“Auntie, I already have a girlfriend.”

Xu Ye pointed toward Qingqing standing off to the side. For some reason, being pointed at like that sent her heart racing all over again.

The small crowd of aunties and uncles, hearing he was already taken, offered a few words of approval and quickly dispersed.

Just as Xu Ye was about to head off—

“Hold on a second, kid!”

The truck driver called him back, hurried around to the rear of the truck, and pulled out a box of peaches and a box of cherries from the cargo bed, pressing both into Xu Ye’s arms.

That’s when Xu Ye realized the man delivered fruit for a living.

Wait.

Fruit?

There was only one fruit shop anywhere near campus, as far as he knew.

“Sir, this is…”

“Take it home, eat it. Thank you for today — if it weren’t for you, I might’ve worked a whole year for nothing.”

“Sir, this is way too generous.”

The driver laughed. “Not really. Everything on my truck’s wholesale price, way cheaper than what you’d pay at a fruit shop. This isn’t worth much. Take it home, share it with your girlfriend.”

“By the way… sir, where do you get all this fruit from?”

“Baoshan District. [TL: a district in northern Shanghai] There’s a big wholesale fruit market out there.”

Xu Ye’s mind was already working. “Sir, mind adding me on WeChat? Could you send me the market’s address?”

Not entirely sure why he wanted it, the driver pulled out his phone and added him anyway.

Seeing the driver’s WeChat name was just his real name, Xu Ye introduced himself in turn. “I’m Xu Ye, by the way.”

“Good to know. I’ve got more deliveries to make — I’ll send you the address later.”

“Sounds great, thank you.”

“Ha, I should be thanking you.”

Xu Ye watched the truck pull away, then turned back, two boxes of fruit in his arms.

The two of them kept walking toward the Conservatory, Xu Ye’s mind already running through the feasibility of a fruit shop.

First off, a fruit shop didn’t need much square footage — that would save on rent.

Second, fruit was about as close to a daily essential as you could get, and the Finance School’s campus alone had twenty thousand students. If he could actually get a shop open, foot traffic wouldn’t be a problem.

Then there was cost — he’d need to check prices at the wholesale market, then compare those against retail prices around campus.

Tonight, he’d need to sit down and put together a real feasibility report.

By the time they reached the school, it was right around dinner hour, with plenty of students moving in and out. Xu Ye and Qingqing walking side by side drew more than a few glances along the way.

Ever since military training, Qingqing had already given a fair number of classmates and alumni a complex about their own looks. If her three roommates hadn’t already spread word early on that she had a boyfriend, she’d probably have a swarm of guys hovering around her by now.

“Can you actually carry both of these boxes?”

“That fruit’s for you, not me.”

“What’s mine is yours, isn’t it? We’re basically family, no need to split hairs…”

Qingqing stopped walking, pointed a finger at him, and warned, fierce as anything, “Xu Ye, I’m telling you, keep talking like that and I really will stop speaking to you.”

He backpedaled fast. “Mainly because I’ve got two transfers to make getting home, it’ll be a pain to carry. Take it up and split it with your roommates.”

She’d just opened her mouth to respond when—

“Chen Qingqing!”

A bright voice called out from nearby. Both of them turned to look.

A girl with curly hair walked over, greeting Qingqing warmly. “Just getting back from off campus?”

Qingqing nodded.

Xu Ye, puzzled, asked, “She is…?”

The curly-haired girl answered cheerfully. “Same class as Qingqing. I’m Qin Wenwen. You’re her boyfriend, right?”

Xu Ye accepted the role without missing a beat. “That’s right.”

Qingqing shoved him aside, still clearly annoyed. “He’s not!”

Qin Wenwen, taking in the scene, thought to herself: ah, a couple’s spat. She shot Xu Ye a knowing look that seemed to say, “Better go smooth things over, fast.” He shot one right back, his expression somewhere between “she’s impossible to please” and “help me out here.”

Qin Wenwen laughed. “If he’s not your boyfriend, then what is he…?”

“He’s my—” Even friend felt like too much to grant him right now. So Qingqing went with something simpler. “He’s my slave!”

Qin Wenwen, hearing that, shot Xu Ye a look that said I can’t help you with this one, found some excuse to slip away, muttering as she went, “A slave, huh? Is this what dating looks like these days?”

“All right, all right, no need to stay mad. It’s almost dark, I should head back.”

That’s when it really hit Qingqing how long his trip home would be — nearly an hour and a half on the bus. “Go on, then.”

“What about these two boxes?”

“Give them here.”

“They’re pretty heavy. I’ll just walk you to your building first.”

Qingqing rolled her eyes at him but kept walking toward the dorm anyway.

At the entrance, Xu Ye finally handed over the two boxes, not forgetting to add, “Eat on time, sleep on time. If anything comes up you can’t sort out, just message me.”

“You’re so naggy~”

“All right, I’ll head back now. I’ll check next weekend if I’m free — if I am, I’ll come back out.”

He turned to leave.

“Wait!”

He turned back, confused.

“Stay right there, don’t move!” Qingqing carried both boxes of fruit all the way up to her room, set them on her desk, pulled open a drawer, grabbed a few packs of sheet masks, and hurried right back downstairs.

Up in the dorm, Zhang Ruowei got up to check out the fruit on the desk, then immediately drifted over to the balcony. Jiang Yu and Shen Xinyi noticed and followed right after.

Three heads, all lined up, peering down at the entrance below.

Qingqing reached the door and held out the masks to Xu Ye.

He took one look and laughed. “I don’t need those!”

She asked, stubborn as anything, “Do you want them or not?”

Watching her dig in like that, he suddenly found it kind of adorable. He took the masks, smiling. “Honestly, the darker I get, the lighter you look by comparison, right?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Half an hour every night before bed. If you’re still this dark next time you visit, I’m going to—”

“Yes, ma’am!” He snapped to attention and gave her a sharp salute. “I guarantee I’ll be pale by then.”

“I’m really leaving now.”

“Okay.”

“Ugh, why do I feel a little sad about it. Should I… give you a hug?”

“Get lost.”

He laughed, waved, turned, and walked off.

“Such a dumb pig~”

…

Second-floor balcony.

Shen Xinyi: “The whole mood was right there, why didn’t they kiss?”

Jiang Yu: “Probably already have, just too embarrassed with this many people around.”

Zhang Ruowei: “Doubt it. I don’t think they’re at that stage yet.”

Shen Xinyi: “Then what stage are they at?”

Zhang Ruowei: “The ambiguous phase.”

Shen Xinyi: “The ambiguous phase?”

Zhang Ruowei nodded, with the confidence of long experience. “Has to be.”

Click.

The dorm door swung open, and Qingqing stepped in to find all three roommates leaning over the balcony railing, deep in commentary. She froze for a second, then realized exactly what view that balcony had of the entrance below, and panic set in.

Had they seen everything?

No, wait.

I didn’t even do anything just now.

“So… anyone want some fruit?”

“Yes! Yes! Absolutely!”

“Fruit from a guy that handsome has got to be extra sweet.”

“I’m just hoping some of this luck rubs off on me. I need a boyfriend, stat.”

(End of Chapter)