Let's Choose Courses Together for the New Semester

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The snow-covered mountains, starry skies, and camping life had finally become a series of frozen moments in their phone galleries.

Su Bai and Chen Yusheng packed up the last of their gear and drove the Mercedes-Benz GLE away from the campsite. The car followed the mountain road downhill, while the snow outside gradually thinned and the pine forests slowly returned from silver-white to their original emerald green.

Chen Yusheng sat in the passenger seat, looking through the photos on her camera.

She had taken plenty over the past few days: shots of herself glancing back on the snowy mountain, photos of the two of them eating hot pot in front of the tent, and pictures of them lying in folding chairs together as they watched the stars.

When she reached a photo Su Bai had secretly taken while she wasn't paying attention, her finger stopped.

In the picture, she was bundled up in a down jacket, her head resting against Su Bai's shoulder as she gazed up at the galaxy overhead. A faint smile played at the corners of her lips.

She rarely smiled like that before.

There was no experimental data to analyze, no need to worry about her mother's medical expenses, and no need to calculate how much money remained in her bank account.

She was simply happy.

“Like this one?” Su Bai asked, glancing at her while driving.

“It's all right.” Chen Yusheng sounded indifferent, but her finger quietly saved the photo to her favorites.

Su Bai smiled. “When you say ‘it's all right,’ you mean you love it.”

“Don't flatter yourself.” A faint blush rose on Chen Yusheng's cool, beautiful face. “I just think the composition is pretty good.”

“That means I took it well.”

“The scenery is mainly what makes it good.”

“The scenery is beautiful, but the person in it is even more so.”

Chen Yusheng pressed her lips together and didn't answer. She simply placed her phone on her lap and gazed out the window at the scenery streaming past.

After a while, she reached over and took Su Bai's hand from beside the gearshift.

“What is it?” Su Bai asked.

“Nothing.” Her fingers intertwined with his, and her voice was soft. “I just want to hold your hand.”

Su Bai immediately slowed down, letting her keep hold of him.

Three days ago, when they had left campus, they had been filled with excitement and anticipation. Three days later, as they returned, Chen Yusheng felt that the trip had somehow brought them much closer.

She had once enjoyed being with Su Bai because he made her happy and because she felt safe with him.

But now, she was beginning to grow accustomed to having him in every part of her life.

Eating together, going out together—even stargazing and making plans for their future children together.

The car entered Jiang City, and the high-rises once again became more numerous. Traffic gradually thickened on the roads.

As Chen Yusheng looked at the familiar streets, she suddenly remembered something.

“Isn't school about to start?”

“Today is the day we go back,” Su Bai said. “Classes officially begin tomorrow.”

“Then we need to choose our courses.”

“We'll do it when we get back to East Lake Residence,” Su Bai replied casually. “The study there has a better computer and network than the school.”

Chen Yusheng nodded.

She opened the class group chat and took a look. It was already buzzing with activity.

Quite a few classmates were posting messages about returning to school. Some were discussing dorm arrangements, some were complaining that the break had been too short, and others had already begun asking about the new semester's courses.

Su Bai glanced at the messages and said with a laugh, “Chu Mingzhe was just saying in the group that everyone should cherish their freedom on the last day of vacation. And now he's already asking whether the teacher will take attendance in the first class.”

“He's always like that.” Chen Yusheng spoke softly. “He acts carefree, but deep down, he cares about his grades more than anyone.”

“What about Xue Tao?”

“He's asking if anyone has a spare campus card. He can't find his own.”

Su Bai nearly burst out laughing. “Losing his card on the first day of school. That really is just like him.”

The Mercedes-Benz GLE soon pulled into East Lake Residence.

Although they had been away for three days, the residence remained as neat and orderly as ever. The moment the car stopped at the entrance, Zhou Jialu came out with Wan Xinyue to greet them.

“Junior Su Bai, you're finally back.” Zhou Jialu hurried over in her slippers, first looking Chen Yusheng up and down before glancing at the trunk. “How was the trip?”

“Pretty good,” Chen Yusheng replied.

“How many photos did you take?”

“Quite a lot.”

Zhou Jialu immediately became interested. “Let me see them.”

Chen Yusheng was just about to take out her phone when Su Bai had already opened the trunk. It was packed with the equipment they had brought along and local specialties they had bought on the way back.

Wan Xinyue looked at the pink portable stove, her face filled with anticipation. “Brother, did the heart-shaped flame work well?”

“It worked great.” Su Bai gave her a thumbs-up. “The hot pot tasted delicious, and at night it could even double as a little night-light.”

Wan Xinyue pressed her lips together lightly, her eyes filling with satisfaction. “That's good.”

Zhou Jialu flipped through the photos on Chen Yusheng's phone, growing more and more surprised as she looked.

“This picture of the snowy mountain is fantastic.” She enlarged the photo, her gaze lingering on Chen Yusheng's face for a moment. “Yusheng, you're usually so cold and distant. I never would have guessed you'd look this beautiful when you smile up on a snowy mountain.”

Embarrassed, Chen Yusheng reached out to take back her phone. “That's enough. Stop looking.”

“What's there to be embarrassed about?” Zhou Jialu dodged her hand with a laugh. “This one of you two stargazing is great too. Your shoulders are practically touching. If there were a baby stroller next to you, the picture would be complete.”

Chen Yusheng's ears immediately turned red.

“Sister Jialu.”

“I'm just telling the truth.” Zhou Jialu handed the phone back to her, deliberately drawing out her words. “You two are clearly working toward the big milestones in life. Going camping and stargazing together—it's so romantic that even I'm jealous.”

Su Bai coughed. “Stop teasing her. Let Yusheng rest first.”

“Oh? So you're already defending her?” Zhou Jialu folded her arms, her smile growing even wider. “After three days away, Junior Su Bai has become even better at taking care of people.”

…

After eating a quick meal, everyone returned to their rooms to unpack and organize their luggage.

That afternoon, Su Bai and Chen Yusheng took a nap.

Outdoor activities were relaxing, but hiking, camping, and the long drive had still left them somewhat tired.

By the time they woke up, the lights around the residence were already glowing outside the window.

With school officially starting, their normal campus life was about to resume.

After washing up, Su Bai went downstairs and saw Chen Yusheng already waiting for him in the living room.

She had changed into a simple knit top and long skirt, with black stockings covering her slender legs. Her long hair fell naturally over her shoulders.

She was also holding her laptop, clearly ready to go.

“Let's go,” she said.

“Where?”

“The study.” Chen Yusheng glanced at him. “To choose our courses.”

Su Bai smiled and followed her.

The study at East Lake Residence was spacious, with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the lights shimmering across the lake. Zhou Jialu had already arranged fruit and drinks, while Wan Xinyue had connected the computer to the large screen.

“You actually had to come all the way to the study just to choose courses?” Zhou Jialu sat to one side with a glass of juice in her hand. “Can't you do it in the computer lab at school?”

“We can.” Chen Yusheng opened the academic affairs system. “But it's crowded there, and the network isn't stable.”

“Mostly, it's because Junior Su Bai likes to be particular.” Zhou Jialu laughed. “You'd think choosing courses was some major operation that required the equipment at East Lake Residence.”

Su Bai pulled out the chair beside Chen Yusheng and sat down. “It's called efficiency.”

Once they logged into the academic affairs system, their course schedules appeared on the screen.

Chen Yusheng stared at the screen, carefully checking each course.

“Choose the major courses first.”

“Okay.”

Su Bai logged into his own account as well, and the two computers sat side by side.

Chen Yusheng opened the course list. “For Principles of Database Systems, are you taking Section One or Section Two?”

“Section One.”

“What about Operating Systems?”

“Section One.”

“Advanced Mathematics…”

“Whichever section you choose, I’ll choose.”

Chen Yusheng looked up. “You’re not even checking the schedule?”

“What’s there to check?” Su Bai said as if it were perfectly obvious. “Since we’re classmates, naturally we should take all our classes together.”

“Some courses don’t have to be in the same section.”

“Then we’ll make them the same.”

Chen Yusheng froze for a moment.

“Don’t you still have to go to the company and the lab?”

“There are people at the company to handle things, and the lab won’t fall apart if I’m gone for a day.” Leaning back in his chair, Su Bai spoke casually. “The new semester’s just started. Of course I should accompany my girlfriend to class.”

He said it so naturally that Chen Yusheng’s fingers paused over the mouse.

Zhou Jialu, listening from the side, burst out laughing. “See? Three days away, and he’s completely changed. Junior Su Bai used to say he was busy. Now he wants to synchronize his entire class schedule with Yusheng’s.”

Su Bai didn’t deny it. Instead, he pushed his course schedule toward Chen Yusheng.

“You pick. I’ll follow your lead.”

Looking at the nearly identical schedules on the two computers, the irritation Chen Yusheng had felt at the start of the semester eased considerably.

She lowered her head and began making her selections.

“Database Systems, Section One.”

“I’ve got it.”

“Operating Systems, Section One.”

“Done.”

“Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Section One.”

“Keep going.”

Their movements became increasingly synchronized.

Chen Yusheng clicked once, and Su Bai clicked after her. Whenever she paused to double-check the times, Su Bai waited quietly. If there was a scheduling conflict, he didn’t rush her. He simply switched another course to the same section as hers.

On the large screen, their two timetables gradually became one.

After watching for a while, Zhou Jialu couldn’t help sighing. “Is this really course registration? You’re practically arranging your entire college lives into one shared schedule.”

“Isn’t that nice?” Su Bai said. “We can go to class together, eat together, and go home together after class.”

“Home?” Zhou Jialu raised an eyebrow. “Since when does a school dorm count as home?”

Su Bai pointed at Chen Yusheng. “Wherever she is, that’s home for me.”

Chen Yusheng’s hand jerked, and she nearly clicked the wrong course.

“Su Bai!”

“I’m just stating a fact.”

“You’ve been getting more and more smooth-talking lately.”

“I learned it from you.”

“When did I ever teach you that?”

“Watching you every day, it came naturally.”

Zhou Jialu felt her teeth ache from the sweetness and quickly waved a hand. “All right, all right. Stop saying ‘facts’ in front of me. You two are so lovey-dovey now that even I, the housekeeper, can barely get a word in.”

Chen Yusheng pressed her lips together and pretended to focus on the course schedule.

But Su Bai didn’t stop. He reached for the water cup beside him and handed it to her. “Have some water. Don’t keep staring at the screen.”

“I can get it myself.”

“I know. But I want to get it for you.”

Chen Yusheng accepted the cup. The instant her fingertips brushed his hand, she drew back as though she had been burned.

Seeing that, Zhou Jialu finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“You two really are different now that you’re getting ready to have a baby. You’re even more affectionate than before.”

The study instantly fell silent.

Chen Yusheng clutched the cup as her entire face turned bright red. Even her neck was tinted with a soft blush, and she was too embarrassed to lift her head.