Xu Xiuwen was stunned.
From the moment the other party mentioned his name and phone number, he knew he hadn't dialed the wrong number.
Which made it all the more strange.
Cheng Lu and Tang Weiwei had both already gone home.
So, how could he still have a girlfriend?
Xu Xiuwen thought of a possibility.
That maybe a girl who secretly liked him at school had gotten drunk and was talking nonsense.
This seemed quite plausible.
After all, his novel's comment section was full of female fans calling him "husband."
Xu Xiuwen didn't want to bother with an unfamiliar girl, so he put down his phone, poured some hot water into a basin, and started soaking his feet.
Soaking his feet on a snowy day felt quite pleasant.
But as he soaked, Xu Xiuwen became increasingly distracted.
He couldn't help but think back to the phone call. Knowing a girl was out there, drunk so late at night, made him uneasy.
Even though he didn't know her, they were schoolmates after all.
If she got drunk and encountered someone with bad intentions, leading to something unfortunate, he'd feel a pang of guilt.
Xu Xiuwen sighed.
Just to ease his conscience, he decided to go check it out.
Xu Xiuwen grabbed a towel, dried his feet, quickly put on his socks and shoes, and rushed out of his dorm without even emptying the foot basin.
He knew the location of Hongxing Restaurant, having dined there just last night.
Upon arriving at the restaurant's entrance, he headed straight to the cashier's desk.
A middle-aged man stood behind the counter.
Xu Xiuwen guessed he must be the one who called, and asked, "Hello, I'm Xu Xiuwen. Did you call me earlier?"
The man, busy arranging items on the counter, looked up and couldn't help but reprimand him, "You're really an irresponsible boyfriend, letting your girlfriend drink alone late at night. Aren't you worried something might happen to her?"
Xu Xiuwen was taken aback by the direct scolding.
The man, thinking Xu Xiuwen had realized his mistake, continued, "Young people like you, having little arguments is normal. As a guy, you should be more forgiving and considerate."
Xu Xiuwen was speechless but didn't bother explaining. Instead, he asked, "Where is she?"
The middle-aged man pointed in a direction within the lobby, "Over there."
Following his direction, Xu Xiuwen saw the back of a girl.
The back looked familiar.
Xu Xiuwen quickly walked over.
The girl wore a light pink down jacket and black jeans.
Before he saw her face, the sight of the jacket alone made him pause.
That was Cheng Lu's jacket, wasn't it?
Xu Xiuwen knew Cheng Lu's wardrobe well, having spent a lot of time with her recently.
Cheng Lu had three down jackets: light pink, white, and lake green.
This light pink one was definitely Cheng Lu's.
But why would Cheng Lu be here? Hadn't she gone home?
Xu Xiuwen was extremely surprised and puzzled.
He quickly walked around to face 'Cheng Lu' and was stunned.
It wasn't Cheng Lu!
It was An Shishi!
Xu Xiuwen had thought An Shishi had left, so he was shocked to see her still at school.
Even more surprising was her wearing Cheng Lu's clothes.
Xu Xiuwen didn't know what An Shishi was up to.
But it made sense.
As Cheng Lu's roommate, An Shishi had access to her clothes.
An Shishi lay slumped over the table, drunk, with a glass clutched in her hand.
Xu Xiuwen noticed a nearly empty bottle of baijiu on the table.
He couldn't help but think, did she drink the entire bottle herself?
No wonder she was drunk here.
Despite having many questions, he knew he couldn't get any answers until she sobered up.
"An Shishi!"
Xu Xiuwen called her name twice.
An Shishi, hearing him, opened her bleary eyes and, upon seeing him, giggled, "Master, you're here?"
Seeing she recognized him, Xu Xiuwen asked, "Why didn't you go home? Why are you drinking so much alone?"
An Shishi didn't answer, instead raising her glass and laughing, "Master, drink!"
Xu Xiuwen was at a loss.
Realizing she wasn't in her right mind, he sighed, wiped her face with a tissue, and said, "Shishi, I'll take you back to the dorm."
An Shishi giggled, "Okay, Master."
Xu Xiuwen moved beside her, lifted her right arm over his shoulder, wrapped his left arm around her waist, and helped her up.
He guided her out of the restaurant, but just as they reached the door, the owner called out, "Young man, you haven't paid yet!"
Xu Xiuwen glared at An Shishi, then reluctantly pulled out his wallet to settle the bill.
Leaving the restaurant, Xu Xiuwen headed towards Jiaotong University.
An Shishi alternated between giggling and babbling.
Xu Xiuwen listened closely to her mutterings, "Master, you're so handsome!"
"Master, I miss you so much!"
…
Almost every sentence included the word "Master."
Some of her words made Xu Xiuwen blush.
He glanced at An Shishi, wondering, how did this seemingly innocent apprentice know so much?
Entering Jiaotong University, the campus was eerily quiet.
Thankfully, the streetlights were bright, or the deserted campus, blanketed in snow, would have been quite spooky.
As they approached the girls' dormitory, the cold wind seemed to have sobered An Shishi up a bit.
She looked at Xu Xiuwen, surprised, "Master, why are you here?"
Xu Xiuwen, annoyed, replied, "What do you think? If you hadn't gotten drunk, would I be here?"
An Shishi, now clearer-headed, immediately apologized, "Sorry, Master, I didn't mean to get drunk."
She tried to stand on her own, "Master, you don't need to support me. I can walk."
Xu Xiuwen cautiously let go, keeping a hand ready to catch her.
The moment he did, An Shishi wobbled and nearly fell.
Xu Xiuwen quickly grabbed her to prevent her from hitting the ground.
"Forget it, I'll keep holding you."
An Shishi didn't insist on walking by herself, apologizing again, "Sorry, Master."
Xu Xiuwen still had many questions for An Shishi, but as they arrived at the dorm, he decided to hold off on them.
He explained the situation to the dorm supervisor and asked her to help take An Shishi upstairs.
The dorm supervisor, different from the previous one, was kind and immediately agreed.
But just as Xu Xiuwen handed An Shishi over, she started struggling.