Outside the window, the landscape abruptly turned bright and then dark. He Fang genuinely seemed a little tired that after getting on the bus, she leaned against Qin Guanglin continuously and quietly looked out the window.
Sitting near the aisle, Qin Guanglin played with a lock of her hair in his hands. He suddenly asked, “Why don’t you predict what I’m planning to do tomorrow?”
He was a skeptic of things like metaphysics. He wanted to see if the divination He Fang talked about was really that accurate.
He Fang pulled the coat tighter around her body. “Call me Teacher He and I’ll calculate it for you.”
“No.”
Although Qin Guanglin had tacitly agreed to being called Student Qin, he was still reluctant to call her Teacher He. “Just give up.”
“I won’t calculate then.” She turned her head to look at Qin Guanglin. “I’ll make you say it sooner or later.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Wait and see.” He Fang was brimming with confidence. She leaned against his shoulder again and looked outside. “Anyway, you can’t call me He Fang from now on.”
“What should I call you then?” Her words subdued Qin Guanglin. He called her you, you, you all the time. It was rare for him to call her by name, and when he did, he always called her He Fang.
What should he call her now? Did he have to call her honey like other people did? Baby? Dear?
Ew~ Thinking about it gave him the chills. It even gave him goosebumps. That was absolutely out of the question. It was worse than calling her Teacher He.
“Think about it yourself. Whatever the case, you can’t call me by my name.” He Fang lifted her chin proudly. “You have to tell me if you think of something. I have to agree to it.”
“…”
Qin Guanglin did not want anything mushy, so he decided not to call her. If there was anything to say, he could just say it. Why did he have to call her by some nickname?
Bored, he took He Fang’s hands into his and played with them. He did not know if it was considered a strange fetish. He felt that her hands were small and soft, and they were very comfortable to the touch.
Qin Guanglin kneaded her hands for some time. He felt that her fair and soft hands looked more and more adorable, that it gave him the sudden urge to kiss them.
He sneaked a glance at He Fang and hesitated. Could it be that he was a pervert?
He second-guessed himself. He probably wasn’t. Kissing her hands was nothing – he liked all of her. Since her hands were a part of her, too, liking them was considered normal.
The more he looked at them, the more he liked them. Qin Guanglin quietly lowered his head and kissed them.
He looked up and met He Fang’s gaze. He turned his head casually and looked out the window on the other side.
“How stuffy.” He Fang found his sneaky behavior amusing. “I’ll train you properly sooner or later.”
“Train me in what way?” Qin Guanglin could not help but ask. Since He Fang had said the first two words too softly, he wasn’t able to catch them clearly.
“It’s nothing. Student Qin, you’re completely fine.”
“…”
She did not speak clearly and even refused to repeat herself. She was too mean.
When it was time to alight, Qin Guanglin already had his fun touching her hands. He led He Fang slowly towards the school. There were many people around the area at night, unlike the area near his house, where few pedestrians were in sight.
“Shall we buy some food?” He asked while looking at the supermarket beside them. They ate earlier in the day, so they might possibly get hungry at night.
“No need. I’ll get fat if I eat at night.” Fang shook her head.
Qin Guanglin looked her up and down. “But you’re not fat.”
“That’s why I have to maintain my weight. Otherwise, I won’t look good in dresses.” He Fang looked down at herself, feeling satisfied with her figure.
“You seem to like wearing dresses a lot?”
From the first time they met until now, she wore all kinds of long dresses most of the time. Otherwise, she would wear sweatpants or casual pants. She had never worn anything above her calves.
“Yes.” He Fang nodded her head. “I won’t be able to wear them often when I become a teacher. So I have to wear them more often now.”
“That’s true.”
While speaking, they had reached the ground floor. He Fang returned the coat she was wearing to Qin Guanglin. Then, she simply stood on the spot and looked at him.
“Go up.” Qin Guanglin folded the coat over the crook of his arm. He was planning to leave only after seeing her go up.
“Student Qin, have you forgotten something?” He Fang’s expression turned solemn.
“What?”
“Think about it properly.”
Qin Guanglin was bewildered. What had he forgotten…
“On the boat,” He Fang reminded him.
“Ah. I remember now.” Upon hearing the reminder, Qin Guanglin immediately recalled what he had promised her. He was supposed to kiss her whenever they meet and part.
He looked around to make sure that there weren’t many people nearby. He then moved in close and swiftly kissed He Fang.
He Fang smiled in satisfaction. “Stay safe on your way back. I’m going up now.”
“Sure.”
Qin Guanglin walked out of the school only after watching her turn around and go upstairs. While walking, he put on the coat in his arms as the night breeze was a little chilly.
When he arrived home, Mother Qin was already back. She was sitting on the couch and watching television. She greeted him casually upon seeing him walk in, “You must be tired from playing the entire day. Rest early.”
“You rest early too.”
After responding, Qin Guanglin poured himself a glass of water and returned to his room after drinking it. He felt slightly tired only when he lay down on the bed.
He lay down quietly for a bit and thought back on what had happened today. Then, he crawled up from the bed and switched off the lights, planning to sleep.
He missed that soft and small body a little. If only he could hug it to sleep every day…
It was a dreamless night.
Qin Guanglin slept all the way to sunrise. By the time he opened his eyes, it was already past nine. He took his cell phone and browsed for some time. As usual, He Fang had sent him a “good morning” message at around eight. After replying in kind, he put down his phone and got up to wash up.
Sun Wen had briefly introduced the company when he sent him the company address. It had been two years since the studio was established. Although there were only over ten people, the boss was competent. He had managed to snag rights to create comic adaptations of popular novels. The company’s growth prospects were quite good.
They had arranged to meet at eleven in the morning, but Qin Guanglin arrived at ten-thirty. This place was neither far nor near to Qin Guanglin’s home. The bus ride took around half an hour, but the location was slightly out of the way.
He did not come to this area very often. As half a homebody, he usually left the house only when he had something on. He would go back home once he was done and seldom walked about aimlessly.
He casually strolled around the area and familiarized himself with the surroundings. After that, Qin Guanglin looked around and went to the Starbucks on Sun Wen’s company’s ground floor. He ordered a cup of lemon tea to pass the time – he wanted to see what was so good about lemon tea.
It was sour and sweet, a far cry from carrot juice. Qin Guanglin sat there for over ten minutes. Then, he took out his phone and contacted Sun Wen to tell him he was downstairs.
Although Sun Wen’s name had the meaning “gentle” to it, he was unusually tall and sturdy. He was close to 1.9 meters tall and was a burly chap by any description. Anyone who saw him would have no way of associating him with a delicate job like painting.
Before long, the extraordinarily striking Sun Wen appeared in Qin Guanglin’s field of vision. He stood up to greet him.
“Mosquito, I’m here.”
“I see you.” Sun Wen guffawed as he approached Qin Guanglin and grabbed him by the shoulders. “You’re not as sturdy as you were. You haven’t been training.”
“I stopped training after graduation.” Qin Guanglin massaged his shoulders. This chap had become even stronger.
Back in school, Sun Wen had dragged Qin Guanglin with him to the gym all the time. It seemed that this fellow had maintained his habit of going to the gym.
Sun Wen was smiling very happily. “Shall we eat first or go take a look at the studio?”
“We haven’t met in a while. Of course, we should eat first.” Qin Guanglin glanced left and right. “I’m not familiar with this area. You choose a place.”
“There’s a place over there that I’ve been to. The food is quite good.” Sun Wen walked forward with his arm around Qin Guanglin. “Why are you suddenly looking for a job?”
“For a bit more income. Otherwise, my income would be so unstable.”
“Hey. Are you still not satisfied with that? Why don’t we exchange? I don’t mind instability.”
Everyone in the dorms acknowledged Qin Guanglin as the person with the best drawing skills. He was also the only person who could easily earn enough on a project basis instead of having a job. He had freedom, and life was a breeze. All of them felt a bit envious when they talked about it.
Qin Guanglin smiled. “You can give it a try.”
“It’s not like I’ve never tried it. People don’t like my drawings. I’ll starve to death if I stay home.” Sun Wen pursed his lips.