Lu Ze lay on the dormitory bed, his body turned to the side, one leg propped up against the bed’s railing, in a rather twisted position.
After a few minutes, his hand holding the phone dropped along with his eyelids. As he walked by, Sun Zhuoyu snatched Lu Ze’s phone and set it aside. “Didn’t you just wake up? Why are you going to sleep again?”
Lu Ze opened his eyes and rubbed his face, “Didn’t sleep well last night…”
Sun Zhuoyu sighed, “Don’t tell me you had another argument with Han Jing.”
Lu Ze responded with a simple “Mm,” then changed his position, burying his face in the pillow.
Sun Zhuoyu clicked his tongue, “I feel like you two have been arguing a lot recently. Is it really worth fighting over?”
Lu Ze’s voice was muffled, “I don’t know, we start arguing after just a few sentences.”
“Are you skipping your date today, then?”
“Mm.”
Sun Zhuoyu sighed once more, “Why don’t you take the initiative and go see her? You know how girls are; they all care about their pride. If you go see her, she won’t be angry anymore. Isn’t that what you taught me?”
At first, Lu Ze didn’t react, but a few seconds later, he lifted his head and looked at Sun Zhuoyu, “Why are you so naggy?”
Sun Zhuoyu chuckled twice, “Mao Mao isn’t here, and I’m going out too. I’m just afraid Master will be lonely and bored in the dorm alone.”
“Where are you going?” Lu Ze asked.
Sun Zhuoyu couldn’t help but smile again, and Lu Ze furrowed his brow and waved his hand, “Alright, I got it. You’re going to see your senior again, aren’t you?”
“Yep. Well, I’m off. Do you want me to bring you some delicious food?”
Lu Ze, feeling irritated, buried his face back into the pillow and said with a sullen tone, “No need, just go. I haven’t seen anyone chasing for a whole year without catching up. When you’re outside, don’t mention that you’re my disciple…”
Sun Zhuoyu, heading out, replied, “So what if I can’t catch up? I’m having a good time chasing, much better than you arguing every day, Master…”
The dormitory door closed, and Lu Ze listened to Sun Zhuoyu’s footsteps gradually moving away, maintaining his posture with his face buried in the pillow.
Teaching a disciple could starve the master… No, this disciple hasn’t caught anyone yet, so how could the master be starving, and they’re both chasing after different people.
Luz Ze lay down for a while and then turned over in frustration. In the beginning, he was the one pursuing Han Jing, and after he successfully won her over, he treated her well. You could even say that he was more attentive to Han Jing than to any of his previous girlfriends.
Every day, he greeted her with “good morning” and “goodnight,” bought her breakfast, went to the library or her classroom to pick her up, took her out for meals, shopping, and movies, and even cared for her during her period. However, he couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. Recently, he distinctly felt that Han Jing’s attitude had become somewhat cold, as if she was avoiding him.
Luz Ze turned over in bed a few times, and his drowsiness faded. Since he was alone in the dormitory and felt bored, he got out of bed, took a shower, chose an outfit that he knew looked very handsome on him and accentuated his long legs, and grabbed a baseball cap before heading out.
On the way, he made a detour to the cafeteria and bought a portion of fruit salad, specifically adding Han Jing’s favorite, bananas. Carrying the fruit salad, he arrived at the women’s dormitory building. Luz Ze took out his phone and messaged Han Jing: “[I’m downstairs at your dormitory building with fruit salad for you].”
After two minutes, Han Jing replied: “[I haven’t even finished getting ready. Why did you come over suddenly?]”
Luz Ze typed with one hand: “[Don’t be angry. I want to take you out on a date.]”
He stared at the screen, noticing that sometimes it showed “the other party is typing,” and other times it displayed “Jing Jing.”Han Jing typed and deleted several times before responding: “[How about you go back? I don’t feel like going out today.]”
Luz Ze frowned as he read this message and then held down the voice message button. In a calm tone, he said: “[I’ll wait for you. Whenever you’re ready to come down, we can talk in person about anything you’d like.]”
After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and took a few steps to the side. From this position, he could see the windows of Han Jing’s dormitory. Luz Ze lifted his head and spotted Han Jing standing by the window. He waved to her and smiled.
Han Jing looked at him for a while, then turned back into the room.
The weather in April was still a bit unpredictable, with sudden shifts between warm and cool. Luz Ze hung the bag of fruit salad from his wrist and put his hands in his pockets. A passing female student greeted him, “Luz Ze, coming to see Jing Jing again?”
Luz Ze nodded, and the girl was quite helpful, “Is this fruit salad for her? Do you want me to help you take it up?”
“No need, thanks.”
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Han Jing came out of the dormitory building. She hadn’t dressed up much, tied her hair casually into a ponytail, wore a light purple tracksuit, and had faint dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn’t slept well.
She spoke, “Luz Ze, I really don’t feel like going out today…”
Luz Ze looked at her, “We don’t have to go on a date. Are you feeling cold? If not, we can talk here.”
Han Jing hugged her arms and rubbed them, “I’m a bit cold…”
“In that case, let’s go to the milk tea shop.”
The two of them walked in silence to the milk tea shop near the school gate. Luz Ze ordered two cups of milk tea and, once they sat down, he helped Han Jing open the lid of her fruit salad and handed her a fork. “Go ahead and eat.”
Han Jing lowered her head, picked up a piece of banana, and after a while, she asked, “What do you want to say?”
Luz Ze didn’t beat around the bush and asked her directly, “Why are you avoiding me?”
Han Jing didn’t dare to look up at him and said softly, “I’m not avoiding you…”
“Did something happen?” Luz Ze continued to ask, “Can’t you tell me? I can help you figure it out together.”
Han Jing remained silent, poking the same piece of banana with her fork. After watching her for a while, Luz Ze reached over, took the fork from her hand, and picked up the piece of banana, bringing it to her lips. “Ah…”
Han Jing instinctively opened her mouth and took a bite. Luz Ze smiled at her and said, “You’ll poke it to pieces if you keep poking. Jing Jing, can’t you tell me if it’s related to me?”
The trace of a smile that had just appeared on Han Jing’s face vanished. After a long pause, she nodded and said, “Mm.”
Luz Ze leaned back in his chair, “You don’t like me anymore? Or do you think being in a relationship with me is not interesting? Boring?”
The milk tea was ready, and Han Jing got up to get it herself. When she returned, she took a deep breath, looked at Luz Ze, and said, “Honestly, I’ve been feeling quite conflicted during this time. It’s not you; it’s me… I couldn’t see myself clearly.”
“What do you mean?” Luz Ze asked.
Han Jing held the cup with both hands, avoided his gaze again, and said, “I’ll tell you, please don’t get angry first.”
Luz Ze replied calmly, “Mm.”
In one breath, Han Jing continued, “I think I might not have genuinely liked you, or maybe I liked two people at the same time, but I didn’t realize it.”
Han Jing’s words left Luz Ze feeling a bit confused. He stayed silent for a good while before saying, “So, you’ve developed feelings for someone else? What do you mean by ‘possibly never liked me’?”
Having spoken her mind, Han Jing felt more at ease. She shook her head, “I haven’t figured it out completely yet. But I don’t think it’s that I’ve fallen for someone else. It’s just that I might have liked that person before we got together, but I didn’t realize it.”
Luz Ze furrowed his brows tightly and, after thinking for a while, struggled to say, “So, you mean you’ve been in love with someone else even before we were together, but you only realized it now?”
Han Jing nodded, “It’s possible.”
Despite promising not to get angry earlier, Luz Ze couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger in that moment. He coldly remarked, “Han Jing, do you believe that yourself? That you realized you liked someone else after being with me? You must have hidden it quite well, even from yourself.”
Han Jing sighed and said with a bitter smile, “I’m sorry, whether you believe it or not, it’s true. I genuinely didn’t realize my feelings for her back then.”
Luz Ze interlocked his hands on the table and tapped his fingers on the back of his hand one by one. He asked, “So, how did you suddenly become aware of it?”
Han Jing thought for a long time but before she could answer, Luz Ze interrupted her, saying, “Never mind, I don’t want to know how you found out. I just want to ask one thing: have you never liked me from the beginning?”
Han Jing didn’t dare to look into Luz Ze’s eyes. This was her mistake, but she was afraid to see Luz Ze getting hurt. After a long pause, she honestly admitted, “I really don’t know… Maybe there was some liking, but it wasn’t the kind of liking you have for someone you truly love. It was probably because you’re handsome and good to me, so I…”
Han Jing didn’t continue, but Luz Ze understood. It was just a bit of fondness due to his appearance and behavior, but not real love.
He sighed softly, then asked in a calm tone, “Can you tell me who it is? The person you liked before me.”
Han Jing hesitated for a while, and Luz Ze snorted, saying, “Han Jing, even if you’ve never liked me, we’ve been together for these months, and you should know me well enough. I won’t take revenge on her.”
Han Jing hurriedly explained, “No, it’s not that I’m afraid of you taking revenge on her. It’s just…”
Seeing her hesitating, Luz Ze felt annoyed by her evasiveness. He suddenly stood up and said coldly, “Don’t bother telling me. I don’t want to know anymore. Since you’ve never liked me, let’s break up. Go find your true love.”
In her desperation, Han Jing grabbed his wrist, but he glanced down at her hand, and she quickly withdrew it. She said, “Don’t leave yet. I want to tell you that I don’t want you to think of me as someone who’s trying to have it both ways.”
Luz Ze stood still without moving, and Han Jing said in a low voice, “Sit down first.”
Luz Ze sat back down without showing any expression.
Han Jing looked at him and said, “In fact, you know her. It’s Qiu Ning.”
Luz Ze’s expression gradually changed from indifference to bewilderment. He blinked and seemed to have misheard Han Jing. His voice was distorted when he asked, “You said who?”
Seven Willow
Happy New Year! Updates have begun. The posting schedule is at 7:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There won’t be updates on Wednesday and Sunday.
These are sweet stories. The author loves peace, so please enjoy the stories, don’t force yourself, and most importantly, avoid arguments. If you spot any typos, feel free to let me know.
