"Xilai, how did you meet Jiang Fengcheng?"
"Honestly, what's it like to have someone like him as your boyfriend?"
"He's so tall; isn't it exhausting to talk to him?"
"By the way, that Lin Tuo on the swim team is super handsome too! No wonder they're called the male model squad."
"Our school's swim team lives up to its name. The shortest is 185 cm, but they're always training, so we never get a chance to talk to them..."
Monday at noon, after the New Media class, a group of girls walked together to the cafeteria.
Song Xilai, stuck in the middle of them, blushed and smiled faintly whenever someone asked her about Jiang Fengcheng. She played the part of a shy girl, lowering her head and keeping her answers ambiguous—neither confirming nor denying anything.
Whenever she could, she'd steer the conversation elsewhere. Eventually, the group lost interest after getting no juicy gossip despite repeated attempts.
Except for Li Junqi, who clung to Song Xilai's arm on the way to the cafeteria, pestering her, "By the way, the swim team has a competition in November, right? Can you get me a ticket? I really want to see Liu Tuo."
When Song Xilai didn't answer, Li Junqi whined dramatically, hanging off her arm. "Please, Xilai! My future happiness depends on you!"
Song Xilai rolled her eyes and, unable to resist a retort, muttered, "You're just after his body. Do you even know his personality? Are we talking lifelong happiness or just momentary satisfaction?"
Li Junqi giggled mischievously, dragging out her response, "Aren't you the one living the dream right now? The whole school knows about you and Jiang Fengcheng. You're so lucky!"
Song Xilai was about to fire back when a tall figure emerged from the cafeteria's side entrance.
Jiang Fengcheng was wearing a gray designer jacket and black shorts, with a black backpack slung casually over one shoulder. His sharp, aloof features gave him an air of arrogance and cool indifference.
Song Xilai's internal alarms went off.
Oh no! How did I run into him again in just a few days?!
Her classmates were still there. If Jiang Fengcheng exposed that they barely knew each other and everything she said was a lie, her social life would be over.
Avoiding direct interaction was crucial. After a month, the rumors would die out on their own without fresh fuel.
But for now, she needed to make sure her classmates didn't notice Jiang Fengcheng. And, naturally, it was best if she pretended not to see him at all.
Song Xilai quickly pulled out her phone and exclaimed loudly, "Wow! Rexi's having a sale for National Day! Let's go check it out!"
Sure enough, the girls' attention shifted as they crowded around her, looking at her phone screen.
"Sounds good! I'm not going home for the holiday."
"Buy-one-get-one on cocktails? I'm in!"
"They even have herbal cocktails. Wonder what those taste like?"
...
As Jiang Fengcheng got closer, Song Xilai's heart raced. She bit her lip nervously, keeping her head down and her presence as low as possible.
Even though she avoided looking directly at him, her peripheral vision caught a pair of long, lean legs heading her way. He wore black-and-white Off-White sneakers, and his stride was strong and sleek, reminding her of a hunting panther—powerful and graceful.
When he was just a meter away, about to brush past her, Song Xilai lowered her head even further and held her breath.
A faint chuckle reached her ears—low, teasing, and laced with mischief.
Jiang Fengcheng's hooded eyes glanced down at the girl pretending to be engrossed in her phone. Her dark chestnut curls were styled into a half-bun, and the sunlight made her hair look fluffy. She wore dainty six-pointed star earrings, and her ears were bright red.
She was like a nervous little rabbit, trying her best to avoid the predator's gaze.
But the foolish rabbit didn't realize that the more she tried to hide, the more she stirred the predator's hunting instincts—the urge to devour her whole.
Jiang Fengcheng's gaze darkened slightly, though a faint smile tugged at his lips. The predator was patient, even if famished.
Amused, he strode past without a word.
As the faint scent of lemon and mint faded, Song Xilai unclenched her fists, wiped the cold sweat from her brow, and entered the cafeteria with her classmates.
While eating, her phone buzzed with a message from Jiang Fengcheng.
Jiang Fengcheng: [Looks like you're feeling better.]
Song Xilai froze, nearly choking on her soup.
Wait... Did he see me earlier?!
Maintaining her facade as a fangirl, she sent a playful sticker of Loopy the bear and typed:
[That's right, I'm all better now! How did you know? Did you see me? Why didn't you say hi? I'm so heartbroken!]
Jiang Fengcheng: [I can make up for it tonight.]
Song Xilai hesitated, biting her spoon before typing back quickly:
[Not tonight. I need to focus on studying.]
Jiang Fengcheng: [Oh.]
Song Xilai's eyes sparkled with mischief as she typed:
[Maybe we should just delete each other.]
Jiang Fengcheng: [Didn't you say I'm your ideal type? Why delete me?]
[Precisely because you're my ideal type! As a strong, independent modern woman, I refuse to be ruled by my feelings!]
[Hehe~]
Jiang Fengcheng put down his phone, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The foolish rabbit had a bit of cunning—but not much.
That afternoon, back in her dorm room, Song Xilai suddenly remembered that she had signed up to volunteer at the basketball game that evening.
The night featured a friendly match between University A and the neighboring vocational school, and Xu Huai would be playing. She had volunteered, of course, because of Xu Huai.
But now, Song Xilai wasn't so eager to see him.
Maybe she had realized her feelings were changing, or maybe she finally understood that Xu Huai was just a block of ice that couldn't be warmed no matter how much effort she put in.
She felt like she had been chasing Xu Huai for ages. The past five years of memories seemed shrouded in a hazy mist, making them hard to see clearly.
However, the senior organizing the volunteers had already created a group chat, and Song Xilai didn't want to flake out.
At 7:30 p.m., Song Xilai arrived punctually at the basketball gym.
Before heading out, she noticed there was still a bottle of S.Pellegrino sparkling water in the dorm—a brand Xu Huai liked. It could only be found at a nearby import store and cost over 30 yuan a bottle, which was quite pricey.
Since she didn't like sparkling water herself, she brought it along, thinking it shouldn't go to waste.
At 7:45, the basketball teams from University A and the vocational school started entering the court.
Song Xilai was assigned to work in the stands this time. If it had been in the past, she would have tried to switch roles with someone on the court. But today, she was happy to keep her distance.
From afar, she saw Xu Huai enter. He was wearing a white basketball uniform and a bright red headband. Despite the vibrant look, his deep-set eyes exuded a cold aloofness that pushed people away.
For some reason, Song Xilai felt like Xu Huai seemed different today, as if a heavy cloud hung over him.
Before the game began, Xu Huai's gaze swept the stands and accidentally met Song Xilai's eyes.
Out of habit, she smiled at him and waved.
She wore a red volunteer uniform, her lips glossed with a shiny sakura pink tint. Her eyes were as bright as ever, and her complexion was rosier than usual, looking quite radiant.
It seemed like life was treating her well.
Xu Huai shifted his gaze away without a word, the air around him growing colder.
He ignored her, leaving Song Xilai to awkwardly lower her hand and clasp it behind her back.
What the heck?! Why was I ever so love-struck as to chase after such a cold and indifferent guy?
Xu Huai had made his disinterest painfully clear, yet she'd still deluded herself into thinking there was a chance.
Song Xilai wished she could crack open her brain and drain out those five years of foolish infatuation.
The only saving grace was that, since Xu Huai had always avoided her, her feelings for him hadn't become common knowledge. Only a few close friends knew.
To everyone else, they were just old high school classmates who had gotten into the same university and were relatively friendly.
The sharp whistle blew, signaling the start of the first half. The game quickly became intense.
Xu Huai played aggressively, breaking through the opposing team's tight defense. As he ran at full speed, the red headband accentuated the striking, cold handsomeness of his features.
Whether intentionally or not, it was the first time Xu Huai lifted his jersey on the court to wipe his sweat, revealing his lean, toned abs.
This hormone-charged move sent the girls in the audience into a frenzy of screams.
By the end of the first half, University A held a slim lead over the vocational school.
During halftime, a senior patted Song Xilai on the shoulder. "Xilai, you've been standing for a while. Want to take a break?"
After thanking the senior, Song Xilai grabbed the sparkling water she had brought and squeezed through the crowd to the court.
She walked toward Xu Huai, who was sitting on the bench, lazily resting with one leg bent as he wiped his sweat with a towel.
Before she could reach him, someone else beat her to it.
Cai Wenwen, in a white mini-skirt, handed Xu Huai a bottle of water and asked softly, "Senior, would you like some water?"
Song Xilai stopped in her tracks.
Xu Huai put down his towel and glanced at Cai Wenwen, his gaze quickly shifting to where Song Xilai stood a few meters away.
She was wearing her red volunteer uniform, holding a green glass bottle, her pale pink lips pressed together, her expression devoid of its usual smile.
Xu Huai stood up and took the water from Cai Wenwen. In a low voice, he said, "Thanks."
Cai Wenwen was overjoyed—it was the first time Xu Huai had accepted water from her. "Senior, you played so well today!"
Xu Huai nodded slightly but cast another cool glance at Song Xilai. Under her gaze, he opened the bottle and took a sip.
Song Xilai stood frozen, her brows furrowing as the color drained from her face.
Her heart ached—more for her wallet than anything else.
So, Xu Huai actually drinks this plain 3-yuan bottled water?
And all those 30-yuan bottles I bought before—who's going to reimburse me for that?!
Thinking about the money she had wasted, Song Xilai felt utterly defeated and swore never to spend a dime on a man again.
Sighing, she turned to leave. Not wanting to waste the sparkling water, she opened the bottle and took a sip—only for her expression to sour further.
How is this any different from the cheap stuff?!
Unable to drink it, she placed the half-full bottle on the ground, figuring the cleaning staff would pick it up later.
During the second half, Song Xilai barely paid attention. Her empty stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten dinner.
When the final whistle blew, University A had won. After returning her volunteer uniform, Song Xilai grabbed her bag and headed to a skewer stall near the school gate with two roommates for a late-night snack.
She left the gym in such a rush that her figure quickly vanished from sight.
Kong Huizhou patted Xu Huai on the shoulder. "Xilai really cares about you. Why are you being so difficult with her? She's probably hiding somewhere crying right now. Sigh..."
Xu Huai brushed off Kong Huizhou's hand, his tone cold and laced with an inexplicable frustration. "She's better off not bothering me. It's quieter this way."
Kong Huizhou sighed, feeling sorry for Song Xilai for a few seconds.
Just then, the cleaning lady arrived to collect the bottles. Kong Huizhou called out, "Ma'am, we've got some bottles over here."
The cleaning lady dragged a trash bag over, tossing the bottles inside.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Huai spotted a familiar green bottle. He froze slightly and called out, "Wait a moment."
The cleaning lady stopped. "What is it?"
Xu Huai walked over, frowning as he pointed at the green bottle in the trash bag. "That's mine."
The cleaning lady pointed to another area. "I picked that up over there."
Kong Huizhou said, "It's already in the trash. It's dirty. Just buy a new one."
Ignoring him, Xu Huai stepped forward, pulled the bottle out of the bag, wiped it on his shirt, and unscrewed the cap to take a drink.
The cleaning lady: "..."
Kong Huizhou was dumbfounded.
Yue… the campus heartthrob, renowned for his aloof demeanor, was drinking trash-pick sparkling water!