After leaving the hotel, Yu Guang pondered for a moment, then decided to open Lena’s WeChat conversation and sent a message.

Yu Guang: Was it you who took me to the hotel?

Usually at this time, Lena would be sleeping, so Yu Guang didn’t expect an immediate response.

But unexpectedly, just a second after sending the message, “Typing…” appeared under NANA’s nickname.

Lena was awake.

It was almost as if she was deliberately waiting for him to ask.

With a barely perceptible hint of contemplation in his eyes, Yu Guang increased the brightness of his phone screen and waited.

After a while, he saw the “Typing…” message disappear and reappear, but there was still no reply.

When things go unusual, there must be something fishy.

Yu Guang became more certain of one thing – last night he definitely wasn’t simply drunk.

A notification sound accompanied by the vibration of his phone, and Lena’s new message appeared.

NANA: Yeah. Seems like that new drink was too strong. Even our little fish couldn’t handle it.

The phone screen was glaringly bright, and Yu Guang’s eyes wandered over the message, silently reading it word by word. After a moment of silence, he suddenly chuckled.

Yu Guang: The new drink was pretty good. Have you come up with a name for it yet?

Apparently not expecting him to let it go so easily, there was another moment of “Typing…” Yu Guang could almost imagine Lena on the other side of the phone, furrowing her brow as she carefully chose her words.

Half a moment later –

NANA: Haven’t thought of one yet… Little Fish, why don’t you come up with one?

Yu Guang pressed his tongue against the tip of his canine tooth, still tasting the flavor of that glass of sunset-red liquid.

His lower back was still warm, especially those areas marked with indecent chaos, burning.

Pausing for a moment, his fingertips hovered over the input field for a long time –

Yu Guang: Finger Marks.

---

There was no one in the dorm room; the other three physics majors should have gone to class.

Feeling a sudden sense of relief, Yu Guang tossed his backpack onto the chair and ran his fingers through the strands of hair that fell back onto his forehead, taking a deep breath.

Luckily, he didn’t have classes this morning and had some time to rest.

After changing into loose pajamas and lying down on the bed, Yu Guang was interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

The pitch-black curtain blocked out all light, and the exposure from the phone screen was like a flashlight shining into a dark corner, causing his eyes to ache.

Cursing silently, he still reached for his phone, and what greeted him was a text message pop-up at the top of the screen.

190… [Unknown Number]: Is your back still hurting?

Stunned for a moment, feeling as if he had been pricked by a needle, Yu Guang’s temples throbbed, and his drowsiness vanished instantly.

Yu Guang: Who are you?

The dormitory’s signal wasn’t great, and he stared at the gray semicircle in front of the message box for a long time before finally sending it out.

But there was no reply.

This message seemed to have sunk like a stone into the ocean, without a ripple.

But Yu Guang knew that it couldn’t be a mistaken message.

There’s no such thing as such a coincidence in the world.

• The person behind the phone must be the man who left the finger marks on his lower back last night.

His drowsiness was interrupted, and Yu Guang couldn’t fall asleep again.

Alcohol tolerance was something that developed over time, and he was no exception – when he first started drinking, he often got drunk, but he always remembered what happened after waking up.

But last night was a complete blackout.

Now, thinking back, his brain was blank, with only a few scattered fragments, and nothing more.

He let out a long sigh, completely devoid of sleepiness, and simply rolled over and got out of bed, reaching for a cigarette.

He wasn’t addicted to smoking, only succumbing to the urge when he felt restless or nervous.

As wisps of smoke curled up, gathering and dispersing, the long-lost tranquility returned.

Pressing his forehead against the back of the chair, Yu Guang let his mind wander.

Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, the nicotine numbed his brain’s nerves, transmitting pleasure from the branches to the tips.

Yu Guang leaned against the back of the chair, lost in thought, as he continued to gaze at the unfamiliar message on his phone.

He long-pressed the screen and dialed the number –

As expected, a mechanical female voice with a steady and emotionless tone: “Sorry, the number you dialed is unavailable…”

Tch.

He pressed the sponge of the cigarette butt with his canine tooth, his brows and eyes lowered, and with the long bangs covering his forehead, he looked quite gloomy.

Suddenly, there was a metallic clash at the door lock, accompanied by some faint voices.

Gao Leilin pushed the door open and met the gaze of the young man who was smoking.

Yu Guang’s long bangs were lifted by the draft, revealing his pair of bright and moist peach blossom eyes, which were rarely seen.

Gao Leilin was stunned for a moment, not noticing the fleeting dark mood in his eyes.

When he came to his senses and looked again, the eyes were half-closed, with long, fluttering eyelashes, looking cramped and nervous.

He probably didn’t expect them to come back so soon. Suddenly choked by the smell of smoke, Yu Guang coughed violently, as if pricked by a needle, and his temples throbbed, dispelling his drowsiness.

“Yu Guang, who are you learning to smoke from, that bar?”

The dormitory corridor echoed with footsteps, and Gao Leilin seemed unwilling to be seen by outsiders. He closed the dormitory door with a “bang.”

The door slammed heavily, causing Yu Guang to flinch.

The stray strands of hair brushed against his eyelashes, causing an itching sensation. He couldn’t help but blink, looking even more timid.

Gao Leilin didn’t notice his impatience, instead taking a half step closer, his gaze falling on Yu Guang’s neck, which seemed particularly hot.

“Why is your collar…?”

“W-what?” Yu Guang rolled his Adam’s apple, the swallowing sound particularly evident at such a close distance.

Gao Leilin hesitated slightly, then his gaze focused on the protruding Adam’s apple and the faintly visible blue veins on the side of Yu Guang’s neck.

The surroundings became extremely quiet, and the atmosphere seemed to ease a bit.

A barely audible sigh sounded beside him as Gao Leilin extinguished his cigarette in his palm.

“Are you short on money?”

“Don’t work at the bar anymore. Help me with my homework, and I’ll pay you eight hundred each time.”