It took a while for Jiang Fengcheng to reply to the WeChat message.
Song Xilai smugly curled her lips.
Although this tactic was a bit mean, it was particularly effective. Jiang Fengcheng probably wouldn't want to talk to her again. In fact, he might even avoid her when he sees her. Don't ask her how she knew.
Previously, Xu Huai was scared off by her unreserved enthusiasm, and for a long time after, he avoided her.
So later on, Song Xilai became much more reserved when dealing with Xu Huai and never dared to speak carelessly, no longer teasing him at will.
Song Xilai hummed a tune as she leisurely took a shower and blow-dried her hair.
Before she knew it, it was already midnight.
Chen Qingyan and Fang Xiaoting had climbed into their respective beds, and the lights in the dormitory had been turned off.
As Song Xilai was about to climb into bed, she unplugged her charging phone and noticed several unread messages on WeChat.
Jiang Fengcheng: [Do you really want it?]
After seeing that she hadn't replied for half an hour, Jiang Fengcheng sent another message: [Seems like you were lying to me.]
Song Xilai continued scrolling down and froze when she saw Jiang Fengcheng's last message. She felt a bit angry and a little embarrassed.
Jiang Fengcheng: [As expected, the prettier the woman, the better they are at lying.]
Although many people had told Song Xilai that she was pretty, hearing this from Jiang Fengcheng felt completely different.
She couldn't help but recall when they were having late-night snacks, and he had leaned in close to her ear to speak. His voice was deep and magnetic, slightly raspy, with a faint lemon-mint scent. If she turned her head slightly, she could see his Adam's apple, hard as an ice cube, moving up and down with his speech.
There was also a small brown mole above his Adam's apple.
Why did it have to be there?
It shouldn't have been there.
She really wanted to just pick it off!
Suddenly realizing what she was thinking, Song Xilai's face heated up.
She slapped her forehead in frustration.
Having learned from the painful experience with Xu Huai, Song Xilai no longer wanted to be a "face dog."
A man's looks weren't something to be taken for granted; they required money, time, and effort.
And right now, she didn't have any of those three things, and even if she did, she didn't want to give them away casually.
Moreover, judging from Jiang Fengcheng's way of chatting, he was probably a "central air-conditioning" type of guy, a sea king. Anyone who took his words seriously must be a fool.
Song Xilai set her phone to "Do Not Disturb" mode and climbed into bed to sleep.
The Next Day
It was Monday. From 9 to 12, she had a professional class.
Song Xilai accidentally woke up late today, so she didn't go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Instead, she bought a sandwich and chocolate milk from the convenience store and brought it to class.
On the way, she intentionally walked faster, so she arrived at the classroom at 8:40.
With 20 minutes until class started, Song Xilai chose a seat by the window, sat down, and ate her breakfast while browsing her phone.
She had missed replying to Jiang Fengcheng's WeChat message last night, but she didn't expect that at 7:30 this morning, he had sent her a photo.
It was a picture of the swimming pool. A's swimming pool was famous across the university city and even nationwide, with many students from other schools coming to A University to swim.
The pool looked beautiful in the morning. The sunlight streamed through the glass windows, casting a shimmering pattern on the water.
Jiang Fengcheng had only sent her one sentence: [Morning training.]
What was he telling her this for? Was he sending it because she didn't reply last night, thinking she hadn't seen it?
Song Xilai replied: [Good morning~]
Two minutes later, her phone vibrated again.
Jiang Fengcheng: [What are you doing?]
Song Xilai:
If the first message with the swimming pool photo was because she hadn't replied to him last night, then now that she had said "Good morning," it was reasonable to expect him to simply reply with "Good morning" or just end the conversation with an emoji.
But Jiang Fengcheng actually threw her another question, clearly trying to keep the conversation going.
Could it be that he really wanted to "catch" her?
Song Xilai furrowed her brow. She decided to fully embrace her gift for absurd, random humor and shut down this conversation early.
Rich Aunt: [Typing, breathing, and waiting for a handsome guy to ask me to drive a tractor together.]
Jiang Fengcheng: [?]
Rich Aunt: [Actually, I don't have money for food. I'm picking up trash to eat. Want to join?]
Jiang Fengcheng: [No need to eat trash. I'll treat you to a meal.]
Song Xilai's heart skipped a beat.
A sea king is truly a sea king; he can keep a conversation going no matter what!
Song Xilai had never lost in a battle of words, but when she met a real expert, she couldn't help but become a little more honest.
Rich Aunt: [Hehe, just kidding. I'm getting ready for class.]
Jiang Fengcheng: [Class until noon?]
Rich Aunt: [Yes.]
Song Xilai didn't expect that as soon as class ended at noon, Jiang Fengcheng would send her another message.
Jiang Fengcheng: [I'll give you the competition tickets after class.]
Rich Aunt: [Now? How about this afternoon?]
Jiang Fengcheng: [Afternoon won't work. I have training at 2 PM.]
Jiang Fengcheng sent her a location—it was at a restaurant called "Cloudside Bistro" near the school.
The walk from the teaching building to Cloudside Bistro was a bit of a distance. Just as Song Xilai left Building Three, it suddenly began to rain.
The drizzle quickly turned into heavier drops. A gust of autumn wind swept by, and it felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees in just a few hours.
Song Xilai only had a small, delicate sun umbrella in her bag. Bracing herself, she opened the tiny umbrella and quickened her pace.
She was wearing a flowing midi skirt and white sneakers.
The umbrella was quite small, and after just a few steps, the hem of her skirt was already sprinkled with rain.
Left with no choice, Song Xilai held the umbrella in her left hand and lifted her skirt to her knees with her right, exposing her entire calves.
This way, her skirt wouldn't get wet as easily, but her pace inevitably slowed.
Strolling leisurely toward the school gate, she took the opportunity to admire A University's rainy scenery.
The campus was shrouded in a veil of misty rain. The fine, dense raindrops resembled soft threads, and the moist air, laden with water droplets, brushed against her face, refreshing and invigorating.
Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed a tall, striking figure at the school gate walking quickly in her direction.
Why was Jiang Fengcheng here?
Song Xilai thought she was seeing things and blinked in surprise.
The young man was dressed in an oversized denim jacket and washed utility pants, wearing a black bucket hat and holding a large, transparent umbrella.
His street-style outfit immediately highlighted his sharp jawline, which stood out against his broad shoulders.
"Weren't you supposed to wait at the restaurant? Why are you here?"
Jiang Fengcheng approached her, holding the large transparent umbrella over her head. His expression was neutral as he said, "It's raining."
"Your umbrella is too small. Put it away."
His tone left no room for argument, and Song Xilai was momentarily stunned before obediently putting away her small sun umbrella.
The transparent umbrella now comfortably shielded them both.
Standing under the umbrella, Song Xilai found herself enveloped in the shadow of Jiang Fengcheng's tall figure. His eyes were slightly downcast, and his gaze seemed sharper than usual.
Up close, the height difference between them was even more pronounced, and his imposing stature brought a sense of pressure.
Song Xilai could only look straight at his chest. Under the jacket, he wore a black T-shirt that hinted at the shape of his broad, firm chest—a strong, masculine aura exuding from him.
A vague sense of unease rose in her heart, making her hesitate and almost want to step back.
As if sensing her discomfort, Jiang Fengcheng subtly took a step back, creating a more comfortable distance. He then tilted the umbrella slightly closer to her.
Holding the umbrella with one hand and keeping the other in his pocket, he said in a calm voice, "Let's go."
"Oh..."
They walked together under the same umbrella. Thanks to its size, Song Xilai no longer had to hold up her skirt. She let it fall back down, the fabric draping smoothly to her ankles.
She walked beside Jiang Fengcheng, whose long strides made her own steps seem short in comparison.
For every one of his steps, she had to take two.
She could tell that Jiang Fengcheng was deliberately slowing his pace to match hers.
Song Xilai wrinkled her nose, feeling an indescribable awkwardness in her heart.
She didn't expect this guy to have such gentlemanly manners...
Because of their height difference, Jiang Fengcheng's umbrella-holding posture looked somewhat uncomfortable.
His gaze swept over the side of her head.
Today, Song Xilai had styled her hair differently—a loose, low ponytail tied with a pearl-colored satin ribbon, with the ends of her slightly curled hair resting on one side. It revealed her delicate, pink-tinted ear tips and a small bee-shaped earring dangling from her earlobe.
She looked so well-behaved, completely different from the sharp-tongued girl she appeared to be on WeChat.
Jiang Fengcheng's lips curved faintly, a trace of amusement glinting in his eyes.
When they reached the school gate, Song Xilai remembered she was here to pick up tickets. She looked up and asked, "Where are the tickets?"
"In the restaurant," Jiang Fengcheng replied.
Song Xilai was speechless. "You came all the way out here—why didn't you just bring them to me?"
She was starving, and if she got to the cafeteria late, her favorite spicy stir-fried pork would definitely be sold out.
"Sorry, I forgot," Jiang Fengcheng said nonchalantly.
"..."
With no other choice, Song Xilai followed Jiang Fengcheng to Cloudside Bistro. She hadn't been to this restaurant before; it must have opened over the summer. The decor was minimalist and sophisticated, with a dark color palette and a faint scent of gardenia lingering in the air.
Jiang Fengcheng folded the large transparent umbrella and placed it in the stand by the door before leading Song Xilai inside.
It was then that Song Xilai noticed the right shoulder of his jacket was damp. Looking down at her own skirt, she realized it was completely dry.
They made their way to a booth at the back, where Liu Tuo was immersed in a game on his phone. When he saw them, he looked up and greeted them.
"Um, the tickets?" Song Xilai asked.
Jiang Fengcheng handed her a few tickets.
Song Xilai accepted them with a smile. "Wow, thanks, Captain Jiang! I'll make sure to pass these on to them. I'll be off now."
Just as she turned to leave, Jiang Fengcheng grabbed her wrist.
Startled, Song Xilai turned back, and Jiang Fengcheng seemed to realize the action was a bit inappropriate. He quickly let go and instead invited her, "Sit down and eat with us."
Song Xilai waved her hand. "No need. There's a feast waiting for me in the cafeteria."
Jiang Fengcheng raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you were broke and had to scavenge for food?"
"..."
Flustered by his remark, Song Xilai's gaze drifted to the table in front of Liu Tuo. It was laden with dishes—braised beef ribs, char siu, roast pigeon—all of which looked delicious and mouthwatering.
Damn it, they were all her favorites!
Sensing the situation, Liu Tuo chimed in at just the right moment. "One of our teammates canceled last minute, so we ordered too much food."
Although she wanted to stay for the food, Song Xilai hesitated, crossing her hands in front of her as she pretended to decline. "This doesn't seem right..."
"What's wrong with it? It'd be a waste if we don't finish," Liu Tuo said. Of course, as an athlete undergoing intense training daily, he could easily eat two tables' worth of food. But seeing how obvious Jiang Fengcheng's intentions were, Liu Tuo decided to play wingman.
Song Xilai's sharp eyes scanned the booth's surroundings. It was tucked away in a corner, out of sight from other diners.
That was perfect. She didn't want to accidentally become the center of another hot topic.
As Song Xilai wavered, the heavens seemed to intervene. A thunderclap boomed, and a torrential downpour replaced the drizzle.
Left with no other option, Song Xilai sat down with a look that said, "Oh well, it's raining so heavily, what can I do?"
"Since Captain Jiang insists, I won't stand on ceremony," she said, scooping up a spoonful of braised beef ribs and rice, savoring it with delight.
Jiang Fengcheng chuckled lowly. "Very nice."
"Nice? What's nice?" Song Xilai asked, her mouth full.
"Nothing," Jiang Fengcheng replied easily. "I just think girls who enjoy their food are extra charming."
He's insane, Song Xilai thought, stunned.
Who would've thought that all her years of abstract humor couldn't compete with Jiang Fengcheng's natural talent?