Chapter 12: The One I Long For, Across the Waters

As dusk fell, Si Tiantian had just finished a specialized class. Rubbing her sore neck, she walked out of the classroom when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out—another message from him.

Li Hanye: “Your class ended?”

Si Tiantian tapped her screen and replied:
“Mm, just got out. Today’s topic was Ancient Literature, and the teacher talked about the Book of Songs.”

A reply came almost instantly:
Li Hanye: “Oh? Do you like the Book of Songs?”

Si Tiantian: “Yeah, I find it interesting. The lines are really beautiful.”

Just a few seconds after her message was sent, her screen lit up again.

Li Hanye: “The reed grows lush and green, covered in frost-like dew. The one I long for, stands across the water.”

Reading those two short lines, Si Tiantian’s heart skipped a beat—then began to race uncontrollably.

Her fingertips tingled from the warmth of the phone, and even her breathing paused for a moment.

What was this guy trying to say…? Was he… using poetry to confess?

She clutched her phone, her thoughts running wild. Her cheeks flushed, heat slowly creeping up her neck. Just then, Gu Yazhi suddenly smacked her on the back.

“Tiantian, what are you daydreaming about? Your face is so red. Who texted you now?”

Si Tiantian jumped, guilty as a thief. She hastily turned off the screen and shoved the phone back into her pocket, stammering:
“N-Nothing. Just a regular friend chatting a bit.”

Gu Yazhi narrowed her eyes mischievously and drawled:
“Ohhh—a regular friend, huh? One who makes your heart race and your face turn red? Let me guess… last name Li, first name Hanye, also known in the streets as Lord Han?”

She leaned in with a sly grin and whispered dramatically:
“Confess now and the court shall be lenient. Resist and the court will be strict!”

Si Tiantian was red all over from embarrassment. She gave Gu Yazhi a push and pouted:
“Oh come on, Zhizhi, stop teasing! Let’s go, I’m hungry!”

Though she was trying to deny everything, Li Hanye’s face kept floating up in her mind—the sharply defined features, his deep eyes, and that poetic line he sent that carried such ambiguous intent.

She looked down at her feet, nudging a pebble on the ground.
Inside her chest, something seemed to be quietly sprouting—an emotion she hadn’t quite named, but it came with a whisper of anticipation… and just a touch of sweetness.

This man who updated her daily like clockwork… didn’t seem as cold and distant as he had the first time they met.

—

“Tiantian, Tiantian!”
On their way back to the dorm, Gu Yazhi clung to Si Tiantian’s arm like a kitten, nuzzling and swaying excitedly.

“Tomorrow’s the weekend! Come patrol the malls with me, won’t you? This princess needs new battle robes!”

Si Tiantian laughed at her antics, shooting her a playful glare. She thought for a moment—she didn’t really have anything planned for tomorrow—so she nodded.

“Sure. I do have a few things I want to buy too.”

—

That night, after wrapping up the last of his work, Li Hanye leaned back in his chair and habitually picked up his phone.
The chat log from this afternoon with her was still on the screen.

He rubbed his thumb over the display, pondering.
Maybe if he brought up more shared interests on WeChat, it would bring them a step closer. So that next time they met, she might rely on him more… rather than always keeping that faint distance between them.

It had already been several days since he last saw the girl.
And in his chest, there was this itchy, restless feeling—like being scratched at by a cat’s paw. Tender, persistent… and a little empty.

So, with a slight movement of his fingertips, he sent out a message:

“Tiantian, tomorrow’s Saturday. Do you have any plans? That dessert shop you mentioned last time just released a few new flavors—want to go try them?”

He thought, If I tempt her with sweets, she probably won’t say no.

At that moment, Si Tiantian had just finished her nightly routine and was about to climb into bed when her phone lit up.
Seeing the sender’s name, her heart skipped a beat. She tapped to open the message.

After reading it, she wrinkled her nose in mild frustration—she’d already promised Zhizhi to go shopping tomorrow.

She quickly replied:

“Can’t tomorrow, I’ve already made plans with Zhizhi to go out shopping~ 😝”

She added a playful little kitten emoji at the end, hoping to soften the sting of rejection.

Li Hanye stared at the message, his brow unconsciously furrowing.

Gu Yazhi… That name felt particularly grating tonight.

His long fingers hovered over the screen for a moment. In the end, he tamped down the annoyance rising from his possessiveness and replied:

“Alright then, stay safe while you’re out. Don’t get too tired.”

A few seconds later, he added another line:

“No looking at other guys. No letting anyone touch you.”

Si Tiantian’s cheeks warmed, and a small jolt ran through her chest.

This guy… he’s so ridiculously overbearing, but with such confidence!

She gave a soft huff through her nose, but her lips still curled up of their own accord. She tapped the screen and sent back a well-behaved little sticker that read:

“Got it~ 🐾”

—

Several kilometers away, Gu Yazhi, fully focused on a heated shooting match on her computer, suddenly sneezed hard.

“Achoo!—Who’s talking about me?! Or is some bastard trying to steal my kill again?!”

She rubbed her nose and mumbled to herself before diving back into the game, unaware that she’d just become a certain big shot’s minor obstacle of the evening.

—

Every night before bed, Si Tiantian would receive a voice message from Li Hanye.

That deep, magnetic voice of his—tinged with a gentle tenderness unique to him—would brush lightly against her ears, like feathers.

“Sleep early, Tiantian.”
“Good night, Tiantian.”

At first, those voice messages would leave her heart pounding and unable to sleep. But now… she could fall asleep to them, with a faint smile on her lips, drifting into dreams.

Sometimes, she’d even replay them.
In the stillness of her bedroom, his voice would echo softly, wrapping around her heart with a strange sense of calm and comfort.

—

The next morning, sunlight filled the sky. Gu Yazhi had her family driver pick her up and head to the Si family villa.

Just as Si Tiantian came down from upstairs, freshly changed, Gu Yazhi looked up—and instantly, her eyes locked on her and couldn’t look away.

Today, Si Tiantian wore a pale yellow off-the-shoulder top with ruffled detailing that added a soft sweetness. It set off her snow-white skin so perfectly that she seemed to glow with delicate radiance—like you could pinch water from her skin.

Her swan-like neck and delicate collarbones were fully on display, stirring one’s imagination.

She paired it with a pair of high-waisted, pure white denim shorts that showed off her slim waist and a pair of long, shapely legs that could rival a model’s.

Her long, dark curls were left loose without much styling, draping casually over her shoulders. They swayed gently as she moved, the natural waves adding a lazy charm that was impossible to ignore.

Her face was nearly bare, save for a soft coat of peach-pink lip balm. Her large, bright almond eyes sparkled with every blink, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings—pure and innocent, yet the slight curve at the outer corners gave a touch of natural allure.

She looked sweet and delicate, vibrant and charming, exuding an irresistible kind of appeal.