“Star City and the Imperial Capital aren’t too far apart, with both airplanes and high-speed trains being very convenient.”
“On the weekend after military training, Lu Xingyan went to the Imperial Capital to see Shen Xingruo. He left home at eight in the morning and arrived just in time for lunch at twelve.”
“This time, Lu Xingyan wasn’t there for sweet nothings but for something more enduring—lasting affection. He managed to get a small apartment in the Imperial Capital from his brother, which was very close to the university. It was a well-furnished loft, perfect for the two of them to spend their weekends together.”
“Lu Xingyan felt that the best thing he had ever done in his life was to praise his brother, Lu Shan, in his college entrance essay. Since Lu Shan read that essay, he had been exceedingly kind and generous to Lu Xingyan, granting him whatever he wished for.”
“At first, Lu Xingyan had fabricated many reasons to ask for a house, but before he could use any of them, Lu Shan readily agreed and handed the matter over to his secretary to arrange. Furthermore, Lu Shan took the initiative to inquire about his progress in getting a driver’s license. Upon learning that he had obtained it, Lu Shan immediately gave him a card to buy a car, claiming it was for his ‘independent use now that he’s in college.'”
“In Lu Xingyan’s perception, his father was someone who wielded authority outside but was a submissive husband at home, always on the verge of being relegated to the couch by his wife. So when he received the card, he didn’t hold out much hope, thinking his father’s words sounded generous but the actual amount of money given would probably be just enough to buy a Santana.”
“After leaving the Jinsheng Building, Lu Xingyan idly checked the balance on the card, then stood on the roadside, stupefied. He had always known his family was quite wealthy, but he swore he had never seen so much money in his life.”
“Then he became confused, completely unable to understand why he had succumbed to Pei Yue’s tyranny for eighteen years, leading a tight-budget life with Shen Xingruo, receiving only five thousand yuan a month in high school.”
“If he had realized earlier and clung to his family’s true wealth and generosity, wouldn’t he have become a bona fide rich second-generation, marrying Shen Xingruo and reaching the pinnacle of life?”
“Lu Xingyan glanced back at the Jinsheng Building, then solemnly sent his old father a WeChat message: ‘Dad, father-son love is thicker than blood. I will always love you.’ He also attached a ‘kiss’ emoji.”
“Of course, he had no idea that this impromptu message directly led to his old father sleeping on the couch for three days.”
“Lu Xingyan was no stranger to the Imperial Capital. His aunt had always lived there, and his grandfather, Lu Yanzhi, was also living out his retirement years in a certain military district compound. They would visit them during holidays.”
“After arriving in the Imperial Capital, Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo had a simple lunch at the mall, then picked out a pair of couple rings at the jewelry counter downstairs before heading to the small apartment to clean.”
“A mature and excellent boyfriend naturally takes care of things himself and even competes to do his girlfriend’s chores. As soon as they entered the apartment, he respectfully invited his esteemed girlfriend to watch TV and snack on the sofa while he volunteered to clean the entire house.”
“But Shen Xingruo didn’t seem to be moved at all.”
“After staring at him for a moment, Shen Xingruo said, ‘What’s with the daze? Do what you know how to do. Forget it, just sweep the floor, don’t get in the way here.'”
“Lu Xingyan…”
He obediently picked up the broom and started sweeping. But as he swept, he suddenly remembered back to the second year of high school when he was assigned to do chores with Shen Xingruo. He chuckled inexplicably.
“What are you laughing at? Hurry up and sweep, I’m going to mop,” Shen Xingruo said, pushing him with the new mop still in its foam packaging.
“No, do you remember when you first arrived at Mingli, and we were on duty together?” Lu Xingyan recalled, teasingly colorful. “Your temper was so foul! I missed doing chores twice, and you were all over me as if you were lighting incense at my tomb and cleaning up a playground full of trash, teaching me how to be a decent human being. You were something.”
Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t given Shen Xingruo a good beating for that temper of hers… It was probably because he had the foresight to recognize that this was his love and responsibility early on.
He wanted to add a few more words to praise himself for his foresight, but Shen Xingruo lowered her eyes, coldly interjecting as she unpacked the mop, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Remember when you deliberately didn’t clean and broke my basketball, then accused me of pretending? Or when you strutted around with a bunch of hangers-on, looking all sophisticated?”
Lu Xingyan…
“Oh, and let’s not forget the rumors about Lu Dashao being wild and unruly. There were tales of him getting into fights, breaking someone’s bones, and then dropping out, or starting to date in the first year of high school and changing girlfriends every week, or spending thirty thousand to buy the virginity of a girl from Middle School Seven?”
“These rumors might be baseless, but I heard in the school auditorium that you confessed to liking Chen Zhu during a game of truth or dare.”
“Schoolmates also said you went to concerts together and even went on beach vacations. Your romantic experiences are truly colorful and dramatic. I wonder if I fit into your narrative as the moonlight and vermilion mole?”
Imitating Lu Xingyan’s tone, Shen Xingruo rattled off a series of adult grievances without pausing.
When she finished, she gave Lu Xingyan a fleeting glance.
“No!”
“I didn’t!”
“When did you hear about this from Xu Chengzhou? He’s just spreading rumors!”
“Spreading rumors about me? I’ll teach him a lesson! Just wait and see how I’ll educate him. I am innocent!”
Lu Xingyan felt utterly bewildered, instinctively denying three times in a row as he hurriedly made a video call to Xu Chengzhou.
Xu Chengzhou had long known that he had no hope for the college entrance exam. He started preparing for the IELTS in his third year of high school, barely meeting the language requirements during the summer vacation, and he still had to study for a year of pre-college in Australia.
The university he applied to seemed to have a decent ranking across Australia, according to his boasting, but in Lu Xingyan’s eyes, any university that accepted Xu Chengzhou and was unknown to him could be classified as a mediocre one.
As expected, Xu Chengzhou was having a blast at the no-name chicken university in Australia. After all, the group that went there together consisted of a bunch of rich second-generation kids who were more into partying than studying. They had formed strong bonds during their IELTS classes, and once they were in Australia without their families’ supervision, they let loose even more.
When Lu Xingyan tried to video call him, Xu Chengzhou was too busy flirting with girls while wearing big sunglasses and driving with the top down. He didn’t have time to bother with Lu Xingyan’s calls. Lu Xingyan tried three times with no response, blacklisting Xu Chengzhou while explaining everything to Shen Xingruo in person.
After explaining all his old black history, Shen Xingruo kindly handed him a glass of water. “Thirsty? Have some first.”
Truly a caring girlfriend, Lu Xingyan suddenly felt a tiny bit moved. “Thanks. I’ll continue explaining. I feel like my reasons weren’t comprehensive enough.”
Lu Xingyan was puzzled.
The first weekend of their long-distance relationship was both heart-wrenching and sweet for Lu Xingyan.
I have to admit, that Shen Xingruo is a very intelligent girl. She excels in her studies and handles relationships with ease, always knowing just how much pressure to apply to push him while also making him unable to resist.
Lu Xingyan had a class on Monday afternoons, so he booked a return flight for Monday morning.
Shen Xingruo had an early class, so when she woke up in his arms, she moved carefully, trying not to disturb him. They had stayed up late the night before. After all, they were a passionate couple, and it wouldn’t be right if nothing happened when they slept together.
She insisted on not doing it, using it as bait for Lu Xingyan to study hard and aim for an exchange program. But Lu Xingyan had also become smarter. If she didn’t want to, she didn’t want to. But in that case, they should compromise somewhere.
—And she agreed.
They stayed up half the night, and when Shen Xingruo sat up in bed, she still felt light-headed.
Looking back at Lu Xingyan, she leaned down and pecked him lightly on the lips. She intended to get up and freshen up, but Lu Xingyan suddenly chuckled, opened his eyes, and pulled her back into his arms.
“Is stealing a kiss supposed to be a skill? Come on, I’m awake. Kiss me some more.”
Early in the morning, his voice was a bit lazy, his eyes half-closed again, enjoying the moment.
Shen Xingruo didn’t feel embarrassed at all. Her boyfriend wanted kisses, so she kissed him generously, igniting his passion.
Shen Xingruo knew when to stop. “I have to go to class now. You can sleep a little longer, but don’t oversleep.”
“Mmm.”
This time, Lu Xingyan was surprisingly not clingy, neither holding onto her nor getting up to go with her.
When Shen Xingruo went to school, she still felt a bit uneasy.
The first class on Monday was Introduction to Literature. This was a subject that could turn textbooks into “printed materials primarily designed to meet national publishing standards for teaching purposes,” as per the course description.
Even though the lecturer for this course was a renowned professor in academic circles, it couldn’t change the fact that it was uninteresting and dull.
The top students in the classroom were all very quiet. They were all survivors of the high school battlefield and naturally carried themselves with the demeanor of champions.
Did they study subjects like language, math, foreign languages, politics, history, and geography because they enjoyed them? No.
It was the instinct of top students.
So, faced with this uninteresting and dull course, nobody panicked. If they understood, they listened; if they didn’t, they memorized. After all, as the saying goes, reading a book a thousand times reveals its meaning. Once they memorized everything, they could understand at least half of it.
Shen Xingruo didn’t change her approach from high school when she entered university. She always managed to precisely time her arrival in the classroom.
Her roommates knew she stayed out late with her boyfriend over the weekend, so they saved her front-row seats.
However the top students in the Literature Department were unique. Before the seats even warmed up, a male student stepped forward and launched into a lengthy discourse on the issue of seat reservation, leaving Shen Xingruo’s roommates speechless. Under the gaze of everyone, they had no choice but to quietly move the books occupying the seats.
Fortunately, Shen Xingruo wasn’t picky about seating, whether it was in the front or back row. She entered through the back door and casually picked an empty seat near the aisle.
The girl next to her was named Liu Ling. Although they didn’t share a dorm room, they stood together during military training, and their relationship was pretty good.
Seeing Shen Xingruo sit down, Liu Ling smiled warmly, then asked in a gossipy tone, “I heard from your dormmate, Su Jiao, that you spent the weekend living with your boyfriend?”
Shen Xingruo nodded slightly.
“Are you and your boyfriend in a long-distance relationship? He came all this way to see you; he must be good to you!”
Shen Xingruo didn’t say anything, but she nodded gently again.
She also felt that Lu Xingyan was very good to her, in the sense that he was unconditionally kind. It was because she knew how good he was to her that she felt emboldened by this kindness and her affection for him, showing no restraint in front of him.
—When someone spoils you, girls seem to become particularly uninhibited.
University classes were a bit different from high school; they usually consisted of two consecutive periods for the same subject. In the middle of the first session of Introduction to Literature, Shen Xingruo felt quite uncomfortable. She had the constant sensation that her classmates were all consciously or unconsciously scrutinizing her.
It’s not that she’s narcissistic; she’s always lived under the scrutiny of others since childhood. Even when she goes out shopping, she attracts considerable attention, making her particularly sensitive to the scrutiny of others.
While the professor was writing on the blackboard, she quietly asked the girl next to her, Liu Ling, “Is there something wrong with me? Why is everyone staring at me?”
Liu Ling was a bit drowsy during this class but forced herself to focus and carefully looked at Shen Xingruo for a moment. Suddenly, she became wide awake.
Her gaze stopped at the strawberry mark on Shen Xingruo’s neck, and her ears involuntarily turned red.
“Oh, a strawberry mark,” she awkwardly pointed out the spot with her pen.
Shen Xingruo borrowed a small mirror from her and took a look. Indeed, it was there.
With such a deep mark, it was obvious that Lu Xingyan had done it intentionally, but Shen Xingruo didn’t know when.
After staring at it for two seconds, Shen Xingruo put down the mirror, took out the hair tie from her head, and let her hair down to cover it.
After a while, Shen Xingruo felt someone pulling her hair from behind. She was busy reading and couldn’t be bothered to turn around.
But the person behind her became even more audacious.
As she turned around, ready to confront them, she saw Lu Xingyan sitting behind her with a couple’s hoodie on, playfully waving the pink butterfly hair tie he had bought.
The old professor was absorbed in writing on the board, and Lu Xingyan leaned forward, whispering, “Turn around, I’ll help you tie your hair. Your hair is too messy; did you forget to comb it before leaving? Shen Xingruo, your habits are really bad. Can’t you wake up two minutes earlier?”
Shen Xingruo gave him a deep look, snatched the hair tie from his hand, and turned away without saying a word.
Lu Xingyan was stunned for a moment, then grabbed the hood of her hoodie and pulled it back, “I’m sorry, I misspoke. You look beautiful even without combing your hair. You’re naturally pretty and have a unique charm. Not combing your hair also gives you that artistic, casual beauty as if you’re in one of those art films, standing by the sea with the wind blowing.”
Shen Xingruo remained silent, took back her hood from Lu Xingyan’s hand, turned around, and purposely moved forward so Lu Xingyan couldn’t reach her.
“…”
What did he do wrong again? Was it that his flattery wasn’t loud or profound enough?