Chapter 13

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Yi Chen was awakened by the cold, his body wrapped only in a thin summer quilt. His nose felt as if it were sealed with cement, and it took him a long moment to draw in a breath. When he got out of bed, the dizziness was overwhelming. He pressed his fingers to his brow and opened his mouth to speak, his voice hoarse and ragged. “Is there any food?”

“I’m coming, Brother Chen! You’re finally awake!” On the bed opposite, Cheng An poked his head out. “You didn’t eat anything after your shower yesterday and just kept sleeping until now. We thought we…”

“Thought I was dead?”

“Ahem…” Cheng An chose a more subtle way of putting it, “We thought maybe we’d get guaranteed postgraduate admission.”

Yi Chen took the instant noodles handed to him by Song Xu and casually retrieved a thermos from Lin Yinian’s spot. “Almost got it,” he said indifferently.

“Don’t say that.” Cheng An’s teasing faded into genuine concern. “Brother Chen, you had us worried sick yesterday. We kept checking on you every once in a while to make sure you were still breathing.”

Yi Chen covered the noodle cup and shuffled toward the washbasin, his tone lax. “Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile.”

“Ah, it smells so good! A-Xu, give me a cup!” The aroma of the noodles was irresistible to Cheng An, who sprang from beneath the covers only to shiver and curse as he met the cold air. “Damn, it’s freezing!”

He trembled as he got out of bed, then widened his eyes at Yi Chen, who was wearing just a short-sleeved shirt and slippers. “Brother Chen, you’re dressed so lightly, and you got soaked in the rain yesterday. No matter how strong you are, you can’t keep pushing yourself like this.”

“Why don’t you take some medicine?” Song Xu pulled out Yi Chen’s usual medicine box from a drawer.

Yi Chen hated taking pills and didn’t even look at it. “Won’t kill me.”

Cheng An gave a thumbs-up. “You’re tough.”

After washing up, Yi Chen returned to his seat, peeled back the lid of his instant noodles, and flipped through his phone. After a day without checking, his screen was nearly filled with notifications from various group chats. His eyes scanned them casually, then fixed on the chat box pinned to the top.

Ten messages in one day—what a nuisance.

He sluggishly tapped it open.

Suddenly, he choked on a cough, his face flushing. He tapped the screen, sending a big question mark.

On the other end, Zhong Yin stared at her screen, simmering with fury. She furiously typed:

[Are you there?]

[If you are, why haven’t you replied?]

Yi Chen replied with one hand: [Just woke up.]

Zhong Yin: [Then what about yesterday?]

He glanced at the screen and let out a lazy chuckle.

[Why so nosy? Just checking up on you.]

Zhong Yin stared at the message, took a deep breath a few seconds later.

Hold it in and calm the storm, step back and see a wider horizon... Yeah, right!

She slammed her phone down.

That stubborn temper—whoever wants to put up with it can do so.

Even for Lin Yinian, she refused to be a doormat any longer.

Meanwhile, Yi Chen had finished his noodles, but his phone remained silent.

He felt something was off.

His finger hovered over the screen, deliberately scrolling up and down.

No new messages.

He scrolled again.

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Network glitch?

Just as he was about to pick up his phone, a call came through. Yi Chen answered instinctively. “Hello?”

No sooner had he connected than Gu Qing’s sharp voice came through the phone: “Playing games all night again? Listen to your voice—you sound like a thirty-year-old chain smoker.”

Yi Chen held the phone farther away. “I didn’t stay up all night. What’s up?”

Gu Qing snapped back, “Can’t I call you if there’s nothing wrong?”

Yi Chen replied lazily, “You haven’t called me even once.”

Gu Qing cursed angrily. “You little brat, I’ll deal with you when you get home.”

“What is it, then?”

Gu Qing, tired of arguing, got to the point. “Your Aunt Bai called me yesterday.”

“Which Bai…” Yi Chen paused mid-sentence. “Is that Zhong Yin’s mother?”

He snorted through his nose. “What did she say?”

“Bai Fan, almost crying, talked to me all night,” Gu Qing sighed. “She hasn’t changed a bit—always been delicate, needing to be coddled and placated. Luckily, she married a man with a good temper…”

Yi Chen interrupted. “Get to the point.”

“Aiya!” Gu Qing was annoyed. “You little punk, I say a few words and you’re already impatient. I wish I’d had a daughter instead of you—maybe she’d be as pretty and obedient as Yin Yin, unlike you and your brother…”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Don’t you dare!” Gu Qing gave up the argument. “Your Aunt Bai said she and Yin Yin had a fight, and she isn’t letting Yin Yin come to Beijing. She’s worried and wants you to check on Yin Yin and pass on a few messages.”

“Beijing’s gotten colder lately, tell Yin Yin to wear more clothes and not catch a cold. Also, remind her to eat more—she can’t just focus on looking good on camera and skip meals…”

Yi Chen was impatient. “Why should I care? What am I to her?”

“What kind of attitude is that? A girl studying far from home isn’t the same as staying here.”

“I’ll send you some pickup codes later—your Aunt Bai sent winter clothes for Yin Yin. It’s suddenly cold in Beijing; what if Yin Yin catches a cold?”

“And I made a cake yesterday, sent it here too. It’s heavy stuff—she can’t carry it alone. You have to pick it up for her and deliver it to her dorm.”

Yi Chen emitted a short, incredulous sound from his throat. “Me?”

“If not you, then me? If you were sensible, you’d have gone to help already!” Gu Qing scolded, disappointed.

“Remember to pick it up! I’m hanging up.”

The line went dead, and Yi Chen laughed bitterly. He didn’t even glance at the messages Gu Qing sent afterward, tossing the phone onto the desk.

Irritated, he grabbed a bottle of mineral water and took several quick sips.

The cold water burned his throat like swallowing shards of glass.

Yi Chen frowned, shook his heavy head, and muttered a curse.

What a damn princess—he was just a servant.

Shaking off the matter, Yi Chen booted up his computer.

Staring blankly at the screen full of code, he furrowed his brow, then coldly reached for his phone again.

Just this once.

Otherwise, he’d have to deal with her sniffles again.

He opened WeChat. The chat still showed his last reply.

Annoyed, he tapped out: [Where are you? I need to talk.]

After sending it, he glanced outside at the fading light, then got up to grab a jacket from his wardrobe.

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“Yo.” Cheng An had just stolen some hot water from Lin Yinian’s spot and turned around to see Yi Chen changing clothes. Broad shoulders and height made the black windbreaker fit sharply—he looked devastatingly handsome. “Dressing so sharp—heading out?”

The phone was utterly silent.

What was the point?

Yi Chen sat down expressionlessly. “Is it so wrong to put on another layer?”

“Sure, sure.” Cheng An paid no mind, slurped his noodles, then turned to watch a video.

After changing, Yi Chen scrolled down and opened Gu Qing’s chat, typing two words: [No time.]

Gu Qing bombarded him with a flurry of messages.

Yi Chen skimmed past without a glance, but suddenly his finger froze.

Gu Qing: [If I’m not mistaken, it’s the beginning of the month, right?]

Damn it.

Not this again.

He silently retracted the message.

Next second:

[Targeted poverty alleviation: Ms. Gu has sent you a 6,000-yuan transfer.]

A thousand more than usual.

“...” Yi Chen reopened Zhong Yin’s chat.

—He would give her one last chance.

After the whole game stream finished, Cheng An turned to find Yi Chen still sitting with legs apart, completely still, staring down at his phone.

“What’re you doing? Come play games.”

“No, got something to do.” Yi Chen didn’t look up.

“What’s up with you?” Cheng An abruptly leaned in to peek. Just as he was about to see the chat, Yi Chen pushed his head away with one hand.

“What’re you looking at?”

“Who you’re chatting with.”

“Stop snooping.”

Cheng An burst out laughing. “Brother Chen, your love life is cleaner than my pants pocket. What’s there to snoop on?”

Yi Chen kicked at him, but Cheng An nimbly dodged, grinning. “Oh, someone’s actually asking you out? Zhong Yin?”

“Don’t bother me.”

Cheng An teased, “I knew it wasn’t her. Guys lining up from here all the way to the school gate want to ask out Goddess Zhong. Who’d want to look at your ugly mug?”

Yi Chen kicked again. Cheng An dodged and laughed, “Spare me! I’m not joking anymore!”

Suddenly, the phone buzzed.

Yi Chen looked down.

A second later, he jumped up and slung on his bag. “I’ve got something to do. Heading out.”

Cheng An was baffled, glancing at the chilly weather outside. “Hey, didn’t you just say you weren’t going out?”

The only answer was the sharp slam of the dorm door.