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

"Hmm. Faster than the water heater outside. Probably even faster—"

"You've already adjusted the temperature for me."

Li Chen paused for a moment.

How did you know?

"Your right sleeve is wet. The showerhead is on the right side of the wall. You tested the water temperature with your right hand before adjusting it. If you were washing yourself, you would just turn it on without testing the temperature."

Li Chen glanced at his cuffs.

It was indeed a little wet.

"You go wash first. I'll go wait in the yard for a while."

"It's cold outside."

"I'll resist—"

"Say you're not afraid of the cold again, and I'll make you sleep on the floor tonight."

Li Chen shut up.

He went downstairs, walked into the courtyard, and sat down at the stone table.

The sea breeze wafts through the pine trees. The lighthouse's white light sweeps across the landscape every twelve seconds. Punctual.

He took out his phone.

Group 302. Seventy-three unread messages.

He flipped to the latest one.

[Remember the fastest online novel website: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

[Wang Qiang: It's already 8 PM!! Li Chen hasn't replied to my messages for eight hours!! Eight hours!! I've never been ignored by my girlfriends for this long before!! Oh wait, I've never had a girlfriend.]

Zhao Zixuan: You're hurting yourself.

[Chen Mo: Li Chen's current behavior pattern matches the characteristics of an "exclusive intimacy period"—his social circle automatically shrinks to a single core person. The communication priority in Group 302 has been lowered to fourth level, below Yan Xi's messages, Shen Ruolan's messages, and Li Mohan's messages.]

[Wang Qiang: Fourth?? We can't even make the top three???]

[Chen Mo: To be precise, the cafeteria ladies are probably fifth in line. You're sixth.]

Li Chen typed a message.

[Li Chen: On the island. The signal is intermittent.]

two seconds.

[Wang Qiang: You finally showed up!!! Was the island fun? Was the seafood delicious? Where did you stay?]

Li Chen hesitated for a moment.

[Li Chen: Mountain Top B&B.]

[Wang Qiang: How many rooms?]

Li Chen stared at the screen.

Five seconds later.

[Chen Mo: He didn't answer. This means the answer would cause a stir in the group. Based on the size of the guesthouse and the booking time—it's one room.]

[Wang Qiang: ? ...]

[Zhao Zixuan: I propose a 30-second silence in the group chat. Let's give Li Chen a chance to explain.]

Thirty seconds passed.

Li Chen didn't type anything.

[Wang Qiang: He's not explaining!!! No explanation means he's admitting it!!!]

[Chen Mo: In criminal law, it's called the right to remain silent.]

Li Chen locked the screen.

Put your phone in your pocket.

The sound of water coming from upstairs has stopped.

About ten minutes later, Yan Xi's voice came from the second-floor window.

"Come up."

Li Chen went upstairs.

Yan Xi sat on the windowsill. Her hair was still half-wet. She was wearing the long-sleeved nightgown she had brought with her. The phoenix hairpin was on the table.

The camping lights shone up from below, making the room feel warm.

"There's still hot water. Go take a shower."

Li Chen took his clothes into the bathroom. Five minutes later, he came out with his hair still dripping wet.

Yan Xi glanced at him.

"come over."

She took a dry towel out of her bag.

Li Chen walked over. Yan Xi placed a towel over his head, pressed it down with both hands, and rubbed it a few times.

It's not rubbing. It's kneading. Like kneading the head of a large dog.

"Your hair is softer than it looks."

"Your hand is heavier than it looks."

Yan Xi stopped. The towel was still on his head.

"Li Chen".

"Um."

"You don't have to sleep on the floor."

Under the towel, Li Chen's breath hitched for a moment.

Yan Xi removed the towel from his head.

"The bed is big. You'll sleep on the left. The rules are the same as before."

Li Chen's hair was a mess, like a bird's nest.

"You rubbed it."

"Serves you right. Who told you to stay silent in the 302 group chat, letting your three roommates think we were doing something to you?"

How did you know—

"Leng Qingge sent me a screenshot of the group chat. Wang Qiang's group nickname is 'The Abandoned Fourth Priority'."

Li Chen made a mental note of it. He would go back and settle the score with Wang Qiang.

Yan Xi turned off the camping light.

The room darkened. Only the white light of the lighthouse outside the window flashed across the ceiling every twelve seconds before disappearing.

The two people were lying on the bed, about twenty centimeters apart.

in the dark.

Yan Xi reached out her hand. Her little finger hooked around his little finger.

"At the lighthouse today."

"Um."

"You asked me what I assumed. I didn't answer you."

Li Chen's little finger remained motionless.

"I've made an assumption," Yan Xi said softly. The lighthouse's light swept over and then moved on.

"I assume you—will continue like this."

Li Chen's little finger tightened.

The waves outside the window lapped against the rocks on the shore. The lighthouse light came on every twelve seconds.

"Yes."

Yan Xi's fingers loosened.

But I didn't take it.

It rested on the back of his hand. Five fingers loosely covered it.

Just like that night in the fishing village.

Li Chen closed his eyes.

His right hand didn't move. Let her hand stay there.

Beneath her palm was his heartbeat. She had measured it. Sixty-eight beats per minute when calm.

Now it's at least ninety.

Li Chen woke up before dawn.

The light outside the window was still gray. There was no sun on the sea. The lighthouse's flash turned into a blurry white in the early morning fog.

Yan Xi was sleeping on her side, facing him.

Her hand was no longer on the back of his hand. She pulled back, clutching the corner of the blanket. Her breathing was steady. Her eyelashes remained still.

Li Chen didn't move.

He lay there and watched her for three minutes.

I counted the lighthouse flashes fifteen times.

Then she quietly got up and went downstairs.

There were two eggs and half a cabbage left in the kitchen. Two bundles of noodles were found in the cupboard.

He boiled a pot of water and put the eggs in it to cook.

Then I went into the yard.

The boss isn't here. He's probably out at sea. There's a chicken coop in the corner of the yard, and two hens are dozing inside. There's a basket of sweet potatoes on the ground next to the coop.

Li Chen glanced at the sweet potato.

Yan Xi had eaten his sweet potato mash. She mentioned her childhood memories of eating roasted sweet potatoes in her hometown. He had promised to learn how to roast sweet potatoes back then.

There's an iron pot next to the stove. It can be used for dry heating.

He selected two sweet potatoes of similar size, washed them clean, and put them in an iron pot. He then turned the heat to low.

Then I went back to the kitchen. I cooked noodles. I chopped the cabbage and put it in the pot. I took the eggs out and rinsed them with cold water.

My phone vibrated.

Two elders. His father.

Li Chen wiped his hands. He clicked on it.

[Li Mohan: You're awake?]

6:11. His dad never sends a message at 6:00.

Li Chen replied.

[Li Chen: You're awake.]

Ten seconds. No new messages.

Li Chen stared at the chat box. His dad typed "typing," then disappeared. Then it reappeared. Then it disappeared again.

It was repeated four times.

The last one was sent out.

[Li Mohan: Are the fish easy to catch?]

Li Chen stared at those four words for five seconds.

His dad doesn't fish.

[Li Chen: I wasn't fishing. I'm on the island.]

three seconds.

[Li Mohan: Oh.]

Silence again.

Li Chen placed his phone on the stove and continued cooking the noodles.

Just as the noodles were almost done, my phone vibrated again. It was another two long noodles.

[Li Mohan: Your mother asked me to ask you if you've had breakfast.]

Li Chen's lips curved slightly.

His mother definitely didn't tell his father to ask that. This kind of "your mother told me to ask" phrasing is Li Mohan's standard format—he wanted to ask it himself but couldn't bring himself to do it.

[Li Chen: In progress.]

Five seconds.

[Li Mohan: Did you make it for her too?]

[Li Chen: I did it.]

[Li Mohan: Hmm.]

It's "typing..." again. It appears. It disappears. It appears. It disappears.

Li Chen sighed. He dialed the number.