That evening, in the girls' dormitory.
Lin Qinghe lay on her bed, talking on the phone with You Rong. She said weakly, "Why is time passing so slowly? It feels like ages have passed... but when I look at the calendar on my phone, you've only been gone for five days. There are still a full ten days until you come back..."
You Rong comforted her from the other end of the line, "I'll be back soon. Don't be unhappy."
"I'm not unhappy, I just miss you..."
You Rong was silent for two seconds, "...I miss you too."
Lin Qinghe checked the system's progress bar. It remained stationary, making her feel even more dejected.
Lin Qinghe said, "You Rong, I'll hang up and video call you. You sent me a video on the first day before you left, but for the past few days, we've only been on calls. I can't see you."
You Rong's voice became a little tense, "I... I'm still at the branch office. It's not convenient for video calls. Let's do it another day."
Lin Qinghe, unsuspecting, believed him. "Oh... okay then, we'll do it another day."
"Mm."
They chatted aimlessly for hours. Lin Qinghe grew drowsy, on the verge of sleep. Before drifting off, she heard You Rong ask again, "The me from before... would you really like me?"
Lin Qinghe's eyes were heavy with sleep, and she mumbled drowsily, "Yes, I would. I told you, no matter what kind of you it is, I like you... How many times have you asked this..."
With that, Lin Qinghe succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness and closed her eyes to sleep.
You Rong listened to the faint breathing sounds from the phone and said almost inaudibly, "...Really? You would really like the me from before?"
Lin Qinghe did not hear You Rong's words, so she naturally could not provide an answer.
The next morning.
Lin Qinghe had a good night's sleep. When she woke up and picked up her phone, she found that You Rong had not hung up the call from the previous night. She exclaimed in surprise, "You Rong? Are you still there? You didn't hang up all night?"
You Rong responded quickly from the other end of the line, letting out a soft "Mm."
Hearing the unusual tone in You Rong's voice, Lin Qinghe frowned deeply. "You didn't sleep all night, did you?"
"No, you forgot I'm abroad. There's a time difference. It's just getting dark here, and I was about to head back to the hotel from the branch office."
"I thought you didn't sleep all night..." Lin Qinghe realized belatedly and breathed a sigh of relief. "I have to go to class. You should rest early when you get back to the hotel. I'll try to call you in the morning from now on, so I don't delay your work over there."
"It's alright, it won't delay my work," You Rong said gravely. "I've arranged for breakfast to be sent downstairs to your dormitory. Make sure you eat before you go to class."
"I know, bye."
"Mm, bye."
After hanging up, Lin Qinghe vaguely recalled something You Rong had said before she fell asleep. She tried to think, but couldn't quite remember, so she decided not to dwell on it.
After all, the progress bar hadn't moved, so it was probably something unimportant.
Lin Qinghe washed up, ate the breakfast You Rong had sent, and went to her elective class. At noon, as she was leaving the classroom, she ran into Wen Qianyun.
Wen Qianyun beamed when she saw her. "Sister Qinghe, I knew you had class here, so I waited for you. Let's go out for hot pot together for lunch today! I know a really delicious hot pot place just outside the school gate!"
Lin Qinghe smiled slightly. "Okay! Let's go then!"
"Mm! Let's go now!"
They arrived at the hot pot restaurant outside the school gate. Lin Qinghe felt a little down and didn't have much appetite. Wen Qianyun did all the ordering, and fortunately, being girls, they understood each other's tastes, so the dishes she ordered were to Lin Qinghe's liking.
The two girls chatted while they ate.
"Sister Qinghe, look at you... Your Brother You Rong has only been gone for half a month, and you're missing him so much that you can't eat or sleep?" Wen Qianyun teased.
Lin Qinghe smiled, shook her head, and sighed, "...No, it's not."
Wen Qianyun blinked her eyes and said playfully, "What do you mean, no? I think it is. Don't be shy and refuse to admit it. I won't laugh at you."
Lin Qinghe smiled but said nothing.
She wasn't really feeling down because You Rong had been gone for half a month; it was the stagnant progress bar that was making her feel this way. But she couldn't explain it directly to Wen Qianyun, so she let it be.
As they talked, Wen Qianyun seemed to recall something. She frowned and murmured, "But there's something strange. Senior Xiao is back in the country. I went to their classroom today, and his classmates said Senior Xiao took leave again. It's really odd... The last time we bumped into him while shopping, he heard that Brother You Rong and Grandpa You went overseas, and he looked quite strange then..."
Lin Qinghe didn't pay much attention and casually replied, "Oh... is that so?"
-------------------------------------
The next afternoon, Lin Qinghe was in class, her mind wandering as she propped her chin on her hand. Suddenly, someone rushed in frantically, grabbed her hand, and said, "Qinghe! Hurry and come with me!"
Lin Qinghe was startled. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the person pulling her was Xiao Ziyi.
Lin Qinghe asked, utterly confused, "Xiao Ziyi, where are you dragging me?"
Just as they reached the classroom door, the teacher on the podium, looking displeased, tapped the blackboard. "Student, we are in class. What are you two doing pulling each other around like this!"
Xiao Ziyi glanced at Lin Qinghe, then at the teacher, and hastily said to the teacher, "Sorry, teacher. I have something important to discuss with Lin Qinghe. We'll be right back out!"
Without further explanation, Xiao Ziyi pulled Lin Qinghe along and ran. The teacher yelled furiously from behind, but he didn't stop.
Lin Qinghe was dragged out of the teaching building. She frowned at Xiao Ziyi and forcefully pulled her hand away, saying with displeasure, "Xiao Ziyi, what on earth are you doing? Where are you taking me? Tell me what's going on first!"
Xiao Ziyi turned back, looking frantic. "Oh my! How can I explain this? It's too much to say in a few words... In short, it's an urgent matter! And it concerns You Rong! Come with me first, and I'll explain when we get there!"
Hearing that it concerned You Rong, Lin Qinghe's heart skipped a beat.
"It's related to You Rong? What is it? Tell me clearly first!"
"It's too urgent. Let's get to the place first!"
Xiao Ziyi once again grabbed Lin Qinghe's hand without any further ado and pulled her forward.
Knowing it was about You Rong, Lin Qinghe didn't resist anymore. She followed Xiao Ziyi to the school gate, got into his car, and let him drive her away.
Along the way, Lin Qinghe felt uneasy in the car, worried that something had happened to You Rong.
Twenty minutes later, when Xiao Ziyi's car stopped at a hospital, Lin Qinghe's face changed.