She turned, twisting to examine her lower back in the mirror. The characters he’d written there last night had washed away, but the memory made her regretful all over again.

He’d actually written his own name! Such a simple answer, how had she not thought of it?

Last night, as she was about to leave his room, he'd stopped her, pressing her against the door for another kiss. She’d complained breathlessly, "Stop kissing me… I need to go back… Why are you so persistent…"

He’d reached out, caressing her lower back, his voice low, "We carry each other's names on our bodies."

"Huh?" She hadn't understood.

"Silly girl." His tone was affectionate and amused. He kissed her forehead. "Go back now. Goodnight."

Yan Zhen floated down the hallway, the realization hitting her only after she'd gone some distance. Infuriated, she thought, "Chen Huaixu, you're the silly one! How dare you call me silly! Just you wait!"

Now, remembering the scene, she grabbed a damp washcloth and scrubbed furiously at the spot where he’d written his name, quickly rubbing her fair skin raw.

But the more she scrubbed, the deeper the characters seemed to imprint themselves in her mind. The blush-inducing memories of last night replayed in her head, heating her skin all the way to her ears.

She flung the washcloth aside. "Chen Huaixu! I hate you!"

After lunch, everyone packed up, ready to head back. Yan Zhen had avoided Chen Huaixu all morning, but she couldn’t avoid him during their goodbyes.

Yan Zhao exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then picked up Yan Zhen’s small suitcase and headed towards the car. Not wanting to be alone with Chen Huaixu, Yan Zhen silently bypassed him and reached for the passenger door.

He turned and, beating her to it, placed his hand on the door, preventing her from opening it. From behind, it looked as if he had her encircled in his arms.

Yan Zhen glanced nervously towards the back of the car, afraid Yan Zhao would notice. She tugged at his hand, whispering, "What are you doing? Let me get in!"

He looked down at her. "You left something at my place."

"What?" She instinctively patted her coat pockets, then remembered she hadn’t been wearing this coat when she went to his room last night.

Chen Huaixu’s reply was noncommittal. "Aren't you going back to school tomorrow? Wait for me in the evening. I'll pick you up after work."

She held out her hand. "Can't you just give it to me now?"

"Not now."

The trunk slammed shut.

Chen Huaixu prompted her with a questioning "Hmm?" Yan Zhen hurriedly pushed him. "Okay, okay, I got it. Just go."

He released his hand and stepped back just as Yan Zhao came around from the back of the car. Yan Zhen quickly scrambled inside, buckled her seatbelt, and covered her face, taking a moment to compose herself. Looking out the window, she saw Chen Huaixu still standing there.

She rolled the window down a crack, revealing only her beautiful, questioning eyes. Her gaze held both curiosity and suspicion: Why aren’t you leaving?