Chapter 105

◎Should we hold hands?◎

As Zhan Xinyue walked down the mountain, she kept her head down and walked with the person beside her, only now they were a little closer.

You're in a relationship...

Zhan Xinyue suddenly felt a little magical. The relationship between people is magical. Just three words can establish some kind of magical contract, and the relationship with the people around her is no longer the same as before.

From now on, Shi Ziqian is her boyfriend.

Just thinking about it makes me feel a surge of indescribable emotions.

Zhan Xinyue turned her head to look at him. Even after knowing him for so long, even after spending every day together, she was still amazed when she saw his profile. Was this the person she had liked the first time she saw him in her teenage years, going to belong to her? She felt an overwhelming sweetness in her heart, yet it also felt a little unreal.

Neither of them seemed to have adapted to this sudden change in identity. Zhan Xinyue walked with her head down and took small steps, while Shi Ziqian remained silent beside her, and even his walking posture was not very natural.

Zhan Xinyue had her head down and couldn't see his expression. She could only see one of his hands hanging by her side, his knuckles slightly curled, very close to hers.

Zhan Xinyue kept staring at his hands, somewhat absentmindedly, and casually started a conversation: "If we were to date, would your family agree?"

"Home?" Shi Ziqian seemed not to have reacted.

"I heard..." Zhan Xinyue said a little embarrassedly, "Well, actually I saw it on TV. In those shows, families like yours have to arrange marriages, finding someone from a family of similar social standing for a political alliance or something like that."

“He can’t interfere with me.” Shi Ziqian didn’t use the word “family” but only “him,” which Zhan Xinyue guessed meant his father. “I’ve always felt that being controlled by someone must be because you want something from them. I don’t want anything from him, so he can’t control me.”

"Hmm..." Zhan Xinyue responded without asking too many questions. She remembered that in her previous life, he did not inherit the family business as everyone guessed, but went abroad alone, so she roughly knew his attitude towards his family.

Shi Ziqian paused slightly: "Zhan Xinyue, you don't need to worry. To me, this is between the two of us, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. No one can interfere with us."

Zhan Xinyue nodded. Originally, she had only asked casually and hadn't thought too much about it. Now that she had received Shi Ziqian's answer, she put the matter behind her.

She continued walking forward with peace of mind, but after taking two steps, she realized that Shi Ziqian hadn't followed. Looking over in confusion, she saw Shi Ziqian standing there, gazing at her with slightly pursed lips and a solemn expression.

"What's wrong?" Zhan Xinyue asked suspiciously.

Shi Ziqian pondered for a while, then hesitated and asked, "Are you... bothered by my family?"

Zhan Xinyue immediately realized that her question might have caused him to misunderstand, and quickly shook her head: "No, that's not it."

Shi Ziqian continued, "Our family is indeed a bit different from normal families... but believe me, I will handle everything and won't cause you any trouble."

There was a deep unease in his eyes when he looked over, which made Zhan Xinyue feel a slight pang in her heart.

"Okay." She held out one hand, her pale palm spread out in front of him. "Hmm, want to hold hands?"

The two walked hand in hand down the mountain, making the already short journey take three times longer. By the time they arrived at school after dinner, it was already very late.

As usual, there were many couples reluctant to part ways downstairs in the dormitory. Zhan Xinyue usually didn't pay much attention to them and would always walk past them without looking at them. But today, her eyes kept glancing at them unconsciously.

Shi Ziqian followed her gaze and saw it fall on a couple kissing in the dark. He coughed slightly, looking a little uncomfortable.

She had initially thought there was something wrong, but upon hearing his cough, Zhan Xinyue immediately felt uncomfortable and awkwardly said, "These people are so strange, do they have to be at the dormitory entrance..."

Shi Ziqian hummed in agreement and slightly turned his body to block them from view.

The two stopped under a streetlamp near the stairwell entrance. Shi Ziqian still held her hand, gazing at her tenderly. The warm orange light shone from behind her, casting a soft glow on her hair.

He reached out and gently touched her hair: "Your hair is almost as long as it used to be."

Zhan Xinyue whispered, "Mmm."

The light reflected in his eyes, creating the same clear halo. She heard him say softly, "You look good with your hair up like this."

Zhan Xinyue said shyly, "My roommate helped me with this hairpin. She has a great eye, and this hairpin is hers too."

“You’ve always been beautiful, you look good no matter what.” Shi Ziqian squeezed her hand. “Let’s go upstairs, your hands are getting a little cold.”

"Okay, you should go back too." Zhan Xinyue slowly withdrew her hand from his. "Goodnight."

Shi Ziqian replied, "Good night, new moon."

Zhan Xinyue paused as she was about to turn around, then hesitated and said, "Why are you still calling me Zhan Xinyue?"

Shi Ziqian's eyes widened in confusion for a moment.

“Other close friends call me Crescent Moon or Moon, but only you have always called me by my full name.”

“Because I really like your name,” Shi Ziqian said. “Zhan Xinyue…it sounds beautiful and is very unique.”

"Oh..." Zhan Xinyue drawled out, speaking softly, "Then go ahead and call me that."

She waved to him, "Go back now, let me know when you get there."

Shi Ziqian nodded.

She turned and left, and after taking a few steps, she heard Shi Ziqian's voice behind her.

See you tomorrow, New Moon.

Zhan Xinyue didn't turn around, but her smile seemed to suddenly become uncontrollable.

After calming herself down for a moment at the dormitory entrance, Zhan Xinyue pushed open the door. The moment she met Du Du's gaze, she heard her suspicious voice: "What's wrong? Why are you laughing like that?"

"Did I laugh?" Zhan Xinyue touched her face, even though she had been trying to control herself for a long time.

"You're laughing so hard, like wildflowers are in full bloom, as if you're afraid no one will know spring has arrived," Yiqing said. "So, what good news is there?"

Is it that obvious?

After hesitating for a long time, Zhan Xinyue finally confessed somewhat shyly: "Um, I'm in a relationship."

The dormitory fell silent. The several pairs of eyes that looked at her were all expressionless, showing no surprise at the news.

After a long pause, Dudu finally spoke: "You're only just starting to talk?"

Yiqing chimed in, "You two have been inseparable for a whole semester, haven't you? I thought you two were an old married couple already."

"What do you mean by 'old married couple'? We're still very young," Zhan Xinyue protested.

“He comes to your dorm to pick you up for meals every day. He’s practically turned into a wife-waiting stone. Anyone who sees this would think you two have been dating for a long time,” Yiqing said.

Well, she's been spending all her time with Shi Ziqian lately, so this news isn't really that surprising.

Zhan Xinyue took off her coat and had just hung it up when Xiao Ye, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly blurted out, "Since that's the case, then I'll also confess something: I'm in a relationship too."

"Huh???" This time, everyone in the dormitory was stunned.

Dudu roared, "Who are you dating, and when did this happen? There wasn't a single sign!"

"It's Chen Jin...we've only been talking about it for a short time," Xiao Ye said weakly. "There's not even a hint of it. I thought you guys could tell."

Chen Jin is their class monitor. He and Xiao Ye are the class monitor and the secretary of the Youth League Committee, respectively. They are indeed very close, but everyone just considers it to be a work requirement.

After a while, the group gathered around her and argued for a long time. Suddenly, Dudu angrily said, "Damn it, you guys are all progressing so fast!"

Yi Qing chimed in detachedly, "Getting impatient? Your brother Si Yuan hasn't even confessed his feelings to you yet."

"What brother? That's disgusting." Dudu immediately climbed onto the bed. "I don't want to talk about this with you guys."

Everyone burst into laughter. Ever since that boy named Li Siyuan struck up a conversation with Dudu at the previous dance party, they've often seen the two of them together. Recently, they've even been seen making voice calls in their dorm room at night, so it seems like good news is on the way.

Before we knew it, it seemed like everyone in the dorm had someone they liked. —Even though Yiqing's online boyfriend hadn't been acknowledged by the rest of the dorm.

After a period of excitement, the dormitory finally quieted down.

Dudu curled up on the bed and went off to do something, while Yiqing was playing her online game as usual, busy directing the dungeon with her microphone on. Xiaoye was wearing headphones and practicing for the CET-6 exam.

Everyone was doing their own thing, but Zhan Xinyue couldn't settle down.

Today, my emotions are so full, they're bulging in my chest, like there's a balloon stuffed inside.

She quietly pushed open the balcony door and went outside, wanting to get some fresh air.

Walking to the railing and leaning against it, Zhan Xinyue's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the spot where the two had just parted ways. It was the same familiar night view, but tonight it evoked a distinctly different feeling.

No, the night view is a little different from usual.

Under the distant streetlights, in the dim yellow light, that tall, solitary figure could only be Shi Ziqian.

He was still there, leaning against the streetlight where the two of them had just been talking, his head down, lost in thought.

Zhan Xinyue was surprised for a moment, stared at him for a long time, and finally took out her phone and secretly took a picture.

In the darkness, his figure was tall and slender, and his shadow was stretched long by the streetlights.

Although they were far apart, his figure wasn't very clear in the photo. But it was the first photo of Shi Ziqian on her phone, and that alone made it all the more precious.

She looked at it for a while, then opened the chat box with Shi Ziqian, sent him the photo, and then looked at him again.

The person leaning downstairs quickly turned on his phone, the screen's glow illuminating his features. He glanced at it only once before immediately looking up in their direction.

Zhan Xinyue met his gaze and slowly typed: What are you thinking about?

Shi Ziqian also lowered his head to type.

The typing indicator on this page flashed for quite a while, but in the end, only a cat emoji was sent.

A close-up photo of a silly cat, its eyes wide open, looking a bit clumsy.

Zhan Xinyue stared at it for a few moments, then glanced at the tall, slender shadow downstairs. Her gaze darted back and forth, and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself for a while, because no matter how she looked at it, the cat emoji and Shi Ziqian seemed completely mismatched. After she had finished laughing, she replied, "Go back quickly, it's late."

Shi Ziqian: Then I went back.

After receiving the message, Shi Ziqian downstairs looked up at this side again, seemed to smile, and then turned and left.

Zhan Xinyue watched his retreating figure and smiled.

She didn't know what she was laughing about; she just felt incredibly happy, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

The door behind them clicked open softly, and someone entered the balcony.

"What are you doing, staying on the balcony for so long?"

Zhan Xinyue glanced back and saw it was Xiao Ye, so she just smiled and remained silent.

Xiao Ye closed the door and leaned closer, looking at her and then at the departing figure, teasingly saying, "So reluctant to part?"

"That's how it is when we first start dating," Zhan Xinyue said, glancing at her face. "You know what I mean."

"I don't understand," Xiao Ye said. "We're not as clingy as you two."

"How are we sticky?"

"We were meeting several times a day even before we were officially dating. Isn't that being clingy?"

Zhan Xinyue couldn't find an excuse to refute, so she turned her head and smiled.

Xiao Ye turned her head to look at her bright, smiling eyes in the night and said with emotion, "I thought you were very beautiful when school started, but we always joked that you looked like an old person because you always seemed indifferent to everything. But now, I suddenly feel that your eyes have a sparkle."

Just as Zhan Xinyue was about to say something, she heard Xiao Ye change the subject: "To be honest, I wasn't too optimistic about the two of you before."

Zhan Xinyue was taken aback: "Why?"

"Maybe they think he looks a bit... unrealistic?"

"What do you mean by 'not very realistic'?" Zhan Xinyue, who was listening intently, couldn't help but laugh when she heard this sentence.

Xiao Ye smiled sheepishly, "I don't know how to express it, but you know what I mean? He looks like he makes people feel insecure. And he probably comes from a well-off family, right?"

Zhan Xinyue thought for a moment and then nodded truthfully.

“I guess so. You can tell from his demeanor. People with such good looks and family backgrounds usually have a bit of arrogance in their bones. He was actually quite polite to us roommates, but I always felt a sense of distance from him.” Xiao Ye glanced at her. “So at first I was a little worried. You know, someone with such good looks and a good family background can cause a little sensation as soon as he enters the school. How many temptations must he face, and how complicated must his interpersonal relationships be? I was afraid he wasn’t reliable.”

Zhan Xinyue said earnestly, "Actually, he's a very simple person."

To be honest, Shi Ziqian's life and social life are really simple to a certain extent, and have been like this since high school.

Xiao Ye nodded, "Over time we came to know what kind of person he was, and we could see that he was truly sincere towards you, so we gradually put our minds at ease."

Zhan Xinyue smiled: "You all care about me so much."

Xiao Ye patted her on the shoulder: "Of course, we're your family. Now that you're together, let's talk things over properly. We'll always be there for you."

Zhan Xinyue smiled and leaned on her shoulder: "Okay, thank you."

Xiao Ye went back inside. Zhan Xinyue didn't go in immediately; she checked her phone again. Shi Ziqian had been gone for a while; she wondered if he had gotten home yet.

As she was thinking, she casually scrolled through her phone and suddenly noticed a familiar cartoon rabbit avatar on her Moments page, indicating that Shi Ziqian had just posted a Moments update.

His WeChat Moments was completely empty when I first added him, and I haven't seen him post anything since then. This is the first time ever.

Zhan Xinyue quickly clicked on the page and saw a photo.

In the center of the image, a street lamp shines quietly with a clear light, illuminating a small corner of the tranquil night.

The caption reads only a few words: Dream or illusion?

Zhan Xinyue looked downstairs; Shi Ziqian was no longer there, but the streetlamp was still there. She didn't know when he had taken this photo. What was he thinking then? Was he, like her, feeling a sense of unreality?

Zhan Xinyue saved that photo and commented:

Neither. See you tomorrow, boyfriend.