9 Chapter 9
◎Forget it, that child is a loner...◎
Dark clouds hung heavy over the sky, and the air was so hot that it was hard to breathe, but her smile was incredibly bright.
The young man suddenly heard his heart skip a beat, and a strange feeling flowed through his blood to his ears.
He hastily turned his head away and looked into the distance. His Adam's apple rolled silently, his knuckles unconsciously rubbing the mineral water bottle in his hand, and he slowly said, "I like it too, a slight bitter taste."
Sang Xinqi pursed her lips, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes, then loosening them. Her eyelashes drooped, her gaze drifting across the ground for a moment. Finally, she made up her mind and whispered, "I have more at home... I'll bring it back to you on Monday."
Hearing this, Liao Yishen turned his head to look at her, his gaze lingering on the tip of her slightly red ear for a moment. A faint smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he responded softly, "Okay."
The red light came on and they stopped, watching the cars pass by one by one.
Jiang Xun and the others continued chatting and laughing, and the words "I'll bring it back to you tomorrow" seemed to have become an unspoken agreement between the two of them, gently falling into their hearts like a seed that quietly sprouted.
In the afternoon, the sun slanted into the classroom.
After Teacher Meng’s detailed explanation of the questions I didn’t know how to answer on the test paper, I instantly understood them. The questions I didn’t know how to answer before are no longer difficult to answer now.
I have to admit that Teacher Meng is really good at teaching. Although he only taught one question, I was able to slowly learn the other questions in the process.
When she returned home from school in the evening, she opened the door with her key and was greeted by a bustling atmosphere.
In the living room, a strange gaze came over with a gentle smile.
Sang Guoyu waved at her, "Sangsang, come here, this is your Aunt Li."
Sang Xinqi paused for a moment, then walked over obediently, her eyes flicking between the two elders, "Aunt Li, Aunt Jiang."
She was very familiar with Aunt Jiang, having watched her grow up since she was a child, but this Aunt Li... she had never seen her before.
"Oh, the little girl is so pretty," Aunt Li looked at her with a smile and a kind tone.
Sang Guoyu said modestly, "What's the use of just being pretty? I can't even compare to your child in academics."
But the smile in the corner of his eyes could not be hidden.
"That's not true," Aunt Li shook her head, her tone helpless. "My kid just studies hard all day long. I'm afraid he'll become a nerd."
She paused, then looked at Sang Xinqi again, her smile deepening. "Sangsang is still the best. She's good at studying and designing clothes. She's multi-talented."
Sang Xinqi pursed her lips and smiled.
At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the door.
Aunt Jiang smiled knowingly, "It's probably Jiang Xun. He came home and found me not there, so he came looking for me."
Sang Xinqi's eyebrows curved, "I'll go open the door."
As soon as the door opened, it was indeed Jiang Xun.
"Sangsang, are my parents at your house?" he asked, looking behind her.
Sang Xinqi moved aside, and Jiang Xun saw his mother sitting in the living room at a glance.
Aunt Jiang waved at him and he walked over obediently. Sang Xinqi closed the door and followed her into the house.
Aunt Jiang introduced Aunt Li to Jiang Xun, and he greeted her politely.
Sang Guoyu smiled and looked at Aunt Li. "Is your son the same age as Sangsang and Xiaoxun?"
Aunt Li nodded, "Yes, it's about the same size."
"That's perfect for us to play together," Sang Guoyu said enthusiastically. "Why don't you ask him to come over? He's home alone with you guys here and no one to prepare dinner."
Aunt Li hesitated, "Forget it, that child is a loner..."
Aunt Jiang shook her head in disapproval. "The more withdrawn you are, the more you should spend time with people your own age."
Aunt Li thought of her son's cold personality and estimated that he would most likely not want to come.
But after everyone's persuasion, she finally gave in and said, "Okay, I'll give him a call. He should be home now."
After saying that, he stood up and walked aside to make a phone call.
While Aunt Li was away, Sang Xinqi and Jiang Xun approached Sang Guoyu and Aunt Jiang.
Jiang Xun lowered his voice and asked, "Mom, Aunt Li looks so gentle. Is she your friend?"
Aunt Jiang replied, "He's your Uncle Wei's friend."
Sang Xinqi blinked in confusion. Her father only had two good friends, and she had met them both. When did he have a female friend?
Noticing her daughter's confused look, Sang Guoyu explained, "She's your Uncle Zhang's wife."
Sang Xinqi exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't Uncle Zhang divorced?"
Sang Guoyu tapped her forehead lightly, "Can't you remarry after divorce?"
"Okay..." Sang Xinqi muttered softly.
That’s right, other people’s divorce is real, unlike her parents, who divorced as if they had never divorced.
I made her sad for nothing back then.
After a while, Aunt Li came back holding her phone, her eyes revealing an unconcealed surprise. "This child, he was always reluctant to go out before, but today he agreed straight away."
Sang Guoyu smiled and continued, "The children are of similar age, so they're naturally willing to come since they can easily play together."
Aunt Li nodded, relief shimmering in the fine lines around her eyes. "I told him that Aunt Sang and Aunt Jiang's children are the same age as you, and you don't usually have many playmates, so why not go meet some? I didn't expect him to actually agree."
"Young people, what common topics can you have with middle-aged people like us?" Aunt Jiang smiled. "People of the same age are more comfortable together."
The adults were chatting animatedly, and Sang Xinqi and Jiang Xun had no chance to join in the conversation, so they simply slipped into her design room.
Pushing open the door, Sang Xinqi walked straight to the workbench and pulled out a few drawings from a stack of drawings. "Here, the draft of the new T-shirt design."
Jiang Xun took it and looked through it carefully, his eyes suddenly lit up, "This one is the best!"
He held up one of them, and the geometric patterns on the paper looked particularly vivid under the light.
Sang Xinqi snatched back the blueprint, her lips curled up in satisfaction, "You have good taste."
Jiang Xun tilted his head and asked, "So this is mine?"
"You wish," Sang Xinqi raised an eyebrow, "Do you want more?"
Jiang Xun straightened his back and said, "Of course!"
"You're so greedy!" Sang Xinqi gritted her teeth. "Hasn't I done enough for you? I designed and made all your T-shirts for the entire summer."
"Hey!" Jiang Xun's ears turned red. "I bought all the fabric! One purchase can make four or five T-shirts."
"Buying fabric is so easy, just pay for it," Sang Xinqi snorted. "It takes me two or three hours to make one piece. I've made so much for you, so what's wrong with you buying some fabric?"
The two bickered as usual, and finally Jiang Xun waved his hands in frustration, "Okay, okay, if you don't want to give it to me, then I won't give it to you."
Sang Xinqi's eyes rolled, and she suddenly leaned closer. "Unless... you buy a new batch of fabric?"
Jiang Xun's eyes widened: "......"
"Get out of here! You're dreaming!" He deliberately put on a stern face.
Sang Xinqi crossed her arms and snorted softly, "Stingy guy."
Dusk gradually deepened outside the window, and the last ray of sunset glow was swallowed up by the night.
Just as the two were arguing, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Sang Guoyu's voice came from outside the door, "Sangsang, Xiaoxun, your Aunt Li's son is here, come out and entertain him."
"Got it!" Sang Xinqi made an OK gesture towards the door, turned around and exchanged glances with Jiang Xun, then lowered her voice and asked, "Let's bet, what does Aunt Li's son look like?"
Jiang Xun raised his eyebrows, "I guess he has a nerdy face, the kind with black-framed glasses."
Sang Xinqi curled her lips, "Boring, maybe he's a handsome guy."
The two of them walked towards the living room, chatting and laughing, but froze at the same time when they saw the young man standing under the light.
Jiang Xun was the first to react and rushed forward, "Brother Liao!"
This sound stunned everyone present.
Aunt Li opened her eyes wide in surprise, "Do you know each other?"
"More than just knowing each other," Jiang Xun excitedly put his arm around the boy's shoulder, "We're in the same cram school now!"
Seeing Jiang Xun putting his hand on her son's shoulder, Aunt Li paused. She knew her son well and knew that he didn't like to interact with others.
But this time she didn't seem to see any impatience or rejection in her son's eyes.
I couldn't help but feel relieved that my son finally came to his senses.
Sang Guoyu suddenly realized that this was the boy his daughter had mentioned a few days ago, the one who was good at playing basketball, studying well, and handsome.
Her gaze couldn't help but linger for a few seconds.
The young man stood under the warm yellow light, his sharply defined profile shimmering in a soft glow. He quietly curled his lips, his eyelashes casting subtle shadows beneath his eyes, making him look incredibly handsome.
"This is such a coincidence," Sang Xinqi muttered softly.
Jiang Xun grinned, "It's fate!"
The aroma wafted from the kitchen, and three fathers came out carrying dishes.
Uncle Zhang saw Liao Yishen and smiled, "Xiao Shen is here too?"
Liao Yishen nodded slightly, "Yes, Uncle Zhang."
Father Jiang raised his chopsticks and said, "Eat first, and then we can talk!"
The dining table suddenly became lively.
The braised spare ribs are glistening with oil, the steamed fish is garnished with emerald green onions, and the aroma of the stir-fried beef is tangy and fragrant.
Sang Xinqi's eyes sparkled, "The uncles are so awesome."
Father Jiang happily pushed the beef toward her and said, "Sangsang, eat more. You're growing."
When he looked at the girl, his eyes were so loving that they could shed tears. God knew how much he wanted a daughter.
Uncle Zhang looked at Sang Xinqi and said, "I haven't seen you for two years. Sangsang has become even more beautiful. They say girls change a lot when they grow up."
"I'm not even eighteen yet," Sang Xinqi smiled, with shallow dimples on her cheeks.
"She's so pretty now, what will she be like when she's 18?" Uncle Zhang joked. "She'll probably turn into a fairy by then."
Sang Xinqi smiled happily, "Thank you Uncle Zhang for the compliment."
Jiang Xun made a "tsk" sound beside him.
Sang Xinqi immediately turned her head and stuck out her tongue at him, with the ends of her hair drawing playful arcs in the air.
Liao Yishen watched the scene quietly.
The girl's ears turned red from the praise, her eyelashes trembled like frightened butterfly wings, and she even took a few more mouthfuls of rice in her bowl than usual.
The adults soon started talking about work, and when the three children had almost finished eating, they quietly slipped into the living room.
Jiang Xun took out the game controller with familiarity, "Brother Liao, do you want to play?"
"No," Liao Yishen leaned against the sofa, "You play it."
Sang Xinqi suddenly stood up.
Liao Yishen raised his eyes and saw a small ripple on the hem of her skirt.
"I'll get you some chocolate," she said softly, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Liao Yishen's Adam's apple moved, "Okay."
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