Chapter 545: The Taste of Tea and Feng Nanshu

Jiang Qin couldn’t keep up with school and missed out on a lot of typical college life by pretending to be something he wasn’t.

It suddenly came to his attention when someone mentioned the movie “Those Years” had already been released.

He remembered the film wasn’t heavily marketed but quickly became a hit through word-of-mouth after its release.

Carved into his student days, the subtle longing unspoken crushes this youth romance film, using these elements as selling points, became very popular among students.

It seemed that this film also opened the track for more youth romance films in the country, resulting in similar themes dominating the following years.

The catch was, those films were shot rather poorly filled with melodramatic sighs and topics of abortion.

Of course, some edge-running films that didn’t treat the audience as outsiders were pretty good and quite bold.

But coming back to it, “Those Years” is still worth watching as it has substance.

It spends fifty percent of the time portraying the purity and beauty of student love, and forty percent on the sadness of love ending in breakup.

At the end, snap, the goddess married a wealthy man.

Every time Jiang Qin recalls this film, he feels like crying. Damn, why didn’t he understand it back then? Understanding it could have saved him years of trouble.

“When is this movie ticket for?”

“Tonight.”

Jiang Qin pocketed the movie ticket, “Thanks. I’ll treat you to a class sometime.”

Wang Haini glanced at him, thinking to herself how Feng Nanshu’s family really likes to talk, then suddenly reminded him, “Remember to bring some tissues. Several couples from our class cried after watching it.”

“Only those with a romantic mindset would cry at this kind of movie. Neither Feng Nanshu nor I fit that bill.”

“…”

Wang Haini looked at him again, thinking how different it is being a boss. The whole world knows he and Feng Nanshu are hopeless romantics, yet they are so confident!

After dinner, Jiang Qin took his plate to the recycling area, waved goodbye to Wang Haini, and went back to his dorm.

Upon entering, he saw Cao Guangyu and Ren Ziqiang dressed up ridiculously trendy complete with fashionable scarves. Zhang Guangfa was holding a bag of shrimp chips, watching them with envy and jealousy.

“What are you guys up to?”

“Going to see a movie, ‘Those Years.'”

Cao Guangyu adjusted his scarf, “Reminiscing about youth, and reminding us to cherish the present.”

Jiang Qin turned to Zhou Chao, “Are you going, Chao? Did that junior who added you on QQ ask you out?”

“No, we’re not in contact anymore.” Chao instinctively sat up straight.

He indeed wanted to experience a sweet romance in his last year of college and had common topics with that never-met junior.

But things started to feel off after a while.

The junior frequently shared gay-themed pictures with him and talked about how opposite-sex relationships are just for procreation, while true love exists only between same-sex partners, which made Chao increasingly anxious.

And that junior who gave him the QQ number began to look at him with increasing loneliness.

Chao went back and blocked the junior’s QQ. He even gave up basketball for a few days and was afraid to use the men’s restroom, always feeling like something was creeping up behind him.

“Being single is good saves money. Watching movies costs money, eating after the movie costs money. For singles like us, isn’t it nice to eat and drink whatever we save?”

Jiang Qin sat down, swapping his leather shoes for something more comfortable.

Chao didn’t speak, but Zhang Guangfa immediately agreed, “Exactly what Mr. Jiang says. Being single is the most comfortable. After they leave, you and Chao can play cards with us.”

Zhou Chao glanced at Zhang Guangfa then quietly plugged his ears with two fingers.

Jiang Qin smiled faintly, “I won’t be playing cards. I’m taking a good friend to see a movie and have dinner later.”

“?”

After hearing this, Zhang Guangfa was confused and mechanically turned to look at Zhou Chao.

Zhou Chao consoled him with an experienced tone, “You’ll get used to it. Mr. Jiang is a good guy, just a bit stubborn and likes to beat around the bush. But you can predict his tactics after facing them once.”

“Got it…”

Jiang Qin arrived at Feng Nanshu’s dorm to pick up the elegantly dressed little rich girl.

She wore the same khaki Korean-style coat, but underneath, she changed into a white knit skirt that hugged her curves, her long legs wrapped in thick black stockings, wearing the embroidered ankle boots Jiang Qin had bought her.

Her left hand was hidden inside her sleeve, pale fingertips touching a bandage, probably the injury Wang Haini mentioned about knitting gloves.

“How did you hurt yourself?”

“I bumped it while getting off the bed, but it doesn’t hurt, just feels like an ant bite,” Feng Nanshu said, looking up cheerfully.

Jiang Qin held her hand, looked at it, and noticed his name written on the bandage, “What’s this about?”

Feng Nanshu pulled her hand back, somewhat haughtily, “This way, it’ll heal faster.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Jiang Qin tucked her hand into his coat pocket, “Would it heal even quicker in my pocket?”

Feng Nanshu said nothing, sticking close to him as they walked to the school gate, her eyes sparkling clearly.

Ding Xue and Wang Linlin were also at the school gate, standing there waiting for them, planning to take the bus together.

The autumn evening was short, quickly turning dark. Neon lights outside the window sparkled, the bus filled with young college students, most heading to see the movie.

Cao Guangyu and his group sat in the front row. As the bus swayed, Ding Xue’s head rested on Old Cao’s shoulder.

Behind them, Wang Linlin followed suit, leaning towards Ren Ziqiang.

Feng Nanshu, always clever, tilted her head and snuggled into Jiang Qin’s embrace, closing her eyes gently to feel his strong, steady heartbeat.

The bus traveled through the flickering light, the music playing fitting the mood perfectly.

“Those years we missed the heavy rains, those years we missed falling in love.”

“I wish I could tell you, tell you I haven’t forgotten.”

“Once wanted to conquer the world, only to realize when looking back.”

“That this world, bit by bit, was all about you…”

Soon, the bus arrived at the brightly lit Wanzhong Mall. Students rushed off, heading towards the mall’s square.

Jiang Qin, with the almost-asleep rich girl by his side, couldn’t resist pinching her cheek, “Do you feel that safe near me? It shook my brain out, yet you could still sleep?”

Feng Nanshu, slightly dazed, rubbed her eyes and nodded gently.

For her, with social anxiety, the world seemed unstable, but she felt safe next to Jiang Qin, especially when holding hands.

“Which screening are you guys at?”

“The 7:30 one.”

“We’re at the 7:10 screening, they’re starting to check tickets. Bye!”

Jiang Qin watched as Young Master Cao and Ren Ziqiang entered the cinema hall, then bought popcorn and cola before pulling Feng Nanshu along to the theatre, finding their seats and waiting for the lights to dim.

The movie flowed smoothly, clearly targeting a specific audience, which made the immersion quite strong.

Particularly seeing the female lead’s indecisive attitude brought out a strong sense of melodrama, reminding many of their youthful days.

However, Jiang Qin just watched for fun, mostly feeding popcorn to his little rich girlfriend.

Feng Nanshu watched intently, hardly speaking during the screening, eating whatever was fed to her, nearly biting Jiang Qin’s fingers.

Only during the final wedding scene did Jiang Qin perk up, thinking, “Awesome! As a rich person empathizing with this, it feels like winning literature. Meanwhile, others begin to weep uncontrollably.”

“If only I had known you in high school.”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Qin straightened up a bit, looking at Feng Nanshu.

Feng Nanshu mimed holding a pen, looking at him adorably, “I could see you every day in class, wanted to draw on the back of your clothes, study together in the evening, and call you ‘brother’ every day.”

Her voice was soft, rippling continuously into Jiang Qin’s heart, filled with a sense of longing.

The orange light of high school night studies, the night breeze, the same uniforms, the sound of flipping pages.

Feng Nanshu pictured it in her mind, hardly daring to imagine how happy they would have been if they had met back then.

“If it was back then, we might have just missed each other.”

“Why?”

Jiang Qin sat silently for a moment, “Back then, I was nothing, and you were the goddess of the school, a wealthy heiress. I didn’t even dare to look at you properly.”

Feng Nanshu blinked, “But now you’re about to kiss me to death and keep touching me.”

“Now is now, and we’ve redefined friendship, haven’t we? I’ve got a bit of confidence now.”

“But I don’t like how this movie ends.”

Jiang Qin leaned back, sighing softly, “Youth always leaves some regrets, especially love in student days, like a building without a foundation, seemingly solid but actually fragile.”

Feng Nanshu quietly watched him, “Brother, were you just thinking about Chu Siqi?”

“What? No way, I wasn’t!”

Feng Nanshu squinted, “You were.”

Jiang Qin was stunned, “Why would I think about her?”

Feng Nanshu pursed her lips murmuring, “You’ve been busy thinking about an ex-girlfriend. Poor brother.”

“Damn, why do you sound a bit like you’re taunting? An ex-girlfriend? What are you talking about?”

“Anyway, it wasn’t me you were thinking about…”

“I wasn’t thinking about her, really. I never lie to you.”

Feng Nanshu was even more skeptical. She often said the same to Jiang Qin, but it didn’t stop her from pretending to fool him daily.

Jiang Qin looked at the little jealous girl beside him, thinking, why are all women the same? Even this silly girl could be like this.