Dappled light fell across the edge of the table, casting tiny crescent moon shapes through the gaps between the branches and leaves outside the window.
Ning Sui felt she ought not to be as careless as last time, and she made a conscious effort to control her force — yet somehow she still failed to gauge things properly.
The sensation of that instant was impossible to describe.
Her first thought was: How can something be this soft?
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Ning Sui sat in place, her mind pleasantly hazy, before she could even begin to register anything — her wrist was seized and pulled forward.
Immediately after, her whole body was forcefully enveloped by a powerful arm, and an intensely warm presence pressed down over her. In an instant, a breath both overwhelming and impossibly present blanketed Ning Sui completely.
Ning Sui tilted her head back, her own breathing nearly suspended.
A clean, cool fragrance swept over her, along with a sensation like an electric current. She didn’t even have time to confirm what Yu Qin had told her before she was swept, dazed, into the full tide of it.
In truth, Xie Yichen was just as inexperienced — urgently so. His first kiss lasted a long time; he simply held her in his arms and wouldn’t let her escape.
Ning Sui struggled in a fluster, and as she raised her hand she accidentally brushed his ear — it felt scorching hot, or perhaps it was her own palm burning. Either way, the difference in temperature was unmistakably stark. Her fingers sank into his inch-cropped black hair and were lightly pricked. It was then that Xie Yichen briefly loosened his hold, giving her a moment to breathe.
But not two seconds later, he lowered his head again and came back to kiss her once more.
Sunlight danced outside the window. Through her haze, Ning Sui saw his eyes — pitch-black and brilliantly bright, gleaming like obsidian.
The breath between their lips was clean and blazing. Her heart burned with an intensity beyond all reason — like swift-rushing water breaking through some long-standing barrier, immersed in a kind of vacuum.
On instinct, she hooked her arm around his neck, yet everywhere was hot, and there seemed to be no comfortable place to hold on.
Ning Sui thought to herself: her boyfriend had definitely never kissed another girl before. They were both a little clumsy, far too green. It was as though they were exploring some fresh, unknown world together.
Xie Yichen kissed her gently and unhurriedly, his lips softly capturing hers. There were several moments where Ning Sui felt she was no longer herself. Their noses and cheeks pressed tenderly against one another, and only her heartbeat remained vivid — pounding, pounding, as if trying to leap out of her chest.
The warmth still lingered in every breath, and only after she was finally released did Ning Sui sit in place, chest heaving, curled up like a little cat with one ear drooping, the undissipated heat still stirring inside her.
Her ears were burning beyond all description. She didn’t need a mirror to know her face must be completely red.
She likely sat there, dazed, for a few seconds before it finally came back to her.
…This place — wasn’t this the library?
Sunlight flickered in her eyes, dancing at the tips of his hair. Before her lay a brilliant rushing flood. Inside Ning Sui’s heart, it was as though a soundless thunderclap had detonated out of nowhere, and she desperately wanted to cover her own face so no one could see.
But the table was hard and unyielding — she had no desire to bury her face against it. So instead, red-faced, she lowered her head and buried herself into the chest of the person beside her.
It was impossible to tell whose heartbeat was pounding away. Ning Sui pressed her face into Xie Yichen’s chest, both of their breathing still rapid. Xie Yichen’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he tightened his arms around her.
— She really was adorably precious.
Thank goodness the old wing of the library had been designed with those couple’s seats — a slender, meandering corridor running along the window, with seats placed every few meters, each one separated from the others by row upon row of bookshelves and partitioned walls, so no one could see their neighbors.
They were in a corner, too, which made it quite perfectly secluded.
Even so, Ning Sui was screaming internally.
AHHHHHHH!
However turbulent the heat inside her, she still managed with great effort to maintain a surface composure. After sitting like that, embracing him as she calmed down for five minutes, she quietly murmured: “Thank you.”
Even her voice came out a little hoarse. Ning Sui closed her eyes in embarrassment and remained huddled there like an ostrich, refusing to sit up.
Xie Yichen’s low, husky voice drifted down from above her head, carrying a hint of lazy indulgence: “Thank you?”
Another two minutes passed without either of them moving.
“Mm, for helping me,” Ning Sui lifted her gaze sincerely from within his embrace. “Cross another item off the ‘things to do before I lose my mind’ list.”
“Oh? You had this on there?”
Xie Yichen narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and dark. He lowered his lashes slightly, letting his gaze skim across her flushed, rosy cheeks before dropping to settle on her lips, now tinted a clear, luminous pink.
Like a white peach — glossy, delicate, and full.
Ning Sui wasn’t aware of any of this. Her eyes flickered, and she breathed her reply in a soft murmur: “Just… things I’d never done before…”
Her lips parted and closed as she spoke.
Xie Yichen fixed his gaze on them, and without warning raised his finger to touch them.
Ning Sui’s voice cut off instantly. She stared at him intently.
Whether he meant to erase or to deepen the impression, his fingertip slowly, ambiguously, dragged across her lower lip.
A moment later he lowered his gaze, dropped his voice, and asked: “Want to kiss again?”
Ning Sui stared wide-eyed, unable to say a word. Without waiting for a response, Xie Yichen leaned down and pressed toward her once more.
The section of the shelves around them was labeled Humanities and History — III, every volume thick and several hundred pages long, their ancient, scholarly scent drifting and diffusing. Together with the afternoon sunlight, that corner of the library gave off a deeply secretive and bashful sound — soft, broken, scattered kisses.
On the other side of the layers of shelves, people walked back and forth. Their view was blocked, and with the distance, sound was dampened on both sides. What reached Ning Sui’s ears were only footsteps so light they were barely perceptible — yet they fell as plainly as if they landed directly on her heart.
At first it was only tentative. Then it slowly deepened.
Xie Yichen’s presence was overwhelmingly invasive and vivid. Ning Sui found it hard to resist. Her fingers scrambled to clutch at his firm shoulders, and her face was cupped in his hands. She instinctively tried to lean back, only to be pulled right back by his arm around her waist.
It was only a kiss. Just that.
How could this be happening — oh.
Though they were both inexperienced, Ning Sui could sense that it was Xie Yichen who was leading her now. She knew nothing. She could only passively receive, the inside of her chest a rushing, turbulent current.
Sunlight shone brilliantly on the corners of the library tables. Strands of Boston ivy swayed gently in the breeze, and outside the window was the crisp clear air of a winter day. Inside the window, an entirely different scene unfolded — one unknown to the world.
Ning Sui felt she was about to run out of breath. If she fainted, it would absolutely be Xie Yichen’s fault.
Her slender arms bent upward, pressing against his broad, firm chest, fingers lightly curled into the fabric over his heart. She was encircled, unable to break free or even summon the strength to move.
After a moment, she felt a smiling, scorching warmth of breath fall against her, low and graveled.
“Silly. Breathe.”
—
Ning Sui had originally planned to focus on reviewing her Mathematical Analysis that day. Somehow, things developed in a direction entirely unlike what she’d anticipated.
There was a wall clock, its hands turning minute by minute and second by second. By the time Xie Yichen finally released her, Ning Sui glanced at her phone in a daze.
— They had been kissing for over half an hour.
Help.
AHHHH HELP ME!!
The sensation on her lips still lingered — fizzing, tingling. Her heartbeat was a tangled mess, overloaded and spinning out. The ivy swaying in the window seemed to continuously remind her of what had just happened.
This place had imprinted itself too deeply. Even if she tried to do nothing else, it was impossible to settle down and study here. Ning Sui didn’t look closely at Xie Yichen’s expression. She just stood up and hurried in the direction of the restroom, grabbing her water bottle on the way as an excuse.
The water station was on the other side of the book return counter. As Ning Sui passed by, the librarian sitting at the desk, wearing glasses, glanced up and casually appraised her. Ning Sui felt an immediate surge of guilt, and her steps involuntarily quickened.
In truth, there was still more than half a bottle of water left. She wasn’t that thirsty — but she felt parched, and drank down another half bottle. She made a show of filling up at the water station, then slipped into the nearby restroom.
By chance, there was a female classmate she recognized already inside.
The girl greeted her warmly: “Suisui, your lip color is so pretty — what shade is it?”
…She hadn’t put on any makeup. What lip color?
Ning Sui reflexively glanced into the mirror — and froze.
“…”
But why does it—
—look
—so red!
Ning Sui licked her lips and, bracing herself, said: “Probably just from the spicy stir-fry pot I had at lunch.”
“…”
—
In the end, their self-study session never really happened. Xie Yichen was called back to the lab that afternoon, and Ning Sui, though she’d meant to keep studying, found that lingering in that environment made her mind wander endlessly, so she packed her things and headed straight back to the dormitory.
Previously, Zhang Yuge had created a group chat for the five of them. It was now active with questions — did anyone want to fly back to Huai’an together after finals?
Lin Shuyu was the first to pop up: 【Me me me!】
A little while later, Hu Ke’er replied: 【I could too】
Ning Sui followed with: 【+1】
Jin Ge: 【Oh nice, sounds great!】
Jin Ge: 【Xie-ye is buried in work, so let’s just assume he’s in】
Jin Ge: 【When does everyone finish their last exam?】
Everyone reported their dates in turn. Zhang Yuge roughly worked out a plan — somewhere between the 10th and 15th — and floated the idea of staying in Beijing for a few days to play first.
When Xie Yichen emerged from the lab, the group chat had already stacked up 99+ unread messages. Nearly all of it was Zhang Yuge and Lin Shuyu talking — idle, joking chatter.
Kuge Lin: 【Where’s Octopus been lately? Nowhere to be seen. Don’t tell me he’s also gone down the wrong path?】
Zhang Yuge, immediately on guard: 【？ Explain yourself】
Kuge Lin: 【You’ve been secretly grinding behind everyone’s backs too?】
Jin Ge: 【No】
Kuge Lin: 【Stop burning the midnight oil. You’ll post on WeChat Moments saying “it’s my zodiac year” and people will wish you a happy 36th birthday】
Jin Ge: 【[Smile]】
Jin Ge: 【Don’t even bring it up.】
Jin Ge: 【I got swindled by a barbershop in Sanlitun. Now I can’t show my face.】
Jin Ge: 【I was shopping around and this pretty girl came up and said my crown wasn’t high enough. Their shop was running a promo — the head stylist, who’s also the owner, would give me a free makeover and do a nice foil perm. I was tempted and agreed. Turns out the owner was quite persuasive — went on and on about how he’d built up his business network. I thought, since I’d already been let in on his trade secrets it felt awkward to just leave, and when he asked me to pay a thousand I couldn’t say no. The end result did make my crown look a bit taller — but I can’t pinpoint why, it just feels deeply wrong [Smile]】
Kuge Lin: 【A thousand for a perm??】
Kuge Lin: 【What does it look like — post a photo and cheer us up? [Shameless.jpg]】
Zhang Yuge, ignoring him outright: 【That’s not even the most idiotic part】
Jin Ge: 【The most idiotic part is that after I left the shop and kept shopping, within one hour I ran into three more pretty girls, one after another — every single one walked up and told me my crown wasn’t high enough…………】
Kuge Lin: 【HAHAHAHAHAHA oh my god】
Those two truly had a gift. Even the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea could probably drown in their combined supply of hot air.
The VE robot project was basically wrapped up. Xie Yichen had a hasty dinner — a barely-warm instant chicken burger from the campus convenience store — but he was in a good mood. He’d made plans earlier to meet up with those two for a late-night snack, wanting to tell them about Ning Sui. The time was around nine, near the southeast gate of campus. He hopped on his motorcycle and rode straight over.
He’d expected a restaurant. Walking in, he found it looked more like a bar.
The lighting was dim, suffused with colored lights, and people were smoking.
Zhang Yuge picked this place. What was going through his head?
Xie Yichen had brought nothing but his phone — traveling light — still in his work jacket from earlier that day. He tucked his hands in his pockets and wove through the clusters of people toward the back.
A server came to meet him quickly. He gave the table number and was led over to find the other two already there.
It had been over two weeks since he’d seen them. Lin Shuyu looked the same as always, leafing through a dog-eared menu with great interest.
The other one, however — the one who had claimed his appearance was so dire he couldn’t show his face in public — Xie Yichen only needed one look before he nearly doubled over laughing. He had to brace himself against the table for a good while before he was able to sit down across from them.
How to put it?
There’s a reason the man is both head stylist and owner. Well-earned.
What a cutting-edge style. Every single strand of hair looked electrocuted, exploding outward in waves. Rather like a giant electric eel.
But it wasn’t exploding upward — it had fanned out in all four directions with remarkable artistry, forming a flat disc shape, so the crown had only been raised by the tiniest increment.
Xie Yichen sat there laughing for quite a while. Zhang Yuge, flushed with mortified indignation, set down his glass: “I know you’re handsome. You really don’t need to rub it in. Eating spicy food and getting a cold sore is nothing to be ashamed of — no need to make up some story.”
Xie Yichen shot him a sideways glance, not even bothering to stifle his laughter: “You think I want to?”
Zhang Yuge: “…”
Lin Shuyu, ever tactfully, added salt to the wound, shoulders shaking frantically: “Understandable. I spent half an hour laughing before you even got here.”
“…”
Zhang Yuge snatched the menu out of his hand, called the server over, and forcibly redirected the conversation: “Excuse me, we’d like to order.”
The place leaned toward Western food, and could double as a lounge bar. Zhang Yuge and Lin Shuyu had already eaten dinner, so they each ordered a cocktail and a plate of fried chicken. Xie Yichen was still a little hungry, so he ordered a steak.
While the server was taking their order, he took the moment to check WeChat.
He’d already told Ning Sui what he was up to that evening. Xie Yichen conscientiously snapped a photo of his surroundings to check in: 【Arrived】
After a moment’s thought, he added: 【It’s kind of loud here. I switched to both ring and vibrate. If you message me and I don’t reply, just call directly】
Five minutes passed. The other end slowly replied with: 【Oh】
Suisui Suisui Suisui: 【This looks like a bar?】
Oreo: 【Zhang Yuge picked it】
Oreo: 【He said it was for a late-night snack】
Ning Sui: 【Mm, did you skip dinner at the lab?】
Oreo: 【Had a sandwich, just a light bite】
Suisui Suisui Suisui: 【Then make sure you eat more [Bouncing Cat.jpg]】
Zhang Yuge had finished ordering and was now chatting with Lin Shuyu again. Seeing Xie Yichen lounging lazily across from them, head bent over his phone, he nudged him under the table with his foot: “What are you doing? First time getting together with us in ages and you can’t even pay attention?”
Xie Yichen had caught a bit of it just now. Apparently Zhang Yuge recently had a girl he was quite taken with — he could pick up the thread: “You two went to an art exhibition together, and then what?”
Zhang Yuge was satisfied at last. He said eagerly: “After that we went and saw a new movie. Overall the progress is really gratifying — I’m honestly a little amazed. We already made plans — once finals are over, we’re going out again.”
Lin Shuyu: “You really think she’ll still agree once she sees you looking like this? Not a chance. Why don’t you divide your hair into eight braids — graduate from electric eel to full octopus, man of your name at last. Might actually read as more sincere. After all, sincerity is the ultimate weapon.”
Zhang Yuge: “…”
He turned to redirect the attack: “Come on, say something fair on my behalf!”
Xie Yichen had been watching it all with perfect clarity and had already tried his best to look away. His gaze was dragged back up to Zhang Yuge’s head. He lasted a few seconds, then simply and concisely gave in: “Give me a break, man.”
“…”
Zhang Yuge was genuinely offended: “You’re both just bare feet jealous of those of us who wear shoes. After all these years, I’m about to become the first one of us to get out of the single-life bracket — jealousy won’t help. This breakup from singlehood is happening.”
The lighting in their section was fairly dim. Xie Yichen wasn’t drinking, just having lemon water — quite unhurried about it.
Zhang Yuge leaned in for a closer look and thought he saw some tiny marks at the corner of Xie Yichen’s mouth. He assumed his eyes were playing tricks on him and said reflexively: “What happened to the corner of your mouth? Get into a fight?”
Xie Yichen paused. It was only then that he felt the faint, not-quite-painful sting when he sipped his water. It wasn’t too noticeable, though.
He’d rushed back to the lab that afternoon without a second thought, head down, and hadn’t looked in a mirror since. He genuinely didn’t know what he looked like right now.
Xie Yichen raised a hand to touch the corner of his mouth. His expression shifted into something unreadable: “Want to know?”
Did they even need to ask?
Both men looked straight at him. Xie Yichen’s face didn’t change. He raised an eyebrow, his voice trailing up leisurely at the end: “My girlfriend did it.”
“…”
A brief silence settled over the table.
Zhang Yuge was the first to speak, in a tone of earnest, measured counsel: “Boss, your standing in our eyes is already pretty lofty. You really don’t have to show off anymore. Eating something spicy and getting a little irritation isn’t shameful. No need to cook up a story like that.”