Chapter 36: Don’t Rush When Meeting Your Girlfriend

In the afternoon, while waiting for data to be generated in the lab, Jian Li couldn’t help but recall the scene from noon.

After Zhou Shubei said those words, she was in a daze for a long time. It felt as if her hearing had degraded along with those four words, and she couldn’t hear anything else. Her heartbeat was amplified, and she heard herself ask—

“What did you say?”

Zhou Shubei smiled faintly, his tone serious, speaking every word clearly, “I said, I like you.”

Jian Li found it hard to describe how she felt at that moment—excited, thrilled, happy, and incredulous. It was like the challenger who successfully completed a bungee jump, cautiously stepping forward, fearing that they might fall, but once they jumped, their fear turned into a victorious shout, with the wind cheering for them.

After a long silence without hearing her speak, Zhou Shubei lowered his head slightly. “Are you still mad at me?”

“No,” she said, “It’s just that the shift in the situation was too sudden. I’m a bit confused.”

“If you’re angry, just say it, no need to pretend. About what happened on New Year’s Eve, I really didn’t handle it well.” Zhou Shubei suggested, “How about you yell at me a few times? It’ll make you feel better.”

“There was a bit of anger before, but after you explained, it’s gone,” Jian Li looked up at him, her fingers bent slightly by her side, “I’m not that great either.”

“Well, that works out,” Zhou Shubei raised an eyebrow and smiled, “There’s room for us to complement each other.”

“…”

Later that evening, as Jian Li entered her dorm, someone immediately grabbed her arm, pushing her into a chair. Qing Wen and Chu Yue stood with their hands on their hips, like guards.

Jian Li was puzzled. “What’s going on?”

“Tian Xueying said she saw you and Zhou Shubei hugging each other,” Chu Yue asked.

“We weren’t hugging each other, Zhou Shubei was the one hugging me,” Qing Wen laughed, “So you two are together now, right? Who confessed first? I bet it was Zhou Shubei.”

“Witness!” Tian Xueying raised her hand, making a cat paw gesture, “Hehehe.”

“Hehehe.”

“Hehehe.”

Jian Li couldn’t help but laugh at their teasing, and there was no need to hide it anymore. “Yes, we’re together.”

“Yay!”

“I knew it, Zhou Shubei definitely likes Jian Li. His eyes can’t lie.”

“Can you ask him if there are any single handsome guys around him?”

“…”

The three of them spent over half an hour asking her how she and Zhou Shubei confessed, sitting side by side, asking and giggling like they were watching a drama with a romantic scene.

Jian Li’s phone rang, and the screen flashed Zhou Shubei’s name.

“Your boyfriend’s calling,” Tian Xueying said.

“Good thing I didn’t eat candy tonight, or I’d have cavities tomorrow,” Qing Wen said, covering her cheek and pretending to have a toothache, “I can’t eat things too sweet.”

“We promise not to eavesdrop.”

Jian Li looked at the three of them, who were more excited than herself, and felt a warm feeling inside.

They were truly happy for her.

Jian Li took the phone to the balcony. The wind was a bit strong in the evening, and she pulled her scarf up. “Hello.”

Zhou Shubei sounded like he was walking, his voice echoing faintly, “Are you in the dorm?”

“Yes,” Jian Li said. “Did you finish your work?”

“I just got to the door,” Zhou Shubei’s voice was tinged with wind, followed by a soft laugh, “Alright, I won’t disturb your rest.”

Jian Li wanted to say “okay,” but didn’t want the conversation to end. “Have you had dinner?”

“No.”

Jian Li opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Zhou Shubei added, “Want to come down and have a bowl of noodles with me?”

Jian Li silently smiled. “Okay.”

As she walked out, her roommates teasingly watched her. She thought Zhou Shubei would be there in a bit, but when she walked out of the dorm, she saw him standing at the foot of the stairs, hands in his pockets, casually playing with his phone.

Students passing by looked at him and whispered to their friends.

Jian Li slowed her steps, tidied her hair a bit, and suppressed the fluttering in her heart, trying to act natural as she walked past.

“How did you get here so quickly?”

Zhou Shubei raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think I should be a bit eager when meeting my girlfriend?”

“…”

Jian Li didn’t know how to respond, so she changed the subject. “The cafeteria downstairs should still be open.”

Zhou Shubei noticed her ears turning red, whether from the cold or from shyness, and lightly smiled. “Hmm.”

The window sign still displayed “Chongqing Noodles,” and Zhou Shubei ordered tomato and egg noodles. Jian Li, who usually had a regular eating routine and didn’t snack, bought two bottles of water from the vending machine and quietly watched him eat. After a while, she felt awkward and took out her phone, pretending to check it.

【Come back early】

【If Zhou Shubei suggests that you don’t go back to the dorm, you need to seriously refuse.】

Tian Xueying sent a serious message with a cat police officer emoji: 【You can’t trust a guy who wants you to stay out all night on the first day of your relationship!】

Jian Li blushed: 【We’re in the cafeteria. He hasn’t had dinner yet.】

【Driver 1 received.】

【Driver 2 received.】

【Driver 3 received.】

Jian Li: …

After leaving the cafeteria, the two of them walked back slowly, the streetlights casting long shadows. Their clothes brushed against each other occasionally, making faint sounds. In front of them, a couple was walking hand in hand. The guy looked down, talking to the girl, who poked his face with her finger. The next moment, the guy leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Just watching it felt sweet.

Jian Li subtly squeezed her hand, her finger stretching out slightly before retracting.

Forget it, maybe Zhou Shubei doesn’t like holding hands.

After parting in front of the dorm, Jian Li finished washing up and lay in bed, taking her phone out from under the pillow.

Zhou Shubei had sent a message ten minutes ago: 【What time are you leaving tomorrow?】

This semester, Jian Li was still tutoring Sheng Ying, and the time hadn’t changed.

【8 o’clock】

【Alright, I’ll wait for you downstairs tomorrow.】

Jian Li blinked: 【Are you going home tomorrow?】

【Half.】

【Mainly to send you off.】

Jian Li: 【No need to trouble yourself. I can just take the subway.】

In the cold weather, she didn’t want to make him get up early for no reason.

Zhou Shubei seemed amused by her reply and sent a voice message.

“Teacher Xiao Jian, just a friendly reminder. I’m your boyfriend now, don’t be so distant.”

His voice was lower than usual, probably because of the radio transmission, and after finishing, he chuckled lightly, like aged wine or a breeze over a mountain stream. Jian Li couldn’t help but cover her ears.

【I just don’t want you to run all the way here. I can manage on my own.】

【Zhou Shubei: You can handle it, but I want to send you.】

Jian Li smiled and replied “okay,” curling up in her blanket.

【February 29th, the first day we’re together.】

…

The next day, it suddenly started raining, and the biting cold wind made Jian Li shiver.

The strong wind and rain made her stall a little longer. Her phone remained silent as she put on her backpack, grabbed some bread and milk, and prepared to eat while walking.

When she saw Zhou Shubei, Jian Li was momentarily stunned, then quickly quickened her pace.

“I didn’t expect you to be here in such heavy rain.”

“What did you expect?” Zhou Shubei asked, glancing at the breakfast in her hand. He took it from her and handed over his own breakfast, swapping the bread and cold milk for a warm soy milk. “Here, drink this.”

The soy milk was warm, and the heat spread from her palms.

Jian Li took a small sip. It was sweetened, and she frowned slightly.

“Is it too sweet?” Zhou Shubei asked.

“No,” she said, to prove it wasn’t too sweet, she took a big gulp. “What about you?”

“I already ate.”

“Oh.”

The campus was misty in the morning, with plenty of water on the ground. They didn’t force themselves to share an umbrella, but Zhou Shubei kept a half-step behind her, matching her pace. He stuffed the bread and milk into his down jacket pocket.

At the subway station, Jian Li looked back through the protective door and saw him following her.

When she went downstairs, she was mentally prepared that he wouldn’t show up. Bad weather often discouraged people from going outside.

Before, her parents had promised many times to pick her up, but every time she finished school, they were never there until one day when it rained heavily, and many parents came to wait at the school gate.

The rain was so heavy that as soon as she stepped outside, she was soaked, and when class ended, her classmates left one by one. She walked out with her bag, hoping she would see her parents.

She had practiced this moment in her mind, imagining if it were her dad, he would be chatting with the security guard. If it were her mom, she would be talking with other parents still waiting, and when they saw her, they would hand her an umbrella and hurry her to go back to help at the store.

But none of that happened.

The gate was full of strangers. They looked at her with curiosity, then turned back inside. She was already soaked through, and the school gate arch became a temporary shelter.

She looked around, unwilling to accept the reality, thinking maybe she was too slow, and they were just tired of waiting and had sat down. But no matter where she looked, they weren’t there.

Her dad and mom didn’t come, and her fantasy of them sending someone to bring her an umbrella didn’t happen either.

She entered the store, drenched, and only her dad was there. At that point, she still held on to hope and asked, “Dad, where’s mom?”

Jian Zhiguo didn’t even look up as he was busy checking out customers. “She took Xiao Jie home to cook.”

Jian Li’s chest tightened with grievance and anger as she asked, “Why didn’t you come pick me up? Why didn’t mom come pick me up? I’m soaked!”

Only then did Jian Zhiguo look at her. “Go home and change your clothes. Can’t you see I’m busy? Your mom’s taking care of Xiao Jie. Who has time? You’re old enough to bring your own umbrella. It’s only a few steps, what’s the point of picking you up?”

“You said so many times that you would come, but you never did!”

“Who cares if we didn’t come? You can find your way home, can’t you?” Jian Zhiguo wasn’t concerned. “Go cry at home if you want, but don’t cry here. Don’t make a scene here. Don’t make me hit you.”

She was afraid of Jian Zhiguo. Every slap was heavy, and sometimes, he would use whatever was nearby to strike her.

Her chest was full of frustration, but she swallowed it back. She turned and ran home. When she saw Zhang Wenxiu coaxing Xiao Yun Jie on the sofa, she gave her a disapproving look, “How did you get so wet? Didn’t the weather forecast say it would rain today? Didn’t you bring an umbrella?”

That was the first time Jian Li felt exhausted and helpless. She wanted to ask if they had forgotten they didn’t let her watch TV, but how could she have known about the weather forecast? How could she have known to bring an umbrella?

She had so many things to say, but they didn’t seem to understand.

She was silent, still drenched, and walked past the living room, grabbed an umbrella from the cabinet, and put it in her backpack.

From now on, she didn’t need anyone to pick her up anymore.