That summer, Cheng Susu was admitted to the Peking University Mathematics Department, and her boyfriend Liang Bo was also admitted to the best university in their province. The wind that year was hot, so hot it made one think time would slow down forever.
Sometimes Liang Bo would take Susu home. When they entered that day, the curtains were half-drawn, and strips of light fell on the back of the sofa. Liang Bo turned on the air conditioning first before turning to cut fruit. He usually acted like a spoiled young master at home, but he was willing to do anything for Susu.
When he came out of the kitchen, he sat next to Susu and pulled her lower legs onto his lap. At first, he was just casually massaging them, but soon his hands became restless. The warmth in his palm made Susu lose interest in watching television. She might as well have turned to sit on his lap, and she took the initiative to kiss him, sometimes teasing, sometimes humming softly.
Liang Bo's breathing became heavy. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and reached with his right hand to her front. Susu was beautifully built, slender yet shapely, her curves igniting a fever. As his movements became increasingly frantic, Susu whispered in his ear, "If you really want it, I'm willing... I don't want you to be uncomfortable."
"Let's not. I want you to have more choices when you go to Beijing." Liang Bo said no, but his hands didn't stop. Susu's clothes were taken off by him, one by one. Susu didn't refuse, but she didn't expect Liang Bo to suddenly lean down to her knees and lower his head to kiss her. It felt strange and unfamiliar... He was clumsy, but he was wholeheartedly trying to please her.
In the days that followed, she rarely thought of the boy who had once given her his entire heart. She had always believed she had never loved him. Until one early morning ten years later, she woke up from a dream. He was in the dream, and that summer was in the dream. Her heart felt as if it had been violently torn apart, leaving her breathless.
Susu's university life did not start smoothly. The courses in the Peking University Mathematics Department were far more difficult than she had expected. In the fourth week after school started, Susu called Liang Bo and proposed a breakup.
Liang Bo immediately panicked and asked, "Why?"
"Studying is too tiring. I really don't have the energy for a relationship." Love is a luxury. When people are crushed by reality, they often give up their loved ones first.
His voice trembled, "I'll come to Beijing to see you."
"I beg you not to come. I won't change my mind." The moment the phone call ended, Susu felt as if a great weight had been lifted. She couldn't understand it either; when they were together, she had so desperately craved the warmth of his embrace.
Susu's first friend at Peking University was named Tang Xiaofei. The two hit it off immediately. Their similar family backgrounds and complementary personalities meant they always had endless topics to discuss.
Xiaofei had a long-distance boyfriend who often took an overnight train to see her. Xiaofei's roommates always liked to ask about her intimate moments with her boyfriend after the lights were out, with curiosity and a hint of envy. Everyone in the dorm liked Susu and often invited her to join their late-night chats. Xiaofei was generous and humorous, and Susu was her most competent straight man.
One day, while they were in the middle of a lively chat, Xiaofei jokingly teased, "Do you know what happens to a guy who has many rounds in one night?"
The dorm suddenly fell silent, and then a few girls urged her to hurry up and not keep them in suspense.
Xiaofei stifled a laugh and lowered her voice, "Have you ever seen a dry ice fire extinguisher?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the dorm erupted in laughter. Even Susu couldn't help but cover her face with a pillow. No one knew that she had also had a boyfriend in high school.
Tang Xiaofei's long-distance relationship also ended quickly. In college, there were always too many temptations around handsome guys and beautiful girls.
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