Zheng Wei and Ruan Ruan returned from their street stroll as the lights were just starting to come on. Young girls usually have a lot of energy for shopping on weekends, and they were no exception. After a day out, the two of them had a bountiful harvest. The fashionable corridors in Lao Shu Jie (Mouse Street) were full of trendy and affordable clothes and accessories, which was very attractive to these young girls. When they got back, they spread out their spoils all over the bed, trying on each other's things, giving each other feedback on who looked best, and the whole dormitory became lively. Even though most of them later owned more luxurious clothes, when it came to the fun of shopping and dressing up, nothing could compare to this time. Although the new clothes were mostly cheap at that time, what did youth need with taste?

  Zhu Xiaobei pulled out a set of small cherry blossom patterned lingerie that Zheng Weixin had just bought, and burst into laughter. "Weiwei, only you can wear this kind of underwear."

  Zheng Wei snatched it back and made a big show of holding it up in front of her chest, "Doesn't it look great?"

  Li Wei Juan stood in front of the mirror, still wearing Ruan Ruan's new dress. She said, "Cute is cute, but not sexy enough. If your brother saw such a childish pattern, he wouldn't possibly get a nosebleed."

  "What's with you?" Zheng gave her a cold glance.

  Zhu Xiaobei chimed in, "Yes, what are you talking about? Our Xiao Wei is pure and white as snow."

  "Who are you kidding? You've been together for several months now, and still pretending to be innocent. Honestly, tell me, sister, how many bases have you reached?"

  Zheng Wei's eyes widened in shock, "Several stacks?"

  "Don't tell me you don't know, I've wasted so many DVDs on A movies, stop pretending, of course there's hugging and kissing, the question is have you done anything worse?"

  Zheng Wei was taken aback, her face suddenly turned red, but her blush wasn't from shyness, it was from embarrassment. Li Wei Juan didn't mention that she hadn't seriously thought about this issue before, she and Chen Xiao Zheng had been together for a long time, going in and out together every day, but only now did she realize that they hadn't even held hands before, and she hadn't even felt like there was anything wrong with it! It was just a little off.

  "Come on, being evasive isn't your style, is it?"

  "I don't have even one cent." Zheng lowered his head with a faint blush.

  "Impossible things, Chen Xiao Zheng is actually Liu Xiaohui? Green Bud, you're an insider, what do you say, is it possible?"

  "Ah, me?" He Luyao's face turned red as she muttered, "I don't know...but probably not."

  "Look, others have already said that about you, let alone Zheng Wei?" Li Wei Juan had a triumphant expression.

  "I..." Zheng Wei was anxious and didn't know what to say.

  Ruan Ruan coughed lightly and said, "Oh dear, this kind of thing can only be understood but not spoken about, whether it exists or not doesn't need to be mentioned."

  Zheng Wei hastily nodded, "Exactly, exactly."

  But when it came to washing up at night, Zheng Wei saw Ruan Ruan by her side, and suddenly looked around, making sure there were only the two of them before sneaking over, "Hey, Ruan Ruan, I'm asking you, do...do you have something going on with Zhao Shi Yong?"

  Ruan Ruan puckered her mouth and smiled, "What is 'what what'?"

  "Hmm, is it what Liew Juan said today? Do you guys have any intimate interactions?"

  Ruan Ruan nodded slightly.

  "Ah?" Zheng Wei cried out in surprise. Was it that everyone had one, but only she didn't? Only she was abnormal? "When did you all start, at what stage?"

  Ruan Ruan put her finger to her lips, "Shh... let me think, holding hands seemed to happen as soon as we got together, and as for kissing and hugging, I forgot, anyway it was a very natural thing, and it just happened when the time was right."

  "My water hasn't even reached the ditch yet, and we haven't even held hands before. Wouldn't that be very abnormal?" Zheng Wei said with a worried expression.

  Ruan Ruan was slightly surprised, "So that's how it is, I thought you two had at least held hands before, it's a bit strange, but don't take this matter too seriously, maybe Chen Xiao Zheng is just slower to warm up, everyone's situation is different after all."

  "What's wrong, I'm worried that he's not slow to heat up, but rather not hot at all." Zheng Mei crawled onto the bed in a dejected mood, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She had never seriously thought about this issue before, but today Li Wei Juan's words shocked her awake - yes, logically speaking, they were already together, something should have happened by now, right? But now she and Chen Xiao Zheng were close, but only in the sense that they spent more time together than ordinary friends, there was never any intimate behavior - except for him always knocking on her head, she couldn't feel his thoughts on this aspect revealing even a little bit. Ruan Ruan and Zhao Shi Yong had it, even He Luoye had it, why didn't she? She didn't think holding hands was fun, nor did she think that two people kissing was enjoyable, but if the other person was him, shouldn't it feel good?

  It's said that in such matters, the man should be more proactive, but he didn't make a move at all. Is it because she wasn't charming enough? No way! Even her jade-like face and delicate features couldn't move him... Although she had lost some weight, was a bit flat-chested, and lacked a bit of femininity, these weren't enough to justify his indifference, were they?

  Before falling asleep, she asserted that this phenomenon was extremely abnormal!

  The next day, Tian helped Xiaofeilong again! Early in the morning, it was drizzling. Zheng Wei had classes only in the third and fourth periods that afternoon, and Chen Xiao was the same. She held a small flower umbrella under his dormitory waiting for him, and when she saw him coming down, she beckoned to him hastily. Chen Xiao walked over with his umbrella, and Zheng Wei hastened to signal him to put it away. He thought it strange, "Why do two people have to squeeze together?" However, seeing her pouting face insisting, he was afraid of trouble and didn't argue with her either, so he put away his own umbrella and walked to her side.

  "He said, 'Let me take the umbrella.'"

  "She took a look at his hand which was already holding an umbrella, 'No need, no need.'"

  He let out a "tsk" and said, "You're short, holding an umbrella that keeps bumping into my head." Zheng Wei had no choice but to hand over the umbrella to him, on the condition that he help her hold his own. Chen Xiao Zheng looked at her suspiciously, wondering why she was being so proactive all of a sudden.

  Two people sharing an umbrella was really crowded, in order to avoid getting rained on, they had to stick close together. Her hand was right next to his as they walked towards the classroom, her heart constantly whispering, "Hold my hand, hold my hand..." But the arm he used to hold the umbrella was steady and focused on walking, without any other thoughts. Zheng Wei helplessly slipped from behind him to his other side, instantly getting a bit wet from the rain. He quickly switched hands, "Are you sick or something? Why did you run over here, trying to catch a cold?"

  "Don't switch hands, don't switch hands." She said anxiously, seeing that he didn't respond, she forcibly stuffed the umbrella handle back into his left hand. Chen Xiao Zheng thought it was absurd to fight over an umbrella in the rain, but still switched hands as requested, trying not to expose both of them to the rain.

  Fine, now his right hand finally hung beside her left hand, but the teaching building in the yard was also in sight. Zheng Wei bit her teeth and slowly moved her fingers closer to his, just about to touch when his hand suddenly lifted and brushed away a water droplet from his textbook. Zheng Wei got extremely annoyed and directly grabbed his hand beside the textbook.

  Chen Xiao Zheng was startled, "What's going on again?" She didn't say a word, but stubbornly grasped his hand and wouldn't let go. On the road beside them, umbrellas of all colors floated by. Chen Xiao Zheng struggled slightly, but couldn't break free. He fell silent, and finally hesitated before gripping her hand with even greater force than hers. The two walked like this, hands tightly clasped, until they reached the teaching building and had to part ways. As he lowered his umbrella, Zheng Wei giggled, and Chen Xiao Zheng turned away, muttering, "Idiot." She deliberately moved in front of him again to examine his expression closely, and found that the corners of his mouth were also raised. Zheng Wei was overjoyed in her heart, "Chen Xiao Zheng, you're the idiot!"

  As she walked into the classroom, Ruan Ruan saw her holding two umbrellas, with a small patch of wetness on her body, and asked in surprise, "Are you carrying both umbrellas just to play?" Zheng Wei glanced at her own slender hands, thinking to herself, Chen Xiao, see how you can escape my clutches?

  The teacher is right, Chen Xiao Zheng is a good student. Once he grasps something, he will understand it thoroughly and never waste his time again. From the day Zheng Wei grabbed his hand, he also got used to holding her hand tightly whenever she was by his side. A girl's hands are really different from a boy's. Zheng Wei's hands were so slender yet soft, except for the marks on her right middle finger and index finger from constantly holding pens, there wasn't a single callus, her skin was snow white without any blemishes, her fingernails were round and beautifully shaped.

  Chen Xiao Zheng liked to hold Zheng Wei's hand, a pair of hands that had never experienced any hardships or labor. When reading or idle, he would habitually grasp her hand in his palm and fondle it gently. She always scolded him for being strange, having a fetish for holding hands, but she didn't know that every time he held her hand, he asked himself: Chen Xiao Zheng, can you keep this pair of hands forever as delicate as they are today?

  However, before he got the answer, he was already lost in the sweetness she gave him. Her hair was so soft and fine, with a faint scent of shampoo. Her skin was clean and white, and at an angle against the sunlight, you could see the fine downy hairs... When they went to watch the English original sound movie played by the Foreign Language Association in the audio-visual classroom, she had already fallen asleep leaning against the back of the chair when the plot had just passed halfway. When her head inadvertently fell on his shoulder, he held her gently into his arms with a bit of panic, afraid of startling her awake, and the sweet scent immediately rushed into his nostrils. He used to think this was the unique breath of a young girl, but it wasn't until much later that he realized this was Zheng Wei's sweetness, a taste that belonged only to her in the entire world.

  Zheng Wei's twentieth birthday was approaching in a month, and she kept reminding him at an average frequency of once a day, "A Zheng, what will you give me?"

  He always says lightly, "What's the gift, seems like I haven't thought it through."

  On the day of her birthday, both her father and mother sent her a sum of activity fees. With Zhu Xiaobei and others shouting that turning twenty was so meaningful, they had to celebrate grandly. So Zheng Wei invited most of her close friends to have dinner together at a tea restaurant near school on that evening.

  She had always been very popular, and that day the people who came couldn't even fit around a large round table. So they had the owner take away the round table and replace it with many small square tables put together, which was quite lively. The beer had been prepared in advance, and everyone raised their glasses to celebrate her birthday. Amidst the cheers and laughter, Zheng Wei's face turned bright red, but she didn't forget to enthusiastically greet everyone, "Comrades, eat well and drink well!" Almost everyone present were familiar faces, either roommates or classmates from school, as well as Old Zhang's dormitory and the Go club crew. Without her needing to greet them, the atmosphere was naturally lively and chaotic. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, just before cutting the cake, Ruan Ruan whispered in Zheng Wei's ear, "Where is Chen Xiao Zheng from your family? Why hasn't he come yet?"

  Zheng Wei made an effort to wave away her disappointment, "He said he'd help the teachers in our department with something and will come over as soon as it's done." After that, she raised her voice again, "Everyone, don't wait any longer, hurry up and put candles on the cake, I can barely wait!"

  Everyone lit the candles with all hands, and when they sang the birthday song, Chen Xiao Zheng finally rushed over. The moment he pushed open the door, he saw a house full of people, and for a moment, he was taken aback. Zheng Wei hastily greeted him warmly, complaining, "Why are you so late? We've been waiting for you for ages." Chen Xiao Zheng smiled but didn't say anything.

  After blowing out the candles and making a wish, everyone asked about her wishes while presenting gifts. Xu Kaiyang finally presented his intention with a beautifully packaged box. Zheng Wei took it in her hand, "Wow, what is it? It's a bit heavy."

  "Can't you just take it apart and see?" Kaiyang forced a smile.

  Everyone around her urged her to open it on the spot, "Then I really opened it." Zheng Wei was also a curious child, she quickly tore off the packaging paper, and it turned out to be Nokia's new mobile phone.

  At that time, for a student, a mobile phone was such a luxurious gift. Zheng Wei was stunned, "Isn't it too expensive?"

  Kaiyang played with the wrapping paper she had torn off with her hands. "Gifts are all about thought, regardless of their value, they have the same meaning."

  "This..." Zheng Wei secretly took a glance at Chen Xiao Zheng, his face still pale and expressionless, without any visible signs.

  "If you think it's too expensive, then give me something as well." Kaiyang said with a half-joking tone.

  "But I don't know what to give you?" Zheng Wei replied with a silly smile.

  "Hmm..." Kai Yang seemed to have thought for a long time, then suddenly lowered his head and quickly pecked her cheek, "Or I'll just send this instead."

  His bold move, beyond everyone's expectation, suddenly made the surroundings quiet. Everyone looked at Chen Xiaozheng with a poker face, then at Zheng Wei covering her mouth in stunned silence, and finally at Xu Kaiyang lowering his head like a child, not knowing what to say.

  "Xu Gongzi's Western etiquette is quite sufficient, this friendly kiss on the cheek startled us who have never seen the city." Ruan Ruan suddenly burst out laughing.

  "Yes, yes, Zheng Wei, I can also come for a bit." Zhu Xiao Bei hastily added.

  Lao Zhang also had a drooling expression, "A Zheng, I'm also lining up, you don't have any objections, right?"

  Chen Xiao Zheng still smiled and didn't answer, Zheng Wei reacted after a while, laughing and scolding, "Everyone line up to pay."

  Everyone burst out laughing and the awkward atmosphere just now has dissipated a lot. Old Zhang continued to ask, "Weiwei, do we have a second round?"

  Zheng Wei didn't even have time to respond, and Xu Kaiyang said slowly, "Why don't we go sing at the KTV across the street later? It's your birthday, I'll foot the bill...Weiwei, if you have any objections, it means you don't consider me a friend."

  "Hmm...I see." Zheng Wei looked at the excited expressions of most people and said, "Alright then."

  As they finished settling the bill and were walking out of the door, Chen Xiao Zheng said to Zheng Wei, "Sorry about this, I still have some loose ends to tie up for Professor Zhou. Why don't you guys go ahead and have fun? I'll head back first."

  He nodded casually at others and turned around to leave after finishing speaking.

  "Ah Zheng!" Zheng Wei chased after him without thinking, then suddenly remembered something and rushed back, gently shoving the phone along with its box back into Kai Yang's hands. "Kai Yang, thank you, I appreciate the thought but this is too expensive for me to accept. Let's just consider it... a birthday gift from one friend to another."

  Zheng Wei followed Chen Xiao Zheng all the way back to school. "Xiao Zheng, what's wrong?"

  "Not much, didn't I tell you there's something urgent to attend to back home? Why did you follow me over here? Today is your big day, they're all waiting for you." Chen Xiao Zheng said as he walked.

  "Usually when the male lead leaves, the female lead has to chase after him." Zheng said with a smile, but upon seeing that he didn't have a smiling expression, she asked, "Are you angry?"

  Chen Xiao Zheng disagreed, "What's wrong with you? Finding fault in everything and getting angry for no reason?"

  Zheng Wei moved in front of him, "You said it yourself, don't be angry. Where's my gift?"

  He didn't look at her and said after a while, "I've been busy lately, so I forgot about this for the time being. Sorry."

  Zheng Wei stared at him steadily, his eyes revealing no hiding place, "Don't block my way, I really have something to attend to."

  "You deceived me!" she said firmly.

  "Do you believe it or not." He also lost his patience, "I've said it, don't block the way and listen carefully."

  Zheng Wei was no longer polite, his eyebrows inverted, "Take it out, take it out quickly."

  "I don't know what you're talking about." He stretched out his hand and gently pushed her aside.

  Since it was no use talking to him, Zheng Wei simply used action instead of language. She directly stretched her hand into Chen Xiao's trouser pocket and felt around.

  "What's wrong!" Chen Xiao Zheng awkwardly stopped her wandering hands.

  "What are you hiding for? Just take it out obediently!" Zheng Wei used both hands, refusing to give up until she achieved her goal. Before Chen Xiao could get angry, she successfully retrieved her spoils of war.

  She held the small thing in her hand, curiously examining it carefully, and found that it was a wooden carved little dragon. Unlike the traditional majestic and ferocious image of the dragon, this little dragon, although also baring its teeth and claws, had an endearing expression, quite likable, and the craftsmanship was exquisite, with every scale finely carved, absolutely a labor-intensive work.

  "Haha." Zheng Wei swung the little dragon around in a circle, "Really interesting, look at you still trying to deceive me by saying there's no gift."

  Chen Xiao Zheng said somewhat awkwardly, "Don't feel too good about yourself, who says it's a gift for you, I made it myself to play with."

  Zheng Wei said with a sly smile, "If you don't give it to me, then you must want to carry it around every day and think of me whenever you see it. But it's not as lovely as I am, is it? You'd rather look at me every day."

  Chen Xiao Zheng gave her a sideways glance, "Alright alright, if you want it then take it, don't try to get a good deal and still act smart."

  She carefully held Xiaolong in her hand and pulled his hand, "Azheng, I like it very much."

  "Uh-huh."

  "I really, really like it," she emphasized.

  "Alright, can I go now?" he said helplessly.

  Zheng Wei shook her head, "You go ahead, I've had a few beers and my head is spinning. I don't feel like singing either. I'll just take a walk around the school to clear my head."

  He didn't leave, "What time is it now? You're a girl, what are you doing wandering around?"

  "Why don't you walk with me?" Zheng Wei always knew when to strike while the iron was hot.

  Chen Xiao Zheng hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Alright, I'll just keep you company for a bit. Once the wine's effects have dissipated, I'll head back."

  Zheng Wei and Xiao Ji walked aimlessly in the school, nodding their heads from time to time. They strolled around until they arrived at the outdoor basketball court. The two of them stopped under the basketball hoop, the vast court was dimly lit except for a streetlight in the far corner, but fortunately, the moon above was full and its soft light shone down on the cold basketball hoop and the young couple.

  Zheng Wei's eyes scanned the surroundings, and suddenly she exclaimed like she had discovered a new continent, "A Zheng, look, they're all kissing over there!" Her voice was so clear that it almost startled the mandarin ducks hiding in the shadows, causing Chen Xiao Zheng to quickly cover her mouth with his hand, "What are you shouting about? Mind your own business?"

  She gripped his hand tightly and said vaguely, "There's another pair over there, I just find it strange."

  "He said in a low voice, 'What's so strange? Apart from those who come here one by one at night, who doesn't have anything to do?'"

  She suddenly stopped talking. This sudden silence made him inexplicably restless, his hand still half covering her lips, she blinked and suddenly closed her eyes.

  Chen Xiao Zheng's heart was calm and quiet as he gazed at her pure face, for the first time feeling so at a loss. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly under his gaze, then her eyes slowly opened, somewhat dazedly looking back at his exceptionally clear eyes, with a hint of regret and disappointment, murmuring, "Just now I thought you would be the same as them."

  His throat suddenly tightened, and the hand that lingered on her lips gently stroked her face. He had always had an idea to use his hands to pinch this plump cheek, wondering what it was made of, how it could be so crystal clear and fragile. However, when his hand really touched it, it suddenly became as light as a feather. He was afraid that if he applied force, the skin as smooth as water would break.

  She felt a bit embarrassed and her head naturally drooped down. He gently lifted up her chin, "I didn't have that intention just now... but I do now."

  As he continued to kiss her, both of them had the same astonishing thought in their minds for the first time in their lives - that human lips could be so scorching and soft. On the first day of being twenty years old, Zheng Wei's left hand was still tightly grasping her wooden dragon, while her right hand was pressed against the chest of the boy she loved. She felt like she needed to grasp something else, she had to hold onto something tightly, or else too much joy would be lost without a place to settle. Unfortunately, she only had two hands.

  He repeatedly sucked on her lips and then briefly pulled away. "Zheng Wei, can you not grit your teeth?"

  "Oh." She's really an obedient child.

  After a long time, he held her in his arms and they breathed the fresh air together. She whispered almost inaudibly, "You're so bad, how did you know to put your tongue... Who taught you?"

  His chest shook slightly with laughter, "Idiot, that's a man's instinct."

  "Why don't I have such instincts?"

  "You can only be a silly bird flying first, and practice more."

  Zheng Wei's refutation vanished into thin air, and all she could remember was his one sentence: "Why do you have to keep your eyes open?"

  "She said, 'I want to remember tonight's moon.'"

  It was true that the moon was too bright that night, and there wasn't a single star in the sky dyed with wax. The moonlight had smoked the surrounding clouds into a dull yellow.

  That was the brightest moonlight in her life.