Chapter 5

Su Qi once expressed doubts about Ye Zinan's habit, to which Ye Zinan merely replied that he was suffering from neurasthenia. Later, Su Qi discovered that Ye Zinan indeed had light sleep; even a glimmer of light or a slight noise would wake him up. However, his sleep quality seemed to be quite good, as no matter how tired he was, he would feel refreshed immediately after a nap.

Su Qi turned her head and saw Shen Yanlei still smiling at her with a beaming face. Why smile so beautifully? Is he trying to attract attention here?

As the lights came on, his brow quickly furrowed, and his breathing became erratic; however, he soon adjusted and stabilized, keeping his eyes closed and his movements unchanged

However, Shen Yanlei has never explicitly expressed any intention of pursuing, leaving Su Qi perplexed and unjustly bearing the blame, until that sports meeting.

Su Qi, like everyone else, was taken aback, "Ah, what did you say?"

In the university campus, what is most abundant are busybodies and the curious. Thus, that evening, another post in the school forum successfully replaced the post about the basketball court incident, taking the top spot, titled "Follow-up Report on the Basketball Court Incident"

Su Qi let out a silent lament in her heart; she feared the most when Shen Yanlei smiled at her in crowded places without saying a word. It seemed he deliberately stirred up rumors, becoming more pleased the more people there were, his eyes glinting with a mischievous smile.

Shen Yanlei suddenly put away his smile and said seriously, "Hey, Su Qi, if I win the championship, will you be my girlfriend?"

Su Qi, having had his thoughts exposed, looked at him with some caution and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

It turned out that everything was merely what she believed. She closed her eyes, and that person, that memory remained so vivid.

This time, the voice carried a sense of helplessness, "What do you want to say?"

Ye Zinan looked at her with an indifferent gaze, and Su Qi was most afraid of him looking at her like that. He had already turned off the car and the reading light, leaving only the dim yellow streetlight in front of the building to illuminate the scene. The darkness in his eyes was so deep that it seemed to penetrate into one's heart. As she averted her gaze and was about to speak, Ye Zinan suddenly turned his head, opened the door with a swift motion, and got out of the car

In just a few minutes, people gathered around, standing at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, whispering to one another

The perfect time, the perfect season, meeting the right person, yet unfortunately, there is no perfect ending

Su Qi simply reached out to turn on the bedside lamp, adjusting the brightness to the maximum, and turned her head to look at him

Since then, Shen Yanlei has always appeared near her, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and everyone believes that this handsome man and beautiful woman are a match made in heaven

Without giving Su Qi any chance to refute, the voice returned to calmness, "If discussing such a boring topic is pointless, I might as well sleep. I have a morning meeting tomorrow."

Ye Zinan wore a hint of a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth, not looking at her, "I was wondering, since you haven't come out for such a long time, should I go in and rescue you"

Su Qi glanced at him, then walked past him towards the bedroom, "Crazy."

Faced with the teasing from Chen Sijia and others this time, Su Qi truly could not utter a single retort. Even she, upon seeing this photograph, would have different associations.

Su Qi lay back on the pillow and kicked him with her foot, "Stop pretending, I know you are awake."

After taking just a few steps, she heard a light laugh behind her. When she turned her head, she did not see any trace of amusement on Ye Zinan's face; the lines of his jaw were exceptionally cold and resolute. "You are right, I am indeed insane"

Upon arriving downstairs, I saw a person standing under the tree. That day, he had changed from his basketball uniform into casual attire, wearing a cream-colored trench coat that exuded a touch of elegance and warmth. He was looking at her with a smile, his handsome face radiant and striking.

After the incident at the basketball court that day, Chen Sijia firmly insisted that Su Qi and Shen Yanlei were acquainted, regardless of how Su Qi tried to explain, it was to no avail

The voice of the host came from the broadcast station, "Students participating in the 400-meter final, please report to the registration area, as the competition is about to begin"

Su Qi sometimes really wants to ask him what he actually intends to do

Su Qi endured the pain of being watched, waiting for him to speak, but he merely smiled at her as if he were unaware, seemingly not intending to say anything

No, that would make me feel like I am talking to myself, how strange

Ye Zinan is just like this, managing his emotions very well and never revealing his inner thoughts. Su Qi has accompanied him to several social gatherings, where he always wears a faint smile in front of others. Sometimes, even when he seems genuinely happy, on the way back, his expression is blank and his lips are tightly pressed together, with the car speeding along. Jiang Shengzhuo once told Su Qi that the happier Ye Zinan smiles, the worse his mood often is, and at such times, one should never provoke him. In short, Su Qi has never understood this man. From the moment they first met to the years they spent together day and night, she has always been unaware of what the man with whom she shares the closest relationship is thinking.

Su Qi instinctively looked towards the balcony of the dormitory, and indeed, the blurred outline of Chen Sijia was there. Although it was too far to see clearly, Su Qi felt as if she could see the mischievous grin on her face

Su Qi was taken aback, "What are you doing standing here?"

Su Qi was soaking in the bathtub, her mind a chaotic mess. She closed her eyes and remained still until a chill enveloped her entire body. Only then did she rise, slowly drying herself and putting on her pajamas. As she opened the bathroom door, she saw Ye Zinan leaning against the wall beside the door, his bathrobe half-open, holding a wine glass in his hand. The glass swayed with a dark red liquid, and his freshly washed hair was slightly damp and fluffy. His deep-set eyes were hidden behind a few strands of hair on his forehead, accentuating the sharp and handsome lines of his features.

Ye Zinan suddenly turned over and pressed down, looking into her eyes with a half-smile on his face. "Aren't you going to ask what Shi Chen's cousin's fiancé does next?"

Su Qi turned her head and glanced at him, while Ye Zinan remained with his eyes closed. She then pretended to ponder and said, "What should I say? Hmm, what does Shi Chen's cousin's family do?"

Su Qi lay on the bed pretending to be dead, "Sister, how many times do I have to say it? I really don't know! I didn't know him at all before that!"

She opened her computer and found that post, quickly browsing through it. She felt a genuine sense of admiration; such imagination and writing skills would be a pity not to pursue a career as a novelist.

Su Qi turned around in disbelief to look at him, and he smiled even more happily, "It was I who came to find you"

Ye Zinan, let us have a conversation

In September, the weather is crisp and refreshing, with pleasant temperatures. A boy from Su Qi's class is participating in the 400-meter final, and the girls from the class have all gone to the side to cheer him on. Su Qi and Chen Sijia are also mingling in the crowd, but the atmosphere around them is noticeably subdued.

On the way back, Ye Zinan was driving, and neither of them spoke; the car was very quiet. Su Qi leaned back in the seat, feeling very tired, emotionally exhausted.

At the end of the post, there is also a photo; the trees in front of the dormitory building, which are blooming with small pink flowers, are in full bloom. The wind has blown down a carpet of petals, and two people stand in the center of the photo, gazing at each other. It is unclear whether this is intentional, but it carries a hint of affectionate meaning.

She thought that she would never see Shen Yanlei again in this lifetime, she believed that three years would be enough to heal the wounds in her heart, she thought she had long forgotten this person and that period of time, she believed that she no longer had any lingering attachment to Shen Yanlei or those memories.

Ye Zinan turned his head to glance at the woman beside him. She was tilting her head, gazing out the window, clearly lost in thought, and had not reacted for quite some time. When Su Qi came back to her senses, she happened to meet his scrutinizing gaze, and she was startled, asking, "What’s wrong?"

The person next to me showed no reaction at all

Su Qi lay on the bed, her eyes open yet seeing nothing. Beside her, Ye Zinan's breathing was steady and rhythmic, as if he had already fallen asleep. Suddenly, she felt a pang of jealousy at how quickly he could drift off, and she cleared her throat loudly before asking distinctly, "Are you asleep?"

A somewhat muffled voice floated over, "Alright, let's turn off the light first"

Su Qi felt somewhat at a loss, looking left and right, but did not see anyone she recognized. Just as she was about to go upstairs, she heard someone call her name, "Su Qi."

Ye Zinan suddenly turned over, eyes closed, and said in a sarcastic tone, "It's nothing significant. Aren't you and him alumni? Isn't it quite normal to show some concern? Why are you so anxious about it?"

As Chen Sijia and the other two roommates enthusiastically gathered in front of the computer to discuss, Su Qi could only feel a sense of helplessness

Su Qi was truly at a loss for words when someone suddenly knocked on the dormitory door, "Excuse me, is Su Qi there? Someone downstairs is looking for you."

Su Qi naturally had no strength to refute this. She suddenly felt a deep regret; she should not have turned on the light. Perhaps in the darkness, her thoughts would not have been so easily seen through.

Su Qi followed him into the elevator, and until they entered the house, Ye Zinan did not say a word. Then, the two of them took showers separately

Chen Sijia raised her head and said, "Hmph, who would believe that you would smile at a stranger for no reason?"

She did not know how much Ye Zinan actually knew about her relationship with Shen Yanlei. He had never asked her about it, nor had she brought it up herself. It was not that she wanted to hide it; it was just that some things, once they have passed the optimal time, become impossible to articulate. Moreover, Ye Zinan had never explained anything to her, and she did not believe that his past was so unblemished.

Her mind was in a state of confusion, and she did not know how long it took before she fell into a hazy sleep. Her sleep was not peaceful; it seemed she was dreaming of events from several years ago. She appeared to be aware that she was dreaming, yet she could not wake up no matter what. Later, she heard the rustling sound of someone getting dressed beside her, and she struggled for a moment before slipping back into a deep slumber

Chen Sijia stroked her chin, squinting her eyes, "Tell me, if you didn't know each other, why would he smile at you? Do you have any idea how many girls have been captivated by that smile of his?"

Su Qi stood before the finish line, watching Shen Yanlei approach little by little, and the joy in her heart grew more and more.

Su Qi immediately grabbed a coat and rushed outside as if he had seen a savior, saying, "Someone is looking for me, I am going down."

A crowd had gathered nearby, bustling and chatting about something. Suddenly, they parted to make way, and Shen Yanlei took a few steps forward without approaching any closer. Dressed in a white tracksuit, he appeared even taller and more upright. Su Qi felt that the smile on his face was as warm and inviting as the sunlight above him.

Turning off the lights, there was not a trace of brightness in the room. When they got married, Ye Zinan entrusted the decoration and arrangement of the house to Su Qi, with the only request being the curtains in the bedroom. They specifically sent someone to install them: one layer of blackout fabric, one layer of sheer curtain, and an outer layer of fabric drapes, blocking all light from the outside. Once the curtains were drawn, not even a sliver of light could penetrate during the brightest day, let alone at night. They specifically sent someone to install them: one layer of blackout fabric, one layer of sheer curtain, and an outer layer of fabric drapes, blocking all light from the outside. Once the curtains were drawn, not even a sliver of light could penetrate during the brightest day, let alone at night.

Shen Yanlei smiled as he walked towards the competition venue, not looking back, "I know you heard me, so it's settled."