CHAPTER 68: Goodbye Notes and New Beginnings

In the past two days, the boys had been practicing day and night in their studio, returning to the dorm only around 11 p.m. or even midnight. Meanwhile, Nian and Xuanye were traveling back and forth from the dorm to their college, slowly packing up their belongings.

As they folded their clothes and gathered books, memories came flooding back. They remembered the chaos of their freshman year—the laughter, the late-night studying, and the way their dorm had slowly become home.

Nian suddenly burst into tears.

Xuanye walked over and comforted her, gently rubbing her shoulder. "I'm going to miss this dorm, Nian. And this college."

Nian wiped her eyes and smiled through her tears. "Ye~ Mainly… Professor Xi."

The girls chuckled softly, and Xuanye added, "Then shall we go and meet him one last time before we leave?"

Nian nodded. They grabbed their bags and headed toward Professor Xi's office.

They knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Nian tried to open it, but it was locked.

"I think he must have stepped out. What do we do now?" Nian asked.

Xuanye smirked and pulled a sticky note from her notebook. "Don't worry. We'll write him a message. He'll see it."

Nian looked impressed. "Genius move," she said, giving a thumbs up.

The girls sat by the door, giggling softly as they wrote their goodbye note together.

Nian wrote first:

"Sir, we'll miss you—your specs, your endless lectures, and your old-school advice. Thank you, truly."

Xuanye continued:

"Sir, just for today, let's forget the professor-student roles. Let's be friends. While packing today, every book reminded us of your wild project ideas—please don't assign those to the next batch, sir, or they'll cry on the first day."

"We used to elbow each other in class just to see who'd get roasted by you next. (It was always me.) 😅"

"And sir… one last thing. We've been selected by our dream company! We're finally stepping into the world you've prepared us for. Forgive us for the mischief. Thank you for everything."

They smiled as they wrote the final lines. The breeze stirred gently around them, as if the universe itself was reading along.

After signing their names, they stood, placed the sticky note carefully on his door, and gave it a bow.

"Thank you, sir. For everything," they said softly, before walking away with misty eyes.

As they stepped out of the college gates, Nian stretched her arms toward the sky and said, "Ye~ tomorrow…"

Xuanye raised a brow. "Nian?"

The two girls looked at each other, smiled, and shouted in unison as they hugged, "We're done with college! And we're going to work!"

Xuanye leaned back with a grin. "Yes! And Nian… tomorrow is Seventeen's concert!"

Nian took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling. "I'm seriously excited, Ye. If I had the chance, I'd go to the venue right now and sleep on the stage."

Xuanye laughed. "If we do that, we'll be chased away by security. Let's just sleep early."

Then she paused. "But… do you think the boys will come back to the dorm tonight? They've been coming late the past few days."

Nian sighed. "Yeah… They look so exhausted. I wish we could help them. But we can't go on stage and dance for them."

Xuanye stepped back, pretending to gasp. "What?! You'd dance in their place?"

Nian smirked, flipping her hair dramatically. "Why not? I can be their 14th member. Want a demo?"

Xuanye got goosebumps. "No thanks! If any Carats see you, they'll throw light sticks at us!"

They both burst out laughing.

Just then, their cab arrived. They got in and drove away, still giggling.

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Meanwhile, Professor Xi returned to his office. As he reached for the doorknob, his eyes landed on a note stuck to the door.

He peeled it off and began reading.

"Sir, we'll miss you—your specs, your lectures..."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he continued.

When he got to Xuanye's part, he laughed softly.

"Please don't give these chaotic projects to freshers, or they'll break down crying."

He removed his glasses, chuckling through tears. "Girls… this is why I gave you those projects—to keep you quiet. But maybe I should've just glued your mouths shut."

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the note again, smiling warmly. "Really… you two are something special."

He walked inside, sat at his desk, and gently placed the note into his diary, pressing it down like a treasured souvenir.