60
Jinghua University.
Late 2018.
The dual campuses of Jinghua University covered a vast area. To the north of the South Campus was a residential area for faculty and staff. The old-fashioned slab buildings featured square layouts and walk-up stairs, making the buildings older than the students themselves.
Therefore, the aloof figure standing in front of the old building at this moment seemed somewhat out of place in the aging surroundings.
Bian Xun's mentor was a leading authority in the industry. The old professor lived here with his family in an old three-bedroom apartment. It wasn't that they couldn't afford better housing; it was mainly for convenience. The location of Jinghua University bordered a host of cutting-edge tech industries, making it ideal for industry-university-research cooperation and resource integration.
As a result, Bian Xun often needed to walk down the long main road of the campus to reach the residential area.
And whenever he came here, he would always run into many children.
Today, there were several elementary school students playing dodgeball in the open space between the buildings.
The children of the faculty and staff were all enrolled in nearby primary and middle schools. After school, they would run around, play, shout, and laugh in this area, lively and innocent.
A small sandbag was thrown from a distance and landed right at Bian Xun's feet.
The children's eyes followed its trajectory.
The young man was wearing a simple white shirt with crisp tailoring and exquisite stitching. He looked like a university student, but he exuded an aristocratic air uncommon for boys his age. His facial features were sharp and cold, his expression indifferent. His expensive, logo-less shoes stepped on the grass-filled cracks of the old residential area's bricks, his nobility standing out abruptly.
"Big brother, can you throw it back to us?" The childish voices merged together, sounding like a chirping choir.
Bian Xun raised his eyes, expressionlessly meeting the expectant gazes of the group of children, and stayed silent for a moment.
The tip of his shoe moved an inch, touching the sandbag.
Then, with a completely unruffled expression, he kicked the sandbag aside.
"No."
The young man cleared the path for himself and coldly lowered his head as he entered the dark stairwell.
Children—the creatures he hated the most.
In this life, he found kids the most annoying.
The children had grown up in the family quarters and had never seen such a cold and heartless adult. One child boldly stepped forward a few paces. "Why are you like this! An adult like you won't have any kids who like you—"
But before he could get many words out, his courage dissipated in front of that person. For some reason, even though these children's parents were probably the elders of this student, they felt an aura from him that was even more terrifying than their teachers!
The one who had bumped into him was the grandson of Bian Xun's mentor. So he didn't say anything, just swept his cold eyes over the boy for two seconds, and then drifted away indifferently like a thin, cold dark cloud.
Upstairs.
"You're here? Your grandfather just called me."
"Speaking of which, my family's elders and yours have had dealings in the past," Professor Lin held his teacup and smiled. "You didn't even mention this relationship beforehand. You're already a senior, and I'm only finding out now..."
The handsome, cold young man's brow furrowed noticeably.
Of course, Professor Lin wasn't necessarily unaware of the Bian family's situation. After all, Bian Xun's existence was very special. He hadn't brought it up mostly because he could see the extreme indifference ingrained in this student's character.
He was very indifferent to family ties, and it seemed no one had heard of him having a girlfriend. His emotions were flat, and he was too cold in his personal interactions, but when it came to doing things, he had a rare personality that was both composed and ruthless.
It was just that now that Old Master Bian had called, Professor Lin had to mention it.
"Your grandfather said your plans for the next ten years are already set, and you want to go to the US to do AI after graduation? I've already written the recommendation letter for you..."
Bian Xun's brows remained furrowed.
He did have plans for further studies before, but a habit formed over years in the feudal inner household of the Bian family was that being arranged by others would trigger his rebelliousness.
What's more, he now had a few... other thoughts.
Professor Lin, however, looked at the young man with great admiration. That year, Bian Xun's thesis was on blockchain data structure storage, and shifting all his energy into the emerging application field of software science at that time was a very forward-looking move. As far as Professor Lin knew, the Bian family's own conglomerate didn't value this field. This young man had no intention of inheriting the achievements his ancestors had already established; instead, he wanted to forge his own path.
From Old Master Bian's uncontrollably proud tone, it wasn't hard to see that this young man was the future of their entire family.
He might even be the future of a certain industry.
After handing over the paper he intended to submit for publication to the professor, Bian Xun didn't stay long.
Just as he was about to leave, the kid who had been playing dodgeball downstairs ran in with heavy steps. Seeing Bian Xun, he felt intimidated. But remembering this was his grandfather's house, he grabbed onto the highly respected professor, stepped onto a stool, and tried to look at Bian Xun at eye level—of course, he still fell quite short.
Professor Lin was a highly sought-after expert outside, but in front of the child, he had a look of indulgence, letting the boy pull his sparse hair while just shaking his head and smiling helplessly.
In fact, this was just the normal appearance of a child growing up in a warm and loving family.
But Bian Xun wasn't normal; he just found it annoying.
How could there be such troublesome, fragile, lower-level creatures like children that required a massive amount of time and energy to care for?
In the eyes of the early-twenties Bian Xun, the order he adhered to would not be changed by any external force.
Professor Lin shook his head and smiled. He could certainly understand the perplexity in his student's eyes. When he had mentioned Bian Xun's family earlier, the young man had also been impatient.
It was just that his good upbringing suppressed his words and actions, though the coldness in his eyes and brows couldn't be hidden.
Ah, youth.
A person's growth, family ties, and home—these were themes one had to comprehend on their own as they grew older.
He could understand Old Master Bian's meddling behavior, and he could also understand why Bian Xun currently hated children.
Ultimately—
Professor Lin chuckled, "Once you have a child of your own, you'll understand."
...
Bian Xun walked back from the family quarters to the campus with an indifferent expression.
At his age, he couldn't understand.
Moreover, the hypothetical scenario Professor Lin mentioned was not in his life plans.
As a senior, he actually didn't have many classes left. The reason Bian Xun still came to the university was that he possessed a strict sense of order, and the school system helped his personal system function.
Furthermore, he didn't want to go home.
Unknowingly, he walked to the library.
He stayed silent for a moment, then walked up the stairs to the third floor. Sure enough—the two-seater by the window, in the corner of the bookshelves, directly facing the square in front of the library and the distant bell tower, forming a perfectly angled timeline.
This was Bian Xun's favorite seat.
And right now, that girl was still sitting in the seat.
They had been openly and secretly fighting over this seat for three months.
Today was Saturday; he wouldn't fight her for the seat.
Bian Xun stood by a distant bookshelf. This row happened to contain books on humanities and social sciences. The university broadly collected various books to expand its capacity, and right at Bian Xun's fingertips were titles like College Student Mental Health, College Student Dating Guide, Interpreting Intimate Relationships... and the like.
Bian Xun's dark eyes swept over those cheap book spines one by one, finally landing on her again.
As long as she sat in the chair and buried her head in an open book, she had an air about her as if she were going to read the book to shreds.
Her brown hair was simply tied back, the low ponytail resting against her slender shoulder. Her profile revealed a full forehead, and the curve from her nose bridge to her lip peak was just right. Her porcelain-white face carried a scholarly air, as if she had just broken free from countless scrolls. Her slender fingers held a pen, and even without looking at the words, one could tell her handwriting was elegant and refined.
She was deeply immersed, completely focused.
Just looking at her made one feel a sense of calm.
Bian Xun had first seen her during the freshman orientation.
Boys could truly be an insufferable bunch. He had been sitting in this exact seat, watching the welcome booths of various colleges in the plaza below, listening to the rising and falling cheers and jeers. The noise annoyed him.
Bian Xun had almost no friends in college. He didn't live in the dorms, nor did he belong to the same social class as the people around him. Every step of his future was already mapped out in a way ordinary male college students could not even fathom. But since he was spending his student days among them, he couldn't completely escape their noise.
He glanced down out the window.
Look at that girl!
Damn, she is gorgeous...
Which college? Which college is she from?!
Every year during freshman orientation, these vulgar college boys would make a scene whenever they saw a pretty girl.
But the figure seemed oblivious. Wearing simple canvas shoes, she walked through the dense shade of midsummer. Bian Xun saw her face.
While others lugged around bags of all sizes, Ning Ye brought very little.
Her clean and refreshing presence made several senior students, who had intended to offer help with her luggage, hesitate to even approach her.
She only paid attention to the uneasy woman behind her, generously introducing a campus she herself was not yet familiar with.
That must be her mother.
When other parents accompanied their children to school, especially to a top-tier institution like Jinghua University, they would dress up to some extent. Though the execution varied depending on their financial background, some glamorous, others simply neat and new, they all looked relaxed and proud.
After all, getting into a university like this meant the child's future was as bright as a spotlight.
But the mother of that girl was different. Her worn-out clothes were a secondary issue; her complexion was sallow, and she exuded a tense, restless energy, as if she wanted to flee at any moment. It was a stark contrast to the jubilant atmosphere around them.
The woman seemed to constantly try to distance herself from her daughter, to stay away from her bright youth. But the girl always held onto her confidently, ignoring the gazes of others and unbothered by whether people could guess her family's financial situation from her mother's appearance.
In comparison, the girl acted more like the parent.
She was relaxed, peaceful, and full of vitality.
Meanwhile, Bian Xun leaned lazily against the third-floor window, watching with mild interest.
Somehow, that casual glance lingered.
Getting into Jinghua University already meant she was among the best. Bian Xun's gaze followed her figure and noted the college sign she stopped at, it was an excellent science major at Jinghua.
She collected a bunch of things at the college reception desk, then reached back to pull her mother into the shade beneath the canopy. After carefully asking the seniors about the details, she excitedly held up one of the brochures and walked back to her mother.
He had excellent eyesight. From the color and layout of the cover, he could tell she was holding a student loan brochure.
The girl enthusiastically explained it to her mother, and the tension in the older woman instantly settled.
The girl looked very happy.
Bian Xun, however, raised an eyebrow.
Her mother's reaction could be interpreted as relief, but there seemed to be an unnatural resoluteness in the woman's expression.
She looked at her outstanding daughter, slowly nodded, and followed her toward the dormitories.
Bian Xun did not know what happened after that.
But after that day, he and she unexpectedly started running into each other quite often.
Ning Ye was like a resilient blade of grass taking root in the campus soil, desperately absorbing all the resources and nutrients here. She quickly figured out the layout of the library, the archives, the school computer labs, and all the public resources. A week into the semester, she found the perfect spot in the library, one with the most convenient access to power outlets and water downstairs. As long as she didn't have an early morning class, she would show up bright and early, a steamed bun in her mouth, to claim the seat for a full day of studying.
Unfortunately, that was also Bian Xun's favorite spot.
Even more unfortunately, he was an obsessive-compulsive who hated changing his routine.
For the first week or two, she didn't realize she was competing against a specific person; she just quietly started arriving at the library earlier.
It wasn't until she belatedly realized that the same guy was always sitting in that seat that Ning Ye truly started paying attention to him.
On the student ID card resting at the top right corner of the desk, she saw his name.
Bian Xun.
Ning Ye had no idea how popular the initials of this name were on the school forums and confession walls, where they were cited as frequently as a foundational SCI paper.
And she hadn't come to college to look at handsome guys. For a long time, Ning Ye didn't even pay attention to his face.
Which, of course, preserved the stunning impact of the first time she truly saw him.
In short, Ning Ye, who was stubborn to the bone, started a silent rivalry with him. It was a competition to see who could work harder. Ning Ye still retained that cutthroat spirit from the college entrance exams, one point meant a whole stadium of people, one seat meant a whole world.
College is a microcosm of society, and teachers always said that social resources had to be fought for.
So she fought!
Ultimately, on an early November morning at five o'clock, the two stood silently facing each other in the freezing wind.
The white steam rising from the bun in her hand draped over her slender, fair fingers like a thin veil.
Bian Xun often saw the way she held her pen. With this glance in the dark, for some reason, he was dazzled by the porcelain-glaze hue of the back of her hand.
At five in the morning, Ning Ye also got her first real look at the senior who worked just as hard as she did.
She had seen the books on his desk; they were already beyond the undergraduate level. Being here at this hour meant he must have already finished dealing with job hunting, grad school applications, or a thesis, allowing him to be so at ease, right? It was truly remarkable for a kid from an ordinary family to achieve that.
After all, how could he be a guy with a wealthy background or special privileges?
Someone like that wouldn't be meeting her at the library at five in the morning.
Thinking this, Ning Ye watched as the young man slowly raised his head.
Beneath his prominent brow bone, he gently lifted his eyelids, and Ning Ye suddenly paused. It was like crashing into a galaxy. The sharp, smooth lines of his dark eyes gathered in deep sockets, and the perfectly proportioned bridge of his nose and the curve of his lips looked as though they had been meticulously carved into his cold, pale skin.
Ning Ye was dazed for a second.
For an ordinary male college student, he looked so aristocratic, with such a unique aura.
Suddenly, she felt a bit shy, not for any other reason, but because she realized someone so handsome was working so hard.
Ning Ye actually felt a twinge of inferiority.
The two of them stood at the library entrance at five in the morning, braving the biting wind. There was still some time before the doors opened, and by the time Ning Ye finished her steamed bun, the wind had chilled her fingers to the bone.
It was a drafty corner. Just as she was wondering how to line up and whether she should politely offer her spot, she noticed the guy standing behind her.
He was in line—right behind her.
Only then did Ning Ye realize how tall he was.
The young man's figure could almost completely envelop her. The moonlight hit the ground, merging their silhouettes into a single shadow.
And precisely because he was tall enough, standing behind Ning Ye blocked the howling cold wind.
She had found a shelter from the wind.
Ning Ye's cold, heavy eyelashes fluttered, a warm sense of being touched rising in her heart.
She thought, this person looks cold and aloof, but he must be very caring.
They waited like this until the library teacher opened the doors. Ning Ye finally entered the warm interior, shrank her freezing neck, and turned to say to him, Senior, you go first—
Before she could finish her sentence, the guy had already taken a stride with his long legs, leisurely heading up to the third floor.
A question mark popped up over Ning Ye's head before she realized what was happening.
The line outside was just for entering the building, but once inside, it was fair game.
He was so tall that he could block the wind for someone, but he could also rely on his long legs to get a head start.
The guy just sat down at his usual spot. By the time Ning Ye got upstairs, he was resting his head on one hand, his side profile as cold and clear as jade, looking utterly unfathomable.
At that time, Ning Ye still didn't know how much of a weirdo this person actually was.
She just stood there, slowly thawing out in the heating, a faint pink returning to her pale cheeks. After a moment, carrying her backpack, she couldn't help but shake her head and laugh.
What a strange, yet interesting guy.
...
So, they would bump into each other getting food at the cafeteria.
They would bump into each other while she was tutoring outside.
Later, one day, after discovering her mother had disappeared with the few things they owned, Ning Ye sat on the first floor of the library, spacing out for a long time.
That day she didn't have the energy to fight for a seat; she just sat in silence, lost in thought.
When she finally snapped out of it, there was a cup of hot milk tea next to her chair.
Ning Ye lowered her eyes and blinked, remembering that this was the drink she had ordered when she ran into Bian Xun at the campus milk tea shop once.
They had walked into the shop together. Ning Ye looked up at the menu, and Bian Xun stood beside her, frowning at the colorful, fancy names.
He didn't take out his phone or say whether he wanted anything. Ning Ye felt bad only ordering for herself, so she ended up buying two cups.
She originally wanted to ask him to split the cost, but later felt too embarrassed to bring it up.
Today, she looked at this cup of milk tea, blinked, and then carried it up to the third floor.
Sure enough, he was sitting in his usual seat, and on his desk was only a glass of plain water.
He only bought a cup for her.
He didn't even buy one for himself.
Ning Ye had always known that his family background probably wasn't very good either, otherwise why would he be so obsessed with the library? He was definitely waiting for that final scholarship of their senior year.
She suddenly felt so glad she hadn't asked him to pay back those 13 yuan.
Thinking this, she looked at his silhouette and took a sip.
She bit into a grape-flavored popping boba.
Ning Ye felt a pang of sympathy, yet her heart grew warm and sweet.
Oh my.
...
Later, on the last day of that year, New Year's Eve, Ning Ye had her final tutoring job of the year.
By then, she and Bian Xun had exchanged contact info, and Bian Xun had asked her what she was doing that night.
Ning Ye had to tutor a student and then catch the last subway back to school.
As she walked out of the girls' dormitory, she saw Bian Xun under the tree in front of the building.
There were many students heading out to celebrate the New Year. Ning Ye just thought everyone was in high spirits, so she didn't notice the countless stares directed at him.
Holy crap, isn't that you-know-who?
Ahhh, is that him?!
Omg omg why is he at the girls' dorm—
The black-haired young man wore a white windbreaker, his features handsome and aloof, his posture tall and sharp. He was waiting for someone.
Seeing Bian Xun, the corners of Ning Ye's lips unconsciously curled up.
Only when he saw her did Bian Xun's pine-straight figure finally move.
They didn't say much. Under a crowd of jaw-dropping stares, they walked toward the campus gates together.
Ning Ye was also wearing white—a light white puffer jacket with a fur collar, bundled up tightly. She wore a large hood, occasionally stealing a glance at him through the fluff.
The young man just strolled leisurely beside her.
An unspoken understanding scattered along their path like melting powdered sugar.
Ning Ye sniffled her nose in the cold New Year's Eve air.
She was under a lot of pressure in life.
But, between the suffocating burdens of her studies and part-time jobs, surely she could have a little bit of breathing room?
If it was the person beside her, he would be a good choice, right?
Before college, Ning Ye had never dated, nor did she have any male friends. Her understanding of this guy all came from her own observation of details—
He loved fighting for seats, so he must be a hardworking student like her.
He didn't have a single logo on his clothes, so his family background must be very ordinary, perhaps even tight on money.
Going to the library to grab a seat so religiously, even competing with her at five in the morning, meant he was probably also fighting for a scholarship.
He was clean and would even leave disinfectant wipes for her.
He was caring and very kind.
Ning Ye took a breath of cold air. As for her, she really liked guys who were focused on their tasks, steady and not restless, with their own expertise...
Especially.
Ning Ye secretly glanced at him.
He was really good-looking.
At that time, Ning Ye didn't know what sexual tension was. She just felt that Bian Xun had a sense of restraint that boys his age didn't have. He was very aloof, yet flowed with an inexplicable allure.
He didn't have any typical masculine scent either—not the fresh fragrance of laundry detergent from an ordinarily clean guy, but a faint, subtle hint of sandalwood. Layered over his cold white skin and muscle lines, it somehow gave off a subtle sense of a restless heart amidst ascetic cultivation.
Just like Ning Ye's mood right now.
She somewhat admired this boy who loved studying, came from an ordinary family, was clean, self-respecting, and independent.
She was a little... smitten.
Bian Xun stood beside her, just a palm's distance away. Their sleeves would gently brush against each other.
He could feel the girl's bright, lively gaze quickly sizing him up. Her eyes casually swept past his Adam's apple, then darted away like a little bird, full of pure, budding shyness. Her lips were tinted pink, curving in a secret smile.
Her gaze left, but his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
Neither of them spoke, but the journey seemed surprisingly short. Ning Ye looked up and saw her destination.
She made a decision in her heart.
Although her life couldn't afford more trouble, and she could only struggle to take responsibility for her own life, if the other person was a simple, hardworking boy like her—
Maybe they could improve together.
And then, extract a little bit of sweetness from life.
Bian Xun saw the dimples of her smile.
At the start of a new year, his fingertips curled slightly, actually feeling hot.
Bian Xun also couldn't help but curve his lips.
He had been looking at her for a long, long time.
So long that she had already noticed.
Ning Ye's steps inexplicably lightened, her heart beating buoyantly. She bounded up the steps in one stride, and as she turned, the ends of her hair fell like soft hooks against the back of Bian Xun's hand, leaving a patch of numbness.
She raised her hand and waved at him.
Bian Xun simultaneously reached into his pocket.
The girl smiled beautifully, waved, and disappeared into the subway entrance, Then, see you tomorrow.
This handsome guy who looked mentally stable and excellent in every aspect.
Her... highly probable boyfriend.
Ning Ye thought Bian Xun had walked her all the way to the subway station, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart the entire way.
However, just as Ning Ye turned around with a smile, a Ferrari unlocked by the side of the road.
The young car owner stood in place, slightly stunned.
He watched his future girlfriend turn around and briskly slip into the rushing crowd of commuters, quickly disappearing from sight.
He lowered his eyes to look at his car parked by the road.
Bian Xun was still very young this year; the fiery red, streamlined supercar looked incredibly arrogant, and people were even taking pictures of it parked on the street.
...He had wanted to drive her there.
Bian Xun stood dazed for a long time, finally lowering his head helplessly, but the smile at the corners of his lips gradually widened.
He never drank junk beverages or consumed cheap saccharin, and his diet was light, so where exactly did this lingering sweetness come from?
Bian Xun opened the car door with noble elegance, thinking to himself, it does not matter.
He had never hidden it anyway, and people at school had already dug into his family background. Someone as earnest as her surely already had a comprehensive understanding of him.
But she still liked him a little.
He thought they must be very compatible.
His future needed to be replanned.
He had never engaged in an intimate romantic relationship, but he was already starting to learn.
Bian Xun leaned against the car door, laughing huskily, when he suddenly felt a spectator's gaze staring fixedly at him.
Bian Xun restrained his smile and looked around.
He did not see anyone staring at him...?
Bian Xun frowned and withdrew his gaze, but that stare lingered, bright and piercing.
Bian Xun searched again and suddenly saw, across the street, a little girl about three or four years old looking at him with bright eyes.
Click, the red light turned green.
The law-abiding little girl went from squatting to standing. Looking like a chubby little dumpling, she nimbly wove through the crowd, moving freely at her low altitude, and finally darted in front of Bian Xun like a loach.
The little girl hugged his trouser leg, patted her chest, and let out the breath she had been holding.
Phew—
Crossing the street by myself is really scary!
Bian Xun looked down coldly at this little brat who was throwing herself at him.
These pants were ruined.
But he was in a good mood today, so he could let it slide.
You... he parted his thin lips.
Ning Zhitao comforted herself, then tilted her little head up. Her dark, grape-like eyes darted around, and right there on the street, she called out to him loudly:
Daddy!
Bian Xun: ?
Before the first sentence settled, she started the next.
The little girl tugged at his trouser leg, pouting in dissatisfaction. Why did you let Mommy take the subway?
Bian Xun: ...?
Here it comes!!
Let the young CEO accept the baptism of his devoted daughter!!
A few days later, Ningning's Mom:
