When Jiang Manyu approached, she spotted the boy and called out, “Ah-Ye?”
Shen Keye’s black messy hair was softly flattened beneath his baseball cap, and he seemed to be talking with a girl—his expression hard to make out.
“I’m here for my first day of class… and I actually run into you right away.” Jiang Manyu beamed, chatting as casually as if they were old friends. She wore a long skirt that lent her an air of elegant gentleness. But when her delighted gaze fell on Liang Jin standing to the side, she froze. Jiang Manyu asked, “Why are you here?”
Liang Jin hadn’t expected to encounter Jiang Manyu. She greeted her calmly. “Long time no see, Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Manyu scoffed with disdain. “It’s not been that long, Liang Jin. We’re not close at all.”
Though Liang Jin had once made Jiang Manyu uneasy, she posed no real threat, and Jiang Manyu hadn’t taken her seriously in the slightest. Jiang Manyu turned to Shen Keye with a gentle smile. “Ah-Ye, mind if I sit next to you? Uncle said you’d look after me at school.”
The sight of the handsome guy and pretty girl acting so intimate drew plenty of eyes. Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“That’s the exchange student who replaced Liang Jin as the female lead, right?”
“I heard she’s dating Shen Keye…”
“They do look like a good match.”
Liang Jin ignored the noisy whispers, but one realization hit her.
Shen Keye had a girlfriend.
Shen Keye was watching her, as if he’d noticed something. He raised a hand. The boy’s broad palm curled a finger, his knuckle brushing her forehead. The icy touch triggered Liang Jin’s reflexes, sending her stumbling back two steps amid a wave of dizziness laced with heart palpitations. She recoiled from the contact. “Don’t touch me.”
The girl’s melancholic gaze was nothing like her usual self—it seemed ready to shatter at the slightest pressure. Shen Keye ignored everyone else, seized Liang Jin’s hand, and clamped his entire palm over her forehead. His grip was firm and unyielding, and Liang Jin burned all over like she was on fire.
Shen Keye frowned. “Liang Jin, you’re sick.”
~~~
Liang Jin skipped class and left campus to hail a cab.
With classes in session, the grounds were deserted. She hurried along.
“Miss Liang.”
The clear, sweet voice from behind wasn’t entirely familiar, but Liang Jin knew who it belonged to.
Jiang Manyu stood there gracefully, her white skirt and brown wavy hair complemented by mint-green feather earrings. She looked gentle and poised as she got to the point. “I didn’t expect to run into you here at school.”
Liang Jin glanced sideways. “Something you need?”
Jiang Manyu smiled. “Nothing much. I just saw how close you seem to Ah-Ye and wanted to check in.”
Liang Jin’s face remained impassive at the territorial edge in Jiang Manyu’s words.
“I’m sorry about the movie,” Jiang Manyu said.
“I didn’t steal your lead role on purpose. Uncle Shen just thought it suited me better, so he invested.”
Her words came measured and mild. Liang Jin looked up. “And?”
Jiang Manyu gave a faint smile. “I hope you keep your distance from Ah-Ye.”
Liang Jin thought back to what had happened outside the classroom, her emotions tangled. Shen Keye clearly had some interest in her, but she had zero desire to wedge herself into someone else’s relationship.
She was already running a fever, and the very idea turned her stomach.
A cold gleam of loathing flickered in Liang Jin’s dark eyes. She didn’t deny getting close to Shen Keye. “Miss Jiang, I’m afraid that’s not for you to decide.”
Liang Jin found a small clinic and got hooked up to an IV. The cold fluid seeped into her veins, leaving her hands and feet icy.
Jiang Manyu had no idea Liang Jin was angling to reclaim her lead role. As she left, she warned her to know her place.
Director Zheng called. “Jinjin, I can book you a flight home. Uncle will cover the cost.”
“No need, Director Zheng,” Liang Jin said.
Zheng Yunzhi couldn’t fathom the stubborn streak driving her. “Liang Jin, what’s the point of sticking around Hong Kong District? The lead role’s gone to someone else—my fault, sure. But right now, you need to get home and take care of your mom.” The middle-aged man’s tone grew earnest. “You’ve always been such a dutiful, filial girl, haven’t you?”
Liang Jin let out a soft scoff. “You’ve got me wrong, Director Zheng.”
Zheng Yunzhi started to press further, but the nurse swapping out her IV bag snatched the phone. She told the voice on the other end, “The patient needs rest. Save whatever you’ve got to say until her fever breaks!”
The plump nurse planted her hands on her hips and ordered Liang Jin to rest properly, fixing her with a stern glare. “You’re pushing 104 degrees, sweetie. With it this bad, you could end up with complications.”
Liang Jin had been curled up in the IV chair, searching for possible contacts tied to Miss Meng’s company. Just before Director Zheng’s call, she’d scrolled Twitter and found a photo of Miss Meng with some others. She wanted to save the number, so she sat up, weak and listless, and pleaded, “I’m not calling anyone—just doing something else. Please give me back my phone.”
Despite Liang Jin’s haste to grab it, the nurse held firm. In the struggle, Liang Jin hit the most recent number.
When Liang Jin finally snatched the phone back, she froze.
A string of seven eights.
Shen Keye.
It actually connected.
Her jet-black eyelashes shadowed her eyes as the girl pursed her lips in surprise, a surge of loathing washing over her.
The nurse chattered on. “You look like you’re about to pass out, girl! Nothing’s more important than your health!”
The person on the other end of the line heard every word clearly. A man’s voice asked, “Where are you?”
Liang Jin lowered her gaze and asked coldly, “Is there something you need?”
“Hospital?”
The thermometer had dropped to 38 degrees—a low fever. Liang Jin said with self-mocking sarcasm, “Shen Keye, why do you care about me? You should worry more about your girlfriend. When I burn to death, you can call 999 to put out the fire.”
Her voice was hoarse and angry, yet brimming with vitality. Shen Keye chuckled. “What girlfriend?”
He stood outside the classroom, ignoring the stream of passing students. The boy leaned against the railing, paused for a moment, then asked in his usual casual tone, “You said last night you wanted to buy me out. Is that what you meant?”
Liang Jin froze, then caught on after a beat. Her heart skipped, and she wanted to hang up—but she heard Shen Keye say,
“Liang Jin, enough.”
“You can pursue me. I’m single.”
“?”
A long silence stretched out.
Liang Jin’s fever-quickened heartbeat left her vulnerable and impulsive. She asked, “What did you say?”
Shen Keye’s tone was relaxed as he changed tack. “Who gave you my number?”
Liang Jin was bewildered and hesitant. Finally, she said, “What?”
Beneath the black brim of his cap, the boy’s thin lips curved faintly. His dark eyes half-lidded, he let out a light chuckle laced with danger, probing undertones clear. “Did your friend get it for you?” His tone left no room for doubt. “Which friend?”
Liang Jin replied indifferently, “It has nothing to do with my friends.”
“Liang Jin, if you want it, ask me yourself.”
Liang Jin dropped the pretense and pressed him. “Then will you give it to me?”
Shen Keye said, “I can set up a meeting with Meng Huimin for you directly.”
Liang Jin thought she’d misheard.
A hesitant question rolled hoarsely from her throat. “What do you want?”
For all her cold words, Shen Keye didn’t get angry. He seemed to mull it over, then chuckled suddenly. His tone softened as he said, “I’ll send you her number.”
The text arrived swiftly, complete with Meng Huimin’s office address, private email, and even details on her assistant.
It was so thorough that Liang Jin knew it was genuine. The call had already ended.
She stared at her phone hesitantly and sent a message.
【Why?】
【Are you really going to help me?】
Calm returning, she followed up.
【What do you want?】
They were strangers—why would he help her?
Suddenly, Liang Jin recalled that morning on the stairs. Shen Keye had paused mid-step. She, trailing behind, had halted too and looked up.
Amid the surging crowd, his dark eyes had been fixed on her.
The answer was plain as day.
Shen Keye’s reply was stark and simple—a single request.
【Liang Jin, call me when your fever breaks.】