The Finance Institute, the artificial lake, is also known as the Lovers' Lake.

It's a great place for couples to date. When night falls, you can see pairs of men and women everywhere.

By the artificial lake, under the giant bronze statue of Confucius, stands a elegantly beautiful girl.

The Mid-Autumn moon hangs like a silver disc, lonely in the vast night sky.

The clear and cold moonlight is like water, falling on the girl. She stands at the edge of the lake, her hands behind her back, as serene as an untouched orchid in a secluded valley.

Passersby can't help but glance sideways; even boys with girlfriends sneak a few more looks.

After all, everyone appreciates beauty.

A girl with such high attractiveness and such a good temperament is hard to find, even in a college with a high ratio of girls like the Finance Institute.

Some boys' girlfriends, seeing this, become anxious and envious, either pinching their boyfriends' legs or twisting their ears, forcing them to leave.

"Hello, classmate!"

A boy strolling by Lovers' Lake summoned up the courage to walk over.

Such a girl isn't something you encounter every day, and since she was alone, he thought he should try his luck.

Looking at her exquisite and unique face, he suddenly felt flustered, even stammering, "Uh, um, may I ask if you're from the Finance Institute?"

This approach was very cliché, completely ineffective.

"No," the girl replied calmly. "I'm from Zhejiang University and waiting for a friend."

Just two short sentences, and the boy was directly discouraged.

Zhejiang University is far ahead of all universities in the province. The next tier universities like the University of Technology, Ningbo University, and Normal University don't compare, let alone a small Finance Institute.

In the eyes of many Finance Institute boys, the girls from Zhejiang University are as aloof and distant as the autumn moon, only to be admired from afar and not desecrated.

Moreover, she was waiting for a friend, implying she had an appointment.

"Ah, sorry for bothering you!"

The boy walked away, feeling inferior, quietly scolding himself for meddling and trying to chat up someone, only to find out she was a high-achieving student from Zhejiang University. How reckless of him.

At the same time, he was a bit puzzled.

Girls from Zhejiang University are generally haughty, especially ones of this caliber. She should be considered goddess-level over there. Why would she lower herself to come to a second-tier Finance Institute to find someone?

Is the person she's waiting for a boy?

If it were him in that boy's shoes, he would definitely have come early to wait. How could he dare to let a goddess from Zhejiang University wait for him!

Just as he was thinking this, another boy approached the girl from a distance.

The boy was handsome and tall, over 1.8 meters, with his hands casually in his jeans pockets.

Many people wanted to strike up a conversation with her, and although this guy looked like a pretty boy, it might not necessarily work!

A goddess from Zhejiang University isn't a mundane girl who looks at appearances!

The Finance Institute boy stopped and planned to see this newcomer be rejected like himself for some psychological comfort.

"You're here!"

A radiant smile spread across the girl's serene face, her eyes curving into crescents.

The Finance Institute boy was utterly spellbound.

So the goddess from Zhejiang University isn't as aloof as he imagined; it just depends on whom she's facing.

This boy must be the one she's been waiting for.

Damn, he's so lucky. Why couldn't I meet such a nice girl!

"Yeah, the internet cafe is just at the school gate, not far!"

Su Zelin nodded, his gaze landing on Qin Shiqing.

The weather had already cooled, especially at night when the temperature dropped quickly, and it was quite chilly by the lake.

Tonight, the childhood friend wore a honey-colored knitted sweater, effortlessly outlining her exquisite and shapely figure.

"Qin Shiqing, you're a college student now. Can't you stop being so willful? You came to the Finance Institute without giving me a heads-up, just up and coming, and I wasn't even prepared!"

Su Zelin couldn't help but complain.

"Su Zelin, do I need to make an appointment to see you?"

The girl huffed.

"Of course, what if I'm off somewhere far with my dorm mates? How am I supposed to grow wings and fly back to see you?"

Su Zelin argued.

"You wouldn't, ninety percent of the time, you'd be at an internet cafe, and one near campus at that!"

Qin Shiqing was sure; she knew Su Zelin too well.

"Alright, alright, you make good points. So what do you want?"

Su Zelin asked impatiently.

"Here, your mooncake!"

Qin Shiqing stuffed a paper-wrapped parcel into his hands.

Inside was a Su-style mooncake, with a green onion lard flavor, the kind Zelin liked the most.

Mooncakes are broadly categorized into two types: one Cantonese with fillings like mixed nuts, char siu, red bean paste, lotus seed paste, and salted egg yolk; the other Su-style with fillings like rose, finely processed fruit, white sesame, lard, ham lard, green onion lard, fresh meat, and shrimp, offering a variety.

Did she came specifically to bring me mooncake?

Su Zelin initially wanted to harden his heart, brush off his childhood friend, and send her back, but he suddenly felt softened.

"Why'd you bring me a mooncake? I already ate a lot at the dinner party tonight!"

Feeling a bit touched, yet Zelin responded stubbornly.

"A dinner party is one thing, but eating mooncakes is different. How can there be no mooncakes for Mid-Autumn? It's tradition, symbolizing reunion!"

Qin Shiqing smiled.

"Pfft, superstition!"

Su Zelin scoffed.

"Sure, you're the least superstitious, Su Banxian!"

Qin Shiqing teased with a hint of mockery.

After chatting for a bit, Qin Shiqing sighed, "Another Mid-Autumn has come. Zelin, we've known each other for seventeen years, always spending it together. After going to college, we haven't seen each other for so long. Spending the 15th of August in different places really feels a bit unusual."

Su Zelin realized it was true.

He and Qin Shiqing had been neighbors since birth, classmates from primary school to high school, going home together after school. Whether at school or at home, they were always seeing each other; it was unusual if they didn't meet for a few days. They basically spent every holiday together, but now they hadn't seen each other for over half a month, almost missing Mid-Autumn too.

Qin Shiqing wasn't used to it, and neither was he.

Even though he intentionally kept a distance from his childhood friend, that was easier said than done.

The troublemaker had tried his best to divert his attention and energy to other things.

Yet the shadow of Qin Shiqing always lingered around him, refusing to leave.

It's like the moon in the sky, no matter where you are, the moonlight still casts its glow on every corner, falling upon you.

"Man cannot reach the moon, yet the moon accompanies him all the same!"

Li Taibai's poem perfectly captured this sentiment.

After all, humans aren't machines, able to strictly follow orders without the slightest mistake.

Humans have emotions; that's the fundamental difference from machines.

That's why he originally hoped Qin Shiqing would go to a top university, it wasn't without reason.

Being in the same city, there's always a thought in his heart, wanting to see her, to get close to her, and perhaps also to mess with her again.

"Since I'm here this time, I also wanted to see what your school is like. You've been to Zhejiang University already, so if I didn't come to check out the Finance College, wouldn't that be unfair!"

Qin Shiqing said with a smile.

"Now that you've seen it, it's just like this, not too big or too small, not new or old, nothing special!"

Su Zelin pouted.

Qin Shiqing chuckled, "It's okay if the campus isn't special, as long as the people here are."

Su Zelin: "?"

"I mean them..."

Qin Shiqing pointed to the couples walking by the roadside, "There are really a lot of people at the Finance College who get into relationships early."

"Isn't that typical for a second-rate college? Besides falling in love, what else could they do? Do you think everyone here is as motivated as the top students at Zhejiang University?"

Su Zelin was dismissive.

"What about you?"

Qin Shiqing suddenly asked, "Are you planning to date in college as well?"

Su Zelin hesitated for a moment, "Maybe, if I meet the right girl."

"What kind of girl do you think is suitable?"

Qin Shiqing gazed at her childhood friend, her bright eyes like the autumn moon in the night sky, asking with great interest.

"Well..."

Su Zelin turned his head, thinking for a while.

"Hmm, first, she should be lively and open, not too traditional or rigid. That would be more interesting."

"Besides, she needs to know how to dress up, put on some makeup when going out, don't always give people the same impression."

"And, she has to be romantic and tasteful, so it's not easy to get bored."

"Lastly, it would be best if she has a big butt. My mom says such women are good for having kids!"

Qin Shiqing: "..."

"What a coincidence, it's just the opposite of me."

The girl pursed her lips.

The Gemini is performing again, but this time the acting is a bit awkward.

"It is quite the coincidence."

Su Zelin gave a dry cough.

"Alright then, when you meet the girl you like, introduce her to me first, let me check her out for you!"

Qin Shiqing continued.

"Oh please, with your standards, you'll definitely use yourself as the benchmark, then I'll probably stay a bachelor for life!"

Su Zelin snorted.

"Being single is still better than being with the wrong person. These things shouldn't be forced; otherwise, you'll regret it!"

The girl said earnestly.

"I know, I know, acting like you're some relationship expert, why don't you moonlight on a late-night radio talk show!"

Su Zelin said impatiently.

Just as Qin Shiqing was about to speak, they both suddenly heard a strange noise.

It was a humming sound, from a girl, very suppressed, as if biting her lip.

It came from a cluster of dense bushes by the lake.

The two of them froze for a moment, simultaneously thinking of something.

Qin Shiqing's pretty face turned red with a blush, and Su Zelin also felt extreme awkwardness.

For Pete's sake, some wild couple couldn't control their passion and had started an intimate exchange right there in the bushes by the lake.

Is it really that hard to spend a few bucks on a cheap motel room?

Or do they just like this kind of thrill?

"Shall we... go somewhere else for a walk?"

Qin Shiqing quickly suggested.

"Alright."

Su Zelin agreed.

If his childhood friend weren't here, he wouldn't mind walking over to get a closer look and learn, but it wasn't quite appropriate now.

They left the lakeside and strolled slowly along the cobblestone path.

The moonlight danced, the autumn breeze was gentle, the soft, slender branches of the willow trees swaying in the wind like a girl combing her long hair under the cold moon.

Su Zelin suddenly remembered that in his previous life, after he and Qin Shiqing became a couple, she would often visit the Finance College and stroll by this Lovers' Lake with him.

Of course, his childhood friend's mindset was more conservative; she would never crawl into the bushes, even though he had suggested it several times.

Indeed, I should find a girl with a sense of romance, so that we could leave traces of our love in the bushes, on mountaintops, in parking lots, movie theaters, KTV washrooms, and mall fitting rooms. How romantic!

The traces of love with Qin Shiqing were too few, always in the same spot, and the way we expressed our love was always the same two or three conventional methods. It was really dull!

Su Zelin thought to himself.

…

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