Chapter 23 Signal: "I bet he's not the right person for her."...
As Liang Yizhi stood there, for a moment, the whole world fell silent.
She stood there, the wind whistling past her ears, masking the pounding of her heart.
This shouldn't be happening.
She broke up with Xie Yun just over a month ago, and she's already fallen for another man. Is that appropriate?
Reason told her that her feelings for He Xintu might just be a temporary hormonal reaction triggered by alcohol, and that didn't mean anything.
He Xintu looked with great interest at the girl's bewildered face, her eyes gleaming, her hair being blown by the wind and resting on the tip of her pert nose.
Every time he said something unexpected, she would make this face, as if he had said something earth-shattering.
This made him find it very interesting.
He Xintu thoughtfully gave her a way out: "You should go back quickly, otherwise if something is missing later, your friend will hold me responsible."
Liang Yizhi finally stopped her chaotic thoughts, nodded, and said, "Then you be careful on the road."
After parting ways.
Liang Yizhi carried her bag in both hands in front of her and walked towards home, lost in thought as she went.
That's too fast.
She had only met He Xintu twice, and she knew absolutely nothing about him except his name and job. All other information about him was blank.
He Xintu did the same to her; after only a few hours of conversation, he launched such a fierce offensive that she was completely overwhelmed.
Liang Yizhi wasn't unfamiliar with being pursued; in the past, some men had used all sorts of bizarre tactics. They would hang banners outside her dormitory, spend a month making her a gift by hand, and pick her up and drop her off every day for a whole semester, bringing her breakfast... She had experienced it all.
No matter how fancy the pursuit, it all depends on who the person is. If there's no spark, you can't win a smile from them no matter how hard you try.
The problem is that He Xintu didn't do anything, yet she's already getting dizzy and falling for him.
When I got home and opened the door, my cheeks, which had been exposed to the cold wind all the way, were still warm.
This is a very dangerous sign.
Liang Yizhi reminded herself in her heart.
It was getting late, so she quickly changed her clothes and went to wash up. When she came out, she saw a message from He Xintu that she had sent ten minutes earlier.
Arrived home safely.
Liang Yizhi thought for a moment and decided she should reply politely. She picked up her phone: "Thank you for your hard work, the wine was delicious, I had a great time today, see you again sometime."
She typed the message and put down her phone; the screen lit up again almost immediately.
Of course there's a chance.
I'm waiting for your meal.
-
Over the weekend, Jiang Huai was dragged by Gu Yinyan to play tennis.
He had just returned from a road trip in Northwest China and was exhausted after several days. He was finally able to rest when Gu Yinyan made him go to the basketball court, where he spun around like a top.
After the third round ended today, Jiang Huai finally decided to give up. He threw his racket on the ground, put his hands on his hips, and shouted angrily at his opponent:
"Gu Yinyan, what's wrong with you? I just got back and spent two days as your caddy, picking up balls like that is giving me a herniated disc. Do you have no humanity at all?"
"Whose fault is it if you can't play well?"
Gu Yinyan ignored his complaints, twisted his wrist holding the racket, and gestured for him to pick up the ball quickly. "Continue, don't waste time."
Jiang Huai asked, "Tell me, who upset you?"
"Nobody."
"...I think you're just using me as a tool to vent your inexhaustible energy on me, aren't you?" Jiang Huai squinted and shook his hand. "I'm really not coming. If you're so bored, you should find someone to date to kill time. I really can't take care of you, you young master."
Gu Yinyan replied, "You weren't exactly busy when you were dating before."
"...My ex was a doctor! Please, what doctor has so much free time that he'd be running around every day trying to flirt with me? That's what's worrying."
"So you shouldn't try to persuade me anymore."
Jiang Huai spat at him, "What a disgrace!"
Unable to argue with him, Jiang Huai went to rest on a bench, sat down to drink water, and browsed his phone while relaxing.
Gu Yinyan glanced at him, walked to the other side of the court alone, picked up the fluorescent green ball, and idly slammed it to the ground, catching it as it bounced.
He appeared calm on the surface, but upon closer inspection, one could see that he was consciously controlling the force of his wrist movements, and each ball he slammed down bounced to almost the same height.
In the days since his argument with Liang Yizhi, Gu Yinyan's mood has been fluctuating like a tennis ball bouncing and falling on the ground.
Just when he thought he had calmed down, the seeds of anxiety would secretly sprout again.
Gu Yinyan was engrossed in his work when he suddenly heard Jiang Huai calling him.
He looked up.
Jiang Huai held up her phone and asked him, "Did you see the photos He Man posted in the group last night?"
"What?"
Did you not see it or did you forget?
"Too many messages, too lazy to scroll through the pages."
"Then you'll miss out on a big juicy story." Jiang Huai laughed as he pulled up the photo. "Handsome man and beautiful woman, under the flowers and moon... Our Yizhi is still quite sought after."
The ball bounced up and landed in Gui Yinyan's palm.
Gu Yinyan asked, "What do you mean?"
Jiang Huai flipped the screen: "Look for yourself, He Man said these are friends she met last night when they went out drinking."
Gu Yinyan walked up to him, took the phone from his hand, and swiped his finger to turn up the screen brightness.
Even with the brightness turned up to the maximum, the image clarity was still low due to the shooting environment at the time.
In the photo, a man and a woman sit on one side, with two glasses of different colors on the table in front of them. The lighting is dim, and their eyes meet, exchanging glances in an ambiguous and hazy atmosphere.
He zoomed in on the photo using his thumb and forefinger.
Jiang Huai asked with a grin, "Hey, do you remember this guy? He's the one who helped us stop the thugs at the hot pot restaurant last time. I've been wanting to get to know him for a while now, and I didn't expect to actually run into him. I think he's a good guy, loyal and righteous, always ready to help those in need. At least his character is reliable."
"How about we ask Yizhi to introduce us to some people another day? I heard he's a bar owner. If they get together, we'll have another convenient place to have a drink."
“You can go anywhere to drink if you have the money.” Gu Yinyan handed the phone back to him. “Besides, you’re thinking too far ahead.”
Jiang Huai understood that Gu Yinyan implied he didn't think highly of them. His competitive spirit flared, and he asked, "Shall we bet?"
"What are we betting on?"
"I bet they'll be together within a month."
Gu Yinyan asked calmly, "Where does your confidence come from?"
“It’s not confidence, it’s a blessing, a beautiful blessing,” Jiang Huai said. “I hope my friend can be with a good person; that would be a happy ending for everyone.”
"Then I bet you won't." Gu Yinyan put his hands in his pockets and looked at him.
"I bet he's not the good person you're talking about, at least not the right person for Liang Yizhi. They can't be together."
Jiang Huai chuckled at his words: "And what are the conditions?"
"Be my caddie for six months."
“?…”
After hearing what he said, Jiang Huai immediately regretted it. He didn't love sports that much. If he spent half a year of his free time playing ball with Gu Yinyan, he would lose most of his time for eating, drinking and having fun, and his life would become bleak.
Jiang Huai retorted, "Actually, I think what you said makes a lot of sense, so why don't we just forget about it—"
"It's too late."
A tennis ball flew over and hit Jiang Huai not far in front of him, then bounced up and landed on his thigh.
Gu Yinyan had no patience to listen to his nonsense anymore, picked up his racket and returned to the court: "Let's continue now that you've rested enough."
During this period, Liang Yizhi thoroughly implemented her plan.
She contacted a painter friend and introduced Lin You to a job as a curatorial assistant. The work wouldn't be too much, although it would be rather tedious. However, Liang Yizhi specifically mentioned Lin You's injury and asked her friend to try not to let her do any dirty or heavy work.
Lin You was very grateful and said that she would definitely repay her properly when she saved enough money.
Liang Yizhi simply said there was no need to worry too much, and then inquired about her father's condition.
Lin You said, "He still gets headaches frequently and vomits as soon as he eats. Yesterday he couldn't even stand up and had to be carried to the toilet by other relatives."
Although Liang Yizhi hadn't experienced it herself, she still tried her best to comfort her: "Don't worry, your father will definitely get better. I'll find some time to go see him later."
"No need, no need!" Lin You immediately declined, saying, "You're so busy, there's no need for you to make a special trip. My dad isn't feeling well right now, and I don't think he'd want to meet the people who are helping us so hastily. You can come later when he's feeling better."
After receiving this message, Liang Yizhi received another picture of the hospital from Lin You.
The picture is a bit blurry, as if it was taken with a shaky hand, but you can still make out the white hospital room and the sickly figure lying on the bed.
Liang Yizhi asked Lin You a few more questions before putting down her phone, carrying her bag and instrument, and heading out to the orchestra for rehearsal.
During their break, Wu You and she went out for a meal. They chose a ramen shop in a nearby mall and chatted while they ate.
Wu You complained to her, "You know what? My mom is planning to find me a blind date lately."
"How so?"
“Last week, he suddenly sent me a photo and said he wanted me to meet him. Wait for me to find it and I’ll show it to you.” Wu You opened the chat history on her phone.
"Seriously, don't scare me." Wu You held the screen up to her face.
The photo appears to be taken from a casual overhead angle, suggesting that the person who took it didn't consider the angle or aesthetics at all; they were simply recording the person's appearance.
Liang Yizhi looked at it for two seconds and asked Wu You, "Which one is it?"
"What do you think? Whoever occupies the most space in the picture, that's the one, right?"
Liang Yizhi glanced at the bald uncle standing at the front.
"You...you don't mean this, do you?"
“The moment I saw the photo, I had the same reaction as you.” Wu You put down her phone. “I felt like I wanted to die. But my mom said that the person in question is very well-off, owns several properties in Yucheng, and is in business.”
"But this person... seems to be from a different generation than you."
The man in the photo has a receding hairline, is wearing a white T-shirt and the most ordinary distressed jeans. At first glance, he could easily be mistaken for Wu You's uncle.
Wu You stuck her chopsticks into the bottom of her bowl: "That's why I don't understand what my mom is thinking. Does she think I'm worthy of someone like him? If she wants me to live with him in the future, she might as well tie me up and sell me to terrorists!"
Wu You is two or three years older than Liang Yizhi, so her family is very concerned about her marital status, saying that she has too high standards and therefore missed out on other men with better conditions.
Her parents told her not to be so picky. If she found someone decent, she could speed things up. They said she shouldn't waste time screening people; building a relationship was the most important thing.
Wu You said, "So I set a goal for myself: I must find a boyfriend within the next month! And I have to find one who is better than all the other guys I've been shown around!"
Liang Yizhi nodded: "Agreed. This will also shut your parents up."
"Then after get off work, will you come to dinner with me?" Wu You looked at her, clasped his hands together in a pleading manner, "My friend introduced me to someone, and I'm planning to meet him tonight. Could you also give me your opinion?"
"tonight?"
"right!"
“Tonight…it might not be possible.” Recalling the agreement made a few days ago, Liang Yizhi reluctantly refused, “I have plans to meet a friend today, and I’m going to have dinner with them tonight.”
"What kind of friend?" Wu You's gossipy nature was piqued.
"We met by chance at a bar, but we haven't seen each other many times. It wouldn't be right to stand her up."
"Wow! You've got something going on!" Wu You looked at her with a smile. "Alright! I approve. Remember to report back to me when you get back."
Liang Yizhi smiled and said, "We're just friends, don't overthink it."
After the afternoon rehearsal, Liang Yizhi went home first. She dressed up a little and put on light makeup before going out.
She had booked a restaurant in advance for the evening's dinner party. It was located in the center of Yucheng City and was a Guizhou restaurant that she had eaten at before and found to be very delicious. It was the perfect place to invite her friends.
With the evening rush hour fast approaching, she rushed out the door.
...
Two hours later, the doorbell rang at Liang Yizhi's house.
The sharp, piercing ringtone rang intermittently three or four times, but no one answered.
Gu Yinyan stood alone downstairs in the dark apartment building, carrying a box of gifts in his hand.
That was the excuse he made for himself to come here.
Gu Yinyan returned to his car, stared at his phone screen for a long time, and finally decided to make a call.
Two or three calls were made, but still no one answered.
Calling her any more would be going too far, since he hadn't yet figured out what was so important that she would come back to see him right now.
He sat alone in the dark, staring silently at the call log page, lost in thought.
So he's late again this time?
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