Chapter 6

After finishing the steaming tomato and egg noodles, Song Cheng felt revitalized.

Wen Xiangyi and the others had already returned to the classroom. With five minutes remaining before the evening self-study session started, Song Cheng jogged back to the classroom, where she sat down just as she began to warm up.

The pleasant moment didn’t last long. Two minutes later, when she opened her homework, her heart sank with a chill.

She furrowed her brows and began working on her assignments.

The self-study session ended at 9:30 PM, and Song Cheng let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, she could return to the dormitory.

After a whole evening of work, she glanced around and saw only about twenty students left in the classroom.

He Nianyao was gone. Looking ahead, Wen Xiangyi’s seat was also empty.

Song Cheng vaguely remembered that day students who live off-campus only attend the first two evening study sessions, so Wen Xiangyi must have gone home.

She picked up her English book and followed the crowd to the dormitory building, finding her way back to her own dormitory using her scant memory.

When she pushed open the door, the faces of the girls in the dormitory gradually matched her memories. Only one face was new—one she had just seen “yesterday”—

Zhou Ying shut the balcony window tightly and turned to her. “Hurry up and close the door. It’s freezing.”

Song Cheng closed the door, her face impassive, but she felt a bit amused inside.

Zhou Ying, in her teens, had a round face and blunt bangs, a far cry from the refined office workers in a chic bar.

There was an extra spot when the girls from Class Five were assigned their dorms, and it so happened to be hers, so her three roommates, including Zhou Ying, were from Class Six.

Song Cheng, not only from a different class but also accustomed to being alone and having a cold personality, could only converse more with Zhou Ying because they were from the same county and had a shared hometown.

Everyone was used to Song Cheng’s few words and continued chatting among themselves.

Song Cheng listened absentmindedly, surveying her bed and desk.

Her belongings were simple: a few books not needed in the classroom stacked on the bookshelf, and various sports-related certificates piled up. There were also essential items like a desk lamp, a water bottle, and a thermos on the cabinet.

On the shoe rack was a pair of sneakers, which she could alternate with the ones she was wearing. Song Cheng picked them up, noting their considerable wear and tear. But since these shoes had accompanied her for a long time, she carefully placed them back.

The bed above was set up with a simple cushion and thin blanket. Song Cheng touched them and found them a bit thin, but it was okay; she wasn’t afraid of the cold, and just draping her coat over the blanket while sleeping kept her warm.

Looking at the meager single bed, Song Cheng felt mixed emotions, gazing at it for a long time before a bittersweet joy emerged.

Who understands? She hadn’t had a bed to herself in a long time.

Even when going on a one-day trip to a neighboring city, Wen Xiangyi would bring her along and insist on holding her while sleeping.

Although this single bed couldn’t compare to any of the beds she had shared with Wen Xiangyi, it now seemed to radiate a special charm of its own, simply because it lacked Wen Xiangyi.

It was similar to the feeling of unusual joy one might experience when camping by the roadside with no parents around.

The dormitory was too cold, so everyone hurried their nightly routines and climbed into bed before the lights went out.

With the bed that lacked Wen Xiangyi finally hers, Song Cheng settled comfortably, letting out a sigh of relief, and opened the vocabulary list in the English book she brought back, focusing on studying.

Zhou Ying and the others noticed that Song Cheng was actually memorizing words and, unspokenly, lowered the volume of their pre-sleep chatter.

Lu Wei, wrapped in her blanket, spoke mysteriously. “Do you know about Lin Hang’s situation?”

Li Xueshan asked, “What situation?”

Zhou Ying said, “Oh, it’s about him preparing to confess these days? I heard it from my deskmate.”

Li Xueshan was shocked. “He has someone he likes? I was still thinking about whether I should pursue him.”

“Ah?!” Zhou Ying and Lu Wei’s voices rose in surprise but immediately fell to a whisper. “You like Lin Hang?”

Li Xueshan shrugged indifferently. “He’s handsome and a top student. Why not give it a try? It’s not a loss. Who is he planning to confess to? Is she prettier than me?”

Lu Wei looked at Li Xueshan sympathetically. “Sister, don’t ask.”

Li Xueshan immediately understood and looked dejected. “It’s Wen Xiangyi, isn’t it?”

“What’s wrong with Wen Xiangyi?”

The voice came from the quietest corner of the dormitory. Song Cheng, holding her English book, was pulled out of her studying world by the conversation and, for the first time, joined the gossip.

She sat on her bed, her wristbone clearly visible as she rested her hand on the bed railing, leaning slightly forward, her full attention captured by their topic.

Lu Wei: “Oh, there’s a boy in our class who wants to pursue Wen Xiangyi.”

Song Cheng: ?

“Who?”

She was so absorbed in memorizing vocabulary that she almost missed this major news!

Li Xueshan: “Lin Hang, the top three in the grade, you know?”

Song Cheng’s face turned cold. “Not at all.”

Zhou Ying: “Song Cheng, you must not tell Wen Xiangyi, or Lin Hang won’t be able to confess.”

Why would she need to tell Wen Xiangyi?

Song Cheng was confident. “Wen Xiangyi won’t pay him any attention.”

Li Xueshan: “How do you know?”

Just then, the lights in the dormitory suddenly went out.

It was lights-out time.

Song Cheng fumbled to put down her book and crawl into bed.

“You’ll see.”

Song Cheng’s confident voice cut through the darkness, making Li Xueshan a bit unhappy.

Although it was true that all the boys who had previously tried to pursue Wen Xiangyi had failed, Lin Hang was different from those who only knew how to show off. He might be different.

Li Xueshan trusted her own judgment, but seeing Song Cheng so certain made her a little hopeful about Lin Hang’s success—

Wait, why was she hopeful?

Li Xueshan turned over, grumbling at herself, and quickly fell asleep.

Across from her, Song Cheng found the most comfortable position, tucking in every corner of her blanket and pressing it under her legs. The cozy bed was incredibly warm without Wen Xiangyi tossing around, and no drafts came through.

Song Cheng closed her eyes peacefully, but sleep didn’t come easily. Instead, she found herself thinking about what Li Xueshan and the others had said.

Ha, she knew it. Wen Xiangyi’s appearance was like a magnet for attention!

Even though she was sure Wen Xiangyi wouldn’t give Lin Hang any attention, Song Cheng still couldn’t sleep. The once-comfortable position now felt increasingly wrong, as if… as if something was missing from her embrace.

Song Cheng opened her eyes in alarm.

Was she feeling like something was missing in her arms, like Wen Xiangyi?

That was terrifying.

Song Cheng immediately began reciting the vocabulary she had memorized, using distraction to counteract her thoughts. After a while, her breathing gradually became steady.

“Song Cheng.”

A gentle whisper came.

A soft, fragrant body was nestled in her arms. Song Cheng’s eyelids were heavy, her body as light as a cloud.

She struggled to open her eyes. In the warm morning light, Wen Xiangyi slightly lifted herself from her embrace, her forearm resting lightly on the pillow beside her head, her long hair brushing against Song Cheng’s shoulder and neck.

Wen Xiangyi’s voice was as tender as a spreading warm lake, enveloping Song Cheng like a small boat floating gently with her words.

“Song Cheng, do you miss me?”

Wen Xiangyi leaned closer, with a woman’s demeanor and a commanding tone:

“Song Cheng, you need to miss me.”