Chapter 29

Translator: Larbre Studio

Editor: Larbre Studio

While the girls joked among themselves, Shen Qinglan’s phone screen brightened.

Shen Qinglan saw the name of the caller ID and spooked. She propped a hand on the bedpost and landed lightly on the floor. Her roommates were already used to this.

Taking the phone along, she went to the balcony and closed the door behind her.

“Hey.” The melodious voice drifted into Fu Hengyi’s ear via radio waves.

“Are you sleeping yet?” Fu Hengyi asked.

Shen Qinglan looked back at the two girls still fooling around in the room, and shook her head. She turned back before the girls on the other end could notice her.

“Not yet.”

Fu Hengyi heard the faint noise coming from the receiver’s end and made a guess, “Are you at school?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you stay at home? Are you not used to it?”

“No, I have stuff to do at school these days. It’s much more convenient if I stay at the dorm,” Shen Qinglan explained. She did not tell him that she could not fall asleep after spending a night at the apartment because of the lingering unfamiliarity in the bedroom. Neither did she want to go back to the Shen household, so she simply moved back to the dormitory.

Fu Hengyi merely acknowledged her and did not delve further.

Shen Qinglan took the phone away from her ear and looked at the time, “Have you just left work? Are you at the hotel?”

“Yes, I’ve been coming back late recently.” Actually, this had been the earliest time Fu Hengyi managed to get off work, Throughout the week, it was usually midnight by the time he got back to the hotel. He had not given her a call because he did not want to disturb her.

Knowing that there were certain particularities in their line of work, including strict regulations, unlike other general security companies, Shen Qinglan did not make further inquiries but urged him to take a good rest.

“Are you caring about me?” The joy in his statement drifted into her ear, slightly warming her cheeks.

“You’re my husband. It’s not wrong to care, right?” Shen Qinglan said very frankly, if she ignored her abnormal expression at the moment.

Fu Hengyi laughed out loud this time. The sullen laughter echoed in his chest, as well as Shen Qinglan’s ear.

She stayed quiet, listening to the echoing laughter, feeling unusually calm.

Silence strayed between the two, yet none of them felt awkward.

“I have a three-day break by the end of the month,” Fu Hengyi said.

It took a while for Shen Qinglan to acknowledge it, “Oh.”

Fu Hengyi smiled silently, “Take care of yourself while I’m not around. If you’re not used to the apartment, you can go back home. I’ve already told Grandpa.”

Shen Qinglan understood.

“It’s getting late. Don’t stay up, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

She was about to hang up when Fu Hengyi’s voice suddenly sounded from the other end of the line. His soft words gently brushed Shen Qinglan’s heart like feathers, with a bearable itch.

He said, “Qinglan, I miss you.”

Fu Hengyi hung up the call. Looking up at the night sky, a silent smile curled on his lips. This week, whenever he was free, images of Shen Qinglan would appear in his mind.

He had seen her coldness, her calmness, her sadness… but not one with a smile.

His heart briefly ached for the the girl who managed to invoke his yearning for the first time. He was not sure if this was love, but he wanted to see her smile make her happy and be the reason for her happiness.

Not only was this a promise to his elder who passed away, but it was also his deepest desire.

He thought, this young lady named Shen Qinglan had really found a place in his heart, and he did not reject this feeling. In fact, it was not bad at all.

Shen Qinglan hung up and re-entered the dorm room, where she was greeted with two gleaming pairs of eyes.

“Qinglan, come clean. Who was the man on the phone?” Yu Xiaoxuan snickered.

“That’s right. Out with it. Don’t say we’re making things up. Your reddened cheeks has betrayed you,” Fang Tong added. It was rare for the two of them to come together for the same cause.

“You’ve certainly had it wrong. My cheeks are red because it’s too hot outside,” Shen Qinglan said calmly.

She held her gaze at the two. Three pairs of eyes met one another. Fang Tong and Yu Xiaoxuan withdrew their gazes, having lost interest. They thought they could get some sort of gossip.

Shen Qinglan casually climbed onto her bed. She looked around and, when she did not see Wu Qian, asked, “Where’s Wu Qian?”

“She got a call just now and carried her bag out in a hurry. We asked but she did not say anything, other than meeting a friend. Quite mysterious, I say.”

Shen Qinglan got her answer and paid no mind to it. It was just a casual question. She picked up her book and continued reading from where she left off.

Five minutes passed and Shen Qinglan could barely register anything from the book. She put the book aside, slightly despondent, and simply went to sleep.

**

On the other hand, Wu Qin ran down the stairs of the dormitory in one go and headed towards a figure waiting under the tree. 

“Why are you here?”

Chen Qingtian looked at Wu Qian tenderly, “I miss you, so I came to see you.”

Wu Qian shyly lowered her head.

Chen Qingtian maintained his gaze, “Why aren’t you wearing the new outfit I bought for you?”

Wu Qian smiled, “I got it washed and it’s not dry yet, so…” Actually, she was afraid her three other roommates would notice, so she did not dare to wear it. After all, it was obvious she could not afford the garb.

Chen Qingtian waved at her. He did not care about that. He pulled Wu Qian forward and positioned her between himself and the tree. “That’s alright, I’ll take you shopping for more tomorrow. I miss you. Do you miss me?”

Chen Qingtian was her boyfriend. She met him a month ago when she was working part-time at a KTV. She worked at KFC during the day, and worked as an attendant at the KTV at night.

She did not speak much, but she was pretty. Chen Qingtian was out with his friend when he fell for Wu Qian at first sight, and that was the beginning of his crazy pursuit.

Chen Qingtian was an experienced womanizer. Someone as innocent as Wu Qian could not possibly contend with his persistence. In less than a week, the two established a romantic relationship, and within two days they moved on to cohabitation. Wu Qian had not returned to the dorm earlier because she was with him.