Until My Soul Finds You Again - Chapter 14

University is nothing like high school.

In high school, life revolves around familiar faces.

The same classroom.

The same teachers.

The same routine.

But university opens an entirely different world.

A different city.

Different people.

Different opportunities.

Different dreams.

And sometimes…

Different distances between the people who once promised to stay close forever.

Chen Mo enrolled at a university near his hometown.

Su Qingyi, after months of hard work, was accepted into one of Shanghai’s most prestigious universities.

The day she called to tell him the news, Chen Mo sounded happier than she did.

“I knew you could do it.”

His voice was filled with pride.

“I was terrified.”

“The competition was unbelievable.”

He laughed softly.

“But you’re Su Qingyi.”

“You’ve always been capable of achieving anything.”

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then she smiled.

“And you’re Chen Mo.”

“It’s time you started believing the same thing about yourself.”

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I’m not like you.”

“I’m just ordinary.”

The warmth in her voice immediately disappeared.

“Don’t ever say that again.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re only ordinary in your own eyes.”

“I’ve never seen you that way.”

Chen Mo fell silent.

No one had ever believed in him as completely as she did.

Life in Shanghai moved quickly.

Lectures.

Group projects.

Presentations.

Club activities.

Assignments that stretched late into the night.

Every day seemed to disappear before Su Qingyi even noticed.

She gradually became close to several classmates.

Among them were Li Xinyi and Zhou Yu.

They often worked together on projects.

Studied in the library.

And shared meals after class.

One afternoon, she sent Chen Mo a group photograph.

Three smiling faces stood beneath the university gates.

Li Xinyi.

Su Qingyi.

Zhou Yu.

Chen Mo replied almost immediately.

Looks like you’re enjoying university.

But after sending the message, he stared at the photograph for a long time.

It wasn’t because he doubted her.

He trusted Su Qingyi completely.

What frightened him was something else.

What if one day she met someone better?

Someone more successful.

Someone more confident.

Someone who lived beside her instead of hundreds of kilometers away.

Someone who didn’t exist only through a phone screen.

Compared to her exciting new life, Chen Mo’s own world remained surprisingly unchanged.

He attended lectures.

Returned home.

Helped his grandfather whenever he could.

Studied in the evenings.

And called Su Qingyi before sleeping.

He never made many friends.

Not because he disliked people.

He simply never knew how to begin conversations.

He was still the same quiet boy she had met years ago.

One evening, Su Qingyi called.

“What are you doing?”

“I just got back from class.”

“Have you made any friends yet?”

He thought for a moment.

“A few classmates.”

“But we’re not especially close.”

She sighed.

“You should try.”

“University only happens once.”

Chen Mo laughed.

“I don’t need many friends.”

“I only need a few genuine ones.”

“And who are they?”

He answered without hesitation.

“You.”

“And my grandfather.”

She burst into laughter.

“You’re hopeless.”

Yet while she laughed, a small seed had already begun growing inside his heart.

A quiet insecurity.

Not loud enough to be noticed.

But impossible to ignore.

Su Qingyi’s world was expanding.

Every day she met someone new.

Every day she learned something different.

Every day she became more confident.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo still walked the same familiar streets.

Visited the same tea shop.

Watched the same sunsets from the same hillside.

Without realizing it, he began feeling left behind.

One evening during a video call, Su Qingyi excitedly talked about a class presentation.

“I was nervous at first.”

“But Zhou Yu helped me rehearse.”

“It went much better than expected.”

Chen Mo smiled politely.

Then asked,

“You seem close to him.”

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Su Qingyi understood the meaning hidden behind the question.

“He’s just a classmate.”

“I know.”

His answer came too quickly.

She smiled helplessly.

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m not doubting you.”

“I’m just…”

He searched for the right words.

“Afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Losing you.”

Su Qingyi’s expression softened instantly.

She leaned closer to the camera.

“The only person who can make you lose me…”

“Is you.”

“No one else.”

Chen Mo nodded.

Yet fear rarely listens to reason.

Several weeks later, Su Qingyi returned home for a short holiday.

They arranged to meet at a small café near West Lake.

Chen Mo arrived early.

As always.

When she walked through the door, he stood instinctively.

For several seconds, he simply looked at her.

She hadn’t changed.

Yet somehow she had.

She seemed more confident.

More composed.

As though she truly belonged to the larger world she had entered.

For the first time, Chen Mo suddenly felt like nothing more than a quiet boy from a small town.

Su Qingyi smiled as she approached.

“Are you planning to keep staring?”

“Or are you going to say hello?”

He laughed awkwardly.

“Hello.”

After sitting down, she studied him carefully.

“You’ve lost weight.”

He looked back at her.

“You seem different.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“In a good way or a bad way?”

He hesitated.

“In a successful way.”

Her smile gradually faded.

She understood immediately.

This wasn’t about appearance.

It wasn’t even about university.

It was about the distance growing inside his heart.

She leaned forward.

“Listen carefully.”

“This isn’t a competition.”

“I’m not running ahead while you fall behind.”

“We’re building the same future.”

“If I move forward…”

“I want you walking beside me.”

“Not standing behind wondering if you’re enough.”

Chen Mo remained silent.

She continued gently,

“The problem isn’t that I’ve changed.”

“The problem is that you still see yourself as the same insecure boy.”

“I’ve never seen you that way.”

He finally looked into her eyes.

“Then how do you see me?”

Su Qingyi smiled.

“I see someone who loves his family more than himself.”

“I see someone who stays when life becomes difficult.”

“I see someone honest.”

“Someone kind.”

“Someone who still dreams about a quiet home.”

“A little garden.”

“Two horses.”

“And a peaceful life.”

She reached across the table and lightly squeezed his hand.

“I don’t see an ordinary boy.”

“I see a good man.”

The words settled deeply inside him.

Then she added one final sentence.

“The world is full of talented people.”

“It’s full of wealthy people.”

“It’s full of attractive people.”

“But truly good people…”

“They’re rare.”

“And you’ve always been one of them.”

After a long silence, Chen Mo quietly asked,

“What if one day you meet someone more successful than me?”

Su Qingyi smiled without hesitation.

“I didn’t fall in love with success.”

“I fell in love with Chen Mo.”

That afternoon, they wandered through the old streets near West Lake.

They shared snacks from roadside stalls.

Talked about university life.

Laughed until their stomachs hurt.

For a few precious hours, they felt like high school students again.

Yet both understood the truth.

Life was changing.

They were changing.

And if their love wished to survive…

It would have to grow alongside them.

That night, before going to sleep, Chen Mo sent her a message.

I’m not afraid you’ll find someone better.

I’m only afraid that one day I won’t become someone worthy of standing beside you.

But I promise…

I’ll spend my entire life becoming someone you’ll always be proud of.

Several minutes later, her reply arrived.

I’m already proud of you.

The only person who still needs to believe in you…

Is yourself.