179: Chapter 179 You have such a good memory!

The two were quiet for a while longer, then Zhou Waner suddenly asked, "Brother Hu Tian, do you think... long-distance relationships are especially hard to endure?"

Hu Tian was stunned for a moment, "Why ask this suddenly?"

"I just suddenly thought of it..."

Zhou Waner lowered her head, "I'm in Jinling, you're in Binhai, and it's not easy for us to meet... What if... what if something goes wrong between us because of this?"

"It won't."

Hu Tian was very certain, "As long as we trust each other, distance is not a problem."

"But..."

Zhou Waner was still a bit worried, "I've heard that many couples break up because of long-distance..."

"That's them, not us."

Hu Tian looked at her, "Waner, you have to believe in me, and you also have to believe in yourself."

Zhou Waner looked at his serious gaze; the unease in her heart slowly dissipated a little, and she nodded, "Mm... I believe in you."

"That's right."

Hu Tian rubbed her head, "And we won't be long-distance forever. Once I finish handling things here, I'll go to Jinling to find you."

"Really?"

Hu Tian thought for a moment, "I have something to take care of, it should take about ten days or so, and I'll come over once I'm done."

Zhou Waner immediately perked up, "Then after you come, I'll take you around! Jinling still has so many fun places, and so much delicious food! Last time it was too rushed, and we didn't get to enjoy ourselves fully!"

"Okay."

Hu Tian smiled and nodded, "You'll be the tour guide then."

"No problem!"

Zhou Waner said excitedly, "Last time we went to the Confucius Temple and the Presidential Palace, and what's left is the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum... Oh right, there's also Xuanwu Lake; the scenery there is especially beautiful!"

Hu Tian looked at her excited appearance, his heart feeling warm, "Then I'll be waiting."

As Zhou Waner talked, she remembered the fact that she had to leave tomorrow, and her mood dropped again, "But... I have to go back to school tomorrow..."

"Don't think so much."

Hu Tian comforted her, "I'll spend tonight with you properly, and I'll take you back to school tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Really."

Zhou Waner leaned on his shoulder, "With you saying that, I feel much more at ease."

The two leaned against each other like that, talking for a long while, with Zhou Waner counting off all the places in Jinling she wanted to take Hu Tian to, one by one on her fingers.

Counting from Xuanwu Lake to Qixia Mountain, from the Qinhuai River to the Ming City Wall, the more she talked, the more excited she became; the undried tear stains in her eyes were long gone, replaced by a gaze full of sparkling anticipation.

Hu Tian just listened, occasionally responding, feeling that this girl spoke beautifully; even if she mentioned the same street twice, he didn't interrupt her.

The night gradually deepened.

The night wind outside the window blew gently, and there was the faint sound of cars in the distance. Zhou Waner's voice grew smaller and smaller, and as she leaned on his shoulder, she eventually stopped talking altogether.

Hu Tian looked down and saw that Waner had already fallen asleep.

Her eyelashes trembled gently, and her mouth still carried a faint smile. Who knows what she was dreaming of—perhaps Xuanwu Lake in Jinling, or the lanterns by the Qinhuai River.

Hu Tian didn't move, just held her quietly like that.

It was only a long while later that Hu Tian gently tucked her in, and then he closed his eyes as well.

That night, they slept soundly.

The next morning. It was Thursday, September 18th on the Gregorian calendar.

The calendar read: Auspicious for travel, farewells, and making agreements. Avoid arguments, relocation, and getting angry.

The older generation paid attention to these things; Hu Tian usually didn't believe in them, but seeing these words today, he felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. Travel, farewells, agreements—it was as if it had been written specifically for today.

He got up early, and since Zhou Waner hadn't woken up yet, he went out to buy breakfast: soy milk, fried dough sticks, and xiaolongbao. He also picked up a portion of hot dry noodles; Zhou Waner had mentioned in passing back in Binhai that she liked them, and he had remembered.

The aroma drifted into the room, and Zhou Waner drowsily opened her eyes. Seeing a table full of food, she was stunned for a few seconds before remembering where she was.

"What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty."

"Ah—" Zhou Waner sat up, her hair messy on one side, her eyes not yet fully open. "I thought I hadn't fallen asleep yet; how did it get to be dawn in the blink of an eye..."

Hu Tian pushed the soy milk toward her, "Go wash up first, then get ready to eat."

Zhou Waner hummed a response but didn't rush to move, just lazily leaning against the pillows with her hair half-scattered over her shoulders. The morning light filtered in through the gap in the curtains, hitting her face and making her skin look as white as fine porcelain.

She stretched, her arms slowly lifting, her back slightly arching, and her collar loosely slipping a little. She looked just like a cat, lazily stretching out.

Then she turned her head, crinkled her eyes at Hu Tian, and smiled.

With just that one look, carrying the haziness of having just woken up, the slight curl of her lips, she didn't say a word.

Hu Tian's hand holding the soy milk paused. He stood rooted to the spot, blankly staring at her, his mind racing for a long time, yet he couldn't manage to come up with a single word.

Zhou Waner realized what was happening under his gaze, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She giggled, jumped off the bed, and as soon as her feet hit the floor, she tiptoed toward the bathroom, shouting, "No peeking!" The door slammed shut with a "thud."

Hu Tian finally came back to his senses. He looked down at the soy milk in his hand, silently placed it back on the table, and rubbed his nose, thinking to himself that this little temptress was enough to make anyone's heart race, even first thing in the morning.

Inside the bathroom, the sound of water splashed loudly, occasionally mixed with the little tune Zhou Waner was humming. It was intermittent and off-key, but as Hu Tian sat there listening, he felt the morning was exceptionally lively.

About half an hour later, the bathroom door opened again.

Zhou Waner walked out, her hair blown smooth and straight, hanging over her shoulders. She had changed into clean clothes in a light color that made her look fresh and neat.

She didn't have much makeup on, just a light touch-up, but her eyes were even brighter than usual, and her lips were moist with a fresh, glossy sheen.

She walked over to the dining table and sat down.

Hu Tian handed the original soy milk to Zhou Waner.

Zhou Waner took it, took a sip, and sighed contentedly with her eyes narrowed, "Delicious."

Then she pulled the bowl of hot dry noodles in front of her. She lowered her head to smell them, and her eyes immediately lit up, "Wow, they're still hot!"

She looked up at Hu Tian, with a hint of surprise and a touch of playfulness in her tone, "How did you know I liked hot dry noodles?"

Hu Tian picked up his cup of soy milk and said casually, "Last time in Binhai, you said it yourself—that you liked hot dry noodles and that they weren't sold back home, so you could only have them when you went out."

Zhou Waner was stunned for a moment, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air. She tried hard to recall, and only then did she vaguely remember that day in Binhai, while strolling through the snack street, she had indeed muttered it in passing. She hadn't given it a second thought after saying it, not taking it seriously at all.

She looked up at Hu Tian, a bit stunned, "You... you still remember?"

"I went out to buy breakfast this morning and saw a stall selling them on the snack street, so I just picked some up."

Hu Tian said it nonchalantly, as if he were commenting on the nice weather, "It's nothing, I just happened to run into them."

Zhou Waner slowly put down her chopsticks and just looked at him. She stared for a long while without saying a word.

Hu Tian felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze and looked up, "What's wrong? Not to your taste?"

"It's not that."

Zhou Waner shook her head, lowered her eyes, and took a bite of noodles. She chewed slowly, her voice dropping to a whisper, "I just think... you have such a good memory."

Although she said that, the corners of her mouth curved up deeply, and her eyes were sparkling. She kept her head lowered, not letting Hu Tian see.

Hu Tian didn't respond, instead picking up a fried dough stick and taking a bite. He looked out the window as if nothing had happened, though in his heart, he felt that buying this breakfast had been worth it.

The two of them finished breakfast in quiet. They didn't say much, but the atmosphere was warm—it was that kind of tacit understanding between them that didn't require words.

After the meal, Zhou Waner went to pack her luggage, folding the clothes she had worn over the past few days and stuffing them into her suitcase. After a moment's thought, she also folded a scarf that Hu Tian had left on the table and packed it as well, which Hu Tian saw.

"That's mine."

"I know."

Zhou Waner's eyes crinkled, "I'm taking it, and you're not allowed to ask for it back."

Hu Tian didn't say anything, pretending he hadn't seen it.

After eight o'clock, Hu Tian called a car, moved the suitcase downstairs, left the hotel, and went to the roadside.

Zhou Waner stood on the side of the road and looked up at the sky. The weather was nice today—the sunlight was faint, and there was a bit of a chill, but it wasn't bone-piercing.

The car arrived, and the two got in, heading all the way to Yanjing University.

Yanjing University. The School of Archaeology was located in the northeast corner of the campus, adjacent to the School of History. It was a complex of old red-brick buildings, with a few ginkgo trees planted in front. At this time of year, the leaves hadn't all fallen yet, creating a golden carpet that rustled when stepped upon.

The car stopped at the school entrance, and Zhou Waner got out. She took the suitcase from Hu Tian and stood at the entrance of the school, shoulder to shoulder with him.

The entrance was a somewhat old iron gate, and a bronze plaque hung beside it, inscribed with the words "Yanjing School of Archaeology." The characters were ancient and simple, exuding a sense of history.

Zhou Waner stood at the entrance with her suitcase, not moving, while Hu Tian stood beside her. Neither of them spoke.

After a long while, Zhou Waner spoke first, her voice a bit muffled, "Well... I'm going in then?"

"Go ahead."

"Wait until I've gone inside before you leave."

"Okay."

Zhou Waner took a deep breath, dragged her suitcase a few steps, and then turned back to look.

Hu Tian was still standing there, not moving.

"Brother Hu Tian."

"Mm."

"See you in Jinling."

Hu Tian's lips twitched, and he nodded gently, "See you in Jinling."

Only then did Zhou Waner turn around and drag her suitcase into the school. After walking a few steps, she couldn't help but turn back again.

Hu Tian was standing at the entrance, waving at her.

She bit her lip, lowered her head, and quickened her pace toward the dormitory building. Soon, her graceful figure disappeared behind the golden ginkgo trees.

Hu Tian stood there and waited a little longer. Once he was sure Waner had gone far enough, he slowly turned around, intending to call a car back to the hotel. Although he hadn't gone to sleep late last night, he had gotten up early today and planned to go back and catch up on some sleep.

He had just taken out his phone and hadn't even opened the ride-hailing app when a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Hey, isn't that little friend Hu?"

The voice was a bit raspy but full of vitality, with a hearty tone—it was the voice of an elderly gentleman.

Hu Tian turned around. He saw three elderly gentlemen approaching side by side from the school entrance. Their pace wasn't fast, but it was steady and vigorous; one look was enough to tell that they were people who had spent their lives in scholarship without neglecting their physical health.