After parting ways with Han Ye, Qin Qiaoxia returned to her dormitory.
The dorm was a four-person room, shared by her and three other girls. Two of her roommates were the same classmates who had seen Han Ye with her at the school gate.
When Liu Wenli saw her come back, she immediately went over and asked, “Qiao Xia, you’re back so early?”
Qin Qiaoxia nodded. “It’s already getting dark. He told me to come back early.”
Han Ye had probably been taking care of Qin Qiao’an, his little brother, since childhood. Then, after moving to Wencheng for middle school, he not only had Qin Qiao’an to look after, but also gained a little Xiaxia.
So although Han Ye had been an only child, he had worried like a mother hen ever since he was young.
That had made him more steady and mature. Whenever he dealt with his younger siblings, he sometimes seemed to channel Qiao Lanshu, declaring that this was not allowed and that was not allowed.
He had been quite happy to see Xiaxia today, but before the sun had even set, he had hurriedly insisted on taking her back to school, saying that it was getting dark and girls shouldn’t stay outside. He told her to hurry back to the dormitory and stay there.
Thinking of that, Xiaxia found it rather amusing.
When Liu Wenli heard this, she said enviously, “That’s so nice, Xiaxia. I’m really jealous that you have such a wonderful big brother.”
Xiaxia thought to herself that she actually had two such wonderful brothers. Qin Qiao’an was very good to her too.
But she didn’t say that. Although she and Liu Wenli had gotten along fairly well over the past few days, they weren’t close enough yet to exchange their entire family histories.
Liu Wenli was also a northern girl, with a straightforward personality. She didn’t bother beating around the bush. Instead, she hugged Xiaxia’s arm and asked with a grin, “Qiao Xia, does your brother have a girlfriend?”
Xiaxia: “...”
Xiaxia stared at her in surprise. “Wenli, you...”
Liu Wenli smiled shyly and leaned close to her ear. “I think your brother is great. He’s exactly my type. I heard he’s serving in the military—is that true? He’s so attractive. I really like men like him.”
Then Liu Wenli continued, “What do you think of me? If he’s single, do you think he’d like someone like me?”
Liu Wenli was tall and slender, with delicate features and a frank, outspoken personality. She was the kind of person most people found easy to like.
Qin Qiaoxia, on the other hand, was more reserved and quiet, so she particularly liked Liu Wenli’s outgoing, straightforward nature.
Now, hearing what Liu Wenli had said, she fell silent for a moment.
To be honest, Han Ye treated her very well—but it was the kind of affection an older brother had for his younger sister. She could feel that clearly.
Han Ye was six years older than her and was twenty-four this year. Yet she had never heard of him having a girlfriend.
He hadn’t dated anyone while attending military college.
Now that he spent every day at his unit, there was even less chance of hearing about him dating anyone.
Still, he was a company commander, and apparently some of his superiors had tried to introduce him to women. As far as she knew, none of those arrangements had worked out.
Liu Wenli grabbed Xiaxia by the shoulders and shook her. “Oh, Qin Qiaoxia, say something! I’m dying of curiosity over here!”
Qin Qiaoxia scratched her head and hesitated before saying, “I think he’s probably single right now.”
Liu Wenli asked doubtfully, “Probably? Doesn’t he tell his family anything?”
Qin Qiaoxia explained, “He isn’t my biological brother. Um... how should I put this? You can think of him as my mother’s godson. I don’t actually know all that much about his situation, but judging from the way he acts, I think he’s single.”
Han Ye was such a clueless, utterly straight-laced man that even if a girl liked him, he probably wouldn’t notice.
After hearing Qin Qiaoxia’s explanation, Liu Wenli suddenly understood. “I knew it! You two don’t look alike at all. You definitely don’t look like real siblings.”
But Liu Wenli remained determined. She really liked Han Ye, and there weren’t many men with his bearing and presence.
She said, “Could you ask him for me? He saw me today, didn’t he? Ask him whether he likes my type. If he doesn’t, that’s fine. I just want to know. Maybe he does like someone like me, right?”
Liu Wenli had only seen Han Ye once, but she had immediately felt that not only was he handsome, his imposing presence was also incredibly attractive.
So she wanted to give it a shot.
After all, she was a university student from a prestigious school, and her own qualifications weren’t bad either.
She added, “It’s okay if it doesn’t work out. I just want to ask. If I don’t, I’ll never be satisfied.”
Hearing this, Qin Qiaoxia smiled and nodded. “All right. I’ll ask him the next time my brother comes.”
After thinking for a moment, she added, “Actually, forget that. Next time, I can take you to meet him yourself.”
Liu Wenli immediately brightened. “Then it’s a promise! To thank you, I’ll treat you to lunch tomorrow.”
Their relationship grew much closer in an instant. Liu Wenli was open and carefree, and she pulled Qin Qiaoxia along as they chatted. Most of the conversation, naturally, was about Han Ye.
Han Ye had no idea that after meeting her only once, one of Xiaxia’s classmates had already taken a liking to him.
But his fellow soldiers had been clamoring to see a picture of his little sister, which had left him annoyed for quite some time.
He had originally planned to take Qin Qiaoxia around his military base.
Now, that was out of the question. He decided Xiaxia couldn’t come to the base after all. There were too many men there—and men, after all, were no good.
...
About ten days after Qin Qiaoxia began university, someone came to see her again.
This time, the visitor didn’t have her phone number. Instead, he registered at the guard station by the university gate and asked someone to locate Xiaxia for him.
When Xiaxia arrived at the guard station, she saw Zhou Dingwen waiting there. He was dressed in civilian clothes and wearing glasses.
Qin Qiaoxia had heard Han Ye mention that Zhou Dingwen intended to visit her.
She hadn’t expected him to come so soon.
Several years had passed since they’d last seen each other, and Zhou Dingwen had changed considerably. He was studying engineering, and his entire demeanor was different from before.
He looked more refined and scholarly now.
Zhou Dingwen pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked Xiaxia up and down a few times before smiling. “Xiaxia, it’s been several years. You’re a university student now.”
Qin Qiaoxia felt a little embarrassed. “Brother Dingwen, when did you arrive?”
Carrying a bag, Zhou Dingwen followed Qin Qiaoxia out of the guard station. “I just got here. I heard you were studying here, so I thought I’d come see you first.”
All Qin Qiaoxia could say was, “Thank you for coming to see me, Brother Dingwen.”
After that came an awkward silence.
Qin Qiaoxia didn’t know what to say to Zhou Dingwen.
She more or less understood what he meant, but she didn’t know how to respond.
After all, she and Zhou Dingwen had grown up together. She had always thought of him as the older boy next door and had never felt anything more.
Zhou Dingwen, however, was very considerate and maintained a proper distance from her. He had even brought her a gift.
Over the past few years, Zhou Dingwen had been living in the south and rarely returned to Wencheng, so they hadn’t even seen each other during the New Year holidays.
This time, he had come to the capital and visited her at the first opportunity.
She had to admit that Xiaxia was touched.
Zhou Dingwen took a box of pastries from his bag and handed it to Xiaxia. “I heard these pastries are pretty good. There are several flavors in the box, and women seem to like them, so I bought one for you. Take it home and try them.”
Xiaxia had loved sweets ever since she was little, so she was quite happy to see the box of pastries.
She didn’t stand on ceremony with Zhou Dingwen. Taking the box from him, she said, “Thank you, Brother Dingwen.”
After a brief pause, she asked, “By the way, Brother Dingwen, did you pass through Wencheng on your way back this time?”
Zhou Dingwen shook his head. “No. But once I finish this assignment, I’ll have one day off. I’ll go home for a visit then.”
This mission had not originally been assigned to him. He had not been home in several years, and since the route would take him through Wencheng, he had requested the assignment from his superiors.
He really had been missing home. Of course, he also wanted to come and see Qin Qiaoxia.
After all, he had heard that Xiaxia was now in college and had already turned eighteen. Many people started dating once they went to college. What if Xiaxia had already found someone? Wouldn’t he miss his chance then?
Qin Qiaoxia asked him again, “Brother Ye told me before that you would go see him this time. Are you heading to the military base now?”
After arriving, Zhou Dingwen had gone straight to see Xiaxia. He had not yet visited Han Ye.
So he hesitated for a moment before saying, “Xiaxia, we haven’t seen each other in so many years. I came all this way especially to see you, and you’re not even going to treat me to a meal?”
Qin Qiaoxia felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly said, “Oh, right! Brother Dingwen, let’s go eat first.”
Fortunately, Han Ye had taken her around the area before, so she knew her way around now.
She led Zhou Dingwen to the restaurant they had visited last time, and the two of them had a meal together.
Zhou Dingwen kept looking as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to say it.
After they finished eating, Zhou Dingwen felt too embarrassed to stay any longer, so he went to find Han Ye first.
They agreed that a few days later, he would come back with Han Ye to see Xiaxia.
……
On the day they had arranged to meet, Qin Qiaoxia remembered what her roommate Liu Wenli had said before and brought her along.
That day, the four young people met beside the lake.
Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen came together, while Qin Qiaoxia brought Liu Wenli.
Han Ye had met Liu Wenli once before and knew she was Qin Qiaoxia’s classmate, so he greeted her warmly. “Hello. We meet again.”
Liu Wenli nodded somewhat shyly, then took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. “Big Brother Han, are you usually busy at the military base?”
Han Ye nodded. “Of course I am.”
As he spoke, he asked Qin Qiaoxia, “Xia’er, do you want to go boating? There are boats over there.”
The lake in the park was very large, and since it was the weekend, many young people were out rowing on it.
Zhou Dingwen glanced at the lake and suddenly said, “They’re all small boats meant for two people. Xiaxia, do you know how to row? Would you like me to take you?”
As he spoke, Zhou Dingwen glanced at Liu Wenli, who was standing beside Han Ye.
Qin Qiaoxia also looked at Liu Wenli and Han Ye. Liu Wenli had been winking at her repeatedly.
Qin Qiaoxia knew that Liu Wenli wanted to spend some time alone with Han Ye. She must have something she wanted to say to him.
So, before Han Ye could say anything, Qin Qiaoxia nodded and said, “Then let’s go boating, Brother Dingwen.”
The moment he heard her agree, Zhou Dingwen’s eyes lit up, and he immediately brightened.
He had finished his assignment over the past few days and was preparing to leave by train.
Before leaving, he really wanted to say a few things to Qin Qiaoxia. No matter what happened, he had to tell Xiaxia how he felt. Otherwise, wouldn’t this trip have been for nothing?
So Zhou Dingwen quickly said, “All right, let’s go. I’ll take you rowing. Let me tell you, I’m a real expert. I practiced rowing in the army.”
Watching the two of them leave, Han Ye quickly called out, “Hey, you two—wait, Zhou Dingwen, be careful! Don’t row toward the middle of the lake. The water’s deep there. It’s dangerous!”
