Zhao Chen stretched his arms as he stepped out of the café, the cool night air hitting his face. His shift had finally ended, and now all he wanted was to return to his dorm and rest. His body ached from standing all day, but he had long since grown used to exhaustion.
As he pulled out his phone to check the time, a notification popped up.
A message. From her.
Xinyi.
He raised an eyebrow. This was new. She had never been the first to reach out before.
"How do you debug a program when you can’t find the mistake?"
Zhao Chen smirked slightly. It was a simple question, yet something about it felt… off. He could have just replied with a straightforward answer, but his instincts told him there was something deeper behind her words.
Still, he played along.
"Try breaking it down. Go through each part carefully until you find where it’s not working."
As he typed, he hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say more. But in the end, he closed his phone and continued walking.
If she really needed help, she’d say it.
At least, that’s what he hoped.
Back at his dorm, as soon as Zhao Chen stepped inside, three familiar voices greeted him.
"Finally back, huh?"
"You’re working yourself to death, man."
"You know, at this rate, you’re never getting a girlfriend."
Zhao Chen rolled his eyes as he tossed his bag onto the chair. His roommates were always like this—loud, teasing, but annoyingly caring.
One of them, Li Jun, grinned and held up a takeout bag. "I got you food. You always forget to eat when you’re busy."
Zhao Chen sighed but accepted it. He was starving, after all. "Thanks."
"Eat after you shower, man," another roommate, Wei Qiang, said. "You smell like coffee and exhaustion."
With a chuckle, Zhao Chen grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower. When he came back, feeling somewhat refreshed, he sat at his desk, unpacking his meal while opening his laptop to start an assignment.
Just as he was about to type, another notification popped up.
Xinyi again.
"Thanks."
Zhao Chen leaned back in his chair, a small smile forming. She had never thanked him for something so small before.
He didn’t reply. Instead, he simply started eating, finally acknowledging how hungry he was.
Tomorrow, he’d finally take a day off from his part-time jobs. A rare thing.
And it was because of her.
The next morning, Zhao Chen was up early, already dressed in casual clothes when one of his friends groggily asked, "Seriously, when do you rest?"
"I can’t waste my youth," Zhao Chen said with a small smile.
His friends exchanged glances, their usual teasing fading for a moment. They, unlike Xinyi, knew why he worked so much.
But they didn’t say anything.
As he left the dorm, Zhao Chen pulled out his phone.
"Be ready. Meet me at the park. I’ll teach you something new."
He didn’t explain further.
Xinyi’s reply was hesitant at first, but eventually, she agreed. She wasn’t used to going out on weekdays, but today was an exception.
She arrived wearing a simple yet cute outfit, carrying her laptop and notebooks. Zhao Chen was already waiting, two drinks on the table in front of him.
She sat down cautiously. He nodded toward the drinks. "Pick one."
She took the left one, sipping it as she began to pull out her laptop.
But before she could, Zhao Chen stood up. "Come with me."
Xinyi blinked. "Where?"
"You’ll see."
Confused but curious, she followed him.
They spent the next few hours visiting different houses.
A real estate agent led them through various options, explaining the details while Xinyi sipped on her drink. Zhao Chen noticed how she kept stealing small glances at the high-tech house filled with smart features.
She was fascinated, even if she didn’t say it out loud.
At the last house, Zhao Chen finally asked, "Which one do you like the most?"
Xinyi pointed at the high-tech house without hesitation. "This one. It’s modern but still affordable."
Zhao Chen nodded and, to her shock, immediately signed the contract.
She stared at him. "You—wait. What are you doing?"
"Buying it," he said casually.
Her brain short-circuited. "Why?!"
Zhao Chen glanced at her. "Because this is how I debug a problem."
Her breath caught.
He knew.
He knew she didn’t want to stay in that house. He knew she was suffocating there.
He knew, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.
Xinyi swallowed hard, gripping the strap of her bag.
But for once, she didn’t argue.
Afterward, he took her to an amusement park.
"Why are we here?" she asked as they walked past bright neon lights and the sound of screaming riders.
"You looked like you needed it," Zhao Chen answered simply.
Xinyi scoffed. "I don’t scream on rides."
But five minutes later, she was gripping the safety bar on the roller coaster, eyes wide as they reached the top.
Zhao Chen glanced at her right before the drop.
The moment the coaster plunged, Xinyi let out a scream so loud it startled even the people behind them.
And for the first time in a long while, she wasn’t thinking about her family.
By the time they got off, she was breathless, slightly dizzy, but—oddly—satisfied.
Zhao Chen just chuckled, watching her.
She was clumsy, bumping into things, nearly dropping her drink at one point. But she was also freer than he had ever seen her.
And every now and then, he found himself glancing at her, studying the way her expression shifted when she thought no one was looking.
She caught him once.
"Stop reading my face," she muttered, scowling.
Zhao Chen smirked. "Can’t help it."
They ended the day at a restaurant.
This time, Xinyi insisted on paying.
Zhao Chen didn’t argue—he could tell she was stubborn about things like this.
They ate in comfortable silence until he casually said, "That house is for you."
Xinyi choked on her food.
Coughing, she swallowed hard and grabbed her drink, staring at him. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"But—" She shook her head, struggling to find the words. "Why?"
Zhao Chen leaned back. "Because I knew what you were really asking last night."
Her fingers tightened around her glass.
"How do you debug a program when you can’t find the mistake?"
She hadn’t just been talking about coding.
She had been asking—how do you fix something when you don’t even know where it’s broken?
"You don’t have to stay in that place," Zhao Chen said, his tone softer now. "You don’t have to endure it."
Xinyi looked down at her plate.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, quietly, she muttered, "I don’t know what to say."
"You don’t have to say anything."
She bit her lip.
Her heart felt heavier than usual—but also, strangely, lighter.
And for once, she didn’t push the feeling away.