Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

Yan Xi did not retract her knee.

Li Chen felt a steady pressure on the outside of his thigh. Not heavy, but persistent.

He bent down, picked up a slice of fatty beef, and dipped it into the mushroom broth for eight seconds.

"You're not eating the tomato hot pot?" Yan Xi's voice came from the side.

"The mushroom soup makes it even more tender."

"Liar. Last time you came to this restaurant, you ordered the tomato broth with all the sliced ​​beef."

Li Chen paused for a moment.

How did you know?

"Wang Qiang posted it on his WeChat Moments."

Across from him, Wang Qiang was stuffing his third piece of tripe into his mouth when he heard his name called and looked up.

"When did I—"

"October 17th, 7:42 PM." Yan Xi's tone was flat. "You posted a picture of hot pot with the caption 'Li Shen ate all the beef in the tomato hot pot, I hate it.'"

Wang Qiang stopped chewing.

Zhao Zixuan slowly put down the cup.

Chen Mo's hand was already reaching for his phone in his pocket.

"How long have you been keeping track of this?" Wang Qiang's voice was weak.

"I didn't deliberately memorize it." Yan Xi picked up the serving chopsticks, took a slice of cooked beef from the tomato broth, and placed it on Li Chen's plate. "You remember it just because you saw it."

Li Chen looked at the fatty beef on the plate.

It was cooked in a tomato broth.

She specifically picked it from the tomato pot.

He put the beef slices into his mouth.

The sweet and sour flavor of the tomatoes, combined with the fat from the beef, is definitely more fragrant than that of the mushroom soup.

"Is it tasty?"

"Um."

"Then don't be so stubborn next time." Yan Xi put her chopsticks back on her plate. "Eat whatever you want."

The three people opposite each other lowered their heads at the same time.

Wang Qiang tossed a mouthful of vermicelli into the pot. His fingers were trembling.

Zhao Zixuan picked up his teacup and covered half of his face.

Chen Mo was typing under the table. Li Chen glanced at the last line on the screen—

[She built an independent database of dietary preferences using third-party social media records. Data collection began before the two officially established their relationship. Conclusion: The hunter had already created a profile of his target before the hunt even began.]

Li Chen withdrew his gaze.

He dipped another slice of beef into the tomato broth. This time, he didn't hesitate.

Yan Xi's knee lightly brushed against his leg under the table.

It's a reward.

We ate hot pot until 8:30 pm.

The four servings of shrimp paste were all gone.

Two portions of beef were finished.

Wang Qiang's fighting power exploded after Yan Xi served him the second plate of shrimp paste, and he devoured the entire plate of enoki mushrooms and most of the duck blood all by himself.

"Senior Sister Yan." Wang Qiang put down his chopsticks and clasped his hands together.

"Um."

"Will you be able to come often in the future?"

Yan Xi glanced at him.

"It depends on my mood."

"Then I guarantee he'll be in a good mood every day." Wang Qiang pointed at Li Chen.

Li Chen kicked him with his toe.

Yan Xi's lips twitched.

"Check, please." She gestured to the waiter.

"I said it's my treat—"

"You treated me last time." Yan Xi had already turned on her phone.

"Last time was last time."

"This time is the time."

The QR code scanning sounded.

Li Chen glanced at her phone screen—payment amount: 683.

"When did you sweep?"

"When you were talking to Wang Qiang."

Li Chen pursed his lips.

"I'll sweep first next time."

"You can try." Yan Xi locked the screen, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "But you might not be able to beat me."

Zhao Zixuan clapped twice slowly on the other side.

"Brilliant. Offense and defense transitioned, with millisecond-level maneuvers."

Chen Mo pushed up his glasses.

"Payment speed is an important indicator of control in a relationship."

"Yan Xi's payment window was precisely positioned within the two-second gap when Li Chen's attention was diverted, which is a typical strategy of exploiting blind spots in attention."

"Speak like a human being." Wang Qiang burped.

"She calculated exactly when he wouldn't see it."

Li Chen stood up.

"I'm gone."

Yan Xi picked up the canvas bag, and Li Chen reached out and took it from her.

This action no longer required eye contact—by the time his hand reached her, her shoulders had already relaxed.

The group left the hot pot restaurant.

The night wind blew in.

The January wind carried the lingering warmth of the hotpot steam, forming a hazy white mist at the doorway.

"We're leaving now." Zhao Zixuan tugged at Wang Qiang's sleeve.

When Wang Qiang opened his mouth to say something, Zhao Zixuan tightened his grip.

"Oh—right, let's go first."

Wang Qiang was dragged three steps toward the school gate, then turned around.

"Li Shen! Bring me a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) tomorrow morning! With two eggs!"

"An egg."

"One and a half!"

"There isn't even a half egg."

"Those two!"

Li Chen did not answer.

Wang Qiang was dragged away by Zhao Zixuan.

Chen Mo turned around.

After taking five steps, he took out his phone and typed a message.

Li Chen's phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't look at it.

The street was quiet.

Yan Xi walked to his left. Her pace was slower than it had been in the hot pot restaurant.

It's not that I'm tired, it's that I'm not in a rush.

"Your roommate is nice."

"Um."

"Wang Qiang talks a lot, but he doesn't have bad intentions."

"He just has a sharp tongue."

"Chen Mo is quite interesting."

"He's using you as a case study for his thesis."

Yan Xi's lips curved slightly.

"I know, I saw what he typed under the table."

Li Chen turned his head to look at her.

"You saw it?"

"His phone screen was too bright. It was reflecting off his glasses."

Li Chen remained silent for two seconds.

"You can see everything."

"It's not everything." Yan Xi's hand came out of her pocket. "There are some things I deliberately don't look at."

"for example?"

"For example, you just secretly scooped the last piece of beef from the tomato stew onto my plate."

Li Chen paused for a moment.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to watch it?"

"I said I was deliberately not looking." She touched the back of his hand with her finger. "That doesn't mean I really won't look."

Li Chen turned his hand over.

Spread your five fingers.

Yan Xi's fingers slid inside. They gripped.

The two people held hands.

This time I didn't put it in my pocket; I just held it there, exposed to the cold January wind.

Her fingertips were cold, while his palms were hot.

The temperature difference is neutralized at the moment of contact.

Are you cold?

"It's not cold."

"Her hands are cold."

"Cold hands don't mean you're cold." Yan Xi pressed her thumb on the web between his thumb and forefinger. "It means you should grip tighter."

Li Chen's fingers tightened.

The shadows of the two people were stretched long by the streetlights, overlapping on the sidewalk.

Yan Xi stopped when she reached the corner of the girls' dormitory building.

Yan Xi stared at him.

three seconds.

She stood on tiptoe.

She pressed her lips against his chin.

one second.

Then it fell back down.

"Go back." She loosened her grip. "Tie your scarf tight."

Turn around.

Push open the glass door of the dormitory building.

She glanced back before the door was sewn shut.

not long.

But that's enough.