I don’t think things between us should end here…

Listening to his story, a wave of inexplicable bitterness rose in Shi Xing’s chest. So they had met so long ago.

“That was when something happened to my grandfather,” she explained, her lashes trembling slightly as she met his gaze.
“I had to return to my hometown to take care of his funeral.”

Ji Yu nodded, his tone softening.
“I know. Later, I went to your school to look for you.”

“Every time I saw you laughing and joking with your roommates at the school gate, I felt especially envious.”
He paused, then laughed at himself.
“I envied that they could be by your side all the time, while I didn’t even have the courage to appear in front of you again.”

Outside, the night was hazy. Inside the bedroom, the lighting was dim and fluid. Half of his face was hidden in shadow, black strands of hair falling over his forehead, making his expression hard to read.

Shi Xing’s eyes slowly welled up. She sniffed lightly and looked up at him.
“You never told me any of this.”

Ji Yu lowered his head, his expression unclear.
“I wasn’t sure how deeply you felt about me. Just like how we still didn’t meet the next day back then… I didn’t dare gamble again.”

“So when you agreed to break up with me, was it because you really thought I didn’t like you anymore?” Shi Xing asked.

Ji Yu lowered his eyes and shook his head.
“Not entirely. I could clearly feel how unhappy you were during that time. After we broke up, I often reflected on myself—how incompetent must I have been as a boyfriend to make my girlfriend so unhappy?”

He continued quietly,
“But after the breakup, I still wasn’t willing to let go. I kept thinking that things between us couldn’t possibly end like that, so…”

Before he could finish, Shi Xing interrupted,
“So you registered a burner account, kept chatting with me, and even sent me job postings from the Sports Bureau.”

“Yes.”

There were never that many coincidences—only his long-planned persistence.

Shi Xing lowered her gaze, lost in thought. Then she laughed softly.
“You’re really foolish.”

She wasn’t sure whether she was saying that to Ji Yu or to herself.

When their eyes met again, she finally saw it clearly—the love in his gaze was no longer hidden, but surged toward her like a tide.

This time, Shi Xing didn’t avoid it. She met his burning eyes head-on and said softly,
“Let’s get back together.”

Ji Yu froze. After a brief pause, he repeated in disbelief,
“What did you say?”

“I said I like you.”
Shi Xing’s eyes were gentle, tears shimmering as she smiled.

The next second, she was pulled tightly into his arms. He held her with such force that she was completely enveloped in his familiar scent. She wrapped her arms around his neck in return. Both of them cherished this reunion, long delayed yet dearly earned.

Then, as if remembering something, he tilted his head slightly to look at her. They were so close that he only needed to lower his head a little to touch her lips.

“I’ve always had a question I wanted to ask you,” he said in a low, magnetic voice, warm breath brushing against her ear.

In the quiet air, an unspoken intimacy drifted silently. Shi Xing felt weak all over, her senses tingling. She replied softly,
“Go ahead.”

“If I hadn’t been that online friend… would you really have fallen for him?”
There was a trace of scrutiny in his gaze.

Shi Xing stiffened and hurried to explain,
“But you said if. Reality wouldn’t be like that.”

Before Ji Yu could say anything else, Shi Xing suddenly kissed him.

Light spilled down along his shoulders, coating him in a soft glow. She could clearly see his eyelashes fluttering slightly. Their noses brushed, breaths growing uneven, lips and tongues entwining in a sticky, lingering kiss.

When Shi Xing finally let out a breathless “mm” and tried to push him away, his hand firmly cradled the back of her head. He pulled her waist closer and deepened the kiss.

The moon hung high in the night sky. A thin mist lingered in the air, dampening everything with a soft sheen.

The next day at work, Shi Xing lightly supported her waist and hissed softly. Liu Yu noticed immediately.

“What happened to your back?” Liu Yu asked with concern.

Shi Xing shook her head awkwardly.
“Probably twisted it by accident.”

Liu Yu laughed and teased,
“Don’t tell me we’ll have to treat you ourselves.”

Shi Xing laughed along.

As they walked downstairs toward the cafeteria, they spotted Ji Yu leaning casually against a corner wall, clearly waiting for her.

Liu Yu immediately took the hint.
“I’ll head off first.”

Before Shi Xing could reply, Ji Yu hummed lightly,
“Mhm.”

After Liu Yu left, Shi Xing slowly descended the stairs. Ji Yu’s gaze followed her closely as he said indulgently,
“You’re so slow.”

Just as Shi Xing was about to defend herself, he added,
“But I’m willing to wait.”

When she reached him, Ji Yu leaned down slightly, instantly shortening the distance between them. Shi Xing gently pushed him away. Thinking of the night before, her ears flushed red.

Ji Yu glanced at her and let out a low laugh.
“What are you thinking about?”

Knowing he was teasing her on purpose, Shi Xing shot him a glare and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed her back. This time, his expression turned serious.
“I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s go home.”

Shi Xing deliberately played dumb.
“Home? Whose home?”

He lowered his head, his voice brushing against her ear.
“Of course—our home.”

With that, he took her hand and led her toward the parking lot. Just then, they ran into Xie He and a group of others preparing to head out. Shi Xing quickly pulled Ji Yu into a corner to hide.

In the dim shadows, Ji Yu looked down at her, something unreadable swirling in his deep eyes.

“I’m afraid Xie He will see us and start spreading rumors again,” Shi Xing explained quickly.

Even though their relationship was now clear, she still didn’t want it entangled with work.

Once Xie He’s voice faded away, she said patiently,
“I hope we can keep some distance here in the future. It wouldn’t look good if people saw us.”

Ji Yu didn’t really mind, but seeing how anxious she looked, he couldn’t help teasing her.
“So you mean once we’re home, we can do whatever we want?”

Shi Xing froze. That clearly wasn’t what she meant—and now she couldn’t explain it properly either way.

When they got home, Xiyu immediately ran up to Shi Xing. Ji Yu helped put down her bag, then casually headed into the kitchen.

Shi Xing rubbed the dog’s nose and suddenly realized something.

Xiyu, Xiyu—“liking Ji Yu.”

That guy really didn’t miss a single opportunity to take advantage.

As they sat down to eat, Shi Xing said,
“I’m going to Nanlin City this weekend.”

Ji Yu glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Why all of a sudden?”

“Xiaoxiao’s getting married. I’m going to help her choose a wedding dress.”

Ji Yu checked his training schedule thoughtfully.
“I’ll go with you.”

Shi Xing shook her head, smiling.
“It’s just the neighboring city, not someplace dangerous. Focus on training. You can pick me up at the airport on Monday.”

Seeing she was firm, Ji Yu didn’t insist.
“Alright.”

Just then, the TV cut to an advertisement—footage of the Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway.

Light and shadow intertwined beautifully. The aurora danced across the sky like flowing brushstrokes in a painting.

Shi Xing and Xiyu were completely captivated until Ji Yu spoke, pulling their attention back.
“Next month, when I have time off, let’s go to Norway.”

Shi Xing stared at him blankly before processing his words.

Moments later, her face lit up brilliantly.
“Really?”

Ji Yu nodded. Xiyu seemed to understand too and let out a few excited whines. Ji Yu tapped its head and laughed.
“Don’t worry—we’ll bring you along.”

Hearing that, Xiyu happily ran circles around them. Shi Xing laughed as well.

“Who do you think it takes after?” she asked.

“Half me, half you,” Ji Yu replied casually.

Shi Xing snorted.
“The good parts take after me. The bad parts take after you.”

“Oh?” He smiled faintly, clearly amused.
“What’s bad about me?”

Shi Xing couldn’t think of an answer and turned her head away.

Ji Yu didn’t press further and let it go.

After dinner, Shi Xing prepared to leave. Xiyu, however, clung to her unusually tightly.

Ji Yu raised an eyebrow, his voice low.
“It doesn’t want you to go either.”

Shi Xing met his gaze but still rejected it firmly.
“No, I really have to go.”

Hearing this, Xiyu immediately drooped and lay on the floor in disappointment.

Shi Xing forced herself not to look back. Only after getting into Ji Yu’s car did she finally let out a sigh.

“Now I finally understand that feeling—when a kid uses guilt to keep their mom around.”

Ji Yu chuckled, then said seriously,
“But we’re not like that.”

After a pause, he added,
“We’re very happy.”

Shi Xing met his eyes and nodded.
“Yes. We’re very happy.”

After Ji Yu dropped her off, Shi Xing lay in bed replaying everything that had happened over the past few days. It all felt a little fast. She considered messaging Ying Xiaoxiao, but seeing the time, she figured she was probably asleep. She decided to wait until she arrived in Nanlin.

The clock struck midnight.

The night slowly blanketed the city. Shi Xing drifted into sleep, while downtown, neon lights blazed and traffic flowed endlessly.

Her heart brimmed with anticipation for the upcoming trip to Nanlin—completely unaware that danger was quietly approaching.

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