Chapter 90

While holding a watering can to water the flowers, Shan Rao heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was Li Yu or Su Yi, she walked over with the can to open the door. To her surprise, she saw Dong Xue standing outside with a professional smile on her face.

Dong Xue was also taken aback when she saw Shan Rao, but then, noticing the watering can in Shan Rao's hand, she assumed Shan Rao was the landlord's daughter or a relative. She politely said, "Hello, I've been to your place before. I'm looking for Bian Xuedao."

Shan Rao asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

Dong Xue smiled and said, "I'm Dong Xue, a classmate of Bian Xuedao. I've met Teacher Shen." She then glanced inside the room and asked, "Can I come in?"

Shan Rao stepped aside to let Dong Xue in and closed the door behind her.

Shan Rao asked Dong Xue, "Does Bian Xuedao know you're here?"

Dong Xue looked around the room, which had been rearranged, and said, "No, I just got back from school yesterday and came over today to see him." She then winked at Shan Rao, "I'm here to surprise him and see if he's hiding any beauties."

Shan Rao was at a loss for words.

Dong Xue walked around the room for a while and said, "It's changed so much! It's completely different from last year. By the way, what's your relationship with Teacher Shen? Are you her daughter? You don't look old enough."

Shan Rao brought some fruit from the kitchen for Dong Xue but didn't respond. She sat on the other end of the sofa, smiling at Dong Xue.

She had already remembered that this was the flight attendant classmate she and Bian Xuedao had probed about a few times.

Shan Rao's gaze involuntarily fell on Dong Xue's ample chest, comparing it to her own, feeling a bit discouraged but quickly regaining her confidence.

Shan Rao picked the reddest apple and handed it to Dong Xue, saying, "You're mistaken. I have no relation to Teacher Shen. I'm Bian Xuedao's girlfriend. My name is Shan Rao."

Dong Xue's eyes immediately shifted from sizing up to scrutinizing, as if a scanner was running over Shan Rao's body. She put down the apple and asked, "Are you his college classmate?"

"Um, yes."

Shan Rao got up and found the phone, casually saying to Dong Xue, "He went out to meet a friend. I'll tell him you're here and ask him to come back soon."

She then called Bian Xuedao, while Dong Xue sat quietly, watching her.

The call connected: "Xuedao, Dong Xue is at our place. Yes, she's here now. If you have nothing else, come back soon. Buy some vegetables on the way. Okay, I know."

After hanging up, Shan Rao smiled at Dong Xue and said, "He's on his way back. Since you're on break, don't rush to leave. You two don't see each other often, so let's have dinner together. I can't cook, but Bian Xuedao is a great cook. Have you tried his cooking?"

Dong Xue smiled but didn't commit.

She knew that from the moment Shan Rao picked up the phone, she had been sending signals and showing off. This girl, Shan Rao, must have heard about her, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so guarded on their first meeting.

Dong Xue, not a shy or timid girl, accepted Shan Rao's dinner invitation with grace.

The two girls started chatting about the campus environment of Dongsen University, the interior decoration of the room, and what Bian Xuedao was like in high school. Shan Rao asked about any romantic stories, while Dong Xue inquired about how Shan Rao and Bian Xuedao started dating and who pursued whom.

On the surface, the two girls seemed evenly matched in their conversation, but when Shan Rao found an opportunity to take Dong Xue to her eastern bedroom, she saw a hint of disappointment in Dong Xue's eyes.

Shan Rao felt a small sense of satisfaction: No matter how good your figure or how beautiful you are, it's all for nothing if you're not in the same city.

When the two girls ran out of things to talk about, the sound of the door opening was heard.

First to enter was Li Yu, followed by Li Xun, and lastly, Bian Xuedao.

The two girls in the room looked at Bian Xuedao, waiting to see who he would speak to first.

To their surprise, Bian Xuedao put down his things, muttering, "I'm so stifled, so stifled," and rushed into the bathroom.

Li Yu and Li Xun began to entertain the two girls separately.

After a while, the sound of the toilet flushing came from the bathroom. Bian Xuedao came out and, under the watchful eyes of the four people in the living room, said, "Rao Rao, go sort out the vegetables I bought. I ordered takeout on the way back, it should be here soon. I'll talk to Dong Xue for a bit, then I'll start cooking."

Shan Rao was very pleased that Bian Xuedao called Dong Xue by her full name and called her "Rao Rao." No matter how cleverly she tried to outsmart Dong Xue, nothing was as convincing as this one word from Bian Xuedao.

So, Shan Rao obediently took the vegetables to the kitchen.

Li Xun looked at Dong Xue with sympathy in her eyes.

For some reason, Li Xun and Dong Xue got along well. They even exchanged New Year's greetings over the phone during the Spring Festival. In the entire 603 dorm, only Su Yi and Nan Jiao had this kind of relationship.

Dong Xue had asked about Bian Xuedao over the phone, but Li Xun didn't dare to tell the truth. Before June, Bian Xuedao and Shan Rao were just close, with some rumors circulating, but neither had officially confirmed their relationship to their friends.

Who would have thought that after Bian Xuedao came out of the quarantine building, he became incredibly good to Shan Rao, causing Li Youcheng and Zhang Meng in 603 to be depressed for several days.

Later, Li Yu told Li Xun why Shan Rao had volunteered at the quarantine building. Li Xun admired Shan Rao's courage but still felt more for Dong Xue.

With Shan Rao present, Li Xun couldn't show too much, but once Shan Rao went to the kitchen, Li Xun sat next to Dong Xue, held her hand, and patted it a few times to comfort her.

Dong Xue wasn't as fragile as everyone thought. Throughout the meal, her words and expressions showed no signs of discomfort or unhappiness. When the few cans of beer in the fridge ran out, Dong Xue looked at Bian Xuedao and asked him to go buy more. Li Yu, seeing this, immediately volunteered to go.

After two years of college, Dong Xue's drinking capacity had improved significantly, but unfortunately, her opponent was Shan Rao.

Dong Xue knew when to stop and no longer had the intention of getting Shan Rao drunk. The conversation at the table shifted to a few embarrassing stories about Bian Xuedao from high school.

As they talked, Dong Xue mentioned the night before the final exams when the science and arts classes sang songs to each other. She said that Bian Xuedao's song that night was beautiful, but she couldn't find it online. She tapped her bowl with her chopsticks and said, "You didn't tell me who sang it or what it was called that night. Will you tell me now?"

Shan Rao and Li Xun, hearing this, looked at Bian Xuedao curiously. Only Li Yu guessed that the song was probably written by Bian Xuedao himself.

Bian Xuedao deflected, "The song is called 'Goodbye.'"

Dong Xue said, "Pfft! So cliché!"

Shan Rao asked Li Yu, "Have you heard him sing this song?"

Li Yu thought for a moment and shook his head.

Seeing that neither Shan Rao nor Li Yu seemed to have heard Bian Xuedao sing the song, Dong Xue asked Shan Rao, "Do you have a guitar?"

Shan Rao nodded, "Yes, we have a guitar."

Dong Xue said, "Let him sing it for us. I want to reminisce. It's been two years, and everything has changed. I wonder if the song has changed too."

Hearing this, Bian Xuedao knew he couldn't avoid singing.

He fetched the guitar, sat by the window in the living room, and after a moment's thought, began to play and sing "Goodbye" by Chang Chen-yue.

Shan Rao and Li Xun were both seeing Bian Xuedao play and sing for the first time.

They could tell the song had a smooth melody, catchy lyrics, and genuine emotion, making it a good song. Before Shan Rao could ask about the song's origin, Dong Xue got up to say goodbye, inviting everyone to visit her home. Li Yu and Li Xun also stood up to leave.

After seeing them off downstairs, Bian Xuedao told Li Yu, "I'll need you to drive Dong Xue home."

Li Yu nodded, "I would have done it anyway. Don't worry!"

Back upstairs, Bian Xuedao thought Shan Rao would ask about Dong Xue, but she just cleaned up the table, mopped the floor, and, as usual, snuggled with him on the sofa to watch TV. When it was time, she went back to the dorm.

Bian Xuedao held his phone, thinking about calling Shan Rao but feeling there was nothing to explain. He considered calling Dong Xue but felt it would be redundant.

After sitting alone for a while, Bian Xuedao turned on his computer and searched for Chang Chen-yue's albums. He found that "Goodbye" had not been released yet. He decided to find Fan Hongbing to record and release the song.

He couldn't afford to wait any longer!

He had sung the song spontaneously in front of half the grade.

If one day Chang Chen-yue released the exact same "Goodbye" and claimed it was his original work, what would people who had heard the song think? How would he explain the identical song that was a few years apart?

Now, Bian Xuedao's principle was to avoid even the smallest risk and never let any oversight slip through due to laziness.

In the end, Bian Xuedao didn't call Dong Xue. After Li Yu called to confirm that he had safely dropped her off, he sent Dong Xue a "Good night" text, but she didn't reply.

With the last exam finished, Bian Xuedao's sophomore year came to an end.