Chapter 34
He Xi didn't open the bound sketchbook on the way back. After returning to Haicheng, she stuffed it to the bottom of her suitcase, out of sight, out of mind.
When her roommates saw her coming back looking tired, they felt a little sympathetic towards her.
"Xixi, beautiful girl, you're really trying too hard!"
Xue Meng stretched out his arms and threw himself into her arms. "You don't know how I've been living these days when you're not around. Every day I can only look at pictures of handsome guys to comfort myself. Mmmmm..."
He Xi rubbed her chubby face lovingly. He was already very familiar with how to comfort her.
"Which handsome guy has captured our cute heart?"
"Sisi, you understand me."
Xue Meng hurriedly took out his cell phone and looked through the photo album. He fiddled with it for a while before holding the phone in front of her.
"How's it going? Shashasha."
He Xi looked at it carefully for a moment, then calmly raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up.
"Tsk, I knew you were going to do this again! You don't understand the charm of a muscular man, it's so exciting!"
The people around her were flipping through the photo albums one by one, determined to make her feel the hormones gushing out across the screen.
"He makes it sound like he's very experienced, but in reality, he's still no more than a newbie."
As soon as these words came out, Xue Meng puffed up her soft cheeks in anger. She didn't even show her the handsome photo she had just found in the bottom of the box - the photo of the handsome boy from the neighboring school. Instead, she reached out and scratched the soft flesh on her waist.
"It's still unclear who the newbie is. To be honest, my latest crush is from the school next door. Do you want to help me with some assists?"
He Xi clasped his hands together and bowed to her, "Please forgive me, I really can't handle everything in two places!"
She was already incredibly busy with her internship, and with the upcoming graduation thesis project, she was completely overwhelmed. And then again, with Xue Meng's tendency to get bored with the old and fall in love with the new, there was no guarantee she'd fall for someone else in a matter of days.
She reached out and patted the humming girl, then turned to look at the beeping work group message on her phone.
The first phase of the Lancheng project has come to an end. Colleagues in the group proposed a team-building dinner and tagged the leader.
He Xi looked at Xu Ce's reply and sighed softly. After pretending to be upset for a while, she finally started to put on her makeup.
The dinner was scheduled at a shopping mall not far from the company, and several colleagues were already there when she arrived.
"Xixi, why are you here? We thought you would come with Mr. Xu."
Not long after we sat down, someone started laughing and joking.
"How could that be? I always take the subway or bus to and from get off work. Please don't make fun of me, sister."
She put on a fake smile, feeling exhausted at the thought that she would have to hold on for at least two more hours.
Soon, colleagues began to arrive. Xu Ce entered the box last, and everyone stood up to greet him.
He Xi was among the crowd, trying her best to blend in. Everything was going as she expected, until someone started shouting for a toast.
She was forced to pick up the cup and walk to Xu Ce who was sitting at the first seat.
"Xiao He, are you used to it? They've always been like this, you'll just get used to it."
"Thank you, Mr. Xu. I'll toast you a glass."
She raised the wine glass in her hand and quickly poured it into her mouth when Xu Ce's eyes fell on her hand.
The cold liquid slid down her throat, and she held back the cough that was about to come to her mouth, causing her face to turn slightly red.
Xu Ce's eyes fell instantly on the girl in front of him. The overhead light from the box unexpectedly illuminated her distinct features, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling.
In the second half of the party, He Xi always felt that someone was looking at her vaguely, so she got up and went to the bathroom.
He stayed there for almost ten minutes before coming back. After washing his hands, he looked up in the mirror and saw Xu Ce smoking in the corridor.
"Mr. Xu, you're here too."
After an awkward hello, she was about to walk back, but the man called out to her.
"Everyone's almost done having fun and it's time to leave. Take my car back later. We're worried about you being alone so late at night after drinking."
He Xi waved his hand and was about to refuse, but saw Xu Ce had already put out his cigarette and walked out.
She had no choice but to bite the bullet and jog a few steps to follow the man.
There were only a few people left in the box. She took her coat and bag, said goodbye to them, and walked out of the mall.
Going up and down the escalator, she lowered her head to send a message to Xue Meng. The moment she raised her eyes, a figure flashed past the store right in front of her sight.
Her first reaction was to follow and take a look, but the moment she lifted her foot, she regained consciousness.
After leaving the mall, Xu Ce's car was already waiting on the roadside. As soon as she appeared, she heard the horn.
"Get in the car, the car can't stay here for long."
He Xi was about to say no, but when she heard him say that, she was silent for two seconds before getting into the car and sitting in the back seat.
The designated driver started the car swiftly. She saw the neon lights gradually disappearing in the rearview mirror. She remembered the solemn words she had said in the box not long ago, and her face turned red for a moment.
"Are you okay?"
Xu Ce had been keeping an eye on the girl since she got in the car. Seeing her face turn slightly red, he couldn't help but start to doubt his judgment at the dinner table.
"fine."
Ever since she accidentally noticed the look in Xu Ce's eyes that night, she always felt restrained when meeting him. She had to think twice before replying even the simplest words.
After the brief conversation, the car fell into silence. She stared at the time displayed on her mobile phone screen and for the first time felt that it was beating slowly.
There weren't many cars on the road, so Xu Ce casually turned on the car stereo. A soft female voice broke the silence and echoed in the enclosed space.
The car was not going too fast. She looked at the rearview mirror with boredom and saw the black Audi in the back seat following closely, almost exceeding the safe distance.
"That car behind is a bit dangerous."
When she spoke to remind her, the driver just accelerated and the car drove steadily for a distance. When she looked again, she was still being closely followed. It was obviously intentional.
This was the first time He Xi had encountered such a situation. She kept a close eye on the driver's operation throughout the whole process, holding the seat belt in front of her tightly with both hands.
The man next to her noticed her action and twitched the corner of his mouth slightly without commenting.
When the car came to a steady stop at the south gate of the school, she thanked Xu Ce in a low voice and was about to get out of the car quickly.
"Be careful on your way back."
As soon as she put her hand on the car door, she heard the man whispering instructions. Just as she was about to nod in agreement, she heard him say, "I'm not that scary, am I? Is there any need to be so cautious?"
He Xi tilted his head, not understanding what was going on. He followed the man's line of sight and saw that the Audi behind him had stopped nearby for some reason.
She opened her mouth, not knowing how to explain.
After watching Xu Ce's car drive away, she turned around and was about to take a closer look at the car next to her, but before she could get close, the car roared and drove off to the next block.
"ill."
She grumbled to herself as she stomped her slightly uncomfortable high heels back to the dormitory. The meal had left her physically and mentally exhausted.
*
For a long time afterwards, He Xi would unconsciously look at the logos and license plates of passing cars when walking on campus.
If she finds out about the irresponsible car owner again, she will definitely report him.
Unfortunately, the car seemed to have disappeared out of thin air and never appeared again.
Summer vacation has arrived in the midst of busyness. She applied for on-campus accommodation for her internship. She ran back and forth between school and company, and felt she didn't get enough sleep every day.
"You might as well rent a house."
The other two people in the dormitory are dating and are planning to rent a house off campus.
He Xi shook her head. She wasn't sure if she could officially stay in her current company through the internship. Besides...
She couldn't describe Xu Ce's attitude towards her, but she was sure of one thing - she would never have any relationship with him other than colleagues.
"Let's leave it at that for now. I don't want to bother with that for now."
She devoted almost all her energy to work throughout the summer, trying to understand and master everything she came into contact with in her current position to the best of her ability.
Another business trip ended. When Xue Meng opened the dormitory door and saw her coming in, he opened his mouth in surprise.
"He Xixi, how much weight have you lost in just one summer vacation?"
"Is it so exaggerated?"
She turned around in front of the mirror a few times, back and forth, and was so used to it that she didn't think it was a big deal.
After taking a shower in the bathroom, he came out and saw the girl staring at him with lustful eyes. He couldn't help but shiver all over.
"If you look like that, I'm the only one who's going to hit you. You might get sued for sexual harassment if you go out."
"This is the highest praise I can give to a beautiful woman."
He Xi was completely impressed by her and didn't care about it anymore. After drying her hair, she went to bed to catch up on some sleep.
Xue Meng, however, acted out of character and was about to leave the dormitory with her "food stuff" in her arms.
"Where are you going?"
"Your sister, I want to take advantage of the last good time in college to have some fun. If I succeed, wouldn't it be... hehe..."
As he said this, he went out with his cameras.
He Xi knew that she had always been interested in photography, but seeing how energetic and energetic she was every day, he couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.
After both of them became busy, they had less time to meet each other every day. Occasionally, they would run into student clients who came to select films when they returned to the dormitory after get off work.
"No, no, I need to recruit people!"
"If you keep going like this, you'll have to pay me."
Thanks to Xue Meng's "appreciation" of handsomeness and beauty over the years, his photos turned out pretty good, and they were unexpectedly posted on the school forum and became a little popular.
The result was that before the next National Day holiday, people were already lining up to take photos with her.
When He Xi walked in, he saw a girl who was almost going crazy, staring at her hair and holding her computer.
"So I've been promoted to Boss Xue?"
"Don't tease me, I'm going to close the shop and take a rest these two days."
After finishing the last movie, Xue Meng fell asleep in the dormitory for two days. When he went downstairs to get takeout, he saw a group of girls huddled together downstairs. Judging from their expressions, there must be a handsome guy nearby.
Her gossip radar activated instantly and she walked over quickly.
"Who's going? If you keep dawdling, they'll leave!"
Xue Meng followed their gaze and saw that the person leaning against the street light not far away was none other than Crush, whom she had not seen for a long time.
"Sister, what's going on?"
"A handsome guy from the neighboring school has been coming to our dormitory almost every day this week. I don't know which sister eats so well..."
"He's been here for a few days and no one has claimed him, so we still have a chance."
Xue Meng listened for a few times and wanted to take another look when her stomach started to growl. She reluctantly went upstairs and walked to the dormitory balcony with the takeaway in her hand.
It is really a feast for the eyes to eat and watch at the same time.
*
When He Xi returned to school these days, he always felt that there was a vague gaze behind him. When he turned around several times, he didn't see any suspicious traces.
She felt a little nervous, so she tried to go to crowded places and speed up her pace when she returned.
The temperature is not low in summer, so the first thing I do when I get back to the dormitory is to take a shower.
Xue Meng, who had just returned home that day and said she was resting, seemed a little excited. She came out of the shower and before she could talk much, she was dragged to the dormitory balcony.
"Did you see that boy? He's the internet-famous school idol from the science and engineering school next door."
As if she had sensed something, she glanced at him lightly and turned around to walk back. The figure was too similar to hers, which made her particularly resistant.
Ignoring the chatter of the people around her, she sat down on the chair in front of the table somewhat exhausted, and was free for a moment.
Suddenly, the cell phone on the table began to vibrate. The moment she saw the caller ID, her hands couldn't help but tremble slightly.
She turned off the screen and let the phone ring over and over again.
Xue Meng's chattering voice fell into her ears, and she responded mechanically based on her body's instinctive reaction. In fact, her brain had already gone blank.
The photo in front of him was taken secretly by Xue Meng a few minutes ago. Although blurry, Zhao Lin's iconic phoenix eyes still exuded a chilling coldness when he raised his eyes.
He Xi stared at it for a few seconds, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.
She tried her best to control her expression, giggling and pretending to be exactly the same as she had been countless times before when she was teased.
After climbing onto the bed, she silently opened WeChat and watched the messages increase one by one. Friends who had been at the bottom of the list for a long time instantly jumped to the front row.
"I haven't left yet. Which sister is torturing my crush? This is more painful than being beaten!"
I don’t know how long it took, but Xue Meng went to the balcony for a walk and came back to sigh.
"This isn't pure moral kidnapping, he's just counting on the girl to be soft-hearted and eventually forgive him!"
"ha?"
Xue Meng was shocked by the sudden words of the person on the bed. After she came to her senses, she looked like she was about to fight with her.
"You can't say that. What if the young couple has some misunderstandings..."
At the end of her words, she was about to go to the balcony again. He Xi raised his head and sighed deeply. He opened WeChat and sent a few words angrily without even reading the new messages.
“
"Sister, you finally paid attention to me."
The other party replied almost instantly. Knowing that she could see it, the following messages were more like a rapid-fire barrage.
"I was like, it must be my girlfriend who sent the message. I finally saw Crush being a good little puppy."
Xue Meng proudly shook his phone, humming a little tune as he uploaded a few secretly taken photos to the campus confession wall.
"Do you really have to act so hypocritical downstairs?"
"Do you remember what you said at the beginning?"
He Xi picked up his phone and sent two messages like a broken jar, then turned off the phone and fell asleep.
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