The longer Xia Zichen spent with Canmo Wuhen, the more he understood him. As his understanding deepened, Xia Zichen also gained more confidence in this relationship. At the very least, he no longer constantly assumed the worst like before.
An Jing was a little surprised that Xia Zichen and Canmo Wuhen had reached an agreement so quickly. Judging by Xia Zichen’s earlier state, he had seemed fully prepared to give up the game. Unexpectedly, in just one day, everything had completely turned around. An Jing had to admire Canmo Wuhen—he had actually managed to persuade Xia Zichen that easily.
He had also tried to coax some information out of Xia Zichen, but in the end it was still useless. However, he did notice that Xia Zichen and Canmo Wuhen were texting each other, which made An Jing vaguely feel that this might actually be serious. Since Xia Zichen had forbidden him from telling others that he had phone contact with Canmo Wuhen, An Jing could only keep quiet, though it nearly drove him crazy. He had no intention of telling anyone else—he just wanted to talk to Tang Hui about it.
Still, one night Xia Zichen was sitting on his bed, reading while texting, and Tang Hui glanced at him and smiled. That made An Jing suspect Tang Hui had probably known all along and simply never said anything.
As for Shen Yicheng, nothing seemed especially different. He still frequently went out on dates. Since he had already talked about Lian Fei’er during the New Year, he no longer acted secretive about going out. Everyone knew what was going on, but nobody asked.
After finishing today’s dungeon run, the guild members disbanded and went off to do their own things. Xia Zichen logged off the game but left QQ open. While watching the group chat and reading the books Gu Xu had lent him, whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand, he sent it to Canmo Wuhen to translate. He had nearly finished both books now, and thought that next time he ran into Gu Xu, he should ask which dorm he lived in so he could return them.
The guild was lively, discussing local food from different places. Only after joining Tianfeng Yage did Xia Zichen realize that everyone’s common trait wasn’t sharp gaming skills—it was being food lovers. They talked about food far more than they talked about games.
“I suddenly really want hotpot. I went to C City once before, and the hotpot there was amazing. I’ve been craving it ever since. But I still haven’t found an authentic one here,” Sunflower said.
“Talking about hotpot this late at night—I’m hungry now.” Yiji Zhanluo sent a drooling emoji.
“I’m hungry too… qaq,” Proud Healer chimed in.
“Speaking of hotpot, a few days ago I ate at a place here. Very authentic C City hotpot. Took me forever to find it,” Baicao Zhe said.
“Vice Guild Leader, stop tormenting people!” Sunflower sent a crying emoji.
“Hehe, Vice Guild Leader, you went with Guild Leader, didn’t you?” Proud Healer never missed a chance to gossip.
“Heh, I’m just stating a fact.” Baicao Zhe didn’t explain further.
At the mention of hotpot, Xia Zichen found himself craving it too. Not long after exchanging phone numbers with Canmo Wuhen, he had learned that Canmo Wuhen was also from N City. Baicao Zhe and Jian Lang knew him in real life and often hung out together, so they must be from N City too. That meant the hotpot restaurant Baicao Zhe mentioned should also be in N City.
He wondered if he should ask Baicao Zhe for the address and try it on the weekend. Eating cafeteria food every day made him want a change.
“Do you like hotpot?” a message from Canmo Wuhen popped up.
Xia Zichen’s lips curved slightly. “Yeah. I was just thinking of asking Baicao Zhe where he ate.”
“The place is pretty remote, not easy to find. I’ll take you there sometime.” Canmo Wuhen said, “If you’re in a hurry, I can draw you a map.”
Xia Zichen fell silent for a moment, then said, “Then this weekend. Are you free?” Without giving himself a chance to back out, he quickly sent the message.
Maybe at first he had his reservations, but after spending so much time together, those concerns had gradually faded. For him, this seemed like a good opportunity to meet.
“Are you serious?” Canmo Wuhen sounded surprised and asked for confirmation.
“If you’re not free, then just draw me a map.” Xia Zichen smiled. He didn’t know whether Canmo Wuhen had time, but instinctively felt he wouldn’t refuse.
“I just wanted to confirm with you. In case you regretted it.” Canmo Wuhen’s concern wasn’t unreasonable.
“Since I said it, there’s nothing to regret.”
“Alright.” Canmo Wuhen didn’t give him another chance to back out. “Saturday then. Meet at noon?”
“Okay.” Losing two hours of sleep wasn’t a big deal.
“Then let’s meet at eleven at the main gate of A University’s dorm area. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Alright. See you then.”
After confirming the meeting time, Xia Zichen suddenly felt that their relationship had moved another step forward. Along with anticipation, there was also some worry. He didn’t know what Canmo Wuhen looked like, nor whether he would meet the other man’s standards. If something went wrong at this stage, their relationship might end here. After all, to some extent, men were visual creatures. Xia Zichen himself admitted he was more drawn to attractive appearances.
But no matter what, meeting was bound to happen sooner or later. If they couldn’t get past this hurdle, continuing as friends wouldn’t necessarily be awkward. In any case, he couldn’t predict the outcome. Everything would depend on what happened after they met.
Saturday morning, Xia Zichen got up early. After eating a simple breakfast, he sat in his chair and waited. He wasn’t exactly nervous, but since this was their first meeting, there was naturally some unease before seeing the person. That unease held anticipation, curiosity, and the worry that things might not go as hoped. In this tangled state of mind, time seemed to pass especially slowly.
An Jing, who had gotten up to use the bathroom, saw Xia Zichen already dressed and sitting there. In a sleepy voice, he asked, “Going out?”
“Mm.” Xia Zichen turned a page without looking up.
“A date?” In An Jing’s impression, whenever Xia Zichen went out, he usually woke up right on time and left immediately. He never sat in the dorm waiting like this.
“Meeting a friend.” Xia Zichen didn’t know whether this counted as a date, so he treated it as simply meeting someone.
After coming out of the bathroom, An Jing crawled back into bed and asked, “Guy or girl?”
“Go to sleep.” Considering his orientation, whether it was a guy or a girl, both seemed equally gossip-worthy.
“Mmm. Come back early.” With that, An Jing pulled the blanket over his head and went back to dreaming.
Finally, at 10:45, Xia Zichen got up, put on his coat, and headed out. While changing shoes, he accidentally met Shen Yicheng’s already-open eyes. He had no idea when Shen Yicheng had woken up.
Xia Zichen smiled slightly but said nothing, then turned and left.
The sunlight today was bright. Though it wasn’t warm, standing under the sun still felt comfortable. Xia Zichen slipped his hands into his coat pockets and walked unhurriedly toward the dorm gate. When he reached the entrance, there were still five minutes before eleven.
He wasn’t in a hurry. Arriving early was better than being late. Plenty of students were passing through the dorm entrance, but Xia Zichen was the only one waiting for someone. Without looking around, he simply stood there, waiting for a stranger to walk up and tell him he was Canmo Wuhen.
A black car slowly approached and finally stopped in front of him.
Xia Zichen instinctively looked up. The passenger-side window rolled down, revealing Gu Xu in the driver’s seat.
“Get in,” Gu Xu said with a slight smile.
“Senior, I’m waiting for someone,” Xia Zichen said. He assumed Gu Xu had happened to pass by and saw him unable to get a ride.
Gu Xu unfastened his seatbelt and got out, walked around the front of the car to the passenger side, opened the door, and chuckled softly.
“Chenxi, get in.”
Xia Zichen froze on the spot.
Shock instantly drowned all his earlier anxiety, leaving him unable to say a word.
Gu Xu reached out and lightly tugged his arm. “Get in first. Aren’t you cold?”
Pulled slightly forward, Xia Zichen finally snapped back to reality. Still uncertain, he asked, “Canmo?”
The smile on Gu Xu’s lips deepened. “Mm. It’s me.”
At that moment, only four words flashed through Xia Zichen’s mind—
You’ve got to be kidding…
He got into the passenger seat almost mechanically. Gu Xu closed the door, returned to the driver’s seat, and got in. Once the door shut, warm air from the heater rushed over him. The dry warmth brought Xia Zichen fully back to his senses.
“How did you know I’m Chenxi?” he asked.
“You were the only one waiting at the gate. Who else could it be?” Gu Xu leaned slightly toward him.
Xia Zichen instinctively leaned back and stared at him wide-eyed. Gu Xu pulled over the seatbelt from Xia Zichen’s side and fastened it for him before putting on his own, then started the car.
On the surface, Gu Xu’s words sounded normal. But thinking carefully, something felt off. Even if he had been the only one waiting there, how did Gu Xu know Chenxi wouldn’t be late? And when he saw him, Gu Xu hadn’t shown the slightest surprise—as if he had known all along.
“Why aren’t you talking?” Gu Xu asked.
“I don’t know what to say.” Xia Zichen’s voice was slightly muffled. He really didn’t know what to say.
“Not happy to see me?”
“No…” Xia Zichen turned to look out the window.
If Gu Xu had known all along that he was Chenxi, then the fact that he had never said anything left Xia Zichen feeling uneasy—especially after that breakfast.
“Don’t be mad. I’ll explain everything slowly later.” Gu Xu drove steadily. “Did you eat breakfast?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing Gu Xu actually made Xia Zichen quite happy. But Gu Xu and Canmo Wuhen overlapping into the same person made Xia Zichen feel as if he had been deceived. Still, that was only his one-sided feeling for now. He needed to hear Gu Xu’s explanation before knowing what had really happened.
The car drove off the main road and wound through smaller streets before finally stopping outside a narrow alley. Since it wasn’t an official parking lot, cars were parked chaotically everywhere. Gu Xu simply found an empty spot and parked.
“Come on.” Gu Xu unfastened his seatbelt and got out first.
Xia Zichen followed and got out. Looking around, he caught the rich aroma of chili oil drifting through the air, instantly stirring his appetite.
Gu Xu locked the car, reached out, and took Xia Zichen’s hand as they walked into the alley.
Gu Xu’s hand was warm, heating Xia Zichen’s slightly cold fingertips. His heartbeat seemed to skip for a second.
He didn’t dislike it.
If anything, it gave him a grounded sense of reassurance…