It wasn’t until he returned to the dormitory that Mai Dong saw the top of the message list where Yan Xuming was pinned, only belatedly realized it. Could it be that Yan Xuming was jealous? In the past, Mai Dong would never have such audacious thoughts, but things are different now. After all, the two of them are in the ambiguous stage of their relationship, so it’s reasonable for Yan Xuming to feel jealous, right?
Mai Dong just thought about it this way but didn’t dare to actually ask Yan Xuming if it was true.
On the way back, he still felt a bit aggrieved, thinking that Yan Xuming was really angry about the incident of crossing the road. Now, upon reflection, it felt sweet again. He hugged his phone and looked at the pinned chat for quite a while.
Mai Dong’s WeChat kept chiming. International students were really enthusiastic. Probably, in the university, it’s rare to find someone of his age who speaks German so well, so there were unusually many questions.
It’s either they asked about Chinese customs, the delicacies and entertainment around the university town, or travel recommendations for nearby cities—questions about everything.
Mai Dong was like a study abroad concierge, feeling a bit impatient at times, but also considering that this concerns the impression of Chinese people on German international students. He can only patiently answer one by one.
Yan Xuming’s chat window remained pinned at the top.
Of course, Mai Dong himself had thought about doing this several times, but the reason he hadn’t practiced it was the concern about being seen by others. After all, pinned chats are easily visible. He didn’t mind himself, but Mai Dong didn’t want Yan Xuming to face discussions because of his actions.
Now that Yan Xuming did it himself, Mai Dong almost couldn’t wait for everyone to see his WeChat pinned chat.
When the two parted ways, Yan Xuming still seemed a bit unhappy. Mai Dong, on the other hand, once separated from Yan Xuming, his IQ gradually returned to normal levels. Before going to sleep, he took the initiative to send a message to Yan Xuming.
Mai-zi: “Good night, senior. Today was my mistake. Although we were walking together, I kept replying to other people’s messages. But there was absolutely no intention of neglecting you. I only agreed to this because you came to find me in the first place.”
On the other side, the reply was aloof: “Give me the diary another day.”
Mai Dong chuckled as he held his phone. “Sure.”
Yan Xuming, “Good night.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The head of the international debate team was also in a tough spot and kept saying to Mai Dong, “Really, if it weren’t for getting such a debate topic this time, we wouldn’t need to look for external help. This is really… aiyo, f*ck, with this topic, even in our native language, it might not be easy to explain. It’s really hard for you, Mai Dong.”
Mai Dong had indeed been busy with this matter these days, usually spending his weekends in the international debate team’s activity room. Despite being fluent in German, the debate topics were somewhat profound. After all, Mai Dong was just a sophomore, and he had to occasionally seek help from his grandmother while wearing headphones.
The two communicated in German, and a few international students sat beside Mai Dong, listening to him speak German.
“This phrase is a Chinese proverb, right? ‘If the drum is not beaten, it won’t make a sound; if the reasoning is not debated, it won’t become clear.’ I can only translate it in the most direct way. To achieve elegance, I’m still lacking some skills… Ah, yes, you are certainly more skilled than me.”
“‘A hundred schools of thought contend…‘ Yes, I’m just regretful that many precise and beautiful expressions can only be conveyed in Chinese. Of course, it’s not just regret, it’s more about pride.”
After talking to his grandmother on the phone for half an hour, Mai Dong hung up and only then realized that a circle of people had gathered around him. He instantly felt a bit terrified and instinctively shrank back a bit. Seeing mostly non-Chinese faces, he asked in German, “What’s going on?”
“Mai, you have a very different charm when talking to your family on the phone. This probably needs a term from your Chinese words—‘literary household,‘” said a German guy with freckles all over his face. The phrase ‘literary household’ was expressed in clumsy Chinese.
Mai Dong knew that foreigners often express emotions more directly and emotionally, and they never hesitate to show their goodwill and praise. Even this statement was already a subtle expression. However, Mai Dong was still not quite used to it, but he just smiled and said, “Thank you.”
But Mai Dong clearly underestimated the enthusiasm and openness of foreign friends.
In China, a simple “thank you” is often enough and can be considered the end of a conversation. Excessive praise and compliments may be seen as insincere or forced. However, among German international students, it’s a different story.
How could they praise Mai Dong while others did not? So, a few people gathered together and showered Mai Dong with praises, each expressing their admiration in a lively and sometimes peculiar manner.
“Mai, during our last meal together, I felt you were a bit reserved, like a small chick. But now, it’s different. I’ve discovered all your charming aspects, and I believe there are many more good qualities in you that I haven’t noticed. I’m looking forward to it.”
“You descended like a god, Mai, do you know that? When we saw this topic, we thought the world was about to end. It was so difficult. But your appearance saved us, Mai. I love you!” The one saying this was a guy with golden hair, quite tall, probably over 1.9 meters—The tallest person Mai Dong had ever seen. Perhaps to express his goodwill, the phrase “I love you” was pronounced in clear and pure Chinese, which where enunciated beautifully.
Yan Xuming entered the activity room and heard these four words — “Mai, I love you!”
Hearing someone approaching, everyone turned to look. The girl who first added Mai Dong on WeChat at the dining table that day smiled and said to Mai Dong in German, “Mai, your boyfriend is here, we’re leaving. I know there’s a term in China called ‘Light bulb.'”
Mai Dong hurriedly explained, “No, he’s not my boyfriend.”
Unfortunately, no one paid attention to his explanation. In no time, the people who had just “passionately confessed” to him had all disappeared.
Yan Xuming held a box of grilled meat with rice and placed it on the table. He raised an eyebrow and said after sitting down, “If I come a bit later, can I still get some sweets from the wedding?”
Mai Dong cleared his throat, took the grilled meat with rice, and said, “No, it’s just how foreigners are.”
Today was Saturday. At ten o’clock, Yan Xuming sent a WeChat message to Mai Dong, asking if he was in the international debate team’s activity room. After confirming, he mentioned bringing food for Mai Dong. It happened to be mealtime, and Mai Dong’s stomach was growling. He opened the grilled meat with rice and took a couple of bites. Then, hesitatingly, he took out the old diary from his backpack and pushed it over.
“Um… I did mention showing it to you before,” Mai Dong said.
Yan Xuming didn’t say anything. While Mai Dong was eating, he sat beside him and directly opened the diary. Mai Dong quickly pressed it shut, saying, “Don’t read it here!”
Yan Xuming’s tone was calm, “You know full well that I’m getting jealous.”
Mai Dong felt today was quite surreal. First, he dealt with a bunch of foreign friends who were straightforward, and now Yan Xuming, who was also very direct. Foreign friends were easier to handle; Mai Dong didn’t really care about them. Whatever they said, it was just a matter of listening or not.
But Yan Xuming was different. When he said those words, bubbles seemed to be bubbling up in Mai Dong’s heart, creating an illusion that he was already in a romantic relationship with Yan Xuming.
He compromised quite easily, letting Yan Xuming sit beside him and open the diary. Yan Xuming, whether intentionally or not, kept making comments from time to time.
“The girl who brought me water during the basketball game was a junior sister in the club. She wasn’t interested in me, she just pitied me for being single and having no one to bring me water.”
“The one who ate with me in the cafeteria is not a romantic interest either. He’s just a new member of the student union. It was his first time hosting an event, and he lacked experience, so I shared some tips with him.”
“Why don’t I remember the person you wrote about? They didn’t confess to me. It’s been a long time since someone confessed to me.”
Mai Dong’s face was almost buried in the grilled meat with rice as he whispered in defense, “I just wrote casually. Don’t take it to heart! You know, people tend to let their imaginations run wild when they have a crush.”
Yan Xuming continued flipping through the diary, seemingly asking casually, “En, what about now?”
Mai Dong’s heart skipped a beat, “Hmm?”
Yan Xuming asked, “Do you still let your imagination run wild now?”
Mai Dong licked his lips, with a mouthful of rice yet to be chewed. He swallowed it down in one gulp, hearing a clear “gulp” sound from his throat. He opened his mouth, and responded after a long time, “Occasionally.”
Yan Xuming nodded and looked at Mai Dong with his head propped up.
In the activity room, there was no one but them. Despite the winter noon sunlight casting a warm yellowish-white glow through the windows, it didn’t significantly raise the temperature. Both of them were wearing somewhat heavy clothes. Yan Xuming moved a bit closer to Mai Dong and softly asked, “Can I kiss you? Would you find it too sudden?”
Mai Dong froze completely. His throat tightened, and his voice sounded strained and shaky, “…Hmm?”
Yan Xuming slowly leaned in, and their lips were getting closer and closer. Mai Dong’s disconnected brain suddenly reconnected. His face turned incredibly red, not looking like himself. However, he used the last bit of his rationality to quickly evade, whispering in a small, wailing voice, “Don’t… I was just eating grilled meat with rice T T”
Jie Jie: Sorry for the late upload. I just have some matters to attend to with my family. Thank you!
AAAAAAAAAAHHH HE’S SO CUTE!!!!!
Thank you for the chapter! 🫶
I am going to explode this is so sweet. I’m crying from loneliness T T
WHAT 😭😭😭
AAAAA So sweet cute little guy
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
Oh my, they skipped some steps here! OwO And it was fun to see German people behaving like stereotypical Americans 😂😂 (Of course they are very nice, friendly people, but they are not so effusive towards people they barely know like most of others Europeans)
Thank You for the new chapter ♥(˘⌣˘ C)
Maizi is so precious aaaaaaaa, no wonder yan xuming is sticking to him 🤭 just get together already you two!!
LMFAOOOO he’s so cute