Tang Tianman arrived at the entrance to Dormitory Building 9 and peered inside through the glass.
The dorm auntie was watching a TV drama, cracking fragrant sunflower seeds as she did.
Tang Tianman tapped on the door, and the auntie turned to look.
Tang Tianman pointed at herself, and the auntie stood up, pushed the door open, and came over. They faced each other through the glass.
“What have you been up to?” the auntie asked.
Tang Tianman had originally planned to make an excuse about staying too late at the library and grabbing a midnight snack on the way back, but she wasn’t carrying her backpack, and there wasn’t a whiff of food on her. It wouldn’t have been believable at all.
So she opened her mouth a couple of times but couldn’t get any words out.
The auntie chuckled at her twice, cracked two more seeds in her hand, then finally fished out her keys and unlocked the door.
Tang Tianman hadn’t expected it to be so easy. She hurried inside with a stream of “Thank yous.”
The auntie pulled the door open just a crack, and once Tang Tianman had slipped through, she shook her head and headed back to the dorm office, still cracking her seeds. “Young girls these days…”
Tang Tianman badly wanted to stop her and say, Auntie, you’ve got the wrong idea.
Sure, I come and go at odd hours, but I’m not the kind of bad girl you think I am.
I just wanted to crash in someone else’s dorm and couldn’t.
Okay, fine, Auntie, I admit it—I am exactly the kind of bad girl you think.
Tang Tianman pursed her lips and headed upstairs.
When she pushed open the dorm room door, Li Tong suddenly flicked on her little flashlight.
The beam was bright, shining right in Tang Tianman’s face and blinding her.
“What are you doing?” Tang Tianman shielded her eyes.
“Just checking if you’re human or ghost,” Li Tong said.
Ruan Ruan rolled over to peer at her too. “Let’s see if you’re missing any arms or legs.”
The light slowly moved from her head down to her feet.
“Inspection complete,” Li Tong announced. “Reporting to Captain Ruan: Subject appears fully intact.”
Ruan Ruan: “You have to look beyond the surface. Check if that red heart in her chest is still beating.”
Li Tong: “My apologies, Captain. Reporting: It’s gone.”
With that, they both rolled over and settled back into bed.
Tang Tianman: “…”
But right now, she didn’t have time to deal with these two drama queens. She ducked into the bathroom first and sent a message to Zheng Xiyu.
-I made it back to the dorm. You should head home now.
-Okay.
Zheng Xiyu replied.
Tang Tianman thought for a second and sent another.
-Text me when you get to your dorm.
-Okay.
Zheng Xiyu replied the same way.
Tang Tianman wasn’t thrilled. Zheng Xiyu on chat apps was way too aloof.
Not like the real her in person… with that warm embrace.
Tang Tianman rubbed her face, set her phone aside for light, and turned on the tap to wash up.
She used cold water, and the shock of the temperature difference made her gasp.
She hadn’t even finished her routine when her phone buzzed. Tang Tianman dried two fingers and checked the message.
-Back at the dorm.
The aloof Zheng Xiyu had sent.
Tang Tianman pursed her lips again and kept at her routine. Once she was done, she climbed into bed and stared at her phone for a bit.
She felt like she should say something more, but she had no idea what. The chat with Zheng Xiyu sat there, simple and stark, somehow irking her.
She stared a little longer—maybe thoughts really do have power—when suddenly, at the top of the chat, it showed the other side typing.
Tang Tianman: !!!
She waited eagerly. The typing indicator flickered on and off for a while.
Tang Tianman was about to burst. She started tapping out a message when one popped up from the other side.
-Go to sleep soon.
Zheng Xiyu was as concise as ever.
-You know I’m not asleep yet.
Tang Tianman shot back, unwilling to concede.
Zheng Xiyu: So?
Tang Tianman: It was just a coincidence.
Zheng Xiyu: Fine. Coincidentally, I’m not asleep either.
Tang Tianman: Is that faucet in your bathroom easy to fix? I’m worried it’ll burst and flood you out.
Zheng Xiyu: It’ll take a bit. My head’s high.
Tang Tianman: But you’re all alone.
Tang Tianman: Aren’t you scared sleeping by yourself?
Tang Tianman: Dorms feel so crowded with people, but alone? It’s spooky.
Zheng Xiyu: Scared.
Tang Tianman: ???
She hadn’t expected that answer. Given Zheng Xiyu’s usual vibe, shouldn’t she be fearless?
Suddenly, Tang Tianman realized she’d been too rigid in her thinking. Everyone had a right to fear the dark or loneliness. Sure, Zheng Xiyu was the Tall One, but maybe she was even more skittish about this stuff.
So Tang Tianman put on her senior sister airs.
Tang Tianman: If you’re scared of the dark, get a little night-light. The soft glow kind that charges up and lasts forever.
Tang Tianman: Never mind, you probably won’t bother. I’ll bring you one tomorrow.
Zheng Xiyu: Okay.
Tang Tianman: If it’s being alone that scares you, chat with me before bed like this. When you’re sleepy, toss the phone and crash. Dreams are awesome—full of everything.
Zheng Xiyu: What do you dream about?
Tang Tianman: My dreams are epic. Sky-high adventures, deep dives, superpowers, suspense, horror, sci-fi, war—every genre.
Zheng Xiyu: No romance?
Tang Tianman’s heart skipped. Her typing fingers tensed: I’m still young! Don’t wanna think about that!
Zheng Xiyu: Okay.
Okay what? What’s okay?
Tang Tianman stared at the chat. No more messages from her, so none from Zheng Xiyu either.
Feeling oddly guilty for no reason, Tang Tianman typed: You sleepy?
A couple seconds later, Zheng Xiyu replied:
-I want to dream.
Tang Tianman thought she was pretty good at tying things together—sleepy was sleepy, but she phrased it as wanting to dream.
Kind of cute.
Grinning, Tang Tianman replied: Then go to sleep.
-Good night.
-Good night.
The chat felt a bit fuller now. Tang Tianman scrolled to the top and read through it, her mind buzzing.
Her thoughts wandered to all sorts of random places, perfectly suited to this late-night hour.
She scrolled to the top again, and before she knew it, she’d gone back several days.
She and Zheng Xiyu texted pretty often, actually. But she always felt like Zheng Xiyu was swamped.
If Zheng Xiyu was busy, she needed to step up too.
Tang Tianman sighed, shoved her phone under the pillow, closed her eyes, and drifted off.
She always fell asleep fast, and tonight was no different.
Maybe too fast—even in the dream, she didn’t immediately realize it was one.
She was in Zheng Xiyu’s arms. Zheng Xiyu bent down, holding her close, cheek brushing her ear.
A faint tingle like static electricity.
Zheng Xiyu whispered to her, “Can I pick you up?”
Tang Tianman loved being held by her, so she nodded eagerly.
Zheng Xiyu wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her effortlessly. Tang Tianman felt like a kid and shamelessly hooked her legs around Zheng Xiyu’s waist.
The position was secure. Zheng Xiyu looked at her. “Comfy on me?”
“So comfy.” It wasn’t her first time—she’d ridden on those shoulders too, this way and that. Zheng Xiyu’s body offered endless ways to overlap with hers.
“Then let me feel good too, okay?” Zheng Xiyu’s nose nearly touched hers, eyes dark as deep pools, swirling with undercurrents that matched Tang Tianman’s own feelings perfectly.
“Sure.” Tang Tianman agreed willingly.
Zheng Xiyu kissed her—not on the cheek this time, but on the lips.
The sensation dazed Tang Tianman for a moment.
But soon she realized Zheng Xiyu was a sneaky one.
This wasn’t for her own pleasure at all—it was all to make Tang Tianman feel good.
No matter what this trickster was hiding, it was all good for her.
Undeniably good.
In this dream, Tang Tianman did things she’d never imagined.
And every one made her happy.
So when the alarm jolted her awake, the instant loss hit her like the world had gone gray.
How could that intimate, sweet feeling be fake?
How could it?
Tang Tianman grabbed her phone. The chat with Zheng Xiyu was right there.
Zheng Xiyu asking, No romance?
Zheng Xiyu saying, I want to dream.
Her face burned hot, a sudden epiphany making her fingers tremble slightly.
So dreams could work like that.
So love with Zheng Xiyu tasted like this.
So… shocking.
That feeling, slipping from dream to reality, was thrilling and exhilarating.
Did she want to make it real?
Could she?
Damn, thinking about this first thing in the morning was too much! She needed a cold shower!
Tang Tianman tumbled out of bed and bolted to the bathroom.
She turned the cold water on for one second— a few splashes were freezing.
She quickly switched to hot, letting the warm stream pummel her comfortably.
Of course, while showering, she couldn’t help picturing Zheng Xiyu last night, halfway through her own shower when she broke the faucet handle.
Hilarious. And intriguing.
Zheng Xiyu in short sleeves and shorts showed plenty of skin—Tang Tianman had zoomed in on photos of her plenty of times on her computer. But the hidden parts? Still a mystery.
Even though they were both girls, and she had what Zheng Xiyu had, girls and girls still had their differences.
That difference stirred her curiosity, drawing her into fantasies—fantasies… Hell, fantasize my ass. Tang Tianman, you’ve lost your mind.
Water splashed everywhere in the bathroom.
Tang Tianman shut down her brain and scrubbed herself clean in a frenzy before grabbing the hairdryer and blasting her hair with a loud whine.
She’d really gone off the deep end.
Only now did she feel truly awake.
But reality offered no mercy. When she returned to her room and picked up her phone, she saw a message from Zheng Xiyu:
– You up? Bringing your backpack.
Knowing Zheng Xiyu’s habits, she had probably already set out.
Tang Tianman glanced out the window. N City’s miserable fall and winter had brought pattering rain once more.
She didn’t want the girl who’d haunted her dreams all night to wait for her in the cold downpour.
Tang Tianman typed back furiously:
– Up, just packing.
Zheng Xiyu: Ten minutes?
Tang Tianman: No need, five minutes.
Tang Tianman: It’s raining. Bring an umbrella.
Zheng Xiyu: Got one. You don’t need to.
Tang Tianman pursed her lips as the dream’s vivid images surged into her mind.
She shook her head wildly, leaving herself dizzy as she stumbled to the wardrobe and threw on her clothes in a haphazard rush.
Her hair wasn’t fully dry from the blow-dry, so she left it hanging, damp and tousled.
She dashed downstairs, but no matter how fast she moved, Zheng Xiyu was already waiting.
Zheng Xiyu held a large black umbrella.
She stood on the curb across the street. Spotting Tang Tianman, she smiled and strode over with long steps.
Tang Tianman’s cartoon-covered backpack was slung over Zheng Xiyu’s shoulder—small and out of place, yet somehow utterly adorable.
A sudden thought struck Tang Tianman: perhaps from under Zheng Xiyu’s umbrella, she looked just as endearing.
“Morning,” Zheng Xiyu said.
“Morning,” Tang Tianman replied, tilting her head up with a sweet smile.
“Want to grab breakfast together?” Zheng Xiyu asked.
“Sure,” Tang Tianman said. Unable to resist as they walked out side by side, she edged closer, brushing lightly against Zheng Xiyu’s sleeve.
