Lin Yingzhou was standing outside a department, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted. He looked elegant just standing there, doing nothing, and could easily attract the attention of passersby.
Today, he wasn’t wearing a collared shirt. He had on a casual white cotton T-shirt. It was a simple, everyday look that made him seem like just any other college student.
Well, that wasn’t quite right either. He was a college student. It was just that his usual cold demeanor usually hid that fact.
Shen Yusi was overjoyed. Heaven helps me! My chances of running into Lin Yingzhou at the hospital had already hit fifty percent!
She quickly walked over and waved. “Hello!”
Just two minutes ago, Lin Yingzhou had been standing in the hallway, waiting for someone. A flash of red had streaked past his periphery. By the time he noticed, the red had already passed him and was heading towards the elevator.
He didn’t see the person’s face, but Lin Yingzhou knew.
It was her.
Now, the annoying red had spotted him, walked back, and was greeting him.
Lin Yingzhou turned his head and looked at her, saying nothing.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Shen Yusi’s face. She took off her hat, revealing her fresh, delicate features. “You don’t remember me?”
Lin Yingzhou lowered his eyes.
Ha.
How could he?
But he still asked, “Who are you?”
Shen Yusi, not knowing if he had a bad memory or if she was simply unmemorable, had to help him. “Last time at the school hospital, my wheelchair went crazy. You were the one who stopped it.”
Lin Yingzhou nodded slightly. “Oh, I remember.”
Shen Yusi put her hat back on and continued, “You left in such a hurry that day. I didn’t even get a chance to thank you.”
“It’s nothing.” Lin Yingzhou’s face was expressionless. He continued to look at her, as if waiting for her next words.
And sure enough.
“When you’re free, I’ll treat you to a meal.” Shen Yusi struck while the iron was hot. “Give me a chance to thank you?”
Her tone was sincere, and she had a good reason. She felt there was a ninety-percent chance Lin Yingzhou wouldn’t refuse her.
After she finished speaking, a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of emotion crossed Lin Yingzhou’s eyes.
He was about to reply when someone came out of the endocrinology department and said to him, “Alright. Let’s go eat. There’s a nearby restaurant that serves great Shanghainese cuisine. You’ll love it.”
Lin Yingzhou turned his head to answer, missing the sudden stiff expression on Shen Yusi’s face.
Lin Wanxia looked up and saw a girl standing beside him. She asked, “Yingzhou, is this your friend?”
“Just a schoolmate.”
Lin Wanxia understood. She invited Shen Yusi. “It’s just lunchtime. Want to join us?”
At her generous invitation, Shen Yusi responded with a polite smile. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”
Oh my god!
He was here with his girlfriend for a check-up, and she had the audacity to ask him out to dinner.
And his girlfriend even invited her!
Oh my god!
What a big-hearted girl.
Shen Yusi’s eyes darted around. She felt like a third wheel. She wanted to get out of this awkward situation.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xia Xifan coming out of the elevator. But he was just walking forward and didn’t see her.
Just as he was about to walk past her, Shen Yusi called out, “Xia Xifan!”
Xia Xifan turned around. “Hey, there you are!”
“You have my bag. I wanted to get my phone.”
Shen Yusi didn’t want to stay in this awkward situation any longer. She spoke to Lin Yingzhou, her initial enthusiasm gone, but still polite.
“Let’s just forget about it. I’ll be going now. Thanks again for helping me back then.”
With that, she took her bag from Xia Xifan’s shoulder and left with him.
Lin Yingzhou’s gaze lingered on their close-together backs as they walked away. His jaw tightened.
Did he say he was busy just now?
After they were some distance away, Xia Xifan asked, “Was that guy a friend of yours? He looks kind of familiar.”
Shen Yusi: “A stranger.”
“Alright.” Seeing Shen Yusi didn’t want to talk, Xia Xifan didn’t press. “It’s noon. What do you want to eat?”
She had been wanting to treat him to a meal. Here was her chance.
Shen Yusi quickly said, “What do you want to eat? My treat.”
Xia Xifan couldn’t agree to that. “A girl shouldn’t have to pay. Let me treat you.”
After her injury healed, their contact would decrease until it stopped altogether. If she let this opportunity slip, she’d have to find another time. It was too much trouble.
She stopped walking and looked at him, deliberately serious. “Xia Xifan, are you going to argue with me about this too?”
Seeing her angry, Xia Xifan quickly explained, “I’m not. That’s not what I meant.”
He let out a long sigh. “Fine. You can treat.”
“Good! Follow me!” Shen Yusi’s expression instantly brightened. She gave him a smile.
Xia Xifan was dazzled by her smile. He didn’t snap out of it until she was some distance away. He called out, “Wait up!”
“Come on, I’m an injured patient. You’re walking slower than me. You should think about that. You’re an athlete,” Shen Yusi turned and asked him. “You still haven’t told me what you want to eat.”
Xia Xifan caught up. “I’m fine with anything. You choose. You’ve got a lot of restrictions.”
Shen Yusi snorted. “You’re taking a dig at me, aren’t you? Spit it out! When I gave you that list, were you cursing me in your head?”
“No. I was afraid I wouldn’t pick anything you liked.”
Shen Yusi admitted her own bad behavior. “I don’t have that many restrictions. I was lying to you on purpose before.”
“I knew it.” A normal person wouldn’t dislike so many foods. Xia Xifan hadn’t called her out on it then because he knew she was angry and giving her a chance to vent.
Shen Yusi huffed softly. “Oh, you knew everything, huh?”
A short distance behind them, Lin Yingzhou and Lin Wanxia were standing at the hospital’s main entrance, watching the two of them bickering as they got into the same car.
Lin Wanxia pointed and said deliberately, “Oh, Yingzhou, look. I guess that’s why she said she didn’t need us. She already had a dinner date lined up.”
Lin Yingzhou’s tone was flat. “She turned you down.”
–
After dinner, Xia Xifan took Shen Yusi back to the hotel.
Seeing that she seemed a bit down, he asked, “What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”
She made something up. “No. I’m just worried I’m going to get fat at this rate.”
She was eating a lot and exercising very little. She was following a pig-fattening program.
“You’re not fat. Where do you see fat?” Xia Xifan looked her up and down. He thought she was too skinny, actually.
He remembered that when he first picked her up on registration day, his first thought was how someone could be so light. His roommate was probably twice her weight.
As he thought about it, the tips of his ears started to turn red.
Shen Yusi had things on her mind, so she didn’t notice his shyness.
Back at the hotel, after her shower, she lay on her bed and let out a long sigh.
She pulled out her phone and messaged Xie Sheng: 【Bad intel! The guy has a girlfriend!】
After a thought, she added: 【And even if she isn’t his girlfriend, she’s at least a fling. He’s taken!】
Sheng: 【Who are you talking about? Lin Yingzhou? That’s impossible.】
Shen Yusi typed back, expressionless: 【I saw him at the hospital today. He was keeping a girl company during her check-up. They went to lunch together after. The girl saw me and even asked if I wanted to join. What was I supposed to do? Be a third wheel? Doesn’t she think I’m bright enough?】
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got: 【I asked her boyfriend out to dinner right in front of her. You have no idea how awkward that was. I wanted to crawl into a hole.】
Sheng: 【There’s no way she’s his girlfriend. Let me ask around. Wait for my news.】
Island: 【What do you mean, impossible? It’s obviously that kind of relationship. It’s not like she’s his sister. I checked. Dean Lin only has one grandson.】
Sheng: 【Don’t be upset. There must be a misunderstanding.】
It was useless. In Shen Yusi’s mind, a “Do Not Touch” label was already plastered on Lin Yingzhou.
She was a woman of principle. She never got involved with people who had a girlfriend or a fling. No matter how handsome she found him, it was a no-go!
Shen Yusi started feeling grateful that she had found out early. Otherwise, it would have been so immoral to get involved in someone else’s relationship.
She lay on her back, and her sorrow was about to overflow.
It had been a long time since Shen Yusi had met a man like Lin Yingzhou, who perfectly fit her aesthetic in every way.
Thinking about this, all motivation for practicing calligraphy vanished into thin air.
Anyway, Z was angry too. He still hadn’t messaged her.
Forget it. It’s over. Her calligraphy journey is over!
Xie Sheng messaged again: 【I went and asked. He hasn’t replied yet. I dug up some videos of Lin Yingzhou from his freshman year. Want to see?】
Island: 【No.】
Sheng: 【He’s really handsome!】
Island: 【No matter how handsome! I’m not watching!】
What was the use of watching? The more she watched, the more her heart ached.
Her sadness lasted for only ten minutes. Then, Shen Yusi packed away her feelings and got up from the bed. She took out her digital drawing pad and started to draw.
The doctor today said the wound on her ankle was quite deep. It might leave a scar. The scar cream could only reduce the color, not remove it completely.
The wound wasn’t long, and the scar wouldn’t be either. But the thought of an ugly mark on her pale ankle was annoying.
She had been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while but never knew where.
This gave her the perfect spot. She would get it on her ankle. It would be more meaningful if she used her own design. She decided to draw one herself.
Designing a tattoo was time-consuming and brain-draining, and she was a perfectionist. If she didn’t like something, she erased it and started over. By the time the sketch was finalized, the sky outside was dark.
Shen Yusi stretched, and her spine made a series of soft cracks.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Yunchang were flickering on one after another. The Yijiang Hotel, being the highest point on the central axis, offered the best view of the city’s nightscape.
During rush hour, the traffic below had congealed into a steel river of liquid metal, ceaselessly pumping its lifeblood into the city’s heart.
Xie Sheng hadn’t messaged again. Shen Yusi was good at letting things go. Whether Lin Yingzhou was single or not no longer mattered to her now.
It was two hours past dinner, but Shen Yusi wasn’t hungry. Probably because she had eaten too much at lunch.
Remembering the three-pound weight gain on the scale, she decided to do some yoga, play some games, and then go to sleep.
Shen Yusi never thought she would have so much free time after she stopped practicing calligraphy.
She picked up her phone from the bed to cast a yoga follow-along video onto the TV. As she waited for it to load, a WeChat message suddenly popped up.
—【Where’s your homework for today?】
Shen Yusi jumped, nearly dropping her phone.