Sometimes, she would deliberately tease him by repeatedly calling him “Peipei,” just to see his ears turn red and laugh.
“Good morning,” he said, patting her and urging her to have breakfast.
While they were eating breakfast, Pei Chen made a video call to Pei Yongxia, and the girl greeted Uncle Pei, asking after his well-being.
After the call ended, Liang Zhiyi said to Pei Chen, “It seems like Uncle Pei is looking really well lately. He must be getting good care.”
The person taking care of Pei Yongxia was, of course, Gong Qinxin.
Hearing this, Pei Chen felt something stir in his heart but remained silent.
After a while, Liang Zhiyi saw a message in WeChat from Xuan Xia, who said it had been a while since they last met and asked if they wanted to go out for a meal together.
Liang Tongzhou had also applied to a university in J City, though his school was quite far from C University. In addition to him, Xuan Xia and Ji Fei’er had also been accepted into schools in J City, though not the same university. Zhi Mian had stayed in Lincheng for school because of Duan Zhuo, and Fan Gao had gone to a school in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area.
Recently, everyone had been so busy with the start of school that the five of them hadn’t had a chance to hang out together in J City. It was quite rare for all of them, who had been close in high school, to end up in the same city.
Liang Zhiyi asked Pei Chen, “Xuan Xia has been saying in the group chat that we should get together. How about we make plans for today?”
“Sure.”
After being busy with school matters for the past two weeks, they finally had some free time today.
In the small group chat, Xuan Xia tagged everyone except Zhi Mian and Fan Gao. Pei Chen replied: “Zhiyi and I are in.”
Soon after, Liang Tongzhou responded: “I just woke up, I’m in.”
Ji Fei’er: “I have something to do at school this morning, but I’ll join you all for lunch.”
Xuan Xia: “No problem, let’s meet up for lunch then. Where should we go?”
Liang Zhiyi suggested, “How about you all come to my apartment? I’ll order takeout for everyone!”
Pei Chen was surprised, “You want them to come over?”
“I just don’t feel like going out, hehe,” she replied.
No one else had any objections, so they decided to meet at the apartment. Ji Fei’er teased, “Ordering takeout at Zhiyi’s place? That’s too lazy! You have to cook us a meal!”
Liang Zhiyi responded, “Are you sure? [Mischievous smile]”
Liang Tongzhou chimed in, “Guys, my sister’s cooking is practically poison. Isn’t takeout much better?”
Liang Zhiyi retorted, “Shut up, Liang Tongzhou! Who’s poisoning anyone…”
The group laughed, and after a while, Fan Gao popped into the chat, saying he was jealous they could meet up. Xuan Xia reassured him, “Chubby bro, focus on your studies and your diet. I’ll check to see if you’ve lost weight when we meet during winter break, haha.”
Fan Gao replied, “The cafeteria food is too good. I think I’m destined to be chubby for life.”
Zhi Mian also joined in, “Don’t make Pang Ge lose weight; it’s too hard for him.”
Fan Gao insisted, “I really am trying to lose weight…”
Ji Fei’er laughed, “Who are you kidding? You just talk about dieting, but you eat more than anyone else…”
After chatting, Pei Chen started working on some code on Liang Zhiyi’s apartment computer while she sat nearby reading a book. Watching him work so intently, she couldn’t resist teasing him. In the end, he kissed her so passionately that her legs went weak.
As noon approached, Xuan Xia was almost at the apartment complex and asked where the others were. Liang Tongzhou replied, “Almost there.”
Xuan Xia: “@Ji Fei’er, where are you?”
After a while, Liang Tongzhou responded, “She’s in my car. We’re almost there.”
Xuan Xia: “????”
When they arrived at the apartment building, the two cars pulled up almost simultaneously. As they got out of the cars, Xuan Xia saw the other two also getting out. “What’s going on with you two? Are your schools even in the same direction?”
Ji Fei’er blushed while Liang Tongzhou glanced at Xuan Xia with a playful smirk, “Just happened to be on the way. Why do you care?”
Liang Tongzhou then gently held the back of Ji Fei’er’s head and led her towards the apartment.
Xuan Xia was speechless, thinking, As if I can’t tell you two are flirting! It’s the worst to have to endure this single-dog treatment!
Xuan Xia felt a mix of jealousy and disdain towards them, realizing he was the only one left single.
The three of them went upstairs. Inside the apartment, Liang Zhiyi was tidying up the living room. When she heard the doorbell, she went to open the door. Ji Fei’er saw her and happily hugged her, exclaiming, “Zhizhi—”
Liang Zhiyi smiled and patted her on the head, saying to them, “Grab a pair of disposable slippers.”
The three walked in, and Pei Chen came out of the study. Ji Fei’er teased, “I thought I was late today, but it turns out Pei Chen was already here early to keep you company.”
He was indeed early—so early that he came over last night…
Hearing this, both of them had a subtle expression on their faces. Liang Zhiyi just smiled and said, “Of course, a boyfriend has to be there first thing.”
Xuan Xia asked, “So, what’s for lunch, everyone? This single dog just wants to eat in anger!”
Liang Zhiyi laughed and let him choose, while Pei Chen returned to the study to finish his coding. Ji Fei’er wandered around the apartment and finally noticed men’s and women’s clothes drying on the balcony. Realizing something, she ran back to Liang Zhiyi with a mischievous grin.
“Confess, what did Pei Chen do?”
“What do you mean, what did he do?”
“I saw the two sets of clothes drying outside!”
Hearing this, Xuan Xia and Liang Tongzhou also looked over. Liang Zhiyi quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand! He slept in the guest room last night. I just brought the clothes over late.”
“Wow…”
Everyone started teasing her, making her blush. “What are you thinking? You guys have such dirty minds.”
Xuan Xia said, “We didn’t say anything!”
Ji Fei’er added, “Definitely a guilty conscience!”
“…”
Liang Zhiyi narrowed her eyes at Ji Fei’er and said, “I don’t mind talking about what my brother’s been up to.”
“Hey! Shut up!”
Ji Fei’er blushed and tried to cover Liang Zhiyi’s face, while Liang Tongzhou smiled subtly, staring intently at Ji Fei’er.
The group was joking around when Xuan Xia went to the study to find Pei Chen. The two of them were both computer science majors, so they chatted about their field. At the end of the conversation, Xuan Xia patted Pei Chen on the shoulder with a knowing smile and suddenly said, “Bro, this won’t do.”
“Huh?”
“I heard from Zhiyi that you two are sleeping in separate rooms. Aren’t you going to seize the opportunity?!”
Pei Chen replied, “…Get out.”
Xuan Xia laughed as he left the room. Pei Chen looked at the computer, thinking about last night, and after a while, managed to suppress the heat rising in his chest.
At noon, the delivery of grilled fish and crayfish arrived at the apartment. The five of them ate together, and it felt as if they were back in high school.
Only now, their conversations were no longer about the college entrance exam or studying, but about the various people and events they encountered in their new university lives.
Although they were no longer in the same class and couldn’t see each other every day, their friendship hadn’t faded.
After the meal, Liang Zhiyi went to cut some fruit, and Ji Fei’er helped her. Liang Zhiyi smiled and asked, “So, how’s my brother doing?”
Ji Fei’er blushed with a sweet smile, “He’s pretty good. I’ll keep observing him for a while longer…”
Liang Zhiyi recalled how they used to bicker whenever they met in high school. “Oh, who was it that said they hated him the most and that there was no way they’d ever like him?”
“I really did hate him back then…”
“Why did you hate him?”
“He was so awful, always opposing me to the point where I just wanted to punch him.”
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi turned to look behind her with a smile and said, “Liang Tongzhou, did you hear that? Ji Fei’er said she especially hated you.”
Ji Fei’er was startled and turned around to see Liang Tongzhou leaning against the doorway, hands in his pockets, looking at her.
“I…”
Liang Tongzhou raised his eyebrows slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips as he casually said, “It’s okay, I’ll educate her in private later.”
Liang Zhiyi couldn’t stop laughing, and Ji Fei’er, catching the double meaning in his words, blushed deeply and decided to ignore him completely.
After the fruit was cut, they brought it to the living room. The five of them played board games, chatting and laughing, and before they knew it, the afternoon had passed.
In the evening, Ji Fei’er mentioned that she had a club activity at school, so Liang Tongzhou offered to drive her there. Not wanting to be the third wheel, Xuan Xia also decided to head home.
With just Liang Zhiyi and Pei Chen left in the apartment, neither of them were very hungry, so they didn’t order takeout.
Liang Zhiyi lay with her head on his lap, playing on her phone. After a while, Pei Chen received a call from his roommates, who teased him with mischievous laughter:
“God Pei, you didn’t come back last night. Are you planning not to come back tonight either?”
Pei Chen cleared his throat, his ears turning slightly red. “No, I’ll be back tonight.”
“We’re not rushing you! It’s totally fine if you want to stay with your girlfriend for three days and nights!”
Another guy laughed, “Three days and nights—do you think Pei Chen can handle that?”
“Hahaha…”
Liang Zhiyi overheard the teasing and noticed Pei Chen’s slightly embarrassed expression, causing her to secretly smile.
After a few more jokes, one of his roommates asked seriously, “So if you’re coming back tonight, want to play basketball with us? I’ve arranged a game with An Song and the others.”
Pei Chen replied, “I’ll see how it goes. I’ll let you know when I get back to campus.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up the phone, Liang Zhiyi asked, “What’s up?”
“They asked if I wanted to play basketball with them tonight.”
“Is your knee okay today?”
“It’s fine.”
She felt relieved. “Then go ahead, play with them.”
He looked down at her, gently patting the top of her head, and asked softly, “You won’t be upset?”
“Of course not, you’ve been with me all day.”
She knew he loved playing basketball, and he deserved to have his own time too.
She mentioned that she would stay at the apartment for another night and head back to campus in the morning. Pei Chen agreed and sent a message to his roommates, confirming their plan to meet at the court at 7:30 PM.
Outside, the sky was gradually darkening, and the city of J was lighting up with neon lights, becoming lively.
As it got closer to the time, Liang Zhiyi went to the bedroom to change clothes and brought in his basketball jersey from the balcony. He was sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone, and when she approached, he pulled her onto his lap, facing him.
He noticed she was wearing a white spaghetti strap dress. Her black hair cascaded over her snow-white shoulders, and the neckline hinted at her curves. Her face was a mix of innocence and allure.
Pei Chen wrapped his arm around her waist, his gaze deep and intense.
“Why are you dressed like this?”
She smiled lightly and hooked her arms around his neck. “I just felt a bit warm in the living room, so I changed into a dress. Don’t get the wrong idea, Pei.”
“What would I be getting wrong?”
She blinked mischievously, her eyes twinkling. “That I’m trying to seduce you again. But I’m not.”
He held her tighter, pulling her closer, and asked, “This isn’t seduction?”
She smiled, and before she knew it, he had cupped the back of her head and kissed her.
By now, he had long outgrown the awkwardness of their early kisses. Now, he could easily make her melt in his arms.
As they kissed, Liang Zhiyi could feel his desire pressing against her occasionally. She gave a soft, sweet smile and whispered in his ear, “What’s wrong? Want me to help?”
He looked at her, his eyes burning with a mix of longing and hope.
She glanced at the clock on the wall, then gently pecked his lips and smiled, “No time for that. It’s almost seven, you should get going.”
It would take them about half an hour by bus to get to C University.
However, she suddenly remembered last night, suppressing a smile as she said, “But, if we go by last night’s timing, it seems there’s still time.”
Pei Chen met her gaze, instantly understanding what she meant.
She was teasing him—clearly and openly.
Just then, Pei Chen’s phone rang. He answered, and his friend on the other end asked, “Pei Chen, you haven’t left for campus yet, right? Could you swing by the third hall and help me make a copy of some materials?”
Pei Chen looked at Liang Zhiyi, his voice deep as he replied:
“Something came up for me tonight. I won’t be able to play basketball with you guys.”
Liang Zhiyi: “??”
His friend sounded surprised. “Huh? You’re not coming?”
“Yeah, ask someone else.”
“Alright, I guess…”
After a few more words, the call ended. Liang Zhiyi was still puzzled. “Pei Chen, why aren’t you going to play basketball…”
Before she could finish her sentence, he suddenly scooped her up.
Startled, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the bedroom. Realizing what was happening, her face flushed, and her heart raced. “Pei Chen, what are you doing…”
His gaze burned as he looked at her and said:
“Weren’t you just teasing me about being quick?”
Her face turned red as he laid her down on the bed, his body leaning over hers. His voice was low and husky as he whispered in her ear:
“Then let’s give it another try.”