1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 162 Exclusive Mark: From now on, only I can kiss this place.

"I knew it."

Gu Bin gave her a knowing look and playfully flicked her nose.

"Hehe, time flies, another year has passed."

Lin Xiyu gave an awkward laugh, trying to salvage the situation: "Actually, I did remember, and I was even thinking of writing you a letter, making a New Year's wish or something."

"We live in the same city, why do we need to write letters?"

Gu Bin sighed softly, rubbing his forehead: "Have you forgotten why you wanted to go to university in the same city as me? What's the difference between this and a long-distance relationship?"

"hey-hey."

Lin Xiyu's ears turned red, but she stubbornly argued, "Seeing a letter is like seeing the person. It's not very interesting to always be together like this. Distance makes the heart grow fonder."

"so"

Gu Bin frowned slightly: "You're tired of me, you find being with me a bit annoying, so you think it's better to break up?"

"Uh, no, no, no, that's not it."

Lin Xiyu was embarrassed and hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant, I was just using a metaphor."

"I think you've finally spoken your mind."

Gu Bin feigned displeasure and deliberately put her in a difficult position: "Since you think distance makes the heart grow fonder, then we don't need to see each other again."

"do not want!"

Lin Xiyu's expression changed, and she hugged him tightly.

"open."

Gu Bin reprimanded her with a cold face, but actually stood still, thoroughly enjoying her embrace.

"Don't let it go!"

Lin Xiyu's eyes reddened with grievance.

"What's wrong? Are you crying?"

Gu Bin heard her gurgling and realized something was wrong, which made him feel a pang of heartache.

You're mean, you're bullying me.

Lin Xiyu buried her head in his chest, tears streaming down her face in grievance.

"Okay, okay, don't cry anymore."

Seeing that she was really crying, Gu Bin was filled with remorse: "I was just teasing you, that's why I said that on purpose."

Lin Xiyu remained silent, her head bowed.

"I was wrong, okay?"

Gu Bin could only continue to coax, "Don't cry, sweetie. How could I bear not seeing you? I feel empty and lonely if I don't see you for even a day. I dream about you."

"Grumpy."

Lin Xiyu didn't believe him and lifted her eyelids to give him a suspicious look.

"Do you want me to rip my heart out and give it to you?"

Gu Bin pointed to his chest, his right hand waving right in front of Lin Xiyu's eyes.

Without thinking, Lin Xiyu opened her mouth and bit his wrist.

"hiss."

Gu Bin gasped in pain, looking at the teeth marks on his wrist with a wry smile: "You really are like a cat, aren't you? I can tolerate your little tantrums, but you don't bite."

"I did bite."

Lin Xiyu pouted and glared at him defiantly.

Before he could utter the even more arrogant line, "What can you do to me?", it was cut off.

Gu Bin pulled the person into his arms and punished him severely.

They only stopped when one of the arrogant little wildcats was so breathless, its legs were weak, and it could barely stand.

"You're bullying me again."

Lin Xiyu collapsed limply into his arms, pounding her fist on his chest.

Her whining and complaining, tinged with a hint of coquetry, was incredibly endearing.

Gu Bin's eyes were deep, and he pulled the person closer with his arms, kissing her passionately once again.

-

The Bund.

As the New Year's Eve bells are about to ring, the banks of the Huangpu River are packed with people, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Lin Xiyu struggled in vain and was forcibly shoved into a taxi by Gu Bin, which took them to the Bund.

Nanjing Road was incredibly crowded. The two followed the flow of people and finally found a place to stand by the river, stopping against the railing.

"so beautiful."

Looking at the brightly lit night view of Nanjing Road, Lin Xiyu felt invigorated.

The New Year's bells are about to ring; the countdown has begun.

The crowd waiting expectantly along the riverbank joined in the shouts.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

"Oh!"

The moment the New Year's bell rang, dazzling fireworks soared into the sky, their vibrant colors illuminating the entire night.

Wow, it's so beautiful!

"it's beautiful!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, with praise filling the air, and the joy of the New Year filling everyone's hearts.

Lin Xiyu's big eyes sparkled as she cheered loudly with the crowd. Her bright and beautiful smile was even more dazzling than fireworks in the night sky.

Gu Bin lowered his head affectionately and placed a deep kiss on her forehead: "This is my exclusive mark. From now on, only I can kiss this place."

"So domineering? I also want to pick a place to leave my own unique mark. Where should I leave it?"

A sly glint flashed in Lin Xiyu's eyes. She grabbed his shirt and pulled hard, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips: "From now on, this place is mine alone. Only I can kiss you here."

"it is good."

Gu Bin's eyes showed affection: "I'll only let you kiss me."

"Wow, I'm so happy."

Lin Xiyu happily jumped and bounced in his arms.

"bang bang bang"

Another string of fireworks shot into the sky, illuminating the girl's bright smiling face.

Gu Bin doted on her to the extreme, the tenderness in his eyes almost melting into a puddle of water.

-

After New Year's Day, we took exams for three consecutive days, and the first semester of freshman year was over.

The exam results will not be released until the start of the next semester. The students breathed a sigh of relief and started to run wild like birds released from their cages.

Some people were in a hurry to go home to pack their bags and buy train tickets, while others whose homes were far away did not go home for the Spring Festival and applied to stay on campus.

"Xi Yu, don't go home, stay in Shanghai for the New Year."

After finishing her exams, Li Qing's mind started wandering again, and she wanted Lin Xiyu to stay in Shanghai and spend the New Year with her.

"You don't want me to stay, you want Wang Fan to stay, right?"

Lin Xiyu saw through her little trick at a glance and teased her with a smile.

"Nah."

Li Qing's smile was a little forced: "My parents like you quite a bit too. They often mention you and ask me to bring you home to visit."

"I'm not going."

Lin Xiyu smiled and politely declined, saying, "Please give my regards to your uncle and aunt and wish them a Happy New Year in advance."

"Xi Yu."

Li Qing looked conflicted, and hummed and groaned for a long time without making any sense.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Xiyu noticed that she seemed preoccupied and couldn't pretend not to see it.

"Is Jinan fun?"

Li Qing tentatively asked, "Can I go back to Jinan with you for a few days?"

"Are your parents willing?" Lin Xiyu asked, her eyes showing surprise.

"If I go with you, they'll definitely agree."

After holding it in for a long time, Li Qing finally spoke her mind.

"So that's what you were planning?"

Lin Xiyu laughed in exasperation: "I wouldn't dare take you, a young lady, back with me. If something happens, I can't bear the responsibility."

"Xi Yu, good Xi Yu, please say yes."

Li Qing was unwilling to give up and shook her arm coquettishly.

"It's not that I don't want to agree."

Lin Xiyu sighed and rubbed her forehead: "It's your ulterior motives. If it weren't for that bet with Wang Fan, I might have considered it. But now, let alone asking you to come back to Jinan with me, I don't even dare to meet your parents. I'm a very honest person and don't want to lie to their faces."

"Never mind, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Seeing that she was unmoved by his words, Li Qing stomped her foot in frustration, turned around, and ran out of the dormitory.

"Oh, what a tragic fate, what a tragic fate."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly, inwardly cursing Wang Fan, that playboy, a thousand times over.

If it weren't for his meddling, she might have already gotten in touch with Li Qing's parents and started buying goods from them.

Judging from Li Qing's current state, she's completely finished and there's no hope left.

-

Wang Fan hasn't been idle this semester either. He's gotten to know a group of local Shanghai rich kids and built up his own network.

He had long had the idea of ​​opening a branch in Shanghai. In his spare time, he would wander around the streets and alleys to learn about the decoration market and gradually figure out the tricks of the trade.

With Shanghai's vigorous development of Pudong and the rise of the real estate market, the demand for home decoration is increasing day by day. Now is the best time to enter the Pudong home decoration market.

Before New Year's Day, he was busy with the opening of a branch store, planning to finish decorating the model room before the New Year and officially open the store after the New Year.

As for Li Qing, he truly had no feelings for her.

In less than a semester, he grew tired of her spoiled princess attitude and lost interest in playing boring games with her.

But Li Qing was a proud and stubborn person who wouldn't give up. She kept calling him and paged him all day long, which annoyed him so much that he wanted to throw the pager away.

Having finally made it to the holiday, he couldn't wait a moment longer. Under the pretext of supervising the workers, he packed his bags and went straight to Pudong.

Li Qing called but no one answered, and she couldn't find anyone at the school either, so she set her sights on Lin Xiyu.

-

"Xi Yu, when are you going home? Let's take a bus back together."

Not long after Li Qing left the dormitory, Wu Meng called.

"I'll be going back in a few days."

Lin Xiyu sighed apologetically, "Gu Bin went to Pudong to work with Wang Fan on the opening of the branch. The exact date hasn't been set yet. Why don't you go home first and don't wait for me?"

"It's no fun going back by myself."

Wu Meng didn't want to walk alone and felt a little down.

"Why don't you come to Shanghai?"

Lin Xiyu tentatively asked, "Let's go back to Jinan together after Gu Bin and the others are done with their work."

"Row."

Wu Meng's mood instantly brightened, and she smiled.

"Can you come by train by yourself?"

Lin Xiyu was still worried and asked, "Should we talk to Li Liang and ask him to come with you, so the two of you can come together?"

"He can't go."

Wu Meng complained irritably, "Their school has a late holiday, and they still have to train. They might even be assigned to duty during the Spring Festival, so they can't go home."

"No wonder Grandma Li was in such a hurry to get engaged."

Lin Xiyu suddenly realized and joked with a smile, "So, once you enter a military academy, you really are handed over to the country. It's hard to even go home once, let alone find a wife."

"Hey."

Wu Meng sighed with feigned resentment, "I'm stuck on a sinking ship. Military marriages can't be dissolved, so I'm destined to be tied to him for life."

"You chose this yourself."

Lin Xiyu laughed and joked, "You were so brave when you were marrying someone back then, you can't regret it now."

"I have no regrets."

Wu Meng laughed awkwardly: "I just feel a bit lonely. Seeing other people's boyfriends always caring for them and surrounding them, while I can only be all alone, and if I get sick or have a fever, no one cares, it's a little hard to bear."

There's no need to compare yourself to others; everyone's goals are different.

Lin Xiyu smiled and advised, "Just think of him in military school, focused on training, with no chance to flirt or change his mind. Isn't that a wonderful thing? You should be secretly happy to have such a loyal boyfriend."

"makes sense."

Wu Meng took her words to heart and smiled to herself: "So I should thank their school for eliminating all the factors that could cause me to change my mind, allowing me to study in another city with peace of mind, without being bothered by other women."

"That's right."

Lin Xiyu smiled with relief and asked, "When are you coming? I'll pick you up at the train station."

"You don't need to pick me up."

Wu Meng smiled and declined, saying, "I can go by myself after I get off the train."

"Is it convenient for you to bring your luggage?"

"I don't have much luggage. I'll leave my big suitcase at school and not bring it home."

"Okay, call me before you come, I'll wait for you at the school gate."

"Okay, it's settled."

After the two reached an agreement, Wu Meng happily hung up the phone.

-

It's not far to go from Suzhou to Shanghai by train; the old-fashioned green train takes only an hour.

At 3 p.m. that day, Lin Xiyu received a message from Wu Meng and went to the school gate to wait for her.

A jet-black Crown sedan drove past her, and the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, then reversed and stopped right in front of her.

"Hello Auntie."

When Lin Xiyu saw the middle-aged woman getting out of the car, her pupils contracted sharply, and she hurriedly went forward to greet her.

"Xiyu, Auntie has told Qingqing so many times to invite you to come over to play, but it's been a whole semester and I haven't seen you even once."

Li's mother was surprised and delighted to see her at the school gate.

"Oh, she told me that she was too busy with her studies to find the time."

Lin Xiyu was secretly alarmed, feeling that the timing of meeting Li's mother was inauspicious and that something bad might happen.

"You're a good girl, unlike my daughter, who's becoming more and more outrageous."

Sure enough, what Li's mother said next confirmed her guess.

"Li Qing is doing well."

Lin Xiyu smiled and pretended to be confused: "Your English speaking and listening scores have always been very good. You have a solid foundation and it is obvious that you have received a good education since childhood. You are much better than us students from other places."

"Her only advantage is her English."

Li's mother smiled when she heard her mother praising her daughter.

"Not only English, but also German is quite good."

Lin Xiyu went along with her thoughts and praised her enthusiastically: "She also said that she wants to study in Germany in the future, to learn more knowledge, and to do business with Germans in the future."

"Her father did have this plan."

Thinking of her daughter's recent situation, Li's mother smiled somewhat reluctantly: "It's a pity that this child is not up to par. I don't know what happened to her recently, but she doesn't care about her studies. She doesn't come home during the holidays and is always running around outside."

"Uh."

Lin Xiyu's eyes flickered slightly, and she looked away guiltily.

"Xi Yu, do you know something?"

Seeing that her expression was strange, Li's mother sensed that something was wrong.

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu coughed awkwardly twice, unsure of how to begin.

"Xi Yu".

Li's mother, being an experienced woman, knew exactly what young girls were thinking. Seeing her like this, she knew something was being kept from her: "Qingqing, what happened? Tell Auntie, okay? You're my only daughter, I can't let anything happen to you."