That boyish charm is something you can't fake. It's a fleeting quality one possesses only at the perfect age. Perhaps it comes from skin rich in collagen, untouched by the signs of aging, or maybe from the awkward, shy gaze of someone trying hard to appear composed.
It doesn't last for many years. Once that boyish charm fades, it's replaced by coarser stubble and a budding potbelly.
And Chen Yuan was an eighteen-year-old, pure-hearted college student.
When he stepped out of the fitting room, he was the perfect embodiment of that boyish charm.
All eyes were on him, making Chen Yuan a little self-conscious. He looked at his clothes in the mirror.
'There's nothing strange about them, is there?'
"You... you look great," Jiangg Yao said, snapping out of her daze.
"They're alright, I guess. Pretty comfortable."
Watching Chen Yuan in front of the mirror, trying to figure out how many pockets his new clothes had, Jiangg Yao suddenly felt a pang of unhappiness. She knew the sales associates hadn't rushed over to shower him with praise only because they were too busy staring, completely captivated.
She could feel their gazes locked on Chen Yuan.
If even these sales associates, who had seen it all, were looking at him with such admiration, what would happen when he got back to school? What about all those female students who only care about a handsome face?
He would inevitably be hit on, with girls constantly asking for his contact info.
'Chen Yuan was clearly the type who was too shy to say no. What was he going to do when faced with all those dolled-up girls?'
The more Jiangg Yao thought about it, the more anxious she grew, overcome by a wave of insecurity.
However, Chen Yuan clearly hadn't noticed her strange mood. He had promptly gone back to change, paid for the clothes, and only then walked over.
"Why are you just standing here in a daze?"
"It's nothing... Let's go."
The two of them took the elevator to the underground parking garage. Jiangg Yao, who had been in high spirits, hadn't said a word since they left the store. She still looked sullen even after they got in the car.
"Are you in a bad mood?"
"A little."
"Just say it. Don't hold back. It's about me, isn't it?"
Even someone as unobservant as Chen Yuan could see from Jiangg Yao's expression that something was wrong, so he finally asked.
"At school... are there a lot of girls who like you?"
"Some, I guess."
'I knew it,' Jiangg Yao thought.
Her heart leaped into her throat. Honestly, she wasn't very confident in her relationship with Chen Yuan. After all, she was twenty-six, and there was no shortage of young, pretty girls out there. While she was attractive, looks were bound to fade over time.
By the time Chen Yuan finished college, she'd be approaching thirty.
'Wouldn't it be inevitable that he'd leave me!'
She had already decided she wanted to get back together with him, and their relationship was moving in the right direction, but there was always something holding her back.
"So, have you ever thought about dating one of them...? It would be a good choice, actually. Dating someone at the same university must be nice. You could eat together, hang out together."
"Never thought about it." Chen Yuan's answer surprised Jiangg Yao.
"Why not?"
"Because I prefer girls who are a bit more mature. Girls my age are a little childish."
"Exactly!" Jiangg Yao nodded frantically, her eyes lighting up. "Older women are better. Someone older knows how to take care of you. College girls are boring and childish. Chen, you've got good taste."
"Are you worried I'll get too close to other girls at school?"
"Ah... No, of course not. Chen, you're not that shallow. I trust you... So you wouldn't, right?"
"I wouldn't."
Hearing his answer, Jiangg Yao relaxed a little. It was normal to feel a bit possessive in a relationship.
'There's something wrong with me,' she thought. 'I'm not usually this petty. But whenever it comes to Chen Yuan, why do I become so selfish and narrow-minded?'
Jiangg Yao sat in the car with Chen Yuan, her cheeks slightly flushed. She shyly nudged her hand toward his.
Their pinkies touched. The brief, warm contact made them both pull their hands back as if they'd been shocked. After that, she fell silent, lowering her head, lost in thought. A moment later, Chen Yuan, while looking out the window, reached out and took her hand.
The atmosphere suddenly turned intimate.
Chen Yuan had imagined this scene many times: meeting the person he'd been dating online for half a year, then sweetly holding hands and sharing a hug. He wanted to enjoy a quiet, happy time together, just like any other couple.
After Jiangg Yao's humble apology, his anger had long since vanished.
Now, holding her hand was his response.
The truth was, he didn't care if Jiangg Yao was rich, beautiful, or had a great figure... If she was outstanding, that was great. But even if she wasn't, she was still the girlfriend he liked. The feelings he'd invested over the past six months were real.
An online relationship was much simpler than a real-life one.
But Chen Yuan was confident he could make a long-term, real-life relationship work.
He squeezed Jiangg Yao's hand gently to reassure her and said, "Let's go check out that apartment I'm renting. I should be moving out of my current place in a day or two."
"Okay, send me the address. I'll pull up the navigation."
"Fengting Mansion. This should be the location."
"Fengting—" Jiangg Yao repeated the first part of the name and then froze. Her brow furrowed slightly. Staring at the familiar name of the residential complex, she was suddenly at a loss for words.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you sure... that's the complex you're renting in?"
"Yeah."
Receiving his confirmation, Jiangg Yao managed a strained smile.
'How could it be such a coincidence! Chen Yuan was renting an apartment in the same complex as her...'
She quickly gathered her thoughts. Without revealing that she also lived there, she asked in a slightly flustered tone, "I remember rent at Fengting Mansion being pretty expensive. I'm surprised you'd rent a place there."
"I'm not the one renting it. My dad insisted I move out and live on my own."
"So which building is it?"
"Building 33, apartment 1302."
"Huh?"
Jiangg Yao's eyes widened in disbelief. Her mind went blank; she was completely stunned!
'It wasn't just the same complex—the building and apartment number was almost identical to where she and her sister lived!'
'She lived in 1301, and 1302 was right across the hall!'
How could it be *this* much of a coincidence?! The corner of Jiangg Yao's mouth twitched. She turned her face away, her expression absolutely ghastly.
'With him living so close, it's only a matter of time before Chen Yuan finds out about her and her twin sister, Jiangg Ning!'
'How would she explain it then?'
'What do I do??? What do I do???'
Her brain felt like it was short-circuiting. Forcing herself to appear calm, she said, "I've heard of that complex. It's very nice. Let's head over and take a look."
Chen Yuan thought Jiangg Yao was acting a bit strange, but he didn't dwell on it.
'She's probably just surprised because the complex is so expensive,' he thought. 'She must be wondering how a poor student like me can afford to rent a place there.'
How could he possibly guess that his new next-door neighbors, living right across the hall, would be the twin sisters, Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao?
"Then let's go."
As she spoke, Jiangg Yao started the car's engine. She prayed frantically to herself, 'Please, please, please don't let my sister decide to take out the trash or something while we're there! If we happen to run into her... the scene would be too absurd to even imagine.'
On one hand, she was hiding from her sister that she was secretly getting back together with Chen Yuan.
On the other hand, she was hiding the whole twin-sister-online-dating situation from Chen Yuan.
If either secret was exposed, she would be utterly doomed.
At that moment, Jiangg Yao felt like she was being attacked from both sides, caught in a pincer grip. A sense of panicked anxiety washed over her. Stuck at a particularly long red light, she wanted to scream and cry—because the light for a left turn always took the longest!