novelraw Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Chapter 82 “Hey? Now that you mention it, he does seem a bit familiar…”
The second girl in line also hesitated and stopped.
The dorm head glanced at her with disdain, “Are you sure you don’t think every handsome guy you see looks familiar?”
The second girl turned with a sense of deep realization, “It’s possible.”
“Go away, don’t lump me in with you and the other lovesick girl.”
The girl who was third in the dorm and nicknamed “Third Girl” furrowed her brows at the two who were exchanging comments and then turned her gaze to the elevator—
“With my 1.5 vision correction, I must have seen this guy before. Where exactly… Ah!”
Third Girl’s sudden exclamation startled the two people standing next to her.
The second girl snapped back to her senses and lightly nudged her, “What are you shouting for? You scared us…”
“It’s not that, I remember now!”
Third Girl grabbed the dorm head’s left hand and the second girl’s right hand, pulling them together and whispering, “Didn’t Qingqing ask us before if we drank during college? Don’t you remember?”
The dorm head’s eyes flickered, “Wait, you mean he’s the one from sophomore year who…”
The second girl, looking puzzled, interrupted, “Sophomore year? Which one??”
Third Girl shot her an exasperated look, “Don’t you remember? He had a hard time getting Qingqing to the dorm, and you even flirted with him!”
“…Oh, oh, oh, it’s that guy!” The second girl exaggeratedly patted Third Girl and stood on tiptoe to look at the elevator.
“……”
Third Girl, who had been patted and was gritting her teeth, had no choice but to endure.
At that moment, the “handsome guy” they were talking about had already exited the elevator with Qin Qing and was walking towards them.
From the exchange of glances, it was evident that this guy had a deep impression on the three of them.
Qin Qing was the first to stop, looking around at the other four with an awkward atmosphere for a few seconds.
She hesitated, then smiled and introduced, “This is my boyfriend, Wen Yufeng. You should have met him before.”
“——!”
As soon as Qin Qing finished speaking, Wen Yufeng looked at her in surprise. “You remember…”
Qin Qing gave him a meaningful look and said nothing.
The other three, after a moment of stunned silence and exchanging glances, had expressions that seemed struck by lightning.
The second girl mumbled, “Qingqing… Did you make a mistake? I remember the soldier you mentioned was also named Wen Yufeng? Is this a coincidence, haha…”
“No,” Qin Qing smiled, crushing the second girl’s last hope, “It’s the same person.”
“……”
The dorm head and Third Girl looked embarrassed for the second girl.
They all remembered how the second girl had eagerly encouraged this “perfect guy” to pursue Qin Qing, who had just entered a period of singlehood.
The dorm head’s eyes moved slightly, sweeping over the two, “So back then…”
Qin Qing didn’t hesitate to continue, “It was a misunderstanding.”
Wen Yufeng was taken aback.
“……”
The dorm head and Third Girl exchanged glances.
Given the situation back then, it certainly didn’t seem like a misunderstanding, but since this was someone else’s personal matter, even though they were close friends, there were some things that shouldn’t or couldn’t be intervened in just because of their relationship.
Finally, the dorm head clapped her hands, “Come on, the private room is ready, let’s go this way.”
As Qin Qing followed, Wen Yufeng gently tugged her.
She looked up in confusion.
“I’m not going,” Wen Yufeng looked down at her with a tender gaze, “They’ll be awkward. You haven’t gathered with them for a while, so catch up. I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Qin Qing pulled him back, “But your dinner—”
“It’s fine. Call me if anything comes up. I’ll be downstairs.”
“…”
Qin Qing glanced at the three girls behind her, then turned back, nodding a bit apologetically—
“Sorry, tonight I—”
Before she could finish, a light kiss cut her off.
In the blink of an eye, Wen Yufeng had stepped back, his black eyes narrowed with a thin smile of satisfaction—
“This is a deposit for the apology. The rest can be settled later.”
With that, Wen Yufeng took a few steps back and waved at Qin Qing.
At that moment, the dorm head and the others urged from behind. Qin Qing could only shyly wave back to Wen Yufeng before turning and walking down the long corridor.
…………
Among the four people in Qin Qing’s university dorm, except for the second girl who went back to her hometown right after graduation to work, the other three were still studying for their master’s degrees.
Although they were all in T City, the universities they attended for their graduate studies were different, so it had been more than two years since they had all had a chance to meet up.
At first, the girls just teased Qin Qing, but once someone opened a bottle of red wine, the conversation flowed freely.
Qin Qing, who knew her own “one-drink limit,” was careful not to drink a drop, staying sober while the other three laughed and cried.
When the second girl finished pouring out her grievances from the past two years and slumped over the table, Qin Qing checked the time—it was already around eight or nine in the evening.
Seeing the three women at the table nearly ruin their makeup with tears, Qin Qing could only call the long-suffering Wen Yufeng, who had been waiting downstairs for almost three hours.
After sending the three of them back to their dorms or hotels, Qin Qing and Wen Yufeng returned to the campus, and it was already half-past nine.
Unlike other places, the university campus at this hour was bustling.
“How about a walk around the campus track?”
Feeling guilty, Qin Qing took the initiative to suggest.
Wen Yufeng looked at her, said nothing, and nodded.
So, they walked together on the campus track, taking laps around the plastic running path.
Initially, no one spoke. The surroundings were quiet, and they walked side by side. Qin Qing didn’t feel awkward at all, only experiencing a serene and satisfying feeling.
Soon, a distant song carried by the wind reached Qin Qing’s ears, traveling across the low dance studio and the open soccer field. The sound seemed to turn into a captivating piano piece under the starless night and the distant breeze.
Everything was just right, calming.
“It’s really nice.”
“…Really nice.”
As Qin Qing heard her own voice, a deep tone came a beat later, but with the same ending.
After a moment of surprise, she couldn’t help but smile, turning her head to look at the person walking beside her.
Wen Yufeng was also intently looking at her.
“What’s so good?” Qin Qing asked.
Wen Yufeng lowered his eyes, “The wind, the song, the night, this moment…”
He raised his gaze, “And you.”
In those deep and clear eyes, Qin Qing could clearly see her own reflection.
She seemed to occupy those eyes completely, perhaps even an entire world connected to them.
Almost instinctively, Qin Qing opened her arms and hugged Wen Yufeng.
She pressed her ear to his chest, listening to the heartbeat of that world.
She smiled, “Yes, the wind, the song, the night, this moment, and you— I also think it’s wonderful.”
Qin Qing, usually not this proactive, held Wen Yufeng tightly. Before he could come to his senses from the embrace, her words pinned him in place once more—
“Let’s stay like this forever, Wen Yufeng.”
“……”
After these words, the space above Qin Qing’s head was silent for a long time.
When the silence made Qin Qing uneasy, she couldn’t help but look up, and a long, slender hand came from behind, gently pressing her face back against his still warm chest in the cool breeze.
At the same time, a deep, husky voice vibrated against her ear within his chest—
“This is what you said.”
“…No backing out.”
“Mm,” Qin Qing lifted her lips again and hugged him more tightly, “I won’t back out.”
…………
After the walk, Wen Yufeng took Qin Qing back to the dormitory downstairs, but he couldn’t resist asking the question that had been troubling him for most of the evening—
“When did you remember the incident with the alcohol blackout? Was it because Qiao An told you that I had looked for you?”
At the mention of this, the smile on Qin Qing’s face slightly faded.
She didn’t answer but instead asked, “If I couldn’t remember, would you have kept it a secret from me forever?—Even if I never forgave you?”
Wen Yufeng fell silent.
After a moment, he gave a bitter smile.
“…I don’t know either.”
Qin Qing was taken aback.
She was used to Wen Yufeng’s confident demeanor since his youth, but she had never seen this moment of confusion and near helplessness on his face.
“Two years ago, I often wondered when I would break down and come to explain to you in a pitiful manner.”
Wen Yufeng sighed, his lips slightly lifting with a faint smile, “But luckily my eyesight hadn’t fully recovered then, so I couldn’t really show up in front of you. …Otherwise, it might have scared you.”
“…”
Qin Qing felt a pang in her heart.
The two years of Wen Yufeng’s life that she hadn’t been part of were a thorn in her heart.
Whenever she imagined the Wen Yufeng who might have been helpless and desperate, that thorn seemed to dig deeply into her heart’s every muscle, causing heart-wrenching pain.
But she couldn’t mention it. No matter how painful, she couldn’t bring it up in front of him.
Qin Qing gently pinched her palm, forcing a smile, “So you were determined not to call even once.”
“…I did call, and not just once.”
Wen Yufeng suddenly spoke.
Qin Qing froze, “When—”
Wen Yufeng looked briefly uncomfortable.
He turned his gaze aside, “…There were a few times when I was drunk with Qiao An and the others… I would snatch their phones and call you.”
Qin Qing looked at him strangely.
That old phone she had kept in her bag, with its account topped up for several years, did receive some advertising or wrong number calls… But she had never thought any of those calls might be from him.
Seemingly seeing Qin Qing’s confusion, Wen Yufeng’s expression grew more uncomfortable.
His dark eyes hid an awkward emotion as he spoke quietly, “…There were times when I felt so bad and couldn’t endure it… I would call Qiao An and the others to drink, and every time, I’d tell them in advance not to let me see the phone.”
Recalling the word “snatch” that Wen Yufeng used, Qin Qing’s eyes moved, “You didn’t…”
Wen Yufeng turned his head, clearing his throat before continuing, “After getting drunk, I was obsessed with calling you but knew I couldn’t use my own number. I would take one of Qiao An’s phones and call you.”
Before Qin Qing could ask, Wen Yufeng volunteered, “But every time the call went through, I didn’t dare to speak, so I would put the phone back.”
Qin Qing: “…”
“So that’s why my phone number has been receiving inexplicable, unmarked advertising calls all these years?”
“Qiao An said that every time before they went drinking, each person had to memorize a spam call to avoid getting caught.”
“…Then why not just leave the phone behind?”
“At the entertainment city, I also snatched someone else’s.”
Qin Qing: “…………”
She suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Qiao An.
“So, when I called you with that old phone, you weren’t surprised at all?”
“Mm. I knew you hadn’t thrown away that number.”
“And you knew I still wasn’t willing to let you explain?”
“…”
Returning to the original question, Wen Yufeng sighed helplessly.
After a moment, he looked at Qin Qing with deep, serious eyes. “Tian Tian, when I came to find you that year and heard from your roommates about your severe illness, and I didn’t show up at all— I wanted to kill myself.”
“How you endured every day and every moment while you were sick— I didn’t dare to think about it, and I still don’t.”
He sighed deeply, “I admit that I was a coward in this matter. But making you go through that period, I never dared to hope you would forgive me.”
Qin Qing fell silent.
In fact, she didn’t know if she could truly forgive Wen Yufeng after his explanation without holding onto the things that had happened and no longer had meaning.
Maybe she could.
…Maybe she couldn’t.
Thinking of this, Qin Qing sighed involuntarily.
Then she looked up, glancing around, still meeting the curious gazes from outside the dormitory building.
Qin Qing turned her face, “It’s getting late, I should go back to my dorm. Have you booked a hotel?”
Wen Yufeng acknowledged.
Qin Qing raised her wrist and waved, “Then tomorrow—”
Before she could finish, her wrist tightened, and she was suddenly pulled in front of Wen Yufeng.
He looked down at her, his eyes dark, like they contained two clusters of inky flames.
“Your apology before dinner, I’ve only received a deposit.”
Qin Qing: “…”
—Looking at his expression now, it was hardly the same as the “not daring to hope for forgiveness” from earlier.
Instead, he resembled a fierce wolf that had been waiting at a rabbit’s den for days, drooling and glowing with anticipation.
Qin Qing helplessly tiptoed and quickly kissed his cheek.
As she tried to run away, she was pulled back.
“Not enough.”
His expression of grievance was thoroughly convincing—
“I’ve been waiting in the car for two and a half hours.”
Qin Qing: “…”
“Now it’s the peak time for returning to the dormitory, so many people…”
Wen Yufeng seemed to have anticipated her response, and without surprise, he lowered his gaze to a certain spot.
Qin Qing turned her head and saw that her shoulder was covered with Wen Yufeng’s thin coat.
“……!”
Qin Qing’s instincts triggered alarm.
But it was too late.
Darkness suddenly enveloped her, and at the same time, the thin coat was pulled up, covering her long hair and head.
Her vision was completely obscured by darkness.
In the dark, a hot kiss fell on her, accompanied by a jumble of low whispers in her ear.
Then, it enveloped her completely.
Like falling into hell.
—Making one forget everything, indulging in pleasure, and not caring about the “hell” of the human world.