Cheng Buxi hadn't said anything in the group chat that night; there were over 999 messages.
...
After tidying up, she lay in bed, planning to sleep. The autumn chill in North City had been fierce lately, with a big temperature difference between day and night. Cheng Buxi's chronic cold hands and feet acted up again, her soles icy cold.
Maybe it was psychological, but after lying down, she felt both sleepy and cold. In the end, she resorted to filling a hot water bottle.
No one forced her; she chose this. If she had gone to Huadong, there would be Persian carpets everywhere, with 24-hour underfloor heating beneath them.
But she would rather sleep in the dorm than stay with her brother. It felt awkward; she was afraid of saying something wrong again.
With the hot water bottle in hand, her feet still wouldn't warm up. Probably because she often walked barefoot as a child. Regret, sighs, helplessness.
Shivering from the cold at night, she didn't regret not going to Huadong. But recalling dinner, she felt pathetic. Why did she have to cry in front of her brother when she was just stating facts? It made her seem unreasonable, turning a valid point into nothing. Crying as a way to solve problems—how was that different from those difficult brats?
She forced herself to sleep. She was exhausted, but closing her eyes only made her more awake. Instead, she desperately wanted to talk to someone.
After much hesitation, she went downstairs in the middle of the night, braving the cold wind, and called Ning Ci on a whim.
It was past one in the morning; she didn't know if he was asleep. The phone rang for a while before he picked up.
There was loud noise in the background, like a place like Eight Plus One.
But soon the noise faded; he had probably gone to a quiet spot just to talk to her peacefully.
His voice was as lazy and magnetic as ever, very alluring: "Something up?"
With the boundless night as company, even though he wasn't there physically, he seemed tangible and vivid.
Some people are like that: close but feeling distant; but when far away, they become full and distinct, evoking longing.
Ning Ci was that kind.
Cheng Buxi's restless heart found a bit of peace. Her voice was soft and sticky: "Are you home?"
He replied lazily, "Nope. I won the championship today, so my teammates dragged me out for a gathering."
No wonder. She was at a loss for words. Envious to the extreme, yet angry. She had been sulking all night with no one to confide in, while he was out partying with friends, having fun, probably surrounded by pretty girls.
She fell silent for a long time, not saying a word. Ning Ci was extremely patient. When he smiled, his little canine teeth peeked out: "So late, what's up? What's the matter?"
"..."
Still not speaking, Ning Ci wasn't flustered at all.
Cheng Buxi fidgeted with the hem of her clothes and finally blurted out: "I accidentally called."
Clearly sulking.
Such a lame excuse, only she could come up with it. Ning Ci laughed outright: "So it was an accidental call, huh. Damn, I thought you missed me."
"Alright, if there's nothing, I'll hang up."
"—Don't hang up!"
Hearing him say he'd hang up, Cheng Buxi's anxious little whine broke out. Her usual voice was round and crisp, not loud, but when she was playful, sulky, or scolding, it was particularly captivating.
Back in her freshman year, someone from the dubbing club even came all the way to the lecture hall to recruit her, but she was too stiff with lines and had no emotion, so she quit. She joined the drama club later.
Her sudden coquettish plea would make any god falter, stirring warmth and fullness in Ning Ci's heart. After all, he was a hot-blooded young man in his twenties, falling for someone for the first time, easily lured into a trap by her.
His throat involuntarily moved.
Haozi, who had come after him, was about to speak when Ning Ci stopped him with a look and went straight to the rooftop.
Looking down, across a road, a wall, a tranquil lake.
Ning Ci asked as he walked: "What is it? Tell me, I'll fix it."
"..." Still silent, unable to speak.
"?"
"Not talking."
"You're just torturing me."
"Do you have a conscience?"
Despite his words, his tone was clearly doting.
After a long pause, Cheng Buxi mumbled: "I had a fight with my family. Can you fix that too?"
Ning Ci raised an eyebrow, as if thinking it unlikely. Such an adorable girl, why would her family scold her? "Did your mom and dad say something to you?"
"It's much more serious than that."
He walked to a corner of the rooftop and glanced down: "Hmm, tell me about it?"
"..." Who said that obedient children are always favored by their parents? Not even close. Cheng Buxi stayed silent.
Ning Ci didn't rush her either: "Where are you now?"
Cheng Buxi answered: "School, by the artificial lake, under a tree."
She vaguely heard him chuckle.
"Okay, wait a moment."
Before she could ask what he meant, about two or three minutes later, she heard rustling from the tall tree behind her.
The next second, he leaped over the wall and landed in front of her like a heavenly soldier descending from the sky.
Cheng Buxi stared at him dumbfounded, as if he were a moonlight magician who had suddenly appeared before her eyes. She even forgot to blink.
She had read somewhere that when true love arrives, the whole world freezes.
"...?" True love? Freeze?
Seeing her stunned expression, "Why so surprised?"
Ning Ci brushed off the dust from scaling the wall, his figure agile and tall. He walked up to her with a smile, still complaining: "The KTV near your school is really shabby."
Turns out he was at the Golden Sky next door, which was right next to her school, just half a block away.