Back in high school, when they shared that rented apartment with a PS4, this was their routine. Even if they got home after ten, they’d still game together for an hour or two before bed—only to spend the next morning’s self-study session and most of the day napping at their desks.
So Shu Yuxin sometimes really couldn’t figure it out. Why the hell, when they were both classroom sleepers, did Jiang Zixuan always rank top few while she barely scraped by? Rich family aside, acing exams too? Totally unfair.
Still, those old grumbles and jealousies had softened into sweet high school memories. If anything stayed unchanged, it was how time vanished the moment they started gaming.
It felt like just a moment—but midnight had already crept in. Sleepiness washed over Shu Yuxin. She let out a lazy yawn and handed the controller to Jiang Zixuan. “You play.”
“Tired?” He checked his phone. Yeah, definitely late.
“A little…” She leaned into the couch and yawned again.
Seeing her drooping eyes, Jiang Zixuan saved and quit the game. “Time for bed.”
Though “bed” was misleading—neither had showered yet.
“You shower first. Hurry up.” He nudged her gently, pulled up a funny video on TV, then yawned too—catching her sleepy vibe.
Shu Yuxin nodded but didn’t move. Lost in thought, she suddenly asked, “Hey… what’s that ‘confession wall’ thing?”
“Confession wall? Yeah. Why? Trying to snag a rich guy?” Jiang Zixuan shot her a sideways glance.
“Do I look *that* bored?” she grumbled. “I heard about a ‘goddess ranking’ on it. Just curious.”
He chuckled. “Oh, that? Basically a campus beauty list. They’ve got a male god ranking too.”
“You make the cut?”
“Me? Nominated. Didn’t land it.”
“Show me!” Sleep forgotten, she scooted close, eyes bright.
Jiang Zixuan checked the time again. “Shower first.”
“Just a peek! Takes two minutes!” She dug in her heels.
“Fine, fine,” he sighed. “Shower first. I’ll hand you my phone after. It’s on an official account—needs registration. Never used it. Kinda a hassle.”
That convinced her. She nodded and dashed to the bedroom for clothes.
Online lore claims girls take forever to shower—sometimes a full hour. Not Shu Yuxin. Then or now, her routine was strictly no-frills: wash, rinse, done. Barely any time passed before she emerged.
Jiang Zixuan was still on the couch, phone in hand, face caught between a smirk and something unreadable.
“Find the goddess ranking?” She sat beside him, peering at the screen.
Then froze.
A clean, resume-style table filled the display. And in the top-right photo—painfully familiar. Herself.
Specifically: squatting roadside in army greens during a sunny military training break, sipping water while zoning out.
The shot was expertly framed—angle, light, composition—all polished with subtle edits. That candid snap now looked like pro art. Even *she*, knowing it was her, almost whispered, “Damn, she’s gorgeous.”
(Luckily, she held it in.)
“Huh. Didn’t peg you for third place,” Jiang Zixuan teased with a glance. “This ranking merges *two* universities. Not bad.”
“No way. I knew nothing about this… Are people *that* bored?” She took the phone, scanning closely.
Name, school, major, dorm, height, weight… even bust-waist-hip stats.
“What the hell—I don’t even *know* my own measurements!” She was stunned. Truth was, she only knew height and weight; her mom handled all clothing shopping. Shu Yuxin’s role? Try things on.
Jiang Zixuan smirked. “Heard during training the confession wall admins are seasoned pros. Claim they can eyeball a girl’s stats at 80–90% accuracy. No clue if true… Wanna test it?”
“You got *nothing* better to do?”
“Kidding.”
Back to the profile: under “Goddess Review,” it read:
*“A flower on a high peak—meant only for distant admiration. An aura of icy aloofness, keeping all at arm’s length. Pursuit difficulty: high. Gentlemen, proceed with caution.”*
“‘Icy aloofness’? Hah. That’s rich,” Jiang Zixuan chuckled.
Shu Yuxin twitched her lips. “Total nonsense. No wonder people kept giving me weird looks.”
Jiang Zixuan paused, then grinned. “Hey… what if they knew the ‘icy goddess’ moved in with a guy right after military training? What’d they think?”
Shu Yuxin kicked him straight off the couch. “GO. SHOWER.”
