More Than Friends

Chapter I

Winter was coming to an end, but it was still far from the warm, colorful spring. Every morning was still frosty and cloudy. Walking quickly towards the building where his and Wu Bi's departments were located, Su Yu regretted that he had forgotten his gloves from the dorm. He pulled his scarf to cover his nose better and put his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He looked up at the grey, sunless sky and quickened his pace to get ahead of the forecasted snow on the news. He wanted to get into the building as soon as possible so he could warm his cold body. However, even though he had already seen the main entrance door, Su Yu suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The frosty wind that whipped his face and hands and stung them cold was nothing compared to the chill he felt in his heart at the scene that unfolded before him.

Wu Bi flirted with the girl, who smiled coquettishly at him. Her sparkling laughter echoed across the campus and reached Su Yu's ears. He felt as if the frost glued him to the ground, preventing him from moving. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He watched as a tall, beautiful girl with long dark and slightly wavy hair approached Wu Bi flirtatiously, grabbed his coat and leaned over to whisper something into his ear. As she pulled away, he could see a smile spread across Wu Bi's face as he nodded at the girl's words before opening the main door and letting the girl go through first. Then the two of them disappeared behind the door as it closed behind them. Su Yu felt as if his heart had turned into a piece of ice at this moment, and it had nothing to do with the cold caused by the temperature outside.

He didn't know how long he stood in the middle of the pavement, staring blankly at the main entrance door, but it seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his back, which brought him out of his thoughts. He turned slightly to the right and saw his friend Han Bo Kuang.

Han Bo Kuang was his childhood friend. They lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools from kindergarten through high school. Even though they were now in different departments, since Su Yu's faculty was biochemistry and biotechnology and Han Bo Kuang studied national security, they still spent a lot of time together and saw each other outside of classes. Han Bo Kuang also lived in the dormitory, but his roommate was their mutual high school friend Mao Chong. Although Han Bo Kuang constantly complained about his roommate and swore that Mao Chong was his number one enemy since high school, Su Yu saw that the two of them might be like Tom and Jerry; that they were actually good friends, although neither of them wanted to admit it first. Han Bo Kuang was half a head shorter than Su Yu and had a delicate beauty. Usually, his attitude was optimistic. In the group, it was Han Bo Kuang who was able to get the party going with his cheerful and bright attitude. However, at that moment, he noticed a hint of sternness in his eyes and the mischievous smile usually plastered on his face was replaced by seriousness. Su Yu didn't know what to think at this moment, seeing his friend's face like that.

Without even saying hello, he just said, "Today is Wednesday, so we have a free period at the same time. We need to talk, so let's meet where we usually do, at the university cafeteria at noon." Not allowing any protest from the taller boy, Han Bo Kuang pulled Su Yu towards the entrance of the building, and finally, smiling as always, said "Come on or my ears will fall off from this cold!"

***

As they had previously agreed, or rather it was Han Bo Kuang who decided to meet, Su Yu was sitting in the university's cafeteria, which was located in the main building on the ground floor. He sat at their favorite place, which fortunately was free: the last table as far away from the door as possible by the window, that displayed a view of the entire cafe and the university campus.

While enjoying his favorite hot tea that tasted even better on frosty days and warming his frozen hands, he watched students and professors through the window. During late spring and summer, the benches in the mini park on campus would be empty since students would flock to the grassy areas with their books and laptops to enjoy the cloudless weather and warm rays of the sun. But now, he could see everyone bustling around to avoid staying outside too long in the frosty weather.