"No, nothing serious happened. Don't worry." Bai Chen smiled and waved a hand.
Ever since Gu Cheng had left, he had been doing quite well.
"Then what is it?" Lin Jingchen asked again, patiently and gently.
Lin Jingchen kept waiting for Bai Chen's answer, while Bai Chen pressed his lips tightly together, not daring to look at him.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "I... a few days ago, my professor gave me an application form for an exchange program."
Lin Jingchen paused slightly at that, then chuckled softly.
"So this is what's been worrying you?" he asked.
"Yes." Bai Chen nodded and asked, "What do you think?"
"You shouldn't be asking what I think. You should be asking yourself what you think. Do you want to go?"
Bai Chen suddenly looked up. Lin Jingchen's eyes were full of warmth, without a trace of displeasure.
"I do, but I'm afraid we'll break up if we're long-distance, that we'll drift apart, that we'll..." Bai Chen started listing everything that could go wrong in a long-distance relationship, growing more dejected with every word.
Before he could finish, Lin Jingchen suddenly said, "Then go. If two people truly love each other, neither time nor distance will stand in their way. They can actually help strengthen the relationship."
"Will you be unhappy?" Bai Chen searched Lin Jingchen's face for some sign that he wasn't being honest.
"I'll definitely feel a little sad and disappointed, but I won't be unhappy. On the contrary, I'm glad you made a video call just to ask for my advice. Besides, there has to be more to life than love. You should have your own career, too. You can't stop moving forward for my sake, understand?"
"And even if you go on the exchange program, we can