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"Have you gotten together with Xu Wen?" The voice carried a tone of curiosity mixed with disdain, a hint of sourness that was hard to define. Overall, it sounded uncomfortable, laced with a cold, sarcastic laugh.
Although it was uncomfortable to hear, at least it wasn't the question she dreaded the most: Where was An Shaojie? Why wasn't An Shaojie around? With those thoughts in mind, Qinglan let out a sigh and relaxed a bit.
"Aren't I always good with him?" Qinglan didn't answer directly and instead laughed lightly.
Xiang Yuanqiu chuckled along, saying, "That's true; you two have always been close." After a pause, noticing that Xiang Yuanqiu seemed hesitant to continue, Qinglan quickly changed the subject. "You should hurry up and find a boyfriend too. Next time you come to Beijing, you won't be all alone."
"Right, right," Xiang Yuanqiu replied repeatedly. Although she smiled on the outside, hearing Qinglan say "all alone" stirred a sudden pang of loneliness in her heart. After graduating from university, she was now twenty-four years old but still single. She remembered when she first entered university; despite being somewhat scheming, she was still incredibly naive and full of youthful dreams. She thought that with her intelligence and decent looks, she would definitely have a passionate love story during her college years. She envisioned a day when she could proudly introduce her prince charming to Qinglan and An Shaojie, someone cooler, more confident, wiser, and more talented than An Shaojie.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, four years had passed. While her little schemes remained, they hadn't made her more magnanimous; instead, her naivety had vanished completely. She had learned to hide her brilliance and cleverness better than before, to read people's expressions and navigate social situations more skillfully. She longed for love even more deeply now, but love's little birds perched high on the branches above her, just out of reach.
Was An Shaojie still in her heart? Otherwise, why did she still remember that frail version of herself with long flowing hair standing under the Basketball Hoop at that rundown middle school in the mountain village? The campus was quiet; the night breeze was gentle; the night was deep; stars twinkled while the moon hid behind clouds. She had told the tall, thin boy she liked that she liked him.
That boy had rejected her without any hesitation or gentleness.
Was it because he still lingered in her heart or because she remembered how painful it felt back then?
Yes, although she enjoyed playing little tricks and schemes at that time, her love and confession were genuine—pure as a child asking their mother for a piece of candy.
In this world, there is no fourteen-year-old girl's love that isn't pure.
Even Xiang Yuanqiu, who had a bit of cunning in her nature, was no exception.
However, the pure love of a fourteen-year-old is often one-sided. If she begins to yearn for the beautiful romance of youth in college, such love is also elusive, and in the blink of an eye, she must say goodbye to her wonderful youth, once again missing out on love.
Youth and love are both fleeting.
Leaving the campus and stepping into society is just around the corner. It is said that after leaving school, it becomes difficult to encounter the innocent love found within its walls. She not only wants to grasp the tail end of her youth but also hopes to seize her love while she still has a chance.
A shadow flashed through her mind like lightning—the boy who once sincerely told her he liked her. Even when he knew she often played little tricks, he never exposed her. Unlike others who looked down on her after seeing through her little schemes, he genuinely loved her strengths while subtly pointing out her weaknesses, trying to help her improve. That boy decisively left her after their trip to Beijing together, and now he has a kind girl who loves him and meets his standards.
"What's wrong?" After a long silence, a gentle voice floated from the phone.
"Oh, nothing much. I was just tidying up," Xiang Yuanqiu said somewhat flustered. The earlier train of thought had disrupted her mind and brought her mood down. She had intended to inquire further about An Shaojie's feelings with Qinglan but lost all motivation. After exchanging a few polite words with Qinglan, she hurriedly hung up.
A night passed in silence.
The next morning, Xu Wen drove Xiang Yuanqiu to the train station. On the way, Xu Wen received a call from his boss, who suddenly had to leave Beijing for a business trip due to an urgent matter. He needed Xu Wen to handle an experiment that required attention before 8:30 AM. After dropping Xiang Yuanqiu off at the station and buying her some snacks and drinks for the train, Xu Wen apologized and hurriedly left. Sitting alone in the waiting room, Xiang Yuanqiu checked the time on her phone—it was just 8:00 AM. Boarding would begin at 8:30, so she still had half an hour. She took out a small MP3 player from her bag, put on her headphones, listened to music, and lowered her head to play on her phone, occasionally sending and replying to messages from friends.
If we set aside any jealousy she may have felt towards Qinglan regarding love and academics—whether past or present—Xiang Yuanqiu could be considered a pretty and quiet girl. She had a smooth and broad forehead, delicate eyebrows, and slender eyes—neither stunning nor unattractive but definitely graceful. As for music, she simply enjoyed songs like Jay Chou's "East Wind Breaks," Sha Baoliang's "Dark Fragrance," and Eason Chan's "Ten Years," which were soothing or calming tunes. She kept the volume low so as not to miss any announcements about boarding time. Around 8:10 AM, a clear laugh reached Xiang Yuanqiu's ears; the voice sounded somewhat familiar and carried a dialect she recognized. Still not looking up to search for its source, she continued focusing on her phone. The cheerful laughter grew closer; whispers seemed to come nearer as well. As the sound approached, a pair of long legs appeared in her peripheral vision while someone stood beside her—a silhouette that turned out to be two people: a man and a woman. The woman wore high-heeled sandals and was excitedly bouncing on her feet while giggling like silver bells, clearly flirting with the man beside her who had his arm around her shoulder, whispering sweetly into her ear, making her laugh joyfully.
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