Chapter 2: [Peeking at Me?]

Xia Zhi Cha’s gaze dimmed slightly. She tucked away the emotions in her eyes and reached out to shake hands with him.

Fu Ci Yu’s palm was dry, his scent clean and woody, cold just like him.

The touch was brief, but it made her heart tremble violently once again.

…Of course. Back then, she was just a quiet nobody in the class, only his classmate for a single year. Someone like him, dazzling like the stars, always surrounded by admirers and friends—after all this time, how could he possibly still remember her?

“Fu Ci Yu? So you’re that Fu Ci Yu!”

Jiang Lili’s surprised exclamation snapped her out of her thoughts.

Xia Zhi Cha looked up and saw Jiang Lili staring at the person opposite them, eyes wide with shock.

After Fu Ci Yu raised an eyebrow and confirmed it, Jiang Lili turned toward Gao Yu Yang. “You never told me your roommate is Fu Ci Yu?”

Gao Yu Yang smiled helplessly. “He’s just a regular friend to me. How could I have known you’d react like this?”

“Regular friend, huh?” Jiang Lili pouted. “Your ‘regular’ friend is famous across the entire Peking University campus. Everyone knows him. Right, Zhi Zhi?”

Xia Zhi Cha, mentioned again, responded with a slight “Ah… yeah, I’ve heard of him.”

She had known since she first saw his name on the freshman list that Fu Ci Yu was attending the same university. But he was in the Finance Department, and she was in Foreign Languages. Their paths were unlikely to cross, so she had pushed down her excitement. Still, she couldn’t help but pay more attention to him.

Because of that, even though she usually stayed out of campus gossip, she’d still heard plenty about Fu Ci Yu.

Rumors said he came from a mysterious, elite family in Beijing and was likely an heir to a powerful conglomerate. Others claimed he was wild and carefree, constantly surrounded by admirers, switching girlfriends frequently—never getting emotionally involved. He was openly “heartless,” yet somehow that only drew more people to him.

Every time she heard such things, it reminded her just how far apart their worlds were.

That was a place she would never reach.

With that thought, Xia Zhi Cha lowered her eyes again, hiding the sour ache in her heart as she took a sip of her drink.

“Since we’re all here,” Jiang Lili suddenly suggested, “I might as well use this opportunity—Fu Shao, can I add you on WeChat?”

Fu Ci Yu didn’t refuse. He casually pulled out his phone and held up a QR code.

“So straightforward,” Jiang Lili commented. “The rumors were right. You really don’t turn anyone down.”

“What, are you into me? Planning to make a move?” Fu Ci Yu’s expression was lazy, almost flirty, but there was no real sincerity in his voice. “Not that I’d mind.”

“Forget it,” Jiang Lili backed off immediately. “Someone like you—too skilled at the game. I’d rather stick with someone like Gao ‘Teacher’ here—gentle and reliable.”

Fu Ci Yu chuckled softly, as if his previous teasing meant nothing at all.

“Oh right—Zhi Zhi, do you want to add him too?” Jiang Lili asked offhandedly, catching Xia Zhi Cha still sipping her drink.

Xia Zhi Cha froze for a second. When she looked up again, Fu Ci Yu’s phone with the QR code was already in front of her.

He tapped his screen twice. “Add me.”

Her heart began pounding again. Trying to stay calm, she pulled out her phone and scanned his code.

His profile photo was a photo of a glacier—one he had used years ago during an English speech when they were classmates. She remembered it clearly.

[Note me as Fu Ci Yu.]

Seeing his message, she bit her lip and replied:

[Xia Zhi Cha.]

…So, he really didn’t remember her at all.

Just then, the skewers arrived. A small grill was placed in the center of the table, releasing waves of heat and the savory scent of barbecued meat.

Jiang Lili and Gao Yu Yang soon fell into animated conversation, laughing and joking around. They even ordered a case of beer together.

Xia Zhi Cha stayed quiet, as usual, playing with her phone.

She snuck a glance at Fu Ci Yu. He was also looking down, bored, fiddling with his phone.

Her heart jumped again. Almost nervously, she tapped into his profile and opened his Moments (WeChat timeline).

It was sparse—just a few landscape photos from his travels.

The oldest post was from two years ago.

That was when he left Yuncheng and changed his phone number. She had never had his old WeChat account either.

Back then, she had just started her second year of high school. On the first day, the teacher introduced a new transfer student—Fu Ci Yu. He would be attending for one year only.

She still remembered how, when he first scanned the room from the podium, his eyes paused briefly on her.

Flustered, she had smiled at him. He returned a smirk, the unruly sparkle in his eyes dazzling her like sunlight.

That was the moment, she thought, when her crush began.

As time passed, Fu Ci Yu became well-known at school. Rumors spread that he was a rich heir sent to Yuncheng for “real-world experience.”

He didn’t deny it. He was easy-going with others, never putting on airs. But his natural confidence, his worldliness—those things only made him more fascinating to others. He quickly became the center of attention.

Sixteen-year-old Xia Zhi Cha, on the other hand, had little going for her beyond decent grades. Her appearance was hidden under thick bangs, her skin was average, her school uniform oversized and unflattering, and her shy nature made her practically invisible in class.

No one knew she liked Fu Ci Yu. No one would’ve believed it anyway.

They lived in different worlds and barely even spoke.

But still, she quietly liked him. Year after year.

When he left at the end of sophomore year, many classmates swarmed him for his WeChat. He gave it to most of them.

Xia Zhi Cha stayed in her seat, watching the crowd around him, gripping her phone—but in the end, she never stood up.

She had thought that would be the end. That they would forever be strangers from that point on.

She never imagined that now, she’d be able to view his Moments, catching glimpses of his life through scattered photos.

Lost in thought, Xia Zhi Cha exited his profile.

At that moment, Jiang Lili laughed too hard at something and gave her a friendly nudge on the shoulder.

Xia Zhi Cha’s hand slipped.

Her phone buzzed.

Her breath caught.

She stared at the message on her screen—

—You patted “Fu Ci Yu.”

She had accidentally “patted” him.

Like some guilty child caught in the act, heat and panic rushed to her head. Her mind went blank as she hurried to hit “Undo.”

But before she could—

Two new messages popped up:

Fu Ci Yu: [?]
Fu Ci Yu: [Peeking at me?]

Her heart clenched.

She looked up slowly—

And met Fu Ci Yu’s gaze, filled with teasing amusement.