Chao Xin stood beside Xiang Wan, having purposely cleared her work schedule for the day to accompany her to school. She overheard Xiang Wan talking to Yu Zhou on the phone, saying, ‘No need to come, Ms. Chao is with me.’ Yet, Xiang Wan filled in Yu Zhou’s name.
Chao Xin had slept with Xiang Wan – their first time for both of them. Yet, she filled in Yu Zhou’s name.
When Xiang Wan heard the counselor mention ‘closest and most familiar friend,’ her hand moved without hesitation as she penned down ‘Yu Zhou.
Those 11 digits flowed out seamlessly, making Chao Xin wonder if Xiang Wan remembered her own phone number.
Suddenly, Chao Xin realized she had forgotten to ask if Xiang Wan had any reluctance about her leaving.
It seemed like she was always the one expressing her reluctance to part.
But Chao Xin said nothing, quietly watching Xiang Wan fill out the form, before asking her, “Have you paid your tuition fees?”
Xiang Wan shook her head, so Chao Xin asked for the location of the canteen. Together, they dragged their luggage to the place across from the canteen to pay.
“We can’t process credit cards,” the finance staff, seated behind a black desk, glanced at Xiang Wan through her glasses.
“Then I’ll use WeChat or Alipay,” Xiang Wan pulled out her phone.
“For WeChat or Alipay, you should have paid online. I can only process card payments here,” the staff said.
Xiang Wan found herself in a predicament. She had only brought a single card, and a queue was starting to form behind her.
“Use mine,” Chao Xin offered, reaching for her wallet to find her card.
“Can I use my sister’s?” Xiang Wan asked, uncertain about whether the card had to belong to the owner. She had heard that new students received bank cards sent collectively, which could be directly deducted, but they didn’t have this for self-study.
At the mention of ‘sister,’ Chao Xin’s gaze momentarily faltered.
“That’s fine,” the staff accepted the card, swiped it through the POS machine, and handed Xiang Wan the receipt.
Walking out with the receipt, Xiang Wan carefully stashed it away and approached the front door, ready to transfer the money to Chao Xin. “WeChat or Alipay?” she inquired.
Chao Xin remained still.
“Share your QR code with me,” Xiang Wan suggested once more.
At last, Chao Xin raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Xiang Wan. “Are you in such a hurry?”
‘In such a hurry?’ Xiang Wan stood in front of a building without any shade, exposed to the scorching sun. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and she furrowed her eyebrows to shield her eyes from the intense light. Still, she reached for her phone to transfer the money immediately.
“I…” Xiang Wan blinked, not understanding why Chao Xin suddenly became annoyed.
“It’s not that I’m in a hurry, there’s just a lot happening today, and it’s a bit complicated. I’m afraid I’ll forget,” she patiently explained.
“And if you forget?” Chao Xin, her curls neatly tucked behind her ears, tilted her head slightly as she asked.
Xiang Wan paused, noticing that Chao Xin was also breaking into a sweat. Memories of their first coffee together in the winter flashed through her mind, where Chao Xin had uncomfortably grappled over a few tens of thousands of yuan.
She had just made a payment of 12,000 yuan on Chao Xin’s card and was eager to transfer it back to her immediately. She feared that if she forgot, Chao Xin, given their special relationship, would find it difficult to bring it up.
Only when she was debt-free could she justifiably ask for things and let Chao Xin be comfortable with her, right?
Xiang Wan, uncertain, put away her phone and suggested softly, “Let’s not rush. We can settle other things first. The sun is quite harsh at the moment, isn’t it? Standing here isn’t comfortable.”
Glancing down, she noticed that Chao Xin was still wearing high heels.
She felt a twinge of regret; they shouldn’t have been standing there, hastily dealing with matters amidst the passing crowd.
It was indeed embarrassing.
She lightly tugged at Chao Xin’s little finger.
Chao Xin locked at Xiang Wan being so obedient, her earlier irritation smoothed over, to the point where she found her previous mood quite baffling.
So, the two made their way back towards the dormitory building.
Nowadays, university dormitory buildings were quite well-constructed, soaring to twenty or thirty floors, resembling high-rise hotels. They even featured a small garden with fountains at the base.
The lobby was bright and clean, with a uniformed dormitory manager sitting in a small partition. There were also two female security personnel on either side of the entrance.
As it was registration day, the management was relatively relaxed. Without needing to register, they were allowed to enter the building after showing Xiang Wan’s student card.
While waiting for the elevator with other new students, surrounded by parents, all mothers – as the girls’ dormitory building didn’t allow male parents inside – were meticulously instructing their daughters.
Chao Xin and Xiang Wan’s silence made them stand out slightly.
Xiang Wan’s dormitory was number 1618. Turning right after exiting the elevator, they passed the second door of the counselor’s dormitory. The door was open; a student’s belongings were already inside, though no one was present, only luggage and a basin placed on the table.
Chao Xin assessed the dormitory. The environment was decent, with a balcony featuring floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a six-person room, but only five were to stay here. There were bunk beds with a desk underneath, a wardrobe and a storage cabinet for each person, and an en suite bathroom in each dormitory. Chao Xin peeked inside the bathroom; there was no shower and it didn’t seem like there was hot water.
Chao Xin, who hated the heat, glanced upward; there was an air conditioner, a vast improvement from their times.
She remembered their old dormitory, equipped only with an electric fan, the wind blowing as though it had been boiled. She would sleep on a bamboo mat, feeling as if she was in a steamer.
Her skin had always been sensitive, even to the point of breaking out in prickly heat. She had to buy prickly-heat powder made for children.
Chao Xin glanced at the delicate Xiang Wan, who probably had never known what prickly heat was.
First, they located Xiang Wan’s bed according to the label, pushed the luggage under the desk to clear the aisle, then Chao Xin swiftly assessed the empty bunk bed, “We need to buy a mattress, a mat, three basins – one for washing face, one for washing feet, and one for…”
She felt a tad awkward, meeting Xiang Wan’s gaze, knowing she understood, “That one needs to be frequently cleaned with hot water, thoroughly disinfected.”
“Buy two password locks for the cabinet. Don’t buy the bed curtains just yet, I’m worried it might get stuffy. Try sleeping first to see if it’s necessary, measure the size if needed.”
“I noticed when we stepped out, the hot water should be in the large washroom in the corridor. Buy two kettles for hot water, just in case the water card runs out of money.”
As for towels and sheets, it’s better to bring them from home than to buy them at school.
“Hello.” A tall girl with shoulder-length hair walked into the room, greeting them with a smile.
“Hi.” Xiang Wan responded, curling her eyes.
As she passed by Xiang Wan’s bed, she glanced at the label, “Xiang Wan?”
“Yes.”
“Tan Xiaobai,” she pointed at her own label.
Xiang Wan leaned over to take a look, nodded in acknowledgment, noticed that she had already fetched water, so she asked, “Did you come to register alone?”
“My mom came, took a look and left. I can handle setting up the bed and everything, she didn’t have much to worry about,” Tan Xiaobai asked in return, “Local?”
“Yes.”
“Is your… sister accompanying you?” The girl hesitated when she said ‘sister,’ making Chao Xin suspect if she wanted to address her as a well-preserved ‘mom.’
Fortunately, Chao Xin and Xiang Wan didn’t look alike at all, even calling them sisters would be a stretch.
Xiang Wan looked at Chao Xin, “Yes.”
Tan Xiaobai smiled and sat down to wipe the table, her long, fair legs gleaming under the sunlight.
Her T-shirt and shorts exuded youth, just like Xiang Wan.
Chao Xin moistened her lips and asked her, “Did you bring your kettle yourself?”
“I bought it downstairs. There’s a small supermarket on the south side of the building. They have basins, kettles, and everything,” she replied.
Xiang Wan turned her head, “Then let’s go downstairs to buy as well.”
“Sure.”
In her high heels, Chao Xin swayed gracefully towards the exit, flipping her hair.
After purchasing the necessities and lugging them upstairs in various bags, they made the bed and arranged the daily necessities on the table. Gradually, a few more roommates arrived.
The fashionable beauty Lou Pingping, the straight A student Liu Yi with glasses, and the oldest at twenty-seven, the ‘big sister’ Luo Meng.
The young girls warmed up to each other after just a few words. Lou Pingping was adept at socializing. While her mother was making the bed above, she sat on a chair and chirped away, asking everyone’s age and ordering them by their age.
Hearing their astonished exclamations about Luo Meng’s age, who came alone, and respectfully addressing her as ‘big sister,’ Chao Xin felt a pang in her heart.
Normally, she wouldn’t be a person who cared about her age. These were all part of her experiences, and she hadn’t let down the years that had etched their marks on her, whether in terms of her career success or her mature charm.
What hurt might have been the stark contrast presented between her and Xiang Wan’s real peers.
They weren’t the 30+ Su Chang or Peng Xiangzhi, nor the 27-year-old Yu Zhou.
After finishing tidying up, both of them were drenched in sweat. Xiang Wan and Chao Xin headed to the café next to the canteen, sitting in the air-conditioning, sipping iced lattes.
Xiang Wan bit on her straw, her right hand cradling her cheek, asking the daydreaming Chao Xin who was staring out of the window, “What are you thinking about?”
The air conditioning was turned up high, but Chao Xin still felt a bit hot. She fanned herself with the collar of her shirt, her gaze returning to Xiang Wan, “Nothing.”
She just suddenly lost the previous heart-stirring desire towards Xiang Wan.
In the past, it seemed like they were in a secluded world of their own where they only saw each other. They could clearly see each other’s longing, even feel the flowing current of ambiguity.
They could kiss when they want to kiss, make love when they want to.
But when placed in this environment, returning Xiang Wan to her rightful youthful days, and introducing Xiang Wan to her new social circle, Chao Xin looked at the bustling university students coming and going outside the window. It felt lively, but also noisy.
Chao Xin didn’t want her sudden gloom to affect Xiang Wan, especially Xiang Wan’s hopes for her new life.
So, she didn’t talk much.
After a while, Xiang Wan received a message from Su Chang.
They had finished their tasks, picked up Yu Zhou, and were coming over for dinner and to see her school.
“Once they arrive, let’s have dinner together. The canteen? Or should we check out nearby restaurants?” Xiang Wan asked her with a smile.
However, Chao Xin glanced at her watch, “You guys go ahead, I will head back after resting a bit here, I still have work to do.”
Xiang Wan was taken aback. This seemed to be a rare refusal from Chao Xin.
So rare that she seemed to have forgotten that Chao Xin had a lot of work and needed to schedule her time efficiently.
Xiang Wan was a bit disappointed, but she was understanding, so she nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll walk you to your car later.”
Inside, she felt a sense of reluctance, not wanting to part with Chao Xin so soon.
But Chao Xin’s expression was indifferent, as if she really was tired.
CNYuriTranslation 