Chapter 44

The bell rang for the end of get out of class.

Lin Jiu sat in his seat, repeating the class ending procedure slowly and unhurriedly.

Put the cap on the black water-based pen and put it into the transparent pencil case, close the professional book, screw on the thermos, and finally put everything on the desk into the bucket bag.

She stood up, lowered her head to zip up her long down jacket, tucked her long hair behind her ears, took a woolen hat from her desk and put it on carefully to cover her ears.

After making preparations for the cold, she picked up her bag and followed the crowd through the corridor.

The corridors were bustling after class, filled with the sounds of people discussing what to eat, what time to sleep the next day, and even their plans for New Year's Eve on Sunday.

As they were walking down the stairs, someone with sharp eyes in the crowd noticed the sparse snowflakes drifting outside and suddenly exclaimed, "It's snowing outside."

Everyone seemed to be attracted by the word "snow". They stopped talking and looked out the window.

The snowflakes outside were falling harder and harder. Snowflakes that once required careful observation could now be seen at a glance.

Gradually, people in the crowd began to exclaim in different ways: "It's really snowing."

Starting from November, the temperature in Gimhae City gradually dropped.

Days of continuous rain brought a chill, and the biting cold wind seeped right through the seams of our clothes, a pervasive chill that made us feel uneasy. Near the end of the year, the city welcomed its first snowfall. Although it felt cold to the touch, everyone's hearts were warm.

After going downstairs, Lin Jiu took out the mobile phone from his pocket and held it up to take a picture of the gloomy sky. There were not many snowflakes in the photo, but they could be seen clearly.

She sent the photos to Chen Miao.

A few seconds later, she received a photo sent by Chen Miao.

She curled her lips and clicked on the picture. The figure behind her was also covered with gloomy dark clouds, with snowflakes visible to the naked eye. The difference was that there were some buildings of varying heights adorning the edges of the dark clouds.

It was probably taken in his company's office.

They saw the same snow in different places.

She put away her phone, took out an umbrella from her bag, opened it, and walked towards the nearest cafeteria No. 3.

-

When Lin Jiu returned to the dormitory, it was already dark outside and the dormitory was also pitch black.

Tang Yazhi went home, while Zhou Jingmeng and Liu Qing were busy in the student union office and would be back late.

She took off her hat, went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into a set of thick pajamas, sat at the table, covered her legs with a small blanket, and prepared for the final exam.

Many kind teachers had already given her the exam scope and key points, with the entire book covering the exam scope and half the book covering the key points. Although it didn't seem to have much effect, it was better than nothing. The only way she could review was by memorizing the text.

When Zhou Jingmeng and Liu Qing returned together, Lin Jiu was mumbling rapidly. Leaning in closer, they discovered that this was her method of memorizing, memorizing as she read.

Zhou Jingmeng opened her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, and was shocked: "Are you starting now?"

Lin Jiu's eyes were still fixed on the book, and he didn't even turn his head. "Yes, there is only half a month left until the exam, so we have to hurry up."

"New Year's Eve is the day after tomorrow, and you can still calm down and memorize the lesson!" Zhou Jingmeng suddenly leaned close to her face and asked, "Don't you have any plans for New Year's Eve?"

"I have plans for the 31st, but we haven't decided what to do yet. That day is destined to take up the whole day, so I have to make up for it at other times," said Lin Jiu.

As if it was expected, Zhou Jingmeng gave an astonishing expression after hearing this. As she returned to her seat, she said, "Oh, you all are celebrating New Year's Eve in couples, and I have to hang out with a bunch of singles. Forget it, I've given up on dating. I'm single so be it. At least I'm free."

Lin Jiu turned around and glanced at Zhou Jingmeng, "Are you really not going to pursue her anymore?"

After joining the student union, Zhou Jingmeng felt happy for a while, but then things started to get sluggish. She was overwhelmed by office chores and was incredibly busy. She and Qin Zheng barely interacted, seeing each other only occasionally during meetings. She later tried to flirt with him online, but it felt like chatting with a soft ball of cotton, with no progress. All these things piled up, and Zhou Jingmeng was deeply resentful. She complained bitterly in her dorm room, repeatedly declaring she was done pursuing him.

Liu Qing pulled out a chair and sat down, half covering her mouth and whispering to Lin Jiu, "She's really given up this time."

Suddenly, Zhou Jingmeng put down her bag and said with the emotion of an actor: "Handsome men are like the bright moon hanging high in the sky. They can be admired from afar but not touched."

After a few seconds, she regained her normal tone: "So many people in the School of Computer Science and Technology have pursued Qin Zheng but failed. It's normal that I didn't succeed. There's no shame in that. He and I are really not meant to be. I'd better just be content to be a single dog from now on."

Lin Jiu saw that there was no sadness on her face and guessed that she probably didn't need comfort.

Thinking about finals week, she asked them, "Exams are coming up soon, so I guess your student union won't have that much to do, right?"

Zhou Jingmeng said proudly, "I was originally busy, but I was already giving up. I turned it down directly with the director and asked him to arrange someone else. Of all things, the exam is the most important."

Liu Qing smiled slightly and replied softly: "I have already told Tan Tian that I will not go anymore and just focus on preparing for the exam."

Tan Tian is her boyfriend and is easier to talk to than others.

Lin Jiu nodded and asked, "What are you planning to do for New Year's Eve? Do you have any plans?"

Zhou Jingmeng was the first to raise her hand and answer: "My friends and I are going to the riverside to watch the fireworks and have a very ceremonial New Year's Eve celebration. The New Year's Eve fireworks in Jinhai City are always beautiful, and I go to see them every year. The only thing is that there were so many people that day, and it was really annoying."

Lin Jiu took this idea into his pocket.

After a long pause, Liu Qing seemed embarrassed and slowly said, "Tan Tian and I plan to go shopping downtown after dinner. Tonight... I might not be back."

Zhou Jingmeng turned around immediately after hearing this, and her voice immediately became louder: "Are you going to move out with him again?"

Liu Qing nodded hesitantly.

Within two months, Liu Qing packed up and moved out several times. The first time Liu Qing moved out, Zhou Jingmeng didn't think much of it, simply thinking that they were close and that since they didn't have time to see each other during the day, they just wanted to spend more time together.

Later, she suddenly realized something. Although she had never been in a relationship, she knew that many people in college rented rooms.

She pretended to be relaxed and said to Liu Qing: "Remember to take safety measures."

Liu Qing blushed slightly and whispered, "I know."

Lin Jiu glanced back and forth at the two of them, shrank his neck and said nothing, wanting to be a quail.

She has read novels and knows a little about that matter. Moreover, she has a boyfriend now, so she has some awareness of this aspect.

She knew that couples would go out to live together sooner or later...

but!

When she thought about having the same experience with Chen Miao in the future, she just wanted to shut her mouth.

She didn't want to talk about this at all with others.

The dormitory was quiet for half a minute.

Lin Jiu quickly changed the subject and said stiffly, "You guys should go take a shower. After that, come and study with me for the final exam."

"Okay, okay, let's see who among the four of us in the dormitory has the best grades in the end." Zhou Jingmeng stood up with his hands on his hips and responded actively.

"After the scores came out, we all shared our scores in the group to see who was the best." Liu Qing seemed to be recalling his experience preparing for the exam in high school, and his desire to win was completely ignited.

"No problem," Lin Jiu agreed immediately and picked up his phone. "I'll let Tang Yazhi know in the group chat and ask her to join as soon as possible. We'll win the final exam together."

In order to become the winner, the three of them spent the entire next day in the dormitory memorizing their lessons frantically, and only relied on takeout for meals.

-

Early in the morning on the 31st, Lin Jiu fell into deep thought as he looked at the various autumn and winter clothes in the closet.

In the dormitory, Zhou Jingmeng, who had already changed her clothes and was about to put on makeup, saw Lin Jiu standing there motionless. She couldn't bear it any longer, so she threw down her beauty sponge and walked over to her. "You haven't decided what to wear yet? You've been standing there for almost twenty minutes!"

Lin Jiu sighed softly, "...I have difficulty making choices."

Over the past two months, Zhou Mi has sent a lot of clothes to Lin Jiu one after another. Now her wardrobe is full. There are still some things that cannot be put in, so they are all packed in suitcases or storage bags.

There are too many clothes... Normally in class, she would have to spend ten minutes just choosing what to wear, let alone on a day like this when she meets Chen Miao.

She wanted to dress beautifully and look her best to meet him.

"..." Zhou Jingmeng glanced at the small wardrobe. She was dazzled by the pile of clothes crammed into it. She had seen Lin Jiu carrying bags upstairs, but she hadn't expected so many.

After a long silence, she was helpless. Finally, she patted Lin Jiu's shoulder and uttered three words: "Come on!" Then she turned around and went back to the table to put on makeup.

Lin Jiu watched Zhou Jingmeng's departing figure, feeling a little helpless for a moment. She could only look at Liu Qing's outfit next to her—a sweater skirt and a down jacket.

Noticing her gaze, Liu Qing put down her hand that was about to apply lipstick and said hurriedly, "I just wear it casually."

"You look good in this outfit," Lin Jiu said, "I might as well wear a skirt too, although... I always feel a little cold." She immediately rummaged through the closet, found a beige cashmere long skirt and a camel coat, and quickly went to the bathroom to change.

After the change, Lin Jiu's spirit and outlook were refreshed, and she was no longer the troubled girl.

After cleaning up for a while, she seemed to have let go of all her strength, collapsed in the chair, and started browsing entertainment hot spots and eating melons with her mobile phone.

Soon, Liu Qing hurried away with her bulging bag, followed by Zhou Jingmeng. As they passed by her, Zhou Jingmeng asked in confusion, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Lin Jiu looked up from his phone screen and said, "There's still half an hour until the agreed time."

"......" Zhou Jingmeng seemed amused by this answer, "Then why do you get up so early like us?"

Lin Jiu: "I know I'm slow at choosing clothes, so I set aside some time in advance."

After being together for such a long time, Zhou Jingmeng has always known that Lin Jiu has a very good sense of time.

Before every class, Lin Jiu would leave a long time for her journey. If the estimated journey time was ten minutes, she would definitely leave fifteen minutes, and the extra five minutes would be used to avoid emergencies, so she was never late.

But Zhou Jingmeng never expected that Lin Jiu’s date would be like this.

After two seconds of silence, she waved goodbye and said, "I'll be leaving now. Bye."

Lin Jiu looked at her back and said, "Bye."