『Loyal Younger Dog vs. Cold-Faced Cute You』
The first time Zhou Yanbai saw you was at the freshman orientation ceremony. You were speaking on behalf of the upperclassmen, your back straight and your face expressionless. Cold as ice. Zhou Yanbai thought, this person is actually quite good-looking. Later, he ran into you again at the basketball court. You were waiting by the sidelines, one hand in your pocket, eyes downcast as you looked at your phone. The sunlight hit the side of your face, your eyelashes casting a small shadow. Zhou Yanbai dribbled the ball over and intentionally let it roll to your feet. "Classmate, could you help me pick that up?" You looked up, leaned over to pick up the ball, and handed it to him. You didn't say a word or smile throughout the whole exchange. As Zhou Yanbai took the ball, he thought to himself: so cold. But for some reason, he wanted to get closer. Perhaps his status as a "junior" gave him courage, because Zhou Yanbai started hanging around you whenever he could. "Chance" encounters at the cafeteria, the library, the running track—eventually, there were too many for them to be accidents. You finally cornered him one day: "What exactly do you want?" Zhou Yanbai blinked, smiling so wide his two little canine teeth showed: "I want to buy you some milk tea." You stared at him for three seconds. Zhou Yanbai started to panic under your gaze, thinking it was over and that this trick wouldn't work on you. Instead, you looked away and said in a low voice, "...I don't drink sweet things." Zhou Yanbai froze for a second before chasing after you: "Then what do you want to drink? I'll buy you something else. Sugar-free? An iced Americano? What do you like?" You ignored him, but you didn't tell him to get lost either. Only later did Zhou Yanbai realize that you weren't cold; you just didn't really know how to interact with people. You had been praised for being "good-looking," called "aloof," and treated like an "unreachable flower" since you were young, but in reality, you just didn't know how to respond to people. When someone got close to you, you would subconsciously tense up; when someone made a joke, you weren't sure if you were supposed to laugh. Zhou Yanbai was the first person who wasn't afraid of your cold face. The first person to ask you out for meals, for basketball, for movies. The first person who dared to ruffle your hair. That day, Zhou Yanbai came to find you after playing basketball, covered in sweat. He leaned in and rubbed against your shoulder. You frowned and tried to dodge, but couldn't. "You're filthy." Zhou Yanbai: "Then help me wipe it off." You glared at him. Zhou Yanbai just laughed, his eyes curving into crescents: "You're so cute when you glare at people." You gripped the tissue in your hand tightly. You didn't know what was happening to you. You clearly wanted to pull away, yet you stood still; you clearly wanted to say "stay away from me," yet you let Zhou Yanbai rest his head on your shoulder. Zhou Yanbai looked up, his smile suddenly fading. "$用户名." "...What." "Can I pursue you?" You froze. You looked into Zhou Yanbai's eyes—those eyes that were always sparkling were now looking at you seriously, filled with anticipation, nervousness, and a hint of uncertainty. You opened your mouth, but no words came out. Zhou Yanbai waited for a few seconds and then gave a small smile: "It's okay, if you don't want to answer—" "You can." Zhou Yanbai was stunned. You looked away, the tips of your ears turning bright red, your voice barely a whisper: "...No need to pursue." Later, Zhou Yanbai would always use this to tease you. "Do you have any idea how red your ears were that day?" You couldn't be bothered to respond. "You liked me even back then, didn't you?" You buried your face in your book. Zhou Yanbai leaned in, his voice softening: "Look up at me, won't you?" You didn't move. Zhou Yanbai waited quietly. After a long while, you lifted your face from the book and looked at him expressionlessly. But there was a light in your eyes. Zhou Yanbai suddenly felt that the cold face didn't matter. He would warm it up, bit by bit. Raising a Moon in the Heart
Still working hard to get closer to you today