No More Running

ang Jiuning’s grip on her pen tightened, and the memory of that hot, wet kiss from the morning suddenly flashed through her mind. She swallowed hard and nearly choked on her own saliva.

Was Tang Tongtong just guessing, or had someone actually seen that kiss?

She quickly pulled out her phone and opened the school forum—thankfully, no trending posts.

Feeling guilty, Sang Jiuning said: “N-no… nothing.”

Su Qingyan suddenly interjected, cutting off their banter in a flat tone: “The CET-4 exam is coming up. Stop chatting and focus on studying.”

Tang Tongtong stuck out her tongue, mouthed “We’ll talk later” at Sang Jiuning, and finally turned back to her practice questions.

Sang Jiuning let out a breath of relief and tried to focus on her reading comprehension.

At 5 PM, Wen Zhaoci came to find her.

He was wearing a basketball jersey, his long legs planted firmly beneath the tree. His short black hair was slightly damp with sweat, a few strands sticking to his forehead, and he held a bottle of ice-cold mineral water in his hand.

The post-workout warmth radiated from him, and as he stood there, every girl who passed by couldn’t help sneaking glances his way.

Sang Jiuning thought he looked incredibly good—like Rukawa Kaede had stepped right out of the manga and into real life. One word: handsome! Three words: damn handsome!

He was practically walking testosterone, right there on her radar. That face? Absolutely stunning.

Wen Zhaoci noticed Sang Jiuning staring at him and reached out to ruffle her hair. “Let’s go.”

Then he naturally took her hand. “There’s a new cake shop near the school gate. They have a signature blueberry pudding roll. If we go too late, we’ll have to wait in line.”

Sang Jiuning let herself be pulled along, her voice a little dreamy—just the name sounded delicious. She unconsciously licked her lips: “Blueberry pudding roll?”

Who didn’t love desserts? She absolutely adored them.

“Mm.” Wen Zhaoci tilted his head slightly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were practically sparkling with stars, impossible to hide. Sure enough, the first video from that Douyin account was right—you absolutely had to actively feed your girlfriend delicious things.

By the time they arrived, there were already over a dozen people in line, most of them guys accompanying their girlfriends.

Wen Zhaoci found an empty seat for Sang Jiuning. “Sit here and rest. I’ll queue up and buy the cake for you.”

With that, he walked to the back of the line and waited.

Sang Jiuning watched his tall, straight figure standing in the queue. Every now and then, he’d look over at her and give her a warm smile.

She had to admit—that smile was truly captivating. She was afraid she might really fall for him.

They waited nearly twenty minutes before it was their turn. Wen Zhaoci bought four blueberry pudding rolls and two boxes of chilled durian mille-crepe. He brought them over, set them on the table, and pushed them toward her: “Try one. If you like it, we’ll come here often. The rest are for your roommates.”

Sang Jiuning took a bite of the pudding roll. The cool custard blended perfectly with the sweet-tart blueberries and the soft cake, instantly melting into a wave of sweetness. She looked up at him, eyes bright, fork still in her mouth, and tilted her head: “It’s so good! Aren’t you having any?”

She was wondering why Wen Zhaoci wasn’t eating when he leaned forward, reached out, and brushed his fingertip against the corner of her mouth, wiping away a bit of cream. Then he naturally put his finger in his own mouth, licking it clean. His voice carried a hint of a smile: “I did. It’s really good.”

Sang Jiuning’s face flushed bright red in an instant. She gripped her fork and froze, her heart pounding so wildly it felt like it might crack through her ribs. After a long pause, she managed to stammer: “You’re not disgusted by me…”

The words came out haltingly. Her fingers nervously pinched the edge of the tablecloth, and even the tips of her ears turned pink.

Wen Zhaoci watched her reddened ears, his smile deepening. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his fingertips brushing against her soft crown. “We’ve already swapped spit this morning. Why would I be disgusted by my own girlfriend?”

He picked up a forkful of durian mille-crepe and held it to her lips, his voice low and tender: “One more bite?”

Sang Jiuning’s mind was a mess. In a daze, she opened her mouth, even her chewing slowed. She stared straight at Wen Zhaoci’s face, her head full of the image of him wiping that cream off her lips and licking it clean. Her heart was racing out of control.

The two of them finished the pudding rolls and mille-crepes together. Sang Jiuning packed the portion for her roommates carefully into a bag. Wen Zhaoci took the bag in one hand and, with the other, naturally wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her slowly out of the cake shop.

His warm palm pressed against her waist, and being half-encircled in his arms like this felt strange. Sang Jiuning found it awkward. Someone like her—a mere cannon fodder among cannon fodder—shouldn’t be this intimately close to the male lead.

She tried to pry his hand away. “Don’t hold me so tight.”

But Wen Zhaoci didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled her even closer, leaning down to murmur by her ear with a soft laugh: “Baby, it’s crowded here. Don’t want to lose you.”

His warm breath brushed against the back of her ear, making the back of her neck heat up. Her struggle instantly froze, and she had no choice but to let him half-guide her forward.

Wen Zhaoci was in an excellent mood. That love guide hadn’t failed him—feed your girlfriend, hold hands, hug, kiss every day. The warmth of her body against his palm felt incredible.

He made a mental note to go back and send gifts to that Douyin account, “A Love That Never Ends.”

The two went to have dinner together. Just as they found a seat and sat down, Sang Jiuning’s phone buzzed nonstop in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a string of text messages from Tang Tongtong in their dorm group chat—all gossip bombs:

[Holy crap! I just saw you and Wen Zhaoci at the cafeteria entrance! He had his arm around your waist!!]

[You two are moving this fast?!]

[You definitely kissed! You HAVE to tell us what it felt like when you get back tonight!!!]

Sang Jiuning’s face heated up again as she stared at the screen. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, typing a single line:

[Don’t you dare ask me tonight, or you won’t get any blueberry pudding roll or durian mille-crepe!!!]

Within seconds, Tang Tongtong replied with a starry-eyed emoji clutching food, followed by: [Fine fine fine I’ll shut up! I’ll just wait at home for the goodies!]

Sang Jiuning put her phone face-down on the table and looked up—only to meet Wen Zhaoci’s amused gaze. Her ears burned again, and she turned away awkwardly to pick up her chopsticks. “What are you looking at? Hurry up and eat.”

Wen Zhaoci smiled, picked up a piece of steamed pork ribs, and placed it in her bowl: “Can’t I look at my beautiful girlfriend?”

Sang Jiuning chewed on the ribs, her cheeks puffed out, wishing she could bury her head in the bowl.

After dinner, Wen Zhaoci stubbornly wrapped his arm around Sang Jiuning’s waist again—much better than holding hands, he thought.

Sang Jiuning tried to pry his hand off, but she was too weak, so she let him have his way.

And so, with his arm around her waist, Wen Zhaoci walked Sang Jiuning back to her dormitory building.