"Here, I brought you milk tea with ice and sugar."
He Tianran let go of Cao Aiqing, walked to the chair, picked up the paper bag, and took out the milk tea he had brought along the way. Cao Aiqing took it and held it in his hand, smiling:
"Hey, you are so attentive today, there must be something going on, right?"
He Tianran's hand that was about to insert the straw paused for a moment, his mind turned and he said:
"There is indeed something I want to tell you."
"What?"
He Tianran said with a bad smile, "Actually, I didn't buy this milk tea."
Cao Aiqing was stunned, "Who is it?"
The boy shrugged, "It's just a guy who likes you. Who said our classmate Cao is so popular?"
The girl understood that her boyfriend was teasing her about being confessed to him at the radio station. Her face turned red, she reached out and slapped He Tianran hard, and said scolding:
"You're so annoying, you know how to make fun of me every day!"
He Tianran shrank and laughed, and just like that, a young couple drank milk tea and walked towards the dining hall of the University of Hong Kong.
There are a total of 21 canteens in the University of Hong Kong. The naming methods are either particular or common. Each one has the same or different characteristics, and new dishes are launched regularly. Cao Aiqing’s favorite is the School of Architecture. The Seventeen Canteen is not far away because there are free Western desserts there every day.
However, since the two of them were starting from the radio station, they went to the nearest Liu Canteen. This restaurant is famous for its Sichuan cuisine. The price is very affordable and the taste is very authentic. You can eat a sumptuous three dishes and one soup for less than 50 yuan. , the rice bowl set meal is even cheaper. Of course, this price is only for on-campus students.
Although the canteen of the Film School is also very good, it is far inferior to that of the University of Hong Kong in terms of scale and food. Thanks to his girlfriend, He Tianran has come here every day for meals these days. It is easier to go to the canteen of the University of Hong Kong than to go to his own school. Everyone has to be diligent, which makes Cai Jueming and Hu Yue envious.
"Wait a minute, and I'll get you a few bags of cold drinks. You can take them back and give them to your roommate."
Cao Aiqing finished swiping the meal card and was busy arranging things. He Tianran took the dishes, found an empty seat with the dinner plate and occupied it in advance, waiting for his girlfriend to finish her work.
"Last time you said you wanted to drink mung bean soup, but it's no longer available today. Let's come early tomorrow."
After a while, Cao Aiqing took a plastic bag with some soy milk and yogurt in it, sat down in front of He Tianran happily and said.
Among the things that HKU people are proud of, the production address "On the University of Hong Kong" printed on the packaging of these cold drinks should be considered one of them.
Judging the quality of a university from the perspective of the cafeteria seems to be a somewhat absurd analysis, but I have to admit that when I look back at the university, there are always many memories related to the cafeteria, especially couples like He Tianran and Cao Aiqing. .
Since He Tianran was going to speak as a representative of freshmen tonight, the two of them went to the extravagance of ordering a few more dishes, including mapo tofu, fish-flavored eggplant, roasted white rice, and a Kung Pao chicken dish.
He Tianran was a little embarrassed because he had been swiping Cao Aiqing's meal card recently. He said, "I'll invite you to eat out in two days. How about it?"
Cao Aiqing shook his head and said softly: "Why are you spending so much money? The 21 canteens of Hong Kong University are not enough for you? Your family doesn't care about you now, so I have to save you some money. How is your part-time job? Already?"
He Tianran knew that she wanted to avoid the topic, but he still insisted: "If you don't want to eat, let's go have fun. Is there anywhere you want to go?"
Cao Aiqing was a little moved by what he said. She hesitated and said, "Well... I heard that the theme park at Universal Studios has recently opened. Several classmates around me are saying..."
"Then let's go. You don't have to worry about this. Your boyfriend still has money to take you to the amusement park." He Tianran vowed.
"No, I don't want your money... you eat eggplant. This canteen is very famous for its eggplant."
Cao Aiqing put a piece of fish-flavored eggplant into He Tianran's bowl. While the boy was digging the rice, he said incoherently: "What are you doing so clearly with me?"
Not to mention, this eggplant is really delicious. He Tianran felt that he could make three bowls of rice with this dish.
"Now, this is for you."
Cao Aiqing smiled at He Tianran's eating look, took out a bank card from his small wallet and handed it over.
"Protect me?"
He Tianran couldn't understand.
"No way, I'm still waiting for you to take care of me! I applied for this card a few days ago. Didn't we agree last time that we would eat, drink and have fun together, so...so I will deposit it every month Part of the living expenses will go in and be used as funds for our future fun, but...it’s just that we don’t have a lot of money now...just one thousand yuan, you keep it first...well..."
Cao Aiqing said so, but when He Tianran really reached out to take it, he still felt the finger on the other end of the bank card retracting slightly, looking very reluctant to let go.
What a cute little money fan.
He Tianran grabbed the card and showed off:
"It's one thousand now. I'll put one thousand into it later. We'll slowly add it in later. Put the card here with me and the password with you. How about that?"
Cao Aiqing was sad for a while, but after hearing this, he said happily: "No need, you also know the password."
"I know? Is it your birthday or mine?"
"That's the day you confessed, hehe~"
After Cao Aiqing said this, he immediately immersed himself in eating, trying to cover up the shyness on his face.
He Tianran's heart warmed up after hearing this, and he put the card in his pocket. He couldn't help but said: "If there weren't so many things today, I wish we could go right after dinner."
Cao Aiqing raised her head and glared at him sweetly.
"You're stupid, you're going there during the National Day holiday in two days~"
As soon as these words came out, He Tianran's heart suddenly seemed to be clamped tightly by a pair of hands, and he paused for a moment.
His expression was frozen on his face. Cao Aiqing noticed something strange about him and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you?"
"No...it's nothing." After a moment, He Tianran replied angrily.
In September, college students spend two-thirds of their time in military training. There are only a few days of classes left, and the National Day holiday is coming soon. September of this year is difficult to describe in words.
"Ai Qing..."
"Um?"
"Do you know... Bai Tingting and Xue Yong broke up?" He Tianran asked carefully.
Cao Aiqing paused and slowly put down the chopsticks in her hand. Her expression was complicated and she whispered:
"Tingting told me over the weekend. Later, I called Xue Yong and asked him why he was so playful even after falling in love. He didn't offer any excuses. When he hung up the phone, he just said that he would take care of you... Naturally, you..."
"I... I don't want to lie to you Ai Qing. That day... I happened to go to her house with Wen Liang because I had to discuss things with the master at the boxing gym. The master taught me a lot this year. I am really grateful to him. So I had a meal with Wen Liang's parents in the evening, and after the meal I received a call from Bai Tingting, so that day... Wen Liang and I... went to find Xue Yong together..."
He Tianran recounted the nightclub situation that night with anxiety. After Cao Aiqing listened carefully, her expression became silent little by little. She tilted her head slightly and asked:
"Then what?"
The boy knew that his girlfriend was very sensitive about his relationship with Wen Liang, and what he was going to say next made He Tianran extremely cautious.
"Then because of Xue Yong's incident, I wanted to make Wen Liang and I more honest with each other. We can't be friends, and we don't necessarily have to be enemies, right? So we walked and talked while walking to the Bund of Tuomo River. There happened to be a live broadcast challenge over there... I asked Wen Liang to sing a song... My original intention was... to let her sing a song for herself, but I had thought..."
"So why did you run away while she was singing?"
He Tianran was still hesitating on how to word it, but Cao Aiqing suddenly took over the topic and asked directly.
The young man who was confused by the question was left with a buzzing in his head, and his tongue was a little awkward, "You, you, you know?"
"I know, I saw it when I was playing on my phone yesterday. Who would have thought that the 'unfaithful ex-boyfriend' that the whole Internet is looking for is my current boyfriend?"
Cao Aiqing's expression became colder and colder, and every word she spoke seemed to be filled with chill. She asked repeatedly:
"Why are you running?"
He Tianran's face was hesitant, his brows furrowed tightly because of memories, and he said frankly:
"Because... because I can hear that there is still some reluctance in her singing, but I don't want to, and I can't delay her anymore. She deserves to meet a better person, but that person is definitely not me, He Tianran, and... And I already have you by my side now. If I get along with her without any connection, how can I face you?
To be honest, Ai Qing, I am not a saint. I don’t know what would have happened to Wenliang and I if I had stayed by the river that day... So I decided to leave early. This may seem heartless, but... it will be painful in the long run. It's better to have short-term pain, right? Since she still can't let go of me, then I will help her and let her let go of me. If I go more decisively, she will be happier. Could it be... Could it be that I am wrong to do this? "
For a time, He Tianran's emotions were filled with sadness and grievance. That night, some unwarranted memories filled his mind, which made him miserable. He always believed that these fragments came from a dream he had a few months ago. .
However, no one can completely retell all the memories in a dream, and the same is true for him.
However, the difference is that Cao Aiqing accidentally mentioned the National Day holiday just now, which made him feel like he was in another world, because at this time last year, his sadness was still vivid in his mind.
Wen Liang's time travel made He Tianran understand a truth. In this long journey of life, you will eventually face countless choices, including your studies, your friends, your work, and even the canteen where you eat and the dishes you order. These countless choices make up our current life.
He Tianran is very satisfied with his current life, although he also feels great sadness and reluctance.
However, he has no regrets.
He Tianran's frowning brows suddenly felt a cold feeling. He looked up and saw that Cao Aiqing's face was already clear and clear. At this time, she stretched out two fingers and gently rubbed away the sorrow between her boyfriend's brows. With a face of guilt and self-blame, he said:
"Naturally, as the freshmen representatives of the film school today, you should go and apologize to her in private. I just scared you... I'm not angry..."
He Tianran's mood suddenly improved a lot. Now as long as Cao Aiqing is happy, he is happy. He said:
"I thought you were going to be jealous again..."
"No way...I'm not a petty person...Actually..." Cao Aiqing took back his hand and said seriously: "Actually, I was a little angry when I saw the video, but I thought about it again, and my perspective is different. Yeah, why should I be angry? In my opinion, my current boyfriend chose to turn around and leave when his ex-girlfriend tried to stay, and he chose to be loyal to me. Why should I be angry? Comrade Xiaohe is so reliable, now facing me For being so honest, I should reward him~"
Faced with his girlfriend's generosity, He Tianran felt very happy. At the same time, he also understood that if he hesitated even a little bit about this matter, then even if they were in love, there would definitely be a rift because of the video. .
This is what is called comparing one's heart to one's heart.
"What else do you want to say to me? Just let me apologize? Where's the reward? The bank card just now doesn't count! You were pretending just now and scared me so much that I didn't know what to say. Student Ai Qing, you can Ah, I feel more courageous~"
He Tianran relaxed completely. Cao Aiqing pursed her lips and tilted her head but did not speak. The boy stood up and sat next to his girlfriend, teasing and asking questions. For a while, the interaction between the young couple aroused the envy of some other people in the cafeteria. look……
"Oh, please stop teasing me. What I want to say has just been said on the radio station..."
Cao Aiqing broke away from He Tianran's playful movements, and the latter suddenly stopped. The couple looked at each other for two seconds, and their faces turned red at the same time.
"Since you asked me for a gift...then...then I'll give this to you."
Cao Aiqing couldn't stand the burning gaze of her boyfriend, so she took the lead in breaking the silence.
"Really? What?" He Tianran said happily.
The girl began to rummage in her small bag, then she grabbed something from it and spread her palms.
He Tianran looked at it, and at this moment, time seemed to slow down visibly to the naked eye. The cicadas that were still chirping wantonly outside the canteen suddenly became silent...
It was a string of moon-white Bodhi beads.
"Didn't you also have a bunch of bodhi seeds that you often played with in a coil? Recently I saw that you haven't worn them, and I'm not used to them being empty. I thought that you probably lost them. If you like it, you can take this too. alright."
Cao Aiqing told the origin of the bracelet. He Tianran's face was uncertain and he asked: "You...where did you get this?"
"Ah? It was when we went to Chuanling Temple during the last vacation to fulfill our vows. An old monk came to sell me a sale. I bought it for my collection, Ai Wu Ji Wu! By the way, it's the place where you were sleeping in the pavilion and I went to buy you water. Yes, I wanted to tell you originally, but you said you had a nightmare, so I was so scared that I forgot to tell you, and then I remembered it and kept it in my bag."
He Tianran's Adam's apple twitched. He took the beads and remained silent for a long time.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Ai Qing..."
"Um?"
The boy looked at his girlfriend and opened his mouth as if he was making a decision. He hesitated for a moment and asked a confused question:
"You...which Ai Qing are you?"
Cao Aiqing was stunned, patted He Tianran's head, and said with a smile:
"If you are teasing me, I will really ignore you!"
He Tianran was struck by this, his dazed expression stopped, and he also laughed. He calmly wrapped the rosary around his hand, feeling a little tight.
"You have to put it away this time, don't lose it again. The monk sells it very expensively. He said he was just letting things happen, but he wasn't happy if I gave him fifty, so he insisted on asking me for a hundred yuan! "
Cao Aiqing pouted and complained, using a spoon in his hand to pour some Mapo tofu into He Tianran's bowl.
"It seems... not lost..." He Tianran muttered.
"Then where did your original string go?" Cao Aiqing asked doubtfully.
"I can't remember...I just disappeared anyway..." He Tianran changed his words and scratched his head.
"Then it's lost. Humph, you still want to lie to me, you big liar!"
Facing his girlfriend's accusation, He Tianran could only smile awkwardly and did not defend himself.
"But your question just now is so strange. Wen Liang also said similar things to me."
Cao Aiqing took a peanut from Kung Pao Chicken and put it in He Tianran's mouth. The boy chewed it twice and asked:
"She said something like that?"
The girl nodded, "Well, the last time you had a meeting, didn't she and I go to the coffee shop and sit for a while? At that time, she asked me when she and I last met, and I told her that we were going to The first time we met was at the high school’s orientation party.”
"That's not strange." He Tianran also recalled.
"No, it was the last sentence she said. She said she thought it was in our wedding dressing room. I didn't know how to answer her at that time. I thought I was not of legal age to get married yet, so I thought it was her memory. Is it wrong, or...she had an inexplicable dream like you?"
Cao Aiqing looked at He Tianran and smiled as he spoke, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"Haha, what a coincidence. I probably remembered it wrong."
He Tianran returned his focus to the dishes on the table and began to devour them.
"Right."
The two had dinner. Cao Aiqing had classes in the afternoon. He Tianran walked around the campus with her twice. He also had a party to prepare for in the evening and couldn't spend more time with her, so the two only got intimate for a while and then went about their own business. Things have gone.
On the boulevard back to the film school,
He Tianran looked at the lost Bodhi bracelet in his hand with a heavy heart.
The sunlight split under the leaves of the tree shade hit his face, making it yin and yang.
Suddenly, a deep and familiar male voice sounded in his ears——
"Ding - the system binding to the host is completed."
He Tianran was startled by the sound. He looked around. Several passing classmates walked past him chatting and laughing, and the tree-lined avenue returned to calm.
The boy stood there for a long time, and the voice never appeared again. Only the breeze rustling the leaves could be heard in his ears, as if he had just heard an auditory hallucination.
(End of chapter)
