Zheng Xiyu added Tang Tianman’s WeChat and sent just two messages.
One was “Thanks,” and the other read: “What time do you get up tomorrow? I just washed my other uniform, and it won’t dry in time.”
Not even an emoji in sight.
Tang Tianman had just managed to calm herself down, but now she inexplicably felt annoyed all over again. She stared at those two messages, her fingers twitching over the screen, but she couldn’t type out a single word in reply.
She ended up laughing at herself in exasperation.
Ruan Ruan and Li Tong had been watching her expression the whole time. Seeing her furrow her brows one moment and grin the next, they were dying of curiosity.
“What did she send?” Ruan Ruan finally asked, unable to hold back any longer.
Tang Tianman simply tossed her phone over for them to see.
Li Tong slipped down from her bed, and the two of them huddled together over Tang Tianman’s phone, studying it intently.
They exchanged a series of knowing glances and exaggerated expressions until Ruan Ruan finally summed it up. “I think her ‘thanks’ is a sincere expression of gratitude for your help tonight.”
“Spot on!” Li Tong nodded vigorously.
“As for the uniform, everyone only has two sets anyway, and the colors are different by year, so you can’t borrow from others. Freshman morning drills are checked super strictly—you have to wear the uniform. It’s totally understandable.” Ruan Ruan laid it out logically. “Plus, borrowing something creates the perfect excuse for another meeting!”
“Same here!” Li Tong’s chin was practically bobbing against her chest from all the nodding.
“Why would I want another chance to meet her?” Tang Tianman pouted. “What if she really misunderstands and thinks I like her? That’d be such a hassle.”
Ruan Ruan replied, “Didn’t you say you’re still short photos for the brochure? She’s got the perfect look for it.”
Tang Tianman kept pouting. “She’s not the only one at N University with that vibe. We were looking in the wrong places before—finding pretty people who do sports is hard, but picking the pretty ones from the sports crowd? Not so tough.”
“Fine, whatever.” Ruan Ruan handed the phone back. “So when are you returning her clothes?”
Tang Tianman twisted around and clambered onto her bed. “Lights-out’s almost here. I’m going to wash up.”
Ruan Ruan grabbed her basin and headed to the bathroom. Li Tong climbed into her own bed to sleep.
Tang Tianman pulled her curtain closed. In the snug little space, all was quiet and comfortable—her own private world.
She held up her phone and read those two messages over and over. Finally, she typed back:
-6:00.
Roll call was at 6:30, so she needed to return Zheng Xiyu’s clothes before then.
Zheng Xiyu might come off as aloof and cool, with zero sweet talk, but Tang Tianman was the senior here. Seniors didn’t sweat the small stuff with underclassmen. She’d already gone all-in to help with the big favor, so naturally she’d see this little thing through to the end.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately with Zheng Xiyu’s reply:
-Good. 6:20 at your dorm building.
Tang Tianman pursed her lips and yanked the clothes from the headboard. She folded them neatly, slowly and quietly.
The next morning, Tang Tianman’s alarm blared over and over.
It didn’t wake her up—it woke Ruan Ruan.
Ruan Ruan clambered onto Tang Tianman’s bed, snatched the phone, and silenced the alarm. Glaring at the bundle of blankets that was Tang Tianman, she delivered a firm slap.
“Won’t get up, and it’s so damn loud.”
Having grumbled her piece, she crawled back to her own bed and buried her head under the covers.
Sophomore drills weren’t enforced as strictly. All three of them in the dorm were chronic oversleepers, perfectly happy to forfeit those two credits.
Trading them for a solid morning’s sleep? A bargain every time.
The three slept soundly, completely undisturbed by the voices and footsteps echoing in the hallway.
At 6:25, Tang Tianman’s phone rang again. Ruan Ruan’s head throbbed as she grabbed a pillow and hurled it over.
“Tang Tianman! Turn off that fake-ass alarm!”
The pillow smacked Tang Tianman right in the head—a bullseye honed by years of practice.
Tang Tianman grumbled and cursed under her breath as she pried her eyes open. The name flashing on her screen made her heart skip two beats.
“Fuck!!!” Her shout rang out loud and clear. She practically tumbled off the bed in a frantic scramble.
“Shit, shit, shit…” She snatched a long coat and threw it on while muttering nonstop.
Ruan Ruan finally sensed something was off and poked her head out. “Director doing a surprise check?”
“No no no no…” Tang Tianman clutched her phone and yanked the dorm door open.
“You’re still in slippers!” Ruan Ruan yelled.
The door slammed shut without mercy.
“What are you two up to so early?” Li Tong slid her glasses on.
“Who the hell knows? She bolted like her ass was on fire.”
Li Tong smacked her own thigh hard. “Big Ruan, you’re way too slow on the uptake. She obviously went to meet Zheng Xiyu.”
“Fuck—the clothes?” Ruan Ruan was fully awake now.
“Yeah, didn’t she message about it last night?”
“But the clothes are still on her bed!” Ruan Ruan yanked back the curtain and pointed at the neatly folded freshman uniform piled at the headboard.
“Fuck, hahahahaha…” Li Tong lost it, laughing hysterically.
As she raced downstairs, Tang Tianman ignored Zheng Xiyu’s incoming call request.
By the second-floor landing, the phone had gone silent. She glanced at the time—6:27.
Her heart skipped again, pounding like it might stop.
She’d promised, but overslept and screwed it up. What a shitty person she was.
Summoning every ounce of strength to propel her short, lightweight frame, she blurred her legs into motion, practically leaping down the stairs.
She burst through the building entrance and whipped her head around. There—Zheng Xiyu’s back.
Her height was her biggest giveaway; she stood out.
Tang Tianman opened her mouth to shout. “Zheng—Achoo!”
A massive sneeze, courtesy of the chilly morning air.
Zheng Xiyu turned around. She looked much the same as yesterday, except her gray short-sleeved shirt had been swapped for a white one.
Meeting Tang Tianman’s gaze, she strode back over with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
“Morning,” she said, unhurried.
“Morning my ass—quick, put on…” Tang Tianman froze.
Zheng Xiyu watched her, her smile widening.
Tang Tianman patted herself down, dazed. “The clothes?”
“Ran too fast and forgot them, huh?” Zheng Xiyu said. “Take it slow. Breathe in deep, get your rhythm back.”
Breathing was the last thing on Tang Tianman’s mind right now—she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
She slapped her forehead and spun around to dash back inside. “I’ll grab them.”
Zheng Xiyu caught her arm. “No rush. Catch your breath first.”
“How’s this no rush? Roll call’s starting any second—you’re at the second plaza, right? That’s so far…”
“Running too hard’ll make you feel worse.” Zheng Xiyu held up the items in her hand. “Brought you breakfast. Soy milk and scallion pancakes. You good with that?”
Tang Tianman’s emotions were a tangled mess.
The more understanding and thoughtful the underclassman, the stupider the senior looked.
“Yeah, I can eat.” She sounded almost self-defeating. “Anything a pig can eat, I can eat.”
Zheng Xiyu couldn’t hold it in—she laughed, flashing her teeth.
Tang Tianman took the breakfast from her hand. “So, how many minutes of ‘rest’ before you let me head back up?”
“Three more,” Zheng Xiyu said, checking her wristwatch.
Tang Tianman took a long inhale and exhale, too embarrassed to meet her eyes. She puffed out her cheeks and stared off in another direction.
“Hey!” Someone jumped up behind her. “Getting old, huh? Brain not firing on all cylinders anymore?”
“Ah…” Tang Tianman whipped around and spotted the clothes in Li Tong’s hands.
She snatched them and flung them at Zheng Xiyu.
Zheng Xiyu blinked in surprise. The senior’s roommate had delivered the clothes—time for a proper greeting, at least.
But before she could say a word, Tang Tianman smacked her on the waist. “Run, run, run—go go go!!!”
Like a horse at the races.
Zheng Xiyu bolted on instinct. By the time she rounded the corner, her laughter was impossible to contain.
Li Tong gripped Tang Tianman’s shoulders and gave her a shake. “Tangdou(Sugar Bean), quit staring. Keep it up, and I’ll really think you’ve fallen for her.”
Tang Tianman scowled. “You think she’ll make it in time?”
“With legs like that? Two minutes, tops,” Li Tong said. “Didn’t you notice? She just finished her run—properly warmed up, practically steaming.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Tang Tianman felt a pang of guilt. “Running in short sleeves on a day this cold…”
“Not because she had no clothes, dummy. That’s just athlete life.” Li Tong gave her an up-and-down look. “Maybe take a peek at yourself right now.”
“No need. Bird’s-nest hair, total slob.” Tang Tianman turned and trudged back inside. “Didn’t even wipe the eye boogers…”
“Pure natural beauty!” Li Tong hollered after her. “Heading to the cafeteria—want breakfast?”
“No! I got some!” Tang Tianman’s drawn-out shout echoed down the hallway.
Back in the dorm, Tang Tianman ate the breakfast Zheng Xiyu had brought. The soy milk and pancakes were still piping hot.
After finishing, she stared into the mirror for some soul-searching reflection. Guessing the timing was about right, she fired off a WeChat message to Zheng Xiyu.
-Made it?
A couple of minutes later, the reply came:
-Made it.
Tang Tianman let out a breath, unsure if it was true or just polite.
She had a full morning of classes ahead, all professional courses.
The Ancient Chinese Literature professor loved diving into the poets’ love stories, his eyes sparkling with gossip. Under that gaze, Tang Tianman’s thoughts drifted far away as she caught up on a solid nap.
Afternoon was an elective. Halfway through, Ruan Ruan messaged her to head to the Sports Gymnasium, so Tang Tianman bailed on the rest.
“Bring your camera,” Ruan Ruan said over the phone. “The vibe here’s pretty good. Snap some shots while you’re at it if you can.”
“Busy? Any good ones?” Tang Tianman hugged her books tight and walked briskly. “Suitable subjects?”
“One whole class—tons of hot guys and girls. People who work out regularly just look different from us. Bodies on point, at least.”
“Gotcha.” Tang Tianman broke into a jog. “Hold down the fort. I’m on my way.”
She returned to the dorm to grab her camera and, while she was at it, slung her Student Union press badge around her neck.
The sports gymnasium they were headed to wasn’t open to the public—it was reserved exclusively for Sports Institute students’ classes. Tang Tianman’s press badge from N University was practically a universal key that worked everywhere.
Especially with the DSLR on her back, fitted with a telephoto lens. It was guaranteed to intimidate anyone who saw it.
She rushed over to the gymnasium in a hurry, where Ruan Ruan was waiting for her at the second entrance gate.
The connections had already been smoothed over. The one who led Ruan Ruan inside was a third-year senior brother from the Sports Institute. He glanced at Tang Tianman’s feet. “Sneakers will do just fine.”
Tang Tianman smiled. “I’ve got that much common sense.”
“Class is still in session, so let’s not disturb them for now. Once you spot someone you like, I’ll take you over after it ends,” the senior brother said in a low voice. He led the two of them along the edge of the wall and had them sit down on a nearby bench.
It was a badminton class. The squeak of shoe soles against the floor and the whoosh of rackets slicing through the air rose and fell in a lively rhythm. The young bodies dashing and leaping about carried a vibrant aura of youth.
“Can I start shooting?” Tang Tianman asked, her fingers itching with restless energy.
“Go for it,” the senior brother replied. “Right up until someone tells you to stop.”
Tang Tianman grinned and raised her camera. The shutter clicks sounded a bit too sharp amid the noise, so for the most part, she just peered through the viewfinder without snapping.
There were plenty of handsome boys and pretty girls, but none of them could hold a candle to Zheng Xiyu.
None were as tall as her. None had skin as fair. None had muscles sculpted quite so beautifully. And none possessed that cool, aloof charisma lurking beneath her refined features and sharp brows.
Tang Tianman figured that if she hadn’t laid eyes on Zheng Xiyu, she’d have had her pick of candidates right now. Any of them would work fine for a school brochure—it wasn’t like they were shooting a big-budget commercial.
But she had seen Zheng Xiyu. And now her mind was locked onto one perfect image. It had to be complete in every detail; anything missing or short of the mark simply wouldn’t cut it.
It was a perfect match for that hackneyed line their teacher had quoted in class just today, worn out from overuse though it was.
“Once you’ve seen the vast ocean, how can mere streams compare?
Except for the mists of Witch Mountain, all other clouds seem plain.”
Yuan Zhen might have been a notorious womanizer, but damn if his poetry wasn’t brilliant.
“After dalliances in flowery groves, one looks back no more.”
Tang Tianman lowered her camera.
“Found her?” Ruan Ruan nudged her arm and whispered.
Tang Tianman nudged her back, her voice even softer. “You dug up all that dirt on Zheng Xiyu—got her class schedule?”
