Early summer in June, Huaqing University.
The campus is under a clear blue sky.
At a glance, the trees are shaded and lush. The sun shining on the mulberry tree in front of the faculty building was bright and gentle, its light passing in between the spaces of its leaves and branches.
The classical dance students of the Dance Academy have just finished the last theoretical class of this week. Lin Jiayin is holding a book and stepping on the mottled shadow of the tree while walking side by side with her roommate Tao Mo.
“You’re really not going to the acquaintance party on the opposite of the lake?” Tao Mo asked.
Lin Jiayin shook her head: “Not going.”
The opposite of the lake refers to the main campus of Huaqing University—which is the Huaqing University before the merger.
Huaqing University ranks among the top 1 in China. It was originally an engineering college. Five years ago, a new president came to power and merged with the adjacent National Dance Academy and Art Academy.
According to rumors, the reason was that the new principal could not stand the school’s male to female ratio that is almost close to ten to zero.
Anyhow, the National Dance Academy and Art Academy are also both first-class professional schools in China.
Across the long winding Yueming Lake, on the opposite side are the science and engineering students with many boys and few girls, and at the end of the lake are the art students with many girls and few boys.
The two sides complement each other, and the friendship between them will naturally increase.
The dance academy is where Lin Jiayin has been enrolled to attend for the next semester.
“The organizers of the acquaintance party are asking me non-stop yesterday if you are going.” Tao Mo held her arm ambiguously: “Go with me.”
“It’s just a party so they could flirt with each other.”
“It is called an acquaintance party.” Tao Mo took her arm away and said, “No matter whatever party it is called, you will follow me anyway.”
Tao Mo is a native of Northeast China and she is 1.72 meters tall, her legs are long. The petite Lin Jiayin wasn’t able to keep up with Tao Mo’s pace. She panted slightly and frowned, “I have something to do tonight.”
“Don’t lie to me. What will you be doing?”
Lin Jiayin pursed her lips: “There’s really something I have to do.”
“Eh, it will be a pity if you won’t go—you will miss a lot of handsome people who are also coming in the party.” Tao Mo squinted at her.
Lin Jiayin shook her head to herself: “They’re not handsome.” In her eyes, there was only one person who looked good.
“But there will really be handsome seniors.” Tao Mo continued to squint at her, “Really handsome. I’ll be counting on one of them to take you out on a date.”
“…”
Tao Mo sighed, “I’m looking forward to you falling in love.”
Lin Jiayin lowered her head and whispered: “I have a boyfriend.”
“What the hell?” Tao Mo leaned her ears closer, “Speak louder.”
Lin Jiayin raised the volume: “I have a boyfriend.”
“Fuck.” Tao Mo covered her ear, frowning at the sudden shout: “You can really make your voice louder.”
“I have a boyfriend—!”
“…”
Not only Tao Mo, but even the other passing students who also heard her loud statement stopped and looked back. Tao Mo dragged Lin Jiayin to walk forward embarrassedly.
The two stopped in front of the green mulberry tree.
“You told me to speak loudly.” Lin Jiayin pursed the corners of her lips displeasedly, and her voice became quieter.
“Yes, yes, my fault. But,” Tao Mo paused, “you said you have a boyfriend? Hahahaha.”
“…” Lin Jiayin scratched her head: “What’s so funny about this?”
Tao Mo reached out and poked her cheek lightly: “Does it hurt?”
Lin Jiayin: “It hurts.”
“Then, are you awake?”
“…”
Lin Jiayin didn’t want to pay attention to her anymore, walked straight forward, and stepped on the shade of the tall trees while making small and fast steps.
“Don’t be angry.” Tao Mo caught up with her, “I can’t be blamed for this.”
Lin Jiayin stopped and looked at her blankly.
Tao Mo took her hand away and said: “You said it once at the end of last semester, you said it once two months ago, and you said it again today.” She concluded, “It’s been more than half a year since you had a boyfriend.”
While Tao Mo was enumerating, Lin Jiayin was also counting in her heart. Time flies so fast, it is indeed more than half a year already.
“So, you have been in love for six months, and I haven’t even seen a single hair of your boyfriend. Tell me, you’re really not kidding me?”
Lin Jiayin: “No.”
“Okay.” Tao Mo made a gesture: “You bring him here so I could see him, or you tell me who he is.”
In Tao Mo’s opinion, Lin Jiayin is purely bluffing her.
Sure enough, Lin Jiayin shook her head: “No.”
Tao Mo asked: “Are you ashamed to introduce me as your friend, or his identity is too shameful so you cannot introduce him to me?”
Lin Jiayin thought for a while: “He just doesn’t want to meet anyone.”
“…” Tao Mo didn’t want to ask anymore, a corner of her mouth twitched, “Just forget it.”
“Nothing is shameful either.” Lin Jiayin tried to explain.
Tao Mo said, “Oh, what is it then?”
“He just doesn’t like it.”
He would not come out to meet his girlfriend’s best friend just because he doesn’t like it?
Tao Mo asked Lin Jiayin angrily: “Why do you keep this kind of boyfriend? Why don’t you let him kneel on a washboard1“To kneel on washboard” is a common punishment for unruly children/ husbands who made a mistake.? Or you don’t even dare to control your boyfriend?”
After all, they are both considered fairies in the dance theater, and a large group of people lines up to court them. What’s more, for a beauty like Lin Jiayin who has a terribly innocent sweet face of first love and someone who dances very well, even if her background is a garbage dump, she will still look beautiful.
“There is no way.” Lin Jiayin stuck out her tongue and said in frustration: “I like him.”
“I would think that your kind of like is just to give off a fart.” 2“Giving off a fart” is like saying “bullshit” or something.
Lin Jiayin disapproved “No.”
“Most likes are temporary—once the excitement has passed,” Tao Mo spread her hands: “Just game over.”
“It’s not just momentary.” Lin Jiayin’s voice was very soft: “I’ve liked him for many years. It started since the first year of high school.”
“As I was saying, there is still friendship between us. Your boyfriend must be handsome and not just—” Then, Tao Mo realized what Lin Jiayin just said. She was speechless, and was dumb for a while, “You’re not really joking. Right?”
Lin Jiayin shook her head slowly: “I’m not joking with you.”
Tao Mo’s expression was full of disbelief. Her mouth was so wide open that it’s enough to fit an apple. After some several seconds, she said in surprise: “In short, you have liked him for four years?”
“It is four and a half years to be precise.”
Lin Jiayin began to recall the first time she saw him many years ago.
At the opening ceremony of the first year of high school, he took the stage as the representative of outstanding students to give a speech. The young man stood at the center of the spotlight. His body was slender and tall. The bright incandescent light outlined his exquisite face.
He smiled indifferently every time he finished speaking, and when he laughed, he always had some laziness at the corners of his mouth. He speaks very casually but people below still sat and listened carefully.
He seemed to be very unhappy and his words were loose. His voice was a little careless, but it was inexplicably like a breeze blowing from the sounds of cicadas in summer—it remains clean and clear in the ears.
That picture was deeply imprinted in Lin Jiayin’s mind.
Later, Lin Jiayin could see him in many places.
The window display in front of the school was filled with pictures of him holding an award; a series of trophies and medals engraved with his name are displayed in the school museum; his name can always be heard in places where girls gather…
For Lin Jiayin, who was at the bottom of class E, always rejected by the teacher for being too stupid and has always been teased that she should just repeat elementary school, it was like discovering something wonderful in this world.
It turns out that there are people who are as perfect as gods in this world.
From then on, he was like the sun in the sky and he became the most dazzling existence in Lin Jiayin’s world.
And so, the stupid student Lin Jiayin hung and held her head, forcing herself to answer test questions day and night. One semester later, she finally squeezed from the worst class E into class A where the masters of academics gathered.
However, in less than a week of joy, Shen Zhan went abroad…
Lin Jiayin cried for a month and was depressed for the rest of the school year. Just when she thought she would never meet him again in this life, she still somehow became his girlfriend.
It’s not that it was too inexplicable. She just didn’t want to tell anyone about these twists and turns.
After listening to Lin Jiayin’s brief narrative, Tao Mo frowned: “So you are saying that you still love him unrequitedly?”
Lin Jiayin nodded.
“Why did he become your boyfriend if he doesn’t even like you? No—” Tao Mo couldn’t understand, “Why wouldn’t he like a girl like you?” If Tao Mo was a boy, she will definitely prefer Lin Jiayin’s beauty and personality.
“As you’re quite aware, I’m a little stupid.” Lin Jiayin scratched her hair: “He doesn’t seem to like fools like me.”
“…” Tao Mo couldn’t refute this.
Lin Jiayin dropped her head again.
Tao Mo patted her on the shoulder and comforted: “Okay, well, our sister Lin is so cute, and there are so many people in this world who love fools.”
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in front of them, and the students behind also jumped forward one after another.
Tao Mo stopped another student from the dance department: “What happened in the front?”
“Shen Zhan is back to school.”
Tao Mo thought for half a second, and then popped out two words: “Shen Zhan?”
“Yeah, or who else could it be?” The other student couldn’t wait to get rid of Tao Mo’s hand.
Looking at the moving people in front of her, Tao Mo suddenly uttered a long cry.
Lin Jiayin on the side was stunned.
With this simple exchange, she was happy and sad at the same time.
Shen Zhan is back.
But he did not tell her.
She pulled her phone out of her bag, and the last dialogue in their conversation remained at the cute emoticon she sent last week.
“Hey, I can’t even see him.” Tao Mo retracted his gaze and glanced disdainfully. She subconsciously pulled Lin Jiayin forward, “Don’t look at the phone, do you not want to see the immortal-looking guy in the Electronics Academy?”
Unlike Lin Jiayin who attended a mixed arts-and-sports high school, Tao Mo attended a specialized dance school since elementary and basically have never attended the cultural class. It’s only thanks to Shen Zhan that she can remember the three Chinese characters of the Electronics Academy.
Shen Zhan transferred back from MIT3MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s one of the best engineering schools located in the United States. last semester. Once he entered the school, he caused a huge sensation. He not only slapped the grasses4School grasses are considered the most handsome/ popular guy in school. of the colleges but also robbed the first place in terms of grades. Like an immortal, he caught the hearts of all the girls. The confession wall was bombarded and accidental collisions happened frequently. Shen Zhan’s scheduled itinerary can be sold at sky-high prices. Any public class that can be entered, even if it is scheduled in the early morning, will absolutely be filled with girls from the art classes who are fully dressed up.
It’s like chasing a public celebrity.
Oh, yes, his surname is Shen. The CEO of ET Group, a leading company in the field of domestic electronics technology, is also named Shen.
Although it is only a rumor, everyone is convinced that Shen Zhan is the heir of the ET Group.
Shen Zhan was wearing a thin white shirt and suit trousers, with a precious and clean temperament covering his body. With straight and slender legs, he walked side by side with the dean without any haste.
“How come there are people like him in this in the world?” Tao Mo stood behind the crowd, relied on her height to looked at him from a distance, and shook her head with emotion: “If he looks like this, will the other guys still have a chance?”
This time, Shen Zhan represented Huaqing University to participate in the world’s highest-level electronic competition. He lived up to the expectations, and naturally, the team led by him took first place at the collegiate level.
Since the establishment of Huaqing University, the best result they got in the same competition was only up to second runner-up. No wonder the principal laughed beautifully.
Lin Jiayin was blocked behind the crowd, and without the height of Tao Mo, she could only jump continuously. She jumped and waved, hoping Shen Zhan could see her.
“Why are waving like this?” Tao Mo held Lin Jiayin’s arm. “It’s so stupid, it looks like you know him.”
Lin Jiayin looked at Tao Mo and hesitated, but did not say anything in the end.
“Okay, let’s be serious. Let’s only take a look and don’t follow the mainstream!” Tao Mo looked at the girls who were so excited as they raise a banner written with “Shen Zhan, I love you.”
Lin Jiayin shook her head.
“…” Tao Mo rubbed her nose, “I didn’t say much about your unrequited love to your boyfriend for four or five years, but now you are judging me like I’m a nymphomaniac.”
Lin Jiayin didn’t speak.
“But I still advise you to kick your cheap boyfriend.” Tao Mo turned her head, and her eyes fell on the broad back that had already walked away. “Of course, if it’s like Shen Zhan, I will not say anything.”
“…”
