“You should have no problem getting into a first-tier university, right?” I smiled.
“You know me. My goal is **University,” Gu Yu said with a hint of helplessness. “As long as the cut-off doesn’t rise too much this year, I should make it.”
Two months ago, while walking home after a tutoring session, Gu Yu and I had talked about our dream universities. For me, studying anywhere was the same—I didn’t have any big ambitions. But Gu Yu had talked about **University with such longing. Now that his dream was about to come true, I couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholic.
Noticing my silence, Gu Yu reached out from across the table and ruffled my hair. “Come on, it’s not like I’m leaving forever. You can always come visit me! **City is beautiful. I can take you to see the ice sculptures and go shopping.”
“Who said I’d visit you?” I rolled my eyes at him and said, “It’s so cold there. I’m not going.”
“Hey! How can you be like this?” Gu Yu feigned disappointment.
Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
I think we are destined to move forward on our own paths. Gu Yu has his dreams, and I have my life.
At the end of July, Gu Yu received his admission letter to **University, as he had hoped. I, unable to bear leaving my father, chose to stay in City A. Chen Qiao Luo barely managed to get into a third-rate university in this city, while Li Zi ended up going to the same school as me. Tong Xiaotian, however, had to move to City B due to family reasons. Over the past month, Li Zi had cried and cursed Tong Xiaotian as a scoundrel in front of me more than once. They were in a cold war, and Tong Xiaotian had come to me multiple times asking for help. I could tell he still cared about Li Zi, so I refrained from saying much about it.
Sometimes, when I woke from a dream in the stillness of the night, I would feel that once this summer passed, we would have truly grown up. Yet the cicadas outside my window chirped as crisply as always, and no one knew how reluctant I felt to let go.
Gu Yu decided to leave on August 27. When I got his call, I was having breakfast with Chen Qiao Luo. Over the phone, Gu Yu said his mother had been discharged from the hospital and invited me to their house for a meal.
I glanced at Chen Qiao Luo. We had planned to go to the amusement park today, and it didn’t feel right to bail on him.
Sensing my hesitation, Gu Yu asked on the other end of the line, “Are you with Chen Qiao Luo?”
I was silent for a moment before finally replying, “Yes.”
Hearing my answer, there was a long pause on the other end. Then Gu Yu said, “Bring him along. My mom has actually wanted to meet him.”
After hanging up, I stared at my phone for a while before turning my gaze to Chen Qiao Luo.
He seemed to know what I was about to say and spoke first: “It’s Gu Yu, right? If you want to go to him, just go. Don’t worry about me.”
Although his expression was calm, I could detect a hint of bitterness in his tone. Neither of us had mentioned liking each other since that confession long ago, as if it had all been a fleeting dream. But I knew he still liked me, just as I liked him.
Not wanting to say more, I told him directly, “Gu Yu said his mom wants to meet you. He asked me to bring you along to their house for a meal.”
For a moment, Chen Qiao Luo froze, clearly not expecting my response. After a while, he looked at me in disbelief and asked, “Did you say Gu Yu’s mom wants to meet me?”
“Mm.” I nodded firmly. Seeing his surprised expression, I continued, “So, do you want to come with me?”
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