Chapter 17

When Tang Tianman leaned in close, Zheng Xiyu’s fingertips paused for half a second, her mind going blank.

Tang Tianman struggled a bit to climb on, shrugging her shoulders twice. Zheng Xiyu quickly hooked her arms under Tang Tianman’s knees and gave her a push upward.

She was finally up there, but she clung on awkwardly, refusing to wrap her arms around Zheng Xiyu’s neck.

“I’m going to stand up now,” Zheng Xiyu said. “If you don’t hold on tight, you’ll fall.”

“How high up is it, anyway? Is this really necessary?” Tang Tianman muttered under her breath.

Zheng Xiyu smiled and rose to her feet. Tang Tianman’s body swayed, and her fingers gripped Zheng Xiyu’s shoulders.

“How’s that feel?” Zheng Xiyu adjusted her palms to make it more comfortable for the girl on her back.

“What do you mean, ‘how’s that’? It’s not like I haven’t been carried before,” Tang Tianman muttered again.

Zheng Xiyu said nothing. She took a couple of steps forward with Tang Tianman on her back and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

“You’re going to carry me all the way to dinner?” Tang Tianman asked.

“If you’re okay with it.”

“I’m not.” Tang Tianman pointed ahead. “Just take a quick loop around the garden. Going out like this would be so embarrassing.”

This time, Zheng Xiyu ignored her and strode right out the door.

The school gate wasn’t far away, all lit up brightly. It was getting late, but college students loved wandering around at this hour.

Tang Tianman stared at the scattered groups of people and smacked Zheng Xiyu’s shoulder. “How can you do this to me!”

“What’s so embarrassing about it?” Zheng Xiyu replied. “It’s not like I haven’t carried someone before.”

That left Tang Tianman speechless.

Zheng Xiyu was slim, but she clearly had experience piggybacking people. Her posture and angle were perfect—not uncomfortable in the slightest.

Tang Tianman wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the comfort, though. She felt like Zheng Xiyu had really grown up. Or rather, Zheng Xiyu had stopped pretending to be that obedient little junior sister around her. Today, she was downright rebellious.

Daring to ignore her senior sister’s words. Daring to act so bold out of nowhere. Deliberately trying to rile her up.

Tang Tianman gritted her teeth and smacked Zheng Xiyu’s shoulder several more times.

“Does your hand hurt?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

“No!” Tang Tianman said stubbornly.

“When you’re hitting someone, don’t use your palm—a fist works better.”

Tang Tianman balled her hand into a fist.

“But if it hurts me, it’ll hurt you too,” Zheng Xiyu added just in time. “So just pinch me instead.”

Tang Tianman pinched a fold of flesh on Zheng Xiyu’s shoulder and neck.

Zheng Xiyu let out a long breath. “That feels good. Pinch a bit more.”

Tang Tianman: “…”

She was about to explode with frustration.

But she didn’t have time to keep messing around with Zheng Xiyu. The school gate was almost upon them. “Put me down,” she said, sliding downward.

“No way,” Zheng Xiyu said stubbornly.

“I don’t want to go sightseeing from up high anymore. Put me down.”

“I haven’t had enough yet.” Zheng Xiyu’s strides grew even longer.

“Ahhh, there are so many people over there! I’m not hurt or anything…” Tang Tianman panicked. “We might run into a ton of acquaintances. Hurry up and let me down…”

Zheng Xiyu paused for a moment. “If you’re scared of being seen, just bury your head.”

By the time she finished speaking, they had stepped into the light.

Tang Tianman glanced up and spotted some classmates not far away. “Aiya!” she yelped, immediately burying her face.

Zheng Xiyu’s neck was fragrant.

A fresh, sweet scent, warmed by her skin until it felt like sunlight soaking into clothes.

Tang Tianman shrank down further, tugging Zheng Xiyu’s shirt down with her.

With her eyes hidden from the world, every sound grew louder.

The wind tinkled the bell at the guard booth. Nearby girls chatted away. Zheng Xiyu’s footsteps thudded along, accompanied by the steady thump of her heartbeat.

It was magical, Tang Tianman thought with a spark of surprise. Somehow, she could hear Zheng Xiyu’s heartbeat from her back.

Then the school’s noises faded into the distance, replaced by the roar of traffic drawing near. Only then did Tang Tianman suddenly realize.

She wasn’t hearing the heartbeat.

She was feeling it.

With their skin pressed so close, every pulse was magnified endlessly.

Tang Tianman focused, and now not only Zheng Xiyu’s heartbeat rang clear—her own did too.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Gradually, they fell into the same rhythm.

Feeling restless, Tang Tianman lifted her head and pounded Zheng Xiyu’s shoulder. “Alright already, I’ll walk on my own.”

This time, Zheng Xiyu didn’t argue. She gently set Tang Tianman down.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Tang Tianman avoided her gaze and charged straight ahead.

The University City nights were alive with dazzling lights.

Snack stalls lined the streets, their clamor and aromas swirling together.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Tang Tianman matched each step to the beat of her heart.

Zheng Xiyu caught up quickly, falling into her usual spot—a half-shoulder’s width behind. That way, their lines of sight could intersect as they walked side by side.

If any danger came Tang Tianman’s way, Zheng Xiyu could pull her into her arms with a single reach—a safe, protective curve.

Tang Tianman felt like N City’s autumn was as changeable as the weather, the temperature swinging wildly. Right now, it was sweltering.

Zheng Xiyu’s voice came from above her head, warm and gentle, just like that obedient junior sister again. “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?”

“I want some ice-cold beer,” Tang Tianman said.

They ducked into the nearest barbecue joint. The place was packed with male students from nearby schools.

The moment Tang Tianman walked in, she drew ninety percent of their attention. The remaining ten percent belonged to the sharp-eyed ones who noticed Zheng Xiyu ordering behind her.

Tang Tianman found a seat and pulled wet wipes from her bag, scrubbing the table spotless.

Zheng Xiyu returned from ordering, a can of beer already open in her hand, complete with a straw. She handed it over and asked, “Ice-cold one’s okay, right?”

“No problem!” Tang Tianman snatched it and took a big swig. “I’m dying of heat here.”

Zheng Xiyu smiled and passed her a napkin. “Slow down.”

Soon their skewers arrived—a mix of meat and veggies, slathered in spicy sauce.

Most of the meat went to Zheng Xiyu. Tang Tianman picked out her favorites, nibbling delicately. Her small mouth made the skewers look huge by comparison—nothing like Zheng Xiyu’s bold, straightforward chomps.

Zheng Xiyu squinted at her. The shop’s dim yellow lights cast thick shadows under Tang Tianman’s lashes.

“Did some makeup today?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

“Huh?” Tang Tianman blinked at her.

“Afraid it’ll smudge your face?” Zheng Xiyu pointed to her cheek.

Tang Tianman laughed. “You can even tell? I just did some foundation, brows, mascara…”

Her voice trailed off.

“You look great,” Zheng Xiyu said. “But you’re always great, so I had to look closely to notice.”

Tang Tianman ducked her head, thoroughly embarrassed, and took another big gulp of beer. “Next time I’ll wear some bright lipstick—you’ll spot that right away.”

“It’s pretty red already.” Zheng Xiyu’s gaze lingered on her lips. “Spicy?”

Tang Tianman licked the edge of her lip and checked her phone. “A little, yeah.”

“But this is nothing. I once ate at this one place…” She set her phone down and looked up at Zheng Xiyu. Her words caught in her throat.

Zheng Xiyu’s stare was intense, fixed right on her lips. That gaze burned hotter than any chili.

Tang Tianman turned her head away and yelled at the boss. “Boss! Another ice-cold beer over here!”

After that, she didn’t glance at Zheng Xiyu across the table for a good long while.

They took their time with the late-night snack.

They headed back because curfew was approaching for the dorms.

Fewer people were out on the roads now. Tang Tianman was stuffed, cradling her waist with one hand and her belly with the other as she asked Zheng Xiyu, “Do I look three months pregnant?”

“You do,” Zheng Xiyu said.

Tang Tianman’s eyes went wide. “Can’t you talk right? When a girl asks you something like that, you say no!”

Zheng Xiyu laughed. “Three months doesn’t show yet.”

Tang Tianman was at a loss for words.

The snack street was close to campus—and even closer to the spot where their paths would split.

“Girl to girl, no need to walk me all the way. Bye-bye~” Tang Tianman said.

But Zheng Xiyu smoothly kept pace beside her. “Not all girls are the same.”

Tang Tianman pouted angrily. “Besides being taller than me, what’s so different?”

“You’re too pretty,” Zheng Xiyu said.

Tang Tianman: “…”

She had no comeback but to blush.

They walked quietly for a stretch before Zheng Xiyu sighed again. “Seriously, you’re too pretty.”

“You can’t just keep saying that…” Tang Tianman mumbled, embarrassed.

“That’s exactly why it’s dangerous,” Zheng Xiyu added.

Tang Tianman: “???”

Zheng Xiyu looked at her solemnly. “Didn’t you notice all the guys in that shop staring at you?”

Tang Tianman waved it off. “Eh, happens all the time.”

“One table was talking about you for ages. Three of them were planning to come ask for your number.”

She waved again, putting on her best “you wouldn’t get the loneliness of a big shot” face. “Eh, happens all the time.”

“But you sure do observe closely,” Tang Tianman added.

“They didn’t actually come over because I was there,” Zheng Xiyu said.

“Heehee, thanks!”

“What if I hadn’t been?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t go out so late by yourself from now on,” Zheng Xiyu said, her logic airtight. “If you do, call me along.”

Tang Tianman was too shocked to speak.

Zheng Xiyu dropped Tang Tianman off at the foot of Dormitory Building 9, and Tang Tianman called out a quick goodbye before dashing away.

She trotted all the way up to Building 9, still humming a tune under her breath as she pushed open the dorm room door.

“Yo,” Li Tong said when she spotted her return. She glanced at the clock hanging on the dorm wall. “If lights-out is at midnight, that means you’d roll in right at midnight, huh?”

“Yep.” Tang Tianman tilted her head. “If it were two in the morning, I wouldn’t bother coming back at all.”

“Tsk.” Li Tong turned to Ruan Ruan. “Talk about a married daughter splashed out the door—those wings of yours have sure gotten stiff.”

Ruan Ruan had no time for her teasing. She grabbed Tang Tianman’s arm. “Guess what!”

“What?” Tang Tianman had no idea what she was on about.

Ruan Ruan pulled out her phone, and a photo popped up right in front of Tang Tianman.

It was from that afternoon—the girl hugging Ruan Ruan.

Though their figures differed greatly in size, the warm autumn sunlight bathed them both in a soft, gentle glow. The scene felt fresh and perfectly harmonious.

“Tsk,” Tang Tianman said.

Ruan Ruan swiped to the next photo. “Get this—she’s journalism major, same elective writing class as us.”

“Tsk tsk,” Tang Tianman replied.

Ruan Ruan swiped again, this time to their own class schedule. “And we’ve got writing class tomorrow.”

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Tang Tianman shot back, “Talk about a married daughter splashed out the door—those wings have sure gotten stiff.”

Ruan Ruan swiped back to the hug photo and gazed at it happily. “I just think she’s such a nice person.”

Li Tong snorted. “Have you two lost your minds? If you’re gonna go all yuri on each other, how about considering me first?”

“Tch,” Ruan Ruan said.

“Uh, is the bathroom free? I need to rinse off…” Tang Tianman started.

“Tang Tianman, where’s my Fat Otaku Happy Water?” Li Tong demanded.

“…”

“You were bawling about compensating me with a whole case of Fat Otaku Happy Water!!!!”

“Heh heh, tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure.”

She truly hadn’t meant to forget. Ever since she’d stepped out that evening and run into Zheng Xiyu, her brain had been overloaded with information. There simply hadn’t been room for anything else.

Now, out the door and in front of the mirror, scrubbing herself clean, her mind was still replaying it all.

There was just too much to process. Every little detail, when lingered on, brought a fresh wave of startling sweetness.

Amid these little jolts of surprise, she finally got herself sorted and climbed into bed.

Her phone held a transfer from Zheng Xiyu:

—Dinner money for tonight.

Tang Tianman loved treating her two foodie roommates. She was used to paying first.

Whether she accepted from them didn’t matter much—they brought her plenty of snacks and drinks in return.

But Zheng Xiyu was different. They couldn’t share every meal together like that. If Xiyu wanted to pay, Tang Tianman would accept it.

That way, Xiyu would feel more at ease. That’s what friends did—give and take, to keep things going long-term.

Her thoughts drifted back to what Zheng Xiyu had said: Don’t head out so late next time. If you do, just call me along.

Tang Tianman pouted. She popped in her earbuds and bobbed her head to some music.

Her fingers weren’t idle, though. Tap tap tap—she fired off messages to Zheng Xiyu.

—It’s not like I didn’t want to call you. You’re always so busy with training.

—I didn’t want to interrupt your training or anything.

Zheng Xiyu replied almost instantly:

—Not an interruption.

—You can come watch my training.

—Watch me.

Tang Tianman bit her lip, suddenly unsure whether that “watch” was meant to be read flat or falling.