He really knows what he's doing, that's great!
She packed up her sketches, locked them in the filing cabinet, turned off the power, locked the door, and put on her coat—all within three minutes. Three minutes later, Xiang Lan stood dumbfounded on the steps by the door, staring blankly at the streetlight.
The early spring nights were a bit chilly, the lamplight was cold, and the chirping of insects filled the air, occasionally punctuated by the soft laughter of men and women coming from some unknown corner.
Her gaze swept from one end of the road to the other, a mixture of eagerness and considerable panic coursing through her. When she saw a figure slowly approaching, she was certain it was Fang Zidu.
"Fang Zidu, over here, over here." Xiang Lan waved without any restraint.
Fang Zidu approached, his body carrying the scent of freshly showered water and lemon. He had changed into a light-colored jacket, the same style as the black one he wore during the day, but it made his fair skin appear even more radiant.
Xiang Lan looked up and saw that Fang Zi was a full head taller than her, and she could only see his chin, which was covered by his mask.
"You're still wearing a mask?" Xiang Lan said with a grin.
"I caught a cold. I'm also not used to the air here; my throat hurts when I breathe." Fang Zidu looked down. "Where are the drawings?"
Xiang Lan didn't answer, but jumped down the steps. "Did you take your medicine? Should we go to the hospital to get it checked out?"
"I've eaten, I'll be better soon."
"Fang Zidu, where do you live?"
"Qionglin Garden".
Qionglin Garden is a faculty dormitory, which is some distance from the student dormitory. She secretly calculated in her mind that the speed at which the prescription arrived was extremely fast.
"You don't live in the student dormitory?" Xiang Lan asked in surprise.
"I asked a friend to help me rent it. They have single rooms available there, and hot water is available, which is more convenient."
Xiang Lan walked towards Qionglin Garden. Her legs were a little cold, so she pulled her coat tighter around herself.
Fangzi noticed that her slender calves only had a thin layer of base layer on, which seemed a bit strange. Aren't girls afraid of the cold?
"Let's take a walk, I'll take you back to Qionglin Garden—"
He glanced at her, and she gave him an innocent smile. He didn't refuse.
The two slowly walked out of the dormitory area and headed towards Mirror Lake along the tree-lined avenue. A crescent moon hung obliquely in the sky, illuminating a few clouds; the shadows of the trees accompanied the moon's shadow, creating a serene scene.
"Have you tried the cafeteria food I drew?" Xiang Lan asked, swaying back and forth with her hands behind her back.
The four-panel comic strip by the beautiful girl depicts some interesting scenes from school life, covering almost all the tips and tricks for school life, and a large part of them are based on Xiang Lan's personal experiences.
"have."
"What did you eat?"
I ordered cold noodles from the snack window in the first canteen.
"How is it?" Xiang Lan asked expectantly.
"good."
"What about dinner?"
"The fried rice served in the third canteen was with pickled mustard greens. The pickled mustard greens were quite crunchy and delicious."
Xiang Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she heard positive praise from this guy. He seemed a bit picky.
"And the small cakes at the breakfast counter are highly recommended. If you want to get them, you have to line up early; it's practically a free-for-all!"
Is it really that delicious?
"Yes!" Xiang Lan exclaimed excitedly, "I'll bring it for you tomorrow morning!"
Fang Zi smiled, looked at her intently, and said, "No need."
She seemed to be too direct, which aroused his suspicion.
The two walked around Mirror Lake, where there were many leisure seats, but they were all occupied by young couples.
Xiang Lan pretended to ignore the intimacy of others and led him across a small stone bridge in the middle of the lake. The moon in the sky was reflected in the water, and it moved as they walked. She felt envious and wanted to stay there with Fang Zi, being all lovey-dovey.
Her bones were already itching, and she longed to reach out and grab him, but he kept the hand closest to her in his pocket.
She wondered if it would be too deliberate to suggest sitting for a while. But Qionglin Garden was just across Mirror Lake, and her destination was right in front of her; she didn't have time.
Countless thoughts swirled in her mind for a long time, and her body felt hot and restless.
She wished the journey could be longer, but no matter how slowly she walked, she eventually reached the entrance of Qionglin Garden. Fang Zi was walking ahead of her. Her gaze wandered, finally settling on his hips and long legs, secretly yearning to touch them and verify whether his bones were as perfect as she had imagined!
The buildings in Qionglin Garden were shadowy, and most of the windows were dark.
"We're here!" Xiang Lan said somewhat reluctantly.
Fang Zi stopped and looked at her. "Xiang Lan, where's the drawing?"
She couldn't deny it any longer, so she stretched out her hand, revealing a silver USB drive in her palm.
Fangzi reached out to take it, his fingertips touching her palm. She flinched and couldn't help but laugh.
He paused for a moment, then withdrew his hand from the USB drive. "I'll return it to you when I'm done watching it."
"No rush!"
Xiang Lan said, "Fang Zidu, goodnight."
"Goodnight—" she said, then turned to run away.
She tapped her forehead in dissatisfaction. "Shouldn't there be a goodnight kiss?"
Fang Zidu's eyes gleamed faintly in the streetlight. He thought for a moment, then gently put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "This will do—"
The lemon scent drew near, enveloping Xiang Lan. With a beauty in her arms, she couldn't back down. So, she instinctively reached up and pinched his waist, then slipped her hand inside the clothes she'd been craving all day. The area she touched was cool, smooth, and hard as jade.
A good waist —
Fangzi tilted his head, staring intently at her.
Her cheeks flushed. Hmm, this looks a bit like a hooligan.
He looked at her, expressionless, reached out and grabbed her wrist, slowly pulling it out from under his clothes.
"Haha—" Xiang Lan chuckled dryly.
The darkness gave her courage. Unable to touch his waist, she reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, stood on tiptoe, and gently pressed her tongue against his neck, but didn't dare stick it out. A little regretful—why was he wearing a mask? If he hadn't—
But this is good too. She stepped back, her mouth stretched wide open, impossible to hide.
"You—" Fang Zidu's voice was tinged with annoyance.
"Fang Zidu, see you tomorrow!"
Xiang Lan didn't want to hear him say anything against her, so she turned around and ran away in a flash.
Turning off the path from Qionglin Garden, Xiang Lan covered her forehead with her hand. Her hands and body were filled with his fragrance, and her mouth still held that tingling, electric-like sensation. A little voice inside her was screaming wildly.
When she rushed back to the dormitory, Deng Yifan was already in bed asleep. Regardless, she shook her awake.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Deng Yifan's voice was muffled.
"Darling, I'm sure the beauty likes me—"
"Did you have a nightmare?" Deng Yifan yawned and touched her forehead. "Honey, it'll be better by morning!"
Xiang Lan grabbed her arm and chuckled, "This beauty can't escape, she's mine now."
Deng Yifan shuddered. "Still talking in your sleep?"
"You silly girl, I just got back and I'm not asleep yet. What are you talking about in your sleep? I just escorted that beauty back to his dorm, and he hugged me, and I kissed him too—"
Deng Yifan collapsed onto the bed. "Go wash up and go to sleep. Usually, aloof beauties like this are hard to pursue. Trying to woo them won't work."
Xiang Lan froze, and after several minutes of deep internal struggle, she said, "I think he probably likes me."
Deng Yifan didn't want to talk anymore, so he turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
"He wanted to see my drawings, and he wasn't just being polite. He was very curious about me, and you know, curiosity is the beginning of everything—"
Chapter Six
The next morning, Xiang Lan woke up naturally. She took out her phone and checked the time; it was six in the morning, and the cafeteria wasn't open yet. She got up quietly and washed up, but still woke Deng Yifan.
What are you doing?
"Go buy breakfast."
Deng Yifan reached out and lifted the curtain. Light was just beginning to break outside. She sighed, "The sun hasn't risen in the west yet!"
"Go to hell!" she said, opening the dormitory door with her backpack on, laughing. "I'm going to meet my beauty."
"You're finished. You've started to lose yourself."
"nonsense."
"I started making display boards today. When I have free time, I'll go to the logistics office."
"Okay!"
Xiang Lan went downstairs, wrapped herself tightly in her coat, and hurried to the cafeteria. The breakfast counter was already open, and a long line of people were waiting to buy small cakes. She stood at the end of the line, watching the baskets of cakes gradually empty. When it was her turn, sure enough, only two cakes were left, which she bought herself.
From opening to selling out, it only takes a quarter of an hour.
She carried the cake to Qionglin Garden. It was already broad daylight. She took out her phone, thought for a while, and sent a text message.
"Fang Zidu, are you up yet? I'm waiting for you downstairs—"
After waiting for a while without receiving a reply, she wasn't in a hurry. She saw a newspaper stand nearby and went over to read the newspaper.
A moment later, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around in surprise.
"Fang Zidu, you—"
Xiang Lan was speechless when Liu Nanyang's large face appeared in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Liu Nanyang asked curiously.
She hid the small cake behind her back and shook her head violently.
"What are you hiding?" Liu Nanyang persisted. "Let me see—"