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After the graduates left, the campuses suddenly became much quieter. In fact, the graduates only accounted for a quarter of the students, so only a quarter had departed, yet the sense of emptiness seemed to increase by three-quarters. The main reason was the sadness of parting, which made everyone's mood feel desolate.
Once the graduates were gone, An Shaojie said to Qinglan, "There must be many rental houses available near the school now. Let's go look for one."
Qinglan agreed, and so the two of them braved the scorching sun and searched for several days until they finally chose a student rental house and arranged with the landlord to start renting after the school year began.
On the night before the holiday started, Shen Xiaomeng suddenly announced in the dormitory that Hao Chuanze was going to take her home to meet his parents.
Her announcement stirred up a lively atmosphere in the otherwise quiet dormitory.
"Wow, there's progress!" Jiang Liuying exclaimed. "Jiao'er, Mengmeng has already taken action. When are you going to meet your in-laws?" Liuying then turned to Hu Jiao'er.
"Me...?" Hu Jiao'er lazily sat on her bed and replied slowly, "Zhou Xiaochuan hasn't made any plans. I can't just go to his house to meet his parents on my own, can I?"
"That's true," Jiang Liuying said.
"And you?" Shen Xiaomeng asked Jiang Liuying with a happy smile.
"Me?" Jiang Liuying pointed at her own nose and smiled slightly as she said, "Mosen and I are in a free relationship; we don't need to meet each other's parents. Besides, his family is in Qinghai, so it's quite troublesome to visit. We haven't planned anything yet."
"Hey! Qinglan," Shen Xiaomeng called out to Qinglan again, "You're the luckiest one. Xu Wen's family lived right on campus before. Now An Shaojie is from your village. Meeting your in-laws will be easy for you."
Upon hearing Shen Xiaomeng's words, Qinglan felt speechless. "Hey, Shen Xiaomeng, I didn't have anything with Xu Wen, okay? We haven't even held hands!" Qinglan defended herself aggrievedly.
"Wow, if there's nothing between you and Xu Wen, does that mean there's something between you and An Shaojie?" Qinglan's words were immediately seized upon by the quick-witted Hu Jiao'er. Hu Jiao'er's careless remark left Qinglan blushing deeply. "What's wrong? Mentioning An Shaojie made Lanlan blush; it seems she must have been kissed," Shen Xiaomeng exclaimed. The mention of a kiss was a painful topic for Hu Jiao'er, and she quickly fell silent.
If Zhou Xiaochuan didn't like Hu Jiao'er, it didn't show; he remembered every one of her birthdays and gave her gifts on every important holiday, such as Western Valentine's Day and Chinese Valentine's Day, always surprising her, except for kisses.
Initially, Hu Jiao'er was too shy to ask him about it, but as they became closer, she boldly inquired during their intimate walks and even directly asked him for a kiss. However, he firmly refused, saying he feared that once they kissed, it would be hard to stop.
Wasn't it normal for couples to kiss? Isn't falling in love about getting lost in it? Can such rational love be true love?
Having never even shared a first kiss made Hu Jiao'er quickly shut down any discussions about romance in the dormitory, fearing she would be questioned about her relationship details that she couldn't bring herself to share.
If Hu Jiao'er represented a kind of unspoken love, then Qinglan had another kind of unspoken love.
Although she had given everything to An Shaojie, like Hu Jiao'er, she still couldn't determine whether An Shaojie loved or liked her. She was even more miserable than Hu Jiao'er; she couldn't judge or confirm if he had even the slightest feelings for her.
In Qinglan's heart, the most beautiful expression of love was holding hands. In the dawn light or under the setting sun, holding hands and growing old together was the most beautiful romantic vision she had ever imagined. That's why she never had the courage to reach out her hand to Xu Wen during their relationship.
She waited for that person with whom she could willingly place her hand in his, allowing him to hold her tightly from dawn until dusk.
Her efforts were not in vain; she finally found him. She gave him everything—her soul, heart, and body—but he never held her hand.
Compared to other forms of intimacy, Qinglan longed even more for An Shaojie to take her hand as they walked through every corner of the campus. She yearned for the warmth that would transfer from his palm to her heart. Yet An Shaojie never held her hand. Many times on their way back from study sessions, she tested the waters by reaching for his hand, but he subtly moved it away each time. Moreover, he rarely spoke while walking together. Only when Qinglan asked him something would he respond with a simple "mm" or "ah." "Do you all care so much about kissing?" Qinglan asked in return. "Of course! How can you call it dating if you've never kissed?" Shen Xiaomeng replied matter-of-factly.
Upon hearing Shen Xiaomeng's words, Hu Jiao'er felt an even heavier weight in her heart.
"I don't think so," Qinglan said calmly. "I believe that holding hands is the most beautiful sentiment in a relationship, a sincere and beautiful promise to one's partner. Otherwise, how could there be the saying 'Holding Hands, Growing Old Together'? It shows that among old friends, what matters most between men and women is still the bond of holding hands, the promise of holding hands."
Qinglan's theory left Hu Jiao'er, who had been quietly listening to their debate, feeling a sudden clarity about something that had been stuck in her heart.
"Jiang Liuying, why are you so quiet today? Share your thoughts," Shen Xiaomeng said, seeking help from Jiang Liuying since she couldn't match Qinglan's reasoning.
Jiang Liuying stood up, stretched her neck, and stepped out of her small space. "I think there should be a distinction between men and women."
"What do you mean by a distinction?" Shen Xiaomeng and Hu Jiao'er asked almost simultaneously.
"Haven't you heard? Men love because of sex, while women have sex because of love. So for boys, they prefer physical intimacy, while for girls, they enjoy holding hands and playful gestures," Jiang Liuying's wise words gave an undeniable sense of authority.
"Oh," Shen Xiaomeng said with a look of realization. "If that's the case, then Qinglan must be strongly in love with someone; otherwise, why would she enjoy holding hands?"
"And what about you?" Jiang Liuying pinched Shen Xiaomeng's cheek. Even if Qinglan didn't attack her, Jiang Liuying wouldn't let Shen Xiaomeng off the hook. "Then your Hao Chuanze must be strongly in love with you too; otherwise, why would he enjoy being physically close to you? It must be very passionate when you kiss!" After saying this, Jiang Liuying burst into laughter. Shen Xiaomeng chased after Jiang Liuying in embarrassment. "Jiang Liuying, I'm not letting you off the hook today!"
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