Chapter 3 — Unique Scent

*[Tham Niem, first year at the Institute of Literature, this year's valedictorian of block C.]* *[Damn, same department as me! We just received a scholarship together!]* *[So Co Dien is just not allergic to her? What fairy setting is this?]* *[Don't talk nonsense, maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe tomorrow Co Dien will start vomiting.]* Tham Niem turned the phone face down. Now she just wants to go back to the dorm, take a shower, and get some sleep. And forget everything that happened today.

“Contemplation!”

Someone called her from behind. Turning around, it was the girl with the ponytail from before. She panted and chased after her, her eyes shining fearfully.

"The person just now was you? You touched Co Dien? Is he okay? Did he even smell your hair?"

A series of questions came. Tham Niem has a headache: "... Just an accident."

"What's the problem! Do you know how many girls dream of having this problem?"

The girl held her arm tightly, her expression extremely agitated.

“Do you know who Co Dien is?”

“Know.”

“So do you know he's allergic to all girls? You're the first person he's touched that's okay!”

“Probably just luck.”

"This is called luck! This is destiny!"

Tham Niem: “…” She doesn't believe in fate. But she began to vaguely feel like she had just gotten into a big problem.

—

Nine o'clock at night, at the dormitory. Tham Niem finished showering and sat on the bed drying her hair. The phone vibrates. A Wechat message. Co Dien: *[The shirt thing, how do you plan to solve it?]* Tham Niem stared at the screen. Whatever comes, must come. She searched for that shirt. It's an Italian brand, I can't find the exact price, but looking at the tailoring and packaging techniques, her family's monthly food budget is probably only enough to buy one sleeve. She gritted her teeth and typed: *[How much money? Can I pay in installments?]* The other party texted back after a while. *[Do you think I lack money?]* Tham Niem choked. How is this person talking... Another message popped out. *[Three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, laboratory B301. Meet and talk.]* Tham Niem tightened her grip on the phone. She had a bad feeling, like she was about to be called by a creditor to exploit her. But thinking back, it was very polite that they didn't call a bodyguard to drag her away on the spot. She answered with one word. *[Okay.]* The other party stopped responding. Tham Niem threw the phone on the bed and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. The balance in her wallet kept dancing in her head. Jumping back and forth, it suddenly turned into Co Dien's face. The way he bowed his head and sniffed her hair. The voice when he said, "Let me smell it a little more." Tham Niem turned around in frustration. Damn it. Why are you thinking about him again?

—

Laboratory B301 of the Academy of Information Technology is half a campus away from the Academy of Literature. Tham Niem walked under the sun for 20 minutes to arrive. The room is at the end of the hallway. The door is metal, there is not a single window on the door, looking at it it seems not easy to get in. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Pushing the door open and entering, Tham Niem was stunned. This is not a classroom. The entire wall is full of mechanical equipment, several computer screens, and in the corner there is a sofa bed and a small refrigerator. Through the ground-level glass door, one can see half of the campus. Co Dien is sitting in front of the curtain The image of the computer, the lines of code on it, she couldn't understand a word of. He wore a black hoodie, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. The cold white wrist is not wearing anything, extremely clean. He did not turn back.

“Sit down.”

Tham Niem sat down on the sofa. The sofa is very comfortable, once you sit down you don't want to stand up again. Co Dien finished typing the last line of code and turned around. He leaned back in his chair, looking at her. Say nothing. Tham Niem's skin crawled under his gaze, so he had to speak first.