Chapter 53
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared in Jian Sheng's mind.
After a long while, she slowly shook her head.
"Who are you thinking of?" Jian Qingyao noticed her subtle movement and frowned. "Really?"
He snapped at him, "You're sick."
After a long silence following her outburst, Jian Qingyao's tone softened slightly before she mentioned someone who had infuriated her: "Chen Zhoujing?"
Jian Sheng suddenly looked up, held back for a long time, and his face turned bright red.
"Is this kid pursuing you?" Jian Qingyao asked in a low voice.
She retorted angrily, "No! Don't talk nonsense!"
Jian Sheng's reaction was unusually strange. Jian Qingyao raised his right eyebrow and said indifferently, "Oh."
The smile faded from her face, and she continued, "He...is quite complicated..."
"Shut up!" Jian interrupted him.
Jian Qingyao was so angry that his face turned black.
"I didn't say anything, and you're still defending me!"
"I should have recorded you like this on my phone and shown you who's really being mean!" He rolled his eyes.
Her chest heaved, and she ignored him.
Seeing her turn her head away, Jian Qingyao smiled and became serious: "Let's not talk about him, let's talk about you. At your age, it's best to focus on your studies. Many of the people around you don't understand anything, and their conversations are all messed up..."
Just as Jian Sheng was about to ask what the implication was, he suddenly changed his mind: "What about you and Sister Manman?"
Upon hearing Ni Xiaoman's name, Jian Qingyao fell silent.
Stopping him, Jian Sheng pressed on, "What are you doing? Did you hurt her?"
"How could you deceive someone's feelings?"
Jian Qingyao let out a long sigh: "Say it again, and we'll... break up, a peaceful breakup."
"Why?" Jian Sheng frowned.
He remained expressionless, a complex look flashing across his eyes: "It's not what you think. Don't make wild guesses. I'm not good enough for you, okay? I have the college entrance exam coming up, and I need to focus on my studies now."
Jian said calmly, "Oh, that's good."
"What do you mean 'that's good'?" Jian Qingyao got angry as soon as he heard her speak. "Are you siding with outsiders?"
Jian Sheng ignored him and quickened her pace.
Jian Qingyao was impressed by her stubborn back view. Not only did she look like her mother, but her personality and temperament were also incredibly similar.
When they got downstairs, Jian Sheng turned around and waited for Jian Qingyao.
The latter strolled leisurely ten meters away, his expression still arrogant.
He didn't speak, knowing full well that she was waiting for him, yet his steps slowed down.
When he got closer, Jian asked in a low voice, "Can't you lift it?"
Jian Qingyao was shocked and too angry to speak. Seeing the raging fire in his eyes, she pursed her lips and said, "I'll take it."
Jian Sheng stepped forward to take it, but he suddenly hid the bag behind his back: "You really have something wrong with your head."
"Then why are you walking so slowly? I already told you I took it, but you still insist on arguing with me." She spoke slowly, watching his expression as she spoke.
Just then, Jian Qingyao's expression returned to normal, and he coughed, "How about..."
"How about I take you out to eat?"
"?" Jian Sheng asked in confusion, "We're already home, why go out to eat? It's such a waste of money."
Jian Qingyao frowned and walked irritably toward the glass door: "Eat, eat, eat. Go back and eat. Come and open the door."
Jian Sheng narrowed his eyes, not understanding his odd behavior, and stepped forward to open the door.
After going upstairs, I finally understood what Jian Qingyao meant.
Gu Shu and Jian Guangyao are back.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Jian Guangyao appeared before them.
Jian Sheng's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously took a step back.
This step back caught Jian Qingyao's eye, and he nodded to Jian Guangyao: "Dad, you're back."
"Hmm." Jian Guangyao was silent for only a few seconds before a smile appeared on his composed face. "You two went out to buy clothes?"
The elevator doors were about to close when he stopped them, saying, "Let's get out first."
Jian Qingyao gently nudged Jian Sheng's arm, signaling her to come out.
"Let's go back first. I'll go get my things from the car," Jian Guangyao said to the two as they came out, entered the elevator, and turned around.
Then, the elevator doors closed.
Jian Sheng stood there, his expression blank.
Her throat was very dry, and when she opened her mouth but couldn't speak, Jian Qingyao said, "What are you standing there for? I'm not going to eat you. Go inside, it's cold outside."
After he finished speaking, he went inside, and the elevator went down to the first floor.
Jian Sheng took a step towards the door and heard a slightly shrill voice from the living room: "Jian Qingyao, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
She was startled and stood at the door, struggling to move.
While I was struggling with this decision, the voice rang out again: "You got caught dating, hit a classmate, and cursed at a teacher. You're on probation and suspended from school for a month. You may not care about your reputation, but I do!"
"If you don't break up with him, you can forget about having a happy New Year. You're so young and you've already learned to date and fight. Do you even respect your mother anymore?!"
"How did I raise such a thing as you?"
Her words were resounding. The atmosphere inside the room was somber, and she seemed to be held back, unable to move.
Jian Sheng lowered her head and looked at her feet. The new shoes that Jian Qingyao had urged her to change into at the shoe store were brand new and beautiful, with no paint chipping on the toes.
She scratched her cheek with her index finger, her lips stinging from being bitten. The curses coming from inside the room were unbearable to her ears.
Jian Qingyao seemed not to speak, letting Gu Shu criticize him.
The sound lasted for several minutes, and she stood at the door for a few minutes, feeling the metallic taste in her mouth along with the heat from inside the house.
Until Jian Qingyao came out of the house, his expression was normal, and he even laughed: "What are you doing standing at the door? Come in."
"Are you scared?" He opened the half-closed door completely and whispered, "My mom treats me like this, she's actually very gentle."
"You don't believe me..." Before he could finish speaking, someone came out of the house.
When Gu Shu saw Jian Sheng, her eyes lit up: "Oh, Jian Sheng, why are you standing outside the door? Come in, come in!"
"You look just as beautiful as your mother when she was young."
She waved to him, then stepped forward and pulled Jian Qingyao away. Next, she took Jian Sheng's hand and softly asked her if she was cold, her enthusiasm was overwhelming.
Jian Qingyao, standing at the door, had a dark expression on his face. He went down two flights of stairs, stood by the window, smoked a cigarette, and then went home.
Jian Sheng sat awkwardly on the sofa listening to Gu Shu talk to him. The questions she asked most often were whether he was used to Jiangzhou, how things were in Jizhou, and what she heard about it. Almost every question ended with a sigh and a scolding of Jian Zihua.
Jian Qingyao sat quietly on the small sofa to the side, head down, not playing on his phone. Occasionally, Gu Shu would scold him for having no proper posture.
During the conversation, Jian Sheng's mood was like a rollercoaster ride, with ups and downs.
Fortunately, just when she was about to lose patience, Jian Qingyao said a few words and told her to go back to her room.
During the two days that Gu Shu and Jian Guangyao were at home, Jian Sheng finally realized who Jian Qingyao's temper resembled.
As soon as Jian Qingyao stepped out of the room, or even if he didn't leave, Jian Sheng could hear Gu Shu scolding him.
She was so frightened she couldn't understand.
Jian Guangyao is an invisible man, but he is very intimidating. Moreover, he looks so much like Jian Zihua that every time they make eye contact, it's as if she's looking at Jian Zihua through him.
However, he appeared more composed and unhurried, and his temperament was quite gentle.
When Jian Sheng had nothing to do, she would hide in her room to do her homework or study the phone that Jian Qingyao had given her for the fifth time.
She scrolled through the list of people in the class group chat countless times, but there were very few people with notes.
Jian Sheng didn't feel relaxed until the day she had agreed with Lin You and went out to breathe in the fresh air.
On the morning of New Year's Eve, Lin You stood at the door and was warmly invited to stay for nearly half an hour.
Once downstairs, she finally caught her breath and asked, "Is that Jian Qingyao's mother?"
Jian Sheng simply hummed in agreement.
"What a warm-hearted auntie! She even gave me some fruit just now..." Lin You touched the cherry tomatoes in her pocket.
"...Jian Qingyao didn't inherit it..." she said abruptly.
Jian Sheng turned her head and said, "You know him."
“Everyone knows Jian Qingyao, and everyone who knows Gu Zhenyi knows him.” She raised an eyebrow. “It’s just that we met for the first time at the mall last time.”
"I thought you were on a date with some handsome guy. It gave me quite a fright. I was wondering why you didn't tell me." Lin You coughed.
Jian Sheng ignored the compliment about his looks and found it strange, but quickly remembered his good buddy who shared the same pants with him, so he stopped asking.
Instead: "He has quite a few people who know him."
"It's alright, only a few of them know him, but they have a lot of friends who have heard the rumors." Lin You chuckled. "Gu Zhenyi will be there later too."
“I know, you told me.” Jian Sheng nodded.
I used to be averse to crowds, but after joining a few times, I actually found the atmosphere quite nice.
The location was chosen by Lin You. It's close to the school and is a newly opened neighborhood. Several shops are closed because it's close to the Lunar New Year.
However, there are many locals here, so the streets are not particularly deserted. There are people coming and going, and the streets are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, creating a strong festive atmosphere.
Lin You chose a beverage shop with a retro interior and warm yellow lighting. The counter in front of her was decorated with trendy toys and many small handmade carvings, and there were some printed photos on the wall.
The interior space is quite large, with two living rooms, four sofas, and two floors.
When they arrived, Qi Jing, Xu Xiaxia, and Xu Yanghe were already sitting at the table by the door, waiting for them.
The wooden tables and chairs were covered by a huge white linen awning, and the long wooden tables could seat up to a dozen people if crammed together.
Jian Sheng and Lin You sat side by side, listening to Xu Yanghe ramble on.
He adjusted his glasses, his tone suddenly turning melancholic: "I don't even want to talk about it, this semester's finals were just awful."
"The math exam was incredibly difficult, I only got a 98, which is just passing. I'm sure I'll get yelled at when school starts."
Jian Sheng raised an eyebrow; this math problem was indeed very difficult.
She wasn't in a good state during the last few days of the semester, and she thought her grades would be bad as well, but they weren't much different from the last few mock exams, and she ranked sixteenth in the class.
Chen Zhoujing remains in first place...
The conversation about grades continued, and after listening for a while, the sound seemed to automatically blur, drowned out by her chaotic thoughts.
She sat on one side of the aisle, the chaotic footsteps and fleeting figures distracting her.
Once everyone had arrived, she pursed her lips and looked away.
There were eight people in total. Three boys and one girl were sitting opposite each other, while there were four girls on Jian Sheng's side.
She held the phone she had taken out of her pocket, rubbing its smooth back back and forth.
The conversation went from the melancholy of the end of the semester to the laughter of chatting.
Jian Sheng took a breath and gradually blended in. Occasionally, He Shang and Lin You would call her name, and she would respond with a smile.
In the midst of their lively conversation, He Shang suddenly took out his phone from his pocket and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, Chen Zhoujing said there's a traffic jam and they're still on their way."
As soon as the words were spoken, Jian Sheng's lowered eyelashes suddenly trembled.
She unconsciously began to pay attention to what the people in the opposite row were saying.
A feeling of oppression surged through my chest, tension swirling within me.
"Why would he take a taxi when it's so close?" Xu Xiu, sitting next to Gu Zhenyi, said. "Generally speaking, there aren't many cars on the road today, which is New Year's Eve."
"He just got off the plane and came from the airport. It's quite congested there." He Shang popped a French fry into his mouth.
Xu Yanghe turned his head: "He went on vacation?"
"What kind of tourism?" He Shang swallowed the fries in his mouth, lowered his voice, and said lightly, "His mother insisted that he go back for the New Year because Jing Ge was alone here. He refused to go no matter what, so his mother scolded him and said she would come over herself. He delayed going back for two days."
“Didn’t the class monitor ask in the group chat the day before yesterday about his birthday? He was the first to respond. I asked him, and he said he could make it back.” He Shang added, “Or Xu Xiao could come back from his hometown.”
Jian Sheng had already raised his head and leaned forward to listen quietly to what the others were saying.
Sitting across from her, Gu Zhenyi suddenly spoke up: "Tsk, his mother is so domineering. Last time I came to the parent-teacher conference, I ran into her downstairs. She pointed at Chen Zhoujing's nose and cursed at him and Li Jing. It scared me to death."
She rubbed her arms: "Li Jing is pretty pitiful too."
"Tsk, how can it not be miserable to have a father like that?" He Shang shook his head, his eyes filled with pity.
Jian Sheng's brows furrowed unconsciously as she listened to them talking about Chen Zhoujing.
They instinctively wanted to absorb the information, but then fell silent.
What does "挺惨" mean? Does it mean the experience was very tragic?
He's so cheerful...
Just then, He Shang suddenly stood up and waved behind her: "Chen Zhoujing, over here!"
The shout from Jian Sheng instantly tensed her up, her pulse pounding in her ears, just like her heartbeat.
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