Chapter Eighteen Lavender Without Fragrance

  The afterglow of the sunset hangs faintly on the treetops, occasionally leaking a strand onto the faces of passersby, soft and beautiful. The winter sun has no temperature at all, but it has a power that can make people feel warm. Perhaps this is the innate ability of the sun, even if it was scolded to nothing in the summer, it still makes people miss it in the winter, even if it just goes through the motions symbolically.

  After dinner, Su Yisuo and the three of them left separately, without continuing to stick together. Even the closest people need a little private space.

  Su Yisuo didn't return to the dormitory, instead finding a quiet corner in the campus to sit and think about when she could go home. Tomorrow was the last day of the holiday, and rushing back and forth within one day was too hasty, especially since Su Yisuo was someone who got tired easily from sitting on a bus. Skipping class? That wasn't something she would do. Asking for leave? Wasn't that the same as skipping class? Moreover, if she went home without reason during class time, her parents wouldn't scold her to death?

  After some thought, Su Yisou decided to give Ah Ma another call.

  "Susu, why are you thinking of calling Mom again? Didn't you just call yesterday?" Shen Xiulan quickly picked up the phone and found it strange that Su Yisusuddenly became so diligent in making calls.

  Su Yisu quietly reflected on herself for not being concerned enough about Ah Ma, and reluctantly replied: "Ah Ma, I just called you once a day and you're already annoyed?"

  Shen Xiulan couldn't help but smile slightly, "Alright alright, you can call me every hour and I won't even find it annoying."

  "This is about right," Su Yi said with no attempt to conceal her smugness. "My Ah Ma is the best."

  "Mother also thanks you for taking me so seriously." Shen Xiulan's smile deepened.

  Su Yisu smiled and accepted the thanks, saying: "You're welcome, you're welcome... haha..."

  As soon as Shen Xiulan's voice came on, Su Yisuo forgot the purpose of her call, and the two chatted aimlessly, unable to find a focal point until they hung up. Only then did Su Yisuo suddenly slap her forehead, exclaiming: "I'm really lacking a screw!"

  Forget it, after struggling till the end, Su Yisuo announced to give up. Anyway, she couldn't hear anything abnormal from Ama, and let her go, she would come back home when it's time.

  To get back to the dorm, you have to go through a long campus road and then pass through the backyard. Su Yisuo was walking slowly in the campus, although she was going back to the dorm, it felt like she was taking a stroll. As soon as she went up the stairs and hadn't even entered the backyard, a joyful shout came from behind her: "Hey! Yisuo!"

  Su Yisu subconsciously turned her head back, and Jiang Fengchen was standing behind her with a smile all over his face.

  "Ah, Jiang Fengchen, long time no see."

  "It's been a long time indeed." Jiang Fengchen replied as he walked towards her, "I saw you in the dormitory corridor and came down."

  Upon hearing this, Su Yisu looked up at the boys' dormitory building where Jiang Fengchen was located, which faced directly onto the campus road, and indeed had a clear view of everything.

  "It's really great visually," Su Yisu sighed, "In my dormitory, I couldn't see anything because the floor was too low. Unless you look down at the ground, everything else is just trees."

  Jiang Fengchen smiled slightly, "Shall we go for a walk?"

  "Good." Su Yisu agreed without thinking, and only realized afterwards that she should have been more reserved. She couldn't help but feel a little regretful about her earlier impulsiveness, and her cheeks suddenly flushed red. She glanced at Jiang Fengchen with embarrassment, and found that he still had the same dense smile on his face. The dusk was deepening, and Jiang Fengchen hadn't noticed her burning cheeks. Only then did Su Yisu let out a sigh of relief.

  "A few days ago, I saw a very beautiful flower in a magazine. The entire garden was filled with purple flowers, and just one glance was breathtaking." Jiang Fengchen knew how to find topics of conversation and knew that Su Yisuo liked collecting various flowers, so the topic always turned to flowers.

  Su Yisou's eyes sparkled with excitement, and after a moment of thought, she replied: "You're talking about lavender, aren't you? I've heard that Provence in France has many estates like this. Whenever I think of lavender, I always think of Provence; whenever I think of Provence, people always associate it with lavender. Provence and lavender are always closely tied together - it's a city filled with romantic atmosphere."

  Jiang Fengchen caught the longing and yearning that flashed in her eyes, and smiled lightly: "I don't have lavender, but I do have a bottle of lavender. Do you want it?" As he spoke, Jiang Fengchen produced two small bottles from his pocket with a flourish, waving them in front of Su Yisuo.

  Su Yisu looked at the bottle in his hand with surprise, "Where did you get it? It's rarely seen now."

  "As long as you think about finding it, there's nothing difficult." Jiang Fengchen smiled and handed the small bottle to Su Yisu.

  Su hesitated for a moment and didn't answer.

  Jiang Fengchen's smile didn't diminish as he forcibly stuffed it into her hand, saying: "People all say that the fragrance of lavender is very enchanting and elegant."

  Su Yisu subconsciously held the bottle under her nose and sniffed, but there was no smell coming from it, so she pouted. Jiang Fengchen saw all her little movements and suppressed his smile, saying: "You take out the cork."

  Su Yisuo was in a great predicament and quickly picked up the bottle, hurrying forward with quick steps.

  Jiang Fengchen chuckled softly and followed suit.

  "Wasn't 'Lavender' very popular back then? Have you seen it?"

  "No." Su Yisu shook her head.

  "Hehe, I thought you girls all liked watching this kind of idol drama."

  Su Yi smiled slyly and said, "I wouldn't tell you what I like to watch."

  "You told me what I already knew."

  Su Yisu raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked: "Oh? Then tell me."

  Jiang Fengchen pretended to be mysterious and said, "I won't tell you either."

  "Alright, you deceived me..." Su Yisu's face flushed with embarrassment as she raised her hand to hit him.

  Jiang Fengchen burst out laughing and ran far away.

  The night had already fallen, the neon lights outside the campus were flashing everywhere, people were coming and going on the road, couples passed by Jiang Fengchen and Su Yisuo one after another.

  "Yixu, do you think we look like them?" Jiang Fengchen said in a low voice.

  Su Yi couldn't help but glance at the intimate couples, then look at Jiang Fengchen again, her ears flushing with embarrassment once more. She hastily lowered her head, pretending to watch the road, in an attempt to cover up her own awkwardness.

  "It's not like that." She replied softly after a long while.

  Jiang Fengchen sighed and said: "The fragrance of the Osmanthus flower is intoxicating to people, but in my opinion, it's dull and tasteless."

  "Why?" Su Yisu raised her head, full of confusion.

  "The lavender in your hand has a fragrance, the lavender in my heart does not have a fragrance. Originally a sorrowful flower, why is it so strongly fragrant."

  Su Yisu didn't respond, she knew what Jiang Fengchen meant by his words, but didn't know how to face it. It seemed that both of them had forgotten the awkwardness of that red rose, yet even if it faded, withered and decayed, it still existed, and would forever exist in the hearts of these two people, impossible to erase.

  Lavender, waiting for love. Everyone who has expectations for love is waiting, but what's the use? When it finally arrives, not everyone has the courage to greet it. Laughing or crying, no one has the courage.

  After parting with Su Yisu, Jiang Fengchen returned to the dormitory. The only ones in the dormitory were Chen Chenan and Liao Yuanshuai. It is said that after missing the campus debate competition and "private meeting" event that Li Zefeng called "brilliant and unparalleled", Liao Yuanshuai regretted it so much that he pounded his chest and stomped his feet, and since then, he has been crazily digging into the romantic rumors between Jiang Fengchen and Su Yisu, scaring Jiang Fengchen to exclaim "frightened out of my wits".

  Liao Yuemu saw Jiang Fengchen return, immediately threw away the physics book in his hand, and rushed over like the wind. One hand grabbed Jiang Fengchen's arm, and the other patted his shoulder, with a sly expression, saying: "Brother! How was the battle?"

  Jiang Fengchen clapped his hands open and walked over to sit down at the head of the bed, saying: "I don't know either."

  Chen Chen'an also chimed in, "There must be some new development, right?"

  "I gave her the lavender bottle and she accepted it, does this count as a new development?"

  "Is that all?" Liao Yuanmu exclaimed.

  "Alright, just like that." Jiang Fengchen replied calmly.

  "You don't understand, do you?" Chen Chen put on a profound look. "Su Yisou is the kind of person who warms up slowly, a bit quiet and gentle, yet also a bit naive and cunning, with a hint of vulnerability, but lacking in worldly wisdom. She's a contradictory mix, both low-key and high-profile, warm and cold, realistic and unconventional. It all depends on your relationship with her. Maybe she doesn't know how to love, but she definitely knows how to hate, and maybe she sees everything clearly, but just doesn't tell you anything because she likes being an observer."

  Jiang Fengchen and Liao Yuanshu were stunned.

  "After a long time, Jiang Feng finally asked: 'How come you're even clearer than me?'"

  "Because... she is a Sagittarius girl..."

  "Go!" Jiang Fengchen and Liao Yuanshuo said in unison. "The constellations are completely unreliable."

  "How unreliable is it? My sister has been studying this all day and I think it's pretty accurate."

  Liao Yuemu snorted in disdain, "If everyone were like that, wouldn't there only be a mere 12 kinds of people in this world?"

  "Did you say," Chen Chen An turned to Jiang Fengchen, "she has this kind of personality?"

  "No!" Jiang Fengchen vetoed in one breath.

  "Alright," Chen Chen compromised, "To be honest, I don't believe in zodiac signs either. Everyone has more or less similar characteristics, it's just a matter of proportion. Things that are similar but not quite the same, if you say they exist then they do, if you don't say anything then they don't, right?"

  "Talking a lot but completely missing the point."

  "Didn't you give her lavender as a hint? What was her reaction?"

  "Nothing but a liking for lavender."

  "Does she understand or not?"

  "I don't know."

  "Alas..." The three of them let out a sigh.

  After a while, Liao Yuanmu couldn't help but say: "I'm saying, do you want to be so roundabout and circuitous? Why not just launch a crazy attack directly and chase her until she agrees?"

  "It's really slow to warm up, I believe this. This will definitely make a mess."

  "Alas... the fragrance of lavender flowers, what a pity." Liao Yuanmu and Chen Chenan sighed as they each went their separate ways.