Chapter 94: Words Like Meeting in Person
Chen Qianxi cried for a long time before she finally stopped, still hiccupping from sobbing. “Did you just listen carefully to what I told you?”
Lin Yuejiu nodded. “I listened.”
“You must, absolutely must, never forget me.”
Lin Yuejiu smiled. “I won’t forget you, I swear.”
Seeing her make that oath, Chen Qianxi burst into tears again. “Jiujiu, my poor Jiujiu… you’re going so far away, what am I going to do?”
Lin Yuejiu felt both distressed and amused. “Alright, if you keep crying, your eyes will be so swollen tomorrow you won’t be able to open them.”
“So what if they’re swollen? You’re about to leave, and you won’t even let me cry?” She immediately straightened up with indignation.
Lin Yuejiu laughed. “If you cry, you won’t look good. Didn’t you say we have to take a photo together as a keepsake for me to look at when I’m abroad?”
“Oh right, right, right, we have to take pictures.” She quickly wiped her tears, pulled out her phone, looked in the mirror, and pouted. “Ugh, I look so ugly like this…”
“You’re not ugly. You’re the prettiest.” Lin Yuejiu held her face and helped wipe her tears.
“Fine, I’ll reluctantly believe you.” Chen Qianxi then grabbed her phone, posed the two of them, and snapped a picture. Afterward, she handed the phone back, reminding her earnestly, “You must keep this safe. Every time you miss me and can’t reach me because of the time difference, look at the picture, okay?”
Lin Yuejiu nodded obediently. “I definitely will.”
They stayed together for a while longer before Lin Yuejiu walked Chen Qianxi back. Then she went to school and visited her homeroom teacher’s office.
The teacher looked at her with a complicated gaze. “It’s good to have dreams and ambitions. But you’ll be alone over there, so you must take care of yourself. If you can’t get used to Western food, go find Chinese food. No matter what, take good care of yourself, understand?”
This student had been under her guidance for years—she had practically watched her grow up. She had seen her go through so much, from happiness to being left alone, and it made her heart ache.
“I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself. Next September, I’ll come back with honors to see you.”
The teacher’s eyes grew moist. “Good, good.”
Lin Yuejiu then shared the news in the class group chat. Everyone was shocked, asking why. Once they learned it was for her dream, they kept telling her to take care of herself abroad.
[ Goddess, you must protect yourself overseas. Never go out alone at night. ]
[ Yeah, it’s not as safe abroad at night as it is here. Don’t go out after dark. ]
[ You can buy some self-defense tools here to bring over. If some creep bothers you, just hit him with a stick. ]
[ Pepper spray works too. ]
[ An electric shock baton is also good, really effective. ]
Everyone chattered in the group, and Lin Yuejiu smiled warmly.
Her classmates were really kind.
[ Goddess, when you come back and if you become an outstanding violinist, you must give me the first autograph! ]
[ Don’t forget me! ]
[ I want an autograph too! ]
Lin Yuejiu: [ Okay, if I succeed, I definitely will. ]
Someone then wrote: [ You definitely will. ]
And many others echoed it.
Sometimes it’s strange. Even when success isn’t certain, the moment you say that person’s name, you just know they will succeed.
Just like how everyone believed Lin Yuejiu surely would.
Lin Yuejiu: [ I’ll borrow your good wishes. ]
At the Xu household—Madam Xu held Lin Yuejiu tightly, crying endlessly, while Mr. Xu and Xu Nian stood to the side, their eyes full of obvious reluctance.
“Can parents go with you?”
Xu Nian couldn’t help but burst her fantasy. “Mom, what kind of parent are you to Jiujiu?”
Mother Xu glared at him. “Why wouldn’t I be her parent?”
Lin Yuejiu said helplessly, “Auntie, I’ll be fine on my own, and besides, parents aren’t allowed to go.”
Hearing this, Mother Xu almost started crying again. “My poor Jiujiu…”
Xu Nianshen handed Lin Yuejiu a tissue. She took it and gently wiped Mother Xu’s tears for her. He said, “Enough, Mom. It’s not like she’s never coming back. Don’t cry so much. Even if you can’t meet face to face, you can still video call.”
Mother Xu paused. “That’s right!” She immediately stopped crying. “Then I’ll go pack the things you’ll need.”
Lin Yuejiu quickly held her back. “Auntie, my teacher already told me what to bring. You don’t have to pack anything else. Some things can’t even go on the plane.”
After thinking carefully, Mother Xu sighed. “Alright then…”
Father Xu and Xu Nian weren’t ones to talk much. They only told her, “Take good care of yourself.”
Lin Yuejiu smiled and nodded. “I will.”
At dinner that evening, Mother Xu kept piling food into Jiujiu’s bowl, urging her to eat more. Lin Yuejiu accepted with a smile.
After dinner, she went upstairs to pack her belongings according to her teacher’s list. Xu Nianshen stood silently at the doorway, watching her.
When she finally finished and turned around, she noticed him there. She walked up to him. “Why are you just standing there without coming in?”
Xu Nianshen’s dark eyes locked deeply on her. After a long moment, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Lin Yuejiu also wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll be back soon, don’t be afraid.”
“Jiujiu, do you know why I said those things last night?”
“I know.” She nodded. “Teacher Xu has no sense of security.”
When he said he couldn’t make promises, she had already understood his feelings. They had known each other for over ten years. Even though their feelings hadn’t been spoken aloud until recently, they had always understood each other. Now, with their growing closeness, she could read him even faster.
“Ah, what can I do? My boyfriend is feeling insecure because his girlfriend keeps getting better and better. Guess that’s my fault,” she teased.
Xu Nianshen was amused by her. “Mm, my girlfriend is too outstanding, and her boyfriend is really scared.”
Lin Yuejiu let him go. “Since Teacher Xu feels insecure, then I’ll give you some security right now.”
She pulled a bracelet from her pocket, woven from a thin red cord with a small red bead. She explained softly, “I originally wanted to use red beans, but since they’re food, it wouldn’t work well. So I found a red bead to take its place.”
Xu Nianshen instinctively stretched out his wrist, and Lin Yuejiu fastened it for him. With her head lowered, she said, “It might seem a little old-fashioned, but I think this can help ease Teacher Xu’s lovesickness. What do you think?” She lifted her head, smiling brightly at him.
Xu Nianshen’s lips curved. “Mm, it will ease my lovesickness.”
“Then does Teacher Xu have something for me, to ease mine?” She clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head playfully.
“Of course.”
“What is it?”
Xu Nianshen took a transparent phone case out of his pocket and handed it to her.
Lin Yuejiu froze for a moment before reaching out to take it.
He… gave her a phone case?
It took her a while to process. Then she blurted out, “How did you know my phone model?”
Xu Nianshen rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I should apologize for that. Last time, when you weren’t around, I peeked at it.”
Lin Yuejiu flipped the phone case over and saw four characters engraved on the back: (Nian Shen x Yue Jiu). Recognizing his handwriting, she looked at him in surprise. “You wrote this?”
“Mm, I wrote it.”
He hadn’t known what gift to give her. Then he remembered her words—she once told him that his handwriting was beautiful, and seeing the writing was like seeing the person.
That’s when he thought of this. A phone was something she used every day, so he bought a transparent phone case and wrote those four characters on it. He hoped that when she saw it abroad, she would feel like she was seeing him. It was his own little way of staying by her side.
