The final exams lasted for two whole days, and after the last subject was over, the entire school’s students felt as though they had been granted a huge liberation. The campus was filled with laughter and cheerful voices, and the previous tension that hung over like dark clouds had completely dissipated.
The four roommates gathered together to check their answers, and among them, Susu had the best grades, frequently receiving scholarships, so her answers beca the standard.
"Got another one right." Mu Chenxi danced with joy, "Looks like I won’t be failing this ti."
"Fourth kiddo, you’re smart, but you just refuse to study. Look at you, never paying attention in class, and yet, cramming for half a month before finals got you these results. If you really put in the effort, you could definitely get a scholarship too," Susu said earnestly. "Don’t goof off anymore, buck up with your grades, and only then will your family’s Professor Luo start to see you in a new light."
At the ntion of Luo Shangqing, Mu Chenxi’s spirits fell dramatically. Ever since she found out he had a girlfriend, she had been disheartened, feeling abandoned by the whole world. Luckily, she had thick skin and after a few days of self-repair and regeneration, she finally stopped obsessing over it every day.
"What? Professor Luo has a girlfriend?" Xinyu, who was drinking water, almost sprayed it out, "Who told you that?"
Everyone found it unbelievable upon hearing this news, and they all felt lancholic for Mu Chenxi, who had been harboring a crush on her idol for two years, only to find out that he was already taken.
Mu Chenxi’s head drooped, like an eggplant hit by the frost: "It was said by a nurse from their hospital; she even saw it with her own eyes. There’s no way it could be false."
Having finished speaking, Mu Chenxi suddenly hugged Quan Jin, who was painting her nails, and wailed as if her world was ending, "Guys, I’ve been heartbroken."
Quan Jin spat out, "You never even dated, so what heartbreak are you talking about?"
"Fourth kiddo, soone as outstanding as Professor Luo, with both talents and looks, how could he possibly not have a girlfriend? You better get over it, or you’ll never be able to let go," Susu patted her shoulder. "I think Li Xiaoming treats you pretty well, and he never gets mad at you."
"Big sis, can we drop this subject? Or do you think I haven’t embarrassed myself enough?" Mu Chenxi raised her eyebrows, then suddenly lay on Quan Jin’s shoulder and continued to wail, "If I can’t have an unrequited love for Professor Luo, I might as well have nothing to live for."
"Get over it," Quan Jin pinched her waist. "Ducks with two legs are hard to find, but there’s plenty of n with two legs. Besides, you, Fourth Mu..."
"What?" Mu Chenxi imdiately looked at her with anticipation, waiting for her to continue.
Quan Jin looked her up and down, but the words "If you want looks, you’ve got looks—if you want talent, you’ve got talent" just couldn’t co out because it felt insincere, so she changed it to: "You’re also quite straightforward and honest, how could you not find a man?"
"Straightforward and honest?" Mu Chenxi was so riled up she slamd the table, "Aren’t there any other adjectives?"
"Simple and unadorned?" Xinyu added from the side, "Or maybe, orderly and unassuming?"
Susu couldn’t help but laugh, "I think she’s square and upright."
Mu Chenxi grabbed a pillow and pretended to be dead, "I don’t need you guys, my rotten friends."
After a round of teasing and laughter, Xinyu suddenly asked, "What are your plans for winter vacation? How about we go to the north to see the ice lanterns? I’ve heard they are really beautiful there."
"Won’t we freeze to death like ice lollies going to the north?" Mu Chenxi imdiately perked up at the thought of going out to play.
"We’ll just dress warmly, what’s there to fear?" Xinyu sat on Mu Chenxi’s bed with excitent, "A relative of mine lives up there. He said in the deep winter they skate on the Songhua River and have barbecues—it’s really fun."
"That sounds great, let’s discuss it." Mu Chenxi looked at Susu, who was always quiet, "Susu, are you coming?"
"I’d rather not go, traveling is expensive." Susu was sowhat despondent as she packed her textbooks.
"I’m not going; I shall steadfastly wait here, in the place where Professor Luo is, until I’m old and gray." Mu Chenxi clenched her fist, "Wherever Professor Luo is, that’s where I’ll be."
The others looked at her as if they were looking at a patient with a terminal illness, beyond help.
~
Not long after the final exams, the school began winter break.
The other roommates had all purchased their train tickets in advance. Mu Chenxi sent each of them off to the train station. Luo ijuan thoughtfully prepared a large bag of local Aus City specialties for them to take ho.
The last one to leave was Xinyu, whose ho was the farthest away, requiring a twelve-hour train ride. The two sisters embraced and said their farewells on the platform, giving each other a few words of caution, and Mu Chenxi watched as Xinyu, laden with bags, boarded the train.
Seeing her half-stretch out of the train window to wave at her, Mu Chenxi’s nose tingled and she nearly burst into tears.
Thinking about the parting two years later made her sowhat sentintal, recalling a song she heard in junior high school, which the lyrics said: I don’t know how many more tis I’ll have to et and part, just like how this train can’t stop at will, what I’ve hastily missed isn’t just the world outside the window.
Mu Chenxi rubbed her sour nose and walked out, spotting soone before she even left the station. At this mont, the station was bustling with people nearly toppling over one another. Bags were squeezing against bags, but only around him was there an empty space of nothingness, as if naturally insulated from everything around. In her eyes, suddenly, he beca like a slow-motion scene in a movie, with everyone else rushing by in a blur, while only he was deeply engraved in her view, becoming an everlasting landscape.
Mu Chenxi was in a daze for quite a while, wondering whether or not to go up and say hello when the person who had stood still started walking over with light steps.
With a clear and handso face and a calm gaze, he embodied the unmatched elegance of the Tiless Beauty, walking among the crowd, his nearly 185 cm height making him stand out starkly.
Mu Chenxi glanced around, initially thinking the person he was looking for must be nearby, but unexpectedly, Luo Shangqing ca straight up to stand before her, looked down, and asked, "What are you doing at the station?"
Mu Chenxi blinked. She wasn’t very tall and didn’t have particularly striking features. Surrounded by so many people, she was nearly lost in the crowd. She didn’t know how Luo Shangqing had managed to see her.
"I ca to see Xinyu off ho." Mu Chenxi asked, "What about you?"
"I’m here to pick soone up." Just as Luo Shangqing finished speaking, a traveler in a rush accidentally bumped Mu Chenxi because of their haste, sending her staggering forward. The force made her fall into Luo Shangqing’s arms, her hands instinctively clutching at his clothes, which prevented her from falling flat on her face.
"Sorry, sorry," the person kept apologizing, "I’m in a hurry to catch a train, my apologies."
It was too noisy around for Mu Chenxi to catch what he said clearly, only a refreshing scent lingering around her nose.
She suddenly realized she was lying in Professor Luo’s arms, her hands still wrapped around his waist.
"That, um, sorry, Professor Luo," Mu Chenxi stepped back imdiately, her face turning as red as if it were ablaze with embarrassnt.
Fearing he might misunderstand, she explained with a flustered mouth, "Soone bumped into ."
Feeling the soft warmth suddenly leaving his embrace, Luo Shangqing furrowed his brows and saw the short girl being constantly brushed by the pushing crowd behind. He stepped forward and pulled her hand towards him, "Don’t stand here."
Mu Chenxi’s hand was suddenly grasped by his. His palm was dry and warm, fully enveloping her small hand, and like a puppet without a heartbeat, she was led by him through the throng of people.
Looking up at the man nearly one and a half heads taller than her, Mu Chenxi felt as if she were still in a dream. Looking at the hand holding her own, the skin on the back of the hand was very white, the veins faintly visible, and the joints proportional, long and slender.
Mu Chenxi was led by him all the way to the exit that wasn’t too far away, where the crowd was relatively thinner. That’s when he finally released her hand, but the skin that had been in contact still retained a clear warmth.
Luo Shangqing appeared nonchalant as if he had rely led an ignorant child across the street, while Mu Chenxi’s palms were sweaty with nervousness, her head hung low, almost down to her navel.
"How did your test go?" Luo Shangqing casually stood, hands pocketed, tempted to ruffle the fluffy head of the quail-like girl before him.
She wore a military green Korean-style coat today, its hood rimd with white rabbit fur. Already thin, she was nearly swallowed whole by the coat.
"Answered everything I could," Mu Chenxi dared to lift her head only when he ntioned her studies, her bright black-and-white eyes shining brightly, "And for those I couldn’t, I took wild guesses."
Luo Shangqing chuckled, "Were there more guesses or more you knew the answers to?"
"I knew more," Mu Chenxi answered honestly. The big push before the exam, along with Luo Shangqing’s one-on-one teaching, were very effective. At the very least, she didn’t fall asleep in the exam room as before, filling out the papers decently. No matter whether she passed or not, she had tried her best.
"Hmm," Luo Shangqing nodded in satisfaction, then glanced toward the exit and checked his watch.
Mu Chenxi could tell he was waiting for soone and thus wanted to slip away. Although she longed to see her idol every day, the closer she got to him, the more anxious she felt, especially since he already had a girlfriend. Perhaps their happy occasion was imminent; she felt it might be sowhat inappropriate to linger. Unrequited love should stay in her heart, not disturb his life or cause him any trouble.
"Professor Luo, you’re waiting for soone, so I won’t bother you here. My mom wants to co ho for dinner early..." As soon as Mu Chenxi finished speaking, Luo Shangqing said to soone at the exit, "They’re here."
Mu Chenxi felt overwheld. Since he hadn’t told her to leave, it would seem rude to just take off, so, caught between staying and going, she had no choice but to stand her ground stiffly.
"Teacher," Luo Shangqing walked towards the exit, calling out to a person with greying hair in a steady voice.
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