When classes resumed, the campus was buzzing with a new piece of gossip.
The heartthrob Si Mugu was actually dating someone—and his girlfriend was an utterly ordinary girl, which left everyone stunned.
After all, before Xia Miao started dating Shen Chi, everyone had assumed she and Si Mugu would end up together. She was the school belle, he was the school heartthrob—they were a perfect match. Later, when Xia Miao got together with Shen Chi, Si Mugu was always seen with Tian Meimei, so naturally, people assumed something was brewing between them.
But then Si Mugu ended up with some unknown girl named Fang Bei, leaving everyone shocked.
Gao Xiaozhu chimed in, "I heard Fang Bei wrote him a love letter, and he just said yes. If I’d known the school heartthrob was that easy to get, I would’ve written one too."
She shook her head regretfully—not because she had any real feelings for Si Mugu, but simply because anything involving a handsome guy was worth gossiping about. Of course, it was just gossip; she’d never actually act on it.
Xia Miao asked, "I thought Si Mugu liked Tian Meimei. How did he end up with someone else?"
"Who knows?" Gao Xiaozhu shrugged. "He wouldn’t actually be using another girl to make Tian Meimei jealous, would he?"
Xia Miao had seen Si Mugu and Tian Meimei together before—the way he looked at her was different. And his previous hostility toward Shen Chi was probably related to her.
But she wasn’t really concerned about other people’s love lives. There was something else on her mind.
"Xiaozhu, we’re good friends, right?"
Gao Xiaozhu nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Then do you remember how Shen Chi and I got together?"
Gao Xiaozhu frowned, puzzled. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Xia Miao smiled. "We’re close, aren’t we? I just wanted to test how well you remember things about me. Since we’re such good friends, I must’ve told you how Shen Chi and I started dating."
Gao Xiaozhu’s expression froze, as if her brain had short-circuited, struggling to process the question.
Xia Miao prompted her, "Was it because Shen Chi confessed to me, and then I agreed to date him?"
Gao Xiaozhu’s eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly. "Right! Shen Chi confessed, and you said yes. You were so happy at the time!"
With this third-party confirmation, Xia Miao’s mind suddenly flooded with the memory.
It had been a quiet afternoon. She was helping Teacher Wu organize some documents, and Shen Chi had been roped into the task as well. Midway through, Teacher Wu left for an impromptu meeting, leaving just the two of them in the office.
The weather had been perfect—golden sunlight spilling through the windows, a gentle breeze rustling the curtains, casting dancing shadows across the room.
Papers on the desk fluttered and scattered to the floor.
Xia Miao crouched to pick them up, her fingers brushing against the boy’s unexpectedly cool hand. In that brief contact, the contrast in their warmth sparked something unspoken.
Shen Chi flinched, as if startled, and immediately pulled back.
But Xia Miao’s hand remained suspended in the air. She looked up at him—his ears tinged pink, a fascinating sight on someone usually so composed.
Maybe sensing her amusement, he slowly, clumsily reached out again. His fingers grazed hers, testing, and when she didn’t pull away, he traced a path up her fingertips, like ivy winding its way around a branch, until their hands were entwined, inseparable.
The sunlight was warm, the breeze soft—everything seemed to whisper that this was the perfect moment.
So the usually reticent boy finally dared to meet her gaze. His dark eyes burned with nervous determination, his entire body tense, his face flushed. He looked like a soldier marching into battle, ready to sacrifice everything.
"Xia Miao, I like you."
The memory faded, but the echo of her pounding heart remained, even now.
Shen Chi had once admitted he’d been too afraid to confess.
Had that moment in the office been nothing more than a stroke of courage?
"Ah, Shen Chi is such a great guy," Gao Xiaozhu sighed dreamily. "He didn’t even hesitate to shield you from that stalker’s knife. That’s true love!"
Xia Miao remembered the incident—the deranged man with a knife, the terror, and Shen Chi stepping in front of her without a second thought. What would have happened to her if he hadn’t been there?
Gao Xiaozhu nudged her. "Hey, what’s on your mind?"
"I think you’re right. Shen Chi and I must be meant to be."
Gao Xiaozhu groaned. "Ugh, stop rubbing it in. Maybe I should go look for the fourteenth step at midnight too. If I can enter the misty realm and meet the god there, I’ll beg him to send me my soulmate!"
Lately, rumors about the fourteenth step had spread like wildfire. Some sought academic success, others opportunities, and some—like Gao Xiaozhu—wanted love. Where there was desire, people would always seek divine intervention.
Xia Miao, already living a charmed life, had no need to chase after gods in misty realms.
But she had her own troubles. Lately, her memories felt unreliable—some details slipping away, while others suddenly surfaced, as if rewriting her past.
Gao Xiaozhu’s romantic woes were fleeting, though. She quickly changed the subject. "Oh, I heard we’re getting a new dean."
Xia Miao blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah, the last one got fired after that scandal with a student, remember? So they’re bringing in someone new." Gao Xiaozhu lowered her voice. "A grad student told me the higher-ups already had a meeting. The new dean’s ambitious—wants to turn our school into a world-class institution!"
Xia Miao felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she’d forgotten something crucial. But no matter how hard she tried, the memory wouldn’t come back.
After class, Shen Chi arrived as usual to walk his girlfriend home.
Gao Xiaozhu sighed dramatically—"Having a boyfriend is so nice"—but before she could tease them further, Xia Miao grabbed Shen Chi’s hand and hurried away.
