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Not long after the college entrance exam, Gu Minghui went abroad to study.
Qiu Ruru and Shen Yihuan both went to see him off at the airport. No one cried. No one felt particularly sad. Qiu Ruru had always been a contradictory mix of sensitivity and apathy.
She could tell that despite Gu Minghui’s constant rotation of girlfriends, the true “moonlight” in his heart was Shen Yihuan. But she didn’t feel much about the person she liked leaving for the other side of the ocean.
Maybe it was because they were never together.
They were never together; she never tasted that feeling, so she could better endure the bitterness.
She also thought that when Gu Minghui left, she would start living her own life.
No more crushes, no more Gu Minghui, no more being led along by joy and jealousy.
From the first time she saw Gu Minghui after elementary school to their high school graduation, there was never another boy in her life.
She knew she had to let go.
Especially of someone with no hope.
Qiu Ruru understood this clearly.
________________________________________
Half a month later, Qiu Ruru’s college semester began.
She had the best grades of the three of them, though in their high school, she was only in the middle of the pack and wasn’t a top student. She performed normally in the college entrance exam and got into a decent first-tier university.
Unlike Shen Yihuan, who was studying locally, she was going to school in the south.
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Qiu, went with her to her school. They carried her things up to her dorm room and helped her get everything set up.
College was a completely different scene from high school.
No one wore a uniform anymore. Everyone wore their own clothes. In the middle of summer, many girls wore pretty dresses, showing off their slender, beautiful collarbones and shoulder blades, walking with confidence.
They walked in groups, laughing and chatting.
Couples walked hand-in-hand around campus, and some even hugged and kissed in front of the dorms.
It was a new life.
Mr. and Mrs. Qiu walked around the campus with her, helped her finish her enrollment, and were going back that same evening.
When they left, Mrs. Qiu even shed a few tears. It was as if she were giving her daughter away in marriage. She told Qiu Ruru to come home for the National Day holiday and not to go out with her classmates.
The four girls in the dorm room were all from the north, and they were all very outgoing, getting along well.
On the third day, at the opening ceremony, Qiu Ruru ran into a familiar face.
Han Fang.
The sports committee member who had a crush on her in high school.
“I finally found you,” Han Fang said with a smile. “This school is so big. I’ve been walking around for three days, hoping to run into you, but I never did.”
Qiu Ruru was stunned. “Why are you here?”
“I followed you here,” Han Fang said honestly. “I like you. I secretly asked about your college choices and applied to the same school. It was a close call, but I made it in right at the cutoff score.”
Qiu Ruru’s heart fluttered slightly. As people came and went, she walked alongside Han Fang toward the sports and arts center. “What’s your major?”
“Mechanical engineering.” Han Fang touched his hair. “I don’t really know what the major is about. What about you?”
“Journalism.”
“That’s nice.”
They arrived at the sports and arts center. The seating for the opening ceremony was by class. Qiu Ruru said goodbye to Han Fang and went to sit with her roommates.
Not long after, her phone vibrated. She received a friend request from Han Fang, with the note “Han Fang.”
He must have asked someone for her WeChat ID.
Qiu Ruru’s finger paused on her screen for a moment before she pressed accept.
Han Fang immediately sent her a message: “Want to grab dinner outside later?”
Qiu Ruru replied: “I already told my roommates we’re all going to the cafeteria together.”
Han Fang sent back a pitiful-looking sticker.
Qiu Ruru smiled and looked at the seating for the mechanical engineering department, and Han Fang waved to her from a distance.
She looked down and replied, “Let’s have dinner together tonight.”
________________________________________
It was rare to have a high school classmate in college, especially so far away in the south. Qiu Ruru and Han Fang gradually became closer.
Sometimes, after their morning classes, they would go out for a meal together.
Qiu Ruru felt that Han Fang was actually a good guy.
He was very good to her and thoughtful. He would remind her to bring an umbrella when it rained, help her get food when her classes were too busy, and buy tickets for her to watch new movies.
Qiu Ruru began to feel that Han Fang seemed like a good choice for a boyfriend.
She felt that she, perhaps, even liked him.
As for Gu Minghui, their contact wasn’t as frequent as before after he went abroad. The time difference and their different social circles meant they only chatted once a week.
Fortunately, they weren’t a couple. Friends could maintain their friendship with a low frequency of contact, but couples couldn’t.
In November, there was a freshman basketball game.
Han Fang was playing for his department, and he had already told Qiu Ruru the time, hoping she would come.
One of her roommates was a basketball fan, and one of the boys playing was her new idol. She begged Qiu Ruru to take her along.
“Why aren’t you wearing any makeup?” her roommate asked, pulling her.
“What’s the point of makeup? I’m just going to watch a game.”
“No way.” Her roommate dragged her to a chair. “I’m going to put some makeup on you. You’re going to see your boyfriend, for crying out loud. How can you go looking like this?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Qiu Ruru said.
She had just opened her eyes when her roommate put eyeshadow on her eyelid, so she quickly closed them again.
Her roommate said, “He’s basically your future boyfriend. He’s been chasing you for so long. Aren’t you going to say yes? It’s college, you should be dating.”
Qiu Ruru didn’t say anything.
Her roommate quickly put on some light makeup for her. They were running out of time, so they rode their bicycles to the basketball court.
Han Fang had saved them seats in the front row and waved to them from a distance.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” Han Fang said.
Her roommate laughed. “Of course we’re coming! The seats are great!”
Qiu Ruru also sat down. Han Fang noticed her makeup and smiled shyly. He touched the back of his head, his face a little red. “Ruru, you look so beautiful today.”
The game began.
Han Fang was in control of the ball.
Qiu Ruru realized that he was also a great player. As a forward, he scored again and again, and many of the girls’ cheers were for him.
Amidst the overwhelming cheers, she felt like she was traveling back in time to that basketball game in their second year of high school.
Gu Minghui scored, holding the shooting pose with his arm raised. He turned his face to the side as the cheers rose and fell, and he looked at her, winking playfully.
Gu Minghui.
It was Gu Minghui again.
The first and second halves ended.
The mechanical engineering department won the championship.
Qiu Ruru remembered that in the last basketball game, her class had won.
Han Fang came off the court with a smile. He waved off the water bottle a girl was offering him, walked to Qiu Ruru, opened the half-empty water bottle he had thrown on the ground, and drank from it, looking up.
Her roommate immediately criticized Qiu Ruru. “See? You can’t come to a game and not bring a water bottle for him.”
Qiu Ruru was a little dazed. She stood up and took the empty water bottle from his hand. “Are you still thirsty? I can go buy you another one.”
“It’s fine,” Han Fang said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Han Fang!” a boy behind him called out. “Let’s go get barbecue later.”
“Coming!”
He took two steps back, then suddenly turned around and ran toward Qiu Ruru. He picked her up by her waist and kissed her on the cheek.
The court was quiet for two seconds before a wave of cheers once again swept through the gym.
Qiu Ruru’s eyes widened in shock. Her hand was on the cheek he had kissed. Han Fang had just finished playing, and his body was warm, still damp with sweat.
Han Fang put her back down, ruffled her hair, looked at the stands around them, and shouted, “Qiu Ruru! I like you! Will you be my girlfriend!”
A round of applause and cheers followed.
Qiu Ruru had never been that close to another boy before, and she had never been kissed. She stood there, flustered. In the end, she lowered her head, said nothing, and pulled Han Fang by the wrist to go outside.
“Are you pulling me out to reject me?” Han Fang asked, still smiling.
Qiu Ruru was speechless. “I...”
“It’s okay. At least you’re still considering my feelings. That’s progress.”
“...I’m not sure if I like you.”
Qiu Ruru said that she didn’t want to be with Han Fang when she knew she didn’t like him enough. It wasn’t fair to him or her.
“Is there someone else you like?”
Qiu Ruru was stunned. She was about to deny it when she heard Han Fang say, “Is it Gu Minghui?”
She was silent.
Han Fang understood. “I guessed. I saw how close you two were. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
Qiu Ruru gave a difficult “Mhm.”
Han Fang then said, “But I still like you. I’m going to keep chasing you. If one day you stop liking him and you can see me, just say yes.”
In the following days, Han Fang pursued her even more boldly.
Flowers, chocolates, and all sorts of surprises and romantic gestures.
On Christmas Eve, he filled the area under her dorm with candles and played his guitar, singing love songs to her. It was a cliché scene, but it made all the girls watching go crazy.
Qiu Ruru took the flowers and chocolates and said she would give him an answer tomorrow.
She didn’t know what was so great about her that Han Fang would pursue her like this, but it was impossible for her to not be a little touched and moved.
After she showered, she went to bed. The other three girls in the dorm seemed even more excited than she was.
Qiu Ruru sat there alone, holding her phone and daydreaming.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated twice, and a video call screen popped up.
It was Gu Minghui.
She was stunned for a moment, then quickly got out of bed, put on a jacket, and went out to the hallway.
It was morning where Gu Minghui was.
“What’s up?” the person on the phone asked with a smile.
Qiu Ruru leaned against the window in the hallway. “I was just about to go to sleep. What made you video call me?”
“You’re a busy person who doesn’t grace me with her presence, so can’t I at least come begging to the emperor?” Gu Minghui said flippantly. “What have you been busy with lately?”
“Just classes.”
Qiu Ruru suddenly felt a little annoyed. She didn’t know if Gu Minghui was just too dense or what. Their interactions could be quite ambiguous at times. Even though they never did anything romantic, some of the things they said didn’t sound like things normal friends would say.
She paused, leaned her head against the wall, and turned halfway around. “Just now, Han Fang confessed to me.”
Gu Minghui knew that Han Fang liked Qiu Ruru.
He didn’t have much of a reaction. “That kid is so persistent. He’s still chasing you.”
“Yeah,” she lowered her eyes, her gaze unseen under her dark lashes. “I’m thinking about whether I should say yes.”
The smile on Gu Minghui’s face almost froze. He paused for two seconds. “You’ve fallen for him?”
“I guess I kind of like him.”
“You don’t like that person you had a crush on anymore?” Gu Minghui asked with a smile.
Qiu Ruru scoffed. “He’s dead.”
Gu Minghui chuckled lightly. “Since he’s dead, why don’t you tell me who the person you liked for so long was?”
Qiu Ruru didn’t say anything. After a moment of silence, the motion-sensor light in the hallway went out, plunging the hallway into darkness. Only a little moonlight reflected on Qiu Ruru’s face.
She looked directly into Gu Minghui’s eyes on the screen, holding back her rapidly beating heart. She asked softly, “If I get together with him, what do you think?”
“That’s great,” Gu Minghui said.
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