Gu Xia had been observing this man for a while.
The man wore a white shirt, neatly pressed suit trousers, and held a black suit jacket in his hand. His short hair was cut sharply, revealing a smooth forehead and well-defined brow bones, exuding a mature man’s aura from head to toe.
In short, he was on a different level compared to the immature young men in plaid shirts on campus. His expression was serious and aloof, embodying the elite “dominant CEO” type.
Most importantly, he was quite handsome.
For someone like Gu Xia, who had grown picky about men after seeing her roommate’s boyfriend—a real looker—on a daily basis, this man’s appearance was quite acceptable.
It was right after class, and Lin Yujing usually had lunch with Shen Juan. The other two roommates had student council duties, so Gu Xia was sitting alone on a bench opposite the No. 3 cafeteria, watching as the elite man took out his phone, dialed a number, and started making a call after waiting for a moment.
Gu Xia had a thing for nice voices, and when he pulled out his phone, to be honest, she was rather curious. The surrounding environment was noisy, with many students coming in and out of the cafeteria just after class. Gu Xia even held her breath slightly, fearing that if the elite man spoke softly, she wouldn’t be able to hear him.
Just as she was thinking this, the elite man’s call connected.
Then, she realized her previous worry was completely unnecessary.
The man cursed loudly enough for half the cafeteria to hear, then started shouting, “You try ditching me again and see what happens! Last time, you didn’t even show up! What’s that about? Calling me here every time and then disappearing? Do you think I have a good temper or something?!”
Gu Xia: “…”
For a moment, Gu Xia could almost hear the sound of her girlish fantasies shattering.
The man had his jacket draped over his forearm, stood with his hand on his waist at the cafeteria entrance, phone pressed against his ear, and his anger and dissatisfaction radiating out to anyone within earshot. “What do you mean I’m directionally challenged? I’m right in front of the No. 3 cafeteria! Just how many cafeterias does your damn school have?”
“I’m not mistaken, this is definitely No. 3.” The man glanced around, then walked over, lowering his phone slightly. He leaned down and looked at Gu Xia, who was sitting on the bench. “Excuse me, is this No. 3 cafeteria?”
He pointed to the building behind him.
Gu Xia glanced at the large Arabic numeral “3” on the main entrance and nodded.
The man also nodded, his expression serious. “Thank you.”
After thanking her, he raised his phone again and shouted into the receiver, “This is No. 3!”
“…”
Gu Xia thought that maybe her taste in men wasn’t great, as they always had some strange or abnormal quirks.
She originally thought that was the end of it—he didn’t look like a pure-hearted college boy, had a bad temper, and seemed to be a bit of a directionally challenged, absent-minded type. He didn’t strike her as someone she would encounter a second time at school.
But she did encounter him again.
Not only that, it turned out he was her roommate’s brother.
Gu Xia felt like the world was a bit small.
Lin Yujing was a strong-willed and stubborn person who wouldn’t share her plans with others once she had made up her mind, and no amount of persuasion could change that. Gu Xia only found out later about her plan to confront a mentally unstable person.
Despite her cautiousness and thorough preparations, Lin Yujing still got hurt—a long cut down her thigh, close to the inner side.
Gu Xia stayed with her in the hospital. She had just brought a basin of water into the room when Fu Mingxiu—his name was something Gu Xia learned later��stormed into the ward, scolding Lin Yujing without a second thought.
Startled, Gu Xia noticed his aggressive tone and loud voice. Although his intentions were good, it was still unpleasant to hear.
Even Gu Xia was a bit unhappy about it. Looking at Lin Yujing, who lay on the bed without any reaction, as if she hadn’t heard anything, her calm expression suggesting she was used to it.
Fu Mingxiu couldn’t stand that look of hers. From the moment they met, it had always been like this. He was nearly burning with anger, yet Lin Yujing acted as if nothing had happened. When he was done raging, she would still smile at him and say a few words, making him feel like he was choking on a mouthful of suppressed frustration.
Leaning against the wall, he watched her scold him back without missing a beat.
Gu Xia finally couldn’t take it anymore. She was already anxious about Lin Yujing’s injury, and this constant shouting made it even harder to keep her emotions in check. She slammed the water basin onto the windowsill with a loud bang.
Fu Mingxiu stopped talking and turned to look at her, while Lin Yujing also paused her phone activity, glancing at Gu Xia.
“Could you stop yelling?” Gu Xia looked at him and said softly, “This is a hospital. Even if it’s a high-class SVIP ward, it’s not an exception to the rule that loud noise is prohibited. It’s not a marketplace. Anyone with a bit of decency would know to keep quiet here. It’s really not appropriate to disturb the patients, is it?”
Fu Mingxiu: “…”
Lin Yujing pulled the blanket up a bit higher, hiding her face behind it as she laughed.
Fu Mingxiu was stunned for a moment, caught off guard by her rebuke. He even apologized reflexively, “Sorry.”
“No problem,” Gu Xia glanced at him, “Just keep your voice down.”
Fu Mingxiu then shut up.
He sat quietly in a chair for several minutes, like a subdued child, before finally snapping out of it. Turning to Gu Xia with a puzzled expression, he asked, “Who are you?”
His tone wasn’t pleasant, as if he had just realized he’d been reprimanded and was on the verge of a temper tantrum.
“My roommate,” Lin Yujing quickly replied.
“Her roommate,” Gu Xia echoed.
Fu Mingxiu nodded without saying much more.
He watched as Gu Xia sat by the bed, talking with Lin Yujing.
There was indeed plenty for girls to talk about. Fu Mingxiu had always thought Lin Yujing was a quiet person, not one for much conversation, yet she could chat with this girl all afternoon.
Thinking back to when Lin Yujing first arrived in City A, in their first month of knowing each other, their interactions had mostly involved lines like, “You’ve got a fever, let me extinguish your fire,” or “Don’t even think about getting your hands on our family’s money.”
For some reason, Fu Mingxiu suddenly felt especially, especially irritated.
He had known Lin Yujing for years. While their relationship wasn’t particularly close, they at least had some history. As soon as he heard she was hurt, he rushed over without even taking leave. Yet now, she was not only ignoring him but also chatting happily with the person who had just reprimanded him, completely disregarding his presence.
And what had that woman said just now? Wasn’t she indirectly calling him uncivilized?
Fu Mingxiu impatiently drummed his fingers on the armrest, unable to stay any longer. He stood up abruptly and headed for the door.
Just then, Shen Juan walked in, opening the door to the ward. Both men’s expressions were equally sour. Gu Xia glanced at Shen Juan and then followed him out, leaving Lin Yujing and Shen Juan alone.
Outside the ward, Gu Xia carefully closed the door and turned around to see Fu Mingxiu leaning against the hallway wall opposite the ward, staring at her expressionlessly.
Gu Xia felt a bit awkward; after all, she had just scolded him without holding back.
So, she pretended nothing had happened, humming a tune as she walked toward the elevator.
“Hey.” Fu Mingxiu called out to her.
“…”
Gu Xia had no choice but to turn around.
Fu Mingxiu took two steps forward. “Are you and Lin Yujing close?”
Gu Xia glanced at him.
She thought his intentions were quite obvious. Though he had a rough attitude, his concern was genuine. He had rushed to the hospital quickly, which showed he cared about Lin Yujing.
Gu Xia tilted her head slightly, looking away. “Do you like her?”
Fu Mingxiu didn’t understand who she was referring to. “Huh?”
“Vice President, you should give up. She and her boyfriend are very close,” Gu Xia advised kindly. Lin Yujing called him Vice President, so Gu Xia followed suit, even though she didn’t know what kind of vice president he was.
“And from my observations, she doesn’t seem to like loud people.”
Fu Mingxiu thought this girl was a bit odd, speaking nonsense in a serious tone. He didn’t understand a word of what she was saying.
However, from this angle, he suddenly found her somewhat familiar.
He must have seen her somewhere before, recently too.
No matter how hard he tried, Fu Mingxiu couldn’t remember. The feeling was like something right on the tip of his tongue, yet just out of reach, leaving him frustrated. He hesitated, ignoring whatever she was saying. The annoyance of not being able to recall even overshadowed the irritation he felt from being scolded.
Fu Mingxiu furrowed his brows, staring intently at her, his gaze sweeping over her face as if it were an X-ray
, making Gu Xia uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to lose her patience, Fu Mingxiu spoke, “Have I seen you somewhere before?”
“…”
Gu Xia raised her head and stated plainly, “Don’t try to get close. I’m very close with her, and I also like her boyfriend a lot. I won’t help you.”
She smiled at him. “And, I also don’t like loud people.”
Fu Mingxiu: “…?”
Author’s Note:
Gu Xia: This guy is eyeing my little whale? What a pipe dream!
Brother Fu: What the heck are you even talking about???
This is a short side story, not very long. I’m writing it casually, so everyone can read it casually too. Pay attention to the title and don’t buy it by mistake. Love you all, sending hearts.
-Chapter End-