“Who?”
Qiu Yang laughed, “Me?” Seeing the two before him completely unamused, he awkwardly cleared his throat, “Just started dating, just one.”
Huang Lu and Yuan Er looked at each other, eyes widening, “So he never had a girlfriend in college?”
“No.” Qiu Yang waved his hand, “All those mixers, dinners, and outings, either went as a group or were traps set by senior brothers or department classmates, false prosperity.”
Yuan Er murmured, “I thought he was quite experienced.”
“Probably has some experience, after all, lots of traps.” Qiu Yang smiled at her, “Chen Yuan Er, you’re the only one in his heart, from beginning to end, absolutely true.”
“Guanyin Bodhisattva!” Huang Lu exclaimed, putting an arm around Yuan Er’s shoulders, “You found a treasure.”
“I know.” Yuan Er smiled sweetly.
Heaven knows how happy she was.
At eleven at night, Jing Xi Chi sent a message, “Landed, don’t worry.”
Yuan Er hugged her phone, replying instantly, “Why so late?”
“Air traffic control.”
Followed immediately by, “I’ve discovered my timing luck is pretty bad.”
With unfamiliar medical school roommates in the new dorm, Yuan Er ducked under her covers to type, “How so?”
After waiting a while with no reply, it was too stuffy under the covers, so she held up her phone and poked her head out for air.
About fifteen minutes later, the message finally came, “Really is. I lost my ID card.”
This guy!
Yuan Er sat up immediately, using the screen’s faint light to find her slippers, tiptoeing into the corridor.
She called him, and after connecting there was first a burst of noise, Jing Xi Chi’s voice faintly coming through, “Okay, I’ll wait. Thank you.” Then finally speaking directly into the microphone in a rush, “Don’t ask. I fell asleep and was woken by flight attendants upon landing, just went to the bathroom then turned on my phone to message you, wanted to get a taxi but found my ID missing when feeling for my keys.” Finally followed by a heavy sigh, “Ah!”
Yuan Er couldn’t help but laugh helplessly, “So?”
“Just finished registering at lost and found.” The noise on his end lessened, “Probably dropped it on the plane, they said to wait a bit, see if there’s any news after the cabin check is done.”
Yuan Er teased him, “You didn’t like your ID photo?”
Jing Xi Chi laughed, “Definitely not as good-looking as now.”
He had walked out of the airport terminal, and the northern summer night still had some chill, so he instinctively advised, “Put on something when you go out.”
Yuan Er opened the corridor window wider, the warm evening wind rushing to her face, prickling her skin, she laughed, “I’m bubbling with heat.”
“There are many things I want to tell you.” Jing Xi Chi watched the stopping and leaving traffic flow, suddenly thinking of Yuan Er’s expression before parting, his voice unconsciously lowering, “Let’s talk slowly, okay?”
It was too rushed, one south one north returning then leaving again, he didn’t even have time to express how in the past time she had step by step walked into his heart –
And finally occupied that irreplaceable position.
Yuan Er gazed at the moon hanging in the night sky, silently smiling, “Okay, I’m not in a hurry.” After thinking, she added, “This afternoon I heard from Qiu Yang about your lab, don’t be anxious or discouraged, I’ve always been your strong support, before and even more so in the future. Hmm?”
Jing Xi Chi closed his eyes, his heart membrane suddenly expanding, he told her softly, “I miss you so much.”
Even though, even though we just parted, I miss you like a flooding river.
Finally able to say it properly and openly – I miss you so much.
Never had such a feeling before, like all the world’s clocks had stopped, the universe on the edge of chaos, Yuan Er couldn’t even judge if she still had a pulse – she could only hear his confession.
From that boy who grew up together sharing so many many memories, and also from a man who had become increasingly mature through experiencing setbacks and blows in the grinding of time.
She finally realized how much she loved him.
Yes, love.
Very deep, very calm, sincerely wanting to spend the rest of life together –
Love.
“Xi Chi,” Yuan Er called softly, her recovered heartbeat thumping, “We… took quite a big detour, didn’t we?”
“Yes.” Jing Xi Chi opened his eyes, midnight Beijing airport reappearing before him, “Finally made it back around.”