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

next time.

She's already making arrangements for the next one.

Li Chen took off his coat.

He shook it out and draped it over Yan Xi.

"you--"

"Go to sleep. There's still at least one hour left."

Yan Xi glanced at him.

Her gaze moved from the collar of his coat to the cuffs of his inner shirt.

There was a tiny loose thread on the cuff.

She bought him the replacement from the clothing store.

She looked at it for two seconds.

Then I adjusted the seat angle, tilting it back fifteen degrees.

Close your eyes.

"Keep an eye on the navigation for me. Let me know if it moves."

"it is good."

"Stop playing on your phone."

"it is good."

"Don't take pictures of me without my permission."

Li Chen's finger paused on the phone screen for a moment.

"……good."

Yan Xi's breathing gradually slowed down.

Li Chen looked at her.

Her head was tilted slightly to the left. The end of the phoenix hairpin rested on the headrest, at an uncomfortable angle.

He reached out and carefully pulled the phoenix hairpin outwards by three millimeters. He didn't remove it completely, just to prevent it from getting stuck against her.

Yan Xi's head moved slightly. She didn't wake up.

The car was very quiet.

Occasionally, a car in the traffic outside would inch forward two meters, then stop again.

Li Chen didn't look at his phone.

He looked at Yan Xi.

Her left hand rested on the armrest.

The red string and silver bracelet on her wrist were side by side.

The red string is a very dark color.

It made her skin look very fair.

Her breathing rate was approximately fourteen times per minute.

It was slower than the seventeen times she was awake.

He knew the data was meaningless. But he couldn't stop himself from counting.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

He turned off the vibration.

A light snow began to fall from the gray sky outside the window. The snowflakes were very small. They landed on the windshield, didn't melt, and stuck there.

The temperature inside the car gradually dropped a little.

Li Chen turned the heater up one degree.

From 23 to 24.

The temperature that Yan Xi is used to.

She's asleep. I'll use her warmth.

He pulled his coat up a little, covering her shoulders.

When his fingers touched the collar of her coat, he smelled a scent.

It wasn't her perfume.

It's laundry detergent.

His family's laundry detergent.

The clothes she wore at his house had been washed with his laundry detergent. The smell lingered on the lining of her coat.

Li Chen's fingers paused at her collar for a second.

Then take it back.

He leaned back in his seat and turned his head to look out the window.

The snow fell heavier and heavier.

The traffic ahead finally began to move slowly. The brake lights went out one by one.

He did not wake Yan Xi.

He adjusted the angle of the driver's seat. He could reach the steering wheel from his side.

You don't need to shift gears when stuck in traffic. Just occasionally release the brake to let the car coast forward a couple of meters.

He can reach it.

Yan Xi's seat was low. She adjusted the height of her car to be four centimeters lower than his. The steering wheel was a bit far away, but still within reach.

He reached out his left hand from the passenger seat and slowly controlled the car to follow the flow of traffic in front of him.

His right hand was still resting on the central armrest.

Yan Xi's little finger touched the back of his hand at a certain moment.

Actions in a dream.

He didn't move.

Fifteen minutes later, the traffic flow picked up. It went from crawling to a slow pace of about 20 miles per hour.

He refused to do it.

"Xi Xi".

Her eyelashes fluttered twice.

"It moved."

Yan Xi opened her eyes.

She glanced at the navigation first, then at the speedometer.

He glanced again at Li Chen's left hand on the steering wheel.

There was a three-second silence.

"You drove in from the passenger side?"

"There was a traffic jam. It just slid forward a few steps."

Yan Xi adjusted the seat back to its original position and took the steering wheel.

Her gaze swept over his left arm.

"Are your hands tired?"

"It's not sour."

"How long were you holding that position?"

"About fifteen minutes."

Yan Xi stepped on the gas. The car speed returned to 80. The road ahead began to clear.

She didn't say thank you.

Her right hand left the steering wheel and reached out. She pressed on his left wrist.

My fingertip rested on his pulse.

Why are you so nervous?

"I wasn't nervous."

"Your heart rate is 89. When you are sitting quietly, it is 72."

Li Chen didn't reply.

Yan Xi's fingers lingered on his wrist for three seconds before she withdrew them.

Hold the steering wheel.

How much navigation data is left?

"One hour and forty minutes."

"I'll drive. You can take a nap."

"I'm not sleepy—"

"You haven't slept since 5 a.m.

Li Chen was speechless.

How did you know?

"You messaged your mom at 5:03 to thank her for the pork rib rice." Yan Xi changed lanes. "Your mom sent me a screenshot."

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

He didn't look at it.

Yan Xi maintained a steady speed of 115 km/h. The snow had stopped. A crack appeared in the gray sky, letting in light.

He leaned back in his seat.

Before closing his eyes, he glanced at Yan Xi's profile.

Her jawline is very sharp.

The small mole on her earlobe was faintly visible in the light.

He closed his eyes.

My phone vibrated again.

[Yan Xi: Stop looking. Go to sleep.]

He didn't see the message.

He was already asleep.

"Li Chen".

He opened his eyes.

The east gate of Linjiang University is visible through the windshield.

The car was parked on the side of the road. The engine was off. The interior was quiet.

Yan Xi sat in the driver's seat, her hands still on the steering wheel. She turned her head to look at him.

"arrive."

Li Chen blinked twice and sat up straight from the passenger seat.

He glanced down at his phone. 4:41 PM.

He slept for almost two hours.

"You haven't stopped?"

"We rested at the service area for fifteen minutes."

"When?"

"Twenty minutes after you fell asleep," Yan Xi said, pulling out the key, "you turned over. I went downstairs to use the restroom. When I came back, you were still asleep."

She stopped the car while he was asleep, got out to use the restroom, and then came back to continue driving.

He was not woken up at all.

You should call me.

"You got up at five in the morning to write a thank-you message to your mom. At six, you checked the car's windshield wipers on the balcony. At seven, you cooked me noodles." Yan Xi opened the car door. "You need to sleep."

She got out of the car.

Cold air seeped in through the gaps in the car doors. Winter in Linjiang is more humid than in Beijing. The temperature is about the same, but it feels colder.

Li Chen quickly got out of the car. He went around to the back and opened the trunk.

He took Yan Xi's suitcase first.

Yan Xi walked over.

"You take yours. I'll take mine myself."

"I took them all."

"Then how did you take yours?"

Li Chen carried Yan Xi's suitcase in his left hand and pulled his own in his right. He also had an insulated bag hanging on his shoulder.

Yan Xi looked at him for two seconds.

She didn't say anything more. She reached out and took the insulated bag off his shoulder, then slung it over her own arm.

The two of them carried their luggage and walked into the school gate.

My phone vibrated.

[Wang Qiang: Brother Chen!! You guys arrived?? Location shows you're at the East Gate!!]

[Zhao Zixuan: I saw it!! I was by the window in the second cafeteria!! My sister-in-law was walking in front, and Brother Chen was dragging two suitcases behind!!]

[Chen Mo: Observation—The suitcase Li Chen is holding in his left hand is smaller and a different color than the one in his right. It's speculated that the suitcase in his left hand belongs to Yan Xi. He placed Yan Xi's suitcase on his more stable hand (left hand; Li Chen is right-handed but his left wrist is stronger because his Jeet Kune Do training primarily uses his left forehand). Additional information: He should have delivered Yan Xi's suitcase to the girls' dormitory first before returning to room 302.]

[Wang Qiang: Should we go pick them up?]

[Zhao Zixuan: Are you going to be a third wheel?]

[Wang Qiang: Then I'll wait for Brother Chen downstairs! I'll help him with his suitcase!]

[Chen Mo: Have you cleaned the bedside table?]

The group chat fell silent.