Chapter 123: Long-Distance Relationship in the Same City

Chapter 123: Long-Distance Relationship in the Same City

The busyness of starting university is too numerous to describe.

There are endless things to do every day. For Fang Yue Nian, it seems that he is only now beginning to truly become independent. Before, he would do everything with Cheng Bing in mind and think about Cheng Bing. This habit had lasted for more than ten years and was ingrained in his bones. He could not change it at all, but now he finally had to change it.

At first, he found it a little difficult to adapt.

During the orientation period, after attending one meeting after another, and eating with his roommates in the cafeteria, he would subconsciously ask, "What's Cheng-ge eating today?" When faced with a problem, he would subconsciously think of saying, "Cheng-ge, can you help me?" Once, he was about to fall asleep on his bed when he suddenly realized that he had left his phone on the table below, and he blurted out, "Cheng-ge, can you get it for me..."

His roommate below him looked confused and asked, "What are you talking about? What do you want to get?"

He stammered, "Oh, no, it's nothing. Could you please get my phone for me?"

"Oh, you're welcome." My roommate handed me his phone, whistling as he walked away.

Such minor incidents occurred frequently during the start of the school year and military training, leaving Fang Yuenian feeling quite helpless.

The phone could alleviate his mood a little, but it was too late to solve his immediate problem. He would always find some corner to hide in and call Cheng Bing, and the calls would always last a long time. As a result, his roommates started to speculate and were worried about not finding an opportunity to question him.

It wasn't until mid-September, after the orientation and military training at both schools had ended, that Cheng Bing finally had the opportunity to visit Fang Yuenian's school.

Fang Yuenian frantically fussed over his appearance in the dormitory that morning. He had gotten quite tanned after a week of military training, and now he was rather annoyed looking at his face.

Dormitory head Yuan Yibing had just gotten up and came out of the bathroom when he saw him. With disheveled hair and squinting eyes, he asked, "Where are you going? There's nothing scheduled for class today, right?"

"Oh no, I don't have any plans. My classmate is looking for me, and I'm going out today."

The dorm leader, a native of Tianjin, spoke with a natural comedic flair. His genes immediately kicked in, and he raised his voice, asking, "Are you meeting someone? Why are you all so quick? Who is it? Is it the one you're always making phone calls from under the covers? Do you have a picture? Let me see a picture!"

His shout woke up the other roommates, who immediately started teasing him, saying, "Fang Yuenian, you really have a boyfriend? I knew it! Who would call like that if they didn't have a boyfriend? I don't even call my mom every day. Hey, which school does she go to? Our school? Oh my god, yesterday I was discussing the social event with the class monitor, and she said our dorm was popular among the girls' dorms. Now look at you, you've made us lose half our competitiveness!"

Fang Yuenian was stunned. After a few seconds, she forced herself to say, "No, he's my classmate, a high school classmate."

"I don't believe it, male or female?" Yuan Yibing snorted.

"...male."

"Hmph."

The roommates' enthusiasm waned by half, but they still inquired about various things. Fang Yuenian mentioned Cheng Bing's school, which immediately triggered a series of sounds like an electric kettle boiling. Everyone chattered amongst themselves, and finally Yuan Yibing said, "How about we get together sometime? I have some female classmates at their school, so we can invite them to join us."

The conversation veered off course, and the roommates started joking with their dorm leader: "What female classmate? She sounds like she's not simple!"

"Yeah, and female classmates too? You know what, we actually have two such awesome cheat codes in our dorm..."

"Stop talking nonsense..."

Fang Yuenian slipped away amidst the chaos.

These three roommates perfectly embody the carefree and easygoing nature of northern men. They are all tall and strong, and they have started calling each other brothers in just a few days. Fang Yuenian is the youngest, and they always say things like "Brother, I'll protect you" and "We're little Niannian." They have never neglected to help with drinking water or doing chores, which makes Fang Yuenian feel anxious and fearful every day. But from the bottom of her heart, she also feels very lucky.

Cheng Bing brought him a lot of snacks and fruits to share with his roommates, and also brought a pot of gardenias, saying that she got them from playing games during the orientation activities.

Fang Yuenian pulled him to sit down at a water bar on campus and asked, "Why didn't you keep these flowers in your own dorm?"

"One of my roommates is allergic to pollen, and we also have two potted plants, so I brought this over. I think it's safe for your dorm to put here?"

Fang Yue Nian couldn't imagine her roommates playing with flowers like rough guys, and she wanted to laugh a little. "Okay, I'll take it back. Brother Cheng, how come you didn't get a tan? I'm several shades darker."

"We were lucky; the training ground was often shaded by the buildings," Cheng Bing smiled, looking him up and down several times. "You haven't gotten much darker, but you've lost some weight. How's the food at your school cafeteria? Is it spicy?"

"It's fine, most of them aren't spicy, I'm not having any problems with it, how about you guys?"

"That's good too. There's a cafeteria with really good noodles. I'll take you next time you go. I looked at your schedule. We only have no classes on Tuesday afternoons for the first fourteen weeks. The rest are scheduled differently, but that's okay. We still have the weekends."

Fang Yuenian looked at him in front of her, her heart itching with desire. They had been apart for half a month, and now they could only sit face to face.

Although the novelty of university life filled their lives, they were both really looking forward to it. However, classes start next week, and they needed to pick up some textbooks from the college tomorrow. Besides, there was a curfew in the dorms...

Fang Yuenian took a deep breath. "Brother Cheng, let me put all these back in the dorm first, and then I'll show you around the school, okay?"

Ideally, we should find a secluded spot, and then...

Cheng Bing asked, "Can I come to your dorm?"

Fang Yuenian: "..."

“Uh,” he stammered, “actually, I…”

"Didn't you say they were all very nice people? What's wrong?" Cheng Bingwei tilted her head slightly. "Or, what did you say to them when you went out today?"

Fang Yuenian grinned, "No, no, no, I just said I was looking for my classmates. They even said we'd hang out together sometime, but I didn't want to go to the dorm. They're all there, and I... we wouldn't be able to talk to each other."

Cheng Bing smiled when she saw a slight blush rise on his face. "Okay, we'll discuss it later."

“Okay, okay,” Fang Yuenian said, “Wait for me a moment, I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

"A little while, sir?" Cheng Bing smiled.

Fang Yuenian was a little embarrassed, "My accent got influenced by them so quickly, it seems like they add 'er' to everything they say."

“Go ahead,” Cheng Bing said with a smile, “I’ll wait for you.”

Fang Yuenian returned, bringing food and flowers. The three young men in the dorm immediately became excited, dividing the snacks and enthusiastically suggesting, "Yuenian, why didn't you bring him to the dorm? Let's play games together!"

Fang Yuenian mumbled, "Never mind, next time, next time."

They retreated quickly.

As soon as he left, his roommates exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

Yuan Yibing said, "I think there's something fishy going on here."

Another roommate nodded repeatedly, "It's one thing to bring so much food, but also flowers and plants. I think it must be a girl, but Fang Yuenian is just shy. The way he was talking on the phone, even though I couldn't understand what he was saying, his tone, tsk tsk, anyone could tell... I can't take it anymore, I'm so anxious, I want to go out and find out for myself."

"Bullshit," Yuan Yibing kicked his chair. "Hey, you know what, with his good looks, that guy has had quite a few people eyeing him since the first few days of military training. If he's actually dating someone today, that's good, otherwise he'll be hard to keep an eye on, it's dangerous."

My roommate said, "Yeah, yeah, but giving so many things for the first time is really generous. I've decided, from now on I'll keep an eye on their boyfriends..."

Cheng Bing was completely unaware that she had inexplicably gained several love bodyguards.

He just watched the people coming and going on campus, imagining Fang Yuenian going to class with her roommates and friends in the future, and as he thought about it, he felt a little jealous.

—The way Fang Yuenian ran over, and the smile on his face, made his jealousy vanish in an instant.

If things continue like this, the two of them can find time to meet, share interesting stories, and keep in touch. Even when they can't meet, they can still use their phones to stay in touch every day, which is equivalent to being together every day. It seems like that would be a happy thing.

Over time, you can make friends with the people around you. If you can accept it, then say so; if you can't, then don't say so. Don't force anything.

Cheng Bing thought to herself, "If that's the case, university can be a lot of fun too."

It was their first time meeting since the start of the semester, and they both wanted to chat as much as possible. Fang Yuenian, in particular, probably had about 10,000 words to say. She had asked him about it in a text message a few days ago, and now she was asking him again in person. After asking her classmates, she asked her roommates, and then she excitedly shared her feelings with him. Finally, she said, "They all envy my book stand. When I first reassembled it, I received a lot of praise. I told them it was made by a friend, and they asked me if I took on freelance work. It cracked me up."

Cheng Bing kept staring at him, her gaze never leaving him. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "Want to know what my roommate thinks of your handmade painting?"

"Think about it, what did you say?" Fang Yuenian's eyes lit up.

"They asked if it was a gift from my girlfriend, and I said yes, my boyfriend made it by hand. They praised it to the skies and asked if I studied art and if I had any single female classmates."

Fang Yuenian was taken aback. "Huh?"

He was hesitant and subconsciously denied having a girlfriend, but Cheng Bing admitted it much earlier.

This frankness even made Fang Yuenian look down on herself a little.

Cheng Bing sensed what he was thinking, stopped, and said softly, "Whether it's friends or a romantic partner, let's lay the groundwork later and let things take their natural course. What do you think?"

Fang Yuenian quickly nodded, "Mm."

As they walked along a quiet path, with hardly anyone around, Cheng Bing quickly kissed him on the forehead, startling him slightly. Being so far from home really made a difference; Cheng Bing had become incredibly unrestrained.

The two strolled around the school twice, their throats aching from talking, and each drank a glass of lemonade.

When Fang Yuenian saw Cheng Bing off at the school gate, he said he would visit Cheng Bing's school next time, and Cheng Bing agreed.

—In any case, this is how a long-distance relationship within the same city began.

The National Day holiday arrived, and tourists from all over the country flocked to Beijing. Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing's roommates both suggested going to watch the flag-raising ceremony together.

Activities with roommates are certainly important, so after discussing it, the two decided to go their separate ways and meet up again later. Although both roommates were urging them to bring friends/family members, the time wasn't right yet, so they managed to get away with it.

After watching the flag-raising ceremony with their roommates, the two of them spent two more days sightseeing before deciding to go back and rest. They realized they still had plenty of time and there was no need to make the first holiday into a seven-day trip to Beijing.

Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing were finally able to meet alone.

They agreed to meet at the bus stop in front of the university. Cheng Bing was carrying a backpack and holding a bottle of mineral water, waiting at the entrance.

Fang Yuenian saw him from afar.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but even though he had only been in college for a month and hadn't quite adjusted to his new role, he already felt very different when he looked at Cheng Bing.

Cheng Bing wore a white denim jacket and a simple T-shirt, clean and neat, exuding a youthful vigor. Yet, he was clearly no longer the naive young student; he had matured, radiating charm and charisma. Even just standing there casually, he could attract many people's attention. Remembering how teachers always said that you'd meet better people in college, Fang Yue Nian felt that even on this campus teeming with promising young men, there wasn't a single person better than her Cheng-ge.

Fang Yuenian walked over quickly and patted him on the back, "Brother Cheng!"

Cheng Bing turned around and smiled at him.

With that smile, the change seemed to become negligible, or perhaps it was just superficial; he was still Cheng Bing.

Fang Yuenian longed to kiss him.

Cheng Bing handed him the water and asked, "What did you have for breakfast?"

"Oh, the dorm leader brought this for me from the cafeteria. What about yours?"

"The bread I bought yesterday was eaten by everyone in the dorm for breakfast today. It was delicious. I brought you one, so you can try it in a bit."

Fang Yue Nian smiled and said, "Okay!" (Author's note:)

Thank you for reading. This book