After seeing off her friends, the National Day holiday came to an end just like that.
The weather in Heyan, with its distinct four seasons, grew colder day by day. College life wasn’t as fun or relaxed as she had imagined. Before she could even figure out what her major was really about, midterms arrived. Sheng Xia’s life basically revolved around four places: the classroom, the library, the dorm, and the cafeteria.
Zhang Shu had two additional spots: the lab and Heqing University’s cafeteria.
Apart from midterms, they also had monthly exams—practically no different from high school—along with frequent major assignments. His workload was easily several times heavier than Sheng Xia’s.
Even when they met on weekends, it was usually just a day trip to the library, with at most half an hour of romantic time before parting. Life was busy but peaceful.
If there was any ripple in this routine, it was that Sheng Xia had lost two electric scooters in a row.
Many students in her department rode scooters, and thefts weren’t unheard of, but losing two in succession? That was just her.
Little White 1.0 was abandoned at Nanli, left to gather dust.
Little White 2.0 had its organs stolen—the battery was taken.
Little White 3.0 was stolen outright.
Little White’s fate was truly tragic.
Sheng Xia reported the theft to campus security, but it was mostly just for peace of mind. Heqing University had so many bike thefts every year, and no one had ever heard of a single one being recovered.
She didn’t feel comfortable calling Sheng Mingfeng again either. Having just bought photography equipment after joining the photography club, her finances weren’t exactly loose. She figured she’d tighten her belt for half a month and buy another scooter herself after New Year’s.
So lately, Sheng Xia had been taking the campus shuttle with her roommates.
Zhong Lujie whined, “No Little White to ride today. I miss it.”
Freshman classes were taken together regardless of major, so the three roommates usually took turns riding Sheng Xia’s scooter. Little White’s theft was a shared sorrow for the entire dorm.
Liao Jing and Fan Jingshu linked arms with Sheng Xia. “Come on, today, 219 conquers 103.”
219 was their dorm number, and 103 was the shuttle route from the dorms to Duxing Building.
The literature department’s reputation for beautiful girls was well-known across campus, and Dorm 219’s all-beauty lineup was acknowledged within the department.
Early that morning, Liao Jing had insisted on giving everyone a light makeup session, treating it like a full attendance ceremony.
After much fussing, all they’d really done was apply some foundation and fill in their brows. Liao Jing might be the makeup guru of the dorm, but she was still a novice.
But youth had its perks—just a little enhancement was enough to make them glow. With the combined buff, they all looked pretty good.
Now, not only on the 103 shuttle, but even walking across campus, they turned heads left and right.
Watching a couple walk by, all lovey-dovey, Zhong Lujie sighed. “Tell me, in our department’s classes, who’s even worth dressing up for? Such a waste.”
Among the handful of guys in their classes, barely any were still single after half a semester. The quality spoke for itself.
Fan Jingshu nudged Sheng Xia’s shoulder. “Xiaxia, does your boyfriend’s department have any quality guys left? Can he introduce us?”
Liao Jing chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, your department’s full of potential stocks. Early investment in future tech tycoons.”
Zhong Lujie rolled her eyes. “Girls, wake up. Computer science! IT guys! Sheng Xia’s boyfriend is what you call survivor bias!”
Fan Jingshu shuddered. “I can already picture a room full of plaid shirts…”
Liao Jing protested, “Don’t stereotype! How would you know without meeting them?”
Zhong Lujie smirked. “Jingjing, why are you so eager? Weren’t you seeing someone? That guy from the debate team, architecture major? No updates?”Liao Jing stammered, "Well, actually I was just about to tell you guys... He wants to take me out to dinner..."
"That's great!"
"Say yes!"
"Ah!" Liao Jing blushed. "But I have to play a little hard to get, right? So I said I had plans with my roommates, and he... he said we could all go together..."
"Huh? How can we third-wheel your date?"
Liao Jing protested, "This isn't a date! I just want you to help vet him. Come with me, please? I'd feel awkward having our first meal alone together."
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
"Only telling us now? Why not wait until tomorrow night?"
"Giggle... I was shy! Will you all come?"
"No problem, we'll back you up. By the way, the three of us won't wear makeup tomorrow—we'll dress sloppily so you can shine."
Liao Jing laughed heartily. "True sisters! But no need. If he can't pass the Spider Cave test, then he's not worth it."
Fan Jingshu warned, "Don't test men lightly, especially in this regard! How often does a Tang Monk appear? Pigsy clones are everywhere."
Liao Jing exclaimed, "Wow, Jingshu, single for all 18 years of your life, yet you sound so world-weary?"
Fan Jingshu retorted, "Haven't eaten pork but haven't seen pigs run? They're everywhere."
The matter was thus happily decided. Sheng Xia informed Zhang Shu in advance to prevent him from making a wasted trip.
Zhang Shu replied: "Your roommate's quite bold, letting someone like you tag along?"
What kind of comment was that?
Sheng Xia defended: "Jingjing is very pretty!"
Zhang Shu: "Just go for the free meal. Don't look at him."
Sheng Xia: "?" She was going to help assess him—how could she not look at all?
Zhang Shu: "No eye contact. No man can withstand that."
He really overestimated her! Did he think she was some femme fatale?
Sheng Xia: "We agreed to be Jingjing's foils—we're wearing tracksuits."
Zhang Shu: "If tracksuits worked, how did your boyfriend get hooked?"
Sheng Xia: "Who hooked you!"
Zhang Shu: "True. I fell for you without any hooks—if you actually tried, what then?"
Speechless, Sheng Xia couldn't bear more of his "Shu-speak" and exited WeChat, unilaterally declaring a half-hour cold war!
Thirty minutes later, she logged back in to reply: "Oh, got it."
...
The next day, Sheng Xia wore a sweatshirt and sweatpants under a puffer jacket with snow boots, resembling the Michelin Man. Her roommates were similarly dressed.
Liao Jing wore a figure-hugging knit dress under a wool coat, perfectly balancing innocence and sophistication.
Everything went according to plan—until they discovered the guy had also brought three friends.
Fan Jingshu blinked furiously at Liao Jing while Zhong Lujie widened her eyes, both conveying the same message: Why didn't you mention this earlier!
Under the table, Liao Jing spread her hands in an innocent gesture: She hadn't known either!
Fan Jingshu mouthed: Pretty handsome!
Liao Jing pursed her lips and blinked subtly.
Sheng Xia kept her head down, diligently following someone's instructions, thus missing the silent exchange. The guys introduced their roommates first, then Liao Jing reciprocated.
When called upon, Sheng Xia briefly glanced up and nodded politely.
She vaguely sensed something off about the atmosphere—was this starting to feel like... a mixer?
Soon, the word "mixer" became concrete. As dinner wound down, the guy created a group chat suggesting they play "Undercover."Sheng Xia was a total disaster when it came to games and didn't particularly enjoy playing. But since she was at the dinner table, she didn't want to spoil the fun and had to participate.
Just after one round, Sheng Xia received three "friend requests." She leaned over to check Fan Jingshu's phone—sure enough, she had received some too.
Liao Jing raised an eyebrow at her, and soon after, Sheng Xia got a WeChat message: "It's fine if you don't add them, don’t worry about me. No pressure!"
Sheng Xia replied with a cute, rolling-around sticker but ultimately didn’t accept the friend requests.
It wasn’t that she was unwilling to be polite—normally, she’d add people out of courtesy, even if they just ended up buried in her contacts list.
But she remembered that yellow-haired guy she added at the milk tea shop back in senior year, which later led to a whole mess of trouble and even made someone so jealous he chugged an entire bottle of water in one go.
Thinking about it, Sheng Xia couldn’t help but smile.
That smile happened during the lull while the next round’s undercover word was being drawn, making it especially conspicuous in the sudden silence.
Noticing everyone’s eyes on her, Sheng Xia felt slightly awkward.
Since it was her turn to speak first this round, she described her word: "When I see this, I think of my boyfriend."
Her explanation followed the game rules while subtly dropping the "I'm taken" bomb—natural enough, right?
But why were their expressions so weird?
Liao Jing asked, "Why?"
Sheng Xia thought for a moment. "Because he’s a handsome hero."
The word she’d drawn was: Spider-Man .
Her adoring expression practically had "fangirl" written all over her face. Surely no guy would still have any ideas about her now?
Zhong Lujie suddenly burst out laughing, and soon, the whole table was in stitches.
"Sheng Xia is definitely the undercover!"
"This round ended way too fast! Zero suspense—she dug her own grave the moment she opened her mouth."
"Sheng Xia went for the suicide play in the first round, hahaha!"
Sheng Xia was baffled but was unanimously voted as the undercover.
When the words were revealed, sure enough, she was the undercover.
Because everyone else’s word was: Piggy Man .
Uh… thinking of her boyfriend as a "handsome hero" when seeing Piggy Man …
That was really bad.
Sheng Xia facepalmed. Thank goodness Zhang Shu wasn’t here.
No sooner had she thought that than Zhang Shu’s voice call suddenly came through.
As she answered, she also accepted the game punishment handed to her by the guy across the table—wasabi water.
So the moment she spoke, she choked. "H-Hey— cough ."
"Feeling that guilty?" Zhang Shu’s voice on the other end was anything but warm.
"Huh? What?" Did he have super hearing or something? How could he possibly know?
Zhang Shu: "Weren’t you just supposed to be a wingman? Your roommate’s speed-dating four guys at once?"
How did he know?
Instinctively, Sheng Xia glanced around. Their private room was by the window, and her gaze immediately landed on the figure straddling a vehicle across the street.
Zhang Shu was wearing a puffer jacket, but thanks to his long neck, it didn’t look bulky at all. He didn’t seem to care much about fashion trends—his outfits were always casual, yet effortlessly pleasing to the eye.
Right now, his posture and expression were identical to the last time he caught her adding a classmate on WeChat.
The only difference was the sleek, dark green electric scooter beneath him—compact and stylish, not his usual vibe.
Sheng Xia quickly gulped down a big mouthful of water to wash away the wasabi burn before replying, "You… why are you here?"
Since she kept looking out the window while speaking, everyone else followed her gaze.
Zhang Shu’s cold stare softened. "Being a wingman shouldn’t take more than an hour. What kind of meal lasts this long?"
No wonder he’d asked where they were eating last night.Sheng Xia was genuinely worried that the phone call might be overheard by others, especially since his tone wasn’t exactly polite. She stood up and said to Liao Jing, “My boyfriend’s here. Seems like something’s up, so I might have to leave early.”
The guy across the table chimed in, “Just add a seat. Invite him in.”
Sheng Xia suddenly felt a wave of irritation but ignored him, keeping her gaze on Liao Jing instead.
Liao Jing handed her coat to her. “Sure, we’ll chat in the group if anything comes up.”
Sheng Xia exchanged a few more words with her other roommates and, out of courtesy, gave a slight nod to the guy across the table before leaving.
As she slipped on her coat, she weaved through the traffic to cross the street.
Inside the private room, everyone was still staring outside.
They saw the guy step out of the car, shouting something—his lips clearly forming the words, “Slow down.”
Then Sheng Xia, slightly out of breath, stopped right in front of him. The guy zipped her puffer coat all the way up, cupped her face in his hands, gave it a gentle rub and a pinch, before leaning down to plant a light kiss on her lips.
It was fleeting, like a greeting. Sheng Xia’s reaction was just as natural—she took a step closer, their toes touching, her arms loosely wrapping around his waist as she looked up at him with a bright smile.
The guy’s lips curled into a smile, his gaze so focused it made onlookers envious.
The effortless intimacy, the subtle sense of boundaries in public—it was all just right.
“Dog food alert,” Fan Jingshu’s voice shattered the silence in the room.
Only then did everyone realize they’d been staring a little too intently.
Zhong Lujie sighed, “I wish all couples could learn from this—how to keep public displays of affection tasteful.”
One of the guys asked, “Which school is her boyfriend from?”
Liao Jing answered, “Haiyan University, Computer Science.”
A guy gave a thumbs-up. “Impressive.”
Another guy added nonchalantly, “If he’s from Haiyan’s Computer Science, the truly impressive ones are probably in the Shenxi Honors Program, not the regular department.”
“True.”
“The Shenxi Program is for competition recruits, mostly combined master’s and Ph.D. tracks, leaning toward academia.”
“So her boyfriend didn’t get in through competitions? Must be tough for a pure gaokao student in that department.”
“Very tough. Hard to stand out.”
“It’s also because the field’s pretty saturated.”
“Speaking of computer science prospects these days…”
The guys launched into a discussion, their words laced with backhanded compliments and thinly veiled superiority, as if they thought the girls would be impressed.
Fan Jingshu and Zhong Lujie exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in unison. Liao Jing picked up her phone and typed in the group chat: “Today’s makeup was wasted, ladies. Let’s bounce.”
Fan Jingshu: “Let’s split the bill. No loose ends.”
Zhong Lujie: “Agreed.”
…
Sheng Xia eyed the electric scooter beside her.
Back when she’d just started university, she’d mentioned wanting to buy one. Sheng Mingfeng had sent someone to help her pick one out, telling her to choose whatever she liked. The salesperson, sensing a big spender, had recommended this model, priced at nearly 8,000 yuan. Sheng Xia had thought it was unnecessary for just commuting and settled on one for a little over 3,000 yuan.
Now, here was that 8,000-yuan scooter parked right next to her. Its retro design was undeniably stylish, and even the windshield matched perfectly, looking cozy and warm.
Zhang Shu said it was a gift for her. He pulled out the keys and jingled them—they had a blue key cover and a crystal keychain.
Sheng Xia blinked in surprise. “For me? You bought it?”
Zhang Shu tapped her nose with the key cover. “What, you think I stole it?”As he spoke, a thought suddenly made him chuckle. "Maybe your bike was stolen by someone to give to their girlfriend. Does thinking that way make you feel better?"
Honestly, not very comforting.
Sheng Xia frowned. "It's too expensive. I checked the prices when I was buying a bike before. Don't waste money like this..."
"How is this wasting money?" Zhang Shu dismissed her concern. "Your previous bike wasn't right for you, so both got stolen. Maybe if you switch to this one, it won't happen again."
Such comforting words. But what if it gets stolen again? That would be a huge loss.
Sheng Xia was still uneasy. "It's really too expensive."
Looking at her worried face, Zhang Shu sighed and pulled her into his embrace. "The most precious thing is already mine. What's a broken bike compared to that?"
Holding the most exquisite flower in his hands, he felt nothing was worthy of her. He only wanted to give her the best within his means—whatever she needed, whatever he could provide.
Zhang Shu tightened his arms around her, her fragrance filling his senses. Even through the soft down jacket, he could feel how delicate she was in his embrace. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and nuzzled gently. "Happy six-month anniversary, dummy."
A shiver ran down Sheng Xia's ears.
Six months?
Truthfully, Sheng Xia had never been sure how to count the time they'd been together. She thought he might consider it from the day he confessed or their first kiss during their graduation trip.
But in her heart, she believed it started the night before their college entrance exam score estimates, when he ran to her building and solemnly promised to move toward her no matter their results or what the future held.
That was when she felt they truly became a couple.
Today marked six months—meaning half a year ago was that very night before the score estimates.
So, he thought the same way she did.
A warm current surged from Sheng Xia's heart, filling her with comfort and clarity. She wrapped her arms around him in return, nearly losing her balance through their thick down jackets. Gripping her left wrist with her right hand, she held him tightly, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of security and fulfillment.
She lifted her head from his chest and kissed his chin. "How about a date this weekend?"
Zhang Shu froze. That easy to please? A bike gift gets him a date?
If only he'd known sooner.
Before he could respond, she added with utmost seriousness, "But I'm paying!"
Zhang Shu's face darkened. "No way."
Sheng Xia pressed his weak spot. "Then no date."
Zhang Shu surrendered instantly. "Fine, whatever you say."
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