After finishing their meal, the sky had already darkened. Chao Xin walked Xiang Wan back to her dormitory.
They strolled leisurely along the tree-lined path. The fastest moving things in the vicinity were the tinkling bicycles. Some people, dressed in sportswear, were heading to the sports field for a run, while others exited the convenience store, holding a quarter of a watermelon while eating popsicles.
Xiang Wan was enticed by the chunks of cantaloupe skewered on sticks. They approached the small store and browsed for a while.
The snacks weren’t anything new, but she observed many seniors skillfully grabbing mung bean Slushies from the freezer, so she followed suit and joined the queue.
She picked up two cups, acquired two straws, proceeded to the cashier to pay with her campus card, and then handed one cup to Chao Xin.
“It’s too late.” Chao Xin instinctively wanted to refuse the sweet and cold treat at this late hour.
“Try it. So many people are lining up; it must be delicious.”
Chao Xin accepted it but didn’t rush to drink. “Do you consider me as one of your classmates?”
“Huh?”
“At my age, my digestion isn’t as good. Eating something cold at night could upset my stomach.”
“Oh.” Xiang Wan hadn’t considered this and reached out to take it back.
Seeing Xiang Wan’s slightly disappointed look, Chao Xin inserted the straw and took a sip. “It’s okay once in a while.”
“Are you sure?”
Chao Xin suddenly realized that Xiang Wan was looking at her as if she were an old woman, which made her feel somewhat like she was reaping the fruits of her own words.
So, she didn’t say anything more and continued to sip her slushie as they walked.
As they approached the dormitory building, surrounded by couples struggling to say good bye, Chao Xin chewed on crushed ice and gestured with her fingers. “You should head up.”
Couples were seen cuddling on the nearby bench, in the garden.
“Where did you park your car?” Xiang Wan asked,
In the vicinity, couples exchanged kisses.
Chao Xin replied, “Outside the school gate, by the roadside.”
Other pairs strolled by, hand in hand, swaying gently.
“Why don’t I walk you there?” Xiang Wan suggested,
Nearby, couples playfully twirled each other’s hair.
Chao Xin thought for a moment, “No need; you’ll have to walk back alone.”
“I need to go to the school gate to buy a bag of toilet paper.”
“Why didn’t you buy it at the convenience store just now?”
“I forgot.”
“Well, let’s go then.” Chao Xin straightened her fishtail braid, and with her head down, she sipped her slushie as they walked towards the school gate together.
When they arrived at her car, Chao Xin had just finished her slushie. She casually disposed of it in a nearby trash can and then retrieved her keys to unlock the car. “I’m leaving now.”
“Alright, bye.”
“Bye.” Chao Xin got into the car, hesitated to say something but didn’t. She turned on the indicator and drove away straight.
In the rearview mirror, she saw Xiang Wan standing still for a moment. However, Xiang Wan didn’t head to the supermarket; instead, she started walking in the opposite direction toward the main gate.
Once again, Xiang Wan weaved her way through the clusters of couples, ascending unhurriedly up the stairs to her dormitory. After exchanging greetings with her roommates, she saw that, apart from Lou Pingping, who was lounging on her bed while scrolling her phone, the rest were all seated on the floor, hugging their knees as they played on their laptops.
“You’re back?” Big sister Luo Meng was sorting dirty laundry.
“Mm.”
“Why don’t you take a bath early?”
“Why?”
“Weren’t you saying yesterday how uncomfortable you feel when there are too many people? You even ran home because of it. It’s only eight now, there aren’t many people. The majority will arrive around nine or ten. If you’re going to go, go now.” Big sister Luo Meng said, picking up the laundry basket.
Xiang Wan felt somewhat grateful. “Many thanks.”
After resting for three to five minutes, she picked up her pajamas and a basket filled with bath supplies and headed to the bathroom.
As predicted, there weren’t many people. Xiang Wan quickly stripped off her clothes, locked them in a locker, and then, facing the wall, washed herself with a slight sense of nervousness and anxiety. Wrapping herself in a towel, she randomly threw on some clothes and slipped back into the dormitory with her face red.
She remembered Chao Xin saying that she always ‘acted’ on her, but that wasn’t true. Xiang Wan was thin-skinned, but she didn’t know why she was different just with Chao Xin.
There were always some desires to be willful.
Thinking about Chao Xin, she sent her a WeChat message: “Are you home yet?”
“I’m home.” The reply came quickly.
“What are you doing?”
“Pacifying Paipai.”
“?”
“She says that I’m always going out with you and ignoring her.”
“Then… shall we bring her along tomorrow?”
“I’ll see, if she doesn’t have anything to do at school after her registration tomorrow morning, she can join us for lunch.”
Hearing the rustle of conversation behind her, Xiang Wan turned her head to see Luo Meng video chatting with her family, introducing them to the condition of the school.
Looking at the bed next to hers, Tan Xiaobai was also waving at her phone, then sweeping the camera around the dormitory.
Xiang Wan lowered her head, her hands cradling her phone, and typed out a sentence, “Can I video chat with you?”
There was silence for almost thirty seconds on the other end. Chao Xin’s name changed to ‘typing…’ then reverted back to just her name.
Afterward, Xiang Wan received a video call request from Chao Xin.
“Why do you want to video chat?”
Once the call connected, Chao Xin lazily glanced at the camera, uttering that lukewarm sentence. She was untying her braid, seemingly sitting in front of the vanity in the master bedroom, her phone propped up beside the mirror.
“All my roommates are video chatting, so I want to as well.” Xiang Wan leaned in closer, speaking in a low voice.
Due to the proximity, only half of Xiang Wan’s face was visible. It suddenly enlarged, allowing Chao Xin to clearly see her eyelashes at the corner of her eyes and her unadorned gaze, causing Chao Xin’s heartbeat to skip a beat.
Closing her mouth, Chao Xin moved her neck and reminded Xiang Wan, “Put on your headphones.”
“Okay.”
Xiang Wan lowered her head, seriously rummaging for her headphones in the drawer. She then untangled the knotted wire, her eyelashes fluttering like they were awaiting a touch.
Chao Xin ruffled her unraveled braid, tossing her head back to shake out her messy curls.
After fitting the earbuds, Xiang Wan looked up, “Done.”
“Having put on the headphones, what do you want to say?” She asked.
Chao Xin pondered, “It seems like I’ve said everything, should we hang up?”
“You told me to find my headphones,” Xiang Wan disagreed, “at least you should talk to me for three minutes.”
But Chao Xin didn’t speak, she stared at Xiang Wan in the video, tilting her head slightly to the right, squinting her eyes.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Chao Xin gave a small smile, “Suddenly, I feel like you look very different in the video.”
“How am I different?”
“Your pupils are a bit darker, sparkling slightly, the small horizontal dimples at your chin are more prominent.”
And her face was a bit blurry, seeming very close, yet very far.
“Why is your face so red, did you take a bath?”
“Yes, I went quickly while no one was around.”
“Hmm.” Chao Xin played with the perfume bottle on the table.
“Ms. Chao.” Xiang Wan suddenly called her, very seriously.
“What is it?”
Xiang Wan furrowed her brows, “Do you think that I’m a bit annoying?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Last night I ran to find you, today I wanted you to accompany me to school, asked you out for lunch at noon, after lunch I accompanied you to get the car, and now it’s nighttime, not even nine, and I’m video chatting with you.” Xiang Wan’s eyebrows were tense, like two uneven little mounds.
She was also troubled, feeling a bit overbearing.
“Oh, so we’ve met that many times.” Chao Xin gently raised her eyebrows, with a gentle smile.
“So, why is it like this?” She asked again.
“I don’t know,” Xiang Wan shook her head, “I just… want to.”
“Mm,” Chao Xin nodded indifferently, “If you want to, just do it.”
The meaning of these words seemed to be that she did not think there was any problem.
It even carried a hint of encouragement.
Xiang Wan pressed her lips into a smile, crossing her hands on the table, sitting up straighter, just about to speak, when she heard Chao Xin lazily say, “Are you about to thank me again?”
“How did you know?” Xiang Wan asked, a playful smile on her face.
Chao Xin didn’t answer, her fingers curled up, her chin propped up on the heel of her palm, quietly watching her.
Then she slipped the tip of her pinky finger between her lips, lightly pressing against her lower lip.
This minute action precisely grazed the tip of Xiang Wan’s heart. She stared at the point of the lip being pressed, saying, “I want to touch it too.”
“What?”
“Here.” Xiang Wan extended her index finger, tapping the screen.
She knew the taste there the best, very soft, even softer than the words of indulgence from Chao Xin.
But she was a bit tired and decided to owe it for now.
CNYuriTranslation 