Serenade

Ruida was also a well-known company that owned an independent office building in the city center. Securing sponsorship from Ruida was considered a big deal for a university club-level organization.

During the spring and autumn semesters, many university clubs would organize student activities, but not all could attract corporate sponsorship.

In Ruida's office, Jian SiXun wore a well-fitted black suit and sat at his desk, discussing sponsorship details with Ruida's marketing team. He carried himself with composure and had a steady demeanor. As the executive, Jian SiXun was talented and had strong leadership and communication skills. He had successfully negotiated the sponsorship deal single-handedly.

Jin Xi sat behind Jian SiXun, wearing a white lace blouse with a light windbreaker. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, making her look spirited.

She listened attentively to the discussion between Jian SiXun and the other party, quickly flipping through her folder to hand him any materials he needed.

After two hours of negotiations, they finalized the sponsorship cooperation details. Ruida's staff swiftly signed the contract and said the funds would be transferred in the next couple of days.

Walking out of the office building, both breathed a sigh of relief.

Jian SiXun wiped the thin sweat from his forehead, "That was nerve-wracking just now."

Recalling his relaxed and confident demeanor, Jin Xi had foolishly relaxed as well, no longer feeling anxious.

Hearing he was extremely nervous now made her think he was quite the actor.

"I learned a lot accompanying senior Jian," Jin Xi sincerely meant this.

It allowed her a preview of the professional world, and she felt Jian SiXun was diligently doing meaningful work, unlike the casual club activities at school.

She sensed working under such a senior would be beneficial training.

Since it was getting late and they were downtown anyway, Jian SiXun suggested having dinner at a nearby music restaurant to celebrate their efforts today.

Jin Xi readily agreed.

The music restaurant had a cozy, bohemian décor. A singer with a guitar performed soothing folk tunes on stage, accompanied by the soft glow of ambient lighting and enveloping greenery, creating a peaceful, elegant atmosphere.

The two chose a window seat and a server brought menus.

While waiting for their food, a WeChat message popped up on Jin Xi's phone screen, sent by Bo Yan.

Bo Yan had forwarded a short video. In it, he wore a camo jacket and sat in the grassy field of a training ground, one knee slightly bent.

The white cat, Big White Cat, lay curled up on his lap, letting out a few meows.

Bo Yan gripped Big White Cat's paws and waved at the camera, "Big White Cat says, why is Jin Xi still ignoring her senior?"

Big White Cat: "Meow."

"Big White Cat says, don't be mad at your senior, I know I was wrong."

Big White Cat rolled onto his back, meowing again.

"Big White Cat says if Jin Xi keeps ignoring me, I won't play with her anymore and neither will the kitty."

Big White Cat: "Meow meow meow??"

Jin Xi couldn't help a faint smile. She typed a reply, "You're you, Big White Cat is Big White Cat. It won't stop playing with me."

But after typing it out, Jin Xi hesitated and deleted the whole thing.

Didn't want to talk to him.

The hot, exquisite fusion dishes arrived. As usual, they took photos first.

Jian SiXun patiently waited until all the dishes had been served before Jin Xi finished shooting. Only then did he start eating.

The more she interacted with Jian SiXun, the more well-mannered and gentlemanly he seemed.

Bo Yan always impatiently rushed her whenever she took photos. It was so annoying.

Just then, two female club members walked by the window, waving at Jin Xi when they recognized her.

Jin Xi quickly waved back. The girls kept glancing at Jian SiXun, exchanging knowing looks.

Jian SiXun was a famously handsome campus heartthrob, yet still single. No one had seen him dining alone with a girl before.

One gossip-loving girl ducked into a corner, sneakily snapping a photo of Jin Xi and Jian SiXun's dinner together. She sent it to her dorm WeChat group.

It spread from the dorm group to the club group, then the executive group, and even the used goods exchange group, finally reaching the rookie delivery station express group...

In a matter of hours, the rumor of the senior dating a girl had spread like wildfire.

It was Shen Pingchuan who first saw the photo in the delivery group chat and immediately forwarded it to Bo Yan—

"Holy sh*t!! The little sis is dating??"

Bo Yan sat straddled atop the obstacle wall, dirty hands enlarging the photo on his phone.

The girl in it wore a pretty light blue windbreaker, collar splayed open casually to reveal the white lace blouse underneath. The warm yellow wall sconces illuminated her rosy cheeks, a trace of a smile on her lips.

She looked so beautiful when she smiled.

"Bo Yan, stop dawdling!" the instructor's yell came from below.

Bo Yan jumped down the two-meter obstacle wall but didn't continue the next drill. Instead, he went to the resting shelter, drank some water in big gulps.

The splash soaked a large patch on his chest, darkening the fabric.

"Bo Yan, get back in line!" the instructor ordered.

Bo Yan jogged back in line. The instructor added, "Who let you train with your phone? Put it away."

He casually flung the phone into the grass. Voice languid, "Satisfied?"

The other trainees halted, staring at him—

His smile didn't reach his cold, indifferent eyes.

Gutsy to talk to the instructor like that.

"Drop and give me four hundred pushups!" Hand behind his back, the dissatisfied instructor said, "Like you ate a few hundred tons of gunpowder."

Two hours later, the training ground was deserted in the darkening dusk. A few scattered stars in the night sky.

Bo Yan flipped onto his back, chest heaving as he breathed heavily in the grass.

Big White Cat trotted over, phone clasped in its mouth. It placed the phone next to him before climbing onto his abs, meowing twice while sitting on them.

Gazing at the sky, Bo Yan's exhausted voice was like he was talking to himself—

"She probably...doesn't want me anymore."

**

Jin Xi sat curled up in a soft chair wearing cartoon pajamas and a thin blanket, frantically explaining things to her brother.

"We just happened to eat after the sponsorship meeting, it wasn't a special date!"

"Why won't you listen!"

"I swear nothing happened!" She was about to snap. "Jian SiXun is a mega campus heartthrob! You think too highly of your little sister!"

Jin Xi even sent Shen Pingchuan the proposal to prove it. He started believing her a little.

Shen Pingchuan: "Your crappy club managed to get Ruida's sponsorship?"

Jin Xi: "See, told you Senior Jian is amazing."

Shen Pingchuan sent a skeptical emoji—

"I've worked with Jian SiXun before, he is quite capable."

"Right, with him I'm sure the poetry club event will be a big success."

Shen Pingchuan: "So between him and your bro, who's more capable? [skeptical emoji]"

Jin Xi sent a [foolish smile] emoji: "You want objective facts or my subjective opinion?"

Shen Pingchuan: "Obviously objective facts."

Jin Xi: "Jian SiXun. [foolish smile]"

"What about compared to Bo Yan? This time I want your subjective thoughts."

Jin Xi hesitated, then said "Promise not to tell anyone else."

Shen Pingchuan: "Relax, no one else cares what you think."

Jin Xi licked her soft lower lip. Her crystalline eyes took on a gentle look—

"No one can compare to Bo Yan in my heart."

Despite constantly angering her and visibly having endless flaws, no one could compare to him.

Although Shen Pingchuan had promised not to tell anyone else, he immediately screenshotted it and sent it directly to Bo Yan.

Bo Yan wasn't anyone else after all.

Made perfect sense.

Shen Pingchuan: "You hold this guy in pretty high regard, almost on par with me."

After a long time, Bo Yan replied: "You think you can be on par with me?"

Shen Pingchuan: ???

I'll be damned...

Jin Xi's roommates noticed that Bo Yan's mood had been fluctuating wildly these past few days - gloomy one minute, silently smiling at his phone screen the next.

It was rather creepy to behold.

That morning, as soon as Jin Xi opened the dormitory door, Bo Yan - wearing a black t-shirt - leapt up and nimbly grabbed onto the door frame to do pull-ups.

His arm muscles bulged slightly from the exertion as he held onto the top of the door. His skin was so fair that the blue veins in his arms were clearly visible.

Beneath the hem of his black tee, hints of abs rippled into the waistband of his pants.

As he hung from the frame doing pull-ups, he greeted her in a dull tone: "Good morning, Jin Xi!"

Flashing his abs first thing in the morning - what a weirdo!

Jin Xi rolled her eyes dramatically before slamming the door shut.

During break, Jin Xi received a message from Bo Yan: "I'm taking the kitten to her new owner's home tomorrow. Want to come along?"

Jin Xi knew that the animal welfare group had Weibo and WeChat accounts where they often posted adoption info for kittens and puppies, and had quite a few followers.

Many of the stray cats and dogs on campus got adopted into loving homes.

Two of the three kittens born to Big White Cat had already been adopted out, leaving just a black kitten with white patches. She was also going to her new home tomorrow.

Of course Jin Xi was dying to go. The past two times she'd missed out on sending off kittens because of classes. Tomorrow was perfect since it was the weekend.

Except...

She hesitated because she hadn't replied to any of Bo Yan's messages the past few days. If she went, it would mean breaking her silent treatment.

Seemingly sensing her qualms, Bo Yan messaged again:

"How about this - I'll wait for you at the school gate at 3pm tomorrow for 10 minutes. Come if you want." fr𝚎𝗲𝐰ebnov𝐞𝐥.𝐜o𝗺

Jin Xi's delicate fingertips gently brushed the screen and she breathed a sigh of relief.

There was still time to think about it.

The next afternoon, the executive committee of the Literature Club was holding an important meeting. Registration for the upcoming poetry competition would end soon. It was scheduled for early April.

They'd gotten sponsorship from Ruida Company, so the generous cash prizes had attracted lots of sign-ups, giving the organizers extra work.

Jin Xi sat in her seat, sneakily checking the time on her phone screen.

2:45, 2:50...

The president was assigning tasks for managing the competition. Since they were short on manpower, everyone had multiple duties.

Jin Xi didn't feel right asking to be excused at this critical juncture.

"The organization department will be in charge of on-site coordination and maintaining order..."

Jin Xi quietly tapped her feet on the floor, stealing another glance at her phone: 2:58.

Beside her, Jian SiXun noticed her restlessness: "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"No...nothing," Jin Xi murmured.

After all, she hadn't promised Bo Yan she'd definitely be there. He'd said he'd wait 10 minutes. If she didn't show up, he'd leave.

Jian SiXun said: "If it's not too urgent, you should stick it out until the organization department finishes the briefing so you can be dismissed properly."

Jin Xi nodded.

With their limited manpower, the organizational department had to coordinate the entire competition. Jin Xi was tasked with getting the contestants settled and reaching out to seniors in the Broadcasting department to be judges.

There was a lot to do.

After the president finished assigning tasks, it was already 3:30.

Jin Xi didn't wait for the meeting to end. She hurriedly told Jian SiXun she had to leave, grabbed her bag, and raced towards the school gates.

She ran some distance before losing steam. She'd stop and rest, then run again - it took her a good 10 minutes just to reach the gates, completely out of breath.

As she tried to calm her pounding heart, she looked left and right.

In the usual bustle of students coming and going, there was no sign of Bo Yan.

Jin Xi knitted her brows, scanning carefully just to make sure he really had left. Disappointment welled up inside.

Of course, it was her own fault for being late. What right did she have to expect he'd wait indefinitely?

He said 10 minutes. She'd shown up 30 minutes late. How could she have hoped he'd still be there?

Jin Xi lowered her head dejectedly and kicked a pebble by her feet.

Some part of her had hoped exactly that.

Like a fool.

The pebble rolled and rolled until a foot suddenly stopped it - right by a chinaberry tree at the roadside.

"Showing up 30 minutes late...how should I punish you?" said a familiar, slightly hoarse yet attractive voice. It was like leaves fluttering down from a tree.

Jin Xi looked up in surprise to see Bo Yan lounging lazily against the tree, arms folded.

In the sunshine, his hazel eyes were clear as glass. Faint laughter lurked in those dark double-lidded eyes gazing at her.

"You didn't leave?"

Bo Yan walked over to mess up her bangs. His expression was gentle: "I was about to, but something in my heart said maybe the scatterbrain got the time wrong and I should wait 10 more minutes."

So he'd kept waiting, for several 10-minute intervals.

Jin Xi softly bit her lower lip. "Then...let's make up."

Author's note: Thank you Zi Ya for your thoughtful critique. Please contact me - you've earned yourself a free book!