15

So, just like that, Lin Xiao and Su Bai ended up in the same university and the same department.

As the new semester began, the always diligent and ambitious Su Bai ran for class monitor. When the student council held its recruitment, he also joined the publicity department as a member. He had excellent handwriting and a flair for writing, making it easy for him to create posters and promotional artwork.

Su Bai’s designs, however, always had a hint of the red, retro style from the 60s and 70s…

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, joined the culture and arts club. With his good looks and amazing singing, he quickly became a popular figure in the freshman class, just like in high school.

Someone like him was always bound to attract attention wherever he went.

That night, after rehearsing for the freshman showcase in the music room, Lin Xiao went to the cafeteria with a senior from the arts club. They arrived late, and only leftover food remained. As they ate, they chatted about the rehearsal and the program.

As they were talking, someone suddenly walked past Lin Xiao quickly, the white hem of their clothes looking a bit familiar.

Lin Xiao didn’t even raise his head, just lowered it and took a big gulp of his soup.

Three seconds later, the person quickly walked back, reached the end of the aisle, then swiftly turned and walked past Lin Xiao again.

Lin Xiao’s mouth twitched, and he looked up: “Su Bai?”

Su Bai adjusted his glasses and said, “Oh, Lin Xiao, you’re here for a meal too.”

Lin Xiao was completely confused: “What are you walking back and forth next to me for?”

Su Bai bit his lip, giving Lin Xiao an annoyed glare, and said, “I’m just taking a walk.”

Lin Xiao: …

The senior from the arts club looked at Su Bai, then at Lin Xiao, as if she understood something, and gave a sly smile. Then, with a carefree slap on Lin Xiao’s shoulder, she said, “I’m heading back to the dorm. See you tomorrow.”

Lin Xiao waved at her. “See you tomorrow.”

Su Bai’s face was long with displeasure as he glared at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, a thought crossing his mind. He reached out and pinched Su Bai’s cheek. “Oh? Who made our Su Bai, the class monitor, angry?”

Su Bai rolled his eyes at him. “You.”

Lin Xiao stood up, moving a bit closer to him. “How did I upset you? Tell me.”

Su Bai was silent for a moment, then stammered, “You… you haven’t been going to the library to study with me at night lately…”

Lin Xiao chuckled. “I’ve been rehearsing for the program, practicing late every day. After that, I grab a bite, and by the time I’m done, the library’s almost closed.”

Su Bai glared gloomily at the spot where the arts department senior had been sitting, muttering quietly, “You rehearse with her every day…”

Lin Xiao smirked, using a tone that could easily be misunderstood. “Yep, we’re together every day.”

Su Bai panicked. “You… you two, what else do you do besides rehearse?”

Lin Xiao purposely gave a mischievous smile. “We eat together, take walks together, discuss things together, and…”

Su Bai’s jaw clenched tightly. “That’s enough.”

Lin Xiao’s heart raced, and without thinking, he pressed Su Bai against the pillar behind him. Leaning in close, his lips near Su Bai’s ear, he whispered, “Su Bai, what’s wrong?”

Su Bai’s chest rose and fell rapidly in panic, his face turning red as he struggled for words, finally blurting out, “You… you’re behaving inappropriately!”

Lin Xiao had to hold back his laughter, his stomach hurting from it. “How am I behaving inappropriately? I’m as innocent as can be! I’ve grown up this whole time without even holding hands with anyone.”

As he said that, Lin Xiao suddenly remembered the day they checked their exam results, how tightly he had held Su Bai’s hand.

Warm, soft, and smooth…

Su Bai, feeling wronged, had red-rimmed eyes. He took off his glasses to wipe his tears, his big, bright eyes shimmering with unshed tears, looking utterly pitiful. “You still have the nerve to ask? I… I’ve chase you for so long, but in the end, you… you’re with someone else, with someone else…”

Lin Xiao instantly felt like he had been struck by lightning. “Wait a minute! When have you ever chase after me?”

Su Bai, hearing this, felt even more wronged: “I’ve been chasing you for a long time! I started on your seventeenth birthday. I helped you with your homework, I made sure you didn’t skip class, I told you we should go to the same university, I gave you Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations, I gave you an enamel cup and Wang Houxiong’s Complete Guidelines. I went to your house every day to tutor you, and I even sang for you… Isn’t all that chasing you?”

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then finally came to his senses. He licked his lips and asked dryly, “Su Bai, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the concept of ‘chasing’?”

Su Bai, with tears and snot streaming down his face, looked pitiful: “I don’t have any misunderstanding. My dad told me that chasing someone means being good to them, and I’ve always been good to you.”

Every cell in Lin Xiao’s body screamed at him to throw caution to the wind, hug Su Bai, and kiss him fiercely. But he gritted his teeth, endured, and thought it over. He couldn’t bear the thought of his most romantic and beautiful first love, his youth, being reduced to a mere token like Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations. So, Lin Xiao steeled himself and said, “Su Bai, I have to seriously tell you, that doesn’t actually count as chasing someone.”

Su Bai lowered his gaze sadly, his tears making his delicate lashes damp, looking utterly heartbroken. “Then, what would it take to be considered chasing you…?”

Lin Xiao felt both heartbroken and amused, replied. “How to chase me? You can’t ask me that. You should ask your classmates or figure it out yourself. Do you remember you still owe me something?”

Su Bai sobbed, “I remember.”

Lin Xiao gently lifted Su Bai’s chin, making him look up, and handed him a tissue to wipe his tears. His voice was soft as he said, “The thing I asked you to do… is to chase me.”

Su Bai looked at him, confused.

Lin Xiao gently pinched Su Bai’s chin. “It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Just a sincere, simple action—once is enough.”