Pei Jingshu raised her head.
The light from the streetlamp shone from the side, falling on the face of the boy in front of him.
Although she was still wearing a mask, the exposed part of her nose bridge had a clean line, her eye sockets had a sharp outline, and her eyelashes cast a small, very faint shadow under the light.
She stared at it for two seconds.
Then she realized what she was looking at and abruptly looked away.
But it was too late.
The other person noticed her two-second glance.
The boy looked at her, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then reached out and took off his mask.
Pei Jingshu's eyes froze.
She studied music at university in South Korea.
I've seen all kinds of faces since I was a child.
Trainees, actors, models, idols—the number of handsome men she's seen can be counted in "hundreds."
She herself was known as the "beautiful school flower," and there was a long line of suitors.
She thought she was immune to the concept of "good-looking".
But the face before her left her mind blank for a full three seconds.
She opened her mouth, and the sound escaped from her throat.
"It's... it looks really good."
After she finished speaking, she froze.
She cursed herself in her heart.
Pei Jingshu, are you crazy?
You actually said "It looks good" to a stranger?
Are you still the Pei Jingshu who decisively rejected countless suitors?
Her face was burning hot, and her ears, neck, and even the palms of her hands were starting to feel hot.
She lowered her head, unable to look any longer.
Cheng Che held back his laughter.
He knew it was his " Heartthrob of Ten Thousand " title that triggered the positive feelings.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"It's nothing." Pei Jingshu shook her head, her voice still a little unsteady.
She took half a step back, lost her footing on her left foot, and slightly twisted her ankle.
Her body tilted slightly to the side, Cheng Che reached out to support her arm.
His palm pressed against her arm through the fabric of his coat; the warmth of his palm seeped through the thin fabric.
Pei Jingshu smelled a very faint scent wafting from Cheng Che; it was clean and crisp, like the scent of laundry detergent mixed with body heat.
She instinctively took a breath, then realized what she was doing, and her ears burned again.
"You call this nothing?"
Cheng Che looked around and saw a bench nearby.
"Shall I help you sit down for a bit?"
Pei Jingshu lowered her head, her voice much softer than before. "Okay."
Cheng Che helped her walk to the bench.
She was hesitant to put weight on her left leg, so when she walked, she shifted her weight to her right foot, taking small and slow steps.
Cheng Che's hand remained on her arm, never letting go.
Her forearms were very thin, and you could feel the taut muscles through the sleeves.
She was trying hard to keep herself composed, not wanting to appear too pathetic in front of him.
When they reached the chair, he asked her to sit down, then looked down at her ankles.
Is it swollen?
"No. I just twisted it a little, it'll be fine in a bit."
Pei Jingshu sat on the bench, looking down at her shoes.
She didn't dare to look up, because she knew her face must be burning red.
Cheng Che sat down next to her, about half a fist's distance away.
There was a few seconds of silence.
Pei Jingshu spoke first.
She tried to make her voice sound normal, "Are you from Xia Country?"
"Um."
"Coming to the Bund alone?"
"I live nearby, so I came out for a walk."
Pei Jingshu nodded.
She thought for a moment, then asked again, "How come you speak Korean so well?"
"I learned it," Cheng Che said. "I studied at Peking University, during the first few semesters. I learned a little bit of English, Korean, and Japanese."
Pei Jingshu turned her head and glanced at him.
Are you a student at Peking University?
"Um."
"And you?" Cheng Che asked with a smile, "Are you a student too?"
"Yes," Pei Jingshu touched her fingers, " Korea University, Department of Vocal Music."
"Vocal music? Singing?"
"Hmm." Pei Jingshu nodded, this time her tone lacking the previous pride, instead carrying a hint of faint self-deprecation. "But there are plenty of people in our department who sing better than me."
Cheng Che glanced at her and thought to himself, "With looks like that, even if she sings terribly, it's still acceptable."
"She seems quite insecure. It's true that naturally good-looking people can be a little distorted by their beauty."
The two sat quietly for a while.
Cruise ships passed by on the river, their neon lights reflected in the water, shattering into fragments of color.
Her phone suddenly rang.
She glanced down and saw it was her best friend calling; her heart skipped a beat.
Pei Jingshu was a little reluctant to answer the phone, since Cheng Che would have to leave if she did.
She was reluctant to part with it, though she didn't know why.
If Cheng Che knew what she was thinking, he would say, "Silly girl, it's not your fault. It's all because of the [ Heartthrob of Ten Thousand ] effect that made you like me."
Pei Jingshu glanced at Cheng Che secretly, then answered the call.
"Hey, where are you? I can't find you."
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded a bit anxious.
I twisted my ankle while sitting on a bench by the river.
"What? Wait here, I'm coming right away."
Pei Jingshu hung up the phone, turned to Cheng Che and said, "My best friend is here to pick me up. Thank you."
Cheng Che nodded, but did not stand up.
After he sat down, he noticed something.
Several men around them were glancing in their direction.
Some were passing by, some were standing by the river pretending to admire the scenery, and two young people were sitting on the steps not far away, constantly looking in Pei Jingshu's direction.
Her face was so striking that she drew attention even when she was just sitting quietly on a bench.
But because Cheng Che was sitting next to them, none of them dared to come over and strike up a conversation.
So for safety reasons, Cheng Che decided to wait for his girlfriend's friend to arrive before leaving.
A few minutes later, a girl in a red coat squeezed through the crowd, panting.
She ran to the bench, about to ask Pei Jingshu how her foot was, when her gaze swept over Cheng Che Che's face and she froze.
She stared at Cheng Che for two seconds.
Then her mouth slowly opened.
"You... you are Cheng Che?"
Cheng Che was taken aback.
They've been recognized.
He nodded at her in acknowledgment, then stood up and put his mask back on.
"It's good that you're here." He turned to look at Pei Jingshu, "Then I'll be going now."
He waved to Pei Jingshu and turned to walk towards the riverside path.
Pei Jingshu sat on the bench, watching his back, still not having reacted.
My best friend stood there, her mouth still open.
She watched Cheng Che's figure disappear into the crowd, then suddenly turned to look at Pei Jingshu.
How do you know him?
Pei Jingshu looked bewildered. "Who?"
" Cheng Che!" Her best friend crouched down and grabbed her arm. "Do you know who he is?"
"I don't know. What's wrong?"
Her best friend took a deep breath, as if organizing her thoughts.
"He's the top scorer in Xia Country's college entrance Zhuangyuan. He got first place in their country's most difficult exam. And he's also a tennis prodigy, the kind that's incredibly good. My dad saw some of his match videos before and said he might be able to win a Grand Slam in less than a year."
"By the way, he's definitely coming to Magic City to play in the Master tournament!"
Pei Jingshu was taken aback.
She didn't reply, but took out her phone and searched for " Magic City Masters player list".
The page redirected and loaded for a few seconds.
She scrolled down, past rows of unfamiliar names; some photos showed her in a suit, others in sportswear.
Then her fingers stopped.
The screen displays a photograph.
A boy stands on the tennis court, wearing a white sports vest and holding a black racket.
Sunlight streamed in from the side, causing his hair to bounce slightly in the wind, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
His name is below the photo.
Cheng Che.
Pei Jingshu stared at the photo for several seconds without moving.
"Why didn't you ask for an autograph?" my best friend grumbled from the side. "I should have asked for one! I completely forgot! My dad's going to kill me!"
Pei Jingshu ignored her.
She turned her phone over, placed it face down on her lap, and watched the tourist boats coming and going on the river.
Thinking of Cheng Che's smile, she laughed and scolded herself, "I'm such a lecher, damn it."
Pei Jingshu