Chapter 3: Will You Come?

Xu Xiaoxi was in a pretty bad mood today.

As the only daughter of Xu Jianguo and Li Shuqiong, she had always been very well cared for.

Ever since she was born, the line they said to Xu Xiaoxi most often was, "Xiaoxi, just do whatever you want." So when she wanted to study painting, they found her the best teacher.

If she didn’t want to compete or take the art entrance exam, then she didn’t have to.

She’d been allowed to grow up with a lot of freedom.

Back in elementary school, the boy behind her kept yanking her hair and tugging at her collar. She got fed up, slapped him in the face with her pencil case, and made him cry.

The teacher called Xu Jianguo over, thinking she was about to get scolded. Instead, Xu Jianguo simply patted her and said, "Xiaoxi, you didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t bully other people, and don’t let anyone bully you either."

After that, she stopped putting herself through pointless grievances. She didn’t people-please, and she didn’t explain herself.

All these years, there had been very few things she truly cared about. Painting was one of them. Everything else came and went, and she didn’t much care.

But today, no matter how she painted, nothing felt right. She asked Wen Huan for advice, and Aunt Wen looked at it for a long while before smiling and saying, "If your mood is off, nothing you paint will feel right," and then let her go.

Yuhu Flower City sat in the old part of Nancheng, right next to the Yuhu Scenic Area. It was an old-money residential district, quiet in the middle of the city, with a distinctly refined air.

Xu Xiaoxi walked slowly along the lakeside. The wind brushed over the water, sunlight settled on her shoulders, and her mood gradually sank. But when she thought of Lin Xuan waiting for her at the cafe, she couldn’t help frowning.

It was annoying, but she had already agreed, so she still had to go.

Through the clear floor-to-ceiling window, she spotted Lin Xuan. His Chrome Hearts hoodie was loud and flashy, and so was he. He looked like some over-the-top rich young heir, with a glass of pomegranate soda sitting on the table in front of him, just the way she liked it.

As soon as she sat down, Lin Xuan lazily pushed the drink over to her.

"Here. Your favorite."

"Thanks," Xu Xiaoxi said with a slight nod, her voice still cool and faint. "What did you want to see me about?"

Lin Xuan laughed when he heard that, leaning back in his chair with a careless air. "Can’t I look for you if there’s nothing wrong? We’re that close already. I was actually planning to take you on a date."

"I’m a little tired today."

"Fine." He shrugged, then changed the subject. "Then do you still remember what day the eighteenth of next month is?"

October... the 18th? His birthday seemed to be in October. Whatever, never mind.

"Your... birthday?"

"Oh? You remembered," Lin Xuan said with a crooked smile. Then he went on, "How about coming to my place that day to celebrate with me? Ke Xinghua and the others will be there too."

"Forget it," Xu Xiaoxi said, lowering her head to stare at the droplets of water on the side of the cup. "What if Aunt Wen runs into us? We’re not even in the same class at school, and we’ve barely talked. What if we get caught?"

This was the first time Lin Xuan had heard Xu Xiaoxi say so many words in one breath outside of sex.

Does that mean she cares about me? Is she blaming me for not spending enough time with her? The thought flashed through him, and Lin Xuan suddenly felt hot all over.

"Then if we spend more time together at school, will you come?" His tone was still easy and lazy, but his eyes stayed locked on Xu Xiaoxi.

Xu Xiaoxi lifted her eyes. "What I mean is," she said, "we’re not the kind of people who can just walk around together at school, do you understand?"

"What did you say?" Lin Xuan frowned at her, looking a little disbelieving.

Usually, Xu Xiaoxi could be somewhat cold and perfunctory, but she had never shown him this kind of attitude before. It reminded him of the way she had turned down that boy at the mall. No, no, this was even harsher.

She realized she had gone a little too far just now. After a pause, she pulled her tone back in.

"I don’t really want to go," she said after a beat. "You know I don’t like those kinds of events."

Lin Xuan didn’t answer.

After a while, he shifted directions. "Then will you get me a birthday present?"

"You’re not short on..."

"Get me one anyway, Xu Xiaoxi." Before she could finish, Lin Xuan cut her off. His voice was very soft. "This will be my first birthday after we met."

At this point, Xu Xiaoxi couldn’t bring herself to say anything like, "We’re just fuck buddies."

But that was exactly what she was thinking. After the first time they slept together, she had told Lin Xuan not to interfere with her life.

Yet since high school started, he had crossed the line more and more. At first, all he did was ask in bed, "Want it?" and "Do you like it?" Xu Xiaoxi had treated that as flirting, after all, she did genuinely respond to that sort of thing.

But later, Lin Xuan started asking her to meet on weekends, and even wanted to send her home after she finished painting.

Xu Xiaoxi realized that from now on, at school, she might have to deal with him whether she wanted to or not.

A lot of girls at school liked him.

She didn’t want to be the center of attention, but she also didn’t want to lose this handsome, well-built, perfectly in-sync "partner."

"Let me think about it," she said at last.

In the middle of the night, Lin Xuan stared at his phone in a daze.

On the screen was a photo he had secretly taken after one of the times he and Xu Xiaoxi had fucked over summer break. Xu Xiaoxi had been tired and fallen asleep right away. The air-conditioning in the room had been very low, and she’d unconsciously curled into Lin Xuan’s arms.

In the photo, Xu Xiaoxi was resting on Lin Xuan’s right shoulder, wrapped up by his arm. The girl was sleeping soundly, her profile visible, her eyes peacefully closed, soft and quiet.

Like a real couple.

Lin Xuan’s chest tightened slightly with a faint ache. After hesitating for a long time, he still swiped over to WeChat and opened the pinned chat.

"If it’s just the two of us, would you come celebrate my birthday with me?"