All the Troublesome Characters I've Romanced Are Back for Me

Chapter 6

After meeting up with his roommates and polishing off dinner, Liu Xuefei suddenly dragged everyone out for a stroll around campus.

Even Lin Zhe marveled at the guy’s inhuman stamina—an entire day of military drills and he still looked fresh.

Ironically, the first to crash was their burly dorm-head, Yang Zhen.

On the way back they found the intersection ahead sealed off by a solid ring of students.

Under the bright streetlights sat amps, cables, and a full drum kit. A couple of confident senior girls were tuning guitars.

Looked like a band.

From the chatter around them they learned the group was called “Back-Alley Cats,” a rock band made up mostly of Lihai University juniors.

Since last year the Cats had blown up across Jiangbei City, and every Hai-U student felt a personal stake in their fame.

Hearing the seniors gush, Lin Zhe muttered, “That good, huh...”

Even Yang Zhen’s eyes lit up.

“Hey, freshmen—good evening! We’re the rock band Back-Alley Cats!”

The intro kicked the crowd into gear; cheers rippled outward.

“First original tonight: ‘Wildfire.’ Hope you like it.”

But Lin Zhe’s brows pinched. Among the silhouettes on stage he’d spotted a familiar one.

Two years had changed her, yet he knew her at a glance.

Tall, stunning, chin-length hair sliced sharp at one side.

A serious, regal face as she tuned her guitar.

A black bomber jacket lent her a cool, cutting edge.

Strings tuned, the girl stepped to center stage—lead vocalist and guitarist.

Long fingers struck the first chord; a tight drum fill and bass line snapped in behind.

Like wildfire, the riff sparked from a single ember to a roaring blaze.

Lin Zhe slipped off his glasses. Inside the crowd he felt tiny flames sway to the beat; everyone was caught.

Four minutes later even he was dazed.

These girls were tight—borderline pro.

And he couldn’t look away from the front woman.

Yunxiao—once the “problem girl” he’d tutored, a year above Zhao Ge—was unrecognizable: polished, luminous.

He remembered driving her to Lihai University to talk her out of quitting school, leaving her a gift and a promise in the South-Campus library.

No idea if she’d ever found it.

Still, seeing her like this—radiant, alive, leading a band—was enough.

As “Wildfire” ended, Yunxiao tilted her head, brushing a stray lock behind one ear, star-bright eyes flashing.

Lin Zhe backed out of the crowd and walked toward the darker dorm blocks, streetlights at his back.

By the time the cheering swelled, Yang Zhen and the others had no clue he was gone.

The impromptu show broke up; bold freshmen in military-training uniforms swarmed forward, asking for the seniors’ contacts.

All were shot down.

Yunxiao cased her guitar and found the band’s captain.

“Ye Zi, I’m skipping tomorrow’s practice... and could you look someone up for me?”

Drummer-captain Ye Zi studied her lead singer—something tender, almost shy, on the girl’s face she’d never seen.

She hooked an arm around Yunxiao’s neck, curiosity sparkling.

“Oho~ Who’s Yunxiao hunting for?”

Yunxiao didn’t dodge; she’d never been good at hiding what mattered.

“A very important person. Without him I’d have dropped out, rotted away somewhere...”

Ye Zi blinked; the softness on Yunxiao’s face was brand-new.

In three years she’d never seen her singer crush on anyone.

Fans and suitors crashed on the breakwater of Yunxiao’s indifference—until now.

“Spill it. Jiangbei’s big, but Lihai University is tiny. I’ll find him.”

Yunxiao smiled, distant and fond.

“Check every freshman guy named ‘Lin Zhe.’”

Ye Zi thumped her shoulder.

“Done. This Lin Zhe—he’s the one?”

When she spoke the name, Ye Zi watched her unflappable front-woman glow like any girl falling in love.

It felt exactly like... falling in love.

Even though I’d never seen her like this before.

“Mm, I just remembered—he left a gift for me, but I kept forgetting about it. I’ll skip band practice tomorrow and go take a look.”

Yunxiao couldn’t understand how she’d managed to forget the memories most precious to her, or the day she and Lin Zhe had visited Lihai University together.

But there was no doubt: Lin Zhe had hidden a gift for her in the library on the South Campus of Lihai University, along with a promise.

The gift was to be given only after she earned admission to Lihai.

And now here she was, standing on that very campus, leading a band of her own. If only Lin Zhe could see it...

She ached to know what look would cross his face if he saw her now.