CFL 25

Wen Ci jumped to his feet at the sight of those two words, his knee knocking into the corner of the desk, causing him to wince in pain. But at this moment, he couldn’t afford to care about that anymore. The desks in the second-floor classroom were arranged in rows of seven seats. Wen Ci was still moving sideways to get out when he was blocked by Lu Xuesong, who had just arrived.

Lu Xuesong: “Class is about to start. Where are you going?”

Wen Ci: “……”

Wen Ci activated his lying skill: “To the restroom.”

Lu Xuesong went back out to make way again. Wen Ci hurried to the main entrance, where there were already many people. But among them, only Jiang Yufeng was holding his phone like Wen Ci.

Wen Ci walked towards Jiang Yufeng, passed by him without even a glance, and when he reached the stairway, he softly asked, “Senior, where are you?”

“……” Jiang Yufeng turned around, just about to reach out and grab Wen Ci’s collar when a vague figure appeared at the stairway corner.

Wen Ci saw the tutor’s expression turn stunned, and the two locked eyes.

Tutor: “What are you standing here for? Get inside quickly, class is about to start.”

For a moment, it felt like being caught red-handed by a teacher. Wen Ci awkwardly held his phone and then meekly lowered his head, following behind the tutor.

The tutor also noticed Jiang Yufeng standing there and waved, “You too, get inside. Don’t just stand there catching a cold. Put your phone away.”

So both of them hung up their phones at the same time. Wen Ci accidentally glanced over with his peripheral vision but saw nothing.

The tutor emphasized the method of the class committee voting this time. The formal vote would take place on Friday evening. There was also the club recruitment activity this weekend, and everyone was encouraged to participate actively.

Wen Ci didn’t look at his phone because the tutor kept staring at him. So when the senior mentioned meeting up earlier, Wen Ci immediately sent a message after class, only to find out that the senior had already left.

[W: Let’s meet tomorrow night then~ Did you come to the classroom to find me? Do you even know who I am?]

[Yf: You should know.]

[Yf: If I were someone you don’t like, what would you do?]

Wen Ci thought the senior was too perceptive. His casual facade was easily stripped away by the senior.

But he still knew nothing about the senior, except that they were in the same major.

[W: I’ve never even seen you. How can you know that I don’t like you?]

Wen Ci’s imaginative mind started to wander. The senior might be a bit insecure, which was why he was saying such things.

With such a great figure, such a pleasant voice, and such a large presence, insecure?!

What did that make him?

During the video call and phone call, Wen Ci hadn’t noticed any signs of insecurity in the senior.

[Yf: You should consider the possibility. I want to know.]

[W: Then we could only be friends.]

Wen Ci silently added in his mind that they might even delete each other if the senior really didn’t like him. It would be hard for Wen Ci to be friends with a stranger he had been pursuing a relationship with. Although they had been chatting online for so long, not having met in person made it quite unfamiliar to Wen Ci.

Wen Ci lay in bed holding his phone, raising it up until his arm ached, but he still didn’t receive a reply from the senior.

Did he say something wrong……

Just before the dormitory lights were about to go out, the phone screen suddenly lit up, particularly glaring in the dark.

[Yf: Got it. Goodnight.]

After replying to the message, Jiang Yufeng put away his phone and looked ahead. Upon approaching, he noticed a figure downstairs, seemingly waiting for someone.

“Yun Anhe,” Jiang Yufeng said indifferently, “What’s up?”

Yun Anhe looked up at him and grinned, “Hey, you didn’t come out even when I called you. What’s the matter?”

Standing under the streetlight, Jiang Yufeng’s broad shoulders and facial contours were outlined in an orange glow.

The class meeting only lasted one and a half periods. Jiang Yufeng had originally planned to reveal something but was called out by Yun Anhe, who said there was an urgent matter.

By the time Jiang Yufeng looked up from his phone, Wen Ci had already run off.

Jiang Yufeng didn’t vent his frustration on anyone. He was always emotionally stable, with only a few instances of losing his temper, all of which could be counted on one hand. And the most memorable ones were all related to Zhao Shuran.

Jiang Yufeng was very family-oriented and protective of Zhao Shuran. Back then, as an orphan and a single mother, they had faced a lot of bullying. Anyone could take a swipe at them. So Jiang Yufeng couldn’t grow up like a normal child, leading to his premature mental maturity. It was like a hidden thunderclap in the rolling clouds, ready to strike anyone who touched it. Of course, if no one touched it, there would be no problem.

At this moment, however, his expression looked far from pleasant, as if he was on the verge of exploding. His long fingers clenched the strap of his single-shoulder school bag, giving him a bit of the momentum of a high school student in a gang fight.

“So, what’s the matter?”

Yun Anhe knew him well. He must have encountered some trouble.

“It’s not me looking for you, it’s her, ta-da!” Yun Anhe tried to lighten the mood, complete with a background music effect.

Yun Anhe moved aside, and the person behind him gradually emerged under the streetlight. Jiang Yufeng raised an eyebrow slightly: “What are you doing here?”

Zhao Shuran smiled: “Of course not to see you. I’m here to meet a friend.”

The three of them went upstairs together.

Jiang Yufeng passed by the tea cabinet, passed by the coffee machine, and poured a cup of warm water for Zhao Shuran, “Don’t drink tea in the evening, or you won’t be able to sleep.”

Yun Anhe, as familiar as if he were at home, opened the refrigerator and took out a carbonated drink.

Recently, the number of cola bottles in the refrigerator had increased. Jiang Yufeng had low blood sugar, so he always kept some on hand.

Zhao Shuran, with her legs crossed, saw through him at a glance: “If I hadn’t come, you would definitely drink coffee and stay up late tonight. My boy, you should go to bed early. Your good looks have already dropped by 0.1. Be careful not to become ugly and unwanted.”

“……” Jiang Yufeng sat down and looked at her, “What friend are you meeting? I haven’t heard you mention it.”

“An online friend.”

Jiang Yufeng: “……?”

Zhao Shuran said: “To be precise, a mahjong buddy. She played online mahjong with me. It’s really fun.”

In fact, she had known Sister Qi for more than half a year. After getting tired of playing online, they decided to meet offline. They hit it off and directly arranged to meet in the provincial capital, which was both safe and convenient.

It just so happened that Jiang Yufeng was there too. Zhao Shuran arrived a day earlier to check on her own son.

Yun Anhe showed a worried expression: “But I’ve heard that online chatting is very risky.”

Zhao Shuran had actually considered this issue, but since she had talked and video-chatted with the other person, it should be fine.

Yun Anhe said: “That’s not certain. Who knows if someone else was deliberately impersonated to lure you out for a meeting, and then threaten you with various means… There are plenty of such cases in the news.”

Zhao Shuran slapped his shoulder: “Don’t scare me.”

Yun Anhe was just joking around: “You should learn from your son. Jiang Yufeng doesn’t seem like the type to engage in online chatting. His safety awareness is so high.”

Jiang Yufeng: “……”

Zhao Shuran knew her son had class the next day and looked at Yun Anhe: “Are you free tomorrow?”

Yun Anhe snapped his fingers and laughed: “I’ll accompany you.”

Zhao Shuran was delighted and suddenly thought of something, looking at Jiang Yufeng: “Do you have class tomorrow night? Let’s go out for a meal together.”

Jiang Yufeng said: “I have something.”

Zhao Shuran pouted: “I rarely come to see you, and you don’t even give me the time of day. I’m leaving the next day. What’s so important that you can’t make time?”

“Meeting an online friend.”

Zhao Shuran: “……”

Zhao Shuran: “!”

Yun Anhe: “???”

That night, Jiang Yufeng did stay up late, but not for work. He was constantly questioned by the two of them about the details.

There were no details to speak of. In the end, it was Zhao Shuran who said, “If you don’t sleep soon, my boy’s good looks will drop by 0.2,” and the idea of meeting up was put on hold for the sake of maintaining his handsome appearance.

Wen Ci didn’t have the habit of staying up late and went to bed early. He had no classes the next morning and intended to sleep in. He closed his eyes early and even had a dream.

The dream was quite ordinary, basically reflecting what he was thinking about at the moment—meeting his senior and seeing the senior’s face… Upon closer inspection, it was Jiang Yufeng.

Wen Ci woke up in a cold sweat, sat up in a jolt, and checked his phone. It was seven in the morning. The dormitory had blackout curtains, and it was still pitch black inside.

Since it wasn’t light yet, he continued to sleep.

When he woke up again, it was already noon. After eating, he had to go to class, and then… meet up, meet up, meet up!!!

The anticipation was at its peak.

While brushing his teeth, Lu Xuesong looked at Wen Ci’s foamy mouth and suddenly asked, “What did you dream about last night? You were saying ‘no, no, no’ over and over. What were you saying no to?”

“Nothing. I dreamed that I was eating a delicious feast and couldn’t eat any more. ‘No, no, no, I can’t eat anymore~’” Wen Ci replied.

Lu Xuesong: “… You’re really craving food.”

Wen Ci rinsed his mouth with mouthwash to freshen up, spat it out, and blew on his palm to feel the cool minty scent. He wiped his mouth and began to think about his appearance for the day.

He would probably have dinner with his senior, so something casual would be fine. There was no need to dress up too much. College students should look like college students.

He decided to wear a shirt to look more refined.

The shirt was a light beige color. When Wen Ci came out, he was standing in the patch of sunlight that streamed in. His skin was fair, giving him a gentle and clean look.

“Wow, are you going on a date today?”

Wen Ci hadn’t told Lu Xuesong about the meet-up. He planned to tell him after it was over: “No, it’s a new shirt. If I don’t wear it now, I won’t be able to wear it later.”

In the afternoon, they didn’t need to split into groups for class, but they were already used to sitting together. It was an English class.

When Wen Ci sat down, Jiang Yufeng glanced at him a few more times.

Because it was cold outside, Wen Ci had put on a sweater over his shirt, which made him look even more gentle.

These classes were quite boring since they all knew the material already.

They were discussing the PowerPoint presentation they were preparing for the day after tomorrow. Lu Xuesong was the most anxious because he was responsible for the presentation.

The PowerPoint was being handled by Wen Ci and Jiang Yufeng. Lu Xuesong asked about the progress.

Jiang Yufeng replied: “It’s almost done. We’ll share it in the group chat.”

Wen Ci followed up a beat later: “Yeah, it’s almost ready.”

After the military training, Wen Ci took the initiative to start working on the PowerPoint. He couldn’t relax until it was done. Jiang Yufeng took over the latter part and sent it over. Wen Ci didn’t make any further changes, and they didn’t communicate again about it.

Lu Xuesong took out his phone, found Jiang Yufeng’s avatar in the group chat, and sent a friend request: “Let’s add each other so we can discuss things more easily.”

He thought he would be rejected, but Jiang Yufeng accepted right away.

Lu Xuesong tried to lighten the mood, feeling that Jiang Yufeng seemed a bit different from before. He teased, “Has our god-like Jiang been dating someone recently?”

Jiang Yufeng paused for a few seconds before replying, “Something like that.”

Sha Zhengyi instinctively looked at Wen Ci, but Wen Ci showed no reaction, appearing indifferent and detached.

He was pretending.

Poor kid.

Wen Ci’s mind was wandering today, which led to increasingly intimate and sticky conversations with his senior.

He chatted for almost an entire class period, and his phone’s back started to get warm. Wen Ci noticed people around him stretching and walking around the classroom. Jiang Yufeng put his phone away and went out.

It took Wen Ci a moment to realize that class was over.

He decided not to continue chatting and sent a message to his senior saying he needed to rest. As he sent the message, Jiang Yufeng’s phone screen lit up.

Disturbed by the movement, Wen Ci reflexively glanced over. Just that one glance completely froze him in place.

Generally, WeChat messages would have their content hidden, but Jiang Yufeng didn’t have that setting. His phone’s WeChat notification shone brightly in front of Wen Ci’s eyes, almost blinding him.

The avatar and nickname were so familiar, so endearing, so perfect.

Wen Ci: “?”

Could it be that someone else was using the same avatar and nickname as him???

That couldn’t be right.

The phone screen dimmed, and with it, Wen Ci’s chaotic and unsteady emotions settled down.

Wen Ci took a deep breath and sent another message. Jiang Yufeng’s phone screen lit up again with a WeChat notification from W.

It must be an illusion.

There are so many people in the world named W. It’s normal.

There are also many people using cat avatars. It’s even more common for images to collide.

Wen Ci sent another “1.”

The phone lit up.

He sent another message.

It lit up again.

He sent another one.

It lit up again.

Wen Ci’s phone slapped onto the table with a thud.

Wen Ci: “……”

Wen Ci: “???”

Wen Ci: “!!!”