Back at the dorm, Ye Xi carefully tucked the peach blossom charm into the inner pocket of his backpack. He didn’t dare hang it on the outside—he was too afraid of losing it.
Afterward, he unwrapped the chocolate Bai Yue had given him and popped a piece into his mouth.
When Bai Yue gave it to him, he’d said to share it with his roommates. But once Li Rui found out it came from Bai Yue, he waved his hands like propellers and said repeatedly, “No way, no way—I’d never eat someone else’s token of love.”
Ye Xi had laughed and kicked him, then happily claimed the whole thing for himself.
The rich chocolate slowly melted on his tongue, releasing a sweet rose-honey filling.
As he savored it, he glanced back at his backpack.
Even though he’d been skeptical when buying the charm, at this moment, he still had hope. He hoped it would actually work—at the very least, help him run into Bai Yue a few more times.
With that thought, his mood brightened slightly. He opened his phone again and returned to the flirting course guide he had already bought—
The dating coach, in this episode, had changed into a black mermaid dress and was once again sitting in front of the screen, speaking passionately:
“Today, we’re learning Flirting Tricks 3.0. Did you all review the last lesson, babies?”
Ye Xi immediately sat up straight as if he’d been called on, even nodding without realizing it.
The instructor continued,
“Okay, if you’ve reviewed, today I’ll teach you a few tried-and-true tricks for watching movies or hanging out with friends…”
Ye Xi stared at the video with a half-understanding look, trying hard to study it, deep in thought.
Li Rui, sitting beside him, was utterly shocked, even snapping a picture of him. If Ye Xi ever miraculously ended up with Bai Yue, he was going to use that photo for blackmail.
Ye Xi studied like this for over a week—watching during breaks, watching before bed. He quickly completed the first phase of the dating coach’s course, which focused on:
“How to Create Ambiguous Tension” & “The Subtle Push-and-Pull Techniques of Dating.”
He believed he had read thoroughly and studied deeply. If not top-tier, at least he was no longer a clueless newbie.
Things like:
- Making deep eye contact when listening, always ready to give compliments.
- Practicing shy expressions, finding your best angle in the mirror, and showcasing it at the right time.
- Lightly brushing against the other person’s fingertips or knees when sitting side by side…
He had learned it all.
All that was left… was practice.
Ye Xi swore he had never studied this seriously in his entire academic life. Not only did he stay focused and listen attentively, but he also took note of every key point the instructor emphasized—his notebook had pages filled.
If he wasn’t too embarrassed to use Li Rui as a test subject, he would’ve practiced on him already.
When the words “Phase One Complete” appeared on the screen with special effects of flowers and applause, Ye Xi even felt a little smug. Especially after reading the comments section, full of rave reviews—it boosted his confidence even more.
He thought: Maybe flirting isn’t as hard as I imagined?
Even Bai Yue isn’t an impenetrable fortress—maybe there’s a crack somewhere?
So, to test his progress, Ye Xi, egged on by Li Rui, skipped class twice to wander around Bai Yue’s university, hoping to run into him.
But in such a large campus, even after wandering around the library, cafeteria, and academic buildings, he didn’t see Bai Yue once and had to go home dejected.
Even waiting around at his own school didn’t help—Bai Yue hadn’t returned to visit in a while.
It was like he was Ye Gucheng freshly trained in a divine sword technique but had no Ximen Chuixue to battle atop the Forbidden City.
With no other choice, Ye Xi set his sights on Zheng Yang.
Although Ye Xi usually boarded at school, he would sometimes go home—the home he shared with Zheng Yang and their shared father.
Zheng Yang lived between two homes, sometimes with his mom, sometimes with their dad.
Ye Xi timed it for a day Zheng Yang would be staying at their father’s and went back too—hoping Bai Yue might visit him.
He spent the whole weekend drifting around the living room, checking the entrance for any visitors.
But sadly, from sunrise to sunset, the door remained quiet. No shadow of a guest, only the distant sound of a gardener trimming branches in the yard.
Ye Xi stood at the entrance, looking at his lonely reflection on the ground. The disappointment in his heart was as deep as the garden pond, where falling petals disturbed the surface with ripple after ripple.
So much so that at dinner, his expression was gloomy as he sat across from Zheng Yang without even lifting his head, afraid that even looking at him would annoy him further.
Useless. He grumbled inwardly. Can’t even get Bai Yue to show up.
Zheng Yang, confused, had no idea what he’d done wrong. He hadn’t even lost his temper with Ye Xi all weekend and had even subtly asked the cook to make red bean soup for dessert—because he remembered Ye Xi liked it. What more could he do?
Was he being bullied at school or something?
Zheng Yang doubted it. Who would dare bully someone as fierce as Ye Xi?
Absentmindedly, Zheng Yang scooped a spoonful of red bean soup into his mouth, nearly gagged, and pushed the bowl away in disgust.
Disgusting.
What kind of taste does Ye Xi have?
After dinner, the two returned to school together in a car.
The driver sat quietly in the front while Ye Xi and Zheng Yang sat in the back, one on each side, with enough space between them to fit two more people.
As the school drew nearer, Ye Xi glanced at Zheng Yang from the corner of his eye.
Zheng Yang was typing quickly on his phone, sending messages to someone.
Ye Xi swallowed, throat dry.
For a brief moment, he even wanted to ask directly what Bai Yue was up to lately—where had he gone?
But after hesitating for a long time and licking his chapped lips, he still couldn’t bring himself to ask.
Thinking about this, he felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.
He’d been flailing around, studying tutorials, dragging Li Rui to buy him new clothes… but he couldn’t even see Bai Yue’s face. What was the point?
What Ye Xi didn’t know was that Zheng Yang was texting Bai Yue at that very moment.
Bai Yue had gone out of town that week to participate in a university archery tournament—he was the president of the university archery club and was representing his school.
It wasn’t a major competition, more like a casual event among students. Still, he easily took home a gold medal.
After the event, Bai Yue and the other participants went sightseeing.
While browsing a souvenir shop at a scenic spot, Bai Yue spotted a small handmade clay doll—eyes closed, lips slightly pouted in a displeased expression, wearing a little hat, looking sleepy and grumpy.
Bai Yue immediately thought of Ye Xi. He held it in his hand, playing with it for a while, and sent a picture to Zheng Yang:
“Don’t you think this doll looks like Ye Xi?”
Zheng Yang replied with a row of question marks:
“Are you blind? How is he this cute?”
Bai Yue cursed him back:
“Tasteless idiot.”
After insulting Zheng Yang, Bai Yue paid for the doll at the counter. But he wasn’t done. He asked:
“If I gave this to Ye Xi, do you think he’d like it?”
Zheng Yang glanced at Ye Xi beside him—he had closed his eyes, pretty but aloof, arms folded with a “don’t come near me” vibe.
Zheng Yang typed dryly:
“Doubt it. You’d have better luck giving him boxing gloves—he could tear down a house with his bare hands by age ten.”
Bai Yue ignored him completely, treating Zheng Yang’s words as barking.
…..
Back at school, Ye Xi and Zheng Yang got out of the car, each carrying a backpack. Their classrooms were on different floors, so they parted ways at the entrance.
Ye Xi’s class had been selected to attend a lecture that night and had to write a reflection afterward, so he headed straight for the auditorium.
Naturally, he sat with Li Rui.
No one really listened to these lectures.
The students looked like they were still mentally stuck in the weekend, each one more sluggish than the last. Li Rui could even hear boys behind him whispering about playing soccer later.
He glanced at Ye Xi, who was behaving relatively well—earbuds in, watching an anime.
Li Rui laughed and nudged him:
“What, not watching your flirting tutorials anymore?”
He had personally witnessed Ye Xi’s feverish study sessions over the past few days—it was practically a mania.
Ye Xi didn’t even lift his eyelids.
“Not watching. Useless,” he said flatly, though the disappointment in his voice was obvious. “I can’t even bump into Bai Yue. What’s the point of learning all that?”
Ah…
That sense of dejection was so strong, Li Rui immediately stopped grinning.
He knew all about Ye Xi’s misadventures lately—like a headless fly buzzing around—and didn’t know how to comfort him. All he could do was pat his shoulder sympathetically.
For the next few days, Ye Xi tossed all the tutorials aside and went back to his usual routine of sleeping through classes and playing games.
On Wednesday, right after school, he told Li Rui:
“I’ll be back late tonight. A friend invited me to play a team match. If the teacher does room checks, cover for me.”
Dorm checks weren’t too strict, and it was easy to sneak back in at night.
Li Rui gave an “OK” gesture, and Ye Xi left with his backpack.
……
At the internet café, Ye Xi picked a seat near the window—familiar territory.
This place wasn’t too shady, and the computers were good.
He bought himself a milk tea and greeted his in-game friends.
He’d been feeling a bit blocked up emotionally lately.
Even though he’d said out loud that it was just bad luck not seeing Bai Yue and that he’d leave it to fate…
Bai Yue felt like some kind of energy-draining demon, always haunting his dreams.
He found himself irrationally resentful:
Why did he have to come play ball at their school?
Why did he show up in front of him again?
He might’ve—might’ve—been able to move on, but ever since that unexpected reunion, it was like all his cells had reawakened, like spring grass yearning for rain.
So now, even his gaming had a venting vibe to it—he showed no mercy, unleashing skills like fireworks on the screen, dazzling and wild.
Even his teammates noticed something off.
“Wasabi ge, are you okay? You seem moody.”
Ye Xi’s in-game name was “King Who Hates Wasabi,”
but ironically, everyone just called him “Wasabi.”
Ye Xi, with a lollipop in his mouth, lazily typed a few words:
“I’m fine.”
But once the team battle ended, and everyone else was chatting in the game chat, Ye Xi just stared blankly at his phone screen.
On it was Bai Yue’s phone number.
Bai Yue had once said that Ye Xi could call him if he wanted—though it felt more like a polite formality.
Yet now, as he stared at that number, Ye Xi genuinely felt the urge to dial.
But if he really did call… what excuse could he possibly use to ask Bai Yue out?
Watch a movie? Play basketball? Grab a meal?
He and Bai Yue weren’t nearly close enough for that kind of thing.
With that thought, Ye Xi scowled and put his phone away, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaving the internet café.
As he walked out, he glanced at his watch—it was 11:40 p.m., not particularly late for him.
He walked down the small path toward school. It wasn’t deep into the night yet, but the lane was quiet, lit only by the faint glow of streetlights.
As he walked, he suddenly remembered the time he and Li Rui went to the temple to make wishes—and how Li Rui had been spouting nonsense.
“…You might as well get mugged on a street Bai Yue always passes, and then he swoops in like a hero to save you, and you can offer yourself to him out of gratitude.”
Ye Xi couldn’t help but laugh. This dim alley really did suit the kind of dramatic scenario Li Rui described.
But honestly, the area around their school had great security—it was right in the city, with a police station just a block away. No petty thief in their right mind would choose this place to commit a crime…
Except just as he thought that, he felt something cold and hard press shakily against his back.
“You—You! Stop! This is a robbery!”
Ye Xi: “……………”
Seriously? Didn’t he just say how safe this neighborhood was?
Ye Xi turned his head with an expression that said, You’ve got to be kidding me.
Under the streetlamp stood a short kid with messy yellow hair, wearing a tracksuit and an oversized mask. He gripped a dented, rusty knife in one trembling hand and pointed it at Ye Xi.
He looked like some random delinquent from a local arcade who’d run out of cash and decided to rob the nearest person.
Unbelievable.
Ye Xi realized that he had actually noticed a hunched figure under the streetlamp earlier but hadn’t thought much of it and walked right past. Who would’ve thought it was someone lying in wait?
He glanced at the “weapon” again.
It was a rusted fruit knife, so damaged it barely held together—completely non-lethal.
Honestly, Ye Xi was more afraid of getting tetanus than getting stabbed.
He instinctively took a step back, staying cautious.
But the would-be mugger misinterpreted this as fear. His hands steadied, his posture straightened, and his voice grew louder.
“D-Don’t run! Hand over your money!”
Ye Xi: “…”
He calmly sized up the guy and subtly loosened his wrists.
Truthfully, Ye Xi didn’t like fighting.
But if he had to, no one in or out of school had ever beaten him.
Last year, some punks from another school came to cause trouble. Ye Xi ran into them and kicked one all the way to the nurse’s office. If the teachers hadn’t protected him, it might’ve ended with the police.
He looked at the skinny kid in front of him, calculating. He decided to go easy and just teach him a light lesson—he really didn’t want to make his teacher go to the police station again.
Ye Xi tightened his grip on his bag and got ready to show this guy why some flowers are red.
But at that exact moment, the sound of slow, steady footsteps echoed down the alley—someone else was approaching.
The mugger panicked. He glanced nervously toward the sound, and his trembling hand accidentally jabbed the knife forward.
Ye Xi narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he swung his bag straight at the guy’s forehead.
The heavy bag—packed with his iPad—smacked the mugger right in the face, leaving him seeing stars like he’d been punched in the temple.
Before the guy could react, Ye Xi kicked him hard in the knee and grabbed his right wrist.
Crack.
He dislocated the guy’s wrist in one clean move.
The rusty fruit knife clattered to the ground.
A sharp scream of pain echoed through the alley.
Ye Xi calmly dusted off his clothes and didn’t spare the writhing figure on the ground even a glance.
“With that scrawny build, you really thought you could mug someone?” he said coldly. He might not be a model student, but seeing that the guy wasn’t much older than him, he added sincerely, “Get your act together.”
He turned to pick up the bag he’d thrown.
It was only then that he noticed someone else standing not too far away.
From the corner of his eye, Ye Xi could vaguely make out a tall silhouette under the streetlamp, hesitating as if unsure whether to approach.
Must be the person who made those footsteps earlier—probably scared by the commotion and frozen in place.
Ye Xi thought maybe it was a girl walking home late. If she was frightened, he could walk her a bit further…
But the next second, as he saw the figure more clearly—tall, straight-backed, long-legged under the soft yellow light—
Ye Xi’s bag slipped from his hand again.
What the hell?! Was he hallucinating, or was the universe just this ridiculous?
There was no scared girl standing there.
Unless he was completely blind, the person looking at him with a stunned expression under the streetlight was none other than—
His crush. The one he’d been searching for for over half a month.
