Chapter 47: Unexpected Encounter

True romance only began on that day.

What was a kiss, really?

Just a small act of intimacy—something many people wouldn’t even think twice about. But for someone pure and reserved like her, it felt like an earthquake, followed by aftershocks that kept rippling through her heart over and over again, leaving it a chaotic mess before finally settling down.

Their relationship advanced rapidly amidst these continuous tremors.

The changes were subtle. For instance, she had started addressing him less as “Senior” and more directly as “you.” In the studio or during other moments together, he found himself gazing at her more often. Their physical contact became more frequent—holding hands no longer satisfied them. Now, when they walked together, she would hook her arm around his, or he would gently rest his hand on her shoulder.

Unfortunately, with the arrival of September, the new semester officially began. Both had classes during the day, and Yin Mengxi’s schedule as an undergraduate was packed, so their time together drastically decreased. They could only meet in the studio after evening classes, sometimes as late as nine or ten o’clock.

She couldn’t stand it. She clung to her phone, constantly messaging him. The rule she had set for herself over the summer—”only two QQ messages per day”—was completely abandoned. Now, she couldn’t help but grin foolishly at her tiny screen every few minutes. Her roommates were exasperated, complaining about the deteriorating living environment in their dorm. Min Rui bluntly declared that Xiao Zhi was a fox spirit who had bewitched her, driving her mad and making her act strangely.

—Who could say otherwise? She really was behaving a bit oddly.

Every morning, the first thing she did upon opening her eyes was think of him. Her first action was to check her phone for any new messages from him. Even while walking to class with her roommates, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Seeing couples on campus made her feel unbalanced. Why couldn’t they be in the same major so they could attend classes together? Even at night, she couldn’t escape him in her dreams. That first kiss replayed in her mind endlessly, highlighted and filtered automatically, far more dazzling than any post-production editing could achieve.

On Thursday, she fortunately didn’t have evening classes, so she sent him a message asking if they could have dinner together.

Her: Are you in class?

Not long after sending the message, he replied—

Him: Mm, I’ll be done in about fifteen minutes.

Her: Oh.

Her: Where are you having class?

Her: Can I come pick you up? (o^^o)

Him: No need.

Him: I’ll find you after I’m done.

Her: It’s fine, I don’t have anything else to do now that I’m out of class.

Her: Tell me~

He paused for a moment, likely trying to figure out how to dissuade her, but eventually gave in—

Him: In the Literature Building, Room 201.

Him: There’s seating in the lobby on the first floor, don’t wait standing.

Her: Got it! p(^_^)q

But in truth, she had no intention of waiting downstairs.

She planned to wait right outside his classroom door so that as soon as the door opened, he’d see her. She could already imagine him smiling at her with a mix of amusement and affection, perhaps even reaching out to gently pat her head.

Cheerfully, she made her way to the Literature Building and located Room 201. Leaning against the wall beside the door, she quietly waited, taking advantage of the moment to pull out a small mirror to tidy her hair and check if the eyebrows Min Rui had helped her draw earlier had smudged.

After waiting for about five or six minutes, there was movement inside the classroom. A group of footsteps and voices approached, and soon the door opened. She quickly stepped aside and realized that the person opening the door was his advisor, Professor Jia. Only six or seven students followed behind, likely a small seminar within their research group, not a large open lecture.

She hesitated to greet the professor directly, so she ducked into a nearby corner to wait. However, Professor Jia noticed her first, finding her vaguely familiar, and asked, “Young lady, is there something you need from me?”

Ah.

This was awkward. She stammered, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Xiao Zhi emerged from the classroom at that moment. He glanced at her briefly before turning to explain to Professor Jia, “This is my girlfriend. She came to wait for me after class.”

“Junior, how could you let a girl wait?” one of the senior students teased. “You’re really not cherishing her.”

Other classmates chimed in with laughter. Before Xiao Zhi could respond, Professor Jia spoke again, looking at Yin Mengxi. “Isn’t this young lady one of my former students? Last year around this time?”

Xiao Zhi smiled and nodded, saying, “Yes.” Professor Jia hummed thoughtfully, appearing pleased. “I remember her. She wrote a very solid paper—on Su Shi, wasn’t it? About the Wutai Poetry Case. You gave her an A.”

“Oh, Junior, aren’t you using your position for personal gain?” another senior joked. “Our little junior here is so pretty, you must’ve been thinking about her all along…”

Jokes flew left and right, and Yin Mengxi stood there blushing. After a while, she heard him say—

“I admit I’ve been thinking about her, but it’s not favoritism,” his voice carried a hint of amusement. “She really did write a great paper.”

Oh.

This was…

She felt like she had fallen into a jar of honey, its sweetness intoxicating her. Shyly, she raised her head to greet Professor Jia and the others, but just then, her eyes landed on another familiar face—tall, beautiful, radiant, with makeup five times more exquisite than hers and clothes at least ten times more expensive. She was staring at Yin Mengxi with the same cold, disdainful gaze as before, as if she were some unwelcome intruder.

…It was Tang Fei.

This encounter was entirely unexpected. Although Yin Mengxi had always known that Tang Fei occasionally appeared on campus, she hadn’t expected her to pursue graduate studies under the same advisor as Xiao Zhi. Now that they were part of the same research group, their encounters would likely become even more frequent than before.

She didn’t know how to handle the situation or even what attitude she should adopt. As Xiao Zhi led her away from the Literature Building and they sat down at the Thai restaurant she had mentioned wanting to try the previous day, she still hadn’t snapped out of her daze. She remained silent, lost in thought.

Xiao Zhi noticed her abnormal behavior and guessed that Tang Fei’s presence was the cause. However, he misjudged the reason for her distress, assuming it stemmed from the unpleasant incident at Haidilao over two months ago. He never suspected that jealousy was the real issue, so his attempts to comfort her missed the mark entirely.

“I’ve spoken to her about what happened back then,” he said softly, sitting across from her. “She also admitted she was wrong. If you’re okay with it, I’ll invite her out in a couple of days to formally apologize to you.”

“Spoken to her…”

So how many times had they met without her knowing?

And in the future?

Would they continue to see each other frequently?

“No…” she lowered her head slightly, her good mood from earlier completely evaporated. “…I don’t want to see her.”

After a pause, she added, “…And I don’t need her apology either.”

She was usually such a gentle person that this decisive statement surprised even her. He seemed momentarily taken aback but didn’t press further. “Alright, if you don’t want to, then we won’t.”

She nodded and fell silent again, her unease growing stronger with each passing moment. When the food arrived—delicious pineapple fried rice—it tasted bitter in her mouth. The stifling feeling made it hard for her to breathe.

They ate the meal in silence, barely speaking throughout. By the time they finished, it was only seven o’clock, half an hour earlier than planned. Stepping out onto University Road, she had no desire to stroll with him. Instead, she slowly headed back toward campus, intending to return directly to the studio to work.

The comprehensive building was nearly empty at night, the corridors deserted. They quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor, where the studio door was slightly ajar, leaking soft yellow light. Someone was already working inside.

As she lowered her head to enter, she felt his hand gently grasp her wrist. Turning back, she met his beautiful eyes, which were creased with concern.

“Let’s not go in yet,” his voice was low, his grip neither too tight nor too loose. “Let’s talk.”

—Talk about what?

Standing by the window at the other end of the corridor, her mind was equally confused. She knew she should discuss things with him, but when it came time to speak, she didn’t know what to say.

Tell him she was jealous?

Ask him to stop seeing Tang Fei?

Demand that he sever ties with his childhood friend?

…All of these requests were unrealistic.

Then what else was there to talk about?

Perhaps she should silently process everything on her own.

His thoughts, however, seemed different from hers. Perhaps academic researchers possessed a certain tenacity, unwilling to avoid trouble even in matters of the heart. When faced with difficulties, they sought immediate resolution rather than delaying like she preferred.

“You’re unhappy?” His voice was softer than usual. The last traces of gray-blue evening light filtered through the window, casting an oil-painting-like glow on his profile. “Because you remembered what happened last semester?”

Her hand was cradled in his palm. The corridor was eerily quiet, her conflicted emotions still unresolved. Her reply was muffled. “No…”

“Then what is it?” he pressed, gently brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead. “Didn’t we agree before that you’d tell me what’s on your mind?”

“We didn’t agree!” she pouted, refusing to cooperate. “I never promised.”

Her childish demeanor was endearing. He chuckled softly, lifting her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it—a clear gesture of intimacy. Her face flushed uncontrollably.

“Humor me,” he bargained. “Just cooperate this once.”

How cunning. She wasn’t even sure if he was using charm to manipulate her, and she cursed herself for falling so easily into such an obvious trap.

“I just… I’m bothered by your relationship with her,” her defenses were crumbling under his persistence. “Because she likes you, doesn’t she…”

She hesitated, recalling a forum post she had read over the summer. She had initially decided not to bring it up, but for some reason, the urge to speak overwhelmed her.

“And I don’t like it when you meet her without me knowing,” she struggled to control her words. “I… I get scared…”