"130315…"
Zeng Shunxi had repeated those numbers in her mind all day, so distracted she nearly walked into walls. She wasn't someone with a bad memory—quite the opposite—but the moment she got anywhere near Guo Chouzhou, her brain short-circuited like a severed wire. All she could hear was that deep, magnetic voice of his, replaying in her skull, until every other digit he said simply vanished.
Hardly anyone had his number; Guo Chouzhou didn't exactly socialize. She was such an idiot—why didn't she just ask him properly back when she joined the student council? Now she was like a detective cracking a cipher, scrambling through endless permutations.
But after hours of replaying their conversation in her head, she was sure about the first few digits. Only the last two were missing.
So she took a deep breath, dialed from 01 all the way up, and endured dozens of cold, merciless busy tones—
Until she heard his voice.
"Hello?" Guo Chouzhou answered calmly.
Zeng Shunxi's heart skipped so hard it hurt. She almost forgot how to speak. Just before he hung up, she blurted out:
"Is… is this Guo Chouzhou?"
"Yes."
Simple. Clean. Minimal.
"I—my name is Zeng Shunxi. I'm the girl who asked for your number the other day." She didn't expect him to remember her at all.
"Oh."
He sounded indifferent, but the corner of his lips quietly lifted. He knew almost no one had his number. If she managed to call him after two days… she must've worked for it. He silently admired her persistence.
His cold tone made her want to retreat, but she had fought too hard for this chance. She had only a little time left before graduation. If she didn't speak now, she never would.
So she clenched her fists and forced the words out, reminding him:
"I'm not sure if you remember me. We were in the same group in freshman year—our project got the highest score. Later we worked together in the student council on publicity…"
"Hello."
Neither acknowledging nor denying. Just that one word.
Zeng Shunxi panicked. He was even more concise than she imagined. Was he annoyed? About to hang up?
She didn't dare risk it. With no time left for dignity, she poured everything out in one breath:
"I like you! I've liked you since the first moment I saw you! It's been three years! I know you like being alone and reading mysteries, you learn fast, you get good grades. People think you're cold but I know you just think differently. I like your looks, your personality—everything. I like all of you!"
She didn't wait for his reply.
She hung up.
Her hands trembled. She wasn't even sure what she'd said—just that she followed the script in her head. Pretty smoothly, actually. Good job, Zeng Shunxi. You were brave.
Then she smacked herself. She had confessed—sure, but she didn't even let him respond!
What if—just WHAT IF—he had something to say?
No, impossible. Not even worth dreaming about.
Despite telling herself that, the next day at noon she still found herself lingering on the third-floor hallway of the main building, watching him from afar—an old habit she couldn't break. She'd brought a lunchbox today; she didn't dare go to the cafeteria where she knew he'd be. She didn't want him finding out she'd been watching him for years like a criminal waiting for judgment.
As she debated whether to peek or not, Guo Chouzhou appeared below, right on schedule.
Then—he suddenly looked up.
Right at her.
Zeng Shunxi dropped into a squat so fast she nearly sprained her ankle. She half-squatted, half-ran to a bench, sat down, pretended to casually open her lunch, and ate while sneaking glances downstairs.
When she finally couldn't see him anymore, she exhaled deeply and finished her meal.
She packed up, turned around—
And froze.
Guo Chouzhou stood directly in front of her.
No escape. No hiding. No pretending.
"You know," he said, one hand in his pocket, eyes tilted with a teasing glint, "your favorite hobby might actually be spying on me, right?"
Zeng Shunxi stared at him, stunned.
This… this was the longest sentence he'd ever said to her.
And he was teasing?
Before she could react, Guo Chouzhou stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
His voice was soft against her ear.
"If you had the courage to spy on me, why didn't you come talk to me? I was looking for you."
"You… were looking for me?"
Her brain felt like cotton. She honestly didn't know if this was real.
"You confessed and hung up right away," he said, still holding her. "Were you that certain I was your boyfriend?"
"Boy… boyfriend?" She wouldn't dare imagine.
"Alright then," he said with a small smile, "girlfriend."
Zeng Shunxi nearly fainted.
He steadied her gently.
"Why were you eating alone here? You know when I go to the cafeteria, where I sit, what I usually order. Why didn't you come sit with me?"
"I… I thought you might be… busy." She lied—because how could she admit she never once imagined she'd ever sit beside him?
"No matter how busy I am," he said, looking straight into her eyes, "I'll eat with you."
Her heartbeat went wild. This was beyond anything she'd ever dared dream. Even if someone offered her ten billion dollars to trade this moment, she wouldn't. Not for anything.
Right now she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs:
"GUO CHOUZHOU IS MY BOYFRIEND! AND I—ZENG SHUNXI—AM HIS GIRLFRIEND!!!"