Chapter 154

Qiao Rui's heart felt as though it was tied to a rock, suspended high up, heavy and oppressive.

After hearing Xu Yi's "I do", it suddenly dropped to the ground.

The evening glow in the sky presented a gradual blend of pink and purple, more romantic than poetry.

Before Xu Yi had time to get used to this sudden change in their relationship, she was already pulled into Qiao Rui's embrace.

The familiar smell of laundry detergent, the familiar feeling, but her state of mind was completely different from when she was at his dorm room door yesterday.

This time, it was her boyfriend's hug.

His breath brushed her ear, tingling, his voice gentle yet firm, "I will definitely treat you well."

...

Qiao Rui adapted to his new identity very quickly.

After going down the mountain, he posted on Moments with a photo taken on the peak just now. No extra words, just three characters - "Girlfriend". He didn't block anyone or use groups, so everyone could see it.

The relationship was simple and clear.

With one hand holding his phone and the other always holding Xu Yi's hand, fingers interlocked, the two sat in the taxi, smiling at each other.

Xu Yi also changed her profile picture to Qiao Rui's photo, the relationship self-evident.

After dinner that night, Qiao Rui walked Xu Yi back to her dorm building.

Xu Yi bid him goodbye for the first time as his girlfriend, "Well...I gotta go?"

But Qiao Rui said, "Leaving already?"

Xu Yi blinked, "Huh?"

Qiao Rui held her hand and brought her to a secluded corner. "When couples part, shouldn't they kiss?"

"...Ah?" Xu Yi's face instantly turned red. Fortunately it was night time now and there was only a dim light barely illuminating this spot.

Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "That's not right, this is school, forget it."

"I don't want to," Qiao Rui clung on stubbornly. "There's no one here anyway."

Xu Yi: "Qiao Rui!"

"Be good."

Xu Yi lost all will to resist after being told to "be good". She took the initiative and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek.

Just a light peck, yet it was like plucking a guitar string, making one's heart tremble.

Qiao Rui's ears also turned a little red, but it didn't stop him from taking more liberties.

So this was what it felt like to be kissed by someone you like.

No wonder Xiao Chen and Yu Na kissed all day and night without getting tired of it.

Blushing, Xu Yi didn't dare look at him. "I gotta go!"

Qiao Rui suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of him. Not waiting for her to speak, he cupped her face with both hands and kissed her lips.

—So soft, so warm. Xu Yi felt a "buzz" in her head as her brain stopped functioning. Sparks erupted in her heart all at once.

Fortunately, Qiao Rui's kiss didn't go deeper, just a light peck.

He let her go quickly.

But before Xu Yi could breathe a sigh of relief, her whole body was wrapped in the arms of the man before her.

Then suddenly, she felt her body being lifted into the air.

Qiao Rui had picked her up.

"Hey hey hey—" Xu Yi was totally stunned. She had never been so intimate with a boy before and was so nervous she didn't know what to say. She could only request dryly, "Put me down!"

"Kiss me again," Qiao Rui was in a position of power now, so he shamelessly said, "And I'll put you down."

Xu Yi: "Qiao Rui!"

"Be good."

Unable to resist him, Xu Yi took the initiative to kiss his lips again, just a gentle peck. Her heart was about to fly out of her chest.

Only then did Qiao Rui put her down, in an extremely good mood. Even the dark silent night now seemed to him a precious black opal.

He ruffled Xu Yi's hair. "Go back, remember to message me when you get to your dorm."

Xu Yi obediently said, "Okay."

Back at her dorm, she couldn't escape her roommates' interrogation.

Without hesitation, Xu Yi admitted that she and Qiao Rui were together today.

Her roommates were thrilled, especially Fang Chuning.

Somewhat embarrassed by the teasing, Xu Yi said she would treat them to a meal tomorrow.

Then she texted Qiao Rui, "I'm back!"

She knew Qiao Rui would tell her when he returned to his dorm, but after taking a shower and getting back into bed, she saw a whole bunch of messages from Qiao Rui:

"Do you miss me?"

"I'm still on the way."

"I'm already missing you. I'll feel awful if I don't see you for a minute [crying emoji]"

"I'm back at the dorm."

"What are you doing! Why aren't you answering me!"

"You're not having second thoughts, are you!"

"I don't agree! I don't agree!!!"

"Are you showering?"

"Remember to text me back after your shower!"

Seeing this string of messages, Xu Yi chuckled.

How come she never noticed he was so clingy before?

...

But in fact, Qiao Rui was clingier than she imagined, and more attentive.

With school about to start, they wouldn't be able to see each other every day like before.

During military training at H University and G University, students were not allowed to leave campus, so they could only chat on their phones.

Their training schedules weren't too different.

That day, Xu Yi sent him a voice message, panting heavily, filled with endless exhaustion. "So tired, my legs are numb." Just this one sentence made Qiao Rui's heart ache badly for her.

He went to talk to the supervisor and kept at it for a long time before barely getting permission to leave campus, but was only given one hour.

Qiao Rui first texted Xu Yi and asked her to meet him at the east gate.

He bought military training supplies at top speed—cooling patches, menthol oil, wet wipes, insoles, a small fan, and a whole bag of snacks.

Dressed in crisp camouflage, his figure was slender, an air completely different from usual.

Seeing this, Xu Yi blushed with a racing heart. She was used to seeing him every day and didn't feel anything special, but after not seeing him for a period of time, she suddenly realized how handsome her boyfriend was.

She said with a wry smile, "I haven't even finished eating the snacks you bought me last time."

"It's fine, eat them slowly. I'll buy you more after you finish," Qiao Rui gave her another bag. "Here are things that can be useful during military training. Bring this mini fan and turn it on when you're hot, I tried it and it's pretty cooling."

Xu Yi asked, "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"I heard your school's instructors are very strict."

"Even if they're devils I'm not worried," Qiao Rui pinched her cheek, his eyes full of distress. "I'm only worried if you're eating enough, tired or not, happy or not."

...

Xu Yi was already bad at sports to begin with. After this military training she was exhausted, visibly losing a circle.

After training ended and the school allowed free entry and exit, Qiao Rui took her to meet his friends and treated Xu Yi's roommates to a meal again, this time as her boyfriend.

He was as good as glued to Xu Yi every day.

Sometimes they went to the library together to study. Qiao Rui would not disturb her and they each read their own books.

Bored of the library, they would go to cafés. While Xu Yi studied, Qiao Rui would buy drinks and desserts for her.

Whenever she was holding a bag, he would take it from her hands.

Before long, the weight Xu Yi had lost during training was fed back by Qiao Rui.

Qiao Rui came from a wealthy family and his parents doted on him. And he had a cousin who, despite always complaining about him, was afraid he didn't have money to spend.

After getting a girlfriend, his spending had clearly increased a lot.

Xu Yi didn't want him spending any more money on her, so she found an excuse. "I need to lose weight! You can't buy me so much food from now on."

"What do you need to lose weight for?" Qiao Rui looked her up and down, finding her perfectly fine. "I'm afraid you won't eat enough."

He then said, "You know how great my brother was yesterday?"

"What happened?"

Qiao Rui showed her the chat with Xiao Chen.

Last night, Xiao Chen had transferred 10,000 RMB to Qiao Rui, and then sent another message:

"Just focus on your relationship and treat Xu Yi well."

Qiao Rui pulled Xu Yi onto his lap. "My brother asked me to treat you well. Don't I need to listen to him?"

Caught off guard as Qiao Rui suddenly pulled her onto his lap, Xu Yi was startled. She looked around and saw no one, so she didn't struggle free and let him hold her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his forehead. "I'll treat you very nicely too."

"You don't need to treat me well," Qiao Rui was very pleased by her actions and subconsciously held her waist tighter too. "You just need to enjoy how nice I am to you."

He already had G University's routes memorized clearly, even more familiar with them than his own school.

At night, he would walk Xu Yi back to her dorm building.

The two would linger, reluctant to part.

Qiao Rui expressed his feelings very directly. He leaned in and hugged Xu Yi tightly against his chest, squeezing her with great strength. Burying his head in her neck, he whispered in a voice that only they could hear: "What can I do, I'm already starting to miss you."