Chapter 43 Orange (6) Come! Let’s toast to love! …
After the winter vacation, Lin Xia returned to Beijing.
Since returning to Wangchun from Beidaihe during the Spring Festival, the frequency of quarrels between Zhao Qianyi and Lin Xuedong has only increased. Lin Xia is overwhelmed by it but is powerless to do anything about it. After finally getting through the start of school, she returned to school and to her familiar classmates and teachers, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
He Chuan also returned to Hong Kong. After a brief meeting, they resumed their long-distance relationship in two cities. The fireworks on New Year's Eve and the sunrise over the Orange Sea on New Year's Day were as romantic as a dream.
However, Lin Xia would not feel particularly lonely or sad, because her campus life was very fulfilling and rich, and she had no time to feel lonely or sad.
Tsinghua University offers a wealth of extracurricular activities. Besides the usual lectures and evening parties, there are also a wide variety of high-quality clubs. Lin Xia joined a small animal protection organization and an astronomy club. Every weekend, she would participate in a charity sale to help stray cats and dogs. She would also frequently go out with her clubmates to observe the stars and watch meteor showers. In April, Lin Xia's Arts and Crafts department, along with students from several other departments, organized a group tour by the Academy of Fine Arts to sketch in Hongcun, Anhui. With its whitewashed walls, black tiles, flowing water, and charming houses, it was Lin Xia's first glimpse of spring in the south of the Yangtze River. May was a sports day, transforming the entire campus into a vast arena. Every day featured a different competition, with athletes and cheerleaders giving their all. The atmosphere was incredibly lively and exciting. Although Lin Xia wasn't particularly athletic, she signed up for two relatively simple events to challenge herself. The results were, of course, all about participation.
Moreover, Lin Xia's city was Beijing, the capital and the most developed first-tier city in China. From historical sites to modern entertainment, from museums to art exhibitions, the city offered countless places to explore, and student IDs offered discounts. Every weekend, Lin Xia and her new classmates would wander the city, spending little money and exploring on a budget. They'd explore every landmark they'd ever seen in books, every familiar attraction, every hidden gem recommended by their seniors.
The messages she and He Chuan exchanged during those days could almost be compiled into a freshman's travel guide. Today we went to 798, tomorrow we went to the Summer Palace, we just got back from cycling along Chang'an Avenue, and now we're off to Panjiayuan to shop online. Lin Xia's entire freshman year was the happiest and most enjoyable of her years studying in Beijing.
......
"cheers--"
In the middle of August, at a German beer bar in Wudaokou, a group of young college students were sitting at a large table at the back. Tall beer glasses collided with each other, making a crisp sound, and white foam splashed out and melted away in an instant.
The group of seven or eight people included Lin Xia, Ren Zijian, Yang Yang, and their classmates from the same or previous studios. They had just finished a month of part-time work at a Tongzhou studio and had come here to celebrate.
Every holiday, the studio recruits students from Tsinghua University and Central Academy of Fine Arts as temporary teachers. To put it bluntly, they use the reputation of these two universities to recruit students. The treatment they offer is quite generous, including food and accommodation, and it is a star-rated hotel with three meals a day. Compared with the training here in the past, the conditions are simply heaven and earth.
After a month of part-time work, the salary she received was very considerable. This was the first time in Lin Xia's life that she made money. She did not get it from her parents, nor was it given by relatives or elders, but relied entirely on her own ability. She felt very excited about this.
The same was true for others. Everyone was passionately discussing how to use the huge sum of money. Some planned to buy bags, some planned to buy shoes, some wanted to save it, and some wanted to go out and travel.
"Why don't we go on a trip together?" Ren Zijian suggested. "Who wanted to go cycling in Gansu before? Let's take this opportunity to travel around Northwest China."
Yang Yang was the first to object: "Hey, hey, hey! Do you think everyone is as lonely as you? I want to go to Shanghai with my dear!"
Yang Yang started dating at the beginning of the year. His partner was a classmate of hers at Lin University. They were both in the student union, and after going out together a few times, they naturally got together.
"Xia Xia is going out too, right?"
Yang Yang hugged Lin Xia's shoulders and made a face at Ren Zijian:
"Go to the Northwest and get your skin peeled off!"
Ren Zijian shook his head helplessly: "You guys are betraying the organization! You value women over friends!"
Old Sun seems to have had some news recently. Although he didn't report it to everyone, it's almost certain. Now Ren Zijian is the only single person left in the four-member studio team.
Yang Yang curled his lips: "Then why don't you find a girlfriend? Who's stopping you?"
Ren Zijian was not angry either, he just said lightly: "I'm not in a hurry."
A senior who has been through it said: "There is really no need to rush into relationships. It all depends on fate. It is better to be alone than to be with the wrong person!"
Yang Yang laughed and scolded, "You are the least qualified to say that. I've only known you for two years. What rank are you in?"
The senior student was calm and composed: "I'm just accumulating experience!"
"So what experience have you accumulated?"
The senior student cleared his throat and spoke solemnly: "I won't say anything else, just one thing, don't have a long-distance relationship!"
Yang Yang disagreed: "Tsk, what kind of experience is this!"
Another senior student spoke up, "Yang Yang, don't disbelieve me. I've experienced this deeply. Long-distance relationships are only made by gods. My ex-boyfriend and I were together in junior high school. We were each other's first loves, seven or eight years apart. He cheated on me during my first semester of college. I thought this kind of thing wouldn't happen to me, but it turns out no one is immune to it."
"It's just because your ex-boyfriend is a scumbag, right? It doesn't represent everyone." Yang Yang frowned. She had just started a relationship and was the type who had high romantic expectations for love. She retorted unconvincedly, "Look at Lin Xia. She and her boyfriend have been in a long-distance relationship for several years, and their relationship is still so good. And they are about to have an interracial relationship!"
Everyone was a little surprised when these words came out. Ren Zijian couldn't help but look at Lin Xia:
"Really?"
Lin Xia nodded a little embarrassedly: "Well, he is going to study abroad soon."
"Then you, you...you are really brave!" The senior student, who had experienced it, held it in for a long time before finally saying this.
The senior student said to Lin Xia earnestly, "Lin Xia, you really have to think it over carefully. Human nature cannot stand the test. Missing someone from afar can never compare to the company of someone close to you. It's okay if we're in different places, at least we can see each other during the holidays, but you are from a foreign country..."
"It's okay. We've been doing this for years." Lin Xia didn't hesitate at all and just chuckled. "I believe him. He's not that kind of person. If he was, I wouldn't have liked him from the beginning."
The girl's gentle yet determined smile moved everyone present for a moment. Thinking about the love they had, lost, or had yet to find, they couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions.
"That's right! We still have to believe in love!"
Yang Yang raised his glass.
"Come! Let's drink to love!"
Ren Zijian responded to her: "Great! May we all find our soul mate!"
"cheers--"
Everyone stood up together, and the wine bottles in their hands clinked together again. In this scorching summer day, young boys and girls raised their glasses to love and squandered their fiery youth together.
.
Lin Xia played with her classmates until very late before returning to the dormitory. After entering the room, she saw the missed call on the screen. It was from Lin Xuedong. She couldn't help feeling guilty and hurriedly called her father back.
Lin Xuedong didn’t actually have anything important to say, he was just asking about her recent situation as a routine.
When Lin Xia was little, she'd always come home from school and tell her parents everything that happened there. But ever since she started high school and Zhao Qianyi left for the provincial capital, these conversations with them became less and less frequent, especially after she started college. Neither Zhao Qianyi nor Lin Xuedong were university students; they'd never been to college, and their lives had never left the Northeast. They didn't understand college, Beijing, or Lin Xia's major. Their common topics dwindled, and over time, they had less and less to talk about. Their weekly phone calls were all about talking about getting dressed and eating, sharing good news but not bad news.
The situation would have been better when facing Zhao Qianyi, but Zhao Qianyi recently tried to reopen a training institution in Wangchun and was extremely busy every day. Lin Xia hadn't spoken to her on the phone for a long time.
After the father and daughter talked for a while, they ran out of topics to talk about. Lin Xuedong asked Lin Xia if her living expenses were enough, and if not, she could ask her father for more.
Lin Xia quickly said, "That's enough, that's enough. Actually, I made quite a bit of money from my part-time job this time. I bought gifts for you and Mom. I'll give them to you when I get back!"
"Your mother and I are very happy that you have this kind thought. Just keep the money for yourself." Lin Xuedong smiled. "When will you be home?"
"It'll be another week before I can go back."
"Okay, take care of yourself and don't come back so late next time."
"Yeah, I get it, Dad."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Xia breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, she lied to Lin Xuedong again. Her part-time job had ended and she would go to Beijing Capital Airport early tomorrow morning to board a flight to Hong Kong.
He Chuan officially graduated in August and went to the UK in September. This was the last time they saw each other before he went abroad. He fulfilled the trip to Hong Kong that he had promised a long time ago and went to the city she had longed for for a long time.
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