Chapter 2: The red mole on her collarbone
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
He Yu had decided to text back truthfully.
The other party had read the text, for the screen indicated they were typing a response. However, they were taking a long time to do so. While waiting for the message, He Yu noticed the person’s profile picture was rather strange. It seemed like a selfie, but there was no face showing, only what looked like a hand placed right below the collarbone could be seen.
He Yu clicked on the picture for a better look.
In the picture, a drop of water slid down a finger, and more drops had scattered across the front of the chest, collarbone, and a slightly raised neck. It looked like there was a mole beneath the left clavicle; however, the lighting wasn’t perfect, and it was half-covered by the hand, so He Yu wasn’t quite sure.
He Yu closed the picture with a click and returned to the chat.
The response that took Ye Xun so long to type had finally been sent, and it contained only two words-
Good night.
He Yu nonchalantly replied: “Good night to you too.”
Then she set her room temperature to 26 degrees Celsius, lifted her covers, and went to sleep.
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The next day.
Due to the rain yesterday, the air this morning was refreshing and colder than usual. Unlike her chaotic university days when she pulled all-nighters, He Yu’s current healthy lifestyle was nice and stable. He Yu had woken up at around 7:30 am and washed her face before going outside to run a lap or two. Then a little after eight, she took a shower, ate breakfast, dabbed on some light makeup, and was out the door by 9.
The path from her neighborhood to the shop was a simple one-way street. The sun had cast shadows through the interlaced branches of the lush trees that lined both sides of the road.
The shop opened at 9:30, but because of the recent hot weather, there were usually little to no customers before noon. Most of the nearby residents were hesitant to travel outside under the hot sun, and the nearby schools were in session at this time, so no students would be out either.
When He Yu arrived at the shop, she first wiped down the bar counter. Then she cleaned the machine and prepared the ingredients she needed in advance. She knew the shop’s busiest time was from noon to three pm, so as the only person working there, she had to make extra preparations.
Around twelve, she received a message telling her the new batch of books had arrived. Seeing how there were no customers, and the location was only a few minutes away, He Yu decided to lock up the shop and went to pick up the books.
The weather at noon was scathing, you could fry an egg on the pavement, and He Yu felt like she was in a sauna. She tried to stay in the shade of the trees, but as she walked back, the heat flushed her face red.
She was only gone for a little while, but there were already quite a few customers waiting outside the entrance. Seeing this, He Yu hurried forward, and she tried to balance the books under one arm as she searched her pockets for the keys.
“Give it to me.”
An arm stretched out from behind her and took the books from her hand. As the other person grabbed the books, their slightly cold hand accidentally brushed against He Yu’s flushed skin.
He Yu glanced back.
It was Ye Xun.
He Yu thanked her and unlocked the door. The shop’s air conditioning soothed her skin as she walked in.
“Should I put the books directly on the shelf or set them down for now?” Ye Xun asked.
“On the bookshelf, please. To the right of the second row.”
Before He Yu could do anything else, the customers behind her had already started ordering, so she hurried to the bar.
Ye Xun lifted the books onto the shelf and then sat at her usual table. She waited until the crowd lessened before walking up to order.
Before Ye Xun could say anything, He Yu said: “Black coffee with no sugar, right?”
Ye Xun nodded.
“No afternoon class today?” He Yu asked as she bent over to grab a bag of coffee beans under the counter, her light gray vest hugging her body’s excellent outline tightly.
“There are no classes for the first week.” Ye Xun replied, tilting her head a bit. From this angle, Ye Xun had a clear view of the other’s soft and dedicated expression as she makes the coffee.
“You could study the materials beforehand.”
“We’ll see.”
He Yu smiled, her dimples appearing as she softly asked, “What grade are you in?”
“University, year three.” Ye Xun looked at her with eyes half-closed.
“Year three is the most tiring one, and there will be an endless amount of coursework.” He Yu said and straightened her body when her eyes carelessly wandered over Ye Xun’s collarbone.
Ah, He Yu thought, so there was a mole there, a dark red one.
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