With graduation approaching, everyone scattered in different directions. Hu Ke’er continued her graduate studies at their home university while keeping up her work as an English-language content creator.

Zhang Yuge was much the same — pursuing a straight-to-PhD program, still studying chemistry, driving himself half-mad with daily lab experiments. Lin Shuyu was the first among their group to enter the workforce, landing a job at a public mutual fund in Huai’an as an industry research analyst.

Ning Sui and Xie Yichen packed their things and headed for the United States in August.

Qiu Ruoyun and Xie Zhenlin also came to see them off at the airport. After half a year of recovery, the company’s affairs had finally gotten back on track, and the expressions on both their faces were noticeably lighter.

It was Qiu Ruoyun and Xie Zhenlin’s first time meeting Ning Sui, and knowing that Xia Fanghui and Ning Deyan would also be there, they brought plenty of gifts. The two families shook hands warmly, and the atmosphere was wonderfully harmonious.

At the airport, however, Fang Fang was nearly in tears, and even the usually steely Ning Deyan found his emotions stirring despite himself. Ning Yue was outright weeping.

Hu Ke’er stood to the side, quietly sniffling, and said to him softly: “Little one, who would have guessed — you and your sister are actually pretty close, aren’t you?”

“Of course we are,” Ning Yue answered, wiping his eyes. “With her and Yichen gone, it’ll just be poor little helpless me left to face Mom alone. I’m scared.”

Ning Sui enrolled in Harvard’s Master of Science in Data Science program; Xie Yichen enrolled in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for his PhD. The two of them rented a place roughly halfway between the two schools, making the commute to class convenient for both.

Xie Yichen had already spent the better part of a year in this city and knew all kinds of places. With him to guide her, Ning Sui adjusted and settled in remarkably quickly.

They met many new friends, and occasionally got together to play cards or watch films. Campus life outside of classes was rich with activities too — organized sports, concerts, singing competitions, and parties.

— Champagne and bubbly drinks, chewing-gum-seasoned popcorn chicken, hard rock filling every corner, colorful lights sweeping across the room, streamers and balloons everywhere.

This kind of gathering was something she had barely experienced before. Curious, Ning Sui asked Xie Yichen to go with her.

On weekends, with more time to spare, they wandered the city — finding good food and interesting things to do, dating the whole day through.

They spent an afternoon in a bookshop full of warmth and everyday magic, went together to the opera, visited various solemn seventeenth-century buildings, and learned about the local culture and history.

In winter, snow fell over Boston. They went to the slopes together, and Ning Sui worked her way up from the beginner’s trail all the way to the advanced course. The two of them swept down the slope side by side, and at the bottom, Ning Sui couldn’t quite brake in time — Xie Yichen spun around, spread his arms wide, and caught her squarely, and then both of them tumbled laughing into the soft white snow.

Of course, between all the fun, there was no shortage of hard work and dedicated study.

During the day, they each attended their own classes and worked on their own research. In the evenings, they studied together.

Because her program was in data science, it encompassed not only computer science but also areas that overlapped with mathematics — and all instruction was in English. At first, Ning Sui inevitably found it somewhat challenging, but having spent so much time with Xie Yichen, her attitude had gradually steadied — whatever came, she would handle it. Nothing was ever truly insurmountable.

Beyond regular coursework, Ning Sui frequently set her own additional goals, settling in to read late into the night by lamplight — starting with sweeping foundational texts to build a solid base.

As she kept pushing herself, Xie Yichen was equally busy on his end — occasionally working late into the night, and during periods of research progress, sometimes spending two or three consecutive days in the lab.

In the days leading up to Christmas, despite living together, the two of them barely even crossed paths.

And the weather had turned quite cold. A cold front had swept in, and Ning Sui let her guard down one day, wearing a jacket that was a little too thin — and ended up coming down with a slight cold.

That evening was Christmas Eve, and they had plans to go out together. Xie Yichen, worried she might catch more of a chill, suggested they stay home instead and watch a movie.

Outside was fairly lively. Ning Sui had already spotted several Christmas trees over the course of the day, all of them gradually adorned with twinkling lights and sweet, colorful ornament balls and pinecone decorations. On this particular evening, the streets of Boston would surely be especially festive — and she still couldn’t suppress the urge to go out: “Can we just go out for a quick look? Please?”

Xie Yichen looked at her. “And if your cold gets worse?”

Ning Sui’s voice was slightly nasal, and she couldn’t help peeking out the window. “It won’t. I’ll just wear more layers.”

Xie Yichen: “It’s snowing outside.”

Ning Sui, with great sincerity: “But I want to go to Quincy Market for lobster.”

Xie Yichen looked at her with an expression caught somewhere between amusement and resignation.

It was rare for her to have this much of an appetite. The previous two days she had been wilted like a little vegetable seedling, and he did think her symptoms were a bit better than before. He gave a low sound of agreement: “Alright. But first you have to agree to one condition.”

Ning Sui: “What?”

He fixed her with a direct, unhurried gaze. “Let me kiss you once. Right now.”

Ning Sui’s fingers instinctively curled.

In the first days after catching the cold, she had been extremely cautious — wearing a mask every day, and immediately stopping him whenever he came near, not wanting to pass it to him.

She wouldn’t even let him steal a single kiss, let alone sleep in the same bed. Ning Sui had insisted on sleeping separately, but there was only one bed, and she’d wanted to take the sofa — but Xie Yichen absolutely refused to let her. So in the end it was him who had made the sacrifice, squeezing himself onto that too-small sofa where he nearly fell off every time he shifted, and spending these past days in an obviously rather unsatisfied state.

Ning Sui: “But I have a cold…”

Before she even finished the sentence, he grabbed her hand and pulled her close, planting a firm, solid kiss on her cheek. Afterward, his mood seemed to improve considerably, and he said with easy composure: “There. Now we can go.”

It was Christmas Eve, and the sky was intermittently dusted with light snowfall.

The air was crisp and cold. The whole city seemed draped in silver and white, yet the streets were busy with foot traffic, shop windows glowing with decorations, the festive mood palpable everywhere.

Ning Sui was wrapped in a thick, pale cream coat, her face buried in a scarf, as she meandered slowly down the street arm in arm with Xie Yichen.

Some of the little shops were actually quite charming — selling handmade jewelry and decorative pieces. As you walked in, a small bell above the door would be nudged by the opening and closing panel, letting out a clear, pleasant chime.

The two stepped into a shop selling scented candles and artisanal soaps. The entire room smelled wonderful, and the warmth inside was a welcome contrast to the cold outside. The handmade soaps were beautifully crafted and came in all sorts of shapes: little yellow ducks, pink hearts, cherub Cupids — and even some cartoon characters like SpongeBob and Patrick Star.

The shop was quite spacious, and also carried a range of body wash products in all sorts of unusual scents — grass, candy, “blue sky,” “flame,” and so on. Ning Sui moved curiously from one to the next. Xie Yichen pushed a small shopping basket for her, and she couldn’t help picking out two bottles to put in it.

At that moment, her phone gave a light buzz.

A message had popped up in the group chat from their Australia graduation trip. It was Cui Xian: 【What’s everyone up to on Christmas Eve?】

This group chat had been active every day since it was created, capable of generating hundreds of messages at a stretch. Just around the corner, there happened to be a whole display of artisanal soaps in the shape of octopuses — vivid green ones that were instantly eye-catching.

Ning Sui had laughed the moment she saw them. Xie Yichen took out his phone with mild amusement and photographed them, then posted it in the group: 【[Photo]】

But it turned out that Hu Ke’er had simultaneously posted a message — a photo of herself eating grilled octopus at a barbecue stall: 【This is genuinely SO good~ [dog grinning face]】

Cui Xian: 【Hahahahahahaha, the octopus is having a moment — it’s everywhere!】

Liang Zheng: 【Hahahaha is this even real life】

Kuge Lin: 【Hahahahaha I’m dead】

Sui Sui Sui: 【[Cat launching itself through the air.jpg]】

The group erupted for a good stretch, scrolling through a dozen or twenty messages, before the subject of it all finally appeared.

Jin Ge: 【…………】

Only then did Lin Shuyu seem to develop a guilty conscience, jumping in with a laugh while attempting a degree of chivalry: 【Okay everyone stop laughing, Fish Bro has genuinely been having a rough time lately hahaha】

Paopao Ke: 【Oh? What happened?】

Kuge Lin: 【Let me elaborate hahahaha】

A few days earlier, during the university’s massive club fair, Zhang Yuge had been at loose ends and joined a tarot reading club. One of the seasoned members had done a reading for him and proclaimed that he would be deeply wounded by a girl who appeared suddenly in his life. It was delivered with great solemnity — and while tarot wasn’t something to take entirely seriously, it wasn’t something you could entirely dismiss either. Zhang Yuge was half-skeptical, half-intrigued, and found himself paying closer attention than usual to the people he encountered — wondering who among them might be responsible for this predicted injury.

But before Zhang Yuge could observe anything of note, while walking back to his dormitory from a lecture hall, he was hit head-on by a girl on a bicycle and ended up in the campus infirmary.

Following his defeat at the hands of the kangaroo, Zhang Yuge had apparently now entered an era of inexplicable, absurd injuries. It was truly baffling.

Lin Shuyu asked whether the girl was alright. Zhang Yuge said he didn’t know.

“How could you not know? Having crashed into someone of your stature — she must’ve come away at least half-broken, right?”

Zhang Yuge: “No. She was quick to react. When she realized she was about to hit me, she jumped off the bike first.”

So in the end, it was an unmanned bicycle that had taken him out. Lin Shuyu nearly collapsed laughing on the other end of the call.

Kuge Lin: 【So, long story short — Fish Bro got completely wrecked again hahahaha!】

Zhang Yuge’s furious, helpless response: 【[Lin Shuyu high-jump face.jpg]】

Cui Xian was seeing the expression for the first time: 【HAHAHA what is this absolute masterpiece?!】

Liang Zheng: 【Hahahahahahaha】

Kuge Lin wasn’t laughing anymore: 【So we’re both going down together, huh [polite smile]】

Kuge Lin: 【You really something else】

The blame lay squarely with the sports meet, where Lin Shuyu’s outfit had been so impressively form-fitting it was practically the same as nothing, and his expression while clearing the high-jump bar had been truly fearsome — all whites of the eyes and very little iris. Zhang Yuge had casually snapped a photo in the moment, and it had since become a legendary, undying blackmail image.

The group went wild with laughter.

On Ning Sui’s end, she couldn’t help but laugh as well, but still asked with genuine concern: “Is Zhang Yuge alright?”

“He’s fine — just a twisted ankle and some scrapes,” Xie Yichen said, amused.

Earlier he and Lin Shuyu had jumped on a group voice call, thinking it was something serious. Zhang Yuge had been lounging in the infirmary getting his wounds dressed, yelping dramatically at every touch — “Ouch, gently, it hurts, it hurts” — and it turned out to be nothing more than a sprained ankle.

Ning Sui stifled a laugh. “Oh. That’s a relief.”

Still talking, they browsed casually as they went — and ended up buying two bars of soap, two bottles of body wash in different scents, one cream-flavored and one avocado-flavored. The nearby salesperson, perhaps sensing Ning Sui was a promising customer, came forward enthusiastically to recommend their best-selling body lotion, squeezing a small sample onto the back of her hand.

Ning Sui lifted it to her nose and inhaled. It was sweet and clean, with a faint coconut-milky warmth.

Xie Yichen stood nearby with his hands in his pockets, patiently waiting. Ning Sui raised the back of her hand toward him. “It smells pretty good.”

“Mm.”

Ning Sui blinked, probing carefully: “Should I get a bottle?”

Xie Yichen glanced at her with a meaningful expression. “Buy it if you want. It’s up to you.”

Ning Sui: “Oh. You don’t like it?”

“That’s not it.”

He paused, then dragged out the words with lazy, careless ease: “Isn’t that just what you already smell like?”

Ning Sui decided to pretend she hadn’t heard that. She placed the lotion in the shopping basket with studied composure. “Right then. Let’s go pay.”

Xie Yichen smiled, glancing at her one more time, then pushed the basket toward the register. Once they’d paid, the two of them walked back out into the lively, bustling street with complete ease. The closer they got to Quincy Market, the more the crowds thickened. The light snowfall had stopped, leaving the ground carpeted in soft white. A gentle breeze came toward them, but carried no bite.

Ning Sui, quite naturally, leaned in closer, pressing against his side as they walked. Xie Yichen paused a beat, then wrapped her hand in his palm, gently kneading it. “Are you cold?”

“Not cold.” With the wind around them, her slight nasal voice was less obvious than before.

“Mm.” He reached into his backpack and produced a thermos, unscrewing it and handing it to her. “I made you some Vitamin C water. Want some?”

Ning Sui was taken aback — she hadn’t expected him to be so thorough, to have prepared effervescent vitamin tablets specifically for her.

The thermos was warm in her palms. She was about to drink directly from it, then thought that he hadn’t had any yet either, and tentatively held it out to him. “You first?”

Xie Yichen: “What? Afraid of infecting me again?”

Ning Sui nodded. “Mm.”

He said, lazily: “It’s fine. Don’t bother.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Xie Yichen spoke with his characteristic relaxed ease. “It’ll get transmitted sooner or later.”

“Not necessarily,” she said. Though he personally seemed completely unbothered, and he did have a fairly robust constitution — she couldn’t recall him ever falling ill in all this time — Ning Sui still wanted to reason with him a little: “Maybe if we’re diligent enough about prevention, it won’t transmit?”

Xie Yichen nodded in agreement. “Very well said.”

“Really, right?”

Ning Sui thought he was coming around to her point of view, and reflexively echoed his words — then heard Xie Yichen give an unruffled, perfectly composed sound of affirmation: “Tonight I plan to hold you while we sleep.”

Those sharp, playful dark eyes slid sideways to look at her, entirely at ease. “What’s your plan for preventing transmission then?”

Ning Sui almost tripped over her own feet.

She silently looked down at the thermos for a moment. Then, without a word, she tilted her head back and drank.

Somewhere to her side, she thought she heard this person give a low, quiet laugh.

The two of them walked side by side until they reached the wide plaza in front of Quincy Market. At the center stood an enormous Christmas tree, draped with glittering ribbons and every kind of ornament, shifting through different colors in a continual, beautiful display of light.

Familiar, merry Christmas songs played through the streets. Ning Sui had been wanting the lobster roll here for a long while now, and upon finally reaching her destination, she joined the stream of people flowing into the market with great anticipation.

The place was, frankly, like that little food alley near Jingda — many small food stalls, perfectly suited for strolling couples who wanted to eat and wander. The front section had various grilled meats on long skewers, lamb and beef; the middle had ice cream, cream puffs, and all kinds of donuts; further on came pizza, burgers and bread in creamy chowder, and a whole range of seafood — a feast of variety, all smelling absolutely wonderful.

Hand in hand, they strolled at leisure through the noise and warmth. There was an infectious kind of livelihood all around them. Ning Sui felt light on her feet, taking in everything around her with pleased curiosity.

“Xie Yichen.”

“Mm?”

Ning Sui’s gaze swept around and landed on something. “I think I see you over there!”

Xie Yichen’s eyebrow shot up: “What?”

“Right there — fairly hard to miss.” She pointed lazily. He quickly followed her gesture, only to find a stall selling freshly squeezed mango juice.

Xie Yichen immediately turned a look on her that hovered between a smile and exasperation. Ning Sui’s lashes fluttered. Innocently, and with complete nonchalance, she looked away.

At precisely that moment, she located the famous lobster roll shop she’d been searching for — and the line in front of it was already enormous. The enticing aroma was already drifting out even from where they stood. Ning Sui almost ached with longing: “Oh, why is the queue so long?”

She turned to look at him, earnest as could be: “My Oreo. My feet are a little tired.”

One glance told him everything.

She had already settled herself quite shamelessly onto a nearby bench and was tilting her head up to look at him, eyes bright and expectant. Xie Yichen gave a relaxed laugh and pinched her cheek. “Hold on. I’ll go queue.”

Ning Sui watched as he disappeared into the crowd.

Xie Yichen was tall, his posture straight — easy to spot even in a crowd. She kept her eyes on him the whole time, and somehow — maybe just because watching him made time feel faster — it seemed like barely any time had passed at all before she saw him turn and make his way back, carrying a small steaming bag.

She finally had her hot buttered lobster roll, and her heart was thoroughly satisfied.

Ning Sui took an eager bite. Xie Yichen leaned over before she’d even swallowed and took a bite too.

When they emerged from the market, they found it had begun to snow again.

— Fine, quiet snowflakes fell in drifting curtains, transforming the whole world into something dreamlike and enveloped in pure white. The magnificent Christmas tree in the center stood tall and radiant as ever.

A small ensemble seemed to be performing a string quartet in the plaza nearby.

Two violins, a viola, and a cello — four musicians seated with elegant composure before the Christmas tree, as though no amount of wind or snow could disturb them.

Graceful, melodic classical music flowed outward like a gentle current, and scattered around the plaza, a handful of people had begun to dance.

Strings against a backdrop of snow — there was nothing quite so romantic.

Ning Sui was wrapped in her scarf up to the nose, only a pair of dark eyes visible, gazing up at the sky. Her hair stirred softly in the breeze, and a snowflake drifted down and settled lightly on her fingertip.

And the person before her — sharp, sculpted features, a vivid smile playing at the corners of his mouth — bent slightly to meet her eyes. With careful hands, he tucked her coat collar more snugly around her, as though speaking only to himself, his voice unhurried and warm: “All bundled up like a little rice dumpling now — surely you can’t catch a chill?”

Ning Sui blinked and looked up at him. His eyes held only her — steady and unmoving, burning with warmth.

Ning Sui had always thought her mind worked in its own particular way, and assumed it made her difficult to understand, someone not easy to get close to.

Yet she hadn’t expected to truly meet someone like this.

Someone willing to be wonderfully strange alongside her, and who found her wonderfully endearing.

Every single moment spent with him felt like riding a train bound for the whole world — and feeling joy beyond measure in the rushing speed of it.

The restaurant and bar nearby were filled with noise and cheer. Ning Sui let her gaze drift past the revelers and said with certainty: “Xie Yichen. Let’s go dance too.”

“Sure.”

They dropped their bags somewhere in the snow wherever was convenient. Xie Yichen pulled her toward the Christmas tree at a run. The evening wind stung her eyes. He glanced back at her, and in that moment — those eyes, wild and unguarded, black and pure and bright with a light impossible to ignore — Ning Sui looked at him and felt her heart begin to race, fast and out of control.

She was so moved. How could she possibly feel this moved?

Every day, she thought she had already reached the limit of how much she liked him — full like a rising tide, with nowhere left to grow — and yet somehow she could always like him a little more, could always feel her heart beat a little faster.

They danced in the crowd, clumsy and amateur, stepping on each other’s feet and not minding at all. Ning Sui spun in a circle and landed back in Xie Yichen’s arms, and heard from somewhere near her ear the low, resonant laugh that never failed to make her heart soar.

The crowd slowly pressed in around them, clustering loosely around the string quartet musicians. Ning Sui called out his name in distress: “Xie Yichen, I can’t see the band anymore.”

Xie Yichen’s eyes curved into a smile. Without further preamble, he reached from behind and lifted her by the waist, arms supporting her as he raised her up. “Now?”

“I can see them!”

Her body left the ground and she felt wonderfully light. Ning Sui felt as though she could see the whole world.

His hold was firm, his arms strong, full of reassurance. Ning Sui braced herself against his shoulders, taking in the view around her with wide, wondering eyes.

Xie Yichen looked up at her, laughing softly as he turned in a slow circle with her in his arms.

From somewhere nearby came the murmur of appreciation and the occasional glance cast in their direction. Only then did Ning Sui belatedly feel the warmth creep up her face. “…You can put me down now.”

“Alright.”

Once he set her down, he kept his eyes on her, lazy and unhurried. “Ning Coconut.”

Ning Sui’s heart was still beating unusually fast. “Mm?”

“I’m going to kiss you.”

Before she could react, Xie Yichen leaned in and pressed a resounding kiss to her cheek.

“The cold—”

Ning Sui barely got two words out before he reached up and tugged her scarf down from the tip of her nose, and kissed her lips several times in quick succession.

Ning Sui: “…”

She gave up fighting.

When the two of them got home, they couldn’t hold back from kissing each other again. Xie Yichen tossed his bag wherever it landed on the floor, then bent down and scooped Ning Sui up, carrying her to the kitchen counter.

Beside them was a small heater, blocking out all the cold of outside. It was warm in here, truly warm. Ning Sui’s arms wound tightly around his neck. It felt like being swathed in sunlight, and the scent of him — cool and clean in a way that made her want to sink deeper into it.

He kissed her with full warmth, murmuring against her lips: “You really do smell like a coconut.”

“…Mm?”

“Soft and white.”

The temperature in the room climbed. Xie Yichen moved to her earlobe, thoroughly ungentle — kissing and biting, all at once. Ning Sui’s heart thudded and pounded, and she laughed even as her face went red, pushing back against him: “Stop, it tickles…”

He laughed, then laid her gently back on the bed, cradling her in the curve of his arm like a small, precious thing, settled and at peace against him.

Ning Sui looked up at him, unable to stop herself. “Xie Yichen.”

“You’re sick. I won’t push it.” He kissed her softly, his voice a little muffled, then smiled. “We’ll be done in a bit.”

She stared up at the ceiling, gaze drifting somewhere unfocused. Her chest grew more urgent with every passing beat. Time lost all meaning.

She couldn’t help the sound that escaped. “Wait a moment…”

“Can’t.”

Ning Sui decided he was absolutely terrible — so unhurried, so maddeningly, deliberately slow.

And besides — that “bit” was nowhere near just a bit.

Ning Sui’s fingers dug into his arm, her whole body going taut, and after what felt like half a lifetime, finally, release — a long, full exhale. He took his time tidying things up, and only then drew close again, pulling her firmly into his arms.

The two of them lay entwined in the quiet that followed, side by side, and could just make out the dark, still night beyond the window.

A languid, drowsy warmth settled over everything. Ning Sui looked down and noticed his hand resting across her — those distinct, defined knuckles — and reached for it idly, turning it in her fingers with mild curiosity.

Xie Yichen let her do as she pleased. After a while, he called to her with unhurried ease: “Ning Coconut.”

“Mm?”

“I want to discuss something with you.”

“Go ahead.”

Xie Yichen said: “Once I finish the spring semester, I plan to officially start my startup. What do you think?”

“That sounds great. A PhD takes around four years if things go smoothly — starting earlier means more time to try things out.” Her back rested against his solid chest, her heartbeat still warm and not quite settled. “You’re going to do brilliantly.”

Whatever he set his mind to — he would make it happen.

Of that, she had never once doubted.

His lips curved. “That confident in me?”

“Yes!” Ning Sui nodded immediately, without a trace of hesitation.

Xie Yichen was often caught off guard by her unguarded, undisguised expressions — this was one of those moments. His breath was warm as he laughed low against her, then leaned toward her ear and said softly: “Once I start the company, things will probably get very busy.”

Ning Sui had mentally prepared for this long ago — she had a rough sense of what Du Junnian’s schedule had looked like back then: “That’s okay. While you’re building your company, I’ll be studying, or interning — either way, neither of us will be idle.”

“Mm.”

Xie Yichen’s voice was low. He lowered his gaze, fingers brushing the soft ends of her hair, toying with them lazily, with no particular intention.

When it came to the startup, he had some confidence — but he always wanted to achieve more, to arrive at some clearer, more settled outcome before raising the question of what came next for them.

No matter what, he needed to first give her family an answer they could trust. But he also couldn’t make his little coconut wait too long.

At that thought, the look in his eyes grew deep and quiet.

Ning Sui leaned against him, and after a long stretch of silence, heard nothing further. Curious, she turned to look. “Xie Yichen, did you fall asleep?”

When she turned, she found that his usual easy, half-careless expression had been set aside. He was looking at her quietly, his eyes deep and still as an ocean.

Ning Sui was momentarily caught off guard. She blinked. “What is it?”

His hand rested on her slender shoulder. He looked at her for a long, still moment, and then a warmth like a brand came close, and he pressed the softest of kisses against her lips.

“I love you.”

It was as if something warm had poured all the way through her in an instant — Ning Sui’s chest flooded with it, bubbling and full, and the words wouldn’t come.

It felt like with those words, no howling wind outside could touch her. The tide inside her rose again, full and surging, and brought with it the sudden, unbidden urge to cry.

Ning Sui had never been someone who easily laid bare her own feelings. Her eyes grew warm as she looked at him, something catching in her throat. It took a long time before she said: “…Me too.”

Xie Yichen touched her hair tenderly and smiled again. “I know.”

Even if she said nothing, he would know.

His gaze was certain and luminous — just as sharp and unguarded as the first time they had met. Ning Sui looked at him and, unable to help herself, leaned up to kiss the smile at the corner of his lips.

But she misjudged the angle and ended up kissing his cheek instead — somewhat headlong and imprecise. Xie Yichen received the full impact of it, his chest giving a low, quiet tremor of a laugh. He picked her up and settled her into his lap, repositioning her with ease. The two of them looked at each other, and Xie Yichen laughed openly: “Finally stopped guarding against me?”

“It’s not like that, it’s just…” Ning Sui glanced up at him, quietly: “You said it yourself. Sooner or later, it’ll transmit.”

Can’t fight it anymore.

Xie Yichen laughed low and leaned in, and soon enough there was no containing it again.

As the winter break drew closer, Hu Ke’er was in the thick of final exam crunch time, sleeping just barely enough, feeling like she was studying even in her dreams. The next morning she woke up, reached for her phone out of habit, checking for new messages.

The first thing on her screen when she unlocked it was the Huai’an group chat — the night before, the group had been going full swing with laughing and chatting, and she’d forgotten to close it before falling asleep.

Still not quite awake, Hu Ke’er was about to type something into the group, when a message from Ning Sui appeared.

Sui Sui Sui: 【Who told you to bite so hard! I don’t want to go out today!】

Sui Sui Sui: 【[Short-legged angry cat.jpg]】

About seven or eight seconds later, Hu Ke’er watched both messages get retracted in sequence, one after the other.

But it was a weekend morning, and everyone who was going to be awake was already awake.

New messages began popping up in quick succession.

Jin Ge: 【?????】

Kuge Lin: 【???????】

The content was so earth-shattering that Hu Ke’er and Cui Xian — both of them — fell completely silent.

Cui Xian, a moment later, ventured a careful message: 【Sui Bao, you sent that to the wrong chat because you weren’t awake yet, right?】

Hu Ke’er watched as her good friend went into full damage control mode, frantically scrambling to explain herself:【Yes, I just peeled an apple for Xie Yichen and he was very happy about it [heart]】

Paopao Ke: 【Understood, apple-eating is generally an indoor activity】

Cui Xian: 【Yes yes, we understand [heart]】

Ning Sui went silent: 【…………】

But Hu Ke’er genuinely thought the one who should be in crisis was herself. She truly could not wrap her head around it — how could someone, after dating this long, still be capable of utterly devastating the rest of them?

Time flew past in the blink of an eye.

In the two years between graduation and graduate school, so much happened.

It was as though the Huai’an crew were all collectively stunned that these two were still in the thick of their honeymoon period — and also as though Hu Ke’er never anticipated that her own love life would turn out to be anything but stagnant.

Hehe — he’s coming, he’s coming!