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"Knock, knock, knock..."
Zhuang Jiang opened her eyes. She hadn't slept very well last night, and this morning she had seen off Yuan Yuan and He Ye downstairs...
She hadn't been asleep for long when she was woken again by that knocking sound.
She stood up and walked out in a daze. Once the door was open, she immediately turned back toward the bed, grabbing the quilt and pulling it over her head, completely ignoring whoever was standing outside.
Tang Qing looked at her back, momentarily stunned.
He shook his head and let out a silent laugh, swallowing the words he had been about to say. He gently closed the door and walked further into the room.
Tang Qing placed the breakfast he was carrying on the table, found a chair, picked up a book lying on the desk, and sat down to read.
When Zhuang Jiang finally woke up, it was already 11:00. The sun outside filtered through the loosely drawn curtains, dappling the room.
She propped her hand against her forehead and opened her eyes, staring at the wooden bed slats above her—
This wasn't her luxury apartment in A-City.
She hadn't gone back, and everything that happened yesterday wasn't a dream.
Tang Qing looked at her and let out a soft chuckle: "You're awake."
Then, he closed the book and handed her a glass of warm water before adding a common, gentle remark: "I didn't realize Jiangjiang was such a heavy sleeper."
Hearing his voice, Zhuang Jiang turned her head to look.
She saw Tang Qing dressed in a white casual tracksuit, sitting there—
There wasn't a hint of awkwardness on his face; he looked perfectly at ease.
Zhuang Jiang was dazed for a moment, but it lasted only a second.
She sat up and reached out to take the water glass. After taking a few sips to moisten her throat, she handed it back to him and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I came to bring you breakfast, but—"
Tang Qing looked at the porridge and buns sitting on the table, then looked at her with a touch of helplessness: "I'm afraid I'll have to take you out for lunch instead."
"No need."
Zhuang Jiang threw back the quilt and stood up. She first pulled open the curtains, then opened the window.
The weather was wonderful.
Her entire body was bathed in the sunlight, and even her face carried a few hints of a warm smile.
Zhuang Jiang turned around and looked at Tang Qing: "Let's just eat this. I haven't eaten it in a long time."
After saying this, she went inside to brush her teeth and wash her face. She then found two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, divided the porridge into the two bowls, and said to him, "It's still warm, let's eat together."
"Alright."
A smile played on Tang Qing’s face. He set the book aside, stood up to take the chopsticks she offered, and began eating the bowl of porridge.
The two of them ate slowly, their manners impeccable, yet they continued to talk.
Tang Qing picked up a soup bun and placed it in her bowl before speaking again: "Is Jiangjiang planning to go home?"
Zhuang Jiang paused for a beat before answering: "My parents have been missing since before I can remember. I only had my maternal grandparents, but they passed away a few years ago—"
When she said this, she was very calm. Even the rise and fall of her voice was steady, without a single ripple of emotion.
Zhuang Jiang took a bite of the soup bun; the broth had already solidified, but it was still very fragrant.
With a tranquil expression, she added another sentence: "If I were to go back, I wouldn't even know where to go or where to turn."
Tang Qing stiffened. He looked at her and called out softly: "Jiangjiang."
"Mhm."
Zhuang Jiang set down her chopsticks and gave him a light smile: "You don't need to think my life story is pitiable, or feel that I'm feigning strength."
"Jiangjiang, you're wrong."
Tang Qing set down his chopsticks and let out a soft sigh, taking her hand: "I feel heartache, and a bit of—"
"Self-blame."
"I should have known sooner."
He looked at her, his words filled with endless tenderness: "I should have put away my shallow pride sooner, earlier... On the very first day I met you, I should have told you."
Zhuang Jiang looked at him. It was a long time before her clenched palm slowly relaxed.
She held his hand back, a few traces of a smile on her face as she asked: "How do you know that if it were earlier, I would have agreed?"
"I don't know—"
Tang Qing looked down at their joined hands, then looked up at her with a gentle smile: "But I think, in the end, we would always have ended up together."
"Jiangjiang, we've already wasted many years."
Zhuang Jiang arched an eyebrow and looked at him, giving a soft "Mhm": "And then?"
"And then—"
Tang Qing looked at her and began to laugh softly, his voice deep and charming: "I have an apartment in A-City. It's not too big or too small, just right for two people to live in."
Zhuang Jiang was stunned, but then she broke into a laugh.
It was the first time she had laughed like this, her whole body shaking with mirth, as bright as the morning sun.
Then, she looked at him without blinking: "Are you applying to move in with me?"
"No."
Tang Qing lowered his head and kissed her palm: "I am requesting lawful residency."
Zhuang Jiang was ticklish, but this time she didn't pull away.
She looked at him and finally spoke after a long silence: "I have a bad temper."
Tang Qing looked up at her...
He heard her continue: "I don't like socializing, I don't like variables... I'm ticklish, and I hate physical contact with people."
"I am solitary by nature and don't know how two people should be together. How to make it so that... the two of us don't grow tired or bored of each other's company."
Then, Zhuang Jiang reached out and cupped his face: "But I think, for you, I am willing to try these variables in life."
"Jiangjiang."
Tang Qing called her name softly, with endless affection... but he said nothing else.
All his words were transformed into a kiss upon her forehead.
Outside, the sun was still brilliant, streaming into the room and shining upon the two of them as he devotedly kissed her brow.
In the afternoon, like an ordinary couple, they walked hand-in-hand through one campus path after another.
There weren't many people left in the school now; most of those remaining were preparing for job hunts or packing their things in the dorms.
On this wide road, there were only the two of them.
They walked forward together. The plane trees along the way blocked the sun, save for a few gaps in the leaves where rays of sunlight peeked through.
Tang Qing looked down at Zhuang Jiang and smiled softly: "It makes me think back to the first time I met you."
Zhuang Jiang turned her head to look at him with a puzzled expression, giving a soft "Mhm?"
Tang Qing smiled gently and reached out to brush the hair away from her eyes: "On your first day of school, when you walked down this very road, I was right beside you."
"You walked with single-minded focus, while I—"
Tang Qing leaned down and whispered a sentence into her ear: "I watched you with single-minded focus."
Zhuang Jiang remembered the boy in white who had walked past her during her freshman year.
She looked at him and laughed as well: "How does Qingqing know I was focused?"
She stood on her tiptoes and lightly nipped his earlobe: "The way you look in white is very handsome."
Zhuang Jiang and Tang Qing left the following morning.
Even after they departed, their story continued to circulate at A-University.
Translator's ramblings: This is so much sweetness, I
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