Qin Fang's joke completely dispelled the cold atmosphere. Xing Yan across from him didn't respond to his words, only raising his eyebrows slightly in acknowledgement.

What an amazing scene - Qin Fang and Xing Yan sitting across from each other at a table, each reading their own book. Actually, Qin Fang couldn't really focus on reading. On the surface he appeared calm and collected, as if everything was in the past and he could even joke around with others. But in his heart, he still felt a bit awkward to some degree.

It wasn't because of the embarrassing past conflicts between them. The awkwardness was mainly because that incident was too humiliating for Qin Fang. But things had come to this point, so it could be considered fate.

Qin Fang was quite open-minded. After feeling awkward for a while, he felt at ease. What could be done about it?

In the middle of reading, Qin Fang got hungry and fished out a few packs of cookies from his backpack. He glanced at Xing Yan who had his head lowered reading across from him. Qin Fang grabbed a couple cookies and tossed them over.

Xing Yan shifted his gaze from the cookies to Qin Fang's face. Qin Fang wasn't looking at him and had started eating cookies while reading. Xing Yan moved his hand to push the cookies off his book and set them aside.

When Shen Dengke finished class and came over, Qin Fang was almost falling asleep with his head on the table. Shen Dengke patted his shoulder and said in a low voice while bending over: "You worked hard, young master! Go back to the dorm and sleep!"

"I wasn't sleeping," Qin Fang replied softly. "Go study, I'm leaving."

Qin Fang grabbed his backpack from behind him and stood up to leave. As he passed by Xing Yan's seat while leaving, the other person didn't raise his head to look at him. Qin Fang reached out and placed a piece of paper on his book. By the time Xing Yan looked up, Qin Fang had already left.

Shen Dengke looked at Xing Yan, thinking Qin Fang knew him, and kindly flashed a friendly smile.

Xing Yan opened the note Qin Fang left. There were two rather unrestrained lines written on it -

Please pass on my apologies to your buddy for me, it was unintentional on my part.

This was indeed Qin Fang's personality. Although he had a big temper and wouldn't allow himself to be bullied, he kept things separate and didn't want to make more enemies. For conflicts he acknowledged were caused by him, Qin Fang also wouldn't drag it out and refuse to resolve or admit it.

There was a reason he had many friends. Qin Fang got along well with everyone. Hua Tong called this personal charm.

"Awesome," Hua Tong shrugged his shoulders, laughing with a hint of disbelief. "Meeting without getting into a fight and even sitting together to eat cookies?"

"We didn't sit together." Qin Fang also felt this sounded too bizarre and laughed along.

"But you still faced each other, right?" Hua Tong gave Qin Fang a thumbs up. "I really admire you. If it were me, I'd probably just go and challenge him to a fight at the door."

"Are you a rageaholic?" Qin Fang joked.

"Who knows which of us is more hot-tempered." Hua Tong followed Qin Fang into the gym. Qin Fang loved sports and could do any activity in the gym. After following Qin Fang to college here, Hua Tong had been dragged to exercise and had lost quite a few pounds, his physique now better than before.

Qin Fang liked to exercise until he was drenched in sweat and exhausted to the bone. Hua Tong didn't have his stamina and could basically only accompany him playing ball halfway. For the remaining time, Qin Fang could still play tennis alone for another two hours.

With each swing, Qin Fang used a lot of force, feeling the sweat beads meandering down from his hairline and soaking into his collar. He had been used to this since he was young. For him, it was a way to vent and release emotions.

He had to sweat it all out, had to use up all his energy, so that he wouldn't have the vigor to dwell on childish thoughts and get caught up in those childish emotions.

"You're like a big beast when you play ball." When Qin Fang came out after showering and changing, Hua Tong was waiting at the door holding his backpack. He handed over Qin Fang's phone. "Your brother called just now, I saw it was him so I answered."

"Telling me to go home?" Qin Fang took the phone and asked.

"He didn't say to me." Hua Tong replied.

Qin Fang dialed the number. It was picked up very quickly on the other end. "Brother!"

"Hey, what's up?" Qin Fang's arm was a bit sore from playing ball, so he swung the arm not holding the phone.

"You haven't been home for two weeks again," Jian Muyang always sounded quite excited to get his call. "Don't you miss me?"

Qin Fang was amused by his choice of words and asked with a laugh: "Didn't I call you the day before yesterday?"

"Is a phone call enough? Don't you want to see me?" Jian Muyang asked him over the phone.

Qin Fang switched the phone to his other hand and swung the free arm, saying: "I have something this week, Yangyang."

"What about next week?" Jian Muyang asked again.

Qin Fang thought for a moment and said: "I'll see about next week."

"Okay, alright," Jian Muyang's voice lowered. After a two second pause, he said: "Brother, I know you don't want to come back, I..."

His voice sounded so dejected that Qin Fang's movements paused for a moment. Then he said softly: "I know, I know what you want to say. It's not that I don't want to go back. Wait for my call next week, okay?"

"Okay." Jian Muyang responded.

After hanging up, Qin Fang sighed. Hua Tong beside him asked: "Going home next week?"

"Probably have to go." Qin Fang said.

Jian Muyang didn't finish his words on the phone just now, the rest couldn't be said. Actually, Jian Muyang was a very sensitive child with a soft heart. As children gradually grow up, they understand more and more about the relationships and emotions between adults.

On the surface, Jian Muyang was mischievously urging Qin Fang to come home. In reality, he was conveying to his brother, letting Qin Fang know that for that family, he was still needed.

"It was a mistake for you to apply to a local school back then," Hua Tong glanced at him. "Going far away would have been easier."

Qin Fang didn't respond. He massaged his shoulders, feeling great and comfortable being sore all over from exercising like this.

The weather warms up slowly in the north. In early May, you still need to wear a coat when going out. After a rain, the temperature that had risen with difficulty falls again. Southerners who have been here for two years still feel this spring is too long.

Si Tu had a bit of a cough again when he got up in the morning. Xing Yan happened to run into Si Tu wrapped in a thick coat returning from outside as he came downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Si Tu stopped him. "Don't go, I made soup."

Si Tu was holding a bunch of things he bought from the supermarket. Xing Yan took them from him and said: "Next time if you need to buy something, send it to me."

"It's fine," Si Tu took out his key and opened the door. "Carrying a few things is no big deal."

Si Tu was a very clean person. Whenever the door opened, there was always a faint fragrance in the house.

Xing Yan sat in front of Si Tu's computer wearing a headset. Si Tu was cooking in the kitchen. When he came out, Xing Yan had just put down the headset. Si Tu asked him: "How does it feel?"

Xing Yan shook his head and said: "I don't understand your songs."

Si Tu smiled: "Then come eat."

Xing Yan served himself a bowl of soup. Si Tu's phone rang, he glanced at it and put it on silent. Xing Yan glanced at his phone and asked, "Not answering?"

Si Tu said, "No."

After a while, Xing Yan said, "The guy pursuing her asked me to pass on an apology, he didn't mean it."

Si Tu looked up, a little surprised, "You went to see him?"

Xing Yan shook his head and said indifferently, "Zhou Siming."

Si Tu frowned slightly, "I think you guys are just bored."

"It has nothing to do with me," Xing Yan said, "I just wanted to tell you that they didn't work out."

Si Tu didn't say anything, and after a moment, he grunted.

The phone rang again, and Si Tu still put it on silent. Xing Yan glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

That day, before Xing Yan left, Si Tu said to him, "Don't bother about Gong Qi anymore."

As Xing Yan put on his coat, he said, "It's no use telling me, I wasn't going to interfere anyway."

Si Tu smiled, "Well, if you see Siming, tell him to come over for dinner."

Xing Yan opened the door, grunted, turned around and left.

Qin Fang occupied seats for his roommates and only then discovered that Xing Yan was also a frequent visitor to the library, unexpectedly a studious person. He preferred the fourth floor, so as long as Qin Fang went to the fourth floor, the chance of running into him was very high.

Later, when it happened more often, Qin Fang didn't make a big deal out of it, and sometimes even greeted him when he saw him.

This day, Qin Fang ran into Xing Yan again outside the library, walking with a tall, pretty girl who walked very straight and had a lot of grace. Qin Fang waved from a distance, silently greeting them. The two of them stood outside talking and didn't come in. Qin Fang thought to himself that his girlfriend was quite pretty.

After entering the library, Qin Fang realized he hadn't brought his card and couldn't get in.

Qin Fang rummaged through the mess in his bag - car keys, cash, ID card, everything was there, but he couldn't find his student card. He really hadn't brought it.

Qin Fang picked up his bag and was about to stand aside and wait, borrowing a card from someone passing by later. But suddenly a hand reached out from behind him and swiped the card machine for him. The hand was very white, the fingers especially long. Qin Fang didn't need to guess to know who it was, he had just seen him at the door.

After Qin Fang went in, he turned around, nodded to the other person and said, "Thanks."

Xing Yan still had that cold and indifferent look, and replied, "You're welcome."

The two walked together towards the elevator. Qin Fang opened his mouth, "Your girlf..."

Qin Fang swallowed back half of what he was going to say. He remembered why he and Xing Yan had gotten to know each other in the first place - he had pursued his buddy's girlfriend, which led to all the messy things that followed. Originally, Qin Fang was going to casually compliment, "Your girlfriend has a lot of grace," but thinking about this, he swallowed it back.

Better not to praise blindly, otherwise it would seem like he was deliberately looking at other people's girlfriends.

Damn, Qin Fang felt a little helpless in his heart. How did it seem like Fang Ge was a pervert? Fang Ge wasn't short of girls, okay?

He said half a sentence and didn't finish it, leaving a half-sentence topic. Xing Yan turned his head to look at him.

Qin Fang didn't know how to finish this half-sentence. After trying for a long time and not being able to, he finally gave up and laughed, "I was going to say that your girlfriend is quite pretty, but I was afraid you would misunderstand, so I didn't want to say it."

Xing Yan didn't speak immediately. The two entered the elevator one after the other, and Qin Fang pressed the fourth floor. The elevator had a bit of a reflection, and from his position, he could see Xing Yan diagonally behind him. When Xing Yan looked up, their eyes met in the reflective mirror.

They were both quite tall, of equal height, their lines of sight level. Before Qin Fang turned his eyes away, Xing Yan suddenly curled the corner of his lips in the mirror.

It was the first time Qin Fang had seen him with an expression, and he was quite surprised.

The elevator arrived at the fourth floor. Xing Yan was still smiling slightly, a light smile. Before the door opened, he said, "That was a guy."