Lin Zeqiu asked a series of questions as soon as he opened his mouth: "Are you busy with your studies? Are you tired? Have you had breakfast?"
Lin Zhixia felt a little nervous.
She and Jiang Yubai slept in the same bed again last night. To be honest, she slept very soundly and comfortably, and had sweet dreams all night. Before going to bed, the story she made up for Jiang Yubai probably soothed him, and he seemed to be in a good mood this morning.
Lin Zhixia's mind was full of Jiang Yubai, but she was still able to play tricks without any leaks: "Brother, my tutor helped me contact the editor of the journal. I am now a reviewer of the journal. I am a little busy these two days, but I don't feel tired at all. I study every day, and my life is very fulfilling."
After listening to his sister's words, Lin Zeqiu praised her and said, "That's good."
He paused and continued, "I found an internship this semester. If you don't have enough money, just tell me. If you find it tiring to cook for yourself, don't do it. Just go to a restaurant outside."
It turned out that Lin Zeqiu called her to talk to her about this matter.
Lin Zhixia was stunned for two seconds before she replied, "Brother, you can keep the money you earn for yourself."
"I don't have any money to spend," Lin Zeqiu said without hesitation, "Everything you buy abroad is expensive."
Lin Zhixia found that Lin Zeqiu was becoming more and more virtuous and gentle, and he was no longer as angry with her as he was when they were young. A person's growth seems to be completed unconsciously. Lin Zhixia felt a little subtle. She whispered, "You don't have to worry about me. I'm doing well and I have enough money..."
Lin Zeqiu was walking on a sidewalk while listening to his sister's talk. The afternoon sun was shining all over him. He had no classes this afternoon, so he was going to the company for an internship. The monthly salary during the internship was 3,100 yuan, plus a housing allowance of 1,000 yuan, a total of 4,100 yuan.
Lin Zeqiu's living expenses are very low, and he can save at least 3,000 yuan every month. He is down-to-earth, hardworking, responsible, and often works until 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. His leaders and colleagues all praise him. He plans to work until the end of the year, save up 10,000 yuan, and then buy Lin Zhixia a plane ticket to fly back to the provincial capital for the New Year. Her parents miss her very much.
The family hasn't been together for a long time.
Lin Zhixia and he have a tacit understanding.
Lin Zhixia revealed to him: "Next year during the Spring Festival, I want to go home."
Lin Zeqiu said: "I will buy you a plane ticket when the time comes."
Lin Zeqiu slowed down his pace, walked up the stairs, and walked into the building of an Internet company. After confirming that Lin Zhixia was safe, he casually said, "Okay, I'm going to be busy. Let's talk at the end of the month."
Lin Zhixia readily agreed: "Okay, goodbye, brother."
Jiang Yubai thought the call was over. He asked her very gently and considerately, "What do you want to eat in the morning?"
As luck would have it, Lin Zeqiu heard Jiang Yubai's voice.
Lin Zeqiu thought the voice was quite nice and familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was. He asked seriously, "Lin Zhixia, are you in the dormitory?"
Lin Zhixia's brain was working at high speed. In a flash, she decided to use a made-up story to fool her brother. In her brother's eyes, Lin Zhixia had not grown up yet. If her brother knew the truth, that she and Jiang Yubai lived in the same room and slept in the same bed, he would be so angry that he would explode on the spot.
In order to prevent her brother from getting angry, Lin Zhixia calmly explained, "Brother, I've told you that the dormitories in our school are co-ed and the kitchen is shared. I ran into a classmate in the kitchen and he asked me what I wanted to eat in the morning. This is our way of greeting each other."
Lin Zeqiu thought about it for a moment and believed it.
He also said: "The dormitory is mixed with both sexes... Don't let boys into your room."
Lin Zhixia said very sensibly: "Okay, I will protect myself!"
Only then did Lin Zeqiu say "goodbye" to her and hung up the phone.
Hearing the beep from her phone, Lin Zhixia felt relieved. Lin Zeqiu was really easy to fool, and she managed to get away with it with just a few words.
So far, Lin Zhixia has not told her family that she has a boyfriend. She plans to wait until next Spring Festival to tell her parents the truth. She also asked Jiang Yubai: "Have your parents heard that you have a girlfriend?"
Jiang Yubai was very frank: "My whole family knows about it."
Lin Zhixia was extremely surprised: "When did it happen?"
Jiang Yubai flipped through a breakfast menu. He handed it to Lin Zhixia and said, "Last September, before I came to school, I talked about our relationship at home."
At that time, Jiang Yubai also said that Lin Zhixia was going to come to Cambridge to study for a doctorate, and he could take care of her.
Jiang Yubai's uncle congratulated him, praised him for his promising future, and said that he had long guessed that he and Lin Zhixia would definitely be a couple when they grew up. Jiang Yubai's mother didn't say anything, but his father taught him to be responsible for his feelings. His family members basically looked prepared, as if everything was expected.
That morning, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai had a hearty breakfast in the room.
After dinner, Lin Zhixia went to the study with her laptop.
She spread out Han Guang's paper and reviewed it line by line. Han Guang's research direction was very novel, and he cited more than a dozen papers that Lin Zhixia had never read.
So, Lin Zhixia found those papers in the school's electronic library and read through them very carefully. She read papers very quickly and her thinking method was also very special. She could understand the meaning of a lot of theorems, propositions and annotations by circling her fingertips on the screen a few times.
Lin Zhixia's reading speed of the paper may be ten times faster than Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai felt that he could play the role of a sports student in front of Lin Zhixia. He was silently writing his economics homework, listing a long list of mathematical expressions, and Lin Zhixia came over, glanced at his manuscript, and exclaimed: "Your basic skills are so solid!"
After saying that, she gave him a kiss on the face.
Jiang Yubai's homework efficiency has become higher.
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai stayed in the study room to study all day on Saturday. Even though there were beautiful mountains, rivers and scenery outside the window, they were calm.
Lin Zhixia's review work is nearing completion. She found many problems - Han Guang's experimental data is not sufficient, and the calculation model is not accurate enough. In other words, Han Guang must do additional experiments and change the calculation model.
Lin Zhixia opened latex (paper typesetting system) and wrote down her review comments in detail. She uploaded the document as an attachment and sent it to Han Guang via the school email. After finishing these things, she stood up and stretched.
Jiang Yubai had just finished his homework.
At that time, the afterglow of the setting sun was dim, and the sunset glow spread across the vast lake like colorful satin. Lin Zhixia looked into the distance, and the magnificent scene made her feel more peaceful. She suggested, "Let's go take a hot spring bath."
Before Jiang Yubai could say anything, Lin Zhixia said, "I brought a swimsuit, what about you?"
Of course Jiang Yubai also brought a swimsuit.
Lin Zhixia once said that she wanted to see Jiang Yubai wearing a swimsuit.
This day has finally arrived.
Seeing that Jiang Yubai did not refuse, Lin Zhixia felt excited and solemn, as if she was going to exchange something important with Jiang Yubai. She quickly ran into the bedroom, found her swimsuit, put it on without hesitation, and looked at herself in a mirror for a while.
It was a light coral pink swimsuit with a very low collar, showing that her breasts were well developed. The thin strings on the back were tied into a bow - as long as the strings were pulled, the swimsuit would loosen, but Lin Zhixia believed that Jiang Yubai would definitely not pull her bow.
Lin Zhixia, wearing this swimsuit, walked slowly towards the hot spring pool with a hint of shyness.
Warm steam rose like smoke and fog, spreading endlessly. Jiang Yubai sat in the rippling spring pool and heard Lin Zhixia's sweet voice: "I'm here."
He raised his head slightly and met her gaze.
His Adam's apple rolled twice in succession, and he stretched out a hand towards her: "Xia Xia, come here."
The spring water overflowed the steps. Lin Zhixia held the handrail and walked down step by step, creating circle after circle of clear ripples.
The water level slowly rose along her legs, finally reaching her waist. She walked barefoot on the marble bottom of the pool, cautiously walking towards Jiang Yubai as if walking on thin ice.
She held Jiang Yubai's hand tightly.
The pool was deeper than she had imagined, so she needed to find a stable support point—Jiang Yubai was her first choice.
Jiang Yubai gently put his arm around her back, and their skin, wet with water, felt different than before. She leaned into his arms, her full chest pressed against him, causing Jiang Yubai to turn his head and take another deep breath.
This scene before his eyes had never appeared in his dreams.
In other words, he wouldn't even dare to dream of it.
There was a bench in the inner circle of the pool. Jiang Yubai sat on the chair, holding Lin Zhixia tightly with his right hand. The warm water washed away his subconscious. He became more and more restless, and his fingertips hooked a thin rope again.
Lin Zhixia seemed to have some feelings.
She reminded him, "I have a bow on my back, don't pull the string or my swimsuit will fall off."
Jiang Yubai uttered "hmm" in a low, hoarse voice.
Lin Zhixia relaxed her whole body and leaned against him lazily.
The steaming hot spring water swept away her fatigue and exhaustion.
Jiang Yubai's embrace provided her with a sufficient sense of security as always. She felt comfortable and relaxed, and every part of her body was enjoying the comfort. It turned out that the legendary "hot spring bathing" was such a comfortable and pleasant thing. No wonder there are all kinds of hot spring baths all over the world.
Lin Zhixia sat sideways on the stone chair, stretched out her long legs, wrapped her snow-white arms around Jiang Yubai's neck, and stared at his collarbone. She used her index finger to carefully trace the shape of his bones, as if she was studying an unfamiliar treasure.
Jiang Yubai leaned against the pool wall with his head tilted back, his blood burning fiercely.
He was almost going crazy, really just a little bit. His remaining rationality forced himself to warn her in a serious tone: "Sit down..."
He said, "If you keep going, I might pull your bow."
Lin Zhixia's eyes were clear and sparkling.
What she had just done seemed like an innocent prank, but also a punishment for his inextricable evil intentions.
However, she defended herself by saying, "Can't I touch you?"
Her grievance seemed vague.
Jiang Yubai quickly coaxed her: "You can touch it as you like..."
"No," Lin Zhixia frowned slightly, "You will untie my bow."
Jiang Yubai lied: "No, I haven't thought about it that way."
Lin Zhixia looked at him and smiled: "Really?"
Jiang Yubai suspected that she knew everything and could guess everything. She was just constantly challenging his determination and endurance. This assumption made his heart burn fiercely, and he said frankly: "In my mind, I have torn that rope hundreds of times."
Lin Zhixia blinked her watery eyes.
Jiang Yubai completely fell into the filthy swamp. He described those dirty thoughts to her word by word: "The rope is torn, and the belt is still hanging on your shoulder..." His eyes swept across her shoulders and chest: "Guess what I will do before I apologize to you?"
Jiang Yubai thought that he would scare Lin Zhixia.
Unexpectedly, Lin Zhixia slapped the water, splashing water: "I don't think you are that brave."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Yubai grabbed the thin rope.
He did not pull the knot suddenly, but pulled it out slowly, inch by inch.
Lin Zhixia was stunned for a second, and quickly covered her shirt: "You..." Her cheeks flushed: "You said that you took me out to play this time, and you had no other plans, just to make me relax."
Yes.
Jiang Yubai did say this.
He hugged her again and kissed her face.
Lin Zhixia turned around and faced away from him.
Jiang Yubai finally got what he wanted and took off the bow himself—but it was to help her tie it tighter. This was the first time in his life that he tied a bow for a girl. He gathered the string with his fingertips, and Lin Zhixia said, "It's a bit tight."
He reached his hand around her neck, loosened it for her, and asked her, "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah." Lin Zhixia nodded.
Jiang Yubai felt as if he had been pardoned.
In order to divert his attention, he discussed mathematics with Lin Zhixia, which was also a way for Lin Zhixia to relax. The sky outside the terrace was getting darker and darker, and the sunset sank into the deepest part of the mountains. They talked about mathematics, astronomy and geography, and the light conversation also fell into the last sunset of the night.