“Ahhh, Yiran, hurry up!” Li Qianduo stamped her feet anxiously at the bottom of the stairway, looking up and shouting, “We’re going to be late! Today is Demon Xue’s class!”

“Coming, coming!” Lin Yiran ran out clutching a book, her long hair bouncing with each step as she descended the stairs. Having just woken from a nap, her face was bare without any makeup, appearing natural and fresh.

“Last week he got angry about absences, and this week he’ll be taking attendance. If we’re late, we’ll be walking straight into the line of fire!” Li Qianduo grabbed Lin Yiran’s arm and rushed forward. She was petite with her hair tied in a round bun on top of her head.

“Let’s hurry, we can make it,” Lin Yiran said.

Yesterday, one of the girls in their dormitory had a birthday, and several of them went out and partied half the night, not returning to the dormitory. They had to wake up early for their 8 AM class, and after morning lectures, Lin Yiran and Li Qianduo had just eaten a sandwich before coming back for a nap.

Lin Yiran rarely participated in such activities. She didn’t go out much, and if it hadn’t been for her roommate’s birthday and her three roommates insisting she join them, she would never have stayed out all night.

In her roommates’ words, Yiran’s family upbringing was too strict—her aunt and uncle managed her too closely, turning her into an old-fashioned girl.

Their midday nap had gone too long, and as soon as Lin Yiran opened her eyes, she quickly woke Li Qianduo.

They had to run across half the campus in five minutes and climb to the fourth floor. The two dashed out of the dormitory building, sprinting wildly without caring about appearances.

“Well, even the goddess is late?” A motorcycle roared behind them as someone called out.

The two girls looked back and saw a senior from their department whom Lin Yiran had met at a previous event. They would greet each other when they met on campus.

Lin Yiran smiled at him and waved her hand.

“Want a ride? I can take you both,” he offered.

Before Lin Yiran could refuse, Li Qianduo said, “No thanks, handsome. Thank you, goodbye!”

Then she pulled Lin Yiran and continued running.

Lin Yiran was a well-known figure in the Literature Department. On the evening after freshman military training ended, a junior from the Sports Department had publicly confessed his feelings to her on the field.

Surrounded by onlookers at the time, Lin Yiran was too embarrassed to respond properly and kept saying “thank you” and “I’m sorry” with her hands pressed together.

The guy across from her was also considered campus royalty, and many were watching to see what would happen. The commotion was so loud it could be heard far from the field.

In such situations, one would typically handle it tactfully first and clarify later if not interested, to avoid an uncomfortable scene for both parties.

Yet Lin Yiran firmly refused to accept the bouquet, only looking at him sincerely while repeatedly apologizing.

Fortunately, seeing that she genuinely didn’t want to accept and noting the sincere apology in her eyes, the young man didn’t insist. He shook his head at her, smiled, and said, “It’s okay, I should be the one apologizing.”

He then handed the flowers to Lin Yiran’s roommate standing beside her and turned to tell the crowd, “Thanks for coming, but I failed. Let’s disperse.”

The roommate at that time was Li Qianduo, who had never seen such beautiful flowers and was bouncing with joy as she held them.

After this incident, Lin Yiran was crowned the department beauty, and with her consistent first-place academic rankings, her status as the Literature Department flower had never wavered. The confession wall regularly featured declarations for her, some anonymous and sincere, others using real names just to stir things up.

However, following that firm rejection in freshman year, there were no more such high-profile confessions, and even genuine confessions became rare.

Everyone knew that although she appeared gentle, she was truly difficult to pursue or ask out.

When the two of them rushed into the classroom, the teacher had just taken out the attendance register. They sat down by the back door, panting so hard they felt dizzy.

“I think I’m going to throw up!” Li Qianduo gasped to Lin Yiran.

“Then next time, come five minutes earlier, and don’t vomit in my class,” the middle-aged male teacher interjected calmly from the front.

The classroom erupted with chuckles as students around them turned to look.

“Yes, yes, teacher! Next time I’ll be the first one here!” Li Qianduo quickly replied.

Lin Yiran nudged her leg, signaling her to stop embarrassing herself.

Li Qianduo stuck out her tongue and made a face, indicating she was about to collapse.

After taking attendance and preparing to start class, Lin Yiran felt her pocket and glanced at Li Qianduo.

“What is it?” Li Qianduo asked knowingly. “Looking for your phone?”

Lin Yiran whispered, “I didn’t bring my bag.”

“I know, I saw when you came out, but I didn’t tell you,” Li Qianduo chuckled. “I was afraid if you went back to get it, we wouldn’t make it on time.”

“Can I borrow yours…” Lin Yiran thought for a moment, then said, “Never mind.”

Li Qianduo offered, “Go ahead and use it.”

Lin Yiran waved her hand and said, “It’s fine, I don’t need it.”

Lin Yiran remembered she still had a message to send, but then thought that whether she sent it or not wasn’t that important.

During the two-hour class, Li Qianduo slept through half of it while Lin Yiran listened attentively, filling two pages with notes.

That afternoon, they had another department-wide class. After it ended, the roommates went directly to the cafeteria for dinner, and by the time they returned to the dormitory, it was after six in the evening.

“I’m taking a shower first. I’m exhausted,” roommate Xin Ran took off her jacket, preparing to remove her makeup and shower before going to bed.

“Okay,” Qianduo said. “You’re turning in early.”

“I’m too tired,” Xin Ran said. “I barely slept last night.”

As soon as Lin Yiran returned, she went to get her phone, which had been left in her bag. The screen showed four missed calls and two WeChat messages.

All four calls were from Qiu Xing.

The WeChat messages were also from him.

Qiu Xing: [Lin Yiran]

Two hours later, Qiu Xing had sent another message: [Call me back]

“Yiran?” her roommate called again.

“Hmm?” Lin Yiran turned and asked, “What is it?”

“What are you spacing out about? I called you and you didn’t even hear,” Xin Ran asked. “Can I use your shampoo again? Mine hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Use mine,” another roommate offered.

“No, I like Yiran’s. It smells so nice,” Xin Ran said.

“Sure, help yourself,” Lin Yiran said, taking her phone and heading out. “I’m going to make a call.”

It had been many days since Lin Yiran had called Qiu Xing.

Their last phone conversation was half a month ago and lasted only a few minutes before hanging up.

Qiu Xing was always busy. When she called him, he didn’t talk much, his tone flat, occasionally giving the impression he was impatient.

Later, Lin Yiran stopped calling.

Recently, they had even exchanged fewer messages. As they approached the end of their “three years,” it seemed they were already preparing for the end.

Last night, Lin Yiran had sent Qiu Xing a message saying her roommate was having a birthday celebration and they were going out.

Qiu Xing asked where they were going.

When Lin Yiran arrived at the restaurant, she took a picture of Qiu Xing, and took another when they reached the bar.

Qiu Xing asked: [Drinking?]

Lin Yiran replied: [I’m not drinking.]

Close to midnight, Qiu Xing messaged asking: [Back at the dormitory?]

Lin Yiran was busy taking care of Li Qianduo, who had drunk too much, and quickly replied: [No.]

Qiu Xing: [Where are you?]

Lin Yiran couldn’t type properly and only responded after quite some time: [Staying out. Will tell you tomorrow.]

Qiu Xing didn’t send any more messages after that.

She had promised to explain the next day, yet Lin Yiran hadn’t made any contact all day—no calls answered, no messages returned.

Now, as Lin Yiran stood by the window at the end of the hallway with her phone, she began to feel uneasy. She hadn’t expected Qiu Xing to call her, as he rarely initiated contact.

And the fact that Qiu Xing had messaged her full name “Lin Yiran” proved he was angry.

Qiu Xing rarely called her that. Usually, he called her Lin Xiaochuan. He only called her Lin Yiran when he was angry or warning her.

The phone rang several times before being answered, and there was silence on the other end, not even a “hello.”

Lin Yiran rested her hand on the windowsill, her voice tentative: “Hello?”

The phone remained uncomfortably silent.

Lin Yiran called his name: “Qiu Xing?”

Only then did Qiu Xing respond: “Mm.”

His voice was deep, and Lin Yiran couldn’t tell if he was angry.

“I left in a hurry this afternoon and didn’t bring my phone…” Lin Yiran explained quietly. “Just got back.”

Qiu Xing asked: “When did you return?”

Lin Yiran knew what he was asking about and answered: “This morning, for our 8 AM class.”

Qiu Xing made a sound of acknowledgment and said nothing more.

It was very quiet on the other end of the call. Qiu Xing must have been in a quiet place.

Lin Yiran asked him: “Where are you?”

Qiu Xing said: “At home, I fell asleep.”

“Then… should you sleep?” Lin Yiran rubbed the marble edge of the windowsill with her fingers. “Should I hang up?”

Lin Yiran wanted to say she would call him back after he woke up, but before she could, Qiu Xing had already said “Fine” and hung up.

In this northern city, the April wind was still very cold.

Standing by the window, the cold breeze made Lin Yiran’s hands and the tip of her nose feel icy.

It had been a long time since she had heard Qiu Xing’s voice, and even longer since she had seen him.

Qiu Xing hadn’t visited since the winter break.

Qiu Xing remained as he always had been, seemingly without attachment to any place or person.

He wasn’t affectionate, but he had kept the promise he made at the beginning—whenever Lin Yiran looked for him, Qiu Xing made himself available.

Qiu Xing had indeed been accompanying her all along.

During these two and a half years, Lin Yiran had grown accustomed to Qiu Xing’s brief comings and goings. She didn’t cling to him or intrude much into his life.

Even so, Qiu Xing’s coldness on the phone just now still left Lin Yiran feeling a little disappointed.

Lin Yiran stood by the window for a while. Unusually for her, she called him back after hanging up.

Qiu Xing answered again and asked: “Something else?”

Lin Yiran, feeling cold from the wind, wrapped her cardigan tighter and pressed her lips together, saying: “I wasn’t finished. Why did you hang up on me?”

Qiu Xing seemed irritated too and replied: “What else do you want to say? Say it.”

Lin Yiran frowned slightly, though her voice remained soft: “Why are you being fierce? Are you angry with me?”

“I have no right to be,” Qiu Xing said flatly.

Lin Yiran was no longer the nineteen-year-old she once was.

She was still a gentle girl who always smiled when talking to people and never shouted, but when facing Qiu Xing, she occasionally showed a bit of temper, not always being so soft and yielding.

Like now.

Qiu Xing’s attitude wasn’t good, and Lin Yiran wasn’t much better when she called back.

“Is it because I missed your calls?” she asked Qiu Xing. “I didn’t know you would call. You usually don’t, do you?”

Her face was tense, her eyes bright with emotion.

Qiu Xing countered: “Do you usually go out drinking at midnight?”

He finally broke through his cold shell for Lin Yiran: “Going out drinking and not returning to school, then being unreachable the next day—I shouldn’t have to look for you, right?”

Lin Yiran was speechless at his questions, lowering her eyes in silence.

Both were quiet for a moment. The small spark of temper Lin Yiran had shown quickly dissipated. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Qiu Xing ask: “Am I overstepping?”

Lin Yiran lowered her voice: “I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t want me involved in these matters anymore, just tell me,” Qiu Xing added.

Lin Yiran’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she immediately said: “No… we still have half a year.”

Her voice revealed uneven breathing, and Qiu Xing said nothing more.

“Have you eaten?” When Qiu Xing spoke again, his tone was less harsh as he asked the question.

“Yes, I have,” Lin Yiran replied in a subdued voice. “In the cafeteria.”

Qiu Xing made a sound of acknowledgment and said, “Hanging up now? I’m going to eat.”

“Okay,” Lin Yiran was obedient again. “Goodbye.”

After hanging up, Lin Yiran returned to the dormitory carrying the chill with her.

“Yiran, quick, look! I sent it to your phone. Shall we go play this weekend?” Li Qianduo sat in her chair, looking up as she spoke.

“Play what?” Lin Yiran asked.

“A place full of handsome men! The Divine Bar!” Li Qianduo grinned mischievously. “Feel their abs! Their pecs!”

Lin Yiran’s face visibly paled as she quickly said: “I’m not going.”

“You’ve scared Yiran to death,” Xin Ran, who had finished showering and climbed onto her bed, laughed. “We put in so much effort to get her out yesterday, and now you’re telling her to feel pecs. You’ve terrified her.”

“Mm-hmm, I’m terrified. You all go ahead, I’m not going,” Lin Yiran waved her hands repeatedly. “I definitely won’t go.”