childhood sweethearts
Xu Changjia sat in her small apartment, staring blankly at the property certificate. It was one of the few gifts her parents had given her, a house in one go. She didn't know how to face them.
As the two left, Xu's mother held her hand and talked to her for a long time. It was as if she had really returned to the time when her parents were caring for her when she was in high school. Their concern was not much, but it was enough to comfort her for a lifetime.
She could accept gifts from Ou Liyao and the others without a care in the world, and she could spend her parents' money without any scruples. But when faced with a big gift from her parents, she really didn't know what to do. Her head was spinning as her mother stuffed the gift into her hands.
The phone screen lit up and lit up again; it was another message from her mother, telling her not to feel pressured, that she just hoped she was doing well in Nan'an, and that they had both returned to Junzhou, so she should just relax and focus on her studies.
Immediately afterwards, another message came in from Xu's father, transferring another 30,000 yuan for her living expenses, along with only the words "study hard" in the background.
She replied to her parents' messages one by one, and then saw a voice message from Yunhe, whom she hadn't contacted in a long time. It was over ninety seconds long. She didn't really want to listen to it, so she put it on speakerphone and put it aside.
Just like before, he didn't get to the point, rambling on and on about random things, until finally he said, "I'm going back to China."
Is Yunhe going back to China?
Ignoring her numb legs from sitting cross-legged for so long, she retrieved her phone from the side, hurriedly typed a few words to confirm, and didn't even notice that she had made a typo.
[Brother Yunhe, are you really going back to China?]
The person on the other end of the phone immediately sent another voice message, a few dozen seconds long, saying that in addition to returning to China, he was also bringing her a big surprise, and she must come to pick him up at the airport.
She replied with a smile, somewhat helplessly, while pondering what gift to prepare for him.
He lay on the carpet and saw several more messages pop up. He rested his chin on his hand on the table, lost in thought.
On the new Monday, Xu Changjia headed towards the south gate of the school after finishing two classes.
According to what Senior Sister Qiao recommended yesterday, several training institutions near the university will prepare a lot of open courses for the postgraduate entrance examination's professional courses and public courses. You can go and listen to them when you have free time.
She had previously worked as a teaching assistant at a postgraduate entrance exam preparation institution and knew several of them very well. She made a list for Xu Changjia and added her own advice: go to the physical stores to listen to the feedback and experience the facilities firsthand before making a decision.
As Qiao's future junior, I naturally followed her advice and spent about a week listening to all the open courses from each institution.
She also wrote a review of the pros and cons of these institutions and posted it on her Weibo account. She then enrolled in two separate programs for her major courses and two separate programs for her general courses.
As a liberal arts student, I have an advantage in English and politics. As long as I put in more effort in my major courses...
On the third day of her offline postgraduate entrance exam preparation class, Yunhe returned to China.
At that time, her class was only halfway through when her phone kept lighting up in her bag. It was only when a classmate sitting next to her nudged her and gestured for her to look at her phone that she noticed.
She briefly replied when the teacher on stage wasn't looking:
[In class]
Yunhe didn't send her any more voice messages. [Skipping class]
She pretended not to see it, stuffed her phone into her pocket, and continued attending class.
Completely unaware that Yunhe's phone lit up several more times after he sent the message.
Xu's father and mother also knew that Yunhe's family had returned to China, but they did not return to Junzhou; instead, they went to the South Bank.
After her get out of class, her parents called her and asked her to treat Yunhe and the others to a good meal. They told her to let them know if she needed more money. Xu Changjia was carrying a pile of books and had to switch hands several times to hold the phone steady.
Back in the small apartment, I immediately called Yunhe and learned that he was a family of three. I also heard a young woman's voice, but I didn't pay much attention to it.
However, this woman appeared at the dinner table the next day when she reunited with Yunhe and his sister.
Yunhe's parents had only returned to China to travel around and enjoy the scenery. They stayed one night on the south bank and left early the next morning with a tour group. Before she could even present the gifts she brought, they were all accepted by the young woman across the street.
"Come here, Sister Xu, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Huang Qianqian. You should call her sister-in-law."
Then, smiling, she leaned closer and said, "Qianqian, this is my neighbor's little sister, Xu Changjia."
The woman opposite her nodded coldly, her gaze unfriendly to her.
She pretended not to see him, and simply smiled and nodded in greeting, "Hello, Sister Huang."
Yunhe, standing next to him, kept talking to liven up the atmosphere, seemingly oblivious to the awkwardness. Xu Changjia's smile was stiff as he nodded in agreement with Yunhe's life outside, not even bothering to eat more than a few bites of his favorite passion fruit spicy fish on the table.
But to Huang Qianqian, who was standing nearby, all she saw was her childhood sweetheart? Innocent and carefree?
The "girl next door" label is just a pretext and an excuse.
Yunhe went to the restroom halfway through and settled the bill there.
At this moment, Huang Qianqian revealed her true colors, saying, "You'd better stay away from Yun He. I don't want any farce of beating up a mistress to happen in their Yun family."
She was fiddling with her phone when something unclean got into her ears?
A look of unease crossed her face. Even in her most difficult times, she had never been treated so harshly by anyone. Then she smiled and said, "Is Sister Huang so eager to marry into the Yun family?"
He leaned forward, his eyes sharp, "I, Xu Changjia, am not anyone's vassal, nor anyone's mistress. I am my own master. Only those with filthy and disgusting hearts see nothing as clean."
What Yunhe saw as their close exchange was actually a friendly conversation between two sisters. "Hey, it's only been a short while, and you're already exchanging physical contact. Have you added each other on WeChat yet?"
"Qianqian, I'll be busy with gallery matters in a couple of days. You can ask Sister Xu to accompany you shopping or having afternoon tea."
In front of the person she liked, she still showed that charming and innocent side, making it impossible for him to see any flaws. "We've been chatting for so long, I forgot about that."
She opened WeChat with her nearly ten-centimeter-long manicured nails, scanned her QR code to add her, and secretly poked her while doing so.
She sighed inwardly; the task of saving Yunhe was truly difficult.
However, tonight's dinner was truly worthwhile. Yunhe's parents own several properties in the South Bank, and they currently live in a villa near the university town.
He plans to open an art gallery here and recruit a few students to learn painting. His girlfriend will return to China with him and work on the South Shore. They will definitely see each other often in the future.
She didn't want to see Huang Qianqian. If she made a bad first impression, who knew what Huang might do to her if she really became Yunhe's wife?
She cleared her mind of all this jumbled thoughts and realized there was something else she'd forgotten.
Lying in bed, she suddenly sat up in shock, as if she were dying. She glanced at her phone while eating and then ignored Zheng Ruoqian's message. It wasn't too late to save her now.
When she clicked in, she was much happier than the surprise Yunhe had given her.
Zheng Ruoqian is going home for the Chinese New Year this year, which means he will also be returning to Junzhou. They will finally be able to spend another New Year together.
During the final exam week, she declined all invitations from Yunhe and his girlfriend, saying that she had to focus on her studies and couldn't sneak out for meals anymore, otherwise she would fail and have to come back for a make-up exam next semester.
Even so, Yunhe still dragged his girlfriend to her small apartment to cook hot pot, making it a lively and fun meal to cheer her on.
That day, she saw Huang Qianqian's face again, which looked even worse than the newest auntie-colored lipstick.
When she told Ou Liyao about it while lying in bed, her friend had just finished recording the last episode of "Youth Dream Factory" and was on her way back to school for an exam.
"No, Jiajia, what's wrong with Yunhe? Can't he see at all that you two don't get along?"
She tilted her head and thought for a long time. This boy next door exuded an artistic aura even before he opened his mouth, but once he opened his mouth, he shattered the filter on her. He seemed carefree on the surface, but he was actually very thoughtful. Maybe he could tell that we didn't get along, so he was trying to create more opportunities for us to meet and clear up any misunderstandings.
She couldn't understand it; she simply couldn't fathom what these men were thinking.
She told her that Zheng Ruoqian was going back to China on New Year's Eve, saying that they would have time to get together with him. The conversation then turned to another person who had gone abroad—Zhang Yuning, who was still wondering if he would come back for the New Year.
Since he left, their small group of four has become less lively.
In the past, you could always see posts confessing your love on campus forums, which would then be shared in group chats, and he would always be the center of attention. Now that's gone, and it seems like there's no reason to start the group chat anymore.
The person on the video call scratched their head. "It's okay. When I get back, I'll start the group chat with the first message and make sure you all have 99+ WeChat messages every day, you won't be able to clear them all."
She knew all too well that Ou Liyao was a woman of her word, who would immediately carry out whatever came to mind without the slightest hesitation, which made her somewhat look forward to seeing her execution this time.
"Yes, now that Zhang Yuning is back, how about the four of us treat Senior Wenxue to a meal together?"
"It's not impossible, after all, he's been guiding us through high school."
"Suddenly I'm looking forward to spring in HX2121. I wonder if it will be another season of warm weather and blooming flowers?"
Hsu Chang-chia smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Yes, I also look forward to the spring of 2121, a time of prosperity and growth."
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