Chapter 52 "Want to be with me?"...
Sheng Yu also laughed: "They lined up outside the classroom to visit."
"What?" Xiao Jing realized the two were joking and pouted, "What you two are doing isn't liking someone, it's more like idolizing a celebrity. But Sister Xiao Ci really doesn't seem like the type to like someone..."
Xiao Jing muttered the last sentence.
Sheng Yu heard it clearly: "What do you mean?"
Wanting to remind Xiao Jing not to talk nonsense, but with Sheng Yu right next to her, Tang Ci winked at her.
Xiao Jing didn't notice her actions at all and loudly proclaimed to Sheng Yu: "I've been working with Sister Xiao Ci for a few months and I've seen her being hit on by a lot of men, but she never paid any attention to them. She lives a very simple life, going between the company and her rented room every day. She's practically like a celibate nun."
Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow at Tang Ci: "Oh?"
Tang Ci swallowed hard and pretended to be busy drinking her coffee.
“However, there are exceptions,” Xiao Jing said with a smile. “Sister Xiao Ci and Mr. Jiang, who owns a coffee shop, are very familiar with each other.”
Tang Ci choked on her coffee, covered her mouth and said, "Don't talk nonsense, Jiang Zheng and I are just friends."
Xiao Jing shrugged: "Friends I see often."
Sheng Yu pulled out a chair and sat down, lifting his eyelids to look at Tang Ci: "They have a good relationship."
Tang Ci swallowed her coffee and mumbled a reply. She glanced at the clock on the wall, then stood up: "It's time. I'll go call everyone for the meeting."
Sheng Yu tapped the table with his fingertips, watching her hurried departure, and narrowed his eyes.
/
At the beginning of June, the long-silent university dormitory group was in an uproar because of a wedding invitation.
Liang Yue and her boyfriend of eight years settled down and got married in the capital, and invited the three of them to the wedding.
The wedding was on a Friday, and in order not to affect her work, she asked Zidane for leave three days in advance.
She had expected Zidane to take the opportunity to make things difficult for her again, but to her surprise, he readily signed the leave slip, though his gaze toward her was even more disdainful than before.
Tang Ci didn't have time to care. In order to free up Friday, she had to work overtime for several days in a row, so she packed her luggage as soon as she got home that day.
Since it was a short trip, Tang Ci didn't plan to bring a suitcase and instead used a backpack.
As she stood by the bed folding her clothes, she heard the sound of the door being unlocked, followed by steady footsteps.
Sheng Yu returned to Australia a couple of days ago, and she has been living alone at home these past few days, with the bedroom door always open.
The footsteps grew closer.
Tang Ci paused in her movements, turned her head to look towards the door, and unexpectedly met Sheng Yu's gaze.
The man's face was not good; his sharp eyebrows were pressed down, and his pupils were deep and dark, as if a storm was brewing.
I wonder what I'm angry about now.
Tang Ci's fingers curled as she held the clothes, her throat tightened and she couldn't speak, only her eyes looking at people anxiously.
Sheng Yu's tense lips relaxed slightly as she asked, "Where are we going this time?"
When he opened his mouth, his voice was terribly hoarse.
Tang Ci froze, realizing that Sheng Yu thought she was going to move out like before. She panicked for a moment, put down her clothes and said to him, "I'm going to the capital to attend my roommate's wedding."
Sheng Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he pinched his brow a few times: "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
"I'm sorry," Tang Ci noticed the bloodshot eyes in his eyes and took half a step toward him helplessly. "You were on a business trip, and I was afraid of bothering you, so I didn't say anything."
"I'll let you know in advance next time."
Sheng Yu put down his hand, his face still somewhat gloomy, and gestured with his chin toward the neatly folded clothes on the bed: "How many days are you going?"
"I'll go on Friday morning and come back on Saturday afternoon." Tang Ci fidgeted with her fingers and tentatively asked, "Is there anything you want to eat? I'll buy it for you."
"What is it?" Sheng Yu asked, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
"It's something like local specialties."
Sheng Yu lowered his gaze slightly: "I'll contact you again when you get there."
Tang Ci nodded and said, "Okay." She pointed to her backpack and asked as if requesting instructions from a superior, "Shall I continue packing?"
Sheng Yu nodded and said before leaving, "I'll have Xiang Wen take you there on Friday."
/
Tang Ci got up very early on Friday and spent the whole day traveling by car and changing buses. When she arrived at the hotel where Liang Yue was staying, the wedding was about to start, and her two other roommates had reserved seats for her.
They were close friends in their dorm during college, but after graduation, they went their separate ways for work and gradually lost touch. However, when they met again, they were still very familiar with each other, and Tang Ci's conversation never stopped after she sat down. The bride and groom came to toast the guests, and there was another round of pleasantries.
Even after the wedding ended, they were still chatting and didn't want to stop. Since they had both taken the day off, they decided to go shopping in the afternoon and have dinner together in the evening.
Tang Ci was unfamiliar with the attractions and food in the capital. After her two roommates decided on a place to eat, she searched for local specialties and snacks on the commercial street on her phone and sent the links to Sheng Yu.
She only realized after sending the message that this was the first time she and Sheng Yu had started chatting online since their reunion.
Scrolling up the dialog box reveals a system notification from a month ago when she added Sheng Yushi.
About half an hour later, they took a taxi to the time-honored hot pot restaurant where they had made a reservation, and Sheng Yu's message came at that time.
"Where is it?"
Tang Ci paused for two seconds, thinking that Sheng Yu probably didn't trust her ability to select local specialties and wanted to check them online himself, so she sent him the address: "These local specialties are all in Mingli Lane."
After thinking about it, she felt a little unconvinced and typed another message to him: "The most authentic place to buy local specialties is Mingli Lane. You can check it online if you don't believe me."
Sheng Yu replied to her just a few seconds after she sent the message.
I'm asking where you are.
Tang Ci stared at the line of small text on the screen, her fingertips touching the screen beginning to feel slightly numb.
It was like the electrical current in a cell phone, a punishment leaked from their rambling, disorganized conversation.
"Xiao Ci, Xiao Ci." Tang Ci looked up after being patted on the shoulder a few times. Zhou Rui, sitting opposite her, pouted and asked, "What are you staring at your phone for?"
"Nothing," Tang Ci put down her phone hesitantly, rubbed her ears which were burning from the steam in the pot, and asked in a dry voice, "What were you talking about?"
Yuan Jiangwei said with a smile, "Speaking of Liang Yue's boyfriend, he's truly a devoted husband. Liang Yue said that every time she goes on a business trip, her boyfriend finds a chance to go with her, carrying her bags and picking her up and dropping her off. He's so considerate..."
Tang Ci watched her mouth open and close, but didn't hear a single word. Seeing Zhou Rui smile and agree, she smiled and replied, "That's great."
Once the tingling sensation in her hands subsided, Tang Ci picked up her phone again and sent her location to Sheng Yu.
To dispel any delusion that Sheng Yu might come looking for her, Tang Ci feigned regret and said, "This restaurant is delicious, but unfortunately I can't take it with me."
This time, I waited for a full ten minutes, but Sheng Yu didn't reply.
Tang Ci slowly finished her cup of tea, lowered her eyes, and put her phone in her bag.
It turns out she really was delusional.
After finishing the meat in the pot, Tang Ci cooked two more plates and turned the heat up to the highest setting.
Tang Ci listened intently to her roommates talking as the soup in the copper pot gradually boiled.
The heat quickly rose, and the rising steam fogged up the French windows.
As the sliced meat tumbled into the soup, Tang Ci lowered her head to cool the copper pot, when she suddenly heard a tapping sound.
Her chest tightened suddenly, and she looked up at the glass window, where the condensation was dissipating.
Sheng Yu was standing outside the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at her.
The roommates across the way also noticed the commotion outside the window. With their four gossipy eyes wide open, they watched as the tall, handsome man pushed open the door, entered the store, and walked straight toward them.
Zhou Rui silently exclaimed "Holy crap!" and slapped Tang Ci's arm hard: "Who is this handsome guy?!"
Tang Ci awkwardly turned around and glanced at Sheng Yu: "I... am a high school classmate, Sheng Yu."
Her words sounded very polite, and Sheng naturally sat down next to her.
After introducing his roommate, Tang Ci asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
"On business trip."
Tang Ci said "Oh," took a sip of tea, and then turned to ask, "Have you eaten yet?"
Sheng Yu shook her head and smiled at her two roommates opposite her: "Can I join you?"
"It's convenient, it's convenient." Zhou Rui, ever so friendly, warmly handed Sheng Yu chopsticks.
Sheng Yu took it: "Sorry to bother you."
Yuan Jiangwei glanced at the composed Sheng Yu, then at the reserved Tang Ci, and asked with a smile, "Since you're classmates, are you all from Nanling?"
Tang Ci nodded.
Zhou Rui clicked her tongue as she looked at Sheng Yu's face and asked Tang Ci, "What's the feng shui like in Nanling? How come all the boys in your class are so handsome?"
Yuan Jiangwei asked, recalling the events, "Who else was there?"
Sheng Yu was mixing the sauce, without lifting his eyelids.
Alarm bells rang in Tang Ci's mind, and in a moment of panic, she nudged Zhou Rui's toes against the table.
Zhou Rui was engrossed in gossip and completely unaware of the kick: "He's the most handsome guy in the Computer Science Department at Chengda University next door. He was Xiao Ci's high school classmate. He used to come over to see her a lot when we were in college."
Yuan Jiangwei suddenly remembered: "Is his name Song Ke?"
“Yes.” Zhou Rui slapped the table.
Tang Ci stiffened her hands and feet, then stirred the ingredients in the pot: "The beef brisket is cooked."
Yuan Jiangwei glanced at Tang Ci's trembling eyelashes, then at the man beside her whose gaze had slightly lowered. He cleared his throat and winked at Zhou Rui, "It's not that often, is it..."
Zhou Rui belatedly realized she had said the wrong thing and choked back tears as she tried to explain, "And he's not even that handsome..."
Sheng Yu smiled as if he had heard something insignificant, and said in a low voice to Tang Ci, who was gulping down her tea, "Want some chrysanthemum greens?"
Tang Ci didn't know when the chrysanthemum greens she loved were cooked, but she nodded and said, "I ate them."
Sheng Yu used serving chopsticks to put food on her plate: "Let it sit for a few seconds before you eat."
"oh…"
Tang Ci put the scalding hot chrysanthemum back from her mouth.
After a few seconds of silence, the conversation turned to travel, a topic that was sure to please. Zhou Rui and Yuan Jiangwei had always been very interested in Western Australia. After asking Sheng Yu for travel tips, the group chatted for a while about popular cities at home and abroad, and finally started talking about the major tourist attractions in the capital.
Tang Ci didn't participate much in the conversation, keeping her head down and eating. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk, but rather that she had hardly ever been there, so she couldn't say anything.
She would only smile and offer a few words of praise when Zhou Rui and Yuan Jiangwei showed her the photos they had taken.
“This photo was taken at Tanshui Park the year before last,” Zhou Rui said, pointing to the photo on the screen. “The Flower Festival was being held at the time.”
In the photo, Zhou Rui is wearing Hanfu and smiling brightly under blooming lanterns, surrounded by a silver river formed by the lanterns.
Tang Ci was drawn to the lively atmosphere in the photo, looking at it several times, her tone carrying a barely perceptible sense of bewilderment: "So beautiful, I didn't even know there was such a festival."
"You didn't know?" Zhou Rui's eyes widened. "This festival is held every year. We even went to play together back in college."
Tang Ci shook her head blankly: "I don't remember."
“Xiao Ci didn’t go,” Yuan Jiangwei said. “She was tutoring that day.”
Zhou Rui nodded in realization: "You remember it so clearly."
Yuan Jiangwei smiled and said, "No need to remember. Xiao Ci works part-time in her spare time."
Tang Ci remembered it too and laughed, "That tutor charged 300 yuan an hour that day."
Zhou Rui laughed twice: "As expected of Xiao Ci, she still remembers about money after all these years."
The group chatted and laughed for a while longer, and Tang Ci took the opportunity to go to the restroom to pay the bill at the front desk.
Since Sheng Yu was there, she felt embarrassed to ask her roommate for money.
The cashier was a temporary worker who wasn't familiar with the dishes and was frantically checking the menu and prices.
Tang Ci thought of her own experience working at a convenience store during college, where she initially faced a similar situation, and gently comforted her, "It's okay, take your time."
Sheng Yu glanced sideways at the cashier behind the screen, put down her chopsticks, and asked the two people opposite her, "Has she been working part-time throughout college?"
Yuan Jiangwei nodded, looking at Sheng Yu's calm expression, and for some reason felt a sense of trust, so he told her all about Tang Ci's work situation.
Tutor, convenience store cashier, bar flyer distributor, amusement park mascot...
During her four years of university, Tang Ci gained countless experiences working part-time.
So I could only remain silent when my roommates talked about traveling.
I even feel envious when I see a run-down park that holds events every year.
This is her life after she stubbornly insisted on getting rid of him.
When Tang Ci returned after paying the bill, she noticed a subtly tense atmosphere at the table.
They thought it was because Sheng Yu was aloof that her roommates felt embarrassed to chat with him after she left.
Tang Ci mustered her courage and brought up two topics to ease the atmosphere.
Her roommates still chatted happily with her.
Sheng Yu was even more silent than when he arrived.
The meal was quickly finished, and as they left, Tang Ci, Zhou Rui, and Yuan Jiangwei were still chatting intimately until the ride-hailing car arrived, at which point they reluctantly parted ways.
Tang Ci stood by the roadside waving to them, and only turned back dejectedly after the car had driven away.
Countless lights illuminated Mingli Lane, and Sheng Yu's tall figure stood at the entrance of the lane.
He was only two meters away from her.
Tang Ci felt her empty heart slowly being filled. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help taking a step closer to him.
In a very soft voice, trying to make conversation: "I wasn't lying to you, was that hot pot place really delicious?"
Sheng Yu glanced down at her, his eyes cold.
Tang Ci immediately snapped out of her daze, quietly lowered her eyes, and tactfully tried to save face: "Are you tired? Then go back to the hotel and rest."
“Tang Ci,” Sheng Yu suddenly spoke up.
Tang Ci exclaimed "Huh?" and raised her face again, this time only looking at his Adam's apple.
Sheng Yu's Adam's apple bobbed as he asked, "How does Song Ke treat you?"
Tang Ci's breath hitched, and she lowered her gaze again: "It's alright."
Sheng Yu suddenly moved closer, pinched her chin and lifted it up, looking her down at her: "So this is how he watched you work for four years? Is this how he treats you as a boyfriend?"
His expression was calm, but Tang Ci sensed he was angry, so she reluctantly lied, "We had already broken up when we were working..."
Sheng Yu, however, kept staring at her without blinking, his deep eyes bloodshot.
Unable to bear being stared at like that, Tang Ci grabbed him in a panic.
Arms loosely wrapped around his back.
She pressed her cheek against his chest and said in a choked voice, "I'm sorry, can you please not be angry anymore?"
Sheng Yu didn't give her a chance to get closer. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her away, staring into her slightly red eyes as he spoke.
I'll give you one more chance.
Tang Ci sniffed and asked softly, "What?"
"Do you want to be with me?"
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