Chapter 158

Xu Yanfeng replied to the message at a speed beyond expectations: "Otherwise?"

Xia Xi exclaimed: "Aren't you busy?"

He said yesterday he would stay at the company all day.

Xu Yanfeng explained: not busy right now.

Xia Xi understood, he was just taking a break in the middle of being busy. So her message was timely, not interfering with his work. She got back to the point: "I just want to confirm with you, mainly because I was worried that after last night, once you calmed down, you'd regret agreeing to me."

After a few seconds of silence on the other side, a few words came back: "A little."

Xia Xi stared at the screen, her breathing quickened, her fingers tapping out a rapid patter: "What's wrong with me! Tell you, it's too late to regret! I've latched onto you, don't even think of shaking me off, not in this lifetime!"

Xu Yanfeng saw from the text that she was a bit worked up, and promptly apologized: "Just teasing you."

Xia Xi cursed him: "Bastard."

Xu Yanfeng endured it, didn't argue with her.

Xia Xi softened in a second, started acting coquettish: "I was so angry my stomach hurt, it's all your fault."

Xu Yanfeng's message had a hint of coaxing: "Haven't you had breakfast?"

Xia Xi honestly explained: "Last night I was too excited to sleep, just woke up."

Xu Yanfeng threw a string of ellipses over.

Xia Xi asked him: "What time did you get up?"

Xu Yanfeng replied seriously: "Five forty."

Xia Xi was shocked, responded with a string of exclamation marks.

Xu Yanfeng urged her to hurry up and wash up and eat, as he also had to get back to work, with company executives waiting in the meeting room.

Xia Xi thought the chat was over, but two minutes later Xu Yanfeng sent a screenshot.

He ordered takeout for her: breakfast-type health congee and xiaolongbao, also lunch-type beef quinoa salad and seafood scrambled eggs, apparently considering that her wake-up time wasn't morning nor noon, so he prepared both.

Xia Xi put down her phone, rolled out of bed, went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into a loose hoodie with fleece lining and sweatpants, waited a moment, then went downstairs to get the takeout.

After eating brunch, she went downstairs, pushed out the Giant bike that Liang Yuan had given her from the shed, rode three laps around the school, and spent the afternoon and evening in the library doing homework and reading.

The weekend passed, Monday arrived, another suffocating 8 a. m.

After buying breakfast at the cafeteria and coming out, the four dorm mates walked side by side in pairs, staggered front and back, eating while walking. Suddenly, Wang Qiuyu and Wu Qinglu, who were walking ahead, turned back at the same time, with different expressions.

Wang Qiuyu said: "Xi Xi, your boyfriend, aren't you going to say hello?"

"Where?"

Xia Xi had been lowering her head to drink congee; hearing that, she lifted her head, the two ahead automatically parted, opening a view in the middle for her to see. Xia Xi saw Xu Yanfeng five meters away, along with his roommate.

"Is that him?" Wang Qiuyu laughed.

That tall, slender build, elegant and noble aura, noticeable from afar.

Xia Xi stuffed the uneaten ham sandwich into her bag, held a cup of pumpkin millet porridge in her hand, raised a finger to her lips to signal silence, crouched low and sneaked up, then, taking advantage of Xu Yanfeng's inattention, suddenly jumped up and latched onto his neck.

Xu Yanfeng's stance didn't waver; he grabbed her arm with one hand, turned his head to see it was her, his vigilance instantly vanished, he loosened his grip, his face darkening: "Why do you always like to sneak attack?"

"Trying to scare you a jump is so hard."

Xia Xi stuck out her tongue at him, then smiled, took her arm off his shoulder, naturally wrapped it around his arm, the strap on her shoulder slid to the elbow bend, she simply took it off and handed it to Xu Yanfeng for him to hold.

She declared upfront: "I don't do secret relationships."

She had thought about it yesterday: if we're dating, let's be open and aboveboard, no sneaking around.

Xu Yanfeng glanced at her slender wrist, glad he hadn't hurt her, then calmly took her bag and expressed: "I never said I wanted to hide it."

Xia Xi curled her lip: "Then that's fine."

Beside them, one, two, three faces were all copy-pasted stunned expressions.

Not to mention they were unaware, even Zhao Lei and the others behind, who clearly knew Xia Xi and Xu Yanfeng were already together, were still shocked by her just‑done action—how dare she just jump onto his back like that.

Xu Yanfeng's aloof, icy personality—although many classmates who've interacted with him say he's actually not as hard to get along with as the rumors suggest—his face and innate bearing give off a strong sense of distance, making people dare not act rudely in front of him, let alone offend him.

Xia Xi's courage is truly great; who could pull off what she did?

So saying, her being able to win Xu Yanfeng isn't without trace.

Chen Mian, frozen for a long while, pointed at Xu Yanfeng, then at Xia Xi, his fingers trembling up and down: "You…… you……" He swallowed, still unable to get out what he wanted to say, "You…… this is……"

Xia Xi narrowed her eyes, expressing doubt: Are she and Xu Yanfeng together really that shocking?

"Senior, what's that look of yours, making it seem like we're having an affair." Xia Xi, seeming unwilling to accept it, clung tighter to Xu Yanfeng's arm, pressing her face against him.

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

He still wasn't quite used to her…… this openly ardent enthusiasm, but he didn't pull his hand away to upset her. He lowered his gaze; in his eyes she had eyebrows raised, chin slightly lifted, lips curled—a typical triumphant expression.

He turned his face, slightly pursed his lips.

He wasn't trying to laugh; he just felt she was a bit like a fluffy little goose craning its neck.

Chen Mian, having exclaimed enough, gave Xia Xi a thumbs‑up.

Although he didn't speak, Xia Xi understood his meaning—he was praising her. She bit the straw, took a sip of millet porridge, and gave a restrained nod: "Thank you."

Not only they had the 8 a. m. class; many other students from various colleges and majors, whether walking or biking, gazed in unison at Xia Xi and Xu Yanfeng—more precisely, at their tightly intertwined arms.

What does this pose signify……

Someone hadn't even reacted yet when their bicycle hit the curb.

No matter how far the road, it has an end; from the cafeteria gate to the College of Architecture, two turns and you're there. Xia Xi had finished her cup of porridge; when she stepped onto the teaching building's stairs, she let go of Xu Yanfeng's arm and took back her bag from him.

"Can we have lunch together at noon?" she said.

Xu Yanfeng looked at her: "I have something this afternoon, can only eat at the cafeteria."

"I meant eating at the cafeteria." Xia Xi laughed, "You thought we were going somewhere else?"

Xu Yanfeng didn't take her cue, just said: "We'll get in touch then."

The two parted, each going to their respective classroom floors.

Within a day, the news that Xia Xi had won over the campus belle Xu Yanfeng spread throughout the school, causing a sensation.

Many people refused to believe it, or rather couldn't accept it, they went around asking for proof; the proof they got was that the two went to class together in the morning holding hands, Xu Yanfeng carried Xia Xi's bag; at noon they ate together in the cafeteria, Xi Xi's tray was always brought by Xu Yanfeng, Xia Xi even ate dishes from his plate, halfway through she got spicy and wanted water, Xu Yanfeng went to the supermarket to buy her a boxed milk, even inserting the straw for her……

If this doesn't count as being together, what does?

I heard that many girls gathered on the rooftop that evening, doing nothing else but just enjoying the breeze and drinks, mourning their own secret crushes that came to nothing.

Now, looking back at the forum post Xia Xi once made declaring she would pursue Xu Yanfeng, many commenters mocked her for overestimating herself, wasting effort, and advised her to switch targets, which now seems especially funny.

Late at night in the dormitory, Zhao Lei grabbed Xia Xi's shoulders and shook her, saying: "Do you know how many girls on campus today are crying over breakups, getting drunk at bars, and burning the secretly kept photos of Xu Yanfeng?"

Xia Xi did not act smug; she put her palms together and sincerely apologized: "I'm sorry to them."

Zhao Lei couldn't bear to blame her, having witnessed firsthand how Xia Xi had step by step won Xu Yanfeng, so she firmly stood by her side: "Forget it, you deserve this."

Xia Xi smiled faintly.

Zhao Lei said: "Fortunately none of us in the dorm secretly love him, otherwise we'd have to stage a sisterly catfight, and I wouldn't know how to break it up."

Xia Xi laughed heartily from being teased.

She crawled back onto bed and sent Xu Yanfeng a message: "What are your plans for the Qingming Festival holiday?"

The holiday starts on April 4, a three-day break; not long, so aside from local Nancheng students, most people won't choose to go home, because they'd have to return to school soon, which is troublesome.

After a few minutes, Xu Yanfeng replied: "I'll be with family on the 4th, honor ancestors on the 5th, and have a ball game with friends on the 6th, returning to school in the afternoon."

Xia Xi rolled her eyes: "What a guy, three days off and not a single day for your girlfriend—you really are willing to leave me out in the cold."

Xu Yanfeng humbly asked: "What does 'leaving you out in the cold' mean?"

Xia Xi explained to him: "It means ignoring me."

Xu Yanfeng genuinely protested: "But I am paying attention to you right now."

Xia Xi laughed despite herself, flopped onto the bed, her phone buzzing in her palm as another message came in: "Then I'll keep you company on the 4th."

Seeing his sincerity, Xia Xi felt a bit overwhelmed by the favor, and wondered how she could possibly let him cancel his time with family.