Chapter 14 — That girl’s dog
After the second class ended, it was the long break period, with music already playing on the school’s broadcast system.
But the sudden downpour caught everyone off guard. Many students who had just stepped out of the building rushed back inside in a hurry.
The rain wasn’t as heavy as last night, but the gusts of wind lifted the papers straight off the desks.
A student sitting by the window let out a startled cry, quickly got up to shut it, and barely saved the papers from being ruined by the rain.
Meanwhile, the broadcast music urging students to head to the field for exercises was still playing.
The classroom waited in silence for it to stop.
“I bet we won’t have to go out for exercises today,” Xiang Weishi said, eyes fixed on the speaker.
“No kidding. Can’t we all see the rain?” Wen Qi rolled her eyes, unimpressed by his pointless comment.
About half a minute later, the music stopped. That meant no exercises—this half hour was now completely theirs to use freely.
The classroom erupted in cheers.
Qi Zhixin tapped the desk with a pointer and reminded them, “What are you so excited about? You’d be better off using the time to do a few more problems. The monthly exam is next week. And if anyone scores second place again instead of first, you’ll all be staying after class to recite lessons for me.”
With that one sentence, the room fell silent. But as soon as the homeroom teacher left, it took only a few seconds before the noise returned.
Nan Xu opened her notebook of mistakes and started reviewing while absentmindedly touching the phone in her bag.
Her thoughts stalled. She had gone to bed last night still thinking about that unpaid bill. With all the academic pressure, she hadn’t slept well, and now her mind felt hazy.
To make matters worse, the moment she stepped into the classroom that morning, Xiang Weishi’s eyes had been on her, following her every move, even though he sat at his desk.
That look almost made Nan Xu feel as if he had noticed something—maybe even recognized her. She stammered, “What… what are you looking at?”
Xiang Weishi frowned, deep in thought. “Haven’t we met before?”
“This outdated pickup line again? Xiang Weishi, are you still half-asleep?” Wen Qi yawned from the back, unimpressed.
“No, really. I’ve seen someone before, and she looked a lot like you,” Xiang Weishi said.
Nan Xu sat down at her desk, arranging her books. Her mind spun rapidly, though her smile looked stiff. She was calculating—what exactly had Xiang Weishi figured out?
Did he recognize her as the girl from last night? Or had he realized the girl at the bar was her? Or worse, that they were all the same person?
After a few seconds, she decided to go along with Wen Qi’s remark. “Maybe you just haven’t been resting well lately. I’ve been here almost a month already, of course you’ve seen me before.”
But Xiang Weishi knew that wasn’t what he meant. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that Nan Xu looked familiar—though he couldn’t pinpoint why.
Was it because he’d been watching too many videos of his goddess? Was he losing it?
Over the past month, the band’s video account had posted a lot of updates—but none with his goddess.
Their lead singer, Cheng Jia, occasionally did livestreams, and Xiang Weishi clicked in every time, only to find no trace of her. Frustrated, he even messaged Cheng Jia directly, asking when his goddess would appear.
Seeing the top fan’s private message, Cheng Jia dug through thousands of videos on her phone and finally sent him one clip featuring Nan Xu—never before posted.
It was a recording of a song the band planned to perform at an upcoming music festival. Since the top fan asked, Cheng Jia sent it early as a private share.
Overjoyed, Xiang Weishi opened it right away. It was an original song—great lyrics, catchy rhythm. After just a couple listens, he was hooked.
Even better, his goddess wore only a mask this time. He still couldn’t see her face, but the familiar feeling was unmistakable.
That night, he watched the video more than ten times.
So maybe he really hadn’t slept well. Maybe he really was imagining things.
“I must’ve been seeing things. Talking nonsense this early in the morning. Don’t take it to heart, Nan Xu.”
He blinked his big eyes as if to sell the excuse that he’d been dreaming.
“…Alright,” Nan Xu’s stiff smile softened a little. “It’s fine.”
Once again, Xiang Weishi’s voice echoed in her ears.
“This rain’s really something. The weather in Zhi’an changes faster than someone’s mood—last night I got completely drenched.”
As he said that, Xiang Weishi suddenly remembered something. He turned to Xie Hejing. “Hey, by the way, did you talk to that girl?”
Xie Hejing didn’t even lift his head. “No.”
“Didn’t you promise yesterday?” Xiang Weishi sounded anxious.
“…Did I?”
“You—!”
Xiang Weishi frowned, annoyed that Xie Hejing wasn’t keeping his word, especially after he’d been so excited last night, eager to see who managed to win over this jerk.
“What did you two promise? Which girl?” Wen Qi asked.
Xiang Weishi turned to her. “Yesterday, when I was at the food street, I ran into Xie Hejing. He was having dinner with a girl. And—” he chuckled, “he even put his jacket over her shoulders! I figure he’s chasing her. Probably trying to build up some chemistry these past few days.”
Nan Xu’s pen froze. She looked over at Xie Hejing, heat slowly rising in her chest again.
What’s going on with her? Why did that smile he gave her in the car yesterday suddenly pop into her head again?
As expected, the moment he heard that nonsense, Xie Hejing turned around and smacked Xiang Weishi on the back of the head. “Quit talking crap. Cultivating what feelings for your sister!”
Xiang Weishi winked at him again, repeating what he’d said yesterday. “Exactly—your sister.”
Seeing how stubborn he was, Xie Hejing’s brow twitched twice. “Nothing happened.”
“Nothing? Then how come you took her out for noodles and put your jacket on her? You never even let anyone touch your clothes during basketball games. Either you’re chasing her, or there’s something fishy.” Xiang Weishi sounded very sure of himself.
“Nan Xu, you tell me. From a girl’s perspective, am I wrong?”
Dragged into the conversation out of nowhere, Nan Xu blinked nervously and instinctively looked at Xie Hejing.
He only arched an eyebrow, twirling his pen casually.
Nan Xu raised her own brows.
What was that supposed to mean? Was he… curious about her answer too?
Afraid of saying the wrong thing, she hedged, “But isn’t Qiqi a girl too?”
“Eh, her personality’s too blunt. She fights better than me. She’d never get this sort of thing,” Xiang Weishi said.
“Xiang Weishi, you idiot. What do you mean I don’t get it?” Wen Qi slapped her pen on the desk. “It’s obvious—he likes her. Definitely.”
Nan Xu thought Xie Hejing would immediately deny it, but when their eyes met again, the amusement in his gaze only deepened.
What on earth…?
Nan Xu lowered her eyes and carefully offered, “Could it be that he was just being kind? Or maybe… like an older brother caring for his younger sister?”
Xiang Weishi burst out laughing. “Xie Hejing doesn’t have a sister. And if he did, she’d definitely be a girlfriend-sister.”
Nan Xu couldn’t tell if it was his laugh or his words that made her cheeks burn.
Then she heard Xie Hejing say, “Yeah, I don’t have a sister.”
But a girlfriend-sister… not yet.
When Xiang Weishi heard that, he laughed like he’d just won the lottery. “See! I told you he admitted it. Hurry up and bring her over so we can all meet her!”
At the mention of meeting everyone, Nan Xu’s fingers tightened. Her whole body seemed to tense up, and when she shifted her leg nervously, it kicked forward for no reason.
Right into the back of Xie Hejing’s leg.
He glanced over lazily, narrowing his eyes.
Nan Xu’s apology was already on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it down so Xiang Weishi wouldn’t notice her. She only gave a slight shake of her head.
She didn’t want to go to that dinner. It would only make it easier for Xiang Weishi to recognize her.
Xie Hejing stood up, his gaze flicking past Nan Xu as he tossed his pen back onto the desk with a snap. “Admit it, my ass. I’d never do something that vile.”
His mom treated Nan Xu like her own daughter—like his little sister.
Lusting after your own sister? That was nothing short of inhuman.
Whether or not he actually saw her as a sister… that was another matter.
Xiang Weishi widened his eyes in disbelief, scowling. “Fine, don’t admit it now. Let’s make a bet—when you finally do, you’ll be a dog.”
Xie Hejing stopped mid-step, biting the inside of his cheek. “Whose dog?”
Even if you gave Xiang Weishi a hundred lives, he wouldn’t dare say “mine.” Especially with the way Xie Hejing was looking at him right now—it was terrifying.
He swallowed hard. “H-hers. That girl’s dog.”
At that, Xie Hejing let out a low, mocking laugh. “I’ll be waiting for the day I become her dog.”
But that day would never come.
. . . . .
After afternoon classes, Nan Xu didn’t stay behind to do practice problems. Clutching her phone, she pulled up the map to search for the noodle shop from last night.
Thankfully, she still remembered the name.
The shop was fairly busy. She waited by the door until the rush passed before approaching the owner and explaining why she was there.
The owner thought for a moment, then nodded. He remembered her and a boy eating noodles together the night before. “But the boy already paid.”
Already paid?!
Nan Xu was stunned.
“That’s right,” the owner confirmed again.
On the way home, she clenched the money in her hand, her expression full of frustration.
If he’d already paid, why didn’t he tell her? Why let her overthink it all night?
When the Nan family went bankrupt, the memories of people smashing cars, prying open doors, and demanding money had carved themselves deep into Nan Xu’s mind.
So for her, owing money—even just a few yuan—was something that weighed heavily.
She was upset. To be precise, upset with Xie Hejing.
When she opened the door, Xie Hejing was already home right on time. Zhang Huiwan was still at the office, having called to say the two of them should handle dinner themselves.
Xie Hejing, with his usual self-control, shut off his game despite Xiang Weishi yelling in protest on the other end, and went to cook.
By the time Nan Xu came back, the food was already on the table.
“Eat,” he said.
Nan Xu answered softly, “Mm.”
The atmosphere at the table felt off. Normally, when she and Xie Hejing ate together, she would bring up small topics here and there, and he’d occasionally respond.
Tonight, she stayed quiet. And since she didn’t speak, he was even less inclined to.
The silence stretched.
While picking up a potato, Nan Xu sneaked a glance at him.
He’d already put down his chopsticks, tapping away rapidly on his phone, not even noticing anything was wrong.
Nan Xu sniffed quietly, somehow feeling even more annoyed.
Later, after washing up, she lay in bed with the blanket pulled up, but no trace of sleepiness came.
She wanted to confront Xie Hejing and make it clear that he shouldn’t tease her like that again.
At half past eleven, Nan Xu knew there was no way Xie Hejing would already be asleep.
She got out of bed, picked up a small flashlight, and knocked on his door next door.
Xie Hejing was in the middle of working through a problem. The sudden knocking broke his focus. Irritated, he set his pen down and opened the door.
“What?”
The beam of her flashlight lit up half of the second floor, spilling faintly down toward the first floor.
At that very moment, Zhang Huiwan was still awake, packing her luggage for a flight to Chengyu the next day. She suddenly remembered a document she had left on the living room coffee table when she got home. Worried she’d forget it tomorrow, she went to retrieve it, opening the door without a second thought.
Xie Hejing’s senses were sharp, especially when things were so quiet. The moment he heard the sound, he knew it was Zhang Huiwan coming out.
Before Nan Xu could even speak, he grabbed her and pulled her inside.
Zhang Huiwan, meanwhile, was puzzled. When she had first opened the door, she could have sworn she saw a light upstairs. Yet in the span of two seconds, it had vanished.
She stood there for a while, staring at the second floor, but seeing nothing unusual, she finally let go of her suspicion.
Nan Xu, on the other hand, was stunned. In just a few seconds—right after Xie Hejing had barked “What?”—she was yanked inside. She rubbed her wrist, confused about why she’d been dragged in.
“Didn’t you say I wasn’t allowed in your room?”
Xie Hejing almost laughed from sheer annoyance. “So you do remember. Then why are you knocking on my door in the middle of the night?”
Nan Xu’s hand hovered over the doorknob. “Then I’ll say it outside.”
“Outside? My mom’s in the living room right now. You want her to see you sneaking out of my room at midnight?”
His brow furrowed. He should have just shut the door on her. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t his problem.
Zhang Huiwan could be lenient or strict depending on her mood, but if she saw the two of them chatting in the hallway at this hour, she would definitely demand an explanation. Then would come a long, tedious lecture.
For a cultured parent, sometimes the scolding could be even more unbearable than a beating.
That’s why whenever Zhang Huiwan was home, Xie Hejing always returned quietly, careful not to be noticed.
If Nan Xu got caught, she probably wouldn’t be scolded much. Even if she was, it wouldn’t bother her. She was so obedient that Zhang Huiwan might even think he was the one corrupting her.
Not that he cared about the blame—but he couldn’t stand those endless lectures. He wondered if she had seen the light just now. The thought made him click his tongue twice in irritation.
“So? What is it you want?” he asked, hands shoved in his pockets, looking at her.
Nan Xu finally remembered why she was there. “Did you pay for the noodles last night?”
Xie Hejing thought for a second. Such a trivial thing, and she still remembered.
“Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Nan Xu pressed her lips together. “You just let me worry about it all night—did you enjoy that?”
Enjoy it? Not exactly.
It was just that last night, her eyes had been so clear—so clear that he couldn’t help wanting to tease her a little, just to see what emotions would ripple through them.
Realizing what he had just been thinking, Xie Hejing froze for a moment, his expression darkening slightly.
He replied carelessly, “Not bad!”
That only made Nan Xu angrier. Her hand curled into a fist, brows knitted. “Xie Hejing, don’t joke with me like that again. I don’t like it.”
Her hand went back to the doorknob. Guessing that Auntie had probably returned to her bedroom by now, Nan Xu decisively opened the door.
Before leaving, she threw one last line over her shoulder. “Xie Hejing, I’m mad at you.”