Just as Jiang Zhengxu returned with his dipping sauce, he noticed that Xu Fang was still standing. Without paying much attention, he swiftly took a seat and began pouring some fatty beef into the sieve for blanching. After about ten seconds, he lifted the sieve and hung it on a small hook by the pot’s side.
Having completed this series of actions, Jiang Zhengxu realized that Xu Fang was still standing. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you planning to eat while standing?”
Xu Fang ignored him, grabbed Lin Xiche, and led her towards the condiment station.
Lin Xiche managed to break free from his grip and bounced back to her seat. She took off her coat and then walked over to Xu Fang, pulling him toward the condiment area.
Xu Fang stood next to her, his arms crossed, watching as she enthusiastically loaded her bowl with chili peppers and then scooped several spoonfuls of chili oil from the next container, as if she didn’t care about the cost.
His eyelid twitched.
Sure enough, the next moment, Lin Xiche changed direction and handed the bowl of dipping sauce to him, saying affectionately, “A-Pi, this is for you.”
“…”
Her attitude was so serious and sincere. “I hope our love can be as passionate as this bowl of sauce.”
Xu Fang pursed his lips, glanced at her with an indifferent expression, and didn’t take the bowl. Instead, he squatted down, opened a cabinet below, and fetched two more clean bowls. He nonchalantly prepared new dipping sauces.
Lin Xiche stood beside him, observing.
Once Xu Fang had prepared one bowl, he handed it to her, took the bowl she had been holding, and replaced it with the new one. With her hands full, he prepared another bowl and casually picked up the bright red dipping sauce bowl she had made, walking back to their seats.
Lin Xiche followed behind him.
Her seat was closer to the center, while Xu Fang stood on the outer side. He paused and allowed her to enter first. After sitting down, Xu Fang placed the first two bowls of dipping sauce in front of himself, handed her the three new bowls, and finally pushed the dipping sauce she had made for “love” in front of Jiang Zhengxu.
Jiang Zhengxu glanced at it. “Is this for me?”
Xu Fang poured all the meat from the sieve into Lin Xiche’s bowl and replied with a slight nod, “Yes.”
Jiang Zhengxu picked up the bowl and sniffed it. Then, he glared at Xu Fang, “Are you trying to kill me with spiciness?”
“Not at all,” Xu Fang said, looking directly at Lin Xiche, but his words were directed at Jiang Zhengxu with a strong implication. “I hope our friendship can be as fiery as this dipping sauce.”
“…”
“No, thanks.” Jiang Zhengxu pushed the sauce back, “Are you trying to get me killed?”
“Oh,” Xu Fang’s gaze was on Lin Xiche, but his words were meant for Jiang Zhengxu, carrying a strong insinuation. “Maybe.”
Lin Xichi: “…”
?”…”
This incident gave Lin Xiche a strong sense of crisis.
After returning to the dormitory, Lin Xiche took out her strategy planning notebook and began to reflect. She couldn’t sit still, constantly shifting between sitting and standing, and pacing around near her spot.
This attracted the attention of the other three roommates.
Soon, Lin Xiche stood up, opened her wardrobe, and rummaged through her clothes. She had bought these clothes during the summer vacation after the college entrance examination, with Lin Xigeng accompanying her the whole time, helping her choose and try on outfits. Knowing she was afraid of the cold, Lin Xigeng had mostly picked thick winter clothes for her, but they were also stylish.
Lin Xiche clenched her fist and moved all these clothes to the side of the wardrobe. Then she took out a woolen sweater. After a while, she also brought out a thick coat.
After searching for a while, Lin Xiche finally found a skirt in one of the storage boxes. It was impossible to go bare-legged like that other girl, so after some consideration, Lin Xiche took out a pair of thick leggings and began to match them.
Nie Yue, munching on snacks and leaning against the ladder next to Lin Xiche’s bed, asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m choosing clothes to wear tomorrow.”
“Don’t you usually just throw on a few random pieces?”
“Yes, but starting today, I want to change my image.”
In the dormitory, only Lin Xiche and Chen Han were no longer single.
Chen Han was dating a boy from the mathematics department in the same department as her. He had a mature and steady personality, looked very honest, and treated her very well. Her time of getting into a relationship was similar to Lin Xiche’s, around mid to late October.
Girls always look beautiful when they’re in love.
During the honeymoon phase, Chen Han was happy and content, always smiling. She also paid more attention to her appearance. In just one month, she looked much more attractive.
In contrast, Lin Xiche.
Once she got together with Xu Fang, any thoughts she had about her appearance vanished instantly. Even when going out with Xu Fang, she continued to wear thick and bulky clothes, bouncing around like a ball next to him.
Apart from the first day they got together when Xu Fang mentioned her appearance being bulky and even wrapped a scarf around half of her face, he never brought it up again. Lin Xiche was also happy to relax.
But now, Lin Xiche felt that her current mindset wouldn’t do.
All men are visual creatures.
Xu Fang was undoubtedly one of them.
Nie Yue watched Lin Xiche with a determined look on her face, munching on her potato chips. “From being very bulky to just slightly bulky?”
“…”
“Tomorrow, it’s supposed to be sunny and not too cold, around 10 degrees Celsius,” Nie Yue leaned in to help her and tossed the thick leggings aside, picking a thinner pair. “Wear these, and then for the top—”
Nie Yue rummaged through her wardrobe, “Wear this.”
Lin Xiche looked at the red and white striped thin sweater Nie Yue held, shivering slightly. “Just this? Can I really go out like this?”
Nie Yue nodded. “As long as you wear thermal underwear inside, you won’t be cold. I usually dress like this.”
Lin Xiche hesitated, looking at the garment in Nie Yue’s hands.
Seeing her hesitation, Nie Yue continued, “It’s only around ten degrees. If you wear so many layers now, what will you do when the temperature drops below zero later?”
Lin Xiche licked her lips. “Wear six or seven layers…”
“…”
The next day, Lin Xiche had to wake up early. When she got up in the morning, the temperature was extremely low. She shivered from the moment she left her warm bed and continued to shiver when using the restroom and brushing her teeth. She even washed her face with hot water from the nearby water dispenser while trembling.
Before leaving, Lin Xiche didn’t have the courage to change her attire, so she dressed as she usually did. In the end, she was mocked by Nie Yue.
In the afternoon, before their English class, Lin Xiche saw Xu Fang wearing a simple hoodie, lazily resting his head on the desk to catch a nap. She lowered her gaze, looking at his waist. Suddenly, an idea struck her: if Xu Fang were to hug her, with all those layers of clothing, it would probably feel no different from hugging a bucket.
She was a walking bucket.
Lin Xiche shivered at the thought.
In the evening, back in the dormitory, Lin Xiche took out her little notebook and began to reflect on her behavior once again.
After the self-reflection, Lin Xiche picked out the clothes she would wear the next day. Then she locked her wardrobe and handed the key to Nie Yue, emphasizing several times that no matter how much she begged, Nie Yue should not give her the key.
Nie Yue gladly accepted the responsibility.
The next day, Lin Xiche didn’t have morning classes. The first class started at 9:30 a.m. She lazily woke up after 8 a.m., sat on her desk with a hot water bottle, and drank a cup of hot milk. She didn’t feel too cold.
Then she changed into the outfit Nie Yue had put together for her.
Lin Xiche checked herself in the mirror, twirled around twice, and her lips curled into a smile.
It did look better than before.
Outside, Lin Xiche couldn’t smile anymore. She clung to Nie Yue’s arm throughout the journey, trying to shield herself from the relentless wind that seemed to come from all directions.
Once inside the classroom, a wave of warmth washed over her entire body. However, after sitting for a while, Lin Xiche still felt the chilly drafts around her. She kept glancing at the windows, checking if she had missed any gaps.
It wasn’t until the end of the class that her hands finally warmed up.
Lin Xiche had arranged to have lunch with Xu Fang. After leaving the classroom, she immediately contacted him on her phone while shivering and found a nearby chair to sit on, waiting for his response.
Xu Fang had just finished his class, and since their classrooms were in the same building, he quickly spotted her from where she said she would be.
He walked over.
Lin Xiche only noticed when Xu Fang approached that she was dressed unusually lightly: a thin sweater, a skirt that barely covered her knees, and flat shoes. Xu Fang’s expression twitched slightly, and a cloud of gloom seemed to hang over him.
Sensing Xu Fang’s presence, Lin Xiche immediately stood up, grabbed his arm with a cheerful smile, and said, “Hey, Pipi. Let’s go to the Canteen C for some spicy hot pot. I feel like—”
Xu Fang lowered his eyes, using his other hand to grasp her hand that was holding his arm, and it felt as cold as ice. He raised his eyelids and interrupted her with an unusually harsh tone.
“Are you crazy?”
Lin Xiche paused, not understanding why he was getting angry again, and murmured blankly, “What’s wrong with eating hot pot…”
Xu Fang was wearing a black coat today, unzipped, with only parallel buttons, knee-length, and paired with black slim trousers. Underneath, he wore a matching sweater, giving him a tall and lean appearance with a dignified demeanor.
At this moment, his lips were tightly pressed, and even his gaze had turned colder.
He didn’t respond to her words, released her hand, took off his coat, and roughly wrapped it around her. Then he silently fastened the buttons for her.
Lin Xiche swatted away his hand, showing him her outfit, and blinked as she asked, “Isn’t this nice?”
Xu Fang remained silent and continued buttoning up.
Lin Xiche suddenly felt a little defeated and whispered, “Pipi, the other day I saw a girl trying to get your contact information.”
Hearing this, Xu Fang finally looked at her and asked, “When was that?”
“Just at Z University, when we went to the hot pot restaurant with Jiang Zhengxu.”
Xu Fang furrowed his brows, trying to remember, then said, “I don’t remember.”
Lin Xiche widened her eyes, “You can’t remember something that happened just two days ago? Do many people ask for your contact information?”
His tone was nonchalant, “Don’t you know?”
Lin Xiche quickly nodded, “I really don’t know.”
“…”
Lin Xiche licked her lips cautiously and said, “That girl seemed quite pretty.”
Xu Fang looked strange, “What does that have to do with me—”
Lin Xiche hurriedly interrupted him, “But I’m sure I’ll look prettier after dressing up a bit.”
“…”
Xu Fang suddenly understood the reason she had dressed like this today.
However, it didn’t make him feel secure.
Just two days ago, she had known about his secret crush and acted all smug about it, but now, not even two days later, she had changed so dramatically.
Lin Xiche sniffled and muttered softly, “I want you to like me a bit more.”
Xu Fang’s eyelashes quivered, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly. Still, he remained silent as he helped her fasten the buttons, starting from the bottom and working his way up to encase her entirely. The coat was long enough to reach her ankles, but due to its size, it hung loosely on her frame.
“What more do you want to make me like you?”
Xu Fang lowered his head to fold the excessively long sleeves, saying softly, “I already like you a lot.”
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