Chapter 58

Chen Xi stood in the dimly green corridor, flanked on both sides by rows of ginkgo trees. At this season, the leaves were perfectly lush and verdant, resembling a vibrant oil painting teeming with life. Above her, the leaves swayed gently in the breeze, filling the air with a faint, fresh fragrance. The sun was neither fierce nor timid, casting a tranquil atmosphere.

If one overlooked the Porsche parked nearby and the man inside who always seemed dazzling no matter the time, Chen Xi might have thought this was a pleasant afternoon.

After his harsh scolding, Chen Xi felt a strange mixture of excitement and pride stir within her. She rather enjoyed watching him lose his temper. So, feigning innocence, she looked at the man in the car and, with a leisurely tone, asked, "Are you following me?"

Zhou Yanzhou nearly laughed in frustration.

He turned off the engine, released his seatbelt, and stepped out, his long legs carrying him directly to stand before Chen Xi. His tall frame blocked much of the light, casting a heavy, oppressive shadow.

Chen Xi deliberately took half a step back to align her gaze with his, only to see his impeccably pressed pure white shirt, flawless without a single wrinkle, and at the cuff, a platinum-plated cufflink set with an emerald and onyx.

A small cufflink, inconspicuous yet exuding undeniable understated luxury and nobility.

Chen Xi had taken an elective course in business etiquette, which included a lesson specifically on suits and mentioned cufflinks. Many people of status liked to make a statement with their cufflinks. Chen Xi glanced briefly at Zhou Yanzhou’s cufflink and guessed it must have cost six figures.

There’s a saying: a man’s cufflinks are as delicate as a woman’s earrings.

Chen Xi instinctively touched her earlobe, which was bare except for a tiny piercing hole, a subtle sign that she had once had her ears pierced.

Zhou Yanzhou, one hand in his pocket, stood beside the Porsche, his gaze falling on Chen Xi’s flawless white face. He caught her small movement and shifted his eyes to her ear.

Small and translucent, the rim of her ear was thin enough to let light pass through; her earlobe was lean, with a modest hole positioned slightly downward. The sunlight bathed her ear, highlighting its soft pink hue.

Following the line of her ear downward, Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze traveled to her prominent collarbone, then further down to the rise and fall of her heart.

At that moment, he instinctively looked away.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, unable to help but think: she’s really grown up.

Chen Xi noticed the look in his eyes and reflexively clutched her chest, her expression screaming "pervert."

Zhou Yanzhou was unusually embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he awkwardly explained, “I’m not as perverted as you think.”

Chen Xi gave him a cold look, unwilling to say another word.

Feeling his actions were unjustifiable, Zhou Yanzhou raised his chin, hands in pockets, feigning calmness as he said, “I came to see your dean about something.”

“Never expected to run into you on the way, and seeing you alone, I followed for a bit.”

“What are you thinking? You almost got hit by a car and didn’t even notice? If I hadn’t stopped you, were you planning to fake an accident in the street?”

Recently, many news reports about staged accidents had surfaced online — people being extorted after helping the elderly, or pedestrians on motorcycles or bicycles deliberately blocking cars in the middle of the road. Many victims then swore off doing good deeds again.

During that period, many netizens claimed they had encountered such scams, making everyone wary and reluctant to help others.

Upon hearing Zhou Yanzhou say this, Chen Xi suddenly raised her head, looking at him expressionlessly and asked, “What, are you afraid I’m the one staging an accident?”

“Honestly, you’ve been the one pestering me all along. If anyone’s faking, it’s you.”

Zhou Yanzhou was just joking with her, surprised by her intense reaction.

After a two-second silence, he fixed his gaze on her and finally admitted with a smile, “Yeah, I’m the one faking.”

Chen Xi was caught off guard by his shamelessness. She licked her lips and turned her face away, unwilling to look at Zhou Yanzhou pretending not to notice her disdain. Leaning against the car door, she calmly said, “Where are you headed? I’ll take you.”

Without hesitation, Chen Xi declined, “No need, I can walk myself.”

Just as expected.

Zhou Yanzhou was undeterred. Raising his eyelids, he glanced at a few figures approaching in the distance, then at the hesitant figure in front of him, and said with inexplicable gentleness, “Xixi, you don’t want me to make a scene in public, do you?”

At the sound of the intimate and soft “Xixi,” Chen Xi’s spine tingled, and her legs nearly gave way.

She clenched her palm, turned her head to glare at the increasingly impatient man, and under his coercion, circled around the car’s front and slipped into the passenger seat.

When closing the door, she deliberately slammed it hard, making a loud bang.

Zhou Yanzhou didn’t mind the noise; instead, he supported himself on the driver’s door, leaned in, and stared at the lively Chen Xi for two seconds before teasing, “Did your hand hurt from the door?”

Chen Xi had no response.

Unbothered, Zhou Yanzhou leisurely got into the car. The journey was short; he didn’t buckle his seatbelt, gently pressing the accelerator as they drove steadily through the ginkgo grove toward the women’s dormitory.

Just as Chen Xi was about to ask how he knew where the dorm was, she suddenly recalled that he had also escorted Lin Fan in a similar way not long ago.

The road was quiet, with few people around.

Not wanting to talk to Zhou Yanzhou, Chen Xi turned her head, silently gazing out the window.

She was already tired of the campus scenery after three years, able to identify every spot with her eyes closed.

Zhou Yanzhou, however, acted as if it was his first time on campus, repeatedly pointing and asking about the buildings they passed.

After four or five questions, Chen Xi replied with her eyes closed, “Library.”

Seeing her finally respond, Zhou Yanzhou raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you often go to the library to study?”

Chen Xi frowned, “Otherwise?”

---

Zhou Yanzhou smiled lightly and said kindly, “Don’t be so resentful toward me, Xixi.”

Chen Xi abruptly turned to him, her gaze fixed on the handsome face that bore a trace of uncertain helplessness. She licked her lips and coldly called him out, “What resentment could I possibly have toward you?”

“Zhou Yanzhou, can you stop bothering me? I already have a boyfriend. Do you want me to be branded a homewrecker? Or do you think it’s satisfying to steal someone else’s girlfriend?”

Zhou Yanzhou’s face darkened, a rare occurrence. Gripping the steering wheel, he turned his head silently to examine Chen Xi for two seconds. A flicker of sadness passed through his eyes before turning into a sigh, his usual calm demeanor intact. “Why must you be so confrontational with me?”

“I never said a word about your dating life. At your age, a campus romance is good—you need to experience things for yourself. Sometimes you have to hit the wall before you turn back.”

“But Xixi, after all, I’m at least half your relative, right?”

Chen Xi chuckled, closed her eyes, and denied, “Who says you’re half my relative? Do I have anything to do with you?”

Seeing her digging in her heels, Zhou Yanzhou dropped the topic.

When he dropped her off at the women’s dormitory, he parked by the roadside, raised his chin, and pointed to the nearby dorm building, quietly asking, “Is this it?”

Chen Xi didn’t want to linger with him for even a second. As soon as the car stopped, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out with a cold expression.

Zhou Yanzhou didn’t call her back or hurry off.

He lit a cigarette, rolled down the window, rested his hand on the frame, and smoked leisurely.

The smoke swirled inside the car before being blown away by a breeze, quickly dissipating.

Just as he finished the cigarette, a phone rang—not his own.

Following the sound, Zhou Yanzhou spotted a phone on the passenger side floor mat.

The ringtone persisted. With his long reach, he bent down, picked up the phone, and glanced at the screen, which displayed the name “Xie Nanzhou” blinking in the corner.

Zhou Yanzhou glanced toward the empty dormitory entrance, tossed the still-ringing phone onto the armrest, started the engine, and accelerated. The harsh ringtone finally ceased after they left campus.

Zhou Yanzhou didn’t go to the office but headed to Jiang Chi’s newly opened bar.

Located near Sanlitun, Zhou Yanzhou arrived, tossed his car keys to the valet, and strode into the dark, dimly lit bar.

Halfway there, he remembered something, turned back, picked up the phone from the armrest, and pocketed it.

Upon entering the private room, Zhou Yanzhou was hit by a strong blend of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and perfume.

He frowned, kicked aside an empty beer bottle blocking his path, and sat down heavily in the corner, accepting the drink Jiang Chi handed him, draining it in one gulp.

Seeing Zhou Yanzhou’s grim expression, Jiang Chi sat beside him, glass in hand, scanning him with curiosity. “What’s wrong? Who made you unhappy?”

Zhou Yanzhou slammed his glass down on the marble table, the sharp sound silencing everyone momentarily.

Lin Fan was among them.

She noticed Zhou Yanzhou arriving late, recalling their last encounter, licked her lips, bravely approached him with a smile, and struck up a conversation: “What a coincidence, running into you again.”

Zhou Yanzhou glanced at her but couldn’t recall who she was.

Jiang Chi whispered in his ear, “When the bar opened last month, I hired some girls to keep the place lively. She’s one of them, from R University’s art academy. Didn’t you escort her home twice?”

Zhou Yanzhou remembered.

Last month, after the bar’s renovation, Jiang Chi wanted to give it character, so he recruited many pretty, decent girls from top universities under the banner of ‘all for art.’ The bar soon became popular for its beautiful female patrons.

Once, a customer got out of hand and almost assaulted one of the girls. Coincidentally, Zhou Yanzhou was there and intervened, protecting the girl.

She was frightened and stayed by Zhou Yanzhou’s side all night.

Being kindhearted, Zhou Yanzhou learned she was a student at R University and on a whim escorted her home.

Perhaps some nerve was stirred or a memory awakened; Zhou Yanzhou found himself looking after Lin Fan more.

He wasn’t interested in playing the savior or persuading her to quit her job—just occasionally escorting her home when in a good mood.

This back-and-forth sparked gossip, with people assuming Zhou Yanzhou was interested in her and trying to get them closer.

Zhou Yanzhou, needing a social face, sometimes took her to events, never letting her touch alcohol, and would give her a gift bag afterward as thanks.

Only once or twice, but apparently, it was memorable.

Zhou Yanzhou crossed his legs, eyeing Lin Fan’s youthful face, radiant with collagen and bursting with vitality, yet adorned so gaudily. Suddenly, he thought of Chen Xi.

The two were about the same age, yet Chen Xi rarely wore makeup. Both times he’d seen Chen Xi, she had a bare face, her stubborn, cool expression leaving a deep impression.

The contrast was stark.

No wonder Zhou Yanzhou didn’t recognize Lin Fan immediately. With her flashy appearance and the dim lighting inside the room, it was no surprise.

Not wanting to embarrass the girl, Zhou Yanzhou nodded slightly in greeting.

Lin Fan mistakenly thought he had taken notice of her, and, holding her glass, chatted boldly about her recent life.

Jiang Chi stepped out to take a call, and the others lowered their voices. Someone played the song “No Longer Lovers” on the sound system.

As the music and lights set the mood, the girl sang tenderly into the microphone, her face blurred but imbued with a unique charm.

---

Zhou Yanzhou listened intently, catching the line: “I’m afraid of being lovers, having sparks in love with him.” He recalled the few sharp words Chen Xi had spoken in the car and seemed to understand the lyrics’ meaning.

Lin Fan, noticing Zhou Yanzhou absorbed in the song, leaned toward him and said teasingly, “Feeling down? Want me to keep you company for a drink?”

Before the words finished, she met his cold, indifferent eyes and froze in place.

Ten minutes later, Lin Fan nervously climbed into the Porsche.

Before getting in, she checked the license plate—different from 0724—wondering if it was just a coincidence.

On the way back to campus, Lin Fan glanced sideways at the man seated two seats away and suddenly spoke: “The license plate on the car you drove last time was interesting.”

Zhou Yanzhou rested his hand on his knee, bored, and asked without emotion, “How was it interesting?”

Lin Fan pursed her lips, a flicker of something unusual in her eyes, but said, “0724 sounds like a birthday. Coincidentally, my roommate’s birthday is July 24.”

Zhou Yanzhou’s lips curved into a smile. “Same department?”

Lin Fan, excited that he was willing to talk, babbled on: “No, she studies law.”

“We share a triple room; she and another roommate study law, and I’m the art student.”

“But my roommate’s a bit weird—doesn’t like talking, looks down on everyone like they owe her money.”

The last comment carried some personal bitterness, but Zhou Yanzhou ignored it, closing his eyes without response.

By the time they reached R University, night had fallen; the roads were quiet with few passersby.

Passing by Mingde Building, Lin Fan suddenly exclaimed, “Isn’t that Xie Nanzhou? My roommate’s boyfriend, but the girl he’s holding doesn’t look like my roommate.”

Hearing the name “Xie Nanzhou,” Zhou Yanzhou suddenly opened his eyes, following Lin Fan’s pointing finger to see two figures entangled.

Unaware of the passing car, Xie Nanzhou instinctively pushed away the girl embracing him when the headlights shone on them.

Attempting to see who was inside the car, he found the light too bright and closed his eyes.

Looking again, he only saw a car emblem.

After driving a while, Lin Fan stared at Zhou Yanzhou in confusion, as if unable to believe he had ordered the driver to shine the lights on the couple.

She bit her lip and hesitantly asked, “Did you just—”

Before she could finish, Zhou Yanzhou snapped coldly, “What about me just now?”

Lin Fan was startled by his gaze and shook her head after a moment: “N-no.”

“I just didn’t expect you to—”

Zhou Yanzhou interrupted, “Your roommate’s dating a scumbag. Aren’t you going to tell her?”

Lin Fan was taken aback; she hadn’t expected him to meddle. Hesitant, she said, “We’re not close. It’s not easy to talk about these things.”

Zhou Yanzhou immediately darkened his face and told Xie to stop the car.

The sudden brake caught Lin Fan off guard, nearly throwing her head against the passenger seat. Regaining her balance was difficult, and Zhou Yanzhou had already given her the boot: “It’s just a few minutes’ walk. Get out.”

Realizing he was angry, Lin Fan reflected briefly and asked doubtfully, “Did I say something wrong? If so, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Zhou Yanzhou had no patience left and coldly dismissed her, “Get out.”

Fearing to provoke him, Lin Fan reluctantly got out.

Before she could steady herself, the Porsche sped away, vanishing from sight.

Watching the car disappear, Lin Fan stubbornly wondered what she had said wrong.

---

Chen Xi hadn’t realized her phone was missing.

Only after finishing her study session and leaving the library to check the time did she notice her phone was gone.

Not very attached to her phone, she assumed she’d left it in the dorm and paid it no mind, planning to check after dinner.

Li Qing, having just met her boyfriend, ran into Chen Xi at the cafeteria entrance, beaming as she grabbed Chen Xi’s arm and headed inside.

Li Qing was radiant, as if the person who once declared “no man is good” was not her.

She checked her pocket and asked worriedly, “I forgot my meal card. Can I borrow yours later?”

Chen Xi smiled gently, “I’ll treat you.”

Li Qing hugged Chen Xi and kissed her cheek twice, exclaiming, “Thank you, you’re such a good person!”

Chen Xi was speechless.

The cafeteria was crowded and full; they decided to take their food back to the dorm.

Chen Xi ordered a rice bowl; Li Qing had wontons.

Back in the dorm, Li Qing reminded Chen Xi to sign in online, and that’s when Chen Xi noticed her phone was missing.

Using Li Qing’s phone, Chen Xi called her own number, hoping to locate it, but the phone rang through with no answer.

Li Qing searched around and urged Chen Xi to call again.

Chen Xi stepped onto the balcony and dialed once more.

This time, after just two rings, the call was answered. Seeing it was picked up, Chen Xi spoke without hesitation: “Hello, I’m the owner of this phone. Could you—”

Before she finished, a warm, familiar voice came through: “It’s me.”

Chen Xi’s back stiffened. She had suspected all along but still wanted to take a chance.

Having guessed correctly, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She took a deep breath and said, “Send me your address. I’ll come get it tomorrow.”