Chapter Thirty: The Most Pathetic Confession

"Xiao Han, you should at least thank him and give this to him!" She grabbed a bag of snacks from the bed and stuffed it into Xiao Han's hands. Xiao Han seemed to finally react, pushed the door open, and ran out, then they heard her voice in the hallway, annoyed, "Xu Gang, this is for you, thank you!" After which, she rushed back, slamming the dorm room door behind her.

Lu Tian collapsed onto the bed, laughing, and with trembling fingers pointed at Dong Yanyan, asking, "Fifth sister, what did you just give her?"

Dong Yanyan feigned innocence, "Nothing, just a lover's plum!"

"What? That's what I gave her? Oh my, I can't face anyone now!" Xiao Han exclaimed in shock, then buried herself under the blankets, hiding her face.

Dong Yanyan mused to herself: why had she lost that kind of bashful feeling she had back in the day?

On Saturday night, the classroom could be described with four words: chaotic and disorderly. The duty students had the day off, so no one was working. Dong Yanyan entered the classroom with a book and felt as if she had stepped into a giant garbage dump. Among the heaps of noise, not a single person was putting in any effort to tidy up.

She picked up a broom and dustpan from the corner and began to sweep the floor, while the students sitting at their desks watching TV kindly lifted their feet. After cleaning up the trash, she intended to return to her seat to work on some problems, only to realize that the first two rows were already filled with students watching TV, playing cards, and playing chess.

She frowned for a moment, then gathered her things from her desk and moved to the empty seat beside Song Mingcheng in the last row. She decided to set up camp there from now on; it was conveniently close to Lin Feng, just one seat apart, allowing them to glance at each other when they had nothing to do.

Song Mingcheng, who had been deeply focused on his studies, noticed someone beside him and looked up, asking with confusion, "What are you doing?"

"There's no one next to you, right? If not, I'm sitting here!" Dong Yanyan replied, propping her chin up, as if it were only natural.

After thinking for a moment, Song Mingcheng nodded and then returned to his exercises. It was certainly easier to deal with this desk mate; she didn’t talk much and wasn’t annoying. She wouldn’t spend the day strumming a guitar and singing sappy songs or playing music at an unbearable volume. Dong Yanyan thought contentedly, just as Liu Qiang in front sneezed loudly.

She widened her eyes in surprise and grinned mischievously, leaning to the side in her chair. Pushing against the desk with her right leg, she slid back to the tape recorder, randomly grabbed a cassette tape from the neighboring desk, put it in, and squinted her eyes in delight as she listened to the music.

Across the classroom, the broadcasting class was filled with hazy lights, hosting a small evening party, something their class would also have in the future, called Happy Friday!

"In the frozen moments, past midnight, memories streak across the heart like shooting stars, forgetting to forget, confused about confusion, choosing to be forgotten in memories..." Lin Lan's voice resonated softly and passionately in the familiar background music, effortlessly drawing one into a nostalgic mood.

"Who changed it to the broadcast?" Dong Yanyan wondered, just as a hand gently patted her shoulder and a notebook was placed on her desk. Her eyes brightened upon seeing it: it was a handwritten collection of Xi Murong's poetry. She had once secretly read it.

"Thank you," she said, feeling her voice soften with the gentle music.

"I thought you were studying; I didn't expect you were listening to music," Lin Feng said as he sat down in the chair beside her, chuckling.

Dong Yanyan's heart skipped a beat; she could never resist his smile, which held a blend of innocence and carefree affection, a warmth that would resurface in her dreams years later, leaving her with a feeling of longing upon waking.

“At the right time, I need to clear my mind,” she said, trying to mask her sentimentality, turning her gaze out the window at the night sky and smiling nonchalantly.

"I listen to this program every day; if you hadn’t come over, I would have almost missed it. This time is perfect for listening to Lin Lan's emotional songs, those poignant love stories that make you sigh," she continued.

"I like listening too; there are so many beautiful misunderstandings in love, but the regretful beauty of a flawed ending will stay in the heart for a lifetime, and years later, it will still be unforgettable," Lin Feng said, turning his face to look at her.

"I don't think so. If heaven could give me another chance, I would definitely express my feelings to the person I like, instead of burying my feelings deep inside while silently shedding tears behind him. That would be too foolish and painful." Dong Yanyan tilted her head back, saying half-seriously, half-teasingly, "Just like in the movies. If heaven gives me another chance, I will say those three words to you: I love you... If I had to add a time limit, I hope it's—ten thousand years." She lowered her eyelashes, smiling sadly, "I don’t wish for ten thousand years; I just hope to be satisfied with being together every day and night in this lifetime... Do you understand?" By this point, her words had turned mushy, and if he pretended not to understand, she would truly be out of options. Anxiety swirled within her as she awaited his response.

Lin Feng remained silent for a moment, looking puzzled, then finally asked, "Yanyan, what's wrong? Did you suffer a breakup?"

"I'm just being cautious; I haven't even been in love yet," Dong Yanyan sighed, supporting her forehead, murmuring.

In front of them, Leng Haoyang turned his head and shouted, "Why don’t you just say you’re interested in him! Why make it so complicated!" Just as he finished, Dong Yanyan flung a book from her hand. Leng Haoyang, undeterred, grabbed a book and threw it back at her, and Dong Yanyan picked up two cassettes to throw again.

"Hey, you two, stop messing around!" Lin Feng quickly intervened, skillfully catching the items they threw.

Leng Haoyang whistled from the back, "Why are you two getting closer? This isn’t good!"

"Yanyan, let’s go for a walk," Lin Feng said, pulling Dong Yanyan toward the door, just as the door behind them swung open. Yang Lili rushed in from the sixth-floor dance hall like a gust of wind. Upon seeing Lin Feng, she grabbed him, smiling, "Lin Feng, I was just looking for you. I want to discuss something with you."

Late-night work discussions clearly had ulterior motives! Dong Yanyan rolled her eyes internally without showing it.

"I was just thinking of finding you too. Our weekends are quite boring; the same few people always go to the dance, so I was wondering if we could organize some activities on the weekends to enhance the relationships among classmates," Lin Feng said with a smile.