A social phobic can also fall in love.

Yan Tingmo spent two consecutive days in the hospital, receiving IV drips and undergoing four nebulization treatments. During this time, he ran into quite a few familiar faces.

People from the sports department, the arts department, the digital media department—basically anyone remotely connected to Qi Xing seemed to be swarming the hospital.

He found it odd, but he wasn’t the nosy type. After finishing his treatments, he packed up his things and prepared to leave.

“Senior!”

He kept his head down as he walked toward the second floor.

“Senior Yan!”

The sudden loud shout startled him so much that he nearly tripped over his own feet.

“Senior Yan.” A sunny and handsome boy dashed over from the far end of the hallway. Smiling brightly, he introduced himself, “Senior, my name is Gu Beinan. I’m a freshman. You might not remember me, but we met once in the library.”

“Uh…?” Yan Tingmo was puzzled. “Hello, is there something I can help you with?”

Gu Beinan scratched his head awkwardly. “Not really. I just wanted to get to know you. If you don’t mind, we can head back to school together.”

Faced with someone he didn’t know well, Yan Tingmo became inexplicably nervous and stammered, “I-I-I… we’re not familiar…”

“That’s okay.” Gu Beinan’s laughter was carefree. “We’ll get to know each other better with time.”

Not knowing how to refuse, but also not wanting to be alone with him, Yan Tingmo stammered but couldn’t manage to say anything.

Sensing his unease, Gu Beinan smoothly changed the subject. “Senior, are you in the hospital too?”

Yan Tingmo pursed his lips and thought, Wow, what a genius. You figured that out.

Of course, he didn’t voice his inner thoughts. Instead, he simply replied, “Yes. What about you?”

Gu Beinan walked ahead of him and pressed the elevator button. “Me too. It’s flu season, and I caught it.”

Yan Tingmo nodded fervently in agreement. Absolutely. I’m here because my flu developed into bronchial pneumonia!

Gu Beinan’s open and cheerful demeanor gradually eased his usual social anxiety. In fact, he even found himself envying Gu Beinan—envying his natural ability to connect with people in any situation, his self-confidence, and his fearless approach to life.

He had always admired people who were more outstanding than himself. It was this kind of admiration that had led him to agree to date Qi Xing in the first place. His excellence was something he couldn’t resist; he wanted to be like him—outgoing, poised, and unflappable.

Thinking of him, he realized he hadn’t seen him since their accidental encounter at the bar.

Actually, A University wasn’t that big. If he really wanted to see someone, it wouldn’t be hard. But he had deliberately avoided him, shutting out anything and everything related to him.

Though it had only been two weeks since their breakup, it felt like an eternity.

“Senior?” Gu Beinan’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Do you drink milk tea? It’s on me.”

Snapping out of his reverie, Yan Tingmo hastily refused. “No, thank you.”

“Oh, come on,” Gu Beinan said with a playful grin. “I want to treat you.”

“What’s your favorite? I’ll go order it.”

Feeling awkward, Yan Tingmo glanced at a newly opened shop. What kind of name is “Kafé”? Is this place all about coffee?

“Hm?” Gu Beinan followed his gaze. “Do you prefer coffee? I can get that.”

“No need—” Before he could finish, Gu Beinan had already walked in, leaving him no choice but to follow reluctantly.

“Hi, I’ll have a coconut latte,” he ordered before turning to ask, “Senior, what about you?”

Before Yan Tingmo could reply, his eyes fell on someone familiar behind the counter: Qi Xing. Dressed like a barista, he looked pale but maintained his usual cold expression, glaring at Gu Beinan.

Completely oblivious to the tension, Gu Beinan continued cheerfully, “Senior, what are you thinking about? A latte or an Americano?”

“Hmph.” Qi Xing’s voice was icy. “No lattes left.”

“Huh?” Gu Beinan looked at him, puzzled. “None?”

Qi Xing lifted his chin. “No.”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“You didn’t ask. And I just told you now.”

Unfazed, Gu Beinan said calmly, “Fine, I’ll have an Americano then.”

Qi Xing didn’t respond, but his gaze shifted to Yan Tingmo, who blushed furiously and avoided eye contact.

“Senior?” Gu Beinan called softly. “What about you?”

“I’ll take milk tea,” he replied hurriedly. “Iced.”

Qi Xing punched the order into the screen with deliberate force. “No Americano.”

“Oh?” Gu Beinan raised an eyebrow. “Then make your specialty.”

A dangerous glint flashed in Qi Xing’s eyes. “My specialty is American beatdowns.”

Unfazed, Gu Beinan smirked. “I’ll take one of those, then.”

Their verbal sparring caught the attention of the shop owner, Jiang Xuan, who rushed over to mediate. “Sorry about that,” he apologized to Gu Beinan. “He’s new and still learning. You wanted an Americano, right? We have dark roast and medium roast. Would you like it strong or regular?”

With Jiang Xuan smoothing things over, Gu Beinan ordered a dark roast with extra strength and led Yan Tingmo to an empty table.

Throughout the exchange, Yan Tingmo remained silent, occasionally glancing toward the bar counter.

Behind the counter, Qi Xing was visibly annoyed. He ground the coffee beans with unnecessary force, and his gaze was murderous, as though itching to leap over the counter and pummel Gu Beinan.

Yet, when his eyes inadvertently met Yan Tingmo’s cautious gaze, his demeanor softened. He even started showing off with exaggerated coffee-making techniques, a blatant display of peacock-like flair.

Jiang Xuan watched with a bemused look. “If you always worked like this, I wouldn’t worry about business.”

“Dream on,” Qi Xing retorted.

Jiang Xuan rolled his eyes. “Your mouth is the hardest part of you.”

Annoyed, Qi Xing shooed him away. “Out. Don’t bother me.”

“Hey!” Jiang Xuan laughed in exasperation. “You’re lucky I tolerate you.”

Back at the table, Gu Beinan waved a hand in front of Yan Tingmo’s face. “Senior, what are you looking at?”

Feeling embarrassed, Yan Tingmo avoided the question. It wasn’t polite to space out like that.

“Senior, do you know him?” Gu Beinan asked, glancing toward the counter.

Yan Tingmo deflected. “Aren’t we not that close?”

Gu Beinan was taken aback by the sudden shift in tone. “Sorry, I overstepped.”

Yan Tingmo shook his head and stared down at the tablecloth.

When their drinks were ready, Qi Xing brought them over. He placed them on the table, spared a cold glance at him, and walked away.

The moment Yan Tingmo got his milk tea, he grabbed it and bolted.

“Hey, wait up!” Gu Beinan hurried after him, leaving his coffee behind.

Yan Tingmo quickened his pace and said without turning back, “You don’t need to follow me. My dorm is just ahead.”

Gu Beinan switched tactics. “Then, Senior, could I have your WeChat?”

After scanning his QR code, Yan Tingmo rushed into the dormitory.

Inside, the room was empty; his roommates hadn’t returned from class yet. Sitting at his desk, he stared at the milk tea in his hands.

He rarely drank milk tea, and the few times he had, it was because Qi Xing had bought it for him.

Touching the warm cup, he realized belatedly that the iced milk tea he ordered had somehow become hot. Poking the straw into the cup, he took a sip. It was sweet, hot, and surprisingly fragrant.

When Zhang Miao and Zhou Wen walked in, they found him quietly sipping his milk tea, looking uncharacteristically adorable.

“Smells great,” Zhang Miao joked. “Now I want one too.”

Panicking slightly, Yan Tingmo explained, “It was from a junior. I wasn’t planning to drink it…”

“Oh, relax.” Zhou Wen ruffled his hair. “Don’t mind him. How’s your cold?”

“Much better,” he replied honestly.

“Good.” Zhou Wen touched the cup in his hands. “Smart, drinking it hot.”

Blushing, Yan Tingmo didn’t dare admit it was supposed to be iced.

Feeling guilty for not bringing anything for his roommates, he offered, “Should I treat you guys to milk tea?”

Zhang Miao hesitated, not wanting him to spend money. “Do you even have money left after all this?”

“I do,” Yan Tingmo replied, opening his WeChat wallet.

Zhang Miao sighed. This kid is too honest. He needs to learn to protect himself.

“Listen, Tingmo,” Zhang Miao said. “It’s fine to be generous, but not too generous. Especially with men. If a man asks you to treat him, he’s not worth it. He’s just after your money!”

Dazed, Yan Tingmo nodded and obediently said, “Then I won’t treat them.”

Zhang Miao: “…?” Wait, wasn’t the point to still treat us?