September 28th
As soon as the clock struck midnight, the girls' dormitory came alive. Zhao Ying and Li Meixun quickly rushed to wish the campus beauty, Liu Shuyao, a happy birthday.
Liu Shuyao responded with a sweet smile.
Just as Zhao Ying was about to tease her about whether she received any messages or gifts from Xiang Ran, they heard the campus beauty's phone ring.
Immediately after, a new notification popped up on her phone.
Liu Shuyao looked at the message, gasping and covering her mouth in surprise, her eyes sparkling with joy.
This reaction piqued Zhao Ying and Li Meixun’s curiosity, and they leaned in closer.
But as soon as they glanced at the screen, they regretted it.
Muttering to themselves, “Tsk tsk tsk! Showing off love! Dog abuse! Is this what a science major does?” they retreated back to their beds.
In an instant, only Liu Shuyao remained alone on her bed.
Her hands trembled slightly as she held her phone, the words on the screen igniting a rush of excitement and warmth that made her heart race and her cheeks flush.
“Hmm hmm hmm~”
The campus beauty wrapped herself in her blanket, rolling around in excitement, her delicate little feet gripping the sheets tightly, her porcelain skin turning a rosy pink as she could only hear her own rapid heartbeat.
Liu Shuyao read the messages over and over before finally receiving a text from her boyfriend.
Xiang Ran: [Did you receive the notification?]
Campus Beauty: [Was it specially made for me?]
Xiang Ran: [Yep.]
Campus Beauty: [Will it be sent every day?]
Liu Shuyao glanced at the various dates, weather forecasts, and other reminders in the notification.
Xiang Ran: [Yes, it will.]
Campus Beauty: [Spinning in circles.jpg]
Campus Beauty: [So happy.jpg]
Campus Beauty: [But there’s a small issue: why does it include a countdown for classes? And you even added the credits and exam types for each subject?]
Xiang Ran: [Study hard! Progress every day!]
Campus Beauty: [Silent protest.jpg]
Xiang Ran: [Pat pat.jpg]
Xiang Ran: [Happy birthday~]
Campus Beauty: [Can you say that last line again?~]
Liu Shuyao looked at the heartfelt birthday message below the notification, her heart racing.
She could almost feel her boyfriend standing right in front of her.
Xiang Ran: [It’s easy to talk endlessly, but I just want to converse with you in a slower-paced world.]
Campus Beauty: [I like it, I like it~ I really like it~]
Campus Beauty: [I miss you, hubby~]
Campus Beauty: [What should I do?]
Watching her responses, Xiang Ran felt he could picture Liu Shuyao's cute face behind the cold, flat text.
As long as she liked it.
For some reason, the message “Get some sleep early” he had typed remained unsent.
Instead, he found himself inexplicably getting out of bed and heading to the balcony, where he initiated a video call for the first time.
Liu Shuyao was surprised to see the video invitation on her phone but quickly pressed to answer.
“Hello~”
The sweet sound of the campus beauty came through the earpiece.
For some unknown reason, only half of her face appeared on screen, her eyes blinking rapidly, her lashes casting long shadows.
The intimate atmosphere in the quiet night was amplified endlessly.
Xiang Ran looked at Liu Shuyao, stunned.
Liu Shuyao looked adorably dazed, her throat bobbing slightly, feeling quite flustered.
“Happy birthday.”
Xiang Ran’s voice was a bit hoarse.
Tonight, Liu Shuyao seemed especially shy, her big, watery eyes looking innocently at the screen. Even though she was just watching the video, she couldn’t hide her delight.
She repeatedly called out her boyfriend's name softly.
“Hubby~”
“Hubby~”
“Hubby~”
“Hubby~”
“...” At first, Xiang Ran responded, but seeing the campus beauty’s delicate appearance on the other side, he just went along with it.
Their video call didn’t last long, but Liu Shuyao’s soft voice calling out “hubby” lingered in his dreams.
He knew he liked her, even thinking that time could stop at this moment.
Today was the last day of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, so many classmates had already left for home or were out having fun.
Zhao Ying had bought a bus ticket for today, but just as she was about to leave school, she received a text message.
“Ah!!!!”
“The bus broke down?”
Zhao Ying’s scream echoed through the dorm, her hands shaking slightly as she read the message over and over.
“Could it be a scam message?”
Liu Shuyao, who had stayed up late the night before, peeked out from her bed at the commotion and reminded her, “There are so many scams these days; you should confirm it first.”
Zhao Ying, irritated, tossed her luggage back beside her bed and called the bus station.
After confirming, her earlier excitement about going home was doused with cold water, leaving her slumped on the bed in despair.
“Shuyao~~~”
“The bus really has a problem~”
“I’m going to cry ahhhhhhhhh!”
“What’s going on?” Liu Shuyao flipped over in her bed and nudged Zhao Ying.
“The staff said that this year’s travel numbers have hit a record high. Some of their buses are new and won’t be available for a while.”
Zhao Ying buried her face in her pillow, her voice muffled.
“Isn’t there any solution? It doesn’t seem practical to refund tickets if it delays travel.”
“They said they would arrange for other buses to leave tonight, or we could choose to refund our tickets.”
“Why not just wait a bit? Your home isn’t far; it should be fine, right?”
Liu Shuyao thought this solution was acceptable.
“But... based on my past experience, if I leave tonight, a 300-kilometer trip will probably take about ten hours.”
“That’s why I wanted to leave in the morning.”
The more Zhao Ying thought about it, the sadder she became.
“Ah~ I see!”
Liu Shuyao wasn’t too familiar with the traffic conditions during holidays, but seeing Zhao Ying’s certainty, she figured it must be true.
“Why not check for high-speed train tickets?”
“I’ll take a look~”
Zhao Ying started scrolling through her phone, but the more she scrolled down, the colder her heart felt. It was all just a sea of gray.
Thinking about it, on such a festive day, how could she possibly find a ticket?
Zhao Ying’s mood sank even further.
As Liu Shuyao contemplated how to comfort her friend, she suddenly heard a buzzing sound and pulled her phone back to check.
Xiang Ran: [The fatty has already set off; Qi Dong is leaving in the afternoon, and Wang Hao is leaving at night.]
Liu Shuyao read the message from her boyfriend, recalling that she had casually asked about this earlier.
Qi Dong?
Then, as if a thought struck her, she quickly typed a response.
Campus Beauty: [How is Qi Dong going home?]
Xiang Ran: [Driving; he didn’t get a ticket, so he rented a car.]
Campus Beauty: [!!!!]
Xiang Ran: [What’s wrong?]
Seeing the three big exclamation marks from Liu Shuyao made Xiang Ran puzzled.
Campus Beauty: [Yingying bought a morning bus ticket, but the bus broke down unexpectedly, and she can’t leave for now.]
Xiang Ran: [?]
Campus Beauty: [Isn’t Qi Dong’s home close to Yingying’s?]
Reading Liu Shuyao’s message, Xiang Ran raised an eyebrow, recalling that Qi Dong had mentioned their homes were not far apart.
Xiang Ran: [So?]
Campus Beauty: [That’s all I can help with... ]
Campus Beauty: [Being good and logging off.jpg]
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