Romance, this thing, ought not to be a mental phenomenon, but a metaphysical one.
Some people might love certain individuals for a lifetime, but the latter might not be moved for an instant. However, sometimes, a gaze would be enough to make them giddy and jealous excitement.
The roommates discovered that Lu Ze was somewhat goofing off. Not that he was not working at all, but was leaving some spare time for himself.
Lu Ze changed again. He began to pay attention to current fashion trends of young people, latest gossip, and how to pursue a girl. He started to pester his roommates to accompany him to shop clothes. After all, their insight was spot on. He began to use internet slangs, and his face carried a smile, no longer perpetually solemn like before. He even bought the branded Bluetooth earphones which he would have never bought before even though he had the money. They were only useful to give him the luxury of chatting and working at the same time.
He changed, again becoming a college student and no longer an employee working his ass off. He began to discover how much joy life contained, gaining a pair of eyes that could discover the beauty of life.
It was very 'Nice'.
Then, Lu Ze began to pursue her: going to movies, taking walks together, eating together, and slowly beginning to completely open to each other, even divulging their secrets to each other.
She said that the reason she broke up with her previous boyfriend was nothing but a conservative girl meeting a horny little b*stard. When the little b*stard discovered that her girlfriend was not putting up, he started to have thoughts about other girls and was finally discovered.
Lu Ze also opened his heart for her. He told her when he first saw her, and then his encounters with her in the dining hall. He even remembered what she was wearing during those occasions.
Lu Ze's transformation within a year thoroughly shocked her. She was simply incapable of imagining how a person could change so much in such a short time. This was undoubtedly the result of an arduous and painful journey.
And the fuel for this change was precisely her.
Therefore, the two's relationship progressed exceptionally smoothly. She tossed out that previous nauseating boyfriend far out of her heart. Two months before the final exams, the two officially became a couple in a rainy day cafe.
After successfully seeking the girl of his heart, Lu Ze didn't turn lazy and fall into decadence of love. Far earlier, he'd deeply realized that the foundation of romance was finance.
In love, one could fill their stomach by drinking water, but they wouldn't survive for long in the absence of necessary minerals.
Therefore, he once again dove into work, only leaving himself some rest time according to her schedule, achieving quite a perfect balance between work and romance. However, in the end, it was her who deserved credit for being exceptionally understanding of Lu Ze's efforts.
It was to the point that most of their dates happened in the library. She watched as Lu Ze churned out beautiful designs one after another that made her want to live in them at a glance. Lu Ze replied that he would certainly give it his all after the two married and design their love nest as she pleased.
Thereupon, he found a new objective: He wanted to have a home that belonged to them, where they could start their own family.
Hence, he still had to strive!
Lu Ze again grew his beard upon discovering that he was losing clients due to his immature face. Thus, he again assumed a mature look.
Lu Ze's handmade portrait of her, which she had pasted in her room, became the target of her roommates' envy. Unaware of his family circumstances, they only knew that Lu Ze was mature, steady, and worked outside, earning a lot of money. He conducted himself calmly before anyone. Most importantly, he was handsome. Such an excellent boyfriend indeed caused many girl's eyes to go red with envy.
But later on, a problem emerged between them: the problem of trust.
This was the biggest pitfall of modern couples. After jumping into the pit of love, one would always worry that somebody would pull their partner- of-life-and-death out of the pit, causing oneself to die alone. It was especially true for the ones who had been cheated upon, as they would be overly suspicious in a new relationship. And, she was a part of this group.
Somebody leaked the information about the current Lu Ze making a lot of money. Many students in the department knew that there was a second year bigshot who made several ten thousands a month from working outside.
All of a sudden, Lu Ze transformed into a hotshot.
However, fortunately, Lu Ze was quite mature. Her suspicion turned into a loss of self-confidence. When she secretly went through his phone, he didn't make it into a fight, and instead learned patience and forgiveness.
When together with her, he would say that holding the phone was tiring and would drop the phone in her lap, even forgetting to take it back with him once in a while, and then going back to her dormitory the next morning to have it back.
Every time a new client was added to his WeChat, he would make fun of the client's appearance by her side, like how ugly they were, how old they were, how they liked to pick their nose, how they liked to scratch their pants, and so on. Every client was roasted black and blue by him.
Of course, he would then warn her not to say it outside, or he would be ruined, causing her to heartily laugh.
Lu Ze knew that her wounds could not be mended in a short while. He wanted to carve 'loyalty' in her heart, convincing her that he was single-mindedly devoted to her. This was a war of attrition. Perhaps it would be quite tiring, but he was willing to press on, because he indeed liked her.
But then came holidays.
They had already covered half of the syllabus in the test. In this one month long holiday, how to comfort her would be a problem.
However, a cart would somehow find the road when it reached the mountain, so Lu Ze didn't worry excessively. He accompanied her to the airport on the final day. Once she boarded, he took a High Speed train for his home. Nowadays, he had money and had no need to needlessly suffer.
However, after the third day of his return to home, his vision turned black, and he lost consciousness.
…
When he reopened his eyes, he was again in the white system space. He'd returned, and his memories had also returned. At present, he was Lu Ze, the extra.
"Simulation concluded, current segment's score, 96. Passed."
"Everything...was fake?'
Lu Ze found himself drifting between dreamland and reality. He felt confused over who he really was. He still clearly remembered the sensation he felt from her hands. However, in the end, his memories were back.
'Everything...is an illusion.'
He felt somewhat aggrieved, and the hole in his heart was not fake. Even when he regained his memories in the system space, he was certain that he still liked her. However, he was also certain that the first love of life was a string of numbers. His college friends and brothers were also numbers.
Upon finishing this course, he would not see them again. They would be erased and only exist in his memories.
"Entering simulation phase three: duration, up to graduation. Get ready, 3...2...1…"
"Can I decline this course?"
The system had no intelligence, so it couldn't answer his question. It only operated to its own operational rules, completely disregarding Lu Ze's opinion. Or perhaps, it never cared about his opinion.
"Stop, stop…"
A drop of tear dropped into the space system, creating a multi-colored ripple. Lu Ze closed his eyes and could only silently accept. The space again darkened before blooming into a magnificent light.
Shielding his memories once more, he entered the dreamland.
At this moment, he was sorting out his luggage. After that, he went to high school to see Lu Nan, who had already started school half a month earlier. He brought her a lot of snacks to share with her classmates and improve the relationship between them.
He returned home, bid farewell to his parents, and continued his journey to education. Taking the ticket, he boarded the High Speed train, rejoicing in his heart. He would be able to see her again!
"Drip…"
At that moment, a teardrop fell from his eyes. Lu Ze doubtfully rubbed his own eyes; he was not feeling unwell at all.
'Strange...Why did I cry?'