Yan Zimi felt utterly useless, disappointing, and ridiculous.

Just because of a trivial matter of going to the library to study with Pei Huan, he ended up sleepless.

Throughout the sleepless night until three o’clock, Yan Zimi did many meaningless things.

For example, he organized all the photos related to Pei Huan into a single folder.

He also went through their chat history from start to finish.

And he listened to all the voice messages Pei Huan had sent him again, saving every single one.

For example, he exported the audio of the only time Pei Huan had ever called his name: “Yan Zimi, are you asleep?”

It had been an ordinary evening of solving problems, but Pei Huan was busy and hadn’t replied to Yan Zimi in time. By the time he was free, it was already nearly midnight.

The voice message was sent at 11:48 PM. It was very quiet on Pei Huan’s end, and his voice was almost a whisper, as if he was afraid of disturbing others, almost as if he were speaking directly into the microphone.

When he first received it, Yan Zimi didn’t think much of it; he only thought that Teacher Pei finally had some time to reply.

But after solving the questions on the paper and going back to listen to the voice message, he was completely melted.

“Yan Zimi, are you asleep?”

“Yan Zimi, are you asleep?”

Yan Zimi couldn’t sleep.

Yan Zimi was completely mesmerized.

The next day, he got up on time and arrived at the library ten minutes earlier than their agreed time.

However, he didn’t expect what Pei Huan meant by going to the library to study together.

As he watched the group from Pei Huan’s dorm approaching in the distance, the anticipation in his heart turned into a resigned acceptance.

He had wasted a night of sleep.

But the bright side was that Pei Huan was wearing the trench coat that Yan Zimi had given him.

It could be considered a small compensation for his disappointment.

As this group of people arrived, the atmosphere became lively. Xiao Dong and Yu Nan were competing to see who could flip through the books longer, while Zhao Di was still his talkative self, chatting nonstop and laughing as he approached.

No one found it strange that a guy named Yan Zimi was standing at the entrance; they exchanged smiles and walked in together.

“How long have you been waiting?” Pei Huan asked after he and Yan Zimi had noticeably fallen behind everyone else.

Yan Zimi replied, “Not long, just an hour.”

Pei Huan chuckled at Yan Zimi’s deadpan joke. Turning his head, he explained, “I was originally coming here alone today, but when they found out I was going to the library, they said exams were coming up, so they decided to join.”

Yan Zimi paused for half a second before responding, “Oh.”

Pei Huan then added, “You changed your glasses frames.”

Yan Zimi adjusted the thick frames resting on his nose. “Yeah.”

Today’s frames were a bit thicker, lacking the sleek look of the two thinner pairs he had last time. But why exactly?

He had dark circles now.

The tendency to get dark circles as soon as he was sleep-deprived was really annoying—probably something Yan Zimi would have to live with his whole life.

Thinking this, he adjusted his glasses again.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Pei Huan asked.

Yan Zimi was startled. “Is it that obvious?” He asked, “How did you know?”

Pei Huan replied, “You liked the background photo on my Moments at around three in the morning.”

Yan Zimi: “…”

He had thought Pei Huan noticed his dark circles—turns out, it was about that.

He almost wished Pei Huan had just noticed his dark circles instead.

Wait, had he accidentally liked it?

Yan Zimi let out an awkward laugh. “Oh, really.”

Pei Huan chuckled, leaning in a bit. “Peeking at my Moments so late,” he lowered his voice, “what were you hoping to find?”

Yan Zimi felt his face heat up, so he quickly retorted, “There’s nothing interesting to see—there’s nothing there at all.”

Pei Huan laughed again and asked, “So, what time did you finally sleep? You’ve got dark circles.”

Yan Zimi froze once more.

Every single thing Pei Huan said was outside his comfort zone, and he didn’t know how to respond to any of it.

Deciding not to reply, Yan Zimi abruptly turned his head and teased his own earlobe with his index finger. “See it?”

Pei Huan chuckled, “Saw it ages ago.”

“Oh, Zimi’s wearing an earring now?”

Up ahead, Zhao Di suddenly turned around.

Yan Zimi gave a quick “mm-hmm” and stood back straight.

Zhao Di took a look. “An ‘H’? What’s that mean?”

Just as Yan Zimi was about to explain, Pei Huan beside him let out a small laugh.

That laugh was all it took for Zhao Di’s mind to go wild.

Yan Zimi was caught between wanting to explain and staying silent.

Zhao Di raised an eyebrow. “Pei… Huan?”

Neither of them responded, both with barely hidden smiles that said it all.

Zhao Di let out a whistle. “So this earring, custom-made?”

“It’s not,” Yan Zimi vaguely replied. “Bought it special.”

Zhao Di laughed. “What’s going on with you two?”

Pei Huan asked, “Is there a problem?”

Zhao Di laughed even harder. “No, no problem at all! But come on, Pei Huan, shouldn’t you join in? You’re just letting Zimi wear it alone.”

Pei Huan: “What’s it to you?”

Zhao Di nodded, grinning. “Fine, fine, whatever you two want.” But he actually had a different reason for coming over. “Zimi, could you do me a favor?”

Yan Zimi: “What’s up?”

Zhao Di unlocked his phone. “Download this app, and at ten, could you help me snag something?”

Yan Zimi nodded. “Sure.”

Zhao Di stood there watching Yan Zimi set everything up, inadvertently squeezing Pei Huan out of the way. Pei Huan just stepped back, watching the two bent over Zhao Di’s phone.

As Zhao Di guided him through the steps, he explained that he was trying to buy something for Yaya, a hard-to-get item, and had already recruited his roommates for help. Strength in numbers, after all.

With downloading, registering, filling in the address, and linking a bank card, the whole setup took them up a flight of stairs.

Finally done, they found a spot to sit. Knowing he’d be helping Yan Zimi with listening practice later, Pei Huan chose a quieter, out-of-the-way corner.

As soon as they sat down, Yu Nan teased Zhao Di, “Hopeless romantic, aren’t you?”

Zhao Di retorted, “What’s your problem?”

Yu Nan turned to Yan Zimi. “This guy’s done things like this before.”

Xiao Dong chimed in, “Yup.”

Pei Huan added, “Once stood in line for two hours to get a plush toy for his girlfriend.”

Zhao Di, slightly embarrassed by the teasing, muttered a few humble agreements, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don’t believe any of you won’t end up doing the same when you’re in love.” He singled out the person sitting across from him. “Especially you, Pei Huan. Don’t go doing anything crazier than I have, or I’ll laugh at you for real.”

Pei Huan chuckled softly.

Yu Nan joined in with a laugh. “Our Huan ge doesn’t seem like the type to do that kind of thing.”

Xiao Dong nodded. “I agree.”

Zhao Di’s confidence wavered, but he still muttered, “Just you wait.”

Pei Huan replied casually, “I’ll wait.”

This exchange didn’t really involve Yan Zimi, so he quietly sat beside them, opening up his workbook and taking out his earphones.

Today, he’d purposely brought wired earphones. After carefully untangling the cord, he handed one earbud to Pei Huan.

Yan Zimi snuck a glance at Zhao Di, then sent a message to Pei Huan: “What’s up with you and Zhao Di?”

Pei Huan saw the message and glanced at Yan Zimi before replying, “What about us?”

Yan Zimi figured he might have misread things, so he responded, “You’re especially on his case today.”

Pei Huan quickly replied, “He deserves it.”

Soon, the table settled into a serious study atmosphere. The three of them scratched away at their draft paper, while Pei Huan and Yan Zimi, sitting closest together, had their heads down, listening through the shared earphones.

Pei Huan controlled the playback, pausing at critical points. If they needed to review something, he rewound the audio; for key sentences, he’d insist Yan Zimi understand the meaning, and any unknown words had to be looked up on the spot.

About half an hour in, Yan Zimi noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye.

He looked up and, sure enough, saw Pei Huan staring at him.

Yan Zimi blinked lightly. “What’s wrong?”

Pei Huan’s gaze fell to Yan Zimi’s cheek. “There’s something on your face.”

Yan Zimi murmured an “Oh” and gave his cheek a light pat.

Pei Huan: “Still there.”

Yan Zimi raised his hand but hesitated, then leaned slightly toward Pei Huan. “Help me get it off.”

With that, he tilted his head up.

For some reason, Pei Huan found this amusing and chuckled.

He extended his index finger, palm facing up, brushing it lightly along Yan Zimi’s cheek but didn’t pull back immediately. Instead, he muttered, “It fell again; hang on,” and continued the motion.

Whatever it was, apparently it wasn’t going anywhere, as Pei Huan brushed his finger along Yan Zimi’s cheek twice in a row, from the corner of his eye to his cheek, and then…

“It’s still there?” Yan Zimi asked.

As he said this, Yan Zimi glanced at Pei Huan, who happened to lift his eyelids at the same moment, resulting in an unexpected eye contact between them.

To reach the thing on Yan Zimi’s face, Pei Huan had to lean in very close, making Yan Zimi recall that night they painted together.

They were so close that their breaths mingled, and the air felt warm.

Yan Zimi blinked lightly, and from the corner of his eye, he noticed Pei Huan’s Adam’s apple seemed to move.

Then Pei Huan lowered his head, focusing intently on Yan Zimi’s lips. “Don’t move,” he said.

After that, he gently brushed the corner of Yan Zimi’s mouth with his fingertip.

In that moment, Yan Zimi froze, his nerves tingling as if he had been shocked.

Pei Huan’s hand finally withdrew, and Yan Zimi couldn’t help but press his lips together.

He asked, “What was that about?”

Pei Huan showed him. “Your eyelash.”

Yan Zimi let out a soft “oh” in response.

Pei Huan continued, “Your eyelashes are so long.”

Then, unexpectedly, Pei Huan pressed that same finger against Yan Zimi’s face.

Yan Zimi flinched slightly. “What are you doing?”

Pei Huan seemed unaware of his own actions as he chuckled lightly. “Nothing, just continue.”

Continue…

Where were they in their studies?

All of this was being observed by Zhao Di across the table, who pretended to focus on his work while sneaking glances. It was quite the struggle for him.

Especially with Pei Huan, who had placed his hand on the backrest of Yan Zimi’s chair. If Yan Zimi leaned back just a little, it felt like Pei Huan was embracing him.

What a situation!

After the little eyelash incident, Yan Zimi took a full thirty seconds to regain his composure. Luckily, his hearing wasn’t the best, so Pei Huan likely thought he hadn’t caught on at all.

The two quickly fell back into their previous study routine, but it wasn’t long before Yan Zimi’s phone suddenly lit up with a message from Xiao Gang.

He wrote: “We went drinking yesterday, my senior and a junior.”

Xiao Gang continued: “We were going to invite you, but we figured you wouldn’t know the junior well, so we didn’t.”

It seemed Pei Huan had also seen the messages, and Yan Zimi explained, “They were my roommates when I lived on campus. Now they all share a room.”

In the midst of talking, Xiao Gang sent another message: “The senior is moving out in a few days; he found a job, and, um…”

Xiao Gang added: “He was really drunk yesterday and shouted your name.”

Yan Zimi instantly felt a sense of unease and quickly grabbed his phone.

Pei Huan casually twirled a pen in his hand and said lightly, “Why don’t you take a break? You can reply to him.”

Yan Zimi nodded, leaning back slightly as he typed to Xiao Gang: “Did he call for me?”

Xiao Gang replied: “How do I put this? He was holding onto me while shouting your name, pretty tightly.”

He added, “I thought about it for a long time but decided I should just tell you. I see it, I say it.”

Yan Zimi responded quickly, “Got it.” He was worried that Xiao Gang might spill more details, so he muted the conversation.

Just as he set his phone down, a message from his senior came through.

What a coincidence.

Pei Huan noticed the new message too.

The senior texted: “When are you free? I’m leaving in a few days; I’d like to say goodbye.”

The sudden message caught Pei Huan’s attention, and he didn’t hide the fact that he had seen it. He asked directly, “Is that the senior you’re talking about?”

Yan Zimi picked up his phone again, glancing at the message. “Yeah.”

Yan Zimi didn’t reply to his senior’s message, opting to mute it as well.

Feeling a bit relieved, he placed his phone back on the table. “Let’s continue.”

Pei Huan didn’t immediately press play but instead asked, “Isn’t it confusing to have him saved as ‘senior’?”

Yan Zimi shook his head. “When I first arrived at school, he was the only senior around, and I just called him that. So, I kept the same contact name.”

Pei Huan instinctively retracted his tongue behind his teeth. “What’s my contact name?”

Yan Zimi replied, “Fire.”

Pei Huan said, “There’s no specific note.”

Yan Zimi hesitated for a moment. “Well, you could say that.”

Yan Zimi didn’t want to waste time on trivial matters, so he nudged his phone slightly toward Pei Huan, signaling him to continue.

Pei Huan finally clicked play.

But just then, Yan Zimi’s phone pinged with another message.

What a busy day it was.

The sender was someone named “Yu Feng,” who asked, “Still in City B? Been busy lately?”

Yan Zimi furrowed his brows, completely unable to recall who this person was.

He instinctively glanced at Pei Huan, who was still spinning his pen, neutrally stating, “Seems like a lot of people are reaching out.”

Yan Zimi shook his head. “No, that’s not it,” he murmured. “I don’t even know why; this isn’t usual.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he finally clicked on the message to see more.

Scrolling back through the chat history, he gradually remembered who Yu Feng was.

He replied, “Is there something you need?”

Yan Zimi didn’t expect the message to be so lengthy, as if Yu Feng had already composed it in advance, just waiting for his reply to send it over.

Yu Feng: “I happened to pass through City B again and thought of you. The wind is strong today, rustling the leaves, reminding me of your hair that day. I wonder if you’ve thought of me, even just once.”

Yan Zimi wrinkled his nose in disdain.

What nonsense.

He hadn’t anticipated receiving such a message, so he didn’t try to hide it from Pei Huan and was reading it quite openly.

Turning his head, he found Pei Huan looking over.

Pei Huan didn’t even bother to conceal his curiosity. “Just a friend?”

Yan Zimi quickly clarified, “I don’t know him well; I’ve only met him once a long time ago.”

Pei Huan’s pen spun rapidly in his fingers, creating a blur. He glanced at Yan Zimi’s phone again and casually remarked, almost to himself, “If you don’t have feelings, don’t force it.”