twenty two

After accompanying Wang Ting to buy fruit, Xiao Jian took Wang Ting back to her dormitory, and then went back himself.

Lying in bed, looking at the leaves struggling to fall outside the window, Xiao Jian felt a tightness in his chest.

Should we go find Li Muqing?

This is the problem that Xiao Jian has been struggling with.

Forget it, I've been too tired these past few days. My eyes are so heavy. I'll go to sleep. Once I'm awake, I'll deal with everything tomorrow.

As he pondered this, Xiao Jian closed his eyes.

Xiao Jian didn't sleep soundly at all.

The next morning, Xiao Jian had just stepped out of the dormitory building to sell pancakes when he saw Wang Ting holding hot steamed buns.

"Xiao Jian, good morning." Wang Ting was wearing a black shirt and gray jeans. She looked cool, but she was also beautiful enough to rival anyone else.

"Good morning." Xiao Jian smiled and walked over. "Why are you up so early?"

"I'll bring you breakfast! I'm afraid you'll be so busy with business that you'll forget to eat breakfast." Wang Ting handed the steamed buns to Xiao Jian. "I'm going to my morning reading now, so don't be late for class."

After Wang Ting finished speaking, she leaned close to Xiao Jian's face, gently kissed him, then turned her head, smiled shyly, and left in front of Xiao Jian's dormitory building.

Xiao Jian looked at the steamed bun in his hand, touched his kissed cheek, and smiled. He thought, "Am I in a relationship now?" This feeling was truly wonderful.

But Xiao Jian's smile didn't last long.

When he pushed his cart to the usual spot to sell pancakes, he saw Li Muqing's fruit cart, which had been there yesterday, lying on the ground as if it had been dismantled, with some rotten fruit scattered around.

Xiao Jian's first reaction was that Li Muqing had been bullied.

Whether it's the management, thugs, other fruit vendors, or customers, in short, Li Muqing must have gotten into trouble!

Xiao Jian didn't have time to think anymore. He pushed the pancake cart to the building where Li Muqing's dormitory was located. He didn't even have time to lock the cart before rushing up to the eighth floor.

"Li Muqing!!!" Xiao Jian shouted while banging on the door of Li Muqing's dormitory.

"Li Muqing, are you there??" Xiao Jian kept patting, his voice getting louder and louder, his hands even turning red from patting, but he still didn't intend to stop.

Later, Xiao Jian's neighbor, who lived next door to Li Muqing, couldn't stand Xiao Jian's early morning shouting and gave him a good scolding. Xiao Jian didn't have time to explain anything and kept asking if he had seen Li Muqing last night. The neighbor's answer disappointed Xiao Jian. Logically speaking, Li Muqing couldn't possibly not be in the dormitory at this time. So Xiao Jian became more and more scared. He suddenly remembered that he still had Li Muqing's cell phone, so he borrowed a phone from the neighbor and dialed Li Muqing as quickly as possible.

When Xiao Jian pressed the call button, he suddenly realized that the waiting process would be so long. He felt that every second was like an eternity of torture. The silent response made him more uneasy than anything else. Finally, Xiao Jian heard a woman's voice.

The device is currently switched off.

For an entire day, Xiao Jian barely ate or drank anything. He even considered calling the police, but he had no leads and calling the police would be too impulsive. During the general education class, Xiao Jian paid special attention to roll call. When Li Muqing's name was called, someone answered correctly. Unfortunately, the person who answered was his roommate, Wang Youai.

After hesitating for a long time, Xiao Jian told Wang Youai, who was sitting next to him, everything.

Wang Youai looked at Xiao Jian in surprise and said, "Really? Boss just called me! He said he wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest in the dorm, so he asked me to answer for him. He did sound a little tired, but I thought it should be fine..."

Before Wang Youai could finish speaking, Xiao Jian had already run out of the classroom. As the teacher looked at Xiao Jian with some displeasure, Wang Youai raised her hand, stood up, and said, "Teacher, he couldn't hold back anymore."

Xiao Jian couldn't care less about anything else. He was very worried about whether Li Muqing was safe and sound. He sprinted to the door of Li Muqing's dormitory and began to repeat the scene from the morning—continuing to knock on the increasingly fragile door of Li Muqing's dormitory.

"Are you sick?" After a long while, Li Muqing finally opened the door.

His face was still strikingly handsome, and there were no bruises or signs of fighting on his body. Thankfully, Li Muqing was alright. It's good that he's alright. It's good that he's alright.

"I...I...I..." Xiao Jian ran too fast. He wondered why he always forgot about the elevator every time he came to Li Muqing's dormitory. He always rushed up and down, making himself so disheveled that he couldn't even speak.

"Xiao Jian, listen up: My fruit stand was indeed vandalized, but I vandalized it myself. I didn't open it this morning because I was too lazy to get up, and most importantly, I didn't want to see your gloomy face! Also, from now on, talk to me as little as possible when we meet. I don't want anyone to know I know you. Don't ask me what's wrong; you wouldn't understand. In short, I hate seeing you now. Get the hell away from me, or I'll beat you up every time I see you! Goodbye!"

"Bang!" Xiao Jian didn't have time to speak at all. Apart from panting heavily, Li Muqing said everything. When he was able to speak again, all that awaited him was the sound of the door closing.

Xiao Jian really wanted to knock on the door again to ask why, but when he remembered Li Muqing's fierce face, which looked like she wanted to devour him, he hesitated for a long time. Xiao Jian withdrew his hand and walked downstairs like he had lost his soul—that's right, he forgot to take the elevator again.

Back in the dorm, Xiao Jian couldn't understand why Li Muqing, who had been perfectly fine just two days ago, had suddenly turned on him. What had he done wrong? Or had something happened to Li Muqing? He racked his brains for the entire afternoon but still couldn't figure it out until Wang Youai returned to the dorm.

"Dude, you're really something else! You found a wife and didn't even tell your brothers?! Last time you said you didn't know Wang Ting? No relationship? What are you hiding? Are you afraid your brothers will steal her from you? Do you think I'm that kind of disloyal person? You're so petty! It's only because I'm easygoing that I'm not holding it against you, but don't do it again! This is something your sister-in-law asked me to bring you. Honestly, if it weren't for her being so generous and telling me everything, I'd still be completely in the dark. I was wondering why she always sees you on weekends, turns out it's a date?"

"Wait, Youai, what... what did you just say? Say it again?" Xiao Jian suddenly sat up in bed and asked very seriously.

"What did I say? I said you're not a good friend, you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend..."

"That's it! Li Muqing must be angry with me because of this! No, I, I have to go find him." Xiao Jian put on his shoes, slipped on a shirt, and prepared to go to Li Muqing's dormitory again.

"What? So you didn't even inform my boss? You're in big trouble! Do you know how many things he turned down over the weekend to save you a stall? I was initially planning to go with him, but the sun was so damn strong, I got dizzy from the heat, and I had no choice but to leave. But my boss wouldn't budge, saying it was a task you left behind, and he had to save you a good spot and wait for you to come back. Tell me, how lucky you are, with such a beautiful wife and such a loyal friend, while I..."

Xiao Jian hadn't even finished listening to Wang Youai's words before he rushed to Li Muqing's dormitory. This time he was smart and chose the elevator. In the elevator, he thought and thought, considering various reasons to apologize, imagining Li Muqing calling him a pig again, imagining that he might be beaten badly by Li Muqing, and imagining that after Li Muqing finished beating him, he would be able to see his energetic smile again.

Xiao Jian considered countless causes and effects, but he never expected that the moment the elevator doors opened, he would see Li Muqing pinned tightly against the wall by Zhao Yezhi, deeply engaged in the best way for lovers to express their love—a kiss.