67 Chapter 67
◎We need to talk◎
When Shi Ziqian returned to the car, he didn't look too good. The driver, Xiao Li, glanced at his expression through the rearview mirror and was somewhat puzzled.
He was the personal driver assigned to Shi Ziqian and Shi Qiyue by Shi Yuesheng. However, Shi Ziqian rarely used the car. Most of the time, he was only responsible for picking up and dropping off Shi Qiyue at school every week. So he was quite surprised when he received Shi Ziqian's call yesterday.
Before leaving home in the morning, Ziqian called him again to confirm the itinerary in detail.
It wasn't until he and Shi Ziqian picked up a girl about his age in the morning, and saw the two of them buy a lot of pet supplies and stuff them into the trunk, that he finally understood what was going on today.
He wasn't actually very familiar with Shi Ziqian, but he could clearly sense that Shi Ziqian was in a good mood today. However, after dropping off that girl, he reverted to his previous self, his aura becoming very low. When he got into the car, he only said, "Take me back to school," before leaning back in his seat, closing his eyes, and looking very tired.
He tactfully refrained from asking further questions and drove silently. The school was deserted on Saturday, and his car, having had its license plate recorded, drove smoothly all the way to the apartment building where Shi Ziqian lived.
He got out of the car first, opened the trunk, and took out the things inside, including the disabled puppy lying in the cage. It seemed to be a little carsick, as it looked much more listless. Shi Ziqian got out of the car and said, "Thank you, you can go back now."
Xiao Li said, "Let me take you upstairs, you have too much stuff."
Shi Ziqian didn't refuse, then suddenly remembered something: "Balloon."
Xiao Li quickly opened the door and pulled out a balloon that was hanging inside the carriage. There were originally two balloons in the carriage, but the little girl took one with her when she got off.
Shi Ziqian took the balloon, thanked him, stared at the dolphin for a while, and then said, "Let's go."
Xiao Li helped him carry the things to the door, and Shi Ziqian said goodbye before going inside.
The dormitory was still the same as before. Even though he had lived in the room for more than a year, he suddenly felt that the room was a little empty when he walked in again.
Perhaps it was because he had a very busy day, but after the day was over, he suddenly found it difficult to adjust to being alone and to this deserted place.
People can be so delicate sometimes.
After Xiao Li left, he slowly leaned against the sofa near the door and rested his head against the wall. He had always known that life had always been like this for him; once he tasted even a little sweetness, many unpleasant things would immediately follow.
If he had known beforehand that everything today was just a prelude to her parting words, he felt he might not have kept the appointment. But after thinking about it for a while, he realized that even if he had known, he would probably still have gone.
This was the first time they had gone out together.
Perhaps because it's so precious, something always has to be given in exchange. Even a straightforward rejection.
A sudden shout came from below. Shi Ziqian froze, opened his eyes abruptly, and realized that there was now another creature in the room.
Panpan had probably finally recovered from her motion sickness and started tugging at his trouser leg again.
Shi Ziqian frowned, staring at it for a long time before finally making up his mind. He stretched out two fingers and gently pinched the skin on the back of its neck, pulling it away slightly: "Play by yourself, don't scratch."
When he pinched it, Panpan flapped its paws even more excitedly. As soon as he let go, it rushed over again, eagerly standing up and trying to climb on him.
Shi Ziqian pulled it away again and said to it seriously, "Let's keep some distance, okay?"
Panpan, of course, had no idea and pounced on her again, relentlessly.
Shi Ziqian gave up, walked around it to the sink and washed his hands twice. He then took out his phone and texted the doctor: Can Panpan take a bath now?
After a long silence, Panpan followed him again, circling around him and making soft whimpering noises.
He had never dealt with such a clingy creature before, and after staring at it for a while, he suddenly realized that it must be hungry.
Shi Ziqian went to get the dog bowl and placed it on the balcony. He tore open a piece of dog food and poured it into the bowl. Panpan stood by the bowl, watching with her round eyes, and only peeked over after he finished pouring.
He licked his fingers.
Shi Ziqian paused for two seconds, then returned to the sink and washed his hands twice more.
Zhan Xinyue felt that if she continued to suffer from insomnia like this, she might die young.
She took a shower and lay in bed, tossing and turning for who knows how long, but still couldn't fall asleep.
She thought Shi Ziqian was a smart man, and that there was no need to be so blunt, but she hadn't expected his reaction to be like this. She had originally thought that after today, she would owe him nothing and could focus on her own path, but unexpected complications arose, and things became complicated and tangled again.
Shi Ziqian's words came to mind.
"Because I like you very much."
Only now did she truly feel the reality of being confessed to.
Although she politely declined immediately, what did Shi Ziqian mean by his next sentence? What did he mean by saying that it was his own business?
She doesn't understand.
While tossing and turning in bed until midnight, Zhan Xinyue suddenly remembered the bracelet Shi Ziqian had given her. She had placed it on the entryway after returning home, and now she jumped up and went outside to retrieve it.
I don't know where I bought that thin sandalwood bracelet. It's different from the styles commonly found on the market. It has a kind of rustic beauty and the fragrance is much stronger.
Perhaps it was because the soothing sandalwood incense truly had a calming effect, but after playing with it for a while, she finally fell asleep amidst the tranquil fragrance.
She seemed to have slept too deeply, because she almost missed her appointment the next morning.
Sunday was a regular day for extra classes, and by the time Zhan Xinyue rushed to the lecture hall, class had already started. It was math class early in the morning, and Zhang Chao from Class 1 was teaching. While he was writing on the blackboard with his back turned, Zhan Xinyue slipped in and sat down in the last row.
Before she could even put her backpack down, someone brazenly carried a book across the aisle. She didn't move, silently taking the book out of her backpack. The other person, losing their temper, lowered their voice and said, "Why are you so late?"
Zhan Xinyue said, "I've already slept."
Xu Shen nodded: "What happened? Were you too tired from playing yesterday?"
Zhan Xinyue looked up at him: "Can't you just say what you want to say?"
"What is it? I don't have anything to say." Xu Shen ran a hand through his hair. "It's just... our school doesn't allow early relationships, you know?"
Zhan Xinyue thought to herself, "Coming from you, that's hardly convincing." She said, "So?"
"It's nothing," Xu Shen said. "I was just saying."
After a while, he casually remarked, "You and Shi Ziqian seem to have a pretty good relationship, huh?"
Zhan Xinyue: "We're deskmates, don't you think?"
“That’s true.” Xu Shen smiled, turned back, and began to look at Zhang Chao’s writing on the blackboard. After a few seconds, he twirled his pen twice, then suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice, “You and Shi Ziqian weren’t on a date yesterday, were you?”
Zhan Xinyue raised her eyes: "When did you see us?"
“Yesterday afternoon I went out for a bike ride and saw you two from afar on the road.”
Zhan Xinyue didn't notice him. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Didn't you just say that our school doesn't allow early relationships?"
“Oh right.” Xu Shen turned back, seemingly talking to himself, “How could that be? You’re so well-behaved.”
Before he could say anything more, Zhang Chao on the podium turned around and stared at him immediately: "Xu Shen! What are you muttering about in the back?"
Xu Shen straightened up: "The discussion topic, Professor Zhang."
Zhang Chao: "Who said we were calling you to discuss this now? Get over here and sit down."
Xu Shen quickly left, not forgetting to say goodbye to Zhan Xinyue before he left: "I'm leaving now."
Halfway through the class, someone else came in through the back door and put their backpack down in the seat next to her where Xu Shen had just been sitting.
Zhan Xinyue looked up and saw Shi Ziqian. She looked away uncomfortably. Shi Ziqian rarely seemed to be late, so she wondered why he was even later than her today. He looked like he had just taken a shower; his hair wasn't completely dry, which made his skin look very fair.
She was a little unsure what to say, but Shi Ziqian greeted her without any apparent change in expression: "Good morning, Zhan Xinyue."
Zhan Xinyue: "...Good morning."
Shi Ziqian actually woke up quite early, disturbed by Panpan's whimpering. He hadn't yet gotten used to this new member, and the noise startled him at first. Then, he saw it sitting on his bedside table, its eyes drooping, looking like it had done something wrong. Almost simultaneously, he smelled a strange odor permeating the room; because the room was small, the smell was particularly noticeable.
He sat on the bed for a while before finally getting up, opening the window first, and then starting to clean up the mess that Panpan had brought to the room.
Its wheelchair made a lot of noise indoors, so to prevent disturbing the downstairs neighbors, Shi Ziqian removed it before going to bed. At the time, Panpan didn't show any signs of discomfort, and it still nimbly darted around the room with its hind legs dragging on the ground. But now, because it still can't control its hind legs, its excrement is everywhere, staining the short fur on its hindquarters and leaving large patches of the floor.
It took a long time to clean up Panpan and the house. Shi Ziqian laid out a new pee pad for it, fed it dog food, freeze-dried food and water before going into the bathroom to take a bath. The bath took a full half hour, until his fingertips were white before he came out. As expected, he was late.
"How are you getting along with Panpan? Is it well-behaved?" Zhan Xinyue asked after hesitating for a moment while looking down at her textbook.
"It's fine." Shi Ziqian changed the subject. "Did you sleep well last night? Did the bracelet help?"
"It worked. I slept quite well last night; I even overslept." Mentioning the bracelet reminded Zhan Xinyue of what he had said before they parted yesterday. Her fingers began to twist unconsciously, and she felt she should clarify things with him. "By the way, about yesterday… I think we need to talk."
Shi Ziqian didn't seem very interested, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Let's talk about it after class."
Zhang Chao's eyes had started glancing in their direction, intentionally or unintentionally. Zhan Xinyue hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "Okay."
When get out of class finally ended, she had just organized her thoughts and hadn't even turned to Shi Ziqian when Xu Shen came over again.
He casually rested one hand on her desk and said, "By the way, Crescent Moon, didn't I tell you last time that you were going to come watch our class's basketball game? The time is set for tomorrow, why don't you come?"
Shi Ziqian looked up at him, and their eyes met for two seconds. Xu Shen curled the corners of his mouth into a half-smile.
Zhan Xinyue didn't see them making any noise: "I don't know much about basketball, so I wouldn't be able to figure anything out even if I went."
"Just consider it a favor to me." Xu Shen lowered his head and said softly, "Everyone else will have someone bring them water, but I won't. That would be so pitiful."
Zhan Xinyue pursed her lips and remained silent. Just then, Yu Bai passed by behind him and suddenly tugged at him: "What are you doing here again? Didn't you need to go to the bathroom? Are you coming or not?"
"Let's go, let's go." Xu Shen replied casually without any embarrassment. Seeing that Zhan Xinyue didn't speak, he continued, "Then it's settled, remember to come tomorrow."
Yu Bai shouted impatiently, "Hurry up!"
Xu Shen finally left. After he left, Zhan Xinyue rubbed her temples and turned to Shi Ziqian again. Just as she was about to speak, Shi Ziqian stood up first and said, "I'm going out for a bit."
Zhan Xinyue watched his departing figure and sighed softly.
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