Net One: Casting the Net
With the mindset of just getting it over with, Zhou Xiao forced herself to go out for a meal with Zhao Fanzhou.
Sure, dining with a handsome guy was great.
But dining with a taken handsome guy? That just felt… weird.
Oof, she thought when she saw the fancy restaurant.
That’s cold. Real cold. Should’ve just toughed it out that day on the bus instead of taking that seat.
She gritted her teeth as she ordered, then ate in silence, no interest in chatting with a guy who basically blackmailed her into dinner.
Zhao Fanzhou watched her sulking through the meal and was speechless.
Was he really that annoying?
"Check, please," she said at last, thinking, Finally, this awkward dinner is over.
“Miss, the gentleman has already paid,” the waiter replied.
Zhou Xiao blinked in surprise, glancing at Zhao Fanzhou.
Did he do it while she went to the bathroom earlier?
Zhao Fanzhou stood up. “Let’s go.”
Zhou Xiao quickly followed, feeling a little guilty.
Okay… maybe she had judged him too harshly.
Wait.
Why would he treat her to a fancy dinner? Could he be… cheating?
No, that didn’t make sense. If he wanted to cheat, there were plenty of girls on campus.
He was good-looking—he wouldn't lack options.
Argh! She wanted to scream at the sky. Why is this so confusing?!
Zhao Fanzhou watched her expressions shift like a cartoon, and couldn’t help but find it funny.
Net Two
“Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh…” Zhou Xiao let out a long groan in front of her computer.
“Tsk, every sigh brings three years of bad luck,” Tao Ling said, passing by.
“Pfft—last time you said breaking a mirror would do that too,” Zhou Xiao replied, unfazed.
“What are you sighing about?” Xiao Lu poked her head out from behind the mosquito net.
“Didn’t I tell you guys about that handsome guy I met on the bus? Then we had a meal together, I gave him my QQ… and now…”
“And now he won’t stop messaging you?”
“Not really. He pops in once in a while to say something, but nothing deep.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“He has a girlfriend. Isn’t this… kinda wrong?”
“Aren't you overthinking it? It’s not like you two are doing anything.”
“Well, yeah… I guess. Still feels shady.”
“Wow, your moral compass is on overdrive.”
“I am a saint, after all.”
The others rolled their eyes. Saint? More like cherry tomato.
Net Three
Ding ding ding~ A text message came in.
From: Zhao Fanzhou
What are you up to?
Zhou Xiao quickly typed back:
Studying.
(Slightly guilty—she was really just reading a novel in a quiet classroom.)
Zhao Fanzhou:
Which classroom?
She ran out to check the classroom number and replied:
Building 1, Room 109. You coming?
Five minutes passed. No reply.
She felt a little annoyed and buried her head back in the book.
Zhao Fanzhou walked in a bit later and saw her completely absorbed in her novel.
So much for studying.
She was so engrossed, she didn’t notice him at all—absently pushing stray hairs behind her ear, only for them to fall back again. She flicked her head in irritation but never looked up.
He quietly walked over and gently tucked the loose strands behind her ear.
Startled, she looked up.
There he stood, backlit by the sun streaming through the window, his white sweater glowing with a soft golden halo.
He looked so warm.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Net Four: Walking Into It Herself
BrokenBoat 22:33:08
Hungry? Want me to get you a late-night snack?
Zhou Xiao 22:33:17
Not really… but if you’re offering, I won’t say no.
BrokenBoat 22:33:26
What do you feel like eating?
Zhou Xiao 22:35:36
Hold on, let me chat with my roommate.
She stared at her computer.
What should she do?
He was so nice to her. And hadn’t he told her that pretty girl—Jia Yichun—was just his neighbor, not his girlfriend?
But still… he hadn’t said anything definite.
What if she was just imagining everything?
Zhou Xiao 22:36:45
Xiao Lu, Xiao Lu!
Xiao Lu 22:37:29
Why are you yelling like a banshee?
Zhou Xiao 22:37:33
Don’t be mean!
Xiao Lu 22:37:35
What do you want? We live in the same dorm, why are you messaging me?
Zhou Xiao 22:37:37
I can’t say it out loud with everyone around!
Xiao Lu 22:37:39
You catching feelings?
Zhou Xiao 22:37:42
Um… Zhao Fanzhou asked what I want for late-night snacks…
Xiao Lu 22:38:08
Doesn’t he have a girlfriend? Why the sudden TLC?
Zhou Xiao 22:38:12
He said that’s just his neighbor, not his girlfriend.
Xiao Lu 22:38:32
Oh please. Every girl is a "just my neighbor" or "just my sister" to guys like that.
Zhou Xiao 22:38:35
You’re way too bitter about men. But that’s not the point!
Xiao Lu 22:38:43
Then what is the point?
BrokenBoat 22:39:08
Decided what you want yet?
Zhou Xiao 22:39:33
The point is… I think Zhao Fanzhou really likes me. And I think… I might like him too. What do I do? But he hasn’t said anything clearly. Seriously, is he even a man? If you like me, just say it! Stop making me guess. It’s exhausting. Damn it!
BrokenBoat 22:39:45
Um… This is Zhao Fanzhou. I think you sent that to the wrong person.
Zhou Xiao 22:39:53
AHHHHH! XIAO LU, KILL ME NOW.
I just confessed to him by accident. And I swore too. Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it…
BrokenBoat 22:40:05
Yeah… I hate to say this, but… you just sent another one to me.
Xiao Lu 22:40:25
Why aren’t you replying? What’s going on? I don’t get it.
Zhou Xiao 22:40:36
I’m losing my mind. Just end me already.
Xiao Lu 22:40:39
What the heck are you talking about? What happened?!
BrokenBoat 22:42:00
I’ll be downstairs in ten minutes. Let’s get that snack together, okay?
Zhou Xiao 22:43:07
…Whatever.
Zhao Fanzhou sat in front of his computer, grinning like a fool.
He was falling for her more and more.
And the best part? She’d just helped him skip the hardest part—confessing.
How should he thank her properly?
Net Five: The Catch
Ten minutes later.
Zhou Xiao came rushing down the stairs, flustered and panicked.
Zhao Fanzhou looked at her with a grin.
“Careful. I’m not going to run away.”
Ugh! Could his mouth be any more annoying?
She was about to glare at him—
But then she met his smiling eyes.
In that moment, lyrics from a Fan Weiqi song popped into her head:
"Your eyes know how to smile… curved like a little bridge..."
What happened after that… Zhou Xiao honestly didn’t remember much.
All she remembered was that her face kept burning, and her heart wouldn’t stop racing.
Somehow, just like that—
She ended up as Zhao Fanzhou’s girlfriend.
And even long after, whenever she thought back, it all felt so surreal.
Like a dream, or amnesia.
All she could clearly remember were his smiling eyes.
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