Chapter 3

"Bang-bang-bang" the door was slammed with a deafening noise.

"Sister, are you still breathing? If you are still breathing, please make a sound."

He Xi sighed, put down the pen in his hand, stood up helplessly and opened the door, "You'd better be busy."

"Tsk, you don't even read the news yourself."

The boy had a neat buzz cut, with the skin on his neck and arms being particularly dark. He leaned one hand against the door frame, his expression a bit nonchalant.

She felt a little angry when she looked at the man in front of her. It was obvious that he had little intentions, just waiting for her to be his shield.

"Huyang has come here with great difficulty. Besides, you promised to do this. We can't do anything that will embarrass him."

He Xu was very clever in deceiving people, and he kept spouting slanderous words one after another.

She angrily pushed the person in front of her and said, "We agreed in advance. I'll be there for a while and then leave."

He Xi agreed reluctantly. He was already feeling a little nauseous about having his plans disrupted. He looked up and saw a meaningful smirk on He Xu's lips, and he felt vaguely uneasy.

"I'll ask Brother Lin to come along."

He Xi was still confused when he was pushed into the room by his shoulders. After a few steps, he was pushed to the desk. He coughed loudly a few times as if on purpose.

"You...what are you doing?" Only then did she realize that He Xu, who was full of evil intentions, was really bad.

He Xi turned around and tried to leave, but the person behind him tightened his grip on him, "Let go!"

She was so angry that she used all her strength to fight back. He Xu knew her temper very well, and when he saw that things were getting out of hand, he quickly reduced his strength.

"lie--"

Her arm was thrown onto the keyboard, and the pain was so severe that tears almost welled up in her eyes. After a long pause, she slowly straightened up, supporting herself with her hands.

The moment he raised his eyes, He Xi saw the pair of cold phoenix eyes again.

"S-sorry."

She blurted out an apology subconsciously, and she didn't know whether it was for the watermelon that hit his face in the afternoon or the black screen of the computer.

Maybe...including the black face projected in the computer.

In an instant, embarrassment filled the entire room.

Zhao Lin belatedly glanced at the girl in front of him who seemed to be about to cry, then raised his eyes and glanced silently at He Xu who was hiding aside and making faces.

He looked helpless and anxiously gestured with his fingers, using his hands and mouth as if he was afraid that others would not understand what he meant.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the girl in front of him who was evasive and panicked like a quail. It was hard for him to connect this person with the "Yixing Street Bully" who had glared at him and stood with his hands on his hips when he was a child.

"boring."

There was a hint of teasing in the deliberately lowered voice. At an arm's length away, He Xi's face felt slightly hot.

There was only a desk lamp on in the room, and the bright white light passed over his eyebrows. She only glanced at him for a moment before her gaze returned to the ground.

Even without eye contact, He Xi still felt that gaze was so hot that it seemed to penetrate her.

"My brother said he wanted to... take you to see the world."

She suddenly thought of something and threw He Xu's nonsense back to Zhao Lin. It took less than four or five seconds for He Xi to finish speaking, but it felt like a century.

"Forget it."

At this moment, He Xi felt embarrassed, awkward, and irritable. She was tormented by several emotions and was helpless.

Just when she couldn't stand it anymore and was about to walk out angrily after saying this, she heard Zhao Lin speak again.

"Oh, who said we can't go?"

The voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for people to hear in the relatively quiet room. The tone was still a little playful, and He Xi curled his palms and clenched them tightly when he heard it.

He Xu was almost laughing behind her, and when He Xi turned around, he secretly gave Zhao Lin a thumbs up.

"Brother Lin is awesome."

"Oh, let go...let go, sister, I was wrong, let go, sister——"

"It's all your fault!"

She twisted the culprit's arm as if to vent her anger, and finally hit him a few more times before letting go to vent her anger.

They are in cahoots with each other and work together as a team! There is a reason why these two can play together.

*

The three of them walked towards the snack street together. He Xu's noisy voice filled the air along the way, and Zhao Lin occasionally hummed softly to avoid a dull silence.

He Xi took a few quick steps to distance himself from the two men, not wanting to have anything to do with them at all.

"If I hadn't let her do that, she wouldn't have been bullied so badly! She was either pulling my ears or pinching my arms. She was so aggressive."

Zhao Lin listened to the accusations in his ears and casually looked up at the girl walking in front of him.

The high ponytail swung across the slender white neck, as if she was competing with someone while walking.

At first glance, his cool and straight back doesn't look as domineering as people around him say.

In fact, he was so engrossed in playing games that he didn't notice the two people coming in until the computer screen suddenly went black. He thought it was He Xu, and when he saw the girl's trembling eyes, he panicked for a moment.

Turning a corner, the lights suddenly lit up. A long alleyway was lined with food stalls, and the tables and benches on both sides of the road were so large that only pedestrians could pass through.

Before the three of them got close, they heard a clear shout, "He Xu, here——"

Hu Yang walked through the bustling crowd in front of the barbecue stall, took He Xi's arm, and waited for the two people behind to approach.

When He Xi saw the boy next to He Xu, she felt a sudden pain in her arm, and the pain of her nails digging into her skin was intense.

She turned to look at Hu Yang, and the girl's smiling eyes were full of surprise.

"Why are you standing there? Lead the way."

After He Xu spoke lazily, Hu Yang seemed to react, "Is this your friend? Why don't you introduce him?"

She glared at He Xu in reproach, and then spoke to herself.

"Hi, my name is Hu Yang. I don't look familiar to you, handsome guy. What's your name?"

"Zhao Lin."

The stone bricks were loose after the rain. He Xi stared at the stains on the tip of his shoes, splashed with mud and water. He heard someone next to him ask again, "Which Lin is it?"

"Yu Linlin."

He Xi shuddered unexpectedly. Those three short words were delivered with a tone that was cold and hard.

The pain that came again brought her back to her senses. She felt her arm was suffering, so she pulled her hand out calmly.

The stall and the first few tables were all full of people. "Sister Xixi, can you sit here?"

"Um."

She sat down at the girls' table and after saying hello, she casually glanced at the crowd. He Xu had already pulled Zhao Lin and squeezed into the crowd of boys on the other side.

He Xu had always loved to play, and his arrival had further heightened the atmosphere. Add to that the sudden arrival of such a cool and unassuming new face, and the slightest noise from the boys' group had the girls nearby peeking and whispering.

He Xi sat aside and ate skewers silently. She seemed a little out of place with the people around her as she had no common topics to talk about.

"It's boring to just eat like this. How about we play a game together?"

E-man Huyang shuttled between the two tables, and his suggestion of knocking cups was quickly accepted by the others. Soon the barbecue stall was filled with their laughter.

He Xi played along for a few rounds, narrowly avoiding punishment. Someone suggested a toast, and she agreed, putting down her sticks and absent-mindedly reaching for the drink at arm's length.

In a flash, the table suddenly shook as someone pushed it, and the orange soda that she hadn't even grasped in her hand bubbling and spilled out, most of it splashing onto her legs.

“Tsk.”

The orange drink trickled down her fair calf, and she hurriedly grabbed a napkin and wiped it away. The sticky stain on her leg was uncomfortable, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief after carefully cleaning it.

After a few minutes, the game moved on to the next round after a toast. She listened to the laughter around her and raised her hand to drink up the remaining soda in the narrow-mouthed bottle.

The slender neck bent down, and when his eyes were blank, they suddenly met a pair of phoenix eyes. The coldness had long faded, and now they were full of interest.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds. He Xi stared at Zhao Lin boldly in the dark, as if he was determined to see something from his eyes.

A few meters away, the boy raised the cup in his hand and shook it lightly in the air, then tilted his head back and drank it all.

"Tsk, you're sick."

After seeing his actions clearly, He Xi's face felt a little hot. I don't know what kind of evil taste this guy has!

She reached out and pushed the empty bottle away from her, then lowered her eyes and stopped looking.

"He seemed to be raising a toast to us just now!"

"I saw it too. What do you think we should go over and... get to know each other?"

"Hmmmm!"

"He Xu happens to be next to him. Hehe... maybe we can add him on WeChat. He should also be a student at No. 6 Middle School, right?"

Suddenly, I heard a few excited voices, and several girls next to me were eager to try.

"Attract bees and butterflies!"

He Xi couldn't help but sneer. She caught a glimpse of several people standing up and walking away. She shook her head and completely put her complaints behind her, and continued to fight with the chicken wings on the plate.

The incessant noise completely dampened her already low spirits. After gnawing on the bone, she sent a message to Hu Yang and left to go home.

*

It was past half past nine, and after walking out of the snack street, there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road. He Xi turned into an alley to take a shortcut.

A solar-powered streetlight stood at the entrance of the alley, illuminating the surroundings in a pale white. She walked slowly through the alley, twisting and turning past one towering building after another.

The summer night was hot and humid, and even though there was a fan in the room, the heat still couldn't be relieved.

She fanned herself while flipping through the test papers she had brought back at noon.

Just as she finished checking the answers, a quick and shrill bell rang from the campus not far away. She simply threw down her pen and stood up to walk out.

As soon as half past ten, the high school seniors who were studying at school rushed out of the west gate of the school.

He Xi quickly walked through the alley to Qiaojie Noodle House. Whenever she felt tired and relaxed, she would go to her cousin's shop to help for a while to ensure that she was fully effective.

The small shop was already full of students, almost all of them were tall and strong boys.

She was too shy to shout at the top of her lungs, so she just stood at the cashier counter, checking orders and serving food. The crowded noodle shop was bustling with people, and after more than ten minutes, she was already sweating profusely.

While waiting for their meal, a few boys started discussing math problems right at the table.

For a moment, the roar of the kitchen range hood, the sound of slurping noodles, and the heated discussions mixed together, making people restless and angry.

Fortunately, after more than half an hour of peak period, there were fewer orders.

At this time, He Xi began to help collect the dishes and wipe the table, while at the same time listening to the boys explaining their problems or chatting and complaining about their upcoming senior year of high school.

The scene before him was so real that He Xi was shocked by their momentum. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel panic.

I was lost in thought when I heard someone come in.

"Anyone here? Order."

"Wait a moment." Shi Xin went to the kitchen to wash dishes. After she cleaned up the paper balls and garbage on the floor, she put the bowls in the sink and hurried out.

"What would you like to eat?" She wiped her hands, lifted the hair that was blocking her view, and looked up to greet the guests.

“Handmade noodles, big bowl.”

"Then I'll have noodles too, a small bowl will do."

The voice was so sweet, He Xi raised her eyes and glanced at the boy, "Then I'll put the orders together?"

"Yes, thank you."

Jiang Yue didn't say anything. Instead, the girl next to him politely took over the conversation and then took the initiative to find a seat.

"The total is 22. I'll sweep you."

She glanced at the girl's tall and beautiful back. The cramped and noisy noodle shop seemed to be incompatible with her temperament.

Ignoring the strange emotion that suddenly arose in his heart, He Xi lowered his eyes and sang softly, waiting for Jiang Yue to open the QR code.

"Please put less chili in the small bowl."

"OK."

She turned around expressionlessly and gave instructions to the kitchen staff through the window. When she came back, she saw the girl holding Jiang Yue's sleeve and sitting at the table directly opposite the cashier.