◎Do you have any photos of yourself without clothes?◎
It was like stumbling upon a red house in a green forest—Li Xia felt an overwhelming urge to explore F’s friend circle. F had given her a pass into his world, and on this quiet night, Li Xia clutched her phone and delved right in—
Unlike the vibrant, colorful posts in her own Moments, F’s daily shares matched the distant, serene impression he gave. No complaints about work, just corners of cities, street cats, sunsets, and rational short reviews of movies. Simple.
Li Xia firmly believed in the idea of personal auras.
What F exuded was a sense of stability forged from worldly experience.
Rare among young people.
Of course, it might just be his online persona.
Among them, there was one photo—and only one—that satisfied Li Xia’s greatest curiosity.
It was a work photo of F.
Taken from a distant angle, with a crowd of people gathered around a long table in discussion. F wasn’t at the center, but everyone’s eyes were fixed on him.
His figure was lean and handsome, dressed in a simple white T-shirt with broad shoulders, black-framed glasses, and a black earpiece. He held a script with turned pages, talking to the person beside him, his head slightly tilted to reveal a high, refined nose bridge and a scholarly yet rugged profile.
He was utterly focused on the task at hand.
Detective Li couldn’t resist zooming in with two fingers to admire F’s striking good looks.
He really stood out.
Like a aloof civilian model who’d turned down a scout.
Li Xia didn’t overlook the edges either: In the lower left of the frame, there were stacks of black equipment cases and cameras; above, the tip of a boom mic peeked out unintentionally. The background was a vast, desolate expanse of bluish-gray mountains under an overcast, yellowish sky—like a faded photo from an old Hong Kong drama.
This was probably the team F had mentioned.
So, was he a screenwriter? A director?
Or maybe the cinematographer? Producer?
The questions flashed through her mind.
As expected, F’s job did involve photography.
Come to think of it, plenty of men with creativity and artistic taste liked to flaunt their melancholy-squeezed talents to the world now and then. Li Xia didn’t care for it.
But with a face like that on top? She could forgive it all, at least for now.
Still, from Instagram to WeChat, after scouring for so long, every photo F posted showed him bundled up tight—no usual mirror selfies from workouts. Now that summer had arrived, the most he’d revealed were his toned arms. Nothing else.
Somehow, it gave off a celibate vibe.
Li Xia felt a pang of regret, her mind wandering to impure thoughts.
Was F’s physique as visually appealing as his face?
On this restless spring night buzzing with active thoughts, she pondered it, then set a new goal.
Satisfied, she put away her phone, sprawled out lazily, and drifted off to sleep.
–
She had to admit, the world updated fast.
Li Xia woke from her nap—
“Tomorrow night” had become “tonight.”
Tonight, she could have that ambiguously intimate call with F and hear his voice.
All day, Li Xia buzzed with barely suppressed excitement. She clocked in at nine with a beaming smile, ate and chatted with colleagues smiling, faced her dull manuscripts smiling. Like she’d inhaled excitement particles from the air, she kept checking the time. Kept imagining opening lines for her call with F.
At noon Beijing time, Li Xia got F’s first proactive message.
F: 【Morning, Teacher Lizi】
Probably six or seven a.m. in France.
Li Xia had already reviewed several manuscripts and handled plenty of work.
But she fired back: 【Already on paid time waiting four hours for you】
F: 【Really? Why not come find me first?】
Li Xia: 【Work held me back】
F put it to use: 【What were you thinking while waiting for me?】
Li Xia wouldn’t bite: 【Is this how you’re using the time difference between China and France?】
F: 【Teacher Lizi taught me by example】
Li Xia smiled to herself.
Thinking his work involved a team, Li Xia wondered if the evening call would cut into his afternoon.
So she asked: 【Not busy with work today?】
F: 【A bit busy in the morning】
F: 【Because I have other plans this afternoon】
Li Xia missed it: 【Oh】
F: 【Need to clear the afternoon to call Teacher Lizi】
Li Xia feigned calm: 【Thought you’d forgotten】
F: 【Would you remind me if I did?】
Li Xia: 【No】
Li Xia: 【Might never chat with you again】
F: 【Yeah, I’m worried about that too】
F: 【So】
The next second, he sent a screenshot.
An alarm app page, with alarms set for several time slots.
All labeled the same: Remember to call her.
Li Xia stared in shock for a full minute.
If it was all for show, reaching this level? She’d concede defeat.
This was an opponent she couldn’t outplay.
Li Xia nitpicked: 【How do I know who this “her” is?】
F was quick: 【Only one, so just “her”】
F: 【If there were others, I’d have to specify who to avoid mix-ups】
Logical enough.
But Li Xia wasn’t playing fair.
She teased: 【Sounds like you have experience】
The typing indicator lingered.
F: 【You don’t seem to like logical explanations】
F: 【So straight up】
F: 【Teacher Lizi, I have no extra time to give anyone else】
Implying: only you.
This time, Li Xia screamed internally.
She clamped a hand over her pounding heart.
Pull it together! Don’t beat so loud!
But she couldn’t hide it.
Just then, the office issued paychecks.
There was an old saying in the industry: Working at a publisher means flexible hours, friendly colleagues, and only one unhappy day a month—the payday.
Sure enough, everyone stared at their wages and balances with glum faces. Only Li Xia glowed with unusual cheer, drawing eyes.
“Xia Xia, got some good news?” a colleague probed.
“Nope.”
“Happy over this pittance? Win the lottery?”
Li Xia toned down her smile, joking, “This is what they call poor man’s joy.”
“Hahaha.” The office laughed.
“Little Xia’s vibes are way ahead!”
After work, Li Chun messaged, asking if Li Xia had confronted Zhao Xiaolan yet.
Li Xia considered her hand: In just days, a trash hand revived.
She replied: “Silly Li Chun, ever heard of the law of attraction?”
Li Chun: “Huh?”
Li Xia: “The universe heard my wish.”
Li Chun: “You chat with Three-Body aliens?”
Li Xia: “Know quantum entanglement?”
Li Chun: “Never dated.”
…
They bantered pointlessly a bit, until Li Xia asked, “If you could send a signal to the universe, what would it be?”
Li Chun: “I want to get rich.”
–
Li Xia was different. Her signal wasn’t random—it had a name, a code: F.
She stayed half an hour late to finish today’s reviews, then biked home.
Qu Shuxin was the only one home. Millet porridge simmered on the stove; she’d made beef pies, with spicy sour potato shreds on the side—all Li Xia’s favorites. After a cozy meal, Li Xia slipped back to her room. Her phone was fully charged. Perfect timing.
F had asked ages ago if she’d clocked out. Li Xia said she had things to finish; F said he’d wait.
Li Xia: 【We always seem to be the ones waiting】
F: 【Willing to spend time on someone is a form of emotional expression too】
He said it earnestly.
Li Xia: 【Oh? What emotion are you expressing?】
F: 【The answer you least believe in】
Two words flashed in Li Xia’s mind, but she dismissed them.
As F said, she wouldn’t believe it.
A man’s sweet words? Listen for fun.
They’d chatted this far because F made her happy effortlessly.
Unprepared at first, back in her room after some thought, Li Xia sat propped on the bed, smoothed her hair in the mirror, cleared her throat twice. All set, she sent her pink signal to F: 【Ready now】
No wait at all—not even time to steady her breath. Her fingers still hovered on the screen when the voice call popped up instantly.
The ringtone jolted her ear, the vibration shook her heart.
Li Xia tapped accept with one finger.
A “ding,” and two strangers connected through the cosmos—
Li Xia pressed the phone to her ear, heart tight, silent at first.
Quiet for seconds from the earpiece, then a clear voice emerged, as if he were right there. Amid her thundering heartbeat, Li Xia caught F’s real voice.
“Teacher Lizi?”
A soft pause, hesitant—maybe shy—amplifying his magnetic timbre. Clean tone, mature boyish charm laced with electric tingles, flooding her ear.
Nice.
So nice.
Li Xia felt her cheeks heat. Before she could speak, he asked, “Can you hear me clearly?”
She licked her lips. “Yes.”
“Working overtime again tonight?” F asked.
“Yeah, big workload today, so a bit late.”
After explaining, Li Xia tossed out bait. “Did I keep you waiting too long?”
“Mm, a little impatient,” F chuckled lowly.
“If you hadn’t gotten in touch soon, I would’ve thought you were bailing out at the last minute.”
He spoke with a smile in his voice, his breaths brushing against her ear like the lightest feather.
Li Xia’s ear tingled.
So did her heart.
She even picked up on a ridiculous hint of indulgence in his tone.
Help—
Li Xia clenched her fist, giving a soft pout. “This is the perk I fought so hard for—why on earth would I toss it aside?”
“You don’t seem to have fought very hard for it,” F said.
“I was the one who brought it up first,” Li Xia replied. “You agreed so quickly, I was even worried you’d back out.”
“I won’t.”
He wouldn’t?
“You’re awfully sure about that.”
“It’s a promise to you.”
His tone was so certain that Li Xia keenly sensed the thought behind it. A spark of smug satisfaction bloomed in her chest, and she decided to play a little trick.
“Never imagined Teacher Fang would be curious about me,” Li Xia said.
“Also?” F latched onto the word, just as expected, and pressed, “Are you curious about me too?”
“Huh?”
“…Curious. About me.”
He stumbled slightly over the words, as if embarrassed.
Li Xia laughed.
Curious? She was downright lustful.
Feeling triumphant, Li Xia wriggled happily on the bed, rumpling the sheets beneath her. She slid downward, resting her neck on the plush belly of the stuffed toy that had been propping her waist, and sprawled out in relaxed bliss before switching to a tone of mock surprise.
“Have I not made it obvious enough?”
Her voice was light and playful.
“Guess I’ll have to fight for more perks for myself.”
This time, F caught the key phrase.
“Now that you’ve heard my voice,” he paused, “does it still feel like a perk?”
“Mmm—”
Li Xia drew out the sound on purpose, stringing him along.
“Now I think it’s a treasure.”
On the other end, F chuckled softly. “Looks like Teacher Lizi is pretty satisfied with me.”
“That’s right.”
“Does it live up to your definition of a good voice?” he asked.
“It’s more than that—it’s redefined what a good voice means to me.”
Li Xia’s words carried a touch of exaggeration, but they hit the mark perfectly.
F let out a couple of light, clear laughs. “Teacher Lizi, you’re really good at this. Did you take a charm school class or something?”
His tone held a hint of helplessness, but it couldn’t mask his delight. That joy traveled through the phone, across the ocean, and warmed both of them.
Li Xia’s legs swung lightly of their own accord as she drawled, “Wanna learn?”
“Would you teach me?”
“I charge an apprenticeship fee,” Li Xia teased, emphasizing it with a lilt.
“Sure. What are the requirements?”
Li Xia played coy. “That depends on how sincere you are.”
F replied, “Go ahead and say it.”
“You’ll accept all my demands?”
“All of them.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
“No need to.”
Li Xia’s lips curved into a smile as the evening breeze stirred the curtains at her window, rising and falling like her unsteady, heated breaths that night. With F’s voice and breaths right in her ear, her mind kept flashing back to last night’s restless new cravings.
Since he was being so generous, Li Xia was eager to test her fantasies—
Perhaps it was impulse that made her ask, blunt, abrupt, and utterly shameless:
“Teacher Fang, do you have any nude photos?”