“Ah… A-Yuan, how did you become so cold! Talking like that just now—you’re not like the shy A-Yuan of the past at all…”
“Spit it out! Was it that man who made you this way?”
The moment they met, the girl pounced forward, grabbing Lin Xinyuan’s hand and shaking it wildly. Her eyes rolled playfully as she teased her with a grin.
“What are you talking about! I… I did not!”
Lin Xinyuan’s face instantly flushed. She gave Li Tang a bashful, annoyed glare and moved to give her a playful swat, but the other girl dodged it nimbly.
“Eee~ missed me!” Seeing that Lin Xinyuan’s first strike didn’t land and that she was preparing for a second attempt, Li Tang quickly scurried behind her boyfriend’s back. She winked mischievously. “I wonder who moved so fast they already took a man home to meet the parents? Is someone going to be kidnapped into another family’s house next?”
“Ugh… I said stop talking nonsense!”
Lin Xinyuan couldn’t help but let out an embarrassed whimper. Her almond eyes darted around uncontrollably, only to find several students with suitcases looking their way. Swept up in a mix of shame and fear, she turned around to flee.
Stinky A-Tang… there are so many people here… why would you say things like that…
At that thought, her pace quickened. It was only when Li Tang hurried over to grab her that she was prevented from leaving entirely.
“A-Yuan, I was wrong!”
As the saying goes, one takes the color of one’s company. Having known the girl for quite some time, Li Tang was well-versed in the “art of the sliding kneel.” She immediately offered a very “sincere” apology.
“A-Tang shouldn’t have said that to A-Yuan. Please forgive me… okay?”
The girl’s tone was pitiful, and if it weren’t for the irrepressible spark of laughter in her eyes, Lin Xinyuan might have actually believed her. However, she didn’t say much in the end, simply giving Li Tang’s head a light pat as a minor punishment before letting it go. “Hmph…”
“Hehe, I knew A-Yuan was the best!”
Zeng Yan, who had been standing to the side quietly watching the two girls play, had noticed from the start that the change in the girl was particularly significant. Just a few months ago, she had been timid and gloomy; now, she was much more cheerful and could even handle jokes.
This made Zeng Yan curious about how that guy had pulled it off… he really had some tricks up his sleeve.
While he was lost in thought, he heard Li Tang’s voice and felt a bit helpless. “What about me?”
“Brother Yan is the best in the world, of course!”
Li Tang immediately provided her boyfriend with maximum emotional value. But at this, the girl mumbled with slight dissatisfaction, “Then what does my ‘best’ count as…”
Seeing the two of them eyeing her, Li Tang’s mind raced. She wasn’t foolish enough to say something like “there are levels to being the best.” Instead, she put on a solemn face. “Aren’t ‘the best’ and ‘number one’ two different terms?”
When she saw Lin Xinyuan nod, her serious facade instantly cracked into a grin. “So you see, they are different kinds of ‘best.’ Both are very unique!”
Lin Xinyuan gave her a wordless, exasperated look. “…”
Along the way, the three of them chatted occasionally as they headed toward the dormitory building. Since it was crowded outside and still somewhat risky, they didn’t want to linger too long.
Soon, they reached the girls’ dormitory where Lin Xinyuan lived.
Speaking of which, it was quite a saga… A few days after Lin Xinyuan had gone home early last semester, a fierce dispute broke out in Li Tang’s dorm. Because Li Tang couldn’t stand her original roommates anymore, she moved out and rented an apartment. But then the “current situation” happened, forcing her to move back onto campus for the new semester.
Fortunately, her landlord was a very kind person who understood the situation and readily refunded the remaining rent, so she didn’t suffer any financial loss. According to what Lin Xinyuan knew, Li Tang’s new dorm was in the same building as hers, which would make visiting each other much more convenient.
Zeng Yan didn’t follow them inside. He said his temporary goodbyes and headed to his own dorm. This was mainly because the school had restricted entry to dorms starting today; unlike the first day when there were fewer people, they were now preventing crowds from gathering. Besides, Zeng Yan felt it would be too presumptuous to go—he didn’t want to feel like a creep.
“A-Tang, which floor is your dorm on?”
Lin Xinyuan helped pull a small suitcase as they arrived at the elevator, asking the girl beside her curiously. Li Tang had only mentioned they were in the same building but hadn’t specified the floor.
“I’m on the fifth floor~” Li Tang replied cheerfully, but she didn’t give a specific room number, offering only a mysterious smile.
Lin Xinyuan was genuinely happy, not prying further, assuming Li Tang might be right next door. Either way, seeing each other would be much easier than before.
The elevator was packed. Although they were among the first to wait, a crowd had gathered behind them. Everyone had large bags and small boxes; the ride was anything but comfortable.
When they reached the fifth floor and stepped out, Li Tang immediately entered “rant mode.”
“I am so done with the guy standing in front of me… He kept backing into me, and his suitcase wheels rolled right over my shoe!”
Li Tang looked at the tip of her shoe, utterly speechless. Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan looked down and saw a prominent black smudge on the tip of the white sneaker. More absurdly, it looked wet, making it especially eyesore-inducing.
“Ugh… these shoes are a nightmare to wash when they get wet!” Li Tang observed closer, realizing the grime was indeed damp. Her frustration grew. “Did that guy drop his suitcase in a ditch or something?”
“Pfft…”
Lin Xinyuan couldn’t help it; a light laugh escaped her lips. Since they were standing close, Li Tang heard it instantly. She shot her a “dead-fish eye” stare. “A-Yuan…”
“Wh-what…”
Lin Xinyuan caught herself and tried to put on a neutral expression, but her eyes were still brimming with amusement. It was a classic case of the tables turning—now it was her turn to laugh at Li Tang.
“Hmph, whatever…” Li Tang huffed, but then a flash of mischief crossed her eyes. As if hit by a sudden inspiration, her “inner devil” took over. “Hey, by the way, A-Yuan.”
“Mhm?”
Li Tang let out a giggle, her words dropping like a bombshell. “Have you and the Great Ladykiller Qin done it yet? Was it interesting? Tell me the details so I can use them as a reference!”
The girl widened her eyes with a look of pure “innocence,” tilting her head as she stared at Lin Xinyuan. She knew this was the one thing Lin Xinyuan couldn’t handle—she was going to die of embarrassment!
Sure enough, as soon as the words left her mouth, the girl felt like she’d been struck by lightning. Her pace slowed to a crawl. In an instant, her fair little face felt like it was being scorched by fire, and her petite body began to tremble involuntarily.
She darted her eyes around in a panicked frenzy, only relaxing slightly when she saw no one was nearby. Even so, the bashfulness flooding her mind made her head spin.
“You…” Lin Xinyuan looked at the grinning girl in disbelief, her emotions beyond words. She turned and fled in a fit of shy rage. “Ugh… Stinky A-Tang!”
Watching the girl’s graceful figure retreat in a panic, a look of satisfaction appeared on Li Tang’s cute face. She nodded and muttered to herself, “Now that’s more like it…”
She quickly grabbed her luggage and chased after her, calling out, “Hey, wait for me!”