University
Winter vacation really arrived after the last exam was over.
Xu Zhiyi took the nearest train and quickly returned to Jiangchuan.
Since she went to college, she has been longing for a free life outside, but on the other hand, she also misses the warmth of home.
As soon as she got off the train, she was so cold that she couldn't help shivering.
“It’s so cold!”
She hid half of her face in her scarf. Song Chengrui held the suitcase for her. "It's damp and cold at home, even colder than school."
As the two of them walked out of the door, Xu Zhiyi saw Xu Wangping and hurriedly took his suitcase over. "My dad is here, I have to leave."
"I'll help you get it." As he said that, Song Chengrui followed Xu Zhiyi and continued to help her carry the suitcase.
"Oh, my dad will tell you."
Xu Zhiyi was a little scared. What happened in high school made her always a little worried about this relationship.
"It's okay." Song Chengrui sent Xu Zhiyi to Xu Wangping in a calm and collected manner.
"Hello, uncle."
Xu Wangping smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for your hard work on the journey."
"It's not hard, uncle." Song Chengrui handed the suitcase safely to Xu Wangping. "Zhiyi kept saying she missed home all the way."
Xu Wangping took the box and patted Song Chengrui on the shoulder: "Thank you for taking care of Zhiyi. It's cold, go back quickly and don't keep your family waiting anxiously."
Song Chengrui nodded in understanding and looked at Xu Zhiyi: "Then...happy winter vacation."
"You too." Xu Zhiyi responded softly, pursing her lips slightly under the scarf.
After watching Song Chengrui turn around and join the crowd, Xu Wangping pushed the suitcase and walked towards the parking lot side by side with Xu Zhiyi.
After this incident, Xu Wangping never mentioned it again.
Back home.
"You're finally back!" Mother Xu took Xu Zhiyi's suitcase and looked her over carefully. "Did you eat well at school? Why do you look thinner?"
"Mom, I've gained three pounds." Xu Zhiyi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
The next day, Xu Zhiyi was in her room sorting out the things she had brought back from school when her phone vibrated. It was a message from Song Chengrui: "Xie Lin is back. Let's get together tomorrow."
Xu Zhiyi stared at the name for a few seconds.
It seemed that they had no contact after the college entrance examination. She still remembered that he had comforted her several times.
"Okay." Xu Zhiyi replied quickly.
The party was scheduled to be held at a newly opened coffee shop in the county town.
When Xu Zhiyi and Song Chengrui arrived, Xie Lin was already sitting by the window.
She was wearing a simple beige sweater, her long hair was loosely tied up, and she looked down at the menu, still with the calmness of her student days.
"Long time no see." Xie Lin raised her head, her eyes lingered on Song Chengrui's face for a moment, then turned to Xu Zhiyi and gave a perfect smile.
"I heard that you are studying medicine at Shanghai University?" Xu Zhiyi asked after sitting down.
"Clinical Medicine." Xie Lin nodded. "The course is much more demanding than I expected."
"Where's Xu Zhiyi?" Xie Lin suddenly turned the topic to her. "I heard from Song Chengrui that you're in the photography club?"
"Yeah, I'm still learning." Xu Zhiyi raised his head, "Just taking some photos casually."
"She takes great photos." Song Chengrui took over naturally, "She even won a prize at the club's joint exhibition last time."
Xie Lin's eyes shifted slightly between the two of them: "That's great."
Song Chengrui asked from the side, "How about you? How are you doing in college?"
Xie Lin nodded slightly, "It's pretty good, but I don't have that much free time."
The three of them didn't talk for too long, they just casually chatted about college life and then ended the topic.
Since the college entrance examination, many classmates have not had the chance to meet again. Song Chengrui made an appointment with several classmates from the basketball team, but unfortunately they either went out to travel during the winter vacation or had no time to come. Some of them even did not go home for the New Year.
Xu Zhiyi and Song Chengrui went back to No. 3 Middle School again, but unfortunately the guard at the door stopped them on the grounds that they were not students of the school.
Song Chengrui was somewhat helpless. "When we took graduation photos, we said that the school was our home, but after only half a year we can't go in."
The two of them couldn't get in and didn't want to trouble others, so they had to find a nearby noodle shop to sit down and eat.
It happened to be dinner time, and they ran into their former substitute teacher, so they took the opportunity to sneak into the campus.
Walking on the tree-lined avenue, Xu Zhiyi and Song Chengrui just walked side by side, not holding hands. They still understood the influence.
"Even though it's only been a few months, why do I feel different?"
Song Chengrui lowered his head and replied, "Maybe it's because of a different mentality."
When they first walked on this road, they were thinking of walking faster and faster so that they could save time to do exercises and memorize more texts.
But now the pressure is gone, and I don’t have to do my homework on time, so I naturally have a different mood.
Xu Zhiyi walked around and took some photos, and took some personal photos of Song Chengrui. Song Chengrui deliberately teased her.
"Classmate, you are not allowed to take pictures here. Please put away your cell phones."
Xu Zhiyi deliberately walked faster and turned to look at him, "Come on, collect it."
The two men were arguing and when they walked near the teaching building, they ran into Xu Dongxing head-on.
Both sides were stunned at the same time.
Xu Zhiyi was even more like a frightened rabbit, stuttering a little. "Xu...Teacher Xu..."
When Xu Dongxing saw Xu Zhiyi, his eyes lit up.
Song Chengrui subconsciously took a half step forward, unnoticedly blocking her half a body length behind him, and then politely said, "Hello, Teacher Xu."
Xu Dongxing's gaze quickly swept over Song Chengrui and finally stopped on Xu Zhiyi's face.
He was holding several thick lesson plans in his hands, as if he had just gotten off work.
"It's Xu Zhiyi and Song Chengrui! What a coincidence! Long time no see!" His tone was more enthusiastic than ever before, even with a hint of the familiarity of an elder meeting a younger one. "Come back to visit the school?"
"Yeah," Xu Zhiyi managed to calm down and nodded, "It's just winter vacation."
"Okay, okay!" Xu Dongxing nodded repeatedly, his eyes wandering between the two of them, his tone filled with almost deliberate emotion, "Time flies so fast, and in the blink of an eye you're all in college. How are you? Are you adapting to college life?"
"Everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, teacher." Song Chengrui answered on his behalf, his tone steady and no emotion could be heard.
"That's good, that's good." Xu Dongxing smiled, then turned his gaze to Xu Zhiyi, speaking in a more relaxed tone, "Zhiyi, when you were in school, the teacher was a bit strict with you, especially with promising students like you. He had high hopes for you, fearing you would take a wrong step and ruin your future. Now that I see you've all done well in the exams, I'm relieved. If I said anything harsh back then, don't take it to heart."
She stood there, not knowing how to respond.
Song Chengrui took over the conversation again at the right time. His answer was polite and distant: "Thank you for your concern, Teacher Xu. We all understand."
Xu Dongxing seemed to have noticed the slight awkwardness. He chuckled twice and looked at his watch. "Okay, seeing you all doing so well makes me happy. I have something else to do, so I have to leave first. Come back to school often!"
"Goodbye, Teacher Xu." The two said almost in unison.
Xu Dongxing, holding the teaching plan, quickly disappeared at the end of the tree-lined avenue as dusk deepened.
A feeling of the passage of time quietly spread.
"Let's go," Song Chengrui said softly, "It's getting dark."
"Um."
As you walk out of the school gate, the city lights light up one after another, seeming like two different worlds compared to the tranquility of the campus.
The cold evening breeze blew across his face, dispelling the last bit of hesitancy in Xu Zhiyi's heart.
She took a deep breath of cool air and felt the inexplicable oppression in her chest expel.
She took the initiative to reach out and gently hooked Song Chengrui's fingers.
Song Chengrui was slightly stunned, then reacted and immediately tightened his palm, completely wrapping her slightly cold hand in his warm palm.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"It's not cold anymore." Xu Zhiyi shook her head. This time, her smile was much more genuine.
On New Year's Eve, the Xu family was particularly lively.
Outside the window, there were endless sounds of firecrackers and brilliant fireworks, and the Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV as background music.
Mom shuttled between the kitchen and the living room, serving plates of steaming dumplings and side dishes. Xu Wangping was in high spirits and even had a few drinks.
After dinner, Xu Zhiyi curled up on the sofa, listening to her parents chatting while replying to New Year's greetings text messages with her head down.
Song Chengrui's message popped out among a bunch of group blessings, with just four simple words: "Happy New Year."
Followed by a picture.
When I clicked it, I saw a cluster of fireworks that had just bloomed in the night sky and were falling like golden rain.
An idea struck her, and she looked up and said to her parents, "Dad, Mom, I...I'll go downstairs for a while and be back soon."
Mother Xu was watching the skit with great amusement and responded casually, "Go ahead, wear more clothes, it's cold outside."
Xu Wangping held the teacup and glanced at her. His eyes understood, but he didn't ask anything. He just nodded and said, "Don't take too long."
Xu Zhiyi put on her down jacket and trotted downstairs without even having time to tie her scarf carefully.
As expected, Song Chengrui was waiting in the open space outside the unit door.
He was wearing a dark coat, his figure was tall and straight, and his breath condensed into white mist in the cold air.
Not far away, a few children, under the supervision of their parents, were excitedly setting off small fireworks, and laughter could be heard everywhere.
Seeing her come out, Song Chengrui's eyes lit up with a smile and he quickly walked up to her.
"Why are you here?" Xu Zhiyi ran to him, breathing slightly, his cheeks flushed from running and the cold air.
"I missed you." Song Chengrui said it naturally, reaching out to carefully tie her loosened scarf. "By the way, I want to personally say Happy New Year to you."
The night sky was occasionally illuminated by large fireworks set off from tall buildings in the distance, and colorful lights flowed across the sky.
"Happy New Year, Song Chengrui." Xu Zhiyi looked up at him, his eyes sparkling, brighter than the fireworks in the sky.
At this moment, they seemed to have returned to that New Year's Day, when the fireworks were particularly brilliant because that was their youth.
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