Four years later.

The WeChat group had been buzzing non-stop since noon, with the teachers, having nothing else to do, discussing where to have dinner that evening.

Xia Xia casually glanced at her phone before returning her attention to the male student in front of her.

“Missing more than three roll calls means you can’t take the exam. That’s the school’s policy. You skipped four classes this semester and only thought about getting an excuse note from me after the course instructor confronted you. What were you thinking all this time?” Xia Xia maintained a stern expression. “I won’t approve it. Give up that idea.”

The student’s face fell. “Xia Xia, please help me. My mom will kill me if she finds out I failed the course.”

Xia Xia stared at him silently. After three seconds, the student corrected himself: “Professor Xia.”

“No.” Xia Xia’s tone left no room for negotiation.

The student said, “Why don’t you have any sympathy for me? Given your past experiences, shouldn’t we be able to relate to each other?”

“In my four years of undergraduate studies, three years of master’s, and one year of doctorate, I’ve never skipped a single class in all these years. What could I possibly relate to with you?”

“Well, you never skipped class, but your boyfriend did!”

Xia Xia’s clear eyes fixed on him. “How do you know that?”

“I heard Professor Yi talking about it in her office,” the student grinned. “She said your boyfriend was also from Nan University, and he was famous for skipping every class and being rebellious during his studies.”

“And that old professor who teaches us History of Chinese and Foreign Social Thought warned us on the first day not to skip classes. He even threatened us by saying there was once a senior student who was so notorious for skipping classes that during his thesis defense, several professors ganged up and grilled him like a dog…”

“You’re the dog,” Xia Xia scolded.

The student complained pitifully, “I’m not the one who said it.”

“Professor Xia, please help me just this once,” he whined. “I didn’t skip class on purpose. My girlfriend had surgery and was hospitalized last month. Her family wasn’t in Nan City, and I was the only one who could take care of her. That class I skipped was scheduled at noon, ending at 12:30. By the time I got to the hospital, it was almost two, and my girlfriend was starving.”

Worn down by his pleading, Xia Xia took the excuse slip from his hand.

The student watched her hopefully.

Xia Xia signed her name with last week’s date, stamped it with the counselor’s seal, and handed it back to him. “This is the only time. Next time you need to take leave, negotiate with the course instructor yourself. Don’t come to me.”

The student left the office with profuse thanks. His friend waiting outside asked, “How did it go?”

The student beamed, “As soon as I mentioned Xia Xia’s boyfriend, she signed it right away. This trick works so well!”

His friend let out a disappointed “Ah!” “So she has a boyfriend? I’ve only heard you guys talk about him, but I’ve never seen him.”

The student put his arm around his friend’s shoulders. “What are you ‘ah-ing’ about? Don’t tell me you’re interested in Xia Xia. She’s been with her boyfriend for seven years, and he drives a two-million-yuan Range Rover. She’d never look at someone like you.”

“What’s wrong with someone like me?” His friend protested, straightening his neck. “What’s so great about driving a Range Rover? He might be some balding, pot-bellied middle-aged man. I’m younger than him, and I have unlimited potential.”

The student took out his phone and showed him Xia Xia’s WeChat Moments: “See for yourself.”

In a selfie from Xia Xia’s summer trip to Japan, the man beside her was neither paunchy nor balding; instead, he was strikingly handsome.

In the photo, the man wore a matching couple’s T-shirt with Xia Xia, lounging casually against a seaside railing. His facial features were sharp and well-defined as if carefully sculpted by the creator, with a high bridge nose and striking brows and eyes. But what made him attractive wasn’t just his handsome appearance—it was his commanding presence, tempered by the years.

Even through a photo, one could tell this man was extraordinary.

“He’s so young but can afford a Range Rover. Is he from a rich family?”

“Professor Yi said he was very poor in college. He used to set up street stalls every night, delivered takeout, and managed a courier booth. He built everything from scratch to get where he is today.” Seeing his friend’s dejected expression, he consoled him, “Don’t feel bad. You’re still young, and at least you’re not poor enough to set up street stalls. You’re already ahead at the starting line.”

…

Xia Xia became a temporary counselor in her first year of graduate school, mentoring new undergraduate students for a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. She continued this role for three years. After completing her master’s degree, Xia Xia stayed at Nan University for her doctorate and was promoted from temporary to formal counselor with a salary of 8,000 yuan. Having completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate all at Nan University, she could directly secure a position at the school after graduation.

In the early evening after work, several single young teachers invited her to join their weekend plans, knowing that Xie Huai was away on business this month.

As Xia Xia walked out of the office building after packing up, she noticed a familiar car parked at the entrance. She peered through the driver’s window but found no one inside. Checking her phone, she saw no message from Xie Huai about returning today.

A gentle smile curved her lips as she told her colleagues, “You go ahead. My boyfriend’s back.”

*

Xie Huai sat at the basketball court, finishing an entire can of cold cola.

Some basketball players nearby had been watching him for a while before approaching: “Hey brother, want to join us? We’re short on players.”

Xie Huai crushed the empty can and tossed it into the garbage bin in front of him. “I haven’t played basketball in a long time.”

The can went straight in—what would have been a perfect three-pointer on the court. The student grinned, “No worries, we’re just playing casually.”

Xie Huai played a few games with them. During the break, he noticed the students staring at him again. “Are you a graduate student senior?”

Xie Huai: “Why?”

The student pointed to several girls sitting on a bench at the edge of the court: “They’re our classmates. They want your contact information but are too shy to ask themselves, so they sent us.”

The students were from the Arts College, and their female classmates were all beautiful—any one of them could be considered a class beauty.

Xie Huai smiled handsomely and carelessly: “I’m taken.”

“Look, Xia Xia’s coming!” one student suddenly called out.

The boys all turned to stare at Xia Xia in her red dress at the end of the distant path.

Xia Xia was the most famous counselor in the college—young, beautiful, and capable.

She had never lacked suitors since her graduate school days, from graduate students to undergraduates, including wealthy heirs and even single male teachers from other colleges. But Xia Xia never showed particular interest in anyone, rejecting confessions on the spot. It was said she had a boyfriend of seven years, but few had ever seen him.

The November weather in Nan City was still warm, and Xia Xia’s wine-red dress had short sleeves, revealing a stretch of pristine white arms.

She was strikingly beautiful, her smile as bright and energetic as the sun, looking perfectly at home among the seventeen and eighteen-year-old freshmen.

To these students, Xia Xia was both a counselor and a senior sister. Many students often called her directly by name, but as she approached, these boys became too shy to speak.

Xie Huai deliberately asked, “Who is she?”

“Xia Xia,” the student’s eyes were wide and round. “You don’t know Xia Xia? Are you really from our college?”

Xie Huai’s eyebrows danced with amusement as he tossed the basketball at the wire fence, making a loud clang.

Passing by, Xia Xia turned at the sound and saw Xie Huai’s roguish smile in the sunset.

Xie Huai raised an eyebrow and whistled at her, looking every bit like a street ruffian.

The students were startled and grabbed him: “Senior, stop whistling! She’s not a student, she’s our grade counselor. Though she looks gentle, she’s really tough to deal with. The last student who harassed her suffered terribly. Please stop whistling—”

“Counselor?” Xie Huai said carelessly. “Well, a teacher-student romance sounds nice.”

He whistled again, smiling at Xia Xia: “Teacher Xia, how about a date? I’ll treat you to dinner.”

The students nearly had a heart attack, but just as they thought this senior was in for serious trouble, Xia Xia, standing on the other side of the wire fence, curved her lips into a gentle smile.

She played with the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist and said sweetly, “Sure.”

*

Xie Huai had partnered with Xu Dalong for two years, completing his first real accumulation of wealth. Two years later, he started his own business, taking out bank loans to open a new factory. At the beginning of this year, he secured 30 million in financing to expand production scale, and recently he has been thinking about entering the tourism industry. He had spent a month traveling to investigate potential investments, planning to develop a scenic area.

He deliberately hadn’t told Xia Xia he was returning today, wanting to surprise her.

“Why did you suddenly come back? Without even telling me beforehand.”

Xia Xia sat in the passenger seat, smelling the strong fragrance of flowers. She turned her head to see a large bouquet of red roses in the back seat.

“What do you think?” Xie Huai asked softly.

Xia Xia giggled and turned to kiss his cheek.

Today was Xia Xia’s birthday, and no matter how busy Xie Huai was, he would always make it back.

He didn’t rush to start the car, instead holding Xia Xia for a deep kiss. She had eaten fruit candy given by students that afternoon, and her breath carried the sweetness of lychee. She obediently tilted her head up, her palm resting against his chest, both docile and endearing. Her tongue was soft, like having a piece of lychee jelly in his mouth.

Only after kissing her until her face was completely flushed did Xie Huai finally release her, smiling as he looked at her. “There are quite a few young men at school who like you. Their faces turned red just watching you walk by.”

“Not that many,” Xia Xia scratched her head. “Nobody has said anything to me recently.”

To avoid being pursued by students, Xia Xia has frequently posted photos of Xie Huai on her social media in recent years. But even so, some students wouldn’t give up, often sending her confessions late at night, though that was all in the past now. She hadn’t received such messages lately.

Xie Huai studied her.

Xia Xia hadn’t changed much over the years—her oval face, soft red lips, almond-shaped eyes, and pupils black as liquid mercury. No wonder the young men at school were smitten; even after all these years, he hadn’t grown tired of looking at her.

Previously, Xia Xia had anxiously asked him what they would do if their feelings faded one day, but Xie Huai believed that day would never come.

Seven years hadn’t dimmed their love, and even seventy years wouldn’t.

Xia Xia asked expectantly: “Why are there only flowers? Where’s my gift?”

“Want to know?” Xie Huai handed her a silk blindfold. “Put this on and I’ll show you.”

Xia Xia obediently put it on, waving her five fingers in front of her eyes like a child. “It’s dark, I can’t see anything.”

Xie Huai started the car. “Your father called me yesterday, asking if we want to go home for New Year.”

The year they graduated, Xia Xia had taken Xie Huai home once. Wei Jinhai was still his usual self, treating her with indifference and responding to Xie Huai with cold sarcasm, calling him a poor boy without prospects. At the dinner table, he even took out a notebook detailing all the money he’d spent on Xia Xia over the years, implying both directly and indirectly that his daughter was a financial burden.

Before Xia Xia could even get angry, Xie Huai exploded.

He threw a card at Wei Jinhai, coldly telling him that from now on, Xia Xia wouldn’t owe him a single penny.

After they left, Wei Jinhai checked the bank and found that the card contained a full hundred thousand yuan, leaving him stunned for several days.

Later, when Xia Xia called Wu Li, Wei Jinhai seemed like a different person, eagerly taking the phone to ask warmly about her life in Nan City. After she hung up, he would call Xie Huai, calling even more frequently before New Year, checking in morning and night as if he wanted to personally fly to Nan City to pick them up.

Xia Xia said: “He has no shame. Just ignore him.”

“I think we should pay attention,” Xie Huai smiled. “He used to treat you badly, even locking you outside. Now he’s begging for your presence at home. Wouldn’t it feel good to return with our heads held high and make him squirm? You haven’t been home for several years. Don’t you miss your mom?”

Xia Xia thought for a moment and said mischievously: “Let’s go then. You’ve made me want to see him being humble too.”

After driving for a while, everything became quiet, with no sound of rolling tires or honking horns, as if they had left the city’s main roads.

Blindfolded, Xia Xia’s hearing became particularly acute. She couldn’t help asking: “Huai Ge, where are you taking me?”

Xie Huai raised his eyebrows: “To the wilderness. I’ll give you an unforgettable outdoor experience as your birthday gift. Like it?”

Xia Xia: “…”

He said playfully: “Or we could do it in the car. Don’t worry, I’ll stop once we find a private spot.”

Xia Xia: “……”

She pinched his waist hard: “Say that again.”

Xie Huai hissed in pain and laughed: “How would I dare? I’m just teasing you.”

As he spoke, Xie Huai stopped the car.

He turned off the air conditioning and lights, walked to the passenger side to open Xia Xia’s door, and helped her out by holding her hand.

Unable to see, Xia Xia called out nervously: “Xie Huai.”

Xie Huai held her waist: “I’m here.”

“Can I take off the blindfold?” she said softly. “I can’t see the path.”

“Wait a little longer.” Xie Huai’s voice carried a smile.

Xia Xia reached up to touch the blindfold, but Xie Huai caught her hand. As she moved, she touched his wristwatch.

He still wore the watch she had bought him in her senior year, spending all her savings—forty-five thousand yuan, a huge sum at the time but nothing significant to Xie Huai now. Yet he never replaced it, making sure to wear it to every business meeting, often deliberately rolling up his sleeves to show the watch face.

When others asked about it, he would happily tell them:

“This is from Xia Xia. That year I was dead broke, and she worried people wouldn’t take me seriously in business meetings, so she bought this to help me keep up appearances.”

The ground beneath her feet felt like cobblestones, somewhat uncomfortable against her soles. Xia Xia sensed it getting brighter, with faint light appearing.

“Xie Huai,” she called again.

A warm chest pressed against her from behind, and Xie Huai’s lips brushed her delicate neck as he murmured: “I’m here.”

His voice was husky and alluring, making Xia Xia’s heart race as she pressed her palm against her chest.

After her undergraduate graduation, Xie Huai had taken her to the hospital for ablation surgery, and she couldn’t remember the last time her heart had beaten this fast.

“I made you a promise that year in the hospital,” Xie Huai gently kissed her hair near her ear. “I said, in five years at most, I would give you a home.”

Xia Xia tilted her head, curving her lips slightly: “Haven’t you already given me one?”

Two years ago, Xie Huai had bought the apartment they’d been renting for several years. Though the two-bedroom wasn’t large, it had become cozy after they’d grown used to it.

“Is Sister Xia so easily satisfied?” Xie Huai said. “But I don’t think it’s enough. Today’s your birthday, make a wish.”

Xia Xia thought for a moment, then said sweetly: “I wish for Huai Ge to make lots and lots of money, and to forever remain an eighteen-year-old handsome youth.”

Xie Huai asked: “What about you?”

Xia Xia smiled and said: “As for me… my wish is even simpler. I hope to be happy every day, and to sleep with an eighteen-year-old young man every day.”

Xie Huai laughed: “I’ll grant your wish shortly.”

Xie Huai removed her blindfold. The light was piercing, and Xia Xia couldn’t open her eyes immediately.

After adjusting for a moment, she belatedly realized she was in an exquisite garden-like courtyard, with winding cobblestone paths beneath her feet and winter cherry blossoms about to bloom on both sides. Decorative lampposts half her height stood at the four corners of the garden. She looked up to see a three-story European-style villa before her.

Only when the evening breeze brushed her cheeks did Xia Xia come back to her senses.

“When did you buy this?” Her eyes grew moist.

“Last year. The renovation took some effort, otherwise, I could have given it to you on Valentine’s Day.”

“You never told me.”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I had told you.”

Xie Huai held her slender waist, his chin resting gently on her shoulder.

The scattered starlight reflected on his handsome profile, illuminating the indescribable deep love and affection in his dark eyes.

“When you were tutoring during school, I would take you there on my electric bike, and those villas in the community were beautiful.”

“While you were teaching inside, I would sit on the curb outside the community waiting for you. Back then, looking at the red walls of the community, I thought, someday I would let my Xia Xia live in a house like that.”

In the moonlight, his expression was impossibly tender.

In the quiet night, Xia Xia could also hear Xie Huai’s strong, vibrant heartbeat, thump-thump pulling her into a recurring beautiful dream.

Their years of knowing, understanding, loving, and staying together with Xie Huai transformed into shimmering fragments dancing lightly before her eyes. When she reached out to touch them, they scattered like flowing sand through her fingers, disappearing into the rolling river of time. Though she couldn’t grasp them, each scene remained vivid in her mind.

Xie Huai handed her an exquisite velvet box containing the property deed with both their names.

When Xia Xia opened it, she saw Xie Huai’s crooked elementary school handwriting embossed in gold on the lid. As she looked at it, tears fell unbidden, gleaming transparent in the lamplight.

[I fell in love with a girl;

I want to cross mountains and waters, cut through thorns and brambles to reach her side.

By then, the sunlight will be warm, the sky will be bright;

I will give her unstoppable courage, and cherish her in my heart.]

Xie Huai’s eyes were clear, as pure as when he was young:

“Xia Xia, this is the home I’m giving you.”

(The End)

Author Note:

This story isn’t about dreams. The reason it’s called “The Great Dreamer” is because of a song lyric I particularly love—

“If I’m not easily tamed by the world, then I am a great dreamer”

This line suits Huai Ge, Xia Xia, and this story even more. Although this title might not be popular with readers in Jinjiang, I still use it and don’t plan to change it, because I can’t think of a more suitable name than “The Great Dreamer.”

Compared to adult romance, I prefer writing fairy tale love stories. Although Huai Ge and Xia Xia were poor, I think their love story is indeed quite like a fairy tale. I considered whether to write about their married life, but decided against it. After writing 400,000 characters about their youth, I think it’s enough. They will love each other for life—I wouldn’t believe it if someone said they would stop loving each other. The ending here is perfect, both romantic and warm.