Brief Campus Love Story: You Monitored Away Our Love
They both came from small towns, so while they were studying, they couldn’t afford to travel between cities like other couples. Even phone calls were brief, with each of them racing to say everything on their minds before the rapidly rising numbers on the phone screen forced them to end the call reluctantly.
They couldn’t afford frequent phone calls, nor could they visit each other in another city, but their love still blossomed sweetly.
The boy saved up a few hundred yuan to buy the girl a mobile phone, an outdated model that most people had already discarded. But the girl treasured it as if it were priceless, never feeling embarrassed or inferior when its harsh ringtone drew laughter from those around her. To her, it was the best way they could feel connected to each other at all times.
Every night before bed, she would receive a message from him, exactly 70 characters long. Each character carried his longing and love for her. She would record his messages, and whenever she missed him, she would take them out to read. She would also send him a “missed call,” a signal that she was thinking of him, asking, “Bao, are you thinking of me too?”
The boy would immediately call her back four times in a row, letting her know, “Of course I am.”
This method, which didn’t cost them a single penny, often made them feel happier than anyone else. Although the other girls in the dormitory could talk on the phone for hours, she didn’t envy them. She wanted others to know that their love was just as sweet, warm, and even romantic.
Who said love must be expressed through endless conversations? Sometimes, a short 70-character message can make the other person feel softer and warmer than 70 hours of talk.
Later, a company at the school promoted a “couple’s mobile package.” For just 20 yuan a month, couples in the same province could enjoy unlimited free calls and texts. This walkie-talkie-like service immediately attracted her.
She knew she had a vanity that she didn’t want to admit. She didn’t expect him to visit her every month, but like any other girl, she wanted to hear his voice every day and act a little spoiled in front of her roommates. She quickly switched to the new SIM card and activated the walkie-talkie service with him.
From then on, life was different. She could talk to him anytime, anywhere. Sometimes, she would even ask him what clothes she should wear when going out. She could keep her phone on and listen to whom he talked to every day. The distance between them suddenly seemed to disappear.
She could even hear his snoring while he slept, and noticed the tone of his voice in ways she hadn’t before. She suddenly realized he had so many flaws, or maybe these flaws had always been there, and she had just “monitored” them? How could he be impatient when talking to her? And why had he started using fewer words, even dropping “baby” from their conversations? Once, she asked him a question, and he just threw the phone aside, and she could hear him snoring from the bed.
One time, she overheard him talking to a girl on the phone. When she asked who it was, he refused to answer!
Six months later, she felt that he had truly grown tired of her. All the tenderness and care from before had vanished, and they eventually reached a point where they had nothing left to say.
Before she could figure it out, he broke up with her. No matter how much she cried or begged, he only said one thing: “You monitored away our love. No matter how hard I try, I can’t bring it back.”
The phone fell silent. Without love, the walkie-talkie was useless. Heartbroken, she switched out the SIM card and tucked it into her diary. By chance, she found the old messages he had sent her, those 70-character texts. All the poverty yet unique and romantic moments flooded back into her heart.
She remembered the kisses he sent her using symbols, the cards he mailed her on Valentine’s Day, the ringtones and secret codes that only they understood, and how they almost always said “I miss you” in unison during their phone calls. She realized that what seemed like a vast distance between their hearts had actually been the nourishment that sustained their love, providing the most sufficient oxygen and freedom for it to thrive.
It was really the constant, unrestricted communication through the walkie-talkie that had monitored away the air in their relationship, leaving their love to suffocate.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
