Li Qiang handed a loaf of bread to Chang Hao and asked if he wanted it.
Chang Hao stared at the bread in frustration and asked, “Why is it that Zhou Yuwen and the others get it for free, but I have to pay?”
Li Qiang chuckled and said, “Oh, co on! It’s a rare occasion to see Old Zhou. I can afford a couple of loaves for him. But we see each other every day, so we’ve got to keep the accounts clear, even between brothers!”
Chang Hao pressed further, “And what about the facial cleanser you’ve been using? How are we settling that?”
“Uh…”
Before Chang Hao could say more, Li Qiang shoved the bread into his hands and said, “Here, just take it. My treat!”
“Co on, Brother Hao, I was just ssing with you. Why are you taking it seriously?”
Chang Hao ignored him.
The bus soon departed. Truth be told, the bus ride was far less comfortable than a private car. While air-conditioning had beco standard, the environnt was still stuffy.
After boarding, Zhou Yuwen called Su Qing and told her to follow the bus on the highway and not drive too fast.
Shen Yu, sitting in the front passenger seat, held the phone for Su Qing. Su Qing asked, “Zhou Yuwen, are you worried about ?”
“I’m just worried about your driving skills. Don’t wreck my car,” Zhou Yuwen replied candidly, recalling her driving test days when he was there to witness her performance firsthand.
Su Qing pouted. “You’re underestimating ! You’re making
sound terrible.”
“Well, just drive slower. It’s safer for everyone,” Zhou Yuwen advised.
Su Qing giggled. “So you do care about .”
“I care about Shen Yu and Lu Lin,” Zhou Yuwen retorted.
“Pfft~”
After a few more exchanges, they hung up. Zhou Yuwen’s change of clothes and other belongings were in his car. anwhile, Zheng Yanyan had co prepared with a small bag filled with snacks, yogurt, and other little items. Girls always seed to pack more for trips.
As soon as Zhou Yuwen ended the call, Zheng Yanyan asked if he wanted so yogurt.
“Sure,” Zhou Yuwen replied.
Zheng Yanyan inserted the straw and handed it to him. He took a sip and remarked, “It tastes off.”
“Really?”
Zheng Yanyan took a sip herself and agreed. “It does seem a bit off.”
The bus environnt was unpleasant. Most passengers either put on headphones to sleep or played on their phones. Besides Zhou Yuwen and his girlfriend, there were other couples onboard, chatting quietly without disturbing others. Zheng Yanyan did most of the talking.
“I’ve never been to Suzhou,” she said.
“What’s fun in Suzhou?”
“What should we eat tonight?”
Zhou Yuwen responded absentmindedly, reminding her to lower her voice so she wouldn’t disturb the others.
She lowered her voice and asked again, “What should we eat tonight?”
“We’ll see,” Zhou Yuwen replied. “If we have free ti, I’ll take you to Songhelou for dinner.”
Sitting near their teacher, Sun Lili, Zhou Yuwen ntioned Songhelou. She overheard and comnted with a smile, “Their squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is popular, but I can’t get used to it.”
“It’s alright for . I’m not picky,” Zhou Yuwen replied.
Sun Lili often traveled to southern Jiangsu, so she was familiar with the cuisine there. “You could also try the noodles. Suzhou has a lot of options.”
“Most noodles in Suzhou are thin, but I prefer wide noodles,” Zhou Yuwen said.
“Then you should visit the northwest, like Shaanxi,” Sun Lili suggested.
As they chatted, Sun Lili realized Zhou Yuwen had visited many places. He explained that he used to wander around aimlessly after graduating high school.
“That’s good. It’s beneficial for young people to travel more. Since you’re studying landscape engineering, you’ll travel even more for work in the future,” Sun Lili said.
Zheng Yanyan couldn’t help but interject, “Does that an you’ll always be traveling in the future?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Zhou Yuwen asked.
She hugged his arm and said, “I don’t want you traveling all the ti.”
“Well, I might not even be with you then,” Zhou Yuwen teased.
“Ah! Stop saying that!” Zheng Yanyan whined playfully, hugging his arm tighter. She loved showing affection in public.
Sun Lili noticed this and smiled, comnting, “Your girlfriend seems very attached to you.”
“She’s impossible to shake off,” Zhou Yuwen joked.
“Hmph~ You’re my boyfriend. Deal with it!”
Zheng Yanyan’s bubbly personality and playfulness made her the ideal girlfriend for many guys. Unfortunately, she ended up with soone as indifferent as Zhou Yuwen. The less attention he gave her, the more clingy she beca.
The bus continued its uncomfortable journey, and the passengers grew quiet in their seats. By 9 a.m., the sun had risen high. Its harsh rays made the bus even less tolerable. Zheng Yanyan tried shielding her legs from the sunlight.
Zhou Yuwen adjusted the curtains, improving the situation slightly. Zheng Yanyan then handed him one of her earbuds.
Zhou Yuwen accepted. Without much to do, he found solace in the music Zheng Yanyan brought along.
The two sat in silence, listening to Jay Chou’s “Sunny Day.”
The small dandelions in the story ??
Have been drifting since the year we were born ??
Listening to the soothing lody, Zheng Yanyan leaned on Zhou Yuwen’s shoulder. Although the curtains blocked most of the sunlight, so rays seeped through, making the atmosphere particularly bright.
She stretched out her manicured fingers, squinting at the light as if pinching the sun between her fingers. Monts like these, sitting quietly with Zhou Yuwen and enjoying the gentle music, brought her peace.
Zheng Yanyan considered drawing on the window but stopped when Zhou Yuwen pointed out the glass was dirty.
“Oh…” she muttered.
She then asked, “Why does the autumn sun feel brighter than the sumr sun, but not as hot?”
Zhou Yuwen explained, “It’s because of the difference in distance.”
“What do you an?” she asked.
He elaborated on the Earth’s orbit and the angle of the sun’s rays. Though she probably didn’t understand, she looked at him with admiration and whispered, “You’re amazing, hubby.”
“You clearly didn’t pay attention in high school,” Zhou Yuwen teased.
“Heh, even if you had studied seriously, wouldn’t you have ended up at the sa university as ?” Zhou Yuwen rolled his eyes at her.
Zheng Yanyan sat for a while before becoming restless. Feeling cramped, she took off her shoes and stretched her long legs across Zhou Yuwen’s lap.
Zhou Yuwen touched her legs, finding them cold, and asked why she wasn’t wearing pants.
“I brought so,” Zheng Yanyan said.
“They’re in your car, but I don’t feel like wearing them.”
“How many tis have I told you, and you still don’t listen?” Zhou Yuwen muttered. He took his jacket and draped it over her legs, pulling them closer to him for warmth.
Zheng Yanyan giggled, enjoying the attention, and playfully wiggled her toes. Zhou Yuwen flicked her sole lightly, making her stop imdiately. She obediently leaned closer to him, murmuring that she was sleepy.
“Then sleep for a bit,” Zhou Yuwen replied.
“Mm.” She cuddled up to him, closing her eyes and falling into a light nap.
The autumn sun wasn’t hot but brought a gentle warmth. With half of the sunlight blocked by the curtain, the other half fell softly on the two of them. Zhou Yuwen, feeling a bit drowsy himself, leaned back and dozed off with her.
For about half an hour, the two chatted softly, careful not to disturb the others. Eventually, Zheng Yanyan curled up with Zhou Yuwen’s jacket covering her legs and rested quietly.
From a distance, no one would have paid them any attention unless they were watching closely. Yet, soone was—Chang Hao couldn’t help but glance their way.
It was hard not to notice, as Zheng Yanyan had been chatting nonstop since the bus ride started. Zhou Yuwen appeared indifferent, but Chang Hao envied him deeply. He wished he were the one dating Zheng Yanyan, imagining her sweetness and endless chatter directed at him instead.
Unlike Zhou Yuwen, Chang Hao felt he would cherish her endlessly, never growing impatient. However, he knew he couldn’t compare to Zhou Yuwen, even if he believed himself to be more devoted.
Watching the two now napping together, bathed in sunlight, Chang Hao couldn’t help but admire how well they matched. Even he had to admit they looked perfect together. If only Zhou Yuwen weren’t so unfaithful.
As these thoughts swirled, Chang Hao turned to find Li Qiang grinning at him, bread in hand. Feeling caught, Chang Hao snapped, “What are you looking at?”
Li Qiang chuckled and whispered, “Brother Hao, don’t hide it. You’ve been staring. But you know, no matter how much you look, she’s not yours. She’s already Sister-in-law.”
Chang Hao scoffed and retorted, “How would you feel if Zhou Yuwen ended up with Lu Lin instead?”
Li Qiang responded nonchalantly, “If they’re together, so be it. I’d wish her well.”
Chang Hao was stunned. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“Of course I do.”
Chang Hao thought for a mont and asked, “And what if Zhou Yuwen was with both Lu Lin and Zheng Yanyan?”
Li Qiang grinned and gave a thumbs-up. “Then my Brother Zhou is amazing! I’d applaud him.”
“???”
Chang Hao’s mind was reeling, but Li Qiang remained unbothered.
Their conversation went unnoticed as most passengers wore headphones. Li Qiang patted Chang Hao’s leg and said, “Brother Hao, you and I are different. You’re from Beijing, with a car and a house. Naturally, you think you’re better than Old Zhou, which is why you’re not resigned. But I’m not like you. I have no car, no house. If Lu Lin ends up with Zhou Yuwen, I’d clap and give her my blessing.”
“Pathetic,” Chang Hao scoffed.
Li Qiang retorted, “Pathetic or not, this is reality. Without money, you’re nothing in this world!”
The gap between them was undeniable. They ca from different worlds, and without university, they would never have spoken as equals.
But Li Qiang had seen much more than Chang Hao. Three months into the sester, working part-ti at weddings had opened his eyes to the stark divide between the rich and the poor. Initially, he pursued Lu Lin, thinking she smoked, had no money, and was in the sa league as him.
That perception shattered when he saw her riding a motorcycle one day. It wasn’t fast, but her fitted outfit and flowing hair caught everyone’s attention.
“Wow! She looks amazing!”
“That bike must cost forty or fifty thousand, right?”
“At least. If I could have a bike like that, I’d be set.”
Hearing his friends’ admiration, Li Qiang didn’t feel proud but rather a pang of sadness.
n and won differ. When won et soone better than themselves, they dream of sharing his lifestyle. n, however, think about what kind of life the woman would lead with them. If the woman is too far out of their league, it breeds a sense of inadequacy.
Seeing Lu Lin’s glamorous side, Li Qiang felt unworthy of her. He lost the courage to pursue her, realizing even her monthly gas expenses exceeded his living budget.
That day, he impulsively ssaged her after spotting her on the motorcycle: “You looked aweso on your bike ??.”
Only then did he realize she had already deleted him. It explained why he hadn’t seen her updates on social dia.
If she had deleted him, there was no point in holding on. Letting go was easier.
Unlike Chang Hao, Li Qiang truly moved on. Not because his feelings for Lu Lin had vanished, but because he felt he didn’t deserve her.
Of course, this didn’t stop him from pursuing other girls. In three months, he had already made advances on three others but was rejected each ti.
Frustrated, he set his sights on Liu Yue. He reasoned that she wasn’t particularly attractive and had a history with others, making her an easier target.
Since they were in the sa departnt, opportunities were abundant. Li Qiang believed that with a few gifts, Liu Yue would easily fall for him.
To his surprise, once Liu Yue realized his intentions, she completely ignored him.
Li Qiang was dumbfounded.
“Seriously? You’ve already been with Brother Hao, and you won’t even consider ? Am I worse than Chang Hao?”
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