HS Chapter 3

The school year had just begun, so the library wasn’t too crowded.

After entering, Ye Wenyu went straight to the third floor, found a reference book on the shelves, and then located an empty seat by the window. He opened his laptop and stayed there all afternoon.

He needed to focus his attention on something else, to keep his mind busy, in order to stop himself from thinking about those temporarily unresolvable matters.

Time silently passed six o’clock, and the sun was about to set. The remaining glow slanted through the windows, casting a warm, orange light that gently spread across the floor, calmly adding warmth to each level.

People around him left one after another to go eat, and the seats emptied out. Ye Wenyu insisted on finishing the last part of his translation before finally closing the document and shutting his laptop.

Staring at the screen for a long time made his eyes feel sore and uncomfortable. He closed his eyes to rest for a while, then got up to eat, taking the translation reference book back with him along the way.

The shelf for foreign language books was right next to him. As soon as he put the book back, he keenly noticed a new book next to it–*Principles of Management*.

That clearly didn’t belong in the foreign language section.

He hadn’t noticed it earlier when he grabbed a book, so someone must’ve put it there in a hurry and got the section wrong.

Ye Wenyu didn’t know exactly where the business management books were supposed to go, but he did know that all returned books were first placed on the first-floor shelves, and then the library staff would return them to their correct spots according to category.

Thinking this, he reached out, planning to take the misplaced book downstairs on his way.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the spine, someone else reached out a second faster and hooked the top of the spine. His fingers paused, almost touching the back of the other person’s hand.

Ye Wenyu was a little surprised and subconsciously turned his head to look…

The first thing Yan Chen noticed about the hand that suddenly entered his line of sight was its overly fair and beautiful fingertips.

The nails were trimmed in a round, neat shape, the color a clean, translucent pink-white. Against the dark golden book cover, they seemed to be covered in a soft halo, exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

His gaze silently moved down from the fingertips.

The fingers were straight, slender, well-proportioned, the joints light and almost wrinkle-free; the back of the hand was a size smaller than his, with the palm bones showing a more obvious white color and smooth, clear contours.

The wrist was also slender, with a bony protrusion on the outer side, calling it delicate would be no exaggeration. The forearm was flawless, with clear bones. Even the elbow, where the white short sleeved shirt couldn’t cover, had a faint pink hue.

Yan Chen’s breath stagnated.

His eyes couldn’t help but stay there for a few seconds before he finally remembered something and lifted his eyelids to look at the owner of the hand.

But as soon as their eyes met, the other person quickly withdrew his hand and turned away.

—

“He put a weird, weird hat on my… butt?! What the hell is this sentence? Is my translation correct? It’s just hat and butt!”

Chi Dongting sat cross-legged in front of his computer, scratching his head into a bird’s nest over a translation.

Hearing the door open, he turned around with his bird’s nest hair: “Eh, Wenyu? Didn’t you say you’d stay out till evening? How come you’re back now, have you finished your homework?”

Ye Wenyu gave a vague “mm”, hugging his laptop and returning to his seat.

“All done? That fast?!”

Chi Dongting cried out with envy. Then he looked back at his own work and scratched his head in despair: “Why do I still have so much left? Oh my God, how long do I have to keep working…”

Normally, Ye Wenyu would’ve asked where he was stuck or offered to help.

But today he didn’t.

He placed his laptop on the desk, head lowered, palms pressed against the surface, still not fully recovered from the unexpected reunion just now.

The moment he saw that person in the library, his brain had been swept clean by a silent white storm, leaving only a vast blank space.

It had taken almost all his self-control to forcibly pull his rationality and sticky gaze off that person’s face. This process lasted just a few seconds but it felt like a massive effort.

No one knew what kind of chaos was hidden beneath his calm exterior.

After walking out of the library, his heart finally began to beat violently with a delayed reaction, faster and faster.

A few black swans gathered by Changxin Lake, craning their necks and honking loudly, but all he could hear in his ears was the pounding of his own heartbeat, louder with each beat.

He quickly passed the lakeside, crossed the stone path, entered the dormitory area, and returned to the third-floor dorm without stopping for even a second.

Only after reaching his destination and being forced to stop, did the breeze blowing through the hallway slowly calm his rapid breathing and steady his heartbeat. His crashed brain finally started to reboot.

The close distance, the bright lighting…every detail had been magnified in front of him all at once, letting him see everything with perfect clarity.

So good-looking! He was really just that good-looking, better than the best he could’ve ever imagined!

He realized he couldn’t stop his brain from going over that person’s lips again and again.

From the corners of the mouth to the lips, every inch, every contour, every curve had been deeply etched into his memory.

After a while, he finally sat down as if drained, closed his eyes, and buried his face deep into his arms, hiding every bit of overflowing emotion.

The blood that burst from his heart into his arteries surged through his entire body, scorching and unstoppable.

His curled fingers hooked onto the edge of the laptop, as if even his fingertips were diligently helping him bear the inexpressible heat and excitement.

“Tsk, is it that my word order is off?”

Chi Dongting puffed up his cheeks and deflated them again and again, repeatedly checking against his grammar notes: “If I switch it around, then it’d be… my butt was covering his hat?”

“?”

“Didn’t it say earlier that the hat wasn’t on his head? So that means I was sitting on his head? Speechless, what kind of dumb classic is this!”

Classmate Xiao Chi was on the verge of collapse.

He hugged his head in despair and wailed, habitually wanting to complain to Ye Wenyu. But when he turned to look, he found the latter lying face down on the table, unsure if he was asleep or awake.

Chi Dongting’s noisy voice instantly quieted down.

He blinked, climbed halfway up the ladder to peek over, and whispered softly, “Wenyu, Wenyu, are you asleep?”

Ye Wenyu didn’t respond.

Chi Dongting rested his forehead on his hands, weakly muttering, “it looks like this translation assignment really is tough. Look, it even knocked out our top student…”

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“No, this damn homework made me so mad I’m full. Where would I find time…hm?”

Chi Dongting finally reacted and opened his eyes wide: “Wenyu, you’re not asleep?”

Ye Wenyu raised his head from his arms and looked at him. His expression was calm, but in that moment, his cold, quiet eyes looked just like stars that had finally caught light.

“What do you want to eat? It’s my treat.”

–

“…Crispy burger, tom yum soup, avocado salad, and a serving of cheese and black pepper fried rice…that should be enough.”

After Chi Dongting happily finished ordering, Ye Wenyu placed the order and paid.

It was the peak time at the restaurant. The place was buzzing with noise, waiters were bustling around, and dishes were arriving slowly.

Chi Dongting’s mother called to check in on him, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying over the phone. He gestured to Ye Wenyu and ran outside to take the call.

When he returned, he saw a girl had appeared next to their table. Her makeup was immaculate and she was dressed in business attire. She exuded an office worker vibe and it was clear she was not someone from their school.

“Little brother, what dish is this?”

The girl smiled sweetly and pointed at a plate in front of Ye Wenyu, her eyes wandering back and forth across his face. “It looks quite delicious.”

Ye Wenyu: “Not sure. I didn’t order it.”

The girl: “But I just saw you paid for it. Could you please show me the menu?”

Before Ye Wenyu could respond, a cheerful voice suddenly cut in, “Miss, which dish are you asking about? This one? It’s called crystal strawberry, but we don’t know if it’s good or not, it’s our first time here too.”

Taking advantage of the girl’s momentary daze, Chi Dongting quickly circled back to his seat across from Ye Wenyu. He looked at the table full of food and rubbed his hands together. “Everything’s here already? Not bad, not bad, it’s faster than I expected.”

The girl’s original plan was interrupted and she hesitated a little, still unwilling to give up. She was about to say something more when Chi Dongting suddenly turned to Ye Wenyu: “Hey, by the way, isn’t it already this late and your girlfriend’s still studying in the library?”

Faced with Chi Dongting’s out-of-the-blue remark, Ye Wenyu was clearly used to it and responded with a calm “Mm”.

“So dedicated. She hasn’t eaten in days. You better pack something for her to take later, otherwise she might faint from hunger and we’ll have to call an ambulance…”

From the corner of his eye, Chi Dongting noticed the girl had already turned and walked away. He leisurely followed up with the next line: “Then when the paramedics arrive, it turns out there’s no such person…how embarrassing.”

As he finished, he couldn’t help but let out a snort and laughed with squinted eyes, feeling very pleased with himself. “there were no signs of acting at all. I’m getting more and more skilled. As expected of me.”

He picked up his chopsticks and cheerfully reached for the aloe strawberry dish. Ye Wenyu pushed the plate a little closer to his side.

Chi Dongting took a bite. “Wow, where did they get these strawberries? They’re still this sweet even when it’s off season! Even the aloe juice smells fragrant. Wen Yu, try it.”

The brightly colored strawberries were cut into small pieces and mixed in light green aloe juice, looking pink and tender, and quite pretty.

Ye Wenyu picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. It was refreshing and indeed sweet.

Chi Dongting observed his expression as he ate his burger and guessed, “Wenyu, you’re in a good mood, huh?”

Ye Wenyu didn’t deny it.

‘It seems like his worries have been resolved,’ Chi Dongting’s mind immediately began scheming.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Ye Wenyu, acting coquettish and flattering. “So when we get back to the dorm later, could you help your poor, weak, yet adorable roommate with a tiny little favor?”

Ye Wenyu, who was always easygoing, nodded, “Okay.”

Chi Dongting was instantly overjoyed, letting out a loud cheer: “Ah, Wenyu! I just love how you agree without even asking what it is!”

Ye Wenyu: “Homework?”

Chi Dongting let out a dramatic “Waaah!” and gave him a thumbs-up. “You have the foresight of a prophet. You are worthy of being called the ‘god of learning’.”

Ye Wenyu didn’t comment on the rainbow farts.

With the homework issue taken care of, Chi Dongting felt completely relaxed. After finishing half a burger, he scooped some soup while chatting casually with Ye Wenyu.

Chi Dongting: “It’s rare to see you in such a good mood. Is there some good news? Or did something good happen at the library?”

At these words, even Ye Wenyu’s expression seemed to carry a trace of snow about to melt.

He didn’t hide it and gave a truthful, affirmative answer to Chi Dongting: “Mm, I encountered something I really like.”

Chi Dongting was surprised. “For real?”

He couldn’t be blamed for being shocked. Ye Wenyu had always given off a very calm impression, with not much emotional fluctuation and rarely showed his emotions.

Maybe it was because he always did everything so perfectly, he gave the people around him the illusion that he’d seen through it all and had no desires or demands.

Coupled with his naturally cold temperament and introverted nature, people who didn’t know him well would easily see him as aloof and unapproachable.

But now, this very person openly said he’d found something he really liked. Not knowing how to express the joy, he even invited him out for a meal.

This wasn’t something that could be summed up with just the words “rare occurrence.”

Chi Dongting’s curiosity was piqued. “What is it that you like? A book?”

Ye Wenyu shook his head. “No.”

Chi Dongting pressed on, “Then what is it? Besides books, what else is there in the library?”

The situation was too special. Ye Wenyu thought about it for a moment and didn’t know how to tell him.

Seeing him waver like that only made Chi Dongting more curious. “What exactly is it? Can you show me?”

Ye Wenyu said he couldn’t bring it out.

“Not convenient?” Chi Dongting leaned forward. “Then maybe you can take me there to see it?”

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.

As soon as Chi Dongting finished speaking, Ye Wenyu’s brows furrowed slightly, as if something had come to mind.

The refreshing sweetness in his mouth vanished instantly, and even his hand holding the chopsticks paused in place.