Chapter 106
Come stay at my place tonight!
Since they started dating, the nights have become a source of regret. But thankfully, each morning has become something to look forward to.
They used to eat together every day, but things took on a different meaning. Like every couple on campus, they would spend their free time accompanying each other to class, go to exhibitions together, or simply find a bench on campus to sit side by side and relax, which made them very happy.
That's what campus romance is like—simple and pure.
But it's not without its troubles—
Before summer arrived, Zhan Xinyue invited Shi Ziqian to go to the campus music festival. The music festival was a grand event organized by the university itself, and everyone wanted to attend. Although there were no big-name stars or famous artists, just campus singers and self-organized bands, the atmosphere was better than any performance she had ever seen. On the lush green playground, everyone waved glow sticks, fully experiencing the vibrant energy of youth.
The music festival lasted a long time. As the crowd gradually dispersed, the two did not leave immediately, but instead found a bench by the playground to rest.
The cicadas chirped louder and louder by the playground, and in the distance, among the lingering crowd, some people sat around playing guitars, while she was beside her lover... All the images of youth, of summer, and of love converged at this moment.
She was in such high spirits that night that she was dizzy with happiness, and kept talking to Shi Ziqian while looking up at him: "Shi Ziqian, I feel so happy."
As the temperature gradually rises, the amount of affection also increases, almost to the point of overflowing.
“I am very happy too.” Shi Ziqian held her hand, looking at her with gentle and focused gaze. His gaze gradually moved down from her bright eyes as she spoke, and landed on her slightly parted lips.
She could see his Adam's apple bob slightly.
She immediately knew what he wanted to do, and because of this sudden discovery, she was also bewitched, and her attention began to shift to his beautifully shaped lips.
The night is gentle, and a kiss from your lover is all you need.
"New Moon." Shi Ziqian moved closer, reached out and gently stroked her face, his fingertips slowly moving upwards to lightly caress her lips. "I like you so much."
"Hmm..." She tilted her head slightly, her eyelashes fluttering a few times under his captivating gaze.
His presence drew closer.
Their breaths almost mingled together.
Zhan Xinyue felt inexplicably nervous, slightly clenching the hem of her clothes and closing her eyes. Having been together for so long, their intimate contact had always been limited to holding hands; this was their first kiss.
She waited a few seconds, but the expected kiss didn't come. She opened her eyes and saw that Shi Ziqian had already restrained himself and looked away.
“It’s late, I should take you home now,” Shi Ziqian said.
...
On the way back, Zhan Xinyue had a strong urge to ask a question anonymously on the campus forum.
Q: What should I do if my boyfriend is too much of a gentleman?
This was her only worry during her relationship, and it truly troubled her.
She held Shi Ziqian's hand, her thoughts a little chaotic. Suddenly, she felt Shi Ziqian raise his hand slightly, and then she felt her hair become a little heavier.
She reached out and touched a slender, smooth object.
“I ordered a hairpin for you,” Shi Ziqian said.
Zhan Xinyue pulled it out and saw that it was a jade hairpin. It had no superfluous carvings or decorations, and its surface was smooth and lustrous. She couldn't help but ask, "Why did you order this?"
“You don’t need to borrow your roommate’s hairpin next time. You look beautiful with your hair up,” Shi Ziqian said gently. “Besides, I think jade suits you better.”
As Zhan Xinyue held the hairpin, her slight annoyance gradually dissipated.
It's not a big deal, let's take it slow...
After all, it seems that this is Shi Ziqian's first time dating.
Thinking about it this way, she was still Shi Ziqian's first love. His mood instantly improved.
After the music festival, the two gradually got busy with their own lives. Zhan Xinyue was under a lot of academic pressure and went to the skateboarding club less often. Shi Ziqian also started participating in projects with his teacher, which took up a lot of his energy. The two managed to squeeze in dates amidst their busy schedules, leading a busy and fulfilling life.
Half a semester passed by in this difficult way, and exam week arrived. Getting a high GPA at University A wasn't easy, so Zhan Xinyue dared not slack off, spending every day in the library, almost as hard as her senior year of high school. Several weeks passed, and finally, only one elective exam remained. Summer vacation was just around the corner, but perhaps she relaxed a little too early, for Zhan Xinyue's joy turned to sorrow as she caught a severe cold.
She hadn't been sick in a long time, but this cold was quite severe; she developed a high fever that night and it lasted until morning.
The exam was that afternoon, and her elective exam was scheduled too late; the other students in her dorm had already finished and left, leaving her alone in the dorm for the past two days. She got out of bed, took a fever reducer, and slept through the morning, but still insisted on going to the exam in the afternoon. Fortunately, the elective was open-book, and although her brain was practically mush during the exam, she managed to force herself to finish the paper.
Shi Ziqian was waiting for her outside the examination hall. As soon as he saw her pale face, he immediately wanted to take her to the hospital.
The doctor gave her a brief diagnosis, saying she had a viral cold and that many people had the same symptoms recently. He also showed her an injection and a large bag of medicine.
After leaving the hospital, Shi Ziqian escorted her back to her dormitory. Downstairs, he worriedly reminded her several times not to set the air conditioner too low that night and to take her medication before bed. Zhan Xinyue nodded twice, then, feeling groggy, turned to go upstairs when she suddenly heard Shi Ziqian's hesitant voice: "How about... you stay at my place tonight?"
Zhan Xinyue, whose fever had just subsided and who was still a little dizzy, stared at him and blinked her eyes very slowly twice.
Shi Ziqian quickly explained, "I'm a little worried... What if you get a fever again tonight? There's no one around to take care of you."
Zhan Xinyue blinked twice more, and finally nodded slightly.
Shi Ziqian was right; she did indeed have a fever again that night.
After taking a shower, Zhan Xinyue leaned against the sofa, and soon became listless and weak.
Shi Ziqian took her temperature, immediately grabbed a blanket to cover her, applied a fever-reducing patch, and then fetched water to kneel beside the sofa and apply a wet towel to cool her down.
Zhan Xinyue simply lay down, tucked her chin into the blanket, and stared at Shi Ziqian, who was wiping her palms with his burning eyes.
People seem to become unusually childish when they're sick. Zhan Xinyue curled her hands up, refusing to let him wipe them. Shi Ziqian smiled, didn't insist, got up and sat down beside her, gently placed the towel against her neck, and took her hand in his.
His fingers touched the cool water, which felt refreshing and pleasant. Zhan Xinyue pulled his hand to her face and said in a muffled voice, "Why are you so good to me?"
Shi Ziqian pinched her cheek: "Have you forgotten? You did the same thing to me."
"It seems so..." Zhan Xinyue's mind was hazy; she seemed to have a vague recollection, but couldn't quite remember. Her eyes, heavy with the medication, grew increasingly heavy, and she couldn't help but close them. "I'll take a nap."
Shi Ziqian said softly, "Go to bed, okay?"
Zhan Xinyue shook her head: "I like to sleep on the sofa. When I was little, my parents would watch TV in the living room and I would sleep next to them. It felt very safe and secure."
"Okay, go to sleep. I'll turn on the TV too."
"I'll just sleep for a little while, and I'll go to bed when I wake up," Zhan Xinyue said vaguely. "You can go to sleep when you get sleepy, don't worry about me."
Shi Ziqian gently stroked her hair: "Okay."
Zhan Xinyue didn't know how long she had slept, only that when she woke up again, the living room lights were off, the TV was paused, and a faint light was on.
She sat up slightly, and the blanket slipped down. Looking to her side, she saw Shi Ziqian still there, asleep beside her.
He held her hand even as he slept. In the dim light, his features were distinct and three-dimensional, but he didn't seem to be sleeping soundly. His brows were furrowed, and he held her hand tightly, causing her knuckles to ache slightly.
Zhan Xinyue didn't pull her hand away. She looked down at his hand, her gaze gradually moving upwards, gliding over the clear lines of his collarbone beneath his loose white t-shirt, and landing on his sharp chin and slightly pursed pale lips.
How come he's still so thin after all this time, even though I make sure he eats properly every day?
Whether it was because he was ill and his mood was different from usual, or because of the illusion created by the light and shadow, she suddenly felt that he seemed to have a heavy burden on his mind.
He didn't seem as happy as she was.
She slowly extended her other hand from under the blanket, intending to rub his brow, but then noticed a faint bluish tinge under his tightly closed eyes.
Shi Ziqian was a light sleeper; he woke up the moment her palm touched him.
The moment he opened his eyes, he was stunned for a second, then gripped her hand even tighter, and pulled her close in a tight embrace.
"What's wrong?" Zhan Xinyue's chin bumped against his hard shoulder as he pulled her like that. She sensed that something was wrong with him, so she hugged him back and gently patted his back. "I'm here."
Shi Ziqian's body stiffened slightly, but he seemed to recover quickly, releasing her and reaching out to rub her chin: "Sorry, I think I had a nightmare. Did I hurt you?"
Zhan Xinyue shook her head. "It's okay. What did you dream about? Don't be afraid, dreams are often the opposite of reality."
"Hmm, I forgot everything as soon as I woke up." Shi Ziqian moved his hand to her forehead, his voice a little hoarse and low from just waking up. "It seems like your fever has gone down. Do you want some water?"
"I'm not drinking anymore." Zhan Xinyue hesitated for a moment. "Ziqian, is something on your mind?"
Shi Ziqian lowered his eyes: "No."
“Okay.” Zhan Xinyue took his hand and gently squeezed his knuckles. “We’re already a couple. If you encounter anything that makes you unhappy, you must tell me, and we’ll face it together.”
Shi Ziqian's eyes glazed over for a moment, then his fingers slowly slipped between hers, intertwining with hers. This time, the grip was very light, and his voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, "Xinyue, I think I dreamt that you married someone else..."
Zhan Xinyue was taken aback, and placed her other hand on the back of his hand. Just as she was about to say something, Shi Ziqian quickly shook his head: "I've been having dreams like this a lot lately, so I haven't been sleeping well. I don't want to think about it anymore. Is the sofa a bit cold? Do you want to go to bed?"
The sleepiness vanished completely because of those words. Zhan Xinyue slowly shook her head, pulled the blanket up, and carefully covered him as well: "I feel like I've slept for a very long time, and I can't fall asleep anymore. Do you want to lie down and sleep for a while? I'll stay with you."
Shi Ziqian said, "Sit with me for a while."
"Okay." Zhan Xinyue tilted her head and rested it on his shoulder. His body temperature was a little higher than hers, and she could feel his body temperature seeping through her pajamas.
The two held hands in the dim light.
She eventually fell asleep, nestled in his arms. In her hazy state, she seemed to feel Shi Ziqian lower his head and carefully embrace her, his eyes fixed on her.
When she woke up again, she was already in bed, her body sinking into the soft mattress. The bedroom door was closed, and she heard a very faint scratching sound of claws on the door.
When she finished washing up and came out, Panpan was lying listlessly by the door. As soon as she saw her, she immediately perked up and kept circling around her legs.
Zhan Xinyue picked it up and walked outside. The kitchen was open-plan, and she immediately saw Shi Ziqian standing against the light, stirring the porridge in the clay pot with his head down. His figure looked gentler in the morning light.
She was sick and couldn't smell much, so she didn't know what kind of porridge he was cooking. She just found it very pleasing to the eye to watch Shi Ziqian cook with his head down. Just as she was about to watch quietly for a while, Panpan made two very uncooperative noises in her arms.
Shi Ziqian immediately looked over, and upon seeing her, asked, "How are you feeling now? Are you feeling better?"
Zhan Xinyue shook her head, feeling that her dizziness had subsided, and nodded: "Much better. I didn't feel a thing when you carried me to bed."
"Around 7 a.m., I was worried that cooking would disturb you, so I carried you inside."
"Oh." Zhan Xinyue leaned closer to watch his movements. "You look like you're a good cook."
"Since you're sick, I just made something light and simple. The porridge will be ready soon. You'll need to take your medicine again after breakfast."
"Okay." Zhan Xinyue leaned against the counter, rocking Panpan gently in her arms, feeling very happy.
The thought that summer vacation had already begun made me even happier: "By the way, which day should we buy our plane tickets to go back?"
“Either is fine.” Shi Ziqian lowered his head to serve the porridge. “I’ll take you home first, and then I’ll go back to Beijing.”
Zhan Xinyue was taken aback: "Why? Isn't your project finished yet?"
Shi Ziqian said, "I don't really want to go back, so I plan to stay here for the summer vacation."
Zhan Xinyue seemed to understand, and asked cautiously, "Don't you want to go home?"
"Well, I don't feel a sense of belonging there, so I plan to stay at school for the summer vacation," Shi Ziqian said.
"Oh, I see." My mood gradually sank.
Summer vacation is wonderful, but if it also means separation, it doesn't seem so wonderful.
"I'll wait for you to come back." Shi Ziqian turned off the stove and looked at her. "This place feels more like home to me now, especially now, your presence is everywhere in the house."
Zhan Xinyue nodded sullenly, looked down at Panpan, and rubbed its soft paws.
Although she was a little sad, she was determined to go back home for the summer vacation. During the winter vacation, she spent the whole vacation working as a sales assistant at Zhanwei's store. Before this vacation, Zhanwei promised to arrange for her to choose a store to be an intern store manager.
She had planned it all out perfectly: working at the shop during the holidays while also taking time off to go on dates with Shi Ziqian—it sounded wonderful. But now her plans were suddenly disrupted. Summer vacation was over a month long, meaning the two of them wouldn't see each other for over a month.
"I'll pick you up when school starts." Shi Ziqian reached out and patted Panpan's head, his hand slowly sliding down to grasp hers. "If possible... come back soon."
"Okay." Zhan Xinyue nodded, then suddenly looked up after a moment. "Why don't you come to my house for summer vacation?"
Shi Ziqian was taken aback: "Is that alright?"
Zhan Xinyue nodded vigorously: "Of course!"
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