Chapter 21: Blatant Secret Crush part 1

The day of the new semester began.

The wind was gentle, the sun was just right, not too hot, not too dry, everything felt perfect.

Seated in Chi Ye’s car, Lin Yuran rolled the window halfway down, letting the lazy, warm breeze drift in. All the happy hormones in her body seemed to awaken at once, and Lin Yuran found herself humming along lightly to the music playing in the car.

Chi Ye had one hand on the wheel, the corners of his lips lifted in a smile. This scene felt exactly like that summer after their part-time job, heading home together on the train to Jinxi.

So many years had passed, yet it seemed like they hadn’t changed at all. That thought made Lin Yuran’s mood even brighter.

When they arrived at the university, Lin Yuran was practically bursting with excitement. She had Chi Ye take dozens of photos of her in front of the school gate, and he patiently acted as her personal photographer.

Walking together, the two of them drew more attention than celebrities on the street. As soon as they reached the orientation area, they were surrounded by a group of upperclassmen who invited them to do a quick interview.

Asked how she felt receiving the acceptance letter and stepping onto campus, Lin Yuran answered candidly, “I’m a hundred times more excited than any other freshman here.”

No one knew how devastated she’d been when she was forced to give up her dream school all those years ago. Nor did anyone know how hard she’d fought against fate all this time, overcoming every obstacle, to finally be accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts again.

Chi Ye reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

Noticing the gesture, a senior girl asked with a grin, “So, are you two a couple who planned to attend Qingbei together?”

Lin Yuran froze for a moment, then instinctively turned her head toward Chi Ye. Their eyes met. Chi Ye was staring straight at her, his gaze so intense it felt like he was trying to carve himself into her soul and see her heart laid bare.

Flustered, Lin Yuran quickly looked away and laughed toward the camera. “No, he graduated from here ages ago.”

“But he’s dropping you off,” the senior girl pressed on. “So… what’s your relationship, then?”

“Uh…”

She really didn’t know how to answer that.

Old classmates? Business partners? Friends? None of those seemed to justify dropping her off at school like this.

After a moment’s thought, she blurted out, “He’s probably just a helpful senior, and I’m the freshman he’s afraid will get lost.”

Honestly, that’s exactly what Chi Ye felt like to her. He’d said he had something to consult at the university, but he’d never left her side, always guiding her, ‘this way,’ ‘that way’, like he was worried she’d wander off.

Chi Ye chuckled softly, ruffling her hair again. “Sure, being a freshman’s not so bad.”

“…!”

Lin Yuran felt her ears grow a little hot.

After the interview, Chi Ye led her to the registration office to check in, where she got her orientation packet. Lin Yuran eagerly opened the packet and pulled out every item one by one. When she reached the school badge and uniform, she was so happy she nearly jumped up.

Inside the packet, there were also two tickets for family or friends to attend the opening ceremony. Lin Yuran fingered the tickets, wondering who to give them to. Her mom and grandma couldn’t come anymore, and she had no other relatives nearby.

Chi Ye’s presence lingered close beside her, and for a moment, Lin Yuran thought about giving him one. But then she shook her head.

Chi Ye had already attended his own ceremony six years ago. She couldn’t expect him to skip work just to come to something so ordinary for him. After working with him for more than a month, she knew how serious he was about his job.

Above her, Chi Ye’s warm, magnetic voice drifted down. “Can I have one of those? I’d like to relive the Qingbei opening ceremony atmosphere.”

Lin Yuran looked up, meeting his clear, dark eyes. The lazy, gentle sunlight fell over him, and in his deep black eyes, it seemed to scatter into tiny specks of light.

“Please? Junior?” he teased, drawing out the last syllable.

Lin Yuran couldn’t help but laugh, tossing him a ticket. “Junior, my foot. Don’t call me that.”

Chi Ye caught the ticket, his lips curving into a particularly charming smile. “You said it yourself, now you’re going back on it?”

“…” Lin Yuran bit her lip, speechless.

Chi Ye laughed softly. “Then tomorrow morning, I’ll pick you up, and we’ll go to your opening ceremony together, okay?”

“Okay.”

After registration, Chi Ye took Lin Yuran to the orientation fair. The activity area was lively, with all sorts of small games to play. Chi Ye won her two plush toys from a claw machine, while Lin Yuran played pitch-pot and won two purple bracelets. She gave one to Chi Ye. They even tried the pedal-powered bikes and shared a cotton candy.

At lunchtime, they ate together at the cafeteria.

Qingbei’s campus really lived up to its reputation. It was huge. Lin Yuran was so glad Chi Ye was there with her; otherwise, she’d have gotten hopelessly lost.

In the afternoon, Lin Yuran had to attend her class meeting. That was when Chi Ye said he needed to go take care of his own errands.

After the class meeting, Lin Yuran also sorted out her day student permit with her homeroom teacher and advisor. By then, the sun was already setting. Exiting the teaching building, Lin Yuran found Chi Ye waiting quietly outside. His tall figure, bathed in the glow of the evening light, looked like a scene from a painting.

“Ready to head home?” he asked.

The sunset lightly brushed the clouds, painting them in romance.

Lin Yuran felt reluctant to end this moment. “Chi Ye, can you stay a bit longer and show me around? There are still so many places I don’t know.”

“Sure,” Chi Ye said, smiling gently.

“Can you ride a bike?” Lin Yuran asked.

“What can’t I do?” Chi Ye shot back.

Lin Yuran laughed. “Then how about a nighttime ride around the Qingbei campus?”

“Sure.”

The two of them each rented a shared bike, riding together with the evening breeze, chasing the last rays of sunset.

“Excuse me, classmates, please wait a moment.”

A voice called from behind. Lin Yuran and Chi Ye stopped, and a boy with a camera hanging around his neck caught up to them. He handed Lin Yuran a photo. “Sorry, I just took this.”

It was a photo of her and Chi Ye riding side by side, taken from behind. On the back of the photo was written: 「The person watching the sunset with you is gentler than the sunset itself.」

Lin Yuran stared at the line, her heart gradually losing its steady rhythm.

Chi Ye plucked the photo from her hand, glanced at the words on the back, then chuckled lightly and told the boy, “Thanks, that’s a great shot.”

The boy beamed. “I’m from the campus photography club. Would you mind if I used this as a personal work sample?”

“Go ahead,” Chi Ye replied without hesitation.

The boy turned to Lin Yuran. She nodded, too. “It’s fine.”

“Thank you, thank you!” The boy was overjoyed. “You two are a perfect match. Just standing together looks so beautiful. If you ever need photos, please come find me. I’d love to shoot for you both. If you need me, just head to the photography club. I’m Zhang Qin.”

“Okay.” Lin Yuran smiled and agreed.

After that little interlude, night had fully fallen, but the campus lights were bright, and the darkness didn’t feel so heavy. They passed a place called Lover’s Hill, where a couple was singing a soft folk song. The harmonica and guitar combination struck a chord, drawing in quite a few listeners.

Lin Yuran and Chi Ye stopped, too.

You broke through the silence and landed in my eyes,
Like a dazzling flame
Burning down the walls I’d built around my heart

You’re still a little unsure,
But I’m already deeply entangled.
You’re so dazzling
How can I possibly catch up?

(T/N: These are lyrics from the song 锈 (Rust) by h3R3 and kKzk赵珂. I’m not familiar with the song itself, but it sounds good when I listen to it.)