Tang Yu held a weighty red envelope in her hand, her ears reddening slightly. Her voice also lowered a few notches as she muttered, "What…nonsense are you talking about…"
"Alright, let's go home. Mom has already gone back, so we should go back too." Yin Zhao-an said as she put her arm around Tang Yu's shoulder. Then, as they returned, she discreetly swapped their positions to shield Tang Yu from the sun.
…
During their sophomore year, Yin Zhao-an found several senior students and Zhao Yu from the Academy of Sciences to create a multiplayer online game based on the xianxia genre.
With Yin Changcheng as the financial backer, the game quickly entered the market. Although the game launched with some hiccups, it eventually became finely animated and smoothly executed. The feature of character creation without gender restrictions also attracted many interested players.
The small studio in the apartment gradually transformed from Tang Yu's recording studio into Yin Zhao-an's game development studio. Different brands of computers were lined up on the desk, running on a network to observe the game's launch speed on different devices.
One day, at 2 a.m., Tang Yu was awakened by a sudden thirst. Groggily opening her eyes, she found that the spot next to her was still cold; Yin Zhao-an hadn't come to sleep yet.
Putting on a coat, Tang Yu slipped into her indoor slippers and went to the living room to get some water. The door to the studio was not fully closed, and warm yellow light spilled out, casting a glow on the floor.
Helplessly pursing her lips, Tang Yu brewed a cup of warm honey water and brought it to the studio for Yin Zhao-an. However, Tang Yu did not knock for fear of disturbing Yin Zhao-an. Instead, sat down quietly on a nearby chair and watched Yin Zhao-an's slender fingers swiftly typing on the keyboard and occasionally moving the mouse to click on the screen.
At some point, Yin Zhao-an's eyes started to sting, so she closed them to rest and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then, all of a sudden, a pair of warm and gentle hands enveloped her temples and massaged them, relieving the tension in her tightly wound brain.
"Tang-Tang, you're still awake? Did I wake you up?" Yin Zhao-an leaned back wearily and grabbed one of the hands on her temples, holding it in her palm and giving it a squeeze before pressing it against her lips for a kiss.
Tang Yu's eyes filled with tenderness as she circled her hands around Yin Zhao-an's neck and rested her head on her shoulder. Then, in a gentle voice, she replied, "No, I just came out for some water. Let's go to sleep; it's late."
Yin Zhao-an turned her head and gave Tang Yu a peck on the cheek, her face revealing a conflicted look as she said, "There are still some running programs that need improvement. It might take a while. You should go to sleep first."
"No, I want us to sleep together. Can't you work on it tomorrow?" Tang Yu acted coquettishly, a rare occasion for her.
"Okay, let's go to sleep, then." Yin Zhao-an hesitated for a moment, but she ultimately failed to resist Tang Yu's request, so she shut down the computer and got up from the chair.
…
When the two got into bed, Tang Yu habitually snuggled into Yin Zhao-an's embrace, like a little bunny returning home, finding a comfortable position and relaxing completely.
Yin Zhao-an chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Tang Yu and rested her chin on the crown of Tang Yu's head. Then, with her eyes closed, she asked, "What made you so clingy all of a sudden?"
"It's cold."
"...It's summer now."
Tang Yu didn't say anything and simply leaned back to stare at the seemingly clueless person before her with her big, watery eyes.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Be a good girl, Tang-Tang; go to sleep. I'll hold you." Yin Zhao-an lightly kissed Tang Yu's lips and tightened her embrace.
The room fell silent for a while. Then, a small voice spoke again, "Let's go camping the day after tomorrow."
"Camping?" Yin Zhao-an opened her previously closed eyes, looking surprised.
"Yeah, you've been working too hard lately. Let's go camping and relax." Tang Yu spoke as if giving a routine notice. Then, as soon as she finished speaking, she fell silent, and her breathing gradually steadied.
Yin Zhao-an lowered her head, looking at the peacefully sleeping person in her arms, feeling an overwhelming tenderness in his heart.
…
The next day, Yin Zhao-an pulled Tang Yu into the studio with a mysterious look on her face.
Tang Yu wore a puzzled look when she was led to her computer. Then, her expression suddenly changed as she looked at Yin Zhao-an and asked, "You… Don't tell me you need more computers already…"
"Huh?" Yin Zhao-an looked bewildered, taking a while to grasp Tang Yu's meaning. Then, she guiltily tapped the tip of Tang Yu's nose and said, "Turn on your computer and take a look."
Full of doubts, Tang Yu turned on the computer. At the same time, she considered the possibility of lending her computer to Yin Zhao-an for her experiments as well as better alternatives.
After the computer booted up, Tang Yu noticed an extra icon on her desktop. It was a familiar icon she had not seen in a long time.
Upon getting a clearer look at the icon, Tang Yu couldn't help but turn to look at Yin Zhao-an in confusion.
"Click on it and see."
Following Yin Zhao-an's instructions, Tang Yu logged into the game called "Art of Freedom" and saw a female character in the game that resembled her to some extent.
Yin Zhao-an was in command the whole time, and Tang Yu followed her instructions. In the end, she drowsily saw the game character, who looked like her, stepping into a red wedding room with another game character.
Red candles and red veils adorned the room. Two figures dressed in bright red wedding robes exchanged a smile, slowly approaching each other until their lips met.
"...What is this?" Tang Yu bit her finger in confusion, gazing at the person beside her.
"I created this account five years ago specifically for you," Yin Zhao-an said with a gentle smile. "Today, Art of Freedom's developers have officially accepted my suggestion and changed the conditions for forming romantic relationships. We are the first same-sex couple in this game."
Looking at the still puzzled Tang Yu, Yin Zhao-an walked up to her, knelt on one knee, reverently took her hand with the silver ring, and gently kissed it, her eyes shining.
"You see, whether in virtual or real life, we will be together forever."
…
In preparation for their camping trip, Tang Yu woke up early in the morning to prepare meal boxes and ingredients, busily moving in and out of the kitchen.
The weather was beautiful today, and the stars at night were expected to be magnificent.
Yin Zhao-an borrowed a car from her father and prepared to drive to the campsite with Tang Yu.
By the time everything was ready, it was almost noon. Tang Yu came downstairs with a large travel bag on her back, and Yin Zhao-an had already parked the car downstairs, waiting for her to get in.
"It's going to be a long drive, so take a nap if you feel sleepy," Yin Zhao-an said as she kept her eyes on the road ahead, carefully managing the steering wheel while driving along the national highway.
There was nothing much to see on the road, except for traffic jams. When Yin Zhao-an turned on the car's radio to play soft instrumental music, Tang Yu gave in to her drowsiness and fell asleep.
At a red light, Yin Zhao-an reached for a jacket in the back seat and covered Tang Yu with it, preventing her from catching a cold from the air conditioning.
As the car gradually left the city behind, lush green meadows came into view, along with white windmills rising from flat ground, slowly turning in the gentle breeze.
When they arrived at the campsite, there were already many parked cars, indicating the campsite's popularity.
Yin Zhao-an parked the car without waking the sleeping Tang Yu. After adjusting the car's air conditioning, she got out to unload their camping equipment, such as tents, poles, camera, clothes, and blankets.
Yin Zhao-an first went to look for a suitable camping spot with the tent in hand. Then, once she found an "auspicious spot," she set up the tent before returning to the parking lot to retrieve the other things.
When Tang Yu woke up, she saw Yin Zhao-an busily moving about through her groggy eyes. Noticing her beloved's sweaty look, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why didn't you wake me?"
After saying so, Tang Yu put aside the jacket covering her, got out of the car, pulled out a tissue, and ran over to wipe the sweat off Yin Zhao-an's face. Although she was clearly worried about Yin Zhao-an, she still teased her, saying, "Do you think you're Superman? A camping trip is only meaningful when we do everything together. I'm not a delicate flower; I don't need you to take care of me like this."
After wiping off Yin Zhao-an's sweat, Tang Yu threw the tissue into the nearby trash bin and grabbed some things from the car to carry on her back. "Let's go. Where's our campsite?"
Yin Zhao-an silently listened to Tang Yu rambling on as she led Tang Yu to the chosen campsite with the rest of their equipment.
The campsite Yin Zhao-an chose had a large expanse of soft grass dotted with pale yellow and pink flowers. There was also a clear and shallow stream meandering through the grass nearby.
After organizing everything, Yin Zhao-an didn't stay at the campsite. Instead, she walked around the campsite with a camera, searching for a good angle to capture the surrounding scenery.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu sat on the mat in front of the tent and quietly snacked on a fruit salad as she watched Yin Zhao-an run about.
The campsite was nestled between forested mountains and positioned between creeks. The cool breeze that traveled through the woods was refreshing and invigorating, and the occasional chirping of birds accompanied it.
Yin Zhao-an ran back after visiting various locations, her face filled with indescribable joy. Seeing her beloved's joy, Tang Yu also felt her mood uplifting.
"What were you doing?" Tang Yu asked in a slurred voice while chewing some cantaloupe in her mouth. At the same time, she picked up a piece of cantaloupe with a small fork and brought it to Yin Zhao-an's lips.
"I set up a camera over there. It can record the sunrise and sunset. This way, even if you can't wake up tomorrow, you won't miss anything," Yin Zhao-an answered before taking the piece of cantaloupe into her mouth, a proud expression on her face.
Tang Yu nearly crushed the plastic box in her hand. Couldn't wake up? What nonsense was that? She was very diligent, and she would never sleep in!
A few white butterflies floated nearby, shuttling through the small flower bushes. Tang Yu leaned against Yin Zhao-an's shoulder, watching the sun gradually deviate from its orbit and descend toward the west.
The white clouds in the sky changed colors under the slanting rays, spreading a mix of yellow and purple in the sky. The sight resembled a twilight scene painted by an art student, with each stroke carefully considered.
Tang Yu watched the ever-changing sky and felt a trace of melancholy in her heart. "Say, An-An... How long do you think we can be together?"
In response, Yin Zhao-an nonchalantly leaned against her beloved's neck and said, "Dunno. A lifetime, maybe?"
"I doubt that."
"How long do you want us to be together, then?"
"For eternity."
Chuckling softly, Yin Zhao-an asked, "Why?"
"Because...I want to meet you again in my next life."
The sun gradually sank, and the colors in the sky became ever more vibrant. The once monotonous blue and white were dyed with rich and bold colors, like a beautiful painting created by an artist's brushstrokes.
In a fleeting moment of youth, a seed named "love" was scattered. And while it might have bloomed this summer, it would never wither in the coming seasons.
—End—