His phone rang; the person who came to pick up the items had arrived. He answered the phone, "Come on up, I'm here."

Jiang Xu stood at the dormitory entrance. Their dormitory was the one on the far side, with a window right next to it. Looking out the window, he could see the newly built basketball court in the North Campus.

The sun wasn't too strong today, and there were quite a few people running around on the court in the afternoon. Jiang Xu could vaguely hear the sound of rackets hitting the store and the shouts of young people.

He suddenly felt a strong urge to run around on the court. Jiang Xu remembered that Gu Li had asked him to play basketball. Did Gu Li still remember this? Jiang Xu wanted to ask, but then he thought of something else.

He asked if it would seem like he was being too eager, and what if it was just a joke between the other person and him? The person who takes a joke seriously would lose.

Gu Li said she didn't like losing, which was also a coincidence with Jiang Xu, who also didn't like losing. So she couldn't say it out loud, but a little hand was pawing at her heart.

The little paws swiped and talked at the same time: Ask, ask.

Jiang Xu almost laughed. He scratched his palm with his fingernail, trying to pull himself out of this strange state of interweaving imagination and reality.

He's inviting the other person over for a housewarming party today, so if the urge to play ball still lingers, he'll ask them about it.

How should he ask? He might be direct, saying, "When are we going to play ball together, Gu Li?" Or he might hint, "I see there's a nice court up north, want to go for a run together, Gu Li?"

Jiang Xu was somewhat looking forward to seeing how Gu Li would respond. What would that unconventional person say?

This feeling is novel, like making a new friend every day. You've known each other for a day or two, or even longer, and there's always something new that makes you curious.

Gu Li gave Jiang Xu that feeling, even though they had only known each other for a short week.

As Jiang Xu's mood improved, Zhao Rangwen, who had fallen to the ground, had already gotten up and returned to his bed, trying to calm himself down.

But his mood worsened. He tossed and turned, unwilling to give up. He opened his eyes and tried to think: Jiang Xu only managed to climb up to Gu Li, so what was Jiang Xu compared to him? He was determined to climb up to Gu Li.

He couldn't give up this opportunity to get to know Jiang Xu; he had to rebuild his relationship with Jiang Xu.

If once doesn't work, try twice. He told himself to stay calm and not be as reckless as he was today. That's the kind of thing that only a brute like Wang Bing would do. He, Zhao Rangwen, is not like that. He, Zhao Rangwen, got here through his own strength and hard work.

He will only get better and better; he will never go back to that stinking ditch.

Jiang Xu exchanged a few words with the staff sent by the home decoration company and then left; his only requirement was comfort.

Afterwards, Jiang Xu took a car arranged by the home decoration company to select suitable soft furnishings. He only selected a few items and mentioned the style before finishing. When he arrived at the specially prepared VIP room, Jiang Xu stretched his body and felt a wave of fatigue belatedly washing over him.

Time flies. When there was a knock on the door, the person in charge, surnamed Zhang, opened it. "Hello, I hope I haven't disturbed you. The request has been processed. Would the guest like to check it now or later?"

Jiang Xu: "Let's go now."

The person in charge nodded, "The car is ready. We hope you are satisfied with our service."

Jiang Xu nodded and followed the waiter who was waiting on the side.

When Jiang Xu arrived home and opened the door, he felt that he had made a good choice. His aesthetic sense was based on his own. The entire decoration was based on beige, with pure white patterns. It was warm and also showed exquisite details from time to time. The decorations were also placed appropriately and comfortably.

In short, it was well worth the high hiring fee I paid.

The antique hanging bell rang, signaling that it was already dinnertime.

Jiang Xu grabbed a bottle of wine and went out. He walked to his neighbor's door and rang the doorbell.

It wasn't until the third time Jiang Xu rang the doorbell that he came to the conclusion that his good neighbor wasn't home. The familiar ringtone echoed in his mind, and Jiang Xu felt a sense of unease.

He returned to his room, wondering if the bottle of fine wine he had prepared would ever find its rightful place today.

As the clock struck again precisely on time, the phone that had gotten away with the charade rang on Jiang Xu's coffee table, and he dialed the number again.

Sometimes, when something agreed upon cannot be accomplished, some people's obsessive-compulsive tendencies force them to make a decision, and Jiang Xu was forced to do so once.

Unfortunately, the phone rang for a full minute before automatically disconnecting, and Gu Li didn't even answer it.

Jiang Xu lay back on the sofa and started downloading a food delivery app. His life had never involved food delivery before, so he uninstalled the food delivery app from his phone as soon as he arrived. He didn't expect that he would have to download it again.

How should I put it? Life is still very free, and ordering takeout can be even more free.

Even after Jiang Xu's takeout arrived, was eaten, and was thrown away downstairs, Gu Li still didn't return the call.

Jiang Xu lay in bed with his phone on the bedside table. He thought for a moment, then got up, silenced the phone, and closed his eyes.

Time passed quietly, and after a while Jiang Xu opened his eyes again. His dark eyes were not tinged with sleepiness at all. He turned his head to look at the phone on the bedside table.

A perfect pause occurred, and then Jiang Xu reached out, took the phone, and expressionlessly tapped the screen. Facial recognition unlocked the phone instantly.

The message bar was empty, and the time in the upper right corner showed "22:39". Jiang Xu expressionlessly turned the volume up to the highest level, then placed the phone face down on the bedside table, looking like he didn't want to care anymore.

But just then, my phone rang, deliberately turned up to the maximum volume, making the room quite noisy.

Jiang Xu heard this, picked up the phone, and let it ring a few more times before answering, "Hello?" His voice was feigned sleepiness, convincingly deceiving Gu Li.

"Are you asleep?" Gu Li's voice was panting, clearly from running.

Jiang Xu, "What's up?"

Gu Li didn't speak, but the sound of her running footsteps became more obvious, and her breathing became louder. Jiang Xu listened to the sounds coming from the receiver, waiting for her to say something, but all he heard from Gu Li was the sound of her running.

Jiang Xu frowned. "It's getting late. If you're not going to say anything, I'm hanging up." He was about to hang up, but he added one last sentence, "You should get some rest too."

"Wait," Gu Liping said, catching her breath. "Wait for me a little longer, don't hang up, I have something else for you."

Jiang Xu: "Can't I give it to you tomorrow?"

Gu Li's voice was resolute, "No, your housewarming gift can't be left until tomorrow." Gu Li paused for a moment, and Jiang Xu heard the doorbell ring at that moment, "I'm here, can you open the door for me?"

With a breathy, slightly hoarse voice, Gu Li said, "Okay, Brother Xu?"

He was showing weakness to himself, Jiang Xu thought with certainty at that moment.