Inside the still dimly lit girls’ dormitory, a faint fragrance lingered in the air. It was likely a blend of the different scented candles each person had placed on their desks, coming together at this moment to form a surprisingly pleasant aroma.
The drawn curtains blocked out all the sunlight, sealing it outside the window.
Lying on her bed, idly doing nothing, Ye Qingchang suddenly felt as if this dormitory was like a dark, damp sewer—and she was the gloomy rat within it.
Or perhaps she was more like a goblin dwelling in a cave.
Next to Ye Qingchang’s bed was a row of books, and an inexplicable scent of old paper often sneaked into her nostrils.
She needed to do something; otherwise, she really would become the gloomy rat of the sewer.
Hanging her hand over the guardrail on the edge of the bed, she propped herself up and looked at Yang Shuli, who was downstairs, panting busily at some unknown task.
“We can’t just rot in the dorm all day. I feel like I’m about to grow cobwebs.”
Hearing this, Yang Shuli looked up blankly, still chewing on cotton candy. “What do you think we can do? There’s just the two of us, and it’s not like there’s much we can do anyway.”
Ye Qingchang collapsed back onto the bed, utterly defeated.
What the dorm leader said was true; it was only the two of them—one weak, the other just a kid. There really wasn’t much they could do.
Lately, she had even been bored enough to start reading textbooks.
Xiao Yian hadn’t reached out to her during this time, saying his aunt had taken him on a trip.
Ye Qingchang didn’t even have to think about it—Xiao Yian must have been glued to his phone, watching their chat window the whole time, but just couldn’t figure out how to start a conversation.
If Xiao Yian didn’t talk, she wouldn’t either.
If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move; if the enemy moves, I panic.
“Why don’t we go on a trip? The whole dorm, together.”
Ye Qingchang lay on the bed, her beautiful black hair spread out, the sunlight filtering through the curtains casting a strange hue that made her look like a blooming violet.
It had indeed been a while since she’d gone anywhere. The last carefree trip she remembered was after the college entrance exam.
“That sounds pretty good…” Yang Shuli put down the cotton candy. “But with just the two of us, can we really have fun anywhere? At least wait until there are more people.”
Ye Qingchang suddenly thought of Xiao Yian.
If she invited Xiao Yian, and the dorm leader invited Xu Nian, that would be exactly four people—definitely the perfect number for a trip.
But she couldn’t bring Xiao Yian along.
Traveling was supposed to be relaxing. If she brought Xiao Yian, she’d have to keep wracking her brain over how to maintain absolute dominance in their relationship.
If she didn’t bring Xiao Yian and only had the dorm leader and Xu Nian, she wouldn’t fit in with those two losers at all.
For a moment, Ye Qingchang couldn’t think of any good way to weigh the pros and cons.
“I know! Let’s fantasize.”
Yang Shuli’s eyes lit up as she raised a finger.
“Fantasize?”
“Yeah, a travel fantasy. Even if we can’t physically go, our minds can go.”
Yang Shuli said this with such certainty that Ye Qingchang was momentarily taken aback.
“Okay, close your eyes now.”
Yang Shuli closed her eyes first. “Imagine a place you want to travel to.”
Ye Qingchang propped herself up again, looking at Yang Shuli with a puzzled expression—eyes closed but face full of longing.
Skeptical but curious, she lay back down, closed her eyes, and began to imagine, following Yang Shuli’s instructions.
“Alright, Old Three, where are you now?”
Ye Qingchang frowned. “I’m in an ancient town where it’s raining.”
Suddenly, she understood a bit. It seemed she had read similar books before—immersive guided imagery designed to relax the mind and body.
So her dorm leader knew a bit about psychology? She had seriously underestimated Yang Shuli.
“No, no. I want to eat seafood, so you should be by the seaside.”
Yang Shuli immediately interrupted, her tone firm.
“Do our fantasies have to be the same place?” Ye Qingchang almost couldn’t hold back and opened her eyes.
“Of course! If we’re traveling, we have to be together. Do you want to go alone?”
That retort shut Ye Qingchang up instantly.
She frowned but followed Yang Shuli’s lead, changing the fantasy scene to the seaside.
Then Yang Shuli asked again, “What do you see now?”
Ye Qingchang was momentarily stunned.
She’d read about this kind of questioning before, but hadn’t expected the dorm leader to really be serious about it.
“I see sunlight, a sandy beach, surfers, men and women in swimsuits playing in the water, kids building sandcastles…”
The more she described, the more she felt like she was actually getting closer to that beach.
“No.” Yang Shuli cut off Ye Qingchang’s description. “It’s autumn, and the seaside is cold. There aren’t that many people, and where are the swimsuits?”
At last, she even adopted a frustrated tone, as if disappointed in her friend’s lack of imagination: “Do you even know how to daydream?”
Ye Qingchang decisively opened her eyes, sat up, and looked at Yang Shuli, who still sat below with her eyes closed, looking arrogant.
Honestly, she shouldn’t have had any expectations for this girl—not even a little.
Seeing Yang Shuli still lost in her fantasy, Ye Qingchang began looking for something nearby she could throw at her.
Just then, the dormitory door, silent for a long time, made a sound and slowly opened.
Liu Xie appeared, yawning.
“Old Three, why are you opening the door? Trying to escape? Can’t even do a simple fantasy?”
With her eyes closed, Yang Shuli was still scolding in frustration.
Liu Xie faced Ye Qingchang and pointed at Yang Shuli, who still had her eyes shut and was gesturing at the air as if playing an invisible game.
Ye Qingchang shook her head and sighed again.
Liu Xie’s expression immediately turned serious. “Has eating junk food already corrupted your brain?”
“Old Three, Old Three!” Yang Shuli excitedly stood up, but her eyes remained closed. “I did it! I just successfully imagined Old Two. I even heard her voice.”
Liu Xie raised her hand high and delivered a sharp chop to Yang Shuli’s head.
The dorm leader immediately stopped fantasizing, clutching her head as she crouched in the corner.
“Why are you back now?” Ye Qingchang got off the bed and asked Liu Xie directly. “You’ve only been home two days. I thought you’d stay longer.”
“I only planned to stay two days. My family’s busy, so even if I stayed longer, it’d probably just be me.”
Liu Xie shrugged.
But she did feel a little reluctant. On the last night she was home, her good younger brother Liu Anran suddenly acted strange—always hesitant to speak, making her feel like some unclean thing had possessed him.
She still remembered the last question Liu Anran asked before she left.
“Sis, are you hiding something from me? About love.”
She didn’t even know what she was hiding from Liu Anran herself, so she answered, “Me? Why do you care? If you want to fall in love, just do it. I fully support you.”
Then she saw the smile on Liu Anran’s face—like he had finally let go of some worry.
It was a little baffling.
“Eh.” She pulled her chair out and placed it in the middle of the dormitory hallway, then straddled it. “What were you two just talking about? I think I heard something about a beach.”
“I was planning to go on a trip, but it seems like we don’t have enough people,” Ye Qingchang said, shrugging.
“Well, I just got back, didn’t I? So add me in.”
Liu Xie patted her chest confidently, and the ripples of excitement made Ye Qingchang’s eyelids twitch.
“Having you come along is a bit of a stretch.”
Ye Qingchang glanced at Yang Shuli, who was still hiding in the corner, “I mean, it’d be better if the whole dorm went on a trip.”
“Then just call Xiaoniao.”
Liu Xie took out her phone without hesitation.
“How long will it take to meet the guy’s parents? Maybe she’s already started looking for a part-time job.”