Qin Guan mastered up the courage to hold Cong Nianwei’s hand. Squinting at her soft, sweet-smelling little hand, he said tensely, “Cong Nianwei, I love you.”
Cong Nianwei looked down their intertwined hands and answered calmly, “Yes, I know.”
Qin Guan continued in a nervous, shaking voice, “So, will you be my girlfriend?”
Cong Nianwei smiled gently. A wicked small voice inside her heart said, “How could I become his girlfriend when we’ve never even had a fight? Things can’t be this smooth.”
She opened her mouth and asked, “Why?” At her answer, Qin Guan looked up at her blankly. “Why?” he repeated dumbly. “We were childhood sweethearts and friends.”
“We were just classmates in senior high. We didn't even exchange a word during the first two and a half years,” Cong Nianwei answered calmly.
“But we were well-acquainted with each other and had mutual friends.” Qin Guan's eyebrows fell.
“I’ve known you for half a year, and all I know about you is that you’re a silly foodie. You don’t know all that much about me either,” Cong Nianwei said neutrally.
“I... I am handsome, and studious… and I make a lot of money,” Qin Guan said incoherently.
Cong Nianwei couldn't help but laugh contentedly, “I’m also attractive, and more studious than you. And when it comes to money, who can make predict what the future holds?”
Qin Guan wanted to die. What the hell am I even saying? This is so embarrassing! Before he could get disheartened, he heard words of hope come out of Cong Nianwei's mouth.
“I think we need to get to know each other more. We could get along eventually.” Cong Nianwei gripped his hand, which had been holding hers for a while.
Qin Guan pinched himself dumbly before he asked carefully, “Get along eventually?”
Cong Nianwei nodded, “That's what I said. We could get along gradually.”
Hearing this, Qing Guan threw the plastic bags down to the ground and let her hand go. He ran a few steps forward with his long legs and then turned around.
He squatted in front of her and gestured to his back while he said, “Are you tired? Get on my back.”
Cong Nianwei was amused by his silly actions and covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. She patted Qin Guan, “Okay. No more window-shopping. Let's take everything and go back.”
Qin Guan saluted in the manner of the Qing Dynasty, “Yes, Miss Cong. At your service.” Then he picked up the bags and guided Cong Nianwei to a taxi happily. On the way back, Qin Guan's mouth was wide open. He took Cong Nianwei back to campus with a silly smile on his face, holding her hands reluctantly as they reached her dormitory building.
Seeing that there were people around, Cong Nianwei stepped hard on Qin Guan’s foot, making him drop his wandering hands. “I’ll pick you up the day we return home,” Qin Guan said. Her mouth twitched at his words. She took her bags and ran upstairs.
Qin Guan did not feel tired anymore. He saw Cong Nianwei off and then swung the plastic bags in his hands and started humming a terrible song, “Our ordinary people today are happy and okay.” He bounced on the Tsinghua University campus until at last he left.
Chi Hailin happened to be riding by at the time. Qin Guan was really hard to miss.
Chi Hailin saw him from a distance, bouncing around like an idiot. He felt sick at the sight.
One sentence kept repeating into his mind, “Cong Nianwei prefers this idiot to me. Cong Nianwei prefers this idiot to me.”
He rode beside Qin Guan in hatred. He was angry with Qin Guan's actions, which were getting more and more silly by the minute. He couldn’t bear to turn his head and watch him act like an idiot.
He was too focused on Qin Guan and forgot to watch where he was going when he reached a T-junction. He could only go left or right, straight ahead was a dead end.
One second Chi Hailin was watching Qin Guan's silly actions, and the next he was crashing into the boscage.
His bike clanked. One of the wheels flew high into the sky and landed on top of a bush while the other was caught into the earth below.
His books and papers scattered all around. Chi Hailing himself was wedged between two trees. He had several bloody scratches on his face, and he seemed to be in a difficult position.
Realizing what had just happened, he suddenly lost his heart. I laughed at him for being an idiot. What am I then? A super idiot?
Qin Guan had no idea what had just happened because of him. He just took a taxi back to his dormitory and began to pack his luggage. He was quite pleased with himself.
Their room was a mess. They had all got return tickets from the college office and were packing their luggage. All except just one, who was just sitting aside looking downhearted.
Liu Xiaoyang looked hurt. All his roommates would go back home for the Spring Festival. Of course, he also would return home, but he somehow always felt abandoned and alone there.
Liu Xiaoyang was the kind of person who had never had any childhood friends. Nobody wanted to play with a boy like him. Child wonders always made others feel inferior in comparison.
What's more, Liu Xiaoyang's arrogance and spoiled attitude scared others away. He had been arrogant since a very young age.
In some sense, his five roommates were his first real friends.
Qin Guan packed the last tea can into his suitcase, clapped his hands, and stood up. Then he walked to Liu Xiaoyan, messed his hair with his hands and said, “This time things will be different. The boys in your neighborhood will be different.”
Confused, Liu Xiaoyang fixed his hair again and asked, “How is that possible? I know these boys very well.”
Qin Guan explained nothing. Actions speak louder than words. Liu Xiaoyang would feel the changes once he returned home.
Everyone put away their luggage and messed up Liu’s hair. The next day, they would return home separately to visit their families.