Chapter 53

Just as Yan Xiao’s mind went blank,
007: [You’re… not going to say yes?]
Didn’t I tell you to get lost?! she snapped.
But after its earlier screw-up, 007 was desperate to redeem itself. [You’re really that eager to go back? Even if you can’t now, when your natural life here ends, you’ll still return! Think about it, an extra lifetime, and such a brilliant one at that! You’ve come out ahead!]
Yan Xiao: “…” What kind of manipulative self-help book did this junk system read? You’re trying to gaslight me now?!
007 (solemnly): [It’s not gaslighting. It’s a fact.]
Yan Xiao hissed, “He’s the villain! The male lead is supposed to destroy him!”
007: [So what? You could help him, couldn’t you?]
Yan Xiao: “…”
007: [Besides, isn’t love about the person, not their fate? If you knew he’d die tomorrow, would that make you love him any less today?]
Yan Xiao: “…”
The light turned green.
The crowd surged forward once more. Qiu Li didn’t ask anything else; he simply held her hand and walked with her through the glow of the setting sun.
The city shimmered in golden light, noise and motion all around them, but Yan Xiao could only stare blankly at Qiu Li’s profile beside her.
By the time they arrived at the restaurant and settled into a private room, ordered, and waited for the waiter to come and go with the dishes, Yan Xiao finally snapped out of her daze.
Qiu Li, acting as if nothing had happened, naturally served her a portion of the spicy beef tendons.
“Try it,” he said. “See if it still tastes like before.”
Yan Xiao picked up her chopsticks, chewed a couple of bites without tasting a thing, swallowed, and nodded stiffly. “Mm. It’s good.”
Watching her half-hearted response, Qiu Li frowned slightly. He was about to say something, softly, patiently, the way he always did when coaxing her, when she suddenly spoke.
“Um” Yan Xiao’s eyes stayed fixed on the glossy porcelain plate in front of her.
His heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. “What is it?”
The plate was too bright, it almost hurt to look at. But she couldn’t bring herself to look up and meet his eyes, so she kept her gaze on it, letting the reflected light blur her vision.
After a long pause, she clenched her jaw and finally said, “About what you said earlier.”
Qiu Li felt like his heart had stopped. He held his breath, waiting for what would come next.
“Give me some time to think about it.”
The room went completely silent.
Yan Xiao already felt nervous and uncomfortable, and that silence made it even worse, so thick she could barely breathe.
Qiu Li forced down the flood of emotion threatening to rise in his chest. The flicker of joy that wanted to surface, he smothered it completely. With a faint, calm smile, he said, “There’s no rush. Eat before it gets cold, it’ll be tough to chew later.”
Hearing his steady, unbothered tone, Yan Xiao finally exhaled a breath of relief. She reached for her food,
[Ding!]
Yan Xiao: “…”
Her hand jerked. The chopsticks slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the table.
Without missing a beat, Qiu Li handed her his own pair. “Here, use mine first.”
Then he calmly called the waiter and asked for another set.
All the composure Yan Xiao had just regained crumbled instantly. She stared down at the table, cheeks burning. How embarrassing could one day get?
And worse, every time she remembered that those past “ding ding dings” from the system weren’t dislike notifications but affection points, she wanted to bury herself alive.
Thankfully, 007 knew better than to speak up at this moment, allowing her at least a little peace.
By the end of the meal, she finally relaxed a bit. She even dared to look at Qiu Li again.
But now, because of his confession, she couldn’t look at him for more than three seconds without her heart racing and her face heating up.
Having grown up together for over a decade, Qiu Li noticed her unease immediately. But he didn’t call her out, he just quietly gave her space, letting her breathe. After all, he thought, there was plenty of time ahead. She’d get used to it, used to him, in this new, closer role beside her.
After dinner, instead of heading straight back to campus, he took her for a walk around the nearby shopping street.
They weren’t there to buy anything, it was just to stroll among people, to let her loosen up.
It was Friday night, and the university district was bustling. To avoid getting separated in the crowd, Qiu Li did what he always did, reached out and held her hand naturally.
Yan Xiao instantly stiffened.
Holding hands used to be something normal between them, as childhood friends. But now, it was different!
And yet, pulling away now would look weird.
Caught between flustered and confused, she gave up and just let him hold her hand. Like a limp salted fish, she let him lead her through the crowd.
By the time they finally returned to campus, things had gone back to almost normal. She wasn’t as jumpy or awkward as she’d been during dinner.
Qiu Li walked her all the way to the dorm entrance, handed her a box of fresh-cut fruit, and said, “Go to bed early. Don’t overthink things.”
Yan Xiao instinctively retorted, “I’m not overthinking! Don’t talk nonsense!”
She glared up at him defiantly, just like she always used to, but the moment their eyes met, her face turned bright red.
“I mean…” she mumbled, quickly looking away. She grabbed the fruit box and spun toward the door. “I’m going. You should go to bed too!”
Qiu Li chuckled, eyes curving into crescents. “Good night.”
Yan Xiao stammered, “Mm. N-night.”
He stood there watching until the elevator doors closed behind her. Only then did he turn away, taking out his phone as he walked.
Qiu Li: “Back in your dorm yet?”
Inside her room, the lights had just flicked on when Yan Xiao saw the message. She froze, then spun around like he might be standing right behind her.
What the, did he follow her? How did he time it so perfectly?!
After looking around and confirming he wasn’t there, she chalked it up to coincidence.
Yan Xiao: “Yeah. I’m a little tired today, gonna shower and sleep. Talk tomorrow.”
It wasn’t even nine yet, but Qiu Li sighed and replied anyway.
Qiu Li: “Alright. See you tomorrow.”
He stared at the typing indicator blinking on the screen for a long moment before her reply came through:
Yan Xiao: “See you tomorrow.”
He slipped the phone into his pocket, looked up at the half-moon hanging above the city, and smiled faintly. Much smoother than expected.
Meanwhile, Yan Xiao sat motionless at her desk for who knew how long before finally dragging herself up to wash.
When she came out of the bathroom, her roommate had just returned.
Her roommate paused, staring at her. “Huh.”
Yan Xiao, slumped like a wilted flower: “What?”
The girl adjusted her thick glasses, the kind that could probably stop bullets, and said bluntly, “You look off. Is it because of Qiu Li?”
This roommate was a hardcore academic, a genius who’d published a paper in Nature back in her junior year. She’d practically lived in the lab since undergrad, and now in grad school, she might as well set up a bed there. Brilliant, razor-sharp, and terrifyingly direct.
Which also meant her bluntness could feel like a slap.
Yan Xiao didn’t know how to respond, so she just made a vague sound: “Ah”
Her roommate rummaged for clothes while talking. “You two still aren’t together?”
The tone of utter disbelief in her roommate’s voice startled Yan Xiao so much she choked on her water.
“Cough, cough, what are you talking about?! When did I ever say Qiu Li and I were together?”
Her roommate gave her a calm, analytical look, the same expression she wore when reviewing lab data. “You should be together.”
Yan Xiao: “…”
The roommate continued matter-of-factly, “He picks you up and drops you off every day, you eat together, you’re practically glued at the hip. Even couples don’t act that close. I always assumed you were keeping it secret because you’re younger. You mean you aren’t together?”
Yan Xiao: “…”
She honestly didn’t even know where to start with that.
But her roommate didn’t seem to care about her response at all. She adjusted her glasses and said in the same detached tone used when evaluating an experiment, “My observation turned out wrong. That shouldn’t happen.”
Yan Xiao couldn’t help laughing. “You’re talking about me like I’m one of your lab results.”
The roommate raised an eyebrow. “Am I not allowed to?”
Yan Xiao immediately surrendered. “Allowed, allowed, completely allowed…” Clearly, she would never understand the thought process of a true research prodigy.
Her roommate pressed on, “So why aren’t you two together?”
Yan Xiao blinked at her in shock. The older girl sighed and added, “I just want to adjust my data model so I don’t make similar errors next time.”
Yan Xiao: “…” Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
When she still didn’t answer, the roommate tilted her chin meaningfully, signaling her to talk.
Overwhelmed by her roommate’s sheer authority, Yan Xiao scratched her head. “Because… uh, I’m not really sure. I don’t even know what I feel myself.”
Her roommate’s brow twitched. “You’re not sure if you like Qiu Li?”
Yan Xiao nodded meekly.
The roommate nodded back, thoughtful. “I see.”
Yan Xiao blinked. “See what?”
Her roommate sighed with an air of revelation. “You’re emotionally underdeveloped. That’s a major interference variable. No wonder my observations were off, ugh, so that’s why my data never matched expectations!”
Yan Xiao: “…”
Her roommate was already halfway to the bathroom, still lecturing like a professor. “You do like him, you just haven’t realized it yet. Don’t overthink, it’s a waste of time. You could’ve written an entire paper in the hours you’ve spent being confused. Not worth it. Besides, men are all the same. Why agonize over it? Total time sink.”
And with that, she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Yan Xiao sitting on her bed, clutching her water cup and staring blankly into the void.
After her roommate showered and headed back to the lab (as always), the dorm fell silent.
Curled under her blanket, Yan Xiao kept hearing those blunt words replaying over and over in her head.
By the time midnight rolled around, she finally threw the covers off and sat up straight.
Yeah, what’s there to hesitate about? she thought fiercely.
It’s just dating! Not the end of the world!
But the next morning, when she saw Qiu Li standing under her dorm with breakfast in his hands, all that late-night courage evaporated on the spot.
“Didn’t sleep well?” Qiu Li asked as usual, taking her bag with practiced ease. His tone was gentle, a touch worried.
Yan Xiao rubbed her face. “Not really…”
When he kept looking at her, she wilted and admitted quietly, “Okay, maybe a little.”
Qiu Li nodded, and then, unexpectedly, said, “I’m sorry.”
Yan Xiao froze.
“What?”
Why was he apologizing?
He turned to face her, his dark eyes lowered, full of guilt. The sight of it made her chest ache painfully.
For a moment, she bit her lip, staring at him. Then, gathering every ounce of courage she had, she blurted,
“Let’s be together.”
Qiu Li: “!”
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Ding!]