12 Chapter 12
◎Could it be that... you really have fallen in love with him?◎
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Jiang Xun was the first to react and asked in surprise, "You also prepared a cake?"
Meng Xiwang smiled without saying anything and walked straight to the dining table.
Sang Xinqi and the others immediately understood and deftly cleared away the plates on the table to make some space.
"Of course," Meng Xiwang gently placed the carefully prepared cake on the table.
"Is today your birthday?" Sang Xinqi asked uncertainly with eyes wide open.
Jiang Xun slapped his forehead suddenly, "Is this true?"
"Absolutely true," Meng Xiwang said with a gentle smile on his face.
Tao Wen looked at him angrily, "Brother Meng, you are too polite. Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I just want to give everyone a surprise," Meng Qixiang winked mischievously.
Chen Yanyan couldn't help laughing, "Brother Meng, you really know how to create surprises."
Liao Yishen smiled and shook his head, "We should have prepared this surprise for you."
Meng Qixiang waved his hand casually, "It's all the same. What's important is that I can celebrate with you today. I'm already very happy."
Sang Xinqi looked regretful, "But we didn't prepare any gifts. How embarrassing."
Meng Qixiang looked at her gently and said, "Your coming here is the best gift."
"Brother Meng, your requirements are too low," Jiang Xun joked.
Chen Yanyan said seriously, "We will definitely make it up to you later. A belated gift is still a gift."
"Really, there's no need..." Meng Qixiang was about to refuse when he was interrupted by Jiang Xun.
"That won't do!" Jiang Xun said firmly, "This must be made up!"
Sang Xinqi had already found the candles. "The most important thing now is to light them quickly and let the birthday girl make a wish!"
"That's right!" Tao Wen clapped her hands in agreement, "This is the highlight of tonight!"
Soon, candles were placed on the cake, and Jiang Xun took out the matches that came with the cake and lit them. In the warm candlelight, everyone's smiling faces reflected a warm glow, and the cheerful birthday song echoed in the room.
Meng Xiwang gazed at the flickering candle flame, made a wish, and then gently blew out the candle.
"Happy birthday, Brother Meng!" Everyone wished in unison.
Meng Qixiang looked around at his friends, his eyes sparkling with emotion, "Thank you everyone."
The afternoon passed in laughter and joy.
The six of them sat together and played games such as poker, truth or dare, and who is the undercover. The joyful atmosphere lasted until seven in the evening.
Tao Wen glanced at her watch, looked up and said to everyone, "I have to go first. I have some things to deal with tonight."
Sang Xinqi looked out the window at the darkening sky and agreed, "It's really getting late. We should say goodbye."
Chen Yanyan turned to Meng Qixiang and said gently, "Then we will leave first."
Meng Qixiang sighed softly, his tone full of reluctance, "Today has passed so quickly, I really don't want you to leave."
The friends smiled at each other and comforted each other, "We'll see each other tomorrow."
Amidst laughter and joy, Meng Qixiang accompanied his friends all the way to the gate of the community, watched them get into their cars and leave, and then turned around and went home.
In the taxi, Sang Xinqi said to Liao Yishen with emotion, "I never thought today would be Brother Meng's birthday. He hid it really well."
Before Liao Yishen could reply, Jiang Xun, who was sitting in the front row, turned around and interrupted, "That's right, I didn't expect that at all!"
Sang Xinqi couldn't help laughing. "I'm surprised you thought of that. When the cake was brought out, you thought it was specially prepared and didn't even think of it as a birthday."
Jiang Xun slapped his forehead in frustration, "Oh, I really didn't react at the time."
He turned to Liao Yishen for confirmation, "Brother Liao, did you guess it at the time?"
Liao Yishen nodded calmly, "Yeah, I guessed it."
Jiang Xun was suddenly speechless: "..."
So he was the only one who didn't react?
"What gifts should we prepare?" Sang Xinqi asked, supporting her chin.
Jiang Xun's eyes lit up, and he immediately responded, "I've already thought about this! Doesn't Brother Meng have a Slam Dunk poster hanging on his door? He's sure to like it. I'm planning to give him a Slam Dunk-themed jigsaw puzzle set, and he can put it together slowly."
Sang Xinqi nodded and said approvingly, "This is good, he should like it."
After she finished speaking, she turned her gaze to Liao Yishen, "What about you? Have you decided what to give?"
For some reason, everyone was used to calling him "Brother Liao", but she always felt uncomfortable. Instead, she preferred to call him by his name directly, which was inexplicably smoother.
Liao Yishen glanced at her sideways and said calmly, "I haven't thought about it yet."
"Me too!" She leaned back in her seat and tilted her head to look at him, her ponytail sliding to one side without her noticing.
Jiang Xun raised his eyebrows proudly, "You better hurry up and think about it, then we can give it to him together."
Sang Xinqi rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're the only one who talks too much. Shut up."
Jiang Xun snorted, deliberately turned his head away and pretended to look out the window.
Sang Xinqi ignored him and started thinking seriously about the gift.
Before we knew it, the car had arrived at the entrance of the community.
When getting out of the car, Sang Xinqi suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable loss. She waved to Liao Yishen in the car and said, "Let me know when you get home."
Liao Yishen nodded slightly, "Okay, you guys should hurry up too."
Sang Xinqi nodded.
The car started quickly and disappeared into the darkening night in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Xun nudged her lightly with his elbow and said with a mischievous smile, "Still looking? It's already gone."
Sang Xinqi's ears warmed up, and she immediately retorted, "Who saw it?"
Jiang Xun pinched his throat and imitated her, "Who saw it~"
Sang Xinqi: “…”
"Jiang Xun, you are really a bitch."
"I'm just a bitch, what can you do to me?" Jiang Xun ran into the community with a playful grin on his face.
Sang Xinqi stamped her feet in anger and chased after him, "I'm really impressed, you idiot!"
The two chased and played all the way until they stopped at the door of the unit.
At this time, there are quite a few people waiting for the elevator.
Sang Xinqi has always been careful about her image in front of others, so she restrained her desire to play around, fearing that she would be laughed at.
But Jiang Xun was not quiet. He leaned close to her ear and asked in a low voice, "Do you have a crush on Brother Liao?"
This sentence struck Sang Xinqi like a bolt of lightning. She turned around and glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about..." Her voice unconsciously rose, attracting the attention of several neighbors.
She quickly shut up, but her heartbeat became irregular.
Thinking back carefully, she seemed to always unconsciously look for Liao Yishen's figure, her eyes always lingering on him, and she even wanted to get closer.
Could it be...she really has fallen in love with him? What made her even more anxious was that Jiang Xun actually saw it? Was she really that obvious?
Sang Xinqi bit her lip and glared at Jiang Xun. Just then, the elevator arrived with a ding. The two of them followed the crowd into the elevator. In the narrow space, Jiang Xun's half-smile made her feel uneasy, as if she was being seen through.
The elevator quickly reached the 13th floor.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Sang Xinqi couldn't wait to grab Jiang Xun and asked, "Why do you think I have a crush on Liao Yi?"
"Because he's handsome," Jiang Xun answered heartlessly, "Don't you like handsome guys?"
Sang Xinqi: “…”
"Just because of this?" she asked persistently.
Jiang Xun said as if it was a matter of course, "What else?"
Sang Xinqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out to be a false alarm.
But before she could relax, she heard Jiang Xun add mischievously, "Could it be that... you really like him?"
Sang Xinqi: “…”
Sang Xinqi raised her leg and kicked him on the calf, "I like you, you big-headed ghost!" Then she turned around and walked towards the door.
Jiang Xun limped after her, "If there's nothing, then there's nothing. Why are you still touching me? I'm going to complain to Aunt Sang."
Arriving at the door, Sang Xinqi took out her key and opened the door with a click, deliberately leaving it wide open. "Come on, come in and complain."
Jiang Xun stood at the door and laughed, "Forget it, forget it, I'm leaving."
After saying that, he ran to the end of the corridor.
Sang Xinqi slammed the door shut. As soon as she walked into the house, she heard her mother's voice coming from the kitchen, "Are you back?"
"Yeah, I'm back," she replied while changing her shoes. She walked into the kitchen and hugged her mother from behind while she was cooking. "Mom, are you making shredded potatoes today?"
Sang Guoyu nodded without looking back, "Have you had dinner?"
"Not yet, but I'm not hungry," Sang Xinqi let go of her hand, "It's so hot, I'm going to take a shower first."
"Go," my mother's voice came mixed with the sound of stir-frying with a spatula.
Sang Xinqi walked into the bedroom and went into the bathroom with her pajamas.
The warm water washed over her body. Sang Xinqi closed her eyes, but Liao Yishen's well-defined face involuntarily appeared in her mind.
She couldn't help but curl her lips, then suddenly realized what was happening. She patted her hot cheeks in frustration and muttered, "I'm such a loser. I was actually bewitched by a man..."
When I came out of the shower, Sang Guoyu had already prepared the meal.
Seeing her come out, her mother paused in taking off her apron and asked, "You really don't want to eat something?"
"I ate too much at noon, and my stomach is still bloated." Sang Xinqi rubbed her stomach and yawned. "I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep first."
Sang Guoyu glanced at the clock and said, "It's only a little after eight o'clock. How can you fall asleep so early?"
"Yes~" she answered with a long tone, ran into the bedroom, threw herself on the bed and took out her cell phone.
After watching short videos for a while, I suddenly remembered to prepare a gift for Meng Qixiang.
She opened the shopping app and searched for a long time before finally seeing something.
She couldn't wait to open QQ and find Liao Yishen's chat box, "I know what to buy for Brother Meng!"
After the message was sent, there was no new message reminder on the screen.
Sang Xinqi stared at the phone for a long time, then suddenly threw it away in annoyance. If she had known, she would not have sent him a message.
Just as I was struggling, my phone suddenly vibrated.
She jumped up and grabbed the phone.
Liao Yishen: "What to buy?"
Sang Xinqi's lips curled up unconsciously: "Sunglasses!"
The other party quickly replied: "Yes, this season is perfect."
Her fingers tapped the screen rapidly. "What about you? Have you made up your mind?"
"earphone."
"Wow! This is pretty good too!"
After sending this message and seeing the other party's brief "hmm", Sang Xinqi suddenly didn't know how to respond.
-
The cold light of the phone screen reflected on Liao Yishen's face. The other party did not respond for a long time, and his knuckles unconsciously tapped the edge of the phone.
Suddenly, he realized something.
The "hmm" he uttered was like a door that suddenly closed, and no one else could get in.
Sometimes he envied Jiang Xun's personality. He was heartless, looked happy every day, could chat with anyone, and was very likable.
Unlike him, he is quiet and cold, so he must be not very likable.
-
The next day, when the six people met again, there was a subtle atmosphere in the air. After the party the day before, their relationship seemed to have become closer.
While a few people were chatting, the classroom door was pushed open.
Teacher Meng pushed a wheelchair in, the metal wheels making a slight noise as they rubbed against the ground. As usual, he didn't exchange pleasantries and simply flipped open his handouts. "Last class, we covered..."
The sunlight outside the window gradually sets in the west, and the chalk words on the blackboard are erased and written again.
I don’t know if it’s because the course is coming to an end or because we are getting along better and better, but time passes so quickly that in the blink of an eye it’s Saturday and time to go home from school.
Under the shade of the willow trees by the roadside, six people said goodbye in groups of three or four.
Sang Xinqi skillfully jumped onto the back seat of Jiang Xun's bicycle.
"What are you going to do tomorrow?" she asked, swinging her legs.
Jiang Xun's grip on the handlebars tightened slightly, "Nothing."
There was a deliberate casualness in his voice.
Sang Xinqi pursed her lips.
They grew up together, and she was too familiar with every subtle pause when Jiang Xun spoke. He was clearly hiding something.
But in the end she didn't ask any more questions.
After turning the last intersection and arriving at the entrance of their community, Liao Yishen waved to them and his figure quickly disappeared from sight.
At nine o'clock that evening, Sang Xinqi curled up in the soft quilt. Her freshly washed hair was still damp, leaving dark marks on the pillowcase.
She stared at the ceiling in a daze, her phone screen lighting up and then dimming, and finally she just turned over and buried her face in the quilt.
After struggling for a while, Sang Xinqi opened her phone again and stared at the screen, her fingertips hovering over the dialog box and then retracting it.
After repeating this several times, she finally made up her mind and quickly typed out a line of words: "Liao Yishen, are you busy tomorrow?"
The moment she pressed the send button, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, her fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of the quilt, and the screen quickly lit up.
"fine."
Those two short words made her breath stop.
She bit her lower lip, her fingertips moving rapidly on the keyboard: "How about going to the movies together tomorrow?"
Without waiting for the other party to reply, she added two more messages, as if she was afraid that she would regret it.
"I recently watched an animated film called 'Let's Go Together'."
"Do you want to see it?"
After sending these three messages, she suddenly put the phone against her chest, and her heartbeat was particularly clear in the silent room.
It wasn't until she felt a vibration in her palm that she took a deep breath and slowly turned over the phone.
"Can."
Just one simple word made her sit up in bed instantly, with the corners of her mouth rising uncontrollably.
She rolled around twice with the pillow in her arms, and couldn't help laughing out loud. Her whole body sank into the soft bed, and her toes curled up with excitement.
Her phone vibrated again, and she quickly picked it up and looked: "What time are you leaving?"
Sang Xinqi bit her nails and thought for a moment, then typed rapidly, "Let's go in the morning. Let's have lunch outside first, then buy tickets for the 2 p.m. session."
After sending it, she suddenly felt a little annoyed. Was it too early? But the message had already been sent, and she could only stare at the screen, anxiously waiting for a reply.
After a few seconds, a message popped up.
"Sure, I'll wait for you at the gate of your community at 11 o'clock tomorrow."
Sang Xinqi stared at the words for a long time, unable to suppress the smile on her lips. She slowly typed a reply: "OK."
After the chat, she couldn't fall asleep at all.
As I tossed and turned, my mind was filled with images of tomorrow: What should I wear? Should I put on some light makeup? Would he like milk tea or cola?
She has always been like this since she was a child. Whatever she likes, she can't help but get close to it until she completely possesses it. And this time, she seems to have found a new target.
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