The night before the last final exam, Chu Zhi and her roommates had a late-night heart-to-heart chat in their dorm room. It was meant to celebrate both the end of the semester and their half-year of friendship.
Gu Han had dated in high school, but her boyfriend went to a university in the south, and they broke up amicably. Lin Tong hadn’t dated before, but she claimed to be a relationship expert and always analyzed these topics thoroughly.
Chu Zhi wanted to take this chance to mention that she was dating someone, but before she could figure out how to bring it up, Gu Han and the others had already moved on to discussing pet names between couples.
Gu Han stated first: “I really can’t stand it when guys call their girlfriends ‘baby,’ you know? Every time I hear it, I want to roll my eyes so hard.”
Chu Zhi paused, then asked softly: “Why? Is it because it’s embarrassing?”
“No, it’s because it’s convenient for guys. Think about it – if they use the same pet name for every girlfriend, they’ll never accidentally call someone by the wrong name. How efficient.”
Lin Tong concluded: “That’s what players do.”
Chu Zhi fell silent.
“We shouldn’t judge everyone the same way,” Xue Nan expressed a different opinion.
Chu Zhi’s eyes brightened slightly, and she carefully said: “I agree.”
Xue Nan continued: “Maybe they just want to make it easier to juggle multiple relationships at once. Using ‘baby’ for everyone means they won’t mix up Xiao Hong with Xiao Li.”
Chu Zhi: “…”
As soon as the last exam ended, Chu Zhi’s body, which had been drained for two weeks, finally felt recharged.
The drama club hadn’t had any activities for a month. After the last exam, Eight-Armed-Octopus tagged everyone in the WeChat group, organizing a meal together before the holiday to celebrate the end of another semester.
Chu Zhi packed up her things and walked out of the exam room with a yogurt drink, watching them enthusiastically discuss where to eat in the group chat.
Yuan Ci hadn’t said anything until Eight-Armed-Octopus finally suggested hot pot. Then he suddenly appeared and privately messaged Chu Zhi.
Senior Yuan Ci: Can you handle spicy food?
Chu Zhi shook her head while biting her yogurt drink and replied: Yes, I really like spicy food!
Yuan Ci sent a surprised emoji: You look more like someone who’d prefer clear soup or tomato-based broths.
Chu Zhi lowered her head, walking with her “third eye” while biting the yogurt packet and smiling: I’m full of surprises!
She was swaying her head while replying to messages, not watching where she was going. Walking along the tree-lined path toward the dorm, she usually used her peripheral vision to spot people ahead and would step aside when she saw shadows approaching, like a conditioned reflex.
In winter, the trees were bare with snow piled on top. As Chu Zhi walked while playing with her phone, someone approached on the same path. She moved to the right, but they also moved right.
She didn’t think much of it and moved left, but the person in front also moved left.
Chu Zhi had typed half a message when she looked up.
Lu Jiaheng looked down at her with slightly raised eyebrows: “Playing with your phone while walking?”
Chu Zhi made a surprised sound and didn’t bother finishing her message. She blinked and said earnestly: “When I walk while using my phone, I automatically activate my third eye. Are you done with your exam?”
“Mm,” Lu Jiaheng’s long lashes lowered as his gaze deliberately fell on her phone’s WeChat interface. “Who are you chatting with? You seem happy.”
Chu Zhi replied without any guard up: “A senior from the drama club.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Jiaheng’s smile disappeared.
She hadn’t noticed this as she continued replying to Yuan Ci’s message, still enthusiastically introducing him: “He’s the one who got me to join the drama club. He’s really nice!”
Lu Jiaheng said nothing and started walking forward.
With his long legs, even though he had slowed down, one of his steps was equal to two of hers. Chu Zhi took big steps, bouncing along beside him.
Having just finished her exam, she was in high spirits and became more talkative, excitedly telling him about her drama club senior: “He’s even younger than me, started university when he was fourteen or fifteen. He’s a genius, already a junior now. Impressive, right?”
“…”
“Come to think of it, you’re a junior too. He’s in your year.”
“…”
“I took my Advertising Concepts exam today, the questions were a bit hard,” Chu Zhi wrinkled her nose unhappily, but quickly cheered up again, “But I had just reviewed the knowledge points for the last essay question yesterday, so I should get full marks!”
“How did you finish so quickly? Did you not answer properly? Don’t fail, you’ll have to retake it next year.”
“Lu Jiaheng! Lu Jiaheng! Lu Jiaheng!”
Lu Jiaheng’s lips drooped heavily as he gave her a bland look, his tone noticeably lacking warmth: “Are you a little parrot?”
Chu Zhi’s eyes widened slightly: “Do you like parrots?”
“…”
Lu Jiaheng felt like his heart had been hit hard with a hammer, the dull thud echoing inside his body.
Chu Zhi frowned and said seriously: “What should we do then? I have You Cai at home. If you want to keep a parrot in the future, do you think You Cai might eat it?”
She spoke naturally, looking somewhat troubled, as if she was simply thinking about their “future” together.
Lu Jiaheng’s heart, previously shattered by that hammer, melted into a puddle.
With just two sentences from her, all his anger, annoyance, and any desire to be harsh disappeared completely.
The young master Lu, who actually had quite a temper, let out a long sigh and pulled her into his arms. His voice was slightly muffled and somewhat dejected: “What kind of little spirit were you sent to bewitch me?”
He bent down slightly, his arms encircling her from behind. Chu Zhi let him hold her, grabbing his arm with one hand as they slowly walked forward in sync, as if she were carrying him on her back.
She corrected him very seriously: “I’m not bewitching you.”
He rested his chin on top of her head, matching her slow pace: “Fine, you’re not bewitching me. Then I’ll bewitch you.”
Chu Zhi turned her head to glare at him: “Lu Jiaheng, can you please talk properly?”
He pressed against her and laughed softly, his throat and chest vibrating: “You’re getting bolder and bolder. Before it was ‘senior,’ now you’re just calling me Lu Jiaheng directly.”
Chu Zhi paused: “Because you’re my boyfriend now.”
Lu Jiaheng’s smile deepened hearing those three words: “Who told you boyfriends can be called by their first names?”
Chu Zhi was startled by his bluff: “Then what should I call you?”
Countless pet names rushed through Lu Jiaheng’s mind.
After thinking about it, afraid of scaring her away, he casually asked: “What do you have me saved as in your phone?”
“…”
Chu Zhi fell silent.
“Hmm?”
Lu Jiaheng tilted his head slightly, watching her pure white ear tips slowly turn red.
“…You’re so annoying.” Chu Zhi said softly.
Lu Jiaheng rubbed his chin against the top of her head, creating a soft rustling sound against her hair. His voice was very gentle, half coaxing and half teasing: “Baby, come on, call me Brother Jiaheng, just once.”
Chu Zhi bent down and slipped out from under his embrace, jumping back two steps to turn and face him, her face bright red as she glared at him.
After a night had passed, plus the morning exam, she had forgotten about last night’s discussion about “pet names,” but now it naturally came back to her.
Chu Zhi pressed her lips together, her delicate eyebrows tightly furrowed: “Don’t call me that.”
The crown prince, completely unaware that he had been wrongly accused twice, thought his little girl was just being shy again.
Like a little puffer fish with puffed-up cheeks, she was damn adorable no matter what expression she made, making him want to pull her into his arms and never let go.
Chu Zhi imagined Lu Jiaheng with three or five phones laid out on the coffee table, each chat window showing a different girl, all uniformly addressed as “baby.” She worked herself up imagining this and glared at him with puffed cheeks: “Lu Jiaheng, if you dare talk to Xiao Hong or Xiao Li behind my back, I’ll—”
She paused, unable to think of a threatening warning that sounded forceful and fierce.
Lu Jiaheng frowned slightly, lowering his eyes: “Who?”
Chu Zhi decided to be straightforward: “Why do you call me baby?”
Before he could speak—
“Is it because you’re afraid of mixing me up with other girls in your WeChat?”
She asked somewhat carefully, partly hopeful, partly anxious.
Lu Jiaheng: “…”
Lu Jiaheng understood and his brow smoothed out as he let out a soft “Ah.”
However, to Chu Zhi, this “ah” seemed like an admission.
Chu Zhi’s eyes widened in disbelief, completely surprised that he would admit it so openly and decisively.
Chu Zhi’s first relationship had lasted a week, with two or three dates, ending when she saw her boyfriend making out with his ex-girlfriend.
Her second relationship had lasted two weeks, and she felt it was now teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Her eyes reddened, but her eye sockets were dry, and for some reason, not a single tear fell.
Chu Zhi raised her hand and roughly rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, her voice hoarse: “Lu Jiaheng, you’re so hateful, you’re still so hateful.”
Actually, this seemed like a very strange thing, getting upset over a pet name – how childish, how unreasonable, both affected and dramatic.
But only Chu Zhi knew that this wasn’t just about the pet name.
Like a small fuse, it suddenly ignited all the insecurity buried deep in her heart.
Dating Lu Jiaheng was perhaps the bravest thing Chu Zhi had done in her life so far, requiring all her courage.
He was totally unsuitable to be a boyfriend.
Whether it was when she first met him or during their subsequent encounters and interactions, everything told her this person wouldn’t work out.
But later he became so good to her, sincere and patient – what girl wouldn’t be moved, wouldn’t be hopeful, wouldn’t think she might become that special one?
She didn’t know how long his affection for her would last, or how much of his current displayed affection was real, and how much was just his habit.
Too unsettling, too nerve-wracking, too insecure.
The big bad wolf claimed he had become vegetarian and came to the little rabbit’s door, saying, “Little white rabbit, I like you, won’t you come with me?”
The little rabbit didn’t believe him at first, keeping her door tightly locked, refusing to let him in no matter what.
The big bad wolf was extremely patient and gentle. He brought her blooming flowers every day, collected morning dew in lotus leaves, and picked the biggest and most colorful carrots for her.
The little rabbit remained guarded for one day, two days, three days, but finally couldn’t help it – she accidentally fell in love with the big bad wolf.
Even though he had a bad temper and liked to bully her.
The little rabbit thought, how could such a bad wolf suddenly become good? He must be trying to trick me out so he can eat me.
So I’ll just open the door and go with him for now.
Who asked me to like you so much?
I’ll open my heart and give it to you.
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