CS - 40

That hair tie was something she had casually bought at a roadside accessory store, five yuan for a pack.

It was very ordinary, the kind you could find anywhere on the street.

No particular style.

And this hair tie was one she always used to tie her hair.

…

Lin Zhe Xia picked up the black hair tie from Chi Yao’s wrist and said, “Why did you just wear it?”

Because of this simple hair tie, the atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but Chi Yao’s gaze held some other emotions, though they disappeared in an instant. When he spoke again, he said, “What else could I do with it? Carry it around?”

Lin Zhe Xia thought for a moment: “Carrying it would indeed be inconvenient.”

She glanced at Chi Yao’s hair and, fearlessly, said, “You could actually tie your hair up.”

She added, “When we were little, I once tied your hair into braids. Do you remember?”

Chi Yao: “And then you got kicked out. Do you remember that?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “….”

She remembered.

She had secretly tied two braids on him while he was sleeping. Because of those two braids, Chi Yao ignored her for a whole week.

As they talked, they had already reached the building.

Lin Zhe Xia, holding the hair tie, said to Chi Yao, “I’m going back first.”

She ran all the way into the building, and only after the unit door clicked shut behind her did she let out a sigh of relief.

She touched her earlobe and found it as hot as she had imagined.

Lin Zhe Xia lowered her head and looked at the black hair tie in her hand, realizing her feelings now were similar to how they had been on the high-speed train. It turned out that when you like someone, your emotions could so easily rise and fall.

After the mini-holiday, Cheng’an No. 2 High School awarded a prize to the competition team.

“Amazing,” Chen Lin praised repeatedly during the flag-raising ceremony, “I didn’t expect they really took first place.”

As Lin Zhe Xia watched the people on stage, she vaguely recalled the brief two days in Haicheng City.

Chen Lin: “By the way, didn’t Old Liu find out about your trip to Haicheng?”

Lin Zhe Xia still felt angry thinking about it: “It’s all because of Xu Ting, that psycho.”

Chen Lin: “But I heard there was gossip in the competition team—someone confessed to someone?”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t expect such things to get out.

Chen Lin: “Who confessed to whom?”

Lin Zhe Xia couldn’t casually reveal others’ private matters, so she finally said, “I don’t know either, haven’t heard anything, maybe it’s just a rumor.”

Life at school went on as usual; the two days in Haicheng felt like a fleeting dream. Nothing in her life changed, except that the name “Chi Yao” now meant something different to her.

After school, Lin Zhe Xia was doing homework at home.

When she encountered questions she didn’t understand, she habitually messaged Chi Yao—

I humbly seek your guidance—

Hey, first-place physics competition winner, how do I solve this question?

A moment later, Chi Yao sent over a picture.

Chi Dog: [/picture]

Most of the time, Class One’s homework was different from their Class Seven’s.

Lin Zhe Xia opened the picture and saw Chi Yao working on an unfamiliar test paper. On the side of that clearly more difficult test paper, someone had written a few simple steps with a black pen.

Lin Zhe Xia copied down those simple steps.

After copying them, she replied with a GIF of a kneeling bow.

Just as she was about to exit the chat, she caught sight of the nickname she had given Chi Yao before: “Chi Dog.”

Even though there was no one in the room, she still felt guilty, as if she were sneaking around, and glanced back.

Confirming the door was closed and there was no movement outside, she entered his friend profile and clicked to edit the nickname.

She deleted the words “Chi Dog” and stared at the blank space for changing the nickname for a long time. Moving her fingers cautiously, she carefully typed four words: “The person I like.”

At that moment, Chi Yao happened to send her a new message.

The Person I Like: Did you understand?

Sometimes, the nickname you give someone represents your feelings toward them.

After changing it to this nickname, even the plain chat window seemed special.

But after hesitating for a moment, Lin Zhe Xia edited the nickname again, secretly changing it to two characters: “Chi Someone.”

The weather cooled down quickly. As November approached, everyone started wearing their fall jackets.

Although Cheng’an enforced wearing uniforms, some students got creative—they wore summer uniforms underneath and their own jackets on top.

Lin Zhe Xia had never cared about such things before. Wearing a uniform was fine by her; she didn’t care much about clothing.

But now it was different.

“Why are you suddenly wearing your own jacket?” Lin He asked early in the morning.

Lin Zhe Xia pulled out the excuse she had prepared beforehand: “The school’s jacket is too thin. I’m afraid I’ll catch a cold.”

Lin He: “Didn’t you complain about being too hot last year and argue with me for half a day? You forgot?”

“…”

Back then, she had been a bit rebellious. Lin He had criticized her clothing choices, and she stubbornly insisted she wasn’t cold.

Lin Zhe Xia: “I was young and foolish back then. Now that I’ve grown up, I realize you’re right. The temperature difference between morning and evening is significant, so I should focus on staying warm.”

Lin He didn’t press further. She said, “Let me find your jacket. If I remember correctly, I stuffed it in the cabinet.”

Lin Zhe Xia rushed ahead of her: “I know which cabinet it’s in. I’ll look for it myself.”

In the end, she pulled out a white jacket from the bottom of the cabinet. The jacket didn’t have any special design—it was loose and comfortable—but subconsciously, she felt it would look better than the school’s uniform.

When she and Chi Yao walked to school together, Chi Yao only glanced at her and didn’t say anything.

Unable to help herself, she coughed lightly while waiting for the bus, trying to get his attention.

Chi Yao kept it short: “Speak.”

Lin Zhe Xia slowly said, “Don’t you think I look different today?”

Chi Yao: “Where?”

Lin Zhe Xia, who had spent the morning getting ready, couldn’t help but angrily accuse him: “…Your observation skills are terrible. People like you are what they call ‘blind as a bat.’”

Chi Yao glanced at her.

Today, the girl wasn’t wearing her school uniform. The jacket she wore was large and hung loosely on her. The white suited her well, and her hair was neatly tied back.

After a while, Chi Yao withdrew his gaze and, unusually, didn’t retort.

The bus arrived soon after. Just as Lin Zhe Xia thought the topic was over, she heard Chi Yao say before boarding: “The jacket looks fine.”

“…”

After arriving at school, both Chen Lin and Tang Shuxuan noticed her jacket: “You look very pretty today.”

Lin Zhe Xia was a bit happy: “Thank you.”

She then asked, “What were you guys talking about earlier? I heard something about a market when I came in.”

Chen Lin: “Shuxuan found a creative market online. The pictures looked beautiful, so she asked if we wanted to go together this weekend. It’s not far—near the temple we visited last time.”

Lin Zhe Xia glanced at the phone Chen Lin handed over. The market was brightly lit, with a long row of stalls selling all kinds of things.

Lin Zhe Xia: “Sure, it looks interesting.”

Chen Lin: “Then it’s settled. Will it just be the three of us? Is Chi Yao coming? This kind of market should be lively with more people.”

In the evening, the group walked together from the school gate to the station.

Before Chi Yao could speak, Xu Ting eagerly raised his hand: “I’m free this weekend!”

Lin Zhe Xia: “No one asked you.”

Xu Ting: “…”

Xu Ting snorted: “Anyway, I’m coming. Since I heard about it, consider this an invitation.”

Chen Lin and Tang Shuxuan were speechless.

Chen Lin: “This guy is so feminine.”

Tang Shuxuan: “Was he always this feminine?”

Though they said that, they still tacitly accepted Xu Ting’s addition to the group.

As for Chi Yao…

Lin Zhe Xia could always drag him out when it came time to leave.

Sure enough, Lin Zhe Xia dragged Chi Yao out before they left.

“If you don’t come,” Lin Zhe Xia thought while pulling him, “Xu Ting will be awkward. We’re all girls, and he’s the only guy.”

Chi Yao: “Why should I care if he’s awkward?”

Lin Zhe Xia was speechless: “True.”

After a while, Lin Zhe Xia added, “I don’t want to ride alone. Anyway, you’re free, aren’t you?”

Chi Yao, being pulled along, kept his eyes lowered and said, “Which eye of yours sees me as free?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Both my eyes see it.”

“…”

The market only opened at night. When Lin Zhe Xia and Chi Yao got off the bus, they could see the bustling crowd from afar. Each vendor’s stall had two lamps lit, creating a continuous line of lights.

They sold all kinds of things—handicrafts, food, and many quirky little items.

The group browsed through everything.

Lin Zhe Xia bought a squid skewer, then a bubble tea after finishing it. Halfway through drinking the tea, she excitedly bought a giant cotton candy from a machine.

The colorful cotton candy was as big as a balloon, making her walk carefully to avoid brushing against people.

Chen Lin and Tang Shuxuan found something interesting and turned back to call Lin Zhe Xia over. But when they looked back, they saw Lin Zhe Xia taking the cotton candy from the vendor while Chi Yao naturally reached out to take the half-finished bubble tea from her hand.

Such subtle yet默契 actions often happened between Lin Zhe Xia and Chi Yao.

They might not notice it themselves, but to outsiders, it was clear that an invisible wall separated them from others—a wall that couldn’t be seen or touched.

Holding the cotton candy, Lin Zhe Xia heard someone calling her and shouted back, “Did you call me just now?”

Chen Lin said, “Yes, come over here. There’s a photo booth, and Shuxuan wants to take pictures. Should we take a group photo?”

The place where Chen Lin and Tang Shuxuan stood was a small stall called “Creative Photo Booth.”

The entrance was plastered with small photos taken by previous customers at the booth.

Without much thought, Lin Zhe Xia agreed.

However, when Tang Shuxuan enthusiastically asked the vendor, “How much for one photo?” the vendor glanced at her and asked, “Are you taking it alone?”

Tang Shuxuan turned back and pointed at Chen Lin and Lin Zhe Xia: “My friends are here too.”

The vendor pointed to the shop’s name. Before the words “Creative Photo Booth,” there were two small words that were easy to overlook: “Young Lady, you probably didn’t see clearly. Our shop is a ‘Couple’ Creative Photo Booth.”

Tang Shuxuan: “….”

Chen Lin: “….”

Lin Zhe Xia: “….”

Your shop name…

If you highlighted the most important two words and made them bigger, it might be clearer.

Just as Lin Zhe Xia was about to suggest giving up, Tang Shuxuan suddenly pulled Xu Ting next to her and demonstrated her exceptional social skills: “Boss, I can take a picture—this is my boyfriend!”

“…”

“He’s shy, so he was standing farther away earlier.”

Xu Ting, who had been unexpectedly dragged over, was stunned: “???”.

By the time he regained his senses, the vendor had already taken several photos of him and Tang Shuxuan.

Vendor: “Twenty-eight yuan, scan to pay. Anyone else want to take a picture?”

After Tang Shuxuan scanned the code, she nudged Lin Zhe Xia with her elbow: “Are you taking one?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “…How am I supposed to take one?”

Lin Zhe Xia added, “Should I publicly announce my relationship with Chen Lin?”

Tang Shuxuan pointed at Chi Yao: “No, isn’t there another person here?”

Lin Zhe Xia opened her mouth but didn’t manage to say anything.

Tang Shuxuan continued loudly: “It’s not real anyway. Since we’re out having fun, why not take a commemorative photo? It’s nothing serious. Just grab Chi Yao to play the role of a temporary tool.”

Tang Shuxuan’s voice was loud, and Chi Yao likely heard it.

Lin Zhe Xia’s face immediately turned red-hot.

In those few seconds, she thought about many things.

She didn’t know what reaction would count as “normal” in this situation.

If she resisted too much, it would seem obvious.

Like Tang Shuxuan—since she didn’t care about Xu Ting, she could confidently shout at the vendor.

But given her personality, accepting it would also seem strange.

…

Finally, Lin Zhe Xia said in an unnatural tone that only she herself noticed: “Who would want to…take a picture with him.”

Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t finish the sentence.

Because, deep down, she actually wanted to take the picture.

She didn’t know how she mustered the courage to stand in front of Chi Yao and ask if he would accompany her for the photo: “Tang Shuxuan said... um, I wanted to ask you...”

“Let me clarify—I don’t mean it that way,” she rambled without explaining clearly, “Can you... uh, never mind. Pretend I never came.”

Just as Lin Zhe Xia was about to give up, Chi Yao, holding the bubble tea, spoke in a calm tone: “What, don’t need a tool anymore?”

He had definitely heard it!

Lin Zhe Xia’s face felt like it was about to burst into flames.

When she and Chi Yao walked over, the vendor glanced at them: “You two as well?”

Lin Zhe Xia’s response was ambiguous: “Ah.”

The vendor pointed to the QR code nearby: “Scan first. The price is the same—twenty-eight yuan.”

Before Lin Zhe Xia could scan, Chi Yao had already scanned his phone.

In that moment, Lin Zhe Xia felt a pang of regret. Looking back on this day later, she realized her brain had frozen. Stiffly clutching the enormous colorful cotton candy, her face rigid, she didn’t hear the vendor’s comment, “The girl shouldn’t stand so far away.”

So the person beside her gently reminded her: “Lin Zhe Xia.”

Following the sound, Lin Zhe Xia lifted her head.

She saw the bobbing Adam’s apple as the young man spoke, his lowered eyes, and the earring on his right ear that faced her.

“Move closer.”