Chapter 33

After the debate, Du Ruo’s classmates started seeing her in a whole new light.
That’s when it really hit everyone, over the past year, she’d transformed, completely shedding that awkward, timid vibe she had when she first arrived.
But Du Ruo kept her head clear.
This victory in the debate had given her a huge boost of confidence, but she knew it was only possible because she’d trained intensely with the debate club for a while, enough to handle amateur competitions. As for being truly eloquent? Not even close. There’s always more to learn, so she’d take her time. Anyway, debate was never her true ambition.
After all, you only have so much energy to go around.
These days, most of her time was still spent in the library or the lab, helping the senior students fix and build all kinds of sensors, and working on her own inertial measurement unit too.
Her schedule was packed as ever, but her mood was lighter.
She’d picked up her habit of early-morning reading again, and had even started jogging around the track in the evenings.
One evening, as usual, Du Ruo headed to the track. Passing by the basketball courts, she glanced through the chain-link fence and spotted Li Qinghe playing ball. She might have kept walking, but he noticed her and waved her over.
So she went to the court, standing at the edge and watching him play. He came over after a while, smiling as he walked up.
Du Ruo asked, “Did you want something?”
“Yeah, about the debate.” Li Qinghe grinned. “I spent all that time worrying about you guys. Even if I didn’t help much, I worked hard enough at least. But then, you go and win, bump into me as you leave, toss out a cheap ‘thanks,’ and call it a day. Not even a real thank you?”
Du Ruo laughed out loud. “So you’re here to collect your reward?”
“Obviously. Since when were you and I ever formal?” Li Qinghe said. He’d just finished playing basketball and was sweating buckets, wiping his face with his hand.
Du Ruo noticed and handed him a tissue from her pocket. “Alright, how about a meal on me, then? What are you craving, Cantonese, Sichuan, hotpot?”
“Thanks.” He took the tissue and wiped his sweat, then smiled, “Forget it, you’re my junior after all. I’ll make it easy for you, meal at the cafeteria, a good claypot rice is enough.”
Surprised, Du Ruo raised a brow and teased, “Saving me money, are you?”
“Why, is that a problem?”
“Not at all, that makes my life easier,” she joked.
Back when she’d just met Li Qinghe, she’d thought him the model senior, handsome, smart, good-natured, always ready to help, basically the perfect older brother type. But there had always been a little distance.
The more she got to know him, though, the more down-to-earth he seemed. Take away his “honor student” glow and he was straightforward, low-key, never flashy or showy, but never careless either. He didn’t have Jing Ming’s sense of style, but looked as neat, fresh, and approachable as any student could.
Because he was so ordinary, the formalities and distance fell away. The more familiar they got, the easier it was to share a joke or arrange a meal together.
“Alright then, claypot rice it is.”
When he went through the first tissue, his neck still dripping sweat, she handed him another. “You sweat a lot? Same as me?”
“Yeah, just a little exercise and I’m soaked,” Li Qinghe grinned, wiping his neck before glancing up, “Hey, do you like Eason Chan?”
“Huh? He’s pretty good, why?”
“He’s performing at the Bird’s Nest next week.”
“Seriously? A concert?”
Just then, a sharp voice snapped from the side, “Move it!”
Du Ruo jumped a little. Turning around, she saw it was Jing Ming.
She was standing right under the basketball hoop, blocking him from grabbing his stuff.
His expression was unreadable, but he definitely seemed in a mood.
His agitated vibe made her anxious, glancing left and right, not sure which way to step to get out of his way. He got impatient waiting, so he just stepped forward and reached around her for his jacket hanging on the hoop.
Du Ruo startled, heart thumping as he closed in. Instinctively, she tried to step back, but her back hit the stand, there was nowhere left to go.
Jing Ming didn’t care, just reached past her to grab his stuff, the scent of sweat and heat pouring off his body and flooding her senses.
She froze, breath catching as she found herself pressed into his arms, glancing up in time to see sweat dripping from his sharp jaw, nearly falling onto her forehead. She swallowed and darted her gaze away, his collarbone right in front of her, far too close.
And then, in a flash, he’d grabbed his jacket and walked away, never so much as looking at her, cold as a stranger.
It was only then that Du Ruo exhaled, watching his retreating figure from a distance.
After the debate, he’d vanished almost immediately. She’d texted him a thank you, and he didn’t even bother to reply.
Du Ruo gave up on chasing him down, and she didn’t dwell on this little run-in just now either.
Until a few nights later, when she was studying at the library, and Jing Ming called her out of the blue.
Strange.
She hurried into the hallway. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” His tone was still a little off.
“Library. What’s up?”
“Come out. I’ve got something for you.”
Du Ruo rolled her eyes. “What is it?”
“You’ll know when you get here.” He paused for a moment, then added, “Never mind, I’m nearby. I’ll bring it over. Meet me downstairs.”
“Wait!” she called out softly.
“What is it?”
“Too many people go in and out of the library,” she muttered, keeping her distance out of habit. “Let’s meet behind the administration building instead.”
She really did not want anyone seeing her meeting up with him at night.
There was a brief silence on the other end, then he just hung up.
Du Ruo: “…”
Uh…
Seriously, which is it? Does he mean to meet at the admin building, or wait at the library entrance?
Whatever. She headed downstairs and made her way quickly to their usual spot, the same place he’d given her a laptop last year.
Away from the classrooms, the path was completely empty.
It was early summer, the streetlamps stretching tree branch shadows across the road. The leaves weren’t fully grown yet, so the shapes of the branches stood out, sharp and clean against the ground.
The air was warming up, just the start of summer.
Like that early autumn before, the days were gentle, the nights cool and fresh.
The moon was out too, pale and creamy, pouring over the long, straight road beside the admin building.
But she wasn’t out here for the scenery. She bounced on her toes, standing on the steps, waiting.
Luckily, she didn’t wait long, Jing Ming arrived soon after.
Denim jacket, cargo pants, the usual, laidback but somehow sharp. Except, his hands were empty.
He walked right up to her, close, his tall frame blocking out the streetlamp above her head.
She leaned back a little, confused. “Didn’t you say you had something for me?”
He glanced down at her, expressionless, and fished a thick piece of card out of his cargo pocket. “Here.”
Du Ruo took it for a look, Eason Chan concert tickets. And not just any seat: VIP, first row!
She was stunned for a second, then eyed him with suspicion. “Wait… you… you’re really giving this to me?”
He pulled a lopsided smile, careless. “Someone trying to suck up to my mom gave it to her. She told me to hand it over to you.”
“Oh, I see. Thank your mom for me.” Relief washed over her. She clasped the ticket, grinning ear to ear, practically sparkling with excitement.
Moonlight glazed her face, her cheeks a soft, rosy glow, dimples deepening as she smiled.
Jing Ming glanced down at her, gave a dismissive little snort, and looked away toward the flowerbed, even as the corners of his mouth threatened to lift.
But just a few seconds later, Du Ruo’s brows drew together in a tiny frown.
Originally, she and Li Qinghe had planned to go to the concert together. He was clueless about tickets, didn’t realize they went on sale six months in advance. By now, only resellers had any left, and they cost an arm and a leg, not exactly something two students could afford.
Li Qinghe was a massive Eason Chan fan and eventually decided to just hang out outside the venue to listen. Du Ruo thought it sounded fun and volunteered to join.
And that was the plan.
She never expected a first row VIP ticket to drop out of the sky, putting her in an impossible position.
Go enjoy the concert by herself and ditch Li Qinghe? Not cool.
And even if Jing Ming’s mom was just passing on a freebie, these tickets weren’t cheap.
She hesitated, smiled awkwardly, and tried to hand the ticket back. “It’s kind of weird to go to a concert alone. You must want to see it too, right? Here, why don’t you go instead…”
“Who said you’re going alone?” Jing Ming replied, “My mom gave me two tickets.”
Du Ruo blinked blankly, wait, the two of them? Going together?
She made her decision quickly, pulling a regretful face. “Ah, shoot, I just remembered, I’ve got something that night! How about you give the tickets to someone else? Or maybe take Li Wei. I mean, these are worth a lot; you could sell them, you know. I’m good, but please thank your mom for me… and, uh, thank you too.”
She couldn’t have declined more gently. Still, his expression shifted, but somehow he held his tongue, not saying a word.
Du Ruo’s scalp tingled with awkwardness.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going.” She plotted her escape, managed to take a few quick steps before he frowned, grabbed her arm, and yanked her back with surprising force.
She practically crashed into him, startled. “What are you doing?”
“Stand still!” he snapped.
She froze in shock, staring wide-eyed.
He gave her a slow, icy once-over, from head to toe.
Ha, not a single good thing about her.
Done scrutinizing, he scowled and marched away, not saying another word.
…Du Ruo was left standing there, completely lost.
What… just happened???
…
On concert night, Jing Ming went anyway.
He’d bent over backward and spent a fortune getting those tickets, it’d be a crime to waste them.
But sitting beside an empty seat the whole night? That was just plain torture.
Damn it!
The place was electric, but he sprawled in his chair, totally unenthused, stone-faced like he’d just heard a death sentence.
Halfway through, a stunning girl in the next row finally set aside her glowing fan sign, kneaded her sore shoulders, and turned to him with a sweet voice. “Sorry, handsome, is this seat yours?”
His eyes slid lazily over. “Yeah. Why?”
“Mind if I park my sign here for a bit?” she asked, smiling, starting to put it down on the empty chair.
“Don’t.” Jing Ming shot back.
The girl froze, clearly caught off guard by how curt he was. She was gorgeous, clearly used to men falling over themselves for any request.
He gave her fan a disdainful look. “Touch my chair and I’ll smash it.”
The girl’s expression changed. She rolled her eyes, hugged her sign, and focused on the music.
Jing Ming sat stiff in the dizzy lights, moody as hell. Finally, he couldn’t stand the pounding bass anymore, stood up, and left early.
He picked up his car in the parking lot, merged onto the highway, and hit a red at an intersection.
He stopped, elbow on the car window, fingers pressed to his forehead.
From outside, Eason Chan’s voice floated from inside the stadium and rippled across the night sky.
He tuned it out, slumping back in his seat and staring at the red light. At some point, his eyes wandered out the window, glimpsing the glowing stadium in the distance, and his chest twisted painfully, just like someone stabbed him straight through.
He’d spotted Du Ruo.
She was leaning on a roadside barrier, gazing at the Bird’s Nest, head tilted, thoroughly lost in the music.
Right beside her, Li Qinghe propped himself up on the railing too.
Jing Ming gripped the wheel tighter and tighter, then, slowly, forced his hand to relax.
The traffic signal changed.
The sapphire-blue sports car shot forward, disappearing instantly into the night.