Chapter 4: He Has a Girlfriend?

Fu Chi Yu was very tall. When the two of them stood face to face, Xia Zhi Cha had to tilt her head up to look at his expression.

Fu Chi Yu also lowered his head, staring at her, the corners of his eyes still holding that faint, unreadable smile.

Xia Zhi Cha had just washed her face, and water still clung to her skin. After that bump earlier, a small patch of his shirt on his chest had gotten damp.

The girl’s face was bare, and the water made her features look even more delicate and soft. Doe-like eyes, cherry lips with a hint of moisture, pale skin, and a simple cotton dress made her look even more slender and fragile.

Maybe it was because of the bump earlier, but her eyes were tinged with a faint redness, lashes wet—she looked startled, exuding a natural sense of fragility.

Like a delicate porcelain doll.

It was a kind of fresh, pure beauty—like a blank sheet of paper.

The air quieted between them.

Fu Chi Yu watched as the girl blushed furiously again because of his teasing just now. He lowered his eyes with a trace of helplessness, finally softening his tone to explain,
“I was just joking, don’t take it to heart.”

He’d hung out with a bunch of rowdy friends for too long, saying anything without a filter. He almost forgot that this wasn’t one of those guys, but someone else’s friend—a clearly proper, well-behaved girl, not someone to casually mess with.

Xia Zhi Cha lightly bit her lower lip and nodded.
“Mm.”

Of course she knew.

Back in high school, Fu Chi Yu had always been like this—half-flirting when joking with his buddies, never really meaning it.

And yet, it was exactly that carefree, effortlessly charming personality, paired with an aloof and indifferent heart, that always drew people in.

Someone walked by to go into the restroom, and Xia Zhi Cha quietly stepped aside so she wouldn’t block the way.

Fu Chi Yu didn’t move. His gaze suddenly lingered on her face.

Xia Zhi Cha had been about to turn and leave, but she froze when she felt his stare. Her spine stiffened, and her breath became cautious.
“…What is it?”

Fu Chi Yu seemed to notice something. He studied her for a moment, then his brows furrowed slightly.
“Have we… met somewhere before?”

He didn’t know why, but something about this girl felt familiar.

---

“…”

Xia Zhi Cha’s breath caught. After a brief rush of joy, she hesitated in doubt.

Should she tell him?

What if he just thought she looked like someone else and didn’t actually remember her?

Her lips felt dry. She gently licked them before quietly replying,
“…Yuncheng High School. Class 3, Grade 11. We were classmates for a while.”

For a moment, Fu Chi Yu seemed stunned by the answer.

He turned his head slightly, thinking for a bit. The wrinkle in his brow gradually relaxed.
“So it’s you.”

He remembered the name now.

But back then, Xia Zhi Cha looked so different—quiet, short hair with long bangs, glasses that covered most of her face. The plain, bookish girl from high school didn’t match the soft, gentle face standing before him now.

They hadn’t interacted much then. His impression of her was just that she was quiet, kept to herself, didn’t like to talk, and had good grades.

Fu Chi Yu smiled slightly.
“Impressive—you actually got into Jing University.”

He knew the difference in college entrance standards between Yuncheng and Beijing was massive. Educational resources were worlds apart. He understood just how hard it was to make it from there to Jing University. So that praise was sincere.

Xia Zhi Cha was still surprised he actually remembered her. She blinked in a daze and gave a small nod.

She looked a bit silly.

…Which was kind of cute.

Fu Chi Yu watched her expression, and the smile at the corners of his lips deepened.

Then, remembering something, he leaned down a little, his tone playfully accusatory:
“Why’d you pretend not to know me earlier? Is being my high school classmate that embarrassing?”

His shoulders were broad, and when he leaned in, the light above cast shadows that enveloped Xia Zhi Cha completely.

With the distance shortened, the crisp scent of him, mixed with faint alcohol, lingered at the tip of her nose. She came back to her senses and instinctively lowered her gaze, her eyes dimming slightly.
“…I was afraid you wouldn’t remember me.”

After all, Fu Chi Yu had always been surrounded by friends, always the center of attention. After all these years, he probably forgot most people he wasn’t close to.

How could she be so confident to think someone like her—just a regular classmate—could take up any space in his memory?

She didn’t dare say it, afraid that if Fu Chi Yu really didn’t remember her, he’d think she was being presumptuous.

Fu Chi Yu hadn’t expected that answer. He looked like he found it amusing, just about to say something when suddenly a phone started ringing.

It was his phone.

Xia Zhi Cha heard it too and watched him slowly straighten, pulling the phone from his pocket. The screen lit up with a contact name.

It was a girl’s name.

The moment she saw it, Xia Zhi Cha’s heart plummeted like a rock, as if the surrounding air closed in on her from all sides—suffocating.

Fu Chi Yu glanced at the name and, with a familiar ease, picked up the call right away.

Xia Zhi Cha didn’t dare listen to what they were saying. She turned and walked away in silence, not lingering even for a second.

…She had almost forgotten.

Fu Chi Yu had always been carefree and charming, never lacking attention from girls. Over the years, he’d never been without a girlfriend. Of course he had one now too.

That tiny, fragile hope that had just sparked in her heart was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water. As she walked back through the lively crowd in the restaurant, all Xia Zhi Cha could feel was a tight ache in her chest.

She knew she had no right to be upset about this.

But she couldn’t stop herself from feeling disappointed.

…Xia Zhi Cha, you really should know better.

Stop having these unrealistic fantasies.