We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Ye Chen swiped his thumb to unlock the screen and opened the chat window.

The message was sent by Li Xue, a third-year student and head of the external relations department, followed by a round yellow face emoji wearing sunglasses and laughing triumphantly.

"Reporting to our great hero, Ye! Our minister's sprained ankle has fully healed! He's been cooped up in the dorm for days, his bones are practically rusting! Tonight at 7:30, there will be a jogging session on the South Campus track for rehabilitation. Don't be late!"

Looking at the text on the screen, Ye Chen couldn't help but recall the image of this usually decisive and efficient female senior in the student council, who was clinging to his back and had her ears all the way to the back street to eat extra spicy barbecue after the welcome party last Friday.

Ye Chen tapped the screen twice and casually replied:

"Received, arrived on time."

When the green light came on, Ye Chen put down his phone, stepped on the gas, and the car crossed the stop line, heading towards Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Minhang campus.

At seven o'clock, Ye Chen parked his Mercedes-Benz in the underground garage of the commercial building off campus with practiced ease. He then walked into the east gate of Jiaotong University with a shoulder bag. He went back to dormitory 417 to change into a light and breathable gray tracksuit and running shoes, and arrived at the South Campus sports field at 7:25 sharp.

In mid-October, the nights in Shanghai are cool with the autumn breeze. The tall streetlights around the playground are all lit up, and the rubber track is filled with young men and women who are out for a walk, a night run, or sitting on the grass playing guitar.

As soon as Ye Chen stepped into the north entrance of the playground, his gaze locked onto a familiar figure in the horizontal bar area.

Today, Li Xue tied her long hair into a neat ponytail, wore a loose and comfortable light gray tracksuit with a white windproof jacket on top, and a pair of light white running shoes. Her outfit was refreshing and neat, and she looked no different from the students who could be seen jogging at night on the playground.

She was doing simple warm-up exercises while holding onto the horizontal bar. She first stretched her shoulders and neck, and then carefully rotated her right ankle. The streetlights shone down from above, casting a long shadow around her. Occasionally, student council members who knew her would pass by and greet her with a smile.

Sensing someone approaching, Li Xue turned her head and saw Ye Chen. Her previously cold face immediately relaxed. She stopped her warm-up exercises and walked briskly to meet him.

"You're punctual. I thought you, being such a busy person, were going to stand me up again."

Ye Chen looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on her right ankle for a second, and teased her with a smile:

"How dare I disobey an administrative order personally issued by Minister Li? But as the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. It's only been a few days, and you dare to run around causing trouble. If you sprain your ankle again later, I won't carry you back."

Recalling the scene of lying on Ye Chen's back that night, Li Xue's ears suddenly burned. Embarrassed and annoyed, she raised her hand and punched his strong shoulder, but refused to back down verbally:

"Who cares if you carry me? Plenty of people want to carry the department head, but I won't let them!"

"Yes, yes, Minister Li is incredibly charming," Ye Chen said with a smile, making a gesture of defiance. "Since you don't want me to carry you, then you'd better walk obediently on the outermost circle and follow my pace. Don't try to be brave and speed up."

"I'll listen to you. You're in charge today."

Li Xue smiled and obediently followed him toward the plastic track.

Considering that Li Xue's foot injury had just healed, Ye Chen deliberately shortened his stride and slowed his pace to almost brisk walking. At the same time, he made sure to walk on the inner side of the track to avoid being bumped by people running past him.

The two of them ran two laps along the 400-meter track in unison, accompanied by the night breeze. A thin layer of sweat appeared on Li Xue's forehead, and her breathing became a little rapid. Ye Chen then slowed down and led her to walk side by side.

"How is it? Does your right ankle feel sore or swollen?"

Ye Chen turned his head and asked a question.

Li Xue raised the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from the tip of her nose, then turned to give him a bright smile:

"I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I feel much more refreshed. I've been taking good care of myself during this time; I was almost driven crazy by the lack of rest."

The two chatted casually about the feedback from vendors regarding the new student welfare booklet from the External Relations Department, as they strolled along the bend toward the exit of the stands.

Just as I rounded the bend and approached the streetlights near the entrance to the concrete grandstand steps, a tall girl wearing a light pink velvet tracksuit walked towards me from the opposite direction.

The girl was holding an unopened bottle of mineral water. She had been kicking plastic pellets on the roadside with her head down. When she heard footsteps, she looked up and saw Ye Chen and Li Xue walking side by side under the streetlight. Her right foot, which had been about to step out, stopped in its tracks.

The person who came was Xu Jiao from the Department of Foreign Languages.

The three people, standing four or five meters apart, met each other under the bright streetlights.

The tall streetlights at the entrance to the playground cast a large expanse of white light, illuminating the edges of the track as bright as day.

The mineral water bottle in Xu Jiao's hand made a slight cracking sound as she squeezed it.

She anticipated that Ye Chen might come to the playground, so she specially changed into her newly bought light pink tracksuit and ran to the South District playground, obviously wanting to create a natural chance encounter and invite him to visit her new house together.

But when she bumped into Ye Chen and saw Li Xue next to him with her hair in a high ponytail and wearing a light gray tracksuit, the smile that had been on her lips froze instantly.

The two walked side by side, chatting as they went, appearing quite familiar with each other.