Flower Language
Heidelberg University has two campuses, a new one and an old one.
The new campus is located to the north and the old campus to the south, with the Neckar River, a tributary of the Rhine, serving as the boundary. To travel between them, one must cross an old bridge that has become a tourist attraction.
The medical school and other modern academic departments that Kazusa studied at are mostly located on the new campus; while the philosophy department that Tezuka studied at, as one of the earliest humanities and social sciences departments at Heidelberg University, is naturally located on the old campus.
However, both of them rented apartments in the vicinity of the new campus.
It was only natural for Kazusa to choose the new ward. Tezuka's reasons were also quite valid: his club and the rehabilitation hospital, which offered convenient access to physiotherapy, were both located in the new ward.
According to the map, the two apartments are only one street apart.
"Is this your reason for abandoning me and having dinner with your darling, your boyfriend tonight?" Lin Tang swayed his heavy backpack, tearfully accusing the woman opposite him.
At that moment, she felt that the prefrontal cortex of her brain was as delicate and fragile as the fuzz on a peach.
He Zou stopped at the fork in the road and patted her delicate nerves affectionately: "Tangtang, be good, work hard."
"You cold-hearted woman." Lin Tang brushed He Zou's hand away, lifted her backpack onto her back, raised her chin, and gave her a cold look: "Don't be late for your department report tomorrow. I'm leaving."
I was already annoyed that I wasn't assigned to a core module for clinical internship this semester, and now there's someone else interfering. My best friend's boyfriend is even more annoying than the client!
He Zou tapped his watch, reminding her, "I know. It's already 6 PM, you're going to be late!"
"Oh my god, let's go!" Lin Tang waved to He Zou as he ran wildly towards the bicycle parking spot.
As she stepped on the pedal, she suddenly got stuck—hadn't she lost her Melodia watch?
Never mind, I'll ask her again when I get back. This nitpicking client is driving me crazy! If it weren't for the high hourly rate, she would have stormed off already!
He Zou watched Lin Tang disappear from his sight like a gust of wind on his bicycle and chuckled.
No wonder the professor always says that Tangtang is a good candidate for medical school. She looks gloomy every day, but her perseverance and resilience are really amazing. She is a chosen medical student.
Kazusa, carrying a heavy schoolbag, walked in another direction. Her apartment was very close to the medical school, so she could walk to and from school every day.
In late March, Heidelberg was warmer than usual. It didn't get dark very early; the sky hadn't completely turned inky yet, but the streetlights were already on.
Just as they turned the last street corner leading to the apartment, Kazusa saw a tall figure standing under the streetlight.
People passing by would occasionally cast admiring glances at him, but he kept his head slightly lowered, his gaze fixed on his arms—he was carefully protecting a pot of white flowers with both hands.
He Zou could see clearly that it was a blooming Phalaenopsis orchid.
“I think I should give you a bouquet of flowers first.” —Wazou suddenly remembered that he had said that… He still remembered it.
He suppressed a laugh, but his eyes and brows softened.
Although he didn't make a sound, Tezuka had a premonition and looked up to see her. He called out to her, "Melodia."
Wakana slowly walked over under his gaze, her smiling eyes shifting between his face and the orchid in her hand, before stopping in front of Tezuka, looking up at him, waiting for him to speak.
Tezuka naturally took the obviously heavy backpack from her with one hand, slung it over his left shoulder, handed her the small potted plant, and said in a low voice, "I thought it suited you very well when I passed by the flower shop."
He Zou took the orchid, but her eyes, like fallen stars, stared straight at him, her smile gentle.
Upon seeing this, Tezuka paused for a moment, then continued, "It's very easy to care for, and it has a long flowering period, so you can stay with it for a while."
The flowering period of Phalaenopsis orchids can last for more than two months, which will allow him to wait until he returns from the United States.
He Zou understood the unspoken meaning in his words. She lowered her head, inhaling the sweet floral fragrance, and couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. "She's so beautiful. Thank you, Guoguang. I like her very much."
"Um."
Although he remained taciturn, in Kazusa's eyes, the tenderness in his gaze was more powerful than any sweet words. She carefully cradled the orchid in her arms with one hand, reached out to him, and revealed a childlike joy, "Kunimitsu, let's go back."
In the elevator, Kazusa held his warm hand, thinking: Kunimitsu probably doesn't know the meaning of this flower.
But it actually works surprisingly well.
She looked down at the flowers in her hand, then turned to look at her handsome boyfriend.
Unlike the trench coat he wore at noon, he must have gone home to change after finishing his basic training. Now he was wearing a comfortable-looking beige loose-fitting chunky knit cardigan. The soft color and material softened most of his cool and sharp demeanor, making him look gentler.
He Zou suddenly felt that using jade to describe him would be very fitting.
This person usually looks as cold and unapproachable as jade, but after getting to know him for a while, you will find that he also has the warm and smooth texture of jade.
Yes, her hands are like that too, with skin as smooth as ice and bones as white as jade.
He Zou chuckled and took his hand, playing with his fingertips. They soon arrived at the apartment entrance.
"drop--"
The front door opened immediately.
As Tezuka, standing behind Kazusa, stepped into the entrance hall, he felt a faint scent of sweet mint waft towards him, giving him the illusion that he was completely enveloped by her aura.
Entering the living room, Kazusa carefully placed the flowers on the coffee table, turned around and winked with a barely perceptible mischievous glint in her eyes, and said to her boyfriend, "Kunimitsu, feel free to look around for a bit, I'm going to change my clothes."
After saying that, she went into the bedroom, leaving him alone to be wrapped up by her.
Tezuka placed her schoolbag on the entryway cabinet and looked up.
This is a modern minimalist two-bedroom apartment, with light gray, white, and natural wood tones as the main colors. It's simple yet warm, perfectly matching Hezou's lifestyle. The living room connects to the open kitchen, and further in are huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the shimmering Neckar River at night.
The living room bookshelves were neatly stacked with various books, a microscope and open notebooks sat on the low table in front of the sofa, and the green plants and soft rug in the corner all retained the atmosphere of her life...
Stepping into this private space filled with her presence for the first time, Tezuka felt a strange and indescribable feeling welling up inside him.
He knew perfectly well that this feeling did not come from the experience of "stepping into a woman's exclusive space for the first time," but from the fact that Melodia's unfiltered self was here, bearing the purest "Melodia" mark, and she was willing to lay bare her true self to him.
After quickly glancing around, Tezuka suppressed his inner turmoil, took off his cardigan and neatly hung it on the coat rack, put on a white T-shirt, and headed to the kitchen.
After Hezou changed into a comfortable set of loungewear, she saw her boyfriend's back as he busied himself in the kitchen.
She went to the living room, connected her phone to the speaker, and randomly selected a song. To the soothing music, she walked towards the open-plan kitchen.
Since we had agreed that he would cook today, the ingredients in the refrigerator were prepared.
Kazusa leaned against the island counter next to her, watching his busy figure at the kitchen counter. She didn't say anything, but the complete relaxation and light satisfaction she felt were written all over her smiling eyes.
Unable to resist, she went up to her boyfriend, hugged his waist, and lazily leaned against his back.
The soft warmth on his back made Tezuka smile. He bent down slightly to make her more comfortable. As he prepared the grilled fish, he said to her, "Wait a little longer, it'll be ready in a bit."
He Zou rubbed her cheek against his back, and through the thin T-shirt, she could clearly feel the even lines of his muscles under the fabric, the subtle undulations that occurred with his breathing and movements; and the warmth of his body seeped through her continuously, the temperature not scorching, but slowly making her whole face feel hot.
She didn't know how other couples' relationships developed, but when she and Guoguang first got together, it felt like they had been living together for a long time. She felt comfortable and natural with him, and she could be herself without any worries.
In any relationship, entering the other person's home where they live alone should be a very private matter. However, the thought of sharing her personal space with him made He Zou feel no discomfort or repulsion. It was as if he should exist in her private space and belong to her.
He was startled by his own possessiveness and unconsciously murmured his name.
"I am here."
After Tezuka finished speaking, he didn't hear Kazusa speak for a while. He didn't urge her, but quietly took the teacup steamer off the steamer and put it on the tray.
The kitchen quieted down, and the melody coming from the living room changed from soothing to lingering.
After calming herself down, He Zou casually started a conversation: "What did the professor want to talk to you about today?"
"We conducted some testing to see if the data accuracy of your experimental model has changed."
The subsequent data correction section is not being tracked and maintained by Hezou, and Hezou hasn't noticed it. Could there be some problem?
Her heart sank, and she asked, "What did the professor say?"
Sensing her concern, Tezuka precisely and concisely described the problem, then told her the professor's conclusion: "Don't worry. The professor said the growth exceeded expectations and the threshold needs to be revised."
That means they misjudged his growth rate.
The growth rate calculation coefficient not only refers to Guoguang's own basic values, but also to the average values of a large number of outstanding athletes at their peak. "Exceeding expectations" simply means that he is too outstanding and his data is off the charts.
Kazusa couldn't help but laugh out loud. She nudged the person who spoke of the matter so casually, "As expected of Tezuka. I'll go to the lab tomorrow."
Tezuka shook his head, then opened the rice cooker and scooped out two bowls of rice. He dried his hands, took the hands that were starting to roam over him again, turned to look at her, and said in a deep voice, "Make sure you get enough rest."
"I know." She had said something similar to him before, and looked at him with amusement, raising her hand to assure him, "No matter what you do, good health is the most important and fundamental condition. You see, even though I don't have much time in the evenings, I've switched from night runs to morning runs!"
He Zou used to have a habit of jogging at night. The Philosopher's Path near her apartment was perfect for jogging, and she would usually go out for a run two laps after dinner.
Tezuka would also jog along the Philosopher's Path, but he preferred to jog in the morning and usually trained at the club at night.
No wonder I haven't encountered this in the past two years...
He Zou smiled as she looked at her boyfriend sitting across the table and said with a laugh, "In philosophical terms, is this a kind of red convertible effect?"
The "red convertible effect" refers to the phenomenon where you notice more red vehicles on the street after you switch to a red convertible; the more you pay attention, the more related clues you'll discover.
After they got to know each other, they realized that they had crossed paths in so many places over the past two years, and perhaps they had missed each other many times.
Thinking about it this way, there seems to be some regret.
Tezuka's lips curved into a gentle smile, his voice low and thoughtful, "Philosophically speaking, every moment of the past two years has been leading us toward this inevitable intersection, waiting for our first encounter."
They simply spent two years building up enough coincidences and surprises for a formal encounter, just like when he first looked into her eyes and was moved by the resolute determination and deep tenderness in them, which seemed to have been tempered by countless trials.
For him, meeting Melodia was like the meaning of the white Phalaenopsis orchid—
The arrival of happiness, pure love, and... I love you.
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