He couldn't help but think of her, wanting to be closer to her, wanting to understand her - it all seemed to fit.
These days, he would check his phone daily, seeing if she had sent him any messages.
Chatting with her made him happy, and he longed to video call her. Did this count as developing feelings for her?
Xuanyuan Xi saw that Qin Yuchuan had fallen into deep thought, and didn't interrupt him - some things, one had to figure out for themselves.
"I think I like her."
Xuanyuan Xi heard Qin Yuchuan's response, and wasn't surprised - he was always clever, needing only a gentle nudge to understand the meaning behind things.
"What kind of girl is she?"
Xuanyuan Xi was truly curious about the girl Qin Yuchuan liked.
Qin Yuchuan pondered for a moment, "She's very beautiful, lively, and a bit adorable. She likes pretty things - this bowl, for instance, was her choice."
Xuanyuan Xi looked at the bowl in his hand, "If I get the chance, I'd love to meet her."
"There will be a chance." Qin Yuchuan didn't know if he was saying it to Xuanyuan Xi or himself.
Although he could see her through his phone, he couldn't see her in person, which was a bit regrettable.
But since they could communicate and even exchange items through their phones, perhaps there would come a day when they could meet.
The only question was, what did she think of him?
Hearing Qin Yuchuan's words, Xuanyuan Xi said, "Then I'll await your good news."
After the noon meal, Qin Yuchuan finally received a reply from Feng Qingyi.
[Qingyi: You can actually send me items now!]
[Qingyi: What did you send me?]
[Yuchuan: You haven't looked yet?]
[Qingyi: I'm in the cafeteria now, if something just appeared out of nowhere it would draw attention.]
[Qingyi: I'll receive it once I'm back in the dorm, you still haven't told me what you sent?]
[Yuchuan: Just some small items, if you like them I can pick out some more for you.]
[Qingyi: Let me see them first before I tell you if I like them or not.]
[Qingyi: Did you have lunch? If not, I can pack some for you.]
[Yuchuan: I've eaten.]
Feng Qingyi sent Qin Yuchuan a photo of the cafeteria.
[Qingyi: This is our school's best cafeteria, super crowded.]
It was the first time Qin Yuchuan had seen the cafeteria Feng Qingyi mentioned. He had thought it would just be a small dining hall, but it was surprisingly large.
There were a lot of people in the cafeteria, it looked very lively, and everyone was dressed differently yet harmoniously.
[Yuchuan: I can see that.]
[Qingyi: It's delicious, so there's always a long queue, although it wastes time, being able to eat tasty food puts you in a good mood.]
Lou Xi peeked at Feng Qingyi's phone but couldn't see anything.
"Do you have a privacy screen protector on your phone?"
"I guess so." It was probably high-tech enough to have built-in privacy features.
Shen Hanyue was very curious, "I've never seen you chat with anyone while eating before, who's this friend of yours?"
"From what I can tell, they're not from our school, you even took a photo," said Qu Jingqiu.
Feng Qingyi didn't know how to respond, so she brushed it off, "Just a friend I met online during the summer break."
"Online friends can't be trusted, be careful with your privacy," Lou Xi warned.
Feng Qingyi smiled and nodded, "I know, I'll protect myself."
After the four of them finished lunch, Feng Qingyi made an excuse to get something, found a secluded spot, and took out the items Qin Yuchuan had sent her.
He had said they were small items, so Feng Qingyi hadn't thought much of it, but when she saw the two large wooden boxes, she was dumbstruck!
This wasn't "small items" - what would count as large items then?
Feng Qingyi struggled to carry the two large boxes back to the dorm, estimating their combined weight to be around thirty pounds, not knowing what was inside.
After much effort, Feng Qingyi finally got the two boxes back to her dorm room.
Seeing the boxes on the floor, Shen Hanyue asked, "Qingyi, what did you buy?"
"...Let me open them and see." She didn't know either.
Feng Qingyi first opened the slightly smaller box on top, and was instantly blinded by the jewelry inside.
Lou Xi, Qu Jingqiu, and Shen Hanyue also gathered around.
"Qingyi, are you getting into the traditional Chinese clothing circle? Why did you buy so many hairpins?" asked Qu Jingqiu.
"Qingyi, can we take a look?" Shen Hanyue asked.
Feng Qingyi pushed the box aside, "Sure, go ahead, let me see what's in this larger box."
Upon opening the larger box, Feng Qingyi was stunned once more.
The box was full of traditional Chinese dresses, the colors and materials indicating they were of the highest quality and extreme expense.
Lou Xi picked up a white jade hairpin and examined it closely, "This is real."
"What's real?" Shen Hanyue asked.
"She probably means the jade on these hairpins, and these jades and other gemstones, they're all genuine," Qu Jingqiu explained.
"This whole box is real? That must be worth tens of millions then!" Shen Hanyue exclaimed in shock, is this the world of the ultra-wealthy?
Lou Xi took a look, "Not quite tens of millions, but it's definitely in the millions - the quality of this jade is excellent."
"Qingyi, I don't want to work hard anymore, you can support me!" Shen Hanyue hugged Feng Qingyi.
Feng Qingyi had overheard their conversation, Qin Yuchuan's generosity was too extravagant - she should return these gifts!
The items were far too precious, she couldn't possibly afford them even if she sold herself!
"Let me send him a message, can you let go of me for a bit?"
Feng Qingyi quickly took out her phone to message Qin Yuchuan.
[Qingyi: Why did you buy me so much jewelry and clothing?]
[Yuchuan: Do you like them? If not, I can look around the streets tomorrow for something more suitable.]
[Qingyi: These are far too precious, I can't accept them, I'll send them back to you.]
[Yuchuan: It's just an exchange of gifts, nothing particularly valuable, you don't need to worry about it.]
Did he have some misunderstanding about what was "not valuable"!
[Qingyi: Really, they're too precious, what I sent you before doesn't begin to compare in value.]
[Yuchuan: What I send out has no reason to be taken back. If you don't like it, just throw it away.]
[Qingyi: ...I don't dislike it.]
[Yuchuan: Then consider it as a reward for you cooking for me before. I'll find some nice little trinkets for you another day.]
Still looking for more! He really is as lavish with money as pouring out water!
Originally, it was just because I wanted to use him to earn points that I thought of improving his meals and giving him some snacks as compensation.
