May 20th, a romantic midsummer night, some are immersed in the sweetness of love, while others numbly struggle in pain.

Xia Fu stared at the video tutorial on her screen, feeling hunger bend her back like a boulder.

For breakfast, she had vegetable buns; for lunch, meat buns; and for dinner, a tea egg forgotten by her roommate. This had been her life for half a month.

She tried to balance her nutrition as best as she could, but it still wasn’t enough to replenish the energy spent on studying and working.

An indescribable anxiety seared her stomach as if an undercurrent was crawling up her throat. The sour heat caressed the roof of Xia Fu’s mouth, the fluffy sensation similar to insect limbs scraping against the skin, sending shivers down her spine.

It was so uncomfortable, she wanted to eat something, she couldn’t focus on her books at all.

Disordered thoughts swirled around Xia Fu’s ears.

Unable to help herself, she stretched out her fingers, scratching the back of her hand in a self-tormenting manner, trying to use the pain to suppress the restlessness brought by hunger, forcing herself to focus on the video tutorial in front of her.

The root of Xia Fu’s pain was a phone call; her parents told her that strange people had come to their home to collect debts. After asking for details, she learned that it was her younger brother, Xia Changqing, who had befriended dubious characters at school.

Gaming power-leveling services, tipping streamers, buying brand-name clothes—Xia Changqing had not only emptied the money saved for his future business after graduation but also self-taught “investment and finance,” creating a debt of over a hundred thousand for the family.

Skipping classes, insulting teachers, beating classmates… Since Xia Fu could remember, this wasn’t the first time her brother had caused trouble.

Their parents always said that since he was a boy, he could support his sister and be the pillar of the Xia family. His mistakes were just due to his young age; he would mature in time.

Even when she was in the science class, teachers liked to compare the boys to dark horses with unlimited potential, ready to outperform girls once they realized the benefits of studying.

But Xia Fu often felt that this “dark horse” only increased in destructive power. He was like a dark shadow in the night, closely following her, ready at any moment to grab her ankle and drag her into a vortex of tragedy.

Was the debt Xia Changqing admitted to really everything?

Her parents were originally against the idea of a girl pursuing education. If not for her outstanding performance, which carved a path for her through her grades, she would have had to start working right after high school and marry a twice-divorced boss with some spare cash, just to secure a “good job” for her brother.

After she became an adult, they stopped paying for her living expenses. The occasional phone calls were merely hints for her to “care about the family.”

Xia Fu had to allocate part of her tutoring wages each month to help with family expenses in exchange for the freedom to continue her studies.

Now her parents tried to comfort her over the phone, saying that since Xia Changqing was not yet eighteen, perhaps they could reclaim the tips from the platform. They reassured her that it wouldn’t affect her studies, but what about later?

What if her brother had also used other dubious online loans? Would they change their minds? Could she continue her education? She had worked so hard to leave her small town…

She hadn’t graduated yet, she didn’t have the ability to support herself, she absolutely couldn’t go back!

To avoid that fate, Xia Fu could only study.

Her health wasn’t great, and the only ways she could earn money were through mental labor, but the money she earned was immediately used to pay off debts.

Fortunately, there was always a way out. If she could win a place in the upcoming mathematical modeling competition and secure a scholarship for her major, she could repay the debts for her laptop, the salary advanced by her tutoring employer, and her roommate’s meal card money. Everything could change.

Right now, she must study hard.

However, the more Xia Fu hypnotized herself, the more violently her stomach twitched. It writhed like a wet, rotting rag, squeezing tightly and uncontrollably letting out damp cries of pain.

Xia Fu couldn’t make out the important points emphasized by the teacher in her earphones; all she could hear clearly was the sound of chewing food in front of her.

Tonight, Valentine’s Day coincided with Saturday, leaving the study room sparsely populated. Those who could afford it had gone to the newly equipped library, leaving Xia Fu here, pinching pennies: the Qinxue Building was closest to the dormitory, allowing her to use free electricity and water until closing, hurry to the bathroom for a shower, and then sleep, saving a bit on the air conditioning bill when settling accounts with her roommates at the end of the month.

A couple sat in front of Xia Fu.

The boy had just gone downstairs to pick up a takeout order, and when he returned, the table was laden with food. A variety of snacks filled the wooden desk, decorating it like a picnic spot in a vibrant spring.

Xia Fu stared intently at them, tracing their shapes with her gaze, her Adam’s apple sliding up and down, swallowing air while imagining the joy of the food filling her mouth—

The pale yellow milk cookies were dotted with cute chocolate chips, crunchy and crumbly; the sakura pink strawberry puffs were filled with cream, bursting with sweet filling that bloomed like a flower in her mouth; and there was the little bread topped with meat floss and seaweed, its salty and oily taste perfectly soothing the fatigue of study.

She was really too hungry.

A voice inside urged Xia Fu to reach out with both hands and stuff all that food into her mouth.

The fiery pain in her stomach made her reason precarious, but twenty years of upbringing still constrained her to remain silent, scolding her: Hold it in, Xia Fu! That’s something someone bought for his girlfriend, why should you have it?

Are you a beggar, begging when you’re a fully capable adult? You’re not a loser like Xia Changqing.

Of course, Xia Fu knew this; she had her own pride.

But what if the table held food that the others didn’t want?

She heard the girl complain with a stern face, “What do you mean ‘eat to replenish energy after studying hard’? Seriously, I told you I’m trying to lose weight, and you still buy these high-calorie temptations! Do you want me to get so fat no one else wants me?” She had barely touched each snack before carelessly pushing them aside.

That girl said it!

“They’re too sweet, too greasy! I can’t finish them, take them away.”

So, Xia Fu’s hand uncontrollably reached for the girl’s shoulder. She carefully caught a piece of the girl’s clothing, trying her best to display a friendly smile, “Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt, but if you don’t want them, could you give them to me?”

It had been too long since she last spoke. Xia Fu’s voice was dry and stammering.

The world went completely quiet.

Xia Fu thought she must have looked very ugly while speaking, only focusing on her objective, not explaining her extreme hunger, which might have seemed like she was mocking the other for disrupting the study room. Her reaching hand was too stiff, and she accidentally revealed her scarred back of the hand, looking like a lunatic, which is probably why the other had that angry expression, roughly opening her mouth to say:

“Don’t touch me! That’s disgusting, are you a beggar?”

After that, the girl said more, but Xia Fu couldn’t remember any of it.

Except for agreeing to give her something to eat, all other words seemed so irrelevant.

The boy bowed his head and apologized to her, saying, “I’m sorry, classmate, we shouldn’t have eaten in the study room, we disturbed you, we’ll leave now,” and then he and his girlfriend stood up to leave.

Following that, Xia Fu also tidied up her desk and walked out of the Qinxue Building.

At this point, Xia Fu finally understood her situation. Her poor willpower had completely lost to her body, rather than maintaining a false image of diligence in the study room, it was better to go back to the dormitory, fill herself with water, and go to sleep early.

At 9:30 p.m., she walked alone on the path, hearing the “voice of reason” growing louder, scolding her for her disgraceful behavior, which achieved nothing.

But she clenched her fingers and remained silent.

“Plum blossoms scent comes from the bitter cold, and a sword is forged from sharpening.”

Don’t think you’re the most pitiful, complaining about injustice! Our generation has endured through famine; your current conditions are already good enough!

If others can do it, why can’t you?

That’s what teachers and parents said.

Over the years, she had grown accustomed to setback education; even if her parents and teachers were not by her side, their words lived in her head, continuously harassing her.

Xia Fu thought strict demands could push her through tough times.

But people are not made of steel; she was made of blood and flesh, and being pushed to the limit, she could sob like a child.

Before leaving, the couple had packed up all the uneaten snacks into a paper bag. But as the girl turned around, the hem of her dress swept a puff off the table and onto the chair.

It was light and small, like a snowflake falling to the ground, hardly noticeable.

So, Xia Fu grabbed it and fled from the study room.

Xia Fu stuffed the puff into her mouth. She chewed it fiercely, and as she bit down, she felt the cream and her tears flow out together.

All the pent-up emotions finally erupted.

It was so sad; she really didn’t understand why she had to starve because of her brother.

Tears and dignity were bitter, but the puff was sweet.

It was so sweet; her stomach urged her to swallow the food quickly, but her tongue lingered on the soft sweetness.

As Xia Fu wept, she couldn’t help but vow in her heart: If she could have a proper meal at this moment, she would do anything.

Between the Qinxue Building and the dormitory stood a small “junkyard.”

The retired maintenance grandpa of the college had set up a shed here to help students repair bicycles. In addition, he weighed and sold textbooks that graduates no longer wanted. Piles of various items cluttered the makeshift shed outside.

Perhaps heaven finally acknowledged Xia Fu’s resilience and decided to leave her a little grace.

When Xia Fu wiped her tears and looked up, she saw a bouquet tossed in a bicycle basket.

Despite the dense shade from trees blocking the light, the dusky moonlight, and the bike lying on the grass by the wall in a hidden spot, Xia Fu spotted it immediately.

The roses bloomed in the dim moonlight, their pure white petals unfurling layer upon layer like an intricate gown of a medieval aristocrat. This gown must have once graced someone’s beautiful dream, its hem tinged with the blue hue of an icy lake.

Even if it lay in a rusty basket, this bouquet was as beautiful as a princess asleep in an ancient castle.

Xia Fu unconsciously held her breath.

The shed was pitch dark; the old man must have already gone to bed. And the bike with the flowers was rusted into scrap iron, so it was unlikely anyone had placed it there temporarily.

Seeing no one around, Xia Fu quickened her pace and walked over.

She reached out and gently caressed the petals. The satin-like texture confirmed it wasn’t an illusion, so she immediately hugged the bouquet close to her.

After high school graduation, Xia Fu had worked a short stint at a flower shop, and she knew how much roses of this quality could sell for on Valentine’s Day.

Even if one stem sold for 10 yuan, it would cover her entire month’s food expenses.

Xia Fu clutched the gift tightly, afraid the dream would slip away, fearing the roses would crush. She lowered her head, brushing her wet nose against the flowers, savoring the rich fragrance caressing her cheeks. Though her heart brimmed with joy, she felt her tears, which had just stopped, threatening to fall again.

If she disassembled the bouquet and sold it at the Yingtai Plaza, everything would be better; she could finally have something to eat!

Just as Xia Fu was about to leave, a male voice stopped her.

Flowers, old books, bicycles, the grandpa’s recycling station held all sorts of discarded items from around the university, including the old couches from classrooms and dormitories and an unwanted “bad guy.”

“Do you like it?”

A young man on the couch spoke to Xia Fu in a cheerful tone, who knows how long he had been watching her.

The wind rustled the sycamore leaves, and the moonlight shone down unhindered, illuminating his face perfectly.

A head of gorgeous silver hair shimmered, and his blue eyes were like a frozen lake, the unique colors hinting at his connection to the bouquet.

At twenty, Fang Jingcheng was in his prime, his looks radiant like moonlight scattered on the ground, even while slouching on an abandoned couch. He looked like a piece of jewelry on velvet, his silver light shining, a scent of wealth in the air.

On this sweet night, Xia Fu wasn’t the only one in a bad mood.

The goddess from the literature department had thrown away the flowers Fang Jingcheng had gifted her, leaving him in this little junkyard. After a month of pursuing her, he, who prided himself as a love expert, was left feeling rather defeated.

Superficial.

Inconsistent.

Irreversible trash.

Within half an hour, Fang Jingcheng had heard enough negative words.

Wow, was he really that bad? He had always wanted to be a good guy.

With that thought, bored on this idle night, Fang Jingcheng set himself a little game, placing the abandoned bouquet in the metal frame of a bicycle.

Afterward, he waited, like the “demon in the bottle” from a fairy tale, planning to “repay” the kind soul who picked up the bouquet.

He enthusiastically observed this visitor. Before hearing her response, he first heard her stomach’s loud “grumble.”

So Fang Jingcheng raised an eyebrow, squinting at the poor Cinderella, his smile widening, and said:

“Thank you for liking them.”

“As a thank you for accepting the flowers, would you like to have a meal together?”