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墨書 Inktalez
An Shaojie turned around.
Seeing that the person standing behind him was Lin Xi, the melancholic gray in his eyes suddenly sparkled with a subtle light.
"Lin Xi, is that you?" Although he felt a surge of excitement inside, he still forced himself to maintain a calm tone as he asked.
"Why can't it be me?" Lin Xi replied somewhat aggrievedly.
Indeed, An Shaojie's question made Lin Xi feel wronged. Even though she had confirmed her romantic relationship with Lu Chenyu, so what? Did that mean she couldn't study with him anymore?
Who was he? He was the "Brother Shaojie" she had called out since childhood, and even though she no longer called him that later on, that bond would always remain in her heart, like family.
Yes, it was indeed like family. They had shared countless meals at the same table and even slept together on the same bed, nestled in the arms of his mother or her mother.
Not just family but closer than family—could such a bond be easily discarded?
An Shaojie sensed Lin Xi's dissatisfaction in her tone and hurriedly explained, feeling somewhat flustered, "No, I thought you were taking a break today. You've been busy taking him around these past few days and must be tired."
"I'm fine, not tired," Lin Xi replied lightly.
After returning to the Reading Room, An Shaojie settled down to read.
However, Lin Xi's heart remained unsettled. Sitting next to An Shaojie, her mind drifted back to her hometown, Provincial Capital, along with Lu Chenyu's train speeding away.
Around nine o'clock, Lin Xi became increasingly restless, glancing at her watch numerous times.
It should be about the time Lu Chenyu got home. She worried that he would call her dormitory after returning home and find her absent.
"Let's stop here for today; we should head back and rest early." He seemed to notice her distracted state, so just after nine o'clock, he began to pack his things.
"Oh, okay." Lin Xi, like a sleepwalker, stood up and began to pack her things.
After parting ways downstairs in the dormitory, as soon as An Shaojie turned around, Lin Xi hurriedly dashed upstairs toward her room.
As soon as she returned to her room, Su Hailu walked in holding a cup of water.
"Hey, Lin the Great Beauty, you've been surrounded by admirers these past few days. Must be feeling pretty good," Su Hailu said, always quick-witted and charming, never missing a chance to tease.
In the past, Lin Xi would have played along with her banter. She wasn't one to back down easily; although her words weren't as colorful as Su Hailu's, they were certainly not lacking.
But tonight, she wasn't in the mood to engage in playful sparring.
"I have something to do; you can go now," Lin Xi said, pushing past Su Hailu who was blocking her way.
"What’s the rush? Is something urgent?" Su Hailu persisted, not giving up after being brushed off. She followed Lin Xi while sipping her water and curiously probing for details.
Lin Xi raised her hand to block Su Hailu's reaching hand; this girl loved to pinch Lin Xi's soft cheeks and would laugh heartily after getting her way.
"Did anyone call for me tonight?" Lin Xi asked seriously as she approached one of her roommates.
"I don't know; I just got back," the roommate replied casually, unfazed by Lin Xi's urgency. "You might want to ask Xiaojia; she seems to have been in the room all day."
"Where is she?" Lin Xi asked anxiously.
The roommate pointed toward the laundry room and said slowly, "She's doing laundry."
Lin Xi turned and walked to the laundry room, loudly asking through the door, "Xiaojia, did anyone call for me tonight?"
"No," a delicate voice came from inside.
"Are you sure?" Lin Xi pressed on.
"Yes, I haven't."
"You've been in the dormitory the whole time. Can you guarantee you didn't go out and miss the call?" Lin Xi asked insistently.
"No, I've been in the dormitory. I didn't go anywhere," the voice inside sounded a bit impatient.
"Oh."
Lin Xi responded with a sigh, returning to her bed with a gloomy expression.
"Why didn't he call me when he got home? The night before, on the way to his accommodation, I clearly wrote down the dormitory phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to him, repeatedly reminding him to call me once he got home and to keep in touch from now on," Lin Xi muttered to herself while sitting on her bed.
Even though An Shaojie had been standing next to her that night, Lin Xi still laid bare all her concerns and lingering feelings in front of Lu Chenyu.
He should have seen her longing for him.
But why didn't he contact her?
Not only did Lu Chenyu not call Lin Xi that night after returning to Provincial Capital, but in the following days, Lin Xi never received a call from him.
Lin Xi felt somewhat dejected.
Although An Shaojie still invited him to study together as before, the two of them no longer laughed and chatted like they used to; they had become much quieter, and it seemed that both were cautious with every word they spoke.
After New Year's Day, it was soon time for winter vacation.
Two weeks before the holiday, Simple called Qinglan's dormitory to ask if she wanted to book train tickets home with her, Jian Ming, and Reiko.
"Of course I do," Qinglan replied without hesitation. "You’re not planning to leave me behind, are you?"
"If we were planning to leave you behind, I wouldn't be calling you now," Qinglan heard Simple munching on something crunchy on the other end of the line.
"Are you eating chips? Is it cucumber flavor?" Qinglan asked, sniffing lightly.
"Wow!" Simple exclaimed with her signature surprise, followed by a look of astonishment. "How did you know?"
"I smelled it," came Qinglan's casual response.
Qinglan always enjoyed teasing Simple. If Simple had been standing in front of Qinglan instead of on the phone, she would have been exasperated by Qinglan's expression. At that moment, even though Qinglan was clearly teasing Simple, her face was serious, devoid of any playful smile, as if she truly could smell the cucumber-flavored chips.
"Really? No way."
Simple's clear and bright voice rang out again from the other end of the line. She genuinely believed that Qinglan could smell the chips and couldn't help but bring the receiver close to her nose, taking a deep sniff and muttering to herself, "Why can't I smell the chips? How can she smell them?"
Not only was Simple's personality as straightforward as her name suggested, but in Qinglan's eyes, even her voice was so simple that Qinglan never needed to guess her feelings. Her voice was pure and untainted; it wasn't soft or gloomy but clear and bright, crisp like the sound of her crunching chips. This was the first time Qinglan felt that there was someone in this world whose simplicity extended even to her voice, capable of instantly lifting one's spirits like the bright sunshine in spring.
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