He Xiaohan couldn’t remember ever seeing this girl at school. Logically speaking, a girl like her should be quite rare at a science-leaning university like theirs. At the very least, he should have seen her pop up a few times on the school forum.

But he had no impression of her at all…

Girls like Ji Qingying—though he’d never interacted with them—were already well-known by reputation.

Xu Yecheng stood up and turned her head. When she saw He Xiaohan behind her, their eyes met. He Xiaohan clearly froze for a moment, then turned his head away.

A trace of confusion appeared on his face.

He watched as she stepped out of the lawn, while the little cat darted into the bushes nearby.

He Xiaohan stared at her back for a while, then lowered his head and started fiddling with his camera again.

Today’s field shoot hadn’t yielded much…

He continued walking forward, flipping through the photos on his camera, his gaze lingering on the image of that girl for a moment.

It could be considered… an unexpected gain?

Even He Xiaohan himself found it strange—why did this girl give him the feeling that she had appeared out of nowhere?

He slowly passed through the small grove of trees, strolling toward the laboratory building.

Xu Yecheng felt conflicted.

Why was it that the more displeased she felt about this guy, the more he seemed to pop up in front of her for no reason?

She took a deep breath. The lab building was in the direction He Xiaohan was coming from, but Xu Yecheng simply couldn’t bring herself to walk straight toward him and pass by his side.

She could only take a detour—circle around to the track field first, grab her things, and then head back to the lab building.

After Xu Yecheng climbed upstairs and changed back into her clothes, stepping out of the restroom, the sensation of her field of vision being raised again—and the feeling of relief from the weight removed from her chest—made her feel strangely unsettled.

He took out his phone and accepted the friend request from Doudou.

Doudou immediately sent over a pitiful-looking sticker.

“Ningning finally accepted! I thought you forgot about me.”

“Sorry, I just opened my phone,” Xu Yecheng replied, slowly walking down the stairs.

“Classes are full all morning tomorrow, and I still have to work in the afternoon. I’m exhausted,” Doudou complained.

Xu Yecheng sighed helplessly. He was exhausted too, like a dog—although he only had one class in the morning, there was a weekly quiz, and after coming back from outside in the afternoon, he still had a lecture to attend.

He grabbed something to eat, then returned to the dorm, worn out.

……

He Xiaohan walked inside and sat down at a seat on the right side of the bar counter. The lights in the bar were dazzling, but the lighting at the counter was unexpectedly soft.

A woman smiled gently, her gaze resting on He Xiaohan’s face.

“How have the past few days been?”

As she spoke, she handed He Xiaohan a drink.

“Not bad,” He Xiaohan replied, his expression turning a little helpless.

“What’s wrong? Xiao Han, you look like you have something on your mind,” the woman said with a seductive smile. She lifted her glass, and He Xiaohan’s eyes fell on her red lips as he watched her take a light sip.

Vivid like a rose. Her eyes were accented with dark, purplish eyeshadow, paired with an off-shoulder outfit—full of charm.

“If you’re talking about worries, not really,” He Xiaohan said, lifting his glass and taking a sip.

Peng Xinhui laughed softly, resting her chin on her hands as she leaned a little closer.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in Xiaoying? Then why did I hear that you’re back together with her?”

He Xiaohan smiled bitterly, his body subtly leaning back.

“There’s an honest guy in our dorm. Qingying got close to him first,” He Xiaohan said with some resignation. “Only then did she come looking for me.”

“Hm?” Peng Xinhui voiced her curiosity. At that moment, a hand entered He Xiaohan’s field of view. Peng Xinhui smiled with composed elegance. “Sorry, sir, right now I’m exclusively accompanying this gentleman~”

He Xiaohan followed her gaze to the side—it was a young man with a wolf-tail haircut.

The young man cast a gloomy glance at He Xiaohan, then shot Peng Xinhui a look before quietly walking away.

“Then what about that poor little guy?”

He Xiaohan took another sip of his drink, his expression complicated.

“He hasn’t figured it out yet. He’s pretty unhappy with me now,” He Xiaohan sighed. “That woman is probably his first love. Looks like he hasn’t quite let go.”

“Oh, sounds like a foolish kid,” Peng Xinhui scoffed. “Just like you were back then.”

He Xiaohan shrugged, his expression calm. “Once you get past it, it’s nothing. The one involved is always confused—you get it, right?”

“Since Xiaoying likes you so much, did you just go along with it and do something?” Peng Xinhui asked with a smile.

“Not interested,” He Xiaohan replied.

“You’re already twenty, Xiao Han. How have you not even touched a woman’s body yet?” There was a hint of regret in Peng Xinhui’s expression.

“Does being twenty mean you have to have done that to be considered a man?” He Xiaohan laughed, amused by her words.

“You only mature after you’ve experienced it,” Peng Xinhui said, reaching a hand out to him in a gesture of asking. “Now then, hurry up and give me the thing.”

He Xiaohan reached up, took down the camera hanging from his shoulder, and handed it to her.

A flicker of anticipation crossed Peng Xinhui’s face as she opened the gallery and browsed through the photos he had taken.

“Your photography skills have improved, Xiao Han,” Peng Xinhui praised.

He Xiaohan took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and said flatly, “You flatter me.” He pulled one out and held it between his lips.

He reached into his pocket for a lighter, only to find it wouldn’t ignite.

Seeing He Xiaohan frown, Peng Xinhui’s expression turned playful again. She twisted to the side, picked up a lighter from the tool rack, and lit his cigarette for him.

He Xiaohan chuckled. “That’s an interesting way to do it.”

“Of course. Lighting your cigarette is my honor, right? A college student with a bright future,” Peng Xinhui said.

A hint of teasing passed through He Xiaohan’s expression. He took a drag; the ember at the tip of the cigarette glowed brighter. He inhaled deeply, white smoke flowing from his mouth and nose.

His gaze fell back on her face, his eyes slightly unfocused.

“And I’m honored to have my cigarette lit by you, beautiful and dignified hostess.”

Peng Xinhui’s face twitched, a self-mocking smile appearing. “I’m finding your words sharper and sharper.”

“Then drop the ‘dignified’ part.”

Peng Xinhui snorted lightly and flipped to the next image—a girl playing with a stray cat.

“Oh? It’s rare to see a girl appear in your photography, Xiao Han.”

“Yeah. I liked the way it looked, so I took the shot,” He Xiaohan replied calmly.

“This girl is quite pretty.”

He Xiaohan didn’t respond.

“So is she your next target?”

He Xiaohan shook his head. “Not interested.”

“Hm? You’ve pushed Xiaoying aside again—won’t you just be bored all alone, then?”

He Xiaohan’s eyes grew a little emptier. He exhaled another puff of smoke, his expression easing.

“Isn’t being alone pretty good?”