Fell In Love With My Older Sister’s Friend - Chapter 81

Xu Luzhi’s life as a university student officially began.

Although she was still underage, she was living on her own. Despite her parents’ deep worry, Xu Luzhi herself was full of confidence.

Xu Luwei personally drove her to school. First, they met the teachers in her department one by one, and then went to the lab to familiarize herself with the environment.

Pushing open the office door, she was stunned to see a familiar face. Xu Luzhi exclaimed in surprise, “Lu… Teacher!”

An overly young face looked up, and a pleasant, childlike voice rang out beside her, “What a coincidence, student Xu Luzhi.”

Xu Luzhi composed herself and greeted her politely, “Hello, Teacher. I will be attending Lin University, please take good care of me.”

Lulu just smiled generously and shook her head, “I can’t take care of much for you, but there are some issues… where I might need to ask for your help.”

The two exchanged a knowing glance, as if reaching some secret agreement.

Even though she had long known that Lulu, the proprietress of the folk music store, was a History professor at Lin University, seeing her on campus still felt somewhat unreal. Especially since she had been so encouraging about her pursuing Lin Qingyue, it always felt a bit too straightforward, making her suspect there was more to it.

Xu Luzhi smiled gracefully, “This time, I’ve made Teacher Lu spend money.”

She was referring to the island trip, which Lulu had treated as an employee benefit, a significant expense. She wondered how Lulu could have been so willing to pay for it.

Lulu, however, sat calmly behind her computer, “If you feel bad about it, I happen to have a project here.”

She tapped her fingertips, and Xu Luzhi received an AirDrop. Looking at the mischievous smile on the doll like face, she immediately understood.

“No businessperson is not cunning,” this saying was indeed true. Never mind that the proprietress looked young and easygoing; she was actually counting on her to work!

But Xu Luzhi only confirmed the project’s content and happily reached an agreement. It was a win-win situation; there was nothing wrong with that. Although she was a Computer Science student and Lulu was a History professor, the fusion of arts and sciences was the general trend, and it would benefit her own development. No loss.

Next was the laboratory. As expected, Xu Luzhi was assigned to the same lab as Senior Zhao Ru, simply because it was the best and most advanced one. Zhao Ru was also a beautiful and excellent student, chosen to personally mentor her.

Xu Luzhi calmly became the second girl in the lab, not feeling it was improper at all. Since Lin Qingyue was still colleagues with Meng Fan, it was no big deal for her and Zhao Ru to be lab mates.

University life was even busier than Xu Luzhi had imagined. In high school, she was a genius scholar, but at university, she was still a bit behind and needed more time and energy dedicated to her studies to quickly catch up.

Furthermore, the school didn’t want them to be idle. Not only did they give the prematurely admitted students from the gifted class a packed schedule, but they also strongly encouraged them to audit classes not on their schedule.

Thus, every day was filled with attending classes, doing after class exercises, writing course assignments, grinding on LeetCode, working on projects, putting in extra hours in the lab, and self-studying in her spare time.

Xu Luzhi was instantly busy nonstop, her life exceptionally fulfilling. She was so busy she couldn’t even find time to visit Lin Qingyue, only managing to send a message every day.

The person she spent the most time with was Zhao Ru. Senior Zhao Ru truly lived up to her reputation. Among the few girls in the Computer Science department, she was outstanding in looks and ranked at the top academically. She had already basically secured guaranteed recommendation for postgraduate studies and was constantly experimenting with new projects. She could handle the group of rough and tumble guys in the lab, making them all submit one by one.

In front of the boys, Zhao Ru was always stern and composed, maintaining a rational and polite demeanor. Only in front of Xu Luzhi would she frequently smile and be exceptionally lenient. Even when busy with studies, she insisted on taking time out to personally guide Xu Luzhi’s lab progress, staying up late with her and then walking her out of the school gates. She would also occasionally bring Xu Luzhi a snack or bubble tea without drawing attention. When other male lab members came to ask for some, she would impatiently say, “Our junior needs more nutrition for her growing body, why do you guys eat so much!”

The boys would laugh and disperse like startled birds. Zhao Ru waved her hand and complained softly to Xu Luzhi, “They’re just annoying.”

A hint of joy and shyness unconsciously crept into her voice. It was merely the common closeness between girls, yet it carried a subtle difference that set it apart. Perhaps because Xu Luzhi was pretending to be Ji Da (unaware/straight), she noticed every little clue but chose not to expose it.

She just smiled happily a couple of days later, ordered a mountain of food and drinks, and treated all the senior students in the lab, thanking them for taking care of her. One senior, feeling happy after drinking a beverage, bit into a chicken leg and joked, “Hey, Zhao Ru, don’t tell me you like the junior, huh?”

Lin University had few female students, but quite a few lesbians. The boys were used to it and were enthusiastically shipping them.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Zhao Ru chided lightly, but her face was slightly flushed. She gave Xu Luzhi a reserved glance.

Xu Luzhi understood and chimed in, showing a pure and innocent smile, “Senior, please don’t joke. Senior is just taking care of me; I’m embarrassed enough as it is.” She continued smoothly, “In the future, Senior doesn’t always have to bring me food and drinks. I haven’t contributed much to the lab yet. I should be the one treating everyone to milk tea. Wait until I complete a project, then you can reward me!”

The girl with the clear and beautiful face looked even more refined and mature than she did a few months ago. Her style of dress was no longer as plain, and even her speech had become more poised and impeccable. She deftly blocked the potential romantic interest while appearing completely unaware on the surface. Everyone likes a simple and cute junior; they just want to get close to her, but it seemed harder than imagined.

Xu Luzhi’s days were a monotonous cycle. Compared to the rich and colorful summer vacation, her current life was dull, spent entirely dealing with academics. Yet, she remained enthusiastic, like a sponge desperately absorbing knowledge, hoping to grow up quickly.

Xu Luwei had already returned to Weicheng. Occasionally, she would exchange a few words, but she never mentioned her emotional life with Yi Liang.

Lin Qingyue’s life was proceeding quietly, a routine of going to and from work, ordinary and tedious, making her start to miss that bright, smiling little girl. She leaned against the balcony railing, gazing at the distant Lin University campus in a daze, imagining Xu Luzhi’s appearance, feeling uncharacteristically unsettled.

The chat interface was open on her phone screen. Xu Luzhi sent her messages every day, sharing every little new thing right away:

“They have iced yogurt at the cafeteria; it’s good.” “Look, a rainbow appeared.” “The stray cat outside the lab doesn’t bite; it’s very well-behaved.” “Sis, look at my class schedule.”

Lin Qingyue scrolled through her schedule; it was indeed packed, leaving almost no free time, compounded by the dense schedule of labs and competitions. Her time was completely filled. Once, when she answered a video call, Xu Luzhi was typing code on her computer, dozed off without realizing it, her small chin resting on her arm, her peaceful sleeping face making Lin Qingyue’s heart ache.

Lin Qingyue softened her breathing; the soft sounds of her breath connected. Faintly, she could still hear Xu Luzhi softly calling “Sis.” The girl, so young, was already so excellent and hardworking, making Lin Qingyue often feel both proud and inadequate.

The sunset on the balcony was beautiful, coloring the sky with orange light. Lin Qingyue was momentarily lost in the view, standing there alone, feeling an indescribable loneliness. After a moment of hesitation, she took a picture of the sunset and sent it to Xu Luzhi.

Almost simultaneously, a picture of the sunset appeared on her own phone screen an equally beautiful scene, just from a slightly different angle. As if telepathically connected, Xu Luzhi had sent it to her at the same moment.

May people live long, sharing the moon’s beauty across a thousand miles. The bright moon rises over the sea, we share this moment though miles apart.

Lin Qingyue suddenly understood the meaning of these lines of poetry. Almost without hesitation, she tapped the video call button.

The next second, the call connected, and Xu Luzhi’s face appeared on the screen. She looked slightly more grown-up than before, possessing a hint of mature allure, as if radiating a fragrance. She covered her mouth and whispered, “Sis.”

Lin Qingyue chuckled, “Why are you being so sneaky?”

Xu Luzhi glanced to her left and right a little shyly, “I’m in the lab, and my senior is sleeping.”

Lin Qingyue understood, her peach blossom eyes filled with a smile, “Come out for dinner?”

Xu Luzhi looked at her computer screen with a troubled expression, “I’m still a bit behind on the progress.” “But…” A bright smile blossomed on her little face, “…if it’s to accompany Sis, I’ll be quick.”

The girl’s smile was too radiant, making Lin Qingyue’s heart flutter. She smiled charmingly, “Okay.”

And so, they finally had their first meal together since the semester started.

Xu Luzhi seemed to have grown a bit taller, and her style of dress had changed—a slightly sheer little shawl draped over a camisole, looking lively without being vulgar.

Lin Qingyue observed her with a smile, “You’ve grown up.”

Xu Luzhi looked exceptionally happy, seriously telling Lin Qingyue about the classes she had taken and the projects she had done over the past few days, her eyes sparkling with joy, “Sis, I’ll take you to eat the delicious things at the cafeteria next time, okay?”

Lin Qingyue replied leisurely, “That would be great.”

Her hand hovered over Xu Luzhi’s head, hesitating whether to rest there, but Xu Luzhi affectionately leaned into her, looking at Lin Qingyue with the same familiar gaze full of obedience and innocence, yet now coupled with a confident air of determination.

However, Lin Qingyue suddenly asked her, “Have you met anyone?”

Xu Luzhi looked puzzled, “What person?”

Lin Qingyue tapped the table slowly, citing casually, “For example, a girl who is both good-looking and smart, and is very nice to you…”

Xu Luzhi’s face instantly flushed red, “What are you thinking about, Sis?”

Lin Qingyue curved her lips, “Thinking about nothing. Isn’t that a normal thing?” But although she said that, her voice was low, as if laced with lemon juice an unconcealed sourness.

Xu Luzhi thought for a moment and nodded seriously, “Yes, I have.”

Lin Qingyue’s expression didn’t change, “Is that so? That’s good.” Her long eyelashes fluttered, her eyes rippling with emotion, “Such a nice girl…”

Lin Qingyue stopped mid-sentence. She had originally wanted to add, “Don’t let her go easily,” but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. It was then that she realized her own heart was actually very dependent on Xu Luzhi. She was afraid Xu Luzhi would meet someone better, afraid she would run off before reaching adulthood, afraid she would see through her disguise and stop liking her.