Ning Sui gazed at his upright, deep-set eyes.
Deep as a pool, their outer corners gently curved and beautiful, shimmering with an indescribable light.
Though he pulled his hand back quickly, the warmth that had brushed her lips seemed to have seeped straight into her heart, lingering long after.
Her lashes fluttered. She felt her heartbeat quicken to an almost unbelievable pace.
Thump after thump, as if it might drum right through her chest.
The two of them seemed frozen in place, watching each other across a very small distance — eyes intense, breath intertwined, secret and scorching.
A moment later, Ning Sui was the first to react, lowering her head to look away.
The pounding in her chest was still rapid. She casually grabbed a tissue and pressed it to the corner of her mouth, wiping hard, then hummed vaguely.
“Mm.”
Xie Yichen paused for a brief instant, his gaze shifting slightly as well. Then he looked away, reached out, and picked up the takeout bag in front of him.
Ning Sui didn’t look at him. Her voice was quiet: “Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
“Mm.”
Neither spoke again. They ate in silence.
Hu Ke’er had apparently been in urgent need of the yarn. Ning Sui sent her the exact location and, since Liang Xinyue happened to be in the dormitory, told her to knock on the door and pick it up directly.
Two large kissing-face emoji came back in reply.
Then: 【Babe, what are you doing for New Year’s Eve!】
Paopao Ke: 【I just got dumped — you’re definitely going to keep me company, right? [Pitiful face]】
Hu Ke’er had been wanting to break up with Xu Zhou for a long time, but had kept putting the decision off. Recently, the pressure of midterms and everything else had finally become too much, and she had summoned her resolve and brought it up.
Apparently they had been on the phone for three or four hours, talking for a very, very long time, and ultimately still broke up.
Ning Sui didn’t know the details. When Hu Ke’er saw her, she had looked like her usual self — laughing and joking all day as if nothing had happened.
But Ning Sui knew her well. Hu Ke’er was the type who kept things bottled up inside. There was no way she felt nothing at all after a real breakup.
The screenshot from the Strawberry Music Festival was still saved in her photo album. Ning Sui’s gaze paused on the screen for a moment, her fingertips tightening slightly.
She was in the middle of a complicated internal debate when the person beside her shifted, and suddenly spoke: “Do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?”
He seemed to have reverted to his earlier languid demeanor. Ning Sui glanced over: “Haven’t decided yet.”
“Then — would you like to come to a music festival with me?” Xie Yichen leaned against the back of his chair and looked down at her as he asked. “My cousin happened to get me two tickets.”
Ning Sui’s heart gave a small jump. She looked at him wide-eyed: “A music festival?”
Xie Yichen raised an eyebrow. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“……”
What a coincidence — there were now four tickets in play.
Hu Ke’er’s situation seemed to have found a solution.
Ning Sui wet her lips: “My roommate actually gave me two tickets as well. How about I bring Hu Ke’er, you invite Zhang Yuge, and the four of us go together?”
Xie Yichen: “He can’t make it. His school has a gala that night, and a teacher asked him to perform.”
Ning Sui was curious: “Perform what?”
“Northeast duo crosstalk.”
“……”
Suits him well, actually.
“What about Lin Shuyu, then?”
“He’s going home.”
“Oh.” Ning Sui ate another piece of sweet-and-sour pork, this time paying careful attention to her table manners. “Then what about Qu Handong?”
“Do you really need to invite yet another person?”
“Hm?”
“What I mean is,” Xie Yichen lifted his gaze and looked directly at her, then after a moment lowered his voice to a slow, measured murmur, “can’t it just be the two of us?”
That sentence swept past the shell of Ning Sui’s ear like a gust of wind. She buried herself in her soup and mumbled vaguely: “Hu Ke’er just went through a breakup. She’s not in a good place emotionally — I can’t just leave her out.”
“……”
Xie Yichen watched her for a moment, then said nothing more: “Fine.”
Ning Sui nodded as well, picked up her phone, and was about to send Hu Ke’er a message to tell her about the plan — but just as she tapped the bottom of the screen, a voice message from Hu Ke’er came in, and she accidentally played it on speaker again.
Hu Ke’er’s wild, uninhibited laughter burst out without warning: “I’m DYING, hahahahaha, I just saw a meme online — apparently people from Fujian have this dish of bullfrog stir-fried with curry, and when you offer it as a tribute it ends up being called ‘Frog Curry Tribute,’ which in Chinese sounds exactly like ‘Rubbish’—hahahahaha!”
“……”
A brief silence fell over the study room.
Xie Yichen: “Are you sure she’s——”
Ning Sui: “Not sure. I’ll wait and see……”
In the end, Ning Sui told Hu Ke’er about the New Year’s Eve plans — though she held back a detail, saying all four tickets had come from Xie Yichen’s cousin, so Hu Ke’er wouldn’t get suspicious.
Given how hard Strawberry Music Festival tickets were to come by, Hu Ke’er accepted with great delight.
This woman had been rather unpredictable lately, very enigmatic and hard to read. Several times when Ning Sui had eaten with her, she’d found her hunched over her phone scrolling through Shanying, laughing at memes with such abandon that her barbell-like laugh could be heard all the way across the dining hall.
Other times she would turn deeply pensive — accompanying Ning Sui to the library for self-study, head bent over her books, reading through literature at a furious pace. When Ning Sui leaned over to peek, the pages were dense with annotations.
No idea what had gotten into her. She had definitely never been this eager to study before.
There was still a week or two until New Year’s Eve. Hu Ke’er had apparently driven herself half-mad studying English. When Ning Sui went out shopping with her over the weekend, she read every English storefront sign aloud one by one. They passed a mall and Hu Ke’er pointed at the flashy “Raffles” sign: “Do you know what that means?”
Ning Sui: “Isn’t it just Raffles?”
Hu Ke’er: “Idiot.”
Ning Sui: “?”
Hu Ke’er: “Oh, I mean — this word has multiple meanings. It also has a noun plural form. Meaning idiots.”
The security guard standing at the entrance, who had just overheard them: “……”
After shopping, they happened to walk past a famous scenic spot — some kind of ancient pagoda park. There was a fortune-drawing stand right by the main gate. Hu Ke’er said that with the new year approaching, she needed to consult the oracle, and she went off with great enthusiasm to ask for a divination lot. The fortune-teller asked what she wanted to divine about, and Hu Ke’er said it would be best to cover both career and love.
Ning Sui actually suspected this was a monk who had set up a street stall outside, because it looked extremely unofficial — a small flag stuck in the ground, and the characters on the sign above were all crooked.
Hu Ke’er asked her cheerfully: “Aren’t you going to get one?”
Ning Sui quickly waved her hand and said: “I’ll pass.”
“……”
The depth of the Chinese language is truly vast and profound.
Hu Ke’er drew first for the year’s academic fortune, and got a moderately auspicious lot. The fortune-teller began to explain it, saying she might encounter some setbacks.
He had barely finished that one sentence when Hu Ke’er cut in: “Ah — hold on a moment, that one doesn’t count. Let me draw again.”
The fortune-teller: “……”
She shook the tube again, and the result was even worse — a mediocre lot. Undeterred, Hu Ke’er kept on shaking after paying extra, until on the fifth try she finally drew an extremely lucky top-tier lot.
Hu Ke’er set down the lot container with complete satisfaction, her tone absolutely certain: “Yes. This is my true result.”
The fortune-teller: “…………”
Then she went on to divine her love fortune, and on the very first try drew a highly auspicious lot — an unexpected delight for Hu Ke’er. As she paid and walked away with Ning Sui, she was still beaming as she said: “How splendid! Looks like I’ll have great romantic luck next year.”
Ning Sui said drily: “Is it possible that the lot container is just dizzy from all the shaking you gave it?”
“……”
The two found a restaurant for dinner. Hu Ke’er’s high spirits finally dimmed somewhat, and she sank into a kind of affected melancholy, as though forcing herself into sadness she didn’t quite feel.
She grew noticeably quieter — though her appetite remained as formidable as ever.
About halfway through the meal, Hu Ke’er suddenly set down her chopsticks, picked up her phone, and opened WeChat.
Ning Sui saw her sneaking a look at Xu Zhou’s Moments: “……Probably hasn’t posted anything new, has he?”
She reviewed all of Xu Zhou’s social media accounts like an emperor reviewing state memorials — without exception, none had any new updates. Only then did Hu Ke’er relax, exhaling a long breath.
The last thing she wanted to see was the other person moving on quickly after the breakup, or still having enough energy left over to post a brilliant, vibrant life online.
The server brought over the sake they had just ordered. Hu Ke’er glanced at Ning Sui, said nothing. She waited until the server had left, then sighed: “Alright — I admit it. I haven’t been in a great mood since the breakup.”
Ning Sui poured her a glass of sake, and they clinked cups with a clear chime. Hu Ke’er stared blankly ahead as she recalled: “The guys I’ve met — it seems like none of them ever stayed around very long.”
Those boys who liked her were often attracted to her vivacity, but once they got closer, they discovered how great her emotional needs were — she needed an enormous amount of love to feel fulfilled. They lacked the patience for it, and so arguments would constantly erupt over trivial things.
Hu Ke’er’s spirits sank: “I really just want one person — someone I can cling to without annoying him. But it feels so hard to find.”
“You’re only 18, and your birthday hasn’t even passed yet. You have a long road ahead of you. Don’t draw conclusions this early.”
Ning Sui gave her some food, then pointed at the television, comforting her gently: “Look — even crabs can find a kindred partner.”
This was a Taiwanese fusion restaurant, and the TV on the wall was playing something that looked like a nature documentary, talking about how the box crab is a very devoted animal. When it senses danger, it scoops up its mate and runs, then buries her in the sand and lies on top to protect her.
Hu Ke’er was deeply moved, cradling her face in her hands: “The bonds between animals are so beautiful.”
Before the words had even finished, the subtitles quietly added: 【However, this creature sometimes accidentally picks up the wrong mate.】
Hu Ke’er: “……”
Ning Sui: “……”
—
New Year’s Eve happened to fall on a weekend. The Strawberry Music Festival started at three-thirty in the afternoon. Ning Sui slept in until she woke naturally, then got up and got herself ready.
It was just past noon when Hu Ke’er camped out in Ning Sui’s dormitory to do her makeup. She’d already grown very close with Liang Xinyue and the others over this period of time. She grabbed a piece of a McNugget from Yu Qin’s hand, nibbling on it as she asked: “Have you guys been watching that new idol drama?”
Liang Xinyue had gone home with her boyfriend, so Hu Ke’er was enthusiastically talking up how amazing the drama was with Yu Qin, and successfully got the idly eavesdropping Bi Jiaxi hooked as well.
After chatting for a while, Hu Ke’er came over and lowered her voice to ask Ning Sui: “Who’s this in the group chat?”
Earlier, neither Ning Sui nor Hu Ke’er had had a strong opinion about who else to invite, so they had left it up to Xie Yichen to decide. A moment ago they’d seen him create a four-person group chat — aside from the two of them, there was an unfamiliar profile picture.
Ning Sui glanced at Hu Ke’er’s phone screen: “Xie Yichen says it’s his cousin.”
“What? His cousin?!” Hu Ke’er’s excitement neurons fired all at once. “Oh my god, are you serious — that’s the CEO of Shanying, right? He’s coming too?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
In high school, Hu Ke’er had never seen many of her friends using Shanying. She recalled downloading the app herself because a beauty blogger she liked had started posting on the platform, and after that she’d scroll through it from time to time. Different users shared all kinds of content on there — it was pretty interesting.
But Hu Ke’er had noticed that over the past few months, Shanying seemed to have gained significantly more exposure. She’d even seen a classmate using it during the student society’s autumn outing.
The company was still small in terms of scale at this stage — the valuation from the last funding round was in the tens of millions, approaching a hundred million — but its prospects were very promising.
Hu Ke’er never imagined that one day she’d be going to the Strawberry Music Festival with the CEO of an app she actually liked. Even if he wasn’t yet a household name, the whole thing felt almost surreal — and with completely genuine feeling, she sighed: “I really should just stick close to Boss Chen.”
Ning Sui paused for a moment, and said nothing.
Hu Ke’er sat down beside her, already lost in daydreams: “Xie Yichen is so good-looking — his cousin must be too.”
Ning Sui was dabbing BB cream on her face with a cushion compact. The formula was very light, making her already fair skin look even smoother and more beautiful. It was the first time Hu Ke’er had seen her put on makeup, and she watched the process with curious eyes. Ning Sui glanced sideways and said: “I haven’t met his cousin either.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Hu Ke’er blinked, with a meaningful look. “I just feel like you’re being unusually deliberate about today.”
“……”
Ning Sui finished patting her foundation on evenly at her own unhurried pace, then replied with composure: “It’s New Year’s Eve, isn’t it?”
Hu Ke’er thought about it — fair enough.
Xie Yichen had said he’d come by around two in the afternoon to pick them up and they’d ride together. His cousin was apparently busy and had popped into the group chat to briefly introduce himself by name, then went quiet again.
Ning Sui had put on a light pink wool duffle coat today, with a fur collar around the neck and a fitted winter velvet dress underneath — the fabric was warm and soft, and she had bought it new just the other day when she’d gone shopping with Hu Ke’er.
Du Junnian said he would meet up with them at the venue. The three of them headed out from campus directly.
With Hu Ke’er there, Xie Yichen sat in the front passenger seat during the taxi ride, while Ning Sui sat diagonally behind him. For most of the journey she gazed out the window as if watching the scenery, with barely any eye contact between them.
Hu Ke’er, on the other hand, kept pestering Xie Yichen with questions about his cousin — things like: was the CEO very busy, how did he still have time to come to a music festival, which school did he go to, was he based in Beijing long-term, what had inspired him to start Shanying in the first place, and so on and so forth.
Ning Sui only caught snatches of his low, unhurried voice drifting back from the front seat. For some of the more detailed questions, he replied: “You can ask my cousin when you meet him.”
Hu Ke’er: “Oh, right, okay!”
When the question of how to address Du Junnian came up, Xie Yichen said: “Doesn’t matter — just don’t be too formal.”
Hu Ke’er: “Why not?”
Xie Yichen: “The company isn’t that big. He’d feel embarrassed.”
Hu Ke’er thought that was quite modest of him. Everyone in their family seemed modest. Shanying had some name recognition, at least — plenty of university students like them used it all the time.
Before long they arrived at the festival venue. The afternoon crowd wasn’t too thick yet, and Du Junnian hadn’t made it over from the office that quickly either, so they queued to scan their tickets and go in first, then found a good spot on the grass to watch from.
Ning Sui unfolded the picnic blanket she’d packed in her bag and spread it on the ground. Hu Ke’er went off and bought a large inflatable lounger, then generously pulled out all her snacks and piled them on the blanket.
The three of them settled onto the ground in a loose arrangement. The air was crisp and fresh. A few decent bands took the stage first to perform, and the driving beat of the rock music seemed to surge up through the earth, detonating across the entire venue.
Hu Ke’er had barely sat down for two seconds before she smacked herself on the forehead and grabbed Ning Sui: “Let’s go get glow sticks and little flags!”
The grounds were large. They spent about ten-odd minutes searching before making their way back. Ning Sui looked over casually and suddenly noticed two girls dressed in a particularly polished, mature style — heavy makeup, fashionable outfits — talking to Xie Yichen and trying to get his WeChat. Her footsteps slowed.
Xie Yichen’s expression was blank, his manner cool and indifferent. He said a few words — evidently a clear refusal.
These two girls had probably noticed he was sitting alone without anyone around him, and still showed remarkable persistence, hovering nearby with no sign of leaving, their tone very sincere: “We’re just adding you as a friend — promise we won’t bother you.”
Ning Sui walked closer at this moment, just in time to see him composedly lift his gaze: “Alright, take note of it.”
The girls’ eyes lit up, phones out: “Go ahead.”
Xie Yichen: “π.”
One girl looked puzzled: “Just that single Greek math letter?”
He gave a careless smile: “Of course not — I mean the digits after 3.1415926.”
The girl: “……”
The headlining acts weren’t coming on until evening, but by now the crowd’s energy was already running high. Ning Sui had never been to anything like this before. She sat on the grass hugging her knees, gazing around with wide, curious eyes. People were continuously streaming in around them, and the atmosphere was festive and lively — everyone either listening to music or chatting.
Well, she could cross another item off her bucket list. Satisfying.
Hu Ke’er had wandered up front to take photos. Ning Sui listened to the music, and her attention drifted without her meaning it to.
There were some quiet, rustling sounds. Xie Yichen had been casually sorting the snacks Hu Ke’er had scattered everywhere. Head down, he slowly arranged the things on the ground with his long-fingered, well-jointed hands.
Ning Sui watched him and asked: “Did your cousin really start his business in a basement?”
“Mm.” He glanced up at her, drawing out the end of the syllable lazily. “——Finally remembered to speak to me?”
With Hu Ke’er here, she had indeed not dared to make any moves. That woman’s powers of observation were far too sharp.
Ning Sui was quiet for a moment, then sidled a little closer and naturally redirected: “What do you even have in that bag of yours? It’s so stuffed and lumpy.”
Xie Yichen sat beside her, and he suddenly caught a very distinct fragrance — a peachy sort of scent, light and sweet.
His black backpack sat nearby. He let his eyes narrow slightly, unzipped it, and took out the thing he’d been keeping tucked inside, raising it with a lift of his brow: “Want some?”
“What is it?”
A can of classic coconut juice.
The weather was still fairly cold, but the metal can surprisingly didn’t feel cold on the outside — it was warm. Ning Sui took the drink and held it in her palm, pressing her lips together with a small blink of her eyes.
She hadn’t said anything yet when she saw him flash a bright grin and reach into the bag again, pulling out a beautiful box of strawberries and setting it in front of her: “Washed.”
Ning Sui: “Oh.”
She thought that would be the end of it — but Xie Yichen unzipped the bag a little further and lifted out a hanging bunch of adorable mini bananas.
He felt around some more and produced a can of avocado yogurt, then two packets of green-grape-flavored gummy bears.
“……”
Was this man some kind of bottomless treasure chest?
The tips of Ning Sui’s ears, hidden beneath her thick dark hair, thumped a few times. She spoke in an unhurried drawl: “Thank you, Doraemon Chen.”
“……”
She opened the clear plastic container first. The strawberries still had fresh little droplets of water clinging to them. Ning Sui reached in and took one, biting off a small piece — it was crisp and sweet.
Her gaze drifted slightly, then settled without intention.
Today Xie Yichen was still wearing the scarf she had given him, though the wind had loosened and scattered it slightly, one end nearly trailing to the ground. The collar of his coat hung daringly open. His dark, fine hair was equally casual and unruly, tossed freely by the breeze, sweeping across those handsome, hawk-sharp brows and eyes.
As if sensing her gaze, Xie Yichen looked back at her from under lowered lashes, the corner of his mouth curving rakishly upward: “What? Have I got something written on my face?”
The soft grass swayed gently on the ground. The tassels of the scarf swung and brushed at something warm in her heart. Ning Sui stared at him in silence for a long moment, then suddenly leaned over and helped straighten his collar, and while she was at it, grabbed one end of the scarf and retied it properly for him.
Her fingertips, carrying a trace of coolness, inevitably grazed his warm neck, and she rubbed it a little, not entirely aware of what she was doing. Xie Yichen’s eyes deepened abruptly, his dark gaze dropping to fix on her.
His throat moved in a slow roll. He was just parting his lips to say something when Ning Sui swiftly grabbed a strawberry and popped it into his mouth, then replied with perfect composure: “Mm, says π.”
“……”