Chapter 18 "This cup is mine."...
A boy burst out with a loud "Fuck!"
The boys started making strange noises and heckling, and once the topic went off track, there was no way to bring it back.
"Has Sheng Yu been captured?"
"Wasn't it all officially announced at the mobilization meeting before?"
"Stop spreading rumors," Jin Ming nudged the outspoken boy on the shoulder. "Brother Yu was just helping others."
Sheng Yu ignored the teasing of others, his eyebrows drooping lazily, his elbows propped on the table, and he idly played with Tang Ci's old pencil case.
A few seconds later, he urged, "Have you thought it through?"
Tang Ci rubbed his nose and nodded, looking at him seriously and saying, "Come with me to the library for extra lessons during the National Day holiday. Your Chinese composition is really bad."
The bustling crowd fell into an eerie silence.
Zhou Yiyang was the first to react, and burst out laughing, "Brother Yu, you've really fallen for Tang Ci this time."
Jin Ming opened his mouth, and after a long while, he said, "No wonder he's the top bookworm in the grade."
The boys burst into laughter, chattering and teasing Sheng Yu. Sheng Yu was amused by Tang Ci's thought process, and a smile crept onto her lips as she slowly pulled the zipper on her pencil case.
The sizzling sound was like sawing wood, tormenting Tang Ci's nerves with each cut.
Tang Ci thought he had changed his mind, and whispered a reminder: "You can promise whatever you want."
"Call me during the holidays." Sheng Yu yawned, stood up from her seat, and gestured with her chin toward Zhou Yiyang. "Shall we go?"
"Come on! My mom's been waiting for me at home, she insists I call you over for dinner." Zhou Yiyang stopped arguing with the boy next to him, grabbed his phone, and followed Sheng Yu out of the classroom.
The onlookers quickly dispersed, and Tang Ci watched as Sheng Yu returned to his empty seat, realizing that he had only gone back to school to have dinner at a friend's house.
She silently put the bunch of gladiolus into the drawer, understanding that academic progress was just a trivial matter for Sheng Yu.
As they left the school gate, Zhou Yiyang looked at the car parked by the roadside and asked Sheng Yu in confusion, "Why didn't you wait in the car? Why did you come upstairs to pick me up?"
Sheng Yu scoffed coldly, "You think you're worthy?"
"Why is that?" Zhou Yiyang's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Could it be that he came upstairs specifically to collect flowers?"
Sheng Yu frowned slightly, took out a lighter from his pocket and tossed it to him, "Take this."
Seeing his matter-of-fact attitude, Zhou Yiyang muttered, "It's just a lighter, there are plenty in the car."
After getting into the car, Jin Ming, who had been silent the whole time, couldn't help but ask, "Yu-ge, what did you mean just now? If that bookworm Tang Ci asked you to be her boyfriend, would you really say yes?"
Sheng Yu rolled down the car window with one hand and flicked the lighter's flint wheel to light a cigarette with the other. "She won't want this."
"Tang Ci is preoccupied with studying, she has no interest in dating," Zhou Yiyang laughed. "But she's quite cute. I wonder what kind of guy Tang Ci likes."
"Just another bookworm like her," Jin Ming shrugged. "What, are you interested?"
"She's so sweet, like a blank sheet of paper. It should be very interesting to talk to her." This is the first time Zhou Yiyang has felt something for another girl since his breakup last semester.
Sheng Yu lifted his eyelids from the smoke, still speaking clearly through the filter, "You have no chance."
/
After several autumn rains, the weather warmed up briefly during the National Day holiday.
Tang Ci organized the essay tutoring materials the day before the holiday. When she checked the calendar, she realized that tomorrow was her review day, so she had to ask Sheng Yu to go to the library in the afternoon.
The hospital was overcrowded during the holiday. Tang Ci got up early to get a number from the hospital department, but there were already more than thirty people ahead of her, and even the seats in the waiting area were full.
It would be quite a while before it was her turn for a consultation, so Tang Ci went to the stairwell with her schoolbag on her back.
The stairwell was empty and clean, and the closed door blocked out the noise from the lobby. She sat down on the nearby steps and took out her textbook to start reviewing.
Tang Ci was focused on her studies and only realized someone was coming downstairs when she heard footsteps behind her.
Although she didn't take up much space, the stairwell was narrow, so Tang Ci moved to the corner to make room for others.
"Thank you." Song Min smiled and thanked the girl as she looked at her obedient figure. But when she caught a glimpse of Tang Ci's face out of the corner of her eye, she stopped in her tracks. "Are you the little girl who came to the emergency room with Sheng Yu that night?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ci looked up and saw Song Min's face clearly. She then stood up, clutching her schoolbag. Remembering how her clumsy attempt to pretend to be asleep had been seen through, she said shyly in a low voice, "Yes."
Noticing her unease, Song Min gently patted her arm and said softly, "Why are you at the hospital again today? Are you feeling unwell?"
Tang Ci felt a lump in her throat from her soft tone and said in a muffled voice, "It's just... a minor ailment, nothing serious."
Song Min nodded, took out a business card from her pocket and handed it to her, "I'm a cardiac surgeon. If you have any urgent matters next time you come to the hospital, you can call me."
Tang Ci quickly waved her hand and pressed her back against the wall: "No need, it's too much trouble for you."
Without saying a word, Song Min shoved the business card into her hand. "This is for you as an aunt. You are Xiao Yu's friend, so you are my junior. It's not too much for me to help you out."
Tang Ci held the thin business card awkwardly, glanced down at the name on it, and said, "Thank you, Dr. Song."
"It's nothing." Song Min frowned, pondered for a few seconds, then sighed and asked, "Young classmate, may I ask you about Xiao Yu's situation at school?"
Tang Ci asked, "Which aspect are you referring to?"
"Health, studies, anything is fine." Song Min raised her hand, her face full of helplessness: "He doesn't reply to my messages much."
Tang Ci thought for a moment and said, "His score improved by 109 places in this mock exam."
Song Min looked stunned, shook her head and smiled bitterly: "This is the first time I've heard anything about his studies since his mother passed away. I heard from his mother that he always got first place in his exams every year."
Tang Ci's fingers tightened around the schoolbag, and her throat tightened. She hesitated for a few seconds and asked softly, "So he became like this because his mother died?"
Song Min closed her reddened eyes and choked out, "No one could bear to see their mother commit suicide in front of them, especially since Xiao Yu had just graduated from junior high school and had locked himself in his room for the entire summer vacation..."
Tang Ci's mind went blank for a moment, and her temples throbbed uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you all this." Song Min quickly composed herself and looked at her earnestly. "Auntie just wanted to ask you to give me a call if you notice anything wrong with him, okay?"
/
When Tang Ci left the hospital, it was already past noon.
Tang Ci was busy with examinations at the hospital and didn't have time for anything else. It wasn't until she stepped out of the hospital and smelled the aroma of food emanating from the restaurants on both sides of the road that she realized she was hungry.
She randomly picked a noodle shop to eat at, and while waiting for her food, she opened her phone's map to check the route to the library. The shortest route by bus would take an hour.
Tang Ci and Sheng Yu agreed to meet at the library at 2 PM. After finishing her meal, Tang Ci didn't go home but went straight to the library on the bus.
The municipal library is always crowded, especially on holidays. When Tang Ci arrived at the study area, she couldn't find two adjacent empty seats, so she had to stand by the window and wait for a seat while reading.
A digital clock hung on the wall, its seconds ticking away. As the time drew near to 2 PM, Tang Ci looked around the library entrance but didn't see Sheng Yu. So she sent him a message.
Have you arrived yet?
I'm in the common study area on the first floor.
After sending the text message, she counted that there were still four or five tiles separating her from the floor-to-ceiling window where she was standing and the study area, so she added a sentence.
[—The floor-to-ceiling window next door is where people are currently waiting for a table.]
Tang Ci was typing intently with her head down when she heard a commotion coming from the front door.
She looked up from her phone and saw Sheng Yu striding into the library. He was wearing a neat black trench coat, his hair was cut short, revealing his handsome features.
The girls at the entrance all turned their heads to look, and even many people in the study area looked up and glanced in the direction of the entrance.
Tang Ci wasn't very close, and could only vaguely make out Sheng Yu's unassuming figure. As for his expression, it was obvious without even guessing that it was cold and aloof, as if he wanted to keep strangers away.
She was stunned for only two seconds before Sheng Yu's gaze, across the vast hall, precisely landed on her, and he then waved to her.
Tang Ci looked at the two empty seats in the study area a few steps away, took out her phone and sent a message to Sheng Yu, asking him to come over.
Upon opening her phone, she was immediately greeted by Sheng Yu's urgent call: "Come here."
Tang Ci glanced at the empty seats that weren't yet occupied, then quickly ran to Sheng Yu's side, grabbed his sleeve, and tried to pull him back, saying, "Come with me, there are two empty seats over there—"
Before she could finish speaking, Sheng Yu interrupted her by grabbing her backpack strap.
Sheng Yu pulled her back to where she was, backpack and all, and glanced upstairs. "Go to the VIP room."
Tang Ci wrinkled her nose. "VIP rooms are very expensive."
“It’s noisy in the public area.” Sheng Yu went up the escalator without saying another word.
Tang Ci noticed the bluish tinge under his eyes and didn't insist on following him.
The VIP room on the third floor of the library is next to the floor-to-ceiling windows and is divided into private rooms by glass. Sheng Yu had already booked the room online and entered directly by scanning the code.
The private room contains a wooden double table and two ergonomic chairs placed side by side.
Sheng Yu casually placed his phone on the bookshelf and pulled out one of the chairs to sit down.
Tang Ci hesitated at the door for a while before finally going over to the small desk. She straightened her back and stood in front of the desk, took out all the study materials from her schoolbag in one go, and said in a businesslike manner, "Come on."
Compared to her tension, Sheng Yu seemed much more relaxed. He stretched his long legs out under the table, his palms supporting his chin, and he let out a soft "hmm".
Listening to his lazy voice, Tang Ci reasonably suspected that he must be sleeping at this time.
She glanced up at the tightly closed curtains, then reached out and pulled them open with a whoosh, instantly filling the entire space with golden sunlight.
Tang Ci smiled with satisfaction.
Sheng Yu frowned and clicked his tongue, "It's too bright."
"I'm sorry, I was afraid you'd be sleepy," Tang Ci apologized hesitantly, then quickly drew the curtains closed.
“Blindness would be even more troublesome,” Sheng Yuping said in a low voice.
"..." Tang Ci swallowed hard, opened the book and placed it in front of him, "Let's study. Let's start by looking at the different types of argumentative essays..."
The two seats were already next to each other, and Tang Ci would occasionally observe Sheng Yu's reaction while explaining, so they unknowingly moved closer and closer to him.
After explaining a difficult point, Tang Ci unconsciously licked her dry lips, looked up at him, and asked, "Did you understand everything?"
Sheng Yu's gaze moved from her pale, glistening lips to her delicate nose, then upwards to her bulky glasses, the lenses reflecting the light.
Tang Ci noticed his gaze, quickly pushed up her glasses with her fingertips, and asked in a low voice, "Was I not clear enough?"
Sheng Yu still didn't answer her question. Instead, he raised his hand and lightly tapped her glasses, ordering in a harsh tone, "Take off your glasses, they're making me dizzy."
Tang Ci's mind went blank for a second. She dazedly took off her glasses, pursed her lips, then released them, and asked softly, "Are you still dizzy?"
Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise, tapping the table lightly with her fingertip and asking, "Why are you being so obedient today?"
Tang Ci gripped her glasses tightly, stood up abruptly, and abruptly changed the subject: "You look at the example first, I'm going to the restroom."
When she got to the bathroom, she only went in for a quick look around. Tang Ci washed her face at the sink and waited for the heat on her skin to subside before going back inside.
There was a chain coffee shop outside the private room, known for its excellent quality and low prices. Tang Ci thought that Sheng Yu was probably just teasing her because she was still grumpy after waking up, so she went to the cashier and ordered two hot lattes.
When she returned to the private room with her latte, Sheng Yu was lazily flipping through the pages of a book, seemingly engrossed in it.
After Tang Ci sat down, she carefully looked at the label on the coffee cup and handed him the sugar-free latte.
Sheng Yu looked up and took it: "Thanks."
Caffeine takes effect quickly, and Tang Ci feels more energetic than when she first arrived. As her speech speed increases, she also drinks coffee more frequently.
The coffee cup that was originally on the left was casually moved to the right, next to Sheng Yu's cup.
So Tang Ci didn't notice when she picked up the wrong cup. It wasn't until the straw poked her lips that she heard Sheng Yu say leisurely, "This cup is mine."
Tang Ci froze, holding the cup with both hands, carefully placing it back on the table, her wide eyes quickly glancing at him before looking away.
"I didn't smoke."
Sheng Yu let out a low chuckle, "Want me to praise you?"
"No." Tang Ci shook her head, blushing. "I'll go get you a different straw."
Sheng Yu simply snatched the coffee cup from her hand, saying, "It has a direct drinking spout."
Tang Ci said "Oh," reached out and pulled the straw that her lips had touched off the cup, and as she bent down to throw it into the trash can, she vigorously rubbed her lips with the back of her hand.
The sun, shut out by the curtains, quietly sank, and orange rays of light squeezed in through the window cracks, drawing a brilliant patch of light on the table.
The phone on the bookshelf started vibrating, and the spot of light trembled along with it.
Tang Ci glanced up and saw that it was Sheng Yu's phone ringing, then continued to revise the test paper.
Sheng Yu rubbed the back of his neck as he answered the phone, "What is it?"
"Brother Yu, let's go out for dinner." Jin Ming quickly announced the name of a restaurant. "Yi Yang is here too. I've already ordered your favorite dishes."
Sheng Yu heard a girl's coquettish voice on the other end of the phone, and raised his eyebrows impatiently. Suddenly, he heard a soft "gurgle" from outside the phone.
He glanced down at Tang Ci's serious profile and said into the phone, "Go now."
Tang Ci waited until he hung up the phone before stopping her writing, then looked up at him and said, "You go first, I'll finish grading the papers before I leave."
Sheng Yu bowed and took the test paper from her hand. "Let's go together. We ordered too much food."
"Oh..." Based on the principle of not wasting anything, Tang Ci agreed.
/
Jin Ming had booked a reservation at a long-established restaurant. The private room area was located on the second floor, accessible only by climbing an elegant staircase.
When Sheng Yu pushed open the door to the private room, it was pitch black inside.
Tang Ci, who was following behind, looked into the private room and asked, "Did we go to the wrong place?"
As soon as she finished speaking, accompanied by the sound of celebratory cannons, the lights in the private room suddenly turned on, illuminating Sheng Yu, who was covered in colorful ribbons.
"Happy birthday, Yu-ge!!"
"Happy birthday!!"
May Yu-ge be happy every day!!
...
Inside, the boys and girls excitedly shouted their blessings to Sheng Yu by the door. Sheng Yu entered, brushing off the colorful ribbons on her clothes, her voice as calm as ever: "Thank you."
Qiao Xi stood up from her seat and handed Sheng Yu an exquisitely packaged gift box: "Sheng Yu, happy birthday."
Sheng Yu nodded with her chin toward the sofa, which was already piled high with gifts, and said, "Just put them there."
Qiao Xi awkwardly clutched the gift box. As she walked to the sofa, she saw Tang Ci behind Sheng Yu and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Tang Ci? What are you doing here?"
Sheng Yu stepped aside to let Tang Ci in, saying, "I called her."
Zhou Yiyang pulled out the empty chair next to him. "Tang Ci, come sit here."
Besides the main seat, the only empty seat was next to Zhou Yiyang. Tang Ci smiled gratefully at Zhou Yiyang and sat down with her backpack on.
Sheng Yu twitched the corner of his lips and, as he walked around behind her, placed his palm on the back of her chair.
Once everyone had arrived, Jin Ming called the waiter to serve the dishes.
Tang Ci was really hungry. After sitting down, she ate in silence, not participating in the lively conversation at the table. After eating almost all of her food, she picked up her teacup and drank some tea.
Tang Ci finished her tea and put down her teacup. Suddenly, the saucer was turned and hit the top of the teacup, spilling warm tea all over her hand.
Sugar was added to the tea. Tang Ci dried her hands with a tissue, but her palms were still sticky, so she had to get up and go to the bathroom to wash them.
The restaurant's restroom was quiet. As Tang Ci finished washing her hands and pulled out a tissue to dry them, she immediately noticed footsteps behind her.
Just as she was about to move aside, Qiao Xi's mocking voice rang in her ears, "Tang Ci, you didn't even bring a gift, and you still have the nerve to come to eat?"
Tang Ci stopped wiping her hands, turned to look at Qiao Xi and said, "I didn't know it was Sheng Yu's birthday today."
Qiao Xi stood with her arms crossed in the archway outside the sink: "Do you know why you don't know? Because you're not important to Sheng Yu."
Tang Ci's face was pale. She threw the crumpled paper into the trash can and said, "What's it to you?"
Qiao Xi sneered: "Of course it has nothing to do with me. I was just kindly reminding you that everyone in the private room is a rich kid. Don't you think it's awkward to be the only poor bookworm like you?"
School is a paradoxical place; the uniform subjects and uniform uniforms greatly blur the differences between classes.
The question that Tang Ci had never thought about in detail was bluntly brought up by Qiao Xi.
Sheng Yu was just being polite in inviting her to dinner; he didn't actually expect her to accept.
After Qiao Xi finished speaking, she returned to the private room. Tang Ci stood awkwardly at the sink, letting the tide of shame engulf her.
Tang Ci took out another tissue to wipe her hands, and the skin on the back of her hand was unconsciously rubbed red.
After thinking for a while, she decided to make an excuse to leave when she returned to the private room.
Tang Ci felt that Sheng Yu probably wouldn't notice her, so she ultimately decided not to say goodbye to him.
Sheng Yu ate very little in the private room and rarely responded to the conversations of those around him.
He was aloof and cold, but that didn't stop girls from getting close to him.
Qiao Xi had switched seats with Jin Ming at some point. She cupped her cheeks with her hands, which were painted with pink nail polish, and looked at him. "What are you planning to do after dinner?"
Sheng Yu smelled the sweet perfume on her and raised an eyebrow: "Do I need to report to you?"
Qiao Xi said in a sweet voice, "Don't be so fierce on my birthday."
The boy next to him winked mischievously, "Want to go for a spin in the sports cars later? Yu-ge can pick which pretty girl sits in the passenger seat."
The people present included both adults and minors. Their wealthy and privileged families had made them accustomed to the comforts of everyday life from a young age. They talked about luxury cars and mansions all the time, as if only excitement was worth their time.
Sheng Yu twirled the lighter between his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the empty seat opposite him, where a floppy old backpack hung on the back of the chair.
The owner of the schoolbag, who had gone out to do something, came back in looking pitiful with a droopy face.
Seeing that no one had noticed her, Tang Ci breathed a sigh of relief, closed the door slightly, and prepared to grab her schoolbag and leave.
"Tang Ci," Sheng Yu suddenly called her, his expression displeased and his tone icy, "Where have you been?"
Tang Ci's breath hitched. "...Wash your hands."
Sheng Yu remained noncommittal and continued, "Are you full?"
"I'm full." Tang Ci nodded hesitantly, understanding the subtext in Sheng Yu's words: she should be sensible and leave on her own.
Although she had already expected it, hearing him say that still made Tang Ci feel a pang of sadness in her chest.
She lowered her head to get her schoolbag, but Sheng Yu stood up and picked it up first: "Let's go."
After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, Tang Ci realized that Sheng Yu wanted to leave with her. She opened her mouth and asked, "Where are we going?"
"The papers haven't been finished grading yet?"
Tang Ci twisted her fingers. "But the library is closed."
Sheng Yu seemed too lazy to listen to her nonsense anymore. He threw his schoolbag into her arms, opened the door and walked out, leaving behind the words, "Going to your house."
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