Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 148 - 145 Reverse Thinking

"Why is it that every time we meet, it’s always in such a rush, and then we part ways just as quickly?" murmured Qi Yi with a bit of a sigh. "It’s like we never get to spend time together quietly, living a regular life."

"It’s not my fault, you know," replied Yan Yan with a smile.

"So, it’s all my fault, is that what you’re saying?" Qi Yi didn’t know what kind of scheme Yan Yan was concocting this time.

"It’s not your fault either; this isn’t what you intended. You see, you aren’t a ’regular’ person to begin with, which is why we can’t live a ’regular’ life. But your being ’not regular’ isn’t something you can be blamed for," Yan Yan explained her previous remark earnestly.

"Am I not regular? How do you know I’m not regular?" Qi Yi looked at Yan Yan with a meaningful gaze, not knowing if she realized the ambiguity in her words just now.

"Please! Mathematician, alien, quant—the list goes on. Can you tell me which identity of yours is ’regular’?" Yan Yan had already made up her mind about Qi Yi not being a ’regular’ person, beyond any doubt.

"As your boyfriend, I am extremely regular," Qi Yi stated his role earnestly, one that definitely belonged to that of a ’regular’ person.

"Wow, you’ve actually left me speechless." Yan Yan laughed in response.

Perhaps because she was driving, Yan Yan didn’t notice Qi Yi’s slightly too serious expression just now.

---

On December 14, 2011, the center of Melbourne was in a state of utter gridlock due to the RMIT graduation ceremony. The trams were packed to the brim.

The scene was no less spectacular than any other celebratory event Melbourne had to offer.

Qi Yi hadn’t even reached Federation Square when he saw the throngs of people. It was a far cry from the Federation Square he had seen last time he was in Melbourne.

A school’s graduation ceremony bringing the entire city center to a standstill—Qi Yi had never seen or heard of such an occurrence.

Typically, a school’s graduation ceremony, no matter how bustling, is an ’internal affair’ of the school. That RMIT turned it into a public celebration was, as Yan Yan had said, extravagantly inhumane (note 1).

After leaving the hotel, Yan Yan had told Qi Yi to rest there and head to the Docklands Stadium for the formal ceremony in the afternoon.

With the sea of people, even if Qi Yi waited at the end of the procession, it wasn’t certain that Yan Yan would spot him upon reaching the end.

Qi Yi wasn’t one to revel in the bustle, but he could make an exception today.

If Yan Yan couldn’t find him, she would naturally call him. Even if they couldn’t meet right away at the end, Qi Yi wasn’t worried about missing out on seeing Yan Yan today. What he was more anxious about was something else.

Yan Yan had said her family would be waiting for her at Federation Square, which meant that Qi Yi was about to meet her parents.

Qi Yi felt an inexplicable surge of nerves.

He wasn’t this nervous even during his college entrance exams or while job-hunting.

Qi Yi had always thought of himself as someone who didn’t get nervous easily.

Yet now, he was terribly nervous.

After all, Qi Yi, who had never met any parents before, didn’t quite know how to act when he met Yan Yan’s mom and dad, nor had he figured out what he should say.

Qi Yi tried to calm his nerves; he didn’t want to appear overly anxious.

For Qi Yi at this moment, the only thing that could overcome his nervousness was to focus on searching for Yan Yan among the crowd.

Thousands of graduates wearing their academic regalia blended in with one another, even if there was some variation in the color of their hoods.

Yan Yan had said that the RMIT School of Design’s academic hood was Silver Grey, but RMIT had 16 different hood colors, some similar to Silver Grey.

In short, those who arrived late and couldn’t secure a vantage point probably wouldn’t be able to spot their beloved immediately in the crowd.

Qi Yi now understood the mindset of the Underwear Party at Stanford University’s graduation.

Stanford’s ceremony didn’t have as many ’spectators’ as this event for Yan Yan. There, graduates entered in an ’athletic procession,’ and onlookers from afar, like spectators at a sports event, wouldn’t be able to identify their ’entrant’ unless they dressed uniquely.

Stanford’s Underwear Party, who actually wore robes over their notably less fabric, had red undies that stood out and could be easily spotted.

Qi Yi, not having secured a good position, now felt that if he went as he was, he wouldn’t be able to find Yan Yan in the marching crowd.

Fortunately, the Westin Hotel in Melbourne was very close to Federation Square, just a few steps away.

After witnessing the bustling crowd in Federation Square, Qi Yi immediately turned back to the hotel.

If it was just to watch the graduation parade, then the view from the hotel would be even better than going to the scene.

However, Qi Yi wasn’t heading back to the hotel just to watch.

Since he’d ascertained he likely couldn’t spot Yan Yan in the crowd, he needed to make himself stand out so Yan Yan could find him.

After returning to the hotel, Qi Yi quickly took out a piece of clothing from his suitcase.

That white garment with three-dimensional cutting was the first ’masterpiece’ Yan Yan had given him when she went to New York.

The logic of standing out at Stanford’s graduation worked both ways.

Since RMIT graduates were rather conventionally dressed, Qi Yi had to think inversely; he had to become an ’oddly-dressed’ executor, wearing what Yan Yan had given him—his "entire high school experience"—to make himself more noticeable and easier to be found.

Amongst the crowd of dark attire, Qi Yi’s white three-dimensional clothing became an exceptionally noticeable style, on par with the standout ’Stilts Party’.

---

Note 1:

The extravagantly inhumane graduation ceremony of RMIT was an annual spectacle with fresh gimmicks each year, filling the entire central district of Melbourne with RMIT’s flags.

Even the sky wasn’t spared; often, there would be several hydrogen balloons used for advertising purposes.

In the previous year (2016), RMIT took lavishness to new heights.

Students from the RMIT flight program personally flew four planes in formation. As the parade attendees arrived, they flew low over Federation Square. The students flew their planes to attend their own graduation ceremony.

You should know, flying in formation was originally a concept meant only for military parade displays.

And RMIT is just a ’regular’ comprehensive university.