After getting into the car, Xie Xi took out his phone and only then noticed the notification for a special following.
It was the Weibo post Ye Qiusuo had just published.
Staring at that simple sentence, the sourness in the great superstar Xie's heart completely dissipated; it turned out to be just a work matter.
He went back happily, sat back down at the table, and prepared to eat breakfast.
Zhang Dong: "...Brother Xi, are you alright?"
The emotional shift between going out and coming back was a bit too drastic.
Xie Xi leaned back in his chair: "She said she's free tonight and asked me out for dinner."
It was completely different from the kind of commercial business dinner with Lu Minglang!
Zhang Dong: "So... is Professor Ye free tonight?"
Xie Xi: "...You're so annoying."
Although his assistant's words were unpleasant to hear, Xie Xi was still very happy today, waiting at home with anticipation for Ye Qiusuo to be free.
Meanwhile, netizens saw the Weibo post Ye Qiusuo had made, and the buzz finally began to heat up.
[The person involved coming out to dispel the rumors themselves, not bad.]
[Nowadays in the entertainment industry, people start getting all worked up the moment they see a man and a woman eating together.]
[The point is, Professor Ye isn't really in the entertainment industry, right?]
[Lol, I think she really wants to be in the entertainment industry, otherwise why would she be recording shows every other day? Compared to this, academic research is much harder.]
[I also doubt she really has time for research when she's always participating in variety shows and even acting.]
[Always? Besides 'Knowledge Q&A' and the current 'Maze of the Bureau', what other shows are there? And it seems like acting only took her less than a week.]
[Hurdling, hurdling, the Xie-Ye CP is still alive! I'm going to edit a video today. 'The Lake' is already on the streaming platforms. Sisters, we can start editing!]
...
Throughout the day, Ye Qiusuo was at the university. After finishing her morning classes, she went to check on the lab. After lunch, she attended a meeting, and in the afternoon, she sat in her office to finish this week's university work ahead of schedule.
She didn't finish until after six o'clock. Then, she stood up, walked to the window, and called Xie Xi.
The other party picked up almost instantly.
"...Teacher?" Xie Xi had been waiting for her call, even though his assistant had mentioned that Ye Qiusuo being free didn't necessarily mean today.
"Are you free to grab dinner together?" Ye Qiusuo asked as she watched the sky gradually darken outside the window.
Xie Xi was definitely free. He replied reservedly, "I'm free. Where do you want to go, Teacher?"
"Anywhere is fine, you decide."
The corners of Xie Xi's lips curled up, but he quickly pressed them down. "Teacher, how about the restaurant you went to yesterday?" He was just that petty.
Holding the phone to her ear with her left hand, a hint of a smile appeared in Ye Qiusuo's eyes. "It was alright."
"Then... let's go there."
"Okay."
This was the first time the two of them had arranged to go out directly, without any excuses.
As soon as Xie Xi hung up the phone, he immediately started changing his clothes. Being too dressed up would seem deliberate, but being too casual wouldn't do either.
Zhang Dong watched Xie Xi bustling about. "...Brother Xi, is Professor Ye free now?"
"Yeah." Xie Xi's eyes and brows brimmed with joy; he had completely forgotten about the events of the morning.
"Brother Xi, remember to get a private room, don't let anyone see you," Zhang Dong advised. Getting photographed was a minor issue, but the key point was that if Professor Ye came out to dispel the rumors again, it would break their Brother Xi's heart.
"Got it."
The two of them agreed to meet at eight o'clock. Xie Xi hurriedly tidied himself up again and immediately rushed to the restaurant.
However, when he walked into the private room, there were roses arranged on the table, and even the rug was in the shape of a pink heart.
Xie Xi: "?" He had just booked an ordinary private room.
"Today is Valentine's Day, so we're giving roses to all our tables," the waiter said, making a heart shape with his hands.
Only then did Xie Xi remember that when he took the elevator up just now, he had been surrounded by all sorts of pink decorations.
As a long-term single guy, he really wasn't very sensitive to this kind of holiday. In the past, at this time of year, Xie Xi would just stay at home and play video games.
He sat inside the private room, which featured a large glass window looking out at the brightly lit city.
Xie Xi hesitated for a moment, took a picture of the roses on the table, and then posted it on his alternate account: [Having dinner together. She hasn't arrived yet. The restaurant gave us roses.]
[Hao Hao, are you a guy or a girl?]
[Am I the only one who noticed the hand reflected on the glass flower basket? This hand is absolutely stunning, it looks too good.]
[Although the glass reflection is a bit blurry, with such long fingers, I suspect Hao Hao is a boy.]
[Sob sob sob, Hao Hao, do you think I still have a chance? I will definitely take the initiative to ask you out, I won't make you wait.]
Since Xie Xi had nothing to do, he scrolled to this comment and replied: [No chance. I am hers.]
These fans only thought this blogger was an ordinary rich person; no one expected that the person behind the account was actually the superstar himself, so they were all just joking around.
A knock sounded on the door. It was only half past seven, so Xie Xi thought it was the restaurant staff and simply said, "Come in," while he continued watching a newly released CP video.
"Poor but Beautiful Opera Singer x Stuffy and Upright Professor"
The footage was mostly sourced from "The Lake." Someone had actually edited the video so that the person Xie Xi looked at when he raised his eyes was Ye Qiusuo.
Xie Xi pursed his lips, feeling a little self-conscious, his heart pounding. Back then, when he looked over, the person he had been thinking about in his mind was exactly her.
"What are you watching?" After Ye Qiusuo knocked and entered, she saw him with his head slightly lowered, wearing one earbud and watching a video on his phone, where she could vaguely see a familiar yet unfamiliar scene.
Upon hearing Ye Qiusuo's voice, Xie Xi: "!"
He scrambled to exit the screen and stood up, yanking out his earbud, thinking he was safe and sound. However, that particular video website had a feature where if you only exited to the home screen without closing the app, the video disappeared but the audio continued playing.
The lines Ye Qiusuo spoke in "The Lake" echoed clearly throughout the entire private room.
Xie Xi: "..."
"Is 'The Lake' already on the streaming platforms?" Ye Qiusuo asked casually as she sat down across from him.
"Yeah, it's up." Xie Xi finally closed the video completely, breathing a sigh of relief in his heart. Luckily, she thought he was watching the movie.
Xie Xi looked up and pointed at the bouquet of roses resting in the glass flower basket on the table, instinctively explaining, "The restaurant gave us this. They said today is Valentine's Day, so every table gets one."
Ye Qiusuo swept her gaze over the various heart-shaped items in the private room, then looked at the person across from her who wore all his thoughts on his face. "Let's order."
As the two sat inside, Xie Xi was the one doing most of the talking, chatting about everything from composing music to his new album, and finally, he just started singing a cappella.
Ye Qiusuo listened very attentively. Most of what he talked about were things he found interesting. Conversely, if she were to talk about her field, the other party might not necessarily understand it.
Towards the end of the meal, when the waiter brought up the dessert, he also presented a small box of heart-shaped chocolates. "Wishing you two a Happy Valentine's Day~"
Across the table, the tips of Xie Xi's ears instantly turned red. He lowered his head, looking at the table guiltily. Seeing this, Ye Qiusuo naturally reached out and accepted the chocolates. "Thank you."
After the waiter left, Xie Xi propped his forehead with one hand, still not daring to look up at Ye Qiusuo.
Ye Qiusuo methodically opened the box of chocolates. Looking at the chocolates inside, which were also heart-shaped, she slightly raised an eyebrow. This restaurant had indeed put a lot of thought into it.
She took one out and held it out to Xie Xi. "Try it."
Then, Ye Qiusuo unwrapped the gold foil of another piece and placed the chocolate into her mouth, chewing slowly.
She had never really liked eating these kinds of things, but trying it today, the taste was actually not bad.
Xie Xi stared at the heart-shaped chocolate before him, his heart quickening its pace.
He reached out and picked it up, hesitant to eat it. After all, this was a gift from his Professor Ye.
"There are two left. One for each of us." Across from him, Professor Ye emptied the box and handed him another piece.
Only then did Xie Xi unwrap one and take a slow, deliberate bite.
Ye Qiusuo watched him from across the table. "Is it sweet?"
Xie Xi looked up, thought for a moment, and answered earnestly, "It’s a little bitter."
"Really?" Ye Qiusuo unwrapped the final piece and popped it into her mouth. "I think it’s sweet."
Xie Xi finished the other half. "It tastes a bit sweeter now," he murmured.
Ye Qiusuo arched an eyebrow but said nothing, her gaze fixed intently on him.
"Professor... is something wrong?" Xie Xi asked, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. He was already feeling self-conscious, terrified that he might have let his true feelings slip.
"Right here." Ye Qiusuo pointed to her own lower lip. "You have something on you."
Xie Xi instinctively wiped at his lip. "Is it gone?"
"Not yet." Ye Qiusuo pulled out a tissue. "Lean in a little."
As Xie Xi leaned forward, she moved closer to meet him. In an instant, he forgot how to breathe.
Ye Qiusuo’s eyes were fixed on his lower lip as she carefully wiped away the chocolate crumbs with the tissue. Even through the thin layer of paper, she could feel the softness of his lips.
"There," she said, pulling back. A small dark smudge of chocolate now stained the tissue in her hand.
"Professor," Xie Xi called out softly.
"Yes?"
