Chapter 75: The Fisherman Catches Fish
After finishing her midday radio broadcast, Ruan Yu dozed off right in the broadcasting room. That nap nearly made her late for her afternoon class, but luckily, Jian Xiangxiang's timely phone call woke her up.
The first class in the afternoon was Introduction to Journalism, held in a large lecture hall shared with Class Two.
Large lectures were the easiest to skip, precisely because of that, professors usually took attendance. What was once the safest class had become the most dangerous, leaving everyone on edge. Ironically, attendance rates had actually improved.
Ruan Yu arrived late, and the front rows were already packed. Amid the sea of dark-haired heads, she couldn’t spot Jian Xiangxiang or the others, so she simply chose a seat by the door in the last row.
As soon as she sat down and opened her textbook, she felt someone squeeze in beside her.
The person’s arm pressed against hers without hesitation, closing the distance between them to an intimate degree—one that made Ruan Yu feel invaded.
"Who’s this?" The person plucked a photo from between the pages of her book.
"Classmate—" Ruan Yu started, then froze when she turned and saw who it was.
Sitting next to her was none other than Teng Yi.
He wore a bright smile, clearly in high spirits.
"What are you doing here?" Ruan Yu asked.
Instead of answering, he waved the photo in his hand and repeated, "Who’s this?"
The photo showed a woman in a black suit and white shirt, exuding an air of confidence and grace.
"Lin Hong."
"That TV host?"
"Yeah."
"What, you like her?"
Ruan Yu nodded, taking the photo back and tucking it into her book. Lin Hong was her idol. She had always loved the TV programs Lin hosted, admiring the steadfastness and poise she displayed—qualities befitting a national broadcaster. Ruan Yu had always hoped to become a host like her someday: composed, elegant, and radiant.
She kept Lin Hong’s photo close as motivation.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"Looking for me? Why?"
Before Teng Yi could answer, the professor arrived.
Professor Dai was a middle-aged woman in her forties. Despite being a mother of two, she had aged gracefully, with no visible traces of time on her face.
The classroom fell silent.
Professor Dai scanned the packed seats and, contrary to expectations, skipped roll call and went straight into the lecture.
"Damn, no attendance today? Every time I show up, they don’t take it, but the moment I skip, they do. I’m cursed," a male student grumbled under his breath.
"Next time you come, text me so I can skip," another replied.
"..."
Ruan Yu found it amusing and almost smiled, but then she caught Teng Yi in her periphery, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her. The lecture hall was full of people, yet his eyes seemed to hold only her.
The ambiguous moment from last night flashed through Ruan Yu’s mind. Wiping her slightly sweaty palms, she leaned toward Teng Yi.
"What do you actually want?" she whispered.
Teng Yi bent close to her ear. "I’m gonna nap first. We’ll talk after class."
With that, he laid his head down beside her.
He was genuinely exhausted.
After a sleepless night and a full morning of classes, he had planned to rest at noon—only for Han Zuo to show up and drag him into an exhausting battle.
Now, all he wanted was to sleep. To sleep peacefully, right beside her.Ruan Yu rubbed her earlobe, where Teng Yi's breath still seemed to linger, tickling her skin.
She had left so promptly in the morning, yet here she was, caught by him again.
She smiled bitterly. In front of him, she always felt like the Monkey King—no matter how much she tried to escape, flipping through the heavens or traversing mountains and rivers, she could never break free from the palm of his hand.
The textbook lay open on the desk, but Ruan Yu had no mind to listen to the teacher’s lecture.
She rested her head on the desk too, quietly watching the person beside her. Her gaze traced over him like a brushstroke, outlining his brows, his sharp nose, and his thin lips again and again.
Drowning.
They say once, twice, thrice—then stop.
But she couldn’t stop drowning.
Teng Yi was truly asleep, though the awkward position clearly didn’t let him rest comfortably. He shifted occasionally, making Ruan Yu feel uneasy just watching him.
After a moment’s thought, she gathered all the books she had brought, stacked them together, and pushed them toward him to cushion his head. But just as she reached out, he happened to turn over—and her hand was instantly trapped beneath his head.
—?—
Teng Yi’s cheek was warm, pressing against the back of Ruan Yu’s hand.
She didn’t dare move a muscle.
Ten minutes later, her hand went numb.
She wanted to pull it free but feared waking Teng Yi. Just as she hesitated, Teacher Dai from the podium suddenly walked toward the back of the classroom.
“That student! Did you go thieving last night?”
Ruan Yu looked up and saw Teacher Dai’s gaze fixed squarely on Teng Yi. At her words, the entire class turned to look.
Oh no.
Ruan Yu quickly pulled her hand free and nudged Teng Yi awake.
Bewildered, Teng Yi drowsily sat up just as Teacher Dai reached his side.
Some students in the front recognized him, whispering among themselves. Amid the murmurs, Teng Yi gradually came to his senses.
“Student, I asked you—did you go thieving last night?”
“Yeah, how did you know?” He grinned.
Teacher Dai hadn’t expected such a smooth reply and pressed further, “What did you steal that left you so exhausted?”
“Hearts.”
The classroom erupted in laughter.
Ruan Yu’s face burned crimson in the midst of it.
Last night. Hearts.
She couldn’t help but take it personally.
Teacher Dai leaned on Teng Yi’s desk, studying him for a few seconds before suddenly recognizing him.
“Huh? Aren’t you that…?” She gestured toward her own face. “The mask from the school anniversary, right?”
“Thanks for remembering me, teacher.”
“Aren’t you a third-year? Why are you in my class?”
“Because everyone says your lectures are amazing, so I came to audit.”
“And yet you slept so soundly—I must have disappointed you.”
Teng Yi scratched his head sheepishly. “My bad, teacher. Should I leave now?”
“No, no, since you’re here, just stay.” Teacher Dai waved dismissively and turned back toward the podium, adding as she walked, “But you can’t audit for free. After class, take a photo with me. My kid adores you.”
Another wave of laughter swept through the room.
Teacher Dai resumed her lecture without a hint of anger. The secret to her youthful energy was probably her good-natured attitude—no matter how awkward the situation, she handled it with grace.
Ruan Yu let out a quiet sigh of relief.With all the commotion, Teng Yi was wide awake now. He sat properly in his seat, enduring the barrage of curious glances from the classmates in front.
Ruan Yu suffered alongside him.
She really wanted to pretend she didn’t know him, but in the very last row, it was just the two of them.
Anyone could see at a glance that Teng Yi had come for her.
Jian Xiangxiang spammed their dorm group chat with ten shocked emoji faces and tagged Ruan Yu.
“What’s going on, Ruan Ruan? Did Teng Yi come with you?”
Ruan Yu replied with an “innocent shrug” emoji.
Honestly, she had no idea what was happening either. All she knew was that if looks could kill, she’d already be riddled with arrows.
The second half of the class felt like pure torture for Ruan Yu, every minute dragging on endlessly.
When the bell finally rang, Professor Dai waved Teng Yi over from the podium, signaling for a photo together.
The class erupted in laughter again.
Seizing the moment, Ruan Yu quickly gathered her books. Just as she was about to slip away, Teng Yi suddenly reached under the desk and gently grasped her hand.
“Wait for me on the rooftop,” he said.
With that, Teng Yi strode toward the podium.
Some of the girls in class, emboldened by Professor Dai’s gesture, boldly stayed behind to ask for photos too. The moment Teng Yi stepped forward, he was quickly surrounded.
Ruan Yu didn’t linger. She hurried out the door and turned into the stairwell.
The rooftop was empty, bathed in vast stretches of sunlight.
Ruan Yu remembered the first time she’d met Teng Yi—it was right here.
Back then, she’d been reciting that tongue twister. Time flew—it had already been over two months.
Who would’ve thought that after that brief encounter, they’d have so many more interactions? She’d even… fallen for him.
Leaning against the railing, Ruan Yu watched as students poured out of the building, chatting and laughing, her emotions tangled.
She’d thought that escaping last night meant dodging a disaster, but now it seemed the real ordeal had only just begun. What was she supposed to do now?
Confront him? Admit it? Or keep running?
No matter the choice, the outcome would be the same.
There was no way they could be together.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Ruan Yu turned to see Teng Yi jogging toward her.
The sunlight was dazzling, and so was he.
“The girls in your class are really enthusiastic,” he said, stopping in front of her with a bright smile.
That smile and energy inexplicably annoyed her.
“Do you still get happy over that kind of attention?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, someone as popular as you must be used to being chased by girls. Why are you so happy about it?”
Teng Yi caught the sour note in her tone and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not happy about that.”
“Then what are you happy about?”
“You.”
The answer was short and sharp.
Ruan Yu froze, momentarily unable to read the emotion in his eyes.
After a few silent seconds of staring, she was the first to look away.
“What did you want to talk about?” she deflected.
“Why did you leave without saying anything this morning?”
“Is that all you wanted to ask?”
“There’s more.”
“What else?”
“Why won’t you let me be good to you?”
The rooftop wind blew wildly, scattering the warmth of the sunlight.
Ruan Yu tightened her coat around her and sighed deeply, utterly resigned."Teng Yi, have you heard the story about the fisherman?"
He shook his head. "Tell me."
"There was a fisherman whose net was very small, only about the size of a table. He took this net out to sea to fish, but after an entire day, he hadn’t caught a single fish." She began the story softly. "His neighbor told him, 'Your net is too small, that’s why you can’t catch any fish. Next time, weave a bigger net before going out to sea.' The fisherman listened to his neighbor and diligently worked on weaving a larger net at home. After a week, he finally made a net as big as his neighbor’s. The fisherman took his big net out to sea, and that day, he caught many fish. He was overjoyed and thought, 'So the key to fishing is the net. If I make it even bigger, I’ll catch even more fish.' So the fisherman stopped going out to sea and spent his days weaving an even larger net. Another week passed, and he had expanded the net several times its original size. Once the enormous net was finished, the fisherman took it out to fish. It took him great effort to cast the massive net into the sea. He was certain he’d haul in a boatful of fish, but when he tried to pull it back, the net was so heavy that it capsized his small boat, nearly drowning him. The fisherman finally understood—greed never leads to a good outcome."
--?--
By the end, Ruan Yu’s voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened.
"In front of you, I’m just like that fisherman. I kept weaving my net bigger and bigger, thinking it could hold more of your kindness. But the truth is, your kindness isn’t something I can possess. The more I greedily reach for it, the worse the outcome might be."
Tears rolled down Ruan Yu’s cheeks.
So, she wanted to cut her losses early, to escape this abyss while she still had a shred of hope left.
Teng Yi narrowed his eyes, looking at her in confusion.
"Ruan Yu, I’ve always thought my IQ was decent, but somehow, around you, it doesn’t seem to be enough." He reached out to wipe her tears. "Don’t cry yet—I still don’t get it. Why can’t I be good to you?"
Ruan Yu pushed his hand away forcefully.
"Don’t you have a girlfriend?!"
Teng Yi suddenly understood. "Oh… so I have a girlfriend."
This was truly the first time he’d heard such news.
"May I ask who arranged this girlfriend for me? You?" He leaned in, meeting her gaze at eye level, feigning seriousness.
Ruan Yu froze, taking a moment to snap out of it with a sniff.
"What do you mean?"
"That’s my question for you—what do you mean?"
"You… don’t have a girlfriend?" Ruan Yu was utterly bewildered.
"If I had a girlfriend, would I be agonizing over how to chase you?"
"You want to chase me?" She was even more lost.
"Yeah, I want to chase you." His voice was tender, as if infused with the warmth of an entire autumn. "So, will you say yes? Little Fish."
Ruan Yu was at a loss.
This development was completely opposite to what she had imagined.
Teng Yi liked her?
Since when?
Teng Yi saw her confusion and couldn’t help but rub his forehead.
He thought he’d made it obvious enough.
From keeping her by his brother’s side, to telling her about his troubled past, to taking her to watch his competitions—everything he’d done was to let her understand him, his family, and the street dance he loved, so she could step into his world.At the Red Eagle Street Dance Competition, when he faced injustice, was subjected to underhanded tactics, and questioned, the reason he was so angry and upset was because he feared that the street dance he loved would leave her with such a terrible impression right from the start.
What he truly cared about had always been her!
"I... I need to sort things out."
"No need to sort anymore." Teng Yi reached out and pulled Ruan Yu into his embrace. "Little Fish, I'm the fisherman here. It's me who's been greedily weaving a net—trying to make it big and wide enough so you can never swim out of it."
A lifetime?
Ruan Yu leaned against his chest, listening to the strong rhythm of his heartbeat echoing in her ears. Suddenly, the whole world brightened. It turned out everything had been her own unnecessary worry—none of the things she feared existed.
After holding each other for a while, Teng Yi loosened his grip.
"Made up your mind?"
"About what?"
"Filling the 'vacancy' as my girlfriend."
Ruan Yu pressed her lips together and smiled.
"Seems like a yes."
"How do you know?"
"Because now you can guess another idiom."
"What?"
"Joy written all over your face."
"You're annoying."
Teng Yi pulled her back into his arms. "If you don’t say no, I’ll take it as a yes."
She would say yes. Of course she would.
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