Chapter 81 Flowers Wither and Xia Huanming The sky fell.
A green leaf swirled down and finally gently brushed against the tip of Chen Xing's sneakers.
Chen Xing stared at the leaf in a daze, forgetting the time for a moment.
Suddenly, the back door opened and the store manager leaned out halfway: "Chen Xing! Come and help!"
"Okay." Chen Xing put on his apron again and followed the manager into the coffee shop through the back door.
The moment the glass door opens and closes, the air-conditioned wind, wrapped in the aroma of coffee, blows towards you.
Chen Xing spent all his spare time in college working part-time.
He needed a scholarship, he needed money.
In May, he found a part-time job as a bartender and barista.
My workplace is a self-study coffee shop near the Shanghai Theatre Academy. The owner is surnamed Xu, a middle-aged man who always has a smile on his face.
Although he looks rough and has broad hands, he can make the most exquisite latte art. He is also very considerate and attentive to his employees and doesn't mind at all that Chen Xing has dyed his hair.
He said that since it would have to be stuffed into the hat anyway, it didn't matter what it was dyed, as long as he had the ability to do it.
He applied the same standard to Chen Xing, and even gave him a higher hourly wage because Chen Xing could play the piano.
Whenever there are many guests on weekends, he will take out his beloved guitar and let Chen Xing take off his mask and go to the front desk to play the guitar.
Chen Xing's birthday happened to be a Thursday, so there were not many guests. Uncle Xu specifically asked him if he wanted to leave work early, but Chen Xing politely declined.
Because his friends all have classes, or like Xu Yuancai, are asked by their instructors to sort out materials and are not free until the evening, he still chooses to get off work on time and earn more money.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Boss Xu allowed him to take a break. Chen Xing then went to buy a palm-sized piece of matcha mousse cake and sat alone in a small corner to celebrate his birthday.
In order not to disturb other guests, he didn't even sing the birthday song. He closed his eyes and made a small dream of earning three hundred thousand a year, then opened his eyes.
In Chen Xing’s words, if his birthday had a color, it would be bright green.
The June sunshine dyes the leaves a bright new green, and the chirping of cicadas and birds floats through the woods.
Even the exhaust from cars exudes the warm scent unique to summer.
Chen Xing's fork had just poked a small piece of cake when a shadow suddenly fell on the table.
He looked up in confusion and saw a boy in a black baseball cap standing in front of the table, staring at him intently.
The boy looked to be about the same age as Chen Xing. He was wearing a loose short-sleeved T-shirt and ordinary sweatpants, but Chen Xing's first impression was: He's so handsome.
Especially those almond-shaped eyes, which are so distinctive and beautiful.
After Chen Xing finished praising him in his heart, he immediately put on his mask, thinking that the handsome guy wanted to sit here, and quickly stood up: "I'll take care of it right away, please wait."
Unexpectedly, the boy got flustered and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, I don't want to sit here."
Chen Xing quickly glanced behind the boy and found that there was indeed no need to give up his seat, as there were still five or six empty seats there.
So what exactly was he here for?
Chen Xing looked at the handsome guy in front of him with confusion on his face.
The handsome guy smiled lightly, and his sharp eyebrows softened instantly. He slowly said, "I saw you blowing out the candles, so I wanted to come over and say happy birthday to you."
The handsome guy's voice gradually became lower, especially when he said "Happy Birthday", it became particularly gentle.
Chen Xing looked at the small cake on the table, was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized.
The boy saw that he was celebrating his birthday alone and thought that he had no friends, so he came over to take care of him.
The entire coffee shop was bustling with people, but he was the only one who noticed this corner.
Chen Xing felt warm in his heart and bowed slightly in gratitude: "Thank you so much. May I ask, are you a student of the Shanghai Theatre Academy?"
The handsome guy shook his head very quickly: "I just finished my art exam this year. I applied for the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I came here with my friends to take a look at the school these days."
"It is indeed true," Chen Xing gestured with his hands to illustrate the boy's appearance, and praised sincerely, "With your qualifications, you will definitely be a big hit in acting."
The handsome guy looks to be over 1.85 meters tall, with a good head-to-body ratio. If he were to start acting, he would definitely have a lot of screenshots of himself when he debuts.
The handsome guy lowered his head shyly: "Thank you."
Chen Xing held up the cake and asked, "Do you want to eat it? I haven't touched it yet."
"No, just eat it." The handsome guy politely waved his hand to refuse.
Chen Xing didn't force it and wanted to change his contact method: "What's your name? I can..."
Before he could finish his words, his handsome companion's voice came from the door: "Xia Huanming! Why are you still here? I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Yes! Here it comes!" The boy hurriedly took out an exquisite pendant from his messenger bag and gently placed it next to the cake, "I'll give this to you as well, as a birthday present."
"No..." Before Chen Xing could refuse, the boy had already run towards the door.
Through the glass window, Chen Xing looked at the boy's back as he ran towards his companions, and stood there in a daze.
"...Xia Huanming."
He whispered the name.
"Yes, I'm here." The person who was hugging him tightly at the moment responded in a muffled voice.
The warm breeze of June blew by, and Chen Xing closed his eyes slightly. In his vision, there was a warm green.
The flowers of the tassel tree have fallen, leaving only the emerald green color.
So beautiful.
He stroked the back of Xia Huanming's neck gently: "Should we sit there and chat?
The other party was silent for more than ten seconds before slowly letting him go.
Chen Xing looked at Xia Huanming again.
He was much more handsome than he was then, with a more distinct outline. His eyes were still as bright as before, his jet-black hair swayed gently in the breeze, and his ears were slightly flushed, a few shades lighter than when he was tipsy, revealing a different kind of gentleness.
Chen Xing took Xia Huanming's hand and led him to a bench not far away.
"Please sit down." Chen Xing patted the seat next to him.
Xia Huanming nodded, sat obediently next to Chen Xing, and held Chen Xing's hand tightly.
He won't run away. Chen Xing smiled secretly in his heart.
"Didn't you forget everything before? How come you remember it all now?" Chen Xing leaned forward to look at Xia Huanming's face.
Xia Huanming lowered his eyes. This tall man, who was half a head taller than him, now leaned on him like a docile big cat, and told him without reservation about the people he met along the way, the process of looking for him, the places he had been to, and how his memory suddenly came to life.
Xia Huanming's narration was concise and clear, as if he was telling a story with ups and downs. Chen Xing responded by exclaiming "Wow" and "So that's how it is" from time to time.
The river flows slowly before my eyes, silently telling the passage of time.
But at this moment, the two were immersed in each other's world and didn't feel the time was long at all.
"Then I remembered..." Xia Huanming's eyes fell on the bouquet in Chen Xing's hand. It was his turn to ask, "Why did you think of buying flowers?"
He should have thought of it earlier, these flowers were bouquets used for confession.
Rose is not the only flower in the world that expresses love.
"This is my first time in love, and I don't know what the real process is, but I thought, since it's the first day, let's start with a bouquet of flowers. From now on, when you see the bouquet, you will think of me," Chen Xing shrugged regretfully, "but you got there first again."
"Then you can do it again. I want to hear you say..." Xia Huanming sat up straight and stared at Chen Xing seriously, his eyes full of expectation, "I like you."
The other party did not hesitate for a second and replied: "I like you."
Xia Huanming was stunned for a moment: "Why not 'I like you too'?"
Chen Xing tilted his head and said doubtfully, "Because the fact that I like you is not because of your confession, I just simply like you very, very much."
"you……"
"How are you? Are you in a good mood?" Chen Xing blinked and asked deliberately.
"Yeah." Xia Huanming nodded.
Xia Huanming's mood at this moment seemed to be floating in the clouds. For a moment he didn't know what to say. His face became hot, like a red-hot iron block. He subconsciously covered his face with his hands.
How come it's so easy? Is this really the first time Chen Xing talks about it?
"You must have been looking for a flower shop for a long time." Xia Huanming asked in a low voice.
"Well, I walked two streets before I saw a flower shop, but they didn't have the flowers I wanted. I had to wait for a long time before they got them from somewhere else." Chen Xing recalled.
By the way, those two flower shop owners are fans of Xia Huanming.
Although Chen Xing didn't want to charge him, he still paid and took a photo with him.
"How did you pay when you didn't even have your phone?" Xia Huanming asked.
"I usually carry cash with me," said Chen Xing.
"Even so, you still have to bring your phone with you next time," Xia Huanming sat up straight, looked serious, and solemnly handed the phone back to Chen Xing, "If anything happens to you, we won't be able to find you."
"Oh~" Chen Xing moved closer to Xia Huanming, raised his head, and blinked his big eyes, "Will you worry about me?"
"Of course." Xia Huanming blurted out.
"I won't do that next time. Please don't be angry, okay?" Chen Xing knew his mistake and corrected it. He changed his handshake to crossing his fingers in an attempt to get away with it.
This, this, this... I know he can't stand this the most.
Xia Huanming was so annoyed by Chen Xing that he waved his hand and said, "It's good to know."
Chen Xing knew that he was forgiven and happily put away his phone.
"Speaking of this," Chen Xing leaned back in his chair and said cheerfully, "I met Brother Rui when I came back. He was so smart. He knew right away that I was going to confess my feelings. Everyone else thought I was preparing for the sixth episode."
Xia Huanming was silent for a moment: "...I have something to tell you."
Chen Xing turned his head: "What?"
Xia Huanming told the whole story of how Qi Yinrui discovered that he liked Chen Xing and how he initially asked him not to say anything, but later on turned out to be an assist.
After he finished speaking, Chen Xing stood there in a daze, as if he had suffered a severe blow.
"It's really shocking that someone could see it," Xia Huanming stroked the back of Chen Xing's hand repeatedly, "but he's very nice and never said anything."
Chen Xing came back to his senses and shook his head slightly, his tone was somewhat helpless and bitter: "No, I'm not surprised that he knew, I'm surprised that even he knew that you liked me, but you never told me."
"That's because..." Xia Huanming sighed softly, "I'm afraid that you will hate me when you see my inferiority complex and cowardice. Compared to you, I have too many shortcomings. I'm not that good."
Chen Xing stared at Xia Huanming who was in a state of anxiety.
He remembered a passage from Nedochka: "The trauma of childhood is not a heavy rain, but a dampness that permeates a lifetime."
Xia Huanming is such a person.
The kindness in his bones makes his life permeated with eternal moisture, trapping him in every dream day after day.
No matter how outstanding he is, no matter how perfect he is in the eyes of others, when he meets someone he likes, the first thing he thinks of is not how to pursue them, but "Am I worthy of them?"
Just like at this moment, Chen Xing knew that Xia Huanming must be re-examining himself again, afraid of losing him, that's why he held his hand so tightly.
"You don't have to think that way," Chen Xing raised his left hand and kissed the back of Xia Huanming's hand. "You are in pain and you feel inferior because you are kind enough and your soul is nobler than those people. That's why you look for problems in yourself. I can't do that. I just think, ah, people who hate me are people who have different paths and cannot work together."
He couldn't change Xia Huanming's personality. All he could do was to guide him well as a lover and improve his sense of worthiness.
"How could someone hate you?" Xia Huanming frowned, his tone full of confusion.
"Yes, there are many people who are unhappy with me," Chen Xing shrugged. "There was a senior in college who made trouble for me and ended up taking him to the police station."
"I know, he copied your song and was going to beat you." Xia Huanming's thumb unconsciously stroked Chen Xing's palm.
It was Chen Xing's turn to be stunned: "How did you know?"
"Cai Cai told me." Xia Huanming answered truthfully.
No wonder Cai Cai told him that she had prepared everything before she left. It turned out that this was how she prepared everything.
He once again felt that Xia Huanming was truly a "ninja". If this had happened to Xia Huanming and he had heard about it, he would have guaranteed to ask Xia Huanming how he was doing that very same day.
Xia Huanming could actually endure until now. This man is really able to hold it in.
"In short," Chen Xing said seriously, "no one is perfect. I don't like you because you are perfect. On the contrary, I fell in love with you after I knew your shortcomings. Um... let me tell you something more interesting. You will definitely be surprised when you hear it."
Xia Huanming raised his eyebrows: "How could you be more surprised than the fact that you like me?"
Chen Xing looked at the sparkling river in the distance, and a gentle arc appeared on the corner of his mouth: "In fact, we have met earlier."
Xia Huanming was indeed stunned, and Chen Xing could feel him clenching his fists even tighter.
Xia Huanming frowned slightly: "When?"
"I was a sophomore and you were a freshman," Chen Xing pointed at himself, "If you had read my profile, you would have known that we both went to college in Shanghai."
Xia Huanming nodded.
One of them is from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the other is from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Xia Huanming was even more confused: "If you were a freshman, it would be easy to explain. You might have come to our school to perform, but I'm not a freshman, how can I know you?"
Although the subway in Shanghai is very fast, there are too many people, so Xia Huanming usually travels by bicycle. He doesn't remember ever meeting any strangers.
"We met when I was working part-time," Chen Xing said. "Do you remember? In the coffee shop, you gave a gift to a staff member who had a birthday."
Xia Huanming fell into a long silence, then his eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "That intern is you!?"
"Yes, that was the first time I received a blessing from a stranger." Chen Xing knew that Xia Huanming had not forgotten it either, and he felt happy. He said patiently, "I know you want to do good deeds without leaving your name, but by chance, I heard them calling your name that day. Unfortunately, I didn't know the correct pronunciation, so I tried many times on the Internet, but in the end, I found nothing. It wasn't until three months later when "A Happy Family" was broadcast that I saw you all at once, and then I found your Weibo and followed you. At that time, you only had about 10,000 fans."
Unfortunately, after playing this supporting role, Xia Huanming focused on his studies and had no new works for three years. It was not until the broadcast of "Apocalypse" the year before last that Xia Huanming officially debuted as an actor and gradually became famous for his looks and acting skills.
Xia Huanming, who reappeared on the big screen after three years, has a tougher face and a better figure.
Chen Xing naturally became a fan of his career and figure, and by the way, he tracked down Xia Huanming's secondary account.
After that, they met again at the premiere, and then reunited at the show "Acting First". After getting to know each other more deeply, he became more certain that Xia Huanming was an exceptionally good person.
He said so much just to tell Xia Huanming:
You see, you deserve a beautiful spring.
After listening to Chen Xing's speech, Xia Huanming's first reaction was disbelief, and his second reaction was regret: "If you had sent me a private message directly, we might have known each other six years ago."
Xia Huanming couldn't even imagine how happy he would be if they had met six years earlier.
They might really become campus lovers, since the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Theatre Academy campuses are only two kilometers apart.
How happy it would be to be a campus couple with Chen Xing.
But Chen Xing didn't seem to think so.
"I paid attention to you at that time just to know whether you became an actor and whether good people were rewarded. I didn't want to have a certain relationship with you," Chen Xing stared into Xia Huanming's eyes and said sincerely, "I mentioned this not to make you regretful, but to tell you the truth. No matter how you deny yourself, it will not change my opinion of you. If you are really not good, I will not look for you, miss you, or like you. So, have more confidence in yourself, okay?"
Xia Huanming was speechless for a moment.
Chen Xing is really too perceptive.
Knowing that the person he cares about most now is me, I link his inferiority complex to myself.
If he continues to belittle himself, wouldn't he be questioning Chen Xing's vision?
"I understand," Xia Huanming nodded, "I will be more confident."
"Also," Chen Xing let go of Xia Huanming's hand, held his face, and stared straight into his eyes, "If I'm unhappy or angry, I'll tell you straight away, and you have to tell me straight away, okay?"
"Yeah." Xia Huanming nodded slightly.
After everything was said and done, Chen Xing felt relaxed.
The two of them sat side by side on the bench, neither of them spoke, just quietly feeling the breeze on their faces and watching the rippling river water, yet they were more connected than ever.
Chen Xing glanced at his phone and saw that it was almost time, so he said, "Shall we go back?"
Xia Huanming pursed his lips and pointed at the phone lock: "I want to take a photo as a souvenir."
"Okay." Chen Xing nodded happily.
So he held the bouquet and took a photo with Xia Huanming.
In the camera, the two were closer than usual, Chen Xing was holding a bouquet of flowers, and Xia Huanming was half sideways, leaning on his shoulder.
Their cheeks are almost touching. Anyone who looks at this photo will say they are a couple.
On the way back, Chen Xing looked at the photo again and again and sent it to Xu Yuancai.
[Princess]: 999999
[Princess]: I knew it! I’ll go tell the team leader that my daughter-in-law is pregnant!
【Chen Xing】: Hahaha
Chen Xing clicked on the photo again and stared at her boyfriend's face, unable to hide the smile in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows: "The last photo was of us taking a walk together as friends, but now it has become a couple photo."
There was almost no one on the road. Xia Huanming held the flowers in one hand and interlocked his fingers with Chen Xing with the other. He asked cautiously, "Should we make it public?"
Chen Xing thought about it carefully and shook his head: "Let's wait until the show is over before making it public. If we make it public now, everyone's focus will be on our relationship instead of our work, which is too unfair to others."
"Yes, that's true." Xia Huanming responded softly.
He thought so too.
Netizens love to join in the fun, especially when it comes to celebrities’ romances.
Not to mention the phenomenal variety show "Acting First", if the two of them were to make their relationship public when it's aired, the popularity would only go up, not down.
By then, there will definitely be a lot of netizens looking for clues in the comments of the work, and watching the work just to see the romance.
Even if he liked Chen Xing so much that he wanted to send a group message right now saying that he and Chen Xing were together, he still had to consider other people.
"Can we change to a couple name?" Xia Huanming whispered.
Chen Xing tilted his head and looked at him: "Sure, what do you want?"
"It's a parallel to my current name." Xia Huanming still hasn't forgotten his name.
"Your infinite?" Chen Xing asked doubtfully, "Should I call it finite?"
Xia Huanming told Chen Xing the deeper meaning of his name.
After hearing this, Chen Xing stood there in amazement.
No, is this something that a human can guess? He still can't guess it even if he is given a year.
"I thought you just didn't want to write." Chen Xing muttered.
"Is it hard to tell?" Xia Huanming lowered his head in frustration, his shoulders slumped.
"No, it's very cute," Chen Xing quickly patted Xia Huanming's shoulder, "But this one is hard to pick, let's go back and think of something else."
Xia Huanming nodded obediently.
When the two strolled back to the villa area, they saw Qi Yinrui squatting on the grass and teasing Tiaotiao from afar.
"Brother Rui!" Chen Xing greeted happily.
Qi Yinrui looked up when he heard the voice and caught a glimpse of the unconcealed joy in Xia Huanming's eyes. He stood up and walked towards them, "You two finally met. You must be happy now, right?"
Xia Huanming stood up and shook Chen Xing's hand tightly, and thanked him for the first time: "Thank you."
Although Qi Yinrui often played tricks on him, he played an indispensable role in this matter.
And he is grateful.
"Hey," Qi Yinrui took a step back, contrary to his usual behavior, and made a pause gesture, "Don't thank me yet, I have some bad news to tell you."
Xia Huanming's brows tightened instantly: "What?"
Qi Yinrui raised his hands as if surrendering, his expression was extremely unnatural, and he spoke hesitantly: "Let me make it clear first, I was very busy because I had to go to two places, so I gave them the right to choose, and I didn't participate in the discussion at all."
Xia Huanming and Chen Xing looked at each other in confusion, neither of them understood what Qi Yinrui was saying.
Tiaotiao also stopped playing and tilted his head to look at the three people.
"What's the matter? Just tell me." Xia Huanming's voice became deep.
Qi Yinrui sighed: "Won't each team exchange one person to stay in another group for one period next time?"
Chen Xing nodded: "Yes."
In addition to the mandatory love drama setting, the sixth episode also added a task - each team needs to choose a member from the other team to exchange.
One group chooses people from three groups, three groups choose people from two groups, and two groups choose people from one group.
Yesterday they discussed it in the group and chose Su Yanqiu from Group 1.
Xia Huanming suddenly had an ominous premonition: "Could it be that your group chose..."
Qi Yinrui pointed at Chen Xing helplessly: "You may have to experience a long-distance relationship for a few days just after you start dating."
Chen Xing: “…”
Xia Huanming: “…”
Springtide: “Meow?”
Xia Huanming felt a breath stuck in his chest and he almost couldn't breathe.
"It's okay," Chen Xing was optimistic. He squeezed his hand and comforted him, "It's only a few days. We can still meet in the evening."
But he could only see her for a few hours a day, which was not enough for him.
Xia Huanming reluctantly responded with a "hmm", his brows furrowed even more tightly.
At this moment, Qi Yinrui suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I think I said something wrong."
Xia Huanming's dim eyes suddenly lit up, and he was as anxious as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw: "Isn't it Chen Xing?"
Qi Yinrui: "You two haven't seen each other for a few days, but for fourteen days."
Xia Huanming: "………………Who asked you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
