Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 145 - 142: Smiling Like a Blooming Flower

Qi Yi had set out from New York on the 12th, but he wouldn’t be able to make it to Melbourne until early on the 14th, the day of Yan Yan’s graduation ceremony.

If flying fifteen hours from New York to somewhere within China was something that could drive one a bit insane, then flying from New York to Melbourne was an experience that could break someone completely.

The journey from New York to Melbourne was far too distant, and as of now, there simply weren’t any direct flights.

The fastest way involved Qi Yi taking a six-hour flight from New York to Los Angeles, followed by a fifteen-hour flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne. With the time spent on layovers and the time difference, it was definitely a journey that spilled into the third day.

And that wasn’t to mention that transferring in Los Angeles was already the quickest route. The entire trip, not counting time spent during layovers, was about 23 hours in the sky. If he were to transfer in Hong Kong or Abu Dhabi, at least another seven hours would need to be added, totaling around 30 hours of flight time.

Thinking about it, the world was still a bit too large, the concept of a global village still a bit too advanced.

Yan Yan hadn’t graduated from RMIT, or else she might have asked Qi Yi not to come on the day of the ceremony.

At ten in the morning, Yan Yan was to participate in the Graduation Parade. If Qi Yi had just arrived, he would go look for a spot to watch her march. It would be exhaustion on top of exhaustion.

Qi Yi arrived in Melbourne early in the morning on the day of Yan Yan’s graduation ceremony, naturally intending to accompany her throughout the entire process.

It wasn’t until these past few days that Yan Yan heard from others that during the parade, metal barriers would be used to fence off a "path" alongside Swanston Street, reserved exclusively for graduates to "march." Family members wanting to join in the parade had to find their way to various spots along the route to claim a position, or simply go to the endpoint at Federation Square and wait for the procession.

That’s why, on the 14th, early in the morning, hours before the start of the graduation parade, Federation Square, near the screens, was already crowded with people staking out spots.

RMIT’s graduation ceremony was a daylong affair, running from ten in the morning until after ten at night.

With the crowd so mixed, Qi Yi had wished to accompany Yan Yan in the parade, but in reality, during the parade, graduates were bound to be separated from their "family members."

Qi Yi came to Melbourne to attend Yan Yan’s graduation ceremony, yet Yan Yan couldn’t take him hand in hand to "march" in the street. For her belated realization, she felt somewhat regretful.

"Let me take you to the hotel to rest first. After I’m done with the graduation parade, I’ll come and get you for lunch," Yan Yan said, not having the heart to drag someone who had been on a plane for two days into a jostling crowd, just for a fleeting glance of her.

And besides, at this time, it would definitely be bedtime for Qi Yi’s biological clock.

"Since I’m here to attend your graduation ceremony, naturally I want to be part of the whole event. Even if it’s just a brief glimpse of you, it’s definitely a sight worth more than any cost," Qi Yi declined Yan Yan’s suggestion.

Qi Yi was well aware of why he was there. When he learned from Yan Yan that it wasn’t possible for them to hand in hand participate in the graduation parade together, Qi Yi was disappointed, but not visibly so.

Because Qi Yi had already anticipated this. At the time, he had imagined that he would be able to participate. That would mean Yan Yan’s dad, mom, Uncle, and Aunt could all attend. With that being the case, Qi Yi wouldn’t dare to be openly affectionate either.

In summary, Yan Yan’s graduation ceremony was a bit different from what Qi Yi had imagined.

Stanford’s graduation ceremony was the kind where you could be casual and even say it was a liberating experience.

Yan Yan’s graduation ceremony, though it had a large-scale parade, was more formal.

Graduates had to wear the gown of the appropriate color and style for their faculty and degree.

On the designated roads, within the cordoned-off areas, they would proceed by school. Although there would be some who stood out from the crowd by attending the graduation on stilts, those were "family members," not the graduates themselves.

With a crowd, there is always the potential for safety issues, which is why Melbourne’s police, normally nowhere to be seen, were on high alert early that day.

"Isn’t it easy to steal glances at me? Just do it a few more times now, why wait until it’s packed with people?" Yan Yan asked Qi Yi with a smile.

"How can that be the same?" Qi Yi still didn’t accept Yan Yan’s suggestion.

"What’s the difference? Later in the car, I’ll give you the privilege of ogling a beautiful female driver, and hand you a tissue too. You can drool over the beauty as long as you don’t make a flood with your saliva and dirty my car, I definitely won’t hold it against you today," Yan Yan’s smile was as radiant as a flower.

"You came to pick me up in your car today?" Qi Yi asked Yan Yan on the way to the parking lot.

"What else?" Yan Yan did not understand what Qi Yi was getting at.

"I thought Bao Bao would be driving." The last time Qi Yi had been in Melbourne, when there was a need for someone to drive, it had always been Bao Bao at the wheel.

"My parents are here, so I’ve been staying at my own place with them these days, not at Bao Bao’s. Plus, I thought, today might be our only chance to be alone, so of course, I’d rather get up early myself than trouble Bao Bao to come pick you up," Yan Yan said coquettishly, seeking praise with her adorable expression.

"Well, it looks like I really am going to drool. I remember... Didn’t Bao Bao say your driving wasn’t good? How about I drive instead?" Qi Yi truly had not seen Yan Yan drive before.

"Hahaha, is that necessary? I’m a fully licensed driver now; I’ve even taken off the P plates. Even if your driving skills are better than mine, they’re in a different direction. And you just got off a dizzying flight, so if we’re talking about road killers, right now, your level is definitely higher than mine." Yan Yan’s driving skills were not bad; in a place like Melbourne where everyone generally followed traffic rules, she was more than adequate (note 1).

"So, I just watch you from the passenger seat?" Qi Yi asked Yan Yan.

"What’s wrong? Not satisfied? Seen too much and grown disgusted, can’t bear to watch anymore?" Yan Yan teased, giving Qi Yi a sharp glance with a smile.

"How could I? I’m just afraid I won’t be able to just sit still and watch, and I might do something that distracts the driver. It’s good that you’re an experienced driver." Qi Yi gave Yan Yan a significant look in response to her earlier glare.

"You’re the experienced driver! Where am I old? Where, where, where? It’s one thing for others to call me Old Cai, but for my own boyfriend to call me an experienced driver! Oh, the warmth and chill of human relations, the fickle world hurts my Pacific heart." Joking and jesting was what Yan Yan did best.

.....................

note 1:

In Australia, there isn’t the concept of a driving school.

For those who want to learn to drive, they must first schedule a traffic rule exam, and after passing it, they can get their learner permit (L Plate) and a logbook (Log Book) and hit the road directly, without needing to practice things like reverse parking first, nor is there a special car designated for learners.

The only difference is that those with an L Plate need to be accompanied by a full licensee, which is a person with over three years of driving experience, sitting in the passenger seat.

This means that, indeed, potential road hazards can directly take to the streets.

In Australia, if you encounter a car with an L sign at the back, it’s best to keep a distance, because they might truly be touching a steering wheel for the first time in their lives, and any action they take should be understandable.

After the L Plate, you need to be supervised by a full licensee for 120 hours and have the Log Book signed before you can get the Red P Plate to drive alone (speed limited to 90 km/h), and then the Green P Plate (speed limited to 100 km/h). Normally, it takes three years before one can get the FL, the unrestricted full license.

When Yan Yan says she’s taken off her P Plates, it means she has her FL.

P.S. If you want to drive in Australia, taking a domestic license and getting it translated by a certified translator is considered equivalent to a full license.