Riverside Scenic Belt

"I'm not drunk. I want to keep drinking."

Tian Nina struggled. Whenever Lin Qiye tried to lead her toward the Chinese Department Girls' Dormitory, she struggled even harder.

This put Lin Qiye in a difficult spot. If she had been drunk as a dead pig, it would have been easier—he could have just carried her back with some effort.

But now, passersby on the street kept glancing over, making him feel awkward.

"Let's go back."

"No. Let's go to the Riverside Scenic Belt and get some air, okay, big brother?"

Lin Qiye thought, Let the wind hit her. Once the alcohol really kicks in, I'll carry her back.

"Fine."

Tian Nina immediately perked up, hooking her arm through Lin Qiye's and striding out of Fallen Street.

The exit of Fallen Street led directly to the Riverside Scenic Belt.

The riverside road, pedestrian walkway, flowerbeds, and embankment together formed this stretch of urban scenery.

At night, the elderly, women, children, and even Youngsters would stroll and relax along the sidewalk.

Dragged to the scenic belt by Tian Nina, who was acting like a wild girl, Lin Qiye realized this was only the beginning.

With the alcohol as an excuse, the girl became even more unruly.

While walking, if she saw Little Girls playing jump rope, she would join them.

If she saw elderly men and women doing square dancing, she would stop to watch as well.

And she especially loved talking.

"Why do you carry a laptop bag everywhere you go?"

"Sometimes I need to go online to handle work. It'd be troublesome if I didn't bring it."

"I see. You really work hard. No wonder you make so much money."

"Not really. Once I've earned enough, I rest. Like now."

The two walked to the river embankment and leaned against the railing, watching the countless varieties of passersby.

The river breeze brushed against them, and the flush on the girl's face gradually faded.

Lin Qiye was surprised. "You're sober?!"

Tian Nina changed the subject. "Do you like historical dramas?"

"No."

"I love them, especially that blockbuster from last year, True Ring Legend."

"I told you, I don't like them."

"What's wrong with you? You said you'd bring me to the Riverside Scenic Belt for fun, but you're never cooperative."

Tian Nina seemed a little angry.

Lin Qiye had a headache. He had lived two lives, yet he had never experienced anything like this.

To be honest, he had never dated in college. His friends said he was timid and thin-skinned, while he claimed that all the good ones had already been taken, so he would rather go without than settle.

After graduating and starting work, his romantic experience had gradually grown—people he met at gatherings, blind dates arranged by parents and friends.

But those relationships had long lost the carefree beauty of student days. After the passion faded, all that remained was the tedious routine of daily life.

He found an excuse. "All right, stop messing around. Wait here. I'll go buy some drinks."

The girl immediately smiled. "I want cola."

Lin Qiye then ran to a small retail kiosk more than ten meters away and ordered two bottles of cola.

While waiting for the shopkeeper to make change, he put on his Bluetooth earpiece.

He said softly:

"I've got some trouble."

[I noticed it too. That woman is pretending to be drunk. She is trying to get close to you.]

[My analysis indicates that she wants to obtain something from you.]

[Unfortunately, without more advanced observation tools, I cannot determine her intentions through her breathing, heartbeat, or even the intensity of her hormone secretion.]

"I feel like she might be interested in me. The problem is, I don't know what to do."

[In an Eastern saying, when a woman pursues a man, it is only separated by a thin veil. This is an extremely rare occurrence.]

[Congratulations, Manager. This is an excellent opportunity. You can have a romantic relationship! And provide me with real-life material about love along the way.]

[Do not miss it. Humanity's most beautiful memories all lie in youth.]

"The problem is, I haven't made up my mind yet."

[This is perfectly normal. Humans are emotional creatures. For you, giving your feelings is a serious matter.]

[You should ask yourself: do you need to invest emotionally?]

Lin Qiye turned to look into the distance. The blonde girl leaning against the railing smiled and waved at him.

"A little."

[You can date her for a while first and observe whether her personality, hobbies, and interests are compatible with yours, and whether it is possible to build a genuine emotional foundation. At the same time, you should seriously consider whether you are ready to take on responsibilities and obligations in a relationship.]

"You're right. Then I'll date her for now."

Lin Qiye picked up the two bottles of cola and walked back under the surprised gaze of the kiosk Boss.

Just as Tian Nina happily twisted open her cola and took a big drink—

"You were pretending to be drunk, weren't you?"

Pfft. A mouthful of cola sprayed out, and Tian Nina instinctively stumbled back in panic.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

A prompt from Intelligent AI came through the Bluetooth earpiece.

[The conversation is too direct. It is recommended that you do not expose her act of pretending to be drunk, as it may lead to negative results.]

Lin Qiye softened his tone. "Actually, I was joking. Come on, now that you're sober, we can head back."

Tian Nina became somewhat reserved and nodded in agreement. The two headed back the way they had come.

It seemed that, with the alcohol fading, everything had returned to normal. It was as though a thin veil had come between them again.

Despite having lived two lives, Lin Qiye still did not know how to express his feelings. He was afraid that trying too hard would ruin this chance connection.

They walked and walked, passed through Fallen Street, and entered the campus.

By then, it was already late at night, and there were few pedestrians beneath the streetlights.

Outside the gates of the Chinese Department Girls' Dormitory, Tian Nina suddenly stopped.

"Actually, my parents divorced long ago. They both had new partners, but they stayed together for my brother and me until I went to college, when they finally agreed to divorce. I stayed in the country with my father, while my brother went to Hungary with my mother."

As she spoke, Tian Nina pressed the tip of her shoe hard against the ground.

"So I've always hated this kind of thing—feelings. But that day, when I got drunk, you took me back and didn't do anything. I suddenly realized that you're pretty great. Maybe we can have a relationship."

No way. She was confessing to me, and so directly too.

As expected of a mixed-race girl with foreign blood—her attitude toward relationships really was different from people here.

Lin Qiye's body stiffened. He had no idea how to respond.

The girl was still looking down and talking to herself.

"When I heard Wang Meijia say she was going to your Internet Cafe today, I came along. I pretended to be drunk tonight. I actually poured all the alcohol out, and none of you noticed."

At that, Tian Nina smiled and waved at Lin Qiye. "No matter what you think, I'll come find you tomorrow. Bye-bye. Sleep well. See you tomorrow."

Only after watching Tian Nina skip happily into the girls' dormitory did Lin Qiye subconsciously raise a hand and wave.

For some reason, he felt incredibly happy.

After all, being confessed to by a beautiful girl had been almost impossible for his former self.

He turned and headed toward the dormitory, but stopped halfway there.

Everyone from the dorm was at the Internet Cafe anyway. What was the point of going back? He turned around and went to Fallen Street instead.

Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Internet Cafe was still as lively as ever.

Most people were surfing the web, while others were chatting. Whenever someone logged off, another person would take their place.

When they saw Lin Qiye, they warmly greeted him. "Big Lin."

What had originally been a nickname circulating only among a small group had now become the common way the boys addressed him.

This was a good sign. It showed that Lin Qiye's fame at school was growing and that many students recognized him.

This was treatment he had never received in his previous life. Back then, the public figures known throughout the school were nothing more than student union officers, extravagant rich second-generation students, campus beauties and heartthrobs, and certain people surrounded by rumors.

Lin Qiye responded to them one by one and entered the Internet Cafe office.

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