September slipped away without a sound, and right in front of us now is the much-anticipated National Day holiday in October.

That means Hua Xin can happily stay holed up in her little dark room even on Thursday and Friday—days that would normally be filled with classes! As for her “Maginot Line Defense Against Xia Yan” plan? She’ll deal with that once school resumes. 😋

“Nothing tastes better than dumplings; nothing feels better than lying down~”

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…

Hua Xin’s eyes curved into adorable crescent moons as she eagerly held chopsticks and a slotted spoon, waiting for the dumplings in the pot to finish boiling.

You’ve gotta celebrate holidays like it’s meant to be celebrated!

TODAY! WE! EAT! DUMPLINGS! (｡>∀<｡)

These frozen pork-shrimp-egg dumplings had been sitting in the freezer for nearly four whole months, perilously close to being ruined by the passage of time.

But thankfully—they held on.

They expire tomorrow—WOW!! (Time to celebrate! 🎉)

“Aa na ta no ku re bi ri 🤳📺, ki da ge dou ga ra ge lo 😋📺, mi en na mo yu ku no to mo~”

After queuing up a snack-time drama on her phone, Hua Xin scooped the cooked dumplings onto a plate.

“Ow, hot! Bleh.”

The scalding dumpling skin and its juicy filling burned her tongue. She stuck out her pink little tongue, fanning it with her hand. A drop of saliva trailed from her tongue into the bowl, mixing with vinegar and sesame oil.

A silvery thread stretched from the edge of the bowl—then snapped as her chopsticks cut through it.

It’s mine—I don’t mind.

“But it’s delicious.”

The joy of eating dumplings once again filled the girl’s heart—but also brought a twinge of guilt.

Had she been eating too much meat lately? Yesterday, since the rice she’d ordered still hadn’t arrived, she’d soaked crackers in a soup made of pork bones, milk, and mung beans. And the day before that, she’d already eaten so much meat…🥺

Her chopsticks paused mid-air—then instantly tossed the thought aside.

I’ll worry about it after I finish eating!! They expire tomorrow anyway 😊…

“Nom nom nom nom nom nom…”

Buzz buzz.

Hmm? 🤔

The cheerful girl looked curiously at her phone.

Who on earth would message her at 8 p.m.? Shouldn’t they be gaming or sleeping instead of harassing people? Ugh, I’m gonna go full-on murder mode on them! 😡

She opened the message—and froze.

Xia Yan: “Hua Hua, wanna go for a walk?”

Her eyes instantly sharpened, clear and cold.

What does this mean?? What’s his game?! Finally showing your true colors, huh? Messaging a socially anxious girl late at night to go out alone—that’s the trap closing in, isn’t it?!

She shoved a cooled dumpling into her mouth and chewed furiously.

Did you really think you’d already succeeded? That I’d been completely fooled by your fake kindness and started treating you like a real friend?!

Heh heh.

Xia Yan…

Today marks the end of our connection.

I’ll expose your false face to everyone.

Even Homelander fears online backlash—I don’t believe you can keep pretending! 😡

Her fingers flew across the screen: “Where are you?”

“Right at your building’s front gate. Waiting for you.” His reply came instantly.

…

This guy’s really impatient… So eager to bully me already?

Her heart sank halfway. Her small hands clenched into fists.

Yet memories of that ice cream and that meal made her hesitate.

If she hadn’t uncovered Xia Yan’s “true intentions,” she might’ve genuinely felt grateful toward this second person who’d ever fed her—and maybe even considered him a close friend.

She paused while getting dressed.

Silently, she stared at the remaining dumplings on the table, lost in thought.

“If Lin Qingyu weren’t involved…”

“…I’d spare your life today.”

————————

Dorm Room 1225, Male Dormitory, Modu University.

Mu Feng and Xiang Guan, who should’ve gone home for the holiday, were both sprawled on their beds like corpses.

“Why aren’t you going home?”

“I’m staying put.”

“What’s with that Sichuan-Northeastern accent? Shut up already, Lao Mu—I swear I’ll punch you.”

“Heh heh. You’re the one with the Northeastern-Sichuan accent!”

Mu Feng stayed because he was too lazy to go home.  
Xiang Guan stayed because home was just too far—so he chose dormitory hibernation instead.

Buzz buzz. x2

Both glanced at their phones simultaneously—and fell into silence.

Mu Feng pulled the blanket over his head despite the heat, staring at his WeChat message.

Mysterious Partner (Hua Xin): “What’s Xia Yan doing today?”

Bro…  

Yan-ge has his own place in Modu 😭—how would I know what he’s up to if he’s already home?! 😰

But saying that? Absolutely not ❌.

He couldn’t afford even a shred of doubt about his loyalty—not when the fallout could crush him either way!

“Chief, all quiet today. Xia Yan is at home. I’ve been monitoring closely—everything’s under control.”

Seeing no further reply, Mu Feng sighed in relief. Surely that proved he wasn’t slacking off…

Meanwhile—

Xiang Guan also buried his head under the covers, sweating nervously at his screen.

Lin Qingyu: “What’s Xia Yan doing today?”

Sis…  

Yan-ge’s in Modu… Wait, why does this feel so familiar? 🤔 The déjà vu made him frown. He quickly stopped himself to avoid accidental plagiarism.

“Senior, all quiet today. Xia Yan is at home. I’ve been monitoring closely—everything’s under control.”

But Lin Qingyu, a black-hole-tier mastermind, wasn’t as easy to fool as Hua Xin.

“I need his current location.”

“Within five minutes—or forget about getting Xiao Ling’s WeChat.”

In that moment, he understood the terrifying power of words.

BAM!  
Xiang Guan shot upright like a spring-loaded fish, glaring at his phone with a pained expression.

Let’s rewind to Monday.

That story about “some girl kept rubbing against him saying he smelled nice”? Totally fabricated.

Truth was—he’d just helped the Civil Engineering class carry five boxes of mineral water. 🤣

Somehow, Lin Qingyu found out he had a crush on Xiao Ling, the department beauty of Intelligent Construction (Civil Engineering). She’d “helpfully” set him up—by making him haul water for her.

“Yan-ge…”

“Sorry… (heartbroken)”

“Just tell me what you’re doing right now, please? 🥺😭” (followed by 24 consecutive pleading emojis…)

————————

One hour later.

Near the Bund, Shanghai.

Hua Xin shivered, clutching tightly to Xia Yan’s jacket as the motorcycle roared forward at breakneck speed. She kept her head ducked low.

“Why are you driving so fast?! 😭 Didn’t you see that semi-truck next to us?!”

“If you’re in such a rush to reincarnate as a sword saint or demon lord in some isekai, don’t drag me along! I haven’t finished my thirteen-spice blend and chili sauce at home yet! 😭😭…”

Huh?

She peeked up cautiously—and realized they’d stopped.

The motorcycle slowed gradually, then shut off.

Xia Yan smoothly lowered the kickstand, removed his helmet—his hair slightly flattened but still handsome—and exhaled softly.

“Ever been here before?”

“The night view of this city is actually really beautiful. I often come here alone. I’m really happy you agreed to come with me today.”

He smiled, his gaze drifting toward the water shimmering under kaleidoscopic neon lights, then walked to the railing, lost in thought.

He hadn’t expected Hua Xin to say yes.

After all, facing this world took time. Growth always left footprints—there were no overnight geniuses, no instant decisions.

“Here—this is for you.”

Hua Xin had already dismounted and pulled a plastic container from her little backpack—the leftover dumplings.

Steam still rose gently from the box; she’d wrapped it in a sweater to keep it warm.

With both hands, she offered it to Xia Yan like presenting a precious treasure.

“For… for me?” he asked, surprised.

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded softly.

His eyes suddenly blurred. He took the box, plucked a dumpling with his bare fingers, and popped it in his mouth—even though he didn’t actually like three-delight filling.

Still, he grinned warmly:  
“Delicious. Perfect—I haven’t had dinner yet.”

Hua Xin hadn’t even taken off her helmet. She walked to the railing beside him, gazing wistfully at the distant skyline reflected in the river.

The last time she saw this view was six years ago—with her.

She remembered it perfectly.

She didn’t know if it was memories of someone, or something else entirely—but a quiet sadness welled inside her.

Xia Yan…

This time… we’re even.