Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

As soon as the two stepped out of the haunted house, they saw Zhang Qi rushing towards them with two cups of milk tea in her hand.

"We finally found you! Why didn't you answer the phone? Were you so scared inside that you could barely hold your phone?"

Just as Liu Yunshu was about to speak, Shen Shiyan took the milk tea and shielded her, saying, "The signal inside is bad, I didn't hear you."

He handed the warm bubble tea to Liu Yunshu and added, "She wasn't scared, but I was chased by the 'ghost' for a couple of steps."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qi immediately laughed: "I didn't expect even the academic genius Shen to be afraid of ghosts!"

Liu Yunshu chuckled as she bit her straw, and secretly poked Shen Shiyan's side.

She was clearly being "bullied" by someone in the corner just now, so she didn't have time to be afraid of ghosts.

Shen Shiyan grabbed her mischievous hand and gently squeezed it with his fingertips. He then said softly to Zhang Qi and the others, "I got separated from Yun Shu just now. I wasn't paying attention when I was looking for her, and I was bumped by a prop."

"I see!" Zhang Qi exclaimed in sudden realization, shaking the milk tea in her hand. "Come on, let's go check out the food street up ahead! Shen Xueshen is treating, we have to eat him out of house and home!"

The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the food street, with Liu Yunshu holding Shen Shiyan's hand and walking at the very back.

She bit her milk tea straw, watching the backs of Zhang Qi and the other two playing around in front of her. Then she looked up at Shen Shiyan beside her. He was looking down at her, and the smile in his eyes was sweeter than the milk tea.

"Brother," Liu Yunshu suddenly stopped, tiptoed, and whispered in his ear, "Just now in the corner, you said you liked my antics... is that true?"

Shen Shiyan reached out and pulled her closer to him, away from the passing crowd, his voice as soft as the evening breeze: "As long as it's you, I'll love whatever you do."

He paused, his fingertips lightly touching the red mark on the side of her neck, hidden by her coat. "But you can only make a scene in front of me."

Liu Yunshu's cheeks flushed, and she nodded obediently, reaching out to wrap her arms around his: "I know! I'll only fool around with my brother from now on."

The food street was brightly lit and filled with enticing aromas.

The sizzling sound of the barbecue stall, carrying the aroma of cumin, wafted over. Zhang Qi was the first to stop, pointing at the glistening meat skewers and swallowing hard: "Let's eat the skewers first! I want two cartilage skewers and two chicken wings!"

Shen Shiyan naturally took the almost empty milk tea cup from Liu Yunshu's hand and casually threw it into the trash can next to him.

He pulled her closer to his side, away from the bustling crowd: "What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it."

Liu Yunshu stared at the sizzling meat skewers on the grill, her eyes brightening. Then she glanced at the roasted chestnuts at the stall next to her and couldn't help but tug at Chen Shiyan's sleeve.

"I want beef brisket fat, lamb skewers, and freshly roasted chestnuts! They have to be hot!"

"Okay." Shen Shiyan ruffled her hair, then turned to Zhang Qi and the other two politely and said, "Find a place to wait, and tell me what you want to eat, and I'll buy it all together."

Zhang Qi immediately pulled out her phone and typed rapidly: "I'll add two more skewers of grilled eggplant! Weiwei wants corn, and Su Xiao wants rice cakes!"

Lin Weiwei and Su Xiao smiled and nodded, then found an empty table near the flower bed and sat down.

Shen Shiyan led Liu Yunshu to the barbecue stall, patiently listed all the ingredients, and then specifically instructed the owner: "Her beef brisket is less oily and spicy, so brush it with more honey."

Turning his head, he saw Liu Yunshu staring intently at the roasted chestnut stall, her eyes shining. He ruffled her hair and said, "Wait here for me. I'll go buy some chestnuts and be right back."

Liu Yunshu nodded obediently, watching his back as he walked towards the chestnut stall. Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the cuff of his coat, which still carried the faint scent of cedar.

Before two minutes had passed, Shen Shiyan returned carrying a heavy bag of chestnuts, a peeled chestnut still between his fingers, and offered it to her lips: "I just tried one, it's sweet, you should try it."

Liu Yunshu opened her mouth to catch it, the warm chestnut melting in her mouth, the sweetness seeping into her heart along her throat.

She bit her lip and smiled, reaching out to peel it for him, but he pressed her hand down: "Don't get your hands dirty, I'll do it."

He peeled another one and gently placed it in her palm.

Once the skewers were ready, Shen Shiyan carried the bag of skewers in one hand and led her to the table with the other, not forgetting to slip the warm bag of chestnuts into her other hand.

Seeing this, Zhang Qi teased, "With this kind of pampering from Shen Xue Shen, Yun Shu will soon become a lazy little cat!"

Liu Yunshu, biting into the fragrant, slightly charred brisket, mumbled a retort, "No way! I'll peel chestnuts for my brother too!"

As she spoke, she held up a freshly peeled chestnut and offered it to Shen Shiyan's lips, her eyes sparkling like a little animal seeking praise.

Shen Shiyan smiled and opened his mouth to catch it, gently wiping the sauce off her lips with his fingertips: "Yes, our Yun Shu is the best girl."

The group ate and chatted, the evening breeze carrying the aroma of the food.

Zhang Qi was biting into a grilled eggplant when she suddenly remembered something and nudged Lin Weiwei's arm.

"By the way, isn't Shen, the academic genius, going to play in the department basketball game next week? Yun Shu, are you going to cheer him on?"

Liu Yunshu's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to look at Chen Shiyan: "Brother wants to play basketball? I'll go! I'll also bring you water and a towel!"

Shen Shiyan brushed his fingertips across her lips, which were still covered in frosting, and his smile deepened: "Okay, I'll save you a front-row seat."

After finishing the barbecue skewers, Zhang Qi dragged the others to buy ice cream.

Shen Shiyan was worried that Liu Yunshu's stomach would be upset from eating cold food, so he specially chose a room-temperature yogurt mousse for her, while he asked for a plain ice cream cone for himself.

Liu Yunshu scooped a spoonful of mousse and held it to his lips: "Brother, try it. It's not cold, and it's sweet."

Shen Shiyan opened her mouth to catch it, the sweetness mixed with the warmth of her fingertips, melting on her tongue.

He took a bite of his own ice cream cone and offered it to her: "Try it too, just one bite."

The two shared the ice cream, taking turns eating it, while Zhang Qi watched from the side, shaking her head: "Alright, alright, stop showing off your love! If you keep watching, my ice cream will melt!"

Liu Yunshu smiled and hid behind Shen Shiyan, but he gently ruffled her hair.

Before they knew it, it was quite late, so Shen Shiyan drove them back to their dormitory building.

"You have class tomorrow morning, so be a good girl and get some rest early."

Liu Yunshu clung to the car door, her fingertips still hooked around Chen Shiyan's sleeve, swaying it reluctantly.

"Then brother should also go to bed early and not stay up late to study his thesis."

Shen Shiyan leaned closer, tucking a stray hair behind her ear with his fingertips, his voice as gentle as the evening breeze: "Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll wait for you downstairs tomorrow morning."

Liu Yunshu tiptoed and quickly planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then waved to him, saying, "Goodnight, brother!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the day of the basketball game.

Liu Yunshu was wearing a white tracksuit, holding a bottle of mineral water and a towel, with a support sign at her feet, and she sat in the front row with Zhang Qi and the others.

Her gaze was fixed on Shen Shiyan, who was warming up on the field, and she didn't even miss the way he raised his hand to wipe his sweat.

"Are you engrossed in watching?" Zhang Qi nudged her arm and smiled, gesturing towards the field.

"Shen Xue Shen just glanced this way three times, and each time he locked his gaze precisely on you. He doesn't even notice anyone else."

Liu Yunshu's cheeks flushed, and just as she was about to retort, she saw Shen Shiyan suddenly raise his hand in her direction, making an "OK" gesture with his fingertips.

She instantly smiled, raised her support sign and waved it, even the tips of her ears turned red.

From the very beginning of the competition, Shen Shiyan became the focus of attention.

His dribbling is nimble, his passing is accurate, and even his moves to break through defenses have a youthful energy.

Every time he scored, Liu Yunshu would cheer along with Zhang Qi, their water bottles rattling loudly.

During halftime, Liu Yunshu immediately ran over with water and a towel.

As soon as Shen Shiyan took the water, his teammates teased him, "Hey, Brother Shen, your wife's brought you water!"

Shen Shiyan didn't refute, but just smiled and ruffled Liu Yunshu's hair, took the towel to wipe her sweat, and handed her back the mineral water she had just taken a couple of sips of: "It's a bit cold, don't drink too much."

Liu Yunshu nodded, and seeing the beads of sweat on his forehead, she couldn't help but reach out and wipe them away for him.

The commotion around them grew louder, and she quickly backed away in embarrassment, but Shen Shiyan grabbed her wrist and whispered, "After this is over, I'll take you to that hot pot place you mentioned last time."

Liu Yunshu's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded vigorously: "Okay! I'll wait for you!"

After saying that, she blushed and ran back to her seat. As she sat down, she could still feel the teasing glances from those around her.

The second half was even more intense, but fortunately Shen Shiyan held his ground, and the score remained very close in the last thirty seconds.

Shen Shiyan received the pass from his teammate, moved quickly on his feet, avoided two defenders, and leaped into the air. The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed steadily in the basket!

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, and just then the whistle blew, signaling the end of the match.

Liu Yunshu immediately ran over with the prepared sports drinks. As soon as she reached the edge of the field, Shen Shiyan reached out and pulled her into his arms.

He was still warm from exercising, his sweaty T-shirt clinging to his back, yet he steadily protected her from being bumped by the surging teammates.

Liu Yunshu looked up at him, reached out and wiped the sweat from his neck. "Brother, that dunk was so cool!"

His teammates started making a fuss again, with one patting Shen Shiyan on the shoulder and shouting, "Brother Shen, you won the game and didn't even treat us, but you're showing off your love like this, that's going too far!"

Shen Shiyan smiled and agreed, "Okay, hot pot tonight is on me. You guys can make your own reservations."

He looked down at the little girl in his arms, his voice softening, "Let your roommate come too."

Liu Yunshu's eyes instantly curved into crescents, and she immediately took out her phone to send a message to Zhang Qi, her fingers typing rapidly.

Seeing her serious expression, Shen Shiyan reached out and took the sports drink from her hand, unscrewed the cap, and held it to her lips: "Drink some water first, then you'll meet up with them later."

When Zhang Qi and the other two ran over, they chatted and laughed as they walked towards the hot pot restaurant outside the school.

Shen Shiyan walked naturally beside Liu Yunshu, shielding her from the crowds on the roadside. Occasionally, he would bend down to listen to her share the tense moments of the competition with Zhang Qi, his eyes full of smiles.