Chi Nuan came out from the dessert shop. Autumn was fast approaching, but the weather remained stiflingly hot. It was just past three in the afternoon, and daylight lingered. She hadn’t brought an umbrella and drowsily shielded her forehead with her palm against the sun as she crossed the street and entered the school gate.
Xue Wen spotted Chi Nuan’s figure from afar and called out in surprise, “Chi Nuan?”
Chi Nuan stopped in her tracks.
Xue Wen wore cool hot pants and a camisole, draped in a long, thin cardigan with a matching silk scarf tying back her hair. She walked up to Chi Nuan. “What a coincidence.”
Chi Nuan asked flatly, “Yeah, why are you at school?”
“Rehearsing. We’ve got rehearsals for the next few weeks.” Xue Wen noticed the dampness still clinging to Chi Nuan’s eyelashes and her smile faded slightly. “…Did something happen?”
Chi Nuan shook her head.
Xue Wen changed the subject. “Want to hang out with me? Today is my—”
Chi Nuan shook her head again. Her body felt like an empty shell, stiff and numb.
They stood under the shade of the trees for a few minutes. Later, Chi Nuan said she needed to head back to the dorm, and Xue Wen asked, “Are Xu Dan and the others there?”
Chi Nuan replied, “Probably.”
Xue Wen said, “Then I’ll go up with you and chat with them.”
Xue Wen followed Chi Nuan up to the fourth floor. Chi Nuan pulled out her key to unlock the door, but after half a turn, the door swung open from inside.
Xu Dan beamed widely, barely containing her excitement. “Nuannuan! Gu Ningzi invited us to a BBQ at her home. We’ve just been waiting for you! Awesome! We can head out right now!”
The door opened wider, revealing Xue Wen behind Chi Nuan—and Gu Ningzi behind Xu Dan.
Gu Ningzi sat in Chi Nuan’s chair, leaning back against it. When she saw Chi Nuan and Xue Wen together, the smile on her face didn’t change.
Xu Dan blinked in surprise. “A-Wen! What are you doing here?”
Xue Wen smiled. “Looks like I showed up at a bad time…”
Xu Dan waved it off. “No, no… Nuannuan said she had something to do outside. Were you meeting her?”
Chi Nuan walked to the desk, picked up her bag, stuffed the phone and keys clutched in her hand inside, then slung the bag over her shoulder. She said slowly to Gu Ningzi, “I… I won’t go. I already made plans with Xue Wen… Just came back for my bag…”
Xue Wen, who had been leaning against the door chatting idly with Xu Dan, suddenly heard her name and glanced over.
Chi Nuan looked back at her too.
Xue Wen arched a graceful eyebrow, a half-smile on her lips. “…So, bad timing, huh.”
Gu Ningzi grabbed Chi Nuan’s wrist and stood up from the chair, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Chi Nuan said, “Nothing’s wrong… I just already promised Xue Wen first. Sorry, Gu Ningzi.”
Gu Ningzi didn’t let go or say anything more, but her gaze on Chi Nuan seemed to ask: What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?
Chi Nuan placed her hand over Gu Ningzi’s and patted it lightly. “I’ll head out first.”
She avoided Gu Ningzi’s eyes. Once Gu Ningzi released her, she left without looking back.
Xue Wen waved to the people in the dorm and walked off with Chi Nuan.
Only after leaving the dorm building and Gu Ningzi far behind did Chi Nuan feel the sharp pain twisting in her chest. Her body felt ice-cold, her hands even trembling.
But no matter what, she had taken the first step.
The Xue family car waited outside the school. Chi Nuan was about to thank Xue Wen and say goodbye when Gu Ningzi’s call came through.
Xue Wen held the car door open and looked at Chi Nuan. Chi Nuan got in and silenced her phone.
She had no idea where the car was headed. She leaned against the window, her mind blank.
Midway, Xue Wen took a call and then asked Chi Nuan, “…Can you come with me somewhere first?”
She asked twice before Chi Nuan responded. “Sure.”
Xue Wen took Chi Nuan to SEVEN, rode the elevator to the fourth floor, and headed straight to Room 13.
Xue Wen pushed open the door.
In that instant, all the lights in the corridor went out, plunging everything into darkness.
Chi Nuan, lost in thought, wondered if there was a blackout. Then she heard Xue Wen sigh softly beside her. “Boring.”
The next second, with a few “pops,” candlelight flickered to life in the room amid cheers of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY.” Chi Nuan and Xue Wen were both sprayed with confetti.
…Today was Xue Wen’s birthday?
Xue Wen brushed confetti from her hair. “Turn on the lights.”
Someone quickly flipped on the lights with a laugh. Chi Nuan blinked, taking in the gift boxes piled in the corners. Roughly counting, there were at least twenty or thirty people crammed in.
Cai Miao held up the birthday cake. “Happy birthday~ Come on, make a wish and blow out the candles!”
“Make a wish! Make a wish!” some girls echoed Cai Miao.
Xue Wen smiled helplessly, glanced at Chi Nuan beside her, and blew out the candles.
“While it’s A-Wen’s birthday, let’s make an announcement here—A-Hui, who’s been laid up for months, is officially back in action starting today!” Zhou Yue announced with a grin.
Chi Nuan’s wandering thoughts snapped back. She focused and saw Cao Pinhui standing in the middle of the crowd, eyeing her with a mocking smirk.
A guy asked, “Who’s the girl A-Wen brought? She’s pretty hot. Won’t you introduce her?”
Zhou Yue craned his neck, saw it was Chi Nuan, and tsked dismissively.
Cao Pinhui smirked, half-joking, half-serious. “Better not. You can’t afford to mess with the people behind her. Just steer clear if you’re smart.”
Zhou Yue egged on. “Yeah, I got a special warning not to get near this little beauty.”
