Has a girlfriend

"Why didn't I know before that you were such a heavy smoker?"
Zhang Heyu glanced at Mo Jin, then withdrew his gaze.
Mo Jin sat down beside him uninvited, fished a cigarette out of Zhang's pack, and lit it with his own lighter.
"That girl must be the unforgettable moonlight in your heart, right?"
Zhang Heyu lowered his eyelids, took a deep drag, let the smoke fill his lungs, and exhaled slowly. "So what? I still can't find a way into her heart."
"That's not true." Thinking of the way the little girl had looked at Zhang Heyu earlier, Mo Jin was certain there were lingering feelings. "How can you be so sure you haven't made it into her heart?"
Zhang Heyu's gaze darkened for a fraction of a second. He remembered seeing Jiang Ci earlier that night and how much thinner her delicate face appeared compared to before.
If she truly had no place for him in her heart, why would she chase after him all the way to Jingbei?
"If you ask me, you both have mouths. Why not just say what's on your minds and clear things up?" Mo Jin suggested. "Even if things don't work out between you in the end, at least you'll live without regrets."
Whether he had taken the advice to heart or not, Zhang Heyu remained silent.
After lingering for a while longer, the two of them returned to the dormitory.

Ever since that chance encounter on the night of their arrival until the end of military training, Jiang Ci had not laid eyes on Zhang Heyu once.
Zhang Heyu had learned from Mo Jin that Jiang Ci was in the School of Education, so these past few days, he had intentionally or unintentionally avoided her whenever there were tasks to be done.
He simply wasn't ready to face her yet.
For some inexplicable reason, whenever matters concerning Jiang Ci arose, he became hesitant, fearful, and cowardly.

On the afternoon that military training concluded.
After finishing dinner, Jiang Ci and her two roommates were heading back to their dormitory when numerous upperclassmen along the path were aggressively recruiting new members for their respective campus organizations.
Jiang Ci was handed a recruitment flyer for the Student Union. She lowered her gaze and read through it over and over again.
Rong Qiancen stepped out of the bathroom with a towel draped around her neck and caught Jiang Ci standing there in a daze.
"Cici, are you planning to join the Student Union?" Rong Qiancen walked over to her side and asked. "I want to join too. Do you want to try out together?"
The only reason Jiang Ci wanted to join the Student Union was because Zhang Heyu was there.
She considered it for a few seconds. "Alright, let's do it together."
Hearing that someone would accompany her, Rong Qiancen became immensely excited. "Cici, do you remember that Student Union President?"
Zhang Heyu...
Jiang Ci nodded slightly. "I remember."
"The photo I sent you before was of him!" Rong Qiancen said. "So many people post confessions to him on the campus crush wall, but nobody knows for sure whether he has a girlfriend or not."
Jiang Ci pressed her lips together, recalling the Zhang Heyu of the past—someone who had always lived under the intense spotlight of public admiration.
Rong Qiancen's roommate Rong Yuan, who was reading a web novel nearby, casually chimed in upon hearing their conversation, "Someone that out of reach is better off admired from a distance."

The Student Union interviews were scheduled for two days later.
As soon as their final specialized lecture ended, Jiang Ci and Rong Qiancen hurriedly grabbed a quick meal at the cafeteria before rushing back to the dorm to change into outfits suitable for an interview.
"Cici, is this outfit okay?" Rong Qiancen scrutinized herself in front of the mirror, still feeling like something was missing.
Jiang Ci looked her over from top to bottom and pronounced it entirely appropriate.
Rong Qiancen finally relaxed her mind, then turned to look at Jiang Ci, who had simply donned a crisp white shirt paired with a jet-black pleated skirt, perfectly displaying her slender, fair legs.
Rong Qiancen still felt something was lacking, so she pulled Jiang Ci down to sit at her vanity. "Cici, wait a second."
With that, Rong Qiancen pulled a curling iron out of her cabinet, and Jiang Ci instantly understood what she intended to do.
Rong Qiancen raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, you're going to look gorgeous!"
After a bit of styling, Jiang Ci finally emerged from Rong Qiancen's magical hands.
Softly curled long hair cascaded over her shoulders, adding a touch of undeniable allure.
Only then did a thoroughly satisfied Rong Qiancen walk out the door with Jiang Ci.

The Student Union interviews were being held in the academic lecture hall on the fifth floor of the No. 3 Teaching Building.
The Student Union encompassed numerous departments, and Jiang Ci had little idea which department would give her the most opportunities to interact with Zhang Heyu.
Rong Qiancen, on the other hand, had a crystal-clear goal: the Public Relations Department.
The two girls stood side by side at the entrance of the lecture hall. Rong Qiancen was just about to head toward the PR interview area when she noticed Jiang Ci still standing rooted at the door.
"Cici, aren't you coming in?"
Jiang Ci hesitated slightly. Rong Qiancen asked again, "Haven't you decided which department of the Student Union you want to join?"
Jiang Ci nodded.
Rong Qiancen tugged Jiang Ci into the lecture hall, lifting her chin toward a specific direction. "Why don't you just join the Public Relations Department with me?"
Jiang Ci followed the direction Rong Qiancen indicated and spotted Mo Jin sitting there.
She pondered for a moment. The quickest way to get close to Zhang Heyu would be through dealing with Mo Jin.
"Okay."

When the two of them walked over to the PR interview station, Mo Jin was looking down at the registration forms submitted by the new students. Sensing a shadow blocking the light from above him, he automatically recited, "Hello, this is the Student Union Public Relations Department."
With that, he raised his head, only to meet a pair of clear, limpid eyes.
Mo Jin froze for a split second, pushed himself back a few inches on his rolling chair, and mentally cursed a few times.
"Senior, this is my registration form." Jiang Ci offered a gentle, polite smile and handed the paper in her hand to Mo Jin.
Mo Jin stared at it for a few seconds. Rui Jin happened to walk in through the door and, noticing him spacing out, strode over and gave him a light kick.
"What are you daydreaming for? Why aren't you taking the freshman's form?"
Only then did Mo Jin snap back to reality and accept Jiang Ci's application.
He glanced over her personal details on the form, briefly consulted with the other two Student Union officers, and then asked Jiang Ci a few straightforward questions.
Jiang Ci answered unhurriedly, a gentle smile gracefully curving her lips, her soft, delicate voice pleasing to the ear.
Rui Jin was watching from the side as well, her fondness for this junior instantly skyrocketing.
Finally, Mo Jin pulled out his phone and pulled up a QR code. "Classmate Jiang, please join the group first. The interview results will be announced there."
Jiang Ci nodded, thanked him softly, took out her phone, scanned the code, and joined the chat group.

Rong Qiancen hadn't had her interview yet, so Jiang Ci had no choice but to wait for her out in the hallway.
Growing somewhat bored while waiting by the door, Jiang Ci took out her phone and began scrolling through short videos.
Suddenly, a breeze swept down the corridor, and Jiang Ci caught a familiar, clean scent intermingled with a faint trace of tobacco.
Immediately following that, a female voice drifted into her ears.
"Heyu, how about we grab dinner together once you're done with things?" The girl walked alongside Zhang Heyu, her expression leaving no doubt about her romantic interest in him.
Hearing this, Jiang Ci's heart tightened. Unconsciously, she clenched the hem of her clothes so hard her fingertips turned white from the excessive pressure.
Zhang Heyu lifted his eyelids, his gaze landing on the figure standing in the far corner of the hallway for a few seconds before he looked away.
*Fool.*

Rong Qiancen emerged from the room right at that moment, bumped directly into Zhang Heyu, and glanced briefly at the girl beside him before walking over to join Jiang Ci.
"Cici, let's go!" Rong Qiancen linked her arm through Jiang Ci's and pulled her toward the staircase.
Once they were gone, Zhang Heyu cast a sidelong glance at Ying Chen and spoke coldly, "Focus on what you're supposed to do, and drop the little schemes."
Ying Chen froze. With her ulterior motives exposed, her face cycled through shades of red and white. "I..."
Too lazy to entertain her further, Zhang Heyu turned and walked into the academic lecture hall.

Jiang Ci allowed Rong Qiancen to link arms with her as they walked back toward the dormitory. Remembering the encounter with Zhang Heyu just moments before, Rong Qiancen's gossip radar spiked once again.
"Did you see Zhang Heyu just now? There was a girl standing right beside him. Do you think she's his girlfriend?"
Jiang Ci forced a tight smile, a bitter ache twisting sharply in her chest. "I don't know."
"There were so many people standing in that hallway earlier; everyone's definitely going to be gossiping about it," Rong Qiancen said as she walked and tapped away on her phone. "I wonder if anyone's posted about this on the campus confession wall yet."
Jiang Ci paused for a fraction of a second. "Cencent, can you share the handle of the confession wall with me?"
"Of course!"
Rong Qiancen forwarded the account handle to Jiang Ci. After adding it, however, Jiang Ci didn't dare click in to view any posts concerning Zhang Heyu and that other girl.
What if Zhang Heyu really did have a girlfriend now...?

On Thursday afternoon, both Jiang Ci and Rong Qiancen received notifications in the group chat stating that they had successfully passed their interviews.
Jiang Ci only had one class that afternoon, and she headed straight back to the dorm shortly after it ended.
In two more days, it would be Zhang Heyu's birthday.
After thinking it over, Jiang Ci closed her book, stood up, grabbed a fresh outfit, headed into the bathroom to change, and got ready to go out.
Rong Qiancen, who was watching a variety show in the dorm, noticed Jiang Ci looking like she was heading out. "Cici, are you going out?"
"Mhm." Jiang Ci tucked her dorm keys into her handbag. "I brought my keys, so you guys don't need to leave the door unlocked for me."
Rong Qiancen flashed an "OK" hand sign. "Got it."

Jiang Ci glanced out the floor-to-ceiling window at the sky. September in Jingbei wasn't as sweltering as Nan城, but stepping outside still felt somewhat muggy.
Holding an umbrella and checking the map on her phone, Jiang Ci took a bus for several stops until she reached a nearby commercial district.
She wanted to give him a gift.
After wandering around for half a day, Jiang Ci still hadn't found anything suitable to give Zhang Heyu.
Just as she was about to give up and head back to campus, she suddenly spotted a specialty shop.
Jiang Ci went inside to browse and discovered a black mechanical watch that seemed exceptionally well-suited for Zhang Heyu.
She used the savings she had accumulated over the usual days to purchase it.
Stepping out of the store, she was suddenly struck by a daunting realization: how on earth was she supposed to deliver the watch to Zhang Heyu?
A sharp, stinging sensation bloomed at the bridge of Jiang Ci's nose. After all, she was the one who had pushed him away first.

By the time she finally made it back to school, realizing she hadn't eaten dinner yet, Jiang Ci decided to stop by the cafeteria to pack a portion of wonton noodles.
Just as she stepped out of the cafeteria exit, her phone buzzed inside her bag. Jiang Ci hurriedly freed a hand to retrieve her phone and answer the call.
"Cici, how have you been getting along at school lately?" The elderly woman's tone was warm and laced with persistent concern. "Is your health holding up alright recently?"
Jiang Ci smiled. "Grandma Sun, everything's been pretty good lately, and my health is fine."
The old lady had taken exceptionally good care of her. During the year and a half Jiang Ci had spent in Changyang, she genuinely felt that Grandma Sun treated her like her own granddaughter, showering her with warmth and affection.
Deeply moved, Jiang Ci had grown to view the elderly woman as her own grandmother.
"Grandma Sun, please don't worry about me," Jiang Ci said softly. "How has your health been lately? Have you been going for your regular check-ups on time?"
"Yes, the check-ups showed everything is fine," the old lady replied. "It's just that without you here in Changyang to keep me company, I still feel a bit lonely out of habit."
Jiang Ci answered, "Then I'll call you more often, Grandma Sun, to keep you company and help pass the time."
Grandma Sun's original intention with this call had simply been to hear Jiang Ci's voice without wishing to disturb her busy routine, so after a brief and tender conversation, she hung up.

Upon returning to the dorm, Jiang Ci was immediately approached by Rong Qiancen, who was clutching her phone. "Cici, our department just sent out a notification that we're having a group gathering tomorrow night to give everyone a chance to get acquainted. Are you going?"