simple and clean yet expensive, and one wall displayed many different musical instruments.

Xu Zhinan changed into slippers, secretly noticing that all the slippers in his shoe cabinet were the same color and size—no women’s slippers.

She put on those slippers, which were quite large, making her steps somewhat shuffling.

On the way here, Lin Qingye had already ordered dinner to be delivered to the apartment.

Soon, dinner arrived—elegant carved wooden boxes containing various small plates of food, including a truffle chocolate ice cream.

Lin Qingye had already eaten before picking her up. He was particularly particular about food and drink, and felt that dishes kept warm in wooden boxes still weren’t as good as eating in the restaurant.

He took a few bites, put down his chopsticks, and leaned back in his chair, watching her eat.

Xu Zhinan ate quietly, chewing slowly.

It was quite pleasing to watch.

Lin Qingye suddenly remembered what she looked like when he first saw her.

She stood under the streetlight, without a trace of shadow anywhere on her, looking proud, pure, and unattainable.

Sensing Lin Qingye’s gaze, Xu Zhinan looked up: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, keep eating.” He lit a cigarette for himself and went to the next room to smoke.

Xu Zhinan felt it wasn’t good to keep eating in someone else’s home, so after a few more bites, she put down her chopsticks. At the same time, Zhao Qian sent her several messages, making her phone chime continuously.

She quickly put it on silent and opened WeChat.

Zhao Qian had sent her a link—

The headline read: “Could the still-undisclosed mystery guest on ‘I Come for Music’ be Lin Qingye?? Oh my god, I can’t believe this!! Is Lin Qingye going to be on a show!?!?”

[Zhao Qian: Aaaaaahhhhh this is amazing! It seems to be Lin Qingye!]

[Zhao Qian: I listened to the audio demo released by the show’s official account, and it sounds like his voice!!]

[Zhao Qian: Our trip to the bar was so worth it! Now it seems it might have been their last performance!!!]

Xu Zhinan’s fingers paused, and she clicked on the link Zhao Qian sent, which redirected to Weibo.

The topic #IComeForMusicLinQingye# was already trending near the top of the hot search list.

Over the years, Lin Qingye had never appeared in the public eye except for his bar performances, yet he could still cause such a sensation.

Clicking into the hot search, there were already tens of thousands of comments under the popular Weibo posts.

I can’t believe this!!! I’ve been silently admiring Lin Qingye’s looks for so long, but unfortunately, I’m not in Yan City and can’t go to the bar to hear him sing. Now he’s going to be on a variety show!! When will it air? I’m waiting!!

The name Lin Qingye sounds so familiar.

Don’t know him, but his voice sounds so good!!

Come on, let everyone see our Captain Lin’s face, I really can’t even!! [Image]

He’s singing “Locust Tree,” Lin Qingye’s signature song. This confirms it!!!

I demand the show to air immediately! Quick! I’ll fund it right now!

Of course, there were also many nasty and insulting comments.

The internet has no memory. Has everyone forgotten about the exposed scandals?

Fan logic: My brother is handsome and that’s all that matters. Even though the videos of him hitting someone have been revealed, you don’t know the whole story behind it!

The person above is speaking the truth.

…

Public opinion on Lin Qingye had always been polarized, but with the strong force of his fans, those criticisms and mockeries could almost be ignored.

Xu Zhinan read through quietly.

Earlier, she had seen Lin Qingye talking on the phone with the show’s producer, so she could be certain that Lin Qingye was indeed going to participate in this show.

But Lin Qingye had never mentioned this to her.

Xu Zhinan didn’t know what she meant to Lin Qingye.

All along, for Lin Qingye, gaining others’ affection had always been too easy, effortless—at every bar performance, countless girls would call his name, cheering and shouting for him until their voices were almost hoarse.

Sometimes Xu Zhinan felt that her feelings for him might be just as insignificant to him as all the others.

She and Lin Qingye didn’t belong to the same world; it was just that one night that had allowed her to accidentally enter his world.

And now he was going to be on a show. She knew that with Lin Qingye’s abilities, more girls would fall for him, and their two worlds would grow increasingly distant.

She had once selfishly thought that if only Lin Qingye didn’t receive so much attention from others…

Then, perhaps, he might truly notice her.

And now she had to learn about his participation in the show through Zhao Qian.

Xu Zhinan’s breathing tightened. After reading the popular comments, she scrolled back up, adjusted the volume, and clicked on the audio clip.

Black screen, only Lin Qingye’s voice coming through—

…

You are the maiden

I am the crawling five-legged monster

In the intersection of night, spring light leaks

You raise your gun, I become your sacrifice

The audio was only about ten seconds long and ended quickly.

To win the Golden Melody Award at 18, he truly had talent and a good voice.

Xu Zhinan pressed the replay button, and suddenly a laugh sounded behind her.

Lin Qingye had been standing behind her for some time.

Xu Zhinan turned off her phone and looked back: “Is this you?”

“You can’t even recognize my voice?” He bent down and asked in return.

“I recognized it.” Xu Zhinan’s fingers unconsciously dug into the sofa armrest. “I just wanted to confirm.”

Lin Qingye straightened up and tossed his cigarette butt into the trash: “Have you finished eating?”

“Yes.”

He did a simple clean-up of the dishes on the coffee table, carried them aside, then brought her backpack over: “Weren’t you going to tutor me in Modern History?”

Xu Zhinan temporarily set aside her thoughts and took out the two stacks of Modern History review materials from her backpack, along with a blue highlighter.

“Do you have the Modern History textbook here?”

Lin Qingye wore a loose white hoodie, looking casual and relaxed, standing to the side with a youthful air and a somewhat roguish expression.

His meaning was obvious—of course, he wouldn’t have the textbook.

Xu Zhinan: “It’s okay if you don’t. These should be enough. You just need to pass the exam anyway.”

Lin Qingye sat down beside her.

Xu Zhinan sat in a single-seat sofa, and he sat on the armrest, slightly hunching his back. His body carried the tobacco scent warmed by his body heat.

Xu Zhinan strangely felt her ears itching from her hair.

She gripped the highlighter tightly, marking the key points and keywords, and said softly: “If you’re too lazy to memorize everything, just remember these scoring points.”

He placed one hand on Xu Zhinan’s shoulder and read aloud the words she had circled: “The Self-Strengthening Movement: establishing modern enterprises, building a new army, creating new schools.”

Hearing these words from someone like him, reading with such seriousness, somehow seemed incongruous.

Xu Zhinan laughed lightly. When the young woman smiled, her eyes curved, the corners slightly upturned, gathering light, looking delicate and beautiful like a doll.

Lin Qingye lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on her face, unable to look away for a moment.

“Yes, that’s right.” She said with curved eyes. “Just remember these key points. Next is another important question the teacher mentioned…”

Her voice stopped abruptly.

As if electrified, she pressed the highlighter hard on the paper, drawing a line.

Lin Qingye had lowered his head and kissed her neck.

Her throat went dry, and her dark eyelashes trembled lightly: “Qingye Ge.”

“Keep teaching.” As he spoke, his hot breath fell entirely on her neck.

“The second question… is about the significance of the Hundred Days’ Reform.” Her voice trembled slightly. After a stiff moment, she still couldn’t continue explaining the key points in this atmosphere, feeling too embarrassed.

Xu Zhinan tightly gripped his hand and called softly: “Lin Qingye.”

He chuckled: “Still want to study?”

Who was the one studying anyway?

Xu Zhinan said in her heart.

“No more studying.”

He picked her up in his arms and walked toward the bedroom. The stack of review materials slid from her lap and fell to the floor.

His bedroom wasn’t as bright as the living room.

Black and gray, with heavy curtains tightly drawn, not a ray of sunlight penetrating, only a small night light lit, emitting dim light.

Xu Zhinan was placed on the bed.

Before Lin Qingye leaned down, she suddenly asked softly: “Qingye Ge, what relationship do we have?”

He smiled ambiguously, throwing the question right back: “What relationship do you think we have?”

The dark room fell temporarily silent.

Lin Qingye’s eyes were deep black, quietly gazing at her.

Xu Zhinan’s heart slowly sank under his gaze. She remembered the comments from his fans under that Weibo post, and turned her face away when Lin Qingye bent down to kiss her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a deep voice.

“I don’t want to.”

“Come on, Nanan.” Lin Qingye patiently stroked her chin, half-coaxing: “Aren’t you my girlfriend?”

Xu Zhinan’s phone rang—someone was calling.

Usually, she contacted friends through WeChat and rarely received direct calls.

Xu Zhinan pushed him away and stood up at the edge of the bed: “I need to take this call.”

She walked to the other side and looked at the caller ID—Gu Congwang.