8 Chapter 8

Chen Ying suddenly opened her eyes and found herself still in Zhou Baixi's car, with Xiao Doukou sleeping soundly beside her. Outside were the familiar flowers, plants and trees, and it was downstairs of her home.

Zhou Baixi didn't ask her again if she knew the stars, and she didn't experience any inexplicable cold violence. She just had a dream, and her memory went back to the beginning of her second year of high school.

Chen Ying was wearing Zhou Baixi's coat, and she didn't know when he had put it on her. She glanced ahead and saw Zhou Baixi looking at her through the rearview mirror.

Chen Ying suddenly felt awkward and extremely embarrassed: "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Zhou Baixi said with a smile, "It would be boring to go back early anyway."

The ride took about half an hour. It was now 10:01. She had been waiting for a long time after getting in the car before falling asleep. She had probably slept for an hour. How had he managed to wait for her during this hour?

Would he occasionally check to see if she was awake, and would he hesitate whether to wake her up?

How long did he hesitate? How long did he look?

Chen Ying suddenly felt anxious.

"What are you thinking about?"

Zhou Baixi probably thought her dazed look was silly, so he actually laughed.

Chen Ying shook her head, trying to clear her mind, and said, "I'm not thinking about anything."

She folded Zhou Baixi's coat and put it in the car, then tidied up Xiao Doukou's messed-up coat. Then she said, "Thank you for driving me back. It's so late, so I won't invite you to sit in the car. Drive slowly."

"good."

Chen Ying hummed again, but saw that Zhou Baixi had no intention of moving either.

She had no choice but to say, "Then I'll go up first."

"good."

"Chen Ying."

When Chen Ying was halfway there, he suddenly called her.

Chen Ying turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

“Gurgle gurgle…”

Chen Ying was stunned for a moment, and two seconds later, she realized that this person was imitating Xiaodoukou's bubbling.

She chuckled, "Aren't you childish?"

"It's not childish. Adults have the right to be bubbling with happiness too."

"That……"

——"Are you happy now?" Chen Ying almost asked, but then felt like she had no right to ask.

So she said, "Then I wish you eternal happiness."

Anyone in the world may be unhappy, but Zhou Baixi must be happy. This is more important than her own happiness.

Chen Ying had the illusion that Song Xia and Li Hao were the same type of people, that they were a perfect match. Because when Chen Ying went to work the next day, Song Xia's gossipy heart was already burning. If Chen Ying didn't come, she would burn herself.

"Chen Ying, are you in love?!"

"No." Chen Ying looked puzzled, not knowing where this rumor came from.

"Li Hao! It was his birthday yesterday, and he didn't invite anyone, but he asked you to go!"

Song Xia dug out Li Hao's WeChat, opened his Moments, and showed it to Chen Ying. He had posted a selfie. The background was in the private room where they had dinner last night. Li Hao was holding Xiao Doukou, competing to see who could smile the most. Chen Ying and Zhou Baixi were talking behind him, not looking at him. Chen Ying didn't even know when he had taken the photo.

She put down her bag and sat down at her workstation. "He's Zhou Baixi's good friend. Zhou Baixi, the one who was waiting for me downstairs before. You've met him. We went to high school together, and he asked me to go with him."

Song Xia still didn't give up. She felt that Chen Ying must be in love, but Chen Ying kept denying it, and she became unsure.

Suddenly, she seemed to understand: "Oh, I know! That means Li Hao is pursuing you, right?!"

Chen Ying thought that this was even more impossible, as they had just met last night.

"Did you know that Li Hao asked me about you before?"

Song Xia raised an eyebrow, looking gossipy.

Chen Ying laughed, "You must have remembered it wrongly. Why did he ask about me?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't disbelieve me! I met him at a friend's wedding. We added each other on WeChat out of politeness, but we never chatted. But! As soon as I posted a message on WeChat Moments saying 'Congratulations on my new job,' he immediately came to me! Do you know why?"

"Celebrating your new job?" Chen Ying asked tentatively.

"No!" Song Xia changed his usual playful image and became serious. "Because I sent a photo, it was a group photo of us in the office that day. He came to ask where I worked, and I answered. Then he asked if the girl behind me was called Chen Ying. Before I asked him how he knew, he said she was your high school classmate. I hadn't seen her for a long time and lost her contact information. I had no choice but to say yes. I asked him if he wanted me to ask you for your contact information so that you two could get in touch again. He said no, he just asked where I worked and then changed the subject."

Song Xia became increasingly excited as he spoke. He simply stood up, his hands resting on the table, his demeanor intensifying. "And then! You showed up at his birthday party! As far as I know, he always celebrated his birthdays with great fanfare, but this year, it was just you and his buddies. What does this mean?!"

Chen Ying was confused and didn't know what this meant.

"He's taking you to meet his buddies, which means he wants to pursue you!"

Chen Ying's smile widened. "First, he and I weren't high school classmates. Second, last night was the first time we met. Before that, I'd only heard Zhou Baixi mention his name occasionally. Third, even if he asked for my name, he never came to see me. Only Zhou Baixi did."

Having said this, she suddenly stopped and a possibility suddenly emerged.

He and Zhou Baixi were good friends, and she and Song Xia were colleagues at the company. He asked Song Xia where her company was, and then Zhou Baixi suddenly showed up waiting downstairs...

As for why Zhou Baixi appeared downstairs of her company that day, she had never asked. Sometimes she had doubts, but she just thought it was a coincidence. But now, she suddenly felt that it was not a coincidence...

"Oh, forget it!" Song Xia couldn't figure it out, so she simply gave up thinking about it. "I'll ask him myself. I don't believe it. He must like you!"

Chen Ying sighed suddenly, feeling incredibly sad. Zhou Baixi had only been slightly nicer to her, yet she'd considered that love. Fortunately, she'd always been clear-headed enough to cut her losses in time, not ruining her friendship with Zhou Baixi or letting him know that among all the people who liked him, there was also a mediocre girl like her.

Song Xiazhen went to ask, but it seemed that she didn't get anything out of it. Chen Ying teased her and asked her if she had gotten anything valuable out of it.

Song Xia's face wrinkled like a chipmunk, and he said angrily, "I'm so angry! I asked so many questions, but he refused to say anything. He just said you were his friend! When I asked again, he just read it and didn't reply! Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, have a glass of orange juice." Chen Ying came back from the coffee room and brought her a glass of orange juice.

Song Xia's cell phone rang at the right time. She opened it angrily and saw that it was a message from Li Hao.

Song Xia was suddenly happy again. Chen Ying asked her what she was happy about. She said that Li Hao wanted to treat her to a meal to thank her for her previous help.

Chen Ying supported her chin and looked at Song Xia. What did she say? These two people have the same temper and similar personalities. Maybe they are really a good match.

She thought of Zhou Baixi again, and recalled some inappropriate rumors. Did they ever cause him any trouble?

For example, the name Xingxing.