So this is what they mean by loving someone so much that you love everything about them—their habits, quirks, and preferences. It sneaks up on you until even breathing feels like longing.
Noticing his pensive expression, Zhang Yi Ling burst into laughter.
“Feeling guilty now, huh? Don’t worry, you can make it up to me by giving me a bigger red envelope at my wedding.”
He nodded without hesitation.
“Sure. If I bring my girlfriend along, I’ll give you double.”
Her eyes widened.
“Wait, wait—hold on! Are you telling me your girlfriend is already in the U.S.? Fang Ke Xin didn’t tell me that! And don’t tell me you came here just for her!”
He looked a little embarrassed. “Yes, that’s exactly why I came. But we’re not at the same university.”
She threw up her hands in mock defeat.
“He Su Ye, I’m devastated! If you had shown me even half the attention you’re giving her back then, I could’ve died happy.”
He tilted his head curiously. “But I wasn’t bad to you, was I?”
She smiled softly, taking a sip of her coffee.
“It’s not that. There are different ways of being good to someone. You were good to me, but you’re a principled person. You wouldn’t change for me or give yourself to me completely.”
He reflected on her words, realizing there was truth in them. Zhang Yi Ling wasn’t wrong.
He’d never thought about giving so selflessly before. He’d always feared that his efforts might not be reciprocated. But all his doubts had vanished the moment Shen Xi Fan confessed her feelings for him.
Yes, he was emotionally slow and perhaps a bit foolish, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
After Zhang Yi Ling left, He Su Ye hurried to the lab, only to find himself late. Strangely, his German advisor greeted him with an uncharacteristic smile and said nothing about his tardiness before leaving.
His lab mates informed him that of all the students’ reports, only his and one German colleague’s had passed. The rest of the group would have to work through Christmas to make up for it. He Su Ye merely offered a polite smile, opened his laptop, and got back to work.
In truth, he was in a great mood. The thought of seeing her during Christmas made him smile involuntarily.
Walking back to his dorm, he noticed the constant drift of plane tree leaves floating gently to the ground. In their final stages of life, the leaves formed a layered, colorful collage on the pavement—sepia, pale brown, orange-red, dark yellow. Against this earthy palette was the backdrop of a bright blue sky.
Some old friends from Cornell, having learned about his move to the U.S., sent him invitations to meet up. When he mentioned his Christmas travel plans to his roommate, the roommate immediately showed interest.
“I’ve got a car. Why don’t we go together?”
With the plan quickly finalized, he opened QQ to ask Shen Xi Fan about her Christmas plans, only to see her avatar bouncing nonstop. Clicking on it, he was greeted with a string of frantic messages:
“He Su Ye, what do I do? I’ve been so sleep-deprived, but somehow I’ve gained weight here!”
“Is it even possible to gain weight just by drinking water? It’s all the school’s fault for having such good food—I’ve gotten fat! I’m going crazy!”
“I need to go on a diet, I need to lose weight!”
He suppressed a laugh, thinking to himself that a little weight gain wouldn’t hurt her. He’d always felt her wrists were so delicate that they might snap if he held them too tightly. A little more weight would probably be a good thing.
In truth, he believed women were best when they let their bodies follow their natural rhythm, as long as they stayed within a healthy weight range. Back during his hospital internship, he had encountered several girls who were rushed to the emergency room due to hypoglycemia caused by extreme dieting. At the time, the male interns had jokingly made a pact: when they found girlfriends, they would first teach them not to diet recklessly, then guide them toward healthy weight-loss methods.
It was odd, though. Back in China, Shen Xi Fan had always had a good appetite and never showed signs of restrictive eating. How had she gained weight since moving abroad? Perhaps it was true what they said about how the land and water shaped the people.
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