"Today's date went so nicely, isn't it? Did you enjoy it or not?" I asked him.
He stared at me for a second and then, while looking at the road, he said, "Of course. Today you scared me half to death."
"Ooo please, Yuan. Did you literally cry for me? I haven't imagined that," I said.
He stopped the car in front of my dormitory, looked at me, and after a pause of a few seconds said, "What do you think about me?"
"What? I mean, I was just—" I said.
"No, just tell me. What do you think about me?" he asked again.
"Yuan, I was just asking you because—" I said halfway, then he added, "Because you think that only you can love me wholeheartedly, not me?"
"No, no, it's not like that, Yuan. You're getting me wrong," I said.
"Just because you loved me when we didn't even meet each other, does that mean your love for me is bigger than the love I hold for you?" he said while looking at me, tears forming in his eyes. He was about to cry.
I immediately cupped his face with both my hands and said, "No, no, Yuan. I didn't mean that. I know love is love. For a few, it happens earlier, and for a few, it happens later. But that doesn't mean the other person's love is less."
"You don't know what I felt today. I know you are finding it a bit strange—how can I love you this much in just a few days? But trust me, silly girl, you made me madly in love with you. Madly. I know for you it's hard to believe that we have just come into a relationship and I am crying like this for you. Sometimes I know you doubt me," he said.
"No, no, Yuan. Never ever," I said.
"No, don't lie. I know. I know because I can feel that you feel it a bit strange. I know you didn't say it, but you feel it," he said and started crying.
"You crybaby. I didn't want to end our date like this. I really don't want others to think that a girlfriend makes her boyfriend cry like this. They all will accuse me—look, such a handsome boy is crying at midnight because of me," I said.
Then he hugged me suddenly.
I tapped his back with my hands to calm him and said, "Relax, Yuan. Relax."
Then he broke the hug, looked at me, and asked the most painful question of my life.
"Silly girl, tell me… in all those years, I really can't even imagine how you survived the pain of a love which has no future, no possibility to be together."
That hit the part of my heart I was holding back for so long. I moved my eyes away from him and said, "Yuan, please don't ask about it. Those days… those days were hopeless days with never-ending dark nights."
"I want to know. Please, let me," he said in that comforting tone of his that made my tears run out completely.
I was about to wipe my tears with my hands, but he suddenly held my hands and said while looking into my eyes, "These are my tears. All these years, they lived inside your eyes because of me. Now let me remove these tears from you."
Then he slowly kissed my cheeks—one side, then the other.
"This is my repayment for your tears for all those years," he said while looking at me.
I smiled faintly through my tears and said, "That's it, Yuan. Now let me go. I need to attend early morning classes tomorrow."
He held my wrist and said, "What if I say don't leave? Will you still leave me?"
I smiled, pressed my forehead to his, and said, "I am not leaving you. Even after leaving, I'll always remain in your heart. I haven't left you."
He shut his eyes tightly, hugged me immediately, and said, "Just stay a little longer with me. Just stay a little longer with me."
"Yuan, I am not going anywhere. We'll meet the day after tomorrow."
"But why… why do these three days feel like three decades without you? Three long, never-ending decades," he repeated.
"Yuan," I said while breaking the hug, "now I am going. Otherwise, if I stay a little longer, I know you'll cry more and won't let me leave."
I immediately came out of the car, closed the door, waved at him through the car window, and said bye-bye. Then I started moving inside my dorm gate, but from behind he said, "Little bunny, you are forgetting something."
I turned around and smiled. "Of course—my heart for you."
He smiled back, came out of the car, and said, "Unfortunately, it's not that."
"So what?" I asked him shockingly.
He raised one hand and showed me the ice-cream packet he was holding.
"Ooo nooo—her ice cream!" I said.
"Yes. If you forget this, then my little bunny won't be able to enter the room today," he said while laughing slightly.
"Thank you, you saved me tonight," I said while taking back the ice cream from his hands.
Then he bent down slightly, removed his coat, wrapped it around my waist, tied it, and tucked it in.
I asked him astonishingly, "Why this?"
He looked at me and said, "Your dress is a bit short. I don't like anyone seeing my girl like this."
I chuckled and said, "Too possessive."
"Only for you," he replied with a smile.
"Done with your artwork?" I asked.
"Hmm, done," he said.
Then he stood up and said, "Good night. Take care of my girlfriend, otherwise I'll make you face the consequences."
"Okay, okay. I'll take care of your girlfriend," I said and went inside my dorm happily.
The moment I reached the dorm, I knocked on the door and said, "Wang Ruoxi, are you awake?"
She opened the door halfway and said, "Why should I open it?"
"Okay, then don't open it. Let it melt," I said.
She immediately opened the door fully and asked, "What did you bring that is melting?"
I entered the room and handed her the ice-cream packet. She looked inside it and said in a louder voice, "Woow! Chocolate choco-chip ice cream!"
I immediately placed my hand on her mouth and said, "Relax, Wang Ruoxi. Your excitement will make people wake up at midnight."
"Sorry, sorry," she said.
"It's okay," I said.
She started eating her ice cream. "This is heaven—Shanghai's winters with ice cream. It's a deadly combination."
I smiled at her.
"Zhao Shiza, come here," she asked.
I went to her and asked, "What?"
"Sit with me," she said.
I sat beside her and said, "Say whatever you want fast because I am too tired. Tomorrow we have early morning classes, and it's already 10 p.m."
"Okay, okay, I know," she said. "We won't get late for classes tomorrow. Leave this for a while and tell me what happened today."
"Nothing. We went on a date, ate food, did some chit-chatting, and ended it with the sweetness of ice cream," I said.
"Just this?" she said in a quiet, disappointed tone.
"What else are you expecting?" I asked.
"Nothing. I was expecting something interesting, but leave it," she said dramatically while eating.
"I know you, Wang Ruoxi. I know you pretty well," I said.
"Clear your thoughts. I'm going to get fresh," I said, and she completed my sentence, "Because tomorrow we have early classes in the morning, right?"
"Good girl," I said and went to get fresh, while she continued eating her ice cream happily.
Meanwhile, Yuan was driving back home, saying to himself, "Today they dared to see what's mine. They made me feel so helpless. Because of them, I behaved so foolishly with her."
Then a flashback hit him—when I went to pay the ice-cream bill and pack Wang Ruoxi's ice cream, and he was sitting at the table. He was staring at a group of boys.
"This white girl's dress is so pretty," one boy said.
"Yes, she is," another replied.
"But I think she came here with her boyfriend," one said.
"It doesn't matter. Let me ask her WeChat," another said.
Yuan listened with rising anger. He stood up, tapped their table, said, "Come outside," and walked out of the ice-cream parlour.
The boys felt awkward but followed him.
Yuan turned around, eyes red with rage, and said, "The girl you were talking about is my girlfriend. This is your first and last verbal warning. Don't talk like that about her. If you do again, nothing will remain verbal."
"Sorry, sir. We are not goons. We are reputed people working in respective offices. We were just trying to find a girl for our friend. We didn't mean any harm," they said, bowing their heads.
One of them said, "Sir, aren't you the superstar celebrity Xu Yuan?"
"That has nothing to do with you. Mind your own business," he said coldly.
They apologized again and left.
The flashback ended.
"Today those people scared me to death and overpowered my emotions. I don't know what she is thinking about me right now," he said while driving.
Meanwhile, I was lying on my bed, scrolling Weibo after getting fresh, when I saw an old video of Yuan with his ex-girlfriend—him crying for her, and photos of her staring at him during a photoshoot.
I threw my phone on the bed and went to the restroom again.
Wang Ruoxi immediately asked, "What happened, Zhao Shiza? You just came out and went back in. Did you eat too much?"
I started brushing my teeth very hard and threw the toothpaste tube at Wang Ruoxi.
"What is this behaviour, Zhao Shiza? So violent at midnight. Who made you mad?" she asked while entering the washroom halfway.
"Stop brushing so hard. It looks like you're fighting a battle with your teeth," she said.
But my mind wasn't listening. That old video kept playing in my head, and I kept brushing harshly, releasing my frustration.
Wang Ruoxi texted Yuan: Your girlfriend has gone mad at midnight.
Yuan stopped his car immediately, read the message, and called her.
"Hello, Wang Ruoxi. Is she okay? What happened?" he asked worriedly.
"Nothing much. Your girlfriend is mad about something—probably related to you," she said.
"Related to me?" he asked.
"Yes. No one affects her like you do," she said.
He sighed. "But what made her mad?"
"She was scrolling her phone earlier. Maybe she saw photos or videos of you with other girls. Now she's fighting a war with her toothbrush," she said.
He laughed lightly. "Tell her I don't want a girlfriend without teeth."
The call was on speaker. I heard it and threw the face-wash tube at Wang Ruoxi.
"She's getting more violent. Probably jealousy. I'm hanging up now," Wang Ruoxi said and cut the call.
Meanwhile, Yuan reached home, laughed to himself, and said, "You are too cute in anger, Miss Little Cutie. New personality trait added."
He chuckled and lay down on the sofa...