Under the surprised gaze of the passenger across from me, I sat up straight with perfect composure and calmly lowered the volume on my phone, turning Yan Dong’s furious stream of profanity into fitting background noise for the subway ride.
“Young Master, please calm down. I only said all that for your own good. Don’t you always say we’re a close master-servant pair?”
“60″”
As expected, right after I sent the message, Yan Dong replied with a voice message that I didn’t even need to tap—I already knew what it was.
This feeling of pissing him off from a distance was honestly even more satisfying than when I “accidentally” overwrote his game save last week.
So now the time he wasted of mine this morning was officially paid back in full.
Just thinking about the ridiculous, defeated expression on his face on the other end of the phone instantly brightened my mood.
Even the screeching metal of the subway on the tracks began to sound a bit pleasant.
I got back to the university just in time to catch the tail end of lunch.
After grabbing a quick bite, I rushed toward the large lecture hall in the Fourth Teaching Building to make it to class.
But just as I reached the entrance of the lecture hall, I ran into Zhao Qinghe, also hurrying over with books in her arms.
The events of last night were still fresh in my mind, and I hesitated a bit, unsure whether I should greet her.
But remembering the way she looked like she wanted to say something as we parted yesterday, I ended up putting on a friendly smile anyway.
“Class monitor.”
Zhao Qinghe visibly froze when I called out to her.
There was a strange flicker of unease and guilt in her eyes when she looked at me.
“At lunch.”
I hadn’t even finished my sentence when she lowered her head and hurried into the lecture hall as if avoiding the plague, leaving behind only the trailing whisper of my unfinished words, “—time…”
I could more or less understand how she felt, but still, being ignored after sticking your neck out for someone doesn’t exactly feel great.
I had gone a little overboard arguing with Yan Dong last night.
If I get a chance, I should properly thank him.
I raised a hand and pulled my scarf up a little to cover the bruises on my neck, which even concealer couldn’t fully hide, and walked into the classroom.
The university lecture hall was comfortably heated, to the point of making people drowsy.
I had just taken out my Advanced Mathematics book to review during this Modern Chinese History class when I suddenly heard a familiar male voice from the aisle not far off.
“Xia… Xiaxia?”
“Xiao Bai?”
The person greeting me was a slightly chubby guy wearing round glasses, his name was Bai Shuyu.
We were classmates and part-time job buddies for all three years of high school.
Our relationship wasn’t bad, actually, he was probably the closest person I had during that time.
Of course, that was just my personal impression, based mostly on how he always greeted me first.
My brain back then was too full of test prep and money-making to spend time analyzing relationships.
Now that things have settled down, I’ve come to realize that after all those years, aside from a great college entrance exam score, I didn’t gain much else.
“Xiaxia, looks like we’re late—there aren’t many seats left. Mind if I sit next to you?”
“Mm, of course. As long as you don’t mind, Xiao Bai.”
“No, not at all.”
“Then have a seat.”
I gave a light chuckle and deliberately slid my textbook to the side to make some space for him.
As soon as Bai Shuyu sat down, a familiar mint candy scent drifted over.
If I remember right, it was the same brand we used to share between classes back in high school.
He looked a bit stiff, though.
Then again, that’s kind of how I remembered him.
Or maybe it was the way I was dressed now that made him uneasy.
Ever since Bai Shuyu sat down, he kept sneaking glances my way, making it impossible for me to concentrate on my advanced math.
“Xiao Bai, is there something on my face?”
“Ah—n-no, not at all. I just… just thought you looked really nice dressed like that. And the red hair tie suits you too.”
Now that’s how a normal human talks.
Nothing like that dumbass Yan.
Seeing I didn’t respond and just smiled, Bai Shuyu scratched his head a little awkwardly.
“Did I… say something wrong, Xiaxia?”
“No, I just happened to be thinking about something else.”
I chuckled and shook my head, letting my gaze fall on his slightly chubby face again.
“But really—thank you for the compliment.”
“Y-you’re too kind.”
“Oh right, you and Xiaoyue—”
I deliberately dragged out the last syllable while holding my pen, letting it draw a subtle arc in the air.
Watching his face flush in an instant, I suddenly missed the days when we could throw an arm over each other’s shoulder without thinking twice.
Back then, I was still in a pilled old hoodie, didn’t have to worry about lace bra straps peeking out from a collared shirt, or how close I could sit next to him without making things awkward.
“Xiaoyue? Xiaxia, why’d you suddenly bring her up…”
“Because the two of you are a couple, aren’t you?”
“No, no way. We’re just… just good friends.”
His tone obviously gave something away.
Back in high school, the two of them were always close.
It was clear I’d hit a nerve, and he got a little shy.
After a brief pause, he tried to shift the topic back to me.
“Actually, Xiaxia… what about you and Dong-ge…”
“Yan Dong?”
Just hearing that name made me feel like a chill was seeping in through the classroom windows and sliding down the collar of my blazer.
I instinctively pressed a hand to the creased edge of my suit.
On the podium, the Modern History professor, well into his fifties, was fiddling with the projector, while Bai Shuyu’s voice came in low and deliberate beside me.
“Yeah, Xiaxia… you and Dong-ge…”
Two girls sitting ahead of us, who’d been quietly eavesdropping the whole time, suddenly straightened their backs, clearly thinking some juicy gossip was about to drop.
“Uh, well…”
Bai Shuyu looked visibly excited.
He glanced toward the front at the Marxist Philosophy professor preparing the PowerPoint, then leaned in and muttered softly with his head down.
“So… how far have you two gotten?”
His round glasses slid down to the tip of his nose with his grin, only to be quickly pushed back up with his twitchy index finger.
The tan scarf around his neck bobbed with the motion, reminding me of something from three days ago, when I was wiping the bedroom windows at Yan Dong’s place, and that guy, sprawled in his gaming chair, suddenly muttered, “Pick a new scarf for the one named Bai. Make it tan.”
Thinking back on it now, maybe it wasn’t just a random thought.
Lowering my head, I distractedly scribbled out an Archimedean spiral in the recycled-paper notebook.
The cheap ballpoint pen bled slightly into the page.
“What about me and Yan Dong?”
The ink followed the spiral path outward, expanding slowly—like the pounding in my temple.
“Did you confess?”