BSS - Chapter 57
Chapter 57
After the booking confirmation screen popped up, Deng Chuan's phone successively received several reminder text messages from the airline. They reminded her that in the near future, a journey to Xu Wei, one belonging only to the two of them, awaited.
At that moment, the distance finally became a tangible weight, settling in her heart.
Figures moved about in the dormitory building opposite hers, and occasional cheers could be heard. Eighteen years old, university, Beijing-these were all wonderful, wonderful things, yet Deng Chuan felt an emptiness in her heart.
Her prized concentration had packed its bags and left.
The shouts from the distant basketball court, the chatter and laughter of her roommates, the roar of the air conditioner's outdoor unit, the gurgling of water in the bathroom pipes-the clamor of almost the entire world rushed toward her. It was as if Deng Chuan was facing this world for the first time, trying her best to carefully discern every sound.
The night was the same as any other night, the moon the same as any other moon, no different from the countless nights and moons of the past. Yet Deng Chuan suddenly understood that distance was like a chasm separating the past from the present, or an axis that had left her growth, her tangible eighteen years of existence, along with the hidden stars, forever in that faraway city.
But thankfully, at least, they shared the same moon.
Deng Chuan lowered her eyes and thought for a while, letting the wistful longing run wild in her heart like a stallion. She sighed internally, thinking: Xu Wei, you've taught me another lesson.
The air was muggy and hot, like being roasted in a furnace, an ordeal so intense Deng Chuan could no longer ignore it. She composed herself, turned to wash her face, tightened the faucet on the sink, and pushed open the door to her room.
The three people in the room had long since recovered from their shock and were each busy with their own things. After the initial surprise, Li Mingtang and Xie Yao had finally realized that the reason Deng Chuan was uninterested in, and even slightly annoyed by, the various flirtatious messages and admirers was that she already had a girlfriend.
But for someone like her, it made one incredibly curious what kind of person could be in a relationship with her.
Although Li Mingtang and Xie Yao were dying of curiosity, they maintained the courtesy of not prying into others' private affairs, bottling up their burning questions.
Their restraint was a relief to Deng Chuan.
Deng Chuan sat down in her chair and fiddled with her camera, meticulously wiping each lens clean, attaching it, then removing it again, using the repetitive, mechanical motions to reclaim a sliver of her focus.
Zhou Zhi noticed and sent her a WeChat message: What's wrong? Unhappy?
Deng Chuan replied: No, just thinking about something.
Zhou Zhi joked: Looks like this something has you stumped.
Deng Chuan didn't answer her directly, only asking: What do you think I should do to make it up to my girlfriend, since we're in a long-distance relationship?
Zhou Zhi: Since there are already unavoidable factors, just try your best to make up for it with actions. Concrete actions are more powerful than words.
That made sense. Deng Chuan felt her decision to book the plane ticket was absolutely correct. Feeling invigorated, she rallied her spirits and bought five balls for Zhou Liu online in one go.
Xu Wei had no idea about the myriad twists and turns in the young woman's heart. After hanging up, she finished grading her students' classwork, read for a while, said goodnight to Deng Chuan, and went to sleep, letting Zhou Liu patter around the living room, playing with his balls and doing parkour.
The military training continued day by day. The prospect of seeing Xu Wei was like a piece of candy on the tip of Deng Chuan's tongue. She was reluctant to swallow it, but she also couldn't stop the sweetness from spreading across her tongue. As the sweetness gradually faded, the day of their meeting drew ever closer.
On the tenth day of military training, after dinner in the evening, Deng Chuan went to the gym with Zhou Zhi as usual. The two changed their clothes and shoes, and each put on headphones before getting on the treadmills.
Deng Chuan didn't like to interact with others while exercising. To her, running was another form of mental relaxation, an activity as wonderful as studying-intensely focused, intensely personal.
After running for thirty minutes, she stopped to take a sip of water, her face expressionless, when someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
Deng Chuan thought it was Zhou Zhi, but when she turned around, she saw an unfamiliar girl.
The person was a bit shorter than her, wearing a black baseball cap, a sports T-shirt, and shorts. Her face was glistening with sweat, and she seemed to have just gotten off a treadmill as well. Her face was completely unfamiliar.
"Liang Xue, president of the Photography Association." The girl seemed to notice her confusion and extended a hand with a bright smile. "Hello, Junior Sister."
Deng Chuan subtly increased the distance between them and shook her fingertips in return. "Hello."
"We've added each other on WeChat. Do you remember?"
They had chatted about some camera parameter adjustments. Deng Chuan had a vague impression. "Yes, I do. Hello, Senior Sister."
Liang Xue's smile grew even more brilliant. "You like working out too?"
Deng Chuan didn't want to explain too much, so she said vaguely, "It's alright. I came with my roommate."
"I got a gym membership back in my first year too, but I've been busy with the start of the semester these past few days. Today's the first time I could make it." Liang Xue explained with a smile, "That's why I'm only seeing you today."
Her workout attire was proof of her words, and her attitude remained friendly without being overly familiar. People like her, who understood social boundaries so well, were always hard to refuse. Deng Chuan smiled, and after a few more sentences, she put down her water bottle, signaling that she was about to start running again.
As expected, Liang Xue didn't make things difficult for her. She smiled and said, "Then I'll go for a run too. Let's make the most of our workout time. We can chat more later."
Liang Xue chose the treadmill next to Deng Chuan's. Deng Chuan paid her no mind, selected a playlist, placed her phone on the treadmill in front of her, and started running with her eyes lowered.
Thirty minutes later, Deng Chuan felt a tightness in her abdomen. She was breathing a little heavily as she stopped the treadmill and went into the inner room to shower and change.
The gym's shower stalls were individual and private, with hot water supplied. Deng Chuan rinsed off, washing away the day's fatigue and sweat, and emerged feeling refreshed in a clean set of clothes.
As she came out, Zhou Zhi was about to go in. She asked Deng Chuan to wait for her outside so they could walk back to the dorm together.
Deng Chuan nodded and agreed. It was too hot in the shower area, so she went out into the hallway, took a few sips from her water bottle, and looked down at her phone.
Xu Wei had just gotten home from work. She had picked up the package with the five balls Deng Chuan had bought for Zhou Liu and sent Deng Chuan a photo of the cat surrounded by them, as if enveloped in happiness. Her comment: I think he's reached the peak of his cat life.
Deng Chuan zoomed in on the photo, examining it over and over. Xu Wei must have taken it while standing, as a sliver of her fair, slender calf was visible in the bottom corner.
Deng Chuan asked her: "Did you wear a skirt today?"
Xu Wei sent back a "Yeah," then added: "It rained this morning and my pants got wet, so I changed into a skirt at noon."
Deng Chuan asked her: Why didn't you bring an umbrella? Isn't it in your bag?
Xu Wei replied with righteous confidence: It was too heavy, so I left it in the car. I didn't expect it to start raining halfway there.
Deng Chuan couldn't help but smile. Just then, Liang Xue sent her a message, saying the Photography Association was having an event this weekend at Jingshan Park and asking if she wanted to join.
Her impression of Liang Xue wasn't bad, and since Deng Chuan had participated in similar photography outings before, she was familiar with this kind of group trip. She was about to agree but then thought to ask: Can non-members participate?
Liang Xue: Yes, students from other schools can come too.
Deng Chuan agreed and confirmed her attendance. After registering her name and phone number with Liang Xue, Liang Xue sent her the meeting time and location and added her to the group chat for the event.
There were already quite a few people in the group. Deng Chuan muted the chat notifications and turned back to tell Xu Wei about her weekend plans.
Zhou Zhi came out of the shower and called for Deng Chuan to leave. Deng Chuan saw Xu Wei's reply-an "Okay" and a reminder to be safe. She sent back a sticker of a cat acting cute, locked her phone, dropped it in her pocket, and walked with Zhou Zhi toward the campus shuttle stop.
The weekend arrived after the next day. On Saturday, before heading out, Deng Chuan tied her hair up, put on a baseball cap, and changed into a light outfit. The effects of over ten days of working out were quite noticeable; Deng Chuan herself felt lighter, her abdominal muscles were much firmer, and her sleep quality had improved significantly.
She said goodbye to her roommates, slung her camera over her shoulder, and left. She took the campus shuttle to the designated south gate. When she got off, a group of people was already standing not far away, waiting for the bus.
Liang Xue saw her and came over to greet her, then pulled her over to introduce her to the group, saying, "This is Junior Sister Deng, a freshman from the finance department this year." Everyone was dressed in different styles, but they all wore long pants to protect against insect bites and carried camera bags. Hearing the introduction, they nodded at Deng Chuan in a friendly manner.
After Deng Chuan had met everyone, the bus arrived. The group boarded and headed for Jingshan Park.
Deng Chuan chose a window seat and looked outside. It was the morning rush hour, and the roads were filled with traffic. Yet, amidst the tree-lined streets and city life, there were still people strolling leisurely. The hustle and bustle of Beijing flashed before her eyes as the bus drove past skyscrapers, gleaming tiles and red walls, passing through both the modern and the ancient sides of the city.
For the first time, Deng Chuan recognized the face of this city-charming, full of contrast, yet harmonious.
Through the bus window, she took many photos along the way. The smudges and blurriness of the glass were like her own gaze, capturing the Beijing she saw.
Due to the morning rush hour, the bus ride took over an hour before finally arriving at the entrance of Jingshan Park.
The group disembarked and walked in through the entrance. Even on a weekend morning, there were already many tourists. The moment their group, all carrying cameras, appeared, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Liang Xue and another boy led the way, ascending the stone-paved path. The dense vegetation blocked much of the sunlight. Strictly speaking, Jingshan wasn't a mountain; it was formed from the earth piled up during the construction of the palace walls. Now developed into a park, it was surrounded by the imposing palace walls.
There were many scenic spots in the park. The group gradually dispersed to do their own thing, with the understanding that they would gather at the entrance at 11:30 AM to go for lunch together.
Deng Chuan took a fork in the path, separating from the main group. She walked freely, taking in the surrounding scenery. The park was planted with many ancient, evergreen pines and cypresses, which, set against the lofty, magnificent pavilions and palace walls, appeared even more lush with dense, verdant shade, captivating all who saw them.
There were many pedestrians on the path. Next to Deng Chuan, a family of three held hands. The young father answered his little girl's questions while telling her about the history of the place. Deng Chuan was framing a shot of the distant skyline, the treetops, and the eaves of a roof when she suddenly felt a tug on her clothes. A little girl's sweet voice sounded beside her: "Big sister, can you take a picture for us? Thank you-"
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