Jiang Nian had one hand on the desk, resting his head, with his phone on his leg.
"Smile?"
He suddenly rembered the ti he spoke to the class leader about taking leave during the sports et.
At that ti, he was rushing to catch a bus back to Xiaolongtan and only rembered rambling a lot in a hurry.
Li Qingrong just listened and seed to have smiled a little.
It was a bit dim, perhaps because the green wall covered in vines around the flag-raising platform blocked the light, making her smile seem faint.
Smile, then I should reply with a smile too.
Jiang Nian chose a little yellow face emoji pack, rembering there was a big head smile sowhere.
Who sends exactly the sa emoji back, that’s not proper etiquette, there should be so difference.
Why can’t I find it, the big smiley yellow face.
I clearly rember saving it when I was still sane in the beginning of high school, why can’t I find it now.
He rummaged through his favorites, but there were too many s, like ones saying "Won won’t like you this way", "Those kinds of desires towards are normal".
Or "I’m impossible to defeat, I have no morals", "Teacher, I see you still have charm", "In being a dog, I truly can’t compare to you".
Jiang Nian was extrely embarrassed, searching for a smile among a pile of abstract faces.
He finally found a smile, but it said "Is your mom there?".
In the end, Jiang Nian gave up.
His fingers were a bit sore from flipping through too much, and inadvertently twitched, sending an "old banana" emoji over. He wanted to retract it, but upon seeing it wasn’t abstract.
Oh well, just this one.
After a while, Li Qingrong didn’t reply, probably resting.
Understandable, who exchanges emojis for no reason.
Jiang Nian put away his phone, laying on his desk and slowly closed his eyes.
anwhile.
In North District Building 5, boys’ dormitory, Lin Dong sat curled up on his bed, leaning against the wall.
"Cousin, you... what’s this about?"
Yang Qiming stood in the dormitory aisle, hand on the bed fra, looking serious.
"I heard you’re changing dorms?"
"Ah, sort of." Lin Dong almost squeezing into the wall, "Cousin, don’t overthink, it’s just... my great-grandma ca in my dream last night."
Yang Qiming wanted to say sothing, like the math weekly test scores don’t matter, or the Double Li are unbeatable. But hearing about a dream from great-grandma, he was suddenly dumbfounded.
"What?"
Lin Dong swallowed, "My great-grandma said my birth elent is too strong, and I should change to a dorm with less masculinity."
"Isn’t this pure superstition?" Yang Qiming was stupefied, "No, Brother Dong, that reason is absurd. Even if it’s true, you can’t be so blindly filial."
"Why don’t you reconsider, don’t move out?"
He had just decided to give up on won, focus on brothers and studies. People say misfortune in love brings success at work.
Why is it that for him, he lost both girlfriend and brothers?
Does that make sense?
At this, Lin Dong felt a bit resigned.
"Would my great-grandma harm ? No more persuading, I’m just that filial!"
Lin Dong succeeded in securing a deal with one of Zeng You’s dorm mbers by using a week’s worth of lunch and saved-up goodwill. He would move in the afternoon!
Whether he misunderstood or not, there’s no turning back once the bow is drawn.
His life motto is, if you’re going to do it, follow it through to the end. No half-asures and then turning back in regret.
Yang Qiming tried persuading a few more tis, but the more he did, the more determined Lin Dong was to change dorms. Seeing that he couldn’t convince him, he didn’t bother continuing.
This day was destined to be his black Monday.
Yang Qiming turned over onto the bed, planning to heal his emotional wounds with a nap.
Though he always acted indifferent, even fooling himself. But when really separating, he knew the heart is honest, constantly speaking of love for her.
At this mont, all the heartaches gathered in his chest.
Unable to sleep, Yang Qiming opened QQ and WeChat, yet the verification ssage was still not approved.
He couldn’t help but clench his fist, wondering where the promised happiness had gone, could "forever" from a girl’s mouth really just be a tense word?
Yang Qiming took a deep breath and opened Douyin, where the first video was "How to win back your girlfriend’s heart".
He watched it, and as he closed his eyes, mories of the past with his girlfriend flooded in, mixing grievances with sorrow, bringing a manly tear to his eye.
Lin Dong napped with one eye closed and the other on guard.
He would move dorms in the afternoon.
Despite being a nostalgist who had to leave this dorm for various reasons, it didn’t an he had no feelings for it, since he had stayed for quite a while.
Dammit, why does it feel like a breakup, this is unacceptable.
Lunchti was almost over, and the bell would ring at 1:50.
Lin Dong saw there were only seven minutes left, and since Yang Qiming showed no signs of abnormality, he began to reflect on whether what he saw last night was real. Is seeing really believing?
Perhaps what happened last night was a misunderstanding, Yang Qiming might just be an honest and simple person, maybe too heartbroken over a breakup with his girlfriend.
Guys, after all, can be a bit ssy when upset; it’s normal.
Let’s say his cousin naturally has low detection power and was managing emotions while multitasking responses. Maybe it just wasn’t right at that mont or his cousin just finished...
Thinking like this, he gradually cald down.
Goodbye, 505.
The phone’s breathing light mysteriously shone, Lin Dong didn’t really sleep during the nap, picked it up only to see no new ssages, just a QQ status update from his cousin Yang Qiming.
Lin Dong smiled, he had let go and everything made sense now.
No matter what his cousin posted, he wouldn’t overthink it anymore...
Devouring God: "I’ll use absolute rationality to suppress this deadly affection. The road is full of scenery, no longer will I climb mountains for you."
Hmm? That’s strange, let’s read it again.
Lin Dong read every word, thinking that this must be ant for his girlfriend.
On reflection, doesn’t seem right; his girlfriend deleted him and he never got her back. Who is this for? Unluckily, Jiang Nian’s ssage last night’s ssage flashed through his mind.
"You could ask him, he’d definitely say that. Silly, this is ant for you."
Damn it, Jiang Nian is toxic!
Totally cursed!
Lin Dong’s hair stood on end, his back drenched in cold sweat.
All his roommates were still during their naps, and quietly climbing out of bed to tie his shoes, this dorm was unbearable to stay in—move this afternoon, the sooner the better.
Having finished everything and reached the door, Lin Dong, at the last mont, as though compelled, turned back for a last look. Right then, he saw a tear-streaked face, his cousin Yang Qiming’s expression was incredibly odd.
Pain mixed with confusion, anger mixed with disappointnt.
Lin Dong didn’t stop, turned around and bolted.
....
There were still five minutes until the break was over, Jiang Nian awoke.
Because Zhang Ningzhi arrived.
Due to the book basket under his chair, he couldn’t move the chair.
Jiang Nian leaned forward, colloquially known as "feeding the desk".
Zhang Ningzhi, carrying lemon tea, passed behind him, leaving a whiff of fragrance, placing the lemon tea on his desk.
"Thanks."
"No need to thank ." Zhang Ningzhi’s eyes narrowed into crescents, a joy born of cultivation.
Jiang Nian turned and glanced at her, not knowing what she was happy about again. Girls are always hard to read, he felt like taking a break and finding soone for a double queue.
"Hey."
Hearing that, Zhang Ningzhi turned back.
"What’s up?"
Strangely, since they’ve known each other, Zhang Ningzhi assud in certain contexts, "hey" referred to her, akin to a situational cue.
Suddenly she realized Jiang Nian had almost never called her by her na.
Whether it was Zhang Ningzhi or... sothing else, how could soone call a girl "hey" — so rude! She even brought him drinks every day!
Thinking of this, Zhang Ningzhi didn’t want to bother with him anymore, directly laying on the desk.
Jiang Nian: "????"
Is Baby Zhizhi on her period?
Three temper changes a second, could it be like Pri Minister Cao, skillful in killing in dreams?
Forget it, I’ll go pee.
Jiang Nian turned away from his seat, Li Hua wasn’t here, maybe overexcited at ho.
Anyway, nobody outside was in his way, so it was clear sailing.
Tuesday afternoons were all about integrated science classes, better for BYD Li Hua not to co.
That good-for-nothing kid cos just to show off, usually asleep but the mont it’s show-off ti, he boasts all afternoon, completely rejuvenated.
In the restroom, Jiang Nian habitually pulled out his phone to check for ssages.
Two people sent him new ssages.
One was Lin Dong, saying he just left the dormitory. He requested leave for the afternoon self-study to change dorms early, ntioned a lot afterward which Jiang Nian couldn’t quite understand.
Moving to Zeng You’s dorm?
Isn’t that the dorm in his own group? Wu Jungu and Zeng You are both in it, so Lin Dong will join too?
The other ssage was from the class leader, who replied with just one emoji.
Still a little yellow face.
"(poke poke)"
Jiang Nian chuckled inexplicably, it’s kind of... cute, a bit naturally silly for the class leader to use this emoji.
After washing his hands, he looked at the response ti from Li Qingrong.
1:40 in the afternoon, seems to be just after her nap.
He pondered, has no normal emoji now, no ti for remorse, will reform later.
Jiang Nian: "(poke poke) x2."
If you poke, then I poke, I’ll find new emojis later in the afternoon.
Zhang Ningzhi’s emojis are quite normal, might as well recycle them, they don’t share contacts anyway.
At the school gate.
A perfect autumn afternoon, the campus broadcast wake-up music was random. It used to be cold, "ding dong", don’t rember when it changed.
The distressed quality broadcast played Lin Junjie’s "Jiangnan".
[Round and round, day after day, I gaze deep into your face...]
Li Qingrong crushed a dry yellow fallen leaf beneath her foot, feeling a vibration from her pocketed phone. She paused and effortlessly found the chat page.
"(poke poke) x2."
Li Qingrong lowered her eyes, contemplated, then replied to the ssage.
"(poke poke) x3."
After a while, Jiang Nian replied again.
"(poke poke) x4."
She was out of responses, repeating endlessly seed boring, maybe ask Nie Qiqi, she’s quite chatty.
Just washed his face with cold water, Jiang Nian leaned on the railing, seeing no reply from Li Qingrong, and asked.
"Why no more (poke poke)?"
After ten seconds, a new ssage popped up.
Li Qingrong: "poke poke x5."
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