Chapter 74 Are you being tough on me? ...
Zhou Yu, imitating the elegant and gentlemanly butlers in the movies, put his left hand behind his back and said to her in an exaggerated dubbing voice, "Damn the weather today! It's like a bad-tempered girl. Oh! Thank goodness, God bless you, you're not wet."
The bus swayed slowly in the rainy night and drove away.
Zhou Yu appeared at the bus stop without any warning. Tao Siyun was surprised and subconsciously thought that he had not been to the supermarket yet, so he said he would go to Biocoop first.
"Hey, hey, hey, I bought it. I already took it back." Zhou Yu immediately returned to normal. He pulled her back by the strap of her schoolbag and said with a smile, "I saw it was raining so hard and I thought you must not have brought an umbrella this morning, so I came to pick you up."
As if it were some kind of muscle memory, Tao Siyun froze in an instant.
His unconscious action inevitably reminded her of the last person who pulled her schoolbag.
How come even the tone of voice when speaking is so similar...
Once people touch upon memories, they can't help but think more about them——
"Where do you live?"
"I send you."
"Then it's okay for me to ride my bike behind the bus, right?"
…
Tao Siyun looked at him, as if looking through his eyes at another person, and hesitantly repeated, "Pick me up?"
Zhou Yu straightened his chest in a proper manner, cleared his throat, and continued in his gentlemanly tone: "Yes, miss, may I go now?"
"Oh, sorry...thank you." She couldn't even speak, and suddenly she hurriedly took out her wallet and wanted to give him the money.
"No need, you still want to buy me a drink, right? How can I drink and ask for more?" Zhou Yu said with a smile.
Tao Siyun looked at him awkwardly, his mind a mess, not knowing what he was doing. He pointed across the street and said, "Then let's go to Biocoop."
On the rainy streets, in the old apartment, the lonely person becomes two because they share the same umbrella.
The rainy night in early summer caused ripples in the air, and the air was hot and humid, making it difficult to breathe.
That night, instead of buying her usual mango yogurt, she opted for organic oat milk.
…
Zhou Yu felt that he needed a reasonable explanation for the fact that Tao Siyun informed him that she would move out once she found a suitable house.
If they really had a bad relationship as roommates, or he had other living habits that she couldn't stand, then OK, that's fine, but they had been living together for several years and nothing unpleasant had happened during that time, so Tao Siyun had to explain the reason for moving out.
Zhou Yu calmly told her, "You'll graduate in less than a year. Long-term rentals aside, your options are very limited. Can you find a suitable apartment as good as this one in such a short time? Even if you do find one, how much time and energy will it take to get used to new roommates? And once school starts, you'll have to choose an advisor, work on your final project, and write your thesis. Do you have the energy for that?"
Zhou Yu's words were sincere and rational.
Tao Siyun had never thought about it so much before. She just wanted to avoid being so awkward with Zhou Yu every day after she moved out.
But after listening to his analysis, I felt that my thoughts and actions were too immature.
And from another perspective it's even hypocritical.
She seemed to have fallen into a trap invisibly, and was eager to use this self-escaping behavior to prove herself to Liu Ying, who had once misunderstood her.
But in fact, she was the one who was truly hurt, and because of this incident, she fell into internal friction...
"If it's because of what happened last time, then I apologize. I'm sorry for causing you trouble that I didn't want to happen. But Tao Siyun, I really don't want you to make any impulsive decisions to avoid me. If you really mind that much, then it shouldn't be you who moves out, but me."
Zhou Yu's words made Tao Siyun sober up a little.
She chose to face it all bravely and no longer escape.
The four words "the innocent will be cleared" are her best shield against all malicious speculations.
…
In her last year in France, she no longer accepted Zhou Yu's "help" with peace of mind. They almost tacitly maintained a distance between them.
Tao Siyun became very busy and devoted himself to his graduation project. Zhou Yu also went to work at the embassy as he wished. The two of them had almost no time to communicate with each other.
Later, Tao Siyun graduated and blocked his circle of friends after returning to China.
In the past two years, she and Zhou Yu have had no contact.
Tao Siyun felt that if they had not met by chance in the supermarket last time, they would probably be like many other "stage-specific" friends and would never have any intersection with each other in the rest of their long lives.
***
Zhou Yu knew that he would never have the chance to speak out what was in his heart.
After finishing the cake, he told her that he would be joining Shanghai University soon.
Zhou Yu still had a faint smile on his face, even though it looked a little dim. "It's convenient to stay in Huxi so that I can take care of my aunt at any time."
Tao Siyun was surprised by his decision, but did not express any opinion.
"We agreed it would just be a cup of coffee. I didn't lie to you, did I?" After leaving the coffee shop, Zhou Yu was still as humorous as ever: "Miss, do you need me to take you home?"
You can tell from his eyes that he is speaking from the heart.
Tao Siyun hesitated for a moment, and before he could decide whether to refuse, the car behind him suddenly honked at them.
Zhou Yu looked up and saw a Range Rover SUV coming around and blocking his car in a very domineering manner.
Tao Siyun followed his gaze, turned around, saw a familiar license plate, and his eyes lit up.
The passenger window slowly lowered halfway, revealing the man's cold profile.
Xu Ji glanced at the person standing next to Tao Siyun, his eyes slightly gloomy.
Beep beep——
The horn was honked twice more.
Tao Siyun naturally understood the obvious urging.
"Thank you for the coffee," she said, a little embarrassedly, saying goodbye like a child eager to go home after being picked up by their parents. "No need for you to see me off. My boyfriend is here to pick me up. I'm leaving now. Bye."
"Goodbye." Zhou Yu's eyes dimmed instantly.
Tao Siyun trotted over and opened the passenger door under the complicated gaze behind him.
After getting in the car, Tao Siyun leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had finally found a sense of security. There was no longer any sense of awkwardness or embarrassment in front of Zhou Yu just now.
Her eyes were glued to him, and she curved them: "How did you know I was here?"
Xu Ji's expression was indifferent. He glanced at the flowers in her arms out of the corner of his eye, turned his head away, and pretended not to see it.
"I just happened to be passing by."
“…”
Tao Siyun was originally looking forward to hearing him say "I came here specially to pick you up", but he didn't expect that he was just passing by after get off work.
Hmm... a little disappointed.
But it doesn't matter.
After fastening his seatbelt, Tao Siyun excitedly told him, "Sister Yiran said I can start my internship next week. I only need to go three days a week. The work is quite easy, the company atmosphere is good, and I have flexible hours. It should be better than my previous job as a teaching assistant."
Xu Ji was absent-minded and said "hmm" slowly, without mentioning anything about her work.
After a moment, he asked, "What time did it end?"
Tao Siyun didn't notice Xu Ji's abnormality and told him truthfully: "It was a little after four o'clock. She had a meeting to attend, so I left first."
And then you've been drinking coffee with that person until now?
There was a red light ahead, and the SUV slowly slowed down and stopped along with the traffic on the road.
Xu Ji recalled the scene he had just seen in the car and asked awkwardly, "Is the coffee good?"
Tao Siyun was fiddling with the flower petals with her head down, and when she heard his words, her hand paused slightly.
She looked up at him and slowly reacted.
No wonder this guy had a sullen face since she got on the car, and he acted indifferent even after she talked to him for a long time...
Is this the reason?
Tao Siyun's eyes dodged for a moment, hesitating for a long time, and finally said with a dull look, "It's just... very ordinary. It shouldn't taste very good. I forgot about it."
“…”
Xu Ji calmly withdrew his gaze, put on a cold expression, and fell completely silent.
It’s the rush hour after get off work at around six o’clock, and there’s always traffic jam on the road.
Tao Siyun fiddled with the petals for a while, and couldn't help feeling sleepy. He leaned his head lightly against the car window and fell asleep unknowingly.
When they arrived at the underground garage, she got out of the car in a daze, and followed Xu Ji into the elevator in a daze.
He didn't hold her hand, ignored her, or even looked at her, and didn't even wait for her when she got out of the elevator...
Tao Siyun was afraid that he would sulk when he returned home alone, so he quickly took Xu Ji's hand and took him home.
After entering the room, facing Xu Ji's cold attitude of "I need you to give me an explanation", she suddenly felt conflicted and didn't know where to start.
She didn't even tell their only mutual friend Zhao Yiran about what happened between her and Zhou Yu, and Tao Siyun never thought of telling anyone else.
After all, the incident with Zhou Yu's ex-girlfriend left a psychological shadow on her...
But she was afraid that Xu Ji would misunderstand something, so after hesitating for a long time, she decided to be honest.
"The person you saw at that time was my roommate when I was studying in France. He also knew my senior. We happened to meet after coming out of the company, and we had a cup of coffee together."
Xu Ji didn't say anything, but just lowered his eyelashes and looked at her silently, wondering if she heard it.
Tao Siyun took a deep breath and continued, "I refused at first, but..."
It's useless.
Sometimes when you meet someone who is more talkative than you, you become passive. In the adult world, you also need to know how to compromise occasionally...
Tao Siyun seemed to find it difficult to speak of what he was about to say. He loosened his clenched hands and hesitated for a long time before mustering up the courage to explain in a low voice, "When we...we were renting together before, he helped me change the light bulbs in my room, fetched water a few times, and even tutored me in French for a while..."
"Later, his ex-girlfriend went abroad to get back together with him and misunderstood our relationship. It was quite awkward, and from then on, he and I kept our distance until I graduated."
Tao Siyun raised her eyes, met his gaze, and said softly, "We haven't contacted each other in the past two years since I returned to China. I even blocked his circle of friends... If you don't believe me, I can show you my phone."
Xu Ji still didn't say anything, his long, distinct eyelashes drooped, and no one knew what he was thinking about.
Tao Siyun nervously observed his reaction. Seeing that he didn't respond, he started to talk about someone who had nothing to do with him. "That senior who had a crush on you for several years went on a blind date with my brother last time, and I didn't say anything..." Tao Siyun gently tugged at the corner of Xu Ji's clothes and said, thinking it was fair, "Let's call it even, okay?"
Xu Ji frowned instantly, looking even more unhappy than before.
The two looked at each other quietly for a moment, and Tao Siyun suddenly took a step forward, stood in front of him, raised his hand and touched the switch on the wall.
Click-click-click——
The lights seemed to change gradually, step by step, from bright to dark, until they merged with the night view outside the window.
At this time, the ambient lights slowly lit up, and countless light spots twinkled on the ceiling, creating a romantic and vast starry sky.
Tao Siyun stood on tiptoe, tilted his head and kissed Xu Ji.
Her kiss was still at the childish stage of kissing on the cheek, just a very simple way of trying to please, and had nothing to do with adult content.
There was a brief warmth on my lips, just like being brushed by a feather, and the sour feeling that had been pent up in my heart for half a day was instantly swept away.
Xu Ji's breathing stagnated and he was suddenly stunned.
Seeing that he still had no reaction, Tao Siyun kissed him again.
It was just a light touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water, but her voice carried a hint of expectation for a response from him, "Is this okay?"
Xu Ji's throat rolled, and he belatedly supported Tao Siyun's waist.
The ambiguous factor quickly split in the air, constantly narrowing the distance between them.
The man's voice was hoarse, and he muttered to himself, as if he hadn't recovered from his shock: "This is my first kiss."
“…”
Tao Siyun's face turned red instantly.
What kind of tone is this, as if she's taking advantage of me...
She turned her head stiffly and looked away.
After a long while, he managed to utter: "...It's mine too, okay?"
Just yours? Everyone has their first kiss...
Xu Ji suddenly let out a low laugh and said the most shameless words in the most ambiguous tone.
"Why don't you aim and kiss?"
Tao Siyun was originally thin-skinned and couldn't help being teased, so he wanted to push him away immediately, but he didn't push him away, feeling very frustrated.
Xu Ji tightened his arms and pulled her towards him.
"Hey, don't..."
"What else?" Xu Ji stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his lip very deliberately, continuing to tease her regardless of life or death, "Tao Siyun, weren't you the one who was rough with me first?"
“…”
She couldn't deny it and could only admit it.
Tao Siyun's heart was pounding wildly, and the hand clinging to his shoulder unconsciously tightened. He said with forced composure, "Is it not possible?"
"Who said it's not possible?" Xu Ji leaned forward and moved closer. "Coward, you can do whatever you want."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Siyun was forced to tilt his head back and kiss him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
