The new week dawned bright and sunny.
Qin Tian rode his new bicycle to the girls' dormitory.
Xia Nuannuan happened to be jogging out of the building with her textbooks. Seeing him, a sweet smile bloomed on her face.
"Beautiful lady, need a ride?" Qin Tian asked with a smile, raising an eyebrow.
Xia Nuannuan chuckled, letting out a delighted giggle, and nodded. "Of course, I do!"
She then jogged over, straddling the back seat of the bicycle, and placed her small hands on his waist.
"We're practically old married couples, and you're still shy? Hurry up, hold onto me!" Qin Tian teased.
"Pfft, old married couples? What are you talking about!" Xia Nuannuan playfully spat, her face blushing, but she complied and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Heh heh... Hold on tight, here we go!" Qin Tian grinned, pushed off with the pedals, and took Xia Nuannuan towards their classroom.
Many girls preparing to attend classes nearby watched the scene unfold, their faces practically screaming envy and jealousy.
"Is this... someone else's college life?"
"Are you kidding me? It's them again. I've had enough of their public displays of affection."
"Ahhh... I admit I'm jealous. I want a boyfriend who'll give me a ride to class on his bike!"
"What is this? Just after breakfast, and I have to witness this? I'm going to choke."
"I thought things like this only happened in dramas, but it's happening right before my eyes."
"It's just a bicycle. I can ride one myself. I can't afford a BMW, but can't I afford a bicycle? When National Day comes, I'll buy one and ride it to class too."
"Sister, aren't you getting off track? This isn't about whether you can ride a bike or not."
...
Shen Siqi and Lu Lei, who emerged from the dormitory building behind Xia Nuannuan, exchanged amused glances as they overheard the surrounding chatter.
"These two really do stir up some excitement every few days!" Shen Siqi remarked with a sigh of exasperation.
"Feeling envious?" Lu Lei smiled gently, teasing, "Why don't you ask your Chen Zhuang to do the same? I think he'd be more than happy to."
Shen Siqi's pretty face flushed, and she retorted playfully, "What are you saying? It's still early days for me and him. Even if we get together, I wouldn't be like them!"
"I think it's great. This is how dating should be," Lu Lei said with a warm smile.
"You're single too, never dated before. Where are you getting this experienced tone from?" Shen Siqi pouted.
"Haven't I seen pigs run even if I haven't eaten pork? You can learn a lot by watching others date," Lu Lei replied.
"As expected of our dorm's big sister, amazing!"
"What big sister? I'm only three months older than you. Don't make it sound like I've aged several years."
"Speaking of which, about Nuannuan's birthday, what are we going to do?"
"It's not our place to worry. Let's see how Qin Tian arranges it. After classes this afternoon, we can go shopping and prepare a gift."
"Sounds good. It's her eighteenth birthday, we have to pick a really good gift!"
...
...
The gentle morning sun, the perfect temperature, and the light breeze made for a very comfortable feeling.
Sitting on the back of the bicycle, Xia Nuannuan was in a joyful mood, a bright smile on her face.
"Brother, am I too heavy?"
"What are you talking about? You're only around a hundred pounds. You're underestimating me. I could carry two of you."
"Heh heh... You're just bragging!"
"Who's bragging? Watch this, I'm going to speed up." With that, Qin Tian pedaled with more vigor.
"No, slow down! Be careful not to hit anyone."
"Not a chance. You underestimate my riding skills too much."
"Just slow down a bit, there are a lot of people ahead."
"Okay, okay!" Qin Tian agreed verbally, but his speed remained undiminished. He zipped past several senior students, causing the one closest to them to yelp in surprise.
"Senior, I'm so sorry, so sorry!" Xia Nuannuan turned her head to apologize to the senior.
The senior offered a kind smile and waved, indicating she was fine.
"See? I told you to slow down!" Xia Nuannuan chided, playfully hitting his back with a balled-up fist.
"Alright!" Qin Tian slowed down, turned, and gave the seniors a hearty smile.
"Good morning, seniors! My apologies. It's the first day riding a bike to class, I'm not quite used to it!"
"It's alright, it's alright!" The senior waved again with a smile.
"Thank goodness the seniors are so nice. It's all your fault for riding so fast. We're not in a rush."
"Aren't I showing you my skills?"
"Who wants to see that? It's enough that I know you're capable. Don't ride so fast anymore."
"Understood."
Watching the pair ride away, several senior students from the same department exchanged glances, their expressions complex.
"They're that freshman couple, right?"
"Must be. Their looks, and that affectionate vibe... it has to be them."
"Sigh, looking at them makes me feel like I've wasted the past two years of college."
"You're overthinking it. Not every couple's relationship is this sweet."
"At least you've dated before. Unlike us three, who are so lonely."
"You're not without admirers. It's not hard to find someone if you want to date. As for me, I won't date again before graduation. Watching others date is definitely more interesting."
"Hey, hey... Don't shatter our yearning for beautiful love!"
"Exactly! Look at this junior and junior couple, and I believe in love again!"
"I didn't tell you not to believe!"
...
...
There was a dedicated shed for parking bicycles outside the teaching building. Qin Tian pushed his bike in and parked it, then left directly with Xia Nuannuan.
"I think we should still lock it, right?" Xia Nuannuan said with a hint of worry as she glanced back. She quite liked the bicycle and would be sad if it were lost.
"It's fine. There are cameras around, it won't get lost. Besides, the back seat looks so peculiar, thieves won't be interested."
"How is it peculiar? It's not at all. I think it looks great!"
"Yes, yes, it's great."
"Hmph, if it really gets lost, it's your fault!" Xia Nuannuan linked her arm through his, saying playfully.
The two entered the teaching building and went to their classroom. Just like the previous week, their first class on Monday morning was still English with Teacher Gavin. Thanks to the bicycle, they arrived quite early, with only a few students already in the classroom. They chose the same seats as last week.
As soon as they sat down, Cheng Meng, who walked into the classroom shortly after, approached them with a teasing smile.
"Class monitors, that new bicycle looks great!"
"What bicycle?" Xia Nuannuan blinked her big eyes, pretending to be oblivious.
"Playing dumb, huh? I saw it. You two should be the only couple in our freshman year riding a bicycle to class together. Oh, how envious!" Cheng Meng sat in the seats in front of them and teased in a playful tone.
"Then you should find a boyfriend." Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes back at her.
"It's not that easy, especially after seeing you two together. I want a boyfriend like Qin Tian. Where can I find one!" Cheng Meng's eyes lit up as she said this, and she turned to Qin Tian. "Qin Tian, by the way, do you have any brothers or younger relatives around my age? Can you introduce one to me!"
"I have a cousin, thirteen years old. Want him?" Qin Tian said with a smile.
"Thirteen? That's a bit young!" Cheng Meng frowned slightly, rubbing her chin. Then her tone shifted. "But I can wait!"
"You're something else." Qin Tian was speechless.
"Is your cousin as handsome as you?"
"Probably not!"
"Half as much?"
"Well..."
"Then forget it. Not even half. What am I waiting for!"