Regarding the matter of becoming the deputy platoon leader for freshman military training, it indeed seemed like Lin Xiche had asked Xu Fang to sign up for it.
In theory, university life should be much more colorful than high school, but most things, if not actively engaged in, could still be as monotonous as high school.
So apart from playing around, Lin Xiche had always emphasized to Xu Fang that he should be proactive.
Proactive!
Laziness would only lead to stagnation.
As she thought about it, Lin Xiche’s memories from earlier surfaced. Not only had she asked him to sign up, but she had also helped him fill out the application form.
However, at this moment, she didn’t want to admit it. She felt stifled, wronged to the extreme, and like everyone in the world was trying to break them apart.
It was frustrating.
Because of the nickname incident and what had just happened, Xu Fang’s face was cold towards her. He looked at the nickname she had just changed, sternly saying, “Change it back.”
“Nope,” Lin Xiche tightened her grip around his neck, acting stubborn, “I’ve endured a whole month of loneliness, and now you want to leave for half a month.”
She paused and, imitating his tone from earlier, lectured him like a parent educating a child, “You think it through yourself. Aren’t you just never-ending?”
“…”
“Maybe you want to hit on girls,” Lin Xiche continued to fuss behind him, shifting the blame onto him.
“I know, you just want to pick up girls.”
“…” Xu Fang really wanted to toss her off.
Xu Fang didn’t want to listen to her nonsense anymore. He started walking towards the bed, leaning against the soft cushion, and said in a soft voice, “On the 14th, we’ll go together.”
Lin Xiche didn’t react at first. “What?”
“You go ahead in advance,” Xu Fang repeated.
Hearing this, Lin Xiche blinked her eyes and slowly let go of his neck. She landed on the bed, looking thoughtful, as if she were very satisfied with this suggestion. Then, she oh-so-subtly said, as if trying to save face for herself, “Since you want me to go with you so badly, I’ll reluctantly go.”
“…”
“I actually didn’t want to go that much.”
She sat on his bed, her fair face, black pearl-like eyes, and rosy lips making her look like a living painting, both vivid and beautiful.
It seemed like she was very pleased with this suggestion. A moment later, she let out a soft “oh,” followed by a deliberate statement as if she were trying to regain some dignity, “Since you want me to go with you so badly, I’ll reluctantly go.”
“…”
“I actually didn’t want to go that much.”
She sat on his bed, her fair complexion, eyes as dark as pearls, and rosy lips, like a famous painting, but the scene was also incredibly vivid.
Xu Fang stared at her intently, then after a few seconds, he spoke hoarsely, “Are you done?”
Lin Xiche smiled, her eyes half-closed, as if she were captivated by his pitch-black pupils, and his warm breath engulfed her. She allowed herself to be drawn into a deep kiss, his tongue invading her mouth and entwining with hers, as if he wanted to devour her inch by inch.
Xu Fang’s movements were particularly rough, constantly seeking every corner of her mouth, showing no restraint. It was only when he heard her muffled moan of pain that he slowed down and kissed her tenderly.
After a long while, Lin Xiche opened her slightly hazy eyes, her lips hot and tingling, a hint of accusation in her gaze.
As she regained her senses, she felt the pain on her lips, and she looked at him with a somewhat reproachful expression.
Xu Fang chuckled softly, licked his lips with the tip of his tongue, and gently scraped her lips with his fingertip. His gaze was obscure and mysterious, and he quickly leaned in for another kiss.
“You haven’t made up for it yet.”
Due to the earlier incident, whenever Xu Fang got close to Lin Xiche, she would immediately run away, looking at him as if he were some kind of monster.
Xu Fang was in a good mood and didn’t mind her behavior.
As they walked, Lin Xiche kept scolding him.
From his room to downstairs and out of the villa area –
“Pipi, do you know? I’m bleeding.”
“Did you just kiss me with your teeth? I feel like my mouth is full of a bloody taste.”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not against you kissing me, but do you know? Your way of kissing is like…”
“Oh, I’ve got it. It’s like a starving dog that suddenly drops a freshly grilled piece of pork in front of it, and it devours it without restraint.”
“…”
Xu Fang wanted to hold her hand, but she resisted, keeping her hand behind her back. She said seriously, “Don’t make me hold your hand. I don’t like walking a dog.”
“…”
Later, Xu Fang grew impatient and directly pinched her wrist, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, “Your description is not entirely wrong. I’ve been starving for half a lifetime.”
Before he could say anything harsher, Lin Xiche suddenly stopped talking. She looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. After a while, she reminded him, “You’re only nineteen this year, so is your entire lifetime thirty-eight?”
“…”
Xu Fang felt like he was going to spit blood because of her.
“That won’t do. I’ve thought it through,” Lin Xiche puffed up her cheeks. She took the initiative to hold his hand and continued, “I don’t plan to live too long. Living to a hundred is enough for me.”
“…”
“You’re only three months older than me,” Lin Xiche ignored his words and tilted her head, deciding, “So you should live to be a hundred and three.”
She seemed to think this was a very normal thing to say. After saying it, she shifted to another topic, leaving a huge ripple in Xu Fang’s heart.
Ripple after ripple, endlessly spreading.
“Oh, Pipi, the stationmaster broke up with her boyfriend.” Afraid he might have forgotten, Lin Xiche added, “The one I told you about on the phone, the one whose boyfriend proposed to her, and she said yes.”
“Okay.”
“They’ve been together for seven years.” Remembering this, Lin Xiche’s mood inexplicably turned gloomy. “And I thought they had a good relationship, but they still broke up even after a successful proposal.”
“…”
“Anyway, it seems like the stationmaster wants to continue working at the rescue station, but her boyfriend didn’t want her to because he thought it was hard work and not well-paid, so they broke up.”
“…”
“Pipi, if after graduating, I also want to work at a rescue station.” Lin Xiche kicked a small pebble on the ground, speaking slowly and stumbling over her words. “If I’m really poor at that time, very, very poor…”
Xu Fang glanced at her and interrupted her words, “When are you not poor?”
“…” It seemed to make sense.
“Do you want to work there after graduation?”
“No, I was just talking.” Lin Xiche had a habit of saying whatever came to mind, and this was just a casual remark. “As long as you don’t mind me being poor, I can continue to be poor.”
“…”
After a while, Xu Fang suddenly spoke, his voice soft and sparse, “My future career isn’t going to make me rich either.”
Lin Xiche made a sound of acknowledgment, saying, “I know.”
“Next year’s summer vacation, the one after that, and the internship in my senior year, I’ll all be going to military training. And after graduation…” Xu Fang paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he continued with a hoarse voice, “I’ll be assigned to the military for eight years.”
This time, she didn’t respond immediately. Her head drooped, and it took her a while before she mumbled, “What if you go to graduate school? Can you avoid it?”
“It’s the same,” Xu Fang tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll still have to go after graduation.”
“Oh, will it be like before, where you get one day off a week?”
“It’s not certain yet.”
They fell into silence for a moment.
“Anyway, there are still three years, plenty of time.” Lin Xiche’s mood wasn’t great, and she pursed her lips, saying softly, “Don’t bring this up with me right now.”
Xu Fang looked at her with restrained emotions in his eyes. He lowered his gaze and rubbed Lin Xiche’s hand. His lips were tightly pressed, and for once, he heeded her words and didn’t continue the conversation.
Once this matter was brought up by Xu Fang, it felt like something was lodged in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. She felt constantly on edge, and just thinking about those eight years after graduation made her nose tingle.
Lin Xiche found those eight years after graduation terrifying, like an unknown fear that hung over her every day. She wished they would never graduate, that they could always be together like they were now, where she could see him whenever she wanted.
Instead of having to count down the days to when she could hear his voice, having to talk to him through a screen every day.
Without Xu Fang around, Lin Xiche had her own things to do, and she could keep herself busy throughout the day. But in her free moments, she felt an extraordinary sense of loneliness.
Xu Fang noticed that Lin Xiche had been especially clingy recently.
Although she had been clingy before, it seemed that her level of clinginess had increased several times recently.
A recent example would be on the high-speed train back to school. Lin Xiche wanted to use the restroom, and instead of letting Lin Xiche Geng accompany her, Xu Fang, a grown man, insisted on going with her.
Furthermore, Lin Xiche didn’t behave as she used to, where she would easily quarrel with him and provoke his anger. Her temperament had become very docile, like a gentle little lamb.
This change happened very suddenly, like an unexpected downpour, catching him completely off guard.
Xu Fang was extremely unaccustomed to it and found himself feeling uncomfortable when he wasn’t provoked by her.
But every time he mentioned her recent unusual behavior, Lin Xiche’s expression immediately changed. Her once uplifted lips would instantly droop, giving her a forlorn look that left him unable to continue speaking.
After they arrived at the school, Lin Xiche didn’t let them accompany her further. She said she wanted to experience things like any other student: being guided by senior students to the registration area and then to the dormitory. This way, she could also get to know some new people.
Lin Xiche seemed worried, wanting to help her carry her luggage to the dormitory before leaving. However, Lin Xige had already joined a group of senior students who were welcoming newcomers.
Both of them didn’t have much luggage with them, except for Lin Xiche’s laptop, which was currently being carried by Xu Fang.
Lunchtime had arrived, and Lin Xiche and Xu Fang decided to go outside to have lunch and then return to the dormitory to organize their things.
When it came to the topic of lunch, Lin Xiche sent a message to Lin Xige, asking if she wanted her to bring lunch for her. She quickly received a rejection.
Not paying it much mind, Lin Xiche went with Xu Fang to a nearby ramen restaurant.
After placing their orders, they sat face to face.
Xu Fang’s eyelashes trembled as he looked at Lin Xiche, who was enthusiastically rinsing disposable chopsticks with hot tea. He could almost pinpoint the reason for her recent change in behavior: the discussion they had about their post-graduation assignments a few days ago.
Although she had mentioned that they still had three years, she must have felt that time was running short.
So, she wanted to be extra nice to him now.
Xu Fang watched as Lin Xiche cheerfully pushed a bowl of noodles in front of him. With her chin resting on her hand, she gestured for him to start eating. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, picked up his chopsticks, and softly called her name, “Lin Xiche.”
“Hmm?”
Xu Fang stirred his noodles, his voice faint, “Do you find the next eight years frightening?”
The smile on Lin Xiche’s lips gradually faded, and she lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
“I find it quite frightening too,” he chuckled softly, putting down his chopsticks. “Originally, I wanted to come to S University with you. My high school exam scores weren’t good enough, but they were just enough for the National Defense Scholarship. Without thinking too much, I applied.”
Lin Xiche’s pupils contracted, and she opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“I applied randomly, but after I was accepted, I found that I really liked the profession of a soldier,” Xu Fang’s lips curved slightly, and his gaze met hers. “I also feel that although the eight years may be long, they are still acceptable.”
As he brought up this topic, Lin Xiche’s eyes began to well up with tears, and she murmured, “It’s just… too long…”
“Just like how you love animals, wanting to help stray animals find homes, or, to put it more simply, you want to take the GRE in your senior year, then work at an animal hospital after graduation, and eventually open your own pet clinic. I support whatever you want to do.”
Xu Fang reached out and gently touched her teary eyes with his fingertips, smiling as he said, “So, can you be happy and support what I want to do too?”
“…”
“In the future, we might be apart for short periods because of our respective commitments, but you need to know that our destination is the same.”
We are all moving forward toward the same goal.
Working hard for the same goal.
Even if we are separated by distance, even if we can’t be together all the time,
In different places, we each strive, each make an effort, all heading in one direction,
It’s still a beautiful thing.
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