Tong Tong burst into the room, shouting, only to find Leaf Xun already asleep. She immediately jumped onto the bed, shaking Leaf Xun who was sound asleep.
"Leaf Xun, wake up quickly! Guess who I bumped into today?"
"Bumped into a ghost, didn't you!" Leaf Xun mumbled sleepily, clutching the pillow tightly, "Tong Tong, please stop, I'm so tired!"
"Leaf Xun, I ran into 'Nanke Yimu' today, for the second time!"
"What 'Nanke Yimu'? Still the 'Black Night Qiancao'!" Leaf Xun murmured in her dreams.
Tong Tong seemed to suddenly realize something. She leaned in close to Leaf Xun's ear and said, "Leaf Xun, could you let me have the identity of 'Black Night Qiancao'? Please!"
"Give it to you... give it to you... all yours!" Leaf Xun muttered, "I just beg you not to disturb me anymore!"
"You wouldn't believe how elegant 'Nanke Yimu' looks. We talked for a whole evening today! It's so coincidental, it must be fate, I feel like no other guy can compare..."
Tong Tong sweetly said, but when she turned around, she found Leaf Xun had already fallen asleep, so she stomped her foot in frustration. But soon she fell back into sweet dreams, as the gentle wind blew, and the wind chimes on the balcony produced crisp sounds...
In the living room, Yang Ke poked his head out from the bathroom to look into the living room, but it was empty. He quickly rinsed the toothpaste foam from his mouth, called out a few times toward the western room, but got no response.
When Yang Ke came out of the bathroom, the phone was still ringing. It had been ringing all morning. Yang Ke called out to Dai Qiang a few more times, but still no answer. He picked up the phone to answer, but hesitated and finally put it back in its place, letting it ring repeatedly.
Leaf Xun held her phone quietly, listening. She had dialed this number many times, but this time was no exception. The system's voice played mercilessly: "The number you dialed is not answering. Please try again later!"
Tong Tong had already gone to the Jiangbei campus for classes this morning and left a note for her:
Leaf Xun:
I can't attend your debate today, I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you later!
Also, you promised to give me the identity of "Black Night Qiancao" last night, so don't go back on your word!
Leaf Xun sighed deeply. Today's debate made her feel a bit lonely. Her two best friends weren't there with her, which made her feel a bit bitter. Leaf Xun packed up her materials, stood in front of the mirror, lifted the corners of her mouth with her fingers, smiled at herself in the mirror, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked out the door.
In the debate arena, Yang Ke glanced at the opponent's position and Leaf Xun was the first to enter his field of vision. He couldn't help but pause, and Leaf Xun was smiling at him at that moment.
The debate ended with Yang Ke's side losing. As they shook hands and left the arena, Leaf Xun kept smiling at Yang Ke.
"I never thought we would meet here again!" Leaf Xun said with a smile as they walked out of the arena, weaving through the gradually thinning crowd.
"Women are no less than men!" Yang Ke reminisced about the match they just had.
"You did well!" Leaf Xun sincerely said, "It was a close match!"
"You're being modest! Every time I encounter you, it's intimidating!" Yang Ke joked.
"Really?" Leaf Xun said, "Then let's have another verbal duel, today it's my treat for dinner!"
"Others say don't pursue a defeated enemy, but you seem to want to finish them off!" Yang Ke made a wry face.
Leaf Xun smiled and said, "I'm just chasing after victory and not seeking fame and fortune!"
As they entered the restaurant, Yang Ke convinced Leaf Xun to let him pay, but he searched through all his pockets and couldn't find his wallet. It was sitting on the table.
"Oops!" Yang Ke muttered, "I forgot to take my wallet when changing clothes!"
Leaf Xun couldn't help but laugh at Yang Ke's embarrassed expression. She paid the bill and quietly said to Yang Ke, "Let me handle it, remember you said 'don't pursue a defeated enemy'? Consider this a consolation prize for you!"
"Sorry, heroes can't even spare a penny!" Yang Ke said shamefully, "I'll definitely pay you back later!"
"Forget it, borrowing money to treat someone?" Leaf Xun said, "It's like offering the tiger a pelt after stealing its skin!"
Yang Ke also laughed and said, "Alright, after dinner, I'll treat you to coffee at my place!"
"Don't you live on campus? I can't go to the boys' dormitory. It's probably just an empty promise again! You don't need to offer me an empty promise to satisfy my hunger!"
"I rent a house off-campus with friends. Don't worry, I'll definitely keep my promise this time!" Yang Ke assured.
Dai Qiang scrolled through messages on his phone, all of them containing apologies and instructions. The more he read, the angrier he became. Out of frustration, he removed the battery from his phone and threw it onto the bed, then went out of the room and climbed onto the rooftop. The bright sunlight shone on the rooftop, with pots of flowers growing robustly. Dai Qiang sat on the railing of the rooftop, beneath which was Yang Ke's balcony. He took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and smoked heavily.
Yang Ke opened the door and entered the living room with Leaf Xun.
"Make yourself comfortable, I'll pour you some water!"
Leaf Xun agreed and wandered around the room. She came to the balcony, looked out, and although there was a constant flow of people downstairs, the bright room was quiet. Leaf Xun sniffed the flowers on the balcony and then gently watered them with a watering can. She never would have imagined that the person she was desperately looking for was sitting on the rooftop above her.
"Here's your coffee!" Yang Ke handed a cup of coffee to Leaf Xun.
"It's very peaceful here!" Leaf Xun said, "It's getting harder and harder to find such a house!"
"It's not bad! It's very suitable for studying for postgraduate entrance examinations!" Yang Ke said, "It's just that the rent is too high. Fortunately, later on, a friend and I rented it together!"
"In that case, this is your stronghold for charging into the next battlefield!"
"You could say that! How about it, does it smell of gunpowder?" Yang Ke said.
"I don't smell gunpowder, but I do feel a warm atmosphere!" Leaf Xun said, pointing to the bedroom to the west, "I'm afraid there's a girl living there! Can this be considered as 'keeping a beautiful woman in a golden house'?"
"I wish!" Yang Ke said without hesitation, "Unfortunately, it's not! Things don't always go as planned!"
"Should I introduce someone to you?" Leaf Xun said teasingly.
"Sure!" Yang Ke said without minding at all. Nowadays, college students often treat sacred love as a joke.
Leaf Xun spun around in the living room, looking at the decorations in the room. Suddenly, she saw the "Vow and Discipline" poster stuck on the wall by Yang Ke, and those characters were particularly eye-catching. "Vow" was about pursuit and desire, while "Discipline" listed things that shouldn't be done in college, including: "1. No smoking; 2. No indoor drinking; 3. No dating in college; ..."
"Hypocritical!" Leaf Xun said, "Didn't you just tell me about your college rules? Isn't this one 'No dating in college'?"
"You're right!" Yang Ke said, "I meant no girlfriend, but I didn't say no female friends!"
"Sophistry!" Leaf Xun said, "Pure sophistry!"
Yang Ke carefully looked at Leaf Xun, who became a bit nervous under his gaze, and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You really look like a friend of mine! If I hadn't seen her with my own eyes, I would have thought you were her!"
"Really? Then just consider me as another version of her! It doesn't violate your principles, does it?" Leaf Xun tapped the "Vow and Discipline" poster.
"Of course not, I'm not looking for a girlfriend!"
"Yang Ke, why do you have so many principles? You're so petty, just like a little girl!"
"Do I?"
"Of course!" Leaf Xun blinked and said, "Yang Ke, be my big sister, since there's no 'Don't be someone's big sister' in your 'discipline'!"
"Okay!" Yang Ke said with a wry smile.
Yang Ke escorted Leaf Xun downstairs, and they bid farewell at the entrance.
"Today's lunch is a bit of a letdown!" Yang Ke said, "I'll definitely make it up to you later!"
"No need!" Leaf Xun said, "But if you really want to make it up, you can. Next Monday is my birthday, so think carefully about it!"
Yang Ke returned to the upstairs and saw Dai Qiang walking into the bedroom, and the bedroom door closed behind him.