In Li the Devil’s office.

“How are you, Xuanyu? You’ve had enough rest after resting for half a day.”

“Right?” Li the Demon picked up the thermos, blew on the rim, touched the edge of the cup with his upper lip, took a sip of tea, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

Although I was in a bad mood, I realized I had said the wrong thing the moment my mother closed the door. I had no intention of losing my temper with my advisor.

However, I still secretly grumbled to myself – half a day off, just half a day off? Is that even human language?

“What are your plans?” I asked, sitting on the stool next to me without feeling too awkward.

“Tomorrow, report to Xinhuang Semiconductor in the north of the city. They recently took on a confidential self-developed SOC project. Didn’t you want to delve deeper into AI chips? I’ve already spoken to Xinhuang’s CTO. This time, you’ll go directly to the architecture group to participate in NPU design. The relevant personnel have already been assigned to you. I’ll send you their contact information later. Go sign the confidentiality agreement tomorrow.” Li Motou rattled off everything as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

“Teacher Li, how did you know about Xinhuang’s confidential business—” Before I could finish speaking, I saw the somewhat helpless look in Teacher Li’s eyes, and I roughly understood what was going on.

I asked him what he and his dad had been busy with before…

“Although you’ve been involved in chip fabrication more than once or twice, it’s still too early to assemble a team for you. You should go to a company and learn more first.” Li the Demon took another sip of tea and licked the tea leaves off his lips.

“What about Chu Yun? What did he say?” I asked.

“He has his own plans. He’s not like you, who got involved in design in his freshman year.” Li the Devil glanced at me.

“Okay~” I could only shake my head and politely leave his office.

It wasn’t until I stepped outside that I realized, “Wouldn’t that devil Li want me to go there by myself?”

Without thinking twice, I added the WeChat account of Chen Yuan, the chief designer, which was given to me by Li Motou.

After saying hello, I saw a message from Jingyan in my contact list.

“Xuanyu~ You haven’t talked to me all morning~ What are you doing? Are you busy? But Chuyun said you have nothing to do.”

Are you still sleeping? I miss you so much~

“Phew~” I let out a heavy sigh, but still pressed the input box.

“Teacher Li asked me to go to a company to learn. It’s Xinhuang Semiconductor in the north of the city.”

The “typing…” indicator at the top of the chat window flashed for a few seconds, and Jingyan’s message immediately popped up: “Huh? Then you can’t stay at school? How long? Will it be tough?”

“I don’t know yet, but it should be measured in months.”

“Oh? Does that mean we can’t have breakfast together anymore?! We can’t walk around school together and kiss and hug anymore! /crying/crying”

Seeing how cute Jingyan was, I couldn’t help but smile, but my heart tightened instead.

The truth she told Mu Qianning and Mu Lingze, and her attitude towards Zhao Chenyu, have left me unsure how to face her now.

Just as my fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of what to say, another message from Jingyan arrived—

“Wait a minute, that’s not right. North of the city, right? I just looked at the map, it’s very close to your house.” Jingyan’s words made me suddenly realize that it was true.

“Hehe! So you’re going home to live, right, Xuanyu? I’m tired of living in the dorm too, Mu Qianning is always so restless! I’ll go home with you too~ That way, after your hard day at work, I’ll pick you up, and then we can go home together and sleep in our room together /shy”

Jingyan’s beautiful vision made my fingers, which were hanging in mid-air, tremble even more violently.

After packing my things in the afternoon, I went for a walk with Jingyan, admiring her seemingly innocent and pure smile.

I pretended I knew nothing…

That evening, after saying goodbye to Jingyan, I didn’t go home or back to my graduate student dormitory, but instead went to my mother’s faculty dormitory.

After all, I lost my temper with my mom during the day, and now that I’ve calmed down, I still need to apologize to her.

“Creak!” I pushed open the door to my mother’s dormitory, and it was pitch black inside.

Wait a minute, it’s only nine o’clock, Mom shouldn’t be asleep yet, right?

I glanced around the dimly lit living room. Only the small nightlight on the coffee table emitted a faint green glow, like a firefly. It was a gift from Xuanman to her mother.

“Mom?” I called tentatively as I walked toward the bedroom. The bedroom door was open, but the familiar, slender figure inside was not there.

Is Mom not here?

Then I must have gone to Xuanman’s house, because when I went home to pack my things in the afternoon, my mother wasn’t there either.

I sighed and left my mother’s dormitory.

After going downstairs and standing under the streetlights, gazing at the brightly lit campus streets, a feeling of reluctance welled up inside me. I didn’t know if it was because I was leaving school tomorrow, or because I hadn’t seen my mother yet.

“Hoo~” I exhaled a heavy breath of stale air. The air mass turned slightly white under the streetlights, but quickly disappeared into nothingness.

I looked down and saw two withered yellow sycamore leaves at my feet, which looked like they had fallen a long time ago.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I squatted down, pinched the leaf stalk, and twisted the two leaves together. The small leaf was pressed tightly against the large leaf, as if the large leaf was embracing the small leaf.

Just when I thought I was about to realize something.

“Whoosh—” A cold wind blew, and the chilly air made my fingers stiffen, and the leaf in my hand fluttered wildly.

The big leaf flew away, and the small leaf flew away too…

…

The next day, at 8:50 a.m., in front of a detached small building in the high-tech park in the north of the city.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw a middle-aged man wearing a black casual suit but jeans waving at me as he walked towards me.

“Lin Xuanyu, right? It’s me, Chen Yuan.” The man named Chen Yuan smiled slightly and extended his hand to me.

“Hello, Chief Chen.” I shook hands with him politely.

“Don’t mention it. Although your dad is my senior from university, we’re colleagues. They all call me Brother Yuan.” He said as he walked inside.

“Okay, Brother Yuan.” I followed him into the building. Several people who came to work cast curious glances at us as we passed by. One of the ladies even pushed up her glasses and stared at my unfamiliar face without any attempt to hide it.

As I passed the front desk, I noticed the fingerprint attendance machine on the wall flashing green.

Without turning his head, Chen Yuan said, “You don’t need to clock in.” His voice was as crisp and decisive as he was. “After you sign the confidentiality agreement, you’ll be given an access card.” He paused, then added, “You can just swipe your card to come in from now on.”

Just as I was about to nod, I suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps behind me.

“Oh no, I’m going to be late! I’m going to be late!” A clear female voice, accompanied by rapid breathing, grew closer and closer.

I instinctively turned around and saw a girl carrying a huge briefcase stumbling towards me.

She wore a beige turtleneck sweater paired with a lavender A-line skirt, looking like a swaying dandelion in the morning light.

Two plush toys hanging from her briefcase—a panda and a penguin—collided violently in the air as she ran.

“Excuse me! Let me through!” she called out as she nimbly dodged the people in front of her.

When she was still three meters away from the time clock, she suddenly stretched out her right foot and performed a beautiful sliding step, leaving a faint mark on the ground with her canvas shoe.

At the same time, her right hand thrust out with the precision of a fencer, her index finger extended, aiming at the time clock.

“Beep—Check-in successful!”

“Phew—” She let out a long sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing like a deflated balloon. “I finally saved my perfect attendance bonus for this month.” She patted her chest to catch her breath and casually tucked her loose black hair behind her ear.

At that moment, I finally saw her face clearly, and my eyes instantly filled with surprise and helplessness.

“Zhao Qingjun?!” I exclaimed, pointing at her.

“Lin Xuanyu?!” She pointed at me, who was standing in front of the elevator. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and her cheerful tone drew the attention of many people.

“You know each other?” Chen Yuan’s deep voice suddenly broke through, like a pair of scissors cutting off the subtle atmosphere flowing between us.

“Ah, Chief Chen, hello!” Zhao Qingjun, like a startled little rabbit, immediately pursed her lips, folded her hands in front of her, and bowed properly at a fifteen-degree angle.

“Uh, I haven’t been in touch with a friend for a long time, I didn’t expect to run into him here, sorry Yuan-ge.” I quickly composed myself.

“Ding!” The elevator arrived just in time, and the metal doors slid open slowly.

Chen Yuan stepped in first, and I followed closely behind.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, I saw Zhao Qingjun still standing there through the narrowing gap.

She suddenly raised her hand, gave me a playful wink, and a sly smile appeared on her lips.

The elevator ascended smoothly and finally stopped at the top floor. Sunlight streamed in through the glass curtain wall, illuminating the entire office area brightly.

“Where’s Xiaotian? Come here for a second.” Chen Yuan called out to the workstation by the window, and a shiny bald head stood up in response, the reflected sunlight almost blinding me.

“Hey~ Isn’t this our junior, Xuan Yu!” With his signature mischievous grin on his long-lost face, Zhao Tian strode over and put his arm around my shoulder. “What a coincidence, you’ve fallen into my hands, haven’t you?”

I sighed helplessly, “Senior Zhao Tian… Professor Li’s previous doctoral student.” This sentence seemed to be an explanation to Chen Yuan, but also a way to reassure myself.

Chen Yuan nodded knowingly and patted Zhao Tian on the shoulder: “It’s up to you.” As he turned around, I clearly saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

Once Chen Yuan was out of sight, Zhao Tian immediately revealed his true colors. His large, pincer-like hand gripped my shoulder, and he leaned close to my ear, whispering menacingly, “My dear junior~” His warm breath on my ear sent shivers down my spine. “After you sign the agreement and come back, your senior will arrange a ‘feng shui treasure’ for you.”

“Then you’ll be doing my illegal work!” he deliberately drawled.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up in salute.

The signing of the agreement and basic training took place all morning. I ate lunch with Zhao Tian and Chen Yuan in the cafeteria. Jingyan offered to bring me food, but I didn’t want her to make the trip.

I also caught a glimpse of Zhao Qingjun and several female colleagues sitting by the window.

She seemed to sense my gaze, looked up at me, but then looked down again the instant our eyes met, poking at the broccoli on her plate with her chopsticks.

Just when I thought the afternoon’s work wouldn’t be too heavy and I’d only be looking at architecture documents, my “dear” senior student dumped a case on me.

“Try calculating the reuse rate and data bandwidth requirements of the PE array first. Don’t tell me you don’t know how.”

Holy crap… I just got here! Are they treating me like a donkey?!

This also caused my dinner time, which was originally 6 pm, to come at 8:30 pm.

But to my surprise, even at 8:30 pm, there were still quite a few people in the cafeteria, and I spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. I picked up my tray and walked over.

“Hello! Senior Zhao!” I sat down directly opposite Zhao Qingjun.

“Hey! Junior Lin!” Zhao Qingjun smiled sweetly at me. She wore light makeup, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and her smile was lovely but couldn’t hide her fatigue.

Looking at her face, I felt as if I saw my mother and Jingyan superimposed on each other. Sitting opposite her, I always felt a strange sense of peace, which was truly comforting…

“Why are you looking at me? Eat your food! You’ve been grinding grain all afternoon, why don’t you hurry up and eat your fodder and go back to work?” Zhao Qingjun said with a chopstick in her mouth.

“Your mouth is full of nonsense!” I picked up a piece of scrambled egg and stuffed it into my mouth.

“It’s different! I’m a real cow or horse, you… you definitely aren’t!” Zhao Qingjun pouted.

“At least you’re a donkey that gets paid, while I don’t even know who to ask for money for feed.” I remembered that I asked Zhao Tian about my salary that afternoon, and he told me “no.” HR also told me that they hadn’t received any news about my salary yet.

“Huh? So what are you here for?” Zhao Qingjun suddenly became interested and leaned down to stare at me as she asked.

As she approached, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted over me. I quickly leaned back, but my eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of a bulge faintly visible inside her sweater collar.

“Your hair… is on the plate,” I reminded her.

“Aww!” She quickly tucked her loose hair behind her ear. “Don’t interrupt, just tell me!”

“I’m here to learn.”

“Wow! Studying? Studying means going straight to the top floor! The top floor is all the architecture team, full of top experts!” Zhao Qingjun said enviously, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her hand. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed resentfully, “Sigh~ I’m working so hard in the backend that my butt’s on fire, and I still don’t know if I’ll get a permanent position~”

“You haven’t been officially hired yet?” I asked.

“Yes, I want to pursue a PhD… but my family… doesn’t support me. You probably know about this industry; nurses used to be able to find jobs even if they switched to graphic design. Now, they’re hiring PhDs as a starting point, and even master’s students need to come from good schools. Most importantly, they need experience in film fabrication. I had to go through several interviews for my internship, and I even enrolled in one of those training courses, but… it didn’t really help much, and I even lost all my savings.” Zhao Qingjun seemed to have found someone to confide in, and she rattled off all her troubles on her fingers.

“There’s nothing I can do.” I tried to comfort her, but given the current situation, even that was futile.

“Okay~ I won’t bother you anymore, handsome guy. I’m going to work overtime, or I’ll miss the last subway.” Zhao Qingjun wiped her mouth with a tissue.

“What time will you get home?” I asked in surprise.

“It must be past ten o’clock by now,” Zhao Qingjun said calmly.

I asked her why she was in such a panic this morning.

Just as I frowned, Zhao Qingjun’s phone suddenly rang. I watched as she took out a pink doll-like object and put it to her ear.

I tilted my head and looked closely at the smiling lucky cat phone case, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Hmm… okay… I’ll look again, thank you.” But Zhao Qingjun’s expression was completely opposite to that of her phone case; her eyes were downcast and the corners of her mouth were turned down.

It reminded me of how my mother looked yesterday… My heart tightened, and I quickly asked her, “What’s wrong?”

“The lease is about to expire, and the landlord said that if I renew it, the rent will increase… I only found a place a bit further away because it was cheap, but I didn’t expect this… Sigh~” Zhao Qingjun sighed heavily.

Are there any near the park?

“It’s too expensive. Even a shared apartment costs over a thousand… and it’s a partitioned room.” Zhao Qingjun’s shoulders went limp, and she even forgot that she had to go to work overtime.

“Um… Xuanyu… you’re a local, do you live nearby?” Zhao Qingjun looked at me hopefully.

“Yes.”

“Well… could you please check if there are any suitable properties available, or even real estate agents you know? I’m willing to pay a bit more this time—but please don’t make it too expensive…” Zhao Qingjun clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her fingertips waving at me.

“Okay, I’ll ask around for you within a week,” I replied with a smile.

“Thank you!” Zhao Qingjun hurriedly took out her “doll” and pointed the screen at me.

It is a QR code.

“Handsome Lin! Can we add each other on WeChat?”

Her trotting figure heading towards the office building filled me with a strange warmth, and the illusion in my heart made me feel much less guilty for losing my temper with my mother yesterday.

What do you call this? Fate?

“Finally free!” I pressed the power button on the monitor, and my tired face was reflected in the darkness.

The only sound in the office was the hum of the computer cases running. Suddenly, the phone screen lit up—21:47, and Jingyan’s message popped up with a pink heart-shaped bubble.

“Xuanyu, come downstairs quickly~” Pushing open the glass door, the chill of the winter night rushed in. As soon as they stepped out of the park, next to a Maserati parked under the streetlights, Jingyan was pacing back and forth wrapped in a beige cashmere coat, her breath creating a warm halo under the streetlights.

Her voluptuous figure was perfectly accentuated by the turtleneck sweater and wide-leg pants, the curves of her chest trembling gently with her breath. Her round cheeks were flushed from waiting, and as soon as she saw me, her eyes crinkled into crescents: “Sir, your reserved driver has arrived!”

As soon as I entered the house.

“Welcome home!” As soon as I entered the foyer, Jingyan immediately knelt down to untie my shoelaces and take off my coat. As I walked into the living room, the rice cooker on the dining table had its orange keep-warm light on, like a little lantern keeping watch at night.

“Sit down and have something to eat~” Jingyan went into the kitchen.

“I’ve already eaten dinner~”

“I know~ I made you some soup. My husband works very hard, so let’s keep our voices down. Dad has already finished eating and gone to bed.” Jingyan tied on her floral apron, the tie at her waist outlining her soft curves, and held a bowl and spoon in her hands.

“Dad?” I was taken aback.

She suddenly blushed, twisting the edge of her apron with her fingers: “It’s your dad~ Your dad is my dad, I’ve wanted to change how I address you for a long time…” Jingyan’s voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, like a shy cat.

I smiled, but a dull ache rose in my chest.

Inside the familiar home, it was so quiet I could hear the clock ticking. As I sipped my soup, Jingyan sat opposite me, her hands supporting her chin, her eyes fixed on me with a tender gaze that seemed to melt away.

This scene reminds me of how my mother used to wait for my father to come home from working overtime.

As soon as I finished the last sip of soup, Jingyan immediately stood up and took the bowl: “Go take a shower~ I’ll clean up.”

The hot water washed away my fatigue.

When I walked into the bedroom while drying my hair, Jingyan had already changed into a light purple silk nightgown, and her alluring figure looked especially tempting under the soft light.

She deliberately moved closer to the edge of the bed, patting the blankets that still held her body heat: “Honey, come in quickly, the blankets are warm for you~”

I had barely lain down when she eagerly snuggled into my arms, a faint fragrance wafting from her hair. “I didn’t feel anything back in school…” she said, burying her face in the crook of my neck, her voice muffled, “but today, waiting for you to get off work, I felt so excited…” Her voice suddenly choked with emotion, “Seeing you come out, going home with you, getting into bed with you, I felt so happy… so happy…”

At that moment, my heart softened completely, my arms tightened involuntarily, and I had only one thought in my mind: I can’t live without her… I can’t live without her… I really can’t live without her.

But I couldn’t bear to see her sad, so I joked, “That’s it, your husband doesn’t get a single penny of salary.”

She looked up at her tear-streaked face, her nose red: “It’s okay if I don’t get paid, we’re not short of money anyway, we can just be frugal…” She counted on her fingers, “After you go to work, I’ll wait for you at home, cook you delicious food and wait for you to come back, and then we’ll have a few more kids.”

I raised my hand and gently flicked away the teardrops clinging to her eyelashes.

Looking at her happy smile, my heart ached—Jingyan, if you have such a happy life, why are you still with Zhao Chenyu… But what right do I have to say anything to her?

I was the one who first ruined this beautiful thing…

Just as I was feeling lost, she suddenly rolled over and straddled me, her pajamas collar askew, revealing her rounded shoulders: “Xuanyu~”

She leaned down, her hair falling onto my face, her voice as soft as a dream.

“Let’s have a baby!”

…

Work is like a black hole—once it starts, not even light can escape, let alone time.

Before I knew it, the calendar had turned to Friday, and New Year’s Day was almost a month away. At four o’clock in the afternoon, I unusually shut down my computer early and left the company with Zhao Qingjun.

After driving for about ten minutes, the vehicle entered an old residential area.

“Is this the place?” She looked up at the mottled gray exterior wall, with a few green plants hanging on the old-fashioned security windows.

“It’s a bit old, but the location is really good! It only takes half an hour to ride an electric bike.” Zhao Qingjun was wearing a fluffy black down jacket, with a slender ankle peeking out from under her white wide-leg pants. She wore pink cartoon socks on her ankles, and a black and white checkered scarf fluttered in the cold wind, like a lively penguin following behind me.

I led her up the stairs.

The edges of the cement steps were worn smooth, and several flattened cardboard boxes were piled up at the corner.

The paint on the green security door of room 201 on the second floor is peeling off, and the key makes a tooth-grinding metallic scraping sound when it turns, like an old shovel scraping against tiles.

“Wow!” Zhao Qingjun’s eyes suddenly lit up. “It’s so much cleaner inside than outside!” Like a curious kitten, she nimbly slid into the house.

The faded fabric sofa was covered with a brand-new dust cloth, and the TV cabinet was completely empty.

She ran to the window and pushed and pulled the dark gray aluminum alloy window with all her might. The window frame protested with a “creaking” sound, and the stuck sliding track made it only possible to open the window a crack about a hand’s width wide.

“I had someone clean it up on Wednesday. When I first came in, the surface was covered in dust, there must have been a layer of it.” I stretched out my right hand, my thumb and forefinger making a gap.

“Hmm~ It’s a bit old, but everything still works.” Zhao Qingjun entered the bathroom, where some rust that couldn’t be cleaned remained on the exposed pipes.

“Who lived here before?” Zhao Qingjun walked into the bedroom and childishly shook the metal bed.

“It’s an old house of my family’s, bought by my parents years ago. But the tenants kept causing trouble, so it’s been vacant ever since,” I told her.

“So the landlord is right in front of me!” She suddenly clasped her hands together, her eyes curving into crescents. “Then… could the rent be…” Her voice was so sweet it could drip honey, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the tassels of her scarf.

I deliberately remained silent, watching her anxiously tiptoe, the down feathers on her down jacket hood trembling slightly with her movements.

“Can you give me a discount? I’ll cover the room cleaning fee! Give me a discount…” As she leaned closer, I smelled a faint citrus scent in her hair.

“No need,” I finally said, her eyes widening like a startled deer. “But there are conditions.”

“Sir, please give instructions!” She immediately straightened her body, but couldn’t hide the upward curve of her lips.

“Keep it clean; this place should always be spotless.” That’s what I’ve always thought about. It’s my own house; it’s not good for it to be covered in dust all the time.

“Yes, sir!” Zhao Qingjun nodded vigorously, her ponytail swinging merrily.

“Don’t bring anyone else!” I thought of Zhao Qingjun’s friends, those few “spirited young women,” and warned them sternly.

“Yes, sir!”

“Also, the people living upstairs and downstairs are all elderly, so please keep your voice down. As for the rest… you’ll have to pay for the utilities and internet yourself, that’s all.” I couldn’t think of anything else, because I’ve never rented a place before.

“Thank you, Xuanyu!” She suddenly rushed over, and the fluffy texture of her down jacket combined with her soft body made me feel like I was embracing a cloud.

I was stunned.

“Ah! I’m sorry!” She realized what had happened and quickly backed away, her ears turning bright red as they parted.

My face turned red, and so did hers.

“Okay, here are the keys. You can move tomorrow.” I handed over the keys, the metal leaving a cool sensation in my palm.

Looking at her flushed cheeks, I suddenly realized that I had placed all my trust in this girl I had only met a few times.

Sunset and sunrise, the weekend has finally arrived. I’ve been busy until 8 or 9 pm these past few days, and I don’t get home until after 10 pm. Finally, the weekend is here. Lying in my soft bed, I can sleep until I naturally wake up. This long-lost comfort makes me deeply appreciate the happiness of “sleeping in on Saturday to get rid of the work smell”.

Jingyan has been taking good care of me these past few days, but because she has to juggle both school and home, she has missed a lot of her student council work.

Early this morning, she got up quietly to wash and dress. I heard the rustling sound of her packing her things while I was half asleep.

“The school is organizing a party…” She left a light kiss on my forehead, the faint scent of jasmine gradually dissipating with the sound of the door closing.

I was lying down when my phone rang around 10 a.m.

It was a message from Zhao Qingjun: “Moving now~ (exhausted.jpg)” Her words were full of energy.

I was about to reply that I would come to help, but my finger stopped at the top of the screen—something more important was waiting for me.

Although I have apologized to my mother on WeChat these past few days, and she often inquires about my work situation, every time I think of her disappointed expression that day, my chest feels like it is being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and I feel a dull pain.

In my memory, I don’t think I ever saw my mother look so hurt.

So, after Xuanman told me that Mom was in a good mood, I immediately jumped out of bed and headed to school.

Perfect timing! Not only can I enjoy my mom’s long-awaited cooking, but I can also avoid meeting Jingyan and see if she’s really at school…

As soon as I entered the school gate, the air felt much fresher. The early winter sun shone gently on the sycamore-lined avenue, and the fallen leaves under my feet made a crisp “rustling” sound.

The younger students passing by greeted me warmly: “Hello, Senior Lin!” I smiled and nodded in response, a feeling of nostalgia welling up in my heart.

“Lin Xuanyu!” Suddenly, an angry female voice rang in my ears. I turned my head and saw a girl with wheat-colored skin—Xia Rong, a freshman in the Department of Physical Education.

“Lin Xuanyu! I’ve finally found you!” she said through gritted teeth, rushing towards me and grabbing my sleeve without saying a word.

I tried to pull my arm back, but found that the girl’s grip was incredibly strong.

“Hey, Xia Rong, right? What are you doing?”

“Come here! I have something to ask you!” Xia Rong grabbed my arm and dragged me into a pavilion without giving me a chance to speak.

“What exactly do you want?” I asked, completely bewildered, utterly baffled by this sudden turn of events.

Xia Rong’s eyes widened, her left hand still gripping my arm tightly, while her right hand had grabbed the collar of my down jacket, making a sour rubbing sound.

“Lin Xuanyu! You scumbag! You and Senior Qin were doing so well, why did you have to provoke Lin Shuyue again!”

“Lin Shuyue? What did I do to offend her?” Her question left me completely bewildered. Lin Shuyue occasionally sends me messages, but I rarely reply.

“You’re still pretending to be stupid!” Xia Rong didn’t give me a chance to explain at all, grabbing my collar with both hands and shaking me wildly.

My vision spun around with her movements, and her angry spittle, smelling of mint, sprayed onto my face: “My Lin Shuyue has been so absent-minded lately! I went out with her a few days ago, and she kept calling your name in her dreams! Tell me! If you didn’t seduce her, then who else could it be?!”

What is all this?!

“Then go ask Lin Shuyue, find out the details before you come to me, okay? I have things to do right now.” I grabbed her wrist, trying to make her let go, and I also struggled to break free in the opposite direction.

“You’re not allowed to leave! Explain yourself! Show me your phone! Let me see your chat history!” As soon as Xia Rong heard that I was leaving, she instantly turned into a tigress, grabbing my down jacket and refusing to let go.

“Let go!”

Explain yourself!

“hiss–”

In the scuffle, she pulled hard, and my down jacket was instantly ripped open, scattering countless goose down feathers like snowflakes all over the ground.

“Xia Rong! What are you doing?” Just as I was staring at Xia Rong and my down jacket, still confused, Lin Shuyue’s voice came.

“Didn’t we say we were going to eat together? Why are you… Senior Lin… your clothes…” Lin Shuyue ran over, covering her mouth in surprise as she watched the down feathers constantly drifting out of the holes in the down jacket, dancing in the air like snowflakes.

“Yue’er! Tell me, is it this Lin Xuanyu who’s seducing you?! I’ve been looking for him for days!” Xia Rong released my collar, stood next to Lin Shuyue, and pointed at me menacingly.

“What do you mean, ‘seduce me’? What are you talking about?” Lin Shuyue was also confused.

“Wasn’t he the one who flirted with and seduced you? Then why did you call for Lin Xuanyu at night?” Xia Rong’s tone softened upon seeing Lin Shuyue’s reaction, her face filled with confusion.

Lin Shuyue’s face flushed red. She lowered her head and whispered, “No! It’s me… I have a crush on my senior, and he’s never really paid any attention to me, so his clothes are yours…” Lin Shuyue frowned as she looked at Xia Rong, but her finger was pointing at me.

“Gentlemen, before you talk to each other, please give me an explanation first, okay?” I hurriedly took off my down jacket and hugged it to my chest. The early winter wind took the opportunity to sneak into my thin sweater, making me shiver.

“Um… senior, I’m sorry, Xia Rong… is my girlfriend.” Lin Shuyue’s apologetic and shy words made my brain short-circuit instantly.

A partner? A partner! So, these two are lesbians?

I stared wide-eyed at the two girls in front of me, who were so different in style—Xia Rong, a tanned, energetic sports student, and Lin Shuyue, a fair-skinned, quiet, and elegant liberal arts student. This combination was really unexpected.

The shock I felt made me forget the cold.

“Yes, it’s probably because last time we booked a room… I called your name while I was sleeping… that’s why she misunderstood. I’m so sorry, senior! I’m so sorry!” Lin Shuyue hurriedly bowed to me.

“Senior, I…I’m so sorry!” Xia Rong also bowed repeatedly to me, completely losing his previous imposing manner.

Although I really want to argue with them about the down jacket, the cold outside and my anxiety are keeping me stuck in the middle, making me not even in the mood to stand here.

“Alright, you two go eat first. Anyway, the person can’t escape, and there are surveillance cameras. I have something to do, I’ll talk to you later tonight.” After saying that, he turned around and left quickly.

Behind her came Lin Shuyue’s complaining voice: “Xia Rong! Can you not be so impatient?!” and Xia Rong’s aggrieved explanation.

After walking quite a distance, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing—I never expected those two to be lesbians… Life is full of surprises.

Braving the cold wind, I rushed to my mother’s faculty dormitory building. The large mirror on the first floor reflected my red and dry face. Without stopping, I went straight to the elevator.

“Ding—” The elevator doors slowly opened, but the person standing inside made me freeze in place.

It’s Zhao Chenyu.

“Senior…Senior…” Zhao Chenyu lowered his head, clutching the lunchbox in his hand, and darted out from the elevator door like a startled rabbit.

I noticed his expression was strange; his lips were tightly pursed, as if they had never grown there.

I ignored him, took the elevator, and ran to my mother’s dormitory, scattering snow-white goose down all the way.

“Mom!” As soon as I entered the door, a warm atmosphere mixed with the jasmine scent that my mother often used wafted towards me. I couldn’t wait to look inside. My mother wasn’t in the living room; instead, I could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

I didn’t dare to go in easily, but I just looked out from the doorway. The door was open, and my mother was washing her face. She was wearing a close-fitting silk nightgown, with the waist tie loosely tied, outlining her stunning waist and hip curves.

As she scooped water to wash her face, the neckline of her nightgown drooped slightly, and water droplets slid down her slender neck, disappearing into the deep cleavage.

A pair of full, large breasts swayed violently with her movements, creating alluring waves beneath the silk fabric.

Shouldn’t we be taking a nap? Why do we need to wash our faces?

“Mom~” I called softly.

“Hmm? Xuanyu?” Mom turned her head, brushed away the damp hair clinging to her face, revealing her delicate features—her porcelain-like skin glowed with a sunset-like rosy hue, and water droplets slid down her exquisite jawline, dripping into small puddles in the hollow of her collarbone.

Her bright eyes, misted by the water vapor, widened slightly, with tiny water droplets still clinging to her long eyelashes.

Mom’s face is so red, so alluringly red.

“What’s wrong, Xuanyu? Why are you staring at your mother?” His mother pursed her lower lip and wiped her face.

“Mom is always so beautiful~” I exclaimed sincerely. The scene before me reminded me of the oil paintings depicting Venus during the Renaissance, but no painting could compare to my mother’s vibrant beauty at this moment.

“You’re so sweet-talking~” Mom smiled.

“Uh, Mom…” My gaze followed my mother’s plump figure.

“What’s wrong? Did you run into a problem at work?” Mom gracefully adjusted the hem of her nightgown and sat demurely on the sofa.

This movement caused the nightgown fabric to stretch taut over her full breasts, outlining a perfect hemispherical silhouette.

“No…it’s just that last time…I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you so much.” I scratched my head and apologized.

“Ah…” Mom was taken aback at first, then smiled and said, “It’s nothing~”

Although I know that my mother is really not angry anymore, I still feel that her mind is not on what I said.

“What’s wrong with your clothes?” Mom asked.

“Ugh—don’t even mention it!” I quickly told my mom about the embarrassing thing that had just happened.

“Lin Shuyue?” the mother exclaimed in sudden realization.

“Mom, do you know her?”

“She consulted me before, just like you said. She has Xia Rong as her boyfriend, but she has fallen for someone else. I asked her who it was, but she refused to say. Now I know,” Mom chuckled.

“Okay…” After leaving my mother’s dormitory, I touched my new down jacket and thought that it was still best to be where my mother was.

However—Brother Qin, Zhao Chenyu, Yue Feng, and Mu Yu

Ping… It feels like there’s more than one dark cloud above my head.