It may sound a bit superficial to say this, but it's an undeniable fact that for most people, the first thing they notice about someone is their appearance. If a guy is handsome and has fair skin, he's bound to get more attention than others when people first meet him.

As they get to know him, if they discover he's an outrageous, disrespectful, and petty person, then no one will like him, no matter how good-looking he is. But what if they discover even more good qualities after getting to know him? Then the initial fondness will only grow stronger.

Conversely, if a guy doesn't have looks on his side but is kind-hearted and a diligent worker, he's sure to eventually win a place in a girl's heart that surpasses others.

Chen Yuan was well-known at Lanjing University. There were girls who would "accidentally" bump into him on campus or have "chance encounters" with him on the tree-lined avenues after class. Gradually, the word spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

This gave the girls in his own class a peculiar feeling—as if their own private treasure was being shared with the world.

It sounded outrageous and was awkward to even talk about, but it was their true feeling. Although Chen Yuan didn't belong to any of them, shouldn't they at least get the first pick, being so close to him?

There were even quite a few girls who, despite having boyfriends, still kept their eyes on Chen Yuan.

Li Bing's best friend, Wu Lanlan, had bravely chosen to confess her feelings. The result was, of course, heartbreaking, but she wasn't too down about it. If Chen Yuan had agreed, she would have scored a super-handsome boyfriend. If he didn't, she lost nothing. Besides, confessing to Chen Yuan was nothing to be ashamed of.

A consensus had formed among the girls in the class: Chen Yuan didn't just have the looks, he also had an excellent character. He wasn't a player, and he had no annoying traits whatsoever. If you could get him as a boyfriend, just the envious gazes from others would be enough to keep you happy for all of university.

Li Bing, however, wasn't that superficial.

To be precise, she looked beyond just appearances and paid attention to many inner qualities.

At first, she, too, just saw Chen Yuan as eye candy. But after a few interactions, a strange feeling had already started to bubble up inside her.

Because of her family's poor financial situation, she had no plans to date for the next few years. After getting to know Chen Yuan through Wei Zhen, she was astonished to discover that people like him actually existed—from a good family, with a good upbringing, and handsome to boot.

Wasn't he a total winner at life? Compared to her, it was like he lived in another world entirely.

Into a life that felt like one long, dark night, a ray of light had suddenly shone through.

From Li Bing's perspective, she didn't dare to wish for anything more. As long as she could watch him quietly from the side, hoping that one day she too could become such a dazzling person, she would feel a little more at ease.

No one else knew what she was thinking. Wei Zhen went to great lengths to organize this get-together, and Quan Yafeng was trotting along gleefully, but who would have guessed that Li Bing didn't care about Quan Yafeng at all? All her attention was on Chen Yuan.

Sometimes, love was just that crazy. One wonders what Quan Yafeng would feel if he found out someday.

In any case, all the preparations for the picnic were made; all that was missing were the guests.

Following the shared location on his phone's Green Bubble app, Chen Yuan made a series of turns and arrived outside a shopping mall west of the high-speed rail station. From a distance, he spotted a bus stop sign where many students were waiting to return to campus. The location showed that Liu Nan was among them.

So, he drove the car over.

Wei Zhen stuck his head out, searching for his good buddy among the crowd of faces.

"Hey, hey, hey, I see him!"

"Where?"

"The one with the center-parted hair. Yeah, that's him."

Chen Yuan focused his gaze. Liu Nan had his back to them, a black backpack in his left hand and a vape in his right, puffing out clouds of smoke. Quan Yafeng stood beside him, his muscular build impossible to hide even under a down jacket. He looked clean-faced; he must have shaved and trimmed his eyebrows.

He still had the same buzz cut, but now there was a line shaved into the side of his hair.

They hadn't seen each other in a month, and both had changed in subtle ways.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP—"

Chen Yuan honked the horn a few times.

Many university students looked over, including the two friends.

Wei Zhen pushed the door open, got out, and yelled to them, "Where are your suitcases? Let's stuff them in the back first, see if they fit."

Liu Nan's face instantly lit up in a grin. This little Mercedes was so impressive. He puffed out his chest, took a suave drag from his vape, and looked extremely punchable.

"I've got the suitcases. What are you standing there for? Give me a hand, will ya?"

"Alright, alright, Second Young Master."

"Did our third brother really drive his family's Mercedes over? I thought Wei Zhen was just bullshitting us..." Quan Yafeng muttered quietly to Liu Nan.

"Damn, if only my dad would let me drive his crappy Passat. Chen Yuan's dad is so cool."

After noisily stowing all the luggage, there was still one backpack left, which Liu Nan decided to hold himself.

"Let's get this straight, I'm sitting in the front passenger seat," Wei Zhen declared.

"Who's gonna fight you for it? Whether you're the boss or the young master, you sit in the back. The front is for the secretary or the driver. I wouldn't sit there even if you asked me to."

Liu Nan yanked open the rear passenger door, while Quan Yafeng opened the one on the other side.

As luck would have it.

Li Bing was sitting on the side where Yafeng had just pulled open the door.

It was impossible to describe his dumbfounded state. The moment he opened the door, the expression on his face froze. He had been laughing and joking with Liu Nan just a second before, but the instant he saw Li Bing, his pupils contracted, and he stood there, completely stunned.

Quan Yafeng knew Li Bing was coming, but he didn't know she had a part-time job with Wei Zhen, so he naturally hadn't expected her to already be in the car.

Many people have experienced that nervous feeling of bumping into their crush at school.

It's as if your limbs suddenly don't feel like your own, and your brain goes numb. For a moment, you're at a complete loss, not knowing what to do, resorting to touching your nose or coughing to look away.

That was exactly Quan Yafeng's state right now.

If he were hooked up to a heart rate monitor, his pulse would have definitely shot past one hundred fifty, thumping violently.

And when Li Bing glanced at him, Quan Yafeng's entire body tensed up.

Liu Nan found it rather amusing and shot him a look.

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

"..."

"Hey, Li Tongxue, looks like the three of us will have to squeeze into this back seat. Yafeng, don't just stand there like a statue. We can't have the lady sit in the middle, can we!?"

"Right, we can't..."

"Why don't you come over to my side? I'll sit in the middle, save you from standing there like a wooden post."

One had to admit, Liu Nan had some social intelligence. He had quickly saved his friend from the awkward situation.

Quan Yafeng hurried around to the other side. With all three of his roommates' eyes on him, the situation felt so awkward he could barely stand it.

"Why didn't you... tell me Li Tongxue was already in the car," Quan Yafeng whispered hastily to Wei Zhen, his voice low.

"What's the big deal? Just treat her like a regular classmate having a meal together. Act natural."

"Ahem, I know. Act natural."

Liu Nan was already settled in the middle, clutching his backpack. He didn't feel awkward at all sitting next to Li Tongxue.

He turned his head and even offered a grinning compliment, "Li Tongxue, you're dressed really nicely today."

Li Bing gave a shy smile, looking like she wanted to say something, but the words lingered on her lips.

Quan Yafeng envied Liu Nan's relaxed state. He steeled himself and sat down, feeling as if the air in the car had frozen. Beads of cold sweat trickled down from his temples.