Long separation
The team's notification came very suddenly; Zhou Qingchi had already bought his return ticket. But the project wasn't solely his responsibility, and he couldn't simply refuse.
Before sending the message to Bai Yixia, Zhou Qingchi spent more than an hour revising and rewriting, feeling that it was even more difficult than writing a college entrance examination essay.
He looked forward to the special surprise Bai Yixia had prepared for him, and he knew that Bai Yixia would also be looking forward to it, as she always loved to go out and have fun.
But if I say too much, I'm afraid Bai Yixia will notice something; if I say too little, I feel like I'm letting her down.
So they simply started apologizing.
After sending the message, Zhou Qingchi was very nervous, and his hands holding the phone were sweating.
But the moment the message came back, I felt like I had fallen into an ice cave.
When I receive her messages, I feel an unbearable itch, like I've been scratched by a cat, and I want to appear in front of Bai Yixia and tell her my feelings.
But this time, there was more fear than anxiety.
"Such a polite reply." Zhou Qingchi frowned, wondering if her words from last time had alerted her to something amiss. Was she worried that she might cause her some emotional distress?
Zhou Qingchi typed out a string of meaningless characters at a loss. Just as he was about to make a call, he was interrupted.
"Hey Zhou, come take a look here? Something feels off," a fellow member of the group called out.
Zhou Qingchi had no choice but to put down his phone, suppress his impatience, and gracefully stand up and walk over. "Okay, I'll take a look."
When I get busy, there's hardly any time to stop, and I can only find time to reply to Bai Yixia's messages.
Zhou Qingchi was so upset during his six-day holiday that he almost couldn't even keep up a smile.
On the last day of the holiday, the group finally finished the project. Zhou Qingchi couldn't wait any longer and bought the earliest ticket back. Tickets were scarce at the moment, and only standing tickets were available, but fortunately, the journey wasn't long.
Without waiting for the gathering here, Zhou Qingchi hurriedly boarded the high-speed train, thinking all the way about what he would say to Bai Yixia when he saw her.
But as he thought about it, he felt a little discouraged. He realized that he couldn't talk about liking or caring about anyone now. In high school, when most people were eager to make a move, he heard Bai Yixia talking to Nie Jiayuan.
"Ugh! Dating is so scary, I don't want to date!"
Zhou Qingchi leaned against the armrest and sighed. Aunt Lin and Uncle Bai had a deep relationship, and there were never any quarrels in Bai Yixia's family. Why was she so averse to relationships?
However, this was her private matter, and Zhou Qingchi didn't inquire about it at the time. It seems even more inexplicable that he brought it up now.
The more anxious he became, the slower time seemed to pass. Zhou Qingchi sent several messages to Bai Yixia in the car but received no reply, leaving him feeling very depressed.
When he reached the bottom of the building, his phone rang, and he took it out to look, but it wasn't Bai Yixia.
Seeing Nie Jiayuan say that Bai Yixia was sad, Zhou Qingchi pursed his lips uneasily and quickly replied.
But he had no interest in reading Nie Jiayuan's reply. He strode to Bai Yixia's door and, unusually, hesitated before ringing the doorbell.
The apartment building was well soundproofed, and no sound could be heard inside. After only a few seconds without anyone opening the door, Zhou Qingchi became a little anxious. He took out his phone to ask Nie Jiayuan.
Click.
The door in front of me opened, and the person I had been longing for appeared before me.
Bai Yixia must have just woken up; her soft hair was a little messy, and her eyes were still sleepy. But perhaps she was too surprised to see herself, because she quickly shook off her sleepiness, and her eyes became bright and lively.
With her eyelashes curved and her voice full of joy, she said, "Why are you back now, Brother Zhou!"
The weight that had been weighing on Zhou Qingchi's heart for days suddenly lifted, and he finally had a genuine smile after several days.
He called softly, "Xia Xia."
Bai Yixia had no idea what he was thinking, and was only surprised. She had been prepared to see him again during the winter break, but when she saw Zhou Qingchi, she no longer cared about all the previous troubles.
She woke up instantly, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Qingchi. Noticing the dark circles under his eyes, a pang of heartache welled up inside her, and her upturned lips fell back slightly. "Brother Zhou, you look so tired. Have you been staying up late a lot lately?"
Zhou Qingchi smiled, her eyes crinkling: "It took a few days, but it's alright."
Bai Yixia bit her lower lip and looked at him with a hint of reproach, "You're already back from your holiday, why did you rush back? You should have had a good rest."
After saying that, she felt that it dampened his spirits, so she rolled her eyes and noticed a bright color behind Zhou Qingchi, and changed the subject, "Brother Zhou, you even brought me a gift?"
As expected, Zhou Qingchi was led to change the subject by her. He stretched out his hand from behind his back and revealed a bunch of yellow roses.
Bai Yixia was taken aback. "A gift for me?"
Zhou Qingchi thought for a moment, "Fine, I'll apologize to you."
There weren't many flowers, just a small bunch, with a small card in the middle. Bai Yixia took it and looked at it; it depicted a cute little figure with hands clasped together, a small tear in the corner of its eye, and a speech bubble next to it.
It read: I'm so sorry, baby, I was wrong, I was wrong~
Bai Yixia smiled inwardly, forcing a smile, and handed the cards to Zhou Qingchi, whispering, "This..."
Zhou Qingchi looked down and was also a little confused. Bai Yixia could tell from his expression that the florist must have misunderstood the note when it was sent to him.
As expected, Zhou Qingchi held the small cardboard sign, looking somewhat helpless. "When I ordered the flowers, I only said I wanted to express my apologies. Perhaps the employee misunderstood."
Just as Bai Yixia was about to say it was okay, she heard Zhou Qingchi explain anxiously, "Xia, don't be unhappy."
She couldn't quite describe how she felt. Bai Yixia could salvage some sweetness from this misunderstood relationship, but Zhou Qingchi's subsequent explanation made her feel like she was eating a bitter pill disguised as candy.
It was both bitter and astringent.
Bai Yixia looked up at Zhou Qingchi, whose eyes were filled with caution, as if he was afraid that she would get angry about these things again.
"It's okay." Bai Yixia smiled at him, holding the flowers. "I'm actually very happy. I thought I wouldn't see you this holiday."
Zhou Qingchi visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and said apologetically, "I had already bought my return ticket, but the notification was so sudden, and since they were all senior students, I couldn't refuse."
He said, "I know you must have made plans to go out and have fun, and I'm so sorry that you've wasted your time."
Bai Yixia didn't like hearing him apologize, always feeling that it would only push them further apart. Just as she was about to speak, he raised his hand to stop her.
Zhou Qingchi leaned forward a little, his eyes serious. "I'm really looking forward to going out with you. Xia, can I re-customize the special plan you gave me? Or, would you be willing to set aside some time during your winter break so I can make a special travel plan for you?"
Winter break. Bai Yixia's eyes lit up, and she agreed without hesitation, "Okay."
She noticed that Zhou Qingchi's lips were a little dry, and then realized that the two of them had been standing at the door talking like idiots. Just as she was about to invite them in, she heard Nie Jiayuan's soft voice from the side.
"Wow, it's been a month. Is there something in Xiaxia's house that could poison you?" Nie Jiayuan stood to the side with her arms crossed, her eyes full of disgust.
Bai Yixia thought to herself that things were going to be bad; the two of them were probably going to argue again.
The next second, Zhou Qingchi raised his eyebrows, smiled, and said to Nie Jiayuan in a very irritating way, "Just revisiting an old haunt."
Nie Jiayuan looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"
Zhou Qingchi leaned lazily against the door frame, tapping his toes on the ground. "Right here, Xia treated me to matcha tiramisu. Oh, you didn't get to eat it."
He asked slowly, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Bai Yixia: "..." Help! Why do you still remember this?
Nie Jiayuan glared at Zhou Qingchi through gritted teeth, but before she could even open her mouth, she saw Bai Yixia giving her a pitiful look. She nearly choked on her words and swallowed them back down in anger.
Bai Yixia breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Zhou Qingchi, "Come in and sit down, Brother Zhou."
Zhou Qingchi shook his head. "I have to go, Xia. I might have something to do tonight."
Bai Yixia was incredulous. "You..." Why did you have to make a special trip back when you're so busy?
Before she could speak, Zhou Qingchi seemed to read her mind. He reached out and gently ruffled Bai Yixia's hair, his expression tender. "If I don't come in person, I'm afraid you'll get angry and ignore me from now on."
Bai Yixia's heart pounded like a drum, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Zhou Qingchi smiled with his eyes crinkling. His originally anxious mood was soothed the moment he saw Bai Yixia, and his fatigue from the past few days dissipated considerably.
Time was running out. He didn't want to leave at all, but he had no choice. He could only tap his phone and say gently, "Please contact me, okay?"
Only after receiving a response from Bai Yixia did he enter the elevator.
After walking downstairs, he seemed to sense something and looked back. Sure enough, he saw Bai Yixia leaning on her balcony, holding flowers and waving to him.
Zhou Qingchi felt a warmth in his heart and smiled at her, "See you next time, Xia."
Who knows when the next time will be? Bai Yixia watched Zhou Qingchi's departing figure, and her excited heartbeat finally calmed down.
Winter break is still three months away.
Nie Jiayuan stood to the side, frowning, and hissed softly, "He... he doesn't like you?"
Bai Yixia looked at her blankly.
Nie Jiayuan: "Even if you wanted to apologize, you could have just ordered a bouquet of flowers for me. Why did you have to deliver it personally? No, why would I deliver flowers to you in the first place?"
Bai Yixia hummed in response, then hesitated and said, "Perhaps, I also gave him a bouquet?"
"?" Nie Jiayuan's gaze instantly pierced her like a sword. "When? Why? You've already given him flowers and he still doesn't understand?"
Bai Yixia felt that sending flowers didn't mean anything; the three of them had also exchanged flowers when they graduated from high school. There were six bouquets in total, and the fragrance of flowers filled the homes of the three families for several days.
Nie Jiayuan probably remembered that incident, and then, as if she had thought of something else, her expression suddenly became somewhat tender.
"Jiajia?"
Nie Jiayuan's eyes held a hint of sympathy. "If he has no interest in it, then it can only mean that Zhou Qingchi doesn't have a single friend in City B, so he's afraid you'll get angry."
Bai Yixia thought about it and felt that what she said made some sense.
He knew his feelings for Zhou Qingchi were impure, but he had never been in a relationship. Zhou Qingchi was different; if he truly had any feelings for someone else, he would understand them.
Bai Yixia sighed, "I think you're right, I should have less contact with him."
Nie Jiayuan was about to take a bite of an apple when she heard this. Her teeth only managed to bite into air, making her cheeks hurt. She mumbled, "Why?"
Bai Yixia said, "Do you think it's possible that the person who's having trouble adjusting to university is Brother Zhou?"
Nie Jiayuan thought about it and felt that there was some truth to it.
Nie Jiayuan's school did not make up for the lost days off, and the two days after the holiday were also a weekend off, but Bai Yixia had to go back to school, and she felt bored staying at home, so she went back too.
On the way back, I thought about it over and over again and realized with a start that I hadn't actually solved anything this time.
Whether Bai Yixia truly likes Zhou Qingchi remains a mystery.
Bai Yixia genuinely liked him. At twenty years old, even if she had never been in a relationship, she had seen plenty, and she knew it very well.
After all, she wouldn't kiss someone she didn't like.
Sitting in the car on the day she returned from her holiday, Bai Yixia thought about many things. Her last memory lingered on the cautious look on Zhou Qingchi's face when he looked at her.
She thought that she had so many friends that it would take her several minutes to scroll through her contacts, but Zhou Qingchi rarely made friends. He was either doing homework or hanging out with her and Nie Jiayuan.
Perhaps the person I feel dependent on is really him.
Looking back on the past two years, apart from when Zhou Qingchi had a partner and I didn't go up to chat with him, it seems like I've taken care of everything else.
Zhou Qingchi simply didn't have time to make friends.
"It needs to be changed," Bai Yixia thought silently. "I'll take another look during the winter break."
I've liked him for four years already, so three more months won't make a difference.
With the arrival of October, the course load tightened up, and Bai Yixia took on many more orders. Midterm exams were coming up in November, so she was busy with her studies and work all day long, only managing to send a few messages to Zhou Qingchi in her spare time.
Moreover, she sends more messages in the group chat than she did in private chats.
Not only was she busy, but Zhou Qingchi also talked a lot at first, but after a few days, she seemed to be too busy with various courses and competitions.
The two, who used to video chat almost every day, have only done so twice this month, and each time it's been a rushed affair.
Before she knew it, it was the end of November, and Bai Yixia finally gave up wearing only a single layer of clothing and wrapped herself tightly in a coat.
She had a business order for drawing on her desk. During a break, she looked out the window and saw the ginkgo leaves in the dormitory building fluttering down to the ground in the wind.
Bai Yixia looked at the ginkgo leaves swirling in the air, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
I miss Zhou Qingchi so much.
The phone on the table beeped softly, and a message popped up.
Xiao Yan: Sister Xiaxia, can you attend my parent-teacher conference?
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