Chapter 37: Putting to Sleep

After the lights went out in the girls’ dorm, the conversation always drifted from random topics to matters of the heart.

It always started with something like, “The weather is so nice today,” and ended with “I’m not going to get married.”

Qin Yingxia’s dorm was no exception.

Especially after Xu Siwan returned to the dorm after a date and heard Qin Yingxia talking about her and Jin Zhuo.

The dorm conversation successfully shifted to the love lives of the three girls.

“Bao, I advise you not to agree to Jin Zhuo so quickly…” Yu Zhizhi turned on the bedside lamp, sat cross-legged, and spoke earnestly.

Xu Siwan hung up her clothes and got into bed, laughing lightly, “Indeed, Xiao Xia Baby has had a crush on him for seven years, what’s wrong with letting him pursue you for a few more months?”

She had just learned about Qin Yingxia’s seven-year crush on Jin Zhuo and was shocked.

When she first came to school, she couldn’t see it at all.

Qin Yingxia lay by the bed, wearing a soft white nightgown, looking at them obediently, “But I really like Jin Zhuo…”

Yu Zhizhi had been hurt in love.

Because she had given her heart to the wrong person, she wanted to protect Qin Yingxia more.

After all, she was a blank slate in matters of the heart.

Jin Zhuo could easily leave a bold stroke on her emotional resume with a few light strokes.

“Yingying, you have to make him cherish you more.”

“How many seven years can a girl have?”

“You’ve invested so much emotion in him, you have to properly test his sincerity.”

“Don’t be like me back then, giving your heart to the wrong person.”

Xu Siwan’s bed-making movements paused, and she exclaimed, “What other surprises do you two have that I don’t know about?”

How could one be more explosive than the other?

“I wasn’t in the dorm these past two days, did I miss so much?”

Yu Zhizhi rubbed her nose awkwardly, “My business aside, the important thing right now is Yingying and Jin Zhuo’s business…”

“Okay, tell me about it sometime…” Xu Siwan finally lay down, “First talk about Xia Xia, I think Zhizhi’s words make sense, a girl’s heart is precious, if he doesn’t even have a few months of patience, how can he deserve your seven years of liking him…”

Qin Yingxia grabbed a pillow and held it in her arms, “Senior Wanwan, how long did your boyfriend chase you for…”

Xu Siwan laughed as she listened, “What do you mean he chased me, that guy is kind of dull, he only reads the classics, I chased him.”

“I’m going… Senior, your story is more explosive than ours…” Yu Zhizhi exclaimed.

After all, they hadn’t had a late-night heart-to-heart like this in the dorm since the start of school.

“You wouldn’t believe it, would you?” Xu Siwan smiled.

In Qin Yingxia and Yu Zhizhi’s eyes, she was a gentle and caring big sister, the kind who takes good care of people.

She never thought she would chase anyone.

“He was so hard to chase, I chased him for over a year!”

“That long…” Qin Yingxia responded softly, feeling a bit down.

Did that mean she had to wait a long time before she could agree to Jin Zhuo?

“What if Jin Zhuo doesn’t like me after a year…”

This was Qin Yingxia’s biggest fear.

Yu Zhizhi didn’t say anything.

“It won’t happen.” Xu Siwan closed her eyes and rested, comforting Qin Yingxia, “Xiao Xia, Zhizhi and I are just giving you some advice, Jin Zhuo has captivated your entire adolescence, you know him better than we do, right?”

Qin Yingxia nodded.

“They say you shouldn’t meet someone too dazzling when you’re young, otherwise it’ll be hard to look at anyone else later.” Xu Siwan said softly, she opened her eyes slightly and smiled, “Your heart won’t lie, when the time is right, Xiao Xia Baby, just decide for yourself.”

Yu Zhizhi also lay down, “Senior, sometimes you’re really like my mom, you always teach me some life lessons, even your way of speaking is similar.”

“You think so, don’t you, Yingying?” she asked Qin Yingying, who was on the bed opposite her.

Qin Yingying paused for a moment.

Then, she forced a smile, her voice tinged with a sob. “…My mom…didn’t have time to teach me these things before she passed away.”

The entire dorm fell silent.

This was the first time Qin Yingying had mentioned her family situation.

“I’m so sorry, Yingying…”

Qin Yingying sniffed and smiled. “I’m okay, Zhizhi. You don’t need to apologize.”

She had grown a lot and could handle many things on her own. She would make her mother proud.

“National Day is coming soon. Like every year, the school will hold a performance. Each department has to put on a show. Our department’s performance is…a grand costume show, right? It’s like a fashion show…” Xu Siwan changed the subject to avoid the sadness.

Yu Zhizhi: “Yeah, yeah. Yingying and I were chosen to be models. We have to go to the student union for rehearsals tomorrow morning.”

Qin Yingying pulled the blanket over herself. “Then we have to go to sleep early…”

…

After the three of them said goodnight, the clock had already struck twelve.

Qin Yingying tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her nose was stuffy, and her heart felt heavy.

She turned on her phone. It was almost one o’clock.

She missed Jin Zhuo…

She wanted to see him.

The girl clicked into her chat with Jin Zhuo and sent a message with a hint of uncertainty, “Is Xiao Jin around?”

Unexpectedly, even at one in the morning, Jin Zhuo replied promptly, “Xiao Jin is here.”

Qin Yingying instantly felt like crying even more.

She put her phone down, tears welling in her eyes.

[Jin: Can’t sleep?]

[Jin: Want to hear a story?]

Jin Zhuo’s voice call came through. Qin Yingying put on her earphones, and the man’s deep, sexy voice soon filled her ears, bringing a sense of peace.

“Xiao Qin, make sure your earphones are on. Time for a story…”

Jin Zhuo was still awake in his dorm. The background noise was the sound of keyboard tapping and occasional professional jargon.

They must be discussing law-related things, which Qin Yingying didn’t understand.

She typed, asking, “Are you guys still busy with professional courses…?”

Jin Zhuo: “Nope, I’m free.”

Xie Chi and Jiang Yinghui, who had been up all night writing case analyses until their heads were bald: ???

Jin Zhuo gave them a look, and they automatically muted themselves.

[Youxia: What story do you want to tell, Xiao Jin?]

He chuckled, his voice lazy. “I wasn’t very hungry tonight. I bought a meat bun on my way back to the dorm for dinner. I even asked the vendor to add extra chili peppers. But then, Pei Lanhe bumped into me, and it fell to the ground…”

[Youxia: Ah? Did you eat dinner? Are you hungry, Jin Zhuo?]

Qin Yingying was truly like a marshmallow, soft and sweet when you got close.

“I’m not hungry. Even though Pei Lanhe knocked my bun over, I wasn’t angry at all…”

Jin Zhuo scratched his brow. “Because it’s what they call…the spicy bun loves mud.”

“You like her that much, Qin Yingying…”

[Youxia: You…you….]

Now she was even more awake. Her heart was racing.

“Can’t you tell? I’m confessing…” Jin Zhuo leaned back in his chair, twirling his pen, his mood cheerful.

He heard Qin Yingying sniffling and immediately furrowed his brow. His voice softened. “Are you crying?”

Qin Yingying’s breath hitched, her eyes welling up again. [I’m not crying….]

“Why are you learning to lie, Xiao Qin?”

“Are you going to the student union for rehearsals tomorrow morning? I’ll pick you up for breakfast…”