University

Beijing, the first day of school, is packed with people.

Zhang Quan was the first to enter the dormitory. Their year was assigned to Building 7 of the Zijing Apartment, a four-person room with shared bathroom and a spacious balcony, considered top-tier in the art academy. He unpacked his suitcase, moved the packages, and unpacked his bags; soon he was drenched in sweat.

After making his bed, he returned to his desk to play on his phone. Someone entered through the door, and Zhang Quan quickly turned around: "Hello!"

The visitor was Shen Xu, who nodded to Zhang Quan and said, "Hello."

Zhang Quan traveled alone by train from Yunnan to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, unable to bear the loneliness. He was eager to get to know his new roommate as soon as he arrived.

Shen Xu was quite polite, nodding in response as he packed his luggage.

As the two were talking, another boy entered the dormitory. The new roommate was named Cui Tongran, with striking red hair, and he and Shen Xu were both locals.

As the three chatted, they created a dormitory group chat, and Zhang Quan suggested that they go to the new cafeteria for lunch later.

"It's almost noon? One of my roommates hasn't arrived yet." Cui Tongran looked around. "Do you guys know his name?"

Zhang Quan recalled: "The dormitories were assigned randomly, but I remember seeing that name before, something like 'soft'..."

Before the words were finished, there was a knock on the door: "Hello." Then, a boy came out from behind the door.

He wore a burgundy baseball cap and had headphones around his neck. He was tall and slender, with clear, bright eyes like glass beads.

"Wow, wow..." Zhang Quan was stunned for a moment, "And he's so handsome."

Ruan Xiyan nodded and smiled politely, "Hello." He introduced himself and then added his roommates on WeChat. Zhang Quan helped him add them to the dormitory group. When he ran into Shen Xu, the latter smiled slightly at him, "What a coincidence."

Once Ruan Xiyan had almost finished getting ready, Zhang Quan extended another invitation, saying, "Let's go eat at Zijingyuan. I've heard it's the best cafeteria at Tsinghua University. I really want to try it."

Shen Xu and Cui Tongran had no objections. Ruan Xiyan took off her baseball cap, which was slightly damp with sweat, and smiled, "I won't go, I have an appointment."

Lu Er had almost finished tidying up her dorm room. She greeted the girl who was still in the dorm, and after she went downstairs, she replied to a message in the group chat.

After receiving her college acceptance letter, Sheng Jiao added Ruan Xiyan, Lu Er, and Wen Fei to a WeChat group called "Sheng Shi 006". She said that since they were all in Beijing, it would be good for them to look after each other.

【皎皎者】: Why are there so many people on Line 1? I'm about to be crushed!

【皎皎者】: I should have taken a taxi.

The one named F is Wen Fei.

【F】:@Shengjiao, where are you?

【皎皎者】: I'm out of the subway. I think I'll take a taxi.

She sent a voice message, her voice filled with resentment: "I should have applied to a school in Haidian District. Chaoyang District is just too remote."

A few months ago, Lu Er and his friends helped Sheng Jiao choose a school. After careful consideration, Sheng Jiao finally chose to study tourism management at a foreign language school.

[F]: If you don't work hard last year, you'll only regret it this year.

[Jiaojiao]: Shut up!

[Jiaojiao]: I still have some time. You guys can explore the surrounding area on your own first. @Ruanxiyan @Luer

【皎皎者】: As for you, @闻非, just fend for yourself.

-

Lu Er sent a message in the group chat. She had already arrived at the dormitory building and saw Ruan Xiyan coming up, so she put down her phone: "Ruan Xiyan, Sheng Jiao hasn't arrived yet."

"Yes, I see it. Where do you want to go now?"

Lu Er didn't have much of an opinion: "Anything is fine."

"Then let's take a walk around the school."

Just as Lu Er put his phone in his pocket, he felt Ruan Xiyan's hand touch him, and then he tightly grasped her five fingers.

Lu Er wanted to earn it: "In broad daylight."

Ruan Xiyan said confidently, "We are a legitimate couple exercising our legitimate rights."

Lu Er struggled for a while, but to no avail. Her face flushed slightly as she thought that even though their lips had already touched, she was still not used to him holding her hand in front of strangers.

"Before we have a proper title, I can't call you, I can't hold your hand, I can't kiss you, and I can't even talk to you! This is what you owe me." Ruan Xiyan said, half aggrieved and half meticulously listing the grievances.

"Starting today, you have to say good morning and good night to me every day, and you also have to walk with me, ride bikes with me, and drink milk tea with me..."

Lu Er asked helplessly, "Where did you learn that?"

Ruan Xiyan grinned: "Don't worry about it. Either hold my hand right now, or come over and kiss me."

“…” Lu Er said, “Then you should hold hands.”

The four of them went to a Korean restaurant near Wudaokou. Sheng Jiao had just taken a sip of fruit tea when she remembered something and hurriedly took out a mirror to check if her lipstick had smudged.

Wen Fei frowned slightly: "Can't we finish eating first and then replenish our energy?"

“…What do you know?” Sheng Jiao glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I have an appointment later, and I probably won’t be able to eat more than a few bites of this meal.”

"I've never seen you like this before."

“I went with my roommate’s friends; they’re also in Haidian District.”

Sheng Jiao didn't stay in the dormitory; instead, she chose to rent a place outside. She felt it was too empty living alone, so she later found a senior from the same school to share the apartment with.

Wen Fei glanced at her: "Are they all girls?"

“She didn’t say, but she probably has two or three friends. I don’t know.” Sheng Jiao realized she had been tricked a few seconds after saying that, and glared at him, “Who are you to me? Why are you asking so many questions?”

Wen Fei fell silent, and remained so for a long time afterward. Lu Er quietly observed the two of them, finding them strange, but unable to quite put her finger on why.

After the opening ceremony came the military training. The training lasted for nearly three weeks. At that time, it was late August in Beijing, with the sun blazing and the heat unbearable.

The instructors Zhang Quan and his group encountered were very strict; if one person slacked off without reporting it, the entire formation would be implicated. Two days of training left them exhausted.

After packing their bags in the evening, Zhang Quan and Cui Tongran returned from the South Training Ground and walked back to their dormitory. Zhang Quan said, "Aren't we going to have a 20km training march soon?"

"Yes, I feel like I'm dying." Cui Tongran touched his arm, where his skin was dark. "What kind of sunscreen is this? It's useless."

Zhang Quan glanced back and said, "Why don't you ask Ruan Xiyan what she uses? She's the fairest-skinned person in our dorm."

“Him? He said he doesn’t need sunscreen, that he’s naturally beautiful.” Cui Tongran also glanced back at Ruan Xiyan, who was looking down at her phone. “It feels like he’s the only one who still feels alive after military training.”

Zhang Quan suddenly remembered something: "By the way, does he have a girlfriend?" He had already found out the answer on the second night in the dormitory. None of the three of them had a girlfriend, but at that time Ruan Xiyan was taking a shower in the public bathroom outside, and Zhang Quan forgot to ask him later.

Cui Tongran said thoughtfully, "I think so? With a face like his, it would be abnormal if he didn't have a girlfriend. My friends from the art department next door have been asking about his name, and quite a few people have asked about him."

"I'll go ask." Zhang Quan took a few steps back and walked next to Ruan Xiyan. "Ruan Xiyan, do you have a boyfriend?"

Ruan Xiyan looked up and exclaimed, "Ah!" "Yes."

Zhang Quan's gossip instincts were burning brightly: "Who is it? I don't think I've heard you mention it before."

Ruan Xiyan smiled: "Want to know?"

Cui Tongran and Zhang Quan both turned their heads over. They saw Ruan Xiyan continue walking, then suddenly stop under a tree, hook her arm around the shoulder of the short girl next to her, and lean down to kiss her on the lips.

The brim of her hat obscured her face, so the group couldn't see the girl clearly. Ruan Xiyan smiled at them and said, "My girlfriend."

Zhang Quan and Cui Tongran: "..."

-

The night before National Day, Sheng Jiao asked about their travel plans in the group chat. Lu Er originally planned to stay in Beijing to work part-time, but Yan Songqi invited her and Ruan Xiyan to visit Qingdao University, so the two of them bought tickets to fly to Qingdao at the last minute.

Sheng Jiao said she was going back to Huai'an to see Chen Xiang, Ji Sibai, and the others. Wen Fei, whether he had seen the message or not, said several hours later that he would stay in Beijing.

When Yan Songqi learned that Lu Er and Ruan Xiyan were together, he wasn't particularly surprised. In his words, it was all within his expectations.

Ruan Xiyan booked a hotel by the sea. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the deep blue seascape and the fresh scent of sea salt in the breeze.

Lu Er had no time to pay attention to that. Even after arriving at the hotel, she was still typing away on her computer.

Lu Er works part-time in Beijing, one of which is tutoring. Because of the time-consuming commute, she often chooses online tutoring.

Ruan Xiyan moved up from behind her again, resting his chin comfortably on her shoulder, his voice muffled by the pressure: "What..."

Lu Er suddenly turned her head and covered his mouth, making a vertical line to her lips. She whispered in his ear, "I'm teaching online."

Ruan Xiyan blinked her eyelashes and secretly stuck out her tongue, licking her hand. Lu Er lowered her hand as if electrocuted, glaring at him fiercely, while the latter wore an innocent smile.

Having finally finished tutoring, Lu Er sat on the edge of the bed replying to messages. Ruan Xiyan hugged her neck from behind again, and this time, she had no choice but to see her screen clearly.

Lu Er was chatting with Jiang Zhun. His advisor had a collaborative project with the team at Tsinghua University. Jiang Zhun was returning to China at the end of the month and was invited to give a lecture. He would also visit Lu Er at the university.

Lu Er's contact name for Jiang Zhun was just his name, and Ruan Xiyan remembered his background in just a second. His face was resting on her shoulder. After seeing the message where she called him "Brother Jiang Zhun," he turned his face away unhappily: "So you two keep in touch all the time."

Lu Er explained, "Jiang Zhun knows my parents, and he takes good care of me now. Besides, I need to consult him about professional matters." She belatedly realized, "...Ruan Xiyan, are you jealous?"

"Otherwise what? I'm not happy." Ruan Xiyan straightened her back and turned her face towards her. "Give me a kiss and I won't be angry."

Lu Er found it amusing, but still obediently leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips.

"Not enough." Lu Er then tilted her head back and kissed him again.

“…Teacher Xiaolu, didn’t you eat? You’re so weak.” Ruan Xiyan smiled with her dimples. He suddenly pressed her down and pushed her onto the bed. “I’ll teach you.”

Lu Er was being held down, her breathing and body tense. She turned her face away, her ears turning bright red.

Ruan Xiyan lowered her head and buried it in her neck. The warm breath that fell on her neck felt like the tips of feathers, tickling her sensitive spots.

“Ruan Xiyan…” Her voice trembled slightly.

"Don't move... baby." His voice was clear and crisp, mixed with laughter, and mumbled, but his actions didn't slow down at all.

...

Before going to bed, Lu Er looked at herself in the mirror by the sink and noticed two teeth marks on her neck, the marks tinged with pink.

This Ruan Xiyan!