The scenery outside the window flickered between light and dark. He Fang seemed genuinely a bit tired; after getting on the bus, she quietly leaned against Qin Guanglin and stared out the window.
Sitting on the outer side, Qin Guanglin played with a strand of her hair, suddenly asking, "Can you guess what I'm planning to do tomorrow?"
He was still somewhat skeptical about mysticism; he wanted to see whether He Fang's so-called Dunjia was really that magical.
He Fang pulled at the jacket draped over her shoulders, "Call me Teacher He, and I'll tell you."
"No way."
While Qin Guanglin had accepted the nickname Classmate Qin, he resisted the name Teacher He, "You can give up on that."
"Then I won't tell you," she turned to look at Qin Guanglin, "You'll eventually call me that sooner or later."
"Impossible."
"Wait and see," He Fang said confidently, then leaned back on his shoulder to look out the window, "Anyway, from now on, you can't call me He Fang."
"Then what should I call you?" Qin Guanglin was stumped. He'd always said "you, you" instead of using her name; calling her He Fang was rare.
What should he call her now? Was he going to mimic others and call her something like baby? Darling?
Ugh, just the thought sent chills down his spine, giving him goosebumps—absolutely not; calling her Teacher He would be better.
"Think for yourself, but you can't call me by my name," He Fang said, raising her chin smugly, "Once you think of something, you have to tell me and get my approval first."
"..."
Qin Guanglin, determined not to say anything mushy, decided not to call her at all. If he needed to address her, he would just say what he wanted directly, without the need for a name.
With nothing better to do, he took He Fang's small hand and played with it, unsure whether this counted as an odd fetish. He always felt her hands were small and soft, and touching them was extremely pleasant.
Qin Guanglin rubbed and touched them for a while, finding the fair, tender hands increasingly cute and suddenly felt an urge to kiss them.
Sneaking a glance at He Fang, he hesitated, wondering if he was some kind of pervert.
On second thought, he figured it wasn't such a big deal. Kissing small hands was nothing—he liked her as a whole person, and her hands were a part of her. Liking them was natural.
The more he looked, the more he liked them, and Qin Guanglin quietly bent his head and gave a small kiss.
When he looked up, he met He Fang's gaze and nonchalantly turned his head to look out the other window.
"Secretly proud," He Fang chuckled at his sneaky demeanor, "I'll have you properly trained sooner or later."
"Trained how?" Qin Guanglin couldn't help but ask; the first two words He Fang had said too softly, and he hadn't heard clearly.
"Nothing, Classmate Qin, you're great."
"..."
It's wicked to speak so unclearly and refuse to repeat oneself.
By the time they got off the bus, Qin Guanglin had thoroughly enjoyed playing with her hand. As they slowly walked toward the school, he noticed there were quite a few people here at night, unlike near his home where pedestrians were scarce.
"Do you want to buy something to eat for later?" he asked, looking at the nearby supermarket. They had eaten dinner early, and he thought they might get hungry later at night.
"No need; eating at night makes one gain weight," He Fang shook her head.
Qin Guanglin eyed her, "You're not even fat."
"That's why I need to maintain, or I won't look good in dresses," He Fang looked down at herself, feeling satisfied with her figure.
"You seem to like wearing dresses?"
Since their first meeting until now, she had spent the majority of the time in various long dresses or casual sports pants, never anything higher than her calves.
"Yes," He Fang nodded, "Once I become a teacher, I won't be able to wear them often, so now I should wear them more."
"True enough."
As they chatted, they strolled to the bottom of the building. He Fang handed the jacket back to Qin Guanglin, standing there and looking at him.
"Go on up," Qin Guanglin draped the jacket over his arm, intending to watch her go up before leaving.
"Classmate Qin, did you forget something?" He Fang's expression turned serious.
"What?"
"Think carefully."
Qin Guanglin looked puzzled. What had he forgotten…
"On the boat," He Fang reminded him.
"Ah, I remember now." With the reminder, Qin Guanglin recalled his promise to her that every time they met up and parted for the first time during the day, they had to kiss.
He looked around to make sure there were not many people nearby, leaned over, and quickly gave He Fang a peck.
He Fang smiled contentedly, "Be careful on your way back. I'm going up."
"Okay."
Watching her turn and head upstairs, Qin Guanglin began walking toward the outside of the school, putting on the jacket he was holding. The night air was a bit chilly.
When he got home, Qin's Mom was already back, sitting on the sofa watching TV. Seeing him come in, she casually greeted, "Tired after playing all day? Rest early."
"You rest early too."
Qin Guanglin replied, poured himself a glass of water, drank it, and then went back to his room. Lying on the bed, he finally felt a bit tired.
Lying there quietly for a while, he thought back over the day's events, got up, turned off the light, and prepared to sleep.
He felt a bit nostalgic for that soft little body; it would be great to fall asleep holding it every night…
The night passed without dreams.
He slept until bright daylight, and when Qin Guanglin opened his eyes, it was already past nine in the morning. Grabbing his phone, he saw that, as usual, He Fang had sent him a "Good morning" after eight. After sending back the same reply, he put the phone down and got up to wash up.
When Sun Wen sent him the company address, he briefly introduced it. The studio had been established for less than two years and, although there were only about ten employees, the boss was highly skilled, having secured several moderately famous novel IPs to adapt into comics. The development prospects were quite good.
They arranged to meet at eleven in the morning. Qin Guanglin arrived at ten-thirty. The place was neither too close nor too far from Qin Guanglin's home—a little over half an hour by bus, although the location was somewhat off the beaten path.
He didn't come here often. Being something of a homebody, he usually only went out when necessary and rarely lingered afterward.
Taking a casual walk around to get a feel for the surroundings, once done, Qin Guanglin looked around and, seeing a Starbucks below Sun Wen's company, he ordered a lemon tea to pass the time—he wanted to try what He Fang liked drinking so much.
It was sour and sweet, far inferior to carrot juice. Qin Guanglin sat for a while, took out his phone, and contacted Sun Wen to tell him that he had arrived and was downstairs.
Though Sun Wen's name included the character for "text," he was burly, almost six foot three, and a robust giant. No one who saw him would associate him with the delicate work of drawing.
Soon, the exceptionally noticeable Sun Wen appeared within Qin Guanglin's sight, and he stood up and waved.
"Hey, Wen, over here."
"I see you," Sun Wen laughed heartily, coming over to lock Qin Guanglin in a playful headlock, "You've lost some muscle, haven't been exercising?"
"Ever since graduation, I haven't worked out," Qin Guanglin rubbed his shoulder; the guy had bulked up again.
Back in school, Sun Wen had always dragged Qin Guanglin to the gym; it seemed the guy had kept up his workout habit even after graduation.
Sun Wen laughed heartily, "Eat first or take a look at the studio?"
"We haven't met in a while, so obviously, let's eat first." Qin Guanglin looked around, "I'm not familiar with this place; you pick a spot."
"There's a place over there I've been to before—tasty enough," Sun Wen said, guiding Qin Guanglin forward, "What made you suddenly want to find a job?"
"To earn some more money; otherwise, it's too unstable."
"Man, you're never satisfied; how about we switch places? I wouldn't mind the instability."
Qin Guanglin was regarded as the best artist among their dorm mates and the only one who could live comfortably without a job, just by taking commissions—carefree and relaxed. They were a bit envious whenever it came up.
Qin Guanglin chuckled, "You could give it a try."
"It's not like I haven't tried; those clients just don't appreciate my drawings. I'd starve staying home," Sun Wen said with a pout.