After Su Ran and Jiang Chen started dating, surprisingly, not much changed.
They still met for lunch.
Still studied together.
Still argued with Zhao Ming.
Still sat in the back of lecture halls.
The only difference was in the small things.
Very small things.
The kind of things only Zhao Ming noticed immediately.
---
Zhao Ming the Observer
One day during lunch, Zhao Ming sat across from Jiang Chen and Su Ran and just stared at them.
"What?" Su Ran asked.
"I am observing," Zhao Ming said.
"That is creepy," Jiang Chen replied.
"You gave her your drink," Zhao Ming said, pointing.
"She was thirsty," Jiang Chen said.
"You carried her books," Zhao Ming continued.
"They were heavy," Jiang Chen replied.
"You waited for her outside her class," Zhao Ming continued.
"I was free," Jiang Chen said.
Zhao Ming leaned back and crossed his arms.
"This is love," he said dramatically.
Su Ran threw a napkin at him.
"Stop talking."
Lin Yue, who was sitting next to Zhao Ming, laughed quietly.
"I think it's nice," she said.
Zhao Ming looked at her.
"You are on their side?"
"I am on the side of common sense," Lin Yue replied.
Jiang Chen almost smiled.
---
Studying Together Again
Midterms were coming, so they started studying together again in the library like high school.
Some things really never changed.
Su Ran and Jiang Chen studied seriously.
Lin Yue studied quietly and very efficiently.
Zhao Ming studied for 20 minutes and then started complaining.
"I am tired," he said.
"You solved one question," Su Ran said.
"It was a difficult emotional question," he replied.
Lin Yue looked at his paper and said,
"You wrote the date and nothing else."
"I am preparing mentally," Zhao Ming said.
Jiang Chen pushed a book toward him.
"Start preparing academically."
Lin Yue smiled slightly.
"I understand now why you are always in the middle of the class rankings."
"This is an attack," Zhao Ming said.
---
Walking Across Campus at Night
One night after studying late, the four of them walked across campus together.
The campus looked different at night.
Quiet paths, yellow lights, cool air, students walking slowly back to dorms.
Zhao Ming and Lin Yue walked slightly ahead, arguing about something.
"You calculated that wrong," Lin Yue said.
"My method is creative," Zhao Ming replied.
"Your method is wrong," she said.
Behind them, Su Ran and Jiang Chen walked more slowly.
"University is very different from high school," Su Ran said.
"Yes," he replied.
"But I feel like some things are still the same," she said.
He looked at her.
"Like what?"
She smiled slightly.
"Walking with you after studying. Talking about exams. Complaining about life."
He nodded.
"Yeah. That didn't change."
They walked a few more steps in comfortable silence.
Then she said quietly,
"If someone told me in first year of high school that we would end up like this… I wouldn't believe them."
"Me neither," he said.
"Last row classmates to university students," she said.
He added quietly,
"To boyfriend and girlfriend."
She looked at him and smiled.
"Yes. That too."
---
Zhao Ming and Lin Yue
Ahead of them, Zhao Ming suddenly turned around and shouted,
"WHY ARE YOU TWO WALKING SO SLOW? THIS IS NOT A ROMANTIC DRAMA SCENE!"
Lin Yue hit his arm lightly.
"Stop shouting."
"I am helping the story move faster," Zhao Ming said.
"You are very loud," she replied.
"You still talk to me," he said.
Lin Yue paused for a second, then said,
"That is because I am patient."
Zhao Ming smiled.
"Then don't stop being patient."
She didn't reply, but she didn't look away either.
Su Ran noticed and whispered to Jiang Chen,
"I think Zhao Ming likes her."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"I think so too."
---
The Growing Group
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.
The four of them became known among classmates as a group that was always together.
Eating together.
Studying together.
Walking across campus together.
Arguing and laughing all the time.
One day during lunch, Zhao Ming suddenly said,
"I have decided something important."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" Su Ran asked.
"No matter where we go in the future, we must meet at least once every year."
"That's very far in the future," Lin Yue said.
"It will come faster than you think," Jiang Chen said quietly.
Su Ran nodded slowly.
"He's right."
Zhao Ming looked at all of them and said,
"High school passed very fast. University will pass fast too. Then jobs, different cities, busy life…"
He pointed at the table.
"So we must not become the type of friends who say 'let's meet sometime' and then never meet."
No one joked this time.
Because they all knew he was right.
So Su Ran said,
"Okay. Once every year. No excuses."
Lin Yue nodded.
"Okay."
Jiang Chen said,
"Okay."
Zhao Ming smiled proudly.
"Good. Agreement completed."
He raised his drink.
"To the Last Row Trio… plus one."
Lin Yue laughed.
"That name is still strange."
Su Ran smiled.
"It's a long story."
Jiang Chen looked at all of them sitting at the table, talking and laughing, and thought quietly,
It started with three people in the last row of a classroom.
Now it was four people sitting at a university cafeteria table.
Life kept changing.
But somehow,
the important people stayed.