Chapter 7 — The Ice-Cold Senior and the Fated Nickname

They joked that this was a preview of the "future father-in-law's piercing glare" that Shen Ting would have to endure ahead of schedule. Someone as fearless as Shen Ting actually grew so tense that he ended up losing sleep. I could only do my best to comfort him: "My dad is really a very gentle person!" Shen Ting's face remained rigid, and he replied with the awkward stiffness of a robot: "I know..." He really looked like an automaton... yet somehow, looking back, it was rather endearing. I secretly snapped a picture, intending to use it as my chat wallpaper. Shen Ting didn't notice at all.

Arriving at my home, I brightly linked my arm through Shen Ting's as we stepped inside. My father came out to greet us, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on our tightly linked arms. Instantly, I felt the muscles in Shen Ting's arm tighten rigidly. I quickly released his arm and rushed over to hug my father's arm instead. Only then did my father's gaze shift away. I could see both men simultaneously heave a heavy sigh of relief. Looking back and forth between the two of them, a sudden thought struck me... huh? Did they actually share a bit of unspoken rapport? My father smiled and said, "Since you're here, come on in and make yourselves at home." Shen Ting walked inside with a posture as stiff as a wooden log.

We all sat down on the living room sofa. The moment my mother laid eyes on Shen Ting, she immediately took a liking to him: "Xiao Ying's boyfriend looks quite decent; he seems like a good boy." She even leaned close to my ear and whispered, "And he's so handsome, I'm very satisfied." I couldn't help it, grinning broadly with pride. My father let out a soft throat-clearing cough, his eyes flashing pointed warnings in my mother's direction. Unfortunately, my mother completely ignored him, enthusiastically bombarding Shen Ting with all sorts of questions instead. Shen Ting gradually calmed down, answering every single question with utmost seriousness. "I'm a local, and I went to Bei Nan High School for my secondary education."

I was startled: "Huh? Does that mean we used to be schoolmates? How come I never heard anyone mention you?" Hearing this, Shen Ting gave me a rather complicated look. He shook his head slightly and replied with a smile, "Back in high school, I was very thin, and my grades were quite average. I was completely invisible at school, and we weren't in the same class. It's only natural that you didn't know me." My father, sitting nearby, fell into a thoughtful silence upon hearing this: "It feels like you look a bit familiar to me, as if we've met somewhere before..." I thought to myself: "……" Dad, do you even know? Lines like this usually only belong in cheesy pickup lines!

They teased that this was Shen Ting's chance to "experience the scrutiny of a future father-in-law in advance." Someone like Shen Ting, who feared neither heaven nor earth, had actually grown so nervous that he suffered from insomnia. I had no choice but to coax him as best as I could: "My dad is really gentle!" Shen Ting's face stiffened completely as he said, "I know." He looked just like a robot... which somehow made him seem even more adorable. I sneaked a photo of him, planning to set it as our chat wallpaper. Shen Ting remained completely oblivious.

Upon reaching my home, I cheerfully looped my arm through his as we walked in. My father came out to greet us, his eyes resting for several seconds right where I was holding onto Shen Ting. I instantly felt Shen Ting's biceps tense up even more. I hurriedly let go of him and bounded over to wrap my arms around my father's. Only then did my father's gaze move away. I watched as both men let out a synchronized sigh of relief. Looking between them, I couldn't help thinking that these two actually had a surprising amount of chemistry. My father smiled and said, "Since you've arrived, come in and sit down." Shen Ting followed behind us with thoroughly mechanical steps.

We all gathered in the living room. My mother instantly warmed up to Shen Ting: "Xiao Ying's boyfriend looks sharp, he's a good kid." She even leaned over to whisper in my ear: "He's so handsome, dear, I approve." I beamed from ear to ear, my face radiating pride. My father gave a slight cough, signaling my mother with his eyes. Regrettably, my mother paid him no mind at all, and instead eagerly asked Shen Ting a myriad of questions. Shen Ting gradually collected himself, answering each inquiry clearly and methodically: "I'm from around here, and I attended Bei Nan High School."

I suddenly remembered: "Oh? So we went to the same school? Why on earth have I never heard of you before?" Shen Ting paused momentarily, glanced at me, and offered a wry smile: "Back in high school, I was skinny, my grades were mediocre, and I kept a very low profile. Besides, we weren't in the same class, so it's normal you didn't know me." Hearing this, my father looked pensive and remarked, "You look somewhat familiar to me, as if we've crossed paths somewhere before." I was speechless. Dad, do you realize... Lines like "you look familiar, haven't we met" are the absolute cliche tropes of cheap flirting!

That night, I drifted into a dream once again. In the dream, I was still the way I had been back in high school. Strangely enough, I found myself reading a book inside a bookstore. It was then that I realized my perspective was actually from the other side of the bookshelf. A sudden memory stirred—I had dreamt this exact dream a few times during my high school years. I saw "Cui Rui" walking over, which panicked me into hiding. Once I had hurried past, the person in the dream peeked out from behind the shelf to watch my retreating figure fade away.

The dreamscape shifted abruptly to after school, where I was cornered by several male students. I didn't know them. They sneered with malicious grins, "Are you Xiao Ying? We're a bit short on pocket money, so why don't you lend us some." Then I heard my own voice ring out, sounding remarkably like a boy: "I don't have any, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you." Those thugs immediately dropped their pretense, their faces turning ferocious: "No money, huh? Then we'll just strip your clothes off to see if you're hiding any!"

Just then, I heard my own voice echoing from afar: "Don't run, I've already called the police! The officers are almost here!" "The nearest station is less than three minutes away!" The thugs panicked yet tried to put on a brave front, hurling a parting threat: "You little snitch, just wait! We've remembered your face!" I watched my past self sprint over to my side: "Classmate, are you alright?" I saw that familiar face smiling as brightly as a blossoming flower. And in that instant, I finally understood— This was never my dream at all.

The person within that dream, had walked every single street I had once walked, and visited every place I had ever been. He would carefully select the flowers I adored from a roadside vendor. He would meticulously pick out every single snack I loved at the supermarket. Through the long, verdant years of youth, he followed behind me every single day after school, watching until I safely entered my house before he could finally set his mind at ease. It was out of fear that those male hoodlums might retaliate against me, and it was also because... He had fallen in love with me.

On a certain Friday afternoon, he waited for me indefinitely at the school gates, but I never came out. He decided to search for me, and as he passed by the girls' restroom, he overheard my mortified and helpless voice: "Is anyone outside? Please help me, my period just started..." He bolted out of the school gates immediately, bought a pack of sanitary pads, and mustered all his courage to sneak into the girls' restroom. He swiftly slid the package of pads through the gap at the bottom of the stall door, not daring to utter a single word before quietly slipping away.

So it turned out... It was you. Back then, I had only caught a glimpse of a young man's hand. And enveloped in that quiet, gentle kindness of his, I used to think: He must simply be the best boy in the entire world.

That absolute best boy in the entire world forced himself to chug multiple cartons of milk every single day, purely because he wanted to grow taller. Even when he felt nauseous enough to vomit, he never once gave up. He even enrolled in boxing classes just to make himself stronger, and though he returned from every session with a bruised and battered face, he never quit. Until the day he confronted those male hoodlums all by himself, warning them never to dare harm me ever again. The gang leader, beaten to the point of begging for mercy, had cried out in grievance: "That happened a whole year ago! Back then we only heard a girl's voice, we couldn't even see her face clearly!"

He had written in his diary: "I want to protect the person I like, and I don't want her to suffer even the slightest bit of hurt." I watched as he closed the journal, its cover bearing a familiar name: Shen Ting.

Waking up from the prolonged dream, my face streaked with tears, I messaged Shen Ting: "Shen Ting, you hid so many things from back in high school inside those dreams. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Three minutes passed without a reply. Five minutes... still nothing. Ten minutes... absolute silence. By the fifteenth minute... I began to wonder, could this absolute idiot still be asleep? Suddenly, I heard Shen Ting calling my name from right beneath the dormitory building, "Chu Doanh!"

I dashed out to the balcony and looked down. He was standing there below, waving a bouquet of gardenia flowers. Catching sight of me, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Chu Doanh, I've liked you for a very, very long time! Would you be willing to stay by my side forever?" This confession belonged to the high school version of Shen Ting, to the boy in my dreams who could never manage to speak those words aloud.

I was torn between laughter and tears, wanting nothing more than to scold him: "You fool, I've been your girlfriend for ages already!" The two of us stood at a distance, gazing at each other, laughing stupidly while weeping profusely. Then I heard Trang Nguyet Nguyet's voice roaring from behind: "Are you two out of your minds?! What kind of dramatic, life-or-death breakup scene are you pulling at the crack of dawn? Even showing off your romance shouldn't go this far, right?!"

That snapped me back to reality. I hurried down the stairs in a panic and grabbed the erstwhile "campus tough guy" to run for it. He chased after me, bewildered: "What's wrong?" I looked up at the sky and sighed: "I suddenly realized how utterly embarrassing this is!" Of course we had to run! Before the girls in the dorm could swarm out to inspect which pair of idiots was acting out a live idol drama, we needed to make a quick getaway. The two of us ran off into the distance together!