Chapter 309 - 306: She Has Someone She Likes

Chapter 309: Chapter 306: She Has Someone She Likes

"Yanwan, when are you planning on going home?"

After the exams were over, the four sisters of Dorm 520A were finally relaxing.

"Probably not until the end of the year," Lin Yanwan said, a hint of resignation in her voice.

Qitian Animation was at a critical stage of development, and with Jiang Xia as the boss, there was no way the two of them could go home early.

"That makes sense. You and your boyfriend still have to work. What about you, Qiuting?" Cui Jiaying asked with a nod.

Tang Qiuting subconsciously glanced at Lin Yanwan. She desperately wanted to go home and see her grandmother, but she also had to work. It was a good chance to earn some money so she could buy groceries and new clothes for her grandma for the New Year.

"Sister Jiaying, I’ll be going back at the end of the year, too," Qiuting said quietly.

"Alright, so it’s just me and Si Si heading back for now, is that right? In that case, I’m leaving the dorm to you two!"

Cui Jiaying blinked. "Oh, wait. Yanwan will definitely go back to her love nest to enjoy her own private world with Handsome Jiang. That means... only Qiuting will be left in the dorm. Qiuting, why don’t you talk to your Brother Su and see if he’ll take you home with him for a bit? He’s a true native of the Imperial Capital, you know~"

Qiuting blushed instantly. "Sister Jiaying, Brother Su and I are just friends. Besides, I’ll be fine in the dorm. I’m not afraid of being by myself."

"Okay, okay, I’m just messing with you. You’re the cutest, Qiuting~" Cui Jiaying giggled.

Lin Yanwan looked at the two of them. "When are you guys leaving?"

"My flight is on January 21st, and Yingying’s is on January 20th," Si Si said.

"That’s so soon..." Qiuting murmured. They had just finished their exams, yet their plane tickets home were already booked.

"We bought them online, so all we have to do is show our IDs to get our boarding passes," Cui Jiaying said with a smile. "You can buy your tickets the same way when it’s your turn to go home. But during the Spring Festival travel season, tickets get harder to find the closer it gets to the end of the year. You two should definitely book in advance. It would be a huge hassle if you couldn’t get home for the New Year."

"That’s a good reminder."

Lin Yanwan then remembered that in this era, the national ticketing system was nowhere near as robust as it would be in the future. The system was liable to crash with just a small surge in online bookings. Every year, countless people trying to get home for the New Year were stranded at train stations and airports.

She still remembered the disastrous 2008 Spring Festival travel season. Even though she was only a high school senior at the time, she’d heard about the crisis from various news outlets. Heavy snow had blocked the roads, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded at the train station for eleven days. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the scene.

"Yeah, I’ll buy the tickets early. You two don’t have to worry."

"So... how about we all go out for dinner tonight? We could go for some karaoke afterward, too. It’s our last get-together before the New Year, so we have to go all out!" Cui Jiaying proposed.

"Sounds good," Lin Yanwan nodded.

"Sister Jiaying, can I just join for dinner? I’ll skip the karaoke," Qiuting said timidly.

She was just worried about the cost. Even if they split the bill, her share wouldn’t be cheap. She’d rather save the money to buy rice and cooking oil for her grandmother.

"Absolutely not!"

Cui Jiaying refused instantly, a wide grin on her face. "Qiuting, this is a dorm activity. Attendance is mandatory."

"Okay..."

Qiuting let out a soft sigh, hoping it wouldn’t be too expensive.

"However, ladies, today is a private get-together for Dorm 520A. So, that creature known as a ’boyfriend’ doesn’t need to make an appearance, right?"

Cui Jiaying shook Lin Yanwan’s arm, putting on a pitiful expression. "Yanwan, we’re usually force-fed your PDA until we want to puke. Just give us a little bit of your time tonight, please? Have pity on us poor souls."

Lin Yanwan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright! I won’t invite him, happy now?"

"I don’t believe you! Swear on it!"

Resignedly, Lin Yanwan pulled out her phone and called Jiang Xia. "I’m having dinner with my roommates tonight. You don’t need to worry about me."

"Can I come?" Jiang Xia’s voice came through the phone.

"Hmph! Of course not! Tonight, Yanwan belongs to us! Handsome Jiang, be a dear and let her go, please~" Cui Jiaying shouted.

"Hmm... A sincere attitude. Your request is granted."

Lin Yanwan hung up, looked at Cui Jiaying with a resigned sigh, and said, "There. Happy now?"

"Hehe, perfect!"

Lin Yanwan picked her phone back up and texted Jiang Xia: "I’ll send you the location once we get to the restaurant. We might go for karaoke later, too."

Jiang Xia’s expression immediately grew serious. He texted back: "Just the four of you girls out by yourselves? Make sure you don’t drink, got it? Safety first."

"Mhm, I know."

"Good."

With their plans for the evening set, the four sisters went back to doing their own things.

A short while later, Cui Jiaying’s QQ started pinging incessantly. Someone was frantically trying to get ahold of her.

[Business Admin 1 - Zhuang Yu]: Classmate Cui, are you free to come to Shuimu Tsinghua right now?

[Cui Jiaying]: ? What for?

[Business Admin 1 - Zhuang Yu]: There’s just something I want to tell you.

[Cui Jiaying]: Why don’t you just say it over QQ?

[Business Admin 1 - Zhuang Yu]: You’re right, but that’s not going to work.

Just then, Si Si leaned over to look. Startled, Cui Jiaying’s hand trembled as she quickly closed the chat window.

Si Si: "?"

"What was that you didn’t want me to see?"

"It’s nothing, just messages from the class group chat," Cui Jiaying said, shaking her head. She stood up, shutting down her computer as she did. "I’m heading to the supermarket to grab a few things. Do you guys need anything?"

Lin Yanwan and Qiuting both shook their heads.

Watching Cui Jiaying wrap a scarf around her neck and leave, Si Si secretly followed.

Shuimu Tsinghua was a scenic spot within Tsinghua Garden. Its main feature was a lotus pond behind Gongzi Hall. Nestled beside the pond, amidst weeping willows and picturesque scenery, stood an elegant, historic building often compared to the Garden of Harmonious Interests in the Yihe Garden.

Many couples often strolled here, and occasionally, one might even witness a brave soul making a confession.

Cui Jiaying made her way to the edge of the lotus pond at Shuimu Tsinghua. The pond was desolate this time of year; instead of lotuses, the entire surface of the water was covered in ice.

She saw her classmate, Zhuang Yu, and he saw her at the same moment.

The young man was holding a bouquet of roses, his expression tense with nervousness. Cui Jiaying already knew what he was about to do.

"Classmate Cui, I... I’m really sorry for calling you out here like this."

Zhuang Yu gripped the bouquet tightly, his voice trembling slightly. "But exams ended today, and winter break is starting. I wasn’t sure when you’d be leaving campus, so... there’s something I wanted to say to you now, while I have the chance."

Cui Jiaying couldn’t help but sigh. She had long known this guy had a crush on her. During class, he would deliberately sit near her, and he often found all sorts of excuses to talk to her.

But Zhuang Yu just wasn’t her type, and she had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever. In fact, she had come here to make him face reality and to turn him down once and for all.

"I’m sorry, Zhuang Yu. I don’t like you."

The young man with the roses froze. ’I haven’t even said anything yet,’ he thought, ’how have I already been sentenced to death?’

Just then, Si Si emerged from some corner, looked at Zhuang Yu, and said coolly, "Don’t bother. Yingying already likes someone."

She walked up to Cui Jiaying’s side, took her hand just like she always did, and gave her a quick wink.

"Right?"

Meeting her gaze, Cui Jiaying felt an unexpected flutter in her heart.