My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 199

Chapter 199: Love Is a Wonderful Mystery

After officially enrolling, Xiao Luohan had more opportunities to interact with her new classmates.

Although the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Special Enrollment” was a shortcut, the learning requirements and standards weren’t low. The “Intangible Cultural Heritage Masters” in charge of the assessments had sharp eyes and intuition, with their own set of criteria, and just certificates and theoretical knowledge weren’t enough.

After layers of selection, only a handful were truly admitted to the program. Xiao Luohan was also admitted because of her solid foundation from the ancient world, her dedication to integrating into this world, the guidance of renowned teachers, and her record of quickly obtaining certificates.

She was undoubtedly talented and lucky, but regardless of the era, “lucky ones” like her were always the target of envy.

However, perhaps because the trolls on M-Station who had “jumped the highest” had been dealt with, and Tao Wu, who had met her once offline before being abandoned by everyone and dying tragically in a foreign country, had become a permanent fixture on N University’s “wall of shame,” Xiao Luohan didn’t encounter any overt hostility after enrolling. Most of her classmates simply maintained a polite distance.

Xiao Luohan wasn’t bothered by this. Meaningless social interactions were unnecessary, so she focused entirely on studying the guqin and the intangible cultural heritage of this world, building good relationships with the mentors who were willing to share their knowledge.

While busy with her own studies, Jiang Xue would occasionally ask Xiao Luohan about her life, listening to her opinions and impressions of her classmates and teachers.

“How should I put it, unexpected yet also expected?” Jiang Xue found it difficult to give a precise evaluation. “From my perspective, your approach maximizes benefits and gains. University is a very free period, and I know many seniors who were ‘lone wolves’ from enrollment to graduation, and they still found good jobs or pursued their passions during their university years.”

“Just do what you’re comfortable with, but if you’re ever bullied, you must tell us immediately!”

Xiao Luohan smiled and agreed, not mentioning that she didn’t actually care about the so-called bullying—as long as those people and their actions didn’t obstruct her path, there was no need to deal with them, they were just buzzing flies.

That being said, there was no need to reject her beloved’s kindness.

The guqin program wasn’t as demanding as Xiao Luohan had imagined, so she had plenty of time to “nurture” her budding interest.

Since joining the sketching club, she would arrive early at the designated classroom for every club activity, bringing her sketchbook and reference books, drawing until everyone arrived, and then exchanging ideas.

Compared to her own major, she found it easier to connect with the students in the sketching club.

With the support and encouragement of her “fellow enthusiasts,” Xiao Luohan’s already decent drawing skills improved rapidly, and by the “Campus Club Festival” in December, her artwork was even displayed on the “Outstanding Club Works” wall.

During the festival week, Jiang Xue, who didn’t have classes, would always accompany her girlfriend to the events.

Looking at Xiao Luo, she felt like she was seeing another possibility for herself—an alternate timeline in the same universe.

This feeling was wondrous. She was incredibly lucky to be able to witness Xiao Luo’s growth, watching her walk slowly and confidently on a path filled with sunshine and flower petals.

Even though there were shadows everywhere, there were also many people walking with her, and their successes and progress, no matter how small, were a source of inspiration and encouragement.

“I don’t think I ever told you this, but the first time I came to Si Ling, when I visited the club building and climbed the spiral staircase, I envied the students whose artwork was displayed on the wall,” Xiao Luohan said softly, eating the takoyaki they had just bought. “That must be an honor only those with exceptional skills could achieve. Their drawings would be remembered by those who came after, a trace of their existence.”

She had always been fixated on leaving traces, and it was still the same now.

“Now I’ve also achieved that.”

Taking one last look at the wall, Xiao Luohan took her beloved’s hand and continued walking.

They soon arrived at the sketching club’s booth.

Shu Cheng, who was manning the booth, was replying to messages. Since drawing the fanart for Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan, which had been posted and credited by “Traces of Xue Luo,” Shu Cheng’s “practice commission” window, with its low prices, had quickly sold out.

Feeling embarrassed to constantly ask Jiang Xue for help with scanning and editing, she used the money Jiang Xue had given her to buy a drawing tablet and stylus, practicing digital art during her free time, and recently, she had even started taking on private commissions with less urgent deadlines, officially earning some money.

Vice President Fang, as enthusiastic as ever, welcomed them and brought over plastic stools.

The girls sat there and chatted casually, answering questions from visitors, and the carefully crafted items displayed at the booth also sold quickly.

“I remember that a portion of the earnings is donated to charity, but the club hasn’t decided on an organization yet?” Jiang Xue asked when there were no other visitors. “Do you need my help finding a reliable and legitimate organization?”

There had been unpleasant incidents in the past.

For example, a charity organization, under the guise of “caring for women,” had claimed that all donations would be given to girls in orphanages, but the money actually ended up in the hands of men, who justified it with “what’s wrong with helping them pursue their dreams?”

Jiang Xue remembered a classmate from last semester being scammed like this. The girl’s family wasn’t wealthy, but she still insisted on donating a portion of her money to charity every month, only to have it end up like this.

Fortunately, their society had sound laws in this regard. The unscrupulous organization was shut down, and the donations were recovered, but such incidents would inevitably damage the credibility of charitable organizations, and after that, the classmate hadn’t donated to any organization again.

“Of course!” Vice President Fang immediately nodded. “It would be great if you could help us filter out those scammers!”

Xiao Luohan fed Jiang Xue the last takoyaki ball, watching as she immediately contacted her family, her serious expression saying “I’ll take care of this,” and couldn’t help but smile.

One day, her Jiang Xue would also become a reliable and dependable adult.

Time flew by like sand in an hourglass. At the end of the next summer vacation, before the start of the new semester, on the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day), Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan were invited to Shen Xianyue and Yun Chanchan’s wedding.

As they had expected, after confirming their relationship, the two progressed quickly.

—Yun Chanchan seemed soft and gentle, but her directness was something Shen Xianyue couldn’t resist.

And with Shen Xianyue’s affection and guilt, and her own conscious efforts to change her “carefree” nature, the “graduation marriage” she had predicted last year had become a reality.

Xiao Luohan had seen Shen Xianyue and Yun Chanchan’s wedding photos in her Moments half a month ago. They still loved rose pink and water blue, even choosing those colors for their wedding dresses instead of the traditional red or white.

This reminded her of the “pre-wedding” photos she and Jiang Xue had taken two years ago, both wearing “baby pink” wedding dresses, with the photo studio owner’s signature angles and lighting, creating a dreamlike, ethereal beauty.

—In the owner’s opinion, love before marriage was like a fleeting dream, and even after the engagement, no one could be sure if this dream wedding would become reality until the very last moment.

“Love is truly a wonderful mystery,” Xiao Luohan said, packing the gifts and red envelopes at home. “I think I understand now why Mei-jiejie wanted to ‘trace back to the origin’ and figure out how her feelings for A-Xi started.”

“There are usually obvious turning points in a relationship, significant enough to transform friendship into love, and these turning points make both parties realize why their relationship can progress beyond ‘friends’ or ‘neighbors.'”

“But in reality, most relationships are like ‘a frog in warm water,’ gradually warming up without realizing it. Even if there are clear turning points, the choices made at those points are based on all the accumulated experiences and interactions.”

“Yes, it’s not easy to stay together. Every choice, big or small, is a test. Incompatible people will eventually drift apart, and even with persistence and effort, an unrequited love can’t last forever,” Jiang Xue nodded, picking up the gift box. “It’s almost time to leave. We can also observe their wedding ceremony and details for reference.”

This reference, of course, was for their own wedding many years later, but they hadn’t expected that at the beginning of the second semester of her senior year, Xie Xitong, on behalf of the Xie family, would propose to Jiang Mei.

Since she hadn’t graduated yet, they only held an engagement party, with the official wedding date set for the end of June that year.

Ms. Wei, who had known about their relationship for a long time, even teased, “Xiao Mei has finally found someone! I thought you would be married to your career forever~”

“There’s no need to miss out if you meet the right person,” Jiang Mei replied calmly.

She considered herself to have inherited this trait from her two mothers. Both Ms. Wei and Ms. Jiang, before meeting at Moonlight Bar, had declared that they would be “married to their careers.”

But their eventual outcome wasn’t “love over career,” but rather two magnets drawn to each other. Even with their differences, their shared values made them inseparable, so they made a vow with marriage, weaving an even deeper bond.

After the engagement, Jiang Mei even helped Xie Xitong buy a shop, accompanying her in choosing the design and formulating a business plan.

This way, Xie Xitong could use this entrepreneurial experience for her internship credits in her senior year, saving time and effort, and allowing her to focus on preparing for the wedding.

With sufficient funds, the shop’s renovation was also expedited, but even so, it still took three months for “Xixi Pet Clinic” to officially open.

After passing the formaldehyde test, on the opening day, the white cat stared at the sign for a long time, then contentedly went back inside and rubbed against Jiang Mei’s skirt.