22. Soul extraction, carrying away both romance and extremity.

This was Bai Haonan’s slyness—he relished applying his cleverness to these small, inconspicuous matters, and he did it with great satisfaction. What he wanted was to leave no trace, to ensure that no one could possibly connect the missing ID card to him; that was true skill.

Sure enough, none of the college students noticed this was a plot days in the making. They simply laughed and teased their friends, mocked the poor injured soul, cursed the friend who ran the internet café, and righteously demanded that he buy everyone lunch at the specialty canteen.

The internet café owner, who was actually a rich kid and also a student, readily agreed to treat them all. The group made their way to the canteen, and it wasn’t until they’d sat down that Wang Jianguo suddenly remembered he might have left his ID card somewhere. The rich kid called the manager on duty to look for it, but it was nowhere to be found. Wang Jianguo didn’t care to pursue it further; for most people, an ID card wasn’t that important—if you lost it, just get a replacement. It certainly wasn’t worth missing out on a free meal.

However, things diverged slightly from Bai Haonan’s careful plans. Just as the rowdy group of young men had settled into the relatively expensive canteen, Qiao Yingna entered with a few girls, carrying her lunchbox. Just as the boys would nudge each other and gesture toward a beautiful girl, the girls would do the same with a handsome guy. These girls had all seen Bai Haonan that morning, so Qiao Yingna was compelled to look directly at their table. Naturally, with the boys making such a commotion, anyone entering the small canteen would notice them.

Bai Haonan had never experienced this kind of campus youth before; he simply found it novel. Eating in the school canteen seemed like a great opportunity to admire pretty girls. But after a few tries, he realized his tastes were more worldly; the pure, innocent student girls and girl-next-door types did nothing for him. Now, seeing Qiao Yingna enter in a gray dress, he couldn’t help but smile, feeling particularly pleased with himself after finally getting his hands on the coveted ID card, and with plans to explore a new career that evening. His mood couldn’t have been better.

All around him, the college boys gestured and winked at him: “She’s a senior from the performance department, a real star—so proud! Pretty, right? It’s her aura, her figure, and most of all, her voice!” The last three words carried a special implication.

Bai Haonan was quietly delighted. “Hmm... not bad.”

Qiao Yingna, poised as ever, paused to tuck her hair behind her ear and walked over with composure. “Are these your new friends?” she asked.

The boys immediately parted like a lotus pod, seating Bai Haonan at the center, and all drawled in unison, “Oh... Haoge, you really kept this under wraps...”

There is always a difference in how men and women handle these situations. Female friends swarm around, eager for every juicy detail, faces alight with the excitement of a reporter on the hunt. Male friends, on the other hand, care only for two questions: Is she pretty? Have you slept with her? Everything else is a blessing.

Wang Jianguo even went above and beyond: “Senior! So that’s why he asked me to check the talent show schedule—he was arranging it for you!”

A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Qiao Yingna’s face, though her words were less than kind: “Don’t believe him—he’s always up to some sneaky trick!”

Though her tone was disdainful, it was laced with a familiar sense of possessiveness.

And such is the richness of the Chinese language—“tricking” can mean deception, but in this context, everyone understood it as “making a girl happy.” The girls joined in, drawing out their words: “Oh, sweet talker...”

Bai Haonan’s words really were sweet, and he did know how to charm: “Qiaozi thinks I’m hopeless, doesn’t let me say it out loud. Come, come, sit down and eat with us—she’s treating!”

Most of the boys were sophomores or juniors, with even a freshman among them, and they eagerly made space for the seniors. The senior girls, all well-dressed and elegant in their own right, were not opposed to enjoying the company of younger men. They laughed as they took their seats. Of course, Qiao Yingna could only sit next to the seat vacated by Bai Haonan, so for the entire meal, everyone took turns watching the “couple” interact. Qiao Yingna didn’t disappoint, feeding Bai Haonan with a small spoon, drawing a chorus of cheers and curious glances from the other tables.

Bai Haonan was simply enjoying the student experience—he found it all rather affected.

After the meal, filled with laughter and banter, everyone tactfully left the two of them alone. Even Qiao Yingna’s lunchbox was taken away by her girlfriends, leaving her to stroll with Bai Haonan, hands clasped behind her back, as they digested their meal. “Well, this is campus romance for you. Feels a bit like playing house, doesn’t it? A little childish, maybe?”

Bai Haonan was blunt: “I don’t get it. Feels kind of silly. Everyone pretending not to understand, but no one’s really inexperienced. Yet you all have to act like you are.”

Qiao Yingna frowned at his coarseness. “Can’t you be a little more pleasant when you talk? I wanted to say that earlier!”

Bai Haonan was surprised. “Chen Sufen likes to boss me around—after all, we grew up together, and her father’s my master. But what gives you the right to boss me? Just because we’ve slept together?”

Qiao Yingna considered, then admitted, “You’re right; it’s none of my business. I can’t see through things the way you do. I only pretend to. Honestly, apart from that freshman and sophomore ex-boyfriend, I’m nowhere near as experienced as you.”

Bai Haonan wasn’t much of a conversationalist. “Alright, I need to go hang out with them some more. We’re playing ball this afternoon. See you tonight!”

As they walked beneath a towering academic building—a structure with two or three floors and an open atrium—they were shielded from the harsh sun, with a breeze sweeping through. Qiao Yingna’s hair fluttered in the wind. If there were a photographer present, they could have captured a beautiful silhouette: the girl with her luxuriant hair, and the tall, rugged, strong young man. Qiao Yingna felt exactly that as she looked up at him, hands still behind her back. “Were you really asking about the talent show schedule for me?”

Bai Haonan smiled mysteriously, pulling the ID card from his back jeans pocket and waving it. “Didn’t you notice that kid looks a bit like me? I got him to take out his ID so I could steal it.”

Qiao Yingna was clearly charmed. Women can’t resist a little roguishness, and playing mysterious is always a foolproof way to attract them. Bai Haonan’s actions, highlighting his life on the run, touched something in this medical student who was always striving to break free from conventional boundaries. Her pink lips parted as she unconsciously licked them—perhaps a subconscious gesture, or perhaps a signal.

Fortunately, Bai Haonan understood perfectly. He leaned down and kissed her. This kiss was far sweeter than their hurried encounter that morning, especially given their twenty-centimeter height difference. As Bai Haonan reached for her neck, he instinctively bent his knees, forming a perfect composition with the girl on tiptoe. It was a pity there was no photographer to capture this beautiful moment from the side.

But Bai Haonan, ever the master, broke the kiss first. “Did you have shredded pork with garlic sauce for lunch?”

Any other girl might have been indignant, but this unexpected move made Qiao Yingna’s eyes sparkle as she answered with a question of her own, “Why do you call me Qiaozi?”

Bai Haonan kept up the teasing. “I used to know a girl called Qiaozi, but now I think it suits you better. I can’t even remember what she looked like.”

Qiao Yingna stared at him for a few seconds. “I give up. I’m no match for you when it comes to this.”

It was the second time she had said that today, but the meaning was entirely different.