The Scorching Sun - 65
Yan Lie was clearly a little bewildered. Or perhaps he was simply being crushed beneath a completely undeserved accusation. After a brief two-second pause, his messages started popping up one after another. From the speed alone, Fang Zhuo could practically picture him gripping his phone and typing furiously with both hands.
They Call Me Lie: I'm sure adults have already learned how to tell a hearsay from the truth. Especially someone as smart as our Zhuo Zhuo! [Sparkling Eyes]
They Call Me Lie: Besides, I only registered yesterday, and we only started dating a month and a half ago. [Pitiful]
They Call Me Lie: Why?! [Fierce]
The emotions conveyed by his stickers changed at dizzying speed.
This was Yan Lie's first thunderous question about university life.
University really was a bewildering world.
Little Sun: I'm kidding.
Little Sun: [Red Panda Raising Hand]
They Call Me Lie: A red panda raising its hand usually means it's about to hit someone...
Fang Zhuo sent him a picture of a bear clutching its head in confusion, then immediately screenshotted the earlier conversation about the uniform and showed it to Yu Qingjiang, proving that he hadn't deliberately left the clothes there.
Yu Qingjiang scanned the few lines on the screen. She couldn't determine whether the guy was actually a scumbag, but she could say with certainty that he was smooth-talking and clearly experienced. Either he was naturally gifted at this, or he'd had plenty of practice at relationships. Compared with him, Fang Zhuo seemed almost painfully innocent and adorable. She told him everything, and she believed everything he said.
Yu Qingjiang looked away, wanting to advise the girl that, whatever happened, she ought to be a little more careful and not let herself get fooled.
But then she remembered that Fang Zhuo had voluntarily shown her the entire chat history. She figured the girl probably wouldn't appreciate hearing her criticize him, so she swallowed the advice and asked instead, "Is your boyfriend handsome?"
Fang Zhuo answered in a perfectly calm voice, though the words were almost designed to invite a beating. She nodded. "Extremely handsome."
Yu Qingjiang: "..."
The other two roommates struggled not to laugh.
Yu Qingjiang laughed too. "Is everyone hungry? Let's go eat. I'll take you to the third cafeteria. Their cold noodles are cheap and really good, their rice bowls aren't bad either."
Fang Zhuo sent Yan Lie a quick message, then got up and went with them to the cafeteria.
The next day, nearly all the students had arrived on campus, and the university began making all sorts of arrangements. Fang Zhuo unmuted the class group and received a physical-examination notice from their counselor.
Their department had been assigned the one-thirty slot that afternoon. But when Fang Zhuo and her roommates arrived to queue, they found that there were still more than ten meters of students ahead of them. Every examination station required waiting, and they didn't finish everything until dusk.
One of the items on the medical form was a blood draw.
Unfortunately, Fang Zhuo ended up in a line where the nurse handling the draws wasn't particularly experienced.
Normally, Fang Zhuo's veins were quite prominent because she'd spent so much of her childhood doing manual work, she was practically an intern nurse's dream patient. Yet this particular nurse managed to miss the vein. After realizing her mistake, she became even more nervous than Fang Zhuo, adjusted her position, and tried again. In the end, she had no choice but to switch to Fang Zhuo's other arm.
Once they finally finished the medical examination, the four of them grabbed a hasty dinner and headed to their designated classroom for the class meeting.
There were slightly more girls than boys in their class, roughly three to two. But from what everyone was saying, there were several more boys in their year than usual. The previous year's class had apparently been painfully short on male students.
The homeroom teacher and counselor had everyone come to the front and introduce themselves, then gave them a brief overview of A University's facilities, including the library's opening hours and the free Wi-Fi available throughout the teaching buildings.
Fang Zhuo wasn't particularly good at remembering names, nor was she good at remembering faces. Apart from her roommates, she could barely remember the Class Monitor and the Physical Education Committee member.
For convenience, she went along with everyone else and added WeChat, joining the class group there just as she had on QQ.
Why did people need two social media accounts? Fang Zhuo wondered.
Actually, there were far more than two, Yu Qingjiang told her.
After returning to the dorm, Fang Zhuo showered and came out to find several new friend requests waiting on her phone. Most were from members of the class group, while one had come through a contact recommendation.
Fang Zhuo accepted them all. The other side immediately sent greetings and small talk. Since they were all classmates and she didn't want to seem too cold, she gave everyone the same "hello" sticker.
She'd originally planned to spend some time on her computer that night and finally watch the TV series Yan Lie had recommended. Instead, her phone kept vibrating, interrupting her every few minutes.
She switched frantically between her various accounts, staring at all kinds of questions and racking her brain for appropriate replies. She was completely at a loss.
This was harder than the college entrance examination.
Boys' topics weren't interesting at all.
Her acting skills and emotional intelligence had just encountered the greatest challenge in history.
The boys at university were far more enthusiastic than those in high school. They were also more clevere and more tactful, keeping a comfortable distance while naturally expressing their interest in and curiosity about their classmates.
Fang Zhuo frowned as she prepared to give everyone the same reply: "I'm going to bed."
Then Yan Lie's chat window jumped to the top.
That familiar profile picture made Fang Zhuo breathe a huge sigh of relief.
They Call Me Lie: Are you done with your meeting?
Little Sun: It's over.
They Call Me Lie: [Silly Husky Grinning] My roommates and I are wandering around outside. It's actually pretty cool now.
Fang Zhuo typed carefully.
Little Sun: Do I have to greet everyone in the new class? I've gotten messages from several people, but the conversations are kind of awkward.
Little Sun: How should I reply without making it seem like I'm reading too much into it, while still maintaining a good relationship with my classmates?
They Call Me Lie: What did they ask you?
Little Sun: They asked what there is to do and eat in A City. I told them I don't usually go out or eat out.
They Call Me Lie: You can't answer like that. You're leaving yourself open to all kinds of opportunities. I could spin that into a hundred and eight follow-up topics.
Little Sun: ...So what should I say?
They Call Me Lie: And look at them. All they can think about is food and having fun. Clearly they're not people who take their studies very seriously.
They Call Me Lie: Tell them your boyfriend's family makes the best food. And that the ocean of knowledge is the most fun place to explore! [Light of Righteousness]
Little Sun: ...
Did she really look that stupid?
They Call Me Lie: [Holding Back Tears]
They Call Me Lie: Just tell them you're going to shower/wash your clothes/read/sleep.
Little Sun: What about afterward?
They Call Me Lie: Starting tomorrow, there won't be an afterward.
Little Sun: ??
Yan Lie quickly changed the subject.
They Call Me Lie: Did you finish all your medical exams today? If you didn't, you've still got half a day tomorrow. After that, you'll have to go to the hospital for the examination directly.
Fang Zhuo lowered her gaze and looked at her arm.
It hadn't been very noticeable during the day, but by night, the spot where the needle had gone wrong had turned blue-black. It still hurt a little when she pressed it with her finger.
Fang Zhuo took a picture and sent it to him. This time, Yan Lie was the one left speechless.
After a while, he sent her a heartbroken sticker.
They Call Me Lie: Sigh. Thank you for your sacrifice to the cause of human medicine.
They Call Me Lie: You played a part in that little nurse's professional development.
They Call Me Lie: To show our appreciation, your boyfriend can represent her and buy you a late-night snack. So what'll it be? Fried chicken, ice cream, or both because you're an adult?
Little Sun: I'll take option four.
They Call Me Lie: Okay. If you'd picked three, you could've had Adult Yan Lie. Unfortunately, you missed the hidden reward. [Disappointed]
They Call Me Lie: I'll see what smells best at the snack street and bring it to you. I'll text you when I've bought it.
Little Sun: Okay.
Yan Lie's military training uniform was almost dry by then. Fang Zhuo went to take it down, folded it neatly, put it in a bag, and brought it downstairs with her.
Not long afterward, Yan Lie's text arrived. Fang Zhuo carried the clothes downstairs, swiped her card to leave the dormitory, turned around, and saw a long shadow standing beneath the lights.
At the boundary between light and darkness, Fang Zhuo suddenly realized that Yan Lie seemed to have grown taller again. His straight, upright figure stood beside a towering osmanthus tree. Even from a distance, he looked different from the other boys. Energetic, handsome, sharp.
The campus at night was quiet and spacious, only a handful of people passing through. When Yan Lie saw Fang Zhuo, a smile spread across his face. It was faint, yet remarkably clear, like wind dissolving into the sparse, shifting shadows of the trees, something only she could see.
Fang Zhuo walked toward him. Yan Lie held out the paper bag in his hand.
"I bought fried lean pork. It smells amazing."
Fang Zhuo had already caught the scent. She speared a piece with a bamboo skewer and was about to eat it when Yan Lie redirected her hand and popped the piece into his own mouth.
She gave the childish man a helpless sidelong look.
Yan Lie said, "The pieces on top have gone cold, so I'll eat those. The ones at the bottom are too oily, so I'll eat those too. You pick from the middle."
Fang Zhuo froze for a moment. His unexpected thoughtfulness left her a little embarrassed, and she murmured, "You don't have to do all that."
"I'm good to you, aren't I?" Yan Lie lowered his eyes to look at her. "I can always treat you well. I'll give you everything that's best. Will you be a little nicer to me too?"
Fang Zhuo wondered what she had ever done that wasn't nice to him. She looked up. "What kind of nice?"
Yan Lie only looked at her without answering. The corners of his lips curved upward with a hint of mischief, though he concealed it beneath an innocent, expectant expression. He was always like this. Whether he was saying something sweet or coaxing her into giving him the answer he wanted, whatever expression he wore or whatever method he used, he could make himself seem open and sincere.
And in the end, he always got what he wanted.
Fang Zhuo stepped closer and caught hold of his shirt, tugging him down. Yan Lie lowered his head willingly.
Fang Zhuo meant to kiss him on the cheek, but Yan Lie dodged. He even raised an eyebrow, looking at her with wounded reproach.
Fang Zhuo felt her face grow hot. Growing impatient, she simply caught his chin and kissed him.
He was probably using lemon-scented body wash. At such close range, Fang Zhuo could smell it.
She liked it very much.
Yan Lie had countless qualities that made him easy to love. His virtues shone brightly, but there was only one passage into his territory, and Fang Zhuo was the only person allowed through it.
Yu Qingjiang was lying on her bed playing on her phone when she casually checked her Moments and discovered that Fang Zhuo had posted an update.
A photograph.
Two people sat side by side in the picture. One distinctly male hand had made its way into the frame, holding a paper bag from "XX Fried Meat."
Above the picture, in perfectly ordinary words, was the caption: "Tastes pretty good."
Yu Qingjiang: "..."
Damn it. How could they be this inhumane, killing all the single people this late at night?
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