Chapter 50

Bian Xuedao's joy was evident, but subsequent interactions transformed him from a hardened steel into a soft, pliable form, directly plunging him into a cold and bone-chilling abyss.

Bian Xuedao handed the gift bag to Xu Shangxiu, but she did not take it, instead asking, "Aren't you here to return the umbrella?"

Bian Xuedao smiled and said, "I intended to bring it, but I forgot when I left. You take it first, I'll go back and get it."

Xu Shangxiu took the gift bag, opened it, and recognized it as the Nokia phone from the advertisement. She then handed it back to Bian Xuedao, saying, "I don't want this."

Bian Xuedao said, "I won this Nokia phone yesterday at a mall event. You can have it."

Xu Shangxiu looked at Bian Xuedao and said, "I have a boyfriend."

Bian Xuedao said, "That's a different matter, it's fine."

Xu Shangxiu said, "It's not fine."

Bian Xuedao said, "With this phone, you can call your boyfriend more easily."

Xu Shangxiu said, "He won't be happy if he finds out."

Bian Xuedao said, "I'll be unhappy if you don't take it."

Xu Shangxiu bit her lip and said, "I don't want it."

Bian Xuedao stood there for a moment and said to Xu Shangxiu, "If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

Xu Shangxiu looked deeply at Bian Xuedao and said, "I don't want the umbrella anymore. Don't come find me again. I have a boyfriend."

With that, Xu Shangxiu turned and went upstairs.

Bian Xuedao held the gift bag, feeling as if it weighed as much as the Taihang and Wangwu mountains. He had anticipated that Xu Shangxiu might refuse, but he didn't expect such a complete rejection. He had just seen a glimmer of hope, only to be blocked by thick clouds again.

The next day, Bian Xuedao saw Xu Shangxiu enter 11A from a distance and went downstairs to find her again, but was told that Xu Shangxiu was not there.

The third day was a repeat of the second.

On the fourth day, Bian Xuedao waited outside the classroom where Xu Shangxiu was having class.

When class ended, Bian Xuedao saw Xu Shangxiu walk out of the door.

Xu Shangxiu also saw Bian Xuedao and slightly frowned, using her eyes to stop him from approaching and speaking. Seeing Xu Shangxiu's expression, Bian Xuedao suddenly felt that anything he did now would be counterproductive.

Sitting on the sofa at home, Bian Xuedao kept thinking about where he went wrong.

Was it a mistake to want to meet Xu Shangxiu early? Did fate require them to meet in 2009 for it to be a perfect match?

Bian Xuedao was not particularly skilled at pursuing girls, and he was now really at a loss. He couldn't think of any way to make Xu Shangxiu fall in love with him.

Should he pursue her relentlessly like Zuo Heng until she hated him? Or should he give up and find a way to break up Xu Shangxiu and Tao Qing, then reappear? Would pursuing her still have a butterfly effect? How long should he wait?

After thinking all night, Bian Xuedao decided to wait.

This decision was partly due to his personality and partly to maintain his dignity. Since his rebirth, he had felt the affection of girls like Dong Xue, Song Jia, Li Youcheng, and even Shan Rao. This feeling had subtly changed him.

He had no idea that if he had just persisted a little more, everything would have been different.

After rejecting Bian Xuedao again via the call button, Xu Shangxiu lay quietly in bed, unsure of her feelings.

A few days ago, when Bian Xuedao said the phone was a prize from an event, Xu Shangxiu knew he was lying, but she was pleased by his thoughtfulness.

Later, when Bian Xuedao said, "If you don't want it, I'll take it back," Xu Shangxiu was moved again. She could sense that he genuinely cared for her.

In fact, since the day she returned the umbrella to Bian Xuedao, Xu Shangxiu had dreamed about him for two nights. It was as if he was a very familiar person in her life, and they lived in a house together like family.

Xu Shangxiu was startled awake by the strange feeling and tried to find its source, but everything was vague and elusive. The world's emotions were so strange; although Xu Shangxiu had already sentenced Bian Xuedao to death in words, she thought of him more and more often recently.

Xu Shangxiu repeatedly emphasized to Bian Xuedao that she had a boyfriend, more to convince herself. She was afraid that she would succumb to his pursuit before resolving things with Tao Qing. She also didn't want to appear materialistic by being friendly because of a gift.

What Xu Shangxiu didn't know was that Bian Xuedao understood her completely and would never look down on her for accepting a gift.

On the fifth day, Xu Shangxiu didn't see Bian Xuedao. On the sixth day, he still didn't appear. Until the start of winter break, Bian Xuedao did not show up in front of Xu Shangxiu.

During the entire winter break, Xu Shangxiu used the excuse of reviewing English to prepare for the Level 4 exam to decline several of Tao Qing's dates. Xu Shangxiu's changes made the already sensitive Tao Qing feel a sense of crisis. He frequently called Xu Shangxiu's home, and whenever he encountered her parents, he would sweetly greet them.

Xu Shangxiu's parents knew about Tao Qing's existence, but they didn't mind their daughter dating. They hadn't met Tao Qing, so they had no major objections, just thinking it was a bit embarrassing that he had taken three years to get into university. But their daughter had always been independent, and it was still a long way from freshman year to marriage, so they didn't say much.

On New Year's Eve, after talking on the phone with Tao Qing for a while, Xu Shangxiu lay on the sofa watching the Spring Festival Gala.

She had a book in her hand, with the letter from Bian Xuedao tucked inside. She had read the letter many times, finding the lyrics increasingly profound, but she couldn't figure out the deeper meaning. She even wondered why the guy who could sit at the back door for two months had only approached her a few times and then disappeared. If she had Bian Xuedao's phone number, Xu Shangxiu would have called him to ask what the lyrics meant.

Throughout the Spring Festival, Xu Shangxiu almost every night thought about what she would do if Bian Xuedao continued to pursue her after the semester started. What would Tao Qing do if she really agreed to be with Bian Xuedao? How would her dorm mates view her?

It was truly a difficult problem, Xu Shangxiu thought to herself.

Bian Xuedao didn't give Xu Shangxiu a difficult problem.

After the semester started, Bian Xuedao disappeared from Xu Shangxiu's sight.

The school was set to reopen on the 17th of the first lunar month.

On the 14th of the first lunar month, which happened to be February 14th, Valentine's Day, Xu Shangxiu took the morning train back to Songjiang. Using the excuse of motion sickness, she declined Tao Qing's repeated requests for dates and waited in the dorm from noon until lights out, but Bian Xuedao never came to find her.

Xu Shangxiu heard about Bian Xuedao again when her dorm mates were chatting. They said that the boy who waited at the back door of 10A last year was waiting for the female minister of their department, who was a year ahead of him. The minister didn't agree at the time, but this semester, they suddenly got together.

Xu Shangxiu knew that the boy waiting was Bian Xuedao and that he was waiting for her. But now, how did it become the female minister of the department?