Chapter 183: Double Standards in Action

One day, Gan Yanyan, who was usually carefree, shyly blocked the group's path to the classroom.

"Yanyan, just say whatever is on your mind," Lin Ya prompted.

"Well, you know the dormitory tradition... whoever gets taken must treat everyone... Do you guys have time tonight?"

"Sure, we do."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Three identical looks of utter confusion appeared.

"No way! Yanyan, you've found a boyfriend?" Luo Yixia was the first to react, letting out a sharp squeal.

"Mhm..." Gan Yanyan nodded shyly.

The other three stared at her as if they had just seen a ghost.

"My god, is this still the Gan Yanyan I know? She can actually blush?" Lin Ya asked with a laugh.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Xu Jiayu was the only one who grasped the crucial point.

"Tonight... you'll find out when we get there," Gan Yanyan maintained her air of mystery.

That evening, the group arrived as promised at the previously booked restaurant.

Along the way, Gan Yanyan was still on the phone, wearing a smile so gentle it was almost blinding.

The girls exchanged glances and simultaneously shuddered.

No matter how they interrogated her on the way, Gan Yanyan would only smile without answering.

She was deliberately keeping them in suspense, refusing to reveal the guy's identity.

Yet, a vague premonition lingered in Luo Yixia's mind that she probably knew this person.

In early spring, the daylight hours had grown noticeably longer. A fiery red glow painted the edge of the sky, and the setting sun cast its golden, leisurely light across the street.

The ornamental trees along the roadside were already sprouting tender green buds.

A gust of wind swept by, carrying a few stray cherry blossom petals from an unknown source.

In this season, the cherry blossoms had already bloomed.

Luo Yixia had always loved cherry blossoms, but when she went to Japan last year, she had missed the peak viewing period and didn't catch a single flower.

At the time, she had felt quite regretful.

This year, she truly longed to admire the cherry blossoms with him.

The sun sets in the west, and the heartbroken wander at the ends of the earth.

Even upon arriving at the restaurant, there was still no sign of him.

Luo Yixia carefully scanned the area for anyone who vaguely matched her expectations, but alas, none of them felt right.

Gan Yanyan spoke up, "He's already inside the private dining room. Let's go in."

The door of the private room was pushed open, and the person inside immediately stood up, looking somewhat restrained.

If it was him, Luo Yixia was not surprised at all.

"Wait... Isn't this... Senior Song's roommate..." Lin Ya pointed from Luo Yixia to Yu Bin and back again.

"Do I count as a matchmaker now?" Luo Yixia smiled, naturally pulling out a chair and sitting down.

The atmosphere at the dining table was remarkably awkward.

Being stared at intently by three pairs of eyes simultaneously, Yu Bin felt extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you guys doing? It feels like you're about to swallow him alive," Gan Yanyan chimed in to ease the tension.

"You finally managed to get a boyfriend, we have to vet him for you," Lin Ya waved her hand dismissively.

"What? Back when it was my turn, how come none of you talked about vetting him?" Luo Yixia demanded indignantly.

"Get over yourself. You should just be grateful that Senior Song deigned to notice you," before anyone else could speak, Gan Yanyan shot back mercilessly.

"A textbook case of double standards right here..." Yu Bin muttered under his breath, earning himself an even fiercer glare.

"Fess up, how did you manage to abduct Yanyan?" Even the usually gentle Xu Jiayu asked with a menacing aura.

"I've suspected for a long time that there was something fishy between you two. Quick, confess when you started hooking up," Luo Yixia demanded with a faux-fierce expression.

"Haha, actually, I've liked her for quite a while. After figuring things out gradually, I confessed a few days ago," Yu Bin smiled.

"A few days ago, he was far away on an internship. I just thought friends should make a phone call to check in on each other, but I never expected him to rush back the very next day and confess to me," Gan Yanyan beamed with utter sweetness.

For the entire duration of the meal, the three single friends were forced to endure the couple's blatant, public display of affection.

Luo Yixia felt a sour pang in her heart.

Other people's boyfriends knew to rush back just to see them... while hers...

Perhaps provoked by envy, Luo Yixia drank a few glasses of alcohol that evening. Although her mind remained clear, her steps were undeniably unsteady.

The girls accompanied her back to her residential complex.

Luo Yixia waved goodbye with a goofy grin and stepped through the gates.

Her cheeks were flushed a bright red.

The moon had climbed high into the sky long ago.

Streetlights cast her silhouette onto the ground, stretching her shadow.

Her eyes stung right now, and she missed him so terribly.

Reaching her doorstep, she fumbled with her keys, trying several times in vain to guide the key into the lock as her head spun.

By now, the alcohol had completely surged to her head, making her sway unsteadily on her feet.

"Strange... why are there three keyholes here... can they multiply?" Luo Yixia muttered in a daze.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open from the inside.

"Huh, why did it just open by itself?"

Amidst her swaying, a hand reached out to steady her.

A tall figure stood against the light by the doorway, blinding Luo Yixia slightly.

"Who are you?" Luo Yixia blinked her eyes repeatedly.

"Have you been drinking?" His voice was deep, laced with underlying concern.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" she babbled incoherently.

"What do you think?" Song Chengyi gritted his teeth.

"Haha, aren't you going to play along with me a bit longer?" Luo Yixia chuckled, regaining a fraction of her sobriety.

Even if she was dead drunk, she could never fail to recognize Song Chengyi.

"You've been drinking?" Song Chengyi asked again, his tone severe.

"Just a little bit." Luo Yixia lunged into his arms, inhaling his familiar scent, which finally made reality sink in.

Song Chengyi closed the door behind them and remarked with evident displeasure, "Go take a shower, you reek of alcohol."

"No, why did you come back?" Luo Yixia rubbed her face against his chest.

"I missed you." Song Chengyi tightened his embrace around her.

"I missed you too." Luo Yixia pouted her rosy lips, standing on tiptoe to kiss him, only to be pushed away by Song Chengyi.

"Tell me, who were you drinking with?" Song Chengyi took two steps back, lowering his gaze to keep her from getting close.

"Let me have a hug first, and then I'll tell you." Refusing to comply, Luo Yixia flailed her arms and lunged forward again.

"Stand straight and explain yourself first," Song Chengyi refused to indulge her.

"Yanyan and Yu Bin got together and treated us to dinner, so I just drank a tiny, tiny bit," Luo Yixia pouted heavily.

"Can I have my hug now?" Luo Yixia pressed close to him once more.

Song Chengyi pushed her directly into the bathroom, shut the door, and kept his hand firmly on the doorknob from the outside, ignoring the soft thuds of Luo Yixia's hands hitting the door from within.

So much for sweet romance! She had only had a little bit to drink, did he really have to act so disgusted?

Where was his affection from the other day? Where was the deep devotion? It was all fake—ugh, men!

After finishing her shower, Luo Yixia brazenly sidled up to him again.

"Hand it over." Song Chengyi took a step back and extended his hand.

"What?" Luo Yixia blinked in bewilderment.

"The item," Song Chengyi asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"What item?" Luo Yixia grew even more confused.

"The love letter!"

"Huh?"

"Where's the love letter?" Song Chengyi stepped closer.

"I... ahem... the weather has been lovely lately, clear skies for miles, fresh air, my studies are demanding, and there are just too many trivial matters..."

"Speak human." Song Chengyi shot her a sideways glance.

"Ahem, I just forgot." As soon as she got back, it completely slipped her mind.

"Do you really disregard my words so easily?" Song Chengyi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"How could that be? Anything you say, I keep firmly in my heart," Luo Yixia declared, grabbing his hand and pressing it against her chest. "If you don't believe me, feel it yourself."

"Ahem." Song Chengyi awkwardly withdrew his hand.

Sometimes he truly suspected that this girl was doing it on purpose—purposely teasing him.

Taking advantage of Song Chengyi's momentary daze, Luo Yixia successfully achieved her wish and pounced into his arms.

"Did you come back by taking time off? Are you going back tomorrow?"

"I'm heading back in a few days." Song Chengyi didn't push her away this time.

Hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke, "I'm going on a business trip this time, and I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"A business trip? Where to? Half a month? A month? Two months? Can you not go?" Luo Yixia asked anxiously.

"A flash flood broke out in the suburbs of City T, and the hospital started a sign-up sheet. I want to go help out."

The arms wrapped around his waist stiffened instantly, and Luo Yixia let go.

She had seen the news reports; the flash floods there were said to be severe, with entire villages washed away.

A good number of rescue personnel had already been dispatched, and it wasn't surprising that the hospital was taking volunteers, but she never expected Song Chengyi to sign up.

"Would the hospital actually allow intern doctors to go?" The smile vanished from Luo Yixia's face, replaced by a grave expression.

"I talked it over with the department director, and the hospital approved it."

"It's too dangerous over there! I saw the reports—it hasn't stopped raining. As long as the rain doesn't stop, new flash floods could hit at any moment. Can you..." Can you please not go?

"Xiasya, this experience will be a tremendous test for me. I don't want to spend my entire life staying safely in a hospital operating room or office," Song Chengyi said with absolute earnestness.

"It's dangerous there!" Can't you stay just for my sake and not go? Luo Yixia couldn't voice the words; she couldn't clip his wings.

"I know, and I will be very careful," Song Chengyi assured her solemnly.

"When are you leaving?"

"Early the day after tomorrow."

Luo Yixia didn't try to stop him; she couldn't even manage to utter a single word of dissuasion.

She loved Song Chengyi far too much. The Song Chengyi she loved was precisely this kind of man. If he were the kind of person who stayed behind simply because it was dangerous, he probably wouldn't be the man she fell in love with.

Yet, she worried—she worried deeply. With the situation there so perilous, she feared for his safety.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself. I won't be the only one going; I'll have several colleagues with me, and doctors from other hospitals are joining too," Song Chengyi pulled her back into his embrace.

In an instant, Luo Yixia's eyes turned red.

Her nose stung. "Then... you must take good care of yourself."

Throughout the following day, Luo Yixia clung to Song Chengyi relentlessly.

The mere thought of his impending departure made her wish she could strap herself to his side and go with him.

So, on the second night, while Song Chengyi was dozing off, Luo Yixia broached the subject once more.

"Do you think I should go with you?"

Song Chengyi, who had been lazily conversing with her just a second prior, suddenly fell completely silent. When she looked over, he had already closed his eyes.

Luo Yixia: "..."

Was he really going to pull that?!

After a long while—so long that Luo Yixia had given up and was nearly drifting off to sleep herself—a sentence murmured softly beside her ear:

"It's dangerous there, I don't agree to you going."

Overcome by sleepiness, Luo Yixia lacked the energy and stamina to argue about why he was allowed to go into danger while she wasn't.