August 30, 2005.
The official registration date.
Chen Mo pushed open his bedroom door upon waking and found his parents sitting in the living room. The square table was crowded with freshly cooked dishes—every single one of his personal favorites.
They had agreed the night before that while Chen Mo would not let them accompany him all the way to university, they had compromised on seeing him off at the bus station, so both parents had taken half a day off work.
Without overthinking it, Chen Mo headed straight for the bathroom.
When he finally emerged and sat down at the table, he noticed that his mother, He Yunlan, looked rather poorly, as if she had stayed up all night. Her eyes were terribly red.
As the saying goes: a mother worries when her child travels a thousand miles.
Chen Mo certainly understood the sentiment, and a warm feeling flooded his chest, though he couldn't resist teasing her.
"Mom, if you really can't bear to see me go, I just won't go to school. I'll stay home and look after you every day."
"You wouldn't dare!" He Yunlan transitioned instantly from sorrow to anger, shouting out loud.
She realized a second later that this little rascal of hers was just playing with her, and her eyes turned even redder.
"What time is it, and you're still trying to tick your mother off?" Chen Guozheng timed his performance of a doting husband perfectly to lighten the mood.
In truth, Chen Mo felt a pang of reluctance himself, but he absolutely could not let his parents see it.
"Mom, if I'm free during the National Day holiday, I'll definitely come back. You have to make me your famous big fat slaps again then."
That single remark startled a laugh out of He Yunlan, and the atmosphere eased considerably.
"Fine, I'll make sure of it."
……
After breakfast, it was time to leave.
He Yunlan still couldn't completely shake her worry for her usually carefree son, and she started toward his room to check if he had left anything behind, only for Chen Mo to block her way before she even reached the door.
Well, the child was grown now.
Some things didn't need so much meddling.
Who would have guessed that the moment they reached downstairs, He Yunlan would let out another gasp.
"I think I left my phone at home. I need to run back up and get it."
"Mom, forget it. The bus is about to leave, and you and Dad are coming right back anyway."
Hearing Chen Mo's urging, He Yunlan figured he was right.
They would be back in a flash anyway, and catching the bus was the most important thing after all.
With that, they loaded the luggage into an old Santana that Chen Guozheng had borrowed and drove straight to Wenxian Bus Station.
……
Upon arriving at the station, the place was already a sea of humanity. Most of the crowd consisted of students and parents who were either traveling alone or hadn't driven their children to university.
The moment Chen Mo got out of the car, he spotted Luo Botao waving at him from beside the large bus, and Luo immediately came running over.
Luo's own registration date was actually scheduled for the following day, but upon hearing that Chen Mo intended to take the bus by himself, he had moved his plans forward by a day to travel together.
In truth, Lin Zhitong had sent Chen Mo quite a few QQ messages over the past few days asking how he planned to travel to school for registration, but Chen Mo hadn't replied to a single one.
By this time, Luo Botao had reached them and greeted them.
"Uncle Chen, Aunt He."
After the greeting, he proactively picked up Chen Mo's luggage.
"Botao, having you take the bus to Jingdu with Chen Mo gives your Uncle Chen and me some peace of mind. Since you're a bit older than him, keep a closer eye on him," He Yunlan said.
Hearing this, Chen Mo smiled.
Older than him? In "reality," he was older than Luo Botao by half a lifetime.
Luo Botao smiled as well.
He seemed to feel that He Yunlan's remark was just polite convention.
Leaving the past aside and looking only at recent times, as far as maturity was concerned, Luo Botao felt that Chen Mo's recent behavior was far more seasoned than his own father's, yet he still replied:
"Don't you worry, Aunt He!"
At that moment, Luo Botao's parents, Luo Tianbiao and Qin Xiaorong, walked over as well, and Chen Mo hurried forward to greet them.
While Luo Tianbiao and Chen Guozheng stood off to the side smoking, Qin Xiaorong took He Yunlan's hand and said:
"These two kids are going this far away by themselves for the very first time. My heart just won't settle down."
He Yunlan was feeling precisely the same way, but since she had already yielded to Chen Mo's decision, she chose not to dwell on it.
"Children have to grow up eventually. Sooner or later, we have to let go—it's just a matter of a day sooner or a day later."
"Ah, easy to say, but my heart still feels uneasy."
……
While the two women exchanged their lingering anxieties, Chen Mo and Luo Botao finished loading the luggage.
Right in the middle of this lull, a Toyota Accord pulled into the bus station and parked right beside the big bus.
The girl stepping out from the front passenger seat turned out to be Lin Zhitong.
Lin Zhitong was wearing a mid-length linen-blend printed short-sleeve dress today, with a large backpack slung over her shoulders. On her feet were a pair of white leather shoes, and she walked with a graceful, swaying gait.
Her raven-black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, with her bangs swept to the sides to reveal a smooth, full forehead that looked like it had been carved from jade. She also seemed to have applied a touch of light makeup, and under the blazing sun, her delicate face and slender, jade-like neck glowed radiantly.
Her appearance immediately caused many travelers at the station to stop and stare.
Shortly after, a man in a tailored suit stepped out from the driver's side of the Accord—Lin Zhitong's father, Lin Guodong—and began hauling numerous pieces of luggage out of the trunk.
Chen Mo couldn't help a momentary look of surprise before glancing at Luo Botao.
Luo gave an embarrassed scratch of the back of his head.
—Damn it, I treat you like a brother, and you sold me out.
Wenxian was such a tiny little place that the adults mostly knew each other well.
Seeing the large pile of luggage Lin Guodong was pulling out, Luo Tianbiao and Chen Guozheng felt compelled by social courtesy to step over and help.
By this time, Lin Zhitong, carrying her backpack, had already walked over. Standing at 168 cm, she looked up at Chen Mo and instinctively slipped off her bag to hold it out to him.
Chen Mo had no intention of taking it; feigning ignorance, he looked off in another direction, instantly plunging Lin Zhitong into a state of extreme awkwardness and grievance, while simultaneously reminding her of how she had rejected Chen Mo's confession.
She thought to herself: *It's been so long, does Chen Mo really still care this much? Didn't we agree to keep things between us just like before? Why won't he let it go?*
Gradually, the grievance in Lin Zhitong's heart grew stronger, turning into a flicker of petulance.
Thinking: *If you keep acting like this, I'm really going to be mad!*
Standing nearby, Luo Botao watched their expressions and was just about to reach out to take Lin Zhitong's bag when someone on the bus suddenly called out:
"Zhitong, why are you taking the bus for registration too?"
Before the words had fully faded, Fang Yongming popped out from nowhere, bolted straight toward Lin Zhitong, and snatched the bag right out of her hands.
Chen Mo stared in momentary astonishment, then looked at Luo Botao, communicating through his eyes:
*Did this guy get into a university in Jingdu too?*
*You didn't know?* Luo Botao replied with an identical look.
How could Chen Mo possibly know? In his past life, he hadn't even gone to university, and later on, he had cut off contact with every single classmate except Luo Botao.
Still, it didn't matter. It had nothing to do with him anyway.
Soon, it was time for departure.
The children leaving home said their farewells to their parents.
Lin Guodong deliberately walked over and said:
"Chen Mo, I was originally planning to take Zhitong to school myself, but this stubborn girl insisted on going alone.
Even though I'm worried, the thought of you and Botao making the trip together puts my mind at ease a little.
Also, Zhitong is going to your university, so please help me and her aunt keep an eye on her from now on."
Bound once again by parental etiquette, Chen Mo intended to offer a perfunctory reply.
Before he could speak, however, Fang Yongming jumped in first:
"Uncle Lin, Zhitong and I are in the same class too. Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of Zhitong on the way."
"Oh, well, thank you too."
Then Lin Guodong glanced at Chen Mo; although the boy hadn't spoken, Lin took his silence as agreement.
After all, during their high school years, everyone knew full well that Chen Mo had faithfully stayed by his daughter's side and looked after her for three whole years.
Lin Guodong was abundantly clear on that point.
Five minutes later, the bus officially pulled out.
Sitting by the window, Chen Mo kept watching until his parents' figures disappeared from view before turning his head back.
As the bus rolled onto the highway, a wave of excitement washed over Chen Mo.
—In this lifetime, he had finally set foot on the path of learning!