South City had recently experienced a downpour, a draft that swept away the heat. The temperature, which had remained high for a long time, finally dropped with the arrival of October.

Shallow puddles formed on the ground, and the inky black sedan sped past, sloshing and leaving ripples in its wake.

The car was driving fast, and when it braked suddenly in front of the hotel, the tires scraped against the ground with a sharp sound.

The driver raised the tailgate and glanced back through the rearview mirror. “Mr. Huo, we’ve arrived.”

In the spacious backseat of the luxurious sedan, the man closed his eyes, resting. He murmured a soft “hmm,” but showed no sign of getting out.

The driver could only grit his teeth and persuade, “Mr. Huo, it’s already half past one. The engagement party is probably over. Would you like to get out and take a look?”

After being reminded twice in succession, Huo Xiuyu opened his eyes impatiently.

Hearing he was engaged, the young men he was close to got together last night. They got drunk and collapsed on the sofa in the private room until noon the next day.

The engagement party was probably over long ago, but Huo Xiuyu didn’t care. Instead, the Huo family’s driver hurried to the club and drove him all the way to the engagement hotel.

After a night of partying and the alcohol still lingering, his head ached. Huo Xiuyu frowned, raised his hand to press his forehead, and pushed open the car door amid the driver’s chatter.

Assistant Qi Yu was waiting at the door. Upon seeing Huo Xiuyu, he strode forward, “Mr. Huo.”

“Yeah.”

Huo Xiuyu didn’t notice the distorted expression on his face. He glanced at the paparazzi snapping photos in the corner and strolled back into the hotel.

The engagement party was on the eighth floor. Huo Xiuyu only noticed something was wrong with Qi Yu once he got in the elevator. He pulled out his phone and casually asked, “What happened?”

Qi Yu was silent for a moment. The elevator reached the eighth floor and dinged softly. He lowered his head and whispered quickly, “You’ll know when you get in.”

Opening WeChat and replying to a teasing message from a friend, Huo Xiuyu casually speculated, “Is Qin Zhaoning making a fuss?”

Others said Qin Zhaoning liked him, but he didn’t really care. But being late for the engagement party meant she might be angry.

“No, no,” Qi Yu stumbled, his face flushing. Finally, he repeated in a whisper, “You’ll know when you get in.”

His strange reaction also made Huo Xiuyu sense that something was wrong. Glancing at him, he pushed open the door to the hall and entered. Only a few people remained in the large hall.

His father, Huo Cheng, and Qin Zhaoning’s father, Qin Qiubei, sat across from each other, both looking grim. The guests had already left, and looking around, there was no sign of Qin Zhaoning.

Huo Xiuyu walked in as if nothing had happened, placed his phone on the table, and sat down in a chair. Without even glancing at Qin Qiubei, he said nonchalantly, “Sorry, I’m late.”

There was no hint of apology in his tone.

No one spoke. Huo Xiuyu leaned back and asked lazily, “Where’s Qin Zhaoning? Is she gone?”

“…”

“She hasn’t arrived yet.”

Qin Zhaoning parked the car and, carrying the cake, walked with familiarity to the teaching and research office of the School of Computer Science. A sign on the door listed the title and name of the office’s instructor: Full Professor Li Hui.

The door was ajar, and a stern lecture came from inside. Qin Zhaoning overheard it and knocked on the door before Li Hui could get even angrier.

She pushed open the door, poked her head in, and smiled at Li Hui’s stern face. “Teacher.”

“Zhaoning?” Seeing her, Li Hui’s angry expression faded, and she asked in surprise, “Why are you here?”

She stood up to leave her desk, but the boy she was scolding blocked her path. Then she remembered him and waved him off. “Forget it. Go back. Don’t do it again next time.”

The boy, relieved, hurriedly said, “Goodbye, teacher,” and ran for his life.

As he passed Qin Zhaoning, he gave her a grateful look as if he were his savior, and whispered quickly, “Thank you, thank you.”

Qin Zhaoning smiled and nodded. After he left, she came in, closed the door, and placed the cake on the desk. “Happy birthday, teacher.”

Li Hui smiled, “You still remember that.”

“Of course I do.”

Li Hui had been her academic advisor during her college years. She had taken great care of her during those four years, and they had a good relationship. After graduation, Qin Zhaoning often visited her at school.

As they sat down to chat, Li Hui recalled the entertainment news she’d seen earlier and asked with concern, “The last time I saw it, it said you were getting engaged. When was that?”

Unexpectedly, Qin Zhaoning paused for a second before answering frankly, “Today.”

Li Hui was stunned. “So, you…?”

Qin Zhaoning: “I played cards with someone until the early hours last night and overslept.”

She continued to smile, her tone relaxed, as if she’d simply overslept and missed buying steamed buns for breakfast.

Li Hui was at a loss for words. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Qin Zhaoning stood up: “I’ll go open it.”

She opened the door, and the first thing she saw was the boy’s shoulders.

Quite tall, Qin Zhaoning thought.

She stepped aside: “The teacher’s in there, come in.”

“Thank you,” Song Zhuo said, thanking him and heading inside to report.

Qin Zhaoning’s voice piqued her interest, her eyebrows raised slightly, and her gaze followed him.

He was tall and slender. The temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius, and he wore a black jacket and matching overalls. His skin was fair, and his eyes held a subtle aloofness, like his voice: polite yet distant.

Qin Zhaoning heard Li Hui call him Song Zhuo.

They were discussing their proposals, and Qin Zhaoning, too embarrassed to interrupt, said she was leaving and stood quietly by the door, listening.

As she listened, she suddenly heard her own name.

Li Hui pointed at her and said to Song Zhuo, “Zhaoning is your senior. She did a great job on her graduation project. You two chose similar topics. If you have any questions, you can ask her.”

Li Hui was known for her strictness, and it was rare for her to praise someone like that. Song Zhuo looked over curiously.

Qin Zhaoning had just returned from a vacation at the resort. She wore a long, brown sweater over a white dress, her long, curly hair loose, looking lazy and casual.

She wore no makeup, but her features were delicate and striking. Her peach-shaped eyes were slightly upturned, with a faint mole at the corner. Despite her aloof features, her naturally red lips were perpetually raised, mitigating some of the coldness.

Qin Zhaoning came to his senses after being called, and he pulled out his phone, pulled out a QR code, and said with a smile, “Then add me on WeChat, junior.”

Song Zhuo was slightly startled, then lowered his gaze. He scanned the code and added her as a friend, then politely said, “Thank you for your help, senior.”

“It’s no problem.”

Qin Zhaoning’s mood, which had been suffocated by her losing streak, inexplicably lifted. She checked the time, said goodbye to Li Hui, and left.

Leaving the office, Qin Zhaoning clicked on the WeChat friend request. Song Zhuo’s profile picture was a black five-pointed star on a white background, with his name in capital letters. He had added his name as a note, and after Qin Zhaoning accepted, he paused as he typed the note, then changed it to: “Interesting junior.”

After wasting some time at the college gate, Qin Zhaoning was about to leave when Song Zhuo emerged.

Perhaps not expecting her to still be there, Song Zhuo slowed down, stopped, and called out, “Senior.”

Almost instantly, Qin Zhaoning changed her mind. She frowned slightly, looking a little conflicted. “Do you have classes later?”

Filled sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a faint glow on her long, curled eyelashes. When she frowned, even the mole at the corner of her eye looked a little aggrieved.

Song Zhuo looked away. Instead of answering directly, he asked, “Senior, what’s up?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve been back to school. I forgot how to get to the East Gate.”

The East Gate wasn’t far from here, a ten-minute walk, but there were several side roads leading to other teaching buildings.

Song Zhuo frowned imperceptibly, then, after a brief moment of thought, nodded. “I’m going to the library. It’s on my way.”

The library was actually closer to the south gate. Qin Zhaoning felt like smiling, and with a smile on her face, she said cheerfully, “Then I’ll trouble you, junior.”

Song Zhuo glanced at her, said it was okay, and turned to lead the way.

The leaves on both sides of the road were already drenched in red. It had rained yesterday, and water had accumulated on the branches, occasionally dripping.

The ground was uneven, and Qin Zhaoning, with her new, white shoes, had to pick her way around the puddles.

The two of them walked, one in front, the other behind, two steps apart.

When they reached a fork in the road, a bicycle came barreling around the bend. The boy, probably late for class, pedaled extra hard, splashing water all the way.

Just as it was about to pass them, Song Zhuo turned and tried to pull Qin Zhaoning aside. Just as he reached out, Qin Zhaoning suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the inside of the road.

The wheel rolled through the puddle, sending a few splashes of water onto the hem of Qin Zhaoning’s skirt. Song Zhuo, however, remained unscathed thanks to her protection.

Song Zhuo was startled for a moment, then felt a warm touch on his wrist. A faint scent of lemon perfume washed over him, and he suddenly realized they were getting a bit close. He instinctively took a step back.

Then, Qin Zhaoning followed suit.

Song Zhuo began to retreat, but she pulled him forward.

“There are steps behind you, be careful,” Qin Zhaoning said, her voice tinged with joy.

She suddenly stood on tiptoe, and the moment she got closer, Song Zhuo’s back stiffened and he held his breath. But Qin Zhaoning simply brushed his shoulder, letting go and stepping back.

Her red lips parted: “A leaf has fallen.”

The bright red leaves slowly fell with the breeze, landing in the puddle, trembling a few times.

Author’s Note:

Two pre-orders are recommended, please add to your collection.

“I Take Everything You Say Seriously.” The male protagonist has a crush, and the playboy returns.

“Clinging with Beautiful Girls on a Teasing Variety Show” The little drama queen who only wants to cling to beautiful women, and her daddy-like CEO boyfriend.