This time it was Chu Hang’s turn to fall silent.

Tan Yin finally felt vindicated, and couldn’t help pressing her advantage: “I never expected you’d actually care so much about going bald…”

Chu Hang’s face darkened, his voice full of gritted-teeth warning: “TAN! YIN!”

“I know, I know, don’t worry, your hairline looks nice and thick, nothing to worry about, and modern hair transplant technology is very advanced these days!”

“…” Chu Hang took a deep breath. “Tan Yin, if you’re trying to make me die of anger, please, continue.”

Having successfully changed the subject, Tan Yin knew when to quit while ahead and didn’t dare say more.

But Chu Hang cleared his throat and spoke again: “Besides following me while invisible, did you follow anyone else?”

“No, no, I’m very devoted. I only started following you at first for the comic, and later, through a series of coincidences, I ended up sticking with you…”

“You, devoted?” Chu Hang gave a cold laugh, as if he’d heard a joke, lowering his gaze. “While invisible, besides me, you also followed Xu Yu. And when you weren’t invisible, you were even less ‘devoted.'”

Chu Hang’s tone was flat, but whether it was Tan Yin’s imagination or not, she felt every word carried an undertone of gritted-teeth accusation.

“How was I not devoted when I wasn’t invisible?” Tan Yin found this strange. Although she’d followed Xu Yu around for a while while invisible for Jiang Yilu’s sake, when not invisible, she was a model of dedication and focus—once she decided to do something, no matter how difficult, she’d never given up halfway. What was Chu Hang implying with that sarcastic tone?

Just as Tan Yin was about to ask again, the library’s PA system finally announced the evacuation notice. The earthquake’s aftershocks had unknowingly stopped. The broadcast directed uninjured students on each floor and in each branch section toward evacuation routes, while firefighters and rescue personnel would enter the library to help anyone who might be trapped or injured.

The thunderstorm had long since stopped, so Tan Yin no longer needed to worry about the inconvenience of being invisible. Led by Chu Hang, they made their way out, stepping over toppled bookshelves scattered every which way. Because of the evacuation announcement, Tan Yin felt a wave of relief and unconsciously let her guard down. Passing by a slightly tilted bookshelf, she must have accidentally brushed against something, and without warning, a stack of books that had already been precariously leaning atop the shelf came crashing down like dominoes.

In that critical instant, Tan Yin felt the warmth of another hand on hers, and then that strong, well-defined, slender hand yanked her forcefully out of harm’s way. Tan Yin lost her balance against that force and fell straight into the chest of the hand’s owner.

In truth, all of this happened within a few seconds, but to Tan Yin it felt like a lifetime, as if those few seconds had been split into even smaller units of time, unfolding before her eyes in slow motion.

Damn it, she’d fallen into Chu Hang’s arms.

One of Chu Hang’s hands still held hers; the other, almost instinctively, wrapped around her and pulled her in.

Tan Yin kept telling herself that anyone would have done the same in this situation, yet her heart pounded uncontrollably. She feigned composure and, once the danger had passed, pulled away from his embrace and let go of his hand as if trying to avoid suspicion, then thanked him and walked on ahead. But she’d only taken a couple of steps when Chu Hang caught up with her, and with him came his warm, firm hand.

He walked up beside her and, without waiting for permission, took her hand.

“Hold on. You’re this slow to react—what if you get hit by falling books again? I’d have to waste time saving you. What a hassle.”

Chu Hang’s voice was as aloof as ever, yet the hand holding hers was even hotter than before.

Tan Yin was too shocked to react at all, and simply let him lead her by the hand.

Actually, they’d already passed all the bookshelves, and were now quite close to the branch exit, with open space on both sides and nothing overhead—no lights or anything else that could fall and cause danger. There was really nothing hazardous left. Yet Chu Hang, seemingly still caught up in the earthquake’s stress response, kept a firm grip on her hand the whole way, leading her out of the branch, down the stairs, and finally out through the library’s main entrance along with the other evacuating students, all the way to the open space outside the library completely free of buildings, before he finally let out a breath and released her hand.

The entire way, Tan Yin had no thoughts to spare worrying about whether another tremor might strike during the evacuation—she was too focused, anxiously and nervously, on the warmth of her hand, both hoping Chu Hang would forget to let go and keep holding it, and worrying he’d suddenly remember and release it immediately…

But she reminded herself she wasn’t Chu Hang’s girlfriend. As a classmate, helping her—another person trapped in the same building—get from the library to open, safe ground was already more than enough; she couldn’t ask for anything more, especially when there were still so many people trapped inside the library.

Chu Hang glanced at her and said quietly: “Stay right here. I’ll be back soon.”

He glanced at her once more, then pressed his lips together and turned to run back toward the library. Tan Yin knew she should exercise restraint, but her eyes seemed fixed on his back as though grown there. She watched him run into the still-chaotic library, then anxiously kept watching the entrance until Chu Hang emerged supporting a boy with an injured leg.

More and more evacuated people gathered, the crowd on the square growing thicker. Fearing Chu Hang wouldn’t be able to find her, Tan Yin waved at him the moment she spotted him—

“Chu Hang! Over here, over here!”

Her voice was loud, more than loud enough for him to hear, but Chu Hang paid her no mind at all. He set the injured boy down and turned right back around, heading into the library again…

Tan Yin felt both a pang of loss and a swell of warmth. She was happy because Chu Hang really was such a good person—having finally escaped the library to safe ground after the aftershocks ended, he still kept risking danger to go back and save others. But it hurt because she was no different to him than any of the other people he was rescuing—he could even ignore her entirely for the sake of saving someone else…

In a crisis, this was completely understandable, but being reminded so forcefully that Chu Hang didn’t like her that way still stung a little.

Fortunately, Tan Yin soon had no time to dwell on her hurt feelings, because Zhou Ming called her: “Tan Yin? I remember you said you went to the library. There was just an earthquake—are you safe? Did you get out of the library?”

Tan Yin quickly reassured him she was fine, and that’s when she learned that the terrifying tremor earlier had been caused by an unforecasted earthquake in the neighboring province, which had also affected City A. The tremors had been quite strong, though fortunately City A wasn’t near the epicenter, and the tallest building on campus was only the seven-story library—but the library’s earthquake resistance had clearly held up well, with no buildings collapsing. Aside from a few students injured by falling shelves and furniture, there had been no major casualties overall.

“I was just in the study room, but it was the first-floor one, so I got out quickly. Where are you now? On the open ground in front of the library? Okay, I’ll come find you right away.”

“No, no, no,” Tan Yin quickly stopped him. “There are too many people at the library right now, you probably won’t be able to find me even if you come. Let’s just go somewhere and get a nice meal to calm our nerves instead—let’s just meet directly at the restaurant. I’m in the mood for Western food.”

“Sure, let’s go to the most expensive one then, Ruili Steakhouse. We’ll meet there directly.”

Ruili Steakhouse wasn’t far from the library. Not long after Tan Yin hung up, she was about to leave, but just as she turned around, someone grabbed her arm from behind.

Chu Hang stood there, his face dark: “Didn’t I tell you to stay put and wait for me? Where are you going? In such a hurry to go find Zhou Ming?”

What was this—making her sound like some awful woman abandoning her husband to run off with her lover…

“I saw you were busy saving people, so I didn’t want to bother you. And it just so happens Zhou Ming asked me to grab a meal.”

“I’m the one who got you out of the library, not him. Why are you going to eat with him?”

To Tan Yin’s surprise, not only did Chu Hang not let go, he tightened his grip on her sleeve even more, as if afraid she’d run off, his tone dripping with sarcasm. The mockery in his voice at the mere mention of Zhou Ming’s name seemed ready to pierce the sky, and though he said nothing more, the accusation and disdain in his eyes felt almost tangible.

Tan Yin thought it over and quickly thanked him: “Thank you for getting me out! Chu Hang, you’re really a good person!”

Chu Hang paused, then said through gritted teeth: “That’s it? Just a thank you? Then you turn around and go eat with Zhou Ming?”

“Well, do you want to come too?”

Her invitation, as it turned out, only further provoked him: “Oh, so I get to be the third wheel while you two lovebirds eat together? Watching you two feed each other all lovey-dovey like that?”

“How about I treat you to a meal separately next time?”

But Chu Hang still wasn’t satisfied: “You think I have that much free time? Available whenever to fill in your schedule gaps?”

“…” Tan Yin was at a loss. Chu Hang seemed to be in a bad mood today. “Fine, forget it, I’ll go then. Next time you’re free, let me know, and I’ll treat you anytime, okay?”

With that, Tan Yin turned to head toward the school gate, her heart still reeling from what had just happened, worried that if she stayed with Chu Hang any longer, she’d end up recklessly falling for him all over again, right on the edge of danger.

Just then, Tan Yin looked up and happened to spot Zhou Ming walking from the school gate toward the open ground in front of the library. Though she’d told him not to come, he clearly hadn’t been able to stop worrying and had come anyway. Tan Yin immediately raised her hand and waved at him, but he didn’t see her. With no time to worry about the currently hard-to-please Chu Hang, she said a quick goodbye, wrenched her hand free of his, and dashed off toward Zhou Ming like a fugitive.

This time Chu Hang didn’t stop her. Looking back, she saw him standing there silently, his expression unreadable and grim. Never mind, Tan Yin thought—she’d properly thank him later. He had a girlfriend now, and he didn’t like her that way, so she should keep her distance to avoid falling for him again.

But she hadn’t run far before her arm was grabbed again. She turned around to find it was Chu Hang once more, his face completely dark now. His expression had turned so grim it was almost frightening.

This time, Chu Hang abandoned all elegance and gentlemanly manners. Without a word, he pulled her along, walking in the exact opposite direction from where Zhou Ming was.

“Chu Hang, you…”

Before she could finish, his cold voice cut in: “You’re not allowed to see Zhou Ming.”

His domineering tone, taking it for granted that she’d obey, made Tan Yin genuinely angry: “Why not?”

Chu Hang led her all the way from the open ground in front of the library to a quiet, tree-lined path nearby with no one around. He stopped and looked at her: “I don’t think Zhou Ming likes you.”

Tan Yin was annoyed by his presumption too: “Even if he doesn’t like me, that has nothing to do with you. As long as I’m willing, that’s enough.”

Chu Hang pressed his lips together and lowered his head: “If he doesn’t like you, and you’re with him, you’ll get hurt. I’m just reminding you of that.”

Chu Hang before her was still as handsome and striking as ever, yet Tan Yin felt an inexplicable surge of anger inside. Her heart was a tangle of bitterness and unease, an emotion that had been swelling ever since Chu Hang and Anna got together, and now it finally found its explosive outlet in his words.

“I don’t need your reminder. I know you’re a good person, Chu Hang, but when it comes to getting hurt in relationships, I know better than anyone. Just like back when I liked you and you didn’t like me back—I knew I’d get hurt, but liking someone isn’t something you can control. When someone falls into that kind of foolishness, it’s hard to understand from the outside!”

“I know you’re saying this for my own good, but from now on, please stop concerning yourself with me. However my life turns out has nothing to do with you—put away that ever-present kindness and gentlemanly consideration of yours. If you don’t like me, then don’t be so good to me! I understand that being in a relationship might have made you a bit more sensitive and gentle, which is why you’re so concerned about my love life, or maybe it’s out of pity for me—but please, if you don’t like me, just stay away from me! If Anna knew you were acting like some central air conditioner back home, she’d probably break up with you! If you keep hovering around me like this, I can’t guarantee I won’t keep clinging to you! Stay away from me!”

The moment Tan Yin finished this outburst, delivered with an almost furious edge, she instantly regretted it. She shouldn’t have lost her composure like that. She should have controlled herself, pretended to be indifferent, acted as if nothing mattered, as if everything were fine—Chu Hang could walk his sunlit path, and she’d cross her own single-log bridge.

But she couldn’t do it.

She’d liked Chu Hang for so long, quietly paying attention to him for so long. She’d mustered the courage to try a second time, only for him to fall for someone else, and even though he now belonged to someone else, he still insisted on dominating her life so overwhelmingly that every time she resolved to cut him off for good, he pulled her right back in…

It was too much. How could he be so unfair.

Perhaps she’d been suppressing it for too long, because once she erupted, Tan Yin found she could no longer control her emotions. Her heart ached terribly, felt so wronged, and by the time she came to her senses, tears were already streaming down her face.

But contrary to what Tan Yin had expected—that Chu Hang would recoil from her like this—he did nothing of the sort. He looked almost flustered and at a loss, fumbling through his pockets for a tissue he couldn’t find, then reached out to wipe away her tears with his own hand.

“Don’t cry, Tan Yin. Don’t cry.”

Chu Hang’s voice was full of panic, his movements clumsy and awkward, yet unmistakably gentle and careful. But the more he acted this way, the more Tan Yin wanted to cry. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if he’d just walk away without any grace at this moment? If he had no class about it, she could move on so much more easily!

But Chu Hang showed no intention of walking away at all. He fumbled to stop her tears, his voice growing low and almost pleading: “Tan Yin, don’t cry anymore. Whatever you want, I’ll agree to it.”

Tan Yin, still sobbing, stubbornly shot back: “Forget it, don’t lie to me. Why would you agree to whatever I want?”

“Because I like you.”

Tan Yin’s heart, still full of resentment, was completely thrown into chaos by Chu Hang’s low, quiet words.

She almost doubted she’d heard right: “What?”

This time Chu Hang raised his head, his expression turning open and earnest. He looked into her tear-filled eyes, clearly trying to appear completely natural and composed, but the nervousness and helplessness in his voice betrayed him—

“Tan Yin, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you, because I like you.”

“So don’t cry.”

“I was never with Anna. I only like you.”

Tan Yin stood there dazed, as if struck by a comet. Faced with this dreamlike turn of events, faced with Chu Hang’s confession, all she felt was shock, disbelief, and a surreal sense of floating on air.

It felt fake, she thought—she must have hit her head on something during the earthquake’s aftershocks. She must be dreaming.

She stared at Chu Hang almost fiercely, as if by looking hard enough and seriously enough, she could determine whether he was real or something she’d imagined.

“Did you break up with Anna?”

Even after she’d stared at him so intently, Chu Hang didn’t vanish. He glanced at her, looking somewhat helpless: “No.”

No?! Tan Yin’s chest immediately burned with anger. What did Chu Hang mean by this—flirting with her without having broken up with Anna?! Did he think that just because she’d liked him before, he could have it both ways—a proper girlfriend abroad as his white moonlight, and a devoted backup here at home who’d wait on him hand and foot! Absolutely not! Tan Yin glared at him fiercely, vowing that whatever he said next, she wouldn’t forgive him!

“I was never with Anna. How could we break up?”

Huh?

“I never liked Anna. We’re just classmates and friends. I don’t know why you think I was with her,” Chu Hang said, sounding somewhat puzzled. He looked up at her. “How many times have we even met? And you think we were dating? If a few more meetings, would you think we should get married? Then a few more, and we should have kids?”

Tan Yin shot back quickly: “I saw you give her a love letter. Duan Yingfei saw it too, don’t try to fool me…”

“That was Zhang Chen’s love letter to her. That time we went to the art museum—you didn’t come, and I was worried something had happened to you, so I didn’t go with Anna to see the museum. I went back to find you instead, and asked Zhang Chen to take Anna around the city for me.” Chu Hang glanced at her, adding, “As it turned out, Zhang Chen fell for her at first sight, but didn’t dare give her the letter himself, so he insisted I pass it along.”

“After Anna went back home, Zhang Chen kept in touch with her and has been pursuing her. Now Anna’s agreed to give it a try with him. Zhang Chen’s flying to America this summer to meet his prospective girlfriend.”

“Tan Yin, I don’t like Anna. I only like you.” Chu Hang crouched down, bringing his eyes level with hers, staring at her and enunciating each word. “I like you. Don’t be with Zhou Ming.”

“I’ll be better than Zhou Ming. No matter how bad the weather, I’ll help you return your library books first. Whether your foot is really sprained or you’re just being unreasonable, I’ll carry you down the mountain and put you first. Wherever you run into danger, I’ll be the first one there.”

“I won’t let you go through the hardship of delivering food anymore. I won’t fight with you. And I definitely won’t let you cry like you’re crying right now.” Chu Hang wiped away her tears again as he spoke. “He knows law—so did I, as a minor. He takes you out for Western food—I can do that too. But there’s a lot I can do that he can’t.”

Chu Hang seemed to be listing his own merits and strengths, almost like a pitch: “I can tutor you in structural mechanics and building structures—he can’t. I can stay up all night helping you with design projects and models—he can’t. I can take you around to see buildings while explaining the architecture—he can’t. I have connections to get tickets to exhibitions of works by great architects—he can’t…”

He looked at her, his tone almost coaxing: “So break up with him.”