Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 147 - 144: Little Gimmick

"Mm, after attending Liu Siyan’s wedding, the day before I was due to go back to New York to start my mining job, you woke up early and said, ’Sleep can be caught up on at any time.’ " Qi Yi answered Yan Yan’s question about the details very carefully.

"It wasn’t even the day we went to the library, why do you remember it so vividly?" Yan Yan could vaguely recall saying it, but she couldn’t remember the specific occasion.

"The day we went to the library was two days after you said that phrase, and I remember even more details about that. Would you like me to repeat each detail in front of the library door?" Qi Yi "showed off" his memory.

The library, a place they often visited in high school, where they made up for their much-delayed first kiss—that kind of place was hard to forget.

"If you don’t want to regret missing your own graduation ceremony, then let me focus on driving." Although Yan Yan was not in a big hurry, she didn’t have that much time to "waste."

"Alright, you’re good-looking, so whatever you say goes." Qi Yi wasn’t sure about Yan Yan’s driving skills, but he knew he certainly shouldn’t do anything to disturb what might be a road menace - Yan Yan driving.

"You’re sure you want to join in on the excitement of our graduation parade? Aren’t you the one who dislikes bustling scenes the most?" Yan Yan asked Qi Yi.

"I don’t like bustling scenes, but I definitely want to join the excitement when it comes to you." Qi Yi’s principle could readily be altered for Yan Yan.

"I’ve booked you a room at the Westin Hotel. After you check in there, rest a bit and then make your way to Federation Square on your own. That’s the end point of our parade.

The Westin is right next to Federation Square.

That’s where the parade ends, and everyone takes photos after reaching there.

You can head over around 10:30 am; my mom and dad will also be waiting for me there.

Today the city will be packed with people attending the graduation ceremony, and we definitely won’t be able to drive back to the school.

I’ll drop you off later and park the car at the hotel.

Then, I’ll take the tram back to meet up with my classmates for the parade and see if I can borrow a ticket," Yan Yan didn’t insist on Qi Yi staying at the hotel and not joining in on the graduation festivities.

Qi Yi had come to attend her graduation ceremony anyway. If he couldn’t make it, it would be one thing, but now that he was already in Melbourne, it would be unreasonable for Yan Yan to prevent him from attending.

"Borrow what ticket?" Qi Yi didn’t understand what Yan Yan meant.

"Er, for the official RMIT graduation ceremony, which starts this afternoon and goes until the evening at the Docklands sports stadium, each graduate can only have four tickets. I clearly don’t have enough tickets on hand.

My mom and dad, Aunt, Uncle, you and Bao Bao—I need six tickets.

I have to try my luck to see if someone has extra tickets they don’t need," Yan Yan explained why she had to borrow tickets.

"Does that mean it’s still uncertain whether I’ll be able to attend your graduation ceremony on site?" Qi Yi was surprised as he hadn’t heard Yan Yan mention anything about ticket issues before.

"How could that be? We can miss anyone’s ticket, but certainly not yours. I prioritize giving you a ticket because, as they say, ’I’m all about the opposite sex, not humanity,’" Yan Yan said, turning the phrase into a compliment coming from her mouth.

"What about your family?" Qi Yi asked Yan Yan.

If there were only four tickets, four people from Yan Yan’s family in Wenzhou had come.

"Er, if I can’t borrow a ticket, then I’ll have to leave my parents out.

I invited them to my University of Melbourne graduation, and at the time they said they were too busy to attend.

Now that they’re free, whether or not they can attend will have to see if I have tickets for them," Yan Yan said with a somewhat triumphant smile.

Although Yan Yan used the word "leave out," in fact, this had been discussed with her parents; if she couldn’t borrow tickets, then her parents would wait at home and celebrate once she returned.

Mr. and Mrs. Yan Dabang thought this was the most reasonable arrangement.

Graduation parades are in the morning, and the graduation ceremony doesn’t start until the afternoon. There’s always a pretty good chance that friends or family members may have something come up last minute and can’t attend. After all, many students are locals.

Yan Yan felt there was still a good chance to snag some leftovers now, as there were several thousand graduates and tens of thousands of friends and relatives attending the ceremony, and not everyone would need all four tickets.

But RMIT’s graduation ceremony was notoriously popular, because of its lavish unapologetic charm.

If Yan Yan wanted to find leftovers, she’d have to hurry and join the parade procession. Otherwise, even if there were spare tickets, they might have already been snatched up by others.

Or worse, no one would know someone needed tickets, and they’d just go to waste.

...

The graduation ceremony is an annual event, so although it’s a novel experience for every graduate, for the university, it must be routine by now.

Yan Yan’s graduation ceremony at the University of Melbourne was a formal affair, with each graduate taking the stage and receiving their diploma directly from the chancellor.

For each person walking the stage to receive their diploma, where they stood, how long they paused, and whether they turned to wave at their family were all variables.

But when you stepped off the stage, you would directly receive a selection of sample photos from your own graduation ceremony.

Long shots, close-ups, different angles - they had it all.

The samples were printed in color ink on white paper, with "Proof Only" written below without any charge, handed directly to Yan Yan.

If you liked the samples and wanted the originals, that would cost a few hundred bucks.

If you liked your diploma and wanted to frame it, you could buy a frame with the University of Melbourne logo, which was also quite expensive.

In the end, attending the graduation ceremony in Melbourne meant deciding if you wanted to keep some mementos.

There were those koala bears dressed in graduation gowns matching the graduates’ colors, which made for a cute gift for graduates.

When Yan Yan graduated from the University of Melbourne, she held a bunch of koala bears.

The usual convenience store would turn into a graduation memorabilia shop, and though it was only for a few days a year, the shopkeepers knew their business well and how to cater to graduates.

Aside from choosing the color of the graduation gown collar for the koala bears, they would also hold a small scroll where you could print the graduate’s name.

Such a simple gimmick attracted many buyers.

This made the little shop in Union House at the University of Melbourne incredibly busy during the graduation season.

In short, there were all sorts of graduation-related gifts available at school.

Of course, flowers were an essential part of any significant day.

When Yan Yan graduated from the University of Melbourne, she had more in her hands than she could carry.

But the University of Melbourne didn’t have a graduation parade, so after taking a few photos with an armful of items, you could just put everything in your car.

Yan Yan had repeatedly insisted not to give her stuffed toys or flowers.

At least, not until the parade was over.

Yan Yan really didn’t want to walk around holding a heap of things in her hands.

Qi Yi wasn’t intentionally delaying Yan Yan’s driving speed. If because of his own visit Yan Yan’s parents couldn’t attend the graduation ceremony, it was definitely not a situation Qi Yi wanted to face.