I love Su Xizi more than I like Su Xiaoyuan. It's not that I don't like Xiaoyuan, but Xizi has a special meaning to me. She was the first gift Qu Ling gave me.
Xiao Yuan seemed to sense my favoritism towards Xizi, and would get furious whenever he saw me holding Xizi. But being a gentle Golden Retriever, he never barked or howled; he would just sit quietly to the side in his dog saddlebag, looking at me with a longing and resentful expression.
Xiao Yuan... I'm sorry, but who told you to get so close to Zhuang Yuan and not get involved with our dean?
*****
Qu Ling started visiting my house more and more often. Although he was very busy, sometimes he would just sit down, have a cup of tea, say a few words to me, and then leave. But whenever he had a spare moment, he would turn around and glance at me.
This feeling of being cared for by someone makes me feel as sweet as if I'm immersed in honey. I've never been in a relationship; I've lived a carefree and naive life for the past twenty-three years, completely oblivious to the true meaning of love.
One day, at the new semester's teacher mobilization meeting, in the dim light, someone sat next to me. When our eyes met by chance, he smiled gently at me. Even though I now know that smile was just a mask for him, at that moment, I was instantly captivated by it.
At that time, I was unaware that we had once shared a life together.
I had no idea that we had been so close a long time ago.
I've forgotten everything, but he hasn't.
Whenever he talks about the past, his eyes always light up with a crystal-clear and warm light. He said that the reason he can't forget that trip is because Wu Jinshu and I were among the travelers.
Wu Jinshu has become a mystery to me.
I know he is Qu Ling's best friend, and I also know that he is a name that cannot be mentioned in front of He Yuncong and Su Zhenzhen.
The story seems a bit complicated, but I'm too lazy to figure it out. My world has become very small, so small that it can only hold Qu Ling's smile and her every move.
It turns out that people in love all become fools, and I'm no exception.
I will look forward to it, I will wait. Even in the middle of the night, I will wait for Qu Ling to call me.
Even if he only asks one question, "Did Yuanyuan sunbathe today?", I can fall asleep happily that night.
Today was no exception. At 11:30, I was still sitting on the bed with Xizi, who was already fast asleep, waiting for the phone call.
I've played the Connect Four game so much that I'm now cross-eyed, and Qu Ling's call still hasn't come.
I couldn't resist calling my third uncle's house, but my third aunt answered. My third uncle wasn't home either; I heard there was a very important meeting at the college today.
Holding meetings in the dead of night, what a weird college. It suddenly reminded me of a friend saying her company is called a nightclub, meaning they always have meetings at night. Our college is pretty much like a nightclub.
I shut down my computer, feeling a little down, and prepared to go to sleep.
Xizi was washed very clean today, smelling sweet and fluffy, like a big ball of fluff. She curled up in the quilt, her bottom sticking up, making it warm and cozy. I held Xizi in my arms, thinking of Qu Ling, my chest felt warm, like the feeling after drinking tomato and egg soup that day; my heart was soothed by a strange tenderness.
I lay there for a while, but couldn't fall asleep. I felt a chill in my feet, so I tucked Xizi to the other end of the blanket and used her as a foot warmer. Xizi slept soundly, completely unaware that she had become my foot warmer.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone vibrated under my pillow. The sleepiness vanished instantly, and I answered the call with renewed alertness.
"Dean!"
"Yuanyuan, are you already asleep?"
"No! Not yet!" I denied repeatedly, afraid that Qu Ling would hang up the phone.
Qu Ling chuckled softly on the other end of the phone, "You've been waiting for my call?"
"Yes!" I answered without hesitation.
"You must be exhausted, waiting so late..." Qu Ling's voice was full of apology.
"It's alright, I can sleep during the day, I'm resting at home anyway. But you, Dean, are you still in a meeting at the academy?"
"I'm used to it, it's okay. Hearing your voice makes me feel so relaxed."
"Hehe, am I coffee that can invigorate people?" I suddenly noticed a faint orange light shining through the curtains, so I threw off the covers and hopped to the window with my crippled leg.
"You're like a meatball that can invigorate people!" Qu Ling laughed.
I gently drew back the curtains, and downstairs, outside the courtyard gate, Qu Ling's car was parked by the fence. He leaned against the gate, the car headlights casting a lonely silhouette on him.
"Dean..." My eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and my throat tightened, making it impossible for me to speak.
"Yuanyuan, it's very cold today, remember to cover yourself with a thicker blanket. It's still December..." Qu Ling reached out and pulled her coat collar tighter, her hair gently ruffled by the night wind. The wind in the winter night is always particularly chilly.
“I have Xizi, it’s very warm, it’s warming my feet right now!” I said to Qu Ling as I walked downstairs with my cane.
"Oh? Xizi has this function too? Let me borrow it next time." I could already hear the chill in Qu Ling's voice.
There was fresh milk in the kitchen, so I heated it in the microwave and poured it into a thermos. Holding the thermos, I limped into the yard.
"Dean, what did you have for dinner?" I asked softly, looking at his profile now in front of me.
"I can't remember... I ate with your third uncle, I was so busy talking that I didn't even look at what we were eating. Haha, don't you think I'm really forgetful? I'm over thirty after all..."
“Dean,” I grabbed his arm through the fence, my coat already chilly. Following my touch down to his hand, I found none of the warmth I remembered; Qu Ling’s fingers were as cold as ice.
"Yuanyuan?" Qu Ling turned to look at me, then slowly put away her phone. "How did you know I was outside?"
"Telepathy!"
Qu Ling looked at me, then suddenly glanced at the car lights behind her and chuckled, "So it was I who gave myself away."
"Dean, drink this first!" I carefully unscrewed the thermos and handed it to Qu Ling. "Drinking this will warm you up!"
What is it?
"Hot milk!"