Chapter 20 "You're this well-behaved with everyone else too?..."
After leaving the escape shop, Tang Ci, clutching a pea pod pillow, lagged two meters behind Sheng Yu, her head drooping, her ears and neck flushed red.
Sheng Yu grew impatient and slowed her pace. She turned her head to look at the dawdling Tang Ci and asked, "What's wrong?"
His overly casual attitude only made Tang Ci feel guilty. She cleared her throat to bolster her courage, but her voice was barely audible: "Why...did that just now?"
Sheng Yu found it amusing: "Like that?"
Tang Ci clenched her fist and pressed it to her lips, saying, "Wipe my mouth..."
“You can’t see it, can’t you?” Sheng Yu turned around and said matter-of-factly, “Can’t I help?”
Tang Ci opened her mouth, and after a long while, she uttered a sound, "Okay."
Sheng Yu bowed down to meet her gaze, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "So what should you say?"
"..." Tang Ci tugged at the long plush of the pea pod pillow, thought for a moment, and said, "Thank you?"
Sheng Yu's dark pupils lit up with inquisitive interest, and he asked in a drawn-out voice, "Tang Ci, are you this well-behaved with everyone else too?"
Tang Ci was taken aback by his question, and shook her head, saying, "No, I don't think so."
Sheng Yu smiled and vigorously rubbed her head. "It's best if it isn't."
The temple across the street rang its midnight bell. Sheng Yu hailed a taxi, told the driver Tang Ci's address, paid the fare, and then opened the back door to call her in.
As soon as Tang Ci got into the car, Sheng Yu slammed the door shut. Amid the hum of the engine starting up, she peered out the car through the fogged-up window at Sheng Yu.
Sheng Yu stood on the desolate street, his silhouette almost swallowed by the thick night. He lowered his head and lit a cigarette, the sparks from his lips flickering in the dim light.
Tang Ci hurriedly rolled down the car window and leaned out to say to him, "You should go home early too."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Yu lifted his eyelids, the corners of his mouth seemed to curve slightly, and he nodded without saying a word.
/
The following day, the two of them made their usual appointment to study at the library in the afternoon.
Before Tang Ci packed her schoolbag and left the house, she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. When she went to the bathroom, she discovered that her period had arrived two days early.
She quickly finished tidying up, pulled out two sanitary napkins, and went outside, where she met Tang Jianwei and Qin Ling, who were changing their shoes at the door.
As Qin Ling's belly grew bigger day by day, it became inconvenient for her to continue working at the kindergarten. At Tang Jianwei's urging, she simply resigned and accompanied him on project projects.
Tang Ci glanced at the two of them indifferently, then casually stuffed the sanitary napkin into the side pocket of her backpack.
Qin Ling, clutching her pregnant belly, squatted on the ground with difficulty, polishing her leather shoes. Seeing her figure, she turned her head and greeted her politely, "Xiao Ci, are you going out to study?"
Tang Ci looked at her face, which was flushed from the discomfort of the movement, and replied with an "Mmm".
Tang Jianwei, reeking of a hangover, was leaning against the door lighting a cigarette when he overheard their conversation and mumbled, "Why can't you study at home? Why do you have to go out to study?"
"I've made plans to go to the library with my classmates these past few days," Tang Ci replied in a low voice, her eyes downcast, knowing his tendency to act arrogantly when drunk.
"The library closes at six o'clock!" Tang Jian's face darkened. He cleared his throat and scolded, "You've been coming home past midnight a lot lately. Have you been hanging out with some bad friends?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ci's phone, which was on the shoe cabinet, vibrated twice.
Tang Jianwei raised an eyebrow and reached for his phone with the cigarette between his fingers, but Tang Ci grabbed it first, stuffed it into his coat pocket without even looking at it, and then opened the door and went out.
After descending two steps, Tang Ci finally couldn't hold back and turned to Tang Jianwei, whose face was ashen inside the door, saying, "Instead of meddling in my affairs, you should be more concerned about Aunt Qin."
"This is none of your business to lecture me!!" Tang Jianwei roared, slamming his fist on the wall. "I'm your father, and you think I can't control you?!"
Qin Ling stood up, holding onto the shoe cabinet, and said, "Old Tang, don't be angry. Xiao Ci is young and doesn't understand. When she grows up, she'll know you're doing this for her own good..."
Tang Jianwei snorted coldly: "She's never home, what a waste of money raising her!"
Tang Ci walked to the corner of the stairs and glanced at the front door of her house.
Qin Ling whispered something in Tang Jianwei's ear, gently patting his back with her right hand.
Tang Ci suppressed her nausea and quickly left the building.
Once inside the subway car, Tang Ci remembered to check her phone. It was just a notification from her mobile carrier that she was overdue on her bill. She lowered her head, paid the minimum amount, put her phone back in her bag, and took out her vocabulary words to memorize.
Tang Ci arrived earlier than usual. With her schoolbag on her back, she wandered aimlessly among the large bookshelves. All around her were the soft sounds of turning pages, like the gentle flow of a river washing away the stuffiness in her chest.
Tang Ci had only been standing by the bookshelf by the French windows for a short while when she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Sheng Yu asking with a displeased expression, "Why didn't you answer the phone?"
Her phone was broken, and she hadn't been able to bring herself to get it repaired. She racked her brains for an explanation, but when she finally spoke, she suddenly felt embarrassed and could only mumble, "...I put my phone in my bag and didn't hear it ring."
Sheng Yu raised his chin towards the upstairs window. "Shall we go?"
"Let's go." Tang Ci put the book back on the shelf, followed him, and looked up at him, saying, "You're here so early today."
"Woke up early."
Tang Ci nodded and didn't say anything more after getting on the escalator.
Both of them were quiet people, but Tang Ci would usually say something from time to time. However, she was unusually silent today, leaning against the handrail as she went up, her eyelashes drooping listlessly, her gaze fixed on the steps below.
She wasn't the type to secretly peek at him as usual.
Upon reaching the third floor and descending the escalator, Sheng Yu's steps slowed. "Are you unhappy?"
Tang Ci paused for a moment, not wanting to talk about the unpleasant things at home. She shook her head, clutching the shoulder strap of her schoolbag, "I went to bed late last night and I'm still a little sleepy."
As they were talking, they passed a coffee shop, and Tang Ci stopped: "You go to your room first, I'll go buy two cups of coffee."
Sheng Yu glanced down at her absent-minded state, picked up the heavy schoolbag from her shoulder, and said to her like a child, "Come back as soon as you're done buying it."
Tang Ci felt her shoulder being brushed against by his knuckles through her clothes, her ears burning slightly, and she nodded with her lips pursed.
Sheng Yu entered the room, pulled up a chair, and sat down. He casually placed Tang Ci's schoolbag on the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something stuffed in the mesh side pocket of the schoolbag: a white plastic package, flat and soft, its pale color resembling Tang Ci's complexion.
Sheng Yu tapped his fingertips on the solid wood table, then stood up again and went to the coffee shop to find someone.
The coffee shop's booths are located next to floor-to-ceiling windows, in a prominent position. Sheng Yu walked through the corridor and saw Tang Ci standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a cup of coffee in each hand, with a tall but frivolous-looking boy standing opposite her.
The two were standing very close together.
Sheng Yu expressionlessly flicked the silver lighter in his pocket, flicked it open with a snap, and then slammed it shut.
The crisp sound didn't attract the attention of the two people chatting enthusiastically ahead.
Sheng Yu clicked his tongue and walked towards the French windows. Suddenly, he heard someone call him from behind. Sheng Yu turned his head and saw Qiao Xi waving at him with a look of surprise: "What a coincidence, you're here to study in the library too?"
"Otherwise, where would you go to study?"
Seeing that Sheng Yu had no intention of chatting with her, Qiao Xi's eyes dimmed slightly. She glanced towards the coffee shop, walked over to Sheng Yu, and asked bluntly, "Don't you want to know who was talking to Tang Ci?"
Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow but didn't move.
"Her boyfriend in junior high was Ding He." Qiao Xi paused deliberately, staring innocently into Sheng Yu's eyes, and said, "Didn't Tang Ci tell you about him?"
Sheng Yu crossed her arms, her thick eyelashes drooping, and asked in return, "You're quite interested in her affairs?"
“Of course I’m interested in things that concern me,” Qiao Xi smiled, her patent leather heels clattering on the floor. “Back in junior high, Ding He was pursuing me, but Tang Ci used tutoring as an excuse to steal him away.”
Her eyes darted around, and she asked, "Does this plot seem familiar?"
Sheng Yu raised her chin towards the boy's back and scoffed, "If you're not willing to accept this, then go and take it back."
Qiao Xi's face turned pale. She gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "I came here today to kindly remind you that Tang Ci is very scheming. Back in junior high school, after they got together, Ding He's family business ran into trouble. When Tang Ci found out, she immediately broke up with him using the silent treatment."
Seeing Sheng Yu's unmoved expression, Qiao Xi lowered her voice and reminded him in a flattering tone, "Who in Nanling doesn't know the Sheng family's name? Be careful that Tang Ci's motives for approaching you are not pure."
"What's it to you?"
Sheng Yu turned to leave impatiently, but paused when his gaze fell on the French windows, and his eyes instantly turned cold.
Tang Ci and Ding He, who were originally standing by the window, had long since disappeared.
Qiao Xi exhaled softly through her nose, about to say a few words, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Sheng Yu narrow his eyes in displeasure, so she closed her mouth again.
/
Tang Ci never expected to see Ding He again.
She was standing outside the counter waiting for her coffee when she heard someone calling her from the escalator.
When she looked up and saw Ding He, she froze for a few seconds. Ding He strode to her side and called her name again.
Tang Ci, holding her coffee, took a few steps back, nodded indifferently, and made a move to leave.
Ding He immediately raised his hand to stop her, and asked anxiously, "Tang Ci, why haven't you answered my calls these past few years?"
Tang Ci was puzzled by his familiar tone and said in a low voice, "I don't think I have anything to say to you."
"Are you still angry with me?" Ding He lowered his eyebrows and looked down at her, saying, "I really like you. I was just fooling around with my classmates and said something unpleasant. You still hold a grudge?"
He dragged out the last syllable of his voice, giving off a sticky, intimate feel that made Tang Ci feel uncomfortable, and unpleasant memories were stirred up in her mind.
In the second semester of the second year of junior high school, the class rearranged the seating, and Tang Ci and Ding He sat at the same table, which is why they had some interaction.
Ding He was a good-for-nothing playboy who played games and slept in class. When the teacher called on him to answer a question, he couldn't answer it and got a good scolding from the teacher.
With only the intention of helping others at heart, Tang Ci whispered the answer to him.
From then on, Ding He and Tang Ci began to talk more. Tang Ci was busy studying at the time, and was determined to get into the No. 1 Middle School. She would only give a perfunctory reply to whatever Ding He said.
Aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, Ding He would also ask Tang Ci some difficult questions before the exam. Based on his theory of teaching middle school, Tang Ci would patiently answer them one by one.
In their early teens, when their hearts begin to flutter with romantic feelings, even the slightest disturbance in the classroom can cause a stir, and that's when rumors start to spread.
It was around that time that Tang Ci realized the difference between herself and Ding He. Ding He, who was always dressed in a glamorous way and frequented game venues, and Tang Ci, who was wearing a faded school uniform and studying, were not from the same social class.
Therefore, she was the poor student who deliberately seduced the rich second generation.
Tang Ci was saddened by this for a long time and tried to explain it to her classmates who came to ask.
But rumors are like the tide, rising and falling, they always exist.
Ding He, who was in the eye of the storm, didn't care at all. Instead, he became even more attached to Tang Ci, spreading out his completely wrong test paper during every self-study period to ask her for an explanation.
Tang Ci felt a little annoyed with him and thought he was stupid, but considering that he wasn't a bad person and was also a victim of gossip, she patiently explained the problem to him and tried to avoid any other contact with him.
One evening, Tang Ci forgot her meal card and had to turn back to the classroom when she arrived at the cafeteria. Before she even reached the gate, she heard Ding He and a group of boys leaning against the window, talking and laughing loudly.
Someone mischievously asked Ding He, "I always thought you'd end up with Qiao Xi, but I never expected you to be dating Tang Ci. What do you like about her?"
Ding He didn't deny it, and said with a nonchalant laugh, "I didn't notice before, but I realized she's quite pretty when I sit next to her. She's just a quiet student and not very interesting, but that's perfect for helping me cheat on exams."
He whistled smugly and shared his experience with his cronies: "You have to find a girlfriend who is both beautiful and useful."
A boy turned his head and saw Tang Ci not far away. He grinned mischievously and nudged Ding He with his shoulder, saying, "Your useful little girlfriend is here."
Ding He turned his head and saw Tang Ci. He didn't think he had said anything wrong, and greeted her with a forced smile.
Tang Ci frowned and left without her meal card, going directly to the office to ask the homeroom teacher to change her seat.
Just then, Ding He's family business ran into some problems, and Ding He took several weeks off from school. The rumors, now presented in a different guise, started spreading like wildfire again.
Tang Ci learned from the whispers around her that the new version of the rumor was that she had cruelly abandoned Ding He because of the setbacks in Ding He's family business.
She was silently shocked for a while, then continued doing practice questions, after all, getting into the top high school from a bottom-ranked junior high school was no easy feat.
Then came Qiao Xi's lead in isolating others, and Tang Ci belatedly realized that Ding He's previous ambiguous relationship was with Qiao Xi, who was the most popular girl in the class.
The days of being ostracized were tough, but at least I was able to study in peace.
On the most difficult days, she would finish studying late at night, open her drawer, and carefully look at the swimming competition flyer from the bottom of her documents for a while.
Ding He is a persistent person. Ever since Tang Ci changed seats, she has been receiving text messages and calls from him non-stop. Tang Ci ignores them and blocks his number as soon as she sees them.
This situation continued until the second year of high school, when Ding He moved to Lincheng with his family, and his harassment of Tang Ci finally came to an end.
And now he has reappeared.
A few years later, Tang Ci was once again shocked for a few seconds by this person's persistent and obstinate skills. She said with a blank face, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Hey, hey—" Ding He reached out to stop her, anxiously saying, "Why are you in such a hurry? Even if you're an old classmate, you can chat for a while."
Tang Ci moved a little closer to the French windows. "My classmate is waiting for me to study."
Ding He suddenly shook his head, bent over and leaned against the round table, panting as he said, "I feel a little dizzy, I think I'm having a hypoglycemic episode."
"..." Tang Ci vaguely remembered that he had low blood sugar since junior high school. He once fell during the flag-raising ceremony, which frightened a group of teachers and students. She instinctively reached out to help him, but her palm was halfway out in the air and she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just asked dryly, "Do you have any food with you?"
Ding He stretched out a hand and waved it at her, "No, I forgot about that."
Seeing his posture, the shop assistant was a little scared and came over to ask, "Young man, are you alright? Should we call 120 for you?"
Ding He paused for a moment, then looked up weakly at the shop assistant and said, "It's nothing, just a little low blood sugar. My classmate can help me buy some food."
The shop assistant nodded hurriedly and said to Tang Ci, "Then you should go quickly, don't delay."
"..." Tang Ci sighed inwardly, asked the clerk for a takeaway bag to pack the coffee, and then urged Ding He, "Let's go quickly."
As if she couldn't wait to get rid of this plague, Ding He could see her annoyance, but he also knew that she was soft-hearted. Tang Ci pulled his arm and he deliberately slowed down his pace.
After finally getting out of the library, Tang Ci's hands and feet instantly turned icy cold as the bleak north wind blew. She brushed the stray hairs behind her ears and saw the coffee bag on her wrist, realizing how foolish she had been.
Tang Ci let go of Ding He's hand and handed him the cup of coffee with sugar. "This coffee has sugar in it, you'll be fine after drinking it."
Caught off guard, Ding He accepted the coffee. Seeing Tang Ci turn to go back inside without a second thought, he quickly grabbed her arm and pleaded pitifully, "I'm already like this, can you stay with me a little longer? Besides, how much sugar is in this coffee? If I drink it and it doesn't work and I pass out here, won't you feel bad?"
Many people were coming and going at the library entrance, and they all turned their heads when they saw the male and female students who looked like students pulling and tugging at each other.
Tang Ci felt her ears burning from being stared at by others, and said seriously, "Let me go first."
"You have to promise to stay with me first." Ding He was determined to stick to his guns. He was a free spirit and used to being watched, so he raised his voice a little. "Okay, Tang Ci, just stay with me for a while."
Tang Ci's arm ached from his grip, and her face flushed with anger: "If you don't let go, I'm calling the police."
Her voice wasn't loud to begin with, and with the noise outside, Ding He didn't hear Tang Ci's words clearly. Seeing her face turn red, he assumed she was shy and moved closer to Tang Ci with a smile on his lips.
"What did you say—Ahhhhh—"
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind Tang Ci and grabbed Ding He's wrist. The veins on the cold back of the hand bulged. Ding He's voice, which had been smiling, suddenly turned sharp, and his face turned pale. He struggled to let go of Tang Ci's hand.
His movement was too sudden, and Tang Ci's body leaned backward due to inertia, crashing straight into the chest of the person behind him.
She looked up in surprise, meeting Sheng Yu's cold gaze. "Didn't I tell you to come right after you bought the coffee?"
Tang Ci hesitated, trying to explain, but Ding He's screams grew louder.
Sheng Yu clicked his tongue in disgust, released his hand, and pushed him to a place two meters away from Tang Ci.
Ding He rubbed his wrist, which was red and blue, and glared angrily at the two of them. "These are the classmates you were talking about studying with?"
He frowned and looked Sheng Yu up and down. Seeing that he was dressed casually but expensively and had a noble and aloof demeanor, he sneered knowingly, "No wonder you haven't been replying to my messages. So you've found someone else. Qiao Xi was right. You only approached me for money."
The gazes and whispers of those around her were like sharp swords, swiftly and invisibly piercing through Tang Ci's body, crushing her self-esteem.
Qiao Xi followed Sheng Yu out, a cold smile on her lips, and stood a few meters away watching the show.
The nightmare from junior high school reappeared in broad daylight, the only difference being that Sheng Yu was also there this time.
The thought that Sheng Yu would miss her just like everyone else made Tang Ci feel like she was being placed in a vacuum bag, with the air being slowly sucked away.
Her calm demeanor vanished, and she could no longer utter a rebuttal. Tang Ci buried her head, trying to hide herself away.
Suddenly, her shoulder felt heavy as Sheng Yu placed his palm on her shoulder and pulled her into his arms.
Tang Ci's mind was still foggy and not clear, but her senses returned to normal, and she could clearly hear Sheng Yu's deep, magnetic voice coming from above her head.
"Ding He, are you sixteen yet?"
Ding He had no idea what he was up to, so he nodded with a furrowed brow.
Sheng Yu raised her phone, which was recording, and looked at Ding He with a sharp glint in her eyes: "You'd better have evidence for what you just said, or you can wait to go to jail."
Ding He's face flushed red instantly, and he looked at Qiao Xi at a loss.
Knowing the Sheng family's ruthless style, Qiao Xi's expression changed, and she moved closer to Sheng Yu, as if to offer some explanation.
Sheng Yu turned her head and glanced at her, "That includes you too."
Standing in the bright sunlight, Qiao Xi broke out in a cold sweat. For the first time, she realized that Sheng Yu was indeed as cold and ruthless as the rumors suggested.
Tang Ci was the first to recover from the farce before her eyes. She gently tugged at the hem of Sheng Yu's coat and said, "Let's go back."
Sheng Yu avoided the reddened wrist bone from Ding He's grip and naturally took her hand: "I'll listen to you."
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