Love and Desire [Complete] - 5

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Love and Desire (30)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The next morning, after breakfast, Ouyang Yiming returned to the dormitory and saw Jiang Yuqi still asleep in bed. He walked over and slapped his buttocks, saying, "Look at the time! The sun is shining on your face." Jiang Yuqi turned his head, frowned at Ouyang Yiming, and said with a bitter face, "I don't feel well." Ouyang Yiming asked with concern, "Where do you feel unwell? Go to the school hospital to see a doctor."

Jiang Yuqi turned his face away and mumbled, "It's nothing, I'll be fine after a while." Ouyang Yiming said, "Can sleeping cure an illness? Get up quickly." Jiang Yuqi said, "I'm really fine, I'll get up in a while."

Ouyang Yiming looked at him and didn't say anything more. He packed up the clothes he had changed out of, picked up the washbasin, and went to wash the clothes.

After washing and hanging the clothes, Ouyang Yiming returned to find Jiang Yuqi still lying in bed. Thinking he might really be feeling unwell, he sat down on the edge of his bed and nudged him, saying, "Yuqi, get up! I'll go to the school clinic with you." Jiang Yuqi replied, "I'm fine." Ouyang Yiming said, "Even if you're fine, you should get up. How long are you planning to sleep? You'll make yourself sick even if you're not." Jiang Yuqi stirred, sighed, and said, "I'll get up, whatever you say." Ouyang Yiming raised his hand and slapped his bottom again, saying, "I think you're just lazy. What's wrong with you!" He

then stood up and sat down on his own bed. He picked up a blue plaid shirt from the inside of the bed and looked at it, saying, "Why does this shirt always tear at the collar first?" A classmate looked at the shirt in his hand and laughed, saying, "This shirt must be old. I remember seeing you wear this plaid shirt when I first came to school." Ouyang Yiming said, "That's right, I've worn it for three years, I've grown attached to it."

The classmate said, "If you can't bear to throw it away, just mend it. Mend and patch it, and it'll last another three years." He laughed as he said this. Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "It's a pity my hands aren't good at sewing." He tossed the clothes onto the bed and said, "Retire. I'll go to the building this afternoon and grit my teeth and buy a new one." Turning to look at Jiang Yuqi sitting on the bed, he called out, "Yuqi, what are you doing, huddled up there?"

Jiang Yuqi shifted slightly and said, "I'm getting up." He then started getting dressed. Ouyang Yiming said, "Come with me to buy new clothes this afternoon. It's not easy to buy something new, you have to come with me and give me your opinions." Jiang Yuqi grunted in agreement. After getting dressed, he glanced at Ouyang Yiming, went over to pick up his toiletries, and went out. When he returned, he saw Ouyang Yiming sitting on the edge of the bed reading a book. He put down his things, walked over to Ouyang Yiming, and said, "Come on, let's go outside for a bit, I need to talk to you about something." Ouyang Yiming looked up at him and went out with him. Ouyang

Yiming saw that Jiang Yuqi's face was long and gloomy, as if he had something on his mind. This was the complete opposite of his usual cheerful and joking personality. Ouyang Yiming kept glancing at Jiang Yuqi, whose brows were furrowed. He found Jiang's behavior today strange; the two hadn't exchanged a single word as they went downstairs. Once down, Ouyang Yiming couldn't help but ask, "Yuqi, is something wrong?"

Jiang Yuqi mechanically turned to look at him, nodded, and said, "Yes, something's wrong. I'll tell you later." Ouyang Yiming was puzzled. What could have happened to make Jiang Yuqi so listless? He seemed to have encountered something serious, and he couldn't help but worry about him. Seeing Jiang Yuqi walking silently with his head down, he tried to guess what might have happened at school. Could something have happened at home?

The two sat down on a lawn. Ouyang Yiming frowned and asked, "Yuqi, what's wrong? You look scary." Jiang Yuqi smiled bitterly and sighed, "Actually, nothing's wrong." Ouyang Yiming said, "You look like something's happened. I haven't seen you like this in three years. Is something wrong at home?" Jiang Yuqi shook his head and said, "No, nothing's wrong at home. It's my problem." Ouyang Yiming looked at him questioningly and asked, "What could possibly happen to you?"

Tears welled up in Jiang Yuqi's eyes for a moment. Ouyang Yiming looked closely and became anxious, asking, "What's wrong? You're making me so worried." Jiang Yuqi looked at him and said,

"I know I can only tell you. I'm really feeling suffocated. This is my first time, and to be honest, I care a lot." He paused, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face, then forced a smile and said, "Don't laugh at me when I tell you. I don't think you'll laugh at me either. I've fallen for Li Xuan."

Ouyang Yiming's heart skipped a beat when he heard Li Xuan's name, and the image of Gao Peng flashed before his eyes. At this moment, Ouyang Yiming didn't find Jiang Yuqi's behavior amusing at all; instead, he felt a pang of heartache. He knew that someone with Jiang Yuqi's personality, once in love, would inevitably invest deeply. Looking at Jiang Yuqi, he asked, "When did you fall in love with her?" Jiang Yuqi replied, "I can't say exactly when I fell in love with her; she's always been in my heart. You know I'm not good at expressing these things. You see, I'm usually so carefree, but I really care about these things. I've kept this feeling buried deep inside all this time, never telling anyone. Not even you, but my feelings for her have only grown stronger."

Ouyang Yiming recalled what Li Xuan had said on the music stage—that she had never experienced true love between men and women her own age—and asked, "Have you liked her for a year or two?" Jiang Yuqi thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I think I've liked her for a year or two." Ouyang Yiming felt a deep sadness in his heart. If Jiang Yuqi had expressed his feelings for Li Xuan when he first fell in love, perhaps Li Xuan wouldn't have had such an unhappy relationship with Gao Peng. So he looked at Jiang Yuqi and complained, "You're really useless! Why didn't you express yourself for so long? You're usually so bold, how come you're so spineless when something like this happens?"

He suddenly remembered that Jiang Yuqi didn't know about Li Xuan and Gao Peng's relationship, and his words contained an element of blaming Jiang Yuqi for not expressing himself to Li Xuan before Gao Peng. He thought to himself that he absolutely couldn't tell him about Li Xuan and Gao Peng. He asked, "Have you already expressed yourself to Li Xuan?" Jiang Yuqi blushed and said, "Yesterday afternoon, when I went back to the dormitory after class, I secretly slipped her a letter. After dinner, she saw me on the road and returned the letter. She only said two things. The first was that it was impossible for us, and the second was thank you. But I saw tears in her eyes, and I didn't understand what she meant. I couldn't decipher her expression. Why would she thank me if she didn't accept me?"

Ouyang Yiming felt a sudden pang of desolation, thinking to himself, "Yuqi, how do you know what Li Xuan is thinking? How could you know the bitterness in Li Xuan's heart?" Li Xuan won't accept you. Even if she likes you, she won't accept you. She has her life plans and her ambitions. Why didn't you express your feelings to her when you first liked her? Perhaps Li Xuan wouldn't have these thoughts back then. The two of you are destined to be apart.

Ouyang Yiming said, "I don't understand Li Xuan's behavior towards you either. But since Li Xuan is doing this, she must have her reasons. Perhaps the two of you are simply not meant to be. Why are you taking it so seriously?" Jiang Yuqi said, "Ouyang, you should know me. I'm not good at expressing my feelings to girls. I usually like to joke around, but it's really difficult for me to express these feelings. I only dared to express them to her this time, but I didn't expect this result. This blow is really heavy for me."

Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "I understand. But now that Li Xuan hasn't accepted you, she naturally has her own thoughts. Perhaps she feels that the two of you are not compatible." "Yes. To put it bluntly, maybe she doesn't even have feelings for you. These kinds of feelings between men and women aren't one-sided. You should be able to understand and sympathize with Li Xuan." Jiang Yuqi nodded and said, "I've thought about these things too. But I just can't figure it out. I feel that Li Xuan has always been good to me, which is why I dared to express myself to her." Ouyang Yiming said, "Li Xuan's personality is similar to yours; she's also very outgoing. Maybe Li Xuan only sees you as a good friend, or maybe she thinks you two can only be friends and not husband and wife. Li Xuan is a very intelligent girl; the fact that she answered you so quickly means she's convinced in her heart that it's impossible for you two. Don't blame Li Xuan for anything."

Jiang Yuqi said, "No matter how Li Xuan treats me, I will never blame her. Do you think I don't understand that? What I can't understand is why she doesn't have feelings for me, why she rejected me. Logically speaking, we're quite similar in terms of appearance, family background, and education. I thought about it all night last night, but I just couldn't figure it out." Ouyang Yiming said, "Some things are just hard to understand." Ouyang Yiming thought, in terms of appearance and education, you, Jiang Yuqi, are definitely many times better than Gao Peng, but you can't give Li Xuan what she needs. Li Xuan doesn't need looks or education. Thinking of this, he felt sad for Li Xuan.

Jiang Yuqi lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at Ouyang Yiming and said, "Last night I thought about everything. I was wondering if Li Xuan has someone she likes?" Ouyang Yiming was startled; Gao Peng's image flashed through his mind again. He thought to himself, Gao Peng isn't Li Xuan's love interest either. Li Xuan doesn't love him; she's just using him, or perhaps out of gratitude. "I don't think Li Xuan has any feelings for anyone," said Ouyang Yiming. "I can't see any indication that she has such feelings for anyone." Jiang Yuqi replied, "Yes, I can't think of anyone she'd ever felt that way

about. I was wondering why she had tears in her eyes when she returned my letter!" Ouyang Yiming felt a pang of sadness, thinking, "These are tears of helplessness from Li Xuan." Perhaps Li Xuan also liked Jiang Yuqi, but had to give up for the sake of her goals. He thought to himself, "Li Xuan is truly a very magnanimous girl. If that's the case, no teenage girl could do that. Even boys wouldn't be able to abandon their love to do this." He then thought to himself, "Li Xuan is destined for greatness. With her character, she should achieve great things."

Ouyang Yiming said, "As for the tears in her eyes, I really can't say. Maybe she was moved by you. Was your love letter very touching? Otherwise, why would she thank you?" Jiang Yuqi was a little embarrassed and said, "To be honest, I spent half a month writing this love letter. I looked through many books and copied some touching sentences from them. But some of the words came from my heart."

Ouyang Yiming was moved by Jiang Yuqi's feelings for Li Xuan and touched by how much Jiang Yuqi valued his feelings for Li Xuan. "That's true," said Ouyang Yiming. "You wrote such a touching love letter, how could she not be moved?" Jiang Yuqi said sadly, "Why didn't it touch her heart?" Ouyang Yiming said, "If a touching love letter could make someone who has no feelings for you fall in love with you, I think poets and writers are the best at winning women's hearts. But if such a love letter could move a girl to accept your love, I think this woman wouldn't be worthy of your love, because she's someone without her own thoughts and opinions. Li Xuan isn't that kind of person."
Jiang Yuqi nodded and said, "You're right." Ouyang Yiming smiled at him and said, "Think more positively. Look at you, so gloomy, like something terrible has happened. If people knew, they'd laugh at you. You're not dating yet, so you're not really heartbroken. At most, it's just unrequited love. Open your heart, love will come when it's meant to." "The time will come, why be afraid of not getting it?"
Jiang Yuqi smiled shyly and said, "I just can't figure it out. I understand that there's a certain fate between men and women." He paused and said seriously, "I really care about this relationship."
Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "I understand, after all, it's the first time you've felt this way about a girl."
He patted Jiang Yuqi's shoulder and said, "You'll understand eventually. Don't look so sad. I'm used to seeing you laughing and joking, it's a little scary to see you like this." Jiang Yuqi said, "I didn't sleep at all last night. I couldn't sleep. Talking to you about it makes me feel much better now. Hey, don't tell anyone else about this, you won't laugh at me, but others will." Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "I'll announce this on the podium as soon as I enter the classroom tomorrow morning." Jiang Yuqi laughed and said, "Then I'll be the monkey, and everyone can use this to trick me." Ouyang Yiming said:

"Adding some joy to the atmosphere for the classmates is a good deed you've done for everyone,"

Jiang Yuqi chuckled, then added, "Seriously, you can't tell anyone, not even Xu Hui." Ouyang Yiming said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Come with me to the department store this afternoon to buy a shirt." Jiang Yuqi said, "Buying a shirt requires someone to accompany me? No, I need to take a nap this afternoon to catch up on last night's sleep." Ouyang Yiming said,

"You're not a good friend. I've come all this way to confide in you, can't you come with me?" Jiang Yuqi shook his head and said, "No, I'm not in a good mood. The most important thing right now is to catch up on last night's sleep." Ouyang Yiming smiled and stood up, saying, "Okay, okay, you go catch your sleep, I'll go by myself. Come on, let's go back to the classroom and study."

After his afternoon nap, Ouyang Yiming saw Jiang Yuqi fast asleep and no one had the heart to wake him, so he went to the department store alone. While he was looking at shirts, someone pulled him. This almost scared Ouyang Yiming to death. For days, Ouyang Yiming couldn't erase Bai Xue from his memory. Today, he felt uneasy, constantly sensing he might encounter Bai Xue again. So, like a thief, he kept looking around nervously. Suddenly, someone pulled him, and he stopped breathing, his face turning pale. Turning around, he saw Wu Yingying and felt a wave of relief. But he still said strangely, "You startled me! Why didn't you say anything?" Wu Yingying

smiled and said, "Are you really that timid?" Ouyang Yiming blushed embarrassedly and said, "I was concentrating on looking at clothes. Did you come alone?" Wu Yingying said, "Xu Hui is doing laundry, so I didn't call her. I came here for a stroll, and it was a coincidence that I ran into you." Ouyang Yiming looked at her carefully. He noticed that Wu Yingying had lost a lot of weight, her complexion was slightly yellow, and she looked haggard. Although Wu Yingying had been going to the classroom these past few days, he had always glanced at her briefly when he saw her, sensing that she avoided eye contact with him in the classroom. Now, looking at her closely, he realized that Wu Yingying had changed a lot.

When Wu Yingying saw Ouyang Yiming's back at the counter, her heart skipped a beat. She knew he knew best about her abortion. The shame of being an unmarried woman made her want to turn away, but she changed her mind. She thought she shouldn't avoid Ouyang Yiming, who knew the truth. So she walked over to him and pulled him aside.

Wu Yingying helped Ouyang Yiming choose a shirt and they walked out of the building side by side. Ouyang Yiming asked, "Are you feeling better these past few days?" Wu Yingying blushed and nodded, saying, "I'm still very weak." Ouyang Yiming said, "Then you need to be careful, and try to think more positively." Wu Yingying nodded and said, "I've been wanting to thank you in person for a while, but I haven't had the chance. I'm really grateful to you and Xu Hui this time. Xu Hui told me that you were worried sick about me for several days. You even came with me to the surgery that day." Ouyang Yiming said, "We're good friends, shouldn't I care?

It's only right."

After saying this, he remembered that he should have bought her something earlier. He glanced around and saw a food store, so he went over. Wu Yingying followed him. Standing in front of the counter, Ouyang Yiming looked at the shelves and told the salesperson what he wanted to buy. As the salesperson turned to get the items, Wu Yingying asked, "Why are you buying so many things? To see someone?" Ouyang Yiming smiled but didn't say anything. After leaving with baby formula, longan powder, lotus root starch, and other similar items, he said, "I've been wanting to buy you some nutritional supplements, but it wasn't appropriate to give them to you at school." Wu Yingying suddenly realized that Ouyang Yiming had bought them for her, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She said, "Look how silly I was! I didn't even think they were for me. What can I say to you!" Ouyang Yiming said, "We're classmates, what's there to say? You even visited me when I was in the hospital."

Wu Yingying lowered her head and walked a few steps, saying, "You and Xu Hui are both so kind. I'm so grateful to you both this time; otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do." Yi Ming said, "No one's life is always smooth sailing. Everyone encounters setbacks." Wu Yingying nodded and said, "I was just unlucky to have met such a despicable person." Ouyang Yi Ming said, "Don't be so pessimistic. You have a long road ahead. Are you really planning to break up with Zhu Haitao?" Wu Yingying said, "I almost died at his hands this time. What's the point of continuing this relationship?" Ouyang Yi Ming then recalled what Jiang Yuqi had told him about Zhu Haitao and nodded, saying, "It's up to you to decide. If you really want to break up, consider it a lesson learned. Don't dwell on it. There will be people who truly love you in the future."

Wu Yingying sighed and said, "I'm scared this time. Who knows what I'll encounter next? Xu Hui is lucky to have met someone as outstanding as you." Ouyang Yiming's heart sank. He worried about his relationship with Xu Hui, wondering how he would handle it. He remained silent. Wu Yingying said, "Xu Hui is good too. She's not only beautiful but also kind-hearted. People say that birds of a feather flock together, and I believe it. If it weren't for you guys, I would have wanted to die. Xu Hui even lent me some money; I'm so grateful." Ouyang Yiming said, "We're all people who have left our parents, so it's only natural to take care of each other."

Just then, they arrived at a fast-food restaurant. Wu Yingying tugged at Ouyang Yiming and said, "Let's go in and have a bowl of lotus root starch. I want to talk to you; it's rare to run into each other." Ouyang Yiming thought for a moment and went in with her. After sitting down at a table, Ouyang Yiming made a polite remark, but Wu Yingying quickly waved her hand, so Ouyang Yiming went with her to buy the food.

A moment later, Wu Yingying brought over the plate and set out the bowls and spoons. After a few bites, Wu Yingying said, "I really hate him." Ouyang Yiming looked up at her and said, "It's all in the past now. Try to adjust your mindset." Wu Yingying said sadly, "I was truly in love with him. I loved him passionately. I gave him my heart and body unconditionally. Can you imagine how much I cared for him?" Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "I understand." Wu Yingying said, "For a girl, her first love is the most precious thing. I loved him with all my heart, but I never expected this ending."

Wu Yingying's eyes were red, and tears welled up. Ouyang Yiming said, "I understand." Wu Yingying said, "We made vows of eternal love, but they were all lies." Wu Yingying's tears streamed down her face, dripping into the bowl. Ouyang Yiming felt a pang of sadness and said, "Don't think about these things anymore. Just treat it as a nightmare." Wu Yingying nodded, but still said, "I just want to talk about it. Talking about it will make me feel better. These past few days, besides Xu Hui, I can't talk to anyone else about this." Ouyang Yiming said, "You still need to try to think more positively."

Wu Yingying lowered her head and wiped away her tears, saying, "That's what I want to think, but how can I think positively? It's been over a year, so many days and nights. Here, I've treated him as my closest person, even, even as my husband. Do you understand?" Ouyang Yiming nodded. Wu Yingying said, "I don't understand how he could be so heartless to me, how he could fall in love with someone else. People say men are all fickle, but I wonder, why are you so devoted to Xu Hui? Why aren't you like them? Or is it just that people's character is different?"

Ouyang Yiming's face flushed red upon hearing these words, feeling ashamed as if Wu Yingying had slapped him in public. He lowered his head, his heart pounding, unable to speak. Wu Yingying continued, "My heart is broken this time. I've started to distrust men, to distrust true love, but when I think of you, I doubt myself again. But I still know, how many people are like you?"

Ouyang Yiming feigned composure, scooped a spoonful of lotus root starch into his mouth, and remained silent. Wu Yingying said, "If it weren't for Xu Hui keeping me company these past few days, I really wouldn't know what to do now. This is something I can't even tell my parents, so I can only tell you two."

Ouyang Yiming was still thinking about what Wu Yingying had just said about Xu Hui and himself, so he didn't really take her words to heart and just nodded. Wu Yingying said, "I hate him, I really hate him to death this time. I'll never forget the hurt he caused me." Hearing the severity of Wu Yingying's tone, Ouyang Yiming looked up at her and saw her face filled with anger. He said, "It's impossible to forget something like this, but you can't just keep holding onto it. It's not good for you." Wu Yingying said, "I've thought about it. I won't let him get away with it." Ouyang Yiming was startled and said, "You really need to be more open-minded. You absolutely can't do anything too extreme." Wu Yingying said, "He treated me like this, you could say he toyed with me. Why can't I punish him?"

Ouyang Yiming's heart sank again. He said, "I'm really worried about you having such thoughts. Have you considered that if you really do this, it might hurt both of you?" Wu Yingying said, "I know, but I'll only do it at the right time. I will definitely consider..." "I've thought it through. Ouyang, do you think I'd just suffer in silence like this? Shouldn't someone like him be punished? He almost cost me my life!" Ouyang Yiming was flustered and stared at her, asking, "So you really intend to do this?" Wu Yingying said fiercely, "I definitely will." Ouyang Yiming asked, "Then how do you plan to do it?" Wu Yingying said, "I don't have a specific plan right now, but I'll definitely think it through." Ouyang Yiming said, "If you listen to my advice, you absolutely cannot do this, nor can you think like this." Wu Yingying said, "We'll talk about it later." Ouyang Yiming

sighed and said, "If Zhu Haitao continues like this, it won't end well, but it shouldn't be you punishing him. Have you ever heard the saying, 'Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish,' or 'If people don't punish him, Heaven will punish him.' If you believe me, then..." "Be my brother, listen to my advice and give up this idea. Our life has just begun, and we have a long road ahead. As for you, consider this a lesson in life, and just be more careful in the future. You can't expect to meet someone like him again! The key is to think about yourself. This kind of mentality won't be good for your future life. Can a person full of hatred have a good life?"

Wu Yingying nodded and said, "I understand your good intentions, and I've thought about these things too, but I just can't swallow this." Ouyang Yiming said, "Although this incident is unforgettable for you, I think with the passage of time, you will forget many things. Especially after you meet your true love, you will forget." Wu Yingying said, "Will I ever meet true love? I really doubt it. When I first started dating him, I also thought I had found true love." "But this is how it ends. Who can we trust anymore?"

Ouyang Yiming said, "Once bitten, twice shy. That's not the kind of thinking we college students should have. We're still inexperienced, our minds aren't mature enough, and we don't see things clearly enough. We'll mature as we get older. So you must adjust your mindset now; it will benefit your future life. Don't you think so?"

While Ouyang Yiming was speaking, Wu Yingying stared intently into his eyes. She said, "I wish I had a brother like you." Ouyang Yiming smiled and said, "Then you can call me your brother from now on, but you can't call me brother at school." Wu Yingying smiled and muttered to herself, "Xu Hui is really lucky." Wu Yingying sighed inwardly

at her misfortune, feeling a pang of sadness. Her eyes reddened, and tears welled up. Not wanting Ouyang Yiming to see, she turned to look outside. Through the glass wall, she suddenly saw the figure that would be etched into her memory for the rest of her life. It was Zhu Haitao. Wu Yingying's heart seemed to stop beating instantly. Her eyes were fixed on Zhu Haitao, unmoving.

Ouyang Yiming found her expression strange and followed her gaze, only to be shocked to see Zhu Haitao walking and chatting happily with a man he didn't recognize. He thought to himself, "What a coincidence!" Turning back to Wu Yingying, he asked, "He doesn't know about your abortion, does he?" Wu Yingying nodded and said, "He doesn't know."

Ouyang Yiming saw anger blazing in Wu Yingying's eyes. Nervously, Ouyang Yiming said, "You must stay calm." Wu Yingying replied, "Don't worry, I will." Ouyang Yiming looked out the glass curtain wall again and saw Zhu Haitao and the man standing there talking. He turned back to Wu Yingying and asked, "Do you know that man?" Wu Yingying said, "Yes, they were classmates in middle school, from the sports academy. Zhu Haitao and I have been there twice." When Ouyang Yiming turned back to look, he saw them still standing there talking and worried that they would come in. He said, "They won't come in, will they?" Wu Yingying said, "Maybe not." But just as she said this, she saw Zhu Haitao and the man walking towards the door. Wu Yingying said, "They really came." Ouyang Yiming's heart clenched, but he still said to Wu Yingying, "You must stay calm. If they see us, they should say hello. If they don't see us, we should pretend we didn't see them. If they come in, we should leave." Wu Yingying nodded in agreement and lowered her head.

Just as Ouyang Yiming finished speaking, Zhu Haitao and his friends entered. He didn't notice Ouyang Yiming and Wu Yingying, but his classmate did. The classmate reached out and tugged at Zhu Haitao, gesturing towards Ouyang Yiming and Wu Yingying's seats. Zhu Haitao was also surprised to see Wu Yingying. Seeing Ouyang Yiming with his back to him, he wondered how the two of them could be together. His mind raced, and he quickly pulled his classmate's hand and whispered, "Don't go over there to say hello. Let's go over there."

His classmate knew that Wu Yingying had seen Zhu Haitao on a date with another girl, so he didn't ask any questions. He followed Zhu Haitao to a table in a corner and sat down, then turned back to look. Zhu Haitao said, "Don't look at them." The classmate turned back, frowned, and asked him, "Did this guy steal Wu Yingying away?" Zhu Haitao shook his head and said, "No, I know Ouyang. His girlfriend is the school beauty." The classmate said, "Why would he be here having snacks with Wu Yingying?" Zhu Haitao said, "It's probably just a coincidence." The classmate said, "What a coincidence! I think this guy is just a womanizer trying to play around with her." Zhu Haitao said, "Don't think like that. I know what kind of person Ouyang is. He's a bookworm. Besides, he has such a beautiful girlfriend. He wouldn't do that." The classmate said, "What the hell is a bookworm? Only people like that are womanizers. Only a quiet donkey is a womanizer! If he really is like that, I'll beat him up." At this moment, Zhu Haitao remembered Ouyang Yiming's ambiguous attitude towards him these past few days, and his heart started to pound. But he said, "No, don't overthink it."

Ouyang Yiming saw that Zhu Haitao hadn't come over to greet them, and thought that he probably hadn't seen them. He said to Wu Yingying, "Let's go. It seems he didn't notice us. It would be awkward if we met." Wu Yingying knew that Ouyang Yiming was still afraid that Zhu Haitao had other ideas, so she nodded without saying it outright. The two stood up and pretended that nothing had happened and went out the door.

Ouyang Yiming felt a little more relaxed after leaving the house and said to Wu Yingying, "I don't know how it happened so coincidentally." Wu Yingying said, "It really is true that enemies are destined to meet."

Ouyang Yiming said, "I was just afraid that you wouldn't be calm." Wu Yingying said angrily, "Look how happy he is. I've been messed up by him, but he's acting like nothing happened. People like him deserve to die a bad death." Chapter 29

of Love and Desire (31) Ouyang Yiming was secretly relieved that Zhu Haitao hadn't seen him and Wu Yingying eating snacks together. He thought to himself that if Zhu Haitao had seen them, he would have been suspicious. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuqi brought up the matter the following evening. Ouyang Yiming was surprised and asked, "How did you know?" Jiang Yuqi said, "Zhu Haitao saw you and Wu Yingying having snacks together. You didn't see him." Ouyang Yiming asked doubtfully, "Zhu Haitao saw them? What did he say?" Jiang Yuqi lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Ouyang, I won't hide it from you. Zhu Haitao said that your relationship with Wu Yingying wasn't quite normal. I scolded him." Ouyang Yiming was instantly stunned and could only stare at Jiang Yuqi, his lips trembling, unable to speak. Seeing this, Jiang Yuqi panicked and hurriedly said, "Zhu Haitao was just saying it casually." Ouyang Yiming recovered, his face flushed, and he glared angrily, saying, "That Zhu Haitao is a real bastard." After saying that, he turned to leave. Jiang Yuqi hurriedly grabbed him and said, "Ouyang, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Ouyang Yiming looked at him angrily and said, "Shouldn't have said anything? What right does Zhu Haitao have to say that? I just happened to see her in the building. What abnormal things did Wu Yingying and I do? How despicable!" Jiang Yuqi smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Alright, calm down, brother. Why get so angry? It's not worth it." Ouyang Yiming was still angry and said, "You can't talk like that." So he recounted his unexpected encounter with Wu Yingying in the building yesterday. Finally, she said, "I knew she was sick a few days ago, but I didn't want to buy her anything and visit her at the dorm. It was just a coincidence. Yesterday, when I saw her, she looked pale and thin, so I thought I'd buy her something. After I bought it, Wu Yingying probably felt bad, so she said she'd go eat some lotus root starch at that pastry shop. She ate it and came back, but who knew Zhu Haitao would see her. There's nothing wrong with that." Jiang Yuqi said, "I told him you must have just run into Wu Yingying. I said, don't you know Ouyang well? Zhu Haitao said you've been lukewarm towards him these past few days, so I'm worried something's up." Although Ouyang Yiming was angry, he couldn't say it was because of Wu Yingying's pregnancy. He said, "It's true that I'm indifferent to him, but I'm disgusted by the things I did to Wu Yingying, so I just don't want to talk to him. Do you know how much this has affected Wu Yingying? Her illness is also related to her mood. No matter what, what he did was very immoral." Jiang Yuqi secretly regretted telling Ouyang Yiming about Zhu Haitao that day. He thought that with Ouyang Yiming's personality, he would definitely be disgusted by what Zhu Haitao had done. He chimed in, "Yeah, I scolded him yesterday when he said that. I said, 'I'd believe anyone else's relationship with Wu Yingying is abnormal, but I don't believe Ouyang and Wu Yingying have anything going on. Xu Hui isn't even worth a few Wu Yingyings. Would Ouyang do anything to betray Xu Hui?' He didn't say anything then, but I wanted to ask how you ended up with Wu Yingying. I'll explain to Zhu Haitao tomorrow." Ouyang Yiming looked at Jiang Yuqi and said irritably, "There's no need to explain to him. He's already done this with Wu Yingying, and he's hurt her. Even if Wu Yingying is with any man now, or falls in love again, it has nothing to do with Zhu Haitao." Jiang Yuqi chuckled and said, "What you said makes sense, but Wu Yingying hasn't directly broken off her relationship with Zhu Haitao yet." Ouyang Yiming got angry and asked, "Does Zhu Haitao still expect Wu Yingying to change her mind?" Jiang Yuqi said: “Zhu Haitao does have that intention. After all, they've been dating for over a year; there must be feelings involved,” Ouyang Yiming sneered. “You should advise Zhu Haitao to stop daydreaming.” Jiang Yuqi asked, “Did Wu Yingying tell you?” Ouyang Yiming realized his mistake, knowing he'd lost his temper over Zhu Haitao's suspicions about his relationship with Wu Yingying. He quickly said, “No, but I think, with Zhu Haitao being so despicable, how could Wu Yingying possibly get back together with him?” Jiang Yuqi said, “That's true. If I were Wu Yingying, I wouldn't change my mind either. But who knows what Wu Yingying means?” Ouyang Yiming said, “Wu Yingying isn't stupid.” Jiang Yuqi said, “I think we shouldn't ask. Let them do what they want.” Ouyang Yiming's anger surged again as he thought about Wu Yingying's abortion. He said, “Look at what Zhu Haitao has done to Wu Yingying lately.” Jiang Yuqi shook his head and said: “Why get so angry? We don’t need to get so upset about them. I can talk to him about it.” After saying that, the two fell silent, but Ouyang Yiming was still angry. After a while, Jiang Yuqi wanted to change the subject, and after saying a few words, she saw that Ouyang Yiming still had a calm expression. She thought, “This Ouyang Yiming is really something, getting so angry over something that doesn’t concern him.” She smiled and said, “Let’s go back, it’s unnecessary. If it doesn’t concern you, don’t worry about it. It’s not worth getting sick from their anger.” Ouyang Yiming wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he didn’t speak and went back with Jiang Yuqi. The next morning. During the break between classes, Ouyang Yiming went to Xu Hui and briefly told her that Zhu Haitao still wanted to get back together with Wu Yingying. Xu Hui sneered after hearing this, saying, "He's delusional. Wu Yingying talked to me about it until midnight last night. This time, Wu Yingying is determined not to have anything to do with Zhu Haitao anymore. She hates Zhu Haitao to death; there's absolutely no way they'll get back together." With many classmates around, Ouyang Yiming didn't say much, but he still urged Xu Hui to speak to Wu Yingying. Xu Hui nodded in agreement. However, on his way back to the dormitory after dinner that evening, Zhu Haitao chased after him and called out to him. Ouyang Yiming stopped, watching Zhu Haitao approach with a smile. He felt disgusted, but his face remained calm. He knew in his heart that Zhu Haitao calling him now must be related to Wu Yingying. Sure enough, when Ouyang Yiming asked him what was wrong, Zhu Haitao said, "You know about Wu Yingying and me, right?" Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "Yes." Zhu Haitao asked, "Did Xu Hui tell you?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Xu Hui and Jiang Yuqi both told me." Zhu Haitao asked, "What did they tell you?"

Ouyang Yiming was extremely annoyed and said irritably, "Don't you know what you've done? Why are you asking others what they're talking about?" Zhu Haitao blushed and said, "They're talking about me and that girl from second grade, right?" Ouyang Yiming looked at him and said, "If they're not talking about you, what else could they be talking about? They both told me." Zhu Haitao asked, "Didn't Jiang Yuqi and Xu Hui tell you anything else?"

Ouyang Yiming knew he didn't know about Wu Yingying's abortion, and he asked this because he was also feeling guilty. He was probably afraid that Jiang Yuqi would reveal that he was still in relationships with those two female classmates from middle school. Maybe he had also asked Jiang Yuqi if she had told him about these things. Pretending not to understand, he asked, "What else is wrong?"

Zhu Haitao chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's just this little thing; Wu Yingying caught me." Ouyang Yiming said, "Actually, I only found out about this a couple of days ago when Wu Yingying was sick. Xu Hui told me, and then I asked Jiang Yuqi if he knew, and that's when Jiang Yuqi told me. Before, I only heard that you and Wu Yingying were together. You know I don't like to pry into these things. It's your destiny that you two are in love. But you shouldn't have gotten involved with another girl after dating Wu Yingying for over a year. Aren't you hurting Wu Yingying?"

Zhu Haitao blushed and said, "I know I did wrong, but I truly love Wu Yingying. We've always had a good relationship. To be honest, I was just playing around with that girl; there's really no real feeling between us."

Ouyang Yiming glanced at him but didn't say anything. After walking a few steps in silence, Zhu Haitao asked, "What illness does Wu Yingying have?" Ouyang Yiming replied, "Xu Hui said it seems to be some kind of girl's illness, but I didn't feel comfortable asking for details." Zhu Haitao said, "She hasn't looked well these past few days; is she seriously ill?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I haven't asked in detail either. In my opinion, the key issue is emotional distress. How can she feel good after you hurt her so much?"

Zhu Haitao's flushed face showed remorse as he said, "Actually, I've felt very guilty these past few days, and I feel sorry for Wu Yingying. But I truly love her, and seeing her so sick these past few days really breaks my heart. But I can't even talk to her. I was thinking, could you talk to Xu Hui and convey my feelings to Wu Yingying? I still want to be with her."

Ouyang Yiming was angry inside, thinking, "I was just talking about this with Xu Hui this morning. Wu Yingying's attitude is so firm; how could she possibly reconcile with you?!" Knowing he shouldn't reveal too much in front of him, he still said irritably, "I don't want to get involved in your messy affairs."

Zhu Haitao looked embarrassed and hesitated several times before stammering, "I meant to ask Xu Hui to talk to her. I... I also wanted you to help me out." Ouyang Yiming turned to see him about to say something, and saw him pull out some money from his pocket. Zhu Haitao said, "I don't have much money on me. Here's a hundred yuan. Have Xu Hui transfer it to her so she can buy some supplements." He then handed over the money.

Ouyang Yiming didn't take it, saying, "Can't you give it to Xu Hui yourself? What am I doing?" Zhu Haitao said with a grin, "If I give it to Xu Hui to pass on, she probably won't agree. I've noticed these past few days that Xu Hui doesn't seem to like me. I think it would be best if you gave it to Xu Hui for me, and then Xu Hui passed it on to Wu Yingying. Please do me a favor."

Ouyang said dismissively, "I won't help with that. What if Xu Hui doesn't want to pass it on and says something? I'll lose face." Seeing that he really didn't want to take the money, Zhu Yuqi laughed awkwardly twice, reluctantly put the money back in his pocket, and said, "I'll ask Xu Hui if she can help when I have the chance." Ouyang Yiming didn't say anything.

After walking in silence for a while, Zhu Haitao said, "It was such a coincidence that I ran into you there the day before yesterday. My classmate and I originally said we weren't going, but he insisted. I told him I'd only go if he treated me, but he refused, so we played rock-paper-scissors. I won, and if I had lost, I wouldn't have gone. But then I saw you guys."

Hearing this, Ouyang Yiming felt annoyed again, but thinking it wouldn't be good to keep giving Zhu Haitao the cold shoulder, he said, "I didn't even notice you." Zhu Haitao smiled and said, "You didn't see me, and I didn't want to go up and say hello, afraid Wu Yingying would get angry with me. You know how embarrassing it would be to get angry in that place."

Ouyang Yiming thought to himself, "So you know how embarrassing that is?" But Wu Yingying was even more afraid of being embarrassed in that situation. Zhu Haitao asked, "What did you two talk about last night?" Upon hearing this, Ouyang Yiming's anger flared up again, and he couldn't help but say, "You really are something! What could I possibly say to Wu Yingying? Didn't you have Jiang Yuqi ask her last night? Didn't Jiang Yuqi report back to you?

So what do you think I could possibly say to her? You don't actually think we have some kind of inappropriate relationship, do you?"

Seeing that Ouyang Yiming was truly angry, Zhu Haitao felt a chill and forced a smile, saying, "I didn't mean that. I know you well enough. What I meant was..." "I wanted to know if Wu Yingying had mentioned me to you, to see if she was still angry with me." Ouyang Yiming composed himself and said, "I didn't talk to her about you, and she didn't mention you to me either. Why would a girl like her talk to me about this? We just ate a bowl of lotus root starch and came out, it wasn't long."

Zhu Haitao nodded and said, "I think so too. Don't get any other ideas, I just can't let her go, so I asked. Don't be angry, I didn't mean anything by it." Ouyang Yiming sneered inwardly and didn't say anything more.

The next evening after dinner, Ouyang Yiming and Jiang Yuqi took a walk on the campus path, talking about Jiang Yuqi's relationship with Li Xuan.

After being listless for the past few days, Jiang Yuqi's spirits had improved a lot. Ouyang Yiming asked him, "Have you figured it out now?" Jiang Yuqi smiled and said, "What can I do if I can't figure it out? She doesn't care about me, and I can't force it. A forced relationship won't be sweet. I'm not thinking about it anymore."

Ouyang Yiming didn't smile, pondering Li Xuan's personality, and said, "With Li Xuan's personality, I'm afraid no one can force her." Jiang Yuqi said, "Yes, I've been thinking about it these past few days. With Li Xuan's personality, I'm afraid we won't get along. Maybe that's what Li Xuan was thinking. But these past few days I've really tasted the bitterness of heartbreak, and it's really unpleasant."

Ouyang Yiming laughed and pushed him, saying, "Heartbreak? Have you even dated her? At most, you've experienced the bitterness of being rejected." Jiang Yuqi shook his head sheepishly, and after a while sighed, saying, "But I really wonder, where is my so-called destiny? Why do so many people have it, but mine hasn't come yet?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Just wait. Milk will come, bread will come." Jiang Yuqi chuckled twice. A casual glance revealed Xu Hui and Wu Yingying slowly approaching from a side path.

Pulling Ouyang Yiming by the arm, the two stopped.

As Xu Hui and Wu Yingying drew closer, the four exchanged smiles. Xu Hui said to Wu Yingying, "I need to say a few words to Ouyang." Wu Yingying walked over to Jiang Yuqi and tugged at his sleeve, the two walking a few steps ahead.

Xu Hui and Ouyang Yiming walked side by side, Xu Hui saying as they went, "Zhu Haitao contacted me after dinner yesterday." Ouyang Yiming asked, "Was it about Wu Yingying?" Xu Hui nodded and said, "I took the hundred yuan he gave Wu Yingying and gave it to her." Ouyang Yiming turned to look at her and asked, "Wu Yingying took it?" Xu Hui said, "Why wouldn't I take it! Wu Yingying said last night that she would return it to him, so I told her that even if it was a thousand yuan, she would take it. You have no idea how much Wu Yingying suffered that day. I shudder just thinking about it. It's all Zhu Haitao's fault. Not only that, but how much of a blow must it have been to Wu Yingying's spirit?"

Ouyang Yiming remembered what Liu Yan had told him about the pain of abortion and felt embarrassed to ask Xu Hui about it now. He pondered Xu Hui's explanation of taking Zhu Haitao's money and felt it made sense. She smiled and asked, "You told Wu Yingying about Zhu Haitao's thoughts too, right? I think Wu Yingying will definitely scold him."

Xu Hui frowned and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. Actually, I thought the same thing before I told Wu Yingying, but when I did, she just smiled and didn't say anything.

When I pressed her to tell me what she was thinking, she just said she knew what she was doing. I noticed her expression was a little off, so I asked her again, and she just smiled and told me it was okay. Ouyang, do you think Wu Yingying still has feelings for Zhu Haitao, or does she have some other thoughts about him?"

Ouyang Yiming instantly recalled Wu Yingying's words about revenge while eating lotus root starch that day, and his heart sank. He said, "She might want to get revenge on Zhu Haitao. She said something like that on the street that day. You should try to persuade her." Xu Hui said, "I've thought about that too, and I asked her. She said she wasn't that stupid, and that she would only take revenge at the right time. I guess she was just saying it in anger. I also asked her if she still had feelings for Zhu Haitao, and she said she wished he were dead. I don't understand either." Ouyang Yiming thought for a while and shook his head. Xu Hui said, "I always feel that Wu Yingying's expression is strange, I'm just very puzzled." Ouyang Yiming thought for a moment and said, "It's certain that Wu Yingying hates Zhu Haitao right now, but let's not overcomplicate things. Wu Yingying is smart too. She'll graduate in a little over a year, and anything she does now wouldn't be good for her. I think she'll consider these things. However, you should still talk to her. This doesn't necessarily have to come to the point of revenge. Whether now or in the future, revenge will only result in mutual destruction, it's unnecessary." Xu Hui nodded in agreement.

Ouyang Yiming said, "Zhu Haitao is also a mystery. Is he truly in love with Wu Yingying or is he just pretending? If he doesn't love Wu Yingying, why does he still want to be with her?

I think it's genuine that he gives her money to buy her supplements. The other day, Jiang Yuqi told me that they've been in love for over a year, how could they not have feelings for each other? I even argued with him, but now I think he's right. Besides, they've both been through that kind of thing."

Xu Hui blushed instantly after hearing this and lowered her head. Ouyang Yiming, who hadn't been looking at Xu Hui's face while speaking, didn't notice her expression this time either, and continued, "Maybe Zhu Haitao really does love her, and Wu Yingying still has feelings for him. It's understandable that she hates Zhu Haitao now; we're all angry with Zhu Haitao, let alone Wu Yingying! Maybe deep down, Wu Yingying still cares about Zhu Haitao."

Xu Hui nodded, looked up at him, and said, "Your analysis is correct. It's reasonable to say that Wu Yingying wouldn't have no feelings for Zhu Haitao at all. They've been in love for over a year, so this blow would naturally cause Wu Yingying some hatred. If Zhu Haitao could truly love her and stop having any entanglements with other women, I think Wu Yingying would forgive him. As for us, we'd be hoping for that too, after all, what happened between them..."

Ouyang Yiming knew she hadn't finished speaking, so he nodded as well.

Xu Hui said, "The key is whether Zhu Haitao will change his ways. If he gets back together with Wu Yingying and then gets involved with other girls, Wu Yingying will also die at his hands."

Ouyang Yiming then remembered Jiang Yuqi telling him about having relationships with two girls in middle school, and his heart sank. His face became serious, and he said, "Yes, I hope not."

Xu Hui sighed softly and said, "We really don't know what to say." Then she suddenly laughed and said, "Look at us, we've been troubled by other people's affairs lately. First Li Xuan, and now Wu Yingying. It's funny, what have we become?" Ouyang Yiming laughed too, thinking it made sense.

Xu Hui said, "Let them be. This isn't something we can control. Li Xuan just has her own ideas; what can we say?" She paused, as if remembering something, and said, "I almost forgot again." She reached into her coat pocket and took out a paper package, handing it to him as she said, "These are photos from the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. I've had them for a while now. Sometimes I wanted to give them to you but didn't have the chance, and sometimes I'd have the chance but forgot. I've been carrying them with me these past few days, and I almost forgot again just now." Ouyang Yiming took them and quickly stuffed them into his pocket. Xu Hui called out to Wu Yingying.

The four of them walked a few steps in silence. Wu Yingying quietly said to Xu Hui, "Let's go first." Xu Hui nodded. She then said goodbye to Ouyang Yiming and Jiang Yuqi and entered another side road.

Watching Xu Hui and Wu Yingying walk away, Jiang Yuqi smiled at Ouyang Yiming and said, "What's going on that you have to say on campus? Didn't you talk enough about your date tonight?" Ouyang Yiming pushed him and said, "Who said we were on a date? Don't talk nonsense." Jiang Yuqi said, "We're roommates, you must have come back very late last night." Ouyang Yiming's face suddenly turned red, and he said, "You know I went to my fellow villager's place." Jiang Yuqi chuckled and said, "You go every week? I remember your fellow villager is a guy."

Ouyang felt a little flustered and said, "My classmate and I have been friends since we were little, and our parents..." "We're colleagues from the same school, we're like brothers. Don't talk nonsense, Xu Hui and I really didn't go on any dates."

Seeing that he was serious, Jiang Yuqi laughed and said, "I was just kidding. I know you didn't go on a date with Xu Hui. I even saw her walking with Wu Yingying last night." Ouyang Yiming said, "You're just teasing me." Jiang Yuqi laughed happily, then asked, "Xu Hui was talking to you about Wu Yingying and Zhu Haitao, right?" Ouyang Yiming asked, "You heard that?" Jiang Yuqi said, "I have super hearing, I could hear you from this far away! I heard you talking just now..." "I remember you weren't happy when I told you about Zhu Haitao the other day. Last night, Xu Hui and Wu Yingying were walking together again. I was wondering if you were both trying to persuade Wu Yingying to stop talking to Zhu Haitao." Ouyang Yiming said, "We didn't say anything. The key is Wu Yingying. If they really have feelings for each other, what can we say?

Wu Yingying hasn't been feeling well these days. The day before yesterday, Zhu Haitao asked me to give Wu Yingying 100 yuan, but I didn't. Yesterday, Zhu Haitao gave the money to Xu Hui to give to Wu Yingying. That's what we were talking about just now."

Jiang Yuqi said, "See? I told you so, Zhu Haitao..." He still has feelings for Wu Yingying, and Wu Yingying can't say she doesn't have feelings for Zhu Haitao either. They've been together for over a year, and they've done *that* countless times; how could they not have feelings? Wu Yingying's temper is just temporary. Tell me, it won't be long before they're back together. Let's not worry about it, and don't say anything about Zhu Haitao in front of Wu Yingying. If they continue to be together, they're still closer. If we repeat what we're saying to Zhu Haitao, who knows what he'll think.

Let them be.”

Ouyang Yiming agreed, nodding. Jiang Yuqi said, "I just told Wu Yingying what I meant. As for whether they can reconcile, that's their business.

I've relayed the message. Of course, it would be good for both of them if they really reconciled." Ouyang Yiming asked, "What did Wu Yingying say?" Jiang Yuqi said, "Wu Yingying definitely won't say anything right now.

Even if she has feelings for him, she won't say it now. I just told her that Zhu Haitao is sincere towards him." Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "If Wu Yingying can really forgive him, then we can talk about it. But you should also talk to Zhu Haitao when you have time. He's been having casual relationships with so many girls; he'll run into trouble later." Jiang Yuqi said

, "I understand that you and Xu Hui are both kind-hearted. It's best if you didn't say anything in front of Wu Yingying. If you really did say something..." "If Zhu Haitao finds out later, he'll say you're meddling in other people's business. It's unnecessary, why are you two putting in so much trouble for nothing? Zhu Haitao is a bit of a womanizer, but we can't judge others by our own standards. There are plenty of womanizers these days. I'd like to be one too, but I'm not lucky enough. How many are as upright as you, Ouyang? I'm not saying this to your face, but Xu Hui is lucky to have you. A handsome man like you, if he wanted to be a womanizer, he'd just wink at a girl, and he'd have a whole platoon of girls following him. But you're loyal to Xu Hui alone, which is a matter of character, and has a lot to do with your upbringing and inner qualities. I'm not flattering you, I'm just telling the truth."

Ouyang Yiming felt flustered and blushed with embarrassment as he listened to Jiang Yuqi's words. He thought of Liu Yan and Bai Xue again. His heart pounded, but he didn't say anything. Jiang Yuqi said,

"I've always considered you my best brother, so there are some things I want to tell you. You're kind, but your personality is too straightforward. Sometimes you see things you don't like, or you feel someone has been bullied and you're upset, which I don't think is good. Actually, everyone has feelings, but many people don't say anything and keep them bottled up inside. University is only a few years long; after a year, we'll all go our separate ways. It's unnecessary.

A couple of days ago, Zhu Haitao told me that you've been acting ambiguous towards him lately. I said, 'Don't you know Ouyang? He's kinder and more compassionate than anyone else.' Zhu Haitao said he knew."

I was thinking, I don't even know what he's thinking. So, you feel angry from the bottom of your heart, but it's not your own business, why bother? Do you think what I said makes sense?" Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "Some things are indeed unnatural. I need to think more carefully in the future." Jiang Yuqi patted his shoulder and said, "Remember that saying, 'If it doesn't concern you, don't get involved.'

That saying is quite philosophical."

Ouyang Yiming pondered this saying that Jiang Yuqi praised as very philosophical. He knew it was a quote from a great man's article "Against Liberalism," and he remembered the original text, which read: "If it doesn't concern you, don't get involved; if you know it's wrong, it's best to say less; be wise and protect yourself, and only seek to avoid mistakes. This is the third kind." "

The great man's original intention was to criticize liberalism, but it was distorted and used by Jiang Yuqi. But in terms of understanding the sentence, it is not a bad saying to be a smooth person, and it can even be used as their motto. Ouyang Yiming thought that even if we do not take a critical attitude according to the great man's original intention, it is not an easy thing to "mind one's own business" and "stay out of it". After all, people live in a society with family, feelings, friends and thoughts. Since some things make you feel disgusted or even angry, you will naturally express your emotions. This expression of emotions is often unconscious. It is actually very difficult to stay out of it.

Love and Desire (32)

Third Chapter Ten.

That evening, Ouyang Yiming, half-asleep, heard the faint sound of a police siren. The sound grew closer and louder, stopping a short distance away. Ouyang Yiming was startled. Some classmates sat up and started talking, discussing why a police car would enter the campus at night. Some said something must have happened at school. Others said someone had committed a crime and the police were there to arrest them.

The discussion was lively, but everyone was speculating. Ouyang Yiming curled up on his bed, listening to their chatter without saying a word.

Just then, he heard Jiang Yuqi getting dressed. He leaned over to look and saw Jiang Yuqi standing on the bed, pulling up his pants. A classmate joked, "Old Jiang, they're here to catch you! You'd better run fast, don't run through the main gate, it's safer to climb over the wall." Jiang Yuqi said while putting on his shoes, "Climb over my ass! I'm going to investigate and I'll tell you when I get back." After saying this, he opened the door and left the room quickly. Two other students followed, also getting dressed. Ouyang Yiming, however, remembered Jiang Yuqi's classic saying, "If it doesn't concern you, don't interfere," and shook his head.

There were still two students in the room; Ouyang Yiming heard their quiet discussion but didn't interrupt. A while later, Jiang Yuqi rushed in, shouting, "Ouyang, a girl from the Physics Department jumped off a building. Lots of people in Dormitory Six are watching!" After saying that, he turned and left. Ouyang Yiming and two other classmates couldn't stay in bed any longer, so they got up, dressed, opened the door, went downstairs, and headed straight for Dormitory 6.

The area below Dormitory 6 was already packed with people, with flashing police lights in the middle of a semi-circular crowd in front of the building. Ouyang Yiming couldn't squeeze to the front either, and he heard his classmates discussing among themselves that the ambulance had already taken the person who jumped to the hospital for emergency treatment. They also heard that the person was already dead when they were put into the ambulance. After a while, Ouyang Yiming roughly pieced together the story.

The person who jumped was a third-year physics student named Tao Rongrong. The class monitor, from Huaiyin, Jiangsu, was quite pretty. She said she'd been in a daze for the past few days, as if she'd suffered some kind of blow.

She hadn't been to class. When classmates asked why she jumped, no one could give a clear answer. A moment later, sirens blared, and the police car slowly drove away from the automatically parting crowd. People dispersed as they watched the police car disappear, whispering among themselves.

When Ouyang Yiming returned to the dormitory, he saw Jiang Yuqi undressing, discussing the incident with three other classmates. Jiang Yuqi shook her head and sighed, "What a pity, what a real pity! Such a beautiful girl, gone so tragically, it's heartbreaking." One classmate said, "Old Jiang, I heard she's from your hometown, did you know her?"

Jiang Yuqi glared and said, "What hometown?! I'm from Yancheng, her Huaiyin is a far cry from my hometown, but you could say we're from the same place, both from northern Jiangsu. I just regret not meeting her sooner, if I could have given her my love earlier, things wouldn't have turned out like this. What a pity, another bachelor." "A classmate said, 'She hasn't gone far yet. If you jump once, you might be able to catch up with her. If you go with her on her journey now, she'll definitely be moved. Maybe she'll accept your love.' Jiang Yuqi shook his head and said, 'No, my earthly ties are not yet severed, and I cannot bear to leave this world. Perhaps in the next life, if we can still go to the same school, I will definitely not let her go.' He turned around, lay down, pulled the blanket over himself, and said, 'Time to sleep. It's none of my business, I just hung up.'"

The students inside were still discussing and speculating. Ouyang Yiming silently took off his clothes and lay down, feeling very heavy-hearted. That

night, Ouyang Yiming had a dream. In his dream, he and Xu Hui held hands and walked into a beautiful mountain gorge. Here, the mountains were high and the valleys deep, the peaks were beautiful, the mountains were layered, strange rocks were scattered, waterfalls cascaded down, and streams crisscrossed. The air was extremely fresh, and the picturesque scenery excited the couple. They walked and laughed along the banks of a crystal-clear stream, where the water flowed gently, emitting a sweet fragrance.

He and Xu Hui sat on a protruding, smooth rock, happily stretching their four legs into the water to play. They saw many fish, red, white, blue, and colorful. To their surprise, these... The fish were all in pairs, nibbling at each other, swimming happily. They seemed to hear the fish speaking their own language, a language they couldn't understand, yet it conveyed the fish's joy and happiness to them.

Just then, Ouyang Yiming saw a lone fish swimming towards them. It was a strangely shaped, bluish-green fish with an unusually large mouth. Ouyang Yiming couldn't tell what kind it was. It stopped at their feet, staring at them with its round eyes, wagging its tail. Ouyang Yiming and Xu Hui were quite surprised. Both looked at the fish with a hint of panic.

Suddenly, the fish snapped open and bit Xu Hui's foot with incredible speed. Xu Hui screamed and clung to Ouyang Yiming, crying out in terror, "Ouyang, save me!" Ouyang Yiming tried to shoo the fish away, but to no avail. He picked up a stone and threw it, but the stone felt like cotton wool hitting the fish.

Frustrated, Ouyang Yiming was about to jump into the water to grab the fish when a loud crash was heard. The fish had grown enormous, its mouth holding Xu Hui's foot as it leaped into the air. Xu Hui screamed desperately, "Ouyang, save me!" She stretched out her arms for help. He watched Xu Hui shout and scream as she receded into the distance, but he was powerless to help her. She gradually disappeared. He could still hear Xu Hui's desperate cries for help. Ouyang Yiming roared to the sky, his hands frozen in mid-air.

He hysterically called out Xu Hui's name, "Xu Hui, come back, come back..." The sound echoed through the mountain stream, so heart-wrenching. He was desperate, yet he kept shouting and shouting... He heard Xu Hui's voice coming from the air, Xu Hui shouting loudly, "Ouyang, I'm coming..." Ouyang Yiming was overjoyed. He saw Xu Hui float down from the sky like a fairy.

Closer, closer, he saw her smile—the most captivating and sweetest smile he had ever seen.

He saw Xu Hui open her arms and rush towards him, slowly and gracefully. Ouyang Yiming stretched out his arms, waiting for Xu Hui's arrival. He wanted to catch her; he wanted to hold her tightly in his arms when she arrived. Closer, closer, he was about to embrace her. He saw Xu Hui's joyful smile and her pearly white teeth.

Ouyang Yiming smiled and called out, "Hurry, hurry, I'm coming for you!" Xu Hui also called out, "Ouyang, I love you, I will never leave you again." "But just as the two were calling out to each other in anticipation, and embracing each other, Xu Hui stopped there, floating in the air. Ouyang Yiming suddenly saw tears streaming down Xu Hui's face as she smiled. The tears flowed more and more, each drop falling onto Ouyang Yiming's face.

Ouyang Yiming was surprised and asked, 'Xu Hui, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Come quickly!' Xu Hui smiled through her tears, without answering. But in that instant, Xu Hui fell rapidly. Ouyang Yiming reached out to catch her, and although his hands touched Xu Hui, he still watched her land on the stone beneath his feet."

Ouyang Yiming was stunned, dumbfounded, and speechless. He stared at Xu Hui lying beside him, motionless for a long time, just watching her silently. After a while, he seemed to understand, and he knelt down to look at her. Xu Hui still had a happy smile on her face, a smile so sweet. Ouyang Yiming touched her cheek, where tears still lingered. He reached out and wiped them away.

He said, "Xu Hui, why are you crying? Why are you crying? I love you."

Xu Hui didn't speak, her eyes closed as if she were fast asleep. Ouyang Yiming looked at her and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Answer me!" He brought his face close to Xu Hui's face and clearly saw a tear streaming from the corner of her closed eye. Ouyang Yiming shook her, saying, "Say something, say something, why are you always crying?"

Xu Hui still didn't speak. Ouyang Yiming seemed to realize something. He timidly moved his hand to Xu Hui's nose, but felt no breath. Unconvinced, he reached out with his other hand to check for her breath. He was convinced Xu Hui wasn't breathing. He froze, speechless, a wave of fear washing over him. He knelt beside Xu Hui, reaching out to touch her face. He felt her once warm face was now ice-cold.

"She's dead, she's dead," he muttered, suddenly scooping Xu Hui up and pulling her into his arms. He shook her, crying, "Xu Hui, wake up, wake up! I love you, I can't live without you!" But no matter how much he called or shook her, he couldn't hear her voice. Despair ensued. He pressed his face tightly against Xu Hui's and wailed loudly, tears streaming down his face.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Then he felt Xu Hui's body move. He immediately stopped crying, staring intently into her eyes, only to see two streams of tears flowing from them. He was overjoyed; Xu Hui was still alive. He reached out to check her breath.

But just then, Ouyang Yiming heard a loud voice from the sky: "You beast, the time has come! Return quickly!" Ouyang Yiming looked up and saw an immortal sitting on a cloud, holding a whisk and watching them.

Xu Hui's body floated up and slowly separated from him. He tried to grab her, but it was like grasping air. He saw Xu Hui gradually rise higher. Suddenly, Xu Hui transformed into a snow-white swan, spreading her wings and drifting away with the immortal, away… Ouyang Yiming understood that Xu Hui would never return. Tears streamed down his face as he waved his hands, desperately calling out, "Xu Hui, come back, come back…"

Just then, Ouyang Yiming woke up. He sat up abruptly, looking around blankly, realizing it was all a dream. His heart was still pounding, and the dream was still playing in his mind. He shook his head, forcing himself to wake up, muttering to himself, "How could I have such a dream?" After a while, he felt a chill, and when he lay down, his back felt sticky. He realized he had been drenched in sweat in his dream, and the sheets and blankets were soaked. He turned the blanket over and wrapped it around himself before lying down.

That night, he couldn't sleep again until dawn. The strange dream churned in his mind, and he wondered about its meaning. Images of Liu Yan and Xu Hui flashed before his eyes, disturbing his peace of mind. He knew that Xu Hui occupied too much space in his heart.

The girl's suicide became the focus of discussion throughout the school the next day, but most of the discussions were unfounded and baseless. It wasn't until almost noon, when a young male teaching assistant from the physics department was taken away by the police, that the discussions had a central theme: the girl's suicide was inextricably linked to this teaching assistant. But the specific details remained speculative. The most discussed theory was that the young teaching assistant had either sexually assaulted or raped the girl.

That afternoon, a curious local student, through a relative in the Public Security Bureau who was handling the case, brought the whole story, which quickly spread throughout the campus. It turned out that the girl had written a suicide note before jumping, and her diary was also with her. The suicide note and diary detailed her reasons for suicide and her story with the teaching assistant.

Their relationship hadn't been long; the teaching assistant had started teaching her class a year ago, and they had been dating for over six months. The teaching assistant's parents were both senior professors at a prestigious university in Shanghai. Two months ago, the teaching assistant discussed his relationship with the girl with his parents, and his mother traveled from Shanghai to meet the girl outside the campus.

She then strongly opposed the relationship, arguing that although the girl was a university student, she lacked the Confucian ideal and the inner qualities and temperament she considered essential for a educated woman.

Especially when she learned that the girl came from a poor family with four younger siblings still in school, the mother was deeply shocked. She didn't want her only son to marry a rural girl who would face heavy burdens in the future. She also believed that her highly educated family couldn't tolerate marrying into a simple farming family. The teaching assistant had a brother and sister; the sister was a university graduate working in a municipal government office, married, and her husband's parents were professors at a prestigious university in Shanghai, and her husband was a university lecturer. In this strong cultural atmosphere, the mother couldn't tolerate the existence of a family from a different farming background.

The teaching assistant was extremely filial, and despite his reluctance, he heeded his mother's scolding and advice. Afterward, he intentionally distanced himself from the girl, but she kept asking and pleading. In desperation, the teaching assistant said he had no feelings for her. The girl didn't believe him, knowing that his distance must be related to his family. After repeated questioning, the teaching assistant subtly revealed his family's intentions. The girl was heartbroken, but still hoped to rekindle the teaching assistant's love for her. What she didn't expect was that a little over ten days ago, the teaching assistant returned to Shanghai with a woman who wasn't particularly pretty. When she managed to question the teaching assistant, she learned that the woman he brought was the daughter of a university professor, also from a similarly privileged background, whom his parents had chosen for him. The girl was utterly devastated. After days of agonizing suffering, she chose to end her life.

The reason for this incident spread throughout the school, causing an uproar among the students. Voices condemning the mother and the teaching assistant rose and fell, especially from some students from rural areas, whose strong words seemed capable of tearing the teaching assistant and his family apart. A debate and condemnation of social class and pseudo-Confucianism quietly unfolded on campus. Jiang Yuqi's most frequent words these past few days were his lament: "Fate is determined by heaven; wild thoughts are useless." This statement soon became widely circulated on campus.

Ouyang Yiming remained silent, unusually depressed these past few days. He connected the girl's suicide to Liu Yan and her family. He worried that Liu Yan's parents, like the teaching assistant's parents, cared too much about social class. He even doubted whether his love affair with Liu Yan was the right thing to do.

Social class, an unchangeable reality, filled him with anxiety. He secretly thought that his family was no different from Liu Yan's family compared to the girl's and the teaching assistant's families. Would Liu Yan's high-ranking official family accept him, a son-in-law from an ordinary family? He felt fear and anguish as he pondered these questions.

He thought of Xu Hui; he knew Xu Hui's parents would accept him. He understood that there was no significant difference in social class between him and Xu Hui. Therefore, it should be right for him to be with Xu Hui, fall in love, and eventually live together. But he also knew that the person he truly loved was Liu Yan. He wondered how he could have met Liu Yan, someone from such a different social class, whom he had fallen in love with so quickly. He knew that if he hadn't met Liu Yan, he would have fallen in love with Xu Hui someday. He knew Xu Hui loved him deeply, and he knew all too well his place in Xu Hui's heart. So why did God send Liu Yan to him, and why did they fall in love so quickly? Did God really want to fulfill the wishes of this loving couple, or did God already think they were the most compatible couple? If that's the case, why did He arrange for Xu Hui to appear in his life, and for Xu Hui to fall in love with him as well?

He looked forward to his date with Liu Yan after several days of depression and anxiety. He wanted to confirm again whether Liu Yan's family would accept him, a son-in-law from a different social class. Although Liu Yan had repeatedly told him that her parents were not a problem, he was still uneasy and wanted to get something from Liu Yan's mouth again, something that could comfort him.

Love and Desire (33)

Chapter Thirty-One

After meeting Liu Yan, Ouyang Yiming forgot all the worries and anxieties of the past few days. His first reaction was a joyful kiss and uncontrollable passion. Ouyang Yiming embraced Liu Yan tightly, kissing her and caressing every inch of her skin. As they savored each other's oral pleasures, they occasionally let out soft, melodious murmurs and intoxicating moans… Liu Yan gripped the hot, hard object that had sprung from Ouyang Yiming's trousers, stroking it. She felt some fluid flowing from the tip and, panting, tilted her head back, asking, "Did you ejaculate?" Ouyang Yiming shook his head, saying, "No." Liu Yan said, "It's sticky." Ouyang Yiming reached out and touched it, indeed feeling some sticky substance. He said, "That's not it, I didn't feel like I was going to ejaculate." Liu Yan didn't ask further and pressed her lips to Ouyang Yiming's again.

Ouyang Yiming withdrew his hand and slipped it under Liu Yan's belt, his fingers probing and exploring the crevices. It was already very wet and sticky there. Ouyang Yiming said, "You've also leaked a lot of fluid here." Liu Yan laughed breathlessly, "I know, that's secretions and lubricant, otherwise, it wouldn't hurt a lot when you inserted it." Ouyang Yiming cupped Liu Yan's face, looked into her eyes, and said, "I've been thinking about it, what about you?" Liu Yan nodded.

The two separated. Liu Yan took out the box of contraceptive films, tore off a sheet, crumpled it into a ball, held it in her palm, pulled down her pants, squatted down, inserted it, then stood up and hugged Ouyang Yiming, saying, "Wait a moment, let it dissolve, I'm scared." Ouyang Yiming then kissed her again. Liu Yan's hand still gripped Ouyang Yiming's thick penis, saying, "This thing is really big. I was so scared when I saw it last time. I wondered how my body could possibly contain it." Ouyang Yiming said, "I don't know how it got so big. It's usually quite small." Liu Yan laughed and playfully slapped him, saying, "It only gets bigger when you're thinking about it. If it were that big normally, would you even be able to walk? Hehe, that would be quite fun." Ouyang Yiming laughed too.

As Liu Yan manipulated Ouyang Yiming's penis, her whole body heated up. She pressed her face against Ouyang Yiming's face, rubbing it against him, feeling an uncontrollable tingling sensation throughout her body. She released her grip on Ouyang Yiming's arm and squatted down. Holding the penis in her hands, she stared intently, exclaiming inwardly once more, "So thick and so long, how could my body possibly contain it?" After a few strokes, she looked up at him and asked, "Does this feel good?" Ouyang Yiming's voice trembled as he said, "It feels good." Liu Yan stood up and said, "I can't take it anymore."

Ouyang Yiming reached down and pulled down her pants. Liu Yan fumbled to unbuckle Ouyang Yiming's belt and helped him pull it off. Ouyang Yiming picked her up, placed her on the ground, and pressed down on her. Liu Yan grasped his penis and guided it to her private parts. Ouyang Yiming gently pushed, and his entire penis entered. Liu Yan closed her eyes and murmured, feeling incredibly full as Ouyang Yiming penetrated her, a swelling sensation that made her whole body tingle. Ouyang Yiming began to thrust, and Liu Yan said, "Like this, slowly."

Ouyang Yiming nodded, leaned back, and one hand reached into Liu Yan's breasts, kneading them. One finger flicked at Liu Yan's nipple. Liu Yan became even more excited as she enjoyed the wonderful pleasure from both sides. She began to twist her hips, tightly hugging Ouyang Yiming's waist. After a while, she felt Ouyang Yiming break free from her embrace, her grip loosening slightly, but then she felt his penis withdraw from her body, a sudden emptiness that made her feel empty and uncomfortable. Looking down, she saw Ouyang Yiming leaning over to look at her private parts. Overwhelmed with shyness, she lifted herself up, saying, "No, don't look!" She pulled Ouyang Yiming's body closer and inserted his erection.

Ouyang Yiming shifted on top of her a couple of times, saying, "I want to see." Liu Yan shook her head, saying, "No, I'm so embarrassed!" She clung tightly to Ouyang Yiming's back, preventing him from getting up. Ouyang Yiming stopped struggling, his hips thrusting even more violently and rapidly. Liu Yan felt increasingly ecstatic, panting heavily. After a while, Liu Yan reached her climax and cried out for more. Ouyang Yiming thrust rapidly, and amidst the intense physical contact and Liu Yan's beautiful moans, he felt the intense contractions within her body, and with a jolt of his own hips, he ejaculated streams of love fluid. Both reached climax simultaneously.

In the brief silence, they embraced tightly, panting heavily. After a while, Ouyang Yiming got up, and Liu Yan sat up. The two looked at each other and laughed. Ouyang Yiming said, "Get up quickly, the ground is cold."

Liu Yan said shyly, "You only just remembered?" She squatted down and touched her bottom with her hand, saying, "My bottom is a little cold, it didn't touch the ground." She took out some paper and handed some to Ouyang, and they each wiped themselves. After putting on their clothes, the two stood there embracing, panting.

Ouyang Yiming said, "It's getting cold, it would be better to stay in the room, I'm afraid you'll be cold." Liu Yan said, "I thought so too, but where can we go?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Can we go to a hotel next time?" Liu Yan said, "I dare not go, it would be so embarrassing if we were caught." Ouyang Yiming thought about it and agreed. He said, "I'm just afraid you'll get cold." Liu Yan laughed and said, "I didn't feel it just now. Next time you can be on the bottom." Ouyang Yiming asked, "Then how do we do it, you move?" Liu Yan said, "Silly. I don't know either. You're afraid I'll be cold." Ouyang Yiming said, "Then I'll do as you say." The two laughed.

Liu Yan asked, "Have you been thinking about this these past few days?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Yes, I think about it most when I'm trying to sleep at night." Liu Yan said, "People are so strange. Before it happened, I didn't think about it much, but after the first time, it's like I'm addicted to opium, I keep thinking about it." Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "That's right." Liu Yan asked, "Did you get an erection when you thought about it?" Ouyang Yiming blushed and said, "Yes." Liu Yan asked, "So what did you do?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I just lay down and read with a flashlight until I got sleepy." Liu Yan said, "You're not allowed to think about it in class."

Ouyang Yiming said, "No, I don't think about it in class." Liu Yan raised her hand and patted Ouyang Yiming's face, laughing and saying, "That's a good boy." Ouyang Yiming laughed too and asked, "You think about it too?"

Liu Yan said, "I don't." Ouyang Yiming knew she was lying and chuckled. After a while, Liu Yan said, "Let's go for a walk. The ground is cold, and I don't want to do it. I'm afraid you'll get cold." Ouyang Yiming nodded in agreement. He pulled her close and kissed her again before they went outside.

The moonlight tonight was pale and cold; a crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a dim, hazy silver light on the ground, appearing listless. Clouds drifted by, occasionally obscuring the pale moonlight, making the ground alternately bright and dark.

The two walked slowly side by side. Ouyang Yiming, remembering the girl's suicide at school, felt a pang of sadness and said, "A few days ago, a girl at our school jumped off a building and committed suicide." Liu Yan stared at him wide-eyed and asked, "Why?" Ouyang Yiming said, "For love."

He then recounted the story of the teaching assistant and the girl. Liu Yan sighed, "That girl's actions were too extreme. Sometimes people get so fixated on things they can't understand that it's hard to see the solution. Having family or friends to confide in at those times helps." Ouyang Yiming said, "Yes, I heard she was in a daze for days and didn't talk about it with anyone." Liu Yan said, "She's so stubborn that she'll do stupid things. I was thinking, what if you dumped me and got together with Xu Hui, and I found out? What would I do?" Ouyang Yiming frowned and looked at her, saying, "Don't talk nonsense! There's no 'what if'." He paused and asked, "Besides feeling sorry for that girl these past few days, do you know what I've been thinking about the most?" Liu Yan said:

"You're just feeling sorry for her. Do you know her?"

Ouyang Yiming shook his head and sighed, "I don't know her. What I think about most is the disparity in our families' social standing. Don't you think our families and theirs are somewhat similar?"

Liu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "You've been thinking about this these past few days?" Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "How could I not think of us? Your parents are both high-ranking officials, while my family are just ordinary people, somewhat similar to them."

Liu Yan raised her hand and punched him, saying, "You! Don't think like that, okay? No one in our family has a college degree yet, but your parents and you are, aren't we? I'm even worried that your parents will look down on my education." Ouyang Yiming said, "There are many college graduates, but few high-ranking officials. Families like yours often hope that their children will find someone of equal social standing." Liu Yan said, "Don't think too much, my parents won't. Besides, they can't make decisions for me. I won't be as spineless as your teaching assistant, what kind of man is that! Unless I don't want to, I won't let others dictate my life's major events."

Hearing her unusually firm words, Ouyang Yiming felt much relieved. "Hearing you say that makes me feel a little relieved," Liu Yan said, glaring at him. "I've always said that. Let's each work on our parents. If they agree, great; if not, we'll just ignore them and make our own decisions. Can you do that?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I can." Liu Yan said, "That's good! The key is still yourself. Also, don't overthink things. Always thinking the worst, how can you live like that! I'm not worried about anything else, just worried that one day you'll get tired of me. There's a beautiful woman who loves you too. Maybe one day she'll make her move and you'll give in." Ouyang Yiming said, "I won't." Liu Yan sighed softly and said, "I hope so." Then she looked up at Ouyang Yiming seriously and said, "I really hope you graduate soon, then you'll break up with her, and I won't have to worry like this all the time." Ouyang Yiming said, "Don't think too much. I would never betray you." At this moment, he remembered the strange dream he had that night with Xu Hui. But he didn't want to talk about it in front of Liu Yan.

Liu Yan shook her head, somewhat sadly saying, "Actually, I worry more than you do. Xu Hui is always a worry for me. I'm afraid that one day Xu Hui will steal you away from me." Hearing her mention Xu Hui made Ouyang Yiming feel disgusted. He said, "We've already had everything, what could possibly happen between us? Wouldn't that be too immoral!" Ouyang Yiming then thought of what Zhu Haitao had done. He thought to himself that he would never be like him, juggling multiple relationships.

Liu Yan said, "I believe you too. Sometimes I think, what's the point of thinking about that? The key is whether you've chosen the right person. If you truly love me, no one can take you away. If you only feel that way about me, then thinking about it is useless. Let fate decide." Ouyang Yiming said, "You won't misjudge me, just trust me." Liu Yan nodded.

Ouyang Yiming, however, was thinking that he had been worrying a lot these past few days about Liu Yan's family, but now it seemed like Liu Yan was confiding her worries. It seemed he was just worrying unnecessarily; there was no need to overthink it. As he thought about it, the anxieties and worries of the past few days vanished, and he felt much more at ease.

Liu Yan looked up at the sky and said, "The weather is about to change. I heard from the forecast that there will be a cold front in the next few days, so you should wear more clothes." Ouyang Yiming nodded. Liu Yan said:

“It’s too cold for us to keep coming here. And it’s not good to keep doing this kind of thing.” Ouyang Yiming frowned and said, “How can I stand not seeing you once a week?” Liu Yan smiled and said, “If it’s really too cold, why would we do that here? Can I just lie on that cold ground all the time? You can’t let that stuff come out in this cold weather, you’ll get sick, that’s going to kill you!” Ouyang Yiming asked, “Will I get sick?” Liu Yan said, “I don’t know, but I don’t feel good. I heard that you can’t drink anything cold after doing this. If you get sick from this, it’ll be a lifelong problem. I’m worried about you, not you. I can’t let you do this.”

Ouyang Yiming wasn’t very willing, but he nodded and said, “I’ll listen to you.” Liu Yan suddenly giggled and said, “That’s a good girl. You know, if it really gets cold, I’ll freeze that thing into an icicle and give it to you…” "If I freeze, I'll become a eunuch, and I won't be able to do it anymore. I don't want to marry a eunuch. Would you like to be a eunuch?" Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "I certainly wouldn't." Liu Yan laughed and said, "I'd be even less willing." Ouyang Yiming said with a gloomy face, "But we can't not meet." Liu Yan glanced at him and deliberately said, "What's the point of meeting? If we meet, you'll start thinking about me." Ouyang Yiming's face fell, and he muttered, "Isn't this going to kill me?"

Liu Yan glanced at him and said, "It won't kill you. Just think about me." Ouyang Yiming said, "How can I not think about you?" Liu Yan said, "These past two days, after listening to the forecast, I've been thinking, if the cold air really comes next week, let's not come here. Let's find a small restaurant, sit down, chat, and have a meal, isn't that okay?" Ouyang Yiming said, "That's fine too. You're so thoughtful. Anyway, we can't not meet." Liu Yan said, "What thoughtful? You..." "Your mind is always on that, how can you think of anything else? We've been in love for so long, and you've never even mentioned treating your girlfriend to a meal. I've finally found someone! Everyone else is trying to win over their girlfriends, but I'm the opposite; I have to win you over."

Ouyang Yiming blushed and said, "I'd like to, but you said you don't need anything, and that I'll treat you to a meal in a while." Liu Yan covered her mouth and giggled, saying, "It's enough that you mean it. You're just a poor student; where would you get the money to treat me? Are you going to use your parents' money to treat me? I really can't stomach it. I'll pay. My current salary isn't even enough for a few meals with you. I'll treat you when you're working and earning money. Then you won't be able to run away, and I'll eat all the delicacies until you beg for mercy." Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "I'd be happy to do that too."

Liu Yan pouted. "Don't cry later if you say that now," Liu Yan said. Ouyang Yiming replied, "It's not right for me to feed the person I love. You underestimate me." Liu Yan chuckled, then stopped laughing and said, "Seriously, the weather is definitely going to change in a few days. Remember, next time you come, don't eat. Come an hour early, and we'll meet at the palace gate and then find a place to eat." Ouyang Yiming said, "I always listen to you." Liu Yan said, "You listen to me now, but that might not be the case after we're married. You'll be showing your macho power then, won't you?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I don't think I'll do that." Liu Yan glared at him and said, "Even if you do, I won't be afraid. Do you think I'm the kind of submissive little woman? I'm quite formidable. You should be prepared." Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "I've already experienced it. Just don't show me your macho power." The two laughed happily.

Two days later, the temperature indeed dropped, and the lowest temperature was close to zero. People began to wear thick winter clothes, and the older ones wore cotton-padded coats and trousers. On campus, apart from the evergreen trees whose canopies remained verdant, most of the other trees, such as the ginkgo, had already shed their leaves. A few leaves swayed helplessly in the cold winter wind, looking so helpless and pitiful. They seemed so resilient in their struggle against the natural climate, but ultimately they would be blown to the ground by the cold wind, turning into soil or being burned to ashes.

That evening, Ouyang Yiming went to the library to read some materials on chemical engineering theory. On his way back to the dormitory, he encountered Jiang Yuqi, Zhu Haitao, and Ge Guangcheng. Jiang Yuqi told them to go ahead, saying he had something to discuss with Ouyang Yiming. After they left, Jiang Yuqi said with a hint of smugness, "I told you they'd stay close."

Ouyang Yiming's mind raced for a moment, and he instantly realized that Jiang Yuqi was probably referring to Zhu Haitao and Wu Yingying. His heart pounded, but he pretended not to understand and asked, "Who?" Jiang Yuqi replied, "Who else could it be but Zhu Haitao and Wu Yingying?" Ouyang Yiming was still surprised to hear Jiang Yuqi say that, and he recalled Wu Yingying's expression and words when they ate lotus root starch together that day. But he asked,

"Really? They're really together?" Jiang Yuqi said, "How could that be false! Zhu Haitao told me himself. They went on a date yesterday." Ouyang Yiming shook his head and said, "So fast?"

Jiang Yuqi said, "What did I say last time? They have feelings for each other. How could they not? They've been together for over a year, they've done everything. Even a day as husband and wife is a hundred days of kindness, you tell me how many times they've been husband and wife." Ouyang Yiming said, "Is he still going to play around with Wu Yingying? He's still in contact with two of his high school classmates. Can Zhu Haitao be sincere with Wu Yingying?" Jiang

Yuqi frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I'll have to talk to him about this when I have the chance." Ouyang Yiming said, "Exactly, otherwise Wu Yingying will really be ruined by Zhu Haitao." Ouyang Yiming then thought of Wu Yingying's abortion. Jiang Yuqi nodded and said, "That's right, this time it's been such a big blow to Wu Yingying. I need to warn him not to do it to Wu Yingying again." Ouyang Yiming said,

"It really can't happen again. Otherwise, Wu Yingying will really break down. Wasn't that girl who jumped off the building last time because of love? You told Zhu Haitao that he can't hurt a girl who was so devoted to him like that. I'm a little surprised that Wu Yingying was able to forgive him this time."

Jiang Yuqi nodded and said, "Yes, it's frightening to think about. I'll talk to him about it when I have time. But there's no doubt that Zhu Haitao truly loves Wu Yingying. Even if he has relationships with other girls, he would never abandon Wu Yingying. This time, he begged and pleaded with Wu Yingying. I think he should know the truth." Ouyang Yiming said, "It's a good thing if he truly loves Wu Yingying. I was worried that he and Wu Yingying weren't sincere." Jiang Yuqi said, "Zhu Haitao should have learned his lesson. It should be said that their feelings are still very deep.

Take Wu Yingying for example, if she didn't have any feelings for Zhu Haitao, would she have gotten back together with him? This shows that Wu Yingying still loves Zhu Haitao." Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "Yes, it seems so."

Jiang Yuqi said excitedly, "I told you a few days ago not to get involved in this matter and not to say anything about Zhu Haitao in front of Wu Yingying. Wasn't that right? It's the two of them who are closer."

Ouyang Yiming nodded thoughtfully. Thinking to himself, Wu Yingying is so unpredictable. Just a few days ago, she was so resolute, wishing Zhu Haitao were dead. How could she change so quickly in such a short time? Jiang Yuqi said smugly, "My saying 'If it doesn't concern you, don't get involved' is quite philosophical, isn't it? Often, the outcome of things will surprise you. So, 'If it doesn't concern you, don't get involved' is the best approach." Ouyang Yiming nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but be impressed by this unexpected outcome. He thought to himself that he really needed to think more about Jiang Yuqi's words in the future.

Hearing her unusually firm words, Ouyang Yiming felt much more at ease. "Hearing you say that makes me feel a little relieved," Liu Yan said, glaring at him. "I've always said that. Let's each work on our parents. If they agree, great; if not, we'll just ignore them and make our own decisions. Can you do that?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I can." Liu Yan said, "That's good! The key is still yourself. Also, don't overthink things. Always thinking the worst, how can you live like that! I'm not worried about anything else, just worried that one day you'll get tired of me. There's a beautiful woman who loves you too. Maybe one day she'll make her move and you'll give in." Ouyang Yiming said, "I won't." Liu Yan sighed softly and said, "I hope so." Then she looked up at Ouyang Yiming seriously and said, "I really hope you graduate soon, then you'll break up with her, and I won't have to worry like this all the time." Ouyang Yiming said, "Don't think too much. I would never betray you." At this moment, he remembered the strange dream he had that night with Xu Hui. But he didn't want to talk about it in front of Liu Yan.

Liu Yan shook her head, somewhat sadly saying, "Actually, I worry more than you do. Xu Hui is always a worry for me. I'm afraid that one day Xu Hui will steal you away from me." Hearing her mention Xu Hui made Ouyang Yiming feel disgusted. He said, "We've already had everything, what could possibly happen between us? Wouldn't that be too immoral!" Ouyang Yiming then thought of what Zhu Haitao had done. He thought to himself that he would never be like him, juggling multiple relationships.

Liu Yan said, "I believe you too. Sometimes I think, what's the point of thinking about that? The key is whether you've chosen the right person. If you truly love me, no one can take you away. If you only feel that way about me, then thinking about it is useless. Let fate decide." Ouyang Yiming said, "You won't misjudge me, just trust me." Liu Yan nodded.

Ouyang Yiming, however, was thinking that he had been worrying a lot these past few days about Liu Yan's family, but now it seemed like Liu Yan was confiding her worries. It seemed he was just worrying unnecessarily; there was no need to overthink it. As he thought about it, the anxieties and worries of the past few days vanished, and he felt much more at ease.

Liu Yan looked up at the sky and said, "The weather is about to change. I heard from the forecast that there will be a cold front in the next few days, so you should wear more clothes." Ouyang Yiming nodded. Liu Yan said:

“It’s too cold for us to keep coming here. And it’s not good to keep doing this kind of thing.” Ouyang Yiming frowned and said, “How can I stand not seeing you once a week?” Liu Yan smiled and said, “If it’s really too cold, why would we do that here? Can I just lie on that cold ground all the time? You can’t let that stuff come out in this cold weather, you’ll get sick, that’s going to kill you!” Ouyang Yiming asked, “Will I get sick?” Liu Yan said, “I don’t know, but I don’t feel good. I heard that you can’t drink anything cold after doing this. If you get sick from this, it’ll be a lifelong problem. I’m worried about you, not you. I can’t let you do this.”

Ouyang Yiming wasn’t very willing, but he nodded and said, “I’ll listen to you.” Liu Yan suddenly giggled and said, “That’s a good girl. You know, if it really gets cold, I’ll freeze that thing into an icicle and give it to you…” "If I freeze, I'll become a eunuch, and I won't be able to do it anymore. I don't want to marry a eunuch. Would you like to be a eunuch?" Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "I certainly wouldn't." Liu Yan laughed and said, "I'd be even less willing." Ouyang Yiming said with a gloomy face, "But we can't not meet." Liu Yan glanced at him and deliberately said, "What's the point of meeting? If we meet, you'll start thinking about me." Ouyang Yiming's face fell, and he muttered, "Isn't this going to kill me?"

Liu Yan glanced at him and said, "It won't kill you. Just think about me." Ouyang Yiming said, "How can I not think about you?" Liu Yan said, "These past two days, after listening to the forecast, I've been thinking, if the cold air really comes next week, let's not come here. Let's find a small restaurant, sit down, chat, and have a meal, isn't that okay?" Ouyang Yiming said, "That's fine too. You're so thoughtful. Anyway, we can't not meet." Liu Yan said, "What thoughtful? You..." "Your mind is always on that, how can you think of anything else? We've been in love for so long, and you've never even mentioned treating your girlfriend to a meal. I've finally found someone! Everyone else is trying to win over their girlfriends, but I'm the opposite; I have to win you over."

Ouyang Yiming blushed and said, "I'd like to, but you said you don't need anything, and that I'll treat you to a meal in a while." Liu Yan covered her mouth and giggled, saying, "It's enough that you mean it. You're just a poor student; where would you get the money to treat me? Are you going to use your parents' money to treat me? I really can't stomach it. I'll pay. My current salary isn't even enough for a few meals with you. I'll treat you when you're working and earning money. Then you won't be able to run away, and I'll eat all the delicacies until you beg for mercy." Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "I'd be happy to do that too."

Liu Yan pouted. "Don't cry later if you say that now," Liu Yan said. Ouyang Yiming replied, "It's not right for me to feed the person I love. You underestimate me." Liu Yan chuckled, then stopped laughing and said, "Seriously, the weather is definitely going to change in a few days. Remember, next time you come, don't eat. Come an hour early, and we'll meet at the palace gate and then find a place to eat." Ouyang Yiming said, "I always listen to you." Liu Yan said, "You listen to me now, but that might not be the case after we're married. You'll be showing your macho power then, won't you?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I don't think I'll do that." Liu Yan glared at him and said, "Even if you do, I won't be afraid. Do you think I'm the kind of submissive little woman? I'm quite formidable. You should be prepared." Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "I've already experienced it. Just don't show me your macho power." The two laughed happily.

Two days later, the temperature indeed dropped, and the lowest temperature was close to zero. People began to wear thick winter clothes, and the older ones wore cotton-padded coats and trousers. On campus, apart from the evergreen trees whose canopies remained verdant, most of the other trees, such as the ginkgo, had already shed their leaves. A few leaves swayed helplessly in the cold winter wind, looking so helpless and pitiful. They seemed so resilient in their struggle against the natural climate, but ultimately they would be blown to the ground by the cold wind, turning into soil or being burned to ashes.

That evening, Ouyang Yiming went to the library to read some materials on chemical engineering theory. On his way back to the dormitory, he encountered Jiang Yuqi, Zhu Haitao, and Ge Guangcheng. Jiang Yuqi told them to go ahead, saying he had something to discuss with Ouyang Yiming. After they left, Jiang Yuqi said with a smug look, "I told you they'd keep getting along."

Ouyang Yiming's mind raced for a moment, and he instantly realized Jiang Yuqi was probably referring to Zhu Haitao and Wu Yingying. His heart pounded, but he pretended not to understand and asked, "Who?" Jiang Yuqi replied, "Who else could it be but Zhu Haitao and Wu Yingying?" Ouyang Yiming was still surprised to hear Jiang Yuqi say that, and he recalled Wu Yingying's expression and words when they ate lotus root starch together that day. He asked, however, "..."

"Really? They're really together?" Jiang Yuqi said, "How could that be fake! Zhu Haitao told me himself. They went on a date yesterday." Ouyang Yiming shook his head and said, "So fast?"

Jiang Yuqi said, "What did I say last time? They have feelings for each other. How could they not? They've been together for over a year, they've done everything. Even a day as husband and wife is a hundred days of kindness, you tell me how many times they've been husband and wife." Ouyang Yiming said, "Is he going to play around with Wu Yingying again? He's still in contact with two of his high school classmates. Can Zhu Haitao be sincere with Wu Yingying?"

Jiang Yuqi frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "I'll have to talk to him about this when I have the chance." Ouyang Yiming said, "Exactly, otherwise Wu Yingying will really be ruined by Zhu Haitao." Ouyang Yiming then thought of Wu Yingying's abortion. Jiang Yuqi nodded and said, "Exactly, this was such a big blow to Wu Yingying. I need to warn him not to do this to Wu Yingying again." Ouyang Yiming said:

“It really can’t happen again. Otherwise, Wu Yingying will really break down. Wasn’t that girl who jumped off the building last time because of love? You told Zhu Haitao that he can’t hurt a girl who was so devoted to him like that. I’m a little surprised that Wu Yingying forgave him this time.”

Jiang Yuqi nodded and said, “Yes, it’s still scary to think about. I’ll talk to him about it when I have time. But there’s no doubt that Zhu Haitao truly loves Wu Yingying. Even if he has relationships with other girls, he would never abandon Wu Yingying. This time, he begged Wu Yingying with all his might. I think he should know what’s going on.” Ouyang Yiming said, “He wanted to…” "It's a good thing that he truly loves Wu Yingying. I was worried that his feelings for her weren't genuine," Jiang Yuqi said. "Zhu Haitao should have learned his lesson. Their relationship is still quite deep.

Take Wu Yingying, for example; if she didn't have any feelings for Zhu Haitao, would she have reconciled with him? This shows that Wu Yingying still loves Zhu Haitao." Ouyang Yiming nodded and said, "Yes, it seems so."

Jiang Yuqi said excitedly, "I told you a few days ago not to get involved in this, not to say anything about Zhu Haitao in front of Wu Yingying, wasn't that right? It's the two of them who are truly close."

Ouyang Yiming nodded thoughtfully. He thought to himself, "Wu Yingying is so unpredictable. Just a few days ago she was so resolute, wishing Zhu Haitao were dead, and she's changed so quickly in such a short time." Jiang Yuqi said smugly, "My saying 'If it doesn't concern you, just ignore it' is quite philosophical, isn't it? Often, the outcome of things will surprise you. So it's still better to 'if it doesn't concern you, just ignore it.'" Ouyang Yiming nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but be impressed by this unexpected outcome. He thought to himself that he really needed to think more about Jiang Yuqi's words in the future.

The

next

day, the air was unusually stuffy. Clumps of gray-black clouds hung low and moved slowly like snails. Occasionally, a ray of sunlight struggled to break through the clouds and shoot into the earth, only to be blocked by another dark cloud that moved over. It seemed so helpless, sad and miserable. The wind was not strong, but it carried a cool chill that mercilessly ravaged everything in the world. The whole city and campus were shrouded in a chaotic atmosphere. The gloomy scene brought Ouyang Yiming into a state of depression and helplessness. He felt lost and confused.

On his way to class that morning, Ouyang Yiming happened to see Xu Hui wearing a light yellow wool coat. Her hands were in her pockets, exuding an unusual air of elegance and poise. Her chest appeared even higher and more beautiful. She was walking and chatting with Wu Yingying.

Ouyang Yiming stopped, glancing at Xu Hui a few times, then carefully observing Wu Yingying. He noticed Wu Yingying's joyful and happy expression. Ouyang Yiming was filled with questions. As he took a step, Xu Hui called out to him.

Ouyang Yiming stopped. As he approached, Wu Yingying smiled at him and quickly walked away. Xu Hui asked, "Is something wrong?" Ouyang Yiming looked at her questioningly and said, "Nothing." Xu Hui smiled and said, "I saw you stop and thought you had something to say." Ouyang Yiming shook his head and smiled.

Xu Hui turned to look at him and asked, "Did my dress catch your eye?" Ouyang Yiming smiled and said, "Maybe." Xu Hui smiled sweetly and asked, "Do you look even prettier now?" Ouyang Yiming chuckled twice. Seeing his silly look, Xu Hui teased him deliberately, "Tell me, what does that smile mean?" Ouyang Yiming blushed and said, "Pretty." Xu Hui giggled.

Hearing a slight nasal tone in her voice, Ouyang Yiming asked, "Are you catching a cold?" Xu Hui replied, "A little." Ouyang Yiming asked, "Have you taken any medicine?" Xu Hui said, "I only felt a little this morning, so I haven't taken any medicine." Ouyang Yiming said, "You still have a little, your voice is very nasal. Take your medicine quickly, or it will get worse." Hearing his concerned words, Xu Hui felt a warmth in her heart and said, "Look at you, it's okay. We'll talk about it at noon. There's no time to buy medicine now." Ouyang Yiming looked at her and said, "You need to hurry." Xu Hui blushed shyly and said, "I know, I know."

Ouyang Yiming suddenly noticed her expression and felt a pang of panic. He realized that his words had been full of care, but this care was completely unconscious and came from the bottom of his heart. Ouyang Yiming blushed, feeling flustered. Wanting to say something to calm her down, without much thought, she said, "Wu Yingying and Zhu Haitao are back together again. Did she tell you?" Xu Hui was surprised and asked, "Back together again? So fast."

Seeing her surprised expression, Ouyang Yiming asked, "You didn't know? Didn't Wu Yingying tell you?" Xu Hui said, "She didn't tell me anything. How do you know?" Ouyang Yiming pondered for a moment and said, "Jiang Yuqi told me last night. He heard it from Zhu Haitao himself. He said they went on a date the day before yesterday. Let's not worry about this anymore. If she doesn't tell you, don't ask her. Just pretend you don't know anything." Xu Hui nodded, lost in thought, saying, "I didn't expect it to be so fast."

Ouyang Yiming suddenly felt annoyed and said, "Don't think about it anymore. It's too much trouble." He then walked away quickly. Xu Hui watched him leave, paused for a moment, shook her head slightly, and walked on.

At noon, Xu Hui lay on her bed in the dormitory, reading a miscellaneous book, her eyes occasionally glancing at Wu Yingying's bed. She saw her lying there, head covered, motionless.

Xu Hui thought about Wu Yingying and Zhu Haitao's reconciliation and couldn't understand how Wu Yingying could forgive Zhu Haitao so quickly. She was puzzled by Wu Yingying's hateful expression and words when talking about Zhu Haitao a few days ago. She couldn't understand how Wu Yingying could change so quickly. She wondered what kind of magic Zhu Haitao had used to make Wu Yingying submit so quickly.

Then she thought that perhaps their feelings were truly deep, and Wu Yingying's words a few days ago were just short-lived anger. But she still resented Wu Yingying for forgiving Zhu Haitao so easily. Even if you love him deeply, you can't accept him again so quickly after he hurt you like that. She even thought Wu Yingying was a bit pathetic. She

turned over, picked up a magazine, and looked at it with her face to the wall. She thought that she and Ouyang Yiming had cared for her so much lately, and Wu Yingying shouldn't have kept her reconciliation with Zhu Haitao a secret from them. At this moment, she felt a little resentful towards her again. Thinking about it again, Wu Yingying probably felt she shouldn't have gotten together with Zhu Haitao so quickly, and she had said many heartless things in front of us a few days ago, so perhaps she was too embarrassed to say them.

Just then, Li Xuan gently pushed open the door and saw Xu Hui curled up facing the wall, covered by a blanket. Thinking she was asleep, she quietly approached and saw Xu Hui with her eyes open, holding a notebook. She smiled and patted Xu Hui's bottom. Xu Hui turned over, saw it was Li Xuan, and sat up, whispering, "I thought someone from our dorm had come in." Li Xuan said, "I thought you were asleep. I looked closer and you still had your eyes open. If you were asleep, I wouldn't have woken you up." Xu Hui said, "I was trying to fall asleep while reading, but I couldn't. Is something wrong?" She sat up as she spoke.

Li Xuan sat down on the edge of Xu Hui's bed and said softly, "There's something I need to talk about." She glanced at the other berths, then turned back and whispered in Xu Hui's ear, "It's not convenient to talk about it here. Never mind, you've already warmed up the covers, so I feel bad asking you to get up." Xu Hui chuckled softly and said, "What's so mysterious about it?" Li Xuan leaned closer to her ear again and said, "It's about Gao Peng. Never mind, we'll talk about it later. It's cold outside, so don't get up." She stood up after speaking. Xu Hui grabbed her arm and said, "Look at you, I'll get up, I haven't even taken my clothes off." Then she lifted the covers and said,

"I can't sleep anyway."

As Li Xuan got out of bed and put on her shoes, fixing her hair in front of the mirror on the table, she said, "You sound like you have a bit of a cold." Xu Hui replied, "A little. Come with me to buy some medicine; I forgot after dinner." As she spoke, she remembered Ouyang Yiming's caring words that morning, her face flushing slightly, a sweet feeling welling up inside her. She bent down to grab her coat from the bed, put it on, and went out with Li Xuan.

Downstairs, the two walked arm in arm, Li Xuan heading towards the school hospital. Xu Hui asked, "Where are you going?" Li Xuan looked at her and said, "Aren't we going to get medicine? To the school hospital, right?" Xu Hui said, "No, what kind of medicine can they prescribe there? Let's buy it outside the school." Li Xuan nodded and followed Xu Hui out of the school.

Seeing Li Xuan frowning and not speaking, Xu Hui asked, "What's going on between you and him?" Li Xuan sighed and said, "Nothing between us. It's his ex-wife." Xu Hui said:

"Didn't he divorce her? Didn't his ex-wife remarry that foreman from her factory?"

Li Xuan nodded and said, "Yes. But that woman came to see him again a few days ago." Xu Hui asked, "Why did she come to see him? Was it about the child?" Li Xuan said, "No, she came to ask him if he could still accept her. That woman was fine for the first few months after marrying the workshop foreman, but then things changed. That man is an alcoholic, always drinking outside, and when he comes home drunk, he goes on a rampage. The woman couldn't stand it and said something, and then he hit her. When she was with Gao Peng, she was always the one in control; she was never beaten. At first, she endured it, but then she heard that the man often went to prostitutes after drinking with other people, and she also heard that he had a mistress outside. One day, she followed him and sure enough, she saw the man and a woman on a date in a bar. He got into a fight with that woman in that bar. Guess who the man sided with?" The man hit her in front of her. Now she regretted it and remembered how good Gao Peng was to her. She had never been beaten by him when they were together; it was always him who beat her. She'd been staying at her parents' house for a while now, and she was going through the divorce process with her current husband. It was basically finalized; now they were just waiting for the court's verdict.

Xu Hui sighed inwardly and asked, "Did Gao Peng tell you?" Li Xuan said, "How would I know if he didn't tell me? Yesterday I went to his place to get my meal tickets. He said he wanted me to go out that night. You know I was afraid of being seen and didn't want to go out with him, but he said he had something very important to say. We went to the lake that night, and that's when he told me." Xu Hui asked, "What did he mean?"

Li Xuan said, "His attitude was very firm. He said he would never remarry her, even if it meant death. But then he said he was worried about the child. You know, if that woman wants to divorce her current husband, he won't take care of the child." "Can that woman raise a child on her own? She's always been a spendthrift," Gao Peng said. "Her salary isn't even enough for her clothes and cosmetics. Although Gao Peng and she have nothing to do with each other now, the child is Gao Peng's biological child. When they divorced, Gao Peng deliberately refused to pay child support, intending to teach that woman a lesson. He also felt that since that man stole his woman, he had to support his child. It was all intentional. He even thought that woman would disagree with these conditions, but who knew she would sign without saying a word. Logically, the child has nothing to do with Gao Peng now, as stated in the divorce agreement. But do you think Gao Peng wouldn't ask? He's his own child, after all."

Xu Hui nodded and asked, "Has Gao Peng started paying child support now?" Li Xuan said, "He said no, who knows if he has." Xu Hui asked, "So what do you plan to do?" Li Xuan said, "He told me about this yesterday, and I asked him if he wanted to remarry." "I said if you two remarry, I'll back out. He said that's like smearing shit on his own face, he'd rather die than do that. But what about the child? That woman won't easily remarry after this divorce, so what will happen if she's caught in the middle?"

Xu Hui nodded, "You're right." Li Xuan said, "Actually, I don't know what to do either. I know in my heart that he can leave that woman, but he can't leave the child."

Xu Hui said, "In my opinion, you should just harden your heart and break up with Gao Peng. I feel like you two aren't suitable, and you don't love him." Li Xuan said, "I thought about this last night too.

But then I thought it wouldn't work. You know why I dated Gao Peng, I just wanted to stay in this city. We've been together for over a year, can I just give up so easily?" Xu Hui thought to herself, Li Xuan was just using him, and she hadn't even achieved her goal yet, how could she just give up like that?

As they spoke, they left the school gate and bought medicine at a pharmacy across the street not far away. Li Xuan insisted on paying, but Xu Hui wouldn't let her.

On the way back, Li Xuan continued, "I really hope he can remarry his ex-wife, but not now. He needs to arrange a good job for me here, so I can settle down. That would be my goal, and I'd be happy with that. But I still have over a year before graduation." She paused and said, "Gao Peng isn't willing to let me off so easily either. Think about it, that woman made him lose face, and now she wants to marry me to bask in some glory. Do you think he'll agree to remarry her?"

Xu Hui asked, "Did Gao Peng tell his ex-wife about you two?" Li Xuan said, "I was worried about that too, so I asked him. He said he didn't mention us. He said that last time she went to his father's house, his father called him home. He didn't give her a good look when he saw her and told her to give up on remarrying him. You know, that woman is quite cunning. She brought her child with her that day, and Gao Peng said he felt soft-hearted when he saw the child." But he still didn't give that woman a friendly look. Later, I warned Gao Peng not to tell that woman about me. Gao Peng said he didn't intend to tell her anyway and told me not to worry. To be honest, I'm afraid that woman will come looking for me.

Xu Hui nodded and said, "But now that this has happened, what if Gao Peng is tempted by the child?" Li Xuan said, "I've thought about that too. I don't think he'll be that stupid in the near future, he's not that stupid, he still has me here. If it weren't for me, I might not be able to say for sure. But, it's hard to guarantee that if it goes on for a long time, with all the persuasion, or if that woman keeps using the child as an excuse, Gao Peng might be tempted." Xu Hui said, "Exactly, what if that happens? You can't make your relationship public with him now." Li Xuan said, "I thought a lot about it last night. This is what I'm thinking: if he really is tempted, I'll let them be together. But there's one thing, he has to give me my job." "It's all arranged for me. If it's really all arranged, would I even care about him?

You and Ouyang know everything. I never loved him; I was just using him. You won't laugh at me. Think about it, if he didn't arrange things for me and then remarried that woman, would I forgive him?"

Xu Hui thought for a moment and said, "Don't be angry with me for saying this; I'm just telling the truth. You need to think it through. Gao Peng is just dating you now. What right do you have to stop him from remarrying?" Li Xuan said, "You're right. I've actually thought about that too. But I can tell you, I've gone to great lengths to stay in this city. Will I give up until I achieve my goal? If he really abandons me and stops doing these things for me, I'll find a way to make him suffer."

Xu Hui felt a little uneasy and asked, "How do you plan to deal with him?" Li Xuan saw her smile. Li Xuan said, "I'll find a way. If things really come to that, please don't think I'm heartless."

Xu Hui felt nervous and somewhat panicked, asking, "What exactly do you plan to do? You can't do anything reckless; that wouldn't be good for you." Li Xuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll handle it. To be honest, this is just the last resort. Maybe Gao Peng will consider our past relationship and do everything for me. In that case, I'll only be grateful. I don't think that desperate step will happen. We should always think positively."

Xu Hui felt a little relieved and said, "You're right. If he really remarries his ex-wife, it's because he wronged you, and he'll consider it." Li Xuan said, "I hope so. But I've also thought that the most likely outcome is that Gao Peng will still marry me, but he'll have to support the child." Xu Hui nodded and said, "That should be the case. Will you mind him raising the child?" Li Xuan said:

"It would be a lie to say I don't care. The key is whether that woman will keep bothering Gao Peng. If she can find another man to marry and take the child away, I won't say anything even if Gao Peng has to pay child support. But what if that woman doesn't look for another man? Do you think I'll be caught in the middle?"

Xu Hui thought to herself that this was indeed a problem, and said, "The best outcome would be for Gao Peng to arrange things for you and remarry his ex-wife." Li Xuan said, "Yes, that would be the most perfect ending. I hope it will be like that. I will be grateful to Gao Peng for the rest of my life." She paused and then said, "Who knows how things will develop? It's really hard to predict what will happen in the future. From last night until now, I've been in a state of turmoil, and I just wanted to talk to you."

Xu Hui said, "Actually, you've considered everything very thoroughly, so I can't offer any advice." Li Xuan said, "I didn't expect you to give me any advice; I just wanted to talk to you. Talking about it will make me feel better." Xu Hui said, "I understand." "You only told me this because you consider me a good friend," Li Xuan said. "Last time, you and Ouyang cared about me so much, and I was truly grateful. You two are both kind people. Now that this has happened, I couldn't help but tell you. Originally, I was planning to wait another year until graduation before marrying him, and I accepted my fate. But who would have thought something like this would happen? Now I don't know what my fate is anymore, and I don't know what will happen in the future. I really envy you and Ouyang; you are such a perfect match, and you are both so kind-hearted. How happy you will be in the future, and what trouble could possibly arise?"

Xu Hui felt relieved at this moment because Li Xuan was talking about herself and Ouyang Yiming. Then she thought about why Wu Yingying and Zhu Haitao had kept their reconciliation a secret from us. Ouyang Yiming and I had taken a great risk for her. Thinking about this, she secretly got angry.

Li Xuan suddenly asked, "What are your plans after graduation?" Xu Hui asked, "What do you mean, 'what are you planning to do'?" Li Xuan said, "We plan to settle down there." Xu Hui said, "We haven't discussed this yet. Let's talk about it before graduation. He's planning to continue his studies, so it's too early to think about it now. If he insists on going back to our hometown, I can't really stop him. Women always follow men, don't they? But I talked to my mother about this last time she came. She hopes we can settle down in Suzhou and be with them, since I'm their only daughter. My uncle works in Shanghai; he's an official in the city's development office. He told my mother before that he could find me a job in Shanghai after I graduate. I told my mother that going to Shanghai is fine too, and now I'm asking my uncle to prepare for both me and Ouyang. I don't know if it will be easy to get it done. If it can be done before graduation, and Ouyang is willing, then we'll apply to the school. I still want to go to Shanghai; I don't want to stay in Suzhou or follow Ouyang." "Yang is going back to his hometown. Shanghai is a big city, after all

," Li Xuan said enviously. "You two are so lucky. You don't have to worry about anything. I have to rely on myself. You're so fortunate." Xu Hui said, "Don't tell anyone about this, especially not Ouyang. I haven't told him, so I don't know what he thinks." Li Xuan said, "Don't worry, I'll keep what you told me to keep to myself. But I think Ouyang won't be unmoved by Shanghai. It's the biggest city in the country." Xu Hui said, "Who knows? If he really doesn't care, there's nothing I can do. I'll just go back to his hometown with him.

I've thought about it, and I think I should listen to him." Li Xuan said, "Your attitude shows how much you love him. Ouyang loves you so much too, I think he'll think of you too."

Xu Hui smiled and said, "Who knows? I don't want to think about it now. We'll see when the time comes." Li Xuan nodded, but then sighed inwardly.

Li Xuan looked up at the sky and said, "This weather is so humid." Xu Hui also looked up and said, "Is it going to snow? The weather is so gloomy. The wind is so biting."

Li Xuan said, "It won't snow so soon, will it? The temperature wouldn't be this low before it snows. It's probably going to rain." Xu Hui said, "I didn't hear the forecast. I'm actually hoping for some snow." Sure enough,

a light drizzle began to fall that evening, the pattering rain and mist bringing a touch of melancholy. The temperature dropped even lower. On his way back to the dormitory after class, Ouyang Yiming shielded his head with his hand, feeling the chill of the rain as he hurried along. The biting cold air seeped in through his collar and trouser legs, chilling him to the bone.

Xu Hui and Li Xuan, each holding an umbrella, walked slowly past him, their necks hunched and heads down in a disheveled state. Xu Hui called out to him. Ouyang Yiming stopped, turned around, and said, "How did you know it was going to rain?" As he spoke, he slipped under Li Xuan's umbrella. Xu Hui said quipped, "I can't see the weather." Li Xuan smiled, reached out and pushed him under Xu Hui's umbrella, saying, "You've come to the wrong place."

Ouyang Yiming blushed slightly and walked beside Xu Hui. Xu Hui glanced at Li Xuan sideways but didn't say anything.

After walking a few steps, Ouyang Yiming asked Xu Hui softly, "Is your cold any better?" Xu Hui said, "No." Ouyang Yiming asked, "Do you have a fever?" Xu Hui touched her forehead and said,

"I don't think so, but I feel like I'm not breathing very smoothly." Ouyang Yiming asked, "Did you take any medicine?"

Hearing this, Xu Hui suddenly wanted to tease him, so she said, "No, I haven't gone to buy any." Ouyang Yiming said quipped, "Why didn't you go to buy any? Otherwise, it will get worse." Xu Hui said, "I thought you went to buy some for me, I'm just waiting." Ouyang Yiming muttered, "I wonder if the pharmacies are closed yet." He reached out to grab the handle of the umbrella Xu Hui was holding and said, "You and Li Xuan go back first, I'll go to the pharmacy."

Li Xuan couldn't help but laugh. Xu Hui covered her mouth and chuckled. Ouyang Yiming looked at the two of them blankly. Li Xuan stopped laughing and said, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and go." Ouyang Yiming grabbed the umbrella, but Xu Hui pushed him away, saying, "I bought it at noon and took my medicine." Ouyang Yiming's face instantly turned bright red, and he gripped the umbrella handle, saying, "You and Li Xuan share this umbrella, I'm leaving first." Xu Hui handed him the umbrella. Ouyang Yiming quickly left.

Xu Hui and Li Xuan watched Ouyang Yiming leave, still unable to stop laughing. Xu Hui said, "Look how silly he is." Li Xuan said, "You call him silly? He cares about you so much, it's enough to make anyone envious." Xu Hui felt a warm feeling in her heart, an indescribable sweetness. Li Xuan, however, felt a pang of sadness, tears welling up in her eyes, and turned her head away. At this moment, Xu Hui thought of Li Xuan and Gao Peng's affair, thinking that it was better not to let Ouyang Yiming know, otherwise he might worry about Li Xuan again.

That night, it started to snow lightly in the middle of the night. Before Ouyang Yiming even got out of bed, he heard cheers outside. Judging from their accents, they were southerners who rarely saw snow. Although this city was located in the Jiangnan region, it still received one or two snowfalls every winter. This year, the snow came earlier than usual.

Jiang Yuqi sat up, pulled the blanket around his neck, and scolded, "You little rascal, you've never seen anything like this before. You're making a fuss over such a little snow. In my hometown, it snows every year, and the snow is so thick it reaches your knees. That's real snow. Isn't that right, Ouyang?" Ouyang Yiming responded, and as he dressed, he thought about the times he and his younger siblings would build snowmen on the school playground when it snowed as a child.

Stepping outside onto the balcony and looking down, he saw that the ground was indeed covered in a blanket of white, the road surface like a white carpet, and the grass on the lawn still showing patches of green amidst the snow. The evergreen trees were dotted with snowflakes, clustered together, while the undersides remained green. The snowflakes continued to drift like tiny silver beads, slowly and lightly, as if deep in thought, floating in the breeze, then seemingly timidly falling, landing on the snow and disappearing without a trace.

Jiang Yuqi said, "Winter has really come, we need to wear cotton-padded clothes." Ouyang Yiming thought, yes, we need to wear cotton-padded clothes. He really felt a bit cold. His eyes were fixed on a pine tree not far away, and he suddenly thought of the tree that had brought him and Liu Yan to love. What has it become now?

The snow fell again early in the morning. During class, it turned into a misty drizzle. It continued to fall like this for several days, and the snow on the ground had already melted. The brief, crystal-clear snow scene disappeared so quickly, turning into a suffocating gray and oppressive atmosphere.

Love and Desire (35)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ouyang Yiming, like the other students, finished the exams for each subject and discussed the winter vacation in groups of three or five. Ouyang Yiming was also immersed in the excitement of going home, just like them. Thinking of my warm home, my heart was filled with sweet hope and longing. But the thought of not seeing Liu Yan for a while also brought a sense of loss. Once, I suddenly imagined how wonderful it would be if Liu Yan could come home with me and spend the Spring Festival together. I wondered what my grandparents, parents, and siblings would look like upon first seeing Liu Yan, and what their thoughts would be.

Their last date before the holiday. After eating duck blood vermicelli soup at a famous old shop on Desheng Road, Liu Yan said, "It's not too windy or cold today, let's just walk around." Ouyang Yiming agreed. So they strolled along a quiet street. Both felt heavy-hearted; the brief separation made them sad. They kept turning to look at each other, then smiling. Ouyang Yiming said

, "How about you take some time off and come home with me for the holiday?" Liu Yan said, "I really want to. But it's so hard to get time off during the Spring Festival." Ouyang Yiming said, "I'll be gone for over a month, and I don't know how I'll miss you." Liu Yan said, "I feel the same way. Just think about it. You might feel better, being with your family is so much fun. But I'm all alone here. Every year at this time, I really miss home, I miss my parents." Her eyes reddened as she spoke, "My brother and sister-in-law don't go home often either. My mother wrote last time saying that my brother and sister-in-law aren't coming home this year either, just him..." "It really hurts to think about my two elderly parents spending the New Year at home. I really want to go back

and spend time with them." Ouyang Yiming felt a pang of sadness as he listened and said, "Then you can talk to your boss and say you'll only go back this year." Liu Yan said, "Who doesn't want to go home for the New Year

? I just can't bring myself to say it." Ouyang Yiming nodded and thought for a moment, then said, "Can't you switch places with someone else? Your brother isn't going back this year, but he will next year, and you can switch places with someone else." Liu Yan said, "It's not that easy. Who would want to? Forget it, I'll just call them during the New Year and keep them company."

Ouyang Yiming then remembered what Liu Yan had mentioned about transferring back to her parents' side. Now that he thought about it, Liu Yan's parents were quite lonely, spending the holidays without their children by their side. How could they be happy? He thought that after he married Liu Yan, they would live with them. That way, Liu Yan would be happy too. His own parents also had younger siblings, which was much better than Liu Yan's parents being all alone. Then he thought about the disparity between the two families, and his heart sank again.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a while, Liu Yan turned to him and asked, "What are you thinking about?" Ouyang Yiming didn't want to bring up his thoughts about social class at this moment, lest it upset everyone. He turned to her and smiled, saying, "I was thinking how happy my parents would be if you came home with me for the New Year." Liu Yan smiled and said, "They might not be happy, they might even be angry. Who knows if they'd even approve of me?" Ouyang Yiming said, "If they wouldn't approve of someone like you, who else would they approve of?" He regretted saying that as soon as he finished speaking, and Xu Hui came to mind again. At this moment, he was really afraid that his words would lead Liu Yan to say something about Xu Hui. Liu Yan saw that he had opened his mouth twice, and he really had Xu Hui on his mind. But after thinking it over, she still didn't say it. She knew that if she said it, Ouyang Yiming would definitely be unhappy, and she didn't want him to be unhappy at this time when they were about to part ways. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Your parents definitely hope you bring home a college graduate as your wife.

I really don't dare to go. Besides, an ugly daughter-in-law is most afraid of meeting her in-laws, and I'm a prime example."

Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "You said you were meeting your in-laws yourself, so now you're officially Ouyang Yiming's wife." They both laughed. Liu Yan said, "So what if I said that? Sooner or later, I'll still be your Ouyang family's daughter-in-law. From that first night, I've officially entered your family." Ouyang Yiming chuckled and said, "But it's not an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws, it's a beautiful daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws." Liu Yan laughed and said, "I'm only as beautiful as Xi Shi in your eyes, but in your parents' eyes..." Ouyang Yiming interrupted her with a laugh, saying, "You should say 'our parents.'" Liu Yan laughed and pushed him, saying, "Okay, 'our parents.' 'Our parents' might not even approve of me." Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "Since you're calling me 'our parents,' it's already done. It's a fait accompli." He then chuckled.

Liu Yan laughed and said, "You're not like you used to be, you've become more and more cunning. I remember when we first met, you blushed as soon as you spoke, you were such a shy young man. I still prefer the old you." Ouyang Yiming chuckled twice and said, "Back then I was still an innocent young man, I didn't even know what kissing tasted like. Let me tell you, once Fan Xurui asked me if I'd ever eaten tofu or fish, and I really didn't know what that meant. Later I found out that eating fish meant kissing, and eating tofu meant touching breasts." Liu Yan laughed and playfully hit him, saying, "You..." "I learned bad habits from these people," Ouyang Yiming said with a smile. "Later, under your guidance and demonstration, I slowly learned."

Liu Yan blushed instantly and said, "Get lost! Wasn't it you who shamelessly pursued me that time? You ruined such an innocent young girl like me. Now I really regret it. How could I have let you succeed back then?" Ouyang Yiming said, "You still love me." Liu Yan said, "Now I have no choice but to love you. I've given you my body, what else can I think about? Even if I meet someone suitable in the future, I can only look on." She covered her mouth and laughed. Ouyang Yiming said, "You'll never escape my grasp in this lifetime." Liu Yan said, "There's a saying that's so true: one wrong step can lead to eternal regret." After saying that, they both laughed and

joked around for a while. Ouyang Yiming said, "I really hoped you would come back with me the other day, and I even imagined us going back together." Liu Yan said, "It's certain I'll go home with you sometime in the future. To be honest, I'm a little scared if I go back with you now. Think about it, intellectuals' parents don't want their daughters-in-law to be intellectuals too. They definitely wouldn't look down on me, a nurse who serves people in a hospital. Forget it, it's better to give them a surprise before you graduate. That way, they won't have to think about it for so long, and they won't have to keep nagging you to make you waver. I won't have to worry about it for so long either." Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "You're really shrewd. But it won't be as you imagine." "That's hard to say," Liu Yan said.

She thought for a moment, then looked at him questioningly, "Didn't you originally plan not to tell your parents about us so soon? Why are you suddenly saying you want to take me to your house? Are you kidding me?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I really have that thought. I don't know why, but I've been having this thought for the past few days." Liu Yan giggled and said, "You really mean it. Having this thought is just something you said casually. You might even be scared if I went home with you. I know you well. I'm not worried about how your parents will treat me, but you're worried they'll blame you for dating so soon. Am I right?"

Ouyang Yiming chuckled sheepishly, thinking to himself that he really did have that kind of fear. Liu Yan glared at him and said, "Look at you, so silly. Trying to be clever in front of me, Lao Liu. Save your breath."

Ouyang Yiming couldn't help but burst out laughing, pointing at her and saying, "Lao Liu?! Lao Liu, my foot!" Liu Yan giggled and said, "What? Just because I'm a day older doesn't give me the right to act old, let alone being more than ten months older. From now on, just call me Lao Liu." They both laughed.

After walking a few steps, Liu Yan's heart sank again. She asked, "When are you planning to leave?" Ouyang Yiming said, "In a couple more days." Liu Yan said, "I'm afraid we won't have time to meet before I leave. You'll need to buy tickets and stuff these next few days." Ouyang Yiming said, "I really wanted to see you one last time before I leave." Liu Yan said, "What's the point of seeing you one more time? Another separation, another sadness. Let's not see each other." As she spoke, she took out a wad of cash from her pocket and said, "I won't see you off. Take this hundred-odd yuan. Buy some things for your parents to take back." "Consider this a token of my filial piety as your future daughter-in-law."

Ouyang Yiming paused, then hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "No, how can I let you..." Liu Yan glared at him and said, "Listen to me. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I originally wanted to buy you some things to take with you. I haven't had time these past two days at work. Besides, if I bought those things and people in the dormitory asked, I'd have to explain. You see, your parents..." She stopped abruptly, laughing, and continued, "Buy whatever your parents like to eat." Ouyang Yiming didn't laugh, looking at her with embarrassment. Liu Yan said, "If you keep doing this, I'll get angry. It's not like I'm buying anything for you, it's for my parents-in-law. I'm just letting you do this for me. Take it!" Although Liu Yan was trying to make Ouyang Yiming accept it happily, he was still very embarrassed. Liu Yan grabbed Ouyang Yiming's hand and said, "You really want to make me angry?" She then placed it in his palm. Ouyang Yiming blushed as he accepted it and put it in his pocket.

Liu Yan said, "I'm a military officer, I get paid. If I couldn't earn money, I wouldn't do this. When you go back, dare you say I bought them?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Of course." Liu Yan asked, "How? Say your daughter-in-law bought them for you?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Yes."

Liu Yan glanced at him and pursed her lips, saying, "You're just making things up. Saying your friend bought it is almost the same as saying their daughter-in-law bought it; you can't really say anything. Forget it, just say you bought it yourself." Ouyang Yiming smiled sheepishly. Liu Yan said, "Remember, when you come back from vacation, the first person you should see is me." Ouyang Yiming said, "I didn't know that. We'll be separated for so many days; I don't even know if I can make it back before school starts." Liu Yan said, "Who knows, maybe you'll forget about me after these days." Ouyang Yiming said, "I can forget myself, but I can't forget you."

The next morning, Jiang Yuqi said he wanted to go to the station with Ouyang Yiming to buy tickets, but Ouyang Yiming said he would go back with Fan Xurui. They hadn't decided when to leave. After Jiang Yuqi left, Ouyang Yiming left the school gate, intending to go to Fan Xurui's place at the medical university to discuss when to leave, and also to buy some things.

Unexpectedly, he ran into Xu Hui and Li Xuan at the school gate. After exchanging greetings, Ouyang Yiming asked, "Have you bought your train tickets yet?" Xu Hui replied, "Not yet. I'm planning to go back tomorrow. When are you planning to leave?" Ouyang Yiming said, "I just went to talk to my fellow villager at the medical university. I'm also planning to leave tomorrow." Li Xuan sighed and said, "I really don't want to go back. The trains are too crowded these days. Going back is going to be a nightmare. There are no seats and you have to stand. It'll kill you. Besides, you'll have to pay for the tickets!" Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "It's always like this. Last year, I bought a ticket from Shanghai to Beijing, and I almost died of exhaustion when I got home. There are always seats on the first train. I just don't know if you can still get tickets now." He turned to Xu Hui and said, "You live nearby. You can take the bus. There are seats on the bus." Xu Hui said, "I don't like that." "I get dizzy sitting in a car for too long, so I always take the train."

Xu Hui glanced at Li Xuan, then turned back to Ouyang Yiming and said, "I was just saying I was looking for you. I have something to tell you." She smiled at Li Xuan, pulled Ouyang Yiming a few steps to the side, and stopped, saying, "Telling you probably won't do any good, but I still have to tell you." Seeing her mysterious look, Ouyang Yiming said, "You know it's useless, why did you say it?"

Xu Hui stared at him for a while, then shook her head and said, "Never mind, I won't say it then." Ouyang Yiming smiled and said sarcastically, "See? You shouldn't have said anything earlier. Now you've piqued my interest, and if you don't tell me, how can I have a good Spring Festival when I go home?" Xu Hui smiled and said, "I reckon it's 100% useless to tell you, and it's pointless anyway."

Turning to leave, Xu Hui was stopped by Ouyang Yiming, who said, "Look at you, aren't you doing this on purpose? Even if it's not useful, just say so. Maybe it will be useful." Xu Hui replied, "I know you perfectly well. Okay, I'll tell you, otherwise you'll accuse me of doing it on purpose." She paused, blushing, and said, "It's like this, yesterday I talked to my mom on the phone about going home for the holidays. Guess what she said?"

Ouyang Yiming thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "I can't think of anything. What did she say?" Xu Hui tilted her head and looked at him, saying, "Think about it." Ouyang Yiming thought for a moment and smiled, saying, "Your mom must have said something like, 'I miss you, my darling daughter, come back soon and Mom will make you something delicious.'"

Xu Hui burst out laughing, glancing at him, and said, "Isn't that sour? My mom said… my mom said… it really is what we said!" Seeing her stammering and unable to get the words out, Ouyang Yiming grew anxious and asked, "What did your mom say?" Xu Hui replied, "I didn't expect my mom to say that, to suggest you come back with me for a few days."

Ouyang Yiming was startled, his face instantly turning red. He stammered, "Your mom? How could she... I... no way." Xu Hui was somewhat disappointed, but said, "It really is my mom. I knew you wouldn't agree, so I told her on the phone. She said I should tell you. I wasn't planning on telling you anyway, I knew it would be pointless, but I just happened to see you and told you, so just pretend I didn't say anything." Ouyang Yiming said, "Why would your mom suddenly say that..."

Xu Hui saw his furrowed brow and uncomfortable expression and felt a little angry. She said irritably, "I like you, huh? Okay, that's enough." She turned around, took a couple of steps, then turned back, walked up to Ouyang Yiming, smiled, and said, "I need to talk to you about something." Seeing her smiling face, Ouyang Yiming smiled back and said, "What do you want to say to tease me?" Xu Hui blushed slightly and said,

"Who's teasing you? It's just what my mom said. How about this, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. Can I come to your house instead?" Ouyang Yiming gasped in surprise, his mouth agape, then laughed and said, "You're always joking." Xu Hui said, "Who's joking with you? Just tell me if you want to or not." Ouyang Yiming said, "I bet you wouldn't dare." Xu Hui said, "Who's as timid as you? Here's what we'll do: when you buy your train ticket, buy mine." Ouyang Yiming chuckled. Xu Hui pursed her lips, smiled, and said, "I knew you wouldn't like it. Just kidding!" She giggled, winked playfully at Ouyang Yiming, and said, "Happy New Year. Say hello to your elders." Then she turned and left. Ouyang Yiming watched Xu Hui leave, shaking his head and smiling to himself.

Ouyang Yiming rushed to the medical university and found Fan Xurui, who was writing something at his desk in the dormitory. Hearing the door open, he turned around, but seeing it was Ouyang Yiming, he didn't get up, saying, "Sit on the bed for a bit, get yourself some water, I'll be right there." Ouyang Yiming didn't say anything, but leaned closer to look and saw that Fan Xurui was writing something about the student council. Not interested, he turned and sat down on his bed, noticing that several beds were already rolled up, thinking they might have gone home, and didn't ask. He stood up, took his cup from the table, and picked up the water bottle to pour himself some water. Fan Xurui turned to look at him, leaned forward, opened a drawer, took out a tea box, placed it in front of him, and said, "West Lake Longjing tea, just bought it a few days ago." Then he continued writing. Ouyang Yiming took it, poured some into a cup, added water, and sat down on the edge of the bed without saying a word, sipping the tea slowly.

Ouyang Yiming sipped his tea slowly, and before he finished his cup, Fan Xurui finished writing, stood up, tidied up his manuscript, turned back, and said with a smile, "What did you bring for Grandpa and Grandma?"

Fan Xurui's hometown was Taiyuan, Shanxi. His father was assigned to Pancheng after graduating from university. His grandparents and other close relatives were all in Shanxi. His mother's hometown was Linyi, Shandong. He was referring to Ouyang Yiming

's grandparents, who were now nearly seventy years old. When Fan Xurui and Ouyang Yiming lived in the dormitory at No. 1 Middle School as children, Ouyang Yiming's grandparents often visited his home, and he often went with Ouyang Yiming to his grandparents' house.

The elderly couple didn't treat him like an outsider. Sometimes he would play in his grandparents' spacious courtyard, and they would eat there too. So Fan Xurui treated Ouyang Yiming's grandparents as his own.

Ouyang Yiming said, "I bought some there, wasn't I waiting for you?" Fan Xurui said, "I was waiting for you too." Ouyang Yiming said, "Can't you come to my place?" Fan Xurui said, "Look how busy I've been lately, there's always something going on with the student council." Ouyang Yiming laughed, "Of course leaders have to worry about things." Fan Xurui smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits, and said, "It's fun, exciting. Who's like you? I recommended you to be a student council officer, but you didn't want to. You're only focused on studying." Ouyang Yiming smiled and said, "That's because I know I don't have the ability. It's good to know your own limitations."

Fan Xurui waved his hand and said, "I know you too well! What do you mean you don't have the ability? You're just not interested. But to be honest, doing these things now is also good for your development, and it will be very beneficial when you start working." Ouyang Yiming was clearly not interested in this. He asked, "When are you going back?" Fan Xurui said, "Tomorrow, there's a train departing from Beijing at eight in the morning, and there are seats available. Otherwise, standing all the way here would be exhausting." Ouyang Yiming said, "I'll buy the ticket this afternoon." Fan Xurui thought for a moment and said, "You have to buy it now. I don't know if there are any tickets left for tomorrow's train."

Ouyang Yiming stared at him without saying a word. Fan Xurui laughed and said, "What are you looking at? I'm not a beauty!" Ouyang Yiming said, "You're really good at being a leader. Hey, what are you doing?" Fan Xurui laughed and said, "I have a meeting this afternoon, so I was just writing the meeting report. Otherwise, I would have come to find you earlier." Ouyang Yiming shook his head and stood up, saying, "Yeah, the leader is too busy." Fan Xurui raised his hand and slapped him, saying, "Stop nagging, go on." Ouyang Yiming looked at him as he stretched out a hand, palm open in front of him. Fan Xurui asked, "What for?" Ouyang Yiming said, "Pretending to be confused. Give me the money!" Fan Xurui laughed and said, "I thought it was something serious. It's just money, you pay for it first, I'll give it to you when I get back." Ouyang Yiming shook his head and said, "No, it'll be gone when I get back." Fan Xurui said, "When have I, Old Fan, ever done that kind of thing?" Ouyang Yiming pouted and said, "It's not like it happens all the time."

Fan Xurui chuckled and pushed him to the door, saying, "Go on, go on."

Ouyang Yiming shook his head, saying, "You're such a lazy bum!" He turned back at the door and asked, "If we really can't get tickets for tomorrow's first train, can we buy tickets for a passing train?" Fan Xurui said,

"What's a few hours? Last year I was so tired, and I didn't even care! If we can't get tickets, we'll buy tickets for the day after tomorrow. By the way, regardless of tomorrow or the day after, after you buy your tickets, take your luggage and come to my place. Stay here tonight. We'll travel together. I have a meeting this afternoon, it probably won't be long. After the meeting, we'll go shopping and buy some things for the elders." Ouyang Yiming agreed and went out.

When Ouyang Yiming arrived at the train station and queued to buy tickets, he was indeed told that tickets for tomorrow's first train had just sold out. So he bought tickets for the day after tomorrow. After lunch, he packed his luggage and went to the medical university.

Fan Xurui's meeting lasted until dark. Ouyang Yiming scolded him, "You said you wouldn't have anything this afternoon, but thank goodness your tickets are for the day after tomorrow, otherwise where would you go to buy Yuhua stones for Dongdong this late at night?" That evening, the two drank at a small restaurant outside the school, and after dinner, they returned to their dormitory and continued their lively conversation. Of course, they also talked about women. Ouyang Yiming thought of Liu Yan and Xu Hui.

Both of them went to bed very late. The next day, they slept in late, got up around noon, went out to the street, ate something quickly, and bought some things. They also went to Yuhuatai to buy some Yuhua stones for their younger brother, and while on the street, they called the school's gatehouse to ask the gatekeeper to tell their mother they would be home the next day, giving her the train number in detail.

Nothing more was said that night. Early the next morning, the two rushed to the station and boarded the train home.

After the crowds, noise, and arguments, the train started moving, and the carriage gradually quieted down. Fan Xurui started chatting with a salesman sitting opposite him. Ouyang Yiming couldn't help but admire Fan Xurui's adaptability; in such a short time, they chatted and laughed like old friends. Ouyang Yiming had no intention of joining their conversation, leaning one elbow on the coffee table, his hand supporting his chin as he gazed out the window.

The languidness of winter was the unchanging backdrop of the season, the dark green mountains rising and falling like endless cloud-shrouded peaks. The flowing fields, the bare trees, were lifeless under the winter sun, exuding a desolate air.

Ouyang Yiming picked up a movie magazine from Fan Xurui and flipped through it, which reminded him of Liu Yan. The image of Liu Yan in her white coat floated into his mind. Her every shy smile and frown was exceptionally clear before his eyes.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, the train pulled into Pancheng Station. Ouyang Yiming and Fan Xurui picked up their luggage and belongings and joined the flow of disembarking passengers towards the exit. As they were checking tickets, they heard the calls of Ouyang Mei and Ouyang Dongdong. Ouyang Yiming and Fan Xurui waved to them. Once outside the ticket gate, their siblings immediately surrounded them, beaming with joy. They called out "Brother!" to Ouyang Yiming and Fan Xurui, then took the items from Ouyang Yiming's hands and headed towards the square.

Fan Xurui looked at them and said, "Meizi and Dongdong have grown so much! Meizi is becoming more and more ladylike and beautiful, a real young lady now." Ouyang Mei blushed like a peach blossom, pouted at him, and said, "You need to praise me! What goodies did you bring for me and Dongdong?" As she spoke, she reached for the bag in Fan Xurui's hand. Fan Xurui laughed and quickly dodged, saying, "I just said you were ladylike, but now you look like a bandit, no different from that naughty little girl you were when you were little." Ouyang Mei said, "What's the use of praising me? I didn't get any goodies. All you do is talk the talk, you're still the same stingy person you always were!" Everyone laughed.

Fan Xurui said, "The things I bought for you are all with your brother." Ouyang Dongdong said, "These were bought by my brother." Ouyang Yiming laughed and said, "Your brother Rui also bought some for you."

As he spoke, he walked down the steps. Fan Xurui asked, "How are you going to get there?" Ouyang Yiming said, "How else can we get there? By bus." Fan Xurui said, "I'll take a taxi, or maybe we should go around your area?"

Ouyang Mei happily laughed and said, "That's great!" Ouyang Yiming hurriedly said, "Let's go, it's on purpose. You'd be heartbroken if we went around in circles."

After laughing, they said goodbye, and Fan Xurui got into a taxi parked in the square and drove away. The three Ouyang siblings watched Fan Xurui leave, then walked towards the bus stop in the square. Ouyang Yiming put his hand on Ouyang Dongdong's shoulder and said, "Dongdong has grown a bit taller." Dongdong laughed. Ouyang Mei asked, "Brother, look at me!" Ouyang Yiming looked at her and said, "You seem a little bit, but not as obvious as Dongdong. What's Mom doing at home?" Ouyang Mei said, "Mom's chopping filling and making dumplings."

Before she finished speaking, all three of them heard someone shout Ouyang Yiming's name. The three siblings turned around in unison to look in the direction of the voice. Ouyang Yiming was taken aback. Seeing the person was like seeing a visitor from outer space, and he froze for a moment. Ouyang Mei tugged at Ouyang Yiming and asked, "Brother, who is that?" Ouyang Yiming didn't answer but recovered his senses and quickly walked towards the person who was waving at him. Ouyang Mei and Ouyang Dongdong looked on in confusion. Ouyang Dongdong turned to her sister and asked, "Sister, you don't recognize him either?" Ouyang Mei shook her head and said, "I've never seen him before."

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