Chapter 45: First Day of Freshman Enrollment

It was the second noon since Xu Qingzhou cooked at Song Yao’s house.

Song Shisong and Zhang Junli drove for three hours and finally returned before two o’clock.

Zhang Junli still had one day off, but Song Shisong had a pile of work waiting—he had to rush to work right after lunch.

“Mom and Dad, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Song Yao had received her parents’ call in the morning and knew they’d arrived early instead of returning in the afternoon as planned.

“Smells amazing~” Song Shisong was surprised, gazing at his daughter cooking in the kitchen, feeling this little “cotton-padded jacket” was especially warm.

Three dishes and one soup were placed on the table.

The first female classmate to get off the car had already been taken away by two senior students.

Hang up.

After hanging up, Song Yao stared blankly out the window and asked, “How long will it take to get there?”

The senior student said warmly, “Yes, just get on this shuttle bus, find your own seat, and it departs in ten minutes.”

The shuttle bus was a large coach; the two of them boarded and sat near the middle.

With her hand held, Song Yao’s nervousness finally eased considerably.

The buildings below shrank gradually; the plane’s climb angle lessened, and she no longer felt afraid—only then did she remember her hand was still in Xu Qingzhou’s.

Xu Qingzhou had finally gotten his wish to go to school himself—accurately speaking, he now had an extra burden: Song Yao.

Then she noticed Xu Qingzhou had fallen asleep, softly snoring.

The plane began to shake as it taxied on the runway; she instinctively leaned back in her seat. Since childhood, when flying to the seaside and encountering turbulence, she’d carried a deep psychological fear.

“Maybe today’s kids date differently than we did.”

It was Xu Qingzhou.

“Freshman, are you going to the School of Materials Science and Engineering?”

Song Yao tugged at Xu Qingzhou’s clothes.

A blush spread across the girl’s pale face—this was her first time being so close to a boy.

The girl murmured, slowly opening her eyes, annoyed at being woken, “What are you doing?”

Seeing the senior students surging forward with eager eyes, Song Yao instinctively grabbed Xu Qingzhou’s hand.

“When did he come to our house?” Song Shisong suddenly found his food tasteless.

The bus was full of freshmen; everyone was quiet—some wore headphones listening to music, some curiously observed those around them, others simply pulled out books to pass the time.

“Are you leaving me behind?” Song Yao stared, anxious, “Xu Qingzhou, you promised your parents this morning you’d take good care of me!”

Xu Qingzhou sighed, thinking again about this phrase—it was practically her catchphrase—and said, “Come with me.”

Xu Qingzhou brought only a suitcase and a travel bag; Song Yao, besides her suitcase and shoulder bag, also carried a pink clothing bag, which she could only place on top of Xu Qingzhou’s suitcase.

Xu Qingzhou nudged her.

Just as her body tensed completely, the back of her hand warmed—as if someone had grasped it.

“Xu Qingzhou, are all college guys this desperate?” Song Yao tugged his clothes weakly and asked.

Song Yao grimaced; if she moved too much, Xu Qingzhou would wake up—but the plane soon entered the stratosphere, its flight stabilizing, and sleepiness washed over her. Her chin dipped a few times, and she fell asleep.

Guo Zi and Ding Jiahui start school on September 10.

On September 1 at 1 p.m., under the watchful eyes of both sets of parents, Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao boarded a flight to the capital.

The two boarded the plane and found their seats.

“You two…” Zhang Junli frowned.

Outside the airport, signs from every university lined the area to welcome new students.

Song Yao shook her head—they were just ordinary friends; this wasn’t right. She took a deep breath and whispered, “Xu Qingzhou.”

“Freshman, we’re from the Art College!”

Song Shisong and Zhang Junli froze. They waited again at baggage claim.

Song Shisong found the food hard to swallow.

Xu Qingzhou woke around ten.

“No thanks, we know how to get there.”

Xu Qingzhou understood, pushed forward Song Yao’s luggage, and said, “Thank you, seniors, we can handle it ourselves.”

Song Yao rubbed her eyes, released Xu Qingzhou’s hand, and felt her heart pound uncontrollably.

On August 27, Song Yao obtained her driver’s license.

The two seniors’ attention turned to Song Yao, eager to help with her luggage.

“Oh.” Song Yao nodded, her throat moved, but she fell silent, sensing Xu Qingzhou seemed used to traveling far from home.

Feeling the weight on her shoulder, she turned and saw Song Yao asleep against it. She was very beautiful—high nose bridge, lips coated with lipstick, soft and dewy, long lashes trembling slightly.

Xu Qingzhou answered, “Over an hour if there’s no traffic.”

The two seniors looked disappointed.

“What a jerk.”

“But didn’t your daughter say before they’re just friends?”

“Senior, hello, we’re 2014 freshmen—is this the shuttle for Jingda?”

After eating, Song Yao cleared the dishes.

Xu Qingzhou’s hand was large and warm.

At four p.m., the two arrived at Jingda’s Yanyuan campus.

Close as they were, he smelled the girl’s unique fragrance. As soon as they boarded, Xu Qingzhou grew drowsy: “I need to sleep a bit—last night, the chairman of the family business lectured me until past one.”

Seeing her parents’ serious expressions, Song Yao knew they’d misunderstood and explained, “He ate dinner and went home.”

After discussing, both families decided to let the two children travel together for mutual support.

Xu Qingzhou informed his parents he’d boarded the shuttle; Song Yao was also on the phone, saying she’d arrived, glancing at Xu Qingzhou deliberately—clearly, Old Song had asked about him.

“Half an hour left—wake up and get alert.” Xu Qingzhou said.

Before the shuttle even stopped, a crowd of seniors gathered to help with luggage.

“Yesterday.”

Jingda was easy to find.

“Can a friend come to your house?”

The senior student standing there brightened—Xu Qingzhou wore a simple white T-shirt and work shorts, looked neatly handsome, radiating the vibe of a sunny boy.

“This was made by Xu Qingzhou,” Song Yao said beside him.

The plane landed, arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Across from them, both sighed deeply in relief.

!.

“Old Song, isn’t our daughter being a bit too affectionate?” Zhang Junli frowned and whispered.

Song Yao sighed; waiting was boring, so she pulled out her headphones.

Xu Qingzhou pointed to two men holding signs for the School of Economics: “Once I drop you off safely, you go with your school’s people.”

Xu Qingzhou checked his luggage at the storage counter and pushed Song Yao’s suitcase toward the Economics Department registration desk.

The Economics registration desk was staffed by a glasses-wearing female teacher.

This woman was Song Yao’s academic advisor.

After registration, the two headed to the dormitory.

(End of Chapter)