CTJM - 14

Chapter 14: Adding

“Hey, hey, hey, have you guys heard?”

That evening, after taking a shower, Wang Xueru sat on her bed scrolling through her phone while dishing out gossip to her roommates.

At that moment, Yin Mengxi was blow-drying her hair, and Min Rui was texting her boyfriend to break up. Ren Weiwei, relatively free, was peeling an apple and asked, “Heard what?”

“It’s about Xiao Zhi!” Wang Xueru was visibly excited. “He has a girlfriend!”

Click—the hairdryer switched off accidentally, plunging the room into brief silence.

“What?”

“What?!”

Two voices erupted simultaneously. The first, purely shocked, belonged to Ren Weiwei; the second, tinged with irritation, came from Min Rui.

“What nonsense! He actually has a girlfriend?” Min Rhi sprang up from her chair, too angry to continue texting. “Rejected me and immediately got into a relationship, huh? Let’s see what kind of celestial being his girlfriend is—do we have pictures?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll send it to the group,” Wang Xueru fiddled with her phone. “But it’s a bit blurry, and her face isn’t fully visible...”

Ding—

Their phones buzzed simultaneously. Yin Mengxi froze, while Min Rui and Ren Weiwei quickly grabbed their devices to take a look.

“This photographer sucks! Why just a back view?”

“Exactly! You can’t see anything!”

“But this location... doesn’t it look familiar? Like outside our dorm?”

“Huh?—Holy crap, it is!”

“Wait, wait, wait—I think I recognize that girl’s clothes...”

“Yeah, they look familiar. Didn’t I see her somewhere this morning...?”

The chatter abruptly stopped. The three of them slowly turned their heads to stare at Yin Mengxi, who stood frozen, holding the hairdryer motionless.

Eye contact.

“I... I can explain...”

Little Yin crumbled instantly, surrendering without a fight.

“...I’m really not his girlfriend...”

Over the next fifteen minutes, Yin Mengxi recounted the entire story to her three roommates: how she lent him the umbrella, got caught in the rain, fell ill, and how Senior Xiao, recognizing her from class, accompanied her to the campus clinic out of humanitarian concern. Walking her back to the dorm was simply coincidental.

The three roommates crossed their arms, interrogating her as if in a courtroom. Wang Xueru was still chattering excitedly: “This is insane, absolutely insane! To be linked in gossip with someone like Senior Xiao, who’s so unattainable—it makes college worth it! Hey, does this mean he might become our dorm’s future son-in-law? Will he treat us to dinner like Jin Yang did?”

The conversation spiraled further and further.

Only Min Rui stayed focused, cutting straight to the point. She looked directly at Yin Mengxi and asked, “So, do you like him?”

Yin Mengxi froze. “...Huh?”

“Do you like him? Are you planning to pursue him?” Min Rui’s brows furrowed. “I knew something was off when you kept running off to the Literature and Arts Book Repository every day!”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Wang Xueru stopped chattering and exchanged glances with Ren Weiwei, worried that Sister Min might clash with Xi Xi. Sigh—beautiful girls had fiery tempers. Maybe she was still bitter about being politely rejected by Senior Xiao and now intended to pick a fight with Xi Xi over this...

“I have to say something,” unexpectedly, Min Rui’s tone softened, becoming earnest. “If you’re thinking about pursuing someone, you need to be cautious.”

“Let’s not even talk about whether you can win him over. Even if you do, do you think you’ll be happy?”

“Dating is supposed to be fun. Instead of chasing someone you like, it’s better to find someone who likes you. That way, you won’t have to constantly revolve around him—it’s exhausting.”

“And Xiao Zhi doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who compromises. If you two were to date, would you really want to live under his mood swings? For what?”

...Far from being upset, Min Rui was straightforwardly offering Yin Mengxi life advice.

At this point, even Ren Weiwei and Wang Xueru, the bystanders, couldn’t help but silently commend her: “Sister Min is so mature.” Yin Mengxi instinctively felt a wave of relief and, after some thought, added, “...Actually, I’m not planning to pursue him.”

Where did she get the courage for that?

...She just liked him.

Min Rui saw right through her, sighing and shaking her head. “Someone like you shouldn’t chase anyone—you’re too pure-hearted. If you get rejected, you’ll end up heartbroken for life. I’m afraid you’ll carry that shadow forever...”

Afterward, she tried to brainwash Yin Mengxi, telling her that dating was just a form of entertainment. Three-legged frogs were hard to find, but two-legged men were everywhere. While Xiao Zhi was great, it wasn’t worth pinning all her hopes on him. Just settle for something reasonable.

...She kept advising her late into the night.

After the incident at the campus clinic, Yin Mengxi’s feelings toward Xiao Zhi became even more complicated.

She liked him more and wanted to get closer, but her fear and hesitation grew in tandem. She longed for his thoughtful care again but feared that such an exception might never happen again.

She didn’t understand herself. Coincidentally, those days were busy for the Youth League Committee—they were organizing a major event with a neighboring university, and as a journalist, she had to cover the entire process. As a result, she hadn’t been to the library for several days. When she didn’t see him, she felt a sense of relief, but a faint sense of loneliness also crept in. Whenever she had a moment to herself, she couldn’t help but recall the familiar library while in the unfamiliar event venue, imagining what he might be doing—reading or writing a paper.

...How wonderful.

The next time they met was in class.

She arrived just as the bell rang, and as usual, the only available seats were in the back. He still sat in the front row, his striking figure as handsome as the day he walked her back to her dorm. Professor Jia’s lecture was as lively and engaging as ever, but she found herself distracted. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t seen him for several days—she caught herself staring at him absentmindedly.

Ring, ring, ring.

Two classes passed quickly. Students around her began packing up their things and leaving, discussing where to eat lunch. She moved slowly, wanting to wait until he left before she did.

This would take a while, as there were always pretty underclassmen surrounding Senior Xiao after class to ask questions. He was always patient and responsible, answering every question for at least half an hour.

—Why was he so nice to everyone?

If another underclassman had fallen ill that day... would he have accompanied them to the campus clinic and walked them back to their dorms too?

A strange thought crept in, making her heart ache with a mix of sourness and unease. These thoughts were irrational—he was a teaching assistant; it was his duty to answer students’ questions. Could he really refuse to answer them?

She lowered her eyes, feeling even lonelier. At that moment, she realized Min Rui was right—she truly couldn’t handle pursuing someone. She was too sentimental, and any pain would linger in her heart forever.

Her movements to pack up unconsciously sped up, and she intended to quietly leave the classroom. But just as she stood up, he turned around—as if he had known she was there all along. She saw him nod at her, then turned back to the girls surrounding him and said, “Excuse me, just a moment.”

With that... he actually turned and walked toward her.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The heart of a secret admirer was the most easily stirred thing in the world. The slightest response from the other person could send her emotions soaring like a rollercoaster. Just seconds ago, she had been filled with doubt, feeling as though the sky had darkened. But now, seeing him walk toward her, she once again felt the sunshine brighten the world and make it lovable.

“...Senior.”

She greeted him, trying to suppress her racing heart.

“Mm.”

He responded, his clear and handsome features warm and charming. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the black umbrella she had braved the rain to buy for him last time.

“I meant to return it earlier, but I accidentally forgot,” he handed it to her. “Sorry, and thank you.”

His impeccable manners always made others feel at ease. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the tag she had inadvertently left on the umbrella had been thoughtfully removed by him, sparing them both potential awkwardness.

“Oh—alright,” she quickly reached out to take it, though she had long forgotten about it. “It’s no trouble...”

He paused briefly, glanced at her again, and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

His gentle concern melted her heart.

“I’m all better,” a faint sweetness lingered in the air, and her eyes sparkled slightly. “Thank you for taking me to the campus clinic last time.”

He nodded, seemingly reassured, and seemed ready to say goodbye. She suddenly felt reluctant and unwilling, especially when she realized he would return to those girls waiting in the front row to continue answering their thinly veiled questions. That strange feeling surged strongly within her again.

“Senior—”

She called out to him just as he was about to turn away. He looked back at her, and the girls waiting in the front row also turned to look at her. Her palms sweated nervously, and Min Rui’s earnest warnings echoed in her ears. But at that moment, she couldn’t care less.

“Can I add your QQ?”

She blurted out the question, her eyes burning brighter with an inexplicable surge of courage.

—It was indeed quite bold of her. She didn’t even fabricate a reason, like asking for academic advice or thanking him for his help last time. She simply asked, teetering on the edge of a direct confession.

He seemed to pause, not immediately responding. His deep gaze appeared somewhat inscrutable—too complex for her inexperienced heart to decipher. All she knew was that as time stretched on and he still hadn’t nodded, her fervent courage began to ebb away. The rollercoaster of emotions, having reached its peak, suddenly plummeted, leaving her heart hollow and breathless.

—Had she been too abrupt?

Maybe she should just let it go. She...

“Alright.”

The answer came unexpectedly, just as she was about to retreat. Before she could fully process it, he had already taken out his phone, tapped a few times, and pulled up his QQ number.

But she froze, unsure how to react. The girls standing not far behind him were whispering among themselves, though she could barely hear them.

Seeing her hesitation, he likely found it strange. Raising an eyebrow slightly, he asked, “Didn’t you want to add me?”

That snapped her out of her daze. Hastily, she fumbled with her phone, her fingertips trembling as she unlocked it—whether from nervousness or excitement, she couldn’t tell.

She carefully typed in his number, one digit at a time.

With him watching, she clicked to send the friend request.

And just as promptly, he accepted it right in front of her.

Then he left.

The emotional rollercoaster sent her soaring back to its peak.