Years later, whenever Cheng Buxi recalled this scene, the nights in North City were always cool as water, more distinct and richer in seasonal flavor than other cities.
He was draped in moonlight, carrying the innocent passion of youth, walking toward her step by step like a savior. It had nothing to do with romance—it was open and fervent.
She truly hoped the ending wouldn't be fallen petals and flowing water, but rather a long-lost reunion.
...
"Scared you senseless?"
Ning Ci looked at the girl standing dumbstruck before him, still wearing something like pajamas. He squinted slightly—it didn't quite look like pajamas either.
What kind of getup was this?
Her little face was pale, her pupils dark and fragile like glass, staring at him without blinking.
Her long black hair was neat, shimmering with a gentle, lustrous hue under the light, falling to her collarbone and wrapping around her fair face, impossibly pure. Long arms, long legs, slender wrists, and delicate ankles—she looked like an exquisite porcelain doll on a display stand.
Clean, full, lively—as if she had just stepped out of a bath.
She was awake in the dead of night, ordering him around, stirring his seven souls and eight spirits into chaos. Call her foolish? She knew to call him when something was up. Call her smart? Right now she was standing there dumbly, not saying a word.
"Am I that scary?"
Cheng Buxi was still in shock, unable to speak.
Her heart was racing—whose heartbeat was that?
Ning Ci was, after all, a young master, not from some minor family, but from a noble lineage right under the emperor's nose, a prestigious household.
A young master raised in a wealthy mansion, his attitude direct, no beating around the bush, his feelings laid bare on his face.
His eyes were dark and sharp, glowing brilliantly in the night. When they met hers, there was a wild, wolfish look about him, and a sharpness in his entire demeanor.
Tall with excellent proportions, he stood with an indescribable handsomeness.
Looking around—he had only come by hastily during the day, just to the gym area. This was his first time here, and the shoddy greenery and walls near her dorm left him stunned.
The young master had a sharp tongue as well. Frowning, he launched into a barrage of complaints: "Your school's security isn't up to par either. There's not even a basic protective net. Sure, lots of people come and go every day, but this is a campus, and it's so close to the dorms. There's a KTV right next door, and the soundproofing is terrible—don't you find it noisy this late?"
Cheng Buxi still felt like she was dreaming, staring at him blankly: "You..."
Behind him was the huge, lush plane tree—the only one on the campus. Originally there had been a willow, but it was replaced due to cotton fluff.
The plane leaves rustled in the night breeze. The campus was deserted in the early hours, the pitch-black sky telling a silent, eerie stillness.
"Me?" Ning Ci raised an eyebrow, waving his hand in front of her eyes, his previous wildness reined in.
Worry makes one blind. If some villain learned to climb the wall at night like he did, how dangerous would that be?
"You... are you human or ghost..."
Cheng Buxi's mind was full of the fact that they had just been on the phone a moment ago. How did he suddenly appear right in front of her?
Was he a magician? Or a celestial being descending to earth? Not even storybooks dared to write this!!!
Ning Ci laughed, stepping half a step closer, his tone teasing and provocative: "Ghost?"
He had no idea what was going on in that little head of hers.
His strong chest was right there, almost as if offered up for the taking: "Wanna feel for yourself?"
Cheng Buxi: "..." !!!
-
KTVs were different from bars—mostly private rooms.
Treading on the hard, dark red carpet, Cheng Buxi looked around. The soundproofing was mediocre; there were howls and wails everywhere.
Room 309, with "Death Do Us Part" playing inside. Haozi was drunk, hugging a friend and rambling passionately, blasting the mic: "Hey! Remember the fairy girl from today? The one who talked to Brother Ning? Holy shit, she was so damn hot! A fairy descending to earth! If I were in high school, I'd pester her for three years straight!"
His friend humored him: "Yeah, yeah! Three years of crush!"
Haozi had just finished singing "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," giving it his all on the high notes, and now his face was nearly purple. Zheng Liao looked at his suddenly close face and almost threw up: "How much did you drink?! Get away from me!!"
"Fairy girl!! Oh, I want her WeChat!"
"Get lost——"
Before he finished, the door to the room opened from outside. The fairy girl Haozi had been blabbering about, wearing Ning Ci's jacket, walked in timidly.
Facing a room full of strangers, including stylish guys and handsome men, Cheng Buxi, the uninvited guest, was still in loose pajama pants. She braced herself and greeted, "Hi..."
At that moment, everyone stopped what they were doing. Some spat their drink back into their glass, others froze with a rock-paper-scissors gesture at six, and one rowdy kid who had been screaming about singing through the ceiling let out a chicken-like squawk.
In short, everyone was stunned, mouths hanging open like split papayas.
The background music of "Death Do Us Part, Not Thoroughly Drunk Not Happy" played on.
As Ning Ci stepped in behind her, a series of "Holy shits" erupted. It was obvious they were together.
What????
Teammate A: I feel like a hedgehog hopping around in a melon patch.
Teammate B: Three minutes, I want this girl's full profile.
Bystander C grabbed teammate C by the collar: Didn't you say Ning Ci was forever single? Pay up!