Bringing Water to Others

Zhang Heyu raised an eyebrow in silence, his attitude noncommittal.

Given the early hour, they discussed walking her back to the dormitory together.

Fortunately, Zhang Heyu had driven his car here tonight and hadn't been drinking, otherwise dragging two drunken wrecks along would have made the journey infinitely more difficult.

Zhang Heyu helped Jiang Ci into the front passenger seat, while Jin Mo and Rui Jin hoisted Zhen Qiancen into the back.

The car started smoothly. With Zhen Qiancen leaning heavily against her side in the quiet atmosphere, Rui Jin couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yu, you and freshman Jiang Ci..."

"Isn't it obvious?" Zhang Heyu cast a dark gaze at Jiang Ci in the passenger seat. The young girl was fast asleep, and the affection in her eyes seemed on the verge of spilling over.

Rui Jin smiled awkwardly. "It's quite obvious now."

Seeing Rui Jin flounder, Jin Mo covered his mouth and snickered from the side, laughing until he was out of breath.

Annoyed, Rui Jin pinched Jin Mo's thigh and threatened in a low whisper, "Laugh again and I'll bite your head off!"

Wincing in pain, Jin Mo stroked the spot Rui Jin had pinched. "You've got a killer grip. That hurt like hell."

Rui Jin shot him a sidelong glance, her expression dripping with utter disdain.

The interior of the car lapsed back into silence. Jiang Ci felt somewhat uncomfortable in her sleep, her head still spinning, her brows furrowed as she shifted slightly.

A seventy-five-second red light loomed ahead. The moment the car came to a complete halt, a few murmurs abruptly broke the quiet.

"Zhang Heyu, I hate you!"

Not only were Rui Jin and Jin Mo stunned, but the target of her insult was equally dumbfounded.

Having uttered those words, Jiang Ci continued a second later with a tearful whine, "I curse you to turn into a dog, an ugly dog, so you won't be able to bully me anymore..."

Zhang Heyu's right hand rested on the steering wheel, his exposed forearm displaying flawless muscle lines and bulging veins that were too striking to look away from.

He turned his head to look at her, feeling as though he were simply sitting in the car when an undeserved pot fell squarely on his head.

Who was bullying whom, exactly?

She had dumped him with a single word of parting, vanished without a trace, and cut off all contact.

He was simultaneously infuriated and amused.

It was also the first time Rui Jin and Jin Mo had ever witnessed Zhang Heyu being cursed out, making the scene inexplicably comical.

The car came to a stop downstairs at the No. 2 Student Apartment Building of Peking University.

Jin Mo and Rui Jin got out first to escort Zhen Qiancen into the dormitory. After speaking with the dorm supervisor, they learned that the two girls' room was 509.

Since it was inconvenient for Jin Mo to enter the female dormitory, he had Rui Jin take the elevator up with Zhen Qiancen first.

Zhang Heyu sat inside the car, the interior unlit save for the faint glow cast by the streetlamps outside.

The girl beside him slept soundly, accompanied only by the sound of her breathing. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, with a few stray strands resting restlessly against her cheek.

Prompted by a sudden thought, Zhang Heyu picked up his phone, opened the camera app, pointed the lens toward her, and carefully brushed the stray hair from her cheek before taking a snapshot of the girl.

She looked so soft, cute to a fault.

His phone wallpaper was also a stolen photo of Jiang Ci at the Ferris wheel. Before that, the wallpaper had been a candid shot taken by Huo Chensi of the two of them during the school sports meeting.

He never expected a single candid photo to serve as his wallpaper for two full years.

Before long, a message from Jin Mo popped up on Zhang Heyu's phone.

[Jin Mo: You can bring the freshman in now.]

Zhang Heyu put away his phone, stepped out of the car, and walked over to the passenger side. Opening the door, he looked down and saw her fast asleep with her head tilted to the side, a trace of a smile curving his lips involuntarily.

Zhang Heyu bent over, leaning in carefully to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Sensing someone approaching—someone she was intimately familiar with—Jiang Ci sleepily fluttered her eyes open, her gaze heavy with sleep.

Noticing the intense gaze, Zhang Heyu turned his head to look at Jiang Ci, realizing she had been woken up.

Only, her eyes didn't look entirely lucid.

He raised a hand to tap her head, his tone calm. "Time to go back to your dorm."

Jiang Ci simply stared at him with wide, dark eyes, offering no response.

Unable to guess what was running through her little head, Zhang Heyu smiled faintly and leaned in closer, propping his hands on the seat as he watched her with amused patience.

If she were sober, she would have shoved him away by now.

Yet intoxicated, she was rather obedient, looking delightfully foolish.

Just as Zhang Heyu prepared to withdraw his gaze and lift her into the dormitory, Jiang Ci suddenly leaned closer and mumbled,

"A-Yu, I miss you so much."

Her tone was exceptionally soft—so soft that had they not been standing so close, Zhang Heyu would never have heard it.

Zhang Heyu looked at her, momentarily dazed, his heartbeat skipping a beat.

Suddenly, Jiang Ci reached out and grabbed his collar. Unbalanced, Zhang Heyu tipped forward, his nose accidentally brushing against Jiang Ci's.

The young girl was always enveloped in a faint scent of osmanthus, now mixed with the litchi-like aroma of alcohol, instantly throwing his mind into disarray.

"Jiang Ci."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he whispered her name, attempting to rouse her.

The next second, the osmanthus fragrance clinging to his nose grew closer still, and Zhang Heyu abruptly felt a soft touch land upon his lips.

His breathing hitched, his eyes filled with sheer astonishment.

For a fraction of a second, time seemed to hit the pause button.

Once he snapped back to reality, Jiang Ci had already slumped back down to continue sleeping.

That impromptu kiss between Jiang Ci and Zhang Heyu happened to be witnessed by Jin Mo and Rui Jin, who had come out to urge Zhang Heyu to bring the freshman inside.

"Oh my god, oh my god, they k-kissed!" Rui Jin patted Jin Mo's shoulder in excitement. "Just like that, they casually kissed?!"

Jin Mo winced from the blows. "Rui Jin, my eyes aren't blind, stop hitting me, that hurts like hell."

Never had Jin Mo expected to be forced to swallow a mouthful of dog food the moment he stepped outside.

"Let's hurry back inside and wait before we get caught."

Jin Mo and Rui Jin retreated back to the base of the dormitory building, waiting for Zhang Heyu to carry her inside.

When Zhang Heyu arrived with her in his arms, he was holding a bag of items in his other hand.

After having Rui Jin escort her and the belongings back to the room, he finally left the No. 2 Student Apartment.

Saturday, 3:00 PM.

Jiang Ci was jolted awake by Rong Yuan's irrepressible shrieks. Waking up, her head throbbed painfully, and she heard Zhen Qiancen parting her bed curtains to complain.

"Xiao Yuan, keep it down, I need to sleep a bit more." With that, Zhen Qiancen flopped back down and fell asleep again.

Groggily waking up, Jiang Ci felt around for her phone beside her pillow, searching for a long time without success.

Regaining a bit of clarity, she sat up, only to hear Zhen Qiancen gasp in shock, "What the hell, wasn't I..."

Rong Yuan crossed her arms over her chest. "Uh-huh, both you and Ci-ci were sent back by the senior girls from your department."

Stunned, Jiang Ci pulled back her bed curtain. The glare outside made her squint, and she looked down toward the floor.

"Ci-ci, the senior said you should mix some honey water to drink once you wake up," Rong Yuan said, pointing to the bag sitting on Jiang Ci's desk.

Massaging her aching head, Jiang Ci murmured an acknowledgment.

Climbing down from the bed, Jiang Ci headed to the bathroom to wash up, then walked over to her desk to pick up the bag Rong Yuan had mentioned.

Inside was a bottle of honey and a carton of milk. As she pulled out the jar of honey, she inadvertently noticed a note attached to it.

"Drink some honey water when you wake up. Your headache will ease."

She recognized the handwriting immediately—it belonged to Zhang Heyu.

So, she really had interacted with Zhang Heyu last night?

Remembering something, Jiang Ci rummaged through the pockets of the clothes she had changed out of last night, only to find she hadn't given Zhang Heyu his gift either.

Uncertain, she tried to piece together those missing blocks of memory, but drew a complete blank.

Zhen Qiancen also got out of bed, and Jiang Ci brewed an extra cup of honey water for her.

With their heads finally clear, Zhen Qiancen suddenly asked, "Yuan-er, what were you screaming about just now?"

At the mention of this, Rong Yuan slapped her thigh, tapped away on her phone for a moment, and handed the screen to Zhen Qiancen.

"Cen-cen, an earth-shattering piece of gossip!"

Zhen Qiancen glanced at the phone page handed to her, which prominently displayed a photograph.

The male lead in the picture was easily recognizable as Zhang Heyu, while the girl kissing him had half her face obscured and the lighting was dim, making it impossible to make out her features.

"What the hell?!" Zhen Qiancen gasped in surprise, though recalling rumors she'd previously seen online about Zhang Heyu having a girlfriend, she found it a bit less astonishing.

Jiang Ci had never been particularly interested in such matters. Sitting at her desk, she found herself pondering the note instead.

Rong Yuan glanced at the distracted Jiang Ci, seeming to realize something as she curved her lips into a smile. "You slept like a log when you got back, didn't throw any drunken tantrums either."

Blinking, Jiang Ci asked half-doubtingly, "Really?"

"Yeah, you even climbed up to your bed all by yourself when you got back!" Rong Yuan said. "No trouble at all!"

Hearing this, Jiang Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As dinnertime approached, Jiang Ci went to the No. 5 Cafeteria with Zhen Qiancen and Rong Yuan.

Halfway through the meal, Rong Yuan cradled her phone in one hand. "Ci-ci, Cen-cen, Sui-sui, I heard there's a basketball game at the gymnasium tonight, wanna go check it out?"

Jiang Ci had nothing else planned for the evening, so she nodded in agreement.

"Sure!" Just as Zhen Qiancen agreed, her peripheral vision caught the sweet, smiling expression lingering on Rong Yuan's face. "Something's off. Yuan-er, why are you smiling so happily?"

At these words, Jiang Ci also looked up at Rong Yuan with a smile.

Slightly flushed under their scrutiny and knowing she couldn't keep it hidden, Rong Yuan lowered her voice to confess, "I—I actually wanted to go see the senior from our department."

"Oh, so it's about LOVE!" Zhen Qiancen teased. "Don't worry, Ci-ci and I will keep you company!"

Blushing deeply, Rong Yuan nodded.

After dinner, Jiang Ci and the others stopped by the convenience store to buy water before heading toward the gymnasium.

Rong Yuan led them to find some seats. Scanning the court, Zhen Qiancen spotted a familiar figure.

"Isn't that Zhang Heyu?"

At those words, Jiang Ci instinctively raised her head to look toward the court.

She saw the young man sitting in the backcourt area, clad in a black number 3 jersey. He was slightly hunched over, his exposed arms and lower legs exuding powerful athleticism.

Without a doubt, he was the most striking person in the crowd.

As if sensing something, the opposing player looked up casually, his gaze landing precisely in Jiang Ci's direction.

Jiang Ci froze for a few seconds before belatedly looking away.

The senior Rong Yuan had mentioned was on a different team—they were opponents.

Before long, the game commenced.

Watching the vibrant and spirited young man on the court, Jiang Ci was suddenly reminded of how Zhang Heyu had been just like this back in high school.

His basketball skills were universally acknowledged. Though Jiang Ci didn't understand the game very well, she always saw Zhang Heyu execute precise shots with a terrifyingly high success rate, and she knew his skills were exceptional.

Wave after wave of cheers erupted inside the arena, almost entirely shouting for the School of Engineering.

As expected, the School of Engineering took the upper hand in the first match.

Jiang Ci and Rong Yuan watched for a long time. Midway through, Zhen Qiancen had to leave due to an errand.

During halftime, Rong Yuan nervously squeezed the water bottle in her hands, her gaze fixed with hesitation on a boy wearing a white number 9 jersey.

"Ci-ci, c-could you..."

Jiang Ci tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"Could you help me give this water to the boy in the white number 9 jersey?"

"Me?" Jiang Ci was somewhat taken aback.

Rong Yuan nodded, grabbing Jiang Ci's hand imploringly. "My legs are shaking, Ci-ci, please help me out!"

Hesitating, Jiang Ci lowered her gaze and actually saw Rong Yuan's legs trembling.

Taking the water from Rong Yuan, Jiang Ci took advantage of the halftime break and walked over to the School of Education's backcourt area.

Locating her target, Jiang Ci endured the gazes of several onlookers as she approached the boy.

And that very scene was caught dead-to-rights by Zhang Heyu not far away.

Unbelievable.

Zhang Heyu stared at the scene, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. The mineral water bottle he had just opened and taken a few sips from was crushed out of shape in his grip, veins bulging along his arm.

He got aggressively kissed last night, and tonight she was delivering water to someone else?