Before the freshmen arrived, the school had the dorm supervisor stick each student’s name on their bed frame in advance.

Ji Xiaowei originally had the bunk above Xia Fu, but she wasn’t one to enjoy much movement; climbing up and down seemed like a hassle. So, as soon as Xia Fu arrived at school, Ji Xiaowei approached her to negotiate a switch.

Xia Fu felt both flattered and surprised.

Ji Xiaowei was the first freshman to arrive in their dorm, so she could’ve easily switched beds without a word. Yet, she chose to respect her roommate’s opinion.

From this, Xia Fu concluded Ji Xiaowei must be a truly nice person. And, indeed, she was; after learning about Xia Fu’s financial struggles, Ji Xiaowei didn’t hesitate to transfer her a bit of money. Now, she was happily showcasing her impressive makeup skills on Xia Fu’s face.

Ji Xiaowei, who’d clearly just woken up, still had a plush headband on for washing her face.

She wore a loose gray-purple cotton dress, sitting casually with her legs folded up on a chair, one hand shoveling food into her mouth while the other scrolled through her phone. In a muffled tone, she spoke to Xia Fu: “Hey, I just saw a ‘cold and delicate pop star look from the island country’ yesterday. I thought it might suit you well. Let me find it… once I finish eating, I’ll give you that look!”

A… what kind of look?

Xia Fu recognized each word but had no clue what it meant as a whole.

Since Ji Xiaowei was the dorm’s makeup expert, Xia Fu decided to trust her professional opinion and let her handle everything.

“Look down a bit, tilt your head toward me,” Ji Xiaowei instructed, hands never stopping as she continued applying makeup. Meanwhile, she chatted casually, “So, why are you all dolled up? Got your eyes on some cute guy?”

“Nope, just attending a class event,” Xia Fu replied, dutifully repeating Bao Zhiwei’s instructions.

“What the heck?” Ji Xiaowei wrinkled her nose immediately.

She gave the powder brush a couple of forceful shakes, expression one of utter disdain. “I don’t usually cuss, but that guy—honestly, what a jerk.”

“Still, dressing up to check out some eye candy isn’t a bad idea. I heard there’s this super handsome guy with silver hair in the honors class. Wonder if I’ll get to see him next semester.”

The mention of “silver hair” immediately brought Fang Jingcheng’s face to Xia Fu’s mind. After he’d sent her a goodnight message last night, there had been no further news. She wondered if he was sleeping or doing something else at this hour.

Other than schoolwork, Xia Fu couldn’t imagine what other connection she and he might have.

With a final touch, Ji Xiaowei completed her masterpiece.

Xia Fu had good features to begin with, needing only minimal concealing for her dark circles. She had the soft, refined look typical of a Jiangnan girl. Ji Xiaowei thinned her brows a bit, contoured her eye sockets with gray-brown eyeshadow, highlighted her almond-shaped eyes with eyeliner, and finished with a soft pink lip color.

To bring out a lively, youthful vibe, Ji Xiaowei even brought out a new accessory she’d just bought—a lovely satin ribbon in lake blue, perfect for decorating Xia Fu’s shoulder-length hair.

The large bow covered Xia Fu’s short “sparrow tail” of a ponytail, with two delicate ribbons hanging down, accentuating her fair neck, making her look all the more delicate and charming.

Ji Xiaowei gazed admiringly at her work from every angle and, out of nowhere, sighed, “Aww, so cute. You look just like Niu Niu…”

Xia Fu looked up, puzzled. “Who’s that?”

Without a word, Ji Xiaowei held up her phone screen for Xia Fu to see, proudly showing off her lock screen. With a grin, she pointed to the little animal and said, “Look! My grandma’s little Pomeranian from her hometown. Isn’t she tiny? I can hold her in one hand!”

It was an unusual compliment, but in the mirror, Xia Fu did indeed look much more refreshed.

“Xiaowei, you’re amazing… mind if I leave the brushes here? I’ll wash them for you tonight,” Xia Fu complimented, holding up the pink-handled mirror.

Ji Xiaowei’s mood lifted even more with the praise: “Today’s sweltering, and the gym will probably be stuffy too. Just wear a tank top with my sun jacket over it.”

“And make sure to take some pictures if there are any cute guys. Plus, tonight I’m craving spicy hot pot!”

Laughing, Ji Xiaowei put her hands on “Niu Niu’s” shoulders and nudged Xia Fu out the dorm door, then climbed back onto her bed to continue watching her show.

Cheering for the team apparently did come with a price.

The blazing sun overhead, the twenty-minute walk from the dorm to the gym was enough to leave Xia Fu feeling wilted like a sun-baked cabbage, even with Ji Xiaowei’s lightweight jacket protecting her.

The moment she lifted the plastic curtain at the gym door, the cool breeze in the basketball court revived her.

The boys from her class had already taken their positions, discussing their lineup in their sportswear on the court. Bao Zhiwei sat in the stands, coordinating from the sidelines.

Seeing Xia Fu’s neat appearance, Bao Zhiwei’s eyes lit up. He waved at her from afar, calling out, “Xia Fu, come sit over here!”

Bao Zhiwei’s gaze was blatantly obvious as he looked her over, commenting, “You’d look even better if you were in a dress.”

“Why do you look so out of it? Didn’t sleep well last night? Or were you out celebrating?”

It was hot, and Bao wore a short-sleeved polo and shorts. His navy-blue polo outfit fit tightly around his stocky frame, with his pale, hairy limbs sticking out, reminding Xia Fu of a chestnut.

He looked hot just standing there.

Xia Fu subtly put some distance between them, sitting down quietly and explaining offhandedly, “No, I just have trouble sleeping before events…”

Bao Zhiwei visibly relaxed, “Ah, like a kid before a field trip, huh?” His round, glistening eyes darted around as he righteously declared, “But you’re right to ignore 520! We Chinese should follow our ancestors’ traditions and celebrate Qixi instead. This whole 520 thing is just a gimmick invented by companies to boost sales. Only gold-digging girls would expect gifts and treats from their boyfriends!”

Was he really that against “520”?

No wonder her “phone assistant” suddenly disappeared yesterday.

Watching Bao Zhiwei, Xia Fu suddenly understood.

Bao continued his rant, spitting everywhere, until suddenly switching his tone: “Of course, us guys like to take the initiative. If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t wait for her to ask. I’d naturally buy her something for Qixi. You know? Science guys are just like that—cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Once they’re in a relationship, they give everything.”

Inching closer, Bao Zhiwei looked at her in a way that sent a chill down her spine.

…What does he mean by “giving everything”?

It felt eerily familiar, like the same vibe her little brother, Changqing, had—using small favors to get more in return.

Xia Fu felt a wave of disgust and quickly lowered her head, pretending to blush as she changed the subject, “Sorry, I… I don’t really get it.”

“I’ve never paid attention to that stuff.”

Lost in his own chatter, Bao Zhiwei was oblivious as the game started, with the guys from her class scoring the first rebound. Xia Fu seized the chance, standing up and cheering loudly to drown out Bao’s lecture.

“Go! Go, Gu Shuai! You’re the best!”

Gu Jiashi, the boy she was cheering for, had a short, neat haircut and scratched his head shyly, giving her a small wave before quickly turning back to focus on defense.

Bao Zhiwei glared at him with disdain, shouting, “Hustle! Don’t crumble under a compliment!” He turned back around, keeping silent.

Xia Fu didn’t understand a thing about basketball, so she followed the class monitor’s instructions: every time a player scored, she’d add “shuai” after their surname and cheer them on. She barely made it to halftime, eagerly waiting for a chance to grab some snacks from the class monitor.

As long as she wrote a good event recap, the class could apply for reimbursement for the expenses, so the supply was decent—sports drinks, bread, jerky, and nuts were all stocked up.

Gu Jiashi had scored half of the class’s points, and he was practically drenched in sweat, looking like he’d just been fished out of a pool.

He looked truly exhausted.

Xia Fu handed out water and towels to the guys as they came to rest, intending to wait until they finished before helping herself to leftovers.

Although many boys had left the court, their minds were still in the game. They quickly thanked her and joined the group, eagerly discussing who they’d target next.

But Gu Jiashi lingered, draping a towel over his shoulder as he wiped his face, giving Xia Fu a hopeful look, “Aren’t you gonna eat? I brought plenty for everyone.”

The tall boy bent down to talk to her, lowering his knees and looking up at her with bright brown eyes, reminding her of a puppy.

How thoughtful, typical of the class life rep.

Indeed, besides energy snacks like chocolate bars, jerky, and nuts, the bag also contained treats like dried plums, jelly, and candy.

“Thanks.”

Xia Fu took two of each as a polite gesture. When she reached for the sweets, Gu Jiashi’s eyes lit up noticeably; he even pressed the towel to his mouth to hide his expression.

Did he buy these out of his own pocket?

That sparkly look felt a bit much. Xia Fu, uncomfortable with eating under someone’s watchful eye, quickly released the candy, asking with concern, “You good? You’re dripping with sweat.”

His face fell along with the candy, “It’s fine; I can still score a few more points. If it gets too much, I’ll let Xiao Li sub in.”

With that, the class monitor called him back to discuss strategy, and Bao Zhiwei wasn’t about to miss his chance to chime in. Although his own stamina wasn’t great, he didn’t let that stop him from talking big.

Finally, the area around Xia Fu quieted down, and she could check her messages. Bao Zhiwei often leaned over to sneak a look, so she didn’t even want to open her notifications around him.

Turned out Fang Jingcheng was awake.

In modern times, “Goodnight, I’m off to sleep” was practically a white lie.

Right after Xia Fu’s last message, Fang Jingcheng drove back to his apartment and gamed until dawn.

Initially, he’d planned to go out for drinks with friends, but the thought of being surrounded by the sour scent of couples put him off.

By the time he woke up, it was already 3 PM on Sunday afternoon, the sunlight filtering dimly through his silver-gray curtains, casting watery ripples on the ceiling, reflecting on his well-built frame.

Yawning lazily, Fang Jingcheng leaned against the soft pillow, idly scrolling through his phone.

Same old, same old. Was there nothing fresh going on?

The shy little girl he’d just met was at the bottom of his chat list, like a character in a low-graphics idle game, with no new messages.

So quiet.

…Hope it’s not a stomach bug?

After thinking for a moment, Fang Jingcheng decided to make the first move:

“Wow, time flies. Just woke up, and the weekend’s almost over…”

“Kind of a bummer thinking about school tomorrow. What’re you up to?”

Xia Fu didn’t respond until fifteen minutes later.

“Sorry, my classmate just asked for me. I’m watching a basketball game in the gym.”

“No worries; I went for a shower.”

Running a hand through his damp silver hair, Fang Jingcheng glanced at the clock on his wall and texted back:

“Basketball, huh? Nice. Maybe I should get moving too and wake myself up a bit.”

Now might be the perfect time to go out for a bit, maybe grab some dinner.

But a basketball game?

Fang Jingcheng pondered Xia Fu’s behavior, noting she didn’t seem like a sports lover. With the scorching heat, the only reasons he could think of for her being in the gym were either class duties or wanting to watch some guys play.

If it was the latter, well, that would be interesting.

His eyes curved into cheerful crescents, his smile widening as he pictured the type of guy Xia Fu might like. He couldn’t help smirking as he picked out a sporty outfit from his wardrobe.

…

It was now 4 PM on Sunday. The game was in full swing on the court, and the atmosphere on the sidelines was equally intense.

Bao Zhiwei watched helplessly as a “silver-haired hottie” strolled over to Xia Fu, greeting her with a warm smile: “Hey, mind if I sit here?”