Did he really come all the way to pick her up?

So embarrassing; he didn’t see her in her pajamas, right?

Xia Fu hastily wiped the foam off the corner of her mouth and quickly finished her morning routine. She dashed back to her dormitory to find her phone, and as expected, she saw a message from Fang Jingcheng in the notifications.

“Good morning! Are you up yet? How does your foot feel today?”

“I’m planning to ride my bike to school, and I can give you a lift to the Education Building along the way. It seems like there are fewer people on the Camphor Road behind the girls’ dorm, so I can pick you up there.”

Thankfully, he spoke in a calm tone, and he didn’t mention their earlier eye contact at all. Either he truly didn’t see Xia Fu, or he noticed something from her turtle-like shrinkage.

He was always so adept at handling the balance of their interactions; even when offering help, he never made it feel overly burdensome. Thinking back to her panicked reaction earlier, Xia Fu even felt a bit guilty.

She nibbled on her fingers before replying with a simple greeting.

“Good morning! I just got up too.”

But what should she say next?

Should she compliment him? Like, “I think I saw you earlier? You looked great today; even the girls hanging clothes on the balcony were staring at you, and I felt too shy to talk to you?”

What to do? This is so hard to think of… She really wasn’t good at chatting with guys.

Just as Xia Fu was editing and deleting her long sentences, she saw another message pop up.

“Wow, perfect timing! I bought breakfast; freshly baked bread that’s best eaten right away at the teaching building.”

She decisively deleted the unnecessary chatter she hadn’t sent and began to change her clothes.

“I’ll be down soon; you can turn a bit toward the Old Bookstore.”

Ji Xiaowei was still busy putting on her makeup in front of the mirror. When she caught sight of Xia Fu preparing to leave, she asked, “Is that all? How do you plan to get there? Do you want to wait for me? I can help you find a shared bike to get there.”

If she found something nice, she would also want her friends to appreciate it. Just like after the basketball game, Xia Fu wasn’t shy about complimenting Fang Jingcheng.

“A classmate is picking me up; it’s the silver-haired guy I told you about before, Fang Jingcheng. He happened to be nearby when I fell and took me to the hospital.”

Ji Xiaowei let out a long “oh.”

She just knew it.

Xia Fu’s personality meant that even when injured, she wouldn’t take special care of herself. That face mask she mentioned checking online was from a well-known foreign skincare brand; she figured someone who passed by must have helped her out.

Silver hair… it seemed to belong to a guy who looked like he was made of money.

She had seen him in the basketball game photos before, and Xia Fu had recounted how he scolded Bao Zhiwei during their shower talk.

Ji Xiaowei didn’t have a particularly good impression of Fang Jingcheng, but it wasn’t bad either. She simply reminded Xia Fu, “Okay, just be careful yourself,” intending to look into the matter further based on Xia Fu’s reply.

“Got it.”

The Old Bookstore where the two agreed to meet was tucked away at a quiet corner. Every graduation season, they bought back books that students couldn’t take with them for low prices, ranging from textbooks and dictionaries to novels and picture books.

At this hour, the bookstore wasn’t open yet, and students passed by occasionally, making the environment quite peaceful. As soon as Fang Jingcheng heard the “tap-tap” of footsteps, he looked up and saw Xia Fu limping over, unable to help but sigh inwardly.

Good thing he came; she bounced along like a hamster in a big boat, looking so pitiful.

Fang Jingcheng steadied his bike and walked toward Xia Fu. He stopped in front of her and gently patted the back seat, making a gesture to invite her to sit.

“Although this is a borrowed bike, it doesn’t look too bad, right? I added a thick cushion to the back seat.”

Xia Fu didn’t know how to ride a bike.

It was like when other kids were having their training wheels taken off by their dads, she mostly sat next to her grandma, picking and washing vegetables.

Later, to make it easier for her younger brother to go to school, her family moved to a place close to the county middle school. Xia Fu kept walking and envied her classmates who enjoyed ice cream and rode on their fathers’ bikes or chased each other while ringing bike bells.

Her family always said girls should be quiet and well-behaved, so she didn’t need to learn these things.

But the standard for being quiet was quite flexible. Xia Fu was getting older, and soon she could ride a tricycle to help her family haul goods; the rusty green tricycle even used the oldest handbrake.

Though she didn’t understand bikes, she could tell from the two-finger-thick sponge cushion and the smooth leather seat that Fang Jingcheng put in some effort.

“The color is really nice; the royal blue matches your eyes well.”

“Is this okay? Will it be unsteady when starting? Should I brace my feet first?”

She had never done anything like this before and was bombarded with a hundred questions, afraid she might fall off.

Seemingly finding her worries unnecessary, Fang Jingcheng let out a short laugh.

“Just hold on tight. Alright, we’re set to go; it should take about 10 minutes.”

He folded his elbow and tucked it into his backpack. He hopped onto the mountain bike, pushed down on the pedals, and the bike rolled smoothly, easily carrying an extra person without any trouble at all.

The morning breeze filled the young man’s sleeves and blew Xia Fu’s hair away from her forehead. The scenery around them sped by, and without any safety harness, she didn’t have time to be scared, only feeling a sense of novelty.

This was a marvelous kind of freedom.

Though she couldn’t ride a bike now, this might be a way of living that’s bitter first, then sweet. As long as she got through this phase, she would be free. Whether it was riding a bike, learning to drive, or going to her favorite restaurants, she could try them all, imagining the endless possibilities for the future.

She looked up and saw Fang Jingcheng’s broad, straight shoulders, the wind tousling his silver short hair and exposing his pale neck.

This competent driver had good biking skills, but there was a little hiccup when approaching the teaching building. Even though he deliberately slowed down, the bump over the speed bump startled Xia Fu.

She let out a soft “wow,” thinking about how there was still tape on Fang Jingcheng’s abdomen and didn’t dare to hug his waist, gripping the iron frame of the backseat tightly instead.

Fang Jingcheng chuckled teasingly in response.

“I told you to hold on tight.”

The bike stopped at the bike rack under the teaching building. Fang Jingcheng bent down to lock the bike while Xia Fu slowly made her way to the vending machine in the lobby on the first floor.

“Wait for me; I’ll go get you a drink. How about coffee?”

Their classes were in the same building but different classrooms that morning. He almost dozed off leaning against a tree, and Xia Fu was genuinely worried he’d miss roll call in his major class.

“I’d like a classic iced Americano, please.”

“Okay.”

Xia Fu searched carefully, reaching for the corner button.

Although it looked like a plain green tin can, it was actually from a popular coffee brand, and just a small bottle could equal a cup of milk tea sold outside, making it seem particularly fancy in the vending machine on the first floor of the teaching building.

This was the best gift she could find at the moment.

“Here you go.”

Like a little hamster, she handed over the precious snack bar.

It wasn’t something valuable or his preferred taste, but it definitely had its use.

By the end of May, the weather was starting to warm up. The cold drink rolled out of the vending machine, quickly covering itself with a layer of glistening water droplets.

Fang Jingcheng picked up the can of coffee with one hand, bringing it close to his handsome face. As the metal kissed his skin, he let out a long sigh, “Ah, much cooler now. I always sweat easily in the summer.”

In the blink of an eye, sweat dropped from his eyelashes, merging with the icy water on his cheeks, dripping into the open collar of Fang Jingcheng’s shirt. The damp sensation made him instinctively tilt his head to one side, giving off an overwhelmed feeling from the heat.

Xia Fu looked at his pale neck, unable to help but agree in her heart: he was as white as snow and indeed looked like he could melt under the blazing sun.

With about twenty minutes until class, Fang Jingcheng found a classroom close to Xia Fu’s destination and sat down, pulling a paper bag from his backpack and pushing it toward her.

“I bought breakfast for two. There are buns and bread. I have a pretty good appetite, so you can choose what you want first, and I’ll take the rest.”

Choose first? At home, her younger brother usually got served first, then her grandma, her dad, and finally, it was her and her mom’s turn.

It’s awkward to take the thing Fang Jingcheng liked best; wouldn’t that be rude?

Xia Fu had never enjoyed such special treatment before. Looking at the long-awaited feast, she felt flustered instead, gripping the paper bag tightly, unsure of where to start.

But Fang Jingcheng was very patient. Even when he noticed her struggling with her decision, he showed extraordinary patience.

He laid out all the snacks on the table, allowing Xia Fu to face the myriad of choices directly, then grinned and waved his fingers.

“Ah, just looking at the bag isn’t very clear… Let me check the order. This is the bun area, and over there should be the bread.”

“The melon bun is the signature item; she recommended it to me, so I bought two.”

Thank goodness; that last sentence saved Xia Fu from her awkwardness. She could pick from the surplus.

The round melon bun lived up to its name, with a raised net-like crust on the surface, and its light green shape resembled the fruit.

The edges of the bread were baked to a crisp, while the inside was soft and fluffy. When her teeth sank down, it squished the airy bun, and the sweet fragrance of melon surged into her mouth, tempting her to take bite after bite until the melon jam in the center awakened her taste buds, making her feel as if she were basking in the melon’s juices.

Of course, her favorite part was still the crispy crust of the melon bun. Just like fried chicken needs its batter, crispy ice cream needs its chocolate; having that crunchy texture while savoring the filling inside was the ultimate experience!

In an instant, the melon bun captured Xia Fu’s heart. She carefully caught the crumbs, then, using her other hand as cover, licked the residue off her palm and excitedly recommended it to Fang Jingcheng across from her.

“This melon bun is delicious. Especially the crust; you have to eat it together. You should try it too!”

“Wow, is it that amazing?”

“Mmhm.”

Xia Fu pushed another bun toward Fang Jingcheng, fully focused on him, trying to share her entire thought process with her eyes.

Due to her appreciation for the food, she even caught the piece of crust that fell from the corner of Fang Jingcheng’s mouth.

Both of them froze for a moment, their palms hovering in the air.

What just happened?

She didn’t mind catching her own crumbs, but why did she catch someone else’s too?

What to do? He wouldn’t think she wanted to eat that piece of melon bun, right?

“Sorry… it was a reflex.”

Xia Fu awkwardly explained, her fingers curling inward as she slowly tried to retract them.

“Thank you; I must not have slept well and reacted a bit slowly.”

Before Xia Fu could process what was happening, Fang Jingcheng leaned down and took the piece from her palm.

Having often done chores, Xia Fu’s palms weren’t particularly delicate, so normally, she should feel somewhat numb. But in that instant when he leaned in, all her attention was drawn to that moment.

First, his long eyelashes brushed against her fingertips, then his palm met something soft, carrying a bit of dampness and warmth, as if a puppy had licked it, creating a peculiar sensation that felt especially real.