They had just had a fight, after all, so Jiangg Ning had to brace herself before going in. She hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered up her courage and entered.

When she stepped inside.

She found Chen Yuan sitting there quietly by himself. His hands were clasped behind his head, and his chair was tilted back as he stared blankly at the ceiling, doing nothing.

A moment later, a low sigh, seemingly filled with endless sorrow, escaped his lips.

'Looks like Chen Yuan is unhappy too.' He didn't know how to handle this sudden fight, nor did he understand how to process such sensitive emotions. People can be strange sometimes. Many know they shouldn't dump their bad moods on others like trash, but when emotions overwhelm your defenses and you lose your cool, who can truly maintain one hundred percent control?

'Is there really anyone in the world who can process all their emotions and greet every morning with the passion of the rising sun?'

'Maybe a god like that really does exist.'

Even now, the words from his fight with Jiangg Ning echoed in his mind. He mulled over what she had meant and regretted blurting out so many things impulsively, without thinking them through.

Understanding your partner and being considerate of their feelings was truly a lifelong lesson.

Many couples spent six or seven years together, weathering countless storms, before their love finally became unbreakable.

'Right, what's the rush?'

'To be honest, their relationship was still in the honeymoon phase.'

'In the end, he still failed to control his emotions properly.'

This constant self-reflection made Chen Yuan despise himself more and more. Jiangg was so wonderful. She didn't throw tantrums like some petulant girl, she didn't pry into his private life, and she never burdened him with her bad moods. And that wasn't even the half of it.

'With such an amazing and rational girlfriend, why was he still demanding more?'

When she had come over to cut fruit and coax him just a moment ago, Chen Yuan had already softened and wanted to stop fighting. But he was too proud to back down. He had wanted to take the olive branch with every reply, but the words that came out were cold and hurtful instead.

'Now... should I go try and make up with her?'

Chen Yuan thought, conflicted. He had no idea Jiangg Ning was already standing right behind him.

RRRRRING—

The phone's ringtone shattered the silence in the room.

Chen Yuan picked up his phone from the desk, glanced at the caller ID, and answered.

"Hey, Wei Zhen. Are you off work?"

"Yeah, yeah. I had something to do today, had to pick up my girlfriend... so I skipped my part-time job. I might go in tomorrow morning."

"Is this about grabbing a meal together? Did you tell Yafeng and the guys?"

"I don't know. I'll have to ask my girlfriend first, she might not have time... All right, I'll talk to you later."

BEEP—

After he hung up, Chen Yuan let out a long breath and stood up. His brow was still furrowed as he debated whether he should go apologize and, while he was at it, ask her about the get-together...

But when he turned around...

Jiangg Ning was standing right there. There was a hint of awkwardness on her face, and she was moving cautiously, as if she'd been about to tap him on the shoulder.

Their eyes met, and they were both struck silent by the awkwardness of the moment.

They had both been agonizing over what to do and had mentally prepared themselves, yet when the crucial moment to speak finally came, they were so hesitant one wished someone else could just say it for them.

"What was that about grabbing a meal together? Were you going to ask me? To see if I wanted to go?" Jiangg Ning asked, her hands behind her back, fidgeting with her fingers as she gently bit her lip.

"It's nothing..."

"Oh. I see." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Well, actually, it is something. My roommates know I have a girlfriend, you see, but they don't know who she is and have been super curious. Coincidentally, my other two roommates are coming back to campus tomorrow afternoon, and they're planning a barbecue on the lawn behind the school."

"So, you want to ask if I'd be willing to go?" Jiangg Ning asked, her bright eyes blinking.

"Yeah."

Jiangg Ning instantly understood what Yaoyao had told her. Perhaps her life really was too tightly wound. Thinking back, she hadn't had many carefree days over the past few years. But relationships were supposed to be about eating, drinking, and enjoying each other's sweet company—at least for someone Chen Yuan's age.

Going to a meal like this was part of becoming integrated into his life.

She had introduced Chen Yuan to her friends, but she had never gone with him to meet his.

'Could it be that when Chen sees other guys on campus being all lovey-dovey and playful with their girlfriends, he feels envious too?'

"I'd love to go. Is it tomorrow afternoon? I can make time."

"You're really willing to go?"

This was completely unexpected for Chen Yuan.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? Isn't it perfectly normal to eat with your friends and your girlfriend?" Jiangg Ning said reasonably, nodding emphatically.

"But... a lot of them are your students. They're bound to be surprised..."

"Being surprised is fine. It's a perfect chance for my Chen to show off a little."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan froze. When he came to his senses and looked at Ningning again, the coldness and stubbornness in his eyes were gone.

"I'm sorry, Ningning... I didn't mean to say all that during our fight. I just lost control for a moment. I need to apologize."

"It's okay. I didn't handle things well, either. I let my personal feelings get in the way during the fight. By the end, I wasn't trying to solve the problem anymore, I was just focused on who was right and who was wrong..."

"You weren't wrong. I was thinking about it just now, and it was definitely my fault. I forced my own desires on you. I was just worried that with you quitting your job, we'd have one less thing connecting us. I wasn't thinking about you needing to plan your own future."

The tension between them, which had been thick as gunpowder, dissipated the moment one of them yielded. Suddenly, they were as polite and respectful as strangers.

Chen Yuan felt his pride was truly baffling. He had also been too eager to understand Jiangg completely. But no matter how he looked at it, he knew that since Jiangg Ning hadn't dated in so many years, she was bound to be a very private person at heart. 'Would someone that guarded really reveal her entire self to someone so easily?'

'Maybe she's already trying as hard as she can, and I've just been ignoring it, feeling unsatisfied and always wanting more.'

"Chen... this is my first time being a girlfriend, too. If I'm not doing a good job at it, please be a little more patient with me," Jiangg Ning said, gently pursing her lips. "If we can... I really, really hope we can go all the way."

"Ningning," Chen Yuan started to speak, but ended up just taking her hand. "You're so wonderful."

Their eyes met.

A shy blush crept onto Jiangg Ning's face.

Perhaps time truly could prove everything. Working through the kinks took time—softening each other's rough edges, embracing your partner's whole heart. When problems arose, you solved them. You let go of pointless pride and learned to be considerate of the other person's feelings. These were all things to be learned, little by little.

If you liked someone enough, none of that was a problem.

Chen Yuan leaned in to kiss her, his nose brushing against hers as he felt her warm breath.

He gave her a light, fleeting kiss on the lips. Jiangg Ning's lips were incredibly soft and kissable. They were so close that the sweep of her eyelashes brushed against his cheek, making him feel an itch he wanted to scratch.

He tilted his head back, about to scratch the spot.

But Ningning followed, rising onto her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss of her own. Her face instantly flushed bright red.

Even though they had kissed so many times, when Chen Yuan looked down at her, Jiangg Ning shyly reached up and covered his eyes.

"Don't look. Pay attention."

"Okay..."