#maze date

Spoiler warning: This reply references a date which hasn’t been released in EN and contains spoilers for the main plot. 

Hello!

I agree that Li Zeyan has been intimate only with MC, but not because he’s been looking for MC ever since they got separated at the orphanage. The way I see it, that initial desire to protect her is akin to an older brother’s concern for a sister, especially because from his perspective she “sacrificed” herself to save him back then.

As you’ve also pointed out, MC is the one that Li Zeyan has only ever let into his heart. He’s a very private person, and he doesn’t share his feelings/personal life with anyone ever, except MC. Li Zeyan isn’t the kind of person who will have a “casual fling”; for him, a physical relationship with someone carries weight, and is possibly the final step in a romantic relationship. 

Case in point: his Deeply in Love Date (钟情之约）, from the Wedding March event. He gets MC to be his pretend bride at the rehearsal, just because he can’t stand to have anyone else in that position. (And he does the full suite of what a fiancé might do too. He goes with her to get her wedding dress fitted, pays for it with his black card, and even puts the ring on her finger. Here’s a quote that isn’t related to this argument but I rather like it so I’m just going to put it in.)

“When I’m around, you are the most perfect bride there is.”

-Li Zeyan, Deeply in Love Date (钟情之约)

Of course, a wedding isn’t quite on the same level as a physical relationship. A wedding is a celebration of a lifelong commitment; a physical relationship possibly more fleeting. But his insistence on having MC participate as his faux bride at a wedding rehearsal that isn’t even actually meant for him goes to show how much value Li Zeyan places on every act in a relationship. It’s hard, therefore, to see him being intimate with anyone else but MC, the only person “destined for him”, so to speak. 

Speaking of destiny, that ties in with what you’ve said about how "it’s always been (MC)” for him. Central to Li Zeyan’s relationship with MC is the theme of fate. In part, that ties in with his role as the Time Observer. Seeing MC die in every single timeline, and trying to prevent this from happening at the expense of his own existence, it’s no wonder that he sees his being together with MC as something that defies fate: a miracle in itself. And that’s why he treasures every moment he spends with MC, every act they do together, even more.

“No matter which path you take, no matter how different it is from mine, you can only arrive at the same destination as me.”

-Li Zeyan, Different Paths Date (殊途之约）

*N.B. This is called the Maze Date in EN, but 殊途 more literally translates as “different paths”. I personally like the “different paths” translation because it ties in with his final line (quoted above) better. 

And a little snippet from Chapter 30:

Li Zeyan: If there’s anything, you can look for me at any time. If you can’t reach me... look for Mr Chen in the Glazed Space in Souvenir.

In just a moment, that hint of a smile had vanished. Li Zeyan turned to look ahead again. In the pitch dark, the street seemed to go on forever, and the road by which they came was indistinguishable from their destination. 

There was no more time. 

(There are more examples but these are the few I can remember off the top of my head.)

This reply has turned into a mini essay, but don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the last part of your question! If I may ask, how did you come by the conclusion that MC had been previously involved in a romantic relationship or an admirer in college/university? (I presume you’re not talking about Bai Qi as her secret admirer.)

In my opinion, MC’s dating history, if any, has been left purposefully ambiguous so that the reader can self-insert. But because I’ve only played the CN server/watched videos of the dates in Chinese, I’m curious to know if the EN server localised this, which may have possibly led you to think that she’s dated before.

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don’t ruin it, victor (ಠ_ಠ)