Chapter 69 p1
Shen Yiqiu had been thinking about the weekend team-building activity these past two days, wondering if something had happened. Qin Qianrou had been acting strangely since last week.
Shen Yiqiu picked up her bag, preparing to leave for school, and messaged Qin Qianrou, telling her she was leaving.
A few minutes later, a simple “Okay” came as a reply.
Shen Yiqiu felt a little disappointed. Reaching the entrance of the complex, she took a photo of the sky, a rare sunny winter day, and sent it to Qin Qianrou.
[Jiejie, the weather is so nice today, the sun is already out. ]
A few minutes later, Qin Qianrou’s reply came, slightly longer than the previous one.
[It is beautiful. Dress warmly and be careful.]
Shen Yiqiu pouted, confirming her suspicion: Qin Qianrou was being perfunctory.
They hadn’t communicated like this before.
She couldn’t understand why, after just one weekend, Jiejie had changed so much. She carefully replayed their recent interactions, she hadn’t angered Jiejie, and Qin Qianrou hadn’t mentioned anything troubling her.
Why, after just one weekend, did everything seem different?
Even during class, Shen Yiqiu couldn’t help but be distracted, lost in thought. She listed several possibilities on her notepad, then crossed them out one by one, utterly baffled and clueless.
“Shen Yiqiu.” The professor suddenly called her name.
She didn’t respond, still chewing on her pen, pondering the notes on her notepad.
“Shen Yiqiu.” The professor called her name again.
The classmate beside her nudged her, signaling her to pay attention.
“Oh, present.”
The professor looked at her disapprovingly and slowly said, “Please read this passage aloud, then translate it.”
It was an English literature class, the textbook a classic novel by a renowned British author. The professor was older, a well-respected figure in the English department, her academic and teaching skills impeccable, but with a traditional and somewhat strict approach.
She didn’t tolerate students being inattentive during class.
Shen Yiqiu collected herself, stood up, read the passage aloud, then translated it as instructed.
After she finished, the professor didn’t comment immediately.
Shen Yiqiu felt a little nervous and stole a glance at the podium.
A faint smile behind those thick glasses, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed the professor was satisfied with her translation.
After a moment, the professor finally spoke. “Not bad, but pay attention in class in the future.”
Shen Yiqiu blushed, knowing she had been in the wrong, and nodded repeatedly.
Thankfully, although strict, the professor wasn’t overly harsh. She made Shen Yiqiu stand for a while longer as punishment for her inattention, but she had also objectively praised her pronunciation and the accuracy of her translation.
The classmates beside her gave her curious looks, and Shen Yiqiu, afraid of them seeing the notes on her notepad and starting unnecessary rumors, quickly folded the paper and tucked it into her textbook.
She had thought the university campus would be a pure and innocent environment, but it was also a microcosm of society. The students, milling about, their main topics of conversation either romance or gossip. Shen Yiqiu sighed, if they had so much free time, they should go work at the television station, Qin Qianrou and Li Wan were always so busy, they needed help.
After class, Shen Yiqiu held her phone, hesitant about messaging Qin Qianrou again. It was almost lunchtime, and she would usually chat with Jiejie on her way to the cafeteria, even sending her photos of her lunch.
The training program wasn’t without its benefits, at least the schedule was relatively regular, and Qin Qianrou could usually have her meals on time. So, they sometimes exchanged photos of their lunches, comparing whose was more appealing.
Sometimes, they would unconsciously chat for half an hour. Their conversations were mostly meaningless chatter, but it was enough to brighten Shen Yiqiu’s entire day.
However, these past two days, their exchanges had been minimal, returning to that earlier stage where she was eager, while Jiejie was distant and avoidant. Shen Yiqiu kept telling herself not to overthink things, after all, they were so far apart, she couldn’t see what was happening.
What if Jiejie was simply too busy, or too tired, lately?
She should be more mature, she couldn’t always expect Qin Qianrou to cater to her emotions, she should be more understanding and learn to dote on Jiejie instead.
Shen Yiqiu walked slowly, and by the time she reached the cafeteria, there were no empty seats left. She stood at the entrance, looking around, then turned to leave.
“Shen Yiqiu, why not come in?”
Zhang Meng had seen her from the classroom building and had intended to have lunch with her. Seeing her constantly looking down at her phone, assuming she was messaging Reporter Qin, she had discreetly kept her distance.
Shen Yiqiu, her spirits low, smiled politely. “It’s too crowded, I’m going to eat outside.”
Zhang Meng peeked inside, there must be several large lectures today, the cafeteria was packed, and the waiting time would be long.
“Then let’s go together.”
Shen Yiqiu didn’t mind and casually suggested a nearby restaurant, and they walked towards the university gate together.
Zhang Meng glanced at her a few times, seeing her lost in thought, she wanted to ask if something was wrong, but didn’t have a chance to.
After ordering their usual dishes, Shen Yiqiu stared blankly at her phone, her mood still low.
“What’s wrong with you today?” Zhang Meng finally couldn’t help but ask, Shen Yiqiu’s demeanor was worrying.
“Hmm? Nothing.” Shen Yiqiu gave her a reassuring smile.
But to Zhang Meng, the smile seemed forced.
Seeing her constantly looking at her phone, but the screen was dark, she wasn’t messaging anyone, a thought suddenly occurred to Zhang Meng, she had experience with this.
She carefully observed their surroundings, then asked softly, “Did you have a fight with Reporter Qin?”
Shen Yiqiu looked up, a mix of emotions flickering in her eyes.
Surprise, then anxiety, then sadness.
Zhang Meng smiled, “Don’t mind me, it was just a guess.”
Shen Yiqiu shook her head, sighing helplessly. “I don’t mind that, I’m just… confused.”
Seeing that she seemed to have something to say, Zhang Meng didn’t interrupt her, listening quietly.
Shen Yiqiu described Qin Qianrou’s recent change in behavior, her confusion evident.
“Senior, why do you think Jiejie is acting like this?”
Why… Zhang Meng didn’t know Qin Qianrou very well, their interactions limited, and from her few encounters, she had always thought Reporter Qin was a calm and composed person.
If she was suddenly acting differently, there must be a reason.
“I don’t know her very well, so it’s difficult for me to comment. But if it were me, suddenly acting like this, it would mean I’m unhappy.”
Shen Yiqiu was surprised, Unhappy?
But her confusion deepened.
“But nothing unusual happened, why would she suddenly be unhappy?”
Jiejie had said she had a team-building activity over the weekend, which had made Shen Yiqiu unhappy. But Jiejie hadn’t said anything more about it, she had tried to be mature and understanding, suppressing her longing and disappointment.
So why was Jiejie the one who seemed unhappy now?
Zhang Meng could only continue using herself as an example. “Gu Chao and I are like this sometimes, being long-distance, you don’t really know what the other person is going through. And just based on a few messages, it’s hard to tell their true mood.”
Shen Yiqiu frowned, that was so true. This was exactly how she felt, she thought she was being oversensitive and overthinking things, but she couldn’t ignore the evidence before her, constantly reminding her that her suspicions weren’t unfounded.
She bit her lip and asked desperately, “Then what should I do to confirm if she’s truly unhappy?” She paused, then added, “And also confirm if she’s angry with me?”
Her eagerness and concern confirmed Zhang Meng’s earlier suspicion, their relationship almost certain now. And from what Shen Yiqiu had said, it seemed they were in that uncertain stage between being together and not being together.
She had been through this with Gu Chao a few years ago.
Having experienced this herself, Zhang Meng didn’t hold back, sharing everything she knew.
“At a time like this, you have to quickly determine if it’s a misunderstanding or a real issue, you can’t let it fester and grow, otherwise, it’ll be even more troublesome later.”
Shen Yiqiu’s expression darkened upon hearing this.
Their food arrived quickly, the aroma filling the air, but Shen Yiqiu had no appetite.
Zhang Meng tapped her chopsticks on the table, signaling her to eat.
Shen Yiqiu responded listlessly, “I don’t have an appetite, you eat, Senior.”
Zhang Meng sighed, putting down her chopsticks, and said, counting on her fingers,
“I’m asking you to take photos of these dishes and send them to her.”
Shen Yiqiu looked at her, puzzled, but she still took out her phone and did as she was told.
“If you want to confirm whether she’s simply troubled by something, or if it’s directed at you, you have to find a way to continue the conversation.”
Those few meaningless messages they had exchanged these past two days wouldn’t reveal anything.
Shen Yiqiu finally understood, exclaiming, “Oh, oh, I see!” She quickly took photos of the dishes and sent them to Qin Qianrou.
[Jiejie, look, my lunch today.]
Five minutes passed, and Qin Qianrou didn’t reply.
She clutched her phone, waiting, and Zhang Meng put some food on her plate, telling her to eat while she waited.
“Be patient, don’t be so anxious.”
Although she said this, Zhang Meng knew she hadn’t been any calmer than Shen Yiqiu back then.
Whenever Gu Chao took more than five minutes to reply, she would be frantic, wanting to crawl through the phone screen and see what he was doing.
It was all because she cared too much.
“What if Jiejie thinks my messages are too boring and not worth replying to?”
Zhang Meng rolled her eyes and jokingly said, “Why don’t you send her a passage from your textbook and discuss it with her?”
Shen Yiqiu knew she was being teased, her cheeks flushing slightly, and she awkwardly picked up her chopsticks, forcing herself to eat a few bites.
Her phone lit up, and Shen Yiqiu quickly unlocked it, only to feel another pang of disappointment upon seeing the message.
She showed her phone to Zhang Meng.
[Looks good.]
Zhang Meng pursed her lips, it was indeed a rather cold response.
Before Shen Yiqiu could put her phone away, another message arrived.
[Eating out?]
Zhang Meng signaled her to read it quickly, and just as Shen Yiqiu was about to reply, Zhang Meng stopped her.
“Wait, don’t reply so quickly.”
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