Chapter 15 (2/2)
“Ah, you’re back!” Ye Zhi jumped up.
A succession of “here!” was heard.
“Shen Lie asked me to ask if any of the girls want to visit Summer Palace, but how can I be so fast!” He Luo placed her toiletries down. “But it’s not early either. It is 9 in the morning.”
“Yes, yes, you can even have your lunch at 2.” He Luo smiled and gently closed the door behind her.
“Aren’t you the one who called me?” she asked, confused.
“Ah, then…”
The morning sun was peeking from the upper left corner of the gate, stretching her shadow endlessly. Slowly, another shadow blocked the light. A tall figure stepped in, sending the little micro dust flying in the light.
Turning around, facing the backlight was really him.
Truly it was him. It was just like a wonderful dream.
He Luo’s heart felt like a sponge, absorbing all the happiness in the world. But it quickly became heavy, so much that her chest hurt.
She was so happy she could cry. She pressed her lips into a line and tried to hold his hand. But the moment her slender fingers touched Zhang Yuan’s tanned arm, she couldn’t control herself and embraced him instead.
“If I don’t surprise you, do you think you’ll take initiative to hug me?” Zhang Yuan hugged her tightly.
“ It’s okay even if you’re not here. I’ll just wait here. There are so many beauties in your building.”
Shen Lie wavered between staying and leaving; both options seemed wrong. He turned a few times in the hall, before clearing his throat loudly.
“High school cla.s.smates?” Shen Lie asked.
“En?”
“I have relatives living nearby. When I asked where he is in Beijing, he said northwest corner. I figured since your university is also in northwest, it shouldn’t be too far,” Zhang Yuan said. “But the taxi ended up taking half an hour to get from northwest Beijing to northwest Beijing.”
“Lend me, not you,” Zhang Yuan corrected.
“Your dark circles have gotten worse. So ugly. Panda.”
“Ay, I’ll just lend it to you,” Shen Lie said. “If you two keep on going, I wouldn’t be able to go home until tomorrow.” He scratched his head. “I have the bed and pillow but the sheets, quilt, and cover… I’m bringing home to wash them.”
“I’m tossing both sets to my mom!”
He Luo chuckled. “I know you’re just the same. You still dare say it. Just take mine then!”
“What’s wrong?” Ye Zhi jumped. “Is it a rat? Did you see a rat?”
“Ah? Really?” Ye Zhi didn’t return to her sleep. “Hurry up and show me the idol that sent you four letters in a day!”
“Yes, yes!” Ye Zhi was getting excited. “But I still want to sneak a look at him. You bring him in front of the building, I’ll peek from the curtains. Hey, what are you looking for?”
“Ahhhh!” This time it was Ye Zhi screaming. “This is too, too, too… too ambiguous! What a fantasy!”
“You’re giving people chance to imagine!” Ye Zhi held her pillow and sat cross-legged on the top bunk. “Using a quilt He Luo had used before, full with a girl’s delicate fragrance…” She sat there dreamily, thinking.
“I’m afraid someone won’t think that way.” Ye Zhi cackled.
The three of them walked to the boys’ dorms together. Outside the door, He Luo pretended that the things she losing grip on the things she was carrying. “It’s falling, the pillow is falling!” When she remembered there was a pair of thieving eyes behind the curtains, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Her? She’s just a muddle-head.” Zhang Yuan reached out to take the things from He Luo, holding them beside him against his waist. “What are you smiling about? Is this the first time you are seeing a runway?”
“Forget it. You better carry the quilt. This is too heavy for you.”
“Which girl said that she wants to see the ending of [the comic book] Red River but isn’t sure where to find in Beijing and end up forcing me to get it?”
“Since I’m coming anyway, I decided to bring it with me. Don’t you want to read it early?”
“You’re acting more and more like my style.” Zhang Yuan smiled proudly.
[artwork by Henn Kim]
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