Her WeChat conversation with Xie Yichen had ended with the last exchange — him sending a photo from Yulong Snow Mountain and her responding with a simple “have fun,” to which he replied “mm.”

Truthfully, when they’d come back from the lakeside highway that night, Ning Sui had felt that she and Xie Yichen had gotten a little too close for comfort. Something instinctive inside her kicked in — a kind of withdrawal — and she wanted to put a bit of distance between them again.

— Ning Sui had always known she was mildly avoidant when it came to close relationships.

Not just with the opposite sex. It applied to any form of intimacy.

Even when she’d first become friends with Hu Ke’er, there had been an awkward period. She’d found Hu Ke’er’s enthusiasm a bit overwhelming, and more than once had felt the urge to run. She’d actually nearly talked herself out of the friendship.

Ning Sui didn’t quite know how to describe that feeling.

There’d be a kind of unease — a disoriented, anxious, unsettled quality — a wariness of people getting too close.

But thankfully, Hu Ke’er was the easygoing type and hadn’t picked up on any of the resistance. She’d assumed Ning Sui was just naturally reserved and kept treating her the same way she always had. Over time, Ning Sui had slowly adjusted and settled into it.

So if Xie Yichen had messaged her after they went their separate ways, she probably wouldn’t have known what to do with it.

But apparently Ning Sui’s concern was entirely unnecessary.

Nearly a whole week passed with nothing. The man seemed to have evaporated off the face of the earth — no messages, not even an appearance in their shared group chat.

Ning Sui looked down at her phone screen and paused — then found the explanation. He had a little app to chat with other people.

There was no good way to say this, but the logo from the screenshot Hu Ke’er had sent her reminded her almost immediately of the mini-program that had popped up on Xie Yichen’s phone near the Sun Palace in Dali.

A social app she’d never heard of before.

— As for why she was certain the account in Hu Ke’er’s screenshot wasn’t Zhang Yuge’s — that was actually quite simple.

Setting aside basic information like height and school, the song “Kepler” was one she’d spotted in Xie Yichen’s music app’s frequently played list. Not to mention the film “A Beautiful Mind,” which they’d watched together at the old town.

Ning Sui didn’t tell Hu Ke’er right away.

She decided to investigate this mini-program first.

She registered a name and found the barrier to entry was higher than expected — you had to verify your identity with a government ID. Once she’d done that, Ning Sui filled in the profile information, listing her school as Tsinghua University, and made everything else differ from her real details.

The system suggested she upload a photo.

So she went into her camera roll and picked a distant shot of Hu Ke’er where her face wasn’t visible.

Ning Sui didn’t feel any particular guilt about this — she remembered Hu Ke’er had been very fond of that photo, saying the hazy sunlight had a certain mood to it and really showed off her slender legs and trim figure.

She then learned that the app pushed twenty people to you each day, and a chat could only be opened if both sides expressed mutual interest first.

In theory, this meant she couldn’t directly choose someone — she’d have to wait for the app to deliver them to her.

Looking more carefully, she could tell the developers had built in their little tricks.

— For 33 yuan a month, VIP members could send a direct friend request straight to someone’s inbox. Whether they chose to accept it was still up to the other person.

Yu Zhiguo’s office had pleasant natural light. Outside, an unidentified small bird was singing in bright, winding trills. The man himself was still nowhere to be seen. Ning Sui quietly settled into his leather armchair and completed the payment.

Then, using the username from Hu Ke’er’s screenshot, she searched “Anathaniel” and found Xie Yichen’s profile.

She sent a friend request. No response came yet, so she put in her earphones and listened to music.

Not many minutes later, Yu Zhiguo came charging in.

He saw Ning Sui installed in his own chair and gave her a look that was not quite a smile: “Comfortable in my seat?”

Ning Sui jumped to her feet in an instant, dusted off the backrest for him with composed efficiency.

Then, with sincere deliberation, she offered her assessment: “Decent enough. The lumbar support is a bit hard, though. Watch out for your spine.”

Yu Zhiguo: “……”

This session wasn’t really a lesson — they only had two or three hours, just enough for Yu Zhiguo to give her a rough overview of the framework. Since she’d already studied calculus for competitions, he went straight to mathematical analysis and linear algebra.

He’d been away from students all summer and was thoroughly delighted to have one in front of him. He taught with extraordinary energy and enthusiasm.

Ning Sui listened carefully. The two of them had built up a real rapport over the years — she picked up his concepts easily.

Time slipped by without her noticing, and as they neared the end, Yu Zhiguo received a phone call. He gave a few brief responses and then put it down, looking at her with a curious gleam.

“A few of the students from my advanced science class this year are doing mathematics competitions — they’ve formed their own study group and have been coming in to self-study during the second half of summer break. They want to ask me some questions. Want to come meet them with me? Have a chat?”

Nothing better to do anyway, and Ning Sui had wanted to see the newly renovated teaching block. She nodded.

The two of them packed up and walked down the staircase together toward the advanced science classroom.

From a fair distance away, they could already hear a lively chorus of chatter.

About eight or nine students, dressed in a mix of different clothes, scattered loosely across their seats. With no teacher present, the room had descended into cheerful disorder — two or three of the more animated ones were draped over the lectern, enthusiastically sharing the highlights of their summer break, and somewhere in the air floated a paper plane belonging to nobody in particular.

Yu Zhiguo gave the door frame a loud knock: “Are you here to study or to run an airfield?”

There was never any arguing with the force of a teacher’s authority.

Like a stormy sea suddenly turning calm, the lively students froze into something resembling statues, every voice cut off at once, and obediently drifted back to their own seats.

With all eyes on them, Yu Zhiguo walked in with Ning Sui at his side.

She had on a light blue belted dress that day, which made her fair, smooth skin look even more so. Her long hair lay sleek and soft over her shoulders.

The students had apparently not anticipated an unexpected visitor, and their eyes went wide. A ripple of quiet whispering spread across the room.

Yu Zhiguo cleared his throat and announced with authority: “Let me introduce someone. This is Ning Sui, your graduating senior — she just finished high school and will be attending Beijing University’s mathematics department after scoring exceptionally well on the gaokao.”

The ripple of whispers grew considerably louder.

Nearly ten pairs of eyes snapped toward Ning Sui in unison. Apparently the shock was doubled by the fact that this high-scoring senior was also this beautiful.

Admiration, astonishment, curiosity — emotions piling over each other at once: “Wow!”

Yu Zhiguo, having thoroughly built up the suspense, gave an old and cunning smile.

Ning Sui felt a sense of unease, and the very next second she heard him present her with a fait accompli: “How about it, Sui Sui — say a few words?”

Ning Sui: “……”

Looking at these first-year students, she thought of herself three years ago.

She put herself in their place: if she had been given the chance, when she had just entered school, to hear from a senior directly — she probably would have avoided many wrong turns. Now that the tables were turned, she hoped she could do the same for more people.

Ning Sui organized her thoughts quickly.

Thanks to her experience hosting at school, she was able to distill her thoughts efficiently and introduce herself with ease, sharing her journey through three years of high school and some hard-won wisdom from the key turning points along the way.

Yu Zhiguo listened from the side, quietly pleased. This kid had always been dependable.

He glanced over at the class — and nearly laughed. Nearly ten pairs of eyes were fixed on the person at the front, glowing with something close to reverence.

He held it in.

Ning Sui finished quickly and invited questions. At first everyone was cautious — exchanging glances, reluctant to go first, wanting to speak but not quite daring.

Yu Zhiguo could tell immediately that these kids couldn’t loosen up with a teacher in the room. He laughed and announced: “I’ll step outside. Ask your senior whatever you like.”

Once he was gone, the room became noticeably more animated.

Several students gradually raised hands to ask about study methods and habits.

“Senior, I feel like my study efficiency is really low — no matter how long I spend at it, my grades don’t improve. What should I do?”

“How do we manage our mindset? The closer we get to third year, the more pressured I feel — it’s like I’m stuck in a loop of negativity……”

Ning Sui answered each question in turn, patiently: “Try to give yourself some proper rest occasionally — listen to music, go play a sport with friends. I sometimes go to the track with classmates to play badminton… For relieving stress, it’s the same idea. Talking to people more can help.”

Then another girl raised her hand, looking quite eager. Ning Sui called on her.

“Senior — what do you think about dating during high school?”

The classroom erupted into a round of knowing calls and laughter. Everyone’s eyes began darting back and forth between this girl and a boy sitting in a corner on the other side of the room. With so few people in the class, it was obvious — the boy’s face went bright red and he stole a glance toward her.

Clearly a couple the whole class was aware of.

It was a good thing Yu Zhiguo wasn’t in the room.

Ning Sui smiled quietly and spoke from her heart: “Having feelings of admiration or attraction toward someone during adolescence is completely normal. But we also need to be clear about what our main job is right now — and that’s studying. I think the best way to handle it is to grow together with the person you like. Help each other become better.”

“Wow!” The room broke into enthusiastic applause.

The girl hadn’t sat down yet. Eyes bright with curiosity and excitement, she tested the waters in a quieter voice: “……Senior, you’re so beautiful and so accomplished — did you have someone to grow alongside in all three years of high school?”

Ning Sui’s lashes fluttered softly.

The students below all stared at her, holding their breath, waiting for her answer.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head with a faint smile: “No.”

—

After the session with the younger students, they settled back into working on their competition problems. As the visit wound down, Ning Sui said her goodbyes to Yu Zhiguo, and the old man fished a box of chocolates out for her — a gift a student had brought him.

“One after another. Do they not know I’m diabetic? Last time someone gave me a resistance band and I sprained my back doing it.”

Ning Sui blinked. “Noted. Next time I’ll bring you a massage pillow, an insulated cup, a foot-soaking tub, and orthopedic walking shoes.”

“……”

Coming out of the office, Ning Sui ran into Sun Xiaozhen by chance in the corridor — a classmate from her year.

Sun Xiaozhen had done well on the gaokao, achieving the results she’d consistently worked toward, and was heading to Beijing University.

The two exchanged greetings. Sun Xiaozhen asked: “Sui Sui, what brings you here?”

Ning Sui kept it brief: “Came back to see a teacher. You?”

Sun Xiaozhen gave an “oh”: “You know I was part of the Axis lab, right? I’m here working on the robotics project. Just finished up.”

“Robotics?”

“Right. Wen Siyuan and I, together. We just wrapped up.”

Sun Xiaozhen seemed to want to say something more, then held it back.

Ning Sui nodded and was just considering whether to say her goodbyes, when footsteps drifted from somewhere ahead — unhurried, at ease.

Ning Sui’s gaze moved past Sun Xiaozhen, over her shoulder. Two figures were coming down the staircase behind her.

The one closer to the classroom side was Wen Siyuan. He was dressed casually, arms loosely folded behind his head, his expression relaxed as he chatted with the person walking beside him.

As for the other one.

Tall, upright posture. Dark hair and sharp eyes. Striking features, deep-set — clean-cut jaw, a thin mouth, the lines of his profile edged and defined.

He walked closer to the railing side. He had a school uniform jacket thrown on — loose and casual — hands in pockets.

The warm orange-red of the late afternoon sun spilled across him like poured paint.

Someone had once said that when sunlight fell into his eyes, they turned the color of amber. She couldn’t confirm it from this distance — no way to verify it.

Ning Sui was still for just a beat. She made no move.

It was Wen Siyuan who noticed her first, giving a surprised “hey,” then looking over at Sun Xiaozhen: “What are you two up to? Ning Sui’s here too.”

Sun Xiaozhen added: “Sui Sui came to see her teacher. We just ran into each other.”

Wen Siyuan caught sight of the enormous box of chocolates in Ning Sui’s hands and lit up with understanding: “Old Yu, right?”

“Mm.”

Wen Siyuan said: “I was going to go up and see him too, but I have something on today, unfortunately.”

The two boys came closer, stopping a short distance in front of them. Ning Sui glanced at Xie Yichen — this person had somehow quietly walked into her territory without a sound.

Wen Siyuan, noticing she hadn’t said anything, scratched his head and looked sideways: “Let me introduce—”

Before he could finish, the person beside him gave a quiet, unhurried laugh: “No need.”

“Huh?”

Sun Xiaozhen and Wen Siyuan hadn’t caught up yet. Xie Yichen lowered his gaze calmly and took one easy step forward, moving to stand directly beside Ning Sui.

“We know each other well.”

The faint, clean coolness that hung around him drifted over as he drew near. Ning Sui’s lashes fluttered and she turned her eyes away slightly.

— Right. Five days of radio silence, and this was the “know each other well.”

“You know our Yichen? How do you know each other?”

Wen Siyuan found this genuinely puzzling. At the graduation ceremony, when everyone had brought up Xie Yichen, he remembered Ning Sui not having much reaction. Of course, he hadn’t known Xie Yichen himself at the time — they’d been in the Axis lab together for all of high school, but with so many members, they’d somehow never once crossed paths. It wasn’t until the past few days that the faculty advisor had formally introduced them. He’d heard quite a reputation preceding this person.

Ning Sui answered: “We ran into each other on the graduation trip.”

“Oh, was that the Yunnan trip? Did you go with Hu Ke’er?”

“Mm.” Ning Sui naturally shifted the subject. “Are you finished? Where are you headed next?”

“Oh, yeah — we were thinking about getting dinner, actually.”

Since they’d conveniently run into each other, Wen Siyuan had a thought to invite Ning Sui along, not noticing the look on Sun Xiaozhen’s face, and said warmly: “Why don’t you join us?”

Ning Sui glanced at Xie Yichen. He was looking back at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read, something faintly curious in the depths of it. She closed her fingers briefly into a light grip: “Sure.”

The four of them went to a small hot pot restaurant in the shopping mall just outside the school, finding a corner booth.

Xie Yichen and Wen Siyuan sat facing each other. The remaining two spots were side by side. Before Ning Sui had done anything, Sun Xiaozhen had already slid into the seat next to Xie Yichen.

So Ning Sui pulled out the chair beside Wen Siyuan and sat down.

They were ordering via QR code. Everyone put in what they wanted — meats and vegetables. Ning Sui finished quickly and while the others were still on their phones, she backed out to check her WeChat.

At that moment, the “Green Fruit” mini-program sent a bright, conspicuous notification.

【Anathaniel has accepted your friend request. You can now start chatting!】

“……”

Ning Sui’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

She hadn’t expected Xie Yichen to be fitting in time on his phone even now, in a moment like this.

And her profile had been filled in with almost nothing remarkable — and he had still accepted.

Was he really this indiscriminate? Would he add just anyone to chat?

Ning Sui’s breath caught for just a moment. She quietly dipped her head — her hair falling forward to screen the phone — and after a while lifted it again.

……How does one start a conversation?

She thought it over, then sent something cautious into the chat window: 【Hey~】

About two minutes later, he replied.

Anathaniel: 【Hello】

Since he had no idea who she was, Ning Sui mustered her nerve and typed a few lines with more confidence.

Cheese Is Power: 【Can I see your abs?】

Anathaniel: 【What is the purpose you’re using this app for?】

The two messages were sent at almost exactly the same moment. The air seemed to hold still for just a beat.

Cheese Is Power: 【That one. That’s my purpose.】

A pause, then she added: 【Pecs work too. I’m not picky.】

The chat immediately showed “the other party is typing.”

But after a moment.

Nothing came through.

Ning Sui sent a question mark.

The screen displayed: 【You have been blocked by this user.】

Ning Sui: “……”

Ning Sui: “??”

The system helpfully informed her: if blocked, VIP users had the ability to disguise themselves as a new account, change their profile picture and introduction, and send another private message request.

This would require a one-time additional payment of 33 yuan.

Ning Sui: “……”

She paid again. Made a few quick changes to the profile — kept it simple since it had been sparse to begin with — and swapped to another one of Hu Ke’er’s far-off photos where her face wasn’t visible.

Then she sent Xie Yichen another friend request.

During this time, Ning Sui looked up briefly. He was sitting there with his head bowed over his phone, lashes lowered, expression slightly bored and indifferent.

Sun Xiaozhen looked as though she very much wanted to start a conversation with him, but he seemed to be occupied, so she held back and turned to chat with Wen Siyuan instead about their robotics project.

Ning Sui’s phone gave an almost imperceptible vibration. Friend request accepted.

This time she tried a different approach.

— She’d always heard Zhang Yuge and Lin Shuyu going on about things, but in truth she’d never been very clear on Xie Yichen’s romantic history.

Ning Sui, behind her new profile, typed slowly: 【After our breakup I’ve been thinking about you. Can we get back together?】

Anathaniel: 【You’ve got the wrong person.】

Anathaniel: 【No ex.】

Egg Roll Girl: 【Oh】

She was still deliberating over what to send next when another message came in from him: 【You were able to send me a direct message — does that mean you paid for VIP?】

Egg Roll Girl: 【Yes.】

Egg Roll Girl: 【I paid specifically for you.】

Egg Roll Girl: 【I think you’re quite good-looking.】

Anathaniel: 【Thank you — in that case, do you find the app convenient to use? How did you hear about Green Fruit? And are there any features you think could be improved?】

Ning Sui: “?”