Shen Chi held Xia Miao's hand as they strolled slowly along the campus path. Noticing her occasionally furrowing her brows in thought, he asked with concern, "Miao Miao, what's wrong?"
Xia Miao touched her forehead. "I feel like I've been a bit forgetful lately."
Shen Chi blinked. "Really?"
Xia Miao still couldn't recall anything, so she sighed and looked up at him. "Never mind, no use forcing it."
Shen Chi chuckled softly. "Want some dessert?"
Xia Miao nodded quickly. "Yes!"
There was a dessert shop along their way home. The sweets there weren't overly sugary, and the ingredients were high-quality—Xia Miao loved it. Sometimes, on their way back, they'd wander in without thinking. The owner knew them well by now.
Though the desserts were a tad expensive.
Xia Miao felt the calluses on Shen Chi's palm and pursed her lips before smiling again. "But I had some yesterday. If I eat sweets too often, I’ll definitely gain weight. Let’s skip it today."
He said, "Miao Miao, you're not fat. I can still carry you."
Xia Miao touched her waist. "But I feel like my clothes are getting tighter."
"It's the clothes, not you," Shen Chi said, his eyes curving slightly. "Let’s go buy new ones."
Xia Miao could only relent. "You’re right, I’m not that heavy. Let’s go get dessert after all."
Shen Chi tightened his grip on her hand. After a brief silence, he said, "Miao Miao, I’ll work harder."
Xia Miao laughed and hugged him. "You’re already working so hard! I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up with you!"
He caressed her cheek and smiled faintly.
Shen Chi truly was diligent—studying, working part-time, supporting his girlfriend, and participating in every major competition at school. He needed an impressive resume to secure his dream job after graduation.
At times, Xia Miao couldn’t help but think strangely: being with her only added to Shen Chi’s burdens. It was almost like self-torture.
His life had never been easy, but with her, it became even more of a struggle.
Xia Miao was generally optimistic, yet seeing the relentless effort Shen Chi poured into each day and night made her mind wander.
"Shen Chi, if you weren’t with me… would life be much easier for you?"
If he didn’t date at all—or even dated someone else—he wouldn’t have to push himself so hard. Young and capable, he could take his time climbing the ladder instead of racing to reach the top in half the time.
Shen Chi clasped her hand tighter. "You know how much I love you. If I couldn’t be with you, I wouldn’t feel half as hopeful about the future."
He wasn’t naturally bright or sociable. He had no friends, no family, drifting alone on the fringes—solitary and odd.
But now, he had direction. He worked hard to earn money, planned when to buy a house, when to marry, and if she agreed, when to have a child. Everything had a clear path.
Without her… without her, Shen Chi’s vision of the future would still be gray and blank.
Often, classmates teased that Xia Miao would never be able to leave Shen Chi because of how well he took care of her. But that wasn’t true—Shen Chi was the one who couldn’t live without Xia Miao.
"Miao Miao, I need you." He bent down to look at her, his eyes damp again, voice hoarse and trembling slightly. "I really, really need you."
Xia Miao hadn’t expected a simple "what if we weren’t together" to hit him so hard.
He was the type to endure any hardship without complaint, the one who stubbornly held her hand and marched forward under all kinds of pressure.
He should be strong, resilient, unyielding.
Not like this—shattered by a single sentence.
Only then did Xia Miao realize: no matter how mature and steady he seemed, he was still just a young man barely past twenty.
She stood on her toes to hug him, gently stroking his bowed back. "I shouldn’t have said that. We’re together now, and there are no ‘what ifs.’ Shen Chi, I need you too."
He nuzzled her cheek, pulling her closer, taking a long time to calm his restless heart with her familiar scent.
Xia Miao cupped his face and playfully pinched it, grinning. "Alright, let’s go get dessert!"
Shen Chi nodded lightly, his long lashes trembling with tiny droplets, his dark eyes misty yet clear and beautiful—utterly pitiful.
At that moment, Xia Miao shamelessly thought: If he looked like this in bed, I’d be done for!
On their way to the dessert shop, a man hurried toward them, nearly colliding before Shen Chi pulled Xia Miao aside to avoid him.
The middle-aged man raised his head and apologized politely, "Sorry, my bad."
But as he spoke, his eyes lingered on Xia Miao.
After a brief glance at Shen Chi, he quickly walked away.
Xia Miao looked up, noticing Shen Chi’s darkened expression. "What’s wrong?"
Shen Chi shook his head. "Nothing. Miao Miao, we’re here."
His eyes were still red, and he felt too embarrassed to face the familiar shop owner. So he handed Xia Miao his phone, letting her pick what she wanted and pay with it.
Xia Miao had always known Shen Chi’s phone passcode—he’d even registered her fingerprint for payments. In that regard, he was truly a lovesick fool, unafraid she might spend all his hard-earned money.
"So you really did land a rich girl," the middle-aged man—Shen Jing—muttered, staring greedily at Xia Miao as she bent over the display case inside. "Never judge a book by its cover. Who’d have thought a quiet loner like you would get so lucky?"
After a pause, he turned to the young man beside him. "Your mother’s health isn’t good, work’s been rough, and your brother’s private school tuition is steep. Shen Chi, you’re the eldest son, and your girlfriend’s family is loaded. You won’t just stand by and do nothing, right?"
Shen Chi’s face remained blank. "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything from you. You came to our family when you were so young, ate our food, used our things. If we hadn’t taken you in from the orphanage, you wouldn’t have gotten into a prestigious university or found such a beautiful girlfriend, would you?" Shen Jing laughed. "I’ve looked into it—that girl, Xia Miao, comes from a wealthy family. I heard you two are living together?"
Shen Jing continued, "A rich young miss like her, willing to just move in with you so casually—it’s clear she really likes you. All you have to do is ask—"
Suddenly, a hand clamped around his throat, slamming him violently against the lamppost behind him. The impact was so brutal that Shen Jing felt as if his bones had shattered. A metallic taste of blood rose in his throat, but with his windpipe crushed, he couldn’t even cough it up.
Shen Chi seemed like a completely different person—lifeless, his eyes swallowed by darkness, swirling with faint black mist. His pallid face was corpse-like, rigid and icy to the touch.
"Stay away from us."
The lights in the dessert shop flickered inexplicably. Behind the counter, the owner’s smile froze, his lips locked in a stiff, unnatural curve.
In the shifting light, the interior of the shop grew hazy, as though reality itself was wavering.
Xia Miao turned to look outside. Night had fallen beyond the display window, yet the streetlights remained stubbornly dark, as if conspiring to stay unlit.
No stars, no moon. Standing in the erratic glow, she felt as though she were witnessing a world swallowed by shadows—one destined to be forgotten.
