Although Ming Can believed that the relationship between Chi Xiao and Chu Zhiyu was purely innocent, and that he was likely picking her up due to family matters, she didn’t like the idea of two women unexpectedly crossing paths because of one man. Especially when one was his arranged marriage prospect and the other was the future mother of his child. The situation was already complicated enough without adding unnecessary drama.

It was hard to tell if Chi Xiao’s high IQ had somehow squeezed out his EQ, but this arrangement was definitely not well thought out.

Ming Can: 【I’m not at school.】

After sending the message, Ming Can put her phone away and prepared to head to the library to study.

Chen Yixiao happened to be going to the library as well, so the two of them walked together.

As they approached the building, they noticed a small crowd of students gathered around a car parked in a temporary spot, excitedly discussing and taking photos.

It was a two-tone Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The wind outside was cold, and as soon as Chu Zhiyu stepped out of the building, she hurried toward the car and got into the back seat.

Ming Can tried to keep a low profile, walking briskly past the edge of the crowd without looking around.

But someone with eyes as sharp as a hawk spotted her in the crowd—

“Class rep!” Chi Yao called out from the back seat of the Phantom, rolling down the window. “Where are you going? Do you want us to give you a ride?”

Ming Can cursed him in her mind for being so clueless, but on the surface, she smiled lightly and declined, “No need, thank you.”

As far as she knew, the back seats of the Phantom were designed as airline-style seats with a center console, meaning only two people could sit there.

Was Chi Xiao in the passenger seat? Or was he driving, with his brother and Chu Zhiyu in the back?

That would make him a glorified chauffeur, wouldn’t it?

The more Ming Can thought about it, the more she felt that Chi Xiao probably wasn’t in the car right now. The person who had called Chu Zhiyu to pick her up was likely Chi Yao or the driver.

But Chi Xiao’s message had clearly said he was coming to B University to pick someone up. Who was he picking up? A ghost?

“It’s really cold outside. Let’s walk faster.”

Chen Yixiao’s voice pulled her thoughts back to the present.

Ming Can nodded, tightening her down jacket around her and tucking her neck slightly into the collar.

Whatever. She had already told Chi Xiao she wasn’t at school. Whoever he was picking up and whatever he was doing had nothing to do with her.

The nearest library to the Student Activity Center was the South Library, about three or four hundred meters away.

On the way, they passed the science building, where seventy percent of the finance department’s classes were held. Ming Can had just left from there not long ago.

A row of dragon-claw locust trees was planted in front of the building, their leaves long gone. In the cold wind, their twisted branches intertwined like ancient, vigorous nets spreading across the sky, giving off a somewhat oppressive feeling.

Under the trees, a low-key black car was parked. As the distance gradually closed, Ming Can unconsciously slowed her steps.

This car looked familiar…

On the other side of the road, the heavy windbreak curtain was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Warm air collided with the cold wind as a tall young man in a dark gray hooded down jacket walked out of the science building. He held a freshly bought cup of hot coffee in his hand, a mask covering his face, leaving only his pale amber eyes exposed. The cold wind outside seemed to add an extra layer of frost to his gaze.

Their eyes met.

Ming Can’s steps halted, and a thunderous thought echoed in her mind—

People really shouldn’t lie casually. Karma’s a thing.

The windbreak curtain closed abruptly behind him. Chi Xiao’s gaze swept past Ming Can and paused briefly on the face of the boy beside her.

“Senior, what a coincidence,” Ming Can forced the words out of her throat. “What are you doing here?”

Chi Xiao pulled his mask down to his chin, a faint mist escaping from his mouth and nose as he spoke coldly, “Here to pick up Chi Yao.”

“Oh,” Ming Can glanced around. “Where is Chi Yao?”

Chi Xiao: “Don’t know.”

You’re here to pick someone up but don’t even know where they are? What’s the point?

Besides, Chi Yao had a Rolls-Royce to pick him up. Why would he need you to show up in a Lexus and steal the job?

Ming Can didn’t call him out. I lied to you, and you lied to me. Since we’re in the same boat, I won’t explain why I claimed not to be at school.

However, given that her lie was more serious and she had been caught red-handed by the person involved, even someone as proud as Ming Can felt a bit unable to hold her head high at the moment.

“Senior…”

“Chi Xiao?” Chen Yixiao suddenly called out Chi Xiao’s name, interrupting Ming Can. “Remember me?”

Chi Xiao replied indifferently, “Barely.”

He was the type to say half a sentence when a full one was possible, as if speaking a few extra words would cost him his life.

Ming Can: “You two know each other?”

“Yes,” Chen Yixiao replied warmly. “My dad is the legal director of Xingchi Group. He took me to the Chi family as a guest a couple of years ago.”

After saying that, he turned back to Chi Xiao. “You didn’t say a word to me back then. I’m surprised you still remember me.”

Chi Xiao: “I just have a good memory.”

Chen Yixiao smiled. “I can tell.”

The two of them were like night and day—one gentle and approachable as a spring breeze, while the other was cold, aloof, and infuriatingly arrogant. Ming Can’s eyes darted between them, feeling that the situation was a bit off. She had the sudden urge to put a lid on this conversation and run away.

“Um…” Ming Can said, “I need to go to the library to study…”

Chi Xiao glanced down at her. “Wait.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the car parked by the roadside. Ming Can belatedly remembered that he had mentioned in his WeChat message that he had something to give her.

Ming Can tugged at her sleeves, tucking her fingers completely inside, and stood waiting for him.

Soon, Chi Xiao returned from the passenger seat with a box that was narrow at the front and wide at the back, about thirty to forty centimeters long, wrapped in leather.

He handed it to her. “For Miaomiao.”

Ming Can took it, muttering, “What is this?” Her fingers slipped out of her sleeves and felt along the side of the box. She pinched the zipper pull and gently slid it down, opening the box.

Inside lay a miniature two-stringed instrument. It had a pear-shaped body, a long neck, and animal patterns carved into the soundbox. The whole thing was small, like a toy, and looked like a traditional Kazakh instrument called a dombra.

Given that Chi Xiao had previously given Miaomiao things he had made himself, Ming Can instinctively asked, “Did you make this?”

Chi Xiao: “Yes.”

“That’s amazing,” Ming Can said, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the instrument. “Can this actually be played?”

Chi Xiao: “It should.”

“That’s amazing,” Ming Can repeated.

Chen Yixiao leaned over to peek at the contents of the box. Seemingly struck by a thought, he suddenly asked, “Who’s Miaomiao?”

Ming Can: “He’s my cousin.”

“Cousin, huh?” Chen Yixiao’s refined eyes curved slightly behind his glasses, his tone gentle and scholarly, as if he were giving a lecture. “This is a Kazakh plucked instrument called a dombra, right? I’ve read about it. In Kazakh culture, men usually play the rawap, while women play the dombra. So, dombras are typically given to girls more often.”

In Chen Yixiao’s eyes, Chi Xiao coming all the way to B University to give Ming Can’s cousin an instrument was clearly a case of “the drinker’s heart is not in the cup”—his real intention wasn’t the gift itself.

He wondered if Ming Can had picked up on it.

And he knew Ming Can well. She was particularly wary of advances from guys. If she realized that this instrument was more like a gift for her than for her cousin, she definitely wouldn’t accept it.

Ming Can fell into thought after hearing Chen Yixiao’s explanation.

The instrument was exquisitely crafted. Making something like this entirely by hand would take at least a few months. But Chi Xiao had only known Miaomiao for a little over a month. It was unlikely that this instrument had been made specifically for Miaomiao.

“I made this a couple of years ago when I was bored,” Chi Xiao said casually. “Music has no gender. I’ll give it to whoever I want.”

“That’s a fair point. I was being narrow-minded.”

Chen Yixiao hadn’t expected Chi Xiao, known for being a silent and aloof “flower on a highland,” to actually rebut his comment. But with such a bold tone, it seemed like Chi Xiao was determined to give the gift no matter what. Ming Can, who usually disliked presumptuous guys like that, would never accept it. From what Chen Yixiao had observed, Ming Can and Chi Xiao didn’t seem close at all. Even if he knew her cousin, so what? Ming Can lacked nothing. Why would she accept such a random gift?

“Ming Can,” Chen Yixiao said, his face showing a hint of apology, as if he were genuinely considering Chi Xiao’s feelings, “since Chi Xiao came all this way to give you a gift, you should hurry up and take it.”

Ming Can had a fiery personality and was more likely to yield to softness than force. If you pushed her to accept something, she’d only become more resistant. So, Chen Yixiao deliberately urged her while subtly emphasizing that Chi Xiao’s gesture of bringing the instrument from afar was suspicious.

“B University and A University are literally next to each other. Since when is that considered ‘all this way’?” Chi Xiao sneered, the corner of his lips curling slightly. “Has President Chen been away from math for so long that he’s lost his sense of basic distance?”

The remark carried a double meaning. Chen Yixiao’s temple twitched, but his smile remained unchanged. “Don’t be upset. It was just a slip of the tongue.”

“Oh, so I’m upset now,” Chi Xiao said. “I didn’t even know.”

“I only found out today that you can actually talk quite a bit,” Chen Yixiao replied. “Or is it just in front of certain people?”

Chi Xiao: “Can’t help it. Running into you just makes me happy.”

…

Ming Can stood there holding the instrument case, feeling as if she had been frozen stiff—whether from the cold wind or the awkward situation, she wasn’t sure.

The three of them had been standing in the open corridor outside the teaching building for what felt like an eternity. These past few days happened to be the coldest of the year, and with the sun about to set, the temperature outside had dropped to well below freezing, around -10 to -20 degrees Celsius. The clouds in the sky even seemed frozen into icy shapes. Every now and then, someone would hurry past them, rushing toward the warmth of the indoors, their brief glances at the trio making it clear they thought they were looking at a bunch of fools.

“Senior-,” Ming Can couldn’t help but call out.

As soon as she spoke, both boys turned to look at her.

“…-s,” Ming Can added a syllable, forcing a smile. “How about you two stay here and chat while I head to the library to study?”