I stared despondently at the little heart button at the end of the article. That little heart only turns red when you give it a like; otherwise, it remains empty—just like how I feel right now.
I scrolled down further. Zhao Chenyu's post was indeed popular. After just a few days of updates, the comments had already filled over a dozen pages.
"Damn, bro, you're amazing! You really don't post often, but when you do, it's explosive. This L Hot Mom has a perfect figure and is loaded. Are you being kept by her?"
"Xiao Yu, you're the real deal. I was wondering where you'd been—turns out you were holding back something huge."
"Pfft, who knows if what you're saying is even true? Just take a few photos, rent a villa, and you can write whatever you want."
"Hey, buddy above, how about you rent me a villa then?"
"Just to reiterate, Xiao Yu is awesome, but a suggestion—the 'whoosh-whoosh' sound in the video is really annoying and breaks the immersion. Can you adjust it?"
Zhao Chenyu replied to this comment: "About that, bro, it involves privacy, so let's leave it as is for now. I'll try to figure something out, but I can't reveal L Mama's information."
And I knew that the so-called "whoosh" he mentioned was actually Auntie Ouyang's name, "Lan."
Maybe besides Zhao Chenyu, only I knew this.
"Big shot, big shot, first of all, congratulations on resuming updates. The new L Mama is indeed another gem. I read every post of Xiao Yu's word by word. Also, one more thing—did you delete that post about your senior sister before? Or what happened? Are you still in touch with that senior sister?"
Zhao Chenyu also replied to this one: "Yes, the post is deleted. I won't go into specifics, haha. As for whether we're in touch or not, just enjoy the content, everyone, haha."
Seeing this, I frowned slightly.
Senior sister? Post? Who? Anyone Zhao Chenyu called a senior sister must be from N University. Whatever, never mind who she is. Since the post is deleted, she probably broke things off with Zhao Chenyu.
Just as I stopped thinking about the senior sister's identity, a message suddenly popped up on WeChat.
I opened it—it was from Mu Xianning.
Mu Xianning: "Are you asleep, my dear Young Master Lin? Do you have time tomorrow?"
Me: "What's up? Just say it if you have something."
Mu Xianning: "Do you have time or not? In the evening."
I frowned. In the evening?
Me: "Yes, what is it?"
Mu Xianning: "I want to talk to you alone. Is that okay?"
Me: "What's it about?"
Mu Xianning: "Let's talk in person, okay?"
Me: "Does Jingyan know?"
Mu Xianning: "She can know, or she doesn't have to."
Me: "Alright then, let's talk tomorrow."
I turned off my phone. Mu Xianning—usually she seems so fiery, but why does she always talk to me in such a cryptic way?
I'll see tomorrow!
I pulled up the covers, closed my eyes, and prepared to sleep.
"Snore...
Snore—"
Damn it, Chu Yun!
The next morning, that jerk Chu Yun asked me why I had such dark circles under my eyes. I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him again!
After a full day of classes, it was 6 p.m. when class ended, and the sky was completely dark. I was just about to message Jingyan when I saw her message—she had gone to a banquet with a teacher.
At the same time, there was a message from Mu Xianning: "Come straight to the second cafeteria after class. I've already got your meal ready."
I closed my phone and went directly to the second cafeteria. Scanning around, I saw Mu Xianning waving at me.
Sitting across from her, I looked at the food in the container—sour and spicy shredded potatoes, braised pork, all my favorites.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, breaking apart a pair of disposable chopsticks.
"Eat first," Mu Xianning replied without answering my question.
"Alright," I said. As I ate, something else suddenly occurred to me.
"Why didn't Jingyan take you along to the banquet today?" I asked.
"Eat first."
"You..." I nodded helplessly. Fine, eat first.
Just as I finished my last bite, I saw Mu Xianning pick up a piece of meat and open her mouth. Seeing I was done, she set down her chopsticks, took a tissue from the box beside her, and handed it to me.
"Thanks!" I mumbled through a mouthful of food.
She watched me wipe my mouth, then lowered her head and finished her own meal.
"Alright, let's go," I said.
"Hmm!" We both stood up and left the noisy cafeteria.
As soon as we stepped out of the cafeteria, the cold instantly hit us. I turned to Mu Xianning beside me and asked, "Where to?"
"How about taking a walk around Youth Lake?" Without waiting for my reply, she strode ahead. I shook my head and followed.
"So, what's going on?" I asked. Whether it was because we had walked for a while and warmed up or something else, the area around Youth Lake felt slightly warmer than other places. The air carried a hint of moisture, making it quite comfortable.
"What do you mean, what's going on?" Mu Xianning shot back, catching me off guard. Wait, wasn't it you who asked me out?
"Let me ask first, why didn't Jingyan take you along?" I shoved my hands into my pockets and asked casually.
"Why... because I don't have any connections. She's afraid that if I go, those old perverts might target me." Mu Xianning also tucked her hands into her pockets. Today, she wore an orange trench coat, her jet-black hair cascading down her back with the ends curled inward. Her long, model-like legs made even ordinary jeans look high-end, and paired with her black leather boots, she didn't look like a naive college student but rather a seasoned urban professional.
Mature, yet lonely... I seemed to see a shadow of Aunt Ouyang in her.
"That makes sense, I guess." I lowered my head in thought. In their line of work, connections really do matter. But Mu Xianning does have connections—Jingyan is one.
"And also, why did you ask me out today?" As soon as the words left my mouth, we happened to walk under a streetlamp. The dim yellow light pulled our shadows out from our bodies. Coincidentally, our shadows overlapped.
"Nothing much, just... I'm feeling a bit restless and wanted you to keep me company. Is that not okay?" Mu Xianning stood under the streetlamp, the light shining on her head, adding a warm glow around her.
"Of course, we've been friends for a long time. If something's bothering you, just say it. So, what's really troubling you?" I asked patiently.
"Good friends... right..." She lowered her head in thought, her right shoe tip kicking at her left heel, and said slowly, "Troubles... there are plenty of troubles. For example, you, Lin Xuanyu, are one of my troubles!" As she said my name, she suddenly pointed at me, startling me into taking a step back.
Our shadows separated, the shadow of her arm stretching between the two figures, her hand resting on my neck as if she were choking me.
"What did I do?" I frowned, displeased. Though I might be timid in front of Aunt Ouyang, only she and my mom could make me act that way.
"You tell me, it's your good roommate." Mu Xianning lowered her hand and looked down again, standing on one leg while her right foot swayed casually in front of her left.
"Oh, is that all!" I put my hands on my hips and sighed in relief. Then I continued, "So it's about Chu Yun? What did he do? Did he make you angry or something? Did he upset you during dinner last time?" Jingyan, Chu Yun, Mu Xianning, and I had shared a few meals together. Chu Yun was a bit silly and clumsy, and his words often missed the mark, making it hard for me to know how to help him even when I wanted to.
"Dinner... dinner was fine. It's something more important than dinner." Usually bold and straightforward, she now seemed hesitant and awkward.
"You're talking about... being together?" I guessed.
"Yeah," Mu Xianning nodded, leaning a bit closer to me.
"Well, if you want to be together, then be together," I said casually.
"That casual?" Mu Xianning shot back.
"It's not that I'm casual—it's just that this is between the two of you. Jingyan and I shouldn't interfere too much."
"I want you to interfere," Mu Xianning said, her tone deadly serious.
"One is your roommate, the other is your girlfriend's roommate, and also a friend you've known for a long time. And you won't get involved?" she added.
"In the end, it's your decision to make."
"I want you to make the decision for me." Before my words even finished, Mu Xianning's reply followed, as if she had been waiting to say it all along.
"Me? How can I decide for you? You'll do whatever I say?" I retorted.
"Mhm," Mu Xianning nodded emphatically.
"Really?"
"Mhm!"
"Alright then, right here, right now, take off all your clothes," I joked.
"Okay." As soon as I finished speaking, Mu Xianning let go of her hands, and her coat slid straight down her body to the ground. As my eyes widened in shock, she had already lifted the hem of her high-neck sweater. I could even see her slender waist, without a trace of excess fat.
"Don't!" I rushed over and grabbed her hand, picking up the coat to cover her. I frantically glanced around—thankfully, no one was there.
"Haha..." Mu Xianning laughed.
"What are you laughing at? You were serious! Do you want to make the news tomorrow? You could get expelled!" I scolded her.
"But you'll protect me, won't you?" Mu Xianning said lightly, as if the one about to strip naked wasn't her at all.
"You... I give up! Hurry up and put your clothes on!" I turned away, not wanting to deal with this crazy girl.
"I'm dressed. You still haven't said what I should do about Chu Yun," Mu Xianning asked.
"Then just be with Chu Yun!" I really didn't want to stay with her any longer, lowering my head to look at the shadows. I saw Mu Xianning's hand reach behind her head, brushing through her hair. Then her shadow drew closer and closer to mine until I felt something soft press against my back.
My shadow and hers overlapped once again, darker than before due to the change in position.
"If I'm with Chu Yun, would you be okay with that?" Mu Xianning asked softly, a hint of weariness in her tone.
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" I frowned. This girl—I had a vague feeling she was interested in me, but ever since the start of the semester, she seemed to have stopped hiding it.
After I spoke, Mu Xianning's shadow, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, grew farther and farther away. When I turned my head, she was already at the edge of the streetlight's glow.
"I'll give him a chance—a chance you gave him. But whether he can seize it is up to him." With that, she turned and disappeared into the hazy night.
"This girl!" I muttered under my breath, though there really wasn't much I could do about her.
Forget it—now wasn't the time to think about her. What I needed to focus on most right now was Aunt Ouyang.
It seemed she hadn't come home again today.
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