After adjusting the AC to a comfortable temperature, Yan Shou walked over to the wardrobe, pulled out a simple T-shirt and a pair of shorts, and put them on. Spending the entire afternoon studying at the library had left him thoroughly exhausted. He still had a shift at his part-time job later, so he needed to rush to finish everything on his schedule. Since his main goal was to save as much money as possible, working on these part-time jobs was an absolute necessity. 

Taking a deep breath to steel himself for the rest of the evening, Yan Shou stuffed his keys and his new lunch card in his pocket, before heading out of the room. He walked straight down to the dorm cafeteria, swiped his card for a hot meal, and found a quiet, empty table where he could finally sit down and eat his food in peace. 

After all the chaos in the university cafeteria earlier, all he wanted was some rest. He had barely even finished half his food when his mind began to wander back to today's incidents. Lin XiaoXi’s bright, smiling face flashed vividly in his mind.

Yan Shou’s chest tightened with a sudden wave of sadness at the thought. He lost his appetite completely, he set his chopsticks down and stood up to return his tray. Noticing that he had barely touched his meal, the kind cafeteria staff insisted on packing the leftovers into a container for him to take away.

Once he got back to his dorm room, he placed the food package inside his mini-fridge, walked into the bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed. Closing his eyes, he let exhaustion take over and drifted off to sleep.

——————————————————————————————————

“We have breaking news from the weather bureau. The latest forecast indicates that a massive storm is heading toward the city today. Everyone is strictly advised to stay indoors and secure all windows and doors to ensure your safety.”

The loud voice of a TV news anchor drifted through the quiet room. Yan Shou had just stepped out of his bedroom to grab a glass of water when the sound caught his attention. He paused mid-way, he looked around the living room, but there was currently no one else there.

Someone must have left the TV on by accident, he thought. Shaking his head, Yan Shou began looking around the counters for the remote to turn it off. 

“We interrupt this broadcast for tragic breaking news!” The sudden shift in the anchor's tone made him freeze in his tracks. “It has just been officially confirmed that our nation's top superstar—the idol loved by millions across the country—has been declared dead following a massive collision with a heavy truck. Emergency responders report that he suffered severe, catastrophic blood loss at the accident site, making resuscitation impossible. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and grieving fans.”

The broadcast shifted to footage of a massive funeral, showing crowds of heartbroken fans weeping openly in the rain. Feeling a sudden, sickening knot form in his stomach, Yan Shou walked closer to the screen, his eyes locking onto the framed memorial portrait displayed at the center of the altar.

As the face on the screen became clear, a look of sadness washed over Yan Shou’s face, he slowly muttered a single name under his breath.

“Lin XiaoXi.”

——————————————————————————————————

With a sharp gasp of air, Yan Shou sat bolt upright in bed, waking up from the nightmare. His heart was beating fast against his chest which was heavy with sudden pain. It wasn't just a random dream—it was a vivid, agonizing memory from his past life.

He tried shaking off the lingering memories, he threw off the covers and walked out to the kitchen to pour himself a cold glass of water, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

As he drank the water, he leaned against the counter and looked out the window. In his past life, he hadn't really met Lin XiaoXi until their third year of university. Even though they had been in the same class, they never had any real chance to interact with each other. Their very first interaction only happened when the exam results were posted, and Lin XiaoXi ranked second in the university right behind Yan Shou, who took first place.

Even back then, Lin XiaoXi had smiled at him just as sweetly. Lin XiaoXi was genuinely kind and generous, always ready to step up and help anyone in a moment of need. He was so incredibly talented at singing and dancing that he easily got selected to become an idol, and his debut was an overnight success. With his sweet personality and cute face, he instantly became a household name across the entire country. 

He had millions of devoted fans, and everything was going perfectly—until malicious rumors started circulating around the showbiz industry, and a wave of haters began to relentlessly attack Lin XiaoXi.

There was a rumor that Lin XiaoXi was suffering from a devastating heartbreak at the time. He was already emotionally broken when a group of extreme anti-fans ambushed him. Trying to escape from the anti-fans in the pouring rain, his car's brakes failed, sending him into a horrific collision with a heavy truck.

He died a miserable, lonely death that night. He was trapped inside the crushed car, bleeding out heavily, but not a single person came to help him in time.

Even though they both were not that close back then. Lin XiaoXi had helped Yan Shou many times in university. So now just thinking about the tragedy of his past life made Yan Shou’s heart ache with deep sadness. 

He took a deep breath, put down the glass of water, and went back to his room. He lay back down on the bed, but there was absolutely no trace of sleep left in his eyes this time. His mind was completely stuck on the topic of Lin XiaoXi's past.

He sat up on the edge of the mattress and took a few more deep breaths, forcing his racing thoughts to slow down. After firmly deciding something important in his mind, a sense of calm finally washed over him. Because his body was still thoroughly exhausted from today's hard work, he was able to lie back down and fall asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, waking up early out of habit, he washed up, grabbed his things, and exited the room to leave for the university. 

He walked straight toward the university with a sandwich and a carton of milk in his hand, sipping on his drink as he made his way to class. Upon entering the lecture hall, he took his usual seat in the very front row. He pulled out his notebook and textbooks, and immediately started to review the topics they had studied yesterday. Slowly other students also started to enter class, when Yan Shou glanced at his wrist watch. 

"Wow! You really are hardworking."

Yan Shou didn't even need to look up at the person who was speaking, because the familiar voice arrived alongside a desperate gasp for air. He already knew exactly who it was. Just as the teacher stepped into the room, Lin XiaoXi slumped into the seat beside Yan Shou, huffing and catching his breath. 

"You woke up late," Yan Shou said, finally turning his gaze toward Lin XiaoXi.

The boy nodded enthusiastically, still trying to recover. "You're truly a genius for being this early," Lin XiaoXi teased, nudging him playfully with his elbow as he quickly turned to pull out his books for the lecture. Yan Shou simply shook his head with a quiet smile and turned his attention back to the front of the class.

As the lecture went on, the two of them quietly explained the difficult concepts and questions to each other. Even though it was mostly Lin XiaoXi who was asking for help, he was entirely focused on the material, studying everything eagerly with a focused mind. 

An hour later, the lecture finally finished. The professor distributed a few homework questions to the class before taking his leave. As soon as the teacher stepped out, the room came back to life as everyone gathered their things and started leaving the room. Lin XiaoXi was doing the same, zipping up his bag.

"Do you have any classes right after this?" Yan Shou asked, as he was neatly packing away his own notebooks.

Lin XiaoXi glanced down at his watch and shook his head. "No, not until an hour from now."

"Then let's go grab lunch together," Yan Shou suggested. "I don't have any classes for the next hour either."

Lin XiaoXi’s eyes widened in playful surprise. "Hey! What am I seeing? You're actually inviting me yourself today? Did my actions yesterday finally impress you?" he teased, with a smug grin spreading across his face.

"You’re awfully cocky for someone who was literally fighting for their life two minutes ago. Now come on, let's go." Yan Shou said, rolling his eyes as he walked out of the classroom.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Lin XiaoXi shouted from behind, quickly catching up to his side. "Seriously, what made you change your mind?"

"Nothing much. Let's just get there before the food runs out! The one who gets there first gets the extra chicken nuggets!" Yan Shou yelled back, suddenly breaking into a quick run toward the cafeteria. 

"No way in my life am I letting you have them all to yourself!" Lin XiaoXi laughed, instantly chasing after Yan Shou as they raced happily down the hallway.

Watching the bright, energetic boy running beside him, Yan Shou felt a wave of quiet happiness and determination settle over himself.

'I will help you this time,' Yan Shou promised himself internally.