Seeing Liang Yu's name, Yan Zhen felt a moment of disorientation. Their last conversation had been just last month. Liang Yu had been in Africa filming wildlife; the signal was terrible, he was often unreachable, and their time difference made it difficult to connect. He’d said he'd contact her when he returned. She hadn't expected such a cryptic message.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Yan Zhen wondered aloud.
Liang Yu didn't reply; he was probably busy. Dismissing it, she put down her phone and went to change.
Later, as Chen Huaixu was about to take her home after dinner, Liang Yu called again. Yan Zhen was changing her shoes in the entryway, juggling the phone between her shoulder and ear while bending down. "Hello, Liang Yu?"
She wobbled slightly, and Chen Huaixu considerately bent down, holding her calf steady as he helped her with her shoes.
Liang Yu's voice came through the phone, cheerful. "Nothing serious, Zhen Zhen. Just wanted to give you a surprise. I'm back in Ningchuan."
"You're back?" Yan Zhen sounded genuinely pleased. "We should get together sometime."
Chen Huaixu finished fastening her shoes but didn't straighten up. His fingertips traced a path up her ankle, smoothing the soft fabric of her knee-high socks, even playfully flicking the top band.
Yan Zhen almost forgot what she was going to say. This entire outfit was a gift from Chen Huaixu: schoolgirl-style knee socks and loafers, a pleated skirt, and a blazer. When she first put it on, she’d wondered if he had some sort of unusual preference.
He’d later explained that he'd asked his assistant, Mo Cheng, to pick something up from the mall. Mo Cheng, clueless about women's fashion, had consulted his younger cousin, who was still in school, resulting in this ensemble. Fortunately, it looked fantastic on her, accentuating her youthful vibrancy, and Yan Zhen was quite happy with it.
"I was hoping to take you to dinner tonight, but…" Liang Yu paused, then chuckled. "It seems you're busy. We'll have to reschedule."
A cool fingertip trailed further up her leg, lightly pinching the soft flesh of her thigh, circling before tugging down the hem of her skirt.
"...I am actually busy tonight," Yan Zhen said, pushing gently at Chen Huaixu. He straightened, looking down at her, his form casting a shadow over her.
His hand found her waist, adjusting the waistband of her skirt. His other hand slipped beneath the fabric, his fingers brushing against her hip as he moved.
Yan Zhen's breath hitched. She glanced up at him, but his expression was serious, composed, as if he were genuinely focused on straightening her clothes.
Finished with her skirt, his hands lingered, moving upwards, slipping beneath her blazer. One hand tugged at her shirt where it was tucked into her skirt; the other smoothed the wrinkles from the fabric across her back.
He was so close she could almost feel his breath on her hair. His warm palms pressed against her skin through the thin fabric, sending shivers down her spine with every movement.
Her forehead nearly touched his shoulder as she struggled to focus on her conversation with Liang Yu. "Everything's good. Just working on my thesis now. My advisor approved the direction, so I'm just continuing with it."