Chapter 57 "Do it."
Tang Ci opened her eyes wide and took an instinctive step back. Sheng Yu then bit her lips as if punishing her, and her soft tongue slipped inside.
The dense sound of water was exceptionally loud in the quiet space, and her heart was pounding so hard it was throbbing in her ears.
Even after all these years, Tang Ci still hasn't learned how to breathe properly while kissing. Holding her breath, her cheeks turn bright red in no time.
Sheng Yu moved his lips away slightly, his nose touching hers, and his fingertips rubbed her earlobe as he said, "Breathe."
Tang Ci gasped softly and asked him shyly, "Why did you suddenly kiss me?"
Sheng Yu glanced at the lobby from outside, straightened up, and pressed the elevator button: "Can't we kiss?"
Tang Ci had long forgotten about the footsteps and followed him into the elevator car. She was too embarrassed to admit it, so she could only vaguely say, "I didn't say that."
The atmosphere inside the carriage was still warm from the brief moment of romance, as if even their breath carried a faint electric current, making Tang Ci's fingertips tingle slightly.
Song Ke's words were still ringing in her ears when Tang Ci mustered her courage, picked up her pen again, and moved a little closer to Sheng Yu, wanting to try another solution.
"Besides Jiang Chan, the other person who had dinner with us tonight was... Song Ke." Tang Ci glanced at him cautiously. "Actually, he was the one who brought me back."
Sheng Yu's cheeks tightened, and she turned her head to look at him, her dark pupils as deep as ink.
Tang Ci felt intimidated by his gaze, and her words faltered slightly: "I, Song Ke and I—"
"I'm not interested."
Sheng Yu interrupted her, turned his head with a cold expression, and walked straight out of the elevator just as it arrived at the station.
Tang Ci felt a lump in her throat, and her vision blurred. Watching Sheng Yu's retreating figure as he opened the door, she slowly followed him.
The indoor temperature was rather cool, and the central air conditioning vents kept blowing cold air, which blew cold air onto exposed skin, raising goosebumps.
Sheng Yu went into the kitchen, poured a glass of ice water, and carried it back to the room, leaving her standing there the whole time.
When Tang Ci heard him close the bedroom door, she stood there blankly, not knowing what to do. She could only follow his example, take a kettle out of the refrigerator, pour a glass of water, and drink it while standing in the kitchen.
The icy liquid went down her throat and into her stomach. Only under the dual chill from inside and out did she realize how absurd her mistake had been.
The expired problem has already been sealed in a sealed bag, so there is no need to change the solution.
/
The school's teacher appreciation event attracted a large number of people, including alumni and various media outlets, making the vast campus a sea of black.
After Song Ke arrived, he continued to contribute his time as a class leader, organizing the students together, leading them to collect materials, and playing games.
Mr. Xu was always busy, shuttling between students he had taught from one class to the next, but when it came time to give a speech, he was still full of energy when he stood on the stage.
She spoke on stage just as she always had, and Tang Ci, sitting below, felt as if she had returned to her middle school days. This feeling reached its peak when Lao Xu took out a sealed box.
"These are your hopes for the future that you wrote down when you were in your senior year of high school," said Old Xu, as he unsealed the box. "Students who are here can come over and find their own notes to see if their wishes have come true."
Most of the students in the class had forgotten about it and were curiously looking for the slips of paper with their names on them.
Tang Ci only had a vague impression of the matter and couldn't recall what she had written at the time. After the number of people in front of the box decreased, she went over and started searching for it.
There weren't many notes left in the box, but she quickly found hers. When she opened it, it read: "I hope the month after the college entrance exam will be sunny."
She held the note for a few seconds, then suddenly realized that her words also contained another meaning: she hoped that when Sheng Yu flew to Australia, the sky would be clear.
The students passed the slips of paper around, occasionally repeating them aloud, which caused a burst of laughter from everyone.
"I hope Liu Ming will accept my confession. If not, Sun Zhou can accept it as well."
"I hope the food in the cafeteria at my university will be delicious."
"I hope that when I go to college, I will somehow learn advanced mathematics."
...
Whether those once naive expectations have been realized or not has long since become unimportant, turning into topics of casual conversation.
Seeing that everyone had received their slips of paper, Lao Xu made a move to reseal the box. However, Song Ke suddenly said something to Lao Xu, took out another slip of paper from the box, and handed it to Tang Ci.
Tang Ci looked at the name on the note, pursed her lips, and asked softly, "Is it okay?"
Song Ke shrugged: "Anyway, he won't come to get it."
Tang Ci swallowed hard, unfolded the note with Sheng Yu's name on it, and her heart tightened as she read the words.
On a piece of paper the size of a palm, only two words were written.
—Tang Ci.
The handwriting is vigorous and unrestrained; it is indeed Sheng Yu's handwriting.
Tang Ci ran her fingertips along the black ink on the paper, imagining Sheng Yu's expression as he wrote the note—arrogant and flamboyant.
It carried a faint sense of detachment.
It is impossible to know what he was thinking when he wrote that note, but by now, he, like everyone else, should have long since forgotten about this insignificant wish.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, knocking the two stacked strips of paper from her hand. The yellowed white pages rolled on the grass before being blown even further away.
Tang Ci rubbed her empty palms, stood there stunned for a while, before Jiang Chan called her over to take a group photo with her classmates.
After a lively group photo, everyone played some interactive games led by the host. After the games, everyone received a commemorative badge from the school.
Tang Ci clutched a red badge in her hand and asked Jiang Chan if she could play the game with her one more time: "I want another one."
Jiang Chan exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?": "Didn't you say you didn't like collecting these cultural and creative products?"
Tang Ci glanced at the blue commemorative medal on the prize table again: "I just think it's pretty."
Since there was nothing else to do, Jiang Chan accompanied Tang Ci through the process again and obtained the blue badge.
Tang Ci carefully put the red and blue badges into her pocket before going to rest by the playground with Jiang Chan and the others.
As soon as Jiang Chan arrived at the playground, her eyes were fixed on the convenience store not far away.
"I'm going to buy some milk tea, do you two want some?"
Song Ke shook his head, and Tang Ci said, "Could you bring me a bottle of mineral water?"
Jiang Chan nodded and left.
Tang Ci was in low spirits and worried that her condition would affect her friend, so she took the initiative to chat with Song Ke. As they talked, the topic turned to Liang Qi, a rising star in Chinese installation design.
Liang Qi is currently holding an exhibition in the capital, which he promotes as his breakthrough work after four years of seclusion.
Tang Ci had liked Liang Qi a lot when she was in college. She had even bought his books and felt sorry for him when he went into seclusion. So she leaned close to Song Ke's phone screen and carefully read the promotional page.
The last page of the promotional material listed the address of Liang Qi's exhibition, which was near Song Ke's home.
It was rare to see Tang Ci so interested in anything, so Song Ke asked, "Do you want to go?"
Tang Ci pursed her lips: "The exhibition ends at ten o'clock, which feels a bit late."
Song Ke pointed to the address on his phone and leaned closer to show it to her: "Time is not a problem, you can stay at my place when you come."
/
Sheng Yu sat in the back seat with Bluetooth headphones on, occasionally making a few decisions and typing on the keyboard.
Compared to the quiet inside the car, the scene outside was bustling and chaotic.
The street, which wasn't very wide, was packed with parked cars. Xiang Wen slowly moved forward for fifteen minutes, his toes barely touching the brake pedal, before finally finding the source of the traffic jam.
A magnificent school gate appears on the right side of the road, with several solemn characters carved in gold on the marble pillars beside the gate.
Nanling No.1 Middle School.
A large crowd gathered in front of the gate, with groups of people coming and going, and they didn't all look like high school students.
Xiang Wen glanced at the banner hanging at the entrance and realized that the school was holding a teacher appreciation event.
A thought struck Xiang Wen, and he suddenly remembered that President Sheng had mentioned that this was his alma mater. He thought he probably knew why President Sheng insisted on passing through this congested section of road.
Xiang Wenqing cleared his throat and asked, "President Sheng, this seems to be your alma mater?"
Upon hearing this, Sheng Yu glanced out the window and coldly replied with a "hmm." It sounded as if he felt no attachment whatsoever to his alma mater.
When Xiang Wen spoke again, his tone was no longer confident. He tentatively asked, "President Sheng, would you like to go and take a look? I saw that many media outlets have taken pictures of you. If they do, it will be positive publicity for the company."
“That makes sense,” Sheng Yu said, closing his notebook and tilting his chin toward the window. “Park on the side of the road.”
Perhaps because of the large number of participants, it was difficult to verify everyone's identity, so the school did not supervise excessively. Sheng Yu was allowed to enter simply by explaining his identity to the gatekeeper.
Several students in school uniforms hurried past him, carrying interview and recording equipment. They were probably from the school newspaper. The girl at the back of the group walked a little slower, pushing up her thick black-rimmed glasses as she ran.
The image reminded him of Tang Ci's clumsy figure when she was a child, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
The campus of No. 1 Middle School is not large, and the activities spread from the auditorium to the playground.
Sheng Yu walked from the auditorium toward the playground, the beech trees along the way rustling in the wind, and the air filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
But he quickly recognized a gentle voice.
Sheng Yu walked briskly towards the playground and saw Tang Ci sitting on a bench at the end of the road, along with Song Ke sitting next to her.
The two figures, one tall and one short, stood close together, their shoulders touching intimately, their heads close together, chatting happily.
The swaying shadows of the trees fell over their heads, and a few dappled rays of sunlight landed in Tang Ci's pupils.
She looked at Song Ke with bright eyes, a relaxed smile playing on her lips.
Sheng Yu had forgotten whether Tang Ci had ever smiled at him like that.
Probably not.
Otherwise, he should have remembered it vividly.
For some reason, Sheng Yu took two more steps forward and overheard their conversation.
Tang Ci's voice held a hint of laughter, or perhaps anticipation, which Sheng Yu couldn't discern. He only saw her pale lips move slightly: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
"No, not at all." Song Ke laughed. "You can bring your luggage directly, or I can pick you up."
Tang Ci slowly lowered her eyelashes, casting a small shadow on her fair cheek.
The shadow swayed for a few seconds with the light and shadow.
She quickly lifted her eyes and looked at Song Ke, and the shadow disappeared.
Sheng Yu noticed her slightly upturned nose wrinkle a little, and smiled adorably, saying, "Okay."
The sunlight was scorching hot, and through the gaps in the leaves, it formed tiny, sharp needles that silently pierced his skin, turning into threads that tightly wrapped around his heart.
Therefore, even breathing hurts.
Sheng Yu knew she couldn't listen anymore. Like a naughty child who had stolen candy and was caught but refused to return it, she could only flee when no one was looking.
/
Jiang Chan returned with water: "What were you chatting about so happily?"
"Liang Qi's installation exhibition," Song Ke handed his phone to Jiang Chan again, "Do you want to go see it?"
Jiang Chan sat down next to Song Ke and carefully read through the promotional poster: "It looks pretty interesting, I'm tempted to go."
"Then you and Tang Ci can stay together," Song Ke said with a smile. "You can both stay at my house."
Jiang Chan laughed when she heard this: "Class monitor, you're still the same as ever, arranging everything for everyone like a parent."
Tang Ci nodded in agreement: "Back in college, our class monitor always took in students who had nowhere to go during holidays."
Jiang Chan clicked her tongue and shook her head: "Our class monitor is such a good person, when will God grant him a girlfriend?"
Seeing that Tang Ci and Song Ke were just friends, Jiang Chan boldly made a joke.
Song Ke smiled, his eyes darting around.
Jiang Chan immediately noticed and patted Song Ke on the shoulder with a smile: "There's something going on, isn't there?! Class monitor, that's not fair of you, why didn't you tell us?"
“He’s a colleague of mine,” Song Ke smiled, “We’re still getting to know each other. I was thinking of telling you guys after we’ve officially started dating.”
Tang Ci was genuinely happy for him, and lightly clenched her fist, saying, "Then good luck."
After resting for a while, they went to the playground to say goodbye to Lao Xu and took the opportunity to be interviewed by the school newspaper.
After the interview, they went to get their autographs signed. Several girls from the newspaper huddled together, chatting excitedly.
"What year was that senior from? He was so handsome."
"She just looks like she's in a bad mood."
"Feels like you've just broken up?"
"How could that be? Who would bear to hurt someone who looks like that..."
Tang Ci didn't pay attention to their gossip. She wrote her name on the sign-in board and left with Jiang Chan and the others.
After leaving the school, the three had a simple meal and then went their separate ways.
Tang Ci originally planned to rest in the afternoon, but a friend of Jiang Zheng saw her coffee shop design and liked it very much, so he wanted to ask her to renovate his old villa.
When Tang Ci arrived at Jiang Zheng's coffee shop, she met Xia Yi and discovered that Xia Yi was pregnant.
After Tang Ci sat down, Xia Yi, who has a generous and warm personality, said, "This villa was left to me by my maternal grandmother. I want to renovate it so that we can move in after the baby is born."
Xia Yi showed her the photos of the villa she had taken on her phone. The villa was located in a tourist town near Nanling, built on a hillside, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with exceptionally beautiful scenery.
Unfortunately, there are only photos of the exterior of the villa; there are only a few photos of the interior.
Tang Ci suggested that they go inside the villa first to get a general idea of the house's condition. Xia Yi readily agreed and immediately drove her out of the city.
Although the suburbs were not far away, traffic jams occurred on the weekend, and by the time they returned to Nanling city, it was already completely dark.
Xia Yi insisted on treating Tang Ci to dinner, and Tang Ci couldn't refuse. After dinner, she didn't ask Xia Yi to take her home.
With her stomach full, Tang Ci's energy returned. Since the shopping mall where she ate was right next to the subway station, she decided to take the subway home.
Once inside the carriage, Tang Ci took out two badges from her pocket, examined them carefully, and then put them back in her pocket.
She thought somewhat dejectedly, "How could Sheng Yu like such a cheap and useless item?"
Tang Ci slowly touched the embossed surface of the badge and suddenly realized that she seemed to have never given Sheng Yu any gifts.
After exiting the subway station, she didn't rush home. Instead, she looked at each shop along the street and found a flower shop that was about to close at a street corner.
"Hello, I'd like to buy a bouquet of flowers," Tang Ci said as she pushed open the door, amidst the clear sound of wind chimes.
The shop owner, who was bending down to water the potted plants, turned around, glanced at her, and said enthusiastically, "Buying this for your boyfriend? Roses are on sale right now."
Tang Ci's fingertips curled slightly. Even though Sheng Yu wasn't by her side, she still felt hesitant: "I bought it for... a friend."
The shop owner gave a knowing "Oh," and pointed to the bouquets on the table: "Take a look and see if there's anything you like, I'll introduce some to you."
Tang Ci spotted the bouquet of pink and purple flowers on the corner of the table: "I'll take this bouquet of gladioli."
The shop owner nodded: "Okay, let me wrap it up for you."
Sheng Yu received a bouquet of gladioli like this in high school because of her improved grades. Tang Ci's eyes crinkled as she asked the shop owner, "The flower language of gladioli is rising step by step, right?"
“Yes,” the shop owner said, deftly arranging the bouquet and smiling at her, “it also carries the meaning of reminiscing about past relationships.”
Tang Ci pursed her lips briefly and whispered, "So that's how it is."
How could there be such a wondrous flower? She wondered.
It can make people take a step back, or it can make them take a step forward.
Like flipping a coin, Tang Ci wasn't sure which side she hoped Sheng Yu would get, and so, feeling dizzy, she carried the flowers home.
Over the course of several hundred meters, Tang Ci's chest tightened with each breath, and the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears was like thunder.
The thunderous roar reached its peak the moment the door opened, then faded away weakly as she saw the pitch-black room.
Why is Sheng Yu still working overtime?
She placed the flowers in the entryway, changed her shoes, and turned on the living room light.
Tang Ci stopped in her tracks as soon as she reached the center of the living room. The door to the guest bedroom was open, and someone was sitting on the edge of her bed.
Having been frightened last night, she was completely bewildered today. She slowly walked to the door, looked at the silent Sheng Yu, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Sheng Yu didn't speak, but beckoned to her with his fingertip.
Tang Ci walked over, stood in front of him, and carefully touched his skin.
My fingertips were ice-cold.
She panicked and touched his forehead with her palm, but it was also cold.
"Are you sick?" Tang Ci looked down into his eyes. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Sheng Yu stared intently at her with his dark pupils, as if trying to discern her true emotions beneath her concerned expression.
Tang Ci had always been afraid of his judgment; her eyelashes trembled, and she looked away.
Sheng Yu really let her go, his cool fingertips gently caressing her neck.
"Do it."
"What..." Tang Ci trembled slightly at his movements, her throat tightening as she asked softly.
Before she could react, her waist tightened around him, and he pulled her onto his lap.
Sheng Yu flicked his fingers and loosened his tie: "Make love. With me."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you so much for following my updates, my darlings!! Love you all!! I'll keep working hard!! There will probably be a two-in-one long chapter coming out in the next few days!! [Dog head with rose][Dog head with rose][Dog head with rose]
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