Duan Qiyan’s face turned pale, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
To avoid talking to Jin Baihui, Duan Qiyan picked up a mouthful of hot food with his chopsticks, held his bowl, and shoveled in a bite of rice. The sour and spicy broth irritated his throat, making it feel rough. He coughed three times in a row, but before he could utter a single word, Jin Baihui turned and walked away.
Jin Baihui’s first choice had originally been Tsinghua University’s Yao Class. The Yao Class was a gathering of elites, with fierce competition, and Jin Baihui unfortunately didn’t make the cut. Settling for her second choice, she ended up becoming Duan Qiyan’s university classmate.
Even if Jin Baihui lowered her pride and apologized to Duan Qiyan in person, his impression of her remained poor. Now that Duan Qiyan had graduated from high school, he naturally wouldn’t hold a grudge against her. But five years ago, during that winter, he had been sentenced to a metaphorical death by a single sentence from Jin Baihui, wrongfully accused for no reason. In just ten minutes, he experienced shortness of breath, numbness in his hands, and slight tinnitus… He even had a nightmare—what if Lin Zhixia, Jiang Yubai, and Shen Fuxuan hadn’t been there that noon? Who would have believed him? How could he have saved himself?
The answer was unsolvable.
Duan Qiyan sighed. “Forget it, let bygones be bygones.”
Lin Zhixia picked up a braised pig’s trotter for him. “Want some pig’s trotter? The braised pig’s trotter in this cafeteria is the best in the whole university.”
Duan Qiyan’s spirits instantly lifted.
As he savored the braised pig’s trotter personally handed to him by Lin Zhixia, he felt Jiang Yubai’s gaze fixed on him. He turned his head and met Jiang Yubai’s eyes on the screen.
“You want some braised pig’s trotter too?” Duan Qiyan concluded.
But Jiang Yubai said, “You’re eating with great relish.” He paused, then asked, “Is it that delicious?”
Duan Qiyan tapped his bowl with his chopsticks. “Way better than my Mom and Dad’s cooking.” Mentioning Mom and Dad, he added, “Did your parents send you abroad? Mine took the train home this afternoon…”
As he spoke, Duan Qiyan pulled out his phone from his pocket.
He opened QQ to send a message to his parents but unexpectedly saw, through a QQ Space update, a tourist photo of the Great Wall uploaded by his Dad at 4 p.m. that day—proof that Mom and Dad had not taken the train home. They had truly left him at the university, carefree and enjoying their sightseeing.
Ah, his family bonds were so fragile.
Duan Qiyan ate two large bowls of rice to compensate himself.
After the meal, Duan Qiyan said goodbye to Lin Zhixia.
The evening glow faded, and everything melted into the night. Watching Lin Zhixia’s retreating figure, Duan Qiyan reflected on various details and mused, “Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai… is there something brewing between them?”
“You only noticed now?” Tang Tingting chimed in.
Shen Fuxuan added, “He’s a bit slow on the uptake.”
Tang Tingting then asked, “Hey, Jin Baihui apologized to you. Did it feel good?”
Duan Qiyan retorted irritably, “Which eye of yours saw me feeling good?”
Reminded by Tang Tingting, he recalled another matter. “You touched my thigh today and didn’t even apologize, did you? You’re not even as decent as Jin Baihui. You saw it yourself—she at least said sorry to me.”Tang Tingting completely lost her patience: "Aren't you annoying? I accidentally bumped into you, and how many times have you nagged about it? Boys should act like boys. Don't wear such short pants when you go out. If someone touches you, first look for the reason in yourself. Aren't you sitting too close to me? How come I didn't bump into Shen Fuxuan, but only you? Reflect on yourself."
Duan Qiyan frowned: "You take advantage and still have the nerve to reason... You can't put it that way. Ah, you're even more unreasonable than in middle school."
Tang Tingting strode away proudly, tossing back a remark before leaving: "Fine, go find Jin Baihui then. She's much more reasonable than me."
Her light gray long skirt swayed in the night breeze, and her heeled leather sandals clicked against the ground with a "tap-tap" sound that slowly faded into the distance.
"What's wrong with her?" Duan Qiyan asked Shen Fuxuan.
Shen Fuxuan smiled: "I don't know either."
"You know everything," Duan Qiyan exposed him, "you just won't say it."
Shen Fuxuan shoved his hands in his pockets, half-lowering his head as if somewhat hurt: "How could you see me as that kind of person. Just this morning you said I was your best buddy."
Duan Qiyan quickly changed his tone: "I wasn't scolding you, I was praising your high emotional intelligence..."
Duan Qiyan followed Shen Fuxuan back to the boys' dormitory.
Compared to Shen Fuxuan, Duan Qiyan adapted to dorm life more quickly. In less than an hour, he had become familiar with the other two roommates. When his roommates asked who the pretty girl he brought during the day was, he thought for a long time before realizing: "You mean Lin Zhixia? She was my classmate in middle school. I'm quite familiar with her."
The roommate pressed further: "Which college is she in?"
Shen Fuxuan suddenly interjected from the side: "She's a junior this year, applied for early graduation. She'll graduate next year and go abroad for her PhD... You can't catch up with her."
Only then did Duan Qiyan react: "Our homeroom teacher said that top students in STEM usually don't pursue master's degrees, unless they're changing majors. After undergraduate, the top students either work or go for PhDs... We just started university, and Lin Zhixia is about to graduate again. What papers has she published?"
Shen Fuxuan's grandmother is Professor Shen Zhaohua. Shen Zhaohua and Lin Zhixia have maintained constant contact. Through this connection, Shen Fuxuan knew many specific details about Lin Zhixia.
He told Duan Qiyan: "Lin Zhixia submitted two papers to Physical Review Letters."
"Physical Review Letters?" Duan Qiyan sat up in shock from his bed.
But their roommate said: "Several undergrads from the Physics Department have had papers accepted in Physical Review Letters. The Physics Department just has many top students."
Duan Qiyan corrected: "Lin Zhixia isn't in the Physics Department. She's one of us in the Mathematics Department."
The roommate's romantic thoughts vanished instantly, commenting only: "She's not human."
Meanwhile, Lin Zhixia sneezed.
She was sitting in the library, preparing her application materials. Her papers submitted to Physical Review Letters hadn't been published yet, but she was full of confidence in herself.Lin Zhixia's chosen doctoral advisor was a highly renowned professor. She knew this professor was very busy and expected to wait some time before receiving a reply.
However, merely one day later, the professor responded with words full of appreciation and affirmation.
Lin Zhixia quickly arranged interview dates with him—there were two rounds of interviews, both conducted online. Lin Zhixia performed exceptionally well, and a postdoctoral researcher in the professor's group directly told her: "Looking forward to working with you next year."
In early December of that year, Lin Zhixia received two pieces of good news—first, her paper was officially accepted by Physical Review Letters. Second, she received her doctoral admission letter from Cambridge.
Lin Zhixia immediately forwarded the admission notice to Jiang Yubai.
At that time, Jiang Yubai was buried in his studies.
Final exams were approaching, and to achieve good results, Jiang Yubai reviewed diligently, carefully organizing key points. The full score for each exam was 100 points, and scoring above 70 was considered excellent. However, the average scores for many courses hovered between 50 and 60, with exam questions often far exceeding the scope of what was taught.
Jiang Yubai's goal was 80 points.
Lin Zhixia was about to come to Cambridge to study. Although Jiang Yubai knew he couldn't surpass her academically, he didn't want to appear too ordinary either—just as this thought crossed his mind, he received a new email.
He saw Lin Zhixia's doctoral program admission notice.
He picked up his phone and sent her a QQ message: "Congratulations on capturing a new planet."
Before this, they hadn't mentioned the plot of Exploring the Universe for a long time.
With that message, countless memories flooded into Lin Zhixia's mind like a tide.
She suddenly felt as if elementary school, middle school, and high school were just yesterday. She still remembered the summer vacation of fourth grade: the old-fashioned fan creaking as it spun, her lying on a small bed covered with a bamboo mat. The television in the living room was playing a TV drama theme song while she carefully read the Exploring the Universe comic series hand-drawn by Jiang Yubai.
In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.
She was about to graduate from university.
So, she replied succinctly: "I miss you."
Jiang Yubai's heart yearned to return home immediately.
By mid-December, all exams had concluded. Jiang Yubai's classmates invited him to stay locally and celebrate Christmas, but he politely declined. Without even packing much luggage, Jiang Yubai directly flew back to Beijing.
He rested at his Beijing home for two days. Then, using the excuse of "giving you a New Year's gift," he asked Lin Zhixia to meet him.
In the harsh winter of December, the sky was gloomy and the cold was biting. Lin Zhixia, who feared the cold, was unwilling to stay outdoors, so Jiang Yubai took her to his home.
It was a tranquil and peaceful Saturday. Jiang Yubai's grandparents had gone to Hainan Island for vacation, his uncle was rehearsing for a performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and his aunt was doing year-end settlements at her studio—in other words, none of Jiang Yubai's elders were home.
Jiang Yubai suggested: "Let's celebrate Christmas together."
"But I've never celebrated Christmas before," Lin Zhixia replied.Jiang Yubai simply wished for a holiday that would provide him with ample reason to ensure he could spend some time alone with Lin Zhixia. He produced a Christmas dinner menu: "Are you interested in trying these dishes?"
Lin Zhixia glanced at it and saw oyster soup, pan-seared steak, honey-glazed ham, strawberry cake, and persimmon pudding listed prominently. She nodded eagerly: "Yes, yes, let's hurry up and celebrate."
The true meaning of this statement was—let's hurry up and eat.
According to the chef's feedback, the meal would be ready by noon. It was currently 9:30 in the morning, with three hours left until lunch. Jiang Yubai asked Lin Zhixia what she wanted to do. She said: "I want to see what your undergraduate life was like. Did you take photos?"
Jiang Yubai replied: "The photos are all on my computer."
"Where's your computer?"
"In the bedroom."
Lin Zhixia urged him urgently: "Hurry up and take me to your bedroom."
But Jiang Yubai said: "Wait for me in the study. I'll bring the computer over."
Jiang Yubai had his own principles and convictions. So far, Lin Zhixia and he were still just good friends. He couldn't let her step into his bedroom—that might cross the boundaries of their relationship.
However, Lin Zhixia raised a question: "When you visited my home, you played in my room. Why can't I go to your room... Is there something I shouldn't see?"
The kitten named "Strawberry" that Jiang Yubai kept at home had grown into a full-sized cat, its eyes like the purest sapphires in the world. The cat passed by Lin Zhixia's feet, let out a "meow," and she bent down to pick it up in her arms.
Jiang Yubai glanced at the cat and said quietly: "Put the cat down and come with me."
Lin Zhixia didn't hesitate at all. She released "Strawberry" and followed closely behind him.
They took an indoor elevator straight to the third floor.
The elevator doors opened onto a deep blue wool carpet. Jiang Yubai walked soundlessly ahead. He pushed open a door and disappeared inside the room. Lin Zhixia stepped in right after him and bumped into his back.
He turned sideways and reached out to steady her.
Lin Zhixia looked around: "I've seen this place before during our QQ video calls. Your bed is always so big—it could fit five or six people. When you sleep at night... do you roll around in bed?"
Roll around in bed?
Jiang Yubai immediately denied it: "No."
"Then why do you need such a big bed?" Lin Zhixia pressed.
Jiang Yubai said offhandedly: "Try lying on it. It's spacious and makes it easy to fall asleep."
Lin Zhixia's face flushed slightly: "That wouldn't be appropriate..." Yubai also considered the implications from all angles. He began to change the subject: "I printed your new paper and left it on my desk."
The room was very warm. Jiang Yubai wasn't wearing a jacket, only a thin shirt and trousers. Lin Zhixia, however, was still bundled up tightly. She unbuttoned her down coat and asked softly: "Where can I put my clothes?"
Subconsciously, Jiang Yubai was still thinking about his bed. Hearing Lin Zhixia's question, he blurted out: "You can put it on the bed."
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