Fruit tea
Sunday evening study sessions were unremarkable except for checking homework.
Xu Changjia took out her little notebook and continued to study the "Four-Person Team Friendship Rescue Plan," writing and drawing until she finally came up with two tricks after an entire evening self-study session:
First, he invited Ou Liyao to drink milk tea and pestered her relentlessly.
Second, I called Zheng Ruoqian and asked for his help.
Following the steps one through four, she organized her thoughts on these two moves in her diary, and that was it.
Aside from attending classes and asking questions, she hadn't spent much time with Zhang Yuning. She only knew that he liked reading comics, but she didn't know much else he liked. However, the school store didn't sell comics, and she couldn't very well skip school to buy him one, could she?
Let's try to salvage this genuine friendship first, and then we can figure out the other one later.
Having made up her mind, she went straight to the cafeteria after evening self-study, bought Ou Liyao's favorite large bucket of fruit tea and some grilled pork belly, packed it up and brought it back to her dormitory. This was the first step in her plan.
To his surprise, she was nowhere to be found in the dormitory. When he asked her roommate, she was told that she had gone downstairs to take a shower and would be back soon. Xu Changjia waited for two minutes before he realized something.
After rummaging through the bags in her closet and getting what she wanted, she secretly went up to the rooftop. Seeing that no one was around, she took several deep breaths before mentally preparing herself to call Zheng Ruoqian.
"Hello--"
A clear voice came from the other end of the phone, which made Zheng Ruoqian's heart tremble. Although he had saved this phone number for a long time, he had never seen it ring before. He couldn't help but ask: Would Xu Changjia call him on his own initiative?
But it was indeed the voice he was with day and night, so he could only pretend to be calm, "Hello, what's wrong? Why are you calling me so late?"
All he could hear on the other end of the phone was the howling wind and her heavy breathing. Seeing that the person on the other end didn't continue, he took the initiative to start a conversation, "I've been having dance classes and practicing every day these past two days, and I've been quite busy. How are you all? Are you all doing well?"
Zheng Ruoqian's question really stumped Xu Changjia. She didn't know how to tell him that they weren't doing well and that they were all broken up after he left. But she was also afraid that he would have to worry about them all alone in H country.
She stammered out, "It's alright. I've done pretty well in the last few exams, and I'm working hard to prepare for the final exams."
When Zhang Yuning called to inquire about Xu Changjia last time, Zheng Ruoqian had a feeling that something had happened between them. The fact that she called again today meant that they probably hadn't made up yet.
Hearing her say that confirmed his suspicions, he subtly asked, "Xu Changjia, being a lone wolf isn't good. What about Ou Liyao and Zhang Yuning? How are they?"
Seeing that he seemed to have seen through something, Xu Changjia leaned against the wall and, as if resigned to his fate, told him everything that had happened in the past two days, while repeatedly saying "I'm sorry".
Zheng Ruoqian hadn't expected things to escalate to this point, and even Ou Liyao, who was usually easygoing and allowed to be teased by them, lost her temper.
Zhang Yuning is probably related to him, but Ou Liyao's anger is also partly his fault. He immediately told her not to worry too much and to sincerely apologize to Ou Liyao and tell her her true feelings. She just wanted an explanation and was angry that he, as her good friend, didn't know anything.
Xu Changjia nodded repeatedly, indicating that she was ready to apologize to her. He called to ask Zhang Yuning if there was any suitable way, as far as he knew.
Zheng Ruoqian knew that the guy was all bark and no bite, pretending to be indifferent to everything. It seemed that he had taken his words to heart when he called that day, otherwise he wouldn't have been so quiet these days, not even sending him a single text message.
He told Hsu Chang-chia that the key to the matter actually lay with him, so the one who tied the knot must untie it. He gave her a suggestion: to help make connections and see if it would work.
Xu Changjia couldn't be happier. As long as the four of them could go back to how things were before, she would be at ease. After hanging up the phone, she went back and made preparations as he had suggested, but right now, she had more important things to do.
The dormitory lights were still on, and Ou Liyao was lying on her side in bed reading a novel, wearing her pajamas. Her other two roommates were not there.
She didn't even lift her eyelids when Xu Changjia came in, and continued flipping through the novel in her hands as if nothing had happened.
Xu Changjia moved the things she had prepared in front of her, sat down on the bench next to her, curved the corners of his mouth into a nice smile, leaned in, took the hand she was using to read a novel, and said in a voice that sounded a little aggrieved, "Yaoyao, I'm sorry, I've been bad lately and haven't considered your feelings. I've come to apologize."
Ou Liyao's gaze fell on the dense text, but she found that she didn't recognize a single word. Still angry, she didn't want to look at her, and continued to pretend that nothing had happened as she flipped through the book in her hands, when she heard her apologize again.
Xu Changjia carefully prepared his speech during evening self-study. Bringing her the milk tea she loved and apologizing was only the first step. The second step was to tell her about his inferiority complex, which was why he wanted to study so hard to prove something. The third step was to tell her that he had listened to what Senior Wen said that day, and that he had a goal and direction in his heart, which was why he worked tirelessly towards the direction he wanted.
As she spoke, a tear fell onto the web of her hand, and a question trembling with emotion left her speechless: "So, is studying hard something shameful? As your best friend, don't I deserve to know this?"
Xu Changjia's tears fell along with her questioning voice. "No, I just... I was just afraid you would think I was being dramatic, I'm just used to being alone like this..." She was somewhat incoherent and didn't even understand what she was saying.
She didn't continue the conversation, but Ou Liyao understood that after all these years of awkwardness, she finally had someone enter her heart. She cherished this person so much that she only wanted to show her best side. She wanted to hide the withered branches and leaves under the flowers and pretend that she didn't want anyone to discover her imperfections.
When the other two roommates returned to the dorm after doing their laundry, they were greeted by the sight of the two girls hugging and crying. They couldn't help but marvel at the scene, thinking that the two girls were ignoring each other. Usually, they would come back hand in hand or chat and laugh as they entered the dorm one after the other.
We didn't even know where the other was today. I thought we had a fight. But it seems like we still have a good relationship.
After crying herself to sleep, Ou Liyao reached for the large cup of fruit tea and gulped it down. She then pulled Ou Liyao onto the bed, and the two of them sat there chatting.
When the dormitory lights-out horn sounded, Xu Changjia climbed onto the bed opposite hers, grabbed a small desk lamp, turned it on, placed it on the table, and handed her the roasted pork belly.
"From now on, no matter what happens to you, you have to tell me right away, okay? I'm your best friend, you can't hide anything from me!"
Xu Changjia leaned against her, affectionately nuzzling her arm, accepting the treat from her best friend, "Okay, I'll tell you everything, so you have to be my best friend for life too."
She ate meat with one hand and gently patted her head with the other, occasionally sipping her fruit tea. She was extremely satisfied and agreed to her request. She was also genuinely happy for Xu Changjia. Her Jiajia was now making demands of her and was slowly growing up.
After their matter was settled, they started talking about Zhang, the academic genius. This guy has been acting strangely lately, as if he's been stimulated by something. He seems determined to become the king of academic debate and crush everyone else.
Xu Changjia leaned close and told her about how she had secretly brought her phone and called Zheng Ruoqian from the rooftop while she was taking a shower.
According to Zheng Ruoqian, Zhang Yuning's changes were somewhat related to him. The two of them needed to resolve their own issues, and the two of them could only act as matchmakers and not get too involved to avoid being implicated. So he gave her a suggestion and they would wait and see if it would work.
Speaking of this, Ou Liyao felt a little guilty. It was she who asked Zhang Yuning to make the call. She also wanted to be an honest friend, so she confessed that she had asked Zhang Yuning to call Zheng Ruoqian to ask why she had changed like this.
Xu Changjia smiled and gently pinched her nose, knowing that she meant well. Besides, Zheng Ruoqian had told her tonight that he really did have some understanding of her.
Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, Ou Liyao tickled her, and the two began to wrestle on the bed.
The sounds of their playful banter made their roommate across the room feel helpless. "My two young ladies, can't you at least give us bystanders a break after you've made up? Can you please keep it down and give us some time to sleep?"
Ou Liyao immediately raised her hand and gave an OK sign, indicating that we would stop arguing and go to sleep.
She had originally wanted to ask Xu Changjia to sleep with her, but she couldn't take too big a step at once. Xu Changjia had already bravely taken the first step, taking the initiative to make up and apologize, and telling her what was on her mind. She had to know when to stop and not force her to break out of her comfort zone. Even if they were good friends, they should give each other some private space.
Goodnight, Jiajia.
Xu Changjia lay on his bed, glanced at her, and said, "Goodnight, Yao Yao." Only then did he close his eyes in peace, ready to welcome a bright tomorrow.
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