“2018.09.15 Weather Clear”
I hoped this dream would never end.
—Excerpt from Tao Shuran’s Diary
“What?”
Tao Shuran froze in place. It took her a long while to regain her senses, and her lips trembled as she asked him.
“What do you mean, date you?”
Liang Yuanjing stood at the air vent with one hand in his pocket. The wind tousled his hair slightly, and he reached up to smooth it. He looked rational, but in truth, half his soul had flown away.
He had no idea how those words had slipped out.
He pondered for a moment. “Whether it’s flight scores or overall grades, I’m better than Xu Yanyang.”
“He rejected you, so you have to slap him back hard and publicly. Remember that line about never admitting defeat? Others will look down on you, so you need to walk out looking glorious.”
Tao Shuran leaned against the wall and slowly stood up. She digested his words in place for a long time.
At that moment, her voice was unusually calm as she asked him:
“What about me, then? What do you need me to do for you?”
“You don’t need to do anything.”
Liang Yuanjing turned his head to look at her. Those clear, aloof eyes held a faint gentle pity, and even his voice sounded so even.
“If you don’t feel wronged by it, just stay obediently by my side.”
How could she feel wronged? She liked him so much.
Tao Shuran slowly raised her head. Her eyelashes trembled fiercely, and her heart pounded wildly, as if celebrating in advance for a dream come true.
She pressed her fingertips hard against the spot on her chest where it leaped, bit her lower lip, and lifted her gaze to his eyes amid the dimness, searching for traces of love within them.
There was nothing.
Tao Shuran sadly turned her head away and said softly, “Okay.”
“So, you’re dating Liang Yuanjing now?”
In a coffee shop near the school, Fang Qingyi hugged an extra-large iced Americano and stared unblinkingly at Tao Shuran, listening to every detail of that night’s events.
Tao Shuran felt a bit embarrassed, and recalling it made her cheeks heat up.
She let out a soft “mm” and said quietly, “It’s not really dating. More like contract lovers. He probably thought it was embarrassing that Xu Yanyang rejected me publicly and wanted to help me save face. Plus, with all the girls chasing him at school causing him trouble, having a girlfriend as a human shield isn’t a bad idea.”
This was the best explanation Tao Shuran had come up with after staying up all night thinking about it.
In Liang Yuanjing’s eyes, she didn’t like him at all, so she was safe to be this human shield.
Tao Shuran tugged at her lips. To this day, she truly didn’t know if this twist of fate misunderstanding was her fortune or her calamity.
“If he wanted a human shield, he would’ve found one ages ago. Why did he come over the moment you cried?”
Fang Qingyi stated bluntly, “Even if he has no interest in you, he must have some goodwill toward you.”
Tao Shuran lowered her eyelashes. “But I’m no match for him at all. You saw those photos on the forum, right?”
Fang Qingyi let out an “mm” with an indifferent look.
“I’ve known what you looked like for ages, Ranran. Hormonal imbalances in puberty are normal. Who hasn’t been fat before?”
“I gained about ten kilos in a month during middle school. That period was stressful—my parents were never home, so I binged alone and threw up after eating.”
Thinking back to those days, Fang Qingyi’s eyes reddened a bit. She let out a long sigh. “Back then, I was reclusive, antisocial, hated the whole world. One evening, I sat on the sports field and waited for Fu Changpei, who came back late from after-school study. He threw away my half-eaten snacks in the trash.”
“Then he asked if I wanted to get out of it, and that he could keep me company.”
Tao Shuran began to understand Fang Qingyi’s fierce and straightforward love.
In the darkest moment of one’s life, when a beam of light suddenly tore through the curtain, that feeling of redemption was unforgettable for a lifetime.
The first pair of eyes one saw when looking toward the light would become the scenery one yearned to linger on forever.
“You’ll be happy.” Tao Shuran gripped her hand tightly.
“Of course I will be.” Fang Qingyi was endlessly optimistic. She turned her head with a teasing smile. “But you, Ranran.”
“Your status just evolved straight to the official girlfriend of our great Captain Liang. I’m a bit worried you won’t be able to handle the flirting and give yourself away.”
“It won’t happen.”
Tao Shuran lowered her head and dug her fingertips into her palm, saying it like a vow. “I won’t let Liang Yuanjing realize the person I like is him.”
At least not until he truly fell for her.
Fang Qingyi propped her chin, looking a bit wistful. “I wonder when I can stand openly by Fu Changpei’s side.”
The two were immersed in the vague melancholy of secret crushes when the vibration of Tao Shuran’s phone on the table shattered the atmosphere.
She looked down—it was a call from Luo Qiuya.
This literary talent from the Chinese department had made friends across majors with her enthusiastic personality. Calling now was probably related to something relevant.
Tao Shuran pressed speaker and answered absentmindedly.
She hadn’t returned to the dorm since last night. She’d followed Liang Yuanjing like a delinquent student, obediently trailing behind him, and then obediently been brought by him to Fang Qingyi.
He had taken the two girls to his off-campus apartment for the night, then gone back to school alone.
With Fang Qingyi’s company all night, Tao Shuran’s mood had improved a lot.
“Ranran, we were all worried when you didn’t come back last night. Everyone asked me to pass on a message… Don’t mind those photos on the forum. They’re probably just from someone jealous of you.”
Tao Shuran said, “I’m fine, no need to worry. I’ll be back soon.”
Luo Qiuya hesitated. “Why don’t you come back now?”
Tao Shuran instinctively asked, “Did something happen?”
“Two things.” Luo Qiuya paused, seeming hesitant, then took a deep breath and spilled it all.
“First, Liang Yuanjing fought Xu Yanyang and is getting confined. Second, Liang Yuanjing is about to confess to you on the broadcast station.”
By the end, Luo Qiuya’s voice wavered a bit.
Finally, she couldn’t hold it in and shrieked over the phone. “Aaaah, Ranran, hurry back! I don’t know if it’s real or not, but Liang Yuanjing is at the broadcast station right now.”
Tao Shuran dazedly lifted her head and let out an “ah,” completely stunned in place, unsure how to react.
Fang Qingyi, sitting beside her, burst out laughing with a “pfft” and took the phone. “Got it, thanks, classmate. I’ll bring Tao Shuran over right away.”
After hanging up, Fang Qingyi immediately called a car back to Qing University.
She waved her hand in front of Tao Shuran. “You idiot.”
“See, when Liang Yuanjing makes a move, you can’t resist at all.”
In the car, Tao Shuran was still dazed.
She turned to Fang Qingyi for advice.
“You think… why?”
“Did you even listen to the phone call?”
Fang Qingyi pinched her cheek exasperatedly. “Last night, Liang Yuanjing beat up Xu Yanyang for you.”
“Then today, to vent for you, he’s stepping on Xu Yanyang by publicly confessing to you.”
So it was to stand up for her?
Tao Shuran lowered her eyelashes. Yesterday’s inexplicable call from Xu Yanyang had only mildly offended her with anger—she hadn’t cared about him at all.
Yet someone valued her feelings so much.
A sour emotion swelled in her heart, pricking like needles with a mix of sweetness and heartache.
If only all this were real.
As they neared the school, Tao Shuran received a text.
Liang Yuanjing: “Come to Broadcast Room 301.”
She looked at Fang Qingyi at a loss. “What should I do when I get there?”
Fang Qingyi pushed her exasperatedly. “Level up a bit, sis. Win him over, kiss him, sleep with him.”
Her words were so blunt and direct.
Tao Shuran felt like she was about to combust. As soon as she stepped into the academic area, a familiar voice drifted slowly from above the campus.
Liang Yuanjing gripped the microphone, his voice low and magnetic, with a detached casualness.
“Sorry to take up a bit of your time. Spreading others’ private photos is an invasion of portrait rights. Please stop this infringing behavior.”
“Also, my girlfriend is very pretty. She doesn’t need your evaluations.”
His voice fell crisply, without a hint of hesitation, as if declaring this unique favoritism to the whole world.
Tao Shuran stood quietly outside the door.
Her heart was fiercely struck. At that moment, the thrill was intensely clear; the youth’s wanton smile lingered in her eyes, refusing to fade.
Tao Shuran’s entire ear was occupied by the words “my girlfriend”; her whole body flushed hot.
Liang Yuanjing removed his earphones, caught sight of her in his peripheral vision, shut off the equipment, and strolled toward her with hands in pockets, bathed in light.
At that moment, a group panted as they ran over from the dorm building.
Wang Shiyu, leading them, had a complicated expression. “Liang Yuanjing, you’re really dating now?”
“Yeah.”
Liang Yuanjing lifted his chin slightly, looking every bit the territorial claim.
“She’s right here.”
All eyes gathered. Tao Shuran stood frozen and flustered, her face burning like it would explode.
Thankfully, Liang Yuanjing bailed her out.
He sauntered over lazily, draped a long arm loosely over her shoulders in a somewhat intimate way.
He smiled generously. “We just started dating. She’s a bit shy.”
As usual, during the evening broadcast break, the station switched to a perfectly fitting song.
“You make me stumble and sway, totter and drift”
“You leave me flustered and lost, without direction”
After sending off the crowd of suitors, Liang Yuanjing dropped his arm and sighed in relief.
He knew his limits and immediately put some safe distance between them.
This action soured in Tao Shuran’s eyes. From heaven to earth in an instant, her leaping heart cooled again.
Liang Yuanjing rubbed his fingertip, lowering his gaze to savor the brief warmth he’d just felt.
With a hoarse voice, he said, “I handled the forum post. After today, no one will remember or discuss it.”
All the commotion paled compared to Liang Yuanjing’s high-profile confession.
Tao Shuran understood his intent. “Thanks.”
Liang Yuanjing waved it off indifferently. “No big deal. You helped me too.”
“If it’s inconvenient for you, we can break up amicably after a while. Until then, it’ll be just like before—no difference.”
“No need.” Tao Shuran cut him off.
Liang Yuanjing raised an eyebrow, glancing faintly at her.
Tao Shuran swallowed nervously, her mind racing until she found a suitable excuse.
She said, “I don’t want to date anyone else short-term anyway, and I want something to distract me. If you don’t mind, let’s keep it like this—mutually shielding each other from suitors.”
Liang Yuanjing looked down at her. Those very obedient almond eyes drooped, as if truly hurt by an ended relationship.
He sighed inwardly and compromised without principles.
“That works. Up to you.”
Tao Shuran breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll be in confinement for the next three days, so you probably won’t reach me.”
Seeing her still not fully happy, Liang Yuanjing slowly leaned down and ruffled her dark hair on top.
His low, husky voice brushed her ear, teasing her on purpose—
“Just giving advance notice, girlfriend.”