No, no, no, it must be a dream. She had already fallen into the abyss of despair; how could soone suddenly throw down a rope ladder and yell from above: "The hole isn’t deep, climb up quickly."
Mu Chenxi blinked hard, "Then I saw you and Doctor Cheng hugging together..."
Luo Shangqing recalled carefully and indeed, such a scene did happen. After a mont, he said in a subdued voice, "Professor Yuan... has passed away."
Professor Yuan?
Mu Chenxi imdiately thought of the kind-faced old man, a scholar brimming with talent and knowledge, yet approachable and loved by his students far and wide. Upon first hearing this news, Mu Chenxi found it hard to accept, and it took her a mont before she opened her mouth to speak. Perhaps it was too unexpected, she ultimately said nothing.
"Professor Yuan died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. He was alone at ho when it happened. The illness struck too quickly; he had no ti to call for help. The next day, when the housekeeper opened the door, he had already grown cold," Luo Shangqing said, his eyes visibly filled with sorrow.
That day, he received a call from Cheng Lin and learned of this terrible news. He didn’t even have ti to change his clothes before running downstairs. Cheng Lin told him that when Professor Yuan died, he was clutching a picture fra that held a photo of his family. It’s not hard to guess that he must have been looking at the family portrait, missing his loved ones at that mont. Yet, his daughter and son were highly successful individuals who rarely visited even during the holidays. They only showed care in their infrequent phone calls, which is why Professor Yuan especially loved having his students visit his ho, for that ho too quiet, as quiet as a cold cellar, the longer you stay, the colder your heart becos.
When Luo Shangqing thought of Professor Yuan’s last monts, grief arose in him. It was one of the few tis he had shed tears in over thirty years. Cheng Lin was by his side then and naturally hugged him to offer comfort.
Luo Shangqing had been busy taking care of Professor Yuan’s affairs until noon the next day before he hurried back, as he hadn’t forgotten his appointnt with Mu Chenxi. However, when he waited for so long without seeing Mu Chenxi, coupled with the blow from Professor Yuan’s death, he felt listless for those few days. Upon seeing her again, he was sowhat angry at what he considered her childish behavior, naturally not showing a pleasant face. When he heard the news of her immigration, the anger buried deep in his heart burst into flas.
Mu Chenxi wasn’t an insensitive person. After hearing about Professor Yuan’s death, how could she continue to dwell on her own youthful love? For this kind and amiable old man, even though they had only t once, she could fully empathize with Luo Shangqing’s sorrow.
A teacher for a day, a father for life.
Mu Chenxi could imagine how heartbroken Luo Shangqing had felt at that ti. Thus, she understood that his hug with Cheng Lin was rely a reflex born out of sorrow. It turned out it was all a misunderstanding; he was right, she was indeed a fool.
Mu Chenxi reached out, lightly tugging at the hem of his shirt, not one to say comforting words, she rely whispered softly, "I’m sorry."
I’m sorry for not being there for you during your toughest ti; I’m sorry for misunderstanding you because of my own foolish mistake; I’m sorry for thinking of leaving you to go to a faraway land.
In summary, I’m sorry, truly sorry.
Unlike her usual restraint, Luo Shangqing directly pulled her into his arms and hugged her. His strong arms tightly encircled her shoulders. Due to the height difference, he had to lean down slightly; his warm lips murmured close to her ear, "Mu Chenxi, can you be even more foolish?"
Mu Chenxi nestled in his embrace, her eyes darting around nervously, afraid of being seen by others. Only when she was sure there was no one around did she hesitantly wrap her arms around his lean waist. Feeling that solid torso, she suddenly realized this was not a dream. She was now holding her Professor Luo, the man she entrusted her youthful passion and love to.
What could be more blissful than the fact that the person you love also loves you?
Mu Chenxi closed her eyes, feeling sowhat light and dazed. In the quiet grove, there was only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the sound of music from sowhere not too far away at the end of the class.
In her world, there was only the sound of two heartbeats, gradually syncing into one rhythm.
That afternoon was radiant with sunlight, the leaves carried fragrance, and Mu Chenxi fell in love with all the sunny days.
As the bell signaling the end of class rang, students gradually started to stream out. Though university romances between students and teachers were not explicitly forbidden, they could still have negative repercussions. Thus, Mu Chenxi imdiately pushed Luo Shangqing away and took a couple of steps back: "Professor Luo, my condolences for Professor Yuan’s passing. I... I’ll head back to the dormitory first."
"Mu Chenxi, why do you want to immigrate?" Luo Shangqing wasn’t ready to let her go that easily. Although he had thought that it might be partly due to himself, he didn’t believe that Mu Chenxi was the type of person to flee to a foreign land after one failed confession.
"What about you? Do you also want to go?"
Mu Chenxi certainly didn’t want to leave. Yet, as her dormmates said, the immigration process was nearly complete. Even if she disagreed, after all, she was still a child who couldn’t be away from her parents. This wasn’t just a holiday; it ant moving to another country for good. Could she really be half a world away from them?
She thought she couldn’t do it.
But Luo Shangqing’s actions today had started to shake her previously firm determination. Perhaps for the sake of love, she could make a certain sacrifice, but such a sacrifice would undoubtedly be huge. She wasn’t ready to make up her mind in a mont of heated passion.
On one side was family love, and on the other was romantic love, how was she to choose.
"My parents are insisting on going, but actually, I really don’t want to." Mu Chenxi spoke out what was truly on her mind, and then looked at him sowhat anxiously, afraid that he would be angry, "I, I will think about it so more."
Luo Shangqing gently patted her face: "Are you sure you don’t want to go?"
"Mhm." Mu Chenxi nodded vigorously, "But... I’ve never been away from my parents."
"I know." Luo Shangqing sighed softly, "Go back first."
"Then I’ll be leaving." Mu Chenxi turned to run off, but then she rembered the withdrawal application in his hand, so she pointed at it, "Can I have that back, please?"
Luo Shangqing glanced at it and directly folded the application into a small square and stuffed it into his pocket, "You go back first."
Mu Chenxi scratched her head, assured that he wouldn’t return it to her, then waved: "Then I’m off, goodbye Professor Luo."
Mu Chenxi could still see Luo Shangqing standing under the huge banyan tree from a distance, his white shirt like a cloud fallen from the sky, and she couldn’t help but stop in her tracks, waving her arms vigorously at him twice before she turned and ran away.
In the dormitory, Quan Jin put down her eyebrow pencil and glanced over: "Where did you run off to? Did you go and print out that withdrawal notice on site?"
Before Quan Jin could finish her words, she was hugged from behind, feeling the girl pressing against her back, her chest gently rising and falling with joyful laughter.
"Little Quan, pinch ."
Quan Jin picked up her eyebrow pencil and poked her forehead: "Alright, wake up now."
"Ow ow ow, I’m not dreaming for real." Mu Chenxi hugged her tightly, grinning ear to ear, "Actually, that day I got confused and mixed up the tis. Professor Luo really did wear white clothes and waited for at the apartnt, he told himself today."
"Really?" Quan Jin seed sowhat incredulous, the love that she thought was dead, unexpectedly ca back to life, "Are you sure you’re not suffering from delusions?"
"I’m sure." Mu Chenxi embraced her and jumped around in excitent, "Little Quan, it turns out I can have a spring too."
"I’ve been saying, all the things Professor Luo does seem like he’s interested in you, you are not in unrequited love. But now, here’s the problem, are you going to have a long-distance relationship across thousands of miles?"
"About that problem, I haven’t really figured it out yet." After her mont of joy, Mu Chenxi fell back into deep quandary; if she really went, it would seem as if there had been a beginning to her and Professor Luo’s story, only to quickly co to an end.
"Forget it, let’s not think about it for now, just take it one step at a ti." Mu Chenxi, unable to think of a solution, decided to bury her head in the sand, "I’m going to wash my hair, let borrow your shampoo."
"Get it yourself, I’m busy." Quan Jin went back to drawing her eyebrows, "Little Fourth, perhaps you should go ho and discuss it with Auntie and Uncle."
Quan Jin talked for a long ti without getting a response from Mu Chenxi; when she turned around she saw her slling the edge of the shampoo bottle intensely.
"Little Quan, this shampoo slls just like Professor Luo’s hair, bring a bottle tomorrow too." Mu Chenxi threw the shampoo into her basin, humming a tune as she went to the public washroom.
Quan Jin held her forehead, rembering so vividly even the scent of soone’s shampoo - she was really falling deep.
While washing her hair, Mu Chenxi thought about everything that had happened in the grove just now, still hardly able to believe that Professor Luo, whom she had secretly admired, actually harbored feelings for her too.
She felt like a devout believer who suddenly discovers their worshipped deity has descended to their side; her first emotion isn’t joy but trepidation, afraid that such a wonderful dream will vanish in an instant and worried that her every word and action might scare him away, walking on eggshells, being extrely careful.
After washing her hair, Mu Chenxi, without a hairdryer, wrapped a towel over her head and returned to her dormitory. Quan Jin said, "Your phone is ringing."
She put down her basin, picked up the phone and her heart imdiately started to race.
In the past, answering Professor Luo’s calls, she could remain calm and justified; now, just seeing his na made her fall into a state of panic and disarray.**
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