The night was gentle.
Rongcheng was ablaze with lights. Few pedestrians strolled along the lakeside road. Streetlights filtered through the banyan trees, casting dappled yellow light on the ground. The distant sounds of laughter and play from West Lake Park added to the peaceful tranquility.
Chen Yang and Su He walked side-by-side along the lakeside road, heading towards Rongcheng University. It was four bus stops from here, and both had chosen to walk.
Their shoulders were close together. Chen Yang, a head taller than Su He, could see her long, black, lustrous hair from his slightly turned profile. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into his nose, captivating him.
Neither spoke, simply walking in silence.
Finally, Su He broke the silence. She turned slightly to look at Chen Yang and said,
"Thanks so much for you today! I wouldn't know what to do otherwise!"
"Su He, you already thanked me once at the bar, so don't be so polite with me again," Chen Yang smiled slightly. "We're classmates, from the same hometown, and high school alumni! Putting all that aside, if a delicate girl like you were bullied, anyone would stand up for you!"
Su He smiled shyly. Her smile was subtle yet captivating. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, forming a perfect arc. Her fair and smooth face seemed to radiate a holy glow under the streetlights. Su He said,
"By the way, I've always heard Sister Qiaoqian say you're my high school classmate, but I don't really remember you…"
At this point, Su He suddenly realized that what she said might be a bit inappropriate, and playfully stuck out her tongue, quickly explaining,
"I mean, I was probably too focused on studying in high school, so I didn't know many classmates from other classes."
"That's normal. I was pretty quiet and reserved in high school, not to mention you, even my classmates would call me by the wrong name!" Chen Yang smiled nonchalantly and said, "But you're different. You were the famous school beauty in our school! You were in Class 5, right? Several boys in Class 3 admired you greatly!"
"It's not that exaggerated!" Su He was a little embarrassed by Chen Yang's words and changed the subject, "By the way, you were in Class 3! Zhu Xiaoyan from your class was my neighbor!"
…
Talking about their high school days, the two opened up and found many common topics. The two found many unexpected connections in their high school lives, including mutual friends and shared experiences at school parties.
Before they knew it, the north gate of Rongcheng University was almost in sight. Chen Yang felt the road from the bar to the school suddenly seemed incredibly short, as if it had been covered in the blink of an eye.
After entering the school gate, neither Chen Yang nor Su He headed directly towards the girls' dormitory. Instead, they strolled around the campus, chatting as they went.
The experiences of the past two days had completely disarmed Su He, especially the moment he stood up for her tonight. That feeling of suddenly having someone to rely on during her most helpless moment made Su He feel incredibly warm and secure. They had chatted quite congenially along the way, and since Su He didn't mention going back to the dormitory, Chen Yang wasn't foolish enough to bring it up himself. So, he simply accompanied Su He on her leisurely stroll around the campus.
The campus of Rongda University was very quiet at night. The two strolled along, talking softly, from the main gate all the way to the university stadium. After walking a few laps on the track, Chen Yang said,
"Su He, are you tired? Let's rest for a while in the stands!"
"Okay!" Su He nodded slightly.
They arrived at a small stand on the east side of the stadium. Chen Yang carefully took out a tissue and placed it on the concrete seat, then gestured for Su He to sit down, saying,
"Please take a seat, beautiful lady!"
Su He smiled, didn't thank him, and gracefully walked to the seat and sat down. Chen Yang sat down next to her.
They looked up at the stars in the sky, remaining silent for a long time. Suddenly, Su He asked,
"Chen Yang, do you miss home?"
Chen Yang was taken aback. Since his rebirth, his only family member was his mother, Han Xuehua. To be honest, Chen Yang's impression of Han Xuehua was merely based on memories of his ex-wife; there was no emotional connection whatsoever. He didn't feel any longing for his home in Nanpu County. But Chen Yang missed his family, friends, and lover from his past life…
Chen Yang's gaze drifted into the distance, as if he could see the world he was born into through the deep night sky. A hint of melancholy lingered in his voice:
"I miss them! But most of the time, it's just futile longing, at most I can only meet them in my dreams."
Su He sensed Chen Yang's low spirits. She sighed softly and said:
"I miss home too, I miss my grandma and my brother. My brother is taking the college entrance exam this year! But I can't go back to cheer him on. I'm staying in Rongcheng this summer to try and earn as much money as possible!"
Seeing Su He talking about her family, Chen Yang also pulled himself out of his own emotions. He only knew a little about Su He's situation from Ning Qiaoqian's fragmented words; he didn't know the details himself. Therefore, Chen Yang couldn't help but ask:
"Su He, so your younger brother is going to university soon too!"
Su He smiled and said:
"Yes! He's always had excellent grades, much smarter than me! He's loved movies since he was little, aspiring to be a great director. He even said that when he becomes famous, he'll make a movie about his sister and invite me to be the lead!"
Su He and her brother lost their parents at a young age, relying on their grandmother for support. Su He often acts as a second mother to her brother. So, when talking about him, Su He's face was full of pride and joy, radiating a maternal glow. She continued:
"My brother is planning to apply to the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama this year. I believe in his talent; I'm sure he can achieve his dream!"
Su He's tone was filled with excitement; clearly, her brother held a very important place in her life. Chen Yang listened quietly, occasionally asking a few questions. The two chatted more and more congenially, oblivious to the passing time. After talking about her younger brother, Su He chatted with Chen Yang about her grandmother who had raised her and her brother with great difficulty, and her parents who had passed away young. Su He rarely talked about these things with her friends before; even her roommates only knew that her family's financial situation was average, but they didn't know the specifics. In front of Chen Yang, Su He gradually opened up. Just seeing his warm smile made her feel at peace, and she naturally started talking about these things with him.
Unconsciously, the night had grown quite late.
Su He suddenly realized something and exclaimed:
"Oh no! The dormitory door is locked!"
Normally, the dormitory door locks at midnight. On a normal workday, Su He finishes work at 11:30 and takes the bus back to school, just in time to get back to the dormitory before it closes. Today, because of Deng Qing's matter, Su He left work early and returned to school before 11:00, but while chatting with Chen Yang, she lost track of time, and it was already past midnight.
Chen Yang glanced at the time and saw it was indeed quite late. Still wanting more, he said,
"Then let's hurry back! Don't worry your classmates."
"Okay!" Su He stood up, and the two walked along the corridor of the stands to the steps leading down. The stadium was a bit dark at midnight. As they descended the steps, Chen Yang naturally reached out and took Su He's soft hand. Su He trembled slightly, but didn't pull away. They walked down hand in hand.
Su He's small hand was very soft. Chen Yang gently held it, his heart fluttering. Perhaps because of nervousness, Chen Yang felt that Su He's palms were slightly sweaty. In the dim light of the streetlamp, Chen Yang glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that Su He's face was flushed, even her ears were slightly red.
"What a shy little girl," Chen Yang thought to himself with a smile. However, Su He's reaction only made Chen Yang admire her more, indicating that she rarely had such close contact with boys before. Once on level ground, Chen Yang naturally loosened his grip slightly, and Su He quickly withdrew her hand. They continued walking side-by-side, but remained silent. Chen Yang was so close to Su He that he could almost hear her pounding heartbeat; an ambiguous atmosphere filled the air.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of dormitory building number 3. Sure enough, the iron gate was locked.
Chen Yang, with a hint of apology on his face, said:
"It's all my fault. I kept you talking, and you couldn't get back before it locked."
Su He smiled and shook her head, saying:
"No way! I was the one talking the whole time. You were just listening. How can I blame you?"
As she spoke, Su He prepared to call for the dormitory supervisor to open the gate through the small window.
At this moment, Chen Yang glanced at the not-so-high dormitory iron gate and suddenly called out softly:
"Wait!"
Su He stopped and looked at Chen Yang, puzzled.
Chen Yang said:
"Su He, coming home late will get you recorded and your credits will be deducted!"
"I know, but I can't just sleep on the streets!" Su He said helplessly. "Besides, I have enough credits, so losing one or two times won't matter."
Actually, Su He cared a lot about her credits. She had done quite well in all her courses this semester and should be able to apply for a first-class scholarship by the end of the semester. If she lost credits for coming home late, she could probably only get a second-class scholarship at most. Although the difference was only a few hundred yuan, it was still very important for Su He's family's financial situation.
She just didn't show it in front of Chen Yang because of her easygoing and gentle personality.
"The dorm supervisor should be asleep by now, right?" Chen Yang pointed to the low iron gate and said with a smile, "How about you become a female knight-errant tonight?"
Su He glanced at the iron gate and said repeatedly:
"No! No! This iron gate is too high, I can't climb it!"
Chen Yang said with a grin:
"You forgot? There's me too!"