BSS - Chapter 153

Chapter 153

After an interview that went off without a hitch, P University released its list of provisionally admitted doctoral candidates just before New Year's Day.

They were in the library together when they saw the news. It was eight in the morning during the final review week, and they were sitting behind the bright, floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor. The sunlight was wonderfully unrestrained, spilling over them with a cozy warmth. Because it was winter, despite it being bad for the eyes to read in direct sunlight, all the seats in this area were densely packed.

Xu Wei sat beside Deng Chuan, quietly turning the pages of a book with brittle, yellowed leaves. Her movements were careful and graceful. Her palm rested on the book's surface, her slender fingers brushing over the dense lines of printed English and symbols, reading line by line. Occasionally, she would scribble on the scratch paper beside her, her expression placid.

Xu Wei wore no makeup today. Inside, she had taken off her jacket, wearing only a very loose, basic sweatshirt. Her hair was gathered at the back of her head, held by a transparent fishtail clip. In the sunlight, her skin looked astonishingly good. At first, she found the sunlight glaring and raised a hand to shield her eyes. This gesture made her features seem hazy to onlookers, but even without seeing her face, those who tiptoed past to retrieve or return books couldn't help but be drawn to the focused, tranquil posture of her shoulders and neck.

Deng Chuan was looking down at her tablet, going over an outline of key concepts from her course materials, oblivious to the subtle stir around them.

Xu Wei paid it no mind either. As she was reading, she reached out, picked up the paper coffee cup in front of Deng Chuan, and took a sip. The motion was completely natural. Not long after she put it back, Deng Chuan also reached for it, tilted her head back, and finished the rest.

The undercurrents ceased their flow, or at least, hesitated.

After finishing a short chapter of the thick book, Xu Wei checked the time and logged onto the P University website. Her advisor had actually told her a few days ago that the list might be released today. She was mentally prepared, but since her spot wasn't officially secured yet, that preparation became a thin thread, pulling her heart up and down, making her feel anxious, expectant, and faintly excited all at once.

As she logged into the webpage, Xu Wei's fingertips trembled slightly. She rarely had moments like this anymore, but now she realized she still could.

Fortunately, nothing major had changed. Xu Wei quickly found the announcement for the list of provisionally admitted candidates on the P University website. Clutching the tablet, she leaned closer to Deng Chuan, signaling for her to look too.

The little friend pressed her lips together, looking much calmer than she was. Deng Chuan's composure greatly soothed Xu Wei's nervousness, yet it also amplified her excitement.

Considering their surroundings, the two remained silent as they scrolled through the list. Following the alphabetical order of surnames, they found Xu Wei's name. Xu Wei reached out a finger to download the list attached to the announcement, but Deng Chuan pressed her hand down.

Xu Wei looked up at her and saw the little friend break into a bright smile. Unlike Xu Wei, she didn't restrain herself; the joy blossomed from the corners of her eyes and brows, shimmering like gold foil in the sunlight.

And yet, her gaze was clear. Like a river so transparent you could see right to the bottom.

Xu Wei paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile as well.

After a while of feeling happy, their morning study plan continued as usual.

The people sitting nearby were probably all undergraduates, because they heard no discussion about the newly released list.

It was perfectly quiet. But Deng Chuan had to sneak a hand out to hold Xu Wei's under the table.

It was as if they shared a unique and secret joy.

By noon, the students had left in twos and threes. Their books, not put away, lay scattered in the sunlight. As Deng Chuan led her by the hand to the exit, Xu Wei looked back at the quiet of the empty room. Dust motes danced in the air. Without the people studying, the library simply remained, silent.

But suddenly, Xu Wei found that she really liked this kind of quiet.

It was just like her own settled heart.

They went to the cafeteria and started sharing two bowls of noodles, one with spicy Sichuan pepper chicken topping and the other with tomato and egg. Halfway through their meal, Tang Lijuan called Xu Wei. She and Xu Wei were in close contact these days. Tang Lijuan particularly admired that quality in Xu Wei of being part of the mortal world yet remaining unflappable. It even made her a little critical of her own precious daughter.

"Weiwei," she said, video-calling them from what looked like an empty hospital break room. "I saw the admission list this morning, that's wonderful..."

Xu Wei smiled and replied with an "Ai," but before she could say more, Deng Chuan cut in, calling out, "Mom!"

"Mm," Tang Lijuan answered her, then turned back to Xu Wei with a smile. The three of them chatted for a bit before Tang Lijuan's tone became serious, saying she wanted to discuss something with them.

Xu Wei's expression also grew serious. "Please, go ahead."

Tang Lijuan seemed quite relaxed. "It's nothing major, really."

"Deng Chuan is going to grad school, and you've been accepted into the doctoral program. With such great news, Deng Chuan's father and I were saying... we should celebrate properly. We were thinking, since you two will be developing your careers in Beijing, you won't be coming home for a while. But you might come back in the future... What Deng Chuan's father and I mean is, we want to buy you two an apartment here at home. That way, when you come back, you can have your independence. We understand that young people want that, so you won't have to live with us."

Tang Lijuan felt she had rambled on for too long, which wasn't her style, so she summed it up with one crisp sentence: "Just think of it as a wedding house."

Xu Wei froze for a second, the words making her blush. It was a very noticeable blush; even the tips of her ears were burning. "That's... that's not necessary. Deng Chuan and I are still young, we want to see more of the world..." Her voice was a little weak. "It's too early to talk about that."

Seeing that Xu Wei was shy, Tang Lijuan knew she couldn't press her with strong words. So she turned her gaze to Deng Chuan. She singled her out, "Deng Chuan, what do you say?"

"Huh?" Deng Chuan was in the middle of eating her noodles. She looked up, caught off guard. Xu Wei took a napkin to wipe her mouth, lowered her voice, and whispered in her ear, "Say no."

Deng Chuan did as she was told. "There's no need. You and Dad should take the money and invest it. We'll earn our own, and if we really can't make it in the future, we'll come back and leech off you."

It was rare for Deng Chuan to be so flippant, and Tang Lijuan was not pleased. "Who are you calling old?"

Considering the cafeteria wasn't a good place to talk things through, and Tang Lijuan also needed to get lunch, the call ended shortly after. The two of them returned to eating their noodles in silence. Deng Chuan had nearly finished the noodles in her bowl when she suddenly heard Xu Wei ask, "What are your thoughts?"

"About what?" The little friend looked up at her.

"Family matters, and financial dealings with your family." Xu Wei stared at her. "In the future, there might be more conversations like this, and they might be more direct. Mm... you're an only child, your family might want children... We'll have to care for our parents in their old age, and our parents might have certain expectations of us... What are your thoughts?"

Deng Chuan's lips were red from the spicy chicken, and a thin sheen of sweat dotted her forehead. She seemed a bit dazed by the words.

"Deng Chuan?" Xu Wei couldn't help but call her name again.

Xu Wei's voice wasn't loud. She looked at her, then lowered her head again.

Xu Wei seemed very insecure. Deng Chuan's mind didn't process the words she'd said, only this one clear realization.

Seeing her silence, Xu Wei lowered her head and began picking at the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks, also falling silent. She stirred the tomato and egg topping until the broth turned red, no different from the spicy chicken broth, but the taste in her mouth was sweet and sour. The heat in her ears gradually faded. Xu Wei calmed down, thinking with a pang of softness, why did she have to say all this to Deng Chuan?

She reflected on her actions, telling herself she couldn't let the cynicism she'd seen in the past make her doubt the sincerity of Tang Lijuan and Lao Deng. They truly did have the best intentions for them both. Xu Wei asked herself honestly, and she knew that even she might not be able to go to such lengths.

Besides, what was the point of saying all this to a child with such a sincere heart? Xu Wei knew better than anyone that Deng Chuan couldn't possibly understand so much.

Xu Wei couldn't help but question her own motives for saying what she had.

She spent a while mentally rebuking and persuading herself before finally looking up again. Deng Chuan had already finished the noodles in her bowl and was now sitting to the side, resting her chin in her hand, watching her. The little friend was also wearing a plain black sweatshirt, which acted like a dark backdrop that made her face stand out with exceptional clarity.

The moment Xu Wei met Deng Chuan's eyes, she felt even more strongly that she shouldn't have said those things to her.

She pretended nothing was wrong, tapped the back of Deng Chuan's hand, and asked, "Are you full?"

Deng Chuan replied just as naturally, "You can't finish it? Give it to me."

Then, a hand with well-defined knuckles reached out and took the leftover noodles from in front of Xu Wei.

Now it was Deng Chuan's turn to eat, with Xu Wei watching from the side.

Deng Chuan finished Xu Wei's remaining noodles in a few quick bites. She took the napkin Xu Wei offered and wiped her mouth. Both of them acted as if nothing had happened, clearing the table and heading back to the library. The midday sun hung high in the sky. They both put on their padded jackets, but as they walked under the sun, the cold air still made their faces sting.

As soon as Deng Chuan stepped inside the library, she felt her face start to itch again.

A few people had trickled in on the first floor. Outside in the hallway, there were a few scattered figures reciting texts. They sat down in their original seats, and Xu Wei noticed the red marks on Deng Chuan's face, realizing she was probably having another allergic reaction.

Fortunately, she was prepared and had brought the ointment Deng Chuan usually used.

The little friend closed her eyes, obediently letting her apply the ointment. Xu Wei's gaze was focused, and without realizing it, the two of them had drawn very close.

Deng Chuan opened her eyes and saw Xu Wei's face, just inches away.

Xu Wei's eyelashes were slightly lowered, and her breath tickled Deng Chuan's face, barely there.

It was a scene that should have made her heart race, but Deng Chuan's mind flashed back to how Xu Wei had looked when she spoke to her at lunch. How far away had Xu Wei been from her then?

With this thought, Deng Chuan raised her hand and grasped Xu Wei's wrist.

She didn't use much force. It was the kind of grip Xu Wei could have easily broken free from.

But Xu Wei didn't move. With her eyelashes lowered, she asked softly, "What's wrong?"

There weren't many people in the library yet, so they could still speak a little. Deng Chuan kept her voice as low as possible and said softly, "I'll listen to whatever you say."

Xu Wei looked up at her. Deng Chuan's gaze was clear.

Her tone was also calm. "I don't care about those things. Money, a house, children, trivialities, family matters. I don't care about any of it. In my love, there is only you. I've been prepared for that from the very beginning."

Xu Wei seemed stunned. After a long moment, she answered softly, "Mm."

Then, just as she had wished, Deng Chuan saw the distance between herself and Xu Wei at that moment. It was very close, so close she could hear Xu Wei's heartbeat, her pulse.

Because Xu Wei had turned her hand over, grasped Deng Chuan's, and gently kissed its back.

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