Fang Jingcheng didn’t say anything. His clear eyes turned a deep blue in the shadows, resembling the turbulent night tide, exuding a “deep affection” that could be felt even in a simple gaze. This patient companionship revealed an infinite indulgence, as if he would accompany Xia Fu for eternity, as long as she wished.

Under her fingers lay soft fabric, sliding off Fang Jingcheng’s abdomen. It still seemed to carry the warmth of youth. The midnight breeze brought with it a faint scent of cologne, moistly brushing against Xia Fu’s nose.

Everything in this atmosphere felt confusing, yet Xia Fu couldn’t immerse herself in it.

She was staring at the streetlamp nearby.

Some dull gray moths danced around the lamp, tirelessly colliding with the light source. Their plump bodies made a “pat-pat” sound, resembling a lively idiom story, reminding Xia Fu of the consequences of daydreaming.

Don’t think too much.

In the end, Fang Jingcheng only wanted to team up with her for her good grades, not because he found her beautiful or attractive. He had already helped her to this extent, which was more than enough; thinking any further would just show a lack of awareness on her part.

Boys’ novelty usually lasts only a short while, as her younger brother’s early romance history had already told her that.

If she let herself rest and her grades fell, it would be a loss.

Losing something you already have is always scarier than gaining something new.

After counting to one hundred, Xia Fu’s heart finally calmed down. She released the hem of Fang Jingcheng’s shirt and reached for her cane.

“Thank you, I feel much better.”

“Hmm? Are you feeling okay already?”

Was she really about to leave? It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes yet…

In the past, Fang Jingcheng’s most criticized trait was his “whimsical nature.” When he was in a good mood, he would be chattering nonstop, seeking attention at any moment, but once separated, he would fall silent, like a corpse, even disconnecting his phone and hiding away in some “trash can” to be alone.

No one could stand such a drastic contrast in a relationship.

Tonight, he rarely felt that being quiet together was nice, and he subconsciously wanted to keep her from leaving.

He was really a good person. Was he just nice to everyone, which is why he got dumped?

Xia Fu looked down at Fang Jingcheng, finding it hard to imagine why he was thrown here with both himself and flowers on May 20th. However, despite her questions, they didn’t affect her as she started to pack her things.

Using the tone she reserved for her younger brother, she made sure to care about Fang Jingcheng before parting ways.

“I’m fine. It’s getting late; please drive carefully on your way home. Get some good rest, and don’t let your wound touch the water…”

The young man didn’t reply. His hands were crossed over his legs, his beautiful blue eyes fully focused on her. The way he looked reminded Xia Fu of a video she once saw online of a border collie by a meteorite.

This dog was said to be the smartest of all large breeds, and even when it acted cute, it maintained a certain dignity. With a coat of gray and white long hair, it sat in front of its owner, observing with its pair of blue, sparkling eyes.

A ball? A bone? A cookie? The park?

The border collie’s perked ears twitched; it evidently understood every word, yet it deliberately didn’t react. By the end of the last few words, its expression turned increasingly helpless, tinged with a bit of sorrow.

Xia Fu had wracked her brain for what to say. The more she spoke, the smaller her voice became, until she finally decided to stop struggling.

“Um, goodbye… I’m leaving now.”

Why?

Xia Fu’s calm demeanor made Fang Jingcheng feel a bit short of breath.

She was staring at her own muscles, touching his hand, even gripping the hem of his shirt, pleading for him to stay a little longer. He thought Xia Fu would be more reluctant to part…

Fang Jingcheng pouted inwardly but still smiled brightly on the outside. Just as Xia Fu was about to turn, he suddenly spoke up, preparing for a harmless little prank.

“Do you prefer steamed buns or bread for breakfast? Something like fresh meat, flower pig meat, or maybe little bear milk buns, black truffle sea salt rolls, or strawberry bagels?”

At the mention of food, Xia Fu suddenly found herself unable to move.

Although the sudden shift in topic left her looking puzzled, her mouth reacted quickly.

“I like them all.”

Fang Jingcheng supported his chin with one hand, using his fingers to hide a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Didn’t you say you’d be happier thinking about delicious food for the next day? How about I surprise you?”

One of life’s greatest tortures is scrolling through delicious food at midnight.

“Eh? Are we going to have breakfast together?” What were they going to eat? How could one person’s mouth suddenly rattle off so many delicious-sounding things in just a few seconds?

Faced with the obvious curiosity on Xia Fu’s face, the young man deliberately kept her guessing.

He waved his hand slowly to bid her goodbye, signaling her to leave.

“You’ll know when you wake up. Sweet dreams—”

Great, the confused one had switched from him to Xia Fu. Fang Jingcheng couldn’t help but whistle internally, feeling like he finally scored a point.

“See you tomorrow; just go, I’ll watch you.”

Heaven knows what kind of monsters and ghosts might be on the way back to the girls’ dormitory. He stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Xia Fu’s silhouette until she safely stood under the dim yellow light of the girls’ dormitory, then he drove back to prepare his little plan.

…

Earlier in Fang Jingcheng’s car, Xia Fu texted Aunt Xu to let her know she was safe. She briefly introduced Bao Zhiwei’s situation, saying he had been bandaged at the hospital and would be home in about ten minutes.

Aunt Xu had been waiting at the front desk. When the doorbell rang, she rushed over to open the door.

The woman looked Xia Fu up and down, relieved to see that her facial wounds had been properly treated.

“You must be exhausted! Get some rest early. If you need anything, Auntie can bring it up for you.”

“Thank you, I just took some medicine; it shouldn’t be too serious.”

Xia Fu readily handed over her bag. She walked shoulder to shoulder with Aunt Xu in the quiet hallway, asking:

“By the way, Auntie, do you know which dorm the girl who helped me is in? I want to thank her in person.”

The situation when they caught Bao Zhiwei was chaotic. There was Bao Zhiwei arguing and struggling at the front, and a boy being stubbornly clingy after being rejected by the girl at the back. He was squatting beside the dormitory, sending countless messages to win his girlfriend back.

The messages bombarded her phone incessantly, buzzing nonstop.

At first, that girl only glanced at the messages a few times, but later, she just turned on “Do Not Disturb” mode and stayed focused in the office as a witness for Xia Fu.

Xia Fu felt a little guilty. Sitting in the corner of the office, she searched her bag for something to express her gratitude.

Unfortunately, the delicious cookies Fang Jingcheng had given her were crushed by the computer during the scuffle, so she had to settle for verbal appreciation.

“Thank you for helping me as a witness. If it weren’t for you calling for help, I might have been caught.”

Aunt Xu was still preparing an ice towel. Xia Fu’s face was so swollen that even moving her lips made her wince. Smiling only made her look more awkward.

The girl glanced at her and then looked away, her expression full of guilt.

“It’s nothing. If I had been able to stand up sooner, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Don’t worry, when the counselor arrives, I’ll definitely testify for you.”

Unfortunately, they didn’t manage to speak much.

Counselor Jiang didn’t want to escalate the situation, so when she arrived, she casually listened for a bit and then ushered both the girl and Aunt Xu out.

Xia Fu still remembered how the girl turned back to look three times before leaving. Watching her retreating figure, she made a resolution that she must buy some milk tea, cake, or something nice to apologize to her later.

“Oh, that girl’s name is Xu Sihui. She’s a freshman like you this year, and she seems to be from the Chinese Language and Literature department.”

Aunt Xu replied while pulling out her phone from her pocket and checking her latest photos.

“Yes, yes, I’m not mistaken; it’s her! She’s really a good kid. To testify, she even showed me her student ID and told me to reach out to her if I had any questions later.”

“The dormitory for the Literature College students is in ‘Area A, Plum Garden.’ If you walk back three more buildings from our ‘Orchid Garden,’ you’ll get there. You should check it out when your leg feels better.”

The phone screen clearly displayed the girl’s gentle smile. Xia Fu leaned in to get a closer look, eager to confirm the name of her benefactor.

Literature College?

Xia Fu silently repeated the name in her mind, suddenly remembering that Fang Jingcheng had once mentioned he sat in on classes in the Literature College last semester to pursue the school belle.

What a small world… But surely, this had nothing to do with her, right?

Xia Fu shook her head. She pulled out her keys and slowly inserted them into the dormitory door. To avoid waking her sleeping roommates, she tried to be as gentle as possible, but the “click” of the old spring lock was still deafeningly loud in the quiet night.

She had a full schedule all day Monday, and the others hadn’t yet recovered from their excitement at the amusement park, so they all went to bed early.

Only Ji Xiaowei’s curtain was still lit with a soft yellow light. In the pink-purple sky, a unicorn carried a chibi princess chasing after distant stars. The fairytale-like scene was incredibly heartwarming.

It felt like she was waiting specifically for her…

An indescribable emotion welled up in Xia Fu’s heart, making her eyes inexplicably sour.

“Xiaofu?”

Wearing a pink-purple nightgown, Ji Xiaowei lifted the curtain. Seeing Xia Fu leaning on her cane made her pupils shrink. She immediately sprang up from her bed, and upon noticing the bandage on Xia Fu’s face, she nearly rushed off to find someone.

“What happened? Was it that jerk who did this?”

“I… I accidentally missed a step while coming down from class and fell down the stairs. I went to the hospital with a classmate who passed by.”

The lie slipped out of Xia Fu’s mouth. She didn’t want to, nor could she dare to tell Ji Xiaowei the truth.

At least not tonight.

Initially, it was to protect her pride, but seeing Ji Xiaowei’s expression transformed into a different kind of weakness…

She felt guilty for making her friend worry. If she had listened to Ji Xiaowei sooner and exposed Bao Zhiwei, wouldn’t she have avoided all this embarrassment? Would she have ended up like this?

Her grandmother loved to tease her during such times: “It’s all because you didn’t listen. If you had listened to me earlier, you wouldn’t have ended up like this, right? How does it feel to make your own decisions? Did you make everyone laugh at you?”

Over the years, she had become accustomed to her grandmother’s sarcastic remarks. But if Ji Xiaowei were to act like that too, saying she wouldn’t care about her anymore, Xia Fu feared she might accidentally burst into tears.

Ji Xiaowei wasn’t stupid; her brows immediately knitted together. Just as she was about to press for details, Xia Fu had already pulled out the face mask she had prepared earlier.

She shyly covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of cat-like, glistening eyes peeking through, looking at Ji Xiaowei with anticipation:

“It’s okay; my wounds are all taken care of now. The doctor even gave me this mask, saying it can reduce swelling. Shall we use it together?”

Don’t ask me, don’t scold me, don’t hate me.

These emotions flickered in her dark eyes, forcefully blocking Ji Xiaowei’s impending words.

Although she was poor and struggling, Xia Fu indeed had her own pride… otherwise, she wouldn’t be working while sending money back home, borrowing from those around her only when she was out of options, ending up in such a situation.

Sometimes, Ji Xiaowei thought it was fine to scold her, but at other times, she felt that saying something would make Xia Fu run away outright.

In this regard, Ji Xiaowei was certainly more perceptive than Fang Jingcheng.

She sighed, her heart softening as she accepted the gift from Xia Fu.

“… It’s a bit late to be using a face mask now, and switching beds won’t be enough.”

Ji Xiaowei turned to glance at the other sleeping girls, then single-handedly lifted the curtain, showing Xia Fu the soft bed.

“Your foot must be uncomfortable, right? Why don’t you sleep with me tonight? I just watched a horror movie, and now I can’t seem to sleep.”

“Can I cuddle up to you?”

“Sure.”

Ji Xiaowei even generously stuffed a theme park plush toy into Xia Fu’s arms. Holding the soft purple rabbit, Xia Fu looked at the lace-trimmed bed curtain above her and finally felt she had escaped that terrifying place.

Her roommate used a candy-scented laundry detergent, and with Fang Jingcheng promising to bring her bread tomorrow, Xia Fu managed to have a rare good dream tonight—

It felt like cream cakes, apple madeleines, chocolate wafer cookies, and all sorts of delicious treats, hand in hand, circling around a squealing roast pig, singing and dancing. The only feeling Xia Fu had upon waking was pure hunger.

Although this night’s sleep was still below the average standard, Xia Fu’s mood improved significantly. She took her toothbrush and cup and headed to the communal bathroom with Xiaowei. Passing the balcony, she heard a few girls hanging out clothes chattering excitedly:

“Quick, look! There’s a super handsome guy waiting downstairs.”

“What’s up with his hair? Is he cosplaying?”

Wait, that description? Xia Fu couldn’t help but perk up her ears, a bad feeling slowly rising in her chest. She used the excuse of too many people at the sink, holding her toothbrush in her mouth, and sneaked into the crowd to peek outside.

To avoid peeping Toms and thieves, the girls’ dormitory balcony faced a quiet little path. On both sides, lush camphor trees obscured much of the view, but thanks to the girls’ clever angles, they could spot Fang Jingcheng waiting under the trees.

On one side of the camphor trees was a royal blue mountain bike, and on the other was a tall, handsome young man with silver hair. He wore a gray-blue sleeveless undershirt, over which was a pure white short-sleeved shirt, and his black dress pants were cinched at the waist, with sporty earphones hanging around his fair neck.

Fang Jingcheng was already a freshman, having just graduated from high school not long ago, and with this outfit, he radiated a trendy and likable youthful vibe.

The young man leaned against the dark-brown tree trunk with his eyes closed, either lost in the music or in thoughts of his lover. The morning wind tousled his shimmering silver hair, creating a dazzling, glimmering effect.

This scene was picturesque. Some girls were ready to take out their phones to capture the moment.

But all Xia Fu felt was worry.

He probably stayed up very late last night, and now he was up early waiting downstairs, and with his eyes closed, was he perhaps asleep…?

Oh no, he wouldn’t accidentally fall, would he?

Sure enough, just a few seconds later, that fluffy head began to slide down the tree trunk, and Xia Fu’s heart raced to her throat.

Fortunately, just before losing his balance, Fang Jingcheng’s remarkable athletic reflexes kicked in, waking him up just in time.

Perhaps the flashing lights had startled him, or maybe the direction of the balcony just happened to be facing Fang Jingcheng, as those blue eyes, clear as the sky and sparkling like gems, looked straight at her.

He moved his lips, and from the shape, it seemed like he said, “Good morning.”

A sudden commotion erupted on the balcony.

Cough, cough, cough.

Xia Fu choked on the toothpaste foam.

She recoiled her head like a caught animal.