By the time he returned to school, it was already 1:30 PM. He quickly ate lunch and rushed to his afternoon class—local anatomy. Throughout the lecture, Xu Ze was distracted, constantly glancing at the exquisite box containing the jade Buddha. The translucent, glowing jade inside the box made his heart swell with joy.
Linyun would definitely love this pendant. Imagining her delighted expression made Xu Ze feel lightheaded.
Sitting next to him, his roommate Luozi noticed Xu Ze’s constant grinning and distracted state. Unable to resist, Luozi snatched the box from Xu Ze’s hands and teased, “Let’s see what you got for Linyun that’s got you so obsessed!”
“Hey! Luozi, give it back!” Xu Ze panicked, reaching for the box. “Don’t drop it!”
Seeing Xu Ze’s nervousness, Luozi carefully opened the box. His eyes widened at the sight of the translucent white jade Buddha. He looked up at Xu Ze and said, “You’re usually so frugal, but you really went all out for Linyun. This must’ve cost you over a thousand yuan, right? I’ve seen similar ones priced at over 1,800!”
Xu Ze quickly took the box back, closed it, and sighed in relief. “It wasn’t that much. As long as Linyun likes it.”
“Wow, I never knew you were such a romantic!” Luozi teased, laughing. “Well, have fun tonight. Maybe you’ll make some progress… haha!”
Ignoring Luozi’s teasing, Xu Ze carefully put the box in his pocket and waited for class to end.
When the bell finally rang, Xu Ze excitedly ran to Linyun’s dormitory building. The surprise he had been keeping all day was finally going to be revealed.
Xu Ze had already found out that Linyun had no classes that afternoon, so she was probably in her dorm getting ready for dinner.
When he reached the dormitory, Xu Ze took out his second-hand Nokia phone and dialed her number. However, instead of her familiar ringtone, he heard the automated voice: “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off…”
Xu Ze froze. “Her phone’s off? What’s going on?”
“She must’ve forgotten to charge it,” Xu Ze thought, trying to reassure himself. He then dialed another number.
The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Just as Xu Ze’s anxiety grew, someone finally picked up.
“Xuanzi, is Linyun there?” Xu Ze asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Xuanzi hesitated before answering, “Uh… Linyun’s not here. I… I haven’t seen her since this afternoon.”
“Linyun’s not there?” Xu Ze’s unease deepened. He paused and asked again, “Do you know where she went? Her phone’s off.”
“I don’t know. Maybe her phone died. Try calling again later?” Xuanzi replied awkwardly.
Xu Ze took a deep breath, trying to suppress his growing anxiety. He said calmly, “Alright, Xuanzi. Thanks. If you see her, tell her to call me, okay?”
“Sure. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll talk to you later…” Xuanzi hung up quickly.
Holding his phone, Xu Ze’s brows furrowed. He was filled with unease and confusion. “What’s going on? It’s her birthday today. Where could she be?”
Thinking back to Xuanzi’s strange tone, Xu Ze’s expression darkened. A terrible thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing it. “No, Linyun wouldn’t…”
“But it’s her birthday. Why would her phone be off? Why did Xuanzi sound so weird?” Xu Ze’s face shifted through a range of emotions. Finally, he sighed, looked up at the sixth-floor window, and turned to leave.
However, after stepping out of the dormitory, Xu Ze hesitated. He found a stone bench under a tree nearby and sat down, waiting silently.
In Room 602 of the dormitory, Xuanzi stood on the balcony, peeking down cautiously. She sighed and turned to a pretty girl inside. “Linyun, Xu Ze’s gone.”
“Gone? Are you sure?” After Xuanzi confirmed, the girl named Linyun relaxed, her furrowed brows smoothing out. She picked up another girl’s phone and dialed a number.
Xuanzi walked back into the room and watched as Linyun spoke softly and intimately on the phone. She shook her head helplessly. After Linyun hung up, Xuanzi said, “Linyun, this doesn’t feel right.”
Linyun’s face darkened for a moment, but she quickly smiled. “Xuanzi, you can’t force feelings. I used to like him, but after spending some time together, I realized he’s not my type. Plus, he’s so stingy.”
“Now I’ve found someone I truly like, someone who treats me well. Tao Zhixiong is not only good at basketball and handsome, but he’s also generous. He’s much better than Xu Ze. You should be happy for me.”
Xuanzi sighed. “Alright, it’s your business. But Xu Ze wasn’t stingy with you. He worked part-time to make ends meet, but he never let you pay for anything. Tao Zhixiong might be generous, always buying you flowers and stuff, but… never mind. It’s your birthday. Let’s not talk about this.”
Just then, the phone rang again. Linyun looked at the number and smiled brightly. “Let’s go downstairs. They’re here.”
Xu Ze watched from a distance as the familiar figure of Linyun walked out of the dormitory with her friends. His heart ached with a pain he had never felt before. Why was Linyun lying to him?
He soon understood why. He saw four boys approach the group. One of them handed Linyun a bouquet of pink roses, and the two stood close together, whispering. The others cheered and laughed.
Xu Ze felt dizzy, his chest tightening as if he couldn’t breathe. His eyes turned red, and he clenched his teeth, pounding his chest a few times to ease the suffocating feeling. “Why? Why is this happening?”
As Xu Ze stood there in pain, the group started walking toward the main road, likely heading out for dinner.
Seeing them approach, Xu Ze took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He stood up from the stone bench.
As the group reached the road and headed toward a silver-gray Toyota parked nearby, someone finally noticed Xu Ze standing under the tree across the street.
“Xu Ze!” Xuanzi exclaimed, stopping in her tracks.
Hearing his name, the other girls also froze, looking guiltily at Xu Ze as he slowly walked over.
Linyun, who was walking arm-in-arm with one of the boys, also froze when she saw Xu Ze approaching.
Xu Ze walked up to them, glanced at Linyun, and then at the boy with the buzz cut and earring who exuded arrogance. Xu Ze forced a faint, cold smile, though his eyes were filled with complex emotions.
“Is this your new boyfriend?” Xu Ze asked calmly, his dark eyes fixed on Linyun.
Linyun looked at Xu Ze’s pale face and the chilling smile. She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak. She had never felt this kind of fear around Xu Ze before. He had always been gentle and easygoing, sometimes even seeming weak. She had always been the one in control.
But now, Xu Ze’s presence made her tremble. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite place—something like… awe. Yes, awe.
The boy next to her recognized Xu Ze as Linyun’s ex-boyfriend. He sneered and barked, “Who I am is none of your business. Get out of the way!”