The bluestone remains
Although it is very presumptuous to compare people to goods, Hu Tong still has to say it: after entering university, Cheng Zhou actually went from being a "good commodity" to a "hot commodity"!
The crushes of high school were mostly subtle and implicit, consisting of casual conversations, fleeting glances taken by deliberately taking a longer route, painful yet sweet speculations, and memories that were constantly being shattered and pieced back together...
Upon entering university, those feelings, as hard and firm as corn kernels, rapidly expanded and burst forth from the little popcorn machine in everyone's heart, becoming an uncontrollable flood.
When Hu Tong heard the same group of girls listing handsome guys and mentioning Cheng Zhou from the Academy of Fine Arts for the third time, she covered her ears.
In September, Beijing is cool in the mornings and evenings, but extremely hot in the afternoons.
The military training took place during the hottest part of the day. With his camouflage hat stretched taut over his head, the steam rising from his hair condensed into sweat, which trickled down his neck and soaked his chest and back. Hu Tong felt incredibly annoyed and frustrated.
This emotion reached its peak when the instructors made them turn around and stand at attention facing another male formation.
Looking at those faces, each ugly in its own way, their skin tanned red or black, their features contorted and twitching as they tried to suppress their laughter, Hu Tong felt as if his eyes had been attacked.
"Campus idol dramas are such a scam," Hu Tong thought. "Who said college is all about handsome guys? Why do I feel that the average quality of these male classmates is far lower than in high school?"
Hu Tong couldn't laugh at all.
She lowered her eyes not out of shyness, but simply to protect herself.
Clearly, the people in the opposite formation did not understand this principle.
"Head up, chest out! Eyes forward!"
The instructor's voice suddenly rang in his ears. Hu Tong slowly opened his eyes, his hand pressed against the seam of his pants trembling slightly.
Ugh, this is annoying, but it's worth three credits.
Hu Tong took a deep breath and looked ahead with a calm gaze that seemed to have seen through the illusions of the world.
Hu Tong thought to himself: Damn it, I should have stood in the second to last row when we lined up at the beginning. Why did I have to prove that I'm not short and stand in the first row of the last row?
Standing here, she was the first to suffer the psychological attack...
The sun was scorching, and the time dragged on.
As soon as the break was over, Hu Tong plopped down on the artificial turf, clasped her fingers together, and futilely fanned her neck. Her gaze wandered all over the field, finally settling on Cheng Zhou after passing over many green shoulders.
Seeing Hu Tong looking at him, Cheng Zhou pursed his lips, put his hands behind his head, and struck a frog-jumping pose, which made the classmate next to him turn his head to look at him.
Hu Tong suddenly laughed.
She understood what that meant.
Three years ago, on a similarly hot day, Cheng Zhou was called a "sissy" by the instructor. Hu Tong retorted, and Cheng Zhou defended her. After this back and forth, the instructor decided to punish Cheng Zhou by making him do two frog jumps around the playground.
Cheng Zhou was perhaps asking her, "Am I at risk of being punished with frog jumps today?"
Hu Tong nodded vigorously at Cheng Zhou across the crowd.
Yes, be prepared.
Cheng Zhou lowered his hand, tilted his head slightly to look at her, and looked obedient.
Too far away, Hu Tong couldn't see Cheng Zhou's expression clearly, but felt that fate was unfair.
When sunlight hits someone else, it's like boiling oil, making them wince in pain and ruining their appearance. But when it covers Cheng Zhou, it only highlights his uprightness and freshness, like a poplar tree, like a green bamboo, and like a piece of beautiful jade soaked in moonlight.
Hu Tong suddenly understood why others praised Cheng Zhou.
His looks and demeanor, which were considered above average in high school, now make him seem top-tier.
but……
Hu Tong glanced at the students next to Cheng Zhou, then looked around and exclaimed: "Is the 'beauty' in your art academy the beauty of 'art' or the beauty of 'beauty'? How come even your hair colors are so outstanding? Red, green, blue, the colors are rich and vibrant."
"gather!"
At the sound of a whistle, Hu Tong rubbed his calves and stood up.
After evening training, Hu Tong dragged his tired steps and walked out of the sports field with Zhang Xianyu.
Zhou Min is the class monitor and is often called by the counselor to organize materials; Jiao Yuhong is a local and has her own social circle, so she doesn't often go out with her roommates.
In the past two days, Hu Tong and Zhang Xianyu have become a little closer. They can't be considered friends, just "buddies".
Zhang Xianyu casually linked arms with Hu Tong, complaining, "I feel like my skin has been sunburned off. When we pass a fruit shop later, remember to remind me to buy some apples or oranges. I'm going to do a ritual in my dorm tonight. It's definitely going to rain tomorrow!"
Just the right amount of intimacy and requests don't make people reject them; on the contrary, they have a surprising effect on bringing people closer.
Hu Tong agreed, but when they reached the intersection, she exclaimed, "I don't think I can go with you to buy fruit, Xianyu."
Cheng Zhou stood under the bright yellow streetlights and waved to her.
Apart from the day they arrived at Peking University, when their families forced them to take a photo in front of the university's name stone, the two have had virtually no contact offline since the start of the semester.
There are many things to do at the start of the school year. Hu Tong and Cheng Zhou are not in the same major, so they can't get together. In their spare time, it's too... strange for them to go to the supermarket together to buy toothpaste, toothbrush, and washbasin.
Hu Tong felt it was strange to buy various daily necessities with Cheng Zhou, so every time she looked at the big chicken leg on her phone screen, she would say, "No."
Yes, Cheng Zhou changed his profile picture to a golden fried chicken leg. Hu Tong thought the new picture was worse than the original all-black one, which looked silly.
Hu Tong briefly introduced Cheng Zhou to Zhang Xianyu, and then walked towards Cheng Zhou amidst the latter's cough.
"What's up?"
Are you hungry?
The two spoke at the same time.
In the warm yellow light, two pairs of big eyes stared at each other without blinking, both looking rather silly.
Cheng Zhou was the first to look away, her ear tips slightly red.
Hu Tong shook his head: "I'm not hungry. I ate at the cafeteria around six o'clock."
"Spicy hot pot, fried skewers, rice noodle rolls, and a bag of cantaloupe!" Hu Tong's upturned face was filled with pride.
"Great." Cheng Zhou finished praising it skillfully, then tightened his grip on his backpack strap, his voice slightly nasal and a little aggrieved. "But didn't we agree to eat bullfrogs together after we were dismissed?"
"What kind of cow..."
Hu Tong recalled the frog-jumping pose Cheng Zhou had struck during the day, and his voice trailed off, "Frog?"
She stared into those dark, bright eyes and angrily accused, "Who invites people to dinner like this? It's so abstract!"
As Hu Tong spoke, she had already taken off her schoolbag, stuffed it into Cheng Zhou's arms, and strode ahead, "Since it was your mistake in expressing yourself that caused me to not leave enough room in my belly for the bullfrog—"
"It's my treat."
Cheng Zhou, carrying her schoolbag, caught up with Hu Tong, about a fist's distance away.
In the past, Hu Tong and Cheng Zhou always walked shoulder to shoulder, rode in cars, and did their homework. When Hu Tong felt playful, she would occasionally bump her head against his shoulder, and she never felt awkward about it.
But now, she and Cheng Zhou are separated by light and air.
The streetlights were dim and the air was thick and humid, making her heart beat faster, as if she were drowning.
Just as a drowning person needs to breathe, Hu Tong instinctively opened his mouth wide and rambled on, "You're really popular lately, a big star, your name has even spread to our college."
"Why did you suddenly decide to go eat bullfrogs with me?"
"I heard you were selected for the National Flag Guard? That's great, Cheng Zhou! But I'm not bad either. I joined our college's External Relations Department, and we're having a get-together next week after military training ends!"
Hu Tong rattled off a string of words, then turned to look at Cheng Zhou and abruptly shut his mouth.
He just smiled at her, regardless of whether Hu Tong was praising or mocking her.
The voices were like raindrops hitting the bluestone slab; only the sound of raindrops could be heard, while the bluestone remained unchanged.
A few seconds later, Cheng Zhou turned slightly to the side, separating himself from the surging crowd, and whispered to her, "It wasn't sudden."
You've always turned down my invitations, and I haven't been able to find a restaurant that suits my taste. Inviting you to the cafeteria doesn't seem formal enough...
Cheng Zhou recalled the luxurious, old-fashioned decor of the second floor of a certain cafeteria and silently added, "Or perhaps it's too solemn."
His thoughts raced, but only one sentence came to his throat: "It wasn't sudden."
I didn't suddenly decide to treat you to bullfrogs.
The two ultimately didn't get to eat the bullfrog.
As soon as Hu Tong stepped into the bullfrog hot pot restaurant, which was decorated mainly in red, with red lanterns hanging and wooden tables and chairs, he felt the spicy hot pot in his stomach churning and boiling as soon as the hot wind blew in, carrying the rich aroma of oil and chili.
Forget about eating, she felt so suffocated just sitting there that she felt like vomiting.
Cheng Zhou thought for a moment, then led Hu Tong into a small noodle shop. He ordered himself a bowl of beef noodles and gave her a bowl of fermented rice soup with egg.
Bright red goji berries and milky white glutinous rice surrounded a half-cooked egg in the center of a porcelain bowl. Hu Tong stirred it in with a spoon, and a pale yellow yolk flowed out.
Cheng Zhou was initially disappointed by the noodle shop's remote location and overly simple decor, but when he saw Hu Tong scoop up a spoonful of rice wine broth mixed with egg yolk and bring it to his lips, he suddenly smiled.
He held the chopsticks and said, "It's like the sun."
Hu Tong looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "What?"
Cheng Zhou pointed to the poached egg in the bowl and explained slowly, "It's yellow and round. When the time comes, light and heat will flow out like the yolk, scorching the entire campus."
"How artistic," Hu Tong commented briefly, before taking a large, rather unartistic bite and swallowing the whole egg.
She put down her spoon, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and said with a devout expression, "Now the light and heat will no longer flow out, tomorrow will definitely be a cloudy day, no, a rainy day!"
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