Chapter 12 Gifts from One or Two Girls

In the open-air garden, Xia Cun was receiving Miao Wen's sad gaze.

That morning, as soon as she walked out of the door, she saw Miao Wen squatting on the steps a few steps away, playing with her phone. Obviously, this was not a coincidence, but Miao Wen's act of waiting for the opportunity. She had endured it for a whole day and night, and finally got the chance to be alone with Xia Cun.

The steps led to the open-air garden. She pulled Xia Cun to sit in the garden and asked her what she and Jiang Song did yesterday. Unexpectedly, Xia Cun asked her back, "But aren't you only interested in paper figures?"

"It's not that exaggerated. I'm gossipy too!" She said with inexplicable pride.

However, Xia Cun brought out the secret excuse to her again.

She thought that what happened yesterday should be a secret between her and Jiang Song.

Miao Wen looked at her with resentment, and after a long moment of defeat, she said, "Xia Cun, you are truly mysterious."

Is it mysterious?

"Then do you think Jiang Song is mysterious?" Xia Cun suddenly asked.

"Jiang Song?" Miao Wen thought for a moment and said, "He was quite mysterious when he first arrived at the school, but later everyone knew him, so he became less mysterious. You should know a lot about him at the headquarters, right? After all, those guys even dug up his parents' overseas love affair..."

Xia Cun nodded.

According to the version of the story circulating on campus, Mr. Jiang and Ms. Tanaka fell in love while studying in the United States.

In that story, they were as passionate as two flames, exchanging sharp arguments in economics class in the morning and kissing passionately in film history in the afternoon. Even their wedding was like a battle, but they weren't enemies. Instead, they were like the world's most unbreakable allies, winning the battle to protect Ms. Tanaka's name together, and in doing so, Ms. Tanaka successfully secured her inheritance...

Miao Wen couldn't help but reminisce with Xia Cun, sighing, "It's so romantic, like a comic book plot, but what a pity..."

It’s a pity that they later lived apart for many years.

Xia Cun added this sentence in his heart and asked, "Why?"

"Hmm?" Perhaps realizing what Xia Cun was asking, Miao Wen intentionally ended the topic, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." The topic change was a bit abrupt. She opened her phone and said to her, "Oh, by the way, let me show you a trending picture I just saved. It's also a bit 2D."

She took out the photo of the firefighter holding the duck from her phone and showed it to her.

For a moment, Xia Cun thought that maybe Miao Wen would really become good friends with Ren Yi.

At another moment, she suddenly understood something: those things she didn't know at first, perhaps they weren't meant to be known to her. Because there were many things she couldn't know, she felt that Jiang Song was mysterious.

What is Jiang Song doing?

Is he up?

What kind of willful behavior will he do today?

Xia Cun went downstairs with these thoughts in mind, but did not see Jiang Song.

In the restaurant, Zhuo Manyi and Tong Anyu were already having breakfast. Seeing Xia Cun and Miao Wen coming down together, Zhuo Manyi's gaze lingered on Xia Cun's face for a moment, then she announced, "I've already thought about it. For Jiang Song's birthday, I plan to give him a new bracelet from the Cartier Cheetah series. Don't give me the same one as me."

It was an obvious provocation, but unfortunately Xia Cun didn't even quite understand what Cartier said.

"I still haven't decided what to give her," Tong Anyu said, adding, "The Cheetah series seems to be very suitable for Jiang Song."

"Of course, a cool and sweet big cat." Zhuo Manyi happily praised Jiang Song, then looked up at Miao Wen while spreading cheese on the bagel, "What about you?"

"Hmm," Miao Wen glanced at Xia Cun and said stubbornly, "I might give him that trendy toy figure that's been all the rage lately. I just happened to get a co-branded model. I wonder if he'll like it."

"Whether he likes it or not, it's very thoughtful. Jiang Song is also very suitable for childish things." After Zhuo Manyi finished speaking, her gaze finally had a reason to shoot at Xia Cun like an arrow from a bow.

"What about you, Xia Cun? What are you going to give him?"

What kind of gift is suitable for Jiang Song?

After Zhuo Manyi asked them that night, Xia Cun began to think about this question, but she still has no answer.

She wanted to answer that she didn't know, but a sudden resistance stood in the air, perhaps something like water pressure, preventing her from saying the answer.

What finally broke through the resistance was another answer. She stated it firmly, in her usual tone: "I will give him a horse."

“…”

The restaurant was so quiet that the only sound could be heard: the central air conditioning running steadily, like amplified breathing.

Zhuo Manyi was at a loss for words. Not only was she at a loss for words, but her emotions seemed to have become impoverished as well. She didn't even have the energy to ridicule her answer. It took her a long time to realize that this feeling was called speechlessness.

"..." She muttered weirdly, not wanting to pay attention to her anymore.

Xia Cun blinked in his seat.

Is she really going to give Jiang Song a horse?

The girls' breakfast ended in a weird atmosphere. Zhuo Manyi changed into her swimsuit and went to swim in the swimming pool while it was still early. Miao Wen went back to her room to attend the online class arranged by her father. Tong Anyu also returned to the room temporarily. Only Xia Cun stayed on the futon where he sat on the first day to watch Zhuo Manyi swim.

She was like a mermaid. If possible, she would rather sit at the bottom of the swimming pool and watch her swim by...

But could she really swim? If she sank to the bottom of the pool, how would she float? Would thinking of Jiang Song be enough? Was she really going to give Jiang Song a horse?

Maybe she really sank to the bottom of the pool, otherwise why would her vision suddenly become dim?

Xia Cun realized something amidst his overlapping thoughts, stood up from the floor-to-ceiling window and walked into the garden.

Dark clouds rolled in rapidly from the sea, the garden and the foothills were agitated in the fishy and wet sea breeze, and even her always stiff hair was blown into random flutters.

Tom emerged from under some flower bush and hurried into the room. After all, he was an elder and knew where the rain would fall when the wind blew it. As soon as he reached the porch, a drop of rain fell heavily on Xia Cun's left eye.

Maybe this was not the first drop of rain that fell on her, but based on past experience, her left eye was always the first to sense the first drop of rain.

Then she sensed the second drop of rain, landing slightly to the right of her brow. However, the subsequent drops confused her senses, and she couldn't tell which part of her body was hit first. Only her hearing was becoming more sensitive. She could distinguish the subtle differences in the sound of rain falling on different objects: the sound of rain on treetops, the sound of rain on the roof, the sound of rain on a thick towel...

My head sank, and my vision went dark.

A large towel was draped over her head.

Xia Cun reached out and touched his head, which was becoming wet and heavy, and turned around.

Zhuo Manyi spoke loudly in the rain: "Are you okay? Why are you running outside in the rain?"

Why is she still so beautiful even with a swimming cap and goggles on her head?

My head feels so heavy.

"What are you doing? Why don't you go in?"

The two girls walked through the heavy rain and returned to the room. Emma was using the intercom to direct other staff to check the doors, windows and garage. She heard the noise and turned around, startled.

"Why are you so wet?"

"I was so focused on swimming that I didn't notice it was raining." Zhuo Manyi said as she took off her goggles and shower cap. Her long hair hung wet on her shoulders and her delicate eyebrows were slightly wrinkled.

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Sister Emma burst into laughter. She certainly didn't think Emma would laugh at her, so she turned to look to the side. Xia Cun had just peeled back the large, soaking-drenched bath towel, revealing his hair, now pressed flat against his body for the first time, and his clothes, clinging tightly to his body. He looked like a drowned cat.

Sister Emma, ​​unaware of the situation, couldn't help but jokingly ask, "Are you using a bath towel to block the rain because you're afraid you won't get wet quickly enough?"

Zhuo Manyi: “…”

"Okay, go back to the house and take a hot bath. Don't catch a cold. I'll make you some ginger tea."

The two of them walked into the elevator with wet steps. When the elevator reached the second floor, Zhuo Manyi reached out and pressed the door open button, looking at Xia Cun: "Let me make it clear first, I didn't mean it, I..."

She was a little stuck.

Wouldn't it make her look stupid to explain to such a strange person? But throwing a bath towel on her head was stupid enough, wasn't it?

Thinking of this, Zhuo Manyi released the button and stepped out of the elevator. However, when she turned to leave, she heard a girl's voice coming from the elevator.

"I know."

She looked over, but the sedan door covered the wet girl.

What? What did she know? Did she know she didn't do it on purpose?

-

After taking a shower, Xia Cun found several messages sent to the summer vacation group.

Lu Xu was awakened by the sound of heavy rain and asked everyone if they wanted to watch a horror movie together. Zhou Yun agreed immediately and then asked other people in the group.

Zhou Yun: "@Zhuo Manyi Miss Zhuo, are you coming with us?"

Zhou Yun: "@Hayate @He Shizhao, are the two young masters awake yet?"

Xia Cun stared at the nickname that had no modified remarks.

Hayate, the pronunciation of the Japanese kanji "Sai", is the same as the Chinese character "Sai", and its meaning is related to wind.

Perhaps Jiang Song himself is like the look or sound of the wind blowing suddenly.

A new message popped up, with Zhuo Manyi's reply: "Jiang Song usually uses Line and doesn't check WeChat at all, okay?"

Zhou Yun: "Just tell me whether you're coming or not!"

Zhuo Manyi: "I'm drying my hair. You guys go first."

After Zhuo Manyi agreed, she also called Tong Anyu and Miao Wen, but not Xia Cun. However, a few minutes later, she knocked on Xia Cun's door with a cup of ginger tea.

"Sister Emma cooked it. I brought it up on the way."

Zhuo Manyi said this in a reluctant tone. The truth was that Sister Emma had brought ginger tea to her room first, and when she noticed she was still carrying a cup upstairs, she took the initiative to take it.

There's nothing she can do about it. Who told her to cover this weirdo's head with a bath towel?

Xia Cun took the ginger tea and found that she was still standing at the door, looking back at her in confusion. Zhuo Manyi was stared at by her and couldn't help but say, "Don't you even say thank you!"

"Thanks."

“…”How insincere!

"Miss Zhuo, what are you doing? We've been waiting for you." Zhou Yun's voice came from the audio-visual room at the end.

"Are you going?" Zhuo Manyi said the invitation that was not sent in the group somewhat awkwardly.

Perhaps thinking of the summer homework she had just spread out, Xia Cun shook his head. Zhuo Manyi was furious and turned away.

…

The screening ended before lunch, and the teenagers went downstairs one after another and sat in the dining room.

The rainstorm has stopped, and the trees in the courtyard are still and peaceful, as if nothing has happened that day and nothing will happen.

"I never want to watch this kind of American house horror movie again!" Zhuo Manyi's face turned pale.

"I won't call you again. You're the scariest person this whole time, okay?"

The two of them were arguing, and He Shizhao also came to the restaurant and sat down.

The young men still used the fixed seating arrangement when they first arrived, leaving the seat in the center for Jiang Song. Now everyone except him was present, waiting only for him.

Emma appeared at this moment, looking unexpectedly dazed, and said to them, "Don't wait for him, he's not here."

"What, where did he go again?"

Emma shook her head and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't know, but he left last night."

As a housekeeper, she failed to discover this matter in the first place.

Like a supernatural wind blowing through the hall, the young men were lost in thought for a few moments.

Xia Cun picked up the same cutlery as at breakfast and blinked. Like sensing the first drop of rain falling on her left eye, she sensed the first thought that flashed through her mind among all the sudden showers of thoughts—

I won't give Jiang Song a gift.

I'll keep the horse.

The author has something to say:

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Hello! My good friend Xiao Jiang, you seem to have missed out on the cutest gift in the world [milk tea]. But if you work hard, you still have a chance.

I always feel like I can’t write even 100,000 words:-I