Chapter 09: Distraction

Someone passed by in the aisle, and Ming Can seized the opportunity to take a step to the side, positioning herself behind Rui Yiqing, no longer facing Chi Xiao directly.

Her expression appeared calm, but the turmoil in her heart wasn’t so easily settled.

When comparing Chi Yao and Chi Xiao, there was no doubt that the latter resembled Miaomiao’s father more.

What was particularly striking was that both of them shared the surname “Chi,” and upon closer inspection, their features bore some resemblance as well. Ming Can naturally wondered if Chi Yao had an older cousin—possibly Chi Xiao.

Ming Can’s current arranged marriage partner was Chi Yao. If the two were indeed cousins, could it be that her marriage arrangement had later shifted to Chi Xiao?

That seemed utterly absurd…

While lost in thought, an excited voice suddenly rang out beside her: “Old Cheng!”

It was Xu Jiayun calling out. Ming Can snapped back to reality and, looking about ten meters away, saw Cheng Xiuyuan, whom they had been searching for earlier, finally appear.

He was a slim, tall young man with a wheatish complexion, wearing black-framed glasses, and had a friendly, approachable demeanor.

Cheng Xiuyuan made his way through the crowd and approached them. Seeing Chi Xiao also present, he was slightly surprised. He first greeted, “Hello, Senior,” before turning to Xu Jiayun and saying, “What a coincidence. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to University A?”

Xu Jiayun replied, “It’s just for a lecture. I didn’t know if you’d be free.”

Cheng Xiuyuan said, “Didn’t you know this lecture is organized by our school?”

Of course, Xu Jiayun knew. She just wanted to play it cool and pretend it was a chance encounter.

Fortunately, Cheng Xiuyuan’s “straightforwardness” wasn’t entirely hopeless. Upon learning that Xu Jiayun and her friends hadn’t managed to get tickets and would have to stand for the lecture, he pulled his own ticket from his pocket and handed it to Xu Jiayun. “Here, take my ticket. And my roommate’s—he had something come up last minute and can’t make it. Your friend can take his seat…”

At this point, he suddenly paused.

This was careless—

Two seats, three girls. How was this supposed to work?

Ming Can and the other two exchanged glances.

If there were only two tickets, the three of them would rather stand together.

Just as they were about to politely decline, someone beside them silently handed over a third ticket.

The person didn’t say a word, as if speaking was too much effort.

The hand holding the ticket was slender and pale, with neatly trimmed nails and fingers that resembled the joints of bamboo—elegant and sharp.

Everyone was stunned, but Rui Yiqing was the quickest to react. She smiled and took the ticket from Chi Xiao, saying, “Thanks, Senior! I’ll treat you to the cafeteria sometime.”

Among those present, Cheng Xiuyuan was the most familiar with Chi Xiao. As his direct junior in the same major, they occasionally interacted academically. In Cheng Xiuyuan’s memory, this academic god of a senior was always aloof and detached, never one to go out of his way for others. Getting more than a few words out of him was already a challenge.

Cheng Xiuyuan’s expression was one of disbelief, his gaze shifting back and forth between Chi Xiao and Rui Yiqing.

Ming Can broke the silence: “The lecture’s about to start. Let’s not just stand here.”

The three girls weren’t the shy type, so they graciously accepted the boys’ kindness and made their way into the seating area to find empty spots.

Ming Can sat in the middle, with Rui Yiqing on her left teasing Xu Jiayun on her right: “Seems like Cheng Xiuyuan treats you pretty well, huh? Handing over his ticket like that—doesn’t seem like something a regular friend would do.”

Xu Jiayun shrugged: “He’s just a nice guy. He’s like that with everyone.”

Rui Yiqing: “Is that so…”

Xu Jiayun: “But Senior Chi Xiao, on the other hand… I’ve seen so many posts about him on the school’s forum. Everyone says he’s super cold and unapproachable. Girls who confess to him might as well be taking a trip to the South Pole—at least there you’d see some penguins. He won’t even give them a glance… But he just gave you his ticket! Honestly, I was shocked. Are you two really that close?”

Rui Yiqing knew her limits. She and Chi Xiao were, at best, acquaintances—and even that was mostly her doing the acknowledging.

“He didn’t give the ticket to me specifically. I just shamelessly reached for it first,” Rui Yiqing explained. After a moment of thought, she added, “I think it’s because of Ming Can. Ming Can was the school beauty back in high school, really famous. Senior Chi Xiao might’ve known her for a while. Did you see how he initiated a handshake with her earlier? That kind of treatment…”

Ming Can, who had been silent for a while, suddenly smacked Rui Yiqing’s arm: “Stop talking nonsense! I’m not close with him at all!”

Rui Yiqing winced at the smack: “Okay, okay, not close. Why are you so worked up about it?”

Ming Can pouted, her fiery demeanor softening: “I’m not worked up.”

At that moment, the lights in the lecture hall dimmed, the speaker took the stage, and the lecture officially began.

The surroundings gradually quieted down. Ming Can pulled out her tablet from her bag, opened a note-taking app, and began jotting down notes with her stylus.

The lecture was entirely in English, but Ming Can had no trouble following along. The stylus glided smoothly across the paper-like screen, recording a series of technical terms.

Xu Jiayun had brought her laptop and initially pretended to take notes as well. However, within ten minutes, the gray-haired professor on stage no longer held her interest. Her gaze slowly drifted to the right, landing on someone in the aisle.

Ming Can wasn’t fully focused today either.

She wasn’t the type to be easily distracted by others, but at this moment, noticing Xu Jiayun’s distraction, she seemed curious about what her friend was looking at. Her gaze also drifted to the right.

In the aisle, students without seats sat on the floor. Cheng Xiuyuan had a laptop resting on his knees, and two female classmates had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, likely asking him for help with something. From this angle, Cheng Xiuyuan looked surrounded by girls, his face obscured, leaving his current expression a mystery.

Xu Jiayun’s hand rested on her laptop, her fingers tightening slightly.

She was no longer the high school girl who believed his kindness and warmth meant she was special to him.

The same goodwill could be extended to many others, and the same friendships could be shared with countless people.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Ming Can sighed inwardly for Xu Jiayun, her gaze shifting away from Cheng Xiuyuan and landing on someone sitting two steps behind him.

This guy…

It was as if he carried an invisible gravitational field that kept ordinary people at a distance. Within three steps of him, the crowded aisle seemed to open up into a sacred, empty space.

But emptiness didn’t mean desolation. If you widened your view, you’d notice that many people, intentionally or not, were gathered around him.

Ming Can’s gaze, unintentionally, became one of them.

Like most students in the lecture hall, Chi Xiao had a laptop bag slung over his shoulder, his laptop open on his knees. He leaned forward slightly, the sound of his keyboard clicks blending into the sea of typing noises.

His legs were casually bent, so long that it made one marvel at how generously God had crafted him.

The cold light from above cast sharp shadows on his brow and the steep bridge of his nose, with no unnecessary lines or curves. There seemed to be a faint mole on the left side of his nose, but reason told Ming Can that there was no way she could see such a detail from this distance.

“Pssst—” Rui Yiqing leaned in and blew a soft breath into Ming Can’s ear. “Volcano, who are you staring at?”

Ming Can shivered and pulled her neck back. “I’m not staring at anyone. Stop messing around.”

Rui Yiqing reached over and tapped Ming Can’s tablet twice. “Really?”

Ming Can looked down and saw that, at some point, a messy character for “Chi” (池) had appeared on the tablet’s canvas.

Rui Yiqing teased, “No need to explain. The senior is so handsome; it’s normal to have a little crush.”

Ming Can couldn’t be bothered to explain.

She picked up her stylus and slashed through the character “Chi” with a few decisive strokes, obliterating it.

Rui Yiqing: …

“What did he do to upset you?”

“Nothing,” Ming Can brushed it off, her eyes darting back to the podium. “Let’s focus on the lecture.”

Rui Yiqing thought Ming Can was acting strange today. Her emotions seemed to rise and fall unpredictably, and though she claimed to be paying attention, her gaze kept wandering. Her stylus dragged awkwardly across the tablet, leaving behind distorted symbols, as if she were poking at someone from a distance.

Ming Can’s mood was complicated.

Even though she was reluctant to admit it, she couldn’t deny—

This guy named Chi Xiao didn’t seem like an idiot at all.

From the start of the lecture until now, he had either been listening intently or typing on his laptop. His expression was serious, calm, and completely focused, with no unnecessary movements. Every strand of his hair exuded the aura of a top-tier STEM genius.

Ming Can tried to find a flaw.

Unexpectedly, after staring at him for so long, she became the flaw herself.

In a sudden moment.

Chi Xiao unexpectedly looked up, his cool amber eyes locking directly onto Ming Can’s gaze.

It was like a meteor colliding with a probe, invisible sparks flying. Ming Can’s mind went blank for an instant.

If it were any other girl secretly glancing at Chi Xiao, they would likely panic and quickly look away, pretending nothing had happened. But Ming Can wasn’t like most girls. She wouldn’t back down. If he wanted to lock eyes, so be it—who was afraid of whom?

Their gazes met openly and unflinchingly. Ming Can’s dark eyes were calm, carrying a hint of innate pride, but it wasn’t the kind that made others feel offended. It was more like how no one would complain about a dazzling diamond being too bright for their eyes.

Ming Can made no effort to hide the curiosity in her gaze, and Chi Xiao was clearly accustomed to such scrutiny.

The eye contact didn’t last long. At the same moment, both of them tacitly looked away.

This only made Ming Can more certain that this guy was sharp. His gaze was steady, focused, and unwavering—qualities that someone with a dull mind wouldn’t possess.

It seemed the blame for her son’s poor math skills couldn’t be shifted after all.

Ming Can sighed, her thoughts a tangled mess. Just then, her phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, her eyelids twitched, and she quickly answered, pressing the phone to her ear and whispering, “Hello, Miaomiao?”

The clear, childish voice of Ming Miao came through the phone: “Mom, I’m at Zihao’s house now. What are you doing?”

Ming Can thought to herself, I’m busy staring at your dad, but out loud she replied, “I’m listening to a lecture.”

The background noise on Miaomiao’s end was chaotic, with occasional bursts of children’s laughter. His voice sounded excited: “Mom, Zihao’s swimming pool is huge, and there are so many jujube trees planted around it! We’re going to pick some jujubes later!”

Ming Can glanced around and whispered, “Wow, that sounds like so much fun.”

Miaomiao: “Your voice is so quiet… Oh, and Mom, Zihao’s house feels really familiar. I feel like I’ve been here before…”

“All villas look pretty similar,” Ming Can said. “Have fun, okay? I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later.”

Miaomiao: “Okay! Mom, focus on the lecture. Bye!”

After hanging up, Xu Jiayun asked Ming Can, “Was that your cute little cousin?”

Ming Can: “How did you know? Did you hear his voice?”

Xu Jiayun laughed: “I guessed. The way you were talking made it obvious you were speaking to a kid. Your voice got all soft and sweet—it gave me goosebumps.”

Ming Can: “Really? I didn’t even notice.”

“You did,” Rui Yiqing chimed in, backing up Xu Jiayun. “You sounded super sweet just now. It was kind of terrifying.”

Ming Can: “…Then you must have a pretty weak constitution.”

The lecture ended in a scattered mess of thoughts for Ming Can. When it concluded, the hall erupted into applause, and Ming Can, feeling a bit guilty, clapped a couple of times before packing up her things and standing to leave.

Rui Yiqing had student council matters to attend to, and Xu Jiayun wanted to catch up with Cheng Xiuyuan. After leaving the lecture hall, Ming Can found herself alone, strolling slowly along with the crowd.

It wasn’t yet dusk, and the sky was still bright.

Ming Can tightened her coat and walked through the campus path, stepping on fallen leaves until she stopped under a tall plane tree to wait for Xu Jiayun so they could head back to school together.

The campus path was bustling with people, and a sea of bicycles rolled past. Among them, Ming Can spotted a peculiar sight—a guy riding a bike while typing code on his laptop. Her lips twitched slightly at the absurdity.

After the crowd from the lecture hall dispersed, the path became less congested. The cold wind of late autumn carried swirling dead leaves, adding to the desolate scenery. Suddenly, two strikingly attractive figures emerged from the crowd.

One of them was Chi Xiao. Having left the heated indoors, he now wore a black jacket over his hoodie, its structured silhouette making him appear even taller and more sharp-edged. As he walked, the wind around him seemed to part respectfully.

Beside Chi Xiao was a girl with an oval face, willow-leaf eyes, and a perfectly proportioned figure. She carried a beige LV tote bag and was chatting and laughing with Chi Xiao as they walked. It seemed they had just left the lecture together.

Ming Can recalled what Xu Jiayun had said earlier about Chi Xiao—aloof and unapproachable, with girls who got close to him feeling like they’d wandered into the South Pole. So, what was the deal with this girl?

No need to explain—she was clearly the exceptional one, the rare exception by the side of the unattainable highland flower.

They didn’t walk together for long. When they reached the edge of the path, they parted ways.

The girl waved goodbye to Chi Xiao and headed south.

Ming Can remained standing under the tree, her eyelids slightly drooping as she watched the scene with a cool, detached expression.

The guy who might very well be the future father of her child now had a suspected girlfriend by his side. Even if Ming Can wasn’t close to Chi Xiao at the moment, seeing this kind of development wasn’t exactly going to put her in a good mood.

Of course, Ming Can wasn’t the type to develop a sense of possessiveness over Chi Xiao just because she now knew he might be the father of her child. In her eyes, the present was the present, and the future was the future—two separate matters that didn’t need to be conflated. What Chi Xiao did now was entirely his own business.

A gust of wind swept by, and the trembling light and shadows filtered through the gaps in the trees.

Across the campus path, Chi Xiao, with one hand in his pocket, strode over.

Although Ming Can wasn’t directly facing him, they were close enough to see each other. Out of courtesy, when Chi Xiao reached the nearest point, Ming Can turned and casually greeted, “Hello, Senior.”

She had expected him to either ignore her or, at most, give her a nod. After all, when he had parted ways with that girl earlier, he had merely lifted his chin, acting as aloof as ever.

To her surprise, Chi Xiao stepped onto the curb and stopped right beside Ming Can, asking in a calm voice, “Waiting for someone?”

“Yeah.”

Ming Can shifted her feet to keep warm, her eyes fixed on the dry leaves rolling across the ground.

After a moment, she casually inquired, “Was that girl just now your girlfriend?”

Ming Can’s reasoning was simple: she just wanted to know what his current situation was so she could have a clearer picture.

Chi Xiao turned to look at her and answered without hesitation, “No. She’s the daughter of my father’s old friend and business partner. I’ve had some contact with her because of family connections, but we’re just ordinary friends. We happened to run into each other after the lecture ended and walked out together. We didn’t even walk side by side for more than fifty meters.”

…

Hearing this string of explanations, Ming Can was momentarily speechless.

She opened her mouth, slightly bewildered, and said, “I just asked casually. Why did you explain so much?”

Another cold wind swept desolately across the campus path.

Chi Xiao looked down at Ming Can, his tone as cool as the air around them, and said indifferently, “Because I’m naturally talkative.”

Ming Can: …?