Chapter 25: Pleased with His Own Mischief?

Cheng Xingye lifted his eyes, gazing at her with a calm, clear look, but his tone was uncharacteristically serious.

"Lu Qingyue."

"Hmm?" Lu Qingyue, puzzled, looked back at him.

They’d known each other for over a month now, and he always preferred to call her by the playful nickname “Little Dot.” This was the first time he’d used her full name. That unfamiliar formality made her inexplicably straighten her back, sensing something solemn and important.

Cheng Xingye noticed her perfectly upright posture and almost couldn’t help but laugh. Yet there were things he needed to say with gravity, so he suppressed his amusement, fixed his gaze on her, and spoke with deliberate care and sincerity.

"A girl should never set limits for herself. You should strive to see further, to think beyond the present. Only when you realize you are unique in this world—ordinary, yes, but never mediocre—can you carve out more choices and possibilities for your future."

"No one demands that you must be outstanding, but you should make excellence your instinct, your pursuit, as if it were something you were born with."

Lu Qingyue looked at him, lost in thought, nodding half-understandingly.

But seriously, she thought, wasn’t she just plain and unremarkable? She was good-looking and came from a comfortable family, but her grades were just average—up and down like a roller coaster. Compared to Lu Yi, who’d earned a national scholarship two years in a row, she wondered if they could even be called siblings.

The thought made her a little dejected.

"But I’m just an ordinary person," she said quietly. "Is it wrong to want an ordinary boyfriend and an ordinary life?"

Cheng Xingye chuckled softly, looking at the top of her tousled head, his tone unconsciously gentle, almost coaxing.

"Of course you can. But even the most ordinary girl should read as much as she can."

Lu Qingyue blinked, still perplexed. "But what’s the point of reading so much? Am I supposed to be a scientist? I’m not cut out for that."

This time, Cheng Xingye didn’t tease her. In that moment, a passage he’d read somewhere came to mind. He looked into her clear, bewildered eyes and recited in a low voice,

"Why read so many books? So that, at critical moments, you can use your will to preserve a little dignity: if someone doesn’t love us, we can stand up and walk away, without clinging or entanglement."

"So what you need to do now is study well."

As for the future, all you need is to blossom freely—someone will come to love you, naturally.

...

The crab soup dumplings finally arrived.

There were four in the steamer. Usually, four were just enough for Lu Qingyue, but with an unexpected guest, she hesitated—should she offer him one, or order another basket?

But if she ordered another, today’s two deliveries would be for nothing—she’d probably even lose money...

Cheng Xingye didn’t notice her dilemma. He’d just taken a call from Chen Shujie.

Chen Shujie spoke loudly, and even though Cheng Xingye didn’t put it on speaker, Lu Qingyue could hear him asking if he was coming back to play basketball, and complaining that he’d disappeared after going to the restroom.

Cheng Xingye held his phone loosely, replying lazily. Before hanging up, Chen Shujie reminded him to buy some instant noodles and beer, since the dorm was out.

After ending the call, Cheng Xingye started checking his messages, showing no intention of eating her crab dumplings.

Lu Qingyue felt awkward eating alone, so she tried tentatively, "Xingye?"

"Hmm?" He was still looking at his screen, replying absentmindedly.

"Do you want some?" she asked.

The little shop was noisy with new customers ordering. Cheng Xingye didn’t hear her clearly. "What?"

"This," Lu Qingyue said, and seeing him busy, picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and handed it to him.

In the group chat, Chen Shujie was stirring things up, dragging Lu Yi and Lou Zhao into a bet, saying Cheng Xingye must have gone off to chase after some pretty girl from another college, otherwise why would he be gone so long.

Lu Yi replied: If you’re so concerned about the king of the sea chasing girls, why not just live by the sea yourself?

Once again, Cheng Xingye was dubbed “king of the sea.” He hesitated to reply when, suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, someone reached over with chopsticks. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and took a bite.

Then he realized something was off, and looked up—meeting Lu Qingyue’s dazed, innocent gaze.

In the busy shop, it was as if someone had pressed the mute button.

Cheng Xingye chewed on half a dumpling, his Adam's apple moving with a slow swallow.

The scene was strange—almost intimate.

He’d never been fed by someone before. Flustered, he avoided her eyes, breaking the tension. The moment of ambiguity passed, but something else began to quietly bloom.

Lu Qingyue hadn’t meant to feed him, but since he’d already taken a bite, she simply held the rest of the dumpling, waiting for him to finish so she could give him the rest.

Her gaze was open and direct, her manner free from any shyness, as if feeding him was the most natural thing in the world. It made Cheng Xingye’s earlier embarrassment seem almost affected.

Looking into her clear, honest eyes, Cheng Xingye thought wryly, She doesn’t have a single ulterior thought—she just sees me as a brother.

With that, he felt no more awkwardness. He shot her a lazy glance and obediently opened his mouth, letting her feed him the remaining half of the dumpling.

...

In the end, Cheng Xingye only ate one of the four dumplings.

When the girl had finished the remaining three, he thoughtfully picked up her backpack.

"Let’s go, I’ll walk you home."

Lu Qingyue murmured an assent and followed him out.

Since he’d come straight from the basketball court, Cheng Xingye hadn’t driven. Instead, he hailed a taxi by the roadside and told the driver her neighborhood’s name.

Lu Qingyue’s home wasn’t far from school—about a ten-minute drive.

The neighborhood was strict about security, forbidding all outside vehicles, so they got out at the gate.

It was a little past seven on an early autumn evening, and the last light of dusk had faded. The streetlights cast a yellow glow over the stone path, their shadows dancing lightly at their feet.

Walking side by side, Lu Qingyue suddenly noticed his shadow stretched much longer than hers.

She’d always known he was tall, but walking together, she realized just how tall—probably around six foot one?

She eyed him surreptitiously, then thought it must be more. Lu Yi was six foot one, and watching them play basketball earlier, Cheng Xingye seemed even taller.

Last semester, Lu Qingyue had measured at about five-three. Even if she’d grown, she’d never reach five-five. She envied tall, slender boys.

Looking at the two uneven shadows at their feet, she pursed her lips in mock annoyance and stepped onto the curb. Immediately, their shadows nearly matched.

Satisfied, she tiptoed carefully along the curb.

Cheng Xingye, after a while, realized she’d climbed up. Her balance didn’t seem great—she wobbled with every step, as if she might fall at any moment.

Such a grown girl, and she still couldn’t walk properly?

He found it amusing but said nothing, only slowing his pace to follow behind, his arm at the ready in case she slipped.

At the end of the path, he naturally extended his hand, commanding like an older brother, "Come down."

Lu Qingyue gripped his arm and hopped down.

Her fingertips were cool—unexpected in the lingering warmth of the day.

Cheng Xingye lifted his hand and tapped her forehead, not too hard or too soft, his tone unconsciously tinged with affection even he didn’t notice.

"Does being mischievous make you that happy?"