A/N: The Chinese character "王", which is pronounced as "wang" and means "king", is the first character in the Chinese phrase for "prince" (王子, which is pronounced as "wangzi" and literally translates to "son of a king"). "Wang" can also be a surname.

A week after a fun Spring Festival, classes began to start up again at the university. Although Wang Zi and I were both majoring in business management, aside from a couple courses, our schedules were different. Chen Feng's schedule, of course, was completely different from ours. Because of our various schedules, we decided to meet up every few days to have lunch together. However when the time came for our first lunch meet, we realized how busy our new schedules were.

In one of the university's many dining halls, Chen Feng and I sat down at a table with our lunches. He slurped his noodles and I quietly ate my food as we waited for Wang Zi to arrive. Chen Feng wiped his mouth and asked, "So, how was your Spring Festival? Did you end up celebrating it alone like before?"

"No, I spent it with someone," I quietly replied.

Chen Feng seemed to be overcome with excitement and eagerly asked, "Really? Who?"

Scenes from Wang Zi's apartment appeared in my mind. Remembering the fun I had that day, I shyly smiled and answered, "Sheng Yi."

"Of course, of course!" Chen Feng commented as he leaned back on his chair. He teasingly smiled and added, "You two must have had a great time."

I glared at him and continued eating. He chuckled and took another bite of his noodles. He then took his phone out of his pocket and began looking through it. He let out a groan, and I peered at him with a concerned look. He made a pitiful face and said, "I'm going to be overloaded with work this semester. We're supposed to be graduating. Why aren't we allowed to relax?!"

I sighed. I had almost forgotten that we were seniors in our last semester of university. In a few months, I will be leaving my university life and carefreeness and entering the world of true adult life and responsibility. I will be leaving Hangzhou and returning to Taipei. I will be leaving my classmates and friends, including Chen Feng, including...

Suddenly, Chen Feng snapped his fingers, knocking me back to reality. He grinned and said, "Let's forget about that sad stuff for now and just think about the present! Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days. Do you and Sheng Yi have anything special planned?"

Valentine's Day, a day for couples to celebrate their love for each other. But Wang Zi and I... Do we count as a couple?

I looked down at my food. I heard Chen Feng chuckle and say, "Sheng Yi must be planning something really romantic for you, don't you think?"

"I... I don't know," I muttered.

We heard the sound of footsteps nearing our table, so we looked in its direction. Wang Zi had finally arrived with his lunch. He gave a small smile to us and directed his attention toward me. My mind seemed to go blank and I scrambled to find the proper response. I settled on an awkward smile and waved at him. He placed his lunch on the table and took the seat next to mine.

Chen Feng glanced at me and then said to Wang Zi, "Sheng Yi, we were just talking about you."

"Really?" Wang Zi asked. He leaned a little closer to me and, with a teasing inquisitive look, asked, "What did you guys say about me?"

Flustered by his closeness, I bit my lip and looked at my food. I tried to stay as calm as I could, but I could feel my face starting to turn red.

"Valentine's Day is coming up, so I was asking about what you had planned for you two," answered Chen Feng.

Wang Zi smirked as he placed his arm to rest on the back of my chair. He said, "I think that's between my girlfriend and me." He watched Chen Feng roll his eyes and added, "I think you should be thinking about your plans for that day since you'll be spending it alone."

A defeated Chen Feng grasped his own chest and made a pained expression. "Why do you hurt me like this?" He looked at me and complained, "Do you see how your boyfriend hurts me?"

I chuckled and said, "You brought this upon yourself."

Unsatisfied with my answer, Chen Feng said, "I can't help it if girls are too shy to approach such a handsome, single man like me." He didn't seem to notice me scoffing and continued. "Sheng Yi, can you help me and be my wingman?"

I took another bite of my food and looked at Wang Zi in my peripheral vision, waiting for him to respond to Chen Feng's request. I felt Wang Zi's arm around me, and I watched as his face moved closer to mine and lightly brushed my cheek. I could smell the slight scent of peppermint as he replied, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in chatting up girls other than my girlfriend."

Chen Feng then fell back onto his chair as if he had been hit with a heavy blow.

I quickly stole a glance at Wang Zi, wondering what was going on in that smart brain of his. Yes, we're posing as a couple, but is he getting way too into it? Or is his acting just too convincing? But no matter what it was, I knew that I felt warm inside hearing his words. Maybe, just maybe, I was enjoying this game of ours.

Chen Feng was right when he said that even us graduating seniors weren't getting a break. One of my professors had assigned a large presentation project that was due in a month, so I went to the library to meet with my partner on the project to brainstorm. My partner was a classmate named Li Xiang, an intelligent, reserved, and respected fellow business management student. Despite his passive demeanor, he showed signs of a natural leader and was able to organize both of our ideas into a cohesive design. He was basically the perfect partner for any group assignment, a kind of partner one could always rely on and work well with. I silently prayed my thanks for getting assigned to work with him.

As we worked and discussed, I noticed that other girls in the library were stealing glances at him. I examined Li Xiang. He was tall, slim, and had short black hair. He wore thin glasses that seemed to add a dignified and scholarly air to him. He was a man that many girls would fall for. I fiddled with my pen and thought about Wang Zi, wondering how the two compared. If all the girls in the university had to choose between the two of them, who would get the most votes? Who would I vote for?

"Ying Jie."

I gave an awkward smile and apologized, "I'm sorry for zoning out just now."

"No problem," Li Xiang said. He peered at my notebook and added, "Did you happen to zone out about our project? Hopefully, Professor Wang will like it."

Confused, I looked down. I realized that I had written "wang" (王) in my notebook as I was zoning out. I hurriedly scribbled it out with my pen and said, "Yeah, hopefully he likes it."

Li Xiang typed on his laptop as I looked at a reference book and wrote down notes. We worked quietly, and this continued for some time. Although we were busy doing research for our presentation, the silence felt unbearable, so I decided to break it.

"Uh, Li Xiang, I don't know if you noticed, but the girls in here keep looking at you."

While still typing, he replied, "I didn't notice."

Then there was silence, awkward silence. I cursed under my breath for using such a terrible icebreaker. I turned my attention back to the reference book and worked on my notes.

"But," Li Xiang said, "even if I did notice, I would ignore them. I like someone else."

I looked at him and commented with a sincere smile, "Oh. She must be so happy."

He turned to my direction and our eyes met. He let out a small smile and said, "I hope so."

As we continued with our work, I strangely felt a piercing gaze from afar. I searched around me for the source of the gaze, but to no avail. I brushed it off as just a figment of my imagination, but there was some slight uneasiness in me.

After about two hours in the library, Li Xiang and I decided to work on the presentation project again later. We said our goodbyes and parted. As I walked down the steps in front of the library entrance, I heard Li Xiang call my name. I stopped and turned to see him approaching. He said, "You forgot something," and he held out my pen.

"I'm always forgetting and leaving stuff. Thanks," I said as I took my pen from his hand and placed it in my bag.

"Where are you headed now? I can walk you there."

"I'm heading to the bus stop, but it's fine. I can get there myself. Thanks though," I kindly refused.

"Okay. See you in class."

I took a few steps backwards and waved goodbye to him. As I was about to turn around, I then heard a loud BEEP! and Li Xiang shouting, "Watch out!" I suddenly felt a hand grab my arm, and I closed my eyes as I was pulled into an embrace. A few seconds passed, and I opened my eyes to see the person holding me.

"Wang Zi?"

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

Admittedly, I was still in a bit of shock, but I muttered, "I'm fine," and I left his embrace.

Li Xiang came up to me and grasped my arm. Worried, he quickly examined me and asked, "Are you okay?"

I smiled reassuringly and said, "I'm fine."

"That's good," Li Xiang said with a sigh of relief. He added, "These people with electric scooters need to be more careful."

I looked down at my arm, which Li Xiang was still holding. He let go and apologized, but I shook my head and smiled in response. I then felt an arm around my shoulder and looked at Wang Zi. He looked back at me and turned his gaze toward Li Xiang. Sensing his curiosity, I said, "This is Li Xiang, a classmate of mine. We're working on a presentation project together."

"So, you're Li Xiang. I heard a lot of things about you from the other professors," Wang Zi said with a smile, a smile that, for some reason, felt cold and a little forced.

"I've also heard a lot about you, Qiu Sheng Yi," Li Xiang replied as he held out his hand for a handshake.

Wang Zi seemed to ignore it and said, "Thanks for being concerned about my girlfriend, but I can take care of her from here. Goodbye."

"Bye, Ying Jie. We'll keep in touch," Li Xiang said. 

I nodded and waved goodbye to Li Xiang as Wang Zi grabbed my hand. While we walked away, I could feel his grip on my hand tightening. It didn't hurt, but it felt uncomfortable. I placed my other hand on his wrist, and he stopped walking. He glanced at our hands and then at me. He softly muttered, ”Sorry. I'll take you home," and he loosened his grip, but his hand was still holding mine.

I quietly fiddled with my seatbelt as Wang Zi drove to my apartment. I thought about his interaction with Li Xiang earlier. Wang Zi was doing his usual "boyfriend" thing, but why did something feel off? Why did he come off as mean and... intimidating?

"Why are you staring at me?" Wang Zi asked.

"I... I..." I sputtered, slightly flustered. "Why were you so cold to Li Xiang earlier?"

"Was I?"

"Did you not notice? He offered his hand for a handshake, but you ignored it. And your tone... It sounded cold to me."

He glanced at me and said, "Do you want me to go back and apologize to him?"

"No, just don't do it next time. I'll be working with him for the rest of this month for that presentation project."

"My tone... It wasn't on purpose. Besides, everything that I said to him was true."

I looked at him for a moment more and turned to watch the passing scenery. Mustering more courage, I added, "How did you know that I was at the library?"

"Those fangirls of mine told me," Wang Zi answered with his eyes on the road.

Brow furrowed, I gazed at him and asked, "Since when did you start listening to them?"

"They came and told me that my girlfriend was being close with the handsome Li Xiang in the library. Don't you think I should have went to check it out?"

Hearing his words, my heartbeat began to go faster. I felt a flame inside, a flame that was burning me. Emotions overcame me as I angrily said, "So, you trust them more than you trust me?"

"You're my girlfriend and you shouldn't be close to other guys."

"Girlfriend..." I scoffed. "What about Chen Feng? Stop trying to use that 'girlfriend' excuse on me. Admit it. You don't like Li Xiang."

I saw Wang Zi tightly gripping the steering wheel. He quickly pulled over onto the side of the road. He sternly looked at me and said, "You want me to admit it? Fine. I don't like Li Xiang. I don't like seeing you being close to him. I don't like seeing you being close to other guys. As for Chen Feng, he's different. But as long as you're my girlfriend, you shouldn't be close to guys other than me."

I let out a laugh and felt tears building in my eyes. With a weak smile, I said, "Then I guess we should stop being a couple. We were never a real one anyway. This boyfriend and girlfriend thing was just a game that you pulled me into, and I've just realized how tired I am of playing it."

Wang Zi was silent and expressionless.

I mumbled a quiet "thanks" as I unbuckled my seatbelt. I quickly took my things and left his car. I began walking to my apartment. Thank God that I was just several blocks away.

After a couple minutes, I saw Wang Zi's silver car zoom past me. Why did I suddenly get so emotional just now? I let out a tired sigh and wiped my teary eyes. At least this stupid game of ours is over now.

When I finally neared my apartment building, I fished my keys out of my bag. Jingling my keys along the way, I walked toward the building entrance.

"Gui Gui," said a familiar voice far behind me.

I tensed up for a brief moment and then took a deep breath. I continued forward, but stopped at the door to look at the notice on it. As I read the sign, I could feel my heart sink. The building was going to be fumigated in a couple days, and I would have to temporarily stay somewhere else for about a week. But where could I stay? With my bank account balance, I couldn't possibly afford staying at a hotel. Why couldn't building management tell the residents about this earlier?

"Gui Gui," Wang Zi said again, but much closer this time.

His voice broke me out of my sulking, and I looked at him. He took my hand and placed a rectangular object on my palm. It was my phone.

"You left it in my car."

"Thanks."

He gazed at me. Sensing that something was wrong, he turned his attention to the notice on the door.

For a moment, there was only silence, tense silence. I pondered what I was going to do for the next several days. I cursed at myself for not keeping an emergency fund for situations like this. I then looked at Wang Zi, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"Gui, you can stay at my place for the time being."

A/N: I just realized that the name "Li Xiang" sounds similar to the pronunciation of "理想", which translates to "ideal".