Zhou Sheng stood at the entrance of the corridor with one hand in his trouser pocket, leaning against the wall and looking down at his phone.
In the chat box, the person on the other end replied: I'll be down right away.
He looked up helplessly. At 8 o'clock in the morning, the old neighborhood was already bustling with people. Old men and women who were exercising and mothers who were bringing their babies out to bask in the sun walked past him from time to time. The aroma of steamed buns wafted from the back door of a shop along the street not far away.
This week, the head teacher announced the midterm exam results, and Lin Sitian passed all the subjects. She was just about to have the report card taped to her head, but she once again made a request that shocked Zhou Sheng - to leave the two days and one night of the May Day holiday for her. That's right, not one day, but two days and one night.
The May Day holiday starts today, four days after she said this.
Zhou Sheng felt a little nervous. For a student like Zhou Sheng who made his own decisions on everything, it was not difficult to ask his parents to let him live away from home. Even if it was just an undisguised reason like going out to play with classmates, Zhou's parents would be particularly glad that their child finally had his own social activities with peers of the same age.
He was worried about what Lin Sitian was thinking.
No, even if she said so, he couldn’t do it. It’s not that he didn’t want to, no, he didn’t want to. Anyway, they were still young, so he couldn’t do it.
However, he will fulfill the promises he made, this is Zhou Sheng’s principle.
Before Lin Sitian came down, voices were heard in the corridor.
"Grandma, slow down."
"Our Qiao Yu is still a good girl who knows how to care for me. Look at my Tiantian. She is not like you who usually plays mahjong and chats with me. She is still busy dressing upstairs when she knows I am going downstairs. Oh, if only she could learn from you."
A boy's voice laughed and said, "Grandma, Lin Sitian cares about you a lot. She made the appointment with me for your acupuncture last time. She said you were not feeling well during those few days. And didn't she come with you that weekend?"
"Anyway, I think this child is not as sensible as you. How nice it would be if you were my grandson. If not, you can marry Tiantian home and have her be my grandson-in-law, okay?" The old man laughed to himself and patted the back of the boy's hand.
"Grandma, we are just in high school..." As they were talking, they had already reached the stairs. Meng Qiaoyu was supporting an old lady in her sixties and standing at the top of the stairs on the first floor. When they turned the corner, their eyes met Zhou Sheng's who was looking up.
The moment the two met, their expressions paused.
Zhou Sheng heard every word of the conversation just now, so he naturally knew that the person Meng Qiaoyu was supporting was Lin Sitian's grandmother. However, Lin Sitian was not there, so Meng Qiaoyu could not introduce her to her. Zhou Sheng could only greet her when the old lady's eyes inadvertently passed by him.
"Hello, grandma."
"Ah?" Lin Sitian's grandmother hesitated for two or three seconds. She didn't remember knowing such a young man. "Who are you?"
"I'm Zhou Sheng, Lin Sitian's classmate." He didn't know whether Lin Sitian had confessed to her grandmother about living together. He simply assessed the situation in his mind and chose to explain in a tactful way, "I came to see her for something."
"Oh, Tiantian is upstairs, but she will be down soon. She is going out. Will she delay you?" After a few words, Meng Qiaoyu had helped his grandmother downstairs and stood in front of Zhou Sheng.
Zhou Sheng shook his head and clenched his hands nervously. Today was different from the last time. He had never expected to run into Lin Sitian's parents. He didn't bring any gifts with him - this seemed very immature, especially...
He subconsciously glanced at Meng Qiaoyu.
Before leaving, grandma patted Meng Qiaoyu on the shoulder and asked him to take care of Lin Sitian. Zhou Sheng, standing by, always felt that these words were like entrusting his life to someone else, and he was just a passerby serving as a backdrop. The more he thought about it, the more depressed he felt.
When Zhou Sheng and Meng Qiaoyu were the only ones left at the entrance of the corridor, Meng Qiaoyu spoke first: "Why are you here?"
"I just said it." Zhou Sheng was not sure what role Meng Qiaoyu played today, so he could only keep it secret.
"But we're leaving soon."
"you?"
"Lin Sitian and me."
"..." Zhou Sheng frowned, a hint of surprise flashed across his face. He didn't understand why Lin Sitian had something to do with Meng Qiaoyu when she had clearly made an appointment with him today?
He was speculating about Meng Qiaoyu, and Meng Qiaoyu was also weighing him. The boy in front of him was completely different from the dead face in the phone video last week. He was not wearing glasses, his face was gentle, and his pair of black pupils looked at people leisurely, always with a sense of mystery and profoundness, but it was undeniable that this nerd who was rumored to be the top of the middle-aged group had handsome eyebrows and eyes, and was as handsome as him.
So Meng Qiaoyu asked directly: "Are you interested in Lin Sitian?"
Zhou Sheng originally wanted to ask him where he was going with Lin Sitian, but he was outmaneuvered. When the words reached his throat, a fishbone got stuck there, causing him to cough a few times.
"Of course not." In Zhou Sheng's understanding, even if he admitted that he had feelings for Lin Sitian, it would be easy for rumors to spread, which would still bring trouble to Lin Sitian in the end. Therefore, denial was the best answer. Whether it happened or not, others did not need to know.
Not only that, Zhou Sheng also warned Meng Qiaoyu righteously: "Don't joke about this kind of thing."
Gossip is not allowed either, this is a very serious and private matter.
"I...ah, why did you come down just now?" Meng Qiaoyu caught a glimpse of Lin Sitian standing on the stairs out of the corner of his eye.
Her face looked very bad, extremely bad, and she was holding onto the handrail of the stairs, but her eyes were downcast as she looked at another person.
Look at Zhou Sheng.
Lin Sitian walked downstairs with a large shoulder bag hanging on her shoulder. The bag was filled with things for the trip and it was obvious that she had prepared a lot.
"Lin Sitian." When Zhou Sheng looked in the direction of the voice, he found that she was there too, her usually calm expression a little flustered.
Lin Sitian passed him directly, walked to Meng Qiaoyu and asked, "My grandma is gone?"
"Yeah, she said we have to go shopping early." Meng Qiaoyu also noticed that Lin Sitian deliberately ignored Zhou Sheng, and his eyes looked back and forth between the two of them.
Lin Sitian glanced towards the gate of the community and asked, "How long have you been walking?"
"Three minutes."
"That's about it, let's go." Lin Sitian walked past Meng Qiaoyu without even turning back.
Zhou Sheng stood still and couldn't help asking, "Where are we going?"
——Is this “we” me or him?
Lin Sitian stopped walking, turned around and said calmly: "There is a new scenic spot project in the suburbs, Shouxi Valley Rafting. Let's go to the bus station to take a bus."
Zhou Sheng couldn't figure out why it was such a strange combination of her, him and Meng Qiaoyu. She wanted to ask but didn't know how to ask, because once she asked, it would be the same as telling Meng Qiaoyu that she thought she was traveling with Lin Sitian. Zhou Sheng lifted the bag strap on his shoulder and looked at Lin Sitian for a long time, waiting for her to explain, but Lin Sitian didn't seem to want to explain at all. She just left the two of them and went away first.
It was fine when she left, but Meng Qiaoyu behind her was not quiet. He turned his head and made a provocative face at Zhou Sheng.
Zhou Sheng was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself, how could someone who was rejected after his confession be so dramatic?
When they arrived at the West Passenger Station, there were already a few friends waving at Lin Sitian at the gate from afar.
"Tiantian, here!" It was Yang Xuelin, who was also carrying a big bag. On her left and right were Wang Yue and Li Hailiang. In addition, there was another girl who looked about the same age as them.
"Cui Qian!" Lin Sitian couldn't help but smile when she saw her, and walked up to her and gave her a big hug, "Long time no see."
The people who came were Lin Sitian and Yang Xuelin's best friends from junior high school. Because they went to different high schools, they made an appointment to get together on May Day. The girls reunited after a year and a half, and they were so excited when they talked that they left the boys aside.
"Class monitor." Li Hailiang saw that Zhou Sheng was still a little timid. Even though this was outside the school, he had not done anything wrong - probably because he had been caught cheating and violating class discipline by Zhou Sheng too many times before, and he had a trauma in his heart.
In comparison, Wang Yue was much more casual, "Oh, our squad leader Xiao Zhou came here with our Xiao Tiantian?" He smiled meaningfully.
Zhou Sheng frowned slightly. Firstly, he didn't understand the meaning of some of the pronunciations in his sentences, and secondly, calling him "Sweetheart" was a little too intimate.
"Good morning." But he did not comment, just simply greeted the two of them.
Meng Qiaoyu patted Lin Sitian on the shoulder and pointed to a small group of people not far away, "See you later."
"good."
Zhou Sheng watched Meng Qiaoyu leave the team and walk into the crowd, then glanced at Lin Sitian who was not surprised.
Look confused.
The group then went to buy tickets, and Zhou Sheng was the last one in line. Lin Sitian and Cui Qian were chatting, and they would secretly glance at him from the corner of their eyes from time to time. He put his hands in his coat pockets, lowered his head to look at the heels of the people in front of him, and walked slowly along with the line. He didn't seem to be uncomfortable because no one was talking to him.
It has always been like this. Zhou Sheng is a person who can live alone in his own world. He does not need to rely on anyone, and he does not need anyone to rely on him. He cannot notice the changing of seasons in the outside world, nor will he change with someone's likes and dislikes.
——She had hoped that she was the exception.
Lin Sitian withdrew her gaze and got into the car with her classmates while chatting and laughing.
She sat down next to Cui Qian, who kept talking to her about her recent situation in No. 15 Middle School. When Zhou Sheng got on the bus, he passed by Lin Sitian's seat. For a moment, his eyes met Lin Sitian's, but soon Lin Sitian looked away, as if the glance just now was just a passing glance, and she didn't even realize she saw him.
The last person sitting next to Zhou Sheng was Yang Xuelin.
"Hey, are you surprised?" Yang Xuelin sat down by leaning on the back of the front seat, "I was surprised too."
Zhou Sheng moved his eyelids and tilted his head to look at Yang Xuelin. "Not bad."
"Did you have a fight with Tiantian?" Yang Xuelin lowered her head seriously, hid behind the chair and asked secretly.
Zhou Sheng thought for a long time and answered: "No."
"That's impossible. If we hadn't had an argument, why would she leave the seat next to you and push me away... Uh, is that a good deal for me?"
"I... don't know." Maybe she felt embarrassed when he and Meng Qiaoyu mentioned her?
Yang Xuelin looked Zhou Sheng up and down with an empty gaze, and had to admit that Lin Sitian was still something, and she was able to take a fancy to Zhou Sheng before this rough diamond revealed its true face. However, the fact that Lin Sitian was so angry without realizing it showed that he was no longer a steel straight man, but a steel straight board, which was really inhumane.
"Actually, this is a good thing," Yang Xuelin signaled Zhou Sheng to look forward. Meng Qiaoyu and his group happened to get on the bus and sat down in front of Lin Sitian. "I really think Meng Qiaoyu and Tiantian are a good match. I wonder if their relationship will improve dramatically after spending more time together this time..."
Zhou Shen pursed his lips, "She has already rejected him."
This was the first time in the life of Zhou Sheng, a top student and class monitor, that he participated in a topic of gossip about girls, and even he himself did not expect that he would respond.
"You really don't understand. Girls are always arrogant at the beginning. How can they agree so easily? If something is too easy to get, they won't cherish it. Maybe Tiantian is also trying to test Meng Qiaoyu. In my opinion, Meng Qiaoyu has no intention of giving up. If there is 'no accident'... Tiantian should change her mind soon, right?"
"...Oh." Zhou Sheng said perfunctorily, took out his earphones and put them into his ears with an indifferent look on his face.
Yang Xuelin was so angry that she had nothing to say.
Zhou Sheng could hear the original text being read aloud clearly. He leaned against the car window, resting his forehead on his hand, and the scenery along the highway whizzed past his dark pupils. However, at some unnoticed moment, his eyes could not help but look through the gap in the front seat at the side face of the man who was chatting happily with someone.
A hint of sourness was like a lemon being squeezed tightly, seeping into the heart and lungs drop by drop.
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