Chapter 4

The orange-yellow streetlights, the chirping of summer cicadas, and their shadows stretched long across the concrete ground.

It was the other party who spoke first.

"Hui Jiang?"

"Hm?"

He looked over.

"Does Senior Sister need something?"

Miao Ting Qiu smiled.

"Nothing. You're from Civil Engineering, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Turning in through the back entrance, the two walked along the campus road.

The lush trees blocked much of the streetlight's glow.

Because it was getting late, there were fewer and fewer pedestrians.

"As expected."

For some reason, she suddenly became interested, her eyes lighting up.

"I heard your department is very close to the Medical School."

Hui Jiang nodded.

"Yeah. Is Senior Sister interested in medicine?"

If he remembered correctly, Senior Sister Miao studied finance.

Why would she be paying attention to the Medical School?

"No."

She waved her hand.

"Sigh. There are so many people in our department, yet not a single one from the Medical School. Could it be that those medical students are all bookworms who only know how to study?"

Hui Jiang laughed awkwardly.

"Probably not. I've heard they're just very busy academically... Though Civil Engineering isn't easy either. If it weren't the beginning of the semester, I wouldn't have had time to come out for dinner."

Miao Ting Qiu nodded.

"Your two departments are so close. I heard even your dormitory buildings are assigned to the same area?"

After thinking for a moment, Hui Jiang frowned.

"I'm not sure about that. I don't really pay attention to it."

"Then you've at least heard of the Medical School's number one campus heartthrob, right?"

After so much buildup, Miao Ting Qiu finally got to the point.

"The campus heartthrob? Uh..."

Hui Jiang thought for a long time but failed to find anyone matching the description in his memory.

Guys simply did not spend their time discussing which men were handsome.

He could hardly be blamed for not knowing.

Miao Ting Qiu looked surprised.

"You seriously don't know?"

Hui Jiang shook his head.

"I don't."

The girl pulled out her phone from her bag.

Unlocking the screen, she entered her photo gallery and began rapidly scrolling through pictures.

Seeing how focused she was, Hui Jiang had no choice but to stop and wait.

"Found it."

Miao Ting Qiu handed over the phone.

"Look. It's him."

The girl practically shoved the phone into his face.

Forced to take half a step backward, Hui Jiang finally got a clear look at the photo.

The boy in the picture wore a white shirt and black pants.

His eyes were closed as he leaned against a seat.

Dark hair framed his face.

His skin was ivory white.

Warm sunlight streamed through the glass, softening his handsome features.

Even though it was merely a candid photograph, it was beautiful enough to resemble a painting.

"Him?"

Hui Jiang narrowed his eyes and thought for a while.

He was certain he had never seen this person before.

"I've never seen him. Senior Sister is interested in him too?"

He wasn't even that handsome.

He looked like a pretty boy.

And the image quality was so poor.

With all those filter-like effects, how could anyone see clearly anyway?

Miao Ting Qiu smiled.

"As for me, I'm just a little curious."

She took back her phone and walked ahead of him.

"Curious about what?"

Hui Jiang followed.

"The photo quality is limited."

Miao Ting Qiu rubbed her chin.

"Is he really as good-looking in person as he is in the photo? Junior Brother, you should check out the forum thread. That original poster practically praises him as if he descended from heaven."

"You really have to see things with your own eyes."

Hui Jiang adjusted his glasses.

"Senior Sister, after telling me all this, are you trying to ask me for a favor?"

"Oh?"

Seeing how quickly he caught on, Miao Ting Qiu tried to act slightly reserved.

"It's not that I'm such a fangirl. It's just that my roommates talk about him all day long. Since Civil Engineering is close to the Medical School, if you ever get the chance, help your Senior Sister take a look."

"So that's it..."

The girls' dormitory building had arrived.

The two stopped.

Under the brightly lit dormitory building, a casual glance revealed several couples.

Compared to those couples who practically wanted to stick to each other at all times, Hui Jiang and Miao Ting Qiu maintained a safe distance of several dozen centimeters.

"I'm here."

Miao Ting Qiu made no move to go upstairs.

Hui Jiang nodded.

"Then hurry up and head inside."

"Hey, don't forget what I asked you to do."

When had he ever agreed?

"Alright, alright. How could I dare forget something Senior Sister personally requested?"

Though helpless, he still agreed good-naturedly.

The moment she heard his promise, the girl immediately broke into a bright smile.

Hui Jiang suddenly felt somewhat defeated.

Only after she waved goodbye and entered the dormitory building did he sigh and turn away.

It was already ten-thirty.

The men's dormitory was rather far from here.

To make it back before curfew, he could only cut through the academic buildings.

Buzz buzz.

A new WeChat message suddenly arrived.

He pulled out his phone and glanced at it.

【Miao Ting Qiu: I've already told my roommates. I'll leave this matter in your hands, Junior Brother! O(∩_∩)O】

【Miao Ting Qiu: By the way, if you can get a photo, that would be even better!! I'll treat you to dinner if you succeed.】

The lush treetops rustled loudly in the wind.

Orange light filtered through the gaps between the branches and scattered across the ground.

The patches of light looked like waves, like fireflies, rolling and swaying with the breeze.

His steps paused slightly.

His fingertip hovered above the screen.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally sighed and put away his phone.

He would reply to Senior Sister after returning to the dormitory.

That was what Hui Jiang honestly thought.

Only the twenty-four-hour study room remained illuminated in the academic district.

The roads were already empty of students.

As Hui Jiang passed the study room, he glanced inside a few times and discovered there were no students at all.

After all, the semester had only just begun.

An empty study room was perfectly normal.

After passing the Civil Engineering building, the Medical School's anatomy building immediately came into view.

Its exterior walls were blue and white.

Only a handful of classrooms still had lights on.

Perhaps because of Miao Ting Qiu's earlier comments, Hui Jiang found himself taking a few extra looks as he passed by.

He noticed there were still students upstairs.

It was almost eleven o'clock.

There were actually still people here.

Medical students really were busy.

At that moment, his phone rang again.

Hui Jiang unlocked the screen and discovered another message from Senior Sister.

【Miao Ting Qiu: I heard the campus heartthrob often conducts experiments in Anatomy Room 303. If you don't usually run into him, you can try looking there.】

She already knew so much.

Why didn't they just go look for themselves?

Girls were truly mysterious creatures...

Perplexed, Hui Jiang scratched his head.

Looking up toward the third floor, he discovered that there were indeed two classrooms still lit on that level.

For some inexplicable reason, he stopped walking.

After pondering for a while, he gritted his teeth and entered the building.

The motion-sensor lights in the stairwell were broken.

Hui Jiang could only climb upward in the dark.

Even he did not know what had come over him.

A sense of unwillingness had suddenly emerged within him.

Just how handsome was this guy?

How could he be so popular among girls at H University, where men were as common as dogs?

Hui Jiang pushed open the metal door of the stairwell and reached the third floor.

As he passed a window, he stopped and examined his own reflection.

He wasn't ugly either.

While he was not a stunningly handsome man, he certainly did not look bad.

Besides, overly handsome men were rarely dependable.

Modern girls had been poisoned too deeply by idol dramas.

Shaking his head regretfully, Hui Jiang withdrew his gaze and walked toward Anatomy Room 303.

"Then I'll head out first. Curfew is coming up. Don't stay too late either."

A female voice came from inside the classroom.

Hearing it, Hui Jiang paused for several seconds.

Then he saw a girl walk out of the anatomy room.

Adjusting his glasses, he lowered his head and discreetly observed her from the corner of his eye.

She was a pretty girl with delicate features and a high ponytail.

She was probably a medical student.

Perhaps even a classmate of the "campus heartthrob."

The girl curiously glanced at him.

Without saying anything, she walked straight away.

He let out a sigh of relief and, leaning against the wall, felt his way to the back door of the classroom.

Only one student remained in the anatomy lab.

Looking at the busy figure, Hui Jiang felt that maybe he had been stupid tonight.

It was already so late.

How could that so-called "campus heartthrob" possibly still be in the classroom?

A guy like that was probably out somewhere surrounded by admirers.

Hui Jiang was admittedly a little jealous.

Before even meeting the person, he had already begun imagining the other's appearance and character.

Just as Hui Jiang was about to leave empty-handed, the student inside the classroom turned around.

The moment he clearly saw the other's face, he sucked in a sharp breath.

At this moment, he finally understood the true meaning of the phrase:

"The sun and moon lose their light."

A cool breeze swept through.

The dark green curtains fluttered.

The gentle wind lifted strands of black hair.

His appearance was so stunning that even the lonely moon in the night sky seemed to fade in comparison.

Hui Jiang stupidly glanced at the moon outside, then looked back at the young man.

Four words appeared in his mind:

A lone moon among men.

The man was holding a test tube.

His fingers were long and slender.

They were so beautiful they resembled a work of art displayed in a museum.

A small mole sat on one finger, appearing and disappearing from view.

He stared intently at the contents of the test tube.

His expression was serious and focused.

His handsome face became even more captivating because of it.

So pale!

That was Hui Jiang's first thought upon seeing his face.

Even as another man, he could not help staring blankly.

When he finally recovered his senses, the young man inside the classroom was still occupied with his experiment.

A trace of disappointment darkened Hui Jiang's eyes.

He had no choice but to admit that the man possessed an exceptionally attractive face.

Not only that, but the fact that he remained in the anatomy lab so late proved that he was a diligent student.

Hui Jiang truly could not compare to this "campus heartthrob."

It was getting late.

The young man in the classroom began packing away the experimental equipment.

Yet he vaguely felt that someone was watching him.

Unable to ignore the sensation, he looked away from the test tube and searched in the direction of the gaze.

When Hui Jiang saw him looking over, he panicked and ducked out of sight.

After waiting a while and seeing no reaction from inside, he cautiously poked his head out again.

Mu Nan Zhi's eyes resembled his mother's.

Whenever he raised them, the corners tilted slightly upward, carrying a naturally alluring charm.

He immediately found Hui Jiang's hiding spot.

His brows knitted faintly.

But he said nothing.

Instead, he lowered his head and continued organizing the equipment.

I'm hiding in the dark. He probably won't notice me.

Patting his chest, Hui Jiang let out a relieved breath.

How could someone's face be this absurdly perfect?

With looks like these, why bother attending university?

He might as well debut as a celebrity.

Hui Jiang sighed emotionally.

The moment he remembered that Senior Sister Miao was one of this guy's admirers, jealousy immediately bubbled up inside him.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious.

If he were this handsome, he would have gotten a girlfriend long ago.

Secretly, he pulled out his phone and opened the camera.

He began considering which angle might make the other man look uglier.

In truth, Hui Jiang himself was not bad-looking.

Unfortunately, at a science and engineering university where men vastly outnumbered women, only the very top-tier handsome guys were especially popular.

If Hui Jiang had attended a comprehensive university instead, he might have earned the title of class heartthrob himself.

Holy shit.

Hui Jiang desperately fiddled with his phone.

Yet he discovered that the man's face was flawless from every angle.

Aside from the back of his head, every single angle somehow looked inexplicably attractive.

How was anyone supposed to live with that?

If everyone looked like him, who would even need beauty filters anymore?

Unable to find a satisfactory angle, Hui Jiang resentfully put his phone away.

Forget it.

If he uploaded photos of this bastard, wouldn't all the girls at H University become his fans?

What would happen to the rest of the male population then?

This unhealthy trend absolutely had to be stopped.

As soon as he returned, he would reject Senior Sister's request.

He would never again do something as stupid as secretly taking photos.

The young man in the classroom happened to finish cleaning up.

He removed his white lab coat, switched off the lights, shouldered his backpack, and walked out of the anatomy lab.

Before leaving, he cautiously glanced toward the back door.

His gaze deepened slightly.

Hui Jiang still had no idea he had been discovered.

Only after the man walked out did he secretly hide behind a pillar.

It was already past eleven.

Apart from a few dim corridor lights, every other light in the anatomy building had been extinguished.

Dormitory curfew had already begun.

Fortunately, Hui Jiang had informed his roommates beforehand.

He planned to climb through a window later.

After the campus heartthrob had gone far enough away, he emerged from behind the pillar and started heading downstairs as well.

The entire building was dark and silent.

After all, it was a Medical School building.

Take a few steps in any direction and one could see skeleton models standing inside classrooms through the windows.

Hui Jiang had never been particularly brave.

Walking alone through the deserted academic building, he soon began feeling uneasy.

Why does it suddenly feel a little cold?

He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.

Only then did he notice that tonight's wind was unusually strong.

It really did feel a bit like a scene from a ghost movie...

Hui Jiang's expression immediately darkened.

Shaking his head, he forcibly stopped his imagination from running wild and hurried toward the stairwell.