He Ye gave him a look, then focused on eating.

The other students knew He Ye was quiet and introverted, so they didn’t try to drag her into the conversation.

Liu Shu glanced at Chen Xuan next to him and smiled at Lu Jin: “Top student, your WeChat profile shows that you’re not single. Did you get a girlfriend right after starting college?”

Lu Jin: “Yeah.”

Liu Shu: “…It’s actually true. I thought you wrote that to stop all the female classmates from chasing you!”

Lu Jin didn’t say much more.

Liu Shu looked at Chen Xuan, who kept smiling.

A boy shouted, “Can you show us the photo?”

Lu Jin replied, “It’s not very convenient.”

Zhou Xiangming chimed in, “He didn’t even show it to me. He’s so stingy!”

Liu Shu asked, “Your girlfriend must also be from Tsinghua University, right? A top student?”

Lu Jin smiled slightly, saying little, just like in high school.

Even though Liu Shu wanted to know more for her friend, she couldn’t ask too much.

He Ye just focused on her food and listened.

Suddenly, a boy, Yu Yao, started to put food on He Ye’s plate. He was so attentive that others noticed.

“Hey, Yu Yao, what’s going on?” some classmates joked.

Despite being quiet in high school, He Ye shone like a pearl, quietly standing out.

Yu Yao boldly showed his interest, and other boys joined in teasing her.

He Ye thought it would just be some jokes, but Yu Yao suggested changing seats with Wu Yuanyuan, who sat next to He Ye.

Wu Yuanyuan glanced at Lu Jin, who was sitting across from her.

Lu Jin stood up, looking cold: “Sorry, I need to spend the holiday with my girlfriend.”

Now, everyone turned their attention to Lu Jin.

“Is your girlfriend in Ancheng?” someone asked.

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier? Bring her along!” another said.

Lu Jin didn’t reply and walked away.

Outside the barbecue restaurant, He Ye got a message on her phone.

Team Leader: [Come out.]

He Ye exchanged looks with Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan, then stood up to leave.

Zhu Qing told everyone, “Sorry, He Ye has to spend the holiday with her boyfriend!”

Everyone looked at He Ye again.

He Ye smiled awkwardly and left quickly, not wanting to answer any questions.

The classmates watched as she walked to Lu Jin, who took her hand and hugged her.

Girls: “…”

Boys: “…”

Zhou Xiangming sighed, “He Ye doesn’t want attention, but you guys keep making noise.”

Zhu Qing smiled, “Why? Can Lu Jin tolerate this?”

The two exchanged satisfied smiles.

Outside, He Ye got into a taxi with Lu Jin, feeling her face heat up until they were far from the restaurant.

The driver was silent as they arrived at Xiaofeng’s south gate.

Once out of the taxi, Lu Jin held He Ye’s hand and walked toward Building 10.

He Ye asked, “Where are we going?”

Lu Jin replied, “My home. Don’t worry, my parents are working late today.”

He Ye followed him, looking around nervously, not wanting to be seen by anyone they knew.

At Lu Jin’s home, he closed the door behind her and asked, “Are you full? If not, I can make more.”

He Ye had eaten enough at the barbecue but didn’t respond.

She went to the bathroom first, and Lu Jin washed his face and sat on the sofa, leaving chewing gum on the coffee table.

When He Ye came out, she saw the curtains drawn.

Feeling shy, she hesitated to approach Lu Jin.

“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to guess his intentions.

Lu Jin suggested, “Come to my room and take a look?”

He Ye hesitated, “What’s there?”

Lu Jin replied, “There are gifts.”

It was Valentine’s Day.

He Ye opened the door to his room, expecting a bouquet of roses.

Instead, she saw pink and white balloons everywhere, with some floating and others forming heart shapes.

On the desk was a little bear made of pink roses, and the bed had a pretty set with rose petals sprinkled on it.

Lu Jin came in, explaining, “It would look better at night, but it’s still nice.”

He hoped one day he could take her to his own home.

He Ye asked, “…Did you do all this yourself?”

Lu Jin: “I can’t ask my parents for help.”

He Ye smiled, looking at the balloons and roses: “How long did it take?”

Lu Jin: “I blew up the balloons last night, and the flowers came this morning.”

He Ye walked to the rose bear on the desk. Through the glass cover, each rose was pink and soft.

He Ye asked, “Was it expensive?”

Lu Jin: “Not really.”

He Ye glared at him and turned to the four-piece bedding set: “Do you usually use this?”

Lu Jin: “I bought it to match the balloons. The colors I used don’t match.”

He Ye: “Why go through all that? Just sending a bouquet would have been fine.”

Lu Jin pulled her close and said, “On our first Valentine’s Day together, I want it to be special, not just something simple.”

He Ye smiled and asked, “What are we going to do later?”

Lu Jin: “I won’t bother you.”

He Ye smiled, and as she did, Lu Jin kissed her.

When they fell onto the bed, He Ye nervously reminded him, “The door isn’t locked yet.”

Lu Jin: “It’s only one o’clock. My dad and his family won’t be back until at least six.”

He Ye became worried, so Lu Jin had to lock the door.

Before he came back, He Ye turned off the bedside light.

Lu Jin came over and stared at her face: “Not really? I haven’t seen you like this before.”

He Ye turned her head away.

Lu Jin started to kiss her.

When he was about to take off his coat, He Ye bit her lip and grabbed his wrist.

Lu Jin paused and looked at her.

He Ye closed her eyes and said nothing.

Lu Jin kissed her ear: “What’s wrong?”

This had happened in Beijing during the day, too.

He Ye still didn’t say anything.

Lu Jin gently touched her ear and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Finally, He Ye softly asked, “Are you ready for that?”

Lu Jin paused for a moment and looked at her: “Which one?”

He Ye didn’t move her head but raised her hand to twist his.

Lu Jin took a breath: “…I’m not ready. I thought I’d wait until I graduated from college.”

He Ye whispered, “Then let’s forget it.”

Lu Jin: “I don’t want to count. Actually, I have a box. I bought it last summer and wanted to use it the first time we went to a hotel.”

He Ye turned her head away, snorting, “Dream on.”

They had only been together for a short time back then, so there was no way she would agree.

Lu Jin: “Yeah, I realized that, so I hid it. I haven’t dared to think about it for months.”

He Ye knew he was still thinking about it but wasn’t taking action.

Now that they were so familiar, everything felt natural.

Just a few days ago in Beijing, if Lu Jin had insisted, He Ye might have agreed, but he didn’t.

Not because he didn’t want to, but because he was afraid she wouldn’t like it.

He Ye didn’t dislike it.

Normally? I don’t know? How should I tell him? Since today is a holiday…

“Should I get it?” she asked.

After a brief silence, Lu Jin confirmed with her.

He Ye: “…Maybe it has expired?”

Lu Jin smiled: “I checked when I bought it. It lasts for five years.”

He Ye: “…”

“Wait for me.”

Lu Jin kissed her, got out of bed, and went to the closet.

He Ye quietly opened her eyes and watched him search through the drawers, finally finding the box.

Before he turned around, she got back into bed.

Lu Jin noticed where she was and said in a hoarse voice, “I’m going to take a shower.”

He rushed out.

He Ye trembled slightly with nervousness.

They had just been close, and now, after a brief pause, she started to panic.

Do I want it or not?

A balloon floated over slowly.

He Ye looked at the balloon, then around at all the balloons in the room.

They were all blown up one by one by Lu Jin, who secretly prepared for their holiday together without telling his parents.

Is it romantic?

Romantic.

But when she thought about how silly he would look deflating each balloon, He Ye couldn’t help but laugh.

Suddenly, she heard her boyfriend’s footsteps in the corridor.

He Ye immediately stopped laughing.

She felt very panicked, her heart beating faster than the night he confessed to her.