Chapter 42 Avoidance

On Tuesday, Chi Jinjin had no classes in the afternoon, so she went to the library to read for a while, and then went downstairs to have a meal.

At this moment, Zhou Zhou came running over from nowhere and said excitedly, "Jinjin, I just passed by the basketball court and saw several very handsome guys! I don't know which department they are from, I feel like I have never seen those guys before in school."

"How handsome can he be?" Chi Jinjin looked at her excited expression and said with a smile.

"It's really cool. It's all on the wall. Many people inside are asking about these people's names and classes. Look." Zhou Zhou opened his phone to show her the school's wall.

When Chi Jinjin looked over, she found that it was Nan Xuqiu and the others!

The posts have received millions of hits.

No, why are they here to play?

Chi Jinjin was surprised.

"How about it, isn't he handsome? Especially this one, I feel like the male protagonists in the novels I've read now have a face like this one!" Zhou Zhou pointed at Nan Xuqiu's photo and praised him highly.

Chi Jinjin smirked in agreement.

"Xiaochi-scholar."

But at this moment, Nan Xuqiu's voice came from behind.

Chi Jinjin thought she had heard something wrong, but when she turned around, she saw that it was really him.

Zhou Zhou's eyes widened, and he subconsciously slapped Chi Jinjin's arms.

Chi Jinjin's heart tightened.

"What a coincidence, Junior Sister Xiaochi." Nan Xuqiu walked up to her and spoke to her slowly.

"Good, what a coincidence..." Chi Jinjin smiled, but was thinking in her heart, God really likes to play tricks on people. I used to look forward to seeing him every day, but I couldn't see him no matter how hard I tried. Now I don't want to meet him, but why do we meet him everywhere?

Zhou Zhou, who was standing by, was stunned and asked, "Do you... know each other?"

"This is my senior from high school." Chi Jinjin introduced him to Zhou Zhou, then pointed at him and said to Nan Xuqiu, "Senior, this is my good friend, Zhou Zhou."

"Hello, hello." Zhou Zhou extended his hand to him.

Nan Xuqiu shook the other person's fingertips and politely replied, "Hello."

"Seniors, are you guys coming over to play basketball?" Chi Jinjin asked knowingly, hoping to find a reason to leave quickly.

Nan Xuqiu nodded.

Chi Jinjin hurriedly tried to save face by saying, "Well, then I won't bother you anymore. I wish you all a good time. I'm leaving now."

"Xiaochi-scholar."

When she was about to leave, before she even took a step, Nan Xuqiu said, "I'm a little thirsty after playing ball. I want to buy some water, but this is my first time at your school. I don't know where your school store is."

"Um... just go straight ahead, then turn left, then turn right, and then go straight again." Chi Jinjin gestured.

Nan Xuqiu said with an embarrassed expression, "If you put it that way, I can't remember."

Can’t you remember this?

Chi Jinjin remembered that his memory and sense of direction used to be very good, so why did they become worse now?

In the past, when they went out for an outing together, Nan Xuqiu was always the leader because he was the only one who could remember the route others had given him, no matter how complicated it was, he could remember it word for word.

Why has he regressed to this point now? Or is it because he's getting older...

No, no, Chi Jinjin felt that the sudden thought that came to her mind was really out of place.

How old is Nan Xuqiu? He is only two years older than me, and is only twenty-four years old now.

"Junior, how about... you take me there?" Nan Xuqiu suggested, but there was a tentative look in his eyes.

Chi Jinjin didn't dare to look him in the eye. She kept looking around with her eyes wandering and evasive.

"Well..." Chi Jinjin thought for a moment and said, "I have something going on in the club, so I may not be able to take you with me, senior, but Zhou Zhou can take you!"

"Yes, yes, I can take you. I have plenty of time!" Zhou Zhou hurriedly said when he heard Chi Jinjin say this.

Nan Xuqiu stared at her in silence for a moment, then said, "Okay."

"That's troublesome." Nan Xuqiu said to Zhou Zhou, but his eyes were still on Chi Jinjin who lowered her eyes.

Chi Jinjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said to him, "Then senior, I'll go get busy first."

She turned around and pretended to walk quickly towards the teaching building.

Zhou Zhou took Nan Xuqiu to the store. Nan Xuqiu bought a bag of drinks and gave Zhou Zhou a bottle as a token of his gratitude.

"Are you and Chi Jinjin good friends?" Nan Xuqiu suddenly asked Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou nodded, "Yes, we are friends."

"In the same class?"

"Yes, we're in the same dormitory."

"Then you... should have met her boyfriend as well." Nan Xuqiu asked meaningfully.

Zhou Zhou laughed and said, "What boyfriend? Chi Jinjin is just a single guy. Although most of our law department are men, Chi Jinjin is still single until now."

"Law Department? Are you from the Law Department?"

Zhou Zhou nodded.

Nan Xuqiu recalled the conversation in front of the noodle stall that day, lowered his head and smiled faintly.

In the afternoon, Chi Jinjin was writing a club plan in the dormitory when Zhou Zhou ran over and said mysteriously, "Jinjin, let me tell you, your senior is so aloof. Even our school's most beautiful girl asked for his contact information, but he directly declined. Has he always been this aloof?"

"That's about the same." Chi Jinjin replied without surprise.

Zhou Zhou continued to inquire, "That senior must come from a good family. I always feel like he exudes a noble aura."

"He is Nan Xuqiu." Chi Jinjin returned.

"Nan Xuqiu? That name sounds familiar..." Zhou Zhou thought for a moment, then suddenly said in surprise, "I remember that high school student who went viral online overnight many years ago, the one leaning against the wall reading a book. He was incredibly popular back then. Someone apparently dug up his name, Nan Xuqiu. I heard his family came from a high-ranking official family. Is that him?"

Chi Jinjin nodded.

"It turns out to be him. Oh my god, he's even more handsome in person than in the photo." Zhou Zhou said, his eyes full of admiration.

Chi Jinjin suddenly seemed to see her former self on Zhou Zhou's face. There was a time when she also admired him like this.

"Did he have a lot of secret crushes when he was in high school?" Zhou Zhou asked.

"Half of the girls in the school like him, I guess." Chi Jinjin replied while typing.

At that time, wherever Nan Xuqiu passed, groups of girls would stop and stare at him, and she was one of them.

"I knew it. So... have you ever had a crush on him?" Zhou Zhou suddenly asked.

Chi Jinjin paused as she typed, thinking back to the past. Perhaps it was her pride that got the better of her, so she replied, "No."

"You've never liked such a handsome guy?" Zhou Zhou was puzzled.

Chi Jinjin smiled bitterly and said earnestly, "Girls like us can't afford to like a guy like him..."

Once you fall in love, you are doomed to lose everything.

"Jinjin, you are really rational." Zhou Zhou said admiringly.

Chi Jinjin smiled guiltily and continued typing on the keyboard, writing the plan.

On the weekend, Tang Shi called again and asked Chi Jinjin to go out and play.

Chi Jinjin replied while sorting out her own information, "Okay."

"Then it's settled. You, me, Song Ci, Ji Yang, and Senior Nan, we'll all be together."

Hearing the three words "Nan Xuqiu", Chi Jinjin was stunned.

"Um...Senior Nan...is going too?" Chi Jinjin asked cautiously.

Tang Shi replied, "Yes."

Chi Jinjin was silent for a moment, then said, "Tang Shi, I might not be able to go, because my club just sent a message saying there will be a charity event this weekend."

"Why does your club have so many things going on every day?" Tang Shi said a little unhappy.

Chi Jinjin said guiltily, "I'm sorry, it was just a last-minute post. Next time, I'll definitely accompany you, okay?"

"Okay." Tang Shi had no choice but to give up.

Chi Jinjin hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. She thought she had successfully avoided danger in an emergency. Fortunately, Tang Shi said he wanted to go too.

Otherwise, it would be awkward to be in the same place again. Chi Jinjin really regretted confessing her feelings.

He definitely doesn't want to see her very much, Chi Jinjin thought. After all, he deleted her as a friend back then. He was just being polite to her for Tang Shi's sake.

I should try not to appear in front of him, so as not to attract unnecessary dislike.

"Chi Jinjin is not coming?" Song Ci asked while playing games.

Tang Shi nodded and said, "She said she was busy with the club. I don't know what she was busy with. Why did she..."

Tang Shi looked at Nan Xuqiu, and suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. He seemed to understand something, and he didn't say anything else.

"It's okay, we can still have fun." Song Ci said, then turned to Nan Xuqiu and said, "Old Nan, I noticed that you've changed a lot since returning to China. Now you're more enthusiastic about going out to play. In the past, asking you to come out was like asking for an ancestor."

"Inviting the ancestors is certainly not that easy." Nan Xuqiu said coldly.

Song Ci was stunned and said quickly, "Fuck you, I was just using a metaphor."

Nan Xuqiu lowered his head and smiled, but there was something else in his eyes.

That night, Tang Shi sent a message: [Chi Jinjin, tell me honestly, you're resisting my invitation because of Senior Nan?]

Chi Jinjin thought that she shouldn't be that obvious, so how come even Tang Shi saw it? She stubbornly replied: "No."

Tang Shi: [Don't lie to me.]

Chi Jinjin sighed and replied: [Okay, a little bit.]

Tang Shi: [No way, you haven't let him go yet? ]

Chi Jinjin frowned and quickly replied: [How is that possible? That's all in the past.]

Tang Shi: [Then why do you mind him so much? ]

Yes, why...

Chi Jinjin herself was also feeling complicated. After thinking for a while, she replied, "Because it's embarrassing. Sorry."

After all, I left the stage in such a "gorgeous" way before, which is really embarrassing to think about.

Tang Shi: [What's so embarrassing? It's been so many years, and the past is over.]

It seems so...

Chi Jinjin reflected on herself, wondering if she really cared too much about the past. If she didn't care and let it go, how could she still feel embarrassed?

"Jinjin, will that senior come to school to play basketball again?" Zhou Zhou asked. Ever since she met Nan Xuqiu that time, she has been missing him.

Chi Jinjin shook her head and said, "I don't know."

"Okay..." Zhou Zhou said disappointedly, "I don't know if I can see him again. That senior is really gentle."

As he spoke, Zhou Zhou looked admiring again.

gentle……

Chi Jinjin was silent. When she liked him, she did think he was very gentle and warm. But after letting him go, she recalled what she had seen and heard in the past bit by bit, and she slowly realized that Nan Xuqiu was gentle, but he was not completely warm.

On the contrary, he is actually very indifferent most of the time.

When I liked him, I couldn't help but cast a layer of light on him, so he often had a bright and sunny smile on his face. But later, that layer of light on him gradually dissipated in my memory, and I found that most of the time, his smile did not reach his eyes, but was polite and distant.

His appearance always gave people the illusion that they could easily get into his heart, but in reality, it was not easy for Nan Xuqiu to get close to him. Even if she did, she would not be able to get into his heart...

In the following days, Chi Jinjin attended classes as usual.

"Jinjin, I have something going on at home during this summer vacation, so I can't go back with you. I have to go back first." Gao Yi, who was walking beside her, said.

Chi Jinjin nodded and said, "Yeah, I understand."

"Is it okay for you to be alone?" Gao Yi worried.

Chi Jinjin laughed and said, "It's not like I've never gone home alone before."

"I didn't realize you were so worried about Jinjin. How come I haven't seen you often, and you're so worried about me?" Zhou Zhou teased with a meaningful look.

Gao Yi hurriedly said, "Who said that? I'm also quite worried about you..."

As he said this, he glanced at Chi Jinjin nervously.

Chi Jinjin was thinking about what to eat later and didn't notice Gao Yi's eyes.

In the evening, after washing up, Chi Jinjin climbed onto the bed, picked up the book beside the pillow, and read it for a few seconds before going to sleep.

At this time, the cell phone rang. Chi Jinjin picked up the phone and took a look. It was a message from Tang Shi.

Tang Shi: [Today, a major event, have you seen the trending headlines on Weibo?]

Hot headlines?

Chi Jinjin opened her Weibo post which she had not opened for “eight hundred years”.

Suddenly, she sat up from the bed and looked at the big words on the screen of her mobile phone - girl group member Lin Shuya, suspected love affair exposed.

Chi Jinjin thought that this matter had nothing to do with her, but she still couldn't help but click in to take a look.

It turns out that two months ago, a Korean entertainment reporter photographed Lin Shuya and another member of a boy group kissing passionately in the car, and they even spent the whole night at the man's house.

Two months ago...

At that time, had Nan Xuqiu already broken up with her, or...

Chi Jinjin thought, this is impossible. It can’t be that the two of them broke up because Lin Shuya had someone else, right?

never mind.

Chi Jinjin lay back down and thought, no matter what the reason was, it had nothing to do with her.

It’s better to sleep.

She replied to Tang Shi's message, chatted for a few words, said good night to each other, then turned off her phone and closed her eyes to sleep...

"You're really not coming today?"

Song Ci asked on the phone.

Nan Xuqiu walked in the mall and replied, "No, I want to buy something."

"Okay, okay, then I'll hang up." Song Ci said helplessly.

Nan Xuqiu hung up the phone.

Rather than saying he was here to buy something, he was actually more of a stroller, walking aimlessly on the second floor.

When I was tired, I leaned on the glass guardrail next to me to rest.

Suddenly, he unexpectedly saw Chi Jinjin, and there was a boy next to her, Gao Yi.

It turned out that Gao Yi wanted to buy some clothes for his father as a birthday gift, but he didn't know how to buy things, so he asked Chi Jinjin to help him.