That night, he saw her again at a bar. She was with some newly made friends, both boys and girls. Lin Qingye watched coldly. Qin Tang was chattering noisily in his ear, but he barely heard any of it.

Xu Zhinan had clearly never been to this kind of place before. She wasn't good at drinking. After a few glasses, her face was already red.

Lin Qingye noticed her go to the restroom. He followed unhurriedly, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the wall.

Lately, he hadn't dreamt about Xu Zhinan for a long time, which was a good thing for him.

But seeing her drunk with flushed cheeks tonight, Lin Qingye got a headache just thinking about it, afraid it would be another sleepless night.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette. Mixed with the clamorous beat of the bar's music, he heard a man's voice, his words crude. He followed the sound and saw Xu Zhinan opposite the man.

The hand Lin Qingye was holding his cigarette with paused slightly, and he strode over.

"Hey."

His voice was nonchalant, as if he were really just passing by.

The man frowned at him. "What?"

"She's with me," Lin Qingye said.

His casual attitude made it hard to believe him, but the man knew he was the lead singer of the bar's band and didn't dare cause trouble, so he left resentfully.

No one knew he had premeditated it; they just saw it as a cliché and uninteresting case of a hero saving the damsel.

Lin Qingye stood there, looking at Xu Zhinan for a moment, then stepped forward, took her arm, and asked calmly, "Can you still walk?"

She looked up at him, her gaze a little unfocused. Lin Qingye met her eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply, letting his desire develop. "Want to come back with me?"

This desire consumed him. For so many years, he had been like a beast dwelling in a dark cave, wanting countless times to drag her into his den, to pull the bright and beautiful her down into hell.

But she was bright and unattainable. Until now, so many years later.

His time had finally come.

The next morning, those lips that had called him "so pitiful," those lips that always smiled at others, those lips he both hated and loved, trembled slightly with helplessness and the verge of tears. Her eyes red-rimmed, she said to him, "I'm sorry, I'll take responsibility for you."

Lin Qingye's heart was gripped tightly, beating violently. He was laughing maniacally in his mind.

But in reality, he did laugh out loud. Leaning against the edge of the wall bare-chested, he laughed so hard his chest shook, and the ash at the end of his cigarette trembled and fell, scattering.

He looked at her and said casually, "Fine. Remember to take responsibility for me."

Lin Qingye's feelings for her grew secretly, developing into something misshapen and twisted. But no one had ever told him how to treat someone with sincerity.

He had always thought that what he felt for Xu Zhinan was purely desire.

Even more often, he thought his feelings for Xu Zhinan were more like a game against himself.

After Fu Xueming argued with him and yelled for him to get out, his mother had used all sorts of vicious words on him. A young man's precarious self-esteem was then completely crushed by Xu Zhinan's unintentional "so pitiful."

He became obsessed, unable to forget the expression on her face when she said those two words.

Soft, gentle, but also tinged with sympathy, lofty, like an act of charity.

Lin Qingye wanted to pull her down from that sunny, high place. But when Xu Zhinan, with red-rimmed eyes, splashed water on his face that day, she had reverted to her former lofty self, leaving without a hint of reluctance.

When Lin Qingye woke up, it was eight in the evening.

In the morning, it was a headache from not enough sleep; now, it was a headache from too much.

He got up and washed his face with cold water.

Water droplets trickled down his cheeks and fell onto the carpet.

He suddenly remembered what that charlatan he'd met a few nights ago had said: your inner demons are too strong, harmful to yourself and to others. And her pink packet that could "resolve your troubles for just five hundred."

To get rid of inner demons, the pink packet was useless. Only Xu Zhinan would work.

In the end, Xu Zhinan still treated Gu Congwang to dinner at the school cafeteria.

Pingchuan University's cafeterias were quite famous. Xu Zhinan took him to the most popular one. It wasn't mass-produced food; you could order your own dishes, and the seats were all sofas, similar to a restaurant.

They usually came to this cafeteria whenever they had group projects to discuss.

After dinner, Xu Zhinan walked him to the south gate of the school. She only left after watching him get in his car and saying goodbye.

Just as she turned to head back to the dorm, Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue popped out from somewhere, smiling ambiguously. They ran over, didn't say a word, and just bumped her shoulder with broad, suggestive grins.

They had probably been secretly following the two of them the whole time.

Xu Zhinan knew what they were thinking the moment she saw their expressions. She couldn't help but laugh and explained, "It's not what you think."

Zhao Qian patted her on the shoulder. "Spill it! Fess up! Who was that handsome guy?"

"A friend of mine, I've known him since we were kids."

Jiang Yue's eyes widened. "So he's a childhood sweetheart!"

"..."

Zhao Qian giggled. "He's pretty handsome! A worthy investment!"

"It's really not like that. He's usually abroad. I just had dinner with him today. Don't overthink it. I've probably mentioned him to you guys before."

Unfortunately, the two of them clearly didn't believe her.

You have to understand, for so many years, countless boys had liked Xu Zhinan, but she was completely impervious, with a built-in shield that no member of the opposite sex could get past.

This was a rare sight.

The two of them walked back together, teasing Xu Zhinan suggestively.

When they reached a fork in the road, Jiang Yue parted ways with them to go to the library, while Xu Zhinan and Zhao Qian headed back to the dorm together.

They had spent quite some time eating and talking with Gu Congwang just now, and the sky had already darkened.

It was finals week, so everyone was busy. The roads had quieted down by now, and there weren't many people around.

Zhao Qian teased her the entire way. In the end, Xu Zhinan didn't know how to explain anymore and simply shut up.

"Ah Nan."

A clear, cold voice came from her side.

The moment Xu Zhinan heard the voice, her steps faltered and her heart skipped a beat. She turned her head to look.

Lin Qingye was sitting on the edge of a flower bed's steps, dressed in a white shirt and black pants. A cigarette was held between his fingers. His brows were relaxed, not as sharp as usual.

He was sitting, she was standing.

He raised his head to look up at her.

One second, Zhao Qian was still excited about the handsome guy who had appeared next to Xu Zhinan. The next, she saw the legend of Pingchuan University, Lin Qingye, who apparently also knew this other legend beside her.

And! He! Fucking! Called! Her!

Ah Nan!!!!

What the fuck kind of world wonder was this!

Zhao Qian was stunned, but looking at Xu Zhinan's expression, she didn't seem very surprised.

Lin Qingye's voice had a nasal quality at the end. Spoken in his pleasant tone, it was husky yet gentle. "Ah Nan."

He called her name again.

He smiled with a hint of compromise. "Be with me."