Chapter 9 Chapter 9: Lotus Lake
Jiang Zixuan’s laughter drew the attention of a few couples nearby, though their glances quickly faded. To everyone else, weren’t these two just another couple themselves?
Still, even though the stares were brief, Shu Yuxin felt a bit embarrassed. “What’s so funny? Why are you laughing so loud?”
“Nothing,” Jiang Zixuan waved his hand, still grinning. “I just felt like laughing. You haven’t changed a bit.”
Shu Yuxin paused, then shrugged. “Not necessarily. One thing’s for sure, though—I’ve lost a certain ‘treasure.’”
Jiang Zixuan glanced at her sideways.
Since her military training had only ended that afternoon, she hadn’t had time to change clothes. She was still wearing her army-green camouflage uniform. The outfit didn’t quite fit her—it was too big all over. The pants were especially loose; if she pulled the legs up to her ankles, the waistband would reach high enough to double as a chest binder. She could only barely keep the whole thing on, looking almost like a mischievous kid sneaking into an adult’s wardrobe—awkward, yet strangely cute.
Minghai University had wrapped up its military training that very morning, so Jiang Zixuan was already dressed in casual wear. Interestingly enough, Minghai’s uniform was naval-style, far more comfortable than the army version. If it weren’t for the stark difference between army and navy camouflage, Shu Yuxin might have just borrowed his clothes outright.
It was kind of amusing how the two neighboring universities—one with army training, the other with navy—had such rivalry. Their drill instructors had even held several joint training sessions, constantly trying to outdo each other in front of their counterparts. Naturally, the freshmen suffered the most, pushed to exhaustion by both sides.
Lost in these memories, Jiang Zixuan suddenly asked, “Hey, by the way… in these past twenty-some days, did anyone confess to you?”
Shu Yuxin paused mid-bite. “What?”
“You know—confess!” Jiang Zixuan chuckled. “Military training’s prime time for sparks to fly. All those hormone-fueled freshmen are itching to connect. Over at my place, a bunch of couples already formed. Today, when our drill instructor left, he got swarmed with love letters from girls…”
Shu Yuxin shook her head. “Nope. My platoon was an all-girls unit; barely saw any guys.”
That wasn’t entirely true. The school had organized several evening events during training, explicitly to help new students mingle—and just like at Minghai, many relationships had blossomed. Chances were, some of the couples around them right now had started right there. In today’s looks-driven world, someone as striking as Shu Yuxin definitely drew attention. But those admirers… well, most were just shy, inexperienced boys. The bolder ones would ask her directly, “Will you be my girlfriend?” while the timid ones would shove a love letter into her hand and sprint off. Several times, she’d just stood there bewildered, wondering if this was some new form of flyer distribution.
As for the outcomes of these confessions—letters all ended up in the trash, and those who asked her face-to-face never even got an answer. Seeing her standing there with that cool, distant look, they’d just… flee, confused. She hadn’t even realized what was happening; her “coldness” was just bewilderment.
“Huh? With you looking like this, nobody’s made a move? That doesn’t make sense,” Jiang Zixuan said, unaware of the whole story.
Shu Yuxin didn’t dwell on the topic. “What about you? Did you get any love letters?”
“Of course! Your bro’s drop-dead gorgeous, okay?” Jiang Zixuan smirked proudly.
“And did you say yes?”
“Nope.”
“Oh really?” Shu Yuxin raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile. “Rejecting girls throwing themselves at you?”
Jiang Zixuan waved it off. “Just not my type.”
“Right… Remember that girl two years ago? You said the same thing—‘not your type’—and still ended up sleeping with her.”
“Well, back then it was just for fun. After I lost my virginity, I haven’t gone after anyone else,” Jiang Zixuan said, rubbing his nose. He glanced at her food container. “You done eating?”
Shu Yuxin nodded slightly. “Yeah, I’m full.”
At least half the meal remained untouched.
Jiang Zixuan clicked his tongue. “No wonder your dad says you’re hard to raise. You eat so little—how are you supposed to gain any weight?”
Her father had been complaining about this forever. Shu Yuxin had always had a tiny appetite—she could skip a meal or two and still fail to “eat her money’s worth” at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Combined with her picky eating habits, his dream of raising a plump, rosy-cheeked kid was pure fantasy. Back when she was still Shu Yumo, she’d stood 176 cm tall but weighed only 52–55 kg—basically a walking pole. Now as Shu Yuxin, her height had dropped to 161 cm, and her weight was down to 43 kg. Jiang Zixuan could probably lift her like a chicken now. But at least “delicate and frail” sounded nicer than “skinny pole.”
“Fine, my dad can nag all he wants, but why are you joining in?” Shu Yuxin frowned slightly. “If I’m not hungry, I’m not hungry. I can’t force food down.”
“Alright, alright—I won’t say another word,” Jiang Zixuan laughed. “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Wanna go out?”
“No thanks. I’d rather stay in my dorm and play on the computer.”
“… You’re in college now—still such a shut-in? You should get out once in a while.”
“We’ve been ‘out’ for twenty-one days straight during training. Aren’t you tired of walking yet?”
Jiang Zixuan had no reply.
Their dinner chat came to a close. It was already late, so they said goodbye and headed back to their respective campuses.
Shu Yuxin strolled slowly toward the West Dormitory area and turned onto the path leading to Building 8. Suddenly, she noticed a crowd of students gathered up ahead—boys and girls, though mostly boys.
Since this was a girls’ dorm zone, so many guys loitering around was definitely unusual. Curiosity piqued, and with no rush to get back to her room, she edged her way to the outer ring of the crowd, embracing her inner gossip-loving spectator. It was already dark, and the pathway had no streetlights, making faces hard to distinguish. Plus, her nondescript military uniform helped her blend right in—no one even noticed her arrival.
The crowd formed a circle around a young man in the center. He had a small braid tied at the back of his head and wore a distinctly artsy outfit. With a dormitory hallway’s light spilling onto the ground, it illuminated the spot right beneath his feet. He held an electric guitar connected to a small amplifier. Unfazed by the murmuring onlookers, he tested a few notes, cleared his throat softly, and began strumming a love song.
Shu Yuxin smiled to herself.
Interesting. She’d read about scenes like this in cheesy romance stories—now she was actually witnessing one in real life.
This guy was going for a grand, romantic confession.
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