Su Xiaotang craned her neck and scanned the newcomers with hopeful eyes, but shrivelled back into a malnutritioned lump when she did not see the person she was looking for.
The atmosphere instantly became livelier with the addition of more people, which managed to disperse the initial tension. The class president had his own agenda for calling these newcomers over; most were still single, and it did not take long before many within the room hooked up and separated into pairs.
Li Ranran had set her eyes on a tall, slender man, yet decided to stay with Su Xiaotang in case the latter got bullied again if left on her own. However, Su Xiaotang couldn’t take the expression on Li Ranran’s face anymore–it was as if she had a platter of fresh xiaolongbao in front of her, but wasn’t allowed to eat any–and shooed Li Ranran away.
And so, while Li Ranran struck up an animated conversation with the guy she had been eyeing and Meatball was having the time of his life playing with the ladies, Su Xiaotang slumped in a corner with a piece of cake precariously balanced on her fork. It was her favourite flavour, but she just had no appetite.
*
“Sorry for coming late.”
The deep and mellow dreamlike voice lingered in her ears, similar to how the taste of dark chocolate spreads inside your mouth when it melts on the tip of your tongue. It was as if a warm breeze had caressed Su Xiaotang, leaving her feeling like a flower bud in spring that was ready to blossom.
That familiar tall figure was standing by the door when she raised her head.
Fang Jingshen wore a grey British-style sweatshirt over a white collared shirt with a black coat draped over his arm. He looked crisply handsome and shone brighter than the sun in Su Xiaotang’s eyes.
But the light in her eyes was immediately snuffed out when Shu Tian appeared behind him.
Due to Fang Jingshen and Shu Tian’s popularity back in their university days, the others in the room teased, “You guys actually came at the same time! Did you get back together? Congrats, congrats!”
Shu Tian smiled and didn’t say anything, but her eyes lingered on Fang Jingshen.
“It was a coincidence,” Fang Jingshen said casually as he hung up his coat and sat down.
A shadow flashed across Shu Tian’s eyes, yet she sounded open and carefree as she said, “Stop using us to joke around! I already have a boyfriend.” Then she smiled and aimed the conversation in a different direction: “Although our Doctor Fang is still single!”
Her words made it sound like Doctor Fang still had feelings for her, since to this day, Fang Jingshen had only ever had one official girlfriend–and that had been Shu Tian.
So naturally everyone started talking about Fang Jingshen.
“Hey, now that you mention it, Doctor Fang’s doing the most well out of all of us. He’s already an associate professor at such a young age, and he’s booked until next year to treat new patients. He has such a promising future!”
“That’s nothing compared to his family background…”
……
*
It had been a while since the last time Su Xiaotang felt like she just sat through multiple rollercoaster courses in the span of mere minutes.
She thought she had put it all behind her, but the feelings she had compressed down deep in her heart swelled up like a tsunami the moment she saw him, and smacked her to death on the beach with a single wave of water.
Li Ranran had come to sit beside her at some point while Su Xiaotang was zoning out. She touched the latter’s face and jumped in surprise. “Why is your face so hot? Do you have a fever?”
“Huh? What?” Su Xiaotang asked blankly with dazed eyes.
Li Ranran looked at Fang Jingshen, then back at Su Xiaotang. “You… You don’t still like him, do you?” she asked hesitantly.
Fang Jingshen had been a heartbreaker back then, and nine out of ten girls had fantasized about being with him. Li Ranran had been one of them, too, so she did not think that Su Xiaotang’s feelings for that type of unattainable man were real. She was not so sure now.
She suddenly remembered that Su Xiaotang had started dating Song Minghui after Fang Jingshen had gotten together with Shu Tian. Su Xiaotang and Fang Jingshen were both this city’s locals, so they had attended the same high school… Unless…?
It couldn’t be what she thought it was, right?
“Well, he is a nanshen~ What’s so strange about liking him~” Su Xiaotang’s heart skipped a beat but managed to maintain the carefree smile on her face.
Hearing her reply in her usual tone of voice made Li Ranran suppress her sudden suspicions.
*
Although Song Minghui and Lin Xue were sitting right opposite her and engaging in PDA, Su Xiaotang really couldn’t care any less about them. With Fang Jingshen’s appearance, every pore on her body breathed just for him and her every nerve focused on his every movement. Not only this, but she also had to crank up her defense system to prevent other people from noticing her emotional changes.
Fang Jingshen did not sit far from her. There were only two people between them, and he was talking to his neighbour about some specialised topics. She noticed he had not touched his drink.
He never drank this brand.
So Su Xiaotang thought of secretly swapping her unopened can with his.
She knew the brand he liked, and eventually her tastes became influenced by his so she would order the same drink. She had tried his favourite food because she wanted to know what flavours he liked, and she had read his favourite books because she wanted to know what he was thinking about. She had observed him quietly and felt proud of his every honour and achievement.
If you absolutely had to ask Su Xiaotang what sort of existence Fang Jingshen was to her, it would be this: the feeling of eating something yummy and eagerly wanting to share it with him, and being more satisfied if he ate it than eating it herself.
*
“Hah! Su Xiaotang, I didn’t know that you still remember Jingshen’s favourite drink even after all these years!”
Su Xiaotang had not pulled her hand back yet and she froze upon hearing Shu Tian’s words. There were lots of people in the room, so she had no idea how Shu Tian noticed her inconspicuous fidgeting in the corner.
And yet, this was just the beginning of her nightmare.
Shu Tian had drunk some alcohol so her speech was slurring a little. “What? None of you guys know? Didn’t I tell you already, Jingshen? This roommate of mine is your number one fan! She knows every single one of your likes and dislikes. She used to watch you every day at school, and I once saw her sneak a photo of you attending that tournament into her folder. If I remember correctly, Xiaotang and Jingshen went to the same high school so she probably started liking you from then? Otherwise she wouldn’t have cried in bed for so many nights when we got together. It made me feel a bit bad, to be honest…”
Stop talking, stop talking… please, stop talking…
Li Ranran blanked out for a moment before coming to her senses. She thought she knew Su Xiaotang well enough already, but she never knew her feelings for Fang Jingshen ran so deep.
For a while everyone wore various expressions from listening to Shu Tian, but their gaze on Su Xiaotang was the same–as if they were looking at a freak. It would have been a different story if the girl in question was a beauty, but what if she was a fatty? Then it would be a freak show. Unfortunately for Su Xiaotang, reality was harsh.
No one stopped Shu Tian’s storytime. If anything, they treated it as entertainment and all waited for her to spill some more goss.
Shu Tian glanced at Song Minghui and continued: “I remember I asked Xiaotang back then if she was interested in Song Minghui, but she denied really vehemently. Who would’ve thought she’d get together with him that fast once Jingshen and I started dating. Huh…”
That single “huh” was full of so many hidden meanings.
Shu Tian’s words sent her audience into an uproar. Song Minghui, in particular, was growing redder and redder every second.
Su Xiaotang was shaking all over. The coldness was like she was standing in an icehouse, but not only was she stripped of her clothes, her skin was also being peeled off layer by layer with a dull knife. Li Ranran had never seen Su Xiaotang, who was always so cheerful and optimistic, make an expression like she was doing now. Livid, she shot to her feet. “Shu Tian! Haven’t you said enough?”
“What? I’m not wrong, am I?” Shu Tian pointedly looked at Su Xiaotang as she asked, “Xiaotang, did I misunderstand? Don’t you like Fang Jingshen?”
Back in their university days, Su Xiaotang’s dorm room was well known amongst the students for having a beauty like Shu Tian and a fatty like Su Xiaotang under the same roof, so people would often bring up Su Xiaotang as a joke when talking about Shu Tian. Although Su Xiaotang was on the fatter side, she was definitely not ugly. Unfortunately for her though, her roommate was Shu Tian–and when you compare her to Shu Tian, the belle of the school, well… of course Su Xiaotang would be a joke.
She had not been close enough with Shu Tian to be best friends back then, but they did not have any particular grievances with each other either. Not in her wildest dreams did she expect Shu Tian to not only suddenly rip open and pour salt into an old wound, but also shake out all of the feelings she had carefully hidden away for seven years…
Li Ranran gritted her teeth. “What’s wrong with liking Fang Jingshen? I liked him too! There’s no girl here who didn’t fantasize about him!”
“If that’s so, then what are you so worked up about?” laughed Shu Tian.
Li Ranran opened her mouth to retort but was cut short by Su Xiaotang, who jumped up and raced out of the room.
It’s okay. Don’t think about it, Su Xiaotang told herself desperately. Didn’t she stay calm and composed when Song Minghui brought his girlfriend today to show off?
But why was it that she could not stop her heart from freezing over when she thought about how Fang Jingshen would think? So in the end, she could not keep sitting there…
As she lurched out of the door, she heard Fang Jingshen’s chilly voice behind her: “You went too far, Shu Tian.”
Tears poured down her face.
*
Su Xiaotang locked herself in the bathroom for a good half hour before calming down somewhat.
She would never be able to show her face in front of her classmates again after what happened today. Especially not in front of Fang Jingshen. Her eyes started burning again as she thought more about it and she hurriedly slapped some cold water on her face. Keeping her head bowed, she walked out of the bathroom and texted Li Ranran to say she would be leaving now.
Text sent. She raised her head and her limbs locked into place upon meeting eyes with the very last person she wanted to see at this time.
Holding a cigarette as he stood in the hallway, Fang Jingshen looked like he had been waiting there for a long time.
Awkwardness, shame, excitement, embarrassment, nervousness… these emotions combined together and erupted. Su Xiaotang was quite sure her expression did not look good at the moment. If anything, she probably looked like a psycho.
All sorts of words jiggled around inside her mouth, but in the end only two words made their way out. “I’m sorry…”
He must be feeling ashamed, right? Being liked by such an unpleasant person…
Fang Jingshen gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment before asking, “Do you like me?”
Su Xiaotang’s cheeks were on fire. Yet despite being nervous as heck, a sudden urge to express her thoughts bubbled up from the depths of her heart. “Yes, I like you,” she heard herself answer against the drumming inside her chest.
“Just what do you like about me?” Fang Jingshen paused before continuing in a discernible tone, “My looks? My medical skills? My family background? Or…”
She was finally able to say it after a full seven years. Nervous to the point of fainting and desperate to prove her sincerity, the words slipped out before she could even think twice: “Of course not, that’s got nothing to do with it! I’d still like you even if you turned into a dog!”
Awkward silence blanketed the air as soon as her words came out. Fang Jingshen’s expression was difficult to describe as he arched an eyebrow.
That… sure is an unexpected way to confess…
By this point, Su Xiaotang was ready to jump into the ocean and sink to the very bottom. Actually, anywhere was fine as long as she could disappear! For God’s sake, what was she even going on about!!!
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I’m not saying you’re a dog… I mean if you were… well… I, um…”
Su Xiaotang did not want to open her mouth ever again. Why did she have to lose her marbles in front of him!
Fang Jingshen felt a strange urge as he studied the girl in front of him, whose red cheeks and overall roundness made her pitiful expression look puppy-like. It was an urge to… pinch?
And that was exactly what he did.
Su Xiaotang heard something shatter the instant those long, cool fingers pinched her cheek.
It was her heart exploding into pieces from emotional overload…
STAFF
- Translator: iz.t
- Proofreader: Rat
Message from iz.t
Hello and apologies for the delay (over 2 years omg) in getting Chapter 2 out. To our remaining readers, Yukiversity 2.0 is back! And to our new readers, welcome! 1/3 of this chapter had been sitting in the drafts box since November 2017, and the remaining 2/3 just got translated and checked this evening. Tbh I’m quite tired lol but I’m about halfway through Chapter 3 so let’s see if I can power through or not 🥺
There’s been a change in staff! Rat and Puds have joined on as guest proofreaders. I’d like to thank these friends for their noble sacrifice
In other news, please read this for a bit of lukewarm tea that happened while Yukiversity 2.0 was offline.
Apologies for being MIA for so long but we’re back now. Next chapter is where the fun starts! Thank you for reading~
dontforgettolikeandsubscribe 🥺👉👈
Yukiversity 2.0 
This is my first time coming across this novel and seems promising. Translation quality is also good, keep up the good work!
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Thank you for reading and I’m really glad my translation is up to standard, it makes all my struggles worthwhile 🙂 The next chapter is being quality checked by a proofreader right now and it won’t be long until it’s posted, so please stay for the ride!
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