After returning from Qiu Xing’s place, Lin Yiran had to start preparing several term papers for her finals. Classes, writing articles, translating, and writing papers filled her schedule, making her life in school revolve around just a few key points.
Qiu Xing still rarely contacted her. As soon as they parted, he would return to his lukewarm attitude. Lin Yiran wasn’t disappointed by this. She was naturally emotionally stable, and besides, she was used to it—Qiu Xing had always been this way.
What was different from before, though, was that even if Qiu Xing didn’t contact her, Lin Yiran now sent him messages almost every day, even when there was nothing particular to discuss. She was no longer as passive as before, though Qiu Xing didn’t always respond.
“Yiran, shall we go?” Li Qianduo peeked over from the side, whispering to Lin Yiran, “I’m hungry…”
The two had been in the study room all afternoon, coming right after their afternoon nap. It was now dinner time.
Lin Yiran also lowered her voice to reply, “Let me just finish this part and we’ll go.”
“Okay, okay,” Li Qianduo nodded repeatedly, “I’ll wait for you!”
The two packed up their laptops and left. Li Qianduo held onto Lin Yiran’s arm, her head bobbing as they walked, her round bun hairstyle moving along with it.
“I get dizzy as soon as I enter the study room, like I can’t breathe,” she exaggerated with a deep breath, then added helplessly, “But I’m always sleepy in the dorm.”
Lin Yiran smiled and said, “You’d better not stay in the dorm then. If you sleep too much during the day, you won’t be able to sleep at night.”
“Exactly, I don’t want to stay up late anymore. When you’re all asleep and I’m the only one awake, I feel so lonely,” she said dejectedly.
Lin Yiran remembered how Li Qianduo had cried, sitting on her bed in the middle of the night during their freshman year due to insomnia. She gently stroked Li Qianduo’s hand.
Back then, Lin Yiran had heard her crying in the middle of the night and softly asked what was wrong. Li Qianduo had pulled aside her bed curtain and pitifully said she couldn’t sleep and was homesick. Lin Yiran had invited her to her bed and sat with her for a long time. Smelling the sweet scent of the bedding, with the warm and cozy bed lit by a small bedside lamp, Li Qianduo felt less miserable.
Li Qianduo also recalled this incident and smiled, leaning her head against Lin Yiran’s shoulder, saying, “Yiran, you’re so nice.”
Lin Yiran possessed a quality different from other girls her age—calm and gentle, seemingly more mature than others, making people unconsciously want to be close to her.
The two ate at a tea restaurant on campus. It was dinner time, so many students were there to eat. When they entered, there was only one four-person table left.
“I want to order a custard bun, I’m craving it. What else should I get…” Li Qianduo scanned the QR code to look at the menu, muttering to herself.
Lin Yiran ordered a plate of scrambled egg rice and two drinks.
“Hi, you two,” someone said, standing at the edge of their table. They looked up to see two male students from the journalism department in their college. Being in the same college, they attended large lectures together and often participated in the same activities, so they all knew each other.
Lin Yiran waved slightly, and Li Qianduo responded, “Hi.”
One of the guys, who had permed hair, was quite forward and sat down next to Lin Yiran, smiling as he asked, “Mind if we share the table?”
The restaurant was full, so sharing a table was normal. However, this restaurant had bench-style seating, so if they were to share, Li Qianduo and Lin Yiran should have sat on one side. But this guy directly sat beside Lin Yiran, blocking her in, which was a bit inappropriate.
Before Lin Yiran could speak, Li Qianduo sneezed, pulled out a tissue to blow her nose, and while wiping it, said, “I don’t mind sharing, but I have a cold and I’m afraid I’ll infect you.”
After speaking, she turned her head and coughed several times toward the side.
The guy sitting next to Lin Yiran said, “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
“Well, I mind. If you sit here, I won’t dare to cough, and if I don’t cough, my throat hurts,” Li Qianduo said, rubbing her nose.
The guy standing at the side said, “Some people just left over there, let’s sit there instead.”
“That works out well,” the guy opposite them stood up and followed, smiling at the two of them before leaving.
“So annoying,” Li Qianduo said quietly after they left.
Lin Yiran gestured for her to lower her voice.
“He was practically sitting on your skirt! I’m so mad!” Li Qianduo glared, extremely disdainful.
“No,” Lin Yiran smiled and whispered, “When I saw he was about to sit down, I pulled my skirt away.”
“His butt is so heavy, sitting down without warning,” Li Qianduo’s eyebrows bunched into a small knot. “I think he did it on purpose. Who does he think he is, sitting next to a goddess? Is he worthy?”
Lin Yiran couldn’t help but be amused, shaking Li Qianduo’s hand. Li Qianduo fiercely declared, “The fairy is furious!”
Just then, the lemon tea was served. Lin Yiran pushed it toward her and smiled, saying, “Don’t be angry, fairy. Have some drink to cool down.”
Li Qianduo bit on the straw and took a big sip, and sure enough, her anger dissipated, becoming happy again thanks to the sweet drink.
The skirt Lin Yiran wore today wasn’t tight-fitting; it had a loose hem with a very thin outer layer and a matching colored inner lining.
When that guy sat down, although he didn’t sit on her skirt, because Lin Yiran had pulled it away, the skirt had torn on a small exposed nail at the edge of the sofa.
They only discovered this after returning to the dormitory to change clothes, and Li Qianduo immediately became furious again.
Lin Yiran also felt a bit regretful—she hadn’t worn the skirt many times, and now it couldn’t be worn anymore.
She usually wore skirts, mostly long ones.
Qiu Xing liked to see her in skirts, although he had never said so, Lin Yiran knew.
During her freshman year, when Qiu Xing visited her at school for the first time, Lin Yiran came out wearing a long skirt. Qiu Xing had raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at her for a few seconds with an expression that Lin Yiran still remembered.
When Lin Yiran was in Qiu Xing’s truck, she always wore T-shirts and pants. Later, after spending more time with him, she became more casual, often tying her hair up haphazardly.
She had emerged from the school wearing a long white skirt, with her hair slightly blown by the wind, her fair face filled with excitement and happiness as she came out to see him. Qiu Xing was indeed struck in that moment.
In the evening, after Lin Yiran had settled into bed, she sent a message to Qiu Xing.
Lin Yiran: [Qiu Xing?]
Qiu Xing must have also been lying down, as he replied quickly: [Speak.]
Lin Yiran sent two pictures to him.
Then asked: [Which one looks better?]
She had sent pictures of two skirts.
Lin Yiran: [My skirt tore today, I need to buy another one to replace it.]
In the past, she wouldn’t have sent Qiu Xing messages about topics like this. They didn’t chat about such things. Qiu Xing often told her, “Contact me if you need something,” so Lin Yiran assumed she shouldn’t contact him otherwise.
Since returning from Qiu Xing’s place this time, Lin Yiran occasionally threw these small, trivial topics his way.
Qiu Xing: [One more won’t fit in your closet?]
He was being sarcastic. Lin Yiran smiled and said: [I just want to buy one.]
Qiu Xing didn’t reply for a long time. After a while, Lin Yiran received a notification that money had been transferred to her bank account.
Lin Yiran immediately sent it back, saying: [Don’t need money.]
Qiu Xing was concise: [Buy both.]
He just wasn’t someone suited for chatting. Even when Lin Yiran actively brought up topics, Qiu Xing couldn’t engage in conversation. Lin Yiran didn’t mind; she bought one skirt herself and sent Qiu Xing a “good night” message afterward.
Sometimes, when Lin Yiran saw something suitable for Qiu Xing, she would buy it for him and send it directly to the factory. Qiu Xing had broad shoulders and was tall, carrying clothes well—he looked good in anything. Even when he wore his old clothes on the truck, it didn’t prevent him from looking handsome.
Lin Yiran used a recently received payment for her writing to buy Qiu Xing a short-sleeved shirt.
During middle and high school, Qiu Xing had been picky about clothes, a somewhat cocky teenager. After his family’s troubles, he had completely changed, wearing whatever was available.
The shirt Lin Yiran bought was a collaboration between two brands, with a black base and a purple design on the back, slightly more eye-catching than what Qiu Xing usually wore.
Qiu Xing wasn’t picky; he wore whatever Lin Yiran bought for him.
Normally, he wore work clothes at the factory that were easy to wash when dirty, and when they couldn’t be cleaned after several washes, he would replace them. The few outfits Qiu Xing wore when going out were all bought by Lin Yiran. He would wear whichever one he happened to grab.
One day, as Qiu Xing was driving out, he received a message.
He glanced at it when he had a moment—it was a photo sent by Zhou Keke.
In the photo, a girl was standing in the plaza at the school entrance, wearing a sun protection coat over her T-shirt, her hand shielding her forehead from the sun. Next to her stood a young man, slightly taller than her. The two were talking.
Zhou Keke: [Ran into Yiran, caught the little couple!]
In the photo, the young man was wearing a black T-shirt with a purple design on the back that was quite stylish. Although Lin Yiran was wearing a sun protection coat, the small purple logo on the black T-shirt underneath was visible.
To a passerby, they looked exactly like a campus couple wearing matching outfits.
With a few seconds left at the red light, Qiu Xing closed the photo, tapped out a reply, and then locked his phone, tossing it aside.
Qiu Xing: [Nice clothes.]