Chapter 14

The Computer Science Department and the Environmental Science Department didn’t finish their exams at the same time. By the time Bai Zining realized this, Zhu Shizhou had already started summer vacation ahead of him.

Bai Zining was so angry that he pounded the bed. This meant the grand breakup drama would have to be postponed.

The whole purpose of his plan was to see Zhu Shizhou’s miserable reaction. But now, with the summer vacation spent at their respective homes, no matter how much Zhu Shizhou cried his heart out or fell into a depressive state over him, Bai Zining wouldn’t be able to witness it. All his efforts up until now would be in vain.

So, breaking up during the summer vacation was out of the question; he would have to wait until the new semester began to bring it up.

After the vacation started, he asked Zhu Shizhou about his plans, which mainly involved exercising, playing, and occasionally studying.

In contrast, Bai Zining had a rather busy summer ahead, with several things to do: learning to drive, learning to cook, and learning to play an instrument.

The driving lessons were because he had enrolled in a driving school the year he finished the college entrance exams but gave up after a few days because it was too hot. Recently, he’d heard that Zhu Shizhou already had a driver’s license, and unwilling to fall behind, he decided to pick it up again.

Cooking was something Bai Zining’s mom insisted on, not necessarily to make it delicious, but at least to know how to do it.

Bai Zining, being rather lazy, slouched on the sofa and wailed, “Nooo, Mom, I really can’t do it. Aren’t you afraid I’ll cut my hand?”

“What will you do when you start working and there’s no cafeteria?” his mom retorted.

“I can order takeout,” Bai Zining raised his hand to answer.

Bai Zining’s mom didn’t say anything at the time, but later that evening, his WeChat was bombarded with nearly ten messages, all exposing scandals about takeout businesses using gutter oil, filthy kitchens, or mixing food with all kinds of additives.

By the next day, Bai Zining had become much more obedient, earnestly promising that he would learn. His mom’s requirements weren’t high, he just needed to master five simple home-cooked dishes over the summer.

In addition to that, he had to learn to play a musical instrument, something he had planned for a long time.

Bai Zining had been interested in musical instruments since high school, but due to a tight schedule back then, he never got the chance to pursue it. This time, he was determined to learn one over the summer. After much deliberation, he chose the guitar, as it was relatively easy to pick up.

Apart from learning these new skills, Bai Zining also made sure to carve out time every day to chat with Zhu Shizhou, morning, noon, and night, as punctual as an alarm clock.

This was because his main task for the next two months was to maintain their relationship. If the honeymoon phase ended and their feelings started to fade, the impact of breaking up wouldn’t be dramatic enough.

With a more enriched life, there was suddenly much more to share.

Zhu Shizhou didn’t know where Bai Zining’s home was, so now Bai Zining could take photos casually and send them directly, without needing to carefully check for any school-related elements like he used to.

With ample time and a change of environment, Zhu Shizhou’s affection for him felt like the perfect combination of timing, setting, and opportunity.

Hawthorn Porridge: 【Gege, can you send me a photo of yourself?】

Hawthorn Porridge: 【That way, I can see your face every day while we chat. [heart.jpg]】

Not long after, Zhu Shizhou sent a photo, seemingly taken on the spot. In the picture, Zhu Shizhou was sitting at his desk, possibly having just finished a class. He was wearing glasses and hadn’t bothered finding the right angle, it was just a casual snapshot. Yet, thanks to his natural good looks, the photo looked as polished as if it had been meticulously edited.

In the photo, Zhu Shizhou didn’t have his usual blank expression. Instead, the corners of his lips were faintly curved into a subtle, ambiguous smile.

He really is so handsome, Bai Zining sighed once again in admiration.

After setting the photo as his background, he took a screenshot and sent it to Zhu Shizhou to show him. Before doing so, he deliberately changed Zhu Shizhou’s contact nickname from “Big Fool” to “Gege [grinning face][little bear][heartbeat].”

This was Bai Zining’s little trick, subtly revealing “her” affection for Zhu Shizhou, making him believe “she” loved him deeply and sincerely.

The first time they had a voice call, it was Zhu Shizhou who suggested it. Bai Zining quickly activated his voice-changing software and answered the call. He spoke first: “Why the sudden idea to call?”

“Typing is too slow,” Zhu Shizhou replied.

“What’s Senior up to?” Bai Zining asked.

Zhu Shizhou didn’t answer his question and instead asked, “Why aren’t you calling me Gege anymore?”

When it came to typing or sending voice messages, Bai Zining was completely at ease and had no reservations. However, calling a guy “gege” over the phone was a bit harder for him to handle psychologically.

Even though the voice-changing software would convert his voice into a girl’s on Zhu Shizhou’s end, what he heard on his own side was still a guy’s voice. It just felt… oddly flirtatious.

“I’m a bit shy,” Bai Zining stammered in response.

Zhu Shizhou chuckled softly. “Ningning, haven’t you called anyone else that way before?”

His voice had always been pleasant to listen to, but through the receiver, it gained a magnetic quality that made Bai Zining’s ears tingle. He paused for a long while before finally replying, “No, I haven’t.”

“It’s my honor,” Zhu Shizhou said with another laugh. “I attended two foundational algorithm classes this afternoon. You asked me about system architecture last time, and I’d recommend Professor Liu Zhong’s course—it’s available on MOOC^[1]MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. It refers to online educational courses that are open to a large number of participants, often free or at a low cost. MOOCs are typically hosted on digital … Continue reading. By the way, have you been reviewing database principles recently?”

This was well beyond Bai Zining’s realm of knowledge. His brain worked quickly to come up with an excuse. “It’s vacation time; let’s not talk about studying. It gives me such a headache.”

Zhu Shizhou chuckled softly and obediently didn’t continue the topic.

As the typed messages turned into spoken conversations, they ended up talking about all sorts of things without realizing it.

At some point, voice calls became a daily routine.

And at some point, Bai Zining couldn’t quite recall when, that he got used to calling him “gege.” The word started to roll off his tongue more naturally with each use. In fact, there were even times when Bai Zining didn’t know how to start a conversation without including “gege.”