Chapter 45: The Dress

“The person who managed to win over Senior Xiao is no ordinary girl,” Wang Xueru exclaimed, raising her thumb in admiration. “This level of resistance to temptation is something I can’t match.”

Resistance to temptation?

Her…?

“But why hasn’t your relationship progressed further?” Ren Weiwei asked, puzzled. “You started dating at the end of last semester. After a whole summer apart, shouldn’t it be like dry tinder meeting flames? Why haven’t you kissed yet?”

How could Yin Mengxi possibly admit… that this question had been troubling her for a long time as well?

—Xiao Zhi treated her very well, extremely well. But their intimacy rarely went beyond holding hands or the occasional hug, and those two instances were both under special circumstances. Kissing seemed so far away—it was hard for her to even imagine how it might happen.

“Useless, Mengxi,” Min Rui sighed, shaking her head. “Just go for it! If he doesn’t make the first move, you do it. With someone like Xiao Zhi, kissing him would be a win-win situation.”

Yin Mengxi: “...”

“Purity is great and all,” Min Rui continued, elaborating further, “but you can’t keep this relationship platonic forever, right? And physical intimacy isn’t awkward after the first time. Once you’ve crossed that line, everything else will follow naturally—one kiss leads to another, then more, and soon it’ll become effortless. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Ah.

...Is that really how it works?

It felt like opening the door to a new world. Yin Mengxi’s pupils dilated in shock, and while she was momentarily speechless, Min Rui had already circled around her twice, shaking her head with a series of clicks. “Your current style is way too middle-schooler. You need to dress up and attract him a bit—men are simple creatures. Trust me on this.”

During the summer when Yin Mengxi had been working as a tutor to earn money, she’d already thought about buying clothes to improve her appearance. She just didn’t know what to buy, and even though she had the money, she couldn’t bring herself to spend it. Now, with Min Rui’s help, everything became much easier. This beautiful fashionista truly had an eye for aesthetics. As she dragged Yin Mengxi through the mall, her sharp sense of style perfectly captured Yin’s essence.

“You’re not suited for anything too flashy or overly dramatic,” Min Rui analyzed while rummaging through the racks. “You should stick to being cute and demure—but not too demure. It needs to have a hint of allure—do you know what I mean by allure?”

Without waiting for Yin Mengxi to respond, Min Rui pulled out a light green dress and shoved it into her hands, pushing her toward the fitting room. “Try this on, try this on! If it doesn’t look good, you can hit me!”

As Yin Mengxi was pushed along, she suddenly realized something was off. “This… the neckline is too low…”

“Oh, stop complaining! It’s perfectly fine,” Min Rui dismissed her concerns immediately. “French dresses are designed like this. Trust me, it’ll accentuate your figure beautifully—chest, waist, everything! Hurry up and try it on!”

With that, she slammed the fitting room door shut behind her.

As it turned out, only women truly understood how to bring out the beauty in other women.

Yin Mengxi was already pretty, but her previous wardrobe made her look like a high school student, offering nothing particularly striking. Now, dressed up by Min Rui, her style transformed completely. The green suited her wonderfully, making her skin appear especially fair. The slightly lower neckline highlighted her elegant shoulders and neck, and with a touch of delicate makeup, she instantly became drop-dead gorgeous.

When they returned to the dormitory, Ren Weiwei and Wang Xueru were equally impressed. While praising Mengxi’s newfound beauty, they also marveled at Min Rui’s magical touch. Flipping her hair, Min Rui laughed. “What magical transformation? All I did was turn extraordinary into even more extraordinary. Mengxi, tomorrow, wear this outfit on your date. If you don’t kiss Xiao Zhi, don’t bother coming back to this dorm!”

To what extent can a romantic relationship change a person?

In high school, Yin Mengxi’s mind was solely focused on studying. Even after entering university and experiencing a richer, more interesting world, she hadn’t felt particularly motivated to change herself—until now. Now, she was eager, almost desperate. The full-length mirror in her dorm wasn’t the true reflection; only the eyes of the person she loved mattered.

That day, he came to pick her up from her dorm again to head to the studio. As she walked downstairs, her heart felt like a sail billowing in the wind. The sound of the glass door opening caught his attention, and he turned to look at her. For a brief moment, he seemed stunned, taking a few seconds longer than usual to greet her.

Those few short seconds gave her a sense of reassurance.

The gentle breeze rustled the treetops, causing the hem of her dress to sway slightly. Love during one’s school years always felt so pure and poetic—a prolonged gaze could easily reveal a fluttering heart. She saw herself in the mirror, radiant and glowing, and detected a faint nervousness in his soft cough. A subtle sense of pride began to bloom within her, brighter and more vibrant than any summer flower.

“...Did you rest well yesterday?”

His tone sounded a little unnatural.

“Very well,” she replied, feeling even better. Like petals unfurling, she bloomed even more. “Where shall we have breakfast today?”

As they walked out from the dormitory building, his gaze lingered on her intermittently. “Anywhere you want. What would you like to eat?”

“I’m fine with anything,” she murmured, savoring his attention. People lacking confidence often sought validation in others’ reactions. “...I suddenly feel like having some candied chestnuts.”

Candied chestnuts?

What nonsense.

She hadn’t given food a second thought upon seeing him, but she said it anyway, secretly teasing him, wanting him to accompany her in doing something different. She wanted to hear him agree, to see him indulge her.

“There’s a shop near the East Gate...”

He never disappointed her. Their shadows intertwined subtly on the tree-lined path, and without realizing it, their hands found each other. His palm was cool at first, but gradually warmed from the contact. Their fingertips brushed against each other lightly, as if their little thermoses were steaming with white vapor.

So today...

...Would you kiss me?

After finishing breakfast and the candied chestnuts amidst lingering hints of romance, they arrived at the studio about fifteen minutes later than usual.

Senior Zhao Peng had intended to scold the latecomers, but when he looked up and saw Yin Mengxi glowing with beauty, he found himself tongue-tied. Whose fault was it? Blame it on the project group being like a monastery. Before, there was only Chen Xin Ning, the lone female member, and she mostly handled business plans and submissions, rarely visiting the studio. Today, however, Yin Mengxi appeared, dressed so beautifully that several single male seniors couldn’t help but steal glances at her. Even ten minutes after she sat down, they still occasionally passed by to sneak a peek.

Yin Mengxi could feel the extra attention, which inevitably made her feel awkward. She kept wondering if there was something wrong with her dress… Senior Ding Wei from the Cultural Heritage department seemed to glance at her most frequently, looking up every two or three minutes in her direction. Feeling uneasy, she considered changing seats to avoid his gaze. Just then, Xiao Zhi called out to him. “Ding Wei.”

Snapped out of his reverie, Ding Wei’s face flushed red. He obediently asked what task the senior needed him to do. Xiao Zhi didn’t mince words. “The photocopy of Yuan Ben Guang Yun wasn’t available at the library before, but I just saw it was transferred to the Mirror Lake campus branch. Do you mind going to pick it up?”

Though his tone was polite, the request was inconvenient. The Mirror Lake campus was in the suburbs, at least a two-hour drive from the old campus. A round trip would take up most of the day. Ding Wei wasn’t stupid—he knew he’d been caught staring too long at the senior’s girlfriend. He didn’t dare protest and obediently braved the heat to run the errand. Meanwhile, Zhao Peng, observing the scene, quickly buried himself in coding, thinking, A friend’s wife is truly untouchable—even stealing glances is risky.

Everyone worked until six in the evening, and it was time for dinner. Sun Zhuo suggested ordering takeout from a beef noodle shop near the school’s back gate. Turning to Xiao Zhi, he asked if he wanted his noodles spicy, but Xiao Zhi declined, saying he didn’t need to order for himself. He had to pick up a package and would eat outside instead.

“Want to come with me?” he asked Yin Mengxi, who was sitting beside him.

How could Yin Mengxi refuse? She nodded enthusiastically, tidying her bag without prompting and quickly following her boyfriend out of the studio. They left behind a roomful of single men lamenting the sour stench of romance messing with their mental states. At this rate, the project would grind to a halt.

Summer days were especially long, and the sky hadn’t fully darkened by six o’clock. Yin Mengxi followed Xiao Zhi to the campus delivery station, inexplicably feeling exceptionally cheerful.

“What package are you picking up, Senior?” she asked, tilting her head as she looked at him.

“A magazine,” he replied. “Sent by an editorial department.”

Ah.

A magazine.

“Is it a new paper you’ve published?” Her eyes sparkled like little stars. “In a core journal?”

He glanced down at her, seeing clear admiration in her eyes, and couldn’t help but smile and nod. “I wrote it before summer break. It just came out.”

“Ah, so it must have been around finals last semester, right?” she pressed, eagerly asking more questions. “When you stayed up late with me in the library?”

He nodded again.

“You’re so amazing...” The little rabbit’s tail wagged furiously. She looked ten times prouder than he did. “Let’s hurry up and get it so we can read it sooner!”

With that, she happily grabbed his hand and ran forward, growing increasingly comfortable with touching him.

Once they retrieved the package, she immediately opened it. A brand-new journal slid out of the envelope, its cover emblazoned with the words Literary Heritage. Scanning the listed articles briefly, she didn’t see his name right away but found it clearly written in the table of contents: “Xiao Zhi.”

A core journal…

He was only in his second year of graduate studies, yet his name appeared alongside many academic giants on the same page. What about five years from now? Ten years? Perhaps he would truly become someone whose name would be remembered in academic history.

...Truly remarkable.

She was silently awestruck, her admiration for him swelling even more. Yet he seemed to think nothing of it, walking beside her as usual. He reminded her to watch her step so she wouldn’t trip, discussed what to eat for dinner, and led her to the cafeteria for a simple meal. On the way back to the studio, his pace slowed slightly. Their hands were loosely intertwined, and perhaps his affection for her was deeper than she had imagined.

“Do you… want to sit for a bit?” he asked softly.

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Min Rui: Men, they’re all the same.

Mengxi: Don’t say that! Xiao Zhi is different! —Isn’t that right, Senior?

Xiao Zhi: ...Cough, yes.