Chapter 114: With You Along the Way

"I am the one who should be sorry. No matter what, I shouldn't have let you feel wronged, and I shouldn't have spoken so harshly to you. But your tongue is just too sharp, I—" Ren Jiaxuan looked down at her and smiled tenderly. "I just happen to like that sharp-tongued, mean-spirited side of you."

"But I don't like your overbearing, arrogant side. You can be mean to anyone else, but you cannot be mean to me. You can't bully me—if you bully me, I'll be sad, and I'm truly sad now." As Dong Yanyan spoke, she began to cry again. "You even made me angry by giving me someone else's leftovers. You're just awful!"

Seeing her cry, Ren Jiaxuan was taken aback, then chuckled as he wiped her tears away. "I didn't mean it, okay? How about you bully me from now on? Why are you such a crybaby? But you’ve made progress this time—you found the right shoulder to cry on. That hairclip was a complete misunderstanding; Dudu fooled me. She helped me pick out a gift for you, but I only realized later that she bought things she liked herself and kept them. I’m never trusting her again; she’s too deceptive."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his chest took a punch. "There’s a next time? If I ever see a next time, I’m dumping you on the spot!" Dong Yanyan said indignantly.

"Alright, alright. From now on, I’ll only be sincere with you and heartless to every other girl, deal?" Ren Jiaxuan laughed.

Hearing this, Dong Yanyan felt much better. She wiped her tears, took his hand, and smiled. "That’s more like it. Let’s head back."

Ren Jiaxuan glanced at his watch and smiled. "It’s past eight. We won't make it to evening study hall if we go back now. How about I treat you to coffee?"

"If we go for coffee now, when will we sleep tonight? Why don't we just stroll back? We can talk and look at the stars." She looked up at the night sky, where a full moon hung in the distance, and the little stars twinkled like blinking eyes. She was slightly lost in a trance, surprised that she could see such a clear sky amidst the neon lights of the city.

Ren Jiaxuan looked up too and realized there were indeed quite a few stars.

"Why don't we count them? Whoever counts the most wins," he suggested enthusiastically.

"Okay, okay!" Dong Yanyan gestured in the air with her hand, drawing a line. "The left side is yours, the right is mine! No crossing the line!"

"It's obvious you have more stars on your side!" Ren Jiaxuan laughed.

"But I gave you the moon! I don't have one on my side!" Dong Yanyan pouted.

"Fine! One moon counts as a hundred stars! I'm starting from one hundred and one!" Ren Jiaxuan pointed at the moon and joked.

Dong Yanyan quickly jumped up and covered his ears, shouting, "Don't point at the moon! Your ears will fall off!"

"You little rascal! You owe me ears, pay me back!" Ren Jiaxuan reached out to grab her ears, shouting playfully. Suddenly, he realized her face was so close to his. He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers. Dong Yanyan looked at his straight nose and felt a moment of panic, retreating slightly in shyness. He pulled her head closer, pressing his cheek against hers. Her face felt hot, and Dong Yanyan decisively grabbed his hair and pulled his head to the side.

Ren Jiaxuan pulled her hand away, pinched her nose, and laughed. "What’s the matter with you? Hey, who was it that said they liked an overbearing, bad-boy type—like those in Taiwanese romance novels—who would hug and force a kiss whenever they fought with the heroine? You were so infatuated and longing for it when you said that. I followed your orders, and what happens? You turn cold, and this round of punching and kicking almost ruined my face. Are you being reasonable?"

"Huh? Did I really say that?" Dong Yanyan scratched her head, embarrassed, and laughed weakly. "I thought it sounded beautiful in books, but it’s nothing like that in reality. It’s absolutely terrible! Sigh, it’s better not to believe in books at all."

"So, I’m just a failed experiment of yours? Am I really that bad? Such a handsome guy kisses you and you act like you’ve seen a ghost. Your taste is seriously flawed," Ren Jiaxuan feigned anger.

"Classmate, do you know how significant a first kiss is to a girl? Who wants to waste their first kiss in such a ghostly place? Art comes from life but is higher than life; you have to take the essence and discard the dross when putting it into practice," Dong Yanyan frowned in frustration. "It’s just that the 'higher than life' part is too hard to define."

"Girl, so your first kiss is still up for grabs? Tsk tsk, you should have said so earlier. I have plenty of experience. Since tonight is so beautiful, let me teach you properly." Ren Jiaxuan put his arm around her shoulders and pinched her cheek playfully.

Dong Yanyan laughed, "You have plenty of experience, huh? Where did all that experience come from? Tell me."

"I think there's no need to bring up the past. I’ve had girlfriends before, but once we broke up, it had nothing to do with us. From now on, I only like you," Ren Jiaxuan vowed earnestly.

Dong Yanyan nodded. "That makes sense. Your past has nothing to do with me, but from now on, you belong to me. No flirting with others, you hear me?"

"Don't worry, you alone are more than I can handle. I won't go looking for trouble," Ren Jiaxuan said, looking at her with doting eyes.

Xu Cheng had said that too, and Dong Yanyan felt a brief moment of detachment.

"I know I’m being a bit dramatic, but I can't help it. My nature is still very kind, right?" She muttered, looking down.

"Not just kind, but also beautiful," Ren Jiaxuan smiled tenderly, holding her hand as they walked forward. The distance of several bus stops took them over an hour to walk as they laughed and talked. When they reached the phone booth by the school gate, Ren Jiaxuan had a sudden idea to call the radio station to request a song. "Lin Lan’s program is on right now. I’ll request a song for you. Which one do you want to hear?" He leaned against the booth, picked up the phone, and pulled her close.

Dong Yanyan was feeling cold, so she tucked her hands into his down jacket and stomped her feet, laughing. "Why request a song? You should just sing to me directly. You sing so well."

"It’s not the same. It’s more exciting to sing for you on the show," Ren Jiaxuan laughed.

"Lin Lan’s program is so popular, will we even get through?"

"Let's try. At worst, we just keep calling."

The two began dialing frantically on the phone!

...A few minutes later.

"It went through! It went through!" Ren Jiaxuan shouted excitedly.

Lin Lan’s soft, beautiful voice came through the receiver. "Hello, listener. Which song would you like to request?"

"Hello, Sister Lin Lan. I’d like to sing a song for my girlfriend," Ren Jiaxuan said in a standard broadcasting voice, enunciating every word clearly.

There was a pause on the other end, then Lin Lan chuckled, "This classmate's voice sounds familiar—"

"Yes, I’m the one who sang 'Baby, I'm Sorry' last time," Ren Jiaxuan immediately picked up the thread.

"Oh? What would you like to sing this time?" Lin Lan asked.

"Jacky Cheung’s 'With You All the Way'."

Lin Lan laughed on the other end. "Classmate Ren, have you smoothed things over with your girlfriend?"

Ren Jiaxuan glanced at Dong Yanyan, and they both smiled. "She’s right here beside me, looking at the stars."

"Do you know? Loving you isn't easy; it takes a lot of courage. It must be fate; there are so many things I can't say for fear you can't bear the weight. Do you believe it? Meeting you in this life is a debt I owe you from the last..."

"Ren Jiaxuan sings quite well, don't you think?"

In Dorm 503, Song Mingcheng placed the radio on the table and looked at Lin Feng, who was sitting across from him, with a mocking smile.

Lin Feng put down his book and raised his lips in a faint smile. "You aren't jealous, so why should I be in a hurry?"

Song Mingcheng frowned slightly and said calmly, "She was good to me for ten years. During my lonely struggles, a single phone call or a word of concern from her often left me overwhelmed with emotion. Like you, she treats caring for others as a habit or a small, effortless gesture. Sometimes she isn't even aware of it herself. Perhaps if I put it this way, you might slightly understand the 'friendship as pure as water' between us. If I were going to fall for her, I would have done it long ago. Do you really think it would have been your turn?"

Lin Feng sighed, his brows furrowed as he gave a bitter smile. "I understand what you're saying. But what I don't understand is, what exactly gives you such a deep misunderstanding of me? Why have you tried so hard to stop me from getting close to her?"

"Intuition," Song Mingcheng answered crisply. No sooner had he finished than Lin Feng reached across the table, grabbed his collar, and swung a heavy punch. "Song Mingcheng, I treated you like a brother!"

Song Mingcheng felt a sharp pain in his face and a blur in his vision, catching a glimpse of Lin Feng’s furious face in his daze.

Lies always come with a price.

"It's too cold! It's too cold! The dorm is much warmer!" Dong Yanyan ran back to the dormitory covered in a chill and grabbed Leng Yue’s hand, refusing to let go. Such warm, soft, and delicate hands—she didn't want to let go once she held them.

Leng Yue laughed, shivering slightly. "Fifth, are you trying to freeze me to death? I spent all day helping you make up excuses; I was so annoyed! Next time you’re late, call me first, or how would anyone know where you died?"

"I knew you’d help me get an excuse. Which teacher was checking the study hall today?" Dong Yanyan leaned against her, laughing, which made Leng Yue sneeze loudly.

Tian Tian ran down from the upper bunk in a rush. As soon as she entered, she said, "Sister Xiao Wu, we heard Ren Jiaxuan singing to you earlier. That was quite romantic!"

Dong Yanyan smiled without saying a word. It was romantic, but it was also freezing. After walking outside for over an hour, she felt like she had frozen solid; even this damp, cold dormitory felt warm now.

"That's for sure. Fifth is so capable, having so many boys revolving around her. Don't you feel a great sense of accomplishment?" Liu Ying said from the upper bunk.

A thick scent of jealousy filled the air. Dong Yanyan looked up at her and smiled. "I don't have the heart to make everyone revolve around me. You have to eat one bite at a time, and date one handsome guy at a time. If you have too many, you’ll choke. Right, Tian Tian?"

Tian Tian nodded. "That makes sense."