An hour later.
Shen Yusi received a message.
Z: [I don’t know the room number, so I could only have the delivery left at the front desk. It’s medicine for period cramps. Have the front desk send it up. I’ve written the instructions on a note.]
At this point, Shen Yusi was going through wave after wave of cramps, a fitting punishment for her binge-drinking the night before.
Once her period is over, she would never be so reckless again!
She was going to start taking care of her health!
She was going to soak goji berries in her thermos!
She forced herself to call the front desk, and then forced herself to open the paper bag.
Whether it was due to her trust in Z or just trying anything in desperation, Shen Yusi put the medicine in her mouth without a second thought.
The taste of Chinese herbs exploded in her mouth, bitter enough to make her grimace.
Looking closely, she saw a bag of candied fruit on the side.
She quickly ate one, which helped alleviate the bitterness a little.
Whether it was the placebo effect or the real deal, after about ten minutes, she actually felt a lot better.
Shen Yusi quickly sent a message to express her gratitude: [Teacher Z, you’re a lifesaver!]
Z: [Feeling better?]
Shen Yusi replied exaggeratively: [I can run and jump, as lively as a dragon and as strong as a horse!]
Lin Yingzhou relayed his friend’s instructions once more: [There are other pills in the bag. Take one when it hurts. For the remaining herbal packs, cook them in an earthenware pot after your period is over. Drink it three times a day for a week. It should be much better next month.]
Shen Yusi felt a little strange seeing such a long string of text.
Was the sun rising in the west?
Z was practically blessing everyone today.
Shen Yusi expressed her feelings: [You’re so nice]
Lin Yingzhou’s ears grew hot as he read the message. He changed the subject: [Tomorrow, practice Zhao Mengfu’s Thousand Character Classic]
Shen Yusi was overjoyed. What? She was finally free from the Orchid Pavilion!
She pretended to be clueless: [Why the sudden change in copybook?]
Lin Yingzhou was silent for a moment. He wanted to ask her, “Isn’t this what you wanted?” But he didn’t. Doing so might make Shen Yusi realize that Z and Lin Yingzhou were the same person, and he didn’t want her to know that yet.
Z: [Changing copybooks will show if you’ve genuinely improved or if you’ve just gained proficiency through repetition.]
They always say a woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, but a man’s wasn’t any easier to fathom.
Z’s moods were like a roller coaster. When he was in a good mood, Shen Yusi felt she had the best teacher in the world.
When he was in a bad one, she really wanted to ask him, “What’s wrong with you now, my lady?!”
Just thinking about it, Shen Yusi, for some unknown reason, clicked on his profile picture. Her hand slipped and she accidentally tapped it twice.
The screen displayed: [Island patted Z.]
Shen Yusi: “…!”
How did she slip up!
Before she could recall it, Z had already seen it: [What is that?]
Shen Yusi muttered to herself, What a stick-in-the-mud. Doesn’t even know what patting is.
She graciously explained: [It’s a WeChat interaction feature. Double-tap on someone’s profile picture to pat them. You can try double-tapping mine to pat me.]
Lin Yingzhou thought Shen Yusi was being ridiculous. Why on earth would he pat her?
He wasn’t that crazy.
Z: [How boring]
Shen Yusi pouted. Hmph. Fine, if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to!
A second later, a message popped up in the chat: [Z patted Island’s foot and said, ‘Your Majesty, your old servant is late.’]
Shen Yusi stared at it, then burst out laughing, clutching her phone. [Hahaha, you fell for it!]
Z: [You’re insufferable]
Shen Yusi ignored him and clicked on his profile picture again.
His profile picture was a desk, which looked like it was made of expensive zitan wood, probably his usual writing desk. There was also a painting on it.
Shen Yusi zoomed in. It was a painting of a solitary angler on a cold river, featuring an old fisherman and a small boat.
She scrolled down, but the area for the signature was blank.
She clicked on his profile page, hoping to see his moments, but found that he didn’t have any.
What a mysterious man.
If his name was Z, then his last name must be Zhou? Zhang? Zhu? Or Zhao?
Shen Yusi’s curiosity was piqued. She wondered what kind of person Z, this contrary and contradictory person, was in real life, outside of the virtual world.
—
After military training, there were a few days off, followed by the school’s opening ceremony. Shen Yusi deliberately waited until the afternoon before to return to school.
Her dorm leader had already added her on WeChat through the class group and created a dorm group with the other two roommates.
In the less than half-month of military training, the notification sounds in the group had barely stopped.
They talked about everything from the taste of the cafeteria food to the color difference between the instructor’s face and neck. Shen Yusi and these three girls, whom she had never met, took their daily conversations to 999.
This time back at school felt like meeting netizens in real life.
Shen Yusi arranged for the driver to drop her and her things off in front of the dormitory, then sent a message in the group.
Soon, all three roommates came running downstairs. “I thought you said you’d be here earlier? We’ve been waiting for you.”
“I took too long packing.”
When the roommates found out that the large bags and small packages they were carrying up were all gifts Shen Yusi had prepared for them, all three of them shook their heads and waved their hands in unison. “No, no, I can’t accept this.”
“Yeah, this is too expensive.”
Shen Yusi stuffed the gifts into their arms. “Don’t be so polite. If it weren’t for you, I would have missed so many important messages. And you guys helped me so much by getting my textbooks and materials.”
The dorm leader was named Li Yu. She was a local from Yunchang and had a strangely reassuring presence. “It was nothing. We’re roommates. You were hurt and not at school. It was only right for us to help.”
Shen Yusi took her arm. “I know. That’s why I’m so grateful. It’s just a small token of my appreciation. Please take it～Or I’ll feel bad～”
There were three gifts in total. Shen Yusi had carefully selected them from the mall, guessing what her roommates might need and like based on their moments and what they’d said in the group.
Knowing they were students and not wanting to put too much pressure on them, Shen Yusi didn’t buy luxury items. Instead, she chose practical, high-quality niche brands.
Under Shen Yusi’s cajoling, the three of them finally accepted the gifts, albeit reluctantly.
The dorm leader then organized everyone to set up a temporary table by placing unused drawing boards on square stools. On it, she neatly arranged the delicious food Shen Yusi had brought from outside the campus.
Amidst the enticing aromas, the four of them sat in a circle and started chatting. The invisible distance slowly began to dissolve.
Yun University had a rule that you couldn’t apply for off-campus housing until your sophomore year, so a year of dorm life was something Shen Yusi had to go through. Because of everyone’s different habits, dorm life was bound to have its frictions.
She didn’t expect to find lifelong friends in the dorm; she just wanted to get through this period comfortably and happily.
After dinner, they played some games together. Then everyone went off to do their own things. Shen Yusi opened her drawing tablet, about to continue modifying her tattoo sketch, when WeChat buzzed.
Sheng Sheng: [I found out!]
Island: [What?]
Xie Sheng couldn’t wait to call. “It’s about that thing you mentioned last time. I got accurate info. Lin Yingzhou doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
Shen Yusi put on her earphones, the tip of her pen moving across the tablet. “Got it.”
Xie Sheng continued, “So it was a misunderstanding. A few days ago, during a big lecture class, a pretty girl was waiting for him at the classroom door. They were chatting in the hallway, and someone joked, asking who the pretty girl was. He said it was his cousin.”
Xie Sheng laughed. “Hey, look at that. It was all a misunderstanding.”
“Mmhmm.” Shen Yusi bit her finger, thinking about where to start making changes.
Hearing her distraction, Xie Sheng asked, “Do you really not like him anymore?”
Shen Yusi sighed softly. “It’s not that. I’ve just lost some interest. You know how quickly I get into things and then get bored.”
After a pause, she continued, “Liking someone happens in an instant. Not liking them happens in an instant too. That instant was when I saw someone else beside him at the hospital. Even though I know now that it was just his cousin, my enthusiasm was already doused.”
Xie Sheng snorted dismissively. “Tch. You’ll see him tomorrow. Look forward to it. Let’s see if you’ll still be talking tough then.”
“Huh?”
Xie Sheng hummed twice, keeping it a secret. “I’m not telling you yet. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Shen Yusi swore, “Xie Sheng! You’re only saying one thing and not the other! You’re worse than a failed experiment!”
“Neener neener neener, I’m not listening!” With that, Xie Sheng hung up immediately.
“Damn it!” Shen Yusi threw her phone onto the bed in frustration.
That Xie Sheng!
Just you wait!
The next morning, Shen Yusi was woken up by the sounds of her roommates doing their morning routines. Even with her expensive mattress pad, her whole body ached from the hard dormitory bed.
Staring at the mottled ceiling and listening to the hushed conversations of her roommates, Shen Yusi finally felt a sense of reality about starting university life.
She climbed down from her bed and began to pick out her clothes for the day from the tiny wardrobe.
Remembering it was the opening ceremony, she took out a white shirt and a black pleated skirt.
Ever since dyeing her hair red, she had never worn any of her red clothes again. Many of her red dresses still had the tags on them.
After breakfast in the cafeteria, the four of them went to the gymnasium together, taking their designated seats and waiting for the ceremony to begin.
New things happened every day on a university campus. The buzz about the ‘P.E. major’s heroic rescue of a beauty’ had long been replaced by talk of a male student’s confession during military training, and a female student’s military boxing performance.
But the combination of ‘red hair, long legs, and a freshman from the School of Fine Arts’ quickly made people realize she was the unnamed ‘beauty’ from that viral video.
Gossip is human nature, even for students at a prestigious university.
Soon, a small hum of discussion started around them.
Shen Yusi was used to this kind of attention. She knew that most people meant no harm; they were just bored and liked to talk.
“Shen Yusi.” Someone beside her called her name. She turned her head and saw it was her roommate, Yu Ran. She was from Jingchuan, liked spicy food, and was crazy about cyberpunk. She was a very individualistic girl, but in reality, she was very cute.
Shen Yusi asked, “What’s up?”
“Don’t mind them.” She dropped a cool line and turned back to her phone.
Shen Yusi was amused. “Thank you.”
The morning light streamed through the glass ceiling of the gymnasium. The opening ceremony began with the sound of bronze chimes.
Yun University had always been unique. Before the long-winded speeches from the leaders, there would always be a talent show to warm up the crowd: songs, dances, poetry readings, you name it. The performers were all outstanding senior and junior students.
Shen Yusi watched for a while, chin propped on her hand. Then she opened a mindless little game on her phone and started playing.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when a small murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.
Shen Yusi looked up.
A swath of bamboo-green fabric entered her field of vision, carried by the wind. The man’s tall, slender figure was outlined by the sunlight, resembling a freshly cut shoot of bamboo.
Before this moment, she had never seen anyone wear a Tai Chi uniform so breathtakingly well. The clothes suited him perfectly.
He stopped and assumed the starting position.
Pushing his palm outward felt like parting the clouds. The withdrawal of his energy, however, carried a weight of a thousand pounds.
As he smoothly transitioned from ‘Cloud Hands’ to ‘Grasping the Bird’s Tail,’ the bones of his wrist turned, his sleeve slicing through the stale air. A crane seemed to spread its wings amidst the flowing fabric.
“Ah, that move was so cool!”
“I know, I know! My grandfather used to practice Tai Chi too. I think that move is called… the ‘Horse Stance Diamond Finger!’”
Someone beside her muttered, “That’s not the Horse Stance Diamond Finger. That’s the ‘Heart-Stealing No-Return Finger’!”
Hearing them, Shen Yusi couldn’t help but laugh. She opened her phone, zoomed in, took a picture of Lin Yingzhou, and sent it to Xie Sheng: [Okay, you win]
Handsome guys like Lin Yingzhou were a rare sight, even for Shen Yusi. It was hard to imagine what could stir up emotions in a person like him, or what would make him do something out of character.
No wonder so many people wanted to pull this lofty flower off his pedestal. It just made it so much more exciting.
Shen Yusi rested her chin on her hand. Whatever. She had to try.
Sheng Sheng: [There isn’t a single person in this world who can see Lin Yingzhou doing Tai Chi and not fall for him.]
Last year, the medical school organized a morning exercise event. They specially asked Lin Yingzhou to lead the Tai Chi practice on stage. For the first few weeks, the student attendance rate was almost 100%. In the end, they just couldn’t keep it up, and a lot of people started skipping.
Island: [Hehe, I want him to teach me Tai Chi, hands-on.]
Sheng Sheng: [Hehe, me too.]
Island: [Hehe, together, together!]
As soon as the opening ceremony ended, a direct video of Lin Yingzhou doing Tai Chi was released.
After admiring it for the umpteenth time, Shen Yusi posted a moments update.
Island: [Tai Chi is so cool!]
Xie Sheng quickly commented below: [Is the man cool, or are the moves cool?]
Island replied: [Both are cool!]
Although Shen Yusi and Xie Sheng were at the same school, they were in different departments, making it difficult to meet up unless they planned ahead and made time.
Knowing that Shen Yusi needed to build good relationships with her new roommates and couldn’t easily detach from her group activities, Xie Sheng held back from asking her to dinner. Finally, when her roommates all happened to be busy, Xie Sheng quickly told her to wait for her at the Fifth Cafeteria.
When the noon sun shone on the eaves of the teaching buildings, the aroma of sweet and sour ribs wafted through the window-side seats on the second floor of the Fifth Cafeteria.
The moment Shen Yusi’s figure appeared at the top of the stairs, Xie Sheng rushed over and hugged her tightly. “My baby! It’s only been a few days, but it feels like years! I missed you so much!”
Shen Yusi used her fingertips to push away the face leaning in for a kiss. “Eww, your mouth is all greasy. Don’t kiss me.”
Xie Sheng led her to a window seat she had reserved. On the table were steaming dishes of food. “Look how good I am to you. All your favorites.”
She said it was a rare meeting, but once they saw each other, they still ended up playing on their smartphones.
Shen Yusi hadn’t checked her moments in a day and already had 99+ messages. She opened them and noticed Z’s profile picture and ID had appeared conspicuously in the message list.
Shen Yusi’s chewing slowed down.
Huh? He liked it.
When they first added each other on WeChat, Shen Yusi had set him so he couldn’t see her moments. She had just recently unblocked him. She didn’t expect that Z, who seemed like an old-timer, would still browse her moments.
She clicked on their chat and scanned the scattered messages from the past few days. A smile touched her lips.
When she realized she was smiling, Shen Yusi quickly caught something. She suddenly said, “Xie Sheng, I might…”
Xie Sheng looked up. “What?”
Shen Yusi licked her lips, searching for the right word. “Maybe… I have a little bit of a crush on Z?”
After recognizing who the Z in Shen Yusi’s mouth was, Xie Sheng’s spoon clattered back into her bowl. She asked, incredulously, “Have you lost your mind?”