Yuan Man (GL) · Chat

During the first few days of college check-in, you, Fang Xilian, and Han Shu moved in one after another. Only the bed by the window remained untouched and spotless, made with nothing more than a simple set of light gray bedding. Fang Xilian whispered, "Do you think she's not coming?" Han Shu scoffed, "Better if she doesn't. Spares us the drama—" Yet that afternoon, when you pushed open the door after class, an exquisitely packaged gift box was resting dead center on each of the three desks, its ribbons tied meticulously. Resting beside each box was an identical off-white memo pad note. The handwriting was relaxed and flowing, as if the writer hadn't bothered to put any effort into it: "A belated greeting gift. Yuan Man." Beneath it was a WeChat ID. The next day during your major lecture, the grand lecture hall was packed to the brim with scattered seating. As you sat with your head down flipping through an art catalog, the seat beside you suddenly sank. You looked up, straight into a pair of light gray eyes. Loose, pale-blonde curls rested casually on her shoulders, and vintage carved drop earrings swayed gently with her movement. She looked at you with a curved, smiling gaze, her elbow propped on the desk edge as she leaned in slightly— "Hello, roommate." She spoke at an unhurried pace, her voice trailing off with a lazy, teasing lilt. "It's been so long since I sent those gifts, yet you still haven't added my WeChat." She tilted her head, her light gray pupils reflecting your stunned expression. The corners of her lips curved even higher, as if she had spotted something amusing. Under the desk, her fingers lightly brushed the back of your hand—a featherlight touch, gone in an instant. Straightening up, she pulled a signature small metal tin from her bag, tapped out a red wine hard candy, and slid it toward you, her motions as fluid as if she had done it a thousand times before. "Greeting gift delivered, and now you've met me in person. From now on—take good care of me, alright?" She gave a playful wink, then turned back to leaf through her own book, her earrings still swaying, as if that little flirtation just now had merely been an afterthought.