Chapter 54
It's been a few days since we last met.
She watched the figure behind her, and just a few seconds later, a panting sound came from above her right: "Sorry, I'm late."
The familiar sound reached her ears, and her hands gradually tightened in her pockets.
After greeting them, Chen Zhou glanced at the table, then at the rest of the shop, and said, "What would you like to drink? It's on me, order whatever you like."
"Wow, Mr. Chen, you've got some skills!" Xu Yanghe was the first to enter the store. "Then I won't be polite!"
"Thank you, Mr. Chen." Gu Zhenyi raised an eyebrow and got up to go inside.
"Why are you so late?" Lin You raised his chin at him.
"There was only that one flight this morning..." They didn't leave last night...
The cheering rose and fell in waves. Lin You glanced at Jian Sheng, who was sitting upright, then turned to Chen Zhoujing standing next to her. After saying a few words to Qi Jing, who seemed a little embarrassed, the two went into the store.
He stood up from the table most of the time, and only dared to look at Jian Sheng after most of the others had left.
She sat quietly, wearing her new clothes, a white dress that she really liked.
The cold wind brushed against her ears, staining her earlobes and cheeks red.
Chen Zhoujing looked around a few times, touched the back of his neck with his right hand, and looked at the person next to her: "Ahem."
A coughing sound rang out, and half of Jian Sheng's body went numb. She struggled for a moment before she could lift her head.
Chen Zhoujing raised his eyebrows at her, the fierceness in his eyes masked by a smile, and then he coughed.
Jian Sheng felt awkward and was about to get up and leave, but she was frozen in place and couldn't move.
She whispered, "What?"
"What?" Chen Zhou bent down and said in a gentler tone, "Can you make room for me and move in a bit?"
She felt his gentle laughter, like cotton, tickling her ear canal.
Her ears turned red, and she moved to the side.
Chen Zhoujing sat down next to her, turning his head to look at her profile.
There was a moment of silence between them. He spoke first: "Long time no see, Jian Sheng."
His tone was very serious, and Jian Sheng's chest trembled, sending a tingling sensation through his entire body.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at his still smiling eyes and brows.
"It's been less than a week," she said, then, feeling a pang of sarcasm, added, "Long time no see?"
Chen Zhou was amused by her and hummed in agreement.
His nose was very red, and as he spoke, white breath came out of his mouth. His face was pale, but his eyes were bright.
Ripples spread as I looked at her.
On the night of the 24th, after returning home, I quickly took my luggage and went to Qinjin.
Then came the tedious tasks that awaited him, and he had hoped to return home soon.
Ms. Xu secretly canceled his flight again, and he spent the night sleeping on a cold bench at the airport.
Fortunately, we made it in time.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes always turned to her.
"Have his parents come back?" Chen Zhou asked thoughtfully.
Jian nodded: "I just got back the day before yesterday."
In the silence, she turned to meet his eyes, and after a moment, she knew what he was thinking: "His parents are very welcoming."
But he... Jian Sheng's face showed a barely perceptible worry: "Are you going to Qinjin... to go back for the New Year?"
Chen Zhou paused for a moment: "Yes, my mom wants me to go back, but I don't really want to."
He cleared his throat, turned his head away, and didn't really want to talk about his mother.
But she still added, "My parents divorced early and both remarried."
"I guess it's a kind of concern. Maybe she wants me to stay by her side so she can feel more at ease."
There was silence, and the atmosphere was inexplicably heavy. She felt she should offer some words of comfort, but she didn't know what to say.
Chen Zhoujing, however, was used to it. He noticed her complicated expression, chuckled softly, and said in a serious tone, "That happened so many years ago..."
"Hey, I said I'm treating!" He leaned closer. "What would you like to drink? Hurry, I'll go in and buy it."
His tone changed quickly, a smile spreading across his lips. Jian Sheng looked at his bright eyes and relaxed demeanor, but felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
"Peach oolong tea, or the usual kind?" He was already looking at the large signboard at the shop entrance.
Suppressing her inner turmoil, Jian Sheng forced a smile: "Okay."
Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes in surprise: "That's really impressive."
"Yes." She nodded, then added, "Very good."
"Okay, okay, okay." He stood up. "If you say it's okay, then it's okay."
Just as I was about to go around the outer circle, I looked up and suddenly saw several heads perched on the windowpane.
Chen Zhoujing didn't move. Jian Sheng was puzzled and looked in the direction he was looking.
Seven heads peered out of the store's glass window, watching the two with great interest.
Jian Sheng's mind went blank.
The window had only been opened on one side, but He Shang pushed it open, revealing the heads of several people with smiles on their gossipy faces.
She was particularly enthusiastic about watching the play; she was embarrassed, but someone else was more anxious than her.
Chen Zhoujing's voice rose slightly: "What are you looking at? Have you already made your choices?"
"Look how embarrassed you are, Chen Zhoujing!!!" He Shang laughed loudly, "Uncle Chen, you've come back to life!"
“That’s right, Uncle Chen, don’t be shy.” Xu Yanghe said with a sly smile as he lay on He Shang’s back.
Chen Zhoujing rarely showed fear in front of outsiders, but now he was thoroughly exposed.
He clicked his tongue and curled his lips: "Crazy."
"I'll pay once I've chosen." Chen Zhoujing lowered his eyes. "Let's go in."
"There's air conditioning inside." He waited for her for a while before slowly standing a meter behind her and entering the store.
As evening approached, the group of nine moved to another battlefield.
Near the neighboring province, there is an ancient street with low-rise buildings arranged in a staggered pattern. The long river converges and separates into two streets that are lined with shops and old relics.
Above the long bridge, one can gaze at the distant mountains, where lights stretch endlessly.
Along the underground river, the starlight lanterns illuminated the beautiful twinkling lights. Suddenly, with a loud bang, a burst of fireworks exploded in the sky, creating a dazzling moment on the calm river surface.
Several people stood on the bridge, cheering and singing.
Fireworks bloomed in front of us and behind us.
I don't know who took out their phone to record first, but almost everyone did afterward.
Xu Xiaxia on the far right suddenly turned the camera around: "Look this way!"
Several people in the row turned their heads to the side, and Xu Xiaxia said excitedly, "I'll record a video, and you guys say Happy New Year!"
“Okay! Come on!” He Shang, who was standing three people away, raised his hand to signal.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked, turning his head back and forth.
Come on, come on.
"Listen to you, Xu Xiaxia, your video is great!"
A few enthusiastic shouts ignited the atmosphere, and everyone responded positively.
"Come on, come on." Xu Xiaxia opened her mouth, first pressing the recording switch, then shouting, "3, 2, 1!!!"
As soon as the words left his lips, the nine people raised their eyebrows and exclaimed in high spirits, "Happy New Year!!!"
There were quite a few people on the bridge. After the shout, some people in the crowd started to get restless and began to shout as well.
Beneath the dazzling fireworks lies the exuberant and passionate youth of a few, and the anticipation of the festival for the new year.
Even after the excitement subsided, the crowds did not disperse, and fireworks continued to light up the sky.
The distant mountains blazed like fire, but the flames vanished in an instant.
After putting her phone down, Xu Xiaxia promptly edited the video and sent it to the group chat.
Chen Zhou was touching his phone when he suddenly felt a light tap on his left arm. He had just entered the group chat when he was startled.
She looked at Jian Sheng, who was staring at her with wide eyes.
He subconsciously brushed a stray hair from his forehead, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Wh...what's wrong?"
"I just found a group, let's watch it together..."
Jian Sheng frowned slightly.
Chen Zhou bent down, his gaze meeting hers: "What do you want to say?"
Jian Sheng's hand, gripping the phone, had already tapped the screen countless times: "Could you send me the video?"
After she finished speaking, she turned her head away shyly, not caring whether he would give it to her or not.
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Absolutely, of course..."
He thought for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Can I ask to add you on WeChat?"
Jian Sheng nodded and then slowly took his phone out of his pocket.
She didn't use it much and wasn't familiar with how to operate it, so she gave the whole phone to Chen Zhoujing.
Chen Zhoujing saw the phone she handed him, his eyelashes fluttered, and he took it.
There was no lock screen password, very few desktop icons, and almost no one on WeChat except for a parents' group, which he wasn't in. He checked the contact list again.
Great, it's empty, not a single contact.
Jian Sheng watched Chen Zhoujing's actions with some curiosity, so she moved closer to him and tiptoed to look at the screen.
The WeChat homepage originally only had one group, but he messed it up and added several more lines.
Finally, she watched as he changed his WeChat name to "Good Friend"...
"What did you change? What will I do if I can't find you?" she blurted out subconsciously, taking a long time to realize what she meant.
"I mean..."
"How could you not find it?" Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise. "How many more people do you want to add?"
"Besides, my good friend, isn't it obvious that this is me?" He frowned. "Could there be anyone else?"
Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Oh, and Lin You and the others too..."
"Then I'll change it back." Chen Zhoujing pretended to raise his hand to make the change, but Jian Sheng snatched the phone back. "That's it!"
His brow relaxed, and he let out a soft "oh," the tone rising at the end.
"Did you send it to me?" Jian asked in a low voice, while clicking on his profile picture.
A...a beautiful dog.
"I sent it, I sent it, check if you received it?" He leaned closer and looked at her phone screen, just in time to see her peeking at his profile picture.
"Why are you looking at my profile picture?" Chen Zhou hummed in surprise. "Just curious what kind of profile picture a dog would use?"
"?" Jian Sheng looked up, her voice sounding strange.
He shook his head, puzzled, and said, "Could it be that you're curious about me...?"
“Who’s curious about you!” Jian laughed angrily. “You’re really crazy.”
"Ugh," Chen Zhoujing gritted his teeth, "Why are they even swearing..."
"It really hurt me!" he sighed. "This year is destined to be difficult; my good friend actually insulted me..."
Jian Sheng watched him act calmly, having grown accustomed to not showing her emotions.
She didn't respond, and Chen Zhoujing felt utterly boring.
Seeing that he was silent, Jian Sheng finally spoke up: "I'm curious if your profile picture is like yours..."
“Loves to laugh…” After saying that, Jian Sheng lowered her head.
Chen Zhou's heart pounded: "Seriously?"
"Mmm." Jian Sheng didn't deny it, her head lowered very low.
"Then I'll smile every day from now on." Chen Zhoujing said cheerfully, "Am I the first person you added on WeChat?"
He eagerly awaited a response, but Jian Sheng denied it.
"What? Who else?" he asked.
Jian said in a simple voice, "Jian Qingyao is the first one."
"?" Chen Zhou's face darkened. "Oh."
Jian Sheng noticed his tone had softened, and when she looked up at his face, she witnessed the rapid change in his expression.
“I didn’t know how to use it; he taught me,” she explained.
"I know." Chen Zhoujing wasn't angry, but he was a little annoyed when he heard it was Jian Qingyao.
She tugged at his sleeve, raised her head, and her beautiful eyes met his pupils.
The silent response always hits the spot that Chen Zhou is most vulnerable to.
He smiled and said, "I know, I'm not angry."
Jian Sheng nodded and put his hand down.
"Did he buy the phone too?" Chen Zhou wondered.
Jian Sheng hummed in agreement.
Chen Zhou was surprised; the way Jian Qingyao interacted with her was somewhat similar to how he and Li Jing got along.
However, only at certain points.
Not long after watching the fireworks, the group was urged to go home, and on the way, Jian Sheng joined many more people.
The phone, usually quiet and deserted, would occasionally pop up with a few messages, which brought her an unusual sense of pleasure.
However, unlike group messages, the noisy individual chat box feels like a person living inside the phone.
After finishing her New Year's Eve dinner, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding her phone, reading the messages sent by Chen Zhoujing.
She went through each one, finding nothing but nonsense, until she noticed only one important sentence.
The admission score for Huai'an University is just right for me to try.
Jian Sheng shaved his face, thinking about how to reply, when another message came in.
-: Are you busy later?
Her fingers trembled. She typed a few words, then deleted them, and typed them again. Back and forth, the other person couldn't wait and sent another message.
-: Do you want to come down for a bit later?
Jian Sheng felt a strange sensation in his chest, and a faint urge to agree stirred within him, but the sound of laughter from the living room made him hesitate.
— Buzzing
The phone rang again.
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