Midnight Snack

Heng Ji BBQ Stalls are located on the food street near University A, a street bustling with student-oriented businesses that comes alive every evening during late-night snack hours.

The air is filled with the aroma of various grilled meats, cumin, and chili.

Song Xilai nibbled on a lamb skewer, a bottle of chilled beer sitting in front of her, as she vented her frustrations about Xu Huai to her two roommates.

"You have no idea how much money I've spent on Xu Huai over the past few years," she said, gritting her teeth as she counted on her fingers. "This year, I got him signed sneakers for his birthday. I had a friend in the U.S. buy them for me—6,000 yuan. Last year, it was a sports watch—4,000 yuan. And that doesn't even include the little gifts I've given him from time to time. All the money I earned from tutoring over the summer is gone."

Chen Qingyan shrugged, unimpressed. "How many times have I wanted to tell you? Respect yourself, girl!"

Fang Xiaoting's face remained cold. "No sympathy for people with a relationship-obsessed brain."

Song Xilai whined, "Ugh, you guys are so mean."

Chen Qingyan and Fang Xiaoting responded indifferently, "Heh, cut the dramatics."

Just as Song Xilai was about to continue complaining, Fang Xiaoting nudged her knee under the table and gestured subtly with her eyes for her to stop and look ahead.

Li Junqi plopped down beside them with a big grin. "Hey, you're here too! I was just planning to grab some food to go back to the dorm."

Since they were all from the same major, Song Xilai and her friends invited Li Junqi to join them. However, once she sat down, they avoided any deeply personal topics.

Though Li Junqi was a nice person, she had a loose tongue. Any secret shared with her would inevitably make its way around campus the next day, often prefaced with, "I'm telling you a secret—don't tell anyone else!"

Naturally, the group shifted the conversation to safer subjects, drinking beer, eating skewers, and grumbling about their upcoming group project.

After two glasses of beer, Song Xilai's cheeks turned a delicate rosy hue, a telltale sign of her slight inebriation.

Amidst the chatter, Li Junqi's eyes lit up. She grabbed Song Xilai's arm excitedly. "Xilai! Your boyfriend is here—with Liu Tuo!"

Song Xilai pursed her lips. "What?"

Li Junqi pointed towards the entrance. Following her gaze, Song Xilai glanced over and sobered up instantly.

Why did she keep running into him? This was the third time today!

Jiang Fengcheng strolled over unhurriedly. He wore a black hoodie, his sharp features exuding an aloof elegance that stood out starkly on this bustling food street. Walking beside him was Liu Tuo in a gray tracksuit. Both were tall and athletic, commanding attention wherever they went.

Li Junqi was starstruck, her voice filled with admiration. "Oh my gosh, so handsome! Did you know? The swim team guys are known as 'Silver Ears'—the longer they stay in the water, the fairer and more good-looking they get! And they're not like other athletes; I heard they always smell good. Is that true?"

Song Xilai replied flatly, "Not fragrant. Quite smelly, actually."

Li Junqi was taken aback, but Song Xilai merely smiled.

Inwardly, Song Xilai prayed fervently for Jiang Fengcheng not to come over, but as luck would have it, things didn't go her way.

Heng Ji BBQ was packed at this hour, and there were no empty tables left.

The owner led Jiang Fengcheng and Liu Tuo to Song Xilai's table.

"How about sharing a table, handsome guys and beautiful ladies? I'll throw in a free plate of grilled buns!" the owner said with a wide grin.

Li Junqi nudged Song Xilai. "Your boyfriend's here. Aren't you going to say hi?"

Reluctantly, Song Xilai stood up. "Uh, sure, let's share the table."

Chen Qingyan and Fang Xiaoting exchanged mischievous looks, clearly enjoying the drama. Song Xilai was known for her tall tales, and now karma seemed to be catching up with her.

"Great!" The owner beamed.

Liu Tuo, in stark contrast to Jiang Fengcheng, was outgoing and quickly made himself at home among the girls.

With a teasing glance at Jiang Fengcheng, Liu Tuo called out to Song Xilai, "Hey, sis-in-law!"

Unsure if Liu Tuo was aware of the true nature of her relationship with Jiang Fengcheng, Song Xilai smiled awkwardly, lowering her head as though shy.

Her flustered demeanor brought a hint of amusement to Jiang Fengcheng's face.

He kicked Liu Tuo's chair lightly in warning, then pulled out the chair beside Song Xilai and sat down.

Jiang Fengcheng sprawled in his seat, his long legs nearly invading Song Xilai's space. The fabric of his pants brushed against her knees, sending a subtle jolt through her.

Flustered, Song Xilai shifted her legs, trying to put some distance between them.

"I thought you said you'd be studying tonight?" Jiang Fengcheng said.

The two were half an arm's length apart. As Song Xilai moved closer, she could hear Jiang Fengcheng's voice, which seemed to carry a raspy texture, making it irresistibly alluring in the night breeze.

A little flustered, Song Xilai took a sip of beer and mumbled, "I spent the whole evening in the library, okay? Now I'm just relaxing a bit."

Jiang Fengcheng, his long, powerful fingers hooked into the tab of a beer can, popped it open with a soft click. He smiled faintly, the meaning in his expression hard to discern. "Oh, I thought you went to watch the basketball game."

Song Xilai turned her head sharply, her face filled with surprise.

"On Weibo," Jiang Fengcheng hinted.

The school basketball club live-tweeted their games, often including photos of the volunteers.

Being caught red-handed, Song Xilai felt her face flush. She waved a hand to cool herself down, quickly crafting a flimsy excuse in a whisper only the two of them could hear. "Well, I was just trying to leave a good impression on you, you know? You're my ideal type. Love at first sight and all that."

With a couple of beers in her system, Song Xilai's words grew bolder, completely abandoning any sense of shame.

Leaning back in his chair, Jiang Fengcheng crossed his arms, revealing a sleek watch on his wrist. He let out a soft laugh, amused but silent.

Song Xilai gave herself an internal high five.

Ha, not only can I keep a conversation alive, but I can also shut it down completely. Jiang Fengcheng must be speechless now. Hopefully, he'll avoid me from now on, and the rumors will quietly fade away.

As Song Xilai basked in her supposed victory, Jiang Fengcheng suddenly extended his hand. Being the shameless "face-con" she was, Song Xilai couldn't help but glance at it.

The veins on the back of his hand, visible against his smooth skin, ran down to his fingers, giving an unexpectedly captivating aesthetic.

Jiang Fengcheng handed her a cup of warm water, his teasing voice pitched low enough for only her to hear. "Here, drink up. Your ideal type is offering you water."

Song Xilai set down her beer and accepted the cup, giving him a look of disbelief.

This guy can counter anything, can't he? What a walking air conditioner—a total player!

Song Xilai replied with a sarcastic tone, "Wow, Jiang the campus heartthrob is such a good guy. Half the girls in school probably think you're their ideal type. Do you spend two hours every day just handing out water?"

Jiang Fengcheng stretched out his arm and casually rested it on the back of her chair, the corners of his lips curling up in amusement. "And how many ideal types do you have? Looks like you scheduled me for the night shift."

"You..."

Ha! So he's a worthy opponent.

Song Xilai bit into a skewer of lamb, only to notice the others at the table were sneaking glances at her and Jiang Fengcheng. Their eyes sparkled with barely concealed "auntie-level" grins.

Her phone buzzed with a few messages.

Fang Xiaoting: [Are you two really dating? Why are you whispering to each other so much?]

Chen Qingyan: [Wow, first time seeing a real-life broad-shouldered hunk. Sitting next to him makes you look tiny!]

Li Junqi: [I'm not curious about anything else; I just want to know—does it hurt?]

Song Xilai frowned, confused.

Hurt? What?

What on earth are they talking about?

With two extra guys at the table, they ordered more food and drinks.

The girls, tipsy and warmed up, quickly grew chattier with Liu Tuo, who was naturally sociable.

Li Junqi asked, "Is it true that you practice backstroke by balancing a cup on your head?"

Liu Tuo laughed. "Yep, it helps with stability."

Fang Xiaoting chimed in, "By the way, isn't the swim team competing in November?"

"Sure are," Liu Tuo said.

Chen Qingyan added, "Is it the World University Swimming Championship? Where's it happening this year?"

"In C City. Want to come watch?" Liu Tuo offered.

Li Junqi's eyes sparkled. "Yes, yes! Can we get front-row tickets?"

Liu Tuo grinned slyly. "Just ask Captain Jiang. He's got plenty of tickets."

All eyes turned to Jiang Fengcheng, who had been silent, and Song Xilai, who had been steadily eating. Jiang raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Sure."

Li Junqi beamed. "Then give the tickets to Xilai, and she can pass them on to us!"

Song Xilai groaned, "Huh?"

What does this have to do with me?

But Jiang Fengcheng had already answered, "Alright, I'll give her one for each of you."

"..."

Seriously, dude? I have zero interest in swimming competitions!

Back at the dorm, Chen Qingyan and Fang Xiaoting cornered Song Xilai.

"Spill it. Why are you so familiar with Jiang Fengcheng?"

"Be honest—are you secretly seeing him behind our backs?"

Song Xilai ruffled her hair and shouted softly, "We are not involved!"

"I've got a good intuition. I think Jiang Fengcheng likes you."

"Me too! He treated you so differently! Water, skewers, tickets—it's like he's courting you!"

Song Xilai rolled her eyes. "Maybe he's just a walking air conditioner."

Her phone buzzed again, and Chen Qingyan's sharp eyes caught it. "Wow, your air conditioner just sent you a message!"

Song Xilai opened her phone to see a deep-blue avatar.

It really was Jiang Fengcheng.

Jiang Fengcheng: [Do you like watching competitions?]

Song Xilai tilted her head, frowning.

She barely knew Jiang Fengcheng.

There's no way he likes me. He's probably just testing the waters to see if I'll bite.

Fine. Let's disgust him and end this conversation with some abstract nonsense.

Rich Aunt: [Honestly, I don't understand swimming competitions.]

Jiang Fengcheng: [What don't you understand? I can explain it to you.]

In her mind, Song Xilai saw his veined hand handing her the water earlier. Her gaze softened slightly.

Rich Aunt: [No need to explain. I just want to see you in a thin, transparent swimsuit and jump rope on your veins.]

Jiang Fengcheng: [...]

Jiang Fengcheng: [Thumbs up. Your sense of balance must be incredible.]

Rich Aunt: [Oh, by the way, one question: can you handle a military romance?]

Jiang Fengcheng: [Military romance?]

Rich Aunt: [Yeah, because I'm a neurotic soldier!]

Ha! Let's see how you deal with that.