Chapter 55 He will find Wen Zhi
As night deepens, the barbecue restaurant opposite the west gate of S University is at its busiest.
The spacious shop was bustling with activity, with every table filled with young students. The meat sizzled on the grill, and the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter filled the air.
Wen Zhi sat at the dining table against the wall, her head slightly lowered. After typing a few words on her phone, she held her breath and stared at the screen, waiting for a reply from the other end.
"Xiao Zhi, who are you chatting with? Why are you so absent-minded?" Ding Mingjun's loud voice boomed in my ear.
Wen Zhi snapped out of her reverie from the small screen and looked up blankly: "Really?"
He Jin nodded vigorously, holding the menu in his hand, and chimed in, "Yeah! Ever since your phone rang just now, you've been staring at it the whole time, your eyes are practically glued to the screen. You didn't even hear me when I asked you what you wanted to drink."
“…I’ll just have a Coke.” Wen Zhi’s reaction was a beat slow. After answering the question, she lowered her head again, her beautiful eyes staring unblinkingly at the unresponsive phone.
From the moment the plane landed today, he was so busy that he didn't have time to rest. First, he and a few roommates cleaned the dusty dormitory inside and out. Then, he attended the college meeting and the class meeting without stopping. Finally, he rushed to the teaching building to hand in a few documents.
By the time everything was finished, it was completely dark.
The group of students in their dorm had arranged to have dinner together that evening, so they went directly from the teaching building to this barbecue restaurant.
Not long after she sat down, Wen Zhi received a message from Song Juelan. Her eyes lit up slightly, and she immediately replied to the message, feeling relieved that Song Juelan didn't seem angry.
But after sending those two messages, I waited a few more minutes and still didn't receive a reply from Song Juelan.
Wen Zhi rested her chin on her hand, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on her cheek, lost in her own thoughts, as if blocking out all the noise from the outside world.
The other three people at the table exchanged glances, all noticing that Wen Zhi was acting strangely tonight.
Is this still the Wen Zhi who values food the most?
Wen Zhi was unaware of her roommates' thoughts, her entire focus was on the unusually quiet chat window, and after waiting and waiting, her phone finally vibrated.
Just as he hadn't directly answered Song Juelan's question before, the other party didn't answer his question either, but instead posed another question.
Song Juelan: [Who are you with?]
The barbecue restaurant was still noisy, with occasional bursts of cheers from the next table. The warm yellow light from the overhead lights illuminated the stunned look in Wen Zhi's eyes.
Although he didn't know why Song Juelan would ask that question, he still answered guiltily.
Wen Zhi: [It's just me and Xiao Tang, what's wrong?]
After sending the message, I didn't receive a reply for a long time.
Meanwhile, in the dimly lit lounge, the faint glow of a cell phone screen illuminated a cold, stern face.
Song Juelan sat on the cold bed, gripping her phone tightly until her knuckles turned white, her gaze fixed on the natural-sounding conversation on the screen.
The other party's attitude was no different from before, as if nothing had happened between them.
His gloomy gaze swept over that sentence again, and a guess surfaced in his mind—Wen Zhi had not yet found her ex-husband.
Otherwise, Wen Zhi wouldn't only have Xiao Tang by her side right now.
Perhaps he should feel fortunate that Wen Zhi hasn't rekindled her old flame with her ex-husband.
But the thought of Wen Zhi raising Xiao Tang alone in a place he didn't know, and not knowing if she would be bullied or encounter any difficulties, made his heart feel like it was being squeezed by a hand.
The screen dimmed slowly due to lack of operation, so he turned it back on and sent another message.
Song Juelan: [Where are you?]
"Here! This is done grilling, eat it quickly, it won't taste good when it gets cold." He Jin picked up a piece of golden-brown Wagyu beef brisket and put it into Wen Zhi's bowl.
Fang Wenxiu also opened a can of chilled cola, inserted a straw, and placed it next to Wen Zhi.
Ke Wenzhi seemed completely oblivious, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly as she continued to stare intently at her phone.
Ding Mingjun, as if he had seen a ghost, exaggeratedly mouthed to the other two, "Is he possessed?"
Fang Wenxiu shrugged helplessly.
Wen Zhi was struggling with how to answer Song Juelan's question. After thinking hard for a long time, she decided to change the subject.
Wen Zhi: [You still haven't told me if you've arrived at school yet?]
The phone vibrated, and Song Juelan's gaze instantly locked onto the message from Wen Zhi. After a moment of silence, the corner of his lips twitched slightly, as if he was amused by her.
It seems that Wen Zhi has no intention of telling him where she went.
The automatically turned-off screen reflected Song Juelan's sharp-featured face, which was expressionless, but his dark eyes were churning with intense emotions.
Even if Wen Zhi didn't tell him, he would still find her.
Song Juelan: [Something came up and I'll be late for school tomorrow.]
Song Juelan: [Have you eaten? Let me see.]
Wen Zhi, who was about to put a piece of grilled meat into her mouth, saw that the topic had been successfully changed, her eyes lit up, and she immediately put down her chopsticks to reply to the message.
Wen Zhi: [I'm eating right now]
He obediently raised his phone, adjusted the angle, deliberately avoiding his roommate's hand on the table, and took a picture of the steaming barbecue on the table before sending it to Song Juelan.
What he didn't know was that the person who received the photo immediately opened it, zoomed in several times, and examined every corner inch by inch.
Song Juelan's fingertips slowly slid across the screen, his sharp eyes not missing a single detail. He quickly caught sight of a tissue bag on the corner of the table, with a blurry shop name printed on it—Kurosaki Wagyu BBQ.
He noted down the name, quickly swiped his finger across the screen, and a few seconds later, the search results appeared.
This is a chain barbecue restaurant, which currently only has branches in five cities.
The thick-cut Wagyu beef tongue in the photo is the restaurant's signature dish. He checked the official websites of all the branches and excluded the branches where the signature dish was sold out that day, leaving only four cities.
Song Juelan wrote down all four cities.
Wen Zhi was completely unaware of what was happening on the other side. She asked Song Juelan if he had eaten yet, and after receiving a negative answer, she urged Song Juelan to go eat quickly.
Having not eaten all day, Song Juelan only felt hungry now. After taking one last deep look at the conversation on the screen, he finally got up and left the lounge.
With the conversation over, Wen Zhi felt relieved. She finally picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of hot roasted meat from the bowl, blew on it, and put it in her mouth, chewing it with satisfaction.
Recalling her conversation with Song Juelan, a wave of melancholy over their separation washed over her, mixed with an overwhelming sweetness.
So this is what long-distance relationships feel like.
While he was engrossed in replying to messages, the topics on the table had changed several times, and now they were talking about the new students who would be joining the class tomorrow.
"The freshmen are coming to register tomorrow, and I heard that a group of them will be assigned to our dormitory building," He Jin shared the message she had just seen in the dormitory group chat.
Ding Mingjun, true to his nature, immediately perked up upon hearing this and enthusiastically suggested, "Hey, I'm planning to help the junior girls move their luggage at the school gate tomorrow. Anyone want to come with me?"
He Jin and Fang Wenxiu exchanged a glance, neither showing the slightest interest. After all, not everyone is willing to do physical labor for hours under the scorching sun just for the slightest possibility of finding a partner.
Ding Mingjun turned his gaze to Wen Zhi, who was intently eating barbecue, and asked expectantly, "Xiao Zhi, are you going? Maybe there will be some handsome juniors there?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Wen Zhi decisively threw out two words: "I'm not going."
"Now that's great, no one's going to steal your work," He Jin mocked mercilessly.
The people at the table laughed and joked, quickly changing the subject.
*
S University, the first day of school.
Bright sunlight streamed down, and the tree-lined avenue was bustling with people. The wheels of suitcases dragged along the asphalt, making a noisy sound. Welcome booths from various colleges lined both sides, and colorful banners fluttered in the breeze.
Song Juelan stepped into the school gate, his tall figure standing out in the bustling crowd. He raised his dark eyes and slowly swept his gaze over the noisy scene before him.
This is the school where Wen Zhi once studied.
His pace slowed, an indescribable tremor throbbed in his chest, and he recalled the vivid image of Wen Zhi complaining about the school that day in the lounge.
But now I feel that this place isn't as bad as Wen Zhi said.
After registering at the college, Song Juelan carried her suitcase to the dormitory she was assigned to, took out her key, and opened the door.
After placing his suitcase next to his desk, he left the dormitory and went to a nearby supermarket to buy some daily necessities. By the time he returned with bags and packages, it was already getting dark.
When I pushed open the door, there was only one person in the dormitory. The boy with the buzz cut was sitting at his desk, looking down at his phone.
Hearing the door open, the boy subconsciously looked up and was slightly taken aback when he saw the tall and imposing figure at the door. He was clearly startled by the aura of his new roommate.
He only came to his senses when Song Juelan nodded to him, walked straight to another desk, and put down what he was holding.
"Hello! My name is Fei Kangcheng, and I'm a freshman this year. You must be one too, right?" Fei Kangcheng warmly approached and greeted him.
Song Juelan nodded slightly and also gave his name: "Song Juelan".
After putting his things down, the first thing he did was take out his phone to tell Wen Zhi that he had arrived at his dorm.
The oblivious roommate showed no sign of leaving, casually placing his hand on the back of his chair and saying excitedly, "Dude, I just heard something from the dorm next door!"
Song Juelan lowered her eyelashes, opened the chat box with Wen Zhi, and focused on typing on the screen, casually replying with a "Hmm?"
Fei Kangcheng didn't seem to mind his cold attitude at all and continued with great interest: "I heard that all the people living upstairs are senior students, including that famous and beautiful senior student! My friends from other dorm buildings are all envious of me, hehe."
After sending the message, Song Juelan lifted his eyelids uninterestedly and uttered two words indifferently: "Is that so?"
“Yes, absolutely!” Fei Kangcheng, oblivious to the perfunctory tone in Song Juelan's words, continued, spitting as he spoke, “I saw his picture on the forum before; he’s incredibly handsome, even more so than celebrities! His name is…”
Before he could even utter the name, the dormitory door was pushed open again, interrupting him.
Fei Kangcheng's attention was immediately diverted, and he went up to him enthusiastically, repeating the gossip he had just heard.
The other two roommates were clearly interested in this topic and chatted with him for a while, making the dormitory lively.
Even though Song Juelan didn't want to listen, she learned from the snippets of conversation that the handsome senior had countless suitors, but was still single, and no one knew what type of girl he liked.
boring.
Song Juelan frowned slightly, a hint of impatience flashing through his mind. He didn't join their chatter, but kept his eyes glued to the screen, waiting for Wen Zhi's reply.
He doesn't plan to stay in the dormitory for long. He's only staying on campus for now to get familiar with the campus. He'll move out next month, and it will be more convenient for him to visit Wen Zhi if he lives outside.
However, he currently has too little information to determine which city Wen Zhi went to, and he needs more clues.
In dormitory 303, several people were sitting in front of their computers, engrossed in their work, the keyboards clattering loudly.
Wen Zhi had just finished showering and was walking out of the bathroom, drying his wet black hair. His exposed skin had a faint pinkish hue from the steaming water. He glanced at his phone on the desk and noticed two unread messages on the screen.
Upon opening them, I found they were all sent by Song Juelan.
Song Juelan: [I've arrived at the school dormitory]
A few minutes later, perhaps seeing that he hadn't replied yet, she sent another message.
Song Juelan: [What are you doing?]
Wen Zhi blinked her long, wet eyelashes in confusion as she looked at the screen.
He had already sent Song Juelan many messages today. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, Song Juelan asked him what he had eaten and asked him to take pictures and send them to him.
Not long after our last conversation ended, I received another message from Song Juelan.
I hadn't realized how clingy Song Juelan was when we were together before.
Is this how all long-distance relationships are?
Wen Zhi blinked thoughtfully and slowly typed a reply.
Wen Zhi: [I was taking a shower just now]
The other party seemed to have been watching the screen the whole time; the message was sent and received a reply almost instantly.
On the screen, it was that familiar phrase again.
Song Juelan: [Let me see]
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Author's Note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! [Lower-eared rabbit head]
Thanks to 六六吖, 余痛yu, 笑耳, moonlight, and yiinnnnff for the landmines~
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution!
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