Chapter 51 Late August, North…

In late August, freshmen at Beicheng University were reporting for military training. Fang Liangping and Zhao Ningying asked their work units for a few days off to send Fang Minzhou to school ahead of schedule.

The day before she was to leave for Beicheng, Fang Minzhou was in a worse mood than she had imagined.

She was excited, filled with anticipation for university life, but at the same time, she felt uneasy and fearful about going to a completely unfamiliar city. On the eve of her departure, she felt a real sense of unease, especially when she saw her mother, who was helping her pack her luggage, finally show a look of melancholy. Fang Minzhou's eyes couldn't help but sting.

Does this mean she's not independent enough? She didn't know, and she couldn't bring herself to say it. If she did, her father might lecture her, so she kept it all to herself. But on the last night before she left, Fang Minzhou slept with her mother.

Just like when she was little, she placed her hands on her mother's soft belly, and her mother's hands and legs protected her, saying, "Why are your hands and feet still so cold? What will you do when you get to Beicheng? It's much colder there than in Zhangcheng."

"It's okay, there's heating."

Mom smiled and sighed, then started rambling on, saying that once Fang Minzhou left, no one would live in this room anymore.

“I came back from National Day,” Fang Minzhou said.

"We'll see when the time comes. It's okay if they don't come back," Mom said.

Fang Minzhou pursed her lips, but did not respond.

She packed a lot of things into her suitcase, but there were always things she couldn't take with her, leaving them at home, like a part of herself, staying with her parents.

Fang Minzhou rarely flies. The last time she came to the airport was after her middle school entrance exam when her parents took her on a trip. At that time, she was still naive and obediently followed behind her parents the whole time. Three years later, perhaps she has grown up. When checking in and dropping off her luggage, she became the one to communicate with the staff. After the family went through security, her mother smiled and said to her father, "Our daughter knows much more than you do now."

Fang Minzhou glanced at her father, worried that her words might unintentionally hurt his pride, but her father said, "You'll definitely be better than me," looking at her, "From now on, you'll be all on your own, but if anything happens, just call home."

Fang Minzhou hummed in agreement, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.

While waiting for her flight, she turned on her phone and saw a message from Wang Kan that had been sent a dozen minutes earlier, asking if she had arrived at the airport yet.

Fang Minzhou: We've arrived.

Jiangcheng University had just held its freshman registration yesterday, which greatly annoyed Wang Kan. He had originally wanted to see her off, and even wanted to accompany her to Beicheng, "if her aunt and uncle agreed."

At that time, Fang Minzhou directly refuted him, telling Wang Kan that it was impossible, but now, she fantasizes that he might suddenly appear at the airport like in TV dramas and movies.

She started typing, mentioning that she was very curious when she first took a plane as a child, but now she is a little scared. However, thinking that Wang Kan may have flown countless times, she said that this was meaningless. In addition, he had military training today and would be very tired. So she deleted and edited, and finally sent a picture of the boarding gate.

Wang Kan did not reply immediately, and Fang Minzhou guessed that he had probably already started training.

As the plane took off, Fang Minzhou's hometown, which he thought he knew so well, became an indistinguishable network of lines and lines. Jiangcheng and Zhangcheng were more than 200 kilometers apart, and Jiangcheng and Beicheng were more than 1,000 kilometers apart. From an altitude of 10,000 meters, these cities appeared to be as close as a finger.

Two hours later, the plane arrived in Beicheng.

Wang Kan sent a new message half an hour ago, asking her to let her know when she landed safely.

Mom and Dad walked ahead, and Fang Minzhou secretly snapped another photo. Summer in the northern city was coming to an end, but it was still incredibly beautiful.

There were many people, tourists everywhere. Perhaps because she was about to live in this city for four years, Fang Minzhou was not in a hurry to explore, but her parents were very enthusiastic. Despite the high temperature during the day, the family visited almost all the attractions in the northern part of the city in three days. Fang Minzhou felt that this was a kind of early training for the intensity of military training.

On the last morning, her parents took her to school.

The school's dormitory conditions were bound to be poor due to its long history. It was a four-person room with bunk beds, and it was first-come, first-served. The first bed on the left by the window was already made up, but no one was in the room, so Fang Minzhou chose the corresponding bed on the right.

After tidying up her things, she and her parents went downstairs to stroll around the school. After lunch, her parents prepared to go back to the hotel to get their luggage. Their flight was in the evening, and they didn't want Fang Minzhou to see them off, feeling it was unnecessary.

"Beicheng is very different from Zhangcheng. You're all alone, and this is your first time living in a dormitory, so you must take good care of yourself. Be polite to your classmates and help each other out if needed. Make sure you eat well, and if you don't have enough money, tell your parents. It gets cold quickly here, so buy some warm clothes in a couple of months..."

Uncharacteristically, Dad didn't say a word; it was Mom who kept nagging, giving countless instructions and reminders. Fang Minzhou listened patiently until Mom was speechless. She then saw them into a taxi.

The school's main gate connects to the road, where cars come and go. After the taxi started moving, it quickly disappeared into the endless stream of traffic. Soon, another car stopped, the door opened, and a curious and excited family got out. They hurriedly unloaded their luggage and took a group photo at the school gate, just like she and her parents had done earlier.

Under the blazing sun and amidst the surging crowds, Fang Minzhou's eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down her face.

She quickly wiped away her tears and slowly walked towards her dormitory amidst the bustling noise of people and cicadas. The road was long, the school was vast, and the sun shone so brightly on her back that it seemed to evaporate the loneliness and reluctance in her heart.

Back in the dorm, she was alone, but the air conditioning was on, making it pleasantly cool. While continuing to pack her luggage, Fang Minzhou also composed herself. After finishing packing the essentials, she sat quietly on a bench for a while, left a message for Wang Kan, and then picked out some photos from her trip over the past few days to post on social media.

Back in high school, cell phones were contraband, but now I always carry them with me. Her post quickly garnered likes from former classmates, and Ouyang Qian, who was traveling, commented: "I'll come visit you in Beicheng!"

Fang Minzhou replied to her: I'm waiting for you!

Except for Wang Kan.

She spent these past few days with her parents, while Wang Kan was busy with school and often couldn't reply to messages promptly, but Fang Minzhou knew this was normal time difference. She took a deep breath and told herself: A new life is about to begin.

"Hey, finally someone's here." The dormitory door opened, and a girl with short blonde hair came in, carrying a plastic bag. She took out a bottle of iced drink and handed it to Fang Minzhou. "Here, have some water. It's so hot! By the way, my name is Jin Ying. What's yours?"

Fang Minzhou thanked him and accepted the gift, saying, "Hello, my name is Fang Minzhou."

She shared the local specialty snacks she had brought with Jin Ying, and also placed a few packets on the other two empty tables.

After chatting for a while, Fang Minzhou learned that she and Jin Ying were from very close hometowns, but Jin Ying was majoring in digital media and was assigned to the School of Economics because there weren't enough beds. "That's good, I can learn some financial knowledge from you guys."

Fang Minzhou felt slightly ashamed.

After a while, the other two roommates arrived.

Fang Minzhou was worried about how to get along with her roommates, but everyone was quite friendly. After cleaning the dormitory, the four of them went downstairs to eat. For their first meal, Jin Ying suggested going to a restaurant, and no one objected.

Just as I stepped out the door, Wang Kan called.

Fang Minzhou silently lagged a few steps behind, answered the phone, and quickly explained in a low voice that she was going to eat, then asked him, "...Do you have anything to do later tonight? I'll call you back later?"

"Okay... then hurry up." Wang Kan said reluctantly on the other end of the phone. Although Fang Minzhou thought it was mostly intentional, he couldn't keep up the act for long. "Just kidding. Eat slowly, don't go hungry."

Fang Minzhou felt a little embarrassed by the inexplicably intimate words, responded with a sound of agreement, and asked Wang Kan, "Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten," he said. "Go eat your food, we'll talk later."

"……Um."

Although it's only been a few days, it feels like I haven't heard their voice in ages.

When Fang Minzhou put away her phone and looked ahead, she saw that her three roommates had stopped and were waiting for her with gossipy expressions. Fang Minzhou's face flushed, but thankfully it was already dark, which helped to hide her embarrassment.

"Boy friend?"

Fang Minzhou nodded shyly.

So she was questioned the whole way.

The group was initially curious about each other's boyfriends: who they were, where they were now, and how long they had been dating. They were even more surprised to learn that Fang Minzhou was their high school sweetheart from a long-distance relationship.

Luo Jia said enviously, "Oh, my first love? My first love is already dead."

Meng Yujun: "Huh?"

Luo Jia: "...He's not really dead."

Meng Yujun: "Oh, oh, oh."

Jin Ying laughed loudly, immediately guessing that the dormitory head had never been in a relationship.

Fang Minzhou secretly broke out in a cold sweat.

Considering that everyone has different tastes, they ended up going to a home-style restaurant on the school's pedestrian street. However, halfway through the meal, Luo Jia ordered some wine, and even the dormitory head could drink a little. Fang Minzhou then "did as the Romans do" and took a few sips.

Fang Minzhou found the juice spicy, frowned, and forced herself to swallow it. Jin Ying smiled and refilled Fang Minzhou's empty glass with juice.

High school, college entrance exam, friends, family, love... there are so many stories to share on any topic, and once the atmosphere gets lively, relationships quickly become closer.

After finishing her meal and returning to her dormitory, Fang Minzhou first called her parents.

Mom laughed and said that the house felt a little empty without her, and she was also saddened that they had accompanied her to visit the school in the morning and returned to Zhangcheng in the evening. "Isn't it military training tomorrow? Go to bed early tonight. You must eat breakfast during military training, okay?"

"Mmm." Fang Minzhou didn't dare to say more, responding with each word clearly.

The happiness I felt while spending time with my roommates was real, but like filtered tea, the emotions I deliberately ignored all afternoon were like the tea dregs left in the filter, piling up bitter and astringent, slowly fermenting.

After hanging up the phone, she noticed that besides Jin Ying washing up, Meng Yujun and Luo Jia were also talking to their families on the phone. Speaking softly in their respective hometown dialects, Fang Minzhou felt a strange warmth in this scene, and the sound of running water in the bathroom washed away some of her gloom.

Suddenly, Wang Kan's video call came at the perfect moment. Unlike calling her parents, Fang Minzhou put her phone away and quietly left the dormitory.

Wang Kan watched as the camera on her phone screen swayed from bright to dark and back to light. Besides the footsteps, she could also hear Fang Minzhou's breathing, so close it felt like she could feel the warmth of his breath.

Fang Minzhou finally found a suitable spot. In the dim light, she looked intently at the camera, her face glowing with a radiant sheen. The two stared at each other across the screen for a few seconds. Fang Minzhou was still holding her breath, while Wang Kan had already grinned foolishly.

"Where are you?" Wang Kan poked Fang Minzhou on the screen.

Fang Minzhou showed him through a long lens that in the corner of the open-air balcony, several quilts that had not yet been brought inside were swaying gently on the clothesline.

The light from the dormitory building next door and the streetlights downstairs was just enough, plus the full moon overhead. Wang Kan's background was very bright. "Are you in the dormitory?"

"Yeah, don't worry, nobody's here. My roommates aren't here either," Wang Kan said, guessing that Fang Minzhou would feel embarrassed. "Aren't you hot outside? Why don't you go back first?"

"It's alright, the breeze is quite refreshing," Fang Minzhou said.

Her words felt like a chilling breeze blowing through Wang Kan's chest. Yes, he thought, he had forgotten that Fang Minzhou was in Beicheng now.

"Is Beicheng fun?" he asked.

"Hmm, not bad. Where did your roommates go? Aren't you with them?"

"They've gone to a dinner party, it's nothing, don't worry about them," Wang Kan said. He was supposed to go too, but he declined, saying he had something to do. "I'll come visit you in Beicheng."

Fang Minzhou was about to say yes when he realized that Wang Kan was copying Ouyang Qian's comment, and he rolled his eyes at him with a smile.

Her gaze swept over him, gently tickling Wang Kan's heart. He stared at Fang Minzhou, now shimmering on the screen, and shamefully thought that, aside from kissing, he rarely looked at her face this closely. His voice unconsciously softened, "Don't..."

"What?" Fang Minzhou asked, rolling her eyes in anger?

Wang Kan awkwardly touched his nose, avoiding the question, and instead asked, "Did your uncle and aunt go back to Zhangcheng?"

Mentioning this, Fang Minzhou couldn't help but feel a little down and nodded.

Missing home?

Whether she admitted it or not, it would be somewhat pretentious, so Fang Minzhou chose to ask in return, "You don't want to?"

"It's alright," Wang Kan said. "My parents are often not home, so I'm used to it."

Fang Min was stunned on Monday.

Wang Kan had mentioned that his parents were busy with work, but she often only thought of Wang Kan as a spoiled young master and never considered his actual life at home under such circumstances. They also spent Wang Kan's birthday together this year, and now that she thinks about it, his parents were probably not home again.

This realization made Fang Minzhou feel ashamed. A lover is also a friend and family, but she had never noticed this before. Was it because Wang Kan intentionally concealed it, or was she just too careless? She carefully considered what to say, but he just had to ruin the atmosphere, saying in a cheeky way, "You were about to cry yourself, so why are you feeling sorry for me now?"

Fang Minzhou: "...I didn't want to cry."

"If you don't have it, you don't have it."

"Don't you want me to feel sorry for you?"

Wang Kan: "..."

He covered the lower half of his face with one hand, "...Fang Minzhou, where did you learn these words? You've gone astray."

"Isn't that what you wanted me to say?" Fang Minzhou couldn't help but laugh, then looked more closely at Wang Kan's face on the screen. "Did you get a tan?"

Wang Kan coughed and mumbled, "It's alright, just a little bit, but I look more manly with a tan, don't you think? Or do you prefer someone lighter? But I wasn't that fair-skinned to begin with, was I?"

Fang Minzhou guessed that if she were to say now that she liked fair skin, it would probably infuriate him. "Just remember to wear sunscreen and don't get sunburned."

Wang Kan snorted, saying that he was tough and thick-skinned, and that it was almost over anyway, but Fang Minzhou should be careful.

Fang Minzhou took the opportunity to inquire about Wang Kan's military training, asking if it was very tough.

Wang Kan naturally refused, instead picking out funny and embarrassing stories from others and occasionally interspersing some of his own excellent performances. Fang Minzhou remained silent on the surface, but was actually amused by him and kept laughing, which made Wang Kan feel very accomplished.

Actually, military training is quite tiring, but in his mind, a boy shouldn't complain about being tired in front of a girl, especially his girlfriend, as it damages his personal image. However, he hopes that Fang Minzhou will tell him if anything happens, because he has experience with military training. "If you're really not feeling well, don't force yourself. Just raise your hand. During breaks, grab any shady spots you can find and run faster. Also, if teachers or upperclassmen bring you water or drinks, don't wait until the end to get them. Sometimes there might not be enough."

Fang Minzhou: "I know."

What if she's a three-year-old child?

Wang Kan didn't believe it, "You know it, but you can't do it."

Fang Minzhou: "..."

"Don't always think of others first, and then feel embarrassed yourself," Wang Kan said. Although it's only the beginning of the semester, he has already felt the difference between university and high school, and he is genuinely worried that Fang Minzhou will suffer.

Fang Minzhou lowered her eyes, gently kicked the bottom of the balcony wall, and covered up the boiling emotions in her heart before raising her head, but still avoiding the camera. "Okay."

They started the call just to catch up on each other's lives, but the conversation went on and on. They ended up talking until they ran out of beans and were still tapping on the empty receivers to listen to the sounds. It wasn't until Wang Kan noticed that Fang Minzhou seemed to be secretly scratching a mosquito bite that she said, "Let's talk again next time," but the screens were still lit up.

The wind was refreshing, but after being outdoors for a while, Fang Minzhou still had a thin layer of sweat on her back.

Wang Kan seemed to have more to say, so she waited patiently.

She remembered the summer after her junior year of high school when Wang Kan went to the south of the city and sang to her over the phone. She also recalled the stories her high school teachers told about the slow pace of life in the past. How long would it take to travel from the north of the city to the south of the river, and how many horses would it take? She truly appreciated the progress of technology.

"I really want to see you right now." Wang Kan sighed deeply.

"...Didn't we see it now?" That was all Fang Minzhou could say.

She forced a smile, but Wang Kan couldn't manage a genuine laugh. Fang Minzhou's smile also gradually diminished, barely maintaining its last sliver. "Hang up. Get some rest."

“Well,” Wang Kan thought of a serious problem, “you can’t go outside and get eaten by mosquitoes every time you call me, can you?”

Yes.

"There won't be any mosquitoes in a few days."

"...and then call me in the snow?"

Fang Minzhou chuckled and said, "We'll see then, when my roommate isn't around."

"...Will I be able to live to see that day?"

"able."

“…Alright then.” Wang Kan said helplessly, then paused. “Goodnight, Minmin.”

What kind of new form of address is this? Fang Minzhou replied, "...Goodnight, Wang Kan."

The video call finally ended, and Fang Minzhou saw everyone calling her in the dormitory group chat.

Luo Jia: @Fangkuai, why is the phone call taking so long?

Jin Ying: /Evil smile

Luo Jia: /Evil grin

Meng Yujun: /Evil smile

Fang Minzhou, the person involved, did not follow the formation. Her phone screen went out, and she looked towards Beicheng University at night. This was a city hundreds of times more developed than Zhangcheng, with dazzling skyscrapers in the distance, a view completely different from what she used to see during evening self-study sessions in high school.

She took deep breaths, compressing the ups and downs of the day. Without a mirror to fix her appearance, Fang Minzhou made sure she was okay before returning to her dorm to be teased by her roommates.

Military training, ice-breaking activities in classes, club recruitment... University life is not quite what Fang Minzhou imagined.

The earliest classes were only at 8 a.m., and there were no evening self-study sessions. Although the first year of university was full of courses, after class, the time was all my own. Away from the sight of my parents and the control of my teachers, plus my legal adult status, in a way, it was like what I had heard in high school: liberated and free.

She signed up for the debate club, which surprised people who knew her. It was probably based on the stereotype that debaters are quick-witted and eloquent. It wasn't that they thought Fang Minzhou was bad at talking, but they just felt that it didn't fit her personality.

"You're not doing this so you can win an argument with me later, are you?" Wang Kan asked.

“Wang, you have a deep misunderstanding of debate. I suggest you learn about the meaning of debate,” Fang Min said seriously. “Besides, when did we have an argument?”

There's one more thing he didn't say: when has he ever won an argument?

"I apologize." Wang Kan made a gesture of surrender on the other end of the video call.

Fang Minzhou smiled and didn't take it to heart.

As for why, she simply wanted to try something new and hoped that the mindset of debate could bring about some kind of dramatic change: she still didn't like the stage, but she had to go on stage and was fed up with the feeling of being nervous every time. She wanted to open herself up, even if it was with the help of existing topics.

On the other hand, after a few classes, the talent and confidence displayed by some classmates immediately rekindled Fang Minzhou's deep-seated anxiety. She had long anticipated that her experience of struggling to catch up when she first entered high school might repeat itself, given that she had entered Beicheng University through exceptional performance. This time, however, she might not necessarily succeed.

But what constitutes success?

High GPA? And then what? Graduate school or work? What kind of work will she want? Economics talks about using scarce resources to satisfy infinite demand, but if demand is infinite, is there ever a time when it can be satisfied?

Fang Minzhou found himself in a state of confusion at each stage.

Fridays only have classes in the morning. When the bell rings, the start of the semester, which is usually followed by classes right after military training, finally comes to an end. This means there are two and a half days of weekend ahead. In this respect, university is still better.

Fang Minzhou and her roommate arrived at the cafeteria. Although the university's mealtimes weren't as bustling as those in high school, there were still quite a few people.

While the others were eating stir-fried dishes, Fang Minzhou was waiting in line at the rice bowl counter. When it was her turn, she heard a boy behind her say, "Excuse me, could you please order me a braised beef rice bowl?"

Was she seeing things, or did she subconsciously think of Wang Kan that way? But this person really is...

Wang Kan tilted her head back, pretending to look at the menu, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. She lowered her eyes and met Fang Minzhou's blank gaze, and her composure crumbled. "Or do you have any other recommendations?"