The first snow of the year arrived especially early, but fortunately, the heating was already on.
The third period of the morning was a large lecture. Upon entering the classroom, everyone did the exact same thing: shake off the snow from their clothes before taking off their coats.
Lu Yu scanned the room but didn't see Yan Zhuxi.
The professor for this class was an elderly man, notoriously strict, and fond of taking attendance.
Even as the bell rang, Yan Zhuxi still hadn't shown up.
Lu Yu was just about to send Yan Zhuxi a WeChat message to ask why she wasn't there when the old professor spoke up.
"Alright, before we begin the lecture, let's take roll."
Not good, Lu Yu thought to himself. Abandoning the idea of messaging Yan Zhuxi, he immediately fixed his full attention on the podium.
When Yan Zhuxi's name was called later, if he pitched his voice and answered for her, he probably wouldn't get caught, right?
The old professor always called names in the exact order of the roster, never deviating. After hearing it for so long, everyone had practically memorized it.
Soon, he called the person right before Yan Zhuxi.
Next was Yan Zhuxi.
Lu Yu pinched his nose, just about to say "Here," when another "Here" echoed through the classroom.
The old professor paused, lowered the roster, and put on his glasses. "If I remember correctly, Yan Zhuxi is a female student. That was clearly a man pinching his throat. What, are you trying to take advantage of an old man's failing eyesight? Whoever answered for Yan Zhuxi, stand up."
A few seconds later, a guy in a gray hoodie in the fifth row on the right slowly stood up. "I'm sorry, Professor. I answered for Yan Zhuxi. She didn't skip class on purpose. It's just that she's sick and went to see a doctor, so... so I came to class for her."
The old professor snorted. "You can attend class for her, but can you memorize the knowledge for her? Go back and tell her that if she doesn't score at least a ninety on the final exam, I'll fail her outright. Just this once, and never again."
The guy in the gray hoodie hastily agreed.
A girl sitting next to Lu Yu whispered, "Isn't that the most handsome guy from the Law School? Are he and Yan Zhuxi really dating?"
"They must be. Why else would he come to class for her?"
"You have to admit, he's handsome and she's beautiful. They actually look quite good together."
"I don't know, I still think Lu Yu is a better match for her. The campus beauty and the campus heartthrob are a match made in heaven."
"True, but didn't she and Lu Yu break up?"
"Yeah, I think it's such a pity."
"Shh, stop talking. I think Lu Yu is sitting right behind us."
The two girls glanced back and quickly turned their heads around.
Lu Yu silently put away his phone.
By evening, the snow was falling heavier.
Lu Yu walked out of the library and casually checked his phone.
The freshmen group chat was very active. He opened it and saw that Yan Zhuxi had posted a message:
"Dormitory Nail Salon is now open! Grand opening special: Manicures for only 99 yuan. Address: Building Zi-16, 5th Floor, Room 506."
Below it were several photos of nail art.
Lu Yu scrolled down and found that many people were discussing the sample photos, saying they looked a bit ugly.
Lu Yu clicked on the photos and thought they looked fine.
It seemed this was Yan Zhuxi's new side hustle.
Lu Yu put his phone away, opened his umbrella, and walked down the stairs.
When he reached the corner, he happened to bump into Yan Zhuxi.
Seeing him, Yan Zhuxi waved. "Lu Yu."
She really just meant to say a quick hello and was about to leave.
"Yan Zhuxi!" Lu Yu called out to stop her.
Yan Zhuxi turned back. "Hmm?"
Lu Yu pursed his lips. "Are you sick?"
Yan Zhuxi nodded. "Yeah, I had a fever this morning, so I went to the campus clinic to get an IV drip. I didn't expect so many people to be sick these past few days."
"Yeah, the temperature has dropped suddenly lately, so a lot of people are catching colds." Saying this, Lu Yu offered her his umbrella. "Since you're sick, don't walk in the snow, or you'll get worse."
Yan Zhuxi waved her hands. "No need, my dorm is close by, I'll be there in a minute. You shouldn't risk getting sick yourself."
Lu Yu glanced at the umbrella. "How about I walk you back? This umbrella is big enough for two without a problem."
Yan Zhuxi looked around. There were very few people on campus at this hour. She nodded. "Alright, sorry to trouble you."
The two walked toward the dormitories sharing one umbrella.
Thinking of what he had just seen in the group chat, Lu Yu asked, "I saw you're running a dorm nail salon recently. How's business?"
Yan Zhuxi sighed. "Not so great. It's been a week and I've only had two customers."
Lu Yu said, "Don't be discouraged. It takes time to build up a customer base."
"I know that, but right now I'm worried about my sample photos. The nails I do actually look quite nice, but unfortunately, I don't have a pair of pretty hands to show them off." As Yan Zhuxi was speaking, she caught sight of Lu Yu's hand gripping the umbrella handle out of the corner of her eye, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
These hands were absolutely gorgeous!
If she could use these hands for her nail art sample photos...
No, no, Lu Yu would definitely never agree to it.
Yan Zhuxi looked at Lu Yu's hands, hesitating to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
But Lu Yu noticed. "Do you have something to say to me?"
Since Lu Yu asked...
Yan Zhuxi asked cautiously, "Lu Yu, would you be willing to be my model?"
Lu Yu: "Model?"
Yan Zhuxi: "I mean... a hand model. Of course, I wouldn't let you do it for free, I'll pay you!"
Lu Yu immediately thought of the comments in the group chat criticizing her sample photos for being ugly.
"Okay," he nodded.
Yan Zhuxi's face lit up with joy. "You agree?"
"Yeah." It was just hand modeling, it wasn't like he'd have to show his face.
"That's great! Can I do your nails tomorrow then?"
Lu Yu: "Sure."
The next afternoon, after class, Lu Yu went to the agreed-upon place.
Yan Zhuxi brought a full set of equipment, and once he came in, she got straight to work.
Sitting across from her, Lu Yu looked down and saw her long, curled eyelashes.
They fluttered as she blinked, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
Lu Yu's breathing grew a little lighter.
While he was watching her, Yan Zhuxi suddenly looked up. "Lu Yu, if you're bored, you can watch some videos for a while."
Her clear eyes reflected his silhouette.
Lu Yu's breath hitched for a second.
Then, he hurriedly looked away.
"Mhm."
Only when he saw from his peripheral vision that Yan Zhuxi had lowered her head again did he turn his gaze back.
After another moment of silence, he heard himself ask, "Yesterday when you were sick, you had Liu Xu answer roll call for you, but the professor found out. Are you..."
Yan Zhuxi didn't look up. "I know, Liu Xu told me. Sigh, I'll definitely work hard to score a ninety."
Lu Yu paused for a moment before saying, "If this happens again next time, I can answer roll call for you."
Yan Zhuxi looked up abruptly. "You? That's even worse. You're the first person the old professor memorized. I'd never dare let you answer for me. Next time, I'll definitely ask a girl."
Lu Yu finally realized that finding a girl was indeed a much safer bet.
After another stretch of quiet, he heard himself ask once more, "Are you and Liu Xu dating?"
