Chapter 7

Jiang Caifu’s high school life was extremely dull and boring.

Her grades weren’t particularly outstanding, but she had performed exceptionally well in the entrance exam, landing her in the school’s advanced class, surrounded by brilliant and hardworking top students.

To top it off, her homeroom teacher was none other than her own mother.

When she heard this “devastating” news, Jiang Caifu nearly fainted.

How could she ever slack off in class now?

And with her classmates being so outstanding, how could she not work harder? What if she ended up at the bottom of the class during finals? That would be way too embarrassing!

So, to avoid being the class underachiever and to reassure her parents by getting into a good university, she pushed herself to study hard, complaining about the subjects she didn’t understand while attending every supplementary class without fail. She rarely had any free time.

Her longing for freedom and fun was repeatedly suppressed. When she finally made it through the college entrance exams, those pent-up feelings rebounded with a vengeance.

Her final exam results were much better than she had expected. Elated, she made her first rebellious decision: instead of attending a local university as her parents had hoped, she chose to study in S City, a place she had never been to.

In this completely unfamiliar city, she had no acquaintances and no one to check in on her constantly. That sense of being utterly on her own felt liberating.

Like a bird freed from a cage, she was filled with a desire to explore every form of entertainment. Every weekend, she would wander aimlessly through the unfamiliar urban jungle, embarking on spur-of-the-moment trips with no specific destination or end goal.

She vividly remembered joining the photography club, one of the most popular clubs at school, with a large number of members. After the recruitment period, the club president organized a joint event with other clubs. Jiang Caifu, always eager to join in on the fun, signed up immediately.

On the day of the event, the weather was perfect with clear blue skies.

Jiang Caifu spent two hours in front of her mirror, meticulously working on her makeup. Then, she rummaged through her wardrobe to find the perfect dress and matching accessories, finishing off with a coat of her newest nail polish. She was prepared down to her fingertips.

The venue for the event was a villa in the suburbs, borrowed by their club president. It was said to have a beautifully landscaped garden, blooming with vibrant flowers, perfect for taking photos. She had already arranged with her clubmate, Li Yiman, to take pictures of each other there.

Once she was ready, her roommates were just getting out of bed. Seeing her all dressed up, they exclaimed, “Wow, such a big production…”

Jiang Caifu smiled, raised her new camera, and said enthusiastically, “Of course! If we’re going to take pictures, we have to look great!”

After waiting a few more minutes, she left with her bag once she got a message from Li Yiman.

They met up at the back gate of the school to wait for a taxi.

Li Yiman opened her bag to show Jiang Caifu the photo props she had prepared. “I brought organza, lace ribbons, and a transparent umbrella. What about you?”

“Colored cellophane and fake butterflies,” Jiang Caifu said excitedly. “And a reflector board. That should be enough, right?”

“Plenty!” Li Yiman clasped her hands together, brimming with anticipation. “There should be a lot of good food there, right? Let’s eat our fill, then go take tons of gorgeous photos!”

Jiang Caifu’s excitement grew. Her eyes sparkled as she said, “This time, I’m going to prove myself! Let my mom see that I do have talent in photography!”

In the past, whenever she traveled with her parents, her mom would always say the photos Jiang Caifu took were unflattering. Jiang Caifu was indignant, believing her poor results were due to a lack of training and professional equipment. That’s why she joined the photography club and spent her New Year’s money on a camera.

After all, photos taken with a camera must be better than those taken with a phone, right?

“But on another note,” Li Yiman crossed her arms and adopted a serious expression, “I do have some unrealistic hopes for this event.”

Jiang Caifu asked curiously, “What hopes?”

Li Yiman sighed. “Hoping to see some good-looking guys. The boys in our class are all so unattractive—I need some eye candy.”

“There should be some, right?” Jiang Caifu glanced at her phone, wondering why the taxi hadn’t arrived yet. “Didn’t the president say in the group chat that there would be lots of handsome guys, including a few who are super good-looking?”

Li Yiman burst into laughter. “You believe a guy’s definition of handsome? To them, ‘handsome’ just means having all their facial features intact, and ‘super good-looking’ means they’re presentable. If he said there were a few guys who looked like male idols, then I might believe it.”

Her words had Jiang Caifu laughing uncontrollably, agreeing that her perspective was spot on.

A few minutes later, the two girls hopped into a taxi and sped off toward the villa address shared by their club president.

They crossed a lush green lawn, passed a swimming pool, and instinctively raised their cameras to capture a photo of the elegant building before them.

Inside the villa, a familiar club mate waved them over for a group photo.

“Is everyone from our club here?”

Their club president, who was taking the group photo, managed their positions and reminded everyone to check in on the group chat to make attendance easier.

Apart from their photography club, members of the billiards club and orchestra club were also there, it seemed.

Jiang Caifu didn’t pay much attention to the details. After checking in, she and Li Yiman headed straight to the dessert station to grab some cakes before eagerly running out to the garden.

The midday sun shone brightly on the garden, where the vibrant, blooming flowers swayed gracefully in the breeze. Their soft, delicate petals glowed faintly under the sunlight, creating a scene as enchanting as an oil painting.

Jiang Caifu could already imagine how stunning the photos would be with such a breathtaking backdrop—

The only downside was that they weren’t the only ones who came to the garden to take beautiful pictures.

Looking at the boys and girls in the garden adjusting their cameras, squeezing into flower beds to pose, Jiang Caifu silently exchanged a glance with Li Yiman. They both saw hesitation in each other’s eyes.

“So many people…”

“And such a blazing sun…”

“Maybe we should skip it?”

They exchanged a look and, without another word, unanimously decided to retreat to the hall for air conditioning and small cakes.

This villa was reportedly an unused property belonging to someone, with personal items stored on the third floor, which was off-limits. The first and second floors, however, were open for exploration.

Holding a plate of strawberry cocoa pancakes, Jiang Caifu wandered curiously around with Li Yiman like a pair of curious kittens. When they passed a room on the first floor, Li Yiman was called over by some classmates to play Werewolf. Jiang Caifu didn’t know how to play and politely declined their offer to teach her, quickly waving her hands and heading upstairs.

On the second floor, someone was singing karaoke, and the muffled noise spilled into the hallway.

Just then, her mom called. Jiang Caifu answered the phone and spotted a small door at the corner of the second floor, which looked like it might lead to a storage room.

Hoping for a quieter place to talk, she pushed the door open and glanced inside. The room contained some old furniture and a piano in the corner, with no one in sight. She walked in and stood by the window to take her call.

“I’m out right now. The club organized a social event, so I came along,” she explained.

“There are no handsome guys here… We were going to take photos in the garden, but it was so crowded that we couldn’t find a spot, so we gave up.”

Outside the window stood a lush sycamore tree, its leafy branches stretching toward the window. The verdant leaves cast dappled light through the gaps, creating shimmering patterns on the glass that dazzled the eyes.

She placed her pearl-white plate on the windowsill and used her fork to pick up a strawberry from the pancake. Responding to her mom’s doubts, she protested, “Why wouldn’t I know how to take pictures? I’ve been learning a lot of photography tricks lately, okay? And I’m using a proper camera now—super professional. The portraits I take are amazing!”

Soft laughter came through the phone, and Jiang Caifu couldn’t help but laugh along. Her clear laugh startled the sparrows perched on the tree branches.

One bird tilted its head, glanced at her through the glass, and fluttered away.

Watching it soar into the sky, Jiang Caifu’s voice grew even more coquettish, with a touch of sugary charm. “I still have enough living expenses, but if my dearest mom feels sorry for me and wants to improve my meals by sending me a little red envelope, I definitely wouldn’t refuse!”

Even she felt shameless after saying this, but to secure the red envelope, she continued to sweet-talk her mom, layering on saccharine flattery that even gave her goosebumps. Sure enough, her mom caved and sent her an extra month’s living expenses.

Being an only child, Jiang Caifu was pampered by her parents, who felt sorry for her living alone in a faraway city. They were generous with her allowance, leaving Jiang Caifu, a self-proclaimed little money-lover, over the moon.

Clutching her phone, she continued showering her mom with praise and sent a series of adorable emoji stickers. Finally, she opened her wallet app and grinned at the updated balance, her eyes curving into happy crescent moons.

College life was amazing!

No endless classes, plenty of free time, and so much spending money!

She picked up her pancake and ate it contentedly while admiring the dancing shadows of the trees outside. After a while, she felt a bit thirsty.

Time to head downstairs for milk tea.

Turning around, her eyes landed on the sofa opposite the piano. A figure had appeared out of nowhere, lounging lazily on the sofa and taking up most of the space.

The person seemed to have materialized suddenly, startling Jiang Caifu so much that her hand shook, almost dropping her plate.

“You…” She steadied herself, her thoughts racing. Had this person overheard her entire phone conversation? That would be so embarrassing.

“When did you get here?”

The boy, still looking at his phone, didn’t even glance at her. “I was here before you came in.”

It turned out that when she pushed the door open, he had been bending down to pick something up, so she hadn’t noticed him at first. Later, as she was engrossed in her call, he stayed quiet, maintaining a strange, unspoken equilibrium between them.

Jiang Caifu felt even more embarrassed upon hearing this, but there wasn’t much she could do. After all, she hadn’t looked carefully when she came in.

“Alright…” She licked her lips, trying to gloss over the awkwardness. She pointed to herself and introduced, “By the way, I’m Jiang Caifu from the School of Economics and Trade. What about you?”

The room fell into a brief silence.

The boy didn’t answer immediately, but he finally looked up and glanced at her.

The moment their eyes met; Jiang Caifu froze for a second.

No wonder—his face was simply stunning, the kind that struck you with its sheer intensity. His features were sharp and deep-set, with a pair of strikingly defined almond-shaped eyes—phoenix-like, narrow, and slightly upturned at the outer corners.

His skin was fair, almost unnaturally so compared to the slightly tanned complexions of other freshmen after military training. It was as if he had never been under the scorching sun, glowing with an alabaster radiance.

Unable to hold back, Jiang Caifu asked, “Did you really participate in military training?”

Perhaps her expression was too vivid and amusing, or maybe her obvious tone of envy was entertaining. The boy, who had initially been wearing a disinterested, cold expression, suddenly smiled.

However, the faint curve of his lips seemed laced with mockery, as if he were laughing at her.

Feeling a bit annoyed, Jiang Caifu’s mood soured, and her displeasure showed clearly on her face.

Noticing her reaction, the boy quickly restrained his smile.

“I did.”

He spoke briefly, then glanced down at a black case leaning against the sofa. After a moment of thought, he pulled out a business card, holding it out to her between his fingers.

Jiang Caifu reached out hesitantly to take it.

Caifu was still curious about what was inside that bag—it looked a bit like a guitar case. When she saw him hand her a business card, her emotions suddenly became a little complicated.

On one hand, she felt his aloof demeanor, handing over the card with just two fingers, seemed a bit disrespectful. On the other hand, the very act of giving her a business card felt like he was acknowledging her as a mature adult.

Although she was already in college, her mindset hadn’t fully shifted yet; she still felt like a kid—so immature.

But receiving his business card suddenly gave her the illusion that she was transitioning into a poised and responsible adult.

She shook off the unnecessary thoughts in her head.

Taking the card, she glanced at the most eye-catching name on it, and her eyes immediately widened.

“Qiao Yutu?”

What a strange name!

The boy: “…”

His mouth twitched slightly as he leaned back into the sofa cushion, his shoulders and neck relaxing into a straight, fluid line.

“Look more carefully this time.”

Jiang Caifu squinted and took another look. After a moment, she let out an awkward laugh.

“Oh, oh, it’s Mian, not Tu.”

Still not much better, though.