University extra (8)
After finishing their meal, Xu Jianing did not head towards the dormitory. Instead, she led Wen Sheng across the campus, circling around to the other side of the teaching area.
Night had completely fallen, and the streetlights on campus were casting a dim, yellow light.
Because it's already the final exam review period, most of the school's courses have finished. Usually at this time, the school roads are always crowded with students rushing to their evening classes; but now, only a few classrooms used as study rooms have their lights on, and the entire campus appears empty and quiet.
"Where are you taking me?" Wen Sheng asked curiously, shaking off their clasped hands.
Xu Jianing turned her head and smiled at her, saying mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough."
"No, no, my appetite is already full. Don't keep teasing me." Wen Sheng huffed in protest, but she was exactly the type to fall for that.
They continued along a less-traveled path, turning the corner of an old building. Wen Sheng then noticed an inconspicuous little house on the edge of the teaching area, with a wooden sign hanging at the door that read "Youth Book Club".
Warm yellow light shone through the glass window, and you could vaguely see bookshelves and a few small tables inside.
"What is this?" Wen Sheng stopped and tiptoed to look inside through the glass window.
"I run a bookstore at the school," Xu Jianing said, pushing open the door. "You could call it my secret base."
As soon as she opened the door, she smelled a faint scent of books, mixed with the distinctive aroma of ink and paper. The room wasn't large, but it was decorated warmly. Several rows of bookshelves against the wall were neatly arranged with all kinds of books, from literary works to philosophical theories, from poetry collections to sociological works—you name it.
Several small wooden tables were placed near the window, each with a desk lamp. At this moment, there were only two or three students in the bookstore, quietly sitting at the tables reading or studying.
"Did you really drive this?" Wen Sheng asked softly.
“Yes, it opened when we first enrolled.” Xu Jianing led her upstairs.
Unlike the first floor, which still had a few students, the second floor was deserted. A long table stood by the window, with several economics textbooks on it. Next to it was an old-fashioned wooden-framed window, through which moonlight streamed in, illuminating the table.
Xu Jianing let go of her hand, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open. The cold night wind rushed in, making the books inside rustle as they turned, carrying the chill unique to early winter.
He raised his hand to rest on the window frame, turned back to look at Wen Sheng standing at the top of the stairs, and said with a slight smile, "On this floor, it's just the two of us."
Wen Sheng shivered subconsciously, pulled her scarf up a little tighter, and muttered, "It's so cold today, and you still opened the window."
She complained, but still walked towards him.
Xu Jianing turned around, extended her hand to her, and smiled: "You can see the moon from here."
Wen Sheng reached out her hand, which was enveloped in his warm palm. With a gentle pull, she was drawn into his embrace, her back pressed against his chest.
It was so quiet around her that she could clearly hear his heartbeat, one beat after another, faster and faster.
"Look, isn't the moonlight beautiful tonight?" Xu Jianing whispered in her ear, resting his chin gently on her shoulder.
Wen Sheng looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a full moon hanging high in the sky, its cool moonlight pouring down.
"It's so round," she exclaimed. "It reminds me of that moon-gazing trip in the warehouse. I wonder how Qingmiao and the others are doing now."
After speaking, Wen Sheng turned her head, intending to ask about Li Changshui and Li Qingmiao's recent situation, but found that the person behind her was not looking at the moon outside the window, but was staring at her.
Those eyes were focused and affectionate; even the moonlight couldn't match his tenderness.
His eyes truly held only her.
Wen Sheng's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to look away, but she was so captivated by his eyes that she couldn't look away and just stared at him blankly.
"Wen Sheng," he called her name.
"Um?"
Xu Jianing tightened his arms, holding her even more tightly, trapping her firmly in his embrace.
He lowered his head and first gave her a very light kiss on the corner of her temple. His warm lips pressed against her skin, slowly moving down her cheek, past her slightly flushed face, until they covered her lips.
But the angle of her back to him was still a bit awkward. Xu Jianing pressed his hand on her shoulder, and Wen Sheng slowly turned around with his force, raised her head, and met his deep gaze.
The next second, he bent down again.
Their lips met again, this time not as tentative as turning their heads to the side, but as a face-to-face, irreversible kiss.
Xu Jianing cupped the back of her head with his palm, his fingertips digging into her hair, carefully deepening the kiss.
After an unknown amount of time, the warmth between their lips gradually faded. He released her hand, his forehead pressed against hers, their breaths still mingling.
"Are you going back to Cangshui County together during the winter break?" Li Changshui said that he and his sister wanted to meet up with us and get together.
Wen Sheng's mind was still a mess from the kiss, and suddenly those words abruptly pulled her back to the scene of her hometown and friends. For a moment, she was still a little dazed.
She blinked blankly, a strange feeling rising in her heart.
It's like when you're secretly kissing your partner and are suddenly caught by each other's best friends, and all the ambiguity and intimacy are clearly seen.
Wen Sheng raised her hand and pushed him, complaining in a low voice, "Could you pick a time to say something like that?"
Xu Jianing remained motionless, but instead smiled even more broadly: "I suddenly remembered it at this moment."
"Smooth-talking..." She broke free from his embrace and walked towards the bookshelf.
"There are so many books here."
She randomly picked up a book, a collection of Tagore's poems. The edges of the pages were slightly yellowed, indicating that it was quite old. On the title page, there was a line of delicate handwriting in pen: "Presented to the Youth Bookstore, may the spirit of poetry endure."
“At the time, the school supported students in starting clubs and activities, so I thought of starting a book club. Later, I simply applied for this empty classroom and turned it into a book club. The people you just saw downstairs are members of the book club. Studying at the book club during final week is one of the benefits,” Xu Jianing said.
He walked up to the bookshelf and said, "Most of the books here are ones I bought from secondhand markets outside. They're cheap, but the selection is comprehensive. Gradually, as the collection grew, the bookstore became a small library."
Wen Sheng asked, "Isn't it a loss to buy so many?"
"Of course we have to charge a little money, otherwise who would cherish it?" Xu Jianing leaned against the bookshelf and answered calmly. "Borrowing books requires a deposit and a symbolic borrowing fee. It's not much money, just enough to keep the bookstore running, and it also makes everyone responsible for the books."
Wen Sheng nodded, her gaze sweeping over the bookshelf. She noticed that although the books were secondhand, they were all well-preserved, without any damage or graffiti.
"But the school clearly has a library, so why do people still come here to pay to borrow books?"
Xu Jianing pulled a thick old book from the bookshelf and handed it to her: "Because what's here, the library may not have."
Wen Sheng looked down and saw that it was a foreign language original. He opened the book and found pencil annotations and neat Chinese translations written in pen.
"Most of these books are ones I found at secondhand bookstores. Some people have used them, some have left notes, and some even have a train ticket or a letter tucked inside. They have more stories to tell than new books."
As he spoke, he casually picked up another book, a sociology work that was rare in the library at the time, and it still had a stamp and an old book card.
Wen Sheng stroked the rough pages and asked in surprise, "Where did you buy these? These don't look like books you can buy at a regular bookstall."
Seeing this, Xu Jianing said unhurriedly, "These books are not something you can just come across easily. I only discovered them by chance when I followed the old professor to the used bookstore."
"Later, I often went there myself. When the weather was cold, the piles of books on the stall were full of the smell of old paper and dust, and I had to flip through them one by one. Occasionally, I could find a foreign language book with annotations or a professional textbook with a very limited print run. That feeling was even more surprising than borrowing a new book from the library."
"Some were acquired from veterans, and some were bought at low prices from graduating seniors. A book circulates among different people, and each owner leaves their mark on it, carrying different memories. That's what makes old books so fascinating."
"So this book club is actually extending the life of these books." Wen Sheng nodded thoughtfully and continued, "That's why it's called the 'Youth Book Club'?"
"Yes, that's the meaning."
Xu Jianing's gaze lingered on the old books: "Old books circulate among different young people. Each generation of young people reads them, and they become 'young' again. Knowledge does not lose its value because the paper turns yellow. On the contrary, it gains new vitality because it is read and thought about. That's why I started a youth bookstore so that these old books can continue to live in the hands of young people."
Wen Sheng's eyes welled up slightly. She stood on tiptoe and, while he was still lost in thought, quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.
"A reward for you, well said."
"Is this all the reward? That's a bit little..." Xu Jianing touched the spot where she had been kissed, still feeling unsatisfied.
Wen Sheng glared at him, then turned around and continued browsing the bookshelf, quickly becoming attracted by the title of a book.
The book was titled "Philosophical Reflections on Soul Swap." Wen Sheng flipped through a few pages and found that it discussed topics related to identity and consciousness, and also quoted many literary works about body swapping.
"Hey, this book is quite interesting." She waved the book in her hand. "Have you read it?"
"I've seen a bit, what's wrong?"
Wen Sheng tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "If we could really switch bodies, who would you want to switch with?"
"This problem..."
"Don't you dare suggest switching lives with me," she interrupted him. "I mean, if you could experience someone else's life, who would you choose?"
Xu Jianing pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "It's probably that old professor. I want to know how he got through those years when he was young, and how he has always maintained his love for knowledge."
“I thought you were going to talk about historical figures,” Wen Sheng said, somewhat surprised.
“That’s too far away.” Xu Jianing smiled. “People who actually exist around us are more intriguing.”
He countered, "And you? Who do you want to trade with?"
“You!” Wen Sheng answered without thinking.
Xu Jianing paused for a moment, then chuckled softly and took a step closer: "So you really want to be me?"
"What are you thinking! I mean, if we could switch bodies..." she immediately explained.
"If we really switched bodies, what would you do with my body?"
"Help me with my exam." Wen Sheng clasped her hands together, skillfully making a wish to him, her eyes full of sly smiles.
Xu Jianing chuckled and gently flicked her forehead: "Is that all you ask for? You're wasting this opportunity."
"Oh dear, this is just a hypothetical situation. Right now, all I can think of is the final exam. This is the only thing I can think of."
Wen Sheng covered her forehead and asked in return, "And what about you? What would you do if you used my body?"
“I won’t waste an opportunity like you did,” Xu Jianing said, feigning profundity.
"Then tell me, what can you do?"
"Eat well and sleep well." Xu Jianing's expression turned serious as he looked at her and reached out to brush away the stray hairs from her forehead.
“You haven’t been eating properly lately, and you’re always staying up late to finish your homework. If we could have another day, I’d like to let your body get some rest.”
Wen Sheng's eyes instantly reddened. She had thought he would give her some interesting answer, but she hadn't expected him to think of these things.
“You just said I wasted my opportunity…” she said, choking back tears.
"Yes, I misspoke." Xu Jianing reached out and pulled her into his arms, placing a kiss on the top of her head.
Actually, they were all thinking the same thing.
It's not about wanting to experience the other person's life or doing anything special; it's about wanting to take good care of them.
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