Chapter 109 Part 2

"Mr. Pan?" The greeter said, "Your table is on the second floor, please come this way..."

Before the greeter could finish, Pan Zhi interrupted him. "Who answered the phone when I called just now?"

"One of our front desk staff." The greeter pointed to the side.

"The one on the phone right now?" Pan Zhi looked over.

"Yes." The greeter nodded.

"You guys go up first." Pan Zhi looked back at Jiang Cheng. "I'll be right there."

"You..." Jiang Cheng looked over at the front desk. The young girl on the phone looked quite pretty. He sighed. "Second floor?" he asked the greeter.

"Yes, table 35 on the second floor. There's staff upstairs to take you." The greeter said.

As they went upstairs, Jiang Cheng looked back again. Pan Zhi had already walked over to the front desk and stretched out the rose in his hand in front of the girl who had taken his call. The girl was startled at first, Pan Zhi said something, and the girl immediately smiled a little embarrassedly.

"Has he always been like this?" Gu Fei was also looking back. "Simply smooth as flowing water."

"Ah." Jiang Cheng laughed for a long time. "Since middle school already, very shameless."

"Don't learn from him." Gu Fei said very seriously.

"Can't learn this anyway." Jiang Cheng was also very serious. "This kind of skill is inherent, he had his first heartbreak in kindergarten already."

"Damn." Gu Fei laughed.

Only after getting the front desk girl's WeChat did Pan Zhi come upstairs. As he sat down in front of them he asked: "Ordered yet?"

"Waiting for you to order." Jiang Cheng said. "We don't know how."

"That girl just now, did you see her?" Pan Zhi picked up the menu and flipped through it. "Super cute, fun to talk to, like a little bouncing bean."

Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei didn't say anything, just looked at him together.

"Oh, she's a girl." Pan Zhi said.

"I don't have the habit of just staring at guys wherever I go either." Jiang Cheng drank some tea.

"I know you two are loyal." Pan Zhi sighed. "But I have to get around to find them, how else can I run into the one I want to be loyal to, right?"

"That makes so much sense, I'm speechless." Jiang Cheng smiled.

"Right, like him," Pan Zhi pointed at Gu Fei, "how far did you run before you ran into him?"

Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei but didn't say anything.

"But now, I'm at least stronger than you two in one way." Pan Zhi called a server over to order. "I don't have to experience the pain of separation. Not serious, won't get hurt, I'll have my fun first."

"It's not up to you whether you can choose to not be serious or not." Gu Fei said.

"Underestimating me?" Pan Zhi looked at him.

"Remains to be seen." Gu Fei made a circle with his hand and held it up to his eye looking at him.

Jiang Cheng didn't know when Pan Zhi would feel "hurt".

He only knew he had already hurt for a long time, from vague unease to deliberately avoiding it, to panic when he could avoid it no longer, and now.

He was already unwilling to look at the time on his phone, unwilling to see time trickle away from him and Gu Fei with his own eyes.

After eating and showering back in the room, the two of them leaned against the bed watching TV.

Mostly silence, occasionally chatting about things unrelated to the parting.

Finally Gu Fei turned off the TV and lights. Jiang Cheng lay down, turned over to hug him, resting his leg over him, and closed his eyes.

Perhaps because neither of them had slept the previous night, after the lights went off, they fell asleep quickly.

When Jiang Cheng opened his eyes in the morning, he even felt somewhat regretful, as if the night had been wasted.

"Pan Zhi said there was breakfast available that could be delivered to the room," Gu Fei said, "Do you want to eat now? If so I can call the server to bring it over?"

"Mm," Jiang Cheng nuzzled up next to him.

"We can go check in after eating. It's just a stroll over there," Gu Fei said again.

"Ah," Jiang Cheng murmured, eyes closed.

The school was close to the hotel, so when they went to check in, Pan Zhi didn't follow anymore. He checked out and went back to his own school, but not before instructing, "Gu Fei, your bus is tomorrow morning right? The metro station is right over there, just take the metro over."

"Mm," Gu Fei nodded.

"I won't see you off then," Pan Zhi said, "Don't get up to anything, it's only half a month until next break."

"You can leave now," Jiang Cheng said.

"Scumbag," Pan Zhi said.

"Go on, grandson," Jiang Cheng laughed.

Pan Zhi turned and left. Jiang Cheng let out a soft sigh as he watched him go.

His mind kept thinking "Gu Fei is going back the day after tomorrow," so when Pan Zhi said "tomorrow morning" his heart lurched.

It wasn't the day after tomorrow anymore, it was tomorrow morning. Starting tomorrow morning, he would be alone again, in this unfamiliar city, among unfamiliar people.

Jiang Cheng didn't say much, and Gu Fei couldn't find anything to talk about either, so they just remained silent.

They didn't have to walk far before reaching R University. Gu Fei suddenly felt a bit nervous, suddenly a bit uncomfortable.

He rarely felt this way, but now he truly and clearly felt it.

There were many new students here to check in, and many parents too. Joy and pride were written on every face - they were all sorts of top students, just like Jiang Cheng.

Gu Fei glanced at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng's face was very calm. His feelings must be different than Gu Fei's own. This was the place he would start his new life, a first class university, a top ranked major.

Jiang Cheng was his pride, but also the source of the faint unease he was starting to feel.

"Let's go over there and ask how to check in," Jiang Cheng said.

"Mm," Gu Fei nodded and followed along behind him through the crowd.

The law school building was very lively. There were tables set up under a ring of canopies, and many volunteers answering questions for the new students. Next to them were all kinds of welcome banners - many new students were taking photos in front of them.

Gu Fei didn't squeeze up to the tables with Jiang Cheng. He stood outside the crowd and watched Jiang Cheng.

Soon a girl led Jiang Cheng over to one of the tables. As Jiang Cheng walked he kept looking back over at Gu Fei, who raised a hand.

Jiang Cheng waved for him to come over.

"Is this where we check in?" Gu Fei asked, walking up next to him.

"Mm," Jiang Cheng nodded, "Lots of stuff - ID, notification letter, test permit...get a check in certificate first then go take care of the rest."

"Mm," Gu Fei looked around at the people.

"Don't go too far from me," Jiang Cheng said in a low voice as he took out his own documents from his bag. "No more than 5 steps."

"What's up?" Gu Fei smiled.

"Nothing really," Jiang Cheng said, "I feel steadier seeing you."

"Alright," Gu Fei squeezed his shoulder.

Jiang Cheng turned back to continue checking in. Gu Fei stood behind him watching. Every time Jiang Cheng moved, Gu Fei followed along.

Info verification, enrollment registration, payment - volunteers were assisting so it went pretty smoothly. Finally Jiang Cheng came up to Gu Fei with a pile of stuff. "Help me hold this."

Receipts, campus card, student ID, school badge...there were also some club invites, faculty promo cards and the like. Quite a lot of stuff. Gu Fei put it all in the separate section of his bag. "What now?"

"The dorms. Ours is on the first floor, pretty good that we don't have to climb stairs," Jiang Cheng smiled, "The upperclassman will take us over in a bit."

"Can I go in?" Gu Fei asked.

"Yeah you can. Usually need to swipe a card, but parents can go in these days," Jiang Cheng looked at him, "You're my parent after all."

Gu Fei didn't respond, just smiling.

An upperclassman, likely a volunteer, came over with several other boys and parents.

"Jiang Cheng," the upperclassman called Jiang Cheng's name, "Let's go, I'll take you to the dorms."

"Okay," Jiang Cheng responded.