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

Those two words were incredibly damaging.

Li Chen felt as if he had been hit on the top of the head with a heavy hammer, and his eardrums were ringing.

"husband".

With a touch of deliberate sweetness mixed with Yan Xi's unique cool voice, she seemed out of place in this barbecue stall filled with the aroma of cumin and the smell of smoke, yet she was fatally tempting.

The barbecue stall owner's hand trembled.

The red oil on the brush dripped into the charcoal fire, sizzling and sending up a plume of white smoke.

The boss was a man who had seen his share of ups and downs, but at this moment his eyes were clearly fixed on him. He looked at the stunningly beautiful woman clinging to Li Chen, then at the dazed young man, his eyes filled with astonishment that "this kid's ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke."

"Okay...okay, almost done!"

The boss lowered his head in a panic, fanning himself rapidly with his fan to hide his embarrassment.

Li Chen finally came to his senses.

A distinct, soft, and warm sensation came from my arm.

Yan Xi buried her face in his arms, making her expression unreadable.

But he'd stake his life on it; that woman was definitely laughing.

This is revenge.

Naked revenge.

Just because he teased her about being "nervous," she immediately threw out her trump card, leaving him utterly defeated.

Li Chen gritted his teeth, but found that he couldn't get angry at all.

The heart inside the chest cavity was pounding against the ribs, so fast it felt like it was about to burst through the skin.

"What are you standing there for?"

A muffled sound came from the cuff, carrying a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

"Didn't we say we were looking for a place to sit?"

Li Chen stiffly took a step forward, dragging the large pendant he was wearing called "girlfriend," and moved to the only empty table next to him.

As soon as she sat down, Yan Xi let go of her hand.

She sat up straight, tidied her slightly disheveled hair, and her expression instantly returned to its usual cool and elegant state.

It was as if the person who had just called her "husband" in a soft, sweet voice was not her at all.

Only in those slightly upturned phoenix eyes did a cunning glint appear, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.

Li Chen took a big gulp of herbal tea, trying to suppress the heat.

"Senior, you've broken the rules."

"Hmm?" Yan Xi slowly unpacked the disposable tableware. "Which school rule says we can't call our boyfriends 'husbands'?"

Li Chen was defeated once again.

Trying to reason with a top student is just asking for humiliation.

"Here it comes! Lamb skewers, beef tendon, and grilled cold noodles!"

The owner brought over a huge iron platter, steaming hot and smelling delicious.

Li Chen was already starving and reached out to grab the sizzling mutton.

"Don't move."

Yan Xi suddenly spoke.

Li Chen's hand froze in mid-air.

Yan Xi took out a pack of wet wipes from her bag and pulled out one.

Then, she naturally reached out and grabbed Li Chen's wrist.

Li Chen's fingers are long and slender with distinct knuckles. Due to years of martial arts training, his fingertips have thin calluses.

Yan Xi lowered her head, her expression as focused as if she were handling a rare treasure.

He wrapped a slightly cool, damp towel around his fingers and gently wiped them, one by one.

Fingertips touch.

The electric current traveled up the spine along the nerve endings.

Li Chen looked at her long, drooping eyelashes, which cast a small shadow under her eyelids.

The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of drinking games, toasts, and the sizzling of barbecue.

But this small corner of the table was unusually quiet.

Something called "warmth" quietly grows amidst the smell of cooking oil.

"alright."

Yan Xi let go, threw the dirty wet wipe into the trash can, and raised her chin.

"Eat."

Li Chen looked at his clean fingers, and his throat tightened.

He picked up a lamb skewer and took a bite.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a strong cumin flavor.

Really fragrant.

The meal was eaten in silence.

Yan Xi didn't eat much; she only ate a few bites of grilled cold noodles and eggplant, and the rest went into Li Chen's stomach.

After paying the bill, the two walked out of the bustling food street.

The night breeze was cool, dispelling the smell of cooking fire from my clothes.

There is a tree-lined path that you must take to get back to the dormitory from the north gate.

Tall plane trees line both sides of the street, the streetlights are dim, and the shadows of the trees sway gently.

This place is the famous "Lovers' Slope" of Linjiang University.

The two walked side by side, with a fist's width between them.

Li Chen's hands were in his pockets, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of his phone.

The skin she had just wiped still seemed to be burning.

He glanced at Yan Xi.

The dappled sunlight fell on her face, softening her aloofness and making her look more gentle than ever before.

Li Chen stopped in his tracks.

An unprecedented impulse grew wildly like weeds.

I'm always being flirted with, and I'm always the one being flirted with.

This is not his style.

Since she dares to call him "husband," he has nothing to be afraid of.

"What's wrong?"

Yan Xi noticed that he hadn't followed and turned around in confusion.

Li Chen didn't speak.

He stepped forward and extended his hand.

Precise and powerful.

He grabbed Yan Xi's hand, which was hanging by her side.

Yan Xi's hands were very cold, soft and boneless, like a piece of fine warm jade.

The moment he grasped her hand, Yan Xi visibly stiffened.

She instinctively tried to pull away, but Li Chen gripped her even tighter.

Ten fingers, forcibly squeezed between her fingers.

Stamp it shut.

Li Chen stared at her intently, his eyes reflecting the streetlights, shining brightly.

"It's dark on the road, I'm afraid you'll fall."

The reason is utterly ridiculous.

But this did not diminish the force in his hands; it was so domineering that no refusal was allowed.

Yan Xi stared blankly at their clasped hands.

Their palms touched, and the continuous heat transmitted through them, making her ears tingle.

She stopped struggling.

She simply lowered her head, letting him lead her, her steps slightly unsteady as she followed beside him.

The darkness concealed the rapidly spreading blush on her face.

The two continued walking forward.

The deeper you go, the dimmer the light becomes.

Sudden.

A strange sound came from behind the bushes by the roadside.

Suppressed, rapid breathing.

There was also the rustling sound of fabric rubbing together.

It even included a few blush-inducing whispers.

"Gently...don't..."

Li Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Holy crap.

Are all college students this wild these days?

This is on the roadside!

Although the lighting was a bit dim, it was still a public place!

The air suddenly became thick and awkward.

Li Chen subconsciously wanted to turn around and see Yan Xi's reaction.

But then he noticed that Yan Xi was also tilting her head, clearly having heard it as well.

Although he couldn't see the expression clearly, he could feel the hand in his palm tighten suddenly.

A thin layer of sweat even seeped out.

So, even Her Majesty the Queen can be shy.

Li Chen's lips curled into a wicked smile.

Instead of speeding up his escape, he slowed down slightly and gently scratched her palm with his fingers.

"Senior, does that voice... sound familiar?"

Yan Xi pinched his tiger's mouth hard, as if she had been burned.

"Shut up!"

Although the voice was fierce, it also carried a hint of panicked bravado.

"Hurry up!"

She took the initiative, pulling Li Chen along as they quickly crossed this troublesome place.

The suffocatingly ambiguous atmosphere only dissipated slightly when the bright lights of the girls' dormitory building were seen.

The two stopped downstairs.

Li Chen released his grip.

My palms felt empty and a little cool in the wind.

"arrive."

"Um."

Yan Xi responded, not daring to look him in the eye, her gaze falling on the flowerbed by the roadside.

"Then I'll go up."

Okay, goodnight.

"Good night."

Yan Xi turned around and hurriedly walked into the dormitory, her back view even looking somewhat like she was fleeing in panic.

Li Chen stood there, watching her figure disappear around the corner.

He raised his hand, placed it to his nose, and gently sniffed.

A faint scent of fir lingers on my fingertips.

That was a scent unique to Yan Xi.

Li Chen chuckled and turned to walk towards the boys' dormitory.

The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful.

……

The lobby of the girls' dormitory.

Yan Xi did not go upstairs.

She hid in the shadow of the glass door, watching the receding figure through the crack.

The streetlights lengthened his shadow.

Yan Xi raised her hand and gently placed the hand that he had just held onto her burning cheek.

Those clear, cool eyes were now shimmering with tears.