Chapter 66

By the end of May, the number of people in the quarantine building began to decrease sharply, and Shan Rao's work became increasingly easier.

Many students, knowing they would have to be quarantined upon returning to school, directly informed the school and went home.

Some quarantined students learned through phone calls and the internet that the additional fruits and snacks, as well as the items delivered, were all thanks to the selfless help of alumni volunteers. After the quarantine ended, they all found Shan Rao to express their gratitude.

One senior girl, thanks to Shan Rao's help, did not miss an important contact with a potential employer. After the quarantine ended, the girl, standing at the quarantine line, held Shan Rao's hand and spoke for a long time.

Before leaving, the two hugged each other deeply.

This scene was captured by a boy on the second floor of the quarantine building.

It was he who had asked Shan Rao to help deliver the camera. The boy had successfully applied for a position at a major newspaper in Beijing and was set to start work immediately after receiving his graduation certificate.

The boy's photography skills were excellent. In the lens, two girls wearing masks embraced each other, the sunlight filtering through the large trees, casting dappled shadows on the security guard nearby, on the large white "No Entry" warning sign, and on the red banner with white letters promoting the fight against SARS.

Behind the two girls was a warning line, and further away, a white marker line and a long path, the end of which was lush and green, as if it were another world.

Neither the boy taking the photo nor the people in the photo could have imagined that this photo would become a classic image of China's fight against SARS.

Humanity, silence, solemnity, and hope were all encapsulated in this moment.

After the quarantine ended, the boy, having completed his thesis defense, did not wait for his graduation certificate. He had a classmate bring it to Beijing for him and returned to the newspaper first to participate in the SARS coverage.

During this period, he used his personal experiences, the notes from Shan Rao, the daily items and scenes he photographed from the building, and the information he collected about the school volunteers after the quarantine ended to write a vivid and positive report.

The report was rated as a first-class article by the newspaper, and the boy was promoted early.

The article and photos were widely reprinted by media and websites, generating increasing attention, to the point where media from other regions came to Dongsen University to find the volunteer in the photo.

Local media quickly followed suit, swarming the public relations officers at Dongsen University.

Soon, Shan Rao's name appeared prominently in provincial media. From her voluntary application to work in the quarantine building, to her use of notes to communicate and help quarantined students, to her personal expenses to buy fruits and other items to enrich the students' diet, to her persistence until the school's quarantine ended and the building was cleared, the image of a female college student shining with humanistic light emerged vividly.

At the end of 2003, Shan Rao was named one of the "Top Ten College Students" in Songjiang City, and subsequently, one of the "Excellent Youth Volunteers" in Beijiang Province.

The photo featuring Shan Rao as the main character became one of the "Top Ten Photos" of the year in the news industry.

None of this was known to Shan Rao or Bian Xuedao during the Dragon Boat Festival in 2003.

On June 4, the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Bian Xuedao asked Zhou Ling, who lived off-campus, to help buy some branded zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). After cooking them in the Red Building, he delivered them to Shan Rao at the quarantine building.

When they met, Shan Rao told Bian Xuedao that the school had decided to lift the quarantine on June 5, and the last batch of students in the quarantine building would be released on the 5th.

Bian Xuedao happily told Shan Rao, "I've already checked the swimming pool; I'm just waiting for the heroine to come down the mountain."

Shan Rao squinted her eyes and asked Bian Xuedao, "Do you want to go with me to pick out a swimsuit? Do you prefer more fabric or less?"

Bian Xuedao, noticing the dangerous look in Shan Rao's eyes, rubbed his hands and said, "In crowded places, more fabric is better. If it's just the two of us, less fabric would be more ideal..."

Before Bian Xuedao could finish, Shan Rao's hand reached out from under the quarantine line and pinched his side.

On June 5, the quarantine was finally lifted.

Bian Xuedao met Shan Rao outside the quarantine line. Shan Rao returned to her dorm to drop off her change of clothes and then prepared to go to the school bathhouse across the street.

Seeing Shan Rao with her bath bag, Bian Xuedao asked, "Do you want to go take a bath?"

"Uh-huh."

"Go to the bathhouse across the street?"

"Uh-huh." Shan Rao looked at Bian Xuedao curiously.

"Today is the first day of the quarantine lift; it's already packed there. You should go somewhere else. Actually, you can take a bath at my place," Bian Xuedao said.

Shan Rao insisted on going to the school bathhouse. As Bian Xuedao had predicted, the bath tickets were already sold out to over 240 people, and nearby private bathhouses were also crowded.

After being confined in the quarantine building for nearly a month, Shan Rao's desire to take a bath was extremely strong. With no other choice, she followed Bian Xuedao back to the Red Building.

The two, who had confirmed their relationship in the quarantine building, felt a bit awkward when they returned home.

However, the atmosphere was good, natural, and warm. Bian Xuedao arranged for Shan Rao to sit on the sofa, eat fruit, and watch TV, while he connected the water heater and began to clean the room thoroughly.

The water heater was now at the right temperature.

Before Shan Rao could say anything, Bian Xuedao said, "You take a bath at home, and I'll go buy some groceries to cook you a good meal. I won't take the key; you can open the door for me later. Li Yu has the key; he's out shopping with Li Xun. I'll call him to come back later."

Actually, while watching TV, Shan Rao had been considering this issue.

Though she and Bian Xuedao were now a couple, and there was a reason for it, taking a bath at Bian Xuedao's place still felt a bit inconvenient, especially as she was afraid he might look down on her.

Now that Bian Xuedao had left on his own initiative and left the key, Shan Rao felt that finding such a considerate and thoughtful boyfriend was truly a happy thing.

Especially when Bian Xuedao naturally said, "You take a bath at home," the word "home" struck the softest spot in Shan Rao's heart. She walked to the window and searched for Bian Xuedao's figure.

The bathroom was clean and tidy, with a fresh soap scent, not at all like what a 20-something-year-old boy would manage.

On the washbasin, there were neatly folded new towels, bath towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a cup, as well as a new set of men's pajamas.

Shan Rao carefully examined the bathroom, as if peering into the deepest character of a man.

Finally, standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her bright and confident reflection. For the first time, she wasn't thinking about whether a boy was worthy of her or whether he could be taken out in public. Instead, she was thinking about whether she could firmly hold onto this man!

Although Bian Xuedao had already left, it was his house, and as Shan Rao undressed piece by piece, she still felt a bit strange, as if she were undressing in front of him.

Looking at her naked reflection in the mirror, Shan Rao dispelled the last bit of doubt. She believed that such a beautiful body could certainly capture Bian Xuedao's heart. The key was not to give him her body too easily but to open up to him gradually, capturing his love bit by bit.

Shan Rao took a long bath. Afterward, she put on Bian Xuedao's oversized pajamas and called him, saying she was hungry. Soon, Bian Xuedao returned.

Despite being prepared, when he saw Shan Rao, wearing his new pajamas and with her hair up, opening the door for him, he was stunned.

Shan Rao was very satisfied with Bian Xuedao's reaction.

Taking the bag of groceries from Bian Xuedao, she turned and walked into the kitchen, saying naturally, "What are we having? I'll help you."

When Li Yu arrived, the two had already finished eating.

Li Yu brought a lot of snacks that girls love. Bian Xuedao looked at the bag of food and thought that without a car, it would have been hard to bring it back.

Li Yu was like that; he was extremely good to people he liked. Since Shan Rao had voluntarily gone to the quarantine building for Bian Xuedao, Li Yu had included her in his list of friends, which was a higher level of recognition than just being Bian Xuedao's girlfriend.

Knowing that the two had just reunited, Li Yu didn't stay long and left after dropping off the food.

Shan Rao happily sorted through the snacks Li Yu had brought, squatting in front of Bian Xuedao's food storage cabinet, organizing them.

Bian Xuedao also came to help and asked, "What are your plans? It's your senior year. Are you looking for a job or planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam? I can clean out a room for you. If you need to study, you can come over anytime, and I won't charge you rent."

After organizing the cabinet, the two sat back on the sofa. Shan Rao deliberately asked, "Charge rent? This isn't your place."

Bian Xuedao felt it was no big deal to tell Shan Rao, so he said, "This place is mine now; I've already bought it."

Shan Rao didn't continue the topic, gently leaning her head on Bian Xuedao's shoulder and saying, "I don't want to take the postgraduate entrance exam. I plan to take the civil service exam. My family has been preparing me for it since my freshman year, and I've been preparing for the past two years. When I start reviewing intensively next semester, I might really need to stay here for a while."

Bian Xuedao asked, "Why does your family insist you take the civil service exam?"

Shan Rao said, "My parents and grandparents are all civil servants, and most of my relatives are too. They think the job is stable, and a girl can live a stable life if she passes the exam." Glancing at Bian Xuedao, she continued, "And she can find a husband with a good job."

Bian Xuedao pretended to sigh, "You saying that puts a lot of pressure on me."

Shan Rao pinched Bian Xuedao and said, "Don't be shameless. Who said you have to marry me? By the way, did your family buy this place for you? What do your parents do?"

Bian Xuedao said, "They are ordinary workers who were laid off a few years ago."

Hearing this, Shan Rao sat up straight and looked at him, "Then where did you get the money?"

Bian Xuedao said, "I earned it online over the past two years."

"Online?" Shan Rao looked at Bian Xuedao curiously, "What did you do online to earn so much?"

Bian Xuedao said, "It's hard to explain in a few words, but I earned it."

Just as Shan Rao was about to speak, her phone rang.

Shan Rao walked to the window to answer it, talking for a while and occasionally looking at Bian Xuedao curiously.

After hanging up and walking back to the sofa, Shan Rao looked at Bian Xuedao and asked, "Do you play soccer?"