Psst! We're moving!
From the moment she posted on Weibo, Lin Zhan’s vote count began to rise steadily.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket, then received a call from Shen Xi.
“Where are you now?”
“You’re here?” Lin Zhan looked up at the road sign. “I’m at A-16.”
The road sign also had a strong Halloween vibe, and Lin Zhan’s makeup was perfectly done. Standing under that sign, she looked like a live actor hired for the event.
She privately thought Shen Xi wouldn’t recognize her.
Soon, Shen Xi, wearing a ginger-yellow woolen coat and holding a hot drink, appeared at the corner.
Lin Zhan had chosen this coat for him when they were shopping together, saying it would soften his unapproachable coldness and make him seem less intimidating.
Well, it certainly made people feel he wasn’t as unapproachable.
Lin Zhan saw three or four staff members disguised as “ghosts” following him.
...
She should have told him to wear all black.
The “ghosts” behind him were easily swayed. They whispered behind Shen Xi, seemingly with ulterior motives.
After discussing for a while, they saw Lin Zhan. They gazed at Lin Zhan with knowing looks, then waved affectionately for Lin Zhan to join them.
They thought Lin Zhan was with them.
Lin Zhan was caught between going and not going, and also afraid Shen Xi wouldn’t recognize her, so she stayed in that pose.
It turned out that even if she turned to dust, Shen Xi could accurately identify which handful of dust was hers.
Shen Xi stopped in front of her, his gaze lingering on her exaggerated makeup for two seconds, then asked, “How long have you been standing?”
Lin Zhan stammered: “Just a few minutes...”
He handed her the hot drink in his hand to warm her hands. Lin Zhan took it and was just about to open the small cap to take a sip when a “ghost” on the side said, “You can’t accept things given by guests!”
Lin Zhan was startled, and a few drops of hot orange juice splashed out, scalding her tongue.
Shen Xi frowned, grabbed Lin Zhan’s wrist, and pulled her to his side.
He said to the group of “ghosts”: “She’s not with you.”
Shen Xi put his arm around Lin Zhan’s shoulder, seemingly displeased because these people had caused Lin Zhan to be splashed with hot water.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Everyone looked at each other for a moment, then someone said, “Ah, in that case, sorry, your girlfriend’s makeup is too good...”
After the group of white-clad, long-haired female ghosts left, Shen Xi pulled Lin Zhan aside and looked down at her.
“Did you get scalded?”
Since it was a Halloween-themed amusement park, the lighting inside wasn’t naturally very bright.
Their shadows were stirred into a dark blob by the lights.
Lin Zhan vaguely said, “My tongue seems to be a little scalded...”
He used his index finger to cup her chin, exerting a slight force to lift her face: “Stick it out so I can see.”
His fingertip still carried the coolness of winter, touching the soft flesh of Lin Zhan’s chin, making her involuntarily shiver.
Lin Zhan’s voice trembled as she said, “This... this wouldn’t be good, would it?”
His voice deepened by two shades, and the force in his hand increased. He spoke with undeniable authority: “Hurry up.”
Lin Zhan swallowed, the tip of her tongue extending slightly from her mouth, moist and soft.
“What can I see like this?” Shen Xi lifted her chin again, and then seemed to smile, “Why haven’t I seen you so reserved usually?”
Lin Zhan glared at him, then bravely stuck it out a little more.
She didn’t dare to look at Shen Xi’s expression, blinking and looking around.
“Still can’t see clearly.”
Shen Xi said.
Lin Zhan felt quite insecure, biting the tip of her tongue, and said indistinctly, “Then what do we do?”
He patiently, slowly, and seriously said each word.
“I need to check.”
“Huh?” Lin Zhan finally retracted her gaze and looked at Shen Xi.
His contours were swallowed by the night, revealing an elusive danger.
Lin Zhan finished her question: “How do you check?”
As soon as her voice fell, the tip of her tongue was enveloped by his, and his breath completely enveloped her.
He unconsciously rubbed her auricle, leaning in to whisper softly, “Checked, no problems found.”
________________________________________
In the following days, Lin Zhan and Sun Qiqi did their best, urging everyone to vote for them.
Although their vote counts were far ahead of others, the two were still in fierce competition.
A slight misstep could lead to the one in front being overtaken.
Although Zheng Yimian was at W University, over the past two years, she had been continuously contributing to magazines and starting to draw comics. Zheng Yimian had many active followers on Weibo. Additionally, she encouraged her friends at school to vote, which gave Lin Zhan another boost in votes.
On the day the voting closed, Lin Zhan narrowly won by a margin of three votes.
Luoluo stayed up until midnight, staring at the voting page and shouting happily, “Wow, finally higher than her! It feels so good to let out some steam!”
The youngest asked, “Does the highest vote count definitely mean you get to go?”
Luoluo paused for a moment: “Isn’t it like that? Is there an internal decision?”
The youngest: “Who knows, what if Sun Qiqi really has that ability?”
The dorm leader also said, “Yes, until the day of the exhibition, we won’t know who actually gets to go.”
Although it was uncertain if things would take an unexpected turn, at least for now, everything was proceeding smoothly.
The director found Lin Zhan, and after talking to her, also told her that if she needed peace and quiet, he could arrange a separate classroom for her to paint in.
Things seemed to be progressing steadily.
Because it was an important art exhibition, it was always necessary to have a backup plan.
So Sun Qiqi, as a substitute player, did not slack off.
During that time, Lin Zhan was holed up in the dorm painting, and her roommates were all quiet, not disturbing her.
Fortunately, her painting time didn’t occupy her entire life. She would paint for a while, then stop, and occasionally call Shen Xi.
One day while on the phone, Luoluo leaned into Lin Zhan’s microphone and shouted, “Come to our dorm if you have time! We often go out to play!”
Lin Zhan smiled and pushed her away.
Luoluo then said, “Zhanzhan has been so busy lately that she’s forgotten to eat for several days. Don’t you feel bad for your girlfriend?!”
As expected, as soon as she said that, Shen Xi’s voice on the other end immediately became serious.
“You haven’t eaten?”
“I ate,” Lin Zhan twirled her earphone cord, “It’s just sometimes I wake up late and combine breakfast and lunch. Sometimes I don’t want to go out at night, so I just eat instant noodles...”
Shen Xi: “...”
“Do you have class tomorrow?”
Lin Zhan said, “No class.”
Shen Xi: “Going out to play?”
Lin Zhan shook her head: “They’re going out, I’m not. This painting of mine is almost finished.”
Luoluo heard Lin Zhan’s reply and immediately had an idea, continuing, “Come deliver food tomorrow, Dr. Shen!”
Lin Zhan quickly interrupted, “He’s super busy, why would he deliver food? Are you crazy?”
She then said into the receiver, “I can just order takeout.”
After hanging up, Luoluo maliciously asked, “What’s he usually busy with?”
“He’s busy with a lot,” Lin Zhan said, “Haven’t you seen TV dramas? Lots of anatomy classes.”
Luoluo rubbed her chin: “Ah, human body research?”
Lin Zhan sensed she wasn’t going to say anything good, and squinted at her: “What do you want to say?”
“We’re all family now, shouldn’t you contribute and help with his studies?”
Lin Zhan: “What studies? Does his studies need my help?”
Dorm leader: “Luoluo means, you have a young and graceful body, and he studies this... It’s already been said this far, don’t you understand?”
The youngest laughed, banging on the table.
Lin Zhan glared at Luoluo: “I can’t stay in this dorm. You’ll all be invited for tea eventually.”
________________________________________
The next day at noon, Lin Zhan was halfway through mixing her paints when she heard someone knocking at the dorm door.
She asked suspiciously, “Who is it?”
“Food delivery.”
The person outside said.
Lin Zhan immediately jumped up from her chair and, pressing against the door crack, said, “But I didn’t order any food.”
Shen Xi asked her from outside the door, “So you’re not planning to let me in?”
Lin Zhan blinked: “I can let you in, but...”
She was only halfway through her sentence when she heard a girl outside call out, “Ah, is that Shen Xi?”
...
Someone at Weida University still recognizes him?!
Lin Zhan felt a sense of crisis and immediately opened the door, reaching out to pull the person inside.
Shen Xi stood in front of her, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled, “Weren’t you not going to let me in?”
“How would people from our school recognize you...” Lin Zhan mumbled, then looked outside again, “Do you know them?”
“Maybe it’s just because I come here often,” Shen Xi raised the thermos he was holding. “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet, have you?”
“I have.”
Shen Xi placed the thermos on Lin Zhan’s desk. Lin Zhan cleared the desk and sat down.
She lifted the lid and asked, “Aren’t you busy? Do you have time to bring me food?”
Shen Xi: “A little busy, but I can’t let you not eat.”
“I ate,” Lin Zhan nestled in the hanging chair, “They were just talking nonsense.”
She scooped a spoonful of rice with a spoon, and her puffed cheeks as she chewed made her look like a little hamster.
Because she didn’t plan to go out, she was still wearing panda pajamas, with two or three strands of hair sticking up, showing a kind of homely comfort and cuteness.
Shen Xi asked her, “How much longer will you be this busy?”
“Soon,” Lin Zhan said, “Soon the people for the art exhibition will come to select paintings, so I need to prepare more.”
Just after finishing her meal, she received a call saying that the painting selection date was set for one week later.
On that day, she had to be at a certain location on Qiushui Street at 12:30 PM.
Lin Zhan had class on the day of the selection, ending at 12:00 PM.
She calculated that it would take exactly half an hour to get there. Buses were prone to traffic jams, so cycling would be the most convenient.
Shen Xi was originally going to go with her, but she felt it wasn’t a big deal, so she chose to go alone.
Because shared bicycles at the school gate were often borrowed, and she couldn’t find one for miles, Lin Zhan borrowed someone else’s bike.
That morning, she went to class with Luoluo and the others.
Just before leaving, Luoluo asked her, “Are you all ready?”
“Ready,” Lin Zhan said, “You guys go first this morning. I’ll ride the bike to the bottom of the Third Teaching Building and park it there, then just ride straight over after class.”
“Okay.”
They parted ways downstairs at the dorm. Lin Zhan tossed her bag into the bike basket, got on the bicycle, and headed to school first.
After parking the bike in the shed downstairs at the Third Teaching Building, she grabbed her bag and went into the classroom to claim a seat.
Professional classes lasted all morning.
The four-hour painting process gave Lin Zhan a bit of a headache. She put her painting aside and was about to go change the water when Luoluo said, “Leave your things here, we’ll help you wash them. You go prepare for the painting selection first.”