As the saying goes, the best way to capture someone’s attention is to first get close to her, then act completely indifferent.
Dai Feng thought to herself that all she needed to do was keep increasing how often she appeared in front of Yan Yu.
Then, at some seemingly casual moment—perhaps a glance back, a brush of shoulders—she would naturally catch Yan Yu’s eye and create the possibility for something more.
“Oh, right, Sister Feng.”
A Yue suddenly remembered something and pulled out her phone from her bag, saying casually, “Since you’re so ‘fond’ of our Art Department’s classes, I happen to have the class schedules for each year. Want one?”
“Yes.”
Before A Yue could even finish speaking, Dai Feng had already cut her off cleanly and held out her palm toward her.
“…Fine.”
A Yue replied, then immediately felt something was off. “Wait, aren’t you being a little too eager?”
“What eager? This is called prioritizing learning efficiency.”
Dai Feng said with a completely unbothered expression, tapping twice on her phone screen and pulling up her payment code. “Send me the schedule. I’ll treat you to bubble tea later—full sugar, extra ice.”
A Yue choked on her sheer audacity, but could only flip through her photo album and send her the screenshot.
The photo showed a dense grid of class arrangements, yet Dai Feng studied it with great interest, her slender fingers swiping across the screen with a focus so intense you’d think she was deciphering commercial secrets.
“Thanks.”
Dai Feng put away her phone, patted A Yue on the shoulder in a good mood, and said, “If the teacher says auditing isn’t allowed later, remember to cover for me.”
A Yue rolled her eyes. “I’m not your assistant.”
The two soon arrived at the teaching building.
Quite a few students were already seated in the classroom.
Dai Feng followed A Yue with practiced ease to seats in the back row, crossing her long legs and taking up space along the aisle side, looking like she was prepared for a long-term siege.
Before class even started, the professor was already on stage droning on about the evolution of artistic movements.
Quite a few students below were nodding off, some chatting and fooling around during the remaining minutes before class.
Dai Feng, however, leaned on her chin, half-listening, while her gaze kept drifting toward the classroom door.
Every time someone pushed the door open, her eyes would instinctively follow, only to dim quickly when she saw who it was, then she’d look away as if nothing had happened, staring blankly at the water bottle on the desk.
A Yue watched all of this and suddenly understood most of what was going on.
This young lady—who normally feared nothing and acted with such flamboyance—was right now like a nervous little girl waiting for her beloved to show up for a date, tense and expectant.
Just as the class bell was about to ring, the back door was pushed open gently again.
A simple black dress, a slender figure, seated in a wheelchair—the one who arrived was none other than Yan Yu.
Dai Feng had been idly fiddling with her watch strap, bored and listless, but the instant she caught sight of that figure, her entire body froze up.
She was practically holding her breath as she watched Yan Yu take her seat, watched her flip open a book page, watched the delicate line of her neck reveal itself when she tilted her head slightly.
The feeling was strange—like a pebble suddenly dropped into a calm lake, ripples spreading outward in circles until they filled her entire heart.
“Hey, Sister Feng.”
A Yue nudged her lightly with her elbow.
Dai Feng snapped back to reality, realizing she’d been staring a little too obviously.
She coughed awkwardly to clear her throat, forcing her gaze away from the front, and fixed her eyes firmly on the blackboard as if it held some ultimate truth.
“Lost in thought?”
A Yue whispered, a hint of teasing in her voice.
“Nonsense.”
Dai Feng flat-out denied it. “I just know that girl from before. I was thinking about whether to say hi.”
A Yue suppressed a laugh and didn’t call her out, just noisily flipping through her textbook.
And then, something neither of them could have expected happened.
A faint creaking sound came from beside them.
Dai Feng looked up instinctively, then widened her eyes in surprise.
The frail girl in the wheelchair she’d been watching just moments ago was now right in front of her.
“Classmate Dai Feng… good morning.”
Yan Yu gave a somewhat pale smile, then braced herself and shifted over, settling into the seat right next to Dai Feng.
The moment she saw Yan Yu, Dai Feng’s brain had completely shut down.
Maintaining her character setting, keeping a cool expression, holding onto her pride as Dai Feng—all of it was thrown out the window in that instant.
Almost reflexively, she scooted over a bit to give Yan Yu more room.
“So, uh, Yan Yu… what a coincidence.”
Yan Yu smiled and sat down.
Today, her somewhat off sister Bai Yan’er had gone to the dance club for what seemed to be a school-arranged performance, so Yan Yu was able to come to class alone—which gave her the perfect opportunity to get close to Dai Feng.
As a qualified actor, she would never miss a single scene.
“Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Yan Yu smiled innocently. “I didn’t expect you to come audit this class either. Miss Dai’s love for art is really quite surprising to me.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Dai Feng’s throat felt tight.
She’d wanted to dress up her passion for art with some impressive vocabulary, but the words all got stuck in her throat, and she could only squeeze out the plainest statement. “I just think art… yeah, art is a good thing.”
Then, as if determined to prove her artistic credentials, Dai Feng continued, “I used to know a great German artist named Al… Al…”
“Albrecht Dürer.”
Yan Yu naturally filled in the name. “The most representative painter and printmaker of the German Renaissance, a master of the Northern Renaissance. He was the one who systematically introduced the perspective, proportion, and knowledge of human anatomy from the Italian Renaissance into Northern European art.”
“Ah, yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly who I meant!”
Dai Feng went along with it, breathing a quiet sigh of relief inside. “Anyway, I really do like art.”
“I can tell.”
Yan Yu looked at her seriously, her gaze sincere. “Miss Dai always dresses with such taste. I figured you must have your own unique insights into art.”
“I’m not that impressive, haha…”
Dai Feng felt a pang of guilt from the compliment, her ears growing warm.
For some reason, whenever she got close to Yan Yu, she’d remember that day in the changing room—the cool, refreshing taste of that mint candy melting on her tongue.
When Yan Yu had handed her that candy back then, something in her heart seemed to be gently bumped, giving her the first taste of day-and-night longing she’d ever felt in her life.
That feeling was wonderful.
Right now, Yan Yu was right beside her, less than four inches away—so close that she could reach out and touch her skin.
Dai Feng felt like she could barely breathe.
She said she was listening to the lecture, but her peripheral vision was uncontrollably drawn to Yan Yu’s profile.
Those gently fluttering eyelashes, that fair and radiant skin—every single detail made her heart flutter.
She couldn’t help but wonder: what wrong wire had gotten crossed in Su Qinghan’s head for her to give up Yan Yu and choose someone like Jiang Muyun, who was obviously not a good person?
If she’d known earlier that Yan Yu was this kind of girl, back when Su Qinghan was looking for Yan Yu as a substitute, she should have rushed over and snatched her away.
Money, influence—she’d never thought she was any worse than Su Qinghan.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs in the world.
The class break bell rang, and Dai Feng finally got to stretch her stiff shoulders.
It suddenly hit her—she had a rare chance to sit right next to her, so using this break to build some closeness was the real priority.
Dai Feng had been around at drinking parties before, so she knew a thing or two about tactics.
She knew the usual way to strike up a conversation with another girl: makeup, skincare, or at worst, celebrity gossip.
So, copying the lines she’d heard before, she turned to Yan Yu, trying to look natural and unaffected.
“By the way, ahem, Yan Yu.”
“Yes? Miss Dai.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask—your skin is so nice. What facial cleanser do you usually use? Could you recommend one to me?”
Yan Yu paused for a brief moment, then looked down with a hint of shyness and said softly, “Well, I can recommend the brand to you, but the one I use is probably different from what Miss Dai uses, isn’t it? After all, you’re a young lady from a wealthy family. The one I usually use… might not suit you.”
She phrased it as tactfully as possible, hoping the other would understand her meaning—at least, in Dai Feng’s eyes, Yan Yu was thoughtfully considering her.
So graceful, so considerate and beautiful.
Dai Feng sighed inwardly once again—Yan Yu really was a good woman.
“Haha, that’s fine. I’m pretty low-maintenance myself. I’ll just use whatever you use. Are rich people not allowed to use the same brand as you?”
Dai Feng put on a hearty, easygoing air.
“Is that so? Then I feel relieved.”
Yan Yu nodded carefully, then lifted her clear eyes. “But Miss Dai, you said my skin is nice—that’s just from looking, right?”
“Oh, yeah, why?”
“What I mean is…”
Yan Yu tilted her head, a faint, elusive smile at the corner of her lips. “Dai Feng, if you want to confirm it for yourself, it’s not like you can’t experience it firsthand.”
“Experience it firsthand?”
Before Dai Feng could even process the weight of those words, Yan Yu had already gently taken her hand and pressed it directly against her own cheek.
Then, Yan Yu guided that hand, softly stroking it across her face.
“Miss Dai, how do you think my moisturizer is working…?”