Chapter 19 If you're serious, then let's fall in love, you and I. ...
The team building arrived as scheduled without anyone noticing. In the early morning of that day, Zhuang He and Fang Qingzhuo worked late into the night. Their room was the only one with lights on in the entire laboratory.
Zhuang He gulped down half a bottle of Red Bull in one gulp, his eyes gleaming as he clutched his keyboard, "We have to work overtime tonight to finish this front-end."
Fang Qingzhuo gave a perfunctory "hmm", leaned his head back on the chair and stared blankly at the incandescent light on the ceiling. He successfully ignored the small error window on the computer screen.
Seeing that he was distracted, Zhuang He pushed a bottle of Red Bull over to comfort him: "Don't worry, with our abilities, we can easily finish it in one night."
Fang Qingzhuo turned a deaf ear and fiddled with the pull ring of the drink without opening it.
What he was worried about was not this matter, but the upcoming team building after the sunrise. Although he didn't want to admit it from the bottom of his heart, ever since he suddenly learned that Duan Ran was about to confess his love, he had been shrouded in an unknown emotion and troubled every day.
It's none of his business who Luo Shu likes or who she's with, and even if she agrees to someone's confession, it's none of his business. But if the target is Duan Ran...
Does he need to take care of it?
After successfully brainwashing himself, he changed his mind and analyzed it. Luo Shu had said in the car that she didn't like Duan Ran, so she would never accept it easily.
I got up, grabbed the mouse, typed a few lines of code, and ran it again.
A rebuttal immediately popped up in my mind: Did she say that? No, she didn't say it explicitly, she just said that she didn't keep me hanging.
Impossible, she said she liked him herself.
But with her habitual lying mouth, there's no guarantee...
Coupled with what happened on the court last time, he didn't dare to gamble.
-
After breakfast early in the morning, all the members of the Student Union gathered at the school gate, got on a bus in an orderly manner, and drove towards the destination at a steady speed.
Luo Shu and Tang Tang were sitting in the middle row. Duan Ran tried to talk to them several times, but either he asked her to listen to music and pretend to be asleep to avoid him, or he pulled Tang Tang aside to talk in private so he couldn't get a word in.
As a bystander, Cheng Xinyu was jealous of Duan Ran's cold reception and secretly vowed to leave a deep impression on Luo Shu tonight.
The team building location was a popular camping site in Linhai. Duan Ran took great pains and booked this popular romantic spot at his own expense.
After getting off the car, everyone had a great time, except Tang Tang who had a secret surprise and Luo Shu who couldn't recover for a long time.
In the blink of an eye, night fell. Luo Shu, Tang Tang and some schoolmates gathered together to listen to Grassland Live.
It was a slow and lyrical song, with the lead singer singing with deep emotion. The chorus climax was gripping and resonated with people, but Tang Tang was distracted.
Luo Shu looked at her: "Why do I feel like something's wrong with you today?"
Tang Tang hesitated to speak. To be honest, she had long since stopped treating Luo Shu as an ordinary schoolmate and instead treated her as a good friend. Everyone present knew that there was a carefully planned confession tonight, except for her, the person involved, who was unaware. More importantly, she didn't seem to like Duan Ran.
"Well, what do you think of Chairman Duan?"
The song ended and there was continuous applause. Luo Shu didn't quite hear it: "What? How about someone?"
Tang Tang: "It's Duan..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a sudden commotion in the audience.
Following the noise around them, the two of them discovered that all the burning gazes were directed at the same man under the canopy tent.
The man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he stood in the backlight in a black shirt and black pants, almost blending into the night. He picked up the lighter on the table and lit the cigarette that someone had kindly handed to him. The moment the flame rubbed out from the hole, his face was reflected particularly clearly.
It is obvious at a glance that the undoubted handsome one is Fang Qingzhuo.
Luo Shu thought: Isn’t he not coming?
His name was not even on the final team-building list in the group.
Fang Qingzhuo's surprise appearance was like a net, densely entangling the eyes of everyone present, arousing the curiosity of the same sex and the attraction of the opposite sex.
There are many new students who can't help but ask: "Senior, who is that handsome guy?"
Tang Tang calmly replied, "Fourth year computer science student, Fang Qingzhuo."
The name Fang Qingzhuo is well-known in Shenzhen University of Technology.
Upon hearing this, everyone around started to murmur, both boys and girls.
Luo Shu glanced over and saw Fang Qingzhuo leaning against the back of the chair with his long legs folded and his eyes lowered, his gaze fixed unfocusedly on something. Smoke rose slowly between his fingers. Perhaps he heard the girls' noises and cast a lazy glance at her nonchalantly.
Suppressed screams of excitement then spread out.
He didn't look at Luo Shu, and practiced what he said last time when he didn't know her. Luo Shu didn't get close to him to show her presence. He turned around with a serious face and prepared dinner with everyone, while complaining in his heart: What a playboy.
The light was a little dim. Fang Qingzhuo clasped one hand on his temples, and the large cloud of white smoke he exhaled concealed the fatigue in his eyes and brows.
Someone at the table joked with him, "You're worthy of being the walking golden signboard of Shenzhen University of Technology. You're as popular as ever."
The food on the tabletop baking tray sizzled with oil. Duan Ran, after a long pause, picked up a grape from the fruit bowl and said, "You're such a busy man, you're not working hard at the Institute of Computing Technology to bring honor to the school, and you actually have time to come out and play?"
What it means is that you are idle and not doing your job properly, so you are uninvited.
Fang Qingzhuo glanced indifferently, "I heard that this team building is to welcome new members, so I have to come. Secondly, it is to see Chairman Duan off after he retires, so I have to come even more."
There was a brief pause, "Did Chairman Duan get upset by coming here uninvited?"
After saying this, he crushed the last bit of cigarette in the ashtray. It turned out that he still couldn't get used to smoking other brands of cigarettes.
Duan Ran certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to admit in front of so many people: "Of course not, I just always forget that you're still in the Student Union, taking up a precious spot."
The conversation between us was full of thorns and sarcastic remarks.
"That's perfect! I'll retire with Chairman Duan tonight."
Duan Ran turned his face away in a state of extreme anger. Coincidentally, someone came running over and whispered something mysteriously in his ear, calling him away.
Without this annoying fly buzzing around, Fang Qingzhuo felt much calmer. He pinched his brows and his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Luo Shu who was busy not far away.
Sometimes when she chatted and greeted someone, no matter whether it was a man or a woman, when she smiled and talked to someone or when she glanced at someone inadvertently, Fang Qingzhuo would follow and look over.
We really had a great conversation.
He stayed up all night and came to this desolate, shabby place. A nasty thought popped up in his mind: why should she be happier than him? He really wanted to make her cry.
Suddenly, Duan Ran called everyone together, and Luo Shu was surrounded by the girls and sat up.
Duan Ran sat down next to her and warmly handed her the bowl and chopsticks, wishing he could feed the barbecue into her mouth with his own hands.
During the game, someone suggested playing Truth or Dare to liven up the atmosphere. After playing a round of it, for unknown reasons, it was Luo Shu's turn again.
"Is this truth or dare?"
Luo Shu was being conservative: "The truth."
"Is there any man here that you like?"
There were fifteen people sitting at the same table, and eleven of them were boys. Luo Shu pursed her lips and hesitated, as if she was considering something.
Before she could figure out the result, a leg stretched out restlessly and kicked her foot twice like a rogue occupying another country's territory.
Regardless of whether the other party did it intentionally or not, Luo Shu raised her eyelids and gave him a warning glance, but a scoundrel is a scoundrel, and it is difficult to change his nature, so she simply decided not to move.
Showing off your legs, huh? Luo Shu stomped hard on his limited edition sneakers.
This kick was somewhat mixed with personal grudges.
Fang Qingzhuo laughed out loud and said, "You've been waiting for so long that the flowers have gone cold. Do you still want to play the game?"
Then he retracted his foot as if nothing had happened, picked up the juice in front of him, and when he put it to his lips, his eyes turned to Luo Shu opposite him, clearly looking at her.
As if to say, don't try to lie, he stared.
Luo Shu felt uncomfortable being stared at by him and her heart skipped a beat.
"have."
Anyway, he is not the only one at this table.
Everyone started to make a scene, looking at Duan Ran without hesitation. No one had ever imagined that the person Luo Shu liked was the same as Fang Qingzhuo. Duan Ran was delighted and accepted everything. He quickly took the seat, helped himself to food, and asked about her well-being.
After the meal, it is inevitable to play games for entertainment. Luo Shu was unlucky, so she played hide-and-seek with her eyes blindfolded. She was the one who got drawn to catch the people, and she had to catch all the people within the specified time to pass.
With three seconds left on the countdown, the people in the encirclement were fleeing in all directions in a panic. Luo Shu was wearing a blindfold, and everything in front of her was dark. She could only grope forward hesitantly with her arms outstretched, relying on her sense of feeling.
The scene was bustling with activity, and the atmosphere outside was no less lively. He talked back and forth, and some even resorted to tricking Luo Shu into doing the opposite by giving her a warning. Tang Tang, surviving in the cracks, used her hands like megaphones to loudly command, "Luo Shu, there are people behind you. They're all behind you."
Unfortunately, all Luo Shu received was the chaotic interference information from outside the venue, and she didn't hear a single word of her prompt.
On the other side, Fang Qingzhuo adhered to his duty as an outsider and stayed out of the matter. He stayed by the side of Duan Ran, the scheming guy, with his eyes wide open so wide that sparks could be seen.
He is so pretentious, too pretentious. Not only is he pretending to be worldly, he is holding a bouquet of roses in his arms and confessing his feelings unexpectedly during the game. Don't think that he can't guess what evil intentions he has. He is sure that it is not easy for a girl to reject him, the chairman, in front of a group of people. This is moral kidnapping.
Under the guidance of various kind-hearted people, Luo Shu approached them step by step.
Four meters, three meters, two meters, one meter...
Duan Ran took a deep breath and prepared to give the flowers. The whole audience fell silent. The next second, an accident happened. In full view of everyone, a pair of evil hands came to rest on Fang Qingzhuo's body, or to be more precise, on his lower abdomen, right at one of his tattoos.
Even Fang Qingzhuo herself was confused. After randomly touching his abdominal muscles for a while, she seemed unsure of what strange thing she touched, so she climbed up curiously. Fang Qingzhuo had never experienced such a complicated feeling, with her emotions fluctuating. She frowned, and her Adam's apple rolled up and down. When she felt the most nervous, she touched upwards. When she felt the most comfortable, she hummed in disgust, "What's so hard?" and pushed it away.
Cheng Xinyu exchanged glances with a few of the girls behind her, then picked up her water gun and shot at Luo Shu: "We're behind."
Luo Shu was attracted over, and Cheng Xinyu and her group immediately split up into several groups and surrounded her from all directions.
No matter how good Luo Shu's temper was, she couldn't accept being scolded for no reason.
He took off his blindfold: "That's enough. I don't want to play anymore."
"It's not up to you." After saying this sinisterly, Cheng Yuxin became even more aggressive. It was too late to beg for mercy now. She insisted on showing Luo Shu's true colors in front of everyone, and she hit her on the forehead a few more times as if to vent her anger.
Tears flowed into her eyes, and Luo Shu instinctively blocked them with her hands, glaring at the culprit: "You did it on purpose."
Even the soft persimmon can become tough one day, and she was so angry that she picked up a bucket of water and poured it back as a courtesy.
Cheng Xinyu was caught off guard and instantly drenched like a drowned rat. Her false eyelashes were dangling from her upper eyelids, threatening to fall off. After a brief moment of daze, she snapped back to reality, her eyes red and furious as she pointed at Luo Shu, "How dare you splash me?"
Luo Shu was filled with righteous indignation: "You guys are allowed to bully me, but I'm not allowed to fight back?"
"Bullying." One of the girls stood up and said, "It's just a game. If you can't afford it, don't play it."
Even rabbits bite when they are angry, not to mention Luo Shu: "Get lost, you have no right to speak here."
Another girl couldn't stand it any longer: "Who are you talking about? We are your seniors."
Luo Shu treated everyone the same: "I'm talking about you. You carry a fake bag around every day, afraid that others won't know how vain you are."
Team wiped out...
Just when everyone was shocked by her hot temper and Duan Ran, who was planning to confess his feelings, was frozen in place with a complicated expression, Fang Qingzhuo was the first to discover the key point. The tense stalemate made the curves outlined by the water.
Seeing that the war was about to break out, Luo Shu took on three people alone, but no one stepped forward to stop the fight.
Fang Qingzhuo sighed and whispered, "This is really crazy."
He took a few steps into the center of the vortex and stood beside Luo Shu, who was puffing up her neck and refusing to give in, like a background wall. Then, in front of all the classmates, he took off his coat and put it on her shoulders without any other movement.
The moment the familiar breath came over me, all my resistance was smoothed out.
Luo Shu turned her head and met his extremely bright pupils, which were illuminated by the lingering lights. It was like the seashore after the tide receded, and all kinds of underwater creatures had nowhere to hide.
It was a little unreal but she understood it. She could beat or scold her as she pleased, and he would support her.
Luo Shu zipped up her jacket, straightened her back, and said confidently, "Apologize."
Cheng Xinyu and the others looked at each other, weighing the pros and cons under the influence of layers of low pressure. There was really no need to offend Fang Qingzhuo because of Luo Shu.
"I'm sorry." The two girls except Cheng Xinyu bowed their heads and apologized in unison.
Duan Ran alone wasn't enough, so Fang Qingzhuo showed up. Cheng Xinyu was unyielding and decided to throw in the towel. She said fearlessly, "I'm not wrong. I won't apologize..."
Before he could finish the last word, Fang Qingzhuo poured a bucket of cold water over his head: "It's okay if you don't know how to do it. I don't mind teaching you."
The autumn night was chilly and Cheng Xinyu shivered as if she had fallen into an icy cave.
Finally, Duan Ran got rid of that soul and returned to his place. He took two steps at a time and ran to the front line with the rose in his arms. But Fang Qingzhuo got there first and ran away with Luo Shu.
The audience gasped, first at Luo Shu's explosive energy, then at Fang Qingzhuo's heroic rescue. The embarrassing behavior and arrogant tone, strange yet strangely harmonious with Fang Qingzhuo's words, were paired with the question of when these two had met. Finally, Duan Ran's carefully prepared confession fell through.
Outside the camp, Fang Qingzhuo walked ahead with big strides, holding the hand of Luo Shu who was out of condition.
Luo Shu's image collapsed so quickly that she became very withdrawn, which resulted in her being as quiet and well-behaved as a puppet throughout the journey.
Suddenly, a series of thunderous rumbles stirred the inky night sky, and the weather was about to change.
Fang Qingzhuo, however, acted as if he couldn't hear anything and insisted on doing his own thing.
The lightning was terrifying, and Luo Shu couldn't help but remind him: "Fang Qingzhuo, it's going to rain."
The warmth from the grip on his wrist dissipated, and the man turned around. At the same time, a silver-white lightning suddenly struck his head, illuminating his face, which was difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry, and was not calm at all.
The rain started pouring down, pounding on the two of them head-on. The sound of thunder and heartbeats echoed together. Fang Qingzhuo concentrated and thought for a moment before leading Luo Shu to a nearby store with an awning to take shelter from the rain.
The door was a little narrow and the space was limited. Fang Qingzhuo leaned against the wall. His hair was wet and tied into clumps. The length that had originally stuck on his eyelids now blocked his eyes, making him look a little disheveled, but it couldn't hide his handsomeness.
She randomly brushed her hair with her hands, and a few drops of water splashed onto Luo Shu's face next to her.
At first he didn't notice it until he saw the people dodging frequently in his peripheral vision. He glanced over and saw that they were not much more respectable than him. They were wearing windproof jackets that were several sizes too big, their faces were pale as if they had been sprayed with water guns by bullies, and their hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing wet hairline. There is an idiom that best describes them: in cahoots with each other.
I wanted to wipe it off for her, but that felt inappropriate. I wanted to ask her why she was silent. Wasn't she quite a bit of a scold just now? That felt inappropriate. I wanted to tease her about whether it would be a one-on-three situation if she didn't intervene. What were her chances of winning? That also felt inappropriate.
Why on earth?
But there are more puzzling questions than these.
For a moment, the only sounds between heaven and earth were the pitter-patter of rain and everyone's secret thoughts.
The phone in her trouser pocket kept vibrating. Luo Shu took it out. Duan Ran's name was brightly displayed on the screen. She was in a dilemma and asked for help in a faint voice: "How should I explain it?"
Fang Qingzhuo also saw it: "Just explain it however you want."
"Then what is our relationship? We still don't know each other?"
The dripping eaves are filled with the unique coolness of late autumn, intertwined with a string of insignificant incoming phone ringtones.
He answered irrelevantly: "My clothes are on you."
Luo Shu misunderstood that he was cold and wanted to return his clothes to him, but her hand just touched the zipper.
"I want a cigarette."
"ah……"
"My cigarette is in the pocket of the coat you're wearing."
This man kept talking halfway, so Luo Shu reluctantly put the cigarettes in her pocket. There was indeed a pack of cigarettes and a plastic lighter that cost one dollar.
How come the consumption level has dropped? She handed it to him. He took out a cigarette from the box and held it between his teeth. He tilted his head and saw Luo Shu was already waiting for him with the lighter, as if she was going to help him light the cigarette.
The moist air caressed by the drizzle was filled with the smell of burning tobacco, and the floating flames illuminated the eyebrows and eyes of both parties.
After looking at each other for a few seconds, Fang Qingzhuo took out the cigarette and couldn't help but look at her deeply. His clear eyes were so good at hiding things that he was almost fooled by them.
He likes to observe other people's eyes, especially their expressions when they make eye contact. Some people lower their heads and dare not look at him, some are ambitious and expose themselves, and some show hostility when facing each other.
Driven by possessiveness, such beautiful eyes should not be allowed to have the presence of anyone else after seeing his shadow.
Between him and Luo Shu, she has always been the one who took the initiative. Although she never openly said that she liked him and pursued him, she was never reluctant to take the initiative and show herself openly. She was proactive but not humble. This was very dangerous because only the proactive person could control the rhythm of the relationship and it was up to her to decide whether they would come together or break up.
He called her name solemnly: "Luo Shu."
"Um?"
He leaned over at the moment when the rain was at its heaviest and loudest, and Luo Shu didn't choose to avoid him. When their noses were touching, Fang Qingzhuo stopped at the edge of the precipice, slowly raised an intriguing smile, and deliberately lowered his voice: "Do you like me that much?"
The sound of rain suddenly became louder in her ears. His question and the heavy rain curtain both trapped her in this corner, tightly.
It was abrupt and straightforward. As Fang Qingzhuo approached recklessly, Luo Shu felt his scorching breath all over her body. Her bones felt numb and she leaned against the wall without any resistance.
Fang Qingzhuo remained calm and composed from beginning to end. He took a sip of cigarette in front of her and watched her every move without blinking.
Under this almost oppressive gaze, Luo Shu found it difficult to admit it. She hurriedly looked away and said insincerely, "No?"
"lie."
There was no emotion on his face, and his words were not emotional, but they made her breathless for a moment.
This guy seems to be able to read minds.
As they puffed out smoke, they blurred each other's facial features. After saying "boring", Fang Qingzhuo made a gesture to leave. Before he turned around completely, he heard an undisguised hurried voice.
"How can it be interesting?"
"Ask you." The voice soaked in smoke was a little hoarse, like grains of sand crushing on the eardrum.
Having said that, there is no point in pretending to be stupid, no matter if he is forced to do something or it is just the atmosphere.
"Yes, I like you." Luo Shu suddenly raised her voice.
The mother, frank yet determined, took the plunge, adding a question Fang Qingzhuo hadn't asked: "I want to date you."
Fang Qingzhuo stood there passively for so long that the cigarette between his fingers burned to the butt and burned his hand. Only then did he realize what was happening and looked at her again with his eyes that were slightly fluttering like a flickering flame coming out of a tinder hole.
After a long time: "Then let's fall in love, you and me."
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The author has something to say: The next chapter is a continuation of the first chapter...
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