Chapter 77
When they arrived at the agreed restaurant, Yin Mu told the waiter Li Yan's name and went to the private room on the second floor with Chen Qinglin.
As soon as she pushed the door open, Li Yan noticed it immediately and was the first to stand up and greet her, saying jokingly, "Okay, okay, you're the only one missing. I'll feel relieved when you're here."
Yin Mu smiled and said, "Well, I said I would be on time, right? I mean what I said."
When they walked in, others also raised their hands to greet Yin Mu. Yin Mu noticed that there were more people coming today than usual, and there were also a few unfamiliar faces.
The classmate who brought them introduced them to Yin Mu, and Yin Mu also briefly introduced Chen Qinglin to them, saying that he was his friend.
Her last deskmate in high school, Wang Miao, who used to love teasing her, sat next to her. He smiled mischievously when he heard her say that: "Just friends?"
"Yes."
Wang Miao raised his eyebrows: "Really? I don't believe it."
Yin Mu immediately raised his hand to cover her mouth: "You have to believe it even if you don't want to. No more words."
Wang Miao knew that she was shy, so he didn't embarrass her and took her hand away: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything."
The dishes were ordered in advance by Li Yan, the organizer of this event. After everyone arrived, the waiters began to serve the dishes one after another.
Wang Miao was very interested in Chen Qinglin. He chatted with him through Yin Mu, asked a lot of questions, and talked to him about Yin Mu's high school days.
Wang Miao pointed at Yin Mu and said to Chen Qinglin, "You don't know, this guy is super amazing. He obviously didn't listen to the class very seriously, but he always got first place in the exam."
She always likes to talk about these trivial past events. Yin Mu is helpless and says in defense: "No, I am serious, okay."
"That's right," Wang Miao said unconvincedly. "During English class, I was secretly peeling an apple under the table. Who was the one who helped me pick up my lunch box?"
“…”
Chen Qinglin found this interesting and asked, "Is there such a thing?"
"More than that." Wang Miao knew Yin Mu's deeds like the back of his hand, and continued, "Every time she dozed off in math class, I was the one who kept an eye on the teacher for her. But when the test results came out, her scores were still much higher than mine. God knows how she did it."
All of his dark history was mercilessly dug out by her. Yin Mu held his forehead weakly and said to Chen Qinglin: "Just listen to it, don't take it seriously. This person likes to exaggerate the most."
Chen Qinglin said: "I think it's quite interesting. I didn't expect you to have this side."
"Come to think of it," Wang Miao asked with interest, "how did you two meet?"
Chen Qinglin said: "It's probably due to work."
"Oh, I see." Wang Miao sighed, not knowing what he was thinking. "It feels like making friends has become so difficult since I started working. I have so little free time, and I don't want to have any extra interactions with my colleagues. It's just boring."
Yin Mu said: "You can come to me. When I'm not busy, I'm quite free and can chat with you or something."
Wang Miao burst out laughing: "Why don't you listen to what you are saying."
The meal was very pleasant. Everyone was talking and laughing in a harmonious atmosphere, as if they had returned to the busy but fulfilling days of high school. Yin Mu was infected by them and also drank some wine.
By the end of the party, everyone was in high spirits under the influence of alcohol and their voices were getting louder.
Yin Mu rested her face in her hands, listening to their conversation, her thoughts gradually becoming erratic. She didn't know how much time had passed before she half-closed her eyes, already drowsy, when she suddenly felt someone gently push her arm. She tried to open her eyes wide to make herself look awake.
Chen Qinglin moved closer to her and asked in a low voice, "Are you okay?"
Yin Mu forced himself to cheer up and smiled at him: "It's okay."
"Want to go first?"
Yin Mu covered his mouth and yawned: "No, I can still hold on."
"real?"
"Yeah." Yin Mu nodded and said softly, "It's getting late, it's time to go home."
Li Yan saw the two of them whispering to each other and also noticed that Yin Mu looked tired, so he suggested that it was almost time to disband and go home to rest.
A group of people were outside the restaurant, waiting for the designated driver, waiting for the designated driver, waiting for the taxi, and making plans for the next time to meet up. Yin Mu's head was dizzy, and she almost tripped when she got out of the elevator just now. Chen Qinglin put his arm around her and didn't let go.
After Li Yan finished talking to others, he turned to look for Yin Mu and saw her leaning on Chen Qinglin, looking completely relaxed and dependent, with a hint of imperceptible loss flashing in her eyes.
He walked over, leaned forward slightly, softened his tone, and asked, "Yin Mu, are you okay?"
Yin Mu opened his eyes, still a little confused: "Yeah."
Li Yan asked again: "How do you get home?"
“Hmm…”
Chen Qinglin looked at her, held her hand a little tighter, and answered for her: "I'll take her back."
Li Yan stared at Chen Qinglin's annoying hand for a few seconds, then straightened up. The look in his eyes when he looked at him again was no longer entirely friendly. "Do you know her address?"
Chen Qinglin said calmly: "I know."
No matter how slow-witted he was, he couldn't help but see that Li Yan's feelings for Yin Mu were not simply classmates, but Yin Mu didn't have any extra feelings for him, so she could get along with him calmly.
The two looked at each other thoughtfully for a while, and Li Yan looked away first: "Then I'll ask you to take good care of her."
"Yes, I will."
Yin Mu fell asleep as soon as she got in the car. Chen Qinglin helped her lean on his shoulder so that she could sleep more comfortably.
The taxi was not allowed to enter the residential complex and was parked on the roadside outside the community. Yin Mu was still asleep and Chen Qinglin did not call her. After getting out of the car, he walked around to her side and planned to carry her directly home.
As soon as his body was moved, Yin Mu woke up. Seeing that Chen Qinglin was about to carry him, he waved his hand and said, "No, I can walk by myself."
"Can you?"
"Okay, okay, I'm not drunk." Yin Mu grabbed his arm and got out of the car. The cool night breeze made his head clearer. He said, "You should go home too. You have to go to work tomorrow."
She was clearly not steady on her feet, yet she still insisted that she was not drunk. Chen Qinglin ignored her and said, "I'll take you up. I'm worried about you like this."
"What's there to worry about?" Yin Mu muttered, but seeing that he was determined to do so, he didn't argue with him anymore and walked slowly towards the community with a frivolous step.
"The air is getting cooler. Is autumn coming soon?"
Chen Qinglin looked at her profile and replied, "Yeah."
Yin Mu was dissatisfied: "Your attitude is too cold."
Chen Qinglin smiled and asked her, "Then what does it mean to be not cold?"
Yin Mu thought about it seriously, but couldn't come up with an answer. He shook his head and said honestly, "I don't know. - Forget it, you've always been like this. I'm used to it."
"You hate me like this?"
Yin Mu glared at him: "You ask even though you already know the answer."
Chen Qinglin's mood instantly brightened up. Taking advantage of her willingness to answer any question, he asked, "What about Li Yan? Do you like him?"
"Li Yan?" Yin Mu blinked. "Why are you asking him?"
Chen Qinglin stated in a positive tone: "He likes you."
"Oh, that happened." Yin Mu said slowly, "But that was many years ago. He confessed to me when I graduated from high school."
"Then what?"
"And then there's nothing else. I refused." Yin Mu felt that his question was inexplicable and said, "It's been so many years. What else is there to say?"
Chen Qinglin did not comment and just said "hmm".
Yin Mu didn't take it to heart. He walked a few more steps unsteadily and suddenly stopped.
Chen Qinglin stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yin Mu looked at him pitifully: "I'm tired and can't walk anymore."
Chen Qinglin couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, and half squatted in front of her: "Come up, I'll carry you."
"Um!"
Yin Mu lay on Chen Qinglin's back. Perhaps because he had just met his old classmates, he felt some emotion in his heart. He hugged his neck and chattered about his high school days.
"Don't people say they hate high school the most and never want to go through it again? Actually, for me, high school was the happiest three years of my life. I didn't have to worry about anything every day, just study hard. My relationships were simple, too. While I didn't have any particularly close friends, I got along well with everyone and still keep in touch. It was truly a wonderful time."
Chen Qinglin listened quietly and lifted her up: "Yeah."
"It's a pity that Meng Yuan and I were not in the same class at that time."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Yin Mu sighed softly, "We're in the arts department, one of us is in science, and we're two floors apart."
"What a shame."
"That's right." Yin Mu replied dejectedly, then asked him, "What about you? You were close to Lin Fan in college, but what about high school? Did you have any good friends?"
Chen Qinglin shook his head: "No, at that time I just wanted to study hard, get into a good university and get away from home. I didn't have the energy to make friends, and my relationships with my classmates were all mediocre, there was nothing much to talk about."
Yin Mu rubbed his neck, with a hint of comfort in his heart: "If only we had known each other in high school, I would be your friend."
"Really? I had a bad personality in high school."
Yin Mu was already sleepy again by now, and mumbled, "You talk as if your personality is good now."
Chen Qinglin curled the corners of his mouth and smiled silently.
After returning to Yin Mu's house, Chen Qinglin put her on the bed, helped her take off her shoes, and placed her slippers beside the bed.
As soon as Yin Mu touched the bed, she turned over and automatically found the most comfortable position. A strand of hair beside her ear hung down, covering her face, swaying slightly with her breathing.
Chen Qinglin sat on the edge of the bed, gently brushed aside the strand of hair, and asked softly, "Aren't you going to take a shower?"
Yin Mu muttered incoherently: "A moment."
She said so, but it looked like she wouldn't get up until tomorrow. Chen Qinglin reached out and pulled the quilt over her, then touched her face and said, "Good night."
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