Chapter 8: Eight

Kong Jian hadn’t paid the slightest attention to the movie.

All her focus had been stolen by the hand wrapped around her own.

The film was already underway, so she couldn’t question it at normal volume like usual. She could only lower her voice. “Can you let go of my hand now?”

Ning Yan turned her head in the darkness. “Senior, what did you say?”

Kong Jian had no choice but to lean closer and repeat herself, only to receive the same response.

Suppressing a sudden surge of irritation, she leaned in until her lips were nearly brushing Ning Yan’s ear before the girl finally heard her clearly.

Ning Yan’s voice, usually laced with a soft lilt, came out noticeably husky, as if she’d been startled. “No.”

“…”

Then why bother answering at all!

Kong Jian leaned back with a huff. She’d missed the opening, and jumping in now made no sense anyway. She simply closed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the burning heat against the back of her hand. Soon enough, amid the room’s hush, she drifted off to sleep as intended.

Ning Yan didn’t turn her head again. Like a sneaky thief lurking in a filthy corner, peeking at treasures inside a master’s home, she waited until Kong Jian’s breathing had evened out completely before shifting their hands.

From palms pressed together, back to back, to fingers intertwined.

~~~

Xi Yunyun was all set to launch into a detailed recap of the movie when Kong Jian cut her off just in time. “I’m not interested. Thanks for the enthusiasm, though.”

Her spellcasting interrupted, Xi Yunyun felt like cursing.

But she had more pressing matters. Her attention shifted. “Don’t the freshmen start military training tomorrow? I signed up for the logistics support during freshman orientation. Remember how it was for us back in our first year? The upperclassmen called it logistics, but they were all lazier than the next. Want to sign up too? It’s three extra credits.”

“No interest. Go by yourself. If you’re worried about being bored, drag your boyfriend along.”

“He’s not in my department—we wouldn’t get assigned together. Didn’t you have that close underclassman in your first year? Just do it for her. Come on, sign up.”

Kong Jian let out a dry chuckle. Better not to mention that girl; bringing her up made Kong Jian even less inclined to go.

She hadn’t told Xi Yunyun about the messy tangle between herself, Ning Yan, and Chen Yan. Now it seemed like a wise decision.

If Xi Yunyun knew her “rival in love” had ended up like this, she’d scold Kong Jian without mercy.

“No need to persuade me. I’m not going.”

Xi Yunyun knew full well that once Kong Jian made up her mind, she wouldn’t budge. She dropped it.

“You’ve been eating with that underclassman these past few days. Didn’t you have any yourself?”

Hearing the concern in her friend’s words, Kong Jian’s smile softened a touch.

After a moment’s thought, she shook her head.

Starting tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to go to the cafeteria anymore. Better not to raise hopes only to dash them—might as well set no expectations from the start.

Xi Yunyun sighed. “Fine, I won’t push. You stubborn mule. One day when you end up in the hospital again with gastroenteritis, I’ll join the doctors in chewing you out!”

Kong Jian chuckled, offering no defense.

Ning Yan’s voice call came right on schedule at eleven.

Kong Jian was just about to set her phone down and sleep when the notification chimed. She instinctively glanced around.

Xi Yunyun was huddled under her blanket, murmuring sweet nothings to her boyfriend. Of the other two roommates, one was reading a novel, the other already snoring softly.

Torn between answering and ignoring it, Kong Jian muttered a curse under her breath and slipped out of bed with the persistently ringing phone.

She’d barely closed the balcony door when the voice request auto-disconnected.

Guessing Ning Yan would call right back, Kong Jian leaned against the wall. Sure enough, two seconds later, it rang again.

“Senior, I just finished washing my clothes. I forgot to say goodnight.”

Even her so-called boyfriend, Chen Yan, had never done anything like that.

Morning and night, without fail—simple greetings in the WeChat chat box.

Senior, good morning.

Senior, goodnight.

Before this moment, Kong Jian hadn’t seen the point in such things.

Now Ning Yan had reminded her with a phone call. She wanted to brush it off, but some bodily reactions couldn’t be willed away.

Her heart gave a faint flutter, like someone had plucked it lightly.

The sensation was unfamiliar, and Kong Jian had no desire to dwell on it. She lifted her gaze to the distance. In the night, the distant high-rises, cold and emotionless by day, were softened by moonlight into something almost warm.

A gentle night breeze whispered past her ear, softening her voice more than it would have in daylight. “Mm. Goodnight.”

Ning Yan didn’t hang up. “One more thing.”

“Senior Sister, starting tomorrow, I have to assemble at the field at six-thirty for military training.”

A spark of delight rose in Kong Jian’s heart. “Mm, I know. Have fun with training.”

Those four words made Ning Yan let out a low chuckle. “It’s way too early for that. So starting tomorrow, Senior Sister, I won’t drag you to the cafeteria with me anymore.”

Dawn was on the verge of piercing the night.

“I’ll buy breakfast and drop it off at the bottom of your dorm building. You can just come down and grab it then.”

But it slammed straight into death at the exit.

“…”

“Ning Yan, go to hell!”

Kong Jian muttered curses as she yanked the covers over her head. It took her far longer than usual to drift off that night. The final image flickering in her mind before sleep claimed her was Ning Yan finally laying all her cards on the table, clasping hands with Chen Yan and vanishing from view.

She was utterly satisfied. Then she slept.

~~~

Kong Jian felt like that girl had gotten her seriously ill.

It wasn’t even six o’clock, yet her eyes snapped open. Glancing at the time on her phone, she decided her brain must be fried.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself back to sleep, but it was no use.

Grumbling under her breath, she brushed her teeth and hauled two bags of trash downstairs.

The entire ground floor was empty save for her and the dorm auntie, who’d unlocked the door before crawling back to bed for more shut-eye. Not a single living soul besides them.

Kong Jian desperately wanted to buy a block of tofu and bash her head into it. What the hell was she doing?!!!

She was just turning to head back upstairs when a distant figure approached.

She spotted it and blinked in disbelief. The person drawing near in a little white dress was none other than Ning Yan.

“Senior Sister, why are you down so early? I was planning to call you a bit later.”

Kong Jian’s gaze locked entirely on that wildly inappropriate white dress. Was this girl insane? At this hour, she still insisted on catching a glimpse of Chen Yan first???

Didn’t that mean she’d gotten up around five?

No matter who was chasing whom, Kong Jian had to sincerely admire them for it.

If this wasn’t true love, she didn’t know what the hell was.

“From today on, Senior Sister, you’ve got to eat a full breakfast. I got rice noodle rolls—the portion’s not huge. Once you’re done, snap a photo for me. Otherwise, starting tomorrow, we’re back to hitting the cafeteria together.”

“…”

Kong Jian itched to hurl the stuff in her hands straight into the trash, but she held back.

With the deepest grudge imaginable, she choked down the last bite. Then, full of reluctance, she pulled out her phone, snapped a pic, and sent it off right at six twenty-nine.

Ning Yan even squeezed in a reply.

[Ning Yan: Senior Sister is so obedient. I’m glad I have such good taste in falling for such an obedient senior sister.]

She shot back a “Get lost,” and this time, no response came.

Xi Yunyun had her errand duty slotted from ten to eleven. Before heading out, she asked Kong Jian one last time, brimming with reluctance. “If you change your mind now, you can still join in. Then you wouldn’t have to lug my book back to the dorm. You sure you’re not coming with me?”

“No need. I’d rather carry your book. Thanks.”

“Hmph. Fine, I’ll go solo. Want me to grab takeout from the cafeteria for you now, or should I bring some back after me and my girlfriend eat?”

“Not hungry yet. If I need anything later, I’ll WeChat you.”

No classes that afternoon, so Kong Jian lounged in the dorm for a rest. Hunger didn’t hit until much later.

She checked the time: eleven-oh-eight, eight minutes past eleven.

Freshmen’s lunch break kicked off at eleven. Heading over now to battle them for food would be a fool’s errand.

Kong Jian opened her chat with Xi Yunyun. She hadn’t even finished typing “Bring me some food” when a voice call buzzed in.

“Senior Sister, I’m right downstairs at your dorm. You eaten lunch yet? If not, let me take you out for some.”

She must’ve sprinted the whole way—her voice was breathless.

Kong Jian shot back a calm refusal. “I’ve already eaten.”

“I haven’t. Come eat with me, Senior Sister. I’ve got an hour and a half. Time for a quick bite out. I’ll wait right here. Head down now, okay?”

It was the first time Kong Jian had met someone who could make a request sound so perfectly reasonable.

She simply hung up, tossed her phone aside, and picked up her half-read book again, tuning out the rest of the world.

Xi Yunyun didn’t return until half an hour later. She clutched a packed box of topped rice, looking as wiped out as an ox that had plowed hundreds of miles. She collapsed into her seat, panting and ranting. “These damn freshmen—every last one acting like some prince or princess! I’m furious. One hour, and I didn’t get a single second to breathe!!!”

Kong Jian gently rubbed her back until she caught her breath. Only then did she speak. “Didn’t you say it’d be a breeze?”

Xi Yunyun rolled her eyes dramatically. “Easy my ass! These freshmen are more pampered than the last batch—nothing like our year at all. Hey, why are you taking my food?”

Kong Jian blinked in confusion. “Wasn’t it for me?”

“You didn’t pick up when I called. I tried ringing you earlier, but you were already on the line with someone else. I grabbed the food and figured you’d eaten since you never texted back. You haven’t?”

She snatched her phone for a quick look. Those three words—”Get me some”—were still sitting there in the input box, unsent.

All because of that perfectly timed call from that guy!

“Oh, right—I spotted your underclassman downstairs. If you don’t feel like trekking to the cafeteria yourself, why not have her grab something for you? You’ve shared so many meals with her these past few days; she probably wouldn’t say no.”

Kong Jian’s face fell. “You saw her downstairs?”

Xi Yunyun nodded. “Yep, looked like she was waiting for someone. Hey, you’re heading to the cafeteria? Grab me a lemon water on your way back!”

With speed she had never mustered before, she bolted downstairs.

A girl of tall, slender build and exceptional poise, whose breathtaking beauty transformed a cheap wholesale military training uniform into high-end bespoke fashion, seemed to share some unspoken rapport with her. The moment she appeared, the girl turned her head.

Her eyes, rippling with starlight, were more enchanting than ever. She curved her lips in a smile, her expression one of utter indulgence and affection. “Senior, it’s only fifty-three minutes now. Looks like we’ll have to switch up our date spot.”