The day they were leaving, the school gate was crowded with parents seeing their children off. Lu Heng lived very close to the school, just across the street, so he had stored his things at the school early and then went to pick up Xiang Yu to help her with her luggage. Xiang Yu's luggage was very simple: a duffel bag and a small bag containing a water bottle and a washbasin. When Lu Heng took her things, he asked, "How come you, a girl, only have this much stuff? It's almost the same as mine."
Xiang Yu shrugged, "What else would I need? Three sets of school uniforms, a dress suggested by the teacher, some underwear, socks, and slippers. Not much, right?"
"I just passed by the school and saw a lot of parents seeing their kids off. It's pretty exaggerated; they're bringing so much stuff, like fruits and snacks."
"Oh, I didn't expect that." Xiang Yu brushed her forehead with her hand. "At worst, we'll just eat more at each meal. They wouldn't let us go hungry, right? Besides, I brought some chocolate." She took out two pieces from her pocket and handed them to Lu Heng. "Here, for you to keep."
Lu Heng took them and put them in his pocket. They chatted as they walked to the school. The teacher arranged for the boys to load the luggage onto the truck while the girls were asked to board the bus and take their seats, and then the dormitories were assigned. The dormitories were six-person rooms, and Xiang Yu was assigned to the same room as Fang Meigui and a few other girls. In this life, Fang Meigui had not done anything excessive to Xiang Yu, but Xiang Yu could tell that Fang Meigui still liked Lu Heng. However, since Xiang Yu and Lu Heng had been very close from the start, it made others feel it was hard to get between them. Perhaps because of this, Fang Meigui had neither confessed to Lu Heng nor troubled Xiang Yu.
Lu Heng sat next to Xiang Yu on the bus and asked if she had eaten breakfast. "I just bought soy milk and a Jianbing(Chinese pancake) from a stall near my house. I figured you hadn't eaten."
"Who says I haven't? I brought boiled eggs." Xiang Yu took out two slightly squashed boiled eggs from her pocket and handed one to Lu Heng.
"How is your pocket like a treasure chest? You can pull anything out of it."
"It's not a treasure chest; it's Doraemon's magical pocket," Xiang Yu pouted at Lu Heng.
"Alright, alright, magical indeed. Eat quickly, or the Jianbing will get soggy." Fang Meigui, sitting in front of them, listened to their conversation. She had always known that Xiang Yu and Lu Heng were close. They studied together, did chores together, often walked home together after school, and would sit and chat during breaks. But hearing their intimate conversation today still pierced Fang Meigui's heart. She couldn't believe it. Did she really have no chance at all? Xiang Yu was indeed quite pretty, but Fang Meigui was beautiful too, even more so—vibrant and charming. She was more likable, had many friends in the class. What did Xiang Yu have? Why was it Xiang Yu? Why did it have to be her? Fang Meigui felt a surge of resentment.
Xiang Yu took big bites of the Jianbing, and Lu Heng called to her, "Hey, can you take smaller bites? Can your little mouth fit all that?"
Xiang Yu, with her mouth full, cheeks puffed out, smiled at Lu Heng, revealing a bit of cilantro. Lu Heng handed her the soy milk, "You stuffed so much in your mouth, can you even swallow it?"
Xiang Yu took a few sips of soy milk and finally swallowed the food in her mouth. "The Jianbing from the stall near your house is really good. I wasn't hungry before, but eating it made me feel very hungry."
"If you want to eat it, I can bring it for you."
"No, no, if you eat it often, it won't taste as good."
"You're really strange," Lu Heng frowned at Xiang Yu, "Always with these weird theories."
"Isn't it true? If you have something too easily, you won't cherish it." Xiang Yu looked at Lu Heng, her eyes full of regret and pain.