A Pure Love Story on Campus
Yuyu looked at the furious man in front of her and couldn’t help but laugh. The local water town man looked somewhat adorable even when he was scolding her. Seeing her laughing so brightly, the man froze for a moment and then retreated two steps in horror, shouting, “Young lady! Your boyfriend fell into the water!”
The man was Yuyu’s tour guide, holding a little flag and a loudspeaker. His shout through the loudspeaker just now made all the tourists within ten meters stop and whisper, staring at Yuyu. She was holding a white T-shirt and an old Motorola tablet. She shrugged and said to the guide, “I don’t know him.”
“Even if you’re fighting, you can’t mess around like this!” The guide clearly had a “I understand” look in his eyes. At this moment, the boy who was mistaken for Yuyu’s boyfriend had just reached the stone steps by the water and jumped onto the shore with agility.
He shook off the water like a silly Samoyed, took the T-shirt and phone from Yuyu, and walked away. The guide, with a darkened face, could only lecture Yuyu a few words.
Thinking back to that scene, it was indeed dramatic. Yang Chenyu walked beside her, looking disdainful as she took photos left and right, but he didn’t say a word to her. Yuyu thought this guy was really strange, spending money to travel but looking so miserable.
The more he acted like this, the more Yuyu wanted to talk to him. So after taking numerous photos, she put away her camera and sighed, “The water here is really green.”
Seeing that he had no intention of responding to her, she added two words, “Isn’t it?”
Only then did Yang Chenyu glance at her, and then a scene she would never forget happened! He quickly took off his shirt, threw his phone to her, and within a few steps, he dove into the water. When the guide found out, he was already swimming back to the shore. Since it was a false alarm, everyone thought it was just a little prank between a couple.
But Yuyu knew she had nothing to do with Yang Chenyu, so at that moment, in Yuyu’s mind, Yang Chenyu was nothing but a complete lunatic.
The days tied to Yang Chenyu had just begun. In the air-conditioned bus, Yang Chenyu sat next to her, still silent. The guide was organizing the room assignments for the night.
Yuyu had observed that only she and Yang Chenyu were alone in this group, so she planned to explain to the guide when he came over that they were not together. She definitely didn’t want to be arranged to share a room with him.
Just as the guide walked over, Yang Chenyu suddenly said to her, “I won’t stay at the hotel tonight, so it doesn’t matter if we are assigned together.”
From getting off the plane to sitting on the bus, Yang Chenyu hadn’t said much to Yuyu, but he had always followed her. After the rooms were assigned, everyone was even more convinced they were a couple.
Yuyu opened the room door with the key card and found Yang Chenyu still following her. She immediately asked alertly, “Aren’t you not staying?”
Yang Chenyu smiled, imitating the guide’s gentle and sweet tone, “You’re dreaming!”
Only then did Yuyu know that he could joke. Yang Chenyu went in, threw his backpack on the sofa, and then left. After a few steps, he suddenly came back, “By the way, lock the door at night.”
That night, Yuyu had insomnia, sleeping for less than three hours before the alarm woke her up. She hurriedly washed her face and went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. Yang Chenyu returned to the hotel after breakfast.
Perhaps after spending a day together, Yang Chenyu occasionally spoke to Yuyu during the second day’s trip. In the evening, he still threw his backpack on the sofa. Just as he was about to leave, Yuyu stopped him, “Can I go with you?”
The hotel was in a development zone, and the surroundings were a bit desolate. Yuyu didn’t want to waste the night like the previous one. Yang Chenyu didn’t refuse, so she took some money and followed him.
At that time, she didn’t even know his name, yet she trusted him enough to follow him all night. Later, Yang Chenyu joked that she was too carefree and then seriously asked why she was so bold. Yuyu casually said, “Because I like it.”
The Girl He Couldn’t Forget Was His Rival
That night, Yang Chenyu sat in a corner of a quiet bar, drinking a lot of alcohol. It was then that Yuyu confirmed her suspicion: Yang Chenyu had a broken heart, and he was likely the one who got dumped.
That night, besides Yuyu, there were two other boys with Yang Chenyu. One of them, named Qixi, told Yuyu that Yang Chenyu’s long-time girlfriend couldn’t bear the hardship of a long-distance relationship and chose to end it once and for all.
Just then, Yang Chenyu, with a slightly flushed face, came over and put his arm around Yuyu’s shoulders, displeased with Qixi, “Why are you telling her all this?”
Qixi immediately gave a teasing smile, calling out “I see.” Another boy named Mark also seemed to realize something, raising his head and meeting Yuyu’s uneasy gaze, then lazily lowering his eyes again.
A week later, Yuyu and Yang Chenyu said goodbye at the airport. Although they exchanged phone numbers, chance encounters are always unintentional, making them memorable.
Yuyu thought they wouldn’t cross paths again until she received a message from Yang Chenyu in the second week of the new semester, saying he had come to City A and wanted her to pick him up at the station.
Standing in the crowded station, Yuyu immediately spotted Yang Chenyu, his sickly pale skin contrasting with his bright yellow T-shirt, looking sunny. He had no luggage, not like a traveler, but well-dressed, not like a wanderer.
The sky was clear, and City A rarely reached a high temperature of 35 degrees Celsius. Yuyu was already sweating profusely, while the person beside her remained cool as ice. After wandering around the campus for a long time, Yuyu finally said wearily, “What’s so interesting about the campus?”
Yang Chenyu replied, “Is this where you live?”
Yuyu was stunned, but then noticed he seemed to be talking to the air. During dinner, Yang Chenyu insisted on eating sour and spicy noodles from the third cafeteria. Since she didn’t eat spicy food, Yuyu watched him eat. Maybe it was too spicy, and Yang Chenyu’s eyes turned a bit red.
In the evening, a circle of people gathered at the school gate, with candles and roses spread on the ground. The girl in the center, with sparkling eyes, was clearly moved. Having seen such scenes many times, Yuyu wasn’t touched, but Yang Chenyu stopped in his tracks. Yuyu called out to him, but he remained motionless. After a while, he said, “Does this really move girls?”
Yuyu casually replied, “Why don’t you try it?”
She didn’t expect Yang Chenyu to actually do it. Yang Chenyu, under the girls’ dormitory, like all boys of that age, did those exaggerated and silly things. Yuyu saw Mark and Qixi’s shadows from the balcony and ran downstairs in her slippers, her hair tied up casually.
Yang Chenyu didn’t see her, but Mark, with a stern face, pulled her aside, ordering her to stay away from Yang Chenyu. Yuyu found it amusing and asked, “Is Chen Chen your sister or your girlfriend?”
Chen Chen’s initials were CC, and the flower petals on the ground were also arranged in the shape of CC. She was the heroine Yang Chenyu was waiting for, a talented girl from the Computer Science Department.
Yuyu knew her not just because of her fame. In a public class, the teacher gave a programming question and called students to solve it on the board. Yuyu was the unlucky one called up. After struggling for two minutes, the teacher still didn’t let her off. At that moment, a clear female voice said, “Teacher, I would like to try.”
Yuyu would never forget the proud look on Chen Chen’s face as she passed by her and lightly threw the chalk. The flawless lines of code were already written on the board. From then on, Yuyu was ridiculed as a brainless beauty, always losing to Chen Chen. And Chen Chen, with her talents and looks, became increasingly successful.
Now, Yuyu finally understood that the girl Yang Chenyu couldn’t forget was her rival!
Being Loved for a Long Time Naturally Drowns You
That day, Chen Chen still high-profilely rejected Yang Chenyu. After the crowd dispersed, Yuyu walked up to Yang Chenyu. He squatted under the streetlight with his head down. Mark’s face, under the dim light, looked solemn like a sculpture. Yuyu glanced at him and then squatted down to gently hug Yang Chenyu.
After that day, Yuyu found out that Mark and Qixi also lived in City A and co-owned a popular internet cafe. After Yang Chenyu’s breakup, he signed up for a tour, visiting all the places he had been to with Chen Chen during their senior year of high school. Mark and Qixi, worried about him, followed along.
The four of them sat at a roadside stall. Perhaps wanting to escape, Yang Chenyu, who usually held his liquor well, was the first to get drunk. Qixi, tipsy, opened up. He said one of the most passionate events he witnessed in high school was the “Double Morning Love.” The top student
, Chen Chen, fell for the silent sportsman, Yang Chenyu. Yang Chenyu, who was reserved, found that Chen Chen was especially happy whenever he performed well in basketball or football. So he trained even harder, thinking that would please her.
A month before the college entrance exams, Chen Chen had a birthday. Yang Chenyu recorded a video and made a PPT about their memories, putting it on a USB drive engraved with “3years.” But that day… Qixi glanced at Mark when he reached this point.
Mark got into a fight at the internet cafe and was hospitalized. Qixi and Yang Chenyu went to the hospital together, and by the time they remembered Chen Chen’s birthday, it was already past midnight.
Their phones were dead, and when charged, they saw over thirty missed calls from Chen Chen and a text message full of disappointment and sadness, but not mentioning “break up.”
The next day, Yang Chenyu tried to explain and give the USB drive to Chen Chen. Unexpectedly, she threw it into the nearby artificial lake. Qixi said their school’s artificial lake was green and deep; once the USB went in, it was gone. Yuyu suddenly thought of that day when Yang Chenyu jumped into the green water of Wuzhen.
Later, Yang Chenyu found the USB drive but was given a demerit for his dangerous behavior. However, the USB was damaged, so he wore it around his neck without mentioning it to Chen Chen.
They reconciled, but such incidents happened frequently, making Chen Chen feel that Yang Chenyu didn’t care about her, leading to their eventual breakup.
That night, Yuyu returned to her dorm, opened her laptop, and went to Yang Chenyu’s space. She finally understood the significance of the “CC” at the end of each of his posts.
The next day during class, Yuyu’s phone vibrated. Her roommate had sent her a forum link. She clicked it and saw two photos: one of Yang Chenyu being rejected by Chen Chen under the girls’ dormitory and one of the four of them at the roadside stall.
The photos were blurry, but the poster’s title was “Live Broadcast of Last Night’s Confession,” and while everyone knew the heroine was Chen Chen, some sharp-eyed people recognized Yuyu among the four, thrusting her into the spotlight.
Chen Chen ordered a bowl of sour and spicy noodles in the third cafeteria. Seeing Yang Chenyu also carrying a bowl, she sneered, “Yang Chenyu, why bother?”
He always ordered the sour and spicy noodles that Chen Chen once mentioned. Even if he acted indifferent, his lingering feelings were obvious. Yuyu, sitting not far away, watched the tall boy with a straight back seem to suddenly shrink.
The bright necklace on his neck caught her eye. With a brave demeanor, she walked over, took the sour and spicy noodles from his hand, and smiled, “Bought it? I’m starving!”
Yuyu never thought she would eat the sour and spicy noodles so eagerly. Yang Chenyu, standing there with a complex expression, finally couldn’t bear it and grabbed her hand, “Stop eating…”
He traveled to the places they had been to, ate her favorite sour and spicy noodles, humbled himself. Yuyu couldn’t let him lose too badly. Qixi said Chen Chen used to do these things. That year, she liked the best player on the basketball team, Yang Chenyu, and joined the cheerleading team to get his attention, so he cherished her.
Chen Chen learned to save herself after being humble for too long. Yang Chenyu, being loved for too long, naturally drowned.
If You Can Still Deceive Yourself That He Has Forgotten Me
After eating a bowl of sour and spicy noodles, Yuyu’s lips swelled up. She was allergic to chili, and after Yang Chenyu found out, he felt very guilty and insisted on treating Yuyu to a meal.
Yuyu went to Mark and Qixi’s internet cafe. The name of the cafe made her pause for a long time before she snapped out of it. Qixi came out and, seeing her dazed look, laughed, “What are you daydreaming about? Go in and sit for a while. They’re all inside.”
Mark and Yang Chenyu were sitting side by side. When Yuyu came in, Yang Chenyu, still busy with his keyboard and mouse, looked back and smiled at her, “Give me ten minutes. I’ll finish this game quickly.”
Mark, however, never lifted his head. Qixi laughed, “That’s how he is. Once he starts playing, he’s super focused.”
Yuyu’s lips were still a bit swollen. Yang Chenyu ordered some light dishes, and Qixi suddenly exclaimed, “Yang Chenyu, where’s your USB necklace?”
At this question, Yang Chenyu’s smile froze on his face, replaced by an awkward expression. He laughed it off, saying he forgot to wear it.
Yuyu bent down to splash her face with cold water in the bathroom, and when she touched her lips, they still burned. As she straightened up, the USB necklace slipped out from her collar.
When she walked out, she bumped into Mark. His eyes seemed to see through everything. This time, Yuyu spoke first, with a domineering tone, “What do you want to say? Or do you want me to stay away from him again?”
Mark said nothing, just stared at the necklace showing from her neck. Yuyu ignored him and walked away, hearing Mark’s faint voice behind her, “I’m sorry.”
At that moment, Yuyu felt that maybe Mark had a bit of a liking for Chen Chen, a kind of liking that didn’t need possession but was entirely biased.
A few days ago, to help Yang Chenyu out, Yuyu ate a whole bowl of sour and spicy noodles, and soon her lips swelled terribly. Yang Chenyu immediately took her to the hospital. The doctor told him she was allergic, and Yang Chenyu’s gaze towards her became complicated.
After applying some ointment, Yang Chenyu walked with her on the street, blurting out, “Do you like me?” He immediately regretted it and changed the topic, “Are you feeling better?”
Yuyu, with her swollen lips, mumbled, “Yang Chenyu, if you feel guilty, give me that USB necklace.”
She thought Yang Chenyu would refuse, but to her surprise, he took off the necklace and gave it to her. After that, Yang Chenyu visited her school more frequently. Although he didn’t say anything, Yuyu felt that something was different.
Until Chen Chen came to her.
Many people knew that the handsome guy who confessed to Chen Chen in front of the girls’ dormitory was now close to Yuyu. Openly or secretly, they mocked Yuyu for being inferior to Chen Chen, even in boyfriends. Yuyu kept her composure, but Chen Chen couldn’t bear it.
Chen Chen’s message was clear: she still liked Yang Chenyu. She couldn’t stand being put behind his friends repeatedly and wanted to try again after he sought her out.
Chen Chen said, “His phone is still the one I gave him three years ago. He wears the bright yellow I like, eats the sour and spicy noodles I like, and always chooses the sky-blue seats I prefer. If you can still deceive yourself that he has forgotten me, then your brainless reputation is well-deserved.”
To the Point That His Many Faults Couldn’t Erase It
Yuyu went to the internet cafe named “Unswerving Loyalty” and saw Mark’s poker face staring at the screen. It reminded her of a year ago when she brought fried rice to him, waiting for him to finish a game before he noticed her.
Chen Chen’s visit to Yuyu was known to Yang Chenyu. Anxious, he found her, saw the USB necklace still on her neck, and breathed a sigh of relief before awkwardly apologizing.
He said he was sorry and not a good friend, causing her such trouble just to see Chen Chen often. He wanted the USB necklace back, not wanting any misunderstandings, especially with Chen Chen.
Yang Chenyu told her that during the trip, he saw from her student ID that she and Chen Chen were from the same school and department. He only approached her to win Chen Chen back.
After listening, Yuyu smiled lightly, taking off the USB necklace and placing it in his palm, feeling relieved, “I thought I was the only one doing something so foolish.”
Yuyu first met Mark during the java practical exam in her freshman year. He sat a seat away from her, looking indifferent without seeking help.
She knew him as a second-year student who had failed five courses and would be expelled if he failed one more. The exam was to create a dynamic webpage, and she had prepared hers, needing only minor adjustments.
Maybe that was why she wanted to help him. But when Mark firmly said, “You fell for me at first sight,” she couldn’t find an excuse to refute.
Mark had slightly long hair and a cold face, occasionally making a cute pouting expression. Although Yuyu didn’t like boys with long hair pretending to be cool, she fell for Mark.
She spent half an hour modifying her webpage, adjusted it, saved it, and tossed the USB drive to Mark, hitting his hand. Only after seeing him use the USB did Yuyu focus on her program, calling the teacher for grading after a few minutes.
After the exam, she glanced at Mark, still sitting there with the same expression. When she packed her bag to leave, Mark gently pulled her, whispering, “It’s all set up. You just need to run it.” To her surprise, he said, “How do you run it?” leaving her speechless.
Mark wasn’t good academically but was a key player on the debate team. The second debater was a beautiful senior often seen with him. Maybe, as Mark said, Yuyu fell for him at first sight, helping him in class
, getting tickets for debate competitions just to see him from afar. She never thought Mark would notice her.
After a debate, Mark didn’t join the celebration but walked straight to her. Nervous, Yuyu’s palms were sweaty. Mark returned the USB drive she lent him and asked if she wanted to join the celebration.
At the debate team’s celebration, she was the only outsider, except for the second debater, everyone had knowing smiles. During a truth or dare game, someone indirectly asked Mark if he liked the senior or the junior. Mark, staring at Yuyu, smirked, “Of course, the junior.”
Mark naturally held her hand while walking her back to the dorm, and that fleeting moment of excitement was unforgettable, so much so that his many faults couldn’t erase it.
Mark had no secrets from Yuyu, even sharing his social media passwords. Yet she felt he was distant. Mark was popular among girls, and every time Yuyu logged into his social media, there were numerous friend requests from girls. But she never worried because Mark only cared about games.
Yuyu remembered once not reaching Mark for days. His phone was off, and he hadn’t attended class. His roommates didn’t know his whereabouts. Chen Chen suggested checking the internet cafe, hinting at a joke that Mark didn’t care about Yuyu.
Yuyu found Mark at the internet cafe, spending all his money on games. She brought him meals daily, only getting his attention after he finished gaming.
One time, after Mark happily finished his game, he saw Yuyu holding cold fried rice, tears falling. She told him, “If you hate me that much, let’s break up.” That was the only time Mark gently hugged her, patiently saying, “I’m sorry. Don’t cry, Yuyu. Your tears make me sad.”
He Finally Stood in the Sun
Yang Chenyu frowned silently while Yuyu smiled, “After that day, he disappeared.”
Knowing Mark had withdrawn from school, Yuyu couldn’t reach him again. Someone said his father took him home after handling his withdrawal.
Yuyu said, “That day you jumped into the water and left your phone with me, I accidentally pressed it. The wallpaper was a photo of you, Qixi, and Mark. After a year, I saw Mark again with you at the bar.”
Yang Chenyu opened his mouth but said nothing. Yuyu lightly patted his shoulder, smiling brightly, “You see, the world is fair. We were both fooled.”
Qixi, after knowing these things, came to see Yuyu, exclaiming, “Oh, I forgot Mark also studied at A University!”
Mark didn’t go home as rumored but stayed in City A, changing his phone number and losing contact with Yuyu. Qixi said Mark saved money and, with family help, wanted to open an internet cafe with him. He added, “Do you know? ‘Unswerving Loyalty’ was Mark’s insistence.”
The name was a pun on Yuyu’s name. But given their past and Mark’s sudden disappearance, it felt more like a mockery.
Yuyu received a call from Mark, sounding like he had seen it all. A year ago, she hated him deeply, but now she had forgotten why she loved and hated so intensely.
Mark looked the same, not tall but handsome. After a long silence, he asked, “I’m going to a gaming competition this weekend. Will you come?”
Yuyu focused on his legs. Feeling uneasy, Mark shifted and heard her say, “I’ll be there.”
That day, Yang Chenyu and Chen Chen sat together, Chen Chen clinging to his arm sweetly, saying, “Yuyu and Mark were really in love back then.”
Yuyu said nothing, watching Mark with admiration for the first time as he played. His skilled moves and focused eyes matched Qixi’s description of him dominating the game.
Mark won the national gaming competition, and at the celebration, he was surrounded by people, seemingly searching for something. Yuyu turned away and left.
In high school, Mark’s leg was injured, preventing him from playing sports, so he immersed himself in gaming. Qixi told Yuyu, “If he asks you to watch his game, don’t refuse because it’s his only way to show you himself.”
After the competition video went viral, Mark became famous. His story of perseverance through injury, dropout, and triumph fascinated fans.
In an online interview, boys expressed admiration for Mark. He said, “Gaming gave me achievement but not happiness. The losses outweigh the gains. If I could, I’d choose a different path.”
Then he jokingly added, “Don’t follow my example. I’m a cautionary tale!”
When asked if there was a story behind the internet cafe name, Mark simply replied, “It’s all in the past.”
Yuyu smiled at his response. The stubborn Mark, who once seemed to live in the shadows, had finally stepped into the light.
We Did Many Things Right, Except Acting on Impulse
At Mark’s celebration, he finally told Yuyu that the internet cafe name was for her and that “Unswerving Loyalty” was his dream.
Some things, done once in a lifetime, are worth it. Like Yuyu once creating chances to see Mark, now she only learns about Yang Chenyu’s achievements from Qixi, avoiding any hint of interest.
Yuyu told Mark she could never be the girl content with just seeing him anymore.
After an interview, Yuyu received an email from Mark. Reading it made her vision blur, like when she stood before Mark with cold fried rice, all her vulnerabilities exposed.
Chen Chen liked Yang Chenyu for years, but he always prioritized friends. After learning not to take love for granted, he couldn’t apply the lesson. Chen Chen told Yang Chenyu about Mark’s love for Yuyu, saying he left to avoid dragging her down.
Yang Chenyu thought he was the extra one, believing everything would be fine if everyone returned to their rightful places. But later, he realized he also felt pain, and some wisdom was just self-deception. The girl who risked everything for him had rooted in his heart.
Mark shared these with Yuyu, who couldn’t stay calm.
Qixi opened a new restaurant, inviting Yuyu. She instinctively asked, “Will Yang Chenyu be there?”
Over the year, Yuyu knew Yang Chenyu and Chen Chen never got together, and she guessed he knew she and Mark didn’t either. Yet, they never contacted each other.
Qixi, hearing her question, seemed to understand, “Of course, it’s been a while since we all gathered.”
When Yuyu arrived, Qixi’s smile was strained. Confused, she walked to the room, seeing Yang Chenyu.
He sat at the table, a seat next to him empty. After greeting everyone, Yuyu sat down. Someone asked Yang Chenyu, “When are you leaving? Will you come back?”
After graduation, Yang Chenyu stayed as a sports teacher at a branch school in another city, leaving City A in a week. Yuyu finally understood Qixi’s forced smile. Yang Chenyu said he might stay there, occasionally returning.
At that moment, Yuyu wanted to ask him to stay, but she realized those reckless, unlimited times were gone. She had no right to ask him to stay.
She didn’t know that during that meal, Yang Chenyu smiled but hid his clenched fists under the table.
Yuyu wondered if she had shown the same reckless bravery with Yang Chenyu as she did with Mark, she might still have a chance. Just like Qixi said, “You’re all cowards, unwilling to admit past promises were empty, but things aren’t black and white. The love back then was real, and the love now is real too. The mistake was acting on impulse.”
Yuyu recalled once secretly visiting Yang Chenyu’s school during his internship, hearing two girls excitedly discuss, “The new intern teacher is so handsome and good at basketball!”
In her heart, she wished, “If you see Yang Chenyu acting like an ostrich, be braver than me, grab him and never let go, okay?”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
