Difficult to understand its meaning

Zhou Qingchi returned to the dormitory with a cold face. His roommate, whose leg was broken, was happily eating a bowl of hot and sour noodles. When he saw Zhou Qingchi, he was so shocked that he almost dropped his chopsticks.

Roommate: "Hey Zhou, what's wrong? Why are you in such a bad mood after going back? Doesn't your brother listen to advice?"

What does this have to do with Zhou Qingyan? Zhou Qingchi glanced sideways, only realizing before speaking that he had used his younger brother as an excuse.

He remained silent, quietly sitting in his seat, his phone in his hand not lighting up even once for a long time.

The roommate huddled to one side, silent, afraid that he might make a sound and provoke this devil. Despite Zhou Qingchi’s usual amiable demeanor in the dormitory, the roommate was perceptive and could sense that he was only superficially friendly, but actually distant.

But instead of talking to Zhou Qingchi, Zhou Qingchi took the initiative to ask him questions.

"You..." Zhou Qingchi's face was expressionless, and after a long pause, he could only utter the word "you." After thinking for a long time, he still felt that there was no point in talking to him, so he swallowed the question back.

Looking up, I saw my roommate with a pinch of powder in his mouth. I frowned. "Did your tongue break?"

Roommate: ...I'm speechless, Zhou Qingchi :)

Zhou Qingchi ignored him, typed a few more times and then deleted it, then turned off his phone in a huff and tossed it aside.

He thought that Bai Yixia still seemed reluctant, and she stammered and looked flustered when she heard about dating.

Perhaps she's still not happy. Zhou Qingchi ruffled his hair haphazardly, deciding to keep his feelings to himself so as not to make her uncomfortable.

However, after witnessing Qi Wang confess his feelings to Bai Yixia, Zhou Qingchi felt that he might say the wrong thing, and that Xia might realize things that she hadn't realized before.

That would be disastrous.

Zhou Qingchi sighed deeply, not wanting to be disliked by Xia, nor wanting to be alienated by her.

Be careful what you say during this time, and avoid hanging around her as much as possible.

His roommate sat next to him, dumbfounded by his changing expression, and was so shocked she almost fainted.

He secretly took out his phone and sent a message to his other roommate.

"Zhou Qingchi seems to have gone mad."

The other two didn't believe him at all. His roommate sighed in dismay: In this tiny dorm room, was he the only one who saw through Zhou Qingchi's true nature? What a show-off! :)

He had just finished thinking to himself when he saw Zhou Qingchi stand up, stand in front of him, and smile: "Just got back, a little hungry, wanna go out for a late-night snack?"

My roommate was amazed, thinking to himself, "Dude, if I'm not mistaken, you were feeling down, right? How did you heal so quickly?"

But she was still captivated by the late-night snack and was about to agree when she saw Zhou Qingchi's gaze drift downwards and she suddenly realized, "Oh, I forgot you're still lame. I'll go by myself then. Send me whatever you want to eat."

After saying that, he walked out without any hesitation, leaving his roommate staring blankly at the door.

A minute later, my roommate finally came to his senses. He was furious and opened WeChat to write a long message, intending to denounce Zhou Qingchi.

Before he could finish typing, Zhou Qingchi had already sent him the menu.

roommate:……

He secretly deleted the previous comment and replaced it with flattering words, thinking to himself: Zhou Qingchi may have put on an act, but at least he'll keep doing it. That's good.

-

Bai Yixia felt unwell, but she always felt that the source of her anger was unclear, so she gradually calmed down.

I just felt something was off. I checked my phone again, and there were still only two lonely sentences in the chat box.

Bai Yixia couldn't stand herself like this. If it was a breakup, she hadn't even been in a relationship. She woke up early and felt lost for a while, then thought sullenly, "You're really pathetic."

Bai Yixia thought that Zhou Qingchi would definitely come back during the National Day holiday, and she could talk to him then and get things sorted out.

During this time, she didn't want to keep talking about it, so she found herself a lot of work. Apart from teaching and eating, she was always taking pictures or drawing.

I'm so busy I don't even have time to look at my phone, but I'm spending the most time on music apps.

After a busy few days before the holiday, Bai Yixia earned two thousand.

Bai Yi'an gave her a thumbs up, "My goodness Xiaxia, sometimes I really feel like your pen is about to spark."

Bai Yixia didn't feel too tired; it was good to be able to do something to distract herself.

Bai Yixia used to "harass" Zhou Qingchi all the time, hoping he wouldn't forget her, and also trying to slowly test him by gradually getting closer to him. Who knew that instead of boiling the frog, she almost got burned herself.

I've only chatted with Zhou Qingchi sporadically over the past few days about some random, amusing things. He seems quite busy there too, as he's been replying to messages much less frequently.

Bai Yixia would go and draw something, and after she finished, it would take her several tens of minutes to reply to the message.

In short, she felt a strange atmosphere suddenly separating the two of them, but she dared not break it abruptly, fearing that what would come down would be something bad.

The day before the holiday happened to be Friday, and Bai Yixia and the others didn't have classes. Bai Yi'an and Chen Wanyi lived in the same city, so they packed their suitcases early in the morning to catch the train. They only saw each other again in Bai Yixia's dreams.

When she woke up, Lucy was the only one left in the dorm room, typing away at her computer.

"Xixi, aren't you going home?" Bai Yixia asked, peeking out from under the bed.

Upon hearing this, Lucy turned to look at her and smiled helplessly: "My home is far away, and it's not easy for me to make this trip. Besides, I have two kids who need tutoring during the National Day holiday."

Bai Yixia looked at Lu Xi thoughtfully, recalling the snippets of conversation she had overheard at the start of the semester. She guessed that Lu Xi probably didn't want to go home either, and would prefer to stay here more comfortably.

She didn't have much luggage to pack, so she lay back on the bed and excitedly sent a message to Zhou Qingchi.

The previous statement about canceling the plan was just something said in the heat of the moment; Bai Yixia still hoped to take Zhou Qingchi out for fun herself.

She opened WeChat and could find Zhou Qingchi without scrolling down, but her expression suddenly turned very unpleasant.

While talking to Lucy, Zhou Qingchi sent a new message, which began with an apology.

I'm sorry I broke my promise, I'm sorry I can't come back for National Day, I'm so sorry...

Bai Yixia read the message again with a serious expression, almost pointing to each word with her finger to read it. When her eyes started to sting, she finally put down her phone and buried herself in her pillow.

My eyes feel dry, and tears come out in an instant.

As for the competition, Bai Yixia knew Zhou Qingchi wouldn't lie to her or break his promise easily. But after this incident, she wasn't sure anymore—whether he really had something to do or simply didn't want to see her.

Bai Yixia wanted to sort out her thoughts and ask, but she also had a somewhat willful urge to just lay it all out. But at this moment, she couldn't even muster the impulse to do so; all the joy she had accumulated over the past week vanished in an instant.

She was so upset, she hadn't cried in a long time, and now her tears flowed like a tap that couldn't be stopped, soaking her pillow.

But she cried silently, and Lucy, focused on her presentation slides, didn't notice at all.

When Bai Yixia recovered, she replied to the message dejectedly, typing out each letter one by one. She simply expressed her regret and wished Zhou Qingchi a smooth completion of his so-called competition.

Normally, upon hearing such news, she would definitely make a scene. But the prerequisite for making a scene is knowing that someone will indulge you. Now, Bai Yixia is unsure of Zhou Qingchi's attitude, so she can only awkwardly express her understanding.

She made a little more noise when she got out of bed with red eyes, which made Lucy turn around to look at her again.

She was shocked when she saw it. Bai Yixia waved her hand and said she was fine, but when she saw Lu Xi's "you're kidding me" look, she couldn't help but feel sad.

Lucy was busier with her classes than the others and wasn't involved in Qi Wang's affairs, so she didn't know why Bai Yixia had been acting strangely lately and assumed she was short of money.

Bai Yixia briefly recounted what had happened, and when she looked up, she saw Lu Xi with a "this shouldn't be happening" expression.

Bai Yi'an and Chen Wanyi had the same expression. Bai Yixia had seen it many times in the past two days and didn't think much of it. "You also think he seems to like me, right?"

Lucy nodded.

Bai Yixia said in a muffled voice, her eyes lowered, "Everyone seems to think so, but he just doesn't mean it that way. He treats me like a younger sister..."

These words, coupled with today's events, filled Bai Yixia with bitterness once more. But then she heard Lu Xi say, "Last time you taught me to communicate properly, why didn't you talk to him properly?"

Bai Yixia had thought about it before, but it wouldn't sound good to say it in front of Lu Xi.

Lucy is a friend, but we haven't known each other for long. Even if there's a big conflict, we can talk it out and still be good roommates. If we can't talk it out, then breaking off the relationship isn't a big deal.

But Zhou Qingchi isn't someone you can just cut ties with so easily. You've known him for twenty years; if you live to be a hundred, he's been a part of your life for a fifth of your life.

Bai Yixia hummed in agreement, "It's hard to say with him." Afraid that Lu Xi might overthink things, she forced a smile and added, "If unrequited love were so easy, there wouldn't be so many regrets in the world."

Lucy responded softly. Bai Yixia guessed that she probably didn't have much romantic experience, and then listened to her say, "So you'd like to be in the regretful group?"

Bai Yixia was taken aback. Of course she didn't want to, but now that things had come to this point, she was even more afraid.

Bai Yixia knew in her heart that Lu Xi couldn't persuade her no matter what she said, so she composed herself and prepared to go home—she had originally planned to wait for Zhou Qingchi to go together.

Before leaving, remembering that Lucy wasn't going home, I opened the door again and told her, "Let me know when you're free, and I'll take you around City C!"

Aside from her eyes being a little red, she looks fine now.

Lucy greatly admired her change of heart.

After returning home, Bai Yixia remained listless for a while. Around 3 PM, she drove to the station.

Nie Jiayuan arrived at 5:30.

Parking wasn't convenient at the station, so Bai Yixia stopped at a crossroads to wait for her. While waiting for her, he randomly scrolled through his chat history with Zhou Qingchi, his mood fluctuating between happiness and worry.

Knock knock.

There was a knock on the car window, and Master Bai's eyes lit up. He hurriedly rolled down the window and immediately saw Nie Jiayuan's bright and beautiful face.

Nie Jiayuan's parents both had striking features, and she followed suit, with her phoenix eyes exuding a powerful aura and her whole being radiant.

She temporarily forgot about Zhou Qingchi and greeted him excitedly, "Jiajia! Long time no see!"

Nie Jiayuan took it upon herself to put down her suitcase. Without Bai Yixia even asking, she sat in the passenger seat and turned to look at the back seat. "Where's Zhou Qingchi? Wasn't he supposed to come pick us up together?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the little sun beside her wilting. Turning around, she saw Bai Yixia with a bitter face showing her a chat history.

-Please have some porridge: Sorry, Xia, I have a competition here, and my teammates are planning to finish it during the National Day holiday, so I probably won't be able to come back.

-Please have some porridge: I promised to play with you, I'm so sorry...

Nie Jiayuan skipped over the mostly apologetic replies and looked down at Bai Yixia's reply.

- *kiss* Ah! It's okay, Little Zhou, business comes first. I hope everything goes well for you all. [Praying with hands clasped.jpg]

Nie Jiayuan: Wow, Bai Yixia, you're really pathetic. I'm going to expose you.

She thought this in her heart, but she wouldn't say it out loud. She immediately cursed Zhou Qingchi a couple of times, but halfway through, she received Bai Yixia's resentful look and changed her words, "The academic genius is indeed a bit busy."

Bai Yixia knew that she was probably thinking to herself that she was love-struck, so she sighed, "Sigh, if you've already scolded him, please don't scold me. I don't know what to do... I feel like I've suddenly become distant from him..."

She sniffed, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at Nie Jiayuan, her brows furrowed, giving her a pitiful appearance. "Jiajia, what should I do? I'm so scared."