How is this possible? Did I see it wrong?
Xiao Yi’an’s first thought was exactly this.
He double-checked several times and even opened the personal homepage of that guy named Xu Nian.
The name Xu Nian was actually a note he himself had added, and this account belonged to the very person beside him—the one who had been sneering just moments ago.
How could it be…
Impossible…
Xiao Yi’an wasn’t one to hesitate in situations like this. At this moment, he decided to just come straight out and ask.
“Xu Nian, is this you?”
He pointed at that one almost only mutual friend under a certain Moments post—the name there stood out quite clearly.
Unlike Xiao Yi’an, Xu Nian wasn’t nearsighted; even without getting closer, he could see clearly.
He remembered that Moments post was from Yang Shuli’s dorm mate, someone closely entangled with the boy in front of him.
Xiao Yi’an didn’t actually know much about the love-hate relationship between those two. Yang Shuli had never shared any of it with him, and honestly, he wasn’t interested. The only thing he cared about was Yang Shuli himself.
But now it seemed that their relationship was not as simple as he had imagined.
“Seems kind of familiar. Who is this?”
The warm smile on Xu Nian’s face faded slightly, replaced by a timely look of puzzlement and confusion. His eyes narrowed just a bit—at least Xiao Yi’an couldn’t detect anything suspicious.
“You don’t know whose Moments post you liked?” Xiao Yi’an frowned, feeling like Xu Nian was deliberately messing with him, but he couldn’t find any proof.
“Not really sure…” Xu Nian pinched his chin, looking as if he was deep in thought.
“Why don’t you just open your phone and show me?” Xiao Yi’an finally seemed a bit impatient. He was eager to get that answer—one that might bring him closer to his white moonlight.
“You’re right, but why?” Xu Nian’s expression suddenly relaxed. “Even if I can’t remember who she is now, having mutual friends means she’s definitely not an enemy or anything. I won’t reveal any info before I’m sure what you want with her.”
“I’m looking for her because—”
Xiao Yi’an froze before he could finish.
He couldn’t say he was looking to date his white moonlight, especially since he still didn’t know what kind of relationship Xu Nian had with her.
He glanced at the faintly mocking smile on Xu Nian’s lips and seemed to understand something.
“You don’t talk like this when chatting with someone.”
“I’ll help you win over Yang Shuli. Whenever you need me, just call. I’ll do my best to help.”
He said this quietly after a pause.
“Wow, didn’t expect classmate Xiao to be so enthusiastic, willing to help like this. You weren’t saying that just now.”
Xu Nian’s smile returned, no longer so warm—more like a sly fox’s grin.
“You’re right, more friends, more paths. No one is completely useless.”
Xiao Yi’an lowered his head a bit, feeling frustrated but willing to do it for his elusive white moonlight.
“Alright then, let me try to remember what kind of relationship I have with her.”
Xu Nian smiled as he unlocked his phone on the table, scrolling for a while before opening the chat with Ye Qingchang.
There was only one message—a friend verification from a long time ago—and nothing else.
Back when school started, Yang Shuli had disappeared along with Xu Nian. Worried, Ye Qingchang added Xu Nian as a friend, but they hadn’t exchanged a single word since.
Xu Nian hadn’t even changed Ye Qingchang’s contact name; the top still showed Ye Qingchang’s WeChat name.
“Hm?”
Xiao Yi’an’s expression turned shocked, as if he hadn’t expected this outcome.
“Ah, looks like it’s not a very close relationship.”
Xu Nian said, then turned off the phone screen.
“Did you delete the chat history?” Xiao Yi’an frowned. “Is there something you don’t want me to see?”
Xu Nian smiled again, this time more naturally than before. “Why would I hide anything from you? But seriously, what exactly do you want? You’ve been asking for so long without saying a word. What if you’re up to something bad? What if I become your accomplice?”
“I would never do anything harmful to her,” Xiao Yi’an said firmly.
“How can I believe you? What kind of relationship do you have with her that makes me trust you won’t harm her?”
Xu Nian shot back.
“She is…” Xiao Yi’an frowned, “she’s the most important person to me right now—my emotional anchor.”
Xu Nian still smiled faintly.
Finally, everything had come out.
It turned out to be an online romance after all.
“I did clear the chat records,” Xu Nian admitted, easing the tension in Xiao Yi’an’s brow.
Sometimes, plain honesty is less convincing than a mixed-in lie.
“But it was just the automatic cleanup after I switched phones. I’ve organized a lot of literary events before, so I probably added her back then. We might have said no more than two sentences. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have forgotten.”
His explanation was a bit abrupt, but just enough for Xiao Yi’an to reluctantly accept.
Because his white moonlight seemed exactly like the kind of person to do such things.
He gave Xu Nian another look but still couldn’t find any clue in his expression.
He believed him.
“Got it. Thanks for your help.”
“No problem, helping classmates is what I do.”
Xu Nian still looked completely unfazed.
“So, when you organized events, have you ever seen her? What does she look like?”
Xiao Yi’an wasn’t about to leave empty-handed. “Or what do you think of her?”
“First, I’ve never met her. Second, I don’t think a few words are enough to judge a person’s character.”
Xu Nian’s answer was airtight.
Xiao Yi’an had no more questions.
He turned his head and saw the easy class teacher staring hard at both of them.
After ending the conversation, Xu Nian started flipping through a book out of boredom.
He hadn’t helped Xiao Yi’an uncover his white moonlight’s true identity.
Without knowing anything, he calmly endured Xiao Yi’an’s questions and steered the situation in his own favor.
He protected Ye Qingchang’s secret, even though he didn’t know why she was deceiving Xiao Yi’an—maybe the classic case of someone too ashamed to admit being scammed in an online romance.
But he knew Ye Qingchang was useful for his own plan to win over Yang Shuli, though Xiao Yi’an might not be.
The bell rang. Class was over.
Xiao Yi’an stood up before Xu Nian and left the classroom. He still had the Literary Club activity this afternoon.
I’m starting to wonder what kind of backstory does Xu Nian have
Xu Nian is what Ye Qingchang thought she was.
What a schemer