The Dawn of Youth

"Hey, wait a second."

Just as Chen Yuchen turned to leave, Chen Siqi suddenly called out to him.

He turned around, puzzled, only to see Chen Siqi, a bit shy, pulling a throat spray out of her pocket and placing it in his hand. With a smile, she said, "You mentioned your throat was feeling uncomfortable, so I bought this for you. Make sure to spray it three times a day, and it'll heal faster."

After saying that, she quickly lowered her head and ran back to the dormitory, as if embarrassed, leaving Chen Yuchen standing there in a daze. He looked down at the spray in his hand, unsure of what to make of it. He never put much thought into these little gestures between men and women.

Tucking the spray into his pocket, he slowly walked toward his dorm. As he reached the door, his phone vibrated — a message from Chen Siqi: "Did you make it back to the dorm?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied, walking in.

"That's good. Don't forget to use the spray~ (cute emoji)" Her message came right after.

Chen Yuchen thought for a moment, then typed: "Siqi, do you… like me?"

As soon as the message was sent, he entered the dorm. Inside, Zhang Yi and Zhang Ben were sitting by the table chatting, while Wang Yishu was engrossed in a new textbook.

"Finally back, Old Chen!" Zhang Yi greeted him with a grin. "You missed a great opportunity today."

Curious, Chen Yuchen asked, "What opportunity?"

"Zi Qi was going to introduce you to her roommate. She's really pretty, like a social media influencer," Zhang Ben chimed in, with a teasing smile.

"Oh?" Chen Yuchen smiled faintly, showing little interest.

Just then, his phone lit up again with a reply from Chen Siqi: "You're really overthinking it, mister! I just didn't want your throat to affect your writing, so I thought I'd help you recover faster. Don't overthink it, okay~"

Looking at her message, Chen Yuchen couldn't help but laugh. He replied, "Alright, seems like I read too much into it."

"Of course!"

Sitting nearby, Zhang Ben overheard part of their conversation and couldn't resist interjecting, "Yuchen, are you really not interested in meeting Zi Qi's roommate? She's seriously beautiful."

Yuchen waved him off dismissively. "Boring. I'd rather spend my time writing."

Zhang Ben sighed, shaking his head. "You're hopeless."

Then, as if remembering something exciting, Zhang Ben's eyes lit up. "But let me tell you, I met someone today — Chen Leyi. She's basically my dream girl: gentle, beautiful, and a bit shy. I'm definitely going to pursue her!"

Zhang Yi laughed, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Alright then, I'll make sure Zi Qi helps you out. When you make it, don't forget to treat us to a meal."

"No problem! A big feast!" Zhang Ben was practically bouncing with excitement.

Zhang Yi and Zhang Ben started planning the details of their upcoming dinner with Zhang Ziqi and Chen Leyi, but Chen Yuchen found himself uninterested. After tidying up his things, he stepped out of the dorm and into the hallway, dialing his mother's number.

"Mom, I'm back at school. Everything's fine, don't worry."

The night had fully set in, the dark blue sky twinkling with stars, while the two tall magnolia trees outside the dorm swayed gently in the breeze, releasing their fresh fragrance.

Inside the dorm building, a symphony of sounds intertwined — lively but with a strange harmony. From the end of the corridor came a few tentative strums on a guitar, followed by a soft voice humming:

"That laughter reminds me of those flowers I once knew…"

The melody was light and tender, floating on the night breeze through the entire dorm, seeping into every room, even reaching the girls' dormitory next door.

From this moment on, the stories of youth would unfold here — brief, yet beautiful. Each person would search for their own belonging in this unfamiliar place. Their youth had only just begun.