The next morning, before dawn, Fu Zhi’an carefully lifted the blanket, glancing at Chi Yu’s leg draped across his abdomen. He tried to gently move Chi Yu’s leg to get out of bed, but after several attempts, he paused each time, seeing the frown forming on Chi Yu’s face.
Fu Zhi’an sighed softly and leaned back against the headboard, covering himself with the blanket again. He placed his left hand lightly on Chi Yu’s shoulder, stretching his right arm to reach for the notebook on the bedside table. His movements must have been too big because Chi Yu, lying beside him, let out a small, annoyed groan and shifted his head against Fu Zhi’an’s ribs.
“What time is it…” Chi Yu’s voice was heavy with sleep, and after those few words, he drifted back off.
Fu Zhi’an patted Chi Yu’s head, and feeling Chi Yu’s steady breathing, he whispered, “It’s still early.”
Chi Yu’s flight was scheduled for the morning, two hours after Fu Zhi’an’s exam. After today, they’d be back to their long-distance relationship for another year.
Last night, before going to sleep, Chi Yu had told Fu Zhi’an that he wouldn’t be able to come back to China for a while since his school didn’t allow much time off. Fu Zhi’an had smiled and nodded, knowing that there was more than one way to solve the problem of their long-distance relationship. If Chi Yu couldn’t come back, Fu Zhi’an could always go to him.
On the day the college entrance exam results were released, Chi Yu was in the middle of an exam himself. He timed it perfectly, rushing to the restroom and crouching over the toilet, listening intently to the faint sounds of breathing on the other end of the phone.
Sweat formed in his palm as he gripped his phone tightly, holding his breath until he heard a familiar man’s shout followed by a woman’s scream on the other end. Fu Zhi’an’s voice was soft, almost drowned out by the shouts of his parents, but Chi Yu heard him laugh as he said, “I’m going to take this call.”
After the sound of a door closing, the world seemed to fall silent. Fu Zhi’an hesitated for a moment before saying, “The results are out.”
Chi Yu’s grip on his clothes tightened involuntarily, trying to sound natural as he replied with a low “Mm.”
“A little disappointing.”
Chi Yu’s breath caught in his throat, sensing something off in Fu Zhi’an’s tone. Without thinking, he blurted out, “It’s okay, it’s not disappointing at all.”
“I didn’t get full marks in Chinese,” Fu Zhi’an continued, his voice carrying a faint hint of regret.
“A little disappointing.”
It felt like a huge pit had opened in Chi Yu’s stomach, making it hard for him to breathe. It took him a while to recover, and when he did, he muttered into the receiver, “Damn it, Fu Zhi’an.”
Despite what he considered a disappointing performance, Fu Zhi’an didn’t end up as the national top scorer. Still, the school celebrated by hanging a bright red banner at the entrance, congratulating him on becoming the provincial top scorer.
Normally, Chen Yifang should have been the happiest mother in the world, but when she heard that her son had turned down the opportunity for a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program at S University, she was too shocked to speak.
No matter how much she questioned him, Fu Zhi’an only responded nonchalantly, his head buried in a book, “I just don’t want to go.”
Chi Yu didn’t know about any of this. All he knew was that Fu Zhi’an seemed to have started university early. He had sent Chi Yu a photo of himself standing at the school gate with a black suitcase. In the photo, Fu Zhi’an was wearing the same T-shirt Chi Yu had seen him in last time, looking somewhat reluctant in front of the camera. His normally aloof expression seemed even more displeased.
Chi Yu zoomed in on the photo, enlarging it until Fu Zhi’an’s face nearly filled the entire screen.
“You look so dumb,” Chi Yu muttered as he sat on the ground, staring at the image. He blinked slowly and then added, “Fu Zhi’an, you look really dumb in this picture.”
Chi Yu felt that Fu Zhi’an’s laziness had come late, but when it did, it hit hard. After starting university, Fu Zhi’an suddenly had a lot of free time. With no time difference between them, they were constantly in touch except during class.
One day, Fu Zhi’an suddenly sent Chi Yu a game invitation.
The game was poorly made with a boring storyline, and Chi Yu spent most of his time cursing the developers. Fu Zhi’an occasionally chimed in, but he still played the game religiously.
Fu Zhi’an wasn’t actually into gaming. He thought it was a waste of time and bad for his eyesight. His only goal in this game was simple—reach level 60 so he could complete the marriage quest.
Even same-gender characters could get married in the game.
Except for classes and lab work, Fu Zhi’an was almost always glued to his phone. His roommate, Shao Yingran, often teased him, saying, “Fu Zhi’an, your girlfriend is really clingy, huh?”
Most of the time, Fu Zhi’an didn’t respond. But when Shao Yingran wouldn’t stop teasing him, Fu Zhi’an would look up with a blank expression and say, “I’m the clingy one.”
Things took a turn one night near the end of their freshman year. Fu Zhi’an was in the bathroom showering when his phone, left on the table, started ringing incessantly. Shao Yingran glanced at the screen, seeing the name “Xiao Chi” displayed.
Normally, Shao Yingran would rather be assigned to a grueling biology experiment than touch Fu Zhi’an’s phone, but that night, for some reason, he picked it up and answered, “Hey, can you call back later? Fu Zhi’an is in the shower right now.”
There was a long silence on the other end, and just as Shao Yingran was about to hang up, a cold, clear male voice came through.
“Who the hell are you?”
When Fu Zhi’an came out of the bathroom, Shao Yingran was standing at the door with a complicated expression. The phone in his hand seemed like a hot potato. He handed it back to Fu Zhi’an, then quickly turned and headed for the bathroom.
Just as the door was halfway closed, Shao Yingran hesitated, then awkwardly smiled and stammered, “Uh, your girlfriend has quite the temper.”
“She grilled me for ten minutes about why I answered your phone while you were showering.” Shao Yingran didn’t dare look at Fu Zhi’an and quickly shut the door, shouting through the panel, “You’d better explain things to her!”
For the next six months, Chi Yu would bring up the incident every so often. When Fu Zhi’an couldn’t talk his way out of it over the phone, he decided it was time to explain in person.
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