'A girl is sleeping in my room, on my bed.' The thought was enough to feel his body's blood rush up to his face. 'Phew. So hot.' He stared at the ceiling, but once in a while took stolen glances at the girl just adjacent, with significant s.p.a.ce in between them, of course.

Every time he stealthily glanced, he felt the adrenaline from the risk of getting caught, even if the person that might catch him in the act was fast asleep. 

It was foolish indeed, yet he still continued the little ruse.

He pulled up the frame of his dark-rimmed gla.s.ses up through the nose bridge while flexing one arm behind his head. For one last time, he took a peek – a long one indeed – taking in as much as he could from the lovely sight before deciding to settle in for the night. With droopy lids, he took off his spectacles, folded it neatly and placed it by the bedside table.

He exhaled sharply, contentedly, with a hint of a smile on his lips. 'What a night.' Though he had a long nap at the library earlier, all the earlier unprecedented activity: carrying a more-than-forty-kilogram drunken person on a piggyback and traversing a distance of two kilometers in a walk-run-walk routine while being flushed with awkwardness and lightheadedness took a toll on his mind and body.

He called it a day, rather a night, as his eyelids drooped heavier and heavier.

---

At around six in the morning, the following day, Chen Linyun left the room early and stood guard outside the room by the door to give the girl some privacy. Now that he's wide awake, his panic heightened just by seeing the angelic jadeite countenance across his cot. His face and ears could attest to it, which continued burning as if with fever. What would her reaction be when she wakes up and land her almond eyes on him. 

*Click*

Went the door, and the curtain that was the jet-black hair of the girl hang on one side and escaped her cap and hood. It flowed majestically down with little waves here and there. A pair of almond eyes met another behind dark-rimmed spectacles for the first time.

"Hi." She smiled. Chen Linyun was beyond captivated by her entirety – her long, s.h.i.+ny, jet-black hair, her smiling almond eyes, and a cute little dimple on her left cheek dented her otherwise perfect face. It wasn't even a blemish, rather and enhancement.

She bombarded him with questions.

He answered curtly with red, red, tomato-face and ears, but with such exemplary composure for an eighteen-year-old. 

"I have to thank you for saving me last night…" The girl said in an attempt for small talk. She was rather talkative basing from Chen Linyun's standards.

"It was so irresponsible of me – really. I am very sorry to trouble you. I did not mean to intrude. You seem to be a good fellow."

She smiled again while waiting for her savior's response. However, nothing came from the boy who grew more timid.

"You seem to blush easily." The girl observed, her grin spreading wider. She felt comfortable with him so readily.

"I'm Xue Jinxu." They shook hands firmly yet shortly.

Small talk commenced between them. In actuality, the girl talked more almost one-sidedly, akin to a monologue. She didn't mind though.

"I'd like to treat you to dinner as thanks. It's on me. But I don't know your name yet."

"It's Chen Linyun." All this while, the boy timidly glued his eyes onto the ground. His red face had not subsided yet. Perhaps, this must be the longest conversation he had with a girl under normal, unforced situation, not in any way obligatory.

Chen Linyun's lowered head turned abruptly to the side, pulled the girl's hand and dragged both of them inside the room and closed the door behind her. Consequently, the girl was sandwiched between him and the door.

She gasped, and eyes widened in utter surprise as she held her breath. She was just inches from him.

"I forgot to tell you that this dormitory is an all-male facility. I just sneaked you in last night out of haste." He glanced at her.

"Oh."

 The girl pursed her lips. Her own cheeks s.h.i.+fted into a healthy rosy hue. 

As if burnt with something sweltering, Chen Linyun jumped away from the girl. "Sorry for that."

To sweep the awkwardness, they both laughed. 

"Ten meals."

"Huh?" The girl blinked and tilted her head. Some of her locks escaped from the rest and lined her pretty face. The contrast of her jet-black hair and jadeite skin enhanced her features more.

"I carried you on my back. You weren't light at all. A meal won't cut it. Make it ten." Chen Linyun recited matter-of-factly. He pulled his spectacles up through the nose bridge.

"What? But…"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"When are you leaving?" 

The girl gasped in surprised and could not help but cover her mouth with her hand. "How did you know about that?"

"Well, uhm…" Eighteen-year-old Chen Linyun scratched his head. "You were talking in your sleep. You also mentioned your brother. Although it's incomprehensible."

"Ahh hehe." This time, the girl blushed in embarra.s.sment as she averted her eyes. She changed the subject instead. "Ten meals is too much. Besides, I'm not that heavy. Let's settle at three meals, please?" She bared her alluring white teeth and a sweet smile.

"Five."

"Call!" 

"Let's start now." *Cough* *Cough* He gave the girl side-way glances. "L-Let's have breakfast. There's a convenience store near here, it won't even cost that much." He said while already walking past the girl outside the room.

"B-Brother Chen! Wait!" Xue Jinxu whispered and shortly followed behind the young lad who was walking ahead rigidly, all racking with nervousness while trying to play it cool, despite his racing heart and tomato-face.

'I've seen in my dream what will happen if I let her go from here. Suck it up and grow a backbone.' He talked to himself in his mind. 'She's going to leave soon. You have to keep in touch with her or it will be too late.'

Chen Linyun walked briskly, still afraid of getting caught with his past mischief the night before. Xue Jinxu caught up, and the two had reached the convenience store in no time.

Inside, Chen Linyun went straight to where the readily packed food was located. He knew exactly where each commodity was since he frequented the place much. He picked two triangular pieces of grilled cheese sandwich – one for himself, and supposedly one for her too. 

"Do you… do you want to eat this?" He asked. "Forget it. Just pick one yourself."

"No, it's fine!" Xue Jinxu grabbed Chen Linyun's hand which was on the act of returning one sandwich. She ended up squeezing his hand almost too strongly. She retrieved it swiftly enough and brushed it off with an awkward laugh.

Chen Linyun grew speechless, motionless and what-not. Deep inside, he was screaming. 'Help. Help. Help.'

"I'll get that sandwich too. Because Linyun-ge chose it, it must be good."

'Linyun-ge.' The boy was amused with the sudden closeness. 

"It's good. And you're good with words too, it seems."

She giggled but shook her head.

'She's such a sweet darling angel. If I leave her now to face adulthood and responsibilities, she's going to change. Just like in my dreams. She's not gonna face it alone. I'm here.'

They sat on empty chairs alongside the table adjacent the gla.s.s window of the convenience store. It was a simple meal, but it went beyond its purpose. It filled the empty stomachs of the two growing kids, and filled their young innocent hearts, too.

Chen Linyun had never felt as ecstatic from speaking with a girl. Though he was still as socially awkward as before, he forced himself to open up to this particular girl, and true enough, they clicked. Everything seemed light and sunny when they talked about it, and that particular day in autumn felt like spring as something special promised to bloom and flourish and grow between them.