The sunlight was blinding.
The sounds of traffic, voices, and the ticking of changing traffic lights buzzed around Yu Qing, yet it felt as if separated by a thick pane of glass.
Yu Qing’s gaze was fixed rigidly on the figure across the street—the one who had just stepped out of the black sedan.
Across the road, Fu Yi’s silhouette was glaringly clear. She had just closed the car door and was looking down, pulling her phone from her bag.
The screen lit up, and she furrowed her brows slightly.
Obviously, the dozens of missed call notifications caught her attention.
Yu Qing’s blood seemed to freeze instantly; his mind went blank.
A piercing ringing echoed in his ears, the world muted itself, leaving only the deafening pounding of his heart inside his chest.
It’s over…
Fu Yi’s finger would press the callback button the next second, and Zhou Min’s phone was about to explode.
No.
It can’t happen like this.
A fierce survival instinct cleaved through the panic like lightning.
Almost instinctively, Yu Qing shakily pulled out his own phone.
Fingerprint unlock—no, he was Fu Yi now; fingerprint unlock wouldn’t work.
Damn it, how did he not think to save Fu Yi’s fingerprint!
Slender fingers tapped rapidly across the screen.
After unlocking the phone, Yu Qing quickly opened that familiar chat window.
His vision blurred from tension, his fingertips cold and uncooperative, but relying on muscle memory, he typed out the words flashing through his mind one by one.
Hello, Mei Xue.
Where are you?
Do you need any help?
Whatever it is, just send it.
Hurry!
Must be faster than her!
Finally, a message was rapidly sent.
[Yu Qing]: Mei Xue, where are you? Have you eaten? I already ate. Are you okay? Need help?
Sent.
Yu Qing stared fixedly at the opposite side of the street.
Fu Yi’s finger hovered above the callback button, but at that moment, a new message notification popped up at the top of her screen, and her movement paused.
“?”
Fu Yi frowned slightly, seemingly confused by this abrupt, strange message.
But her good manners made her move her finger away, landing on the reply box instead.
[Fu Yi]: Already eaten, thank you for your concern, Senior! Need help? Are you trying to feed me? Hehe~
After thinking it over carefully, Fu Yi sighed and sent the message.
She had just dealt with those annoying elders and really couldn’t fake being lively anymore.
Hopefully, that strange Senior wouldn’t notice.
On the other side, Yu Qing’s heart settled a bit upon seeing Fu Yi’s reply.
[Yu Qing]: Haha, Mei Xue, you’re quite the joker. By the way, I bumped into Zhou Min from our group today. She was looking for you, said you missed the group survey. Is everything okay? Of course, no need to say if it’s inconvenient.
The crisis was temporarily postponed but not resolved.
Yu Qing continued typing, trying to distract Fu Yi and delay her from calling back.
Fu Yi might reply at any moment or still decide to call back first, so he couldn’t just disrupt her rhythm—he also had to get the people around him away from this trouble spot immediately.
The faster, the better. The farther, the better.
Yu Qing took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He turned around, quickly putting on a smile that was apologetic yet lively, and clapped his hands to grab everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, everyone! Thank you all for your hard work!”
Yu Qing raised his voice deliberately, but not loud enough for Fu Yi to hear, with just the right mix of enthusiasm and a little coaxing tone.
“Did everyone finish the questionnaires? Thank you so much! Especially since I was so late…”
The group’s tired, task-completed eyes were drawn to him.
“To make up for it, and to celebrate finishing early…”
Yu Qing paused, widening his smile, and pointed toward the School Back Gate Snack Street, “I’m treating everyone to milk tea! Order whatever you want! The most expensive one at whichever shop!”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
“Wow! Really?”
“Long live Yiyi!”
“I want to try that new Net-Red Shop!”
“Let’s go! Hurry, or there’ll be a long queue later!”
The group, previously exhausted and low from the day’s work, instantly became excited, chattering about which flavors to get.
No one was paying attention to the opposite side of the street anymore.
“Zhou Min, Lin Wei, shall we go?”
Yu Qing looked toward the still hesitant Zhou Min, then took her arm firmly, leading her away with no room for refusal.
“Thanks so much for keeping things steady today.”
His movements were naturally intimate, his tone sincere.
The acting he showed during the crisis perfectly masked the cold sweat on his palms and his urgent need to leave.
Zhou Min walked on with Yu Qing, the last trace of doubt vanishing under the lure of milk tea and “Fu Yi’s” rare affection.
“It’s nothing… that new shop really does look pretty good…”
The group of them, lively and laughing, headed in the direction opposite the road.
Yu Qing was surrounded in the middle, his heart still pounding wildly, but he forced a smile and joined in the discussion about milk tea flavors.
He dared not look back, every step feeling like needles pricking his back—as if Fu Yi’s gaze was piercing through the crowd, fixing on him.
Only when they turned into the alley by the back gate, cutting off the view from the street completely, did Yu Qing finally exhale quietly, his back soaked in cold sweat.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Taking advantage of the crowd, he quickly glanced at the screen.
[Fu Yi]: Ah, it’s nothing important. Just chatting with a family elder. I didn’t have my phone on me earlier. Seeing Minmin’s dozen missed calls just now really scared me.
Yu Qing’s fingers paused above the screen, then quickly replied.
[Yu Qing]: It’s fine. I just met Zhou Min and the others. She said it’s been sorted out. I told her your situation, and she didn’t seem to mind.
Sent.
Yu Qing deleted the previous chat history, hoping this response would temporarily dispel Fu Yi’s doubts and at least keep her from immediately asking Zhou Min to verify.
[Fu Yi]: I see. Okay, thanks Senior~
Relieved, Yu Qing turned off the screen and stuffed the phone back into his pocket, as if tossing away a hot potato.
The sweet, rich aroma of the milk tea shop washed over him. He ordered a full-sugar Momo Pearl, trying to drown the lingering shock in his throat with the fierce sweetness.
He sipped slowly; the warm liquid slid down, but he felt no real warmth.
“Yiyi, you really saved the day at the end!”
Lin Wei leaned in, sipping her milk tea.
“Yeah, you were perfect today!” another girl chimed in.
Yu Qing twitched the corner of his mouth into a gentle smile.
“No, it’s everyone’s effort.”
If he’d known that satisfying this craving would cause such a huge mess, he wouldn’t have stepped out no matter what.
Yu Qing finished the milk tea quickly and made an excuse about still feeling unwell and wanting to rest.
The group fussed over him with concern.
After he repeatedly insisted he was fine and refused Zhou Min and Lin Wei’s company, he finally left the lively spot.
Leaving the small shop, Yu Qing walked alone back to the campus.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long behind him; the noise faded away, replaced by a wave of exhaustion and lingering fear.
He instinctively touched his pocket, where the cold, hard Ink Pearl lay.
The quick thinking and daring gambit of the past few minutes had drained all his energy.
He realized once again.
Behind that seemingly perfect identity lay countless crises ready to explode at any moment.
And Yu Qing was sinking deeper and deeper.
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