Chapter 3 Do you still remember how to get home...
"Xu Ji was recommended for admission to Huxi University. He could choose any major he wanted, and there was only one spot available in the entire school! But he didn't go, and that guy from Class 6 got the big prize for nothing! I was ranked third in the grade, do you understand how I feel?!"
"...But now you have been admitted to the graduate school of Huxi University of Science and Technology, so don't be hard on yourself anymore." Tao Siyun gently comforted Li Huan.
"You have no idea, I was almost envious during that time," Li Huan said with his hands on his chin, looking depressed. "The grade director and the class teacher took turns to persuade him, and his parents were even called to the school..."
"Oh." Tao Siyun lowered his eyes, silently scooped a spoonful of mung bean smoothie into his mouth, and asked vaguely: "Then what?"
"Well, then, for four years in college, I spent every day in the library, studying every minute, and winning scholarships every year. I went from being an 18-year-old girl to a 24-year-old single woman. After my unremitting efforts and hard work, I finally passed the postgraduate entrance examination last year."
"……That's not it."
"?"
"Where's Xu Ji?"
Li Huan chuckled: "You really care about him."
"..." Tao Siyun bit the spoon and said calmly: "Didn't you bring it up first?"
"Hey! Xu Ji performed normally on the college entrance exam and got the top scorer in the city. He was so glorious at that time. Then he was coaxed by Peking University to go to Beijing University for a five-year undergraduate and master's degree program. Damn, he's pretending to be right again."
Tao Siyun raised his head in surprise: "Jingfu University?"
"Yeah, even Jiang Zhen initially suspected that he was just trying to show off by rejecting Shanghai University. Hey, it turns out he actually figured it out. Isn't that infuriating? Honestly, I was really looking forward to seeing him regretting his failure in the exam, but unfortunately, I didn't get the chance..."
“…”
"But it's really hard to decide between Beijing University and Huxi University. If I were you, I'd also have trouble making the decision. After all, Beijing University's computer science program is ranked first in the country. The temptation is too great..."
At noon, people were coming and going in the cafeteria, and the noise in Tao Siyun's ears had become background noise outside the screen without him knowing when.
Li Huan sipped his milk tea and suddenly moved closer to her: "By the way, school beauty, I have something I've wanted to ask you for a long time."
"What's going on?"
"Remember that time you got injured in high school? I saw Xu Ji walk you home every day during that period. Also, he helped you fetch water and collect homework countless times during breaks..."
"Excuse me, is he pursuing you?"
“???” Tao Siyun almost choked.
"Tsk—" Li Huan said with a look of "as expected." "So, the rumors about you two being deskmates for a year and then what happened weren't groundless, right?"
“…”
"It's not what you think at all. This is all an accident... Also, the seats are randomly changed by the teacher based on the test scores. It's just a coincidence."
"I don't believe it. We all agreed that Xu Ji——"
"Well, I still need to apply for a new student ID, so I'll be leaving first!"
"Hey! Tao Siyun!!! Why are you running? Are you going to the party or not?!"
***
The lights are on, the neon lights are flashing, the night view outside the window is superb, and tourists are taking a boat tour on the West Lake in Shanghai amid the hustle and bustle.
In the dark carriage, the red numbers on the electronic screen in front flashed, showing the real-time time.
It takes about an hour to take the bus from the school to Jian'an Lane. When the bus passed a speed bump, there was a bump and Tao Siyun woke up as if he had been electrocuted.
I took a nap and accidentally missed my stop...
After getting off the bus, she opened the map on her phone and turned around in a circle. After finding the direction and looking at the distance, she was instantly confused.
Two stops away, one kilometer from home...
In recent years, high-rise buildings have sprung up in the city, but the old city has not been affected by the fast pace of the city at all and still maintains its original appearance, as if even the clocks are set slower than elsewhere.
The summer rain wet the concrete ground, and the fallen leaves, after being trampled and crushed for a long time, covered the sidewalk naturally like natural prints.
Tao Siyun walked slowly along the Wutong Trail.
At nine o'clock in the evening, the roadside coffee shop was still open. When I passed by the door, I suddenly remembered that the coffee beans at home were almost gone.
She turned into the supermarket on the side of the road. As soon as she entered, Eason Chan's song was playing on the radio.
"Will you suddenly appear?"
“Coffee shop on the corner”
"I will greet you with a smile and a wave."
"Sit and chat with you"
"How I long to see you"
"Look at how you've changed lately"
“Don’t talk about the past anymore”
“Just a small talk”
"Just one word to you"
"haven't seen you for a long time"
“…”
The gentle and affectionate old songs playing on the radio make people's hearts soften.
Tao Siyun picked up a box of Italian coffee beans in the imported food area, picked out a few bags of snacks, and then pushed the shopping cart aimlessly to the refrigerated area.
The refrigerator is filled with almost all of her favorite yogurt flavors.
Mango yogurt is a seasonal limited edition and is placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator.
The ones in front have all been sold out, and the clerk hasn't restocked them in time, so there's only one last box left.
Tao Siyun stood on tiptoe and stretched out his arms to reach it.
I finally touched the edge, but was pushed in again by her without noticing.
She retracted her hand somewhat awkwardly, and glanced around secretly. Fortunately, no one noticed her here, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, a hand suddenly appeared above my sight.
The black sleeves passed over her head, accidentally touching the slightly raised hair on top of her head.
If it was a little more off, the hand would have touched her face.
Tao Siyun subconsciously dodged, stepped back, and unexpectedly fell into the arms behind him.
Under the warm yellow light, Xu Ji's ink-black eyes were reflected in the depths of her pupils without warning.
He wore a black jacket, zipped up to the top.
The raised collar gently pressed against his delicate, cool white chin, creating a pleat on the soft fabric.
The silver metal zipper head swayed gently under the light as he moved, emitting a cold luster.
The distance is so close that everything seems to be magnified unconsciously.
He's obviously a man, but his eyelashes are so curly and curled, thicker than some girls'...
Tao Siyun's mind was somewhat uncontrollably thinking, what on earth is this guy like...
Then he suddenly realized that he was sticking to him in a very ambiguous posture.
She quickly stepped out of his arms as if she had been electrocuted.
Xu Ji glanced at her shoes, which had a solid half shoe print from where she had just stepped.
Tao Siyun: "..."
She tucked her scattered hair behind her ears with a guilty conscience and quietly defended herself, "It's not my fault. I didn't know you were right behind me. Who told you to be quiet..."
"Well, don't blame you, blame me." Xu Ji spoke lightly and sarcastically, then hooked his finger lightly and took down the mango yogurt she had been thinking about.
"More?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tao Siyun subconsciously said the word "yes".
"Oh, no more," Xu Ji pinched the yogurt box and waved it in front of her deliberately, "Sorry, this is the only one."
"?" Tao Siyun muttered in a voice he couldn't hear, "You're still asking when it's gone?!"
At this time, a clerk in work clothes came over with a box of yogurt, grunting. The sudden accident interrupted the conversation between the two.
Seeing the box full of yogurt, Tao Siyun retorted in revenge: "Isn't there more?"
Xu Ji: “…”
The clerk stood between the two men and began to restock the shelves.
Xu Ji lowered his head slightly, half of his face hidden in the shadows by the brim of his hat, making it impossible to see his expression.
He was wearing a black shirt and black pants, looking particularly cold, but in his hand he was holding a small box of yogurt. This look was simply...
Maybe it was her first day working part-time, the female clerk was very slow. She was restocking the goods as if she was playing, picking up and putting things down one by one, looking very unskilled.
"Handsome, can you help me?" The girl took out two cartons of yogurt from the box, stood up straight, and gave Xu Ji a shy yet sweet smile: "That's a little high, I can't reach it."
Tao Siyun: "..."
Xu Ji reached out to take the two boxes of mango yogurt, glanced at Tao Siyun, and the next second, he stepped over the cartons and squeezed in front of her.
Clerk: “……?”
"..." Tao Siyun: "I only need two."
Xu Ji raised his eyebrows slightly and said indifferently, "I said I'll give it all to you."
After saying that, she put the two boxes of fresh yogurt she had just picked up into her shopping cart.
He then threw the other box into his basket, saying possessively, "This one is mine."
Tao Siyun: "..."
It's just a box of yogurt, is it necessary to declare sovereignty like this?!
As if someone wants to snatch it from him...
Five minutes later, Tao Siyun experienced the most embarrassing and socially fatal scene in his life——
She took out her phone to pay, but the screen lit up briefly for a second, then went dark for a long time before shutting off automatically.
Tao Siyun couldn't believe it. This crappy phone actually went black at the critical moment?!
Her eyes widened as if she was struck by lightning, and she kept pressing the power button on the side.
However, the iPhone's corpse-like white body showed no other reaction except for the excessive temperature.
Is there a power outage?
Tao Siyun put down her phone resignedly, looked at the things that had been packed, and had a look of despair on her face. She felt that she had to get rid of this person today.
She ignored the looks from the people around her and explained to the cashier, "Um, I'm sorry, my phone is turned off. I can't pay, so I won't pay for now..."
"Oh, it's okay." The cashier smiled at her very understandingly.
"etc."
“…”
It turns out that sometimes embarrassment could be avoided altogether if life weren't full of surprises.
A cell phone running out of battery is not a big deal, but tonight this made Tao Siyun feel a little complicated. After leaving the supermarket, the temperature on her face rose instead of falling.
It had rained, the air was damp, and there was a faint fragrance lingering around, like the scent of lily of the valley left after washing clothes.
The prelude to the nightlife has been going on for quite a while. Groups of people gather at the doors of bars on Xin Street, and many young people who can’t hold back hug each other without any hesitation.
The evening breeze brought a burst of ambiguous laughter and playing sounds.
The strands of hair on Tao Siyun's forehead were trembling in the wind, making him look unruly.
The two people were walking one in front and one behind, clearly two steps apart, but their shadows on the ground looked like they were walking side by side, particularly intimate.
There was an indescribable feeling to this, and no matter how he looked at Tao Siyun, he felt uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Xu Ji stopped, turned around and asked, "Is your phone out of battery?"
"Ah?" Tao Siyun came back to his senses instantly. "Well, when I got off the car, I used the map navigation and walked all the way back. It might have consumed more battery."
“…”
Tao Siyun pursed his lips and couldn't help but explain: "I just moved here a few days ago, I'm not very familiar with the surroundings, and I didn't bring a power bank..."
Hearing this, Xu Ji raised his eyes and pointed at the yellow cabinet standing not far away opposite and said, "That, do you see it?"
Tao Siyun followed his gaze and saw that bright yellow color was particularly conspicuous in the dark night. It had such a strong presence that it was hard not to see it.
“That’s called a shared power bank.”
Tao Siyun: “……?”
Xu Ji's voice was very serious, and it didn't sound like he had any intention of mocking her. "Just scan the code and pay for the rental. They're available on the streets and alleys. You can charge anytime, anywhere."
"..." Tao Siyun was holding the shopping bag, which was a bit heavy and constricted. She changed her hand to hold it, nodded symbolically, and said, "I see. Thank you for your understanding. I'll transfer the money to you when I get back."
Xu Ji looked at her with a bit of amusement, and asked calmly: "Your phone is out of battery, do you still remember how to get home?"
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