It was a night without dreams. But Yu Yingying was woken up by her alarm clock. As she groggily looked out the window, a thought suddenly crossed her mind: Today is the first day of the two-month period… I wonder what high-profile Jiang He will do. Then she miserably realized that before he could take any action, she was already feeling uneasy.
…
The morning was another big professional lecture. Yu Yingying walked into the lecture hall with Yu Qing.
“Where should we sit?” Yu Qing asked.
Yu Yingying looked around and pointed to the front row on the right by the window. “Let’s sit there.” There were only four seats in that section, a “good students only” area, so she and Yu Qing were unlikely to be disturbed.
As they settled, more students trickled in, mostly heading to the middle and back rows. Soon, the classroom was about half full. Just before class started, Yu Yingying, using the excuse of opening the window, quickly scanned the room and didn’t see Jiang He. A twinge of hesitation crossed her mind… she had promised Jiang He yesterday to spend the next two months reconnecting with him. Ignoring him today without a word—was that appropriate? Should she send a WeChat message, at least as a symbolic reminder?
Suddenly, Yu Qing tugged on her sleeve: “Yingying, your arrogant guy is here!”
Yu Yingying’s heart skipped a beat. She turned to see Jiang He striding into the classroom. Standing near the podium, he looked around and, upon spotting her, grinned and strode toward her. Yu Qing’s eyes lit up; grabbing her bag, she said, “I’ll be sensible—going to the back row!”
Yu Yingying: “…?” Really, there was no need for that. She couldn’t stop Yu Qing and watched helplessly as her friend dashed away. Jiang He placed his single-shoulder bag on the desk, sat down beside her with a teasing smile, and greeted her softly.
“Good morning, girlfriend.”
Yu Yingying steeled herself. “…Morning?”
“Hope it’s okay that I’m sitting next to you. Or do you want to keep this an underground romance? Find it more exciting that way?”
What did she want? She was tempted to hit him. Jiang He’s dazzling peach-blossom eyes sparkled at her, his smile bright, his body radiating heat. Though it was only May, he carried the intensity of midsummer. She realized she was trapped by her own choice—she had deliberately picked this seat, and now Jiang He had blocked her. Tall and long-legged, unless he moved, she’d have to climb over the desk to escape… which would be too cowardly.
Just then, the class bell rang, and the teacher walked to the podium.
“Class is starting, pay attention!”
Yu Yingying nudged him under the desk and even held the pen on the desk, its tip threatening his arm as a warning.
“Okay.” Jiang He’s eyes glimmered with amusement. He clenched his fist, cleared his throat, and finally averted his gaze. Yu Yingying was satisfied. She focused on the lecture, and Jiang He no longer caused trouble. She quickly calmed down and paid attention.
During the break, Jiang He went out briefly and returned with three bottles of water. He opened one for himself and placed the other two on her desk, raising his chin to indicate: “Brought some along, one for your friend.” Yu Yingying handed a bottle to Yu Qing in the back row, who was practically bouncing with excitement. Jiang He then placed a bottle of fresh milk on her desk: “Girlfriend perks.”
“Ahhh!” Yu Qing stomped her feet joyfully in the back row.
Yu Yingying tried to ignore her friend’s noise, glanced at Jiang He, and whispered: “Thanks.”
“No need,” he replied. Holding the cool milk, Yu Yingying pressed her lips together and looked down to hide her smile.
After class, Yu Qing ran off cheerfully. Jiang He carried his bag in one hand and asked Yu Yingying: “No more classes this morning—what’s next?”
“To the library.”
“Tch.” Jiang He had expected that answer and couldn’t help but comment: “No hobbies besides studying?”
“Yes.”
“What?” Jiang He asked curiously.
Yu Yingying’s expression remained neutral: “Hitting people.”
Jiang He couldn’t help laughing, flashing his bright white teeth, and tugged at her backpack strap: “Being violent like that isn’t encouraged. Come on, I’ll go with you to the library.”
“You can go do your own thing,” Yu Yingying said politely.
But Jiang He, who had stayed up all night studying corny pick-up lines, was in full force now: “Being with you is the most important thing for me.”
Yu Yingying wanted to say, Thanks, no need, but Jiang He strode ahead, leaving her to swallow the words. She moved slowly. After a few meters, Jiang He looked back, saw her still packing her bag, and called out loudly:
“Yu Yingying, are you a snail? Hurry up, we’re wasting time!”
Because of his voice, several classmates who hadn’t left yet shot curious, gossiping looks.
“…Got it!” Yu Yingying took a deep breath.
The third teaching building, where the lecture hall was, was connected to the library by a tree-lined path. They walked side by side along the route, lined with plane trees. Jiang He had many friends; from time to time, someone would call out, “Jiang Ge!” They’d glance at Yu Yingying and grin knowingly. One even asked directly: “Jiang Ge, is this your wife?”
Jiang He recalled how irritated he had felt yesterday seeing Yu Yingying walking alongside Wang Wei. Now, it felt like drinking an ice-cold cola on a hot summer day—refreshing, and he even felt like laughing out loud. He shot a playful glance at Yu Yingying, pretending to be a pursuer, and said modestly: “Not yet, not yet!”
“Go for it, Jiang Ge!”
“Of course, of course.”
Yu Yingying: “…?” She felt extremely uncomfortable, and yet the person beside her kept pushing boundaries.
“The library, I can study with you until midnight, but you have to let me eat lunch, girlfriend.”
“Are we taking the afternoon English class together too, girlfriend?”
“What are your plans tonight, girlfriend?”
“….” Yu Yingying, exasperated, whispered: “…Stop calling me girlfriend!”
“How should I call you then?” Jiang He asked, trying not to laugh.
“How did you call me before?” Of course, she thought, he just used her name, sometimes adding “you brat” if he was annoyed. Jiang He recalled this answer, cleared his throat strategically, and smiled at the flustered Yu Yingying: “Do you really want to know?”
“Obviously.”
It couldn’t be “little miss,” right? Yu Yingying felt she couldn’t accept that. Jiang He saw her wary expression, chuckled lowly, leaned closer to her ear, and in a husky, rich voice murmured affectionately:
“Qinqin.”
Yu Yingying: “…?”
“This is how I’ve always called you, Qinqin.” Jiang He’s peach-blossom eyes sparkled with a smile as he looked at her.