It all started because Jing Sicun was helpless—he only replied to Ke Ni for Song Yi’s sake.
Originally, Jing Sicun, Song Yi, He Zhi, Ji Fanze, and a couple of other friends were playing a five-man game together.
Victory was within reach when, out of nowhere, Song Yi made a baffling move and dove straight into the enemy crowd, gifting them a kill.
All the advantage they’d built up in the early game vanished instantly, and the other side steamrolled them, destroying their crystal in a flash.
Dai Jize groaned and spat out two words: “Noob.”
Song Yi clutched his stomach and complained, shivering, sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to defend himself.
One moment he claimed his stomach hurt, the next he said someone kept messaging him and it was ruining his focus.
Outside, the rain was falling in heavy drops, but the downpour was about to end.
Jing Sicun said goodbye to another friend over voice chat, stood up, and prepared to leave the hotel.
These days, Jing Sicun didn’t stay in the hotel room much.
He went home every night to take care of a sick family member.
Just as Jing Sicun was about to put on his coat, a phone was suddenly tossed onto the sofa in front of him.
Song Xin called out in a string of pleas: “Help me reply to Ke Huo, she’s asking about Zhang Bo’s apartment. I can’t do it, I really can’t—my stomach, ah ah ah ah ah…”
The bathroom door slammed shut with a bang.
Zhang Bo had been a loyal customer of their family’s grocery store for over ten years, and he was also Jing Sicun’s father’s old classmate.
Recently, Zhang Bo’s children had pooled their money to buy him a new apartment with an elevator.
He was moving out, but couldn’t bear to sell the place he’d lived in for most of his life, so he wanted to find a reliable tenant he knew.
Zhang Bo had printed out little flyers with the rental information and taped them to the utility pole outside Jing Sicun’s family grocery store.
Song Yi had seen one when he’d gone to visit Jing Sicun, and, being helpful, posted about it in his friend group, hoping to find a suitable renter.
Jing Sicun lowered his gaze.
On Song Yi’s phone screen, Ke Huo’s polite inquiry was displayed:
“Hello, Song Yi.”
“I wanted to ask if the apartment you posted about is still available for rent?”
The person being asked was currently howling in the bathroom, wailing that he was about to die.
So it was up to Jing Sicun to reply to Ke Ni.
He glanced at the other two in the room.
Dai Jize didn’t know Zhang Bo at all and had no idea about the apartment, so he looked completely unconcerned, curling up comfortably at the head of the bed and starting another solo game.
He Dan, on the other hand, was a bit kinder and shuffled over to the bathroom door: “Song-ge, are you okay? Can you still order some barbecue for supper?”
This mess could only be handled by Jing Sicun.
Jing Sicun picked up Song Yi’s phone and, amid Song Yi’s miserable screams, typed a few lines in reply to Ke Huo.
In Jing Sicun’s eyes, Ke Ni had always been polite and reserved with them.
Even when chatting, she wore a faint, practiced smile.
Whenever they tried to make plans, she’d say she was busy.
She never took the initiative, often refused, and even her politeness had a subtle sense of distance, as if she didn’t want to get too close.
But aside from Jing Sicun, the other three didn’t sense Ke Ni’s aloofness at all.
Song Xin really saw Ke Ni as a “little sister” to dote on; every time he saw her, he was especially enthusiastic.
To get to know her, Song Yi had even spent over half an hour on the phone with his own mom.
He Zhi, for reasons unknown, also got along well with Ke Ni, always calling her “Ke Ni-jie.”
Just today, when buying ice cream, he’d asked if they should get one for “Ke Huo-jie” too.
Ji Fanze even thought Ke Ni had a good personality and was very easy to get along with.
His reasoning was this:
Put yourself in her shoes—if he were suddenly dragged by four strangers to have dinner and make friends, even if they were all tournament players, he wouldn’t cooperate either and would probably just show it on his face.
Only Jing Sicun noticed something off, and he even suspected that Ke Huo’s sense of distance was especially strong when facing him.
Ke Ni seemed fairly natural when making eye contact with Song Yi and the others.
But when it came to Jing Sicun, she either deliberately avoided him or stubbornly looked away.
Contradictory and strange.
Jing Sicun felt that Ke Ni seemed to have a particular… hostility?
Or did she just want to keep her distance?
Song Yi’s phone kept vibrating.
Jing Sicun wasn’t particularly interested, but wondered: If Ke Ni knew she was actually talking to him, would she still keep chatting?
He Dan was still stationed at the bathroom door, searching for pharmacies on his food delivery app, but didn’t forget to cheer Song Yi on: “Song-ge, hang in there, you’ll be better soon!”
Dai Jize teased, “Your Song-ge just has diarrhea, not giving birth—what’s the point of cheering him on?”
Song Yi’s wailing continued.
Jing Sicun found him noisy, so he took Song Yi’s phone and walked over to the window, pushing it open.
Raindrops on the glass joined into lines, winding down and dripping along the window frame.
The damp, post-rain air from the lake rushed in. Jing Sicun typed with one hand and replied to Ke Ni: “It is.”
This time, Ke Ni didn’t reply as quickly.
The “the other party is typing…” message at the top of the chat box kept flickering on and off.
Jing Sicun leaned against the marble windowsill and waited for a while.
A few minutes later, Ke Ni finally sent a new question, asking if it was convenient to have a voice call.
Jing Sicun said, “Song Yi, Ke Ni wants to talk to you on voice.”
But Dai Jize had already drained Song Yi’s last bit of strength.
Song Yi, voice weak and breathless, replied, “I really can’t—just tell Ke Ni yourself, you know more about Zhang Bo’s place anyway…”
Jing Sicun called Ke Ni, but she clearly didn’t want to talk to him.
“Why is it you?!”
Her words were full of emotion: shock, annoyance, accusation… Like she’d seen a ghost.
Jing Sicun paused for a few seconds: “Song Yi’s stomach isn’t feeling well.”
Ke Ni fell silent.
After a moment, Ke Huo quickly said, “Then, when Song Yi has time, just have him reply to me.”
Jing Sicun let out a “pfft.”
“Thank you, sorry to bother you.”
With that, Ke Ni quickly hung up.
Jing Sicun hung his head, then suddenly laughed.
Pretty much as expected.
If “keeping her distance” was a mistake, then Ke Ni was basically avoiding him like he was a snake or scorpion.
When did he ever offend her?
A few minutes later, Song Yi staggered out of the bathroom, clutching his pants and leaning weakly against the wall.
He Dan hurried over to help.
Song Yi’s bout of diarrhea was entirely his own fault.
When they bought ice cream, everyone else got one or two scoops, but Song Yi insisted on ordering a cup.
With seven scoops.
And he ate it in this weather, when it had been muggy and overcast for a week straight.
Even when his body hair stood on end from the cold, he couldn’t bear to throw it away.
Song Yi flopped onto the bed and whined to Jing Sicun, “Jing-ge, how did it go with Ke Ni?”
Jing Sicun tossed the phone back to him: “See for yourself.”
Song Yi was dissatisfied with Jing Sicun’s reply and the mere thirty-second voice call: “No, why didn’t you try to sell it a little? What kind of answer is that?”
What Song Yi meant was, Jing Sicun should have taken the chance to promote Zhang Bo’s place.
Great value, unbeatable price, can’t-miss rental—he should’ve said all that.
And he should’ve shown more concern for Ke Ni.
Song Yi was genuinely puzzled: “Didn’t Ke Ni graduate from the Affiliated Experimental High School? She’s probably a local, right? Why would a local need to rent a place? Did her family move away?”
Amid Song Yi’s endless questions, Jing Sicun put on his coat and pulled his baseball cap low over his head: “You seem pretty lively. Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
After getting home, Jing Sicun received a screen recording from Song Yi, saying Ke Ni had pretty much decided to rent the place.
The video showed Song Yi and Ke Ni’s conversation.
They talked quite a bit—the recording lasted nearly a minute, even longer than the voice call.
Jing Sicun put away his phone and smiled to himself.
He didn’t see Ke Huo again until the next morning.
Jing Sicun didn’t have class.
After taking his family member to the hospital for dialysis, it was still early.
Then he got a call for help from He Zhi, so he stopped by the hotel for breakfast with him.
Song Yi and Dai Fanze, both classless slackers, were sleeping like dead pigs.
Only He Zhi hurried out to greet him: “Jing-ge, I’m stuck on this problem—can you take a look?”
Jing Sicun took the tablet from He Zhi.
It looked like a classic gunman problem from Game Theory.
Jing Sicun asked, “You’ve gotten to Nash equilibrium?”
He Dan nodded, “Yeah, finally!”
Jing Sicun glanced at the time in the upper right corner of the screen: “Let’s eat first, you’re about to be late. I’ll write out the solution for you, and you can review it on the way.”
“Thanks, Jing-ge!”
He Dan walked to the room next door.
The door suddenly opened, and Ke Huo came out, carrying a canvas bag.
He Dan greeted her cheerfully: “Ke Ni-jie, good morning! Jing-ge and I are heading downstairs for breakfast, want to join us?”
Jing Sicun saw Ke Ni glance at him quickly, then force a smile: “…Sure.”
Ke Ni’s reaction was more interesting than Nash equilibrium.
Jing Sicun looked away, walking behind them, jotting down the solution steps on his tablet.
He Dan and Ke Ni chatted happily, talking about everything from Song Yi’s stomach troubles to the apartment Ke Ni wanted to rent.
By the time they reached the restaurant, they were still chatting.
“Ke Ni-jie, didn’t sleep well?”
“Not really.”
“You’ve got dark circles.”
“A little.”
He Dan had an early class, so he quickly ate his noodles: “Hey, I didn’t sleep well either. Even after the preliminary round, I’m still excited.”
Jing Sicun glanced at Ke Ni.
After hearing He Zhi’s words, Ke Ni was stunned for a moment, then nodded, clearly just going along with him.
Ke Ni wouldn’t get excited over a preliminary round.
Jing Sicun had seen that for himself at the competition venue.
He Dan finished his noodles, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then suddenly stood up and said goodbye, grabbing the solution Jing Sicun had written out and running off in a hurry.
At the four-person dining table, only Jing Sicun and Ke Ni were left. Ke Ni hadn’t expected this situation at all.
She didn’t have any morning classes, nor did she have a scheduled apartment viewing.
It had been raining since early dawn, a steady drizzle.
Ke Ni had planned to slowly enjoy her breakfast before returning to her room to work on her group project.
On her tray, she still had half a breakfast sausage, a section of boiled corn, some salad, and a whole egg.
While chatting with He Zhi, she’d only finished half her porridge.
She couldn’t just get up and leave now, could she?
Ke Ni hesitated.
She still wasn’t full!
Jing Sicun didn’t seem to be in any rush either—he hadn’t even gotten any food, just sat there with a cup of coffee.
Ke Huo tentatively asked, “You don’t have morning classes?”
“Nope.”
Jing Sicun went to get something to eat.
Ke Huo watched as he easily snagged a few freshly baked rolls.
God! Enough already! Give him! Close that! Window!
Jing Sicun returned with his tray, sat down, and suddenly asked Ke Ni, “Do you want some?”
His question, when spoken, didn’t have any dramatic intonation, but as his words fell, his Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.
Ke Ni stared at Jing Sicun’s moving throat, her eyelids suddenly prickling with a faint, inexplicable heat, as if something in the air had burned her.