Extra 5: If-5

The school had a three-day break for New Year’s Day.

However, because the final exams for each department were approaching, almost all students were busy preparing for them.

Lu Jin arrived at the high-speed rail station at 11:30, dropped off his suitcase at a hotel, and went to Jiaotong University to meet his girlfriend.

He Ye was already waiting at the school gate.

It was cold in Shanghai these past few days. He Ye wore a thick down jacket, had her hands in her pockets, and was listening to English with one earbud in.

Lu Jin saw He Ye standing by the road, her down jacket zipped all the way up, showing only her face.

“It’s so cold. Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the cafeteria?”

When they met, Lu Jin touched her cold face.

He Ye: “I just got here, only waited a few minutes.”

Lu Jin had been visiting for almost a semester, so his arrival times were regular, whether by plane or high-speed train.

He raised his left arm, and He Ye smiled, taking it as they walked to the cafeteria.

After eating, they went straight to the library. He Ye looked at the computer bag on Lu Jin’s shoulder and asked, “I already borrowed the two books you needed. Aren’t these sophomore textbooks for the Computer Department?”

The Internet made it easy to find textbooks, even from Tsinghua University. He Ye knew Lu Jin was an excellent student, so she was curious about his reading level.

Lu Jin: “Yeah, I finished all the first-year courses.”

He Ye: “…” 

Lu Jin added: “Don’t admire me too much. If you grew up in our family, with early learning and parental support, you’d be the same.”

He Ye felt her boyfriend was being too modest. Some things depend on the environment, but intelligence also plays a role.

When they arrived at the library, He Ye took Lu Jin to her study spot. He sat next to her and worked while she did her homework. When she relaxed, he would glance at her. When she got tired of reading, she’d watch him type code. His hands were slender and graceful, and watching him type was a pleasure.

They ate dinner at the cafeteria and went back to the library before heading to Lu Jin’s hotel later that night.

But something was different. A woman’s voice from another room interrupted them, making the moment awkward.

Lu Jin: “The soundproofing here isn’t great.”

He Ye’s heart was racing, filled with random thoughts. Is it really that dramatic?

Fortunately, the noise didn’t last long. The awkwardness shifted.

Lu Jin leaned closer: “I definitely won’t be that quick.”

He Ye: “…”

She twisted his waist in retaliation.

The next night, they discussed their plans.

He Ye: “The exams are coming up. You can’t come next weekend. Focus on studying so you don’t fail.”

Lu Jin: “I won’t fail. I’ll be in the top five, trust me.”

He Ye wanted to believe it but didn’t want him to get too confident.

Lu Jin: “If I make the top five, will I get a reward?”

He Ye: “If you do well, ask your parents for one.”

Lu Jin: “They can’t give me what I want. Only you can.”

He Ye hit him, but he grabbed her hand, “Is it wrong to want a kiss as a reward?”

He Ye hit him again, thinking he wanted more than just a kiss.

Lu Jin kissed her hands.

“Winter break. Do you plan to keep tutoring?”

He Ye: “It’s too long to do nothing, so I’ll work part-time until New Year’s.”

Lu Jin: “I can find you a tutoring job in Beijing with a higher salary.”

He Ye knew that if she didn’t go to Beijing, Lu Jin would come to Shanghai. Renting a hotel room wasn’t practical, especially since he was still paying rent in Beijing.

He Ye: “Sure, but you can’t…”

Lu Jin interrupted, “I know. Separate rooms, no funny business.”

_

Jiaotong University started winter break on January 19th, a week earlier than Tsinghua University. He Ye finished her last exam on the 16th and bought a high-speed rail ticket to Beijing without telling Lu Jin, to avoid him booking a plane ticket.

When she arrived in Beijing at 7 p.m., the temperature was below zero, with strong winds. He Ye quickly put on her hat.

Lu Jin smiled and pulled her into his arms.

He Ye: “Why is it so cold?”

Lu Jin: “It’s windy today, but it was fine yesterday.”

He Ye: “I’m regretting this.”

Lu Jin: “Don’t. Snow is forecast next week. You’ll love it.”

He Ye sighed as he half-hugged her into the taxi.

Thankfully, the inside was warm. She only needed a cotton sweater indoors.

Lu Jin brought out two bowls of hot noodles and asked, “How was your exam?”

He Ye smiled: “It went okay.”

Lu Jin: “If you make it into the top five, I have a reward for you.”

He Ye: “What kind of reward?”

Lu Jin: “I’ll tell you once you’re in the top five.”

He Ye rolled her eyes and ate her noodles.

After dinner, Lu Jin showed her a printed schedule of the part-time job he had arranged. She would teach two hours each morning and afternoon, with weekends off. All locations were within a 30-minute taxi ride.

He Ye: “I’ll work part-time. What will you do after your exams?”

Lu Jin: “I took some private programming jobs to earn money for my trip.”

He Ye: “…”

_

For He Ye, this winter vacation feels very similar to the summer vacation after the college entrance exams.

Every time she finished tutoring, Lu Jin would come pick her up. When he was free, he’d also take her to tutoring.

The difference is, during the summer break they had to meet secretly in the stairwell, but now they actually live together.

At the end of January, He Ye’s final exam results came out, and a well-informed classmate shared his overall ranking in the major courses for their grade.

He Ye ranked third in her grade.

Lu Jin hugged her and kissed her: “My girlfriend is really amazing.”

He Ye was happy inside but acted calm on the outside. She asked him, “Didn’t you say there would be a reward?”

Lu Jin: “Wait a moment.”

After that, he went to his room.

He Ye continued to browse the ranking list and saw many familiar names, including Yuan Fei.

Yuan Fei ranked 15th in their grade, which is pretty good.

Of course, no one is as good as her.

At that moment, she received an email.

It was sent by Lu Jin. He Ye clicked it.

The attachment was a “Programming Courseware Collection” ^[1]which is a set of educational materials or slides on programming..

She quickly downloaded and saved it.

Before she could relax, Lu Jin came back and leaned against the doorway, saying to her, “I made the PowerPoints based on my own progress. They cover everything from freshman year to the first semester of sophomore year. You can take your time reading them.”

He was holding a set of reference books in his hand.

He Ye was really surprised: “You, where did you find the time?”

Lu Jin: “Just learn and do it on the same day. Half an hour? That’s enough.”

He Ye put down her notebook, walked over, put her arms around her boyfriend’s waist, and leaned her face against his chest.

Their relationship is already so close that saying “thank you” would feel awkward.

Lu Jin touched her hair and said, “I figured you’d like it.”

He Ye: “There are a lot of things I like.”

Lu Jin: “Give me a list, and I’ll do what I can.”

Even if he didn’t do it, she would learn it over the next four years, either from classes or self-study. Lu Jin’s PowerPoints could only help her save some time.

He Ye nodded.

She actually made a list.

There are some overlapping courses in mechanical engineering and computer science, but there are also differences. He Ye is pursuing a double mastery of mechanics and algorithms, so her boyfriend’s course materials, focusing on algorithms, can really help her a lot.

In the last line of her list, He Ye typed in Lu Jin’s name.

After all, he was also her favorite.

.

February 12th is the Little New Year ^[2]also known as a festival marking the start of the Lunar New Year preparations. in the south, so He Ye and Lu Jin went home two days early.

He Ye said goodbye to her dad and Wu Li, then went to her hometown to visit her grandparents first.

That evening, their senior class group chat became surprisingly active.

He Ye clicked on it and found that everyone was discussing a party.

Zhu Qing privately messaged He Ye: [Liu Shu suggested it. She and Chen Xuan are best friends. Everyone has had their winter break already, but they waited until Lu Jin came back to bring it up. Clearly, they have other intentions.]

He Ye: [How did they know Lu Jin was coming back today?]

Zhu Qing: [They just asked who hasn’t returned to Ancheng yet, and Zhou Xiangming, the fool, took the bait and said that Lu Jin just arrived today.]

Zhu Qing: [Haha, but I’ve already told Wu Yuanyuan and asked her to keep your relationship with Lu Jin a secret for now so you can surprise everyone!]

He Ye: [Then I won’t go.]

She wasn’t used to high-profile situations. If her classmates knew about her relationship with Lu Jin, they’d definitely make a fuss.

Zhu Qing: [If you don’t go, I’ll break up with you!]

He Ye: [Fine, but you can’t mention anything about it, or I’ll end our friendship.]

Zhu Qing: [I admire you!]

By this time, the class group had already decided the date—February 14th, Valentine’s Day.

The students who planned to attend publicly stated that they were single, so they didn’t have to spend the holiday with a significant other, making it okay to have the party on Valentine’s Day.

He Ye specifically told Wu Yuanyuan and Zhou Xiangming, and they both agreed.

When He Ye returned to Xiaofeng and saw Lu Jin in the stairwell that night, she made a request to her boyfriend: “When we go, act like we’re just regular classmates, or even like we barely know each other.”

Lu Jin: “Good thing I’m not ugly, or you’d think you dislike me.”

He Ye lowered her eyes and gently tugged his sleeve: “It’s not that I dislike it, I just don’t like being teased by everyone.”

It would be fine if it were just two or three familiar friends, but over 20 classmates were attending the party tomorrow. Except for Zhu Qing and a few others, He Ye barely knew the rest and wouldn’t see them again after school.

Lu Jin understood, held her hand, and said, “Don’t worry, I promise no one will tease you.”

He Ye smiled. She knew Lu Jin wouldn’t be that thoughtless.

.

To “clear up” their relationship, on the day of the party, He Ye made sure to meet Zhu Qing first, and then they went to the barbecue restaurant together.

Everyone put a few tables together, and over twenty freshmen formed a circle.

He Ye deliberately sat with Zhu Qing on the opposite side from Lu Jin and Zhou Xiangming.

Zhou Xiangming liked to tease her: “Why are you sitting so far away? We’re just one table apart. He Ye, you don’t miss me at all!”