Nezha suppressed the reluctance in his heart and forced a encouraging smile. "It's okay, take care of your family's matters first. When you come back, we can play soccer, go to concerts, and do all the things you love!"
Ao Bing smiled slightly, a softness in his expression that Nezha had never seen before. "Thank you for understanding. There's something I've always wanted to tell you..."
"What is it?" Nezha asked curiously.
Ao Bing took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. "The time I've spent with you has been the happiest days of my life. No matter what happens in the future, I will never forget this experience."
Nezha felt a warmth in his heart; those words sounded like a farewell, leaving him both touched and worried. "Don't say it so seriously, as if we won't see each other again. You're just going back for a month; you'll be back soon, right?"
Ao Bing did not answer directly but nodded slightly. "I'll do my best."
A car horn sounded from downstairs, urging Ao Bing to hurry.
"I have to go," Ao Bing said, picking up his luggage and turning towards the door. But as he reached the entrance, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and did something Nezha never expected—he gave Nezha a hug.
The embrace was sudden and brief; before Nezha could react, Ao Bing had already released him and quickly walked out of the dormitory. Nezha stood frozen in place, feeling the lingering warmth and scent on him, overwhelmed by a strong sense of reluctance and worry.
He rushed to the window and watched Ao Bing walk towards a black sedan. The car door opened, and a tall man with a powerful presence stepped out—Ao Bing's father, Dragon King Ao Guang.
Ao Bing bowed to his father, and they exchanged a few brief words before getting into the car together. The black sedan slowly drove away from the campus, disappearing at the end of the road.
Nezha stood dazed at the window, feeling an emptiness in his heart. A month... he had no idea how he would spend that time. More importantly, he was uncertain whether Ao Bing would truly return as promised; after all, the power and influence of the Dragon Tribe were not to be underestimated, and as the prince, Ao Bing might face various pressures and limitations.
At that moment, Nezha's phone rang with a text message. He picked it up and saw it was from Ao Bing:
"No matter what happens, please believe that I will come back. Wait for me."
Just a few short words, yet they flowed into Nezha's heart like a warm current. He tightly grasped his phone and softly spoke to the empty dormitory, "I will wait for you, Ao Bing. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you."
The days following Ao Bing's departure felt especially long for Nezha. He tried to fill his time with various activities: intensifying his soccer training, participating in club events, and even starting to take notes in class seriously—all to distract himself from missing Ao Bing too much.
But every night, when silence enveloped him and he returned to the lonely dorm room, longing surged like a tide, making it hard for him to sleep. He began to realize just how significant Ao Bing had become in his life. The Blue-Haired Boy, who always quietly read books and played the piano, had unknowingly become the most special presence in his heart.
In the first week after Ao Bing left, Nezha attempted to reach out to him, but all his efforts fell into silence. The phone was turned off, social media went unanswered; it was as if Ao Bing had completely vanished from the Human World. Nezha could only comfort himself with the thought that Ao Bing might be undergoing some kind of ritual to disconnect from the outside world and was temporarily unable to make contact.
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