Chapter 39, the most dazzling
Luo Xincheng felt Jiang Xu rub the ribbon at the corner of her eye away with his fingertip. Just as she was about to turn her head away, she heard him say slyly:
"Now that we're on the left and right, we've got Jiayan sandwiched in the middle. Once he blows out the candles, we can all work together to push him into the cake."
Luo Xincheng couldn't stop laughing at the thought of that ridiculous scene. "How could you be like this? You're so mean."
Upon hearing this, Wang Jiayan, who was sitting in the middle, immediately separated the two and said indignantly, "Conspiring loudly in front of me? How can you do this? Don't actually shove me into a cake, it'll be so embarrassing!"
The two quickly shook their heads, saying it was just a joke, but the seed of doubt had already been planted in Wang Jiayan's heart.
He looked left and right, still uneasy about the two's perverse sense of humor, so he simply got up and sat next to Luo Xincheng, pushing her towards the center.
"Hey!" Luo Xincheng punched his shoulder in annoyance, then turned to look at Jiang Xu suspiciously, "So, you're not going to shove me into a cake later, are you?"
Jiang Xu immediately raised his hands in surrender, "Don't insult me like that. I still have some gentlemanly manners, okay?"
Sitting diagonally in front of him, Xu Peiyi burst into laughter, “Yes, yes, gentlemanly manners. For the sake of your nose, even someone as vain as him won’t wear perfume when he’s with you.”
Luo Xincheng has a very sensitive sense of smell. What is a light fragrance to them is surprisingly noticeable to her. Therefore, when the others meet with Luo Xincheng, they generally do not wear perfume.
After all, the shampoos and skincare products they use are scented, and their clothes are basically scented as well. If they spray perfume on top of that, it won't be very pleasant for Luo Xincheng's nose.
"Thank you for saving my nose from so much suffering."
Luo Xincheng's gaze darted back and forth between Jiang Xu and Xu Peiyi. "But could you two switch seats? I feel uneasy with Jiang Xu sitting next to me."
Jiang Xu: "?"
Jiang Xu: "I would like to switch, but Xu Peiyi was the one who pushed me here because she said the lighting in this spot wasn't good and the photos wouldn't look good. She definitely doesn't want to switch with me."
Luo Xincheng: "..."
She peeked at Xu Peiyi and found that he was already taking selfies with Jiang Wei, completely oblivious to the world around him.
"Don't worry, I won't press you into the cake." Jiang Xu handed her a lighter so she could light the candles on the cake. "I still want to eat this cake."
Luo Xincheng took the lighter, lit the candles, closed her eyes to make a wish amidst the sounds of everyone singing "Happy Birthday," and finally blew out the candles.
"That's awful singing." After opening her eyes, she heard Wang Jiayan mutter a complaint, "It's like a ghost howling."
Luo Xincheng smiled and began cutting the cake. After giving a slice to everyone around her, she picked up what she thought was the best slice and began searching for Fu Zhiheng in the crowd.
But there were too many people around him, and Fu Zhiheng himself doesn't like noisy occasions, so he probably found a quiet corner to hide away and have some peace and quiet.
Thinking of this, she reluctantly put down the cake.
Suddenly, a cool sensation came over my nose.
She was startled, and when she looked down, she saw it was a dollop of cream.
"..." She turned her head speechlessly, only to meet Jiang Xu's smug smile. "Are you sick? How childish!"
Jiang Xu brandished the scraper in his hand, reaching past her to hit Wang Jiayan's face, "Not childish."
Luo Xincheng rolled her eyes, then viciously scraped his face with a scraper, smearing large patches of cream on his fair cheek.
Jiang Xu exclaimed in surprise and quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe his face. "I put such a tiny bit of cream on you, and you give me back such a huge blob?"
Luo Xincheng ignored his accusations and enthusiastically smeared cream on Xu Peiyi and Jiang Wei's faces. Then she leaned in and let them dab cream on her face.
Okay, now everyone has cream on their faces.
She subconsciously raised a peace sign, her eyes crinkling as she met the flashing camera lens.
Click.
The moment the image froze, Fu Zhiheng, sitting alone in the corner, stared intently in her direction and took a sip of juice.
A strong sour taste suddenly exploded in my mouth.
He frowned, forcing himself to swallow, feeling the intense acidity burn down his esophagus and causing his stomach to spasm uncontrollably.
What is that...?
He brought the glass closer and took a sniff; the pungent, tooth-grinding lemon scent immediately hit him.
Why is there lemon juice here? He frowned and put down the cup, his gaze seemingly drawn to Luo Xincheng's direction.
Both of them had a lot of cream on their faces from their earlier playful fight, and they were wiping their faces. Luo Xincheng had less cream on her face, so she wiped it off quickly, but Jiang Xu just kept messing with her, smearing her face with cream every now and then.
Fu Zhiheng couldn't understand what was wrong with this person; why was he so rude?
He was both angry and anxious, and instinctively wanted to drink something to calm himself down. He didn't notice that he had picked up the lime juice he had drunk earlier and drank it all in one gulp.
My stomach felt like it had been drenched in a light, acidic rain.
The excessively concentrated acid quickly turned into a distinct bitterness, bubbling and exploding again, with all sorts of sour and astringent flavors flooding in, causing Fu Zhiheng to involuntarily clutch his stomach.
His gaze cut through the crowd and locked onto her again, but there were so many people around that it was really difficult to see her clearly.
He hadn't been in the same space with so many people for a very, very long time.
I'm not used to it at all.
The hot breath exhaled by everyone lingered in the air, accumulating and not dissipating. Gradually, the air inside the cabin became thin and hot.
He felt a little short of breath, raised his hand to loosen two buttons, but his eyes were still fixed on Luo Xincheng, staring at her and Jiang Xu's interaction almost self-destructively, and a long-forgotten memory came to mind.
A story from so long ago that he thought he had long forgotten it.
...
The year he was a senior in high school happened to be the 70th anniversary of his school.
The second week after the National Day holiday is the school's anniversary open day, where students from other schools can also visit the school as long as they make an appointment.
Luo Xincheng was not among those well-behaved students. After the lecture, he was unwilling to return to the classroom and instead wandered around the bustling campus.
Although she didn't want to go back to the classroom, she didn't force Fu Zhiheng to accompany her, letting him go wherever he wanted.
"If you want to go back to the classroom to study, then go. There's no need for you to come with me."
It was still very hot in October. As she spoke, she lifted Fu Zhiheng's hand and directed the small fan towards her face.
Fu Zhiheng held an umbrella for her with one hand and a small fan for her with the other, making him a very competent helper.
After she finished speaking, he raised one arm to wipe the sweat from his chin and said in a muffled voice, "What will you do if I leave? You'll have to carry an umbrella and a fan, it'll be tiring."
Upon hearing this, Luo Xincheng frowned, not feeling that he was being considerate of her, but rather suspecting that he was taking the opportunity to complain.
"You're tired?" She put her hands on her hips, adopting a fierce and scolding attitude. "You're the one who offered to hold the umbrella and fan for me. I didn't force you to do it."
Fu Zhiheng explained with a wry smile, "That's not what I meant. I was just worried you were tired or hot, and I wanted to stay with you."
Luo Xincheng's expression finally improved; her eyes sparkled with a hint of smugness, but her mouth remained sharp.
"You really just want to stay with me? Aren't you going back to the classroom to study? Be careful, the second-ranked student in the grade might overtake you now."
"No way." He said firmly, his seemingly calm tone revealing a rare arrogance. "It's impossible for him to surpass me."
"No way~" Luo Xincheng chuckled, poking his shoulder repeatedly. "So confident, be careful you don't end up sinking in a ditch."
He was a little embarrassed by her deliberately quirky tone, and said, "I've been studying hard at home tonight."
"Okay, okay."
Luo Xincheng nodded seriously, nudged his shoulder, and said in a pretentious tone, "It's your fault for being so clingy. Oh well, let's go shopping together."
Fu Zhiheng then smiled shyly and happily at her.
The two went to the photo spots together, collected stamps at the library, and bought cultural and creative products from the school.
After browsing around a few places, Luo Xincheng was very thirsty and didn't want to move anymore, so she asked Fu Zhiheng to buy her some cold drinks.
"I want a Coke." She snatched the umbrella and fan from his hands and said imperiously, "I want an iced one, canned."
Fu Zhiheng hesitated, "But your period is coming soon..."
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Xincheng interrupted him.
"Don't bring up such a spoilsport when I'm in a good mood!"
She glared at him, annoyed. "I don't have menstrual cramps, and why do you remember my period so clearly?"
Her eyes widened, and she cursed, enunciating each word clearly, "Pervert!"
Fu Zhiheng lowered his head in embarrassment, revealing a pair of bright red ears peeking out from his jet-black sideburns. "I just remembered it by accident."
"Accidentally? How can you be so careless?"
Luo Xincheng, having found fault with him, became even more self-righteous in ordering him around, "I don't care, I want an iced cola, go buy it."
Fu Zhiheng could only nod helplessly, "Alright."
"Hurry up!" she urged, her tone exaggerated. "My throat is so dry it's practically on fire."
Fu Zhiheng thought to himself, "Who told you to keep chattering away the whole way?" But he didn't show it on his face. He nodded obediently and walked quickly toward the convenience store.
Fearing that Luo Xincheng would be impatient, he jogged back after buying the cola.
But as he approached where she was waiting, he was surprised to find a boy he didn't recognize sitting opposite her.
The two were eating ice cream, chatting and laughing happily.
Fu Zhiheng stopped in his tracks.
He was still catching his breath, staring blankly in the direction of the two people. After the anxiety in his eyes faded, a bewildered look of confusion returned.
Who is that?
His gaze shifted from the boy's handsome face downwards, recognizing that the school uniform he was wearing belonged to a well-known international high school.
He had heard Luo Xincheng mention it before, saying that she had originally planned to go to that international high school with her friends, but later felt that it was too far from home, the commute was too long, and she was too lazy to move, so she gave up.
The familiar manner of the two chatting and laughing was still vivid in his mind. Fu Zhiheng silently wiped the sweat from his face, his heart sinking.
They must have been friends for a long time, because even though they were so close, Luo Xincheng didn't show any discomfort.
Realizing this, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the can in his hand.
The squeezed can made a popping sound.
Upon hearing the sound, Fu Zhiheng was startled and quickly bent down to put the jar back in its original position.
She probably forgot about the Coke waiting for her at this point, since she was already eating ice cream.
He stared blankly at the can, gradually losing his focus.
The frost clinging to the can was baked by his scorching body heat, quickly melting into sticky water that soaked his palms.
Pat, pat.
Water droplets seeped through the gaps between his fingers and onto the ground, leaving a small, dark mark.
He slowly lifted his eyelids, his gaze precisely fixed on the two people's location.
The boy held an umbrella for Luo Xincheng, seemingly complaining about the heat. He bent down and leaned closer to Luo Xincheng, and she smiled and turned the small fan that was originally pointing at her to blow on the boy.
The boy's fine bangs were instantly blown up by the wind, revealing his handsome features. His fair skin was glistening with sweat, and he smiled at her even more joyfully.
Even if Fu Zhiheng harbored prejudice, she had to admit that the boy was indeed very good-looking.
He stood silently under the dense shade of the trees, watching the two of them smile at each other from afar. Unconsciously, he bit his lower lip, grinding his teeth back and forth on his lips.
The two smiling faces shone brightly in the sunlight, making him feel slightly dizzy.
It's so bright and glaring.
Fu Zhiheng narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he took in the increasingly smug smile on the stranger's face.
A strange and intense emotion filled his heart, causing his stomach to cramp and his throat to churn with acid.
What's there to be proud of?
He swallowed awkwardly a couple of times to suppress the urge to vomit.
...
It's disgusting.
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