Holding a gift box, he hurried to the school entrance, and the sky had already darkened. Qin Guanglin’s stomach growled, and he started to regret not calling He Fang beforehand to inform her of his arrival—they could have had dinner together.
By now, she probably had already eaten, which was a bit unfortunate.
While walking inside, he took out his phone and dialed He Fang’s number. It only rang twice before she answered.
"What’s up? Miss me?" He Fang’s voice was lazy, and Qin Guanglin could even picture her lying in bed.
"Come out for a sec, I’ll be at your dorm entrance soon."
"Ah? You came over?!" He Fang suddenly sounded energized, with a hint of surprise.
"Because I missed you."
"I’ll head down now, just wait a bit." Suddenly, there was some noise on the other end and other girls’ giggles could be heard.
"Don’t rush, I’m not there yet, just a few more minutes." Qin Guanglin quickened his pace after confirming she was in her dorm, otherwise he wouldn’t have called so early.
The wait to see each other when lovers are about to meet is the hardest. Even though it’s only a few minutes before he could see her, these short minutes felt more urgent than any other time of the day.
Last night when he took her home, he disliked that the road was too short and intentionally took a detour. Now, he wished he could step right to the entrance of the dorm building, not wanting her to wait a second longer.
The roles seemed reversed when Qin Guanglin saw He Fang, he couldn’t help but feel elated, a reaction that used to be He Fang’s at the beginning of their relationship, he even asked her why she liked to giggle.
"Because you’re my boyfriend, I’m happy when I see you."
Only now did Qin Guanglin realize the deep affection hidden in those words, no, it was so intense that it could no longer just be called liking, it was love.
It turned out she had always liked him more than he knew.
"What are you giggling about?" He Fang had already approached him.
"I’m just really happy to see my girlfriend." Qin Guanglin moved to kiss her.
Their rule was to kiss once when they met each day, and once more when they parted—now even if He Fang changed her mind, he’d find a way to steal a kiss.
"Wait a sec!" He Fang stopped him, then looked up at a building, "Let’s go somewhere else."
"Why?" Qin Guanglin was reluctant, wanting to kiss her right then and there.
"There’s a bunch of voyeurs upstairs." He Fang pointed upwards, "Wouldn’t be good to set a bad example for the kids."
"..."
"What’s that you’re holding?" He Fang finally had a chance to ask as his lips were stopped.
Qin Guanglin handed her the small gift box, "Was out and about, saw this and thought it suited you, so I picked it up on impulse."
"Oh?"
As He Fang walked and opened it, upon seeing the contents inside, she stopped in her tracks, "You...?!"
"Do you like it?" Qin Guanglin grinned.
"..." He Fang stared straight at him, "On impulse?"
Qin Guanglin felt nervous, "Um... just thought you’d like it."
"I really do."
He Fang didn’t expose him, gently touching the pen inside the box with her finger, her face revealing undeniable joy, "Thank you."
"Is there a reward?"
"None." He Fang flatly refused, "You’re wasting money again, I can’t condone this habit."
"When have I ever? Besides, this wasn’t expensive."
He Fang closed the box and tightly grasped his hand, "Didn’t you say you wanted to marry me?"
"Yep." Qin Guanglin corrected, "Not just said, have always been thinking about it."
"So your money is my money, right?"
"..." He paused, "Guess so?"
"If you’re using my money to buy me gifts, still want a reward?" He Fang scoffed, "You’re spending my money; I should be the one in pain; you need to help me save."
"..."
Something seemed off, yet nothing was wrong.
Seeing him speechless, He Fang couldn’t help but smile, "Have you eaten?"
"Eaten."
"I can tell you haven’t." Pulling him towards the cafeteria, He Fang said, "Let’s get you something to eat."
"Hey, does that mean you agree?" Qin Guanglin finally caught on.
Marrying He Fang had always been his own idea, this was the first time she responded positively.
"What do I agree to?"
"Agree to marry me." Qin Guanglin looked at her joyfully.
"Didn’t I already agree?" He Fang countered.
Qin Guanglin was dumbfounded, "When?"
"Figure it out yourself."
"Anyways, you agreed."
Qin Guanglin thought but couldn’t remember, yet he didn’t dwell on it; having this result was enough.
"Yep, I agreed." He Fang smiled at him, "But I didn’t say when."
"..."
Qin Guanglin deflated, "Then when do you say?"
"I’ll tell you when I figure it out." He Fang didn’t say ’depending on my mood’ this time.
"He Fang? Is this..." A man’s voice suddenly interjected.
They turned to look, and a man in a yellow jacket was staring at their clasped hands.
"This is my boyfriend, Qin Guanglin."
He Fang leaned closer to Qin Guanglin, then turned to introduce him, "This is my classmate, Ke..." She paused, looked at the man, "...Ke Bei?"
"Ke Dong!" His already strained smile fell, "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t have a boyfriend during university?!"
"Did I say that?" He Fang thought for a moment, then laughed again, "Changed my mind."
Regardless of whether she had said it or not, couldn’t he take a hint?
"You..."
"Probably meant not dating anyone else." Qin Guanglin frowned at him, "Classmate, you have something else?"
Ke Dong, with a somber face, glanced at Qin Guanglin, then back at He Fang before squeezing out a smile.
"Nothing, I was just out of line just now, don’t mind me."
"Let’s go, we’ll go eat." He Fang tugged at Qin Guanglin.
Once they walked away a bit, Qin Guanglin couldn’t help but ask, "That guy just now..."
"Seems like he chased after me." He Fang said casually, then playfully smiled, "Ended up I chased after you instead. Aren’t you flattered?"
"Can’t even remember his name, no wonder he was so upset." Qin Guanglin laughed, "You’re terrible."
"What’s the use of remembering?" He Fang pouted, "Can’t keep tally of everyone who tries, right?"
"Good thing you’re graduating soon." Qin Guanglin was relieved; what if someone chased her away?
He Fang thought for a moment, "I think I really did say I wouldn’t date in university."
"Then why did you still date?"
"Because your charm is too great, afraid someone else would snatch you away first." He Fang wrapped her arm around him, leaning on his shoulder with a laugh.
"Must have been secretly in love with me for a long time!" Qin Guanglin exclaimed, finally catching her out.
"Yep, if you say so." He Fang tiptoed and kissed his cheek, "Been secretly in love with you for many years."