◎ My phone is filled with pictures of handsome men with abs ◎

Ever since we exchanged contact information, if X had set up camp in my WeChat, then I had launched a full-scale invasion in his.

My shameless nature remained as fearless as ever, while he played the game of push-and-pull to perfection. His “reluctant yet willing” act had me constantly on edge, yet thoroughly enjoying the chase.

Need an example?

My nightly routine now had one final step.

After finishing everything and snuggling into bed, the first thing I did was send X a “di di” message—our little signal.

Then, I’d wait, eyes glued to my phone, for my invitation to the night’s private performance.

X never kept me waiting long. His WeChat message always followed soon after.

“Teacher Seagull, today is abs day.”

“Oh my, you’re so polite. Teacher Seagull feels undeserving of such honor!”

I played along, pretending to decline twice before happily sending over a video call request.

X would answer, tease me a little, and then prop up his phone, letting me watch freely.

Honestly, he was a little bit of a show-off.

When working on his arms and shoulders, he wore sleeveless workout shirts, exposing his well-defined, pumped-up muscles. When training his legs, he wore fitted workout shorts… Actually, never mind, I won’t describe that. Don’t want the censors to come after me.

Tonight was abs day.

X wore a loose, lightweight black T-shirt that shifted with his movements. As he worked out, the fabric lifted, revealing glimpses of his lean, sculpted waist beneath the rolling shadows.

My mind was filled with thoughts straight out of a lovestruck fool’s diary—”I admit it, your little tricks are seriously working on me.”

If these weren’t just coincidences, then I had to admit that his little stunts were incredibly effective.

Every time, I ended up clutching my phone, giggling like a fool. During these stolen moments shared only between X and me, the only problem in my life seemed to be how sore my cheeks got from smiling too much.

Not wanting to be completely at his mercy, I tried to fight back. Clicking my tongue twice, I casually remarked, “Why even bother wearing clothes? We’re so familiar with each other now. No need to be so reserved.”

X, who was doing one-handed push-ups, instantly broke into laughter and complained, “I’m just afraid that some people will eat and run. Do you think it’s easy for me?”

Saying that my heart was bursting with joy would be an understatement. The smile on my face was practically permanent; I beamed with delight, completely captivated. I watched him complete set after set of exercises, my eyes glued to the screen as if my gaze could stretch and cling onto him.

Watching him, my long-dormant desire for a fit body reignited.

Feeling inspired, I couldn’t help but mumble as he bent down to put away the yoga mat, “I really want to exercise too.”

X let out a soft chuckle. “With your workload and stress, what your body needs most right now is sleep.”

I immediately bounced up and shot back, “And whose fault is it that I stay up late?!”

X’s voice took on a teasing tone. “What can I do? Teacher Seagull only looks for me in the middle of the night.”

Embarrassed by the truth in his words, I felt a little guilty and had to make up for it with my tone. “I was busy with work, okay? I wasn’t scheduling you for the night shift.”

X asked, “What night shift?”

As he returned the yoga mat to its place, I stared at his tall, broad-shouldered back and giggled. “I was afraid you’d think my phone is filled with pictures of handsome men with abs, so I assigned everyone different shifts.”

My joking tone was obvious, so of course, X didn’t believe me. Still, he played along, pretending to take it seriously. “I never considered that. Thanks for the reminder.”

I laughed so hard that my mouth wouldn’t close. “Don’t worry. The ranking isn’t based on preference. Time slots are assigned fairly.”

X chuckled too, his low laughter through the phone so irresistibly endearing that my heart softened. “Alright, just kidding. My phone storage is small. It only has room for you.”

“…For now.”

I added.

“Should I say thank you?” X spread his hands helplessly, smiling before glancing at the clock on the wall. “You should go to sleep now, Teacher Seagull.”

After saying goodnight and hanging up the call, I was already exhausted, my head spinning from fatigue. Yet my heart, that traitor, refused to rest. It lingered in my chest, restless and unwilling to settle, pushing me to send another message.

“What about you?”

X replied, “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Hm?”

My brain cells jolted awake in an instant.

A shower?

Great. Now how am I supposed to sleep?

I hesitated, then typed, “Oh… A shower… Uh, well, um…”

X asked, “What’s wrong?”

I replied, “I’m stammering. I don’t dare say it out loud.”

After spending enough time together, X had developed an uncanny ability to read between the lines. “Is Teacher Seagull turning into a little pervert again?”

Would this be considered a mutual understanding?

Probably not.

I pondered pointlessly. On the one hand, I was thrilled that he understood me so well. On the other hand, I felt a bit embarrassed. Thankfully, we were separated by a phone screen—he couldn’t see my flushed cheeks.

I said, “On the surface, I might seem like a flirtatious girl, but deep down…”

X cut in, “Don’t tell me you’re actually shy.”

I shook my head. “Deep down, I’m even more shameless. If I said it out loud, I’d probably scare you.”

X asked, “How shameless? I need to prepare myself.”

I raised the stakes to intimidate him. “When facing a freshly showering Teacher X, I’m at the level of dangerously testing legal boundaries.”

Our playful exchange circled back and forth.

First, I saw “X is typing…” Then, he stopped. Then, “X is typing…” Again, he stopped.

So hesitant? What was he thinking while typing? Was he turned off by my boldness? Did he think girls should be more reserved?

Given how outspoken I’d been on Little Xiaofanshu before, he should have some idea that I wasn’t a demure person, right?

I decided to stop overthinking and just go for it. “Ahaha, scared now?”

Every time I put myself out there, I prepared for the possibility that there might never be a response. My thoughts were my own; I had no way to judge right from wrong, only to be as honest as possible.

Luckily, every time, X never let me down.

“Teacher Seagull at a dock.”

He addressed me seriously.

“Let me show you just how red my ears are right now.”

He sent over a picture—an offhand selfie, holding his phone at his side, capturing his left ear in the frame.

Hmm… A beautiful ear, flushed like a ripe tomato, like berries waiting to be plucked. If I touched it, it would probably feel warm and delightful.

I couldn’t stop laughing, thrilled that I had successfully flustered him. Satisfied, I decided to make a clean getaway. “Received.”

But X wasn’t letting it slide so easily. His puzzled, urgent voice message followed.

“Wait—do you mean what I think you mean? Are you actually… No way, are you hinting that… um—”

Ah, the way he trailed off so hesitantly, the perfect pauses in his speech, was absolutely delightful.

I happily played his second voice message, where he painstakingly spat out each word.

“You… actually… want… to… see… me… shower?”

I wanted to throw in a playful “Let me see yours first” joke, but for some reason, my hands trembled.

Alright, so now, standing at the edge of the battlefield, I suddenly felt like retreating. Even typing a simple “kan” felt impossible. Just imagining the scene sent my heart racing, making it hard to breathe. So instead, I left myself some room to back out with an ambiguous counter-question.

“Would you let me?”

X sent another voice message, still stammering. “I… uh… I…”

Then, his next text message was much clearer—at least in appearance.

“To be honest, I don’t know. Teacher Seagull, you’re too much. My mind is completely blank. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”

There was no way I was sending a voice message now. I could only pretend to be calm in text.

“Oh, then let’s not talk about it. I don’t want you to accidentally blurt out your bank card password.”

Strike while the iron’s hot. Should I take advantage of his confusion and just claim him as mine right now?

My heart was pounding, ready to take flight.

But in the end, I chickened out. I backed off at the last moment.

“Alright, this was just a preview. So next time, when I reveal my true nature, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

I have never typed as fast in my life as I am right now:

“That’s it. Go take a shower. I need to go to sleep. The meeting is adjourned. “Without hesitation, I sent the message. Whatever he replied, I didn’t care. I slammed my phone face down under my pillow, muffled my scream with my hands, and pedaled an imaginary bicycle in the air a hundred times.