Once there was a clear goal, everything seemed to become more straightforward.
Lin Xichi no longer dwelled on the prospect of those eight years in the future, for it was a predetermined fact that could not be changed. They could only strive to make those eight years pass more smoothly and perhaps quicker than expected through their efforts.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
In their sophomore year, Lin Xichi resigned from the sports department and did not continue. Yuzhe became the president of the Student Union, and the head of the sports department was selected through an election, with Yeshao as the new leader.
Similarly, due to the demands of National Defense student training and academic responsibilities, Xufang applied to leave the basketball team.
Their daily lives didn’t change much. It felt like their circle had become smaller, and they spent more time together every day, even though most of that time was devoted to their individual pursuits.
Lin Xichi’s daily routine consisted of shuttling between the dormitory, the cafeteria, classrooms, the laboratory, the library, and the on-campus animal hospital. In the evening, when her time was finally freed up, she would head to the sports field, find a spot to sit, and immerse herself in her textbooks while waiting for Xufang to finish training. Then, they would grab a late-night snack together.
And so, each day passed.
She didn’t deliberately monitor Xufang’s academic progress. Xufang had given her a promise that he would secure that reserved spot for her in the postgraduate program, and she believed he would achieve it.
In the summer vacation of their sophomore year, Xufang, as usual, went for military training with his unit.
Through a teacher’s recommendation, Lin Xichi spent her break not in Xicheng but interning at a pet hospital in Yuangang City. The pay was low, but her main purpose was to learn and gain experience.
Both of them had their own tasks to accomplish, but the time apart didn’t make their bond any less strong.
In fact, it was precisely because of these challenging times that they cherished their future days together even more and found renewed motivation when they were exhausted.
The first semester of their junior year was the busiest in all four years of college.
Due to their academic commitments, Lin Xichi and Xufang, despite attending the same university, couldn’t meet up daily as they used to. When they got busy, they could only exchange a few words on their phones.
It almost felt like a long-distance relationship.
Among the other three roommates, except for Nie Yue, the other two decided to start working directly after graduation.
Nie Yue was the only one in the dormitory who hadn’t found a partner by her junior year.
Lin Xichi and Xufang’s relationship remained strong. Although they engaged in daily banter and occasionally had disagreements, their arguments never lasted long. Soon, one of them would give in.
Chenhans, who also found a partner during her sophomore year, had a harmonious relationship with her boyfriend.
And then there was Xinzidan.
When they first started their freshman year, Lin Xichi and Xinzidan had a long-standing disagreement, mainly due to the incident involving Xufang and the broken cup. During that time, Lin Xichi used to see Xinzidan’s figure at the gym or on the sports field whenever she went to find Xufang. However, she couldn’t recall seeing Xinzidan approach Xufang again from some point onwards.
She wasn’t sure if they had any private conversations or interactions during that time.
One day, Lin Xichi noticed that there was always a new guy around Xinzidan. It didn’t take long for her to switch to another one. The pace at which she changed boyfriends was incredibly fast, with a new one every three months.
In their two years of college, Lin Xichi had seen three or four different boyfriends by her side.
Recently, Lin Xichi heard from Chenhan that Xinzidan had a new boyfriend, a senior National Defense student in their fourth year. They were always together, deeply in love. Xinzidan even mentioned in the dorm that this should be her last boyfriend.
However, before the semester could even end, Lin Xichi heard the news of Xinzidan breaking up with her boyfriend.
During those days, the senior National Defense student in his fourth year camped downstairs from their dormitory, waiting for Xinzidan. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t come downstairs, and even then, she didn’t seem to soften her stance.
No matter how the senior National Defense student tried to persuade her in various ways, her expression remained unchanged.
One day, Lin Xichi had a class with Xinzidan, and she walked beside her.
It was the first time she witnessed how ruthless someone could be when initiating a breakup. All the previous tenderness and sweetness seemed to have never existed, as if they were meeting for the first time.
Lin Xichi had seen Xinzidan and her boyfriend getting along so well before.
During those times, they couldn’t bear to be apart even for a day.
Now, Lin Xichi was witnessing this scene.
It was hard to describe, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit sad.
Lin Xichi never asked about other people’s affairs unless they brought them up themselves.
But when the senior National Defense student finally left, Xinzidan initiated the conversation with a hint of sarcasm.
“Do you find it funny? He told me before that after graduation, he could choose his deployment location and pick one closer to my home, so it would be easier for us.”
Lin Xichi blinked and nodded, “Yes, you can choose your deployment location.”
“But it’s based on the rankings of comprehensive scores, and his grades only allow him to pick from what others have left.” Xinzidan shrugged, a touch of disdain in her eyes. “I’ve never even heard of the place he got assigned to. If I insisted on being with him, half of my time in the future would be spent traveling to see him.”
“…,” Lin Xichi was momentarily speechless.
“I’m not in the mood for that, wasting the best years of my life on him.” Xinzidan became increasingly angry as she spoke, thinking about how he had been pestering her these past few days, and her anger reached its peak. “Is he too selfish? Where does he get the face to come back and make up with me?”
Lin Xichi didn’t know what to say and just mumbled some words.
“Maybe he really loves you, don’t be angry,” she said, trying to comfort Xinzidan.
Xinzidan took a sip of water, calmed down her anger, and softened her voice as she brought up something else. “By the way, I haven’t seen you going to see Xufang much lately.”
Lin Xichi opened her mouth, about to say something.
But it seemed like Xinzidan wasn’t really asking her, just mentioning it casually before moving on to something else. “Sometimes I envy you two.”
In their two years of college, Xinzidan had undergone a significant transformation in her appearance.
She was no longer as introverted, plain-faced, and soft-spoken as when she first arrived. She wore exquisite makeup, styled her hair with big wavy curls, and even emitted a subtle fragrance.
She was quite charming.
Lin Xichi could barely remember what she looked like when she first apologized to her.
“But you can’t make a meal out of love.” Xinzidan laughed, “Think it through yourself. Dating a soldier is like being a widow. After eight years in the army, you either wait for him to retire and get married or…”
“Or maybe you two get married during these eight years, but what good is it? When something bad happens to you and you want to tell him, but you can’t contact him. You get pregnant, and he can’t be by your side. Maybe even when you give birth, he won’t be able to come back during your postpartum period.”
Xinzidan pursed her lips, sneering, “I can’t stand that.”
Because of what Xinzidan said, Lin Xichi put aside a pile of her assignments and, as usual, went to the old spot on the sports field to wait for Xufang.
She sat in the top row of the grandstand, with the National Defense students’ dispersed training area in front of her.
A group of men in identical training uniforms were divided into three groups, doing sit-ups, squats, and push-ups.
Xufang always did push-ups last, the farthest from the grandstand.
Lin Xichi had to put on her glasses to see him clearly.
She hadn’t told Xufang that she was coming, and she didn’t know if he could see her. She even thought that if he left directly, she could use this as an excuse to ask him for two chicken legs to appease her.
The distance wasn’t close, so Lin Xichi didn’t keep looking in that direction, instead, she was busy with her phone.
It wasn’t until she heard the announcement of dismissal that she came back to her senses and looked up to find Xufang’s location. With so many people and everyone wearing the same clothes, coming and going, Lin Xichi couldn’t find Xufang in a short time.
After searching for a while and still not finding him, Lin Xichi was afraid that he had left. She quickly stood up and rushed down from the grandstand.
She rummaged through her bag for her glasses, but before she could put them on, someone suddenly grabbed her hat from behind. The force wasn’t too strong, but she was unprepared and followed the force, falling backward.
She fell into a broad and familiar embrace.
Lin Xichi raised her eyes and met Xufang’s thoughtful gaze.
His elbow rested on a black jacket, and he was still wearing the summer training uniform, short sleeves and shorts. Because it was winter, he wasn’t sweating much, but his clothes were still damp, and he looked like he was extremely hot.
Lin Xichi stood up straight, unconsciously took out a tissue from her pocket, and handed it to him.
Xufang glanced at it but didn’t take it. Instead, he bent down and brought his face close to hers, asking in a low voice, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming over?”
Lin Xichi wiped his sweat with her hand, “How did you know I came over?”
“I didn’t know,” Xufang said lightly. “I just came over out of habit.”
“Oh,” Lin Xichi didn’t say anything more, tugging at his jacket and urging him to put it on quickly.
This year’s cold was colder than usual, and Lin Xichi couldn’t understand why he could stay here for so long in this attire. It looked terrifying.
Xufang obediently put on the jacket.
“Xufang, do you think you can get that guaranteed admission spot?” Lin Xichi asked.
“When that time comes, you can go to B city to pursue your master’s degree. Military academies are much stricter than national defense students.” Lin Xichi pursed her lips and whispered, “I’ve already contacted a supervisor, and I’ll be applying for graduate school at our university next semester, through the institution’s recommendation.”
Xufang turned his head to look at her, knowing her plans in advance, and didn’t say anything at this moment.
“Xufang,” Lin Xichi continued, “Xinzidan broke up with your senior today. She felt that those eight years were too long and that she couldn’t wait.”
She must have come to find him for a reason.
Xufang’s grip on her hand gradually tightened, his eyes deepening, and his lips pressed together.
“In fact,” Lin Xichi continued, counting on her fingers, “we’ve only known each other for twenty years, and you want me to wait for you for eight years.”
“…”
“But,” Lin Xichi looked up at him, her eyes forming crescent moons, smiling, and her tone changing, “we’re planning to live to be a hundred.”
“When these eight years are over, we’ll be thirty years old, and we can still live for another seventy years.”
“…”
“So, if you think about it this way, these eight years don’t seem so long.”
The two of them had just arrived downstairs at the dormitory.
Xufang’s tense body suddenly relaxed. He pulled her to stand under a tree, held the back of her head, and pinched her chin with his hand, leaning down to kiss her deeply.
His tongue was cold, and his kiss was unreserved, as if he were punishing her.
After a long time, Xufang pressed her head against his chest, his cheek against her ear, and said in a hoarse voice, “Damn.”
He lowered his voice, saying word by word, “It’s really fucking scary.”
Lin Xichi came back to her senses and struggled to break free from his hold. “I haven’t finished yet!”
“…”
“She also said that when we get married in the future, there’s a possibility that you’ll be in the military when I get pregnant, you’ll still be in the military when I give birth, and you’ll still be in the military when I’m doing my postpartum confinement.”
“…”
Lin Xichi pinched his cheek and tugged, “You’re daydreaming!”
Xufang was inexplicable, “What am I daydreaming about?”
“Since she said that, let’s not have children before we’re thirty.”
Although the topic was about having children, they were talking about their future, and Xufang’s mood suddenly improved a lot.
“Okay, let’s not.”
Lin Xichi nodded. Even though the plan had not yet been set in stone, she was already thinking very long-term. “If I get pregnant in the future, you must be by my side.”
Xufang’s Adam’s apple moved, and he used his fingertips to caress her cheek, smiling.
Just thinking about that scene made people look forward to it.
They were especially eager for that day to come.
Before he could speak, Lin Xichi continued seriously, following up on the previous conversation, “And then, take care of me like you take care of your dad.”
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