Lessons learned from 0022
Here we go again; this is the third time.
Under the cover of night, Song Ning stood in the swimming pool and was "accidentally" touched by Chen Yue for the third time.
A 23-meter pool can hold 20 or 30 people. It is possible to accidentally bump into someone, but to bump into Song Ning three times in a row, each time hitting her buttocks, is hardly intentional. Who would believe that it wasn't?
"Sorry, someone hit my hand just now. Are you alright?" Chen Yue scratched his neck and grinned sheepishly. His humble expression made it seem like the other person was blaming him, but rather that they were making a mountain out of a molehill.
"It's okay, senior didn't do it on purpose." Song Ning pretended to be magnanimous.
Anyone can pretend to be someone else.
"Hey junior, why aren't you swimming anymore? Shall we go swim a couple more laps?" Chen Yue paddled a couple of times and floated in the water.
"No, it's a bit cold." Song Ning moved towards a less crowded area by the pool, and seeing Chen Yue follow, she whispered, "Does senior drink alcohol?"
Chen Yue seemed to have guessed something, revealing a smug and disdainful expression: "Of course I can."
"Want to go grab a couple of drinks?" Song Ning asked casually, swiping the water.
Such an obvious hint was impossible for someone like Chen Yue not to understand, but Chen Yue did not agree immediately. Instead, he said tactfully, "I want to swim for a while longer. Why don't you go first and I'll come find you later?"
"Okay, my WeChat is in the group, senior can add me later."
The pool wasn't high, so Song Ning used the buoyancy to flip herself up, put on a towel, and walked into the room.
"Song Ning, where are you going?" Lin Qianqian jumped out of the water.
I've forgotten about this person.
Song Ning turned around: "Going to the toilet."
"Wait for me, I'll go with you." Lin Qianqian swam towards the shore and caught up with Song Ning.
Beside the separate wet and dry sink, Song Ning looked at Lin Qianqian in the mirror: "What's wrong?"
Lin Qianqian looked around to make sure no one was there before speaking, "Song Ning, don't get too close to Chen Yue. As soon as I joined our department, some senior students said he likes to mess with freshmen."
After washing her hands, Song Ning moved aside and took two tissues to dry them: "How do you have so many rumors? You've only been here a few days."
"I'm telling you the truth. He got another girl pregnant and had an abortion. I noticed he'd been trying to get close to you since the afternoon, and he even brought up your story in the car. I have a feeling he has ulterior motives."
"I know. I don't like him, he's too young." Song Ning threw the paper into the wastebasket.
Lin Qianqian was stunned: "You like older men? Well, you do seem to like that type."
"You go back first, I'm going to have a smoke." Knowing that Lin Qianqian didn't understand her meaning, Song Ning chuckled.
"How about I come with you?" Lin Qianqian asked, wiping her hands.
"..." Song Ning walked towards where he had put his bag. "You guys don't smoke, so you probably don't like the smell of smoke, right? I'll come find you after I finish my cigarette."
Lin Qianqian followed up: "Okay, then smoke less."
Song Ning changed back into her everyday clothes and found a quiet room on the third floor of the villa, with a balcony and bathroom.
She had just lit a cigarette on the balcony when she received a friend request on her phone, with the contact name "Chen Yue".
Song Ning clicked "accept".
Chen Yue: [Where are we drinking?]
Song Ning took a picture of the view outside the balcony with her phone and sent it over, then made a voice call: "Senior, guess what? If you find me within 5 minutes, there's a prize."
Chen Yue said in a cute way, "How could I possibly guess that? Give me a hint."
Song Ning's eyes were cold, but her voice was deliberately enticing: "Third floor. If you can't find it in 5 minutes, I'm leaving."
Song Ning hung up without waiting for Chen Yue's response.
Chen Yue made several more voice calls, but Song Ning hung up each time. By the time Chen Yue opened the door and found Song Ning, he was already panting heavily.
Chen Yue closed the door: "Song Ning, why didn't you answer the voice call?"
Song Ning sat on the edge of the bed and opened a can of beer: "If you had been half a minute later, you would have had to come to the movie theater to find me."
Chen Yue stepped forward, picked up another can of beer from the bedside table, took a big gulp, and tentatively asked, "Why did you choose such a place?"
"Hehe, I'm afraid of being disturbed," Song Ning said cryptically.
Chen Yue sat down on the bed, but kept a certain distance from Song Ning and did not immediately get closer: "The way you put it, I'm almost starting to misunderstand."
Song Ning turned her head: "Does senior have a girlfriend?"
"No, I'm still single. I'm not the type of guy girls would like, too much of a straight man."
Chen Yue is a music student admitted through a special program and also serves as the vice minister of the external relations department. He is of average appearance but knows how to dress well. He says he is not popular with girls, which is probably because he deliberately acts innocent to win their favor.
"Then I'm relieved. To be honest, I quite like you, senior. Even though I know you did it on purpose just now, I'm not really bothered by it. You must have noticed, right?" Song Ning lowered her eyes.
"Haha, what do you mean by doing it on purpose?" Chen Yue dodged the question.
Song Ning remained silent.
"You mean when we were swimming just now? I really didn't mean to." Chen Yue moved closer to Song Ning.
Song Ning stepped back, put down the untouched beer, and got up to leave: "Oh, it seems I misunderstood. Enjoy your drink, senior. I'll be going now."
"No, what have you misunderstood?" Chen Yue couldn't sit still any longer and stood up.
"I thought my senior liked me too, which is why he touched my butt on purpose. It turns out he really didn't mean to. I was just overthinking it."
"I do like you. I fell in love with you at first sight today, but I really didn't mean to be in the pool just now," Chen Yue explained earnestly, making it hard for anyone not to believe him.
But there are some subtle details when people lie. For example, Chen Yue himself didn't realize that he would scratch his neck every time he lied.
Song Ning sat down again, crossing her legs: "So when you talked about me and Cheng Yanchu this afternoon, was it because you like me?"
Chen Yue looked embarrassed: "I'm worried that there's something going on between you two. If you're dating, and he and I are in the same department, it won't be easy for us to get along in the future."
"Actually, nothing much happened. Just like tonight, I spent some time alone in the room with him," Song Ning said truthfully.
"Didn't you do anything else?" Chen Yue didn't believe it.
“I didn’t do anything else.” Song Ning looked directly into Chen Yue’s eyes.
This time, Chen Yue didn't play dumb and asked bluntly, "Well... there are rumors at school that you came to class with a hickey the day after the freshman dance..."
"Is that so? How come I didn't know?" Song Ning was genuinely unaware that anyone was spreading rumors.
"You seem to really not know..."
Seeing Chen Yue hesitate, Song Ning calmly asked, "What else did he say?"
"Hehe, it's nothing. I believe you're not that kind of girl." Chen Yue sat down and pretended to put his arm around Song Ning's shoulder.
Song Ning stepped aside and softened her voice: "Senior, what else did they say?"
Chen Yue was met with a rebuff, but he wasn't in a hurry: "They're all talking nonsense, don't take it to heart. It's just some lewd talk. Some people say it was Cheng Yanchu who did it, others say it was Professor Shen from the Physics Department, and there are even more outrageous rumors..."
"Does Professor Shen mean Professor Shen Yuxiu?" Song Ning's expression changed slightly, and a fire inexplicably ignited in her heart.
“Yes.” Chen Yue said, puzzled.
Apart from Cheng Yanchu, not many people at school knew about her relationship with Shen Yuxiu. When asked, she would only say that they were from the same hometown and that their parents knew each other.
Song Ning realized she had overreacted and calmed down: "Why are you bringing up Professor Shen? He's half a cycle older than me. What if you cause him trouble by talking nonsense like this?"
"It's all just rumors, nobody takes it seriously. But you seem to care a lot about Professor Shen." Chen Yue glanced at Song Ning.
“But some people always take it seriously.” Song Ning said meaningfully.
"Hehe, let's not talk about that. Didn't you just say there was a prize? The prize isn't this beer, is it?" Chen Yue guiltily went to get the beer and handed a can to Song Ning.
Song Ning took the glass and touched it, but didn't drink it: "Of course not."
"What's the prize? Why haven't you brought it out yet?" Chen Yue finished his drink and asked knowingly.
"Senior, it's not fun if you pretend not to understand when I, a girl, have made it so obvious," Song Ning said coquettishly.
Chen Yue licked his lips, finally unable to resist wanting to hug Song Ning, but Song Ning's beer blocked the way, deliberately splashing it all over him.
"you……"
Just as Chen Yue was about to get angry, Song Ning preemptively said, "Why don't you go take a shower first?"
Chen Yue's anger vanished instantly, as if confirming his suspicions about Song Ning's promiscuity. He no longer concealed his feelings and said, "So this is how junior likes to play?"
Song Ning propped himself up and lay down, crossing his long legs, his eyes sparkling: "If you come out without wearing anything later, the reward will be doubled."
"Okay, I'll be out soon, wait for me." Chen Yue walked towards the bathroom while taking off his clothes, not caring at all about being seen naked by Song Ning.
Are you really this confident even with "fly feet"?
Song Ning put down the wine with disdain and picked up her phone, pointing it at the bathroom.
When the bathroom door opened and Chen Yue excitedly emerged completely naked, Song Ning stood facing the bathroom door, her phone already holding more than ten nude photos of Chen Yue.
"What are you doing?"
Just as Chen Yue was about to rush over and snatch the phone, he was so frightened by the multi-functional fruit knife in Song Ning's hand that he dared not move.
"Take a picture." Song Ning pointed the knife at Chen Yue and said calmly, "Step back a bit. The previous few pictures weren't clear enough. I'm afraid others won't be able to see them clearly."
Chen Yue gave a fake smile, but his eyes were fixed on the knife in Song Ning's hand: "Junior, are you kidding me?"
"I advise you not to even think about robbing me. Otherwise, bloodshed is a minor matter, but death is a major one. You're a top student; you don't want to have stains like molestation, assault, or murder, do you?" Song Ning flicked his knife, signaling Chen Yue to step back.
Chen Yue stepped back, his face pale: "Song Ning, don't do anything reckless. If you hurt me, you'll still go to jail."
"Hmm. Thanks to my ancestors, they left me some money, so I won't starve even if I go to jail. Besides, I've always been brave and fearless since I was a child. But you should think carefully about whether it's worth ruining your future and life for a woman." Song Ning said, while making a knife dance.
The knife in her hand spun and moved like a toy between her fingers at such a fast speed that only a blur could be seen. After turning the hilt once with her index finger, the knife landed steadily in Song Ning's hand again, pointing straight outwards.
There was an element of intimidation involved; it was a warning to Chen Yue not to do anything reckless. After Song Ning completed a series of actions, Chen Yue was indeed too frightened to move.
"Junior, if you have something to say, let's talk it out. There's no need to resort to knives and guns." Chen Yue's smile was more like a grimace. "I really didn't mean it just now. I promise I'll never do it again."
Song Ning took a few clearer photos: "If you had been half a minute later, I might have used a more harmonious approach, but you insisted on coming in such a hurry, so there was nothing I could do."
"You're not really planning to send it to someone else, are you? That's illegal, I could easily sue you." Chen Yue pointed at the phone in Song Ning's hand, using both soft and hard tactics. "You really don't need to do this. I was wrong, okay? I apologize. Yes, I did it on purpose, but you dress like this all the time, flirting with men all day long, aren't you right?"
"Who did I flirt with? Cheng Yanchu? Professor Shen? Who else? You?" Song Ning put down her phone, her tone slow: "You talked to me this afternoon, did I respond? Or did I do something to make you misunderstand? Is it just because of your clothing style? Or because of the hickeys? What, you think it's something to be proud of to make a girl have an abortion, but it's something to be ashamed of if a girl has hickeys?"
People who aren't close to her wouldn't know about abortion, but Lin Qianqian knew about it not long after joining their department, and she said it with certainty. So it's highly likely that someone spread the rumor, and for it to spread to such an extent that everyone knows about it, Song Ning really can't think of any other possibility besides the person involved.
"No, Song Ning, I only touched your butt twice, why are you being so extreme? You look like this, yet you act all high and mighty. Do you know what the guys in the dorm say about you? It's not just me who thinks this way." Chen Yue became more and more agitated as he spoke, seemingly genuinely afraid that Song Ning would send his photos around.
"Why are you so nervous? Don't worry, as long as you keep your lower body in check, I won't post it randomly. I've already uploaded the photos to the cloud, so even if I give you my phone, it won't matter if you delete them." Song Ning put away his phone and also put away his knife. "Senior, I have an older sister who used to be afraid that I would be bullied, so she always liked to teach me martial arts. You probably don't want to try what it's like to be thrown on the back by a woman, do you?"
Chen Yue lowered his hand, which was halfway raised, and suppressed his anger, pleading, "Song Ning, I beg you, please delete the photos, okay? I'll do anything you want, as long as you delete the photos."
"Didn't I tell you? If you keep your lower body in check, you won't embarrass yourself." Song Ning smiled. "Oh, by the way, Cheng Yanchu did indeed do the hickey thing. His hickeys are much more spectacular than your 'fly feet'."
Although she felt a little sorry for Cheng Yanchu, Song Ning didn't want Shen Yuxiu's reputation to be damaged because of her before they officially confirmed their relationship.
"Who the hell are you calling a fly's foot? You filthy bitch!" Chen Yue was enraged and raised his hand to slap Song Ning.
Song Ning raised her hand to block her face, stepped forward, turned her back, grabbed Chen Yue under the armpit, and quickly and accurately threw him over her shoulder.
Chen Yue slammed his back to the ground, forcing out a curse word through gritted teeth.
"Ambulance, my back is broken!" Chen Yue cried out.
"It's not that dramatic. You can get up, but if you do it again, everyone will have to carry you out tomorrow morning." Song Ning clapped his hands, as if trying to brush off some dust.
She couldn't be bothered with the unattractive naked man on the ground; she just wanted to find a place to wash her eyes and hands. However, her skills were limited, unlike Shen Jiayi who seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. So she spoke up to warn him, lest she be attacked again.
Chen Yue got up. The fall seemed to have worn down his temper. He didn't argue anymore and reached out to pick up his clothes from the ground.
Only after confirming that Chen Yue had truly given up did Song Ning walk towards the door, open it, and prepare to leave.
As soon as the door opened, Song Ning saw Cheng Yanchu standing in the doorway. He glanced inside and smirked, "Playing this big? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
"Eavesdropping is not a good habit." Song Ning closed the door and walked to one end of the corridor.
"I didn't hear much, except that I'm older than him, and you actually compared me to him?" Cheng Yanchu said, dissatisfied.
"..."
What terrible soundproofing!
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