Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Let's squeeze Brother Ji through the aisle and eat (small...)
Second floor cafeteria.
Jiang Deyu poked at the vegetables on his plate with a displeased look. "I really don't understand why Brother Gu Ci wants you to go with him to register? You can't lift anything, you can't carry anything. It would be better to ask me to go. At least I can help him carry his luggage."
Xia Fan didn't bother arguing with him. "If Brother Gu Ci doesn't want you to go, what can I do?"
Tomorrow is the day Gu Ci will report to Jiang University. Since it happens to be the weekend, Gu Mengyan invited Xia Fan and her father to go together.
Gu Ci spent far more time living with the Xia family than with his biological father, Gu Mengyan, and over the years, Xia Fan's parents had indeed treated Gu Ci like their own son.
Therefore, when Gu Mengyan proposed this idea, Xia Fan's father immediately agreed, "Great! It's a good opportunity for Fanfan to go and see her brother's university, which will motivate her to study even more!"
His tone was a mix of relief and envy: "Jiangnan University is difficult to get into, but we should at least try to get into other good universities."
Gu Mengyan glanced at Gu Ci without changing his expression, and asked seemingly casually, "Fanfan is a girl, Lao Xia, are you willing to let her go to university in another city?"
“I don’t care, as long as the school is good. It’s her mother who is reluctant to let her go too far away.” He paused, “It’s too early to think about these things now. Let’s wait until she finishes her senior year of high school.”
Gu Ci handed the water to Xia Fan's father, saying, "Fanfan is so smart, she'll definitely get into her dream university."
These words made Xia Fan's father laugh heartily, "Well then, let's take Xiao Ci's good wishes as they come."
—
Jiang Deyu shoved a mouthful of rice into his mouth in frustration, wailing incoherently, "I really want to go to Jiangda University!"
That's the best university in the country. He'll never get into it in his lifetime, so he just wanted to go and see it before the college entrance exam, to fulfill a wish.
Jiang Sui moved slightly away from Ji Jingyu, looking disgusted, as if afraid that her food would get smeared with his saliva. "If you really want to go, you can go during the National Day holiday."
"There's only a few days off for National Day, and Brother Gu Ci will definitely be coming back. What am I going to do alone in a place I don't know any of!"
"That's not necessarily true. Do you think going to university is like playing house, where you can just come back whenever you want?"
Jiang Sui was furious when she thought of what Gu Ci had said earlier. "Besides, Jiangcheng is a famous tourist city with countless delicious foods and fun activities. Gu Ci might get so caught up in the fun there that he won't remember us, his friends..."
Jiang Sui was originally just venting her anger, but when she saw Xia Fan suddenly put down her chopsticks and the smile on her lips disappeared, her heart skipped a beat.
That seems a bit of an overstatement.
She gently tugged at Ji Jingyu's sleeve under the table and gave him a pleading look.
Although Ji Jingyu did not participate in their conversation, he had been paying attention to the situation at the table and naturally knew what Jiang Sui wanted him to do.
He lifted his long, thick eyelashes. "Jiang Sui was joking. Gu Ci wouldn't do that."
The voice that reached everyone's ears was clear and calm, yet exceptionally persuasive.
Seeing Xia Fan pick up his chopsticks again, Jiang Sui breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
"What I mean is that Jiangda isn't going anywhere, so we can visit him anytime."
Yu Xiaocheng clasped her hands together and bowed devoutly to Xia Fan's red rope a few times, "Please, Senior Gu, bless me to get into my dream university."
Ever since she found out that Xia Fan's red string was made by Gu Ci, she would do this every now and then.
In the senior year of high school, science and metaphysics coexisted.
—
"That's so nice," Li Wu whispered to Jiang Sui, her expression envious.
Chi An had some family matters to attend to these past few days and went back to Licheng, and hasn't returned yet. He was worried that Li Wu would be bullied while he was away from school, so he temporarily entrusted her to Jiang Sui.
Although everyone was very friendly to Li Wu, Li Wu still preferred to be with Jiang Sui.
Jiang Sui interpreted her behavior as "love me, love my dog".
"You're not bad either."
Jiang Sui had heard Chi An mention that Li Wu's grades were also very good, but she became self-conscious and sensitive because of a small congenital defect.
Li Wu smiled shyly, then seemed to remember something important, "Did he... say when he'll be back?"
The "he" here naturally refers to Chi An.
Jiang Sui tilted her head and looked at her, holding a spoon.
"W-What's wrong?"
"He didn't even tell you, so there's no way he would have told me."
Li Wu: "..."
She lowered her head and obediently ate her rice, without saying another word.
But the little ears that were exposed were brightly tinged with crimson.
Jiang Sui felt obligated to record this adorable moment for her friend, so she quickly took out her phone to take a picture of Li Wu.
The cafeteria at No. 2 Middle School wasn't very spacious, and it used long benches. When Jiang Sui turned to the side, almost half of her body was touching Ji Jingyu.
Sitting opposite them, Yu Xiaocheng, who could see clearly, widened her eyes instantly. She subconsciously held her breath, waiting to see Ji Jingyu's reaction.
Ji Jingyu seemed oblivious, continuing to eat her meal as if nothing was amiss.
Instead, Jiang Deyu started to stand up for his good brother, saying, "Jiang Sui, why don't you use a little more force and push Brother Ji through the aisle so he can eat you?"
Yu Xiaocheng was speechless, and couldn't help but wonder how Jiang Deyu could be so stupid.
He spent more time with Ji Jingyu and Jiang Sui, so didn't he notice anything unusual?
Yu Xiaocheng retorted, "Shut up, Brother Ji isn't stupid. If Jiang Sui really squeezed him out, wouldn't he say so himself?"
After taking the photos, Jiang Sui put her phone on the table. Only after doing all this did she look at Ji Jingyu and ask, "Did I bump into you?"
It sounded like a sincere question, yet also like a malicious, presumptuous question.
Faced with Jiang Sui's increasingly probing questions, Ji Jingyu's expression remained unchanged. "No."
"How could there not be..."
Before Jiang Deyu could finish speaking, Ji Jingyu glanced at him, her expression unreadable, but after so many years together, Jiang Deyu knew that it meant for him to be quiet.
So, the rest of his words were swallowed back down. Jiang Deyu scratched his head and said, "Let's eat."
—
[Jiang Sui: [Image]]
The picture shows Li Wu's blushing profile. Her small, high nose is delicate, and her lips, moistened by the soup, are rosy. She looks both well-behaved and innocent, easily reminding people of some warm and cute little animal.
Jiang Sui seemed to understand why the unruly and disobedient Chi An liked Li Wu so much.
[Chi An: ...]
[Jiang Sui: No way, I'm taking it back.]
[Chi An: Farewell.]
Jiang Sui chuckled softly, knowing he was faking it.
[I miss you, Wuwu. Come back soon if you have time.]
[Chi An: By the way, I ran into Yu Chen at the banquet last night. He asked me about you.]
He hadn't taken the little incident to heart, but when Jiang Sui came to chat with him, he casually mentioned it to her.
Upon seeing this message, Jiang Sui couldn't help but show a disgusted expression. [Am I a treasure map? One after another, they're coming to you asking about me. Tell them to get as far away from me as possible.]
[Chi An: Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything.]
"Yu Chen?"
Ji Jingyu didn't mean to peek, but Jiang Sui's phone was right there on the table, making it hard for him not to see it.
Why is it this person again?
For some reason, he felt an inexplicable aversion to the name.
It's probably because they appeared in Jiang Sui's life around the same time, but he was the one who was forgotten, while Yu Chen truly accompanied Jiang Sui for so many years.
Ji Jingyu envied his fortunes, yet loathed his betrayal of Jiang Sui.
Such people should be completely removed from Jiang Sui's life.
Instead of acting like a clown, jumping out every now and then to annoy people.
"You don't remember him?" Jiang Sui held her phone up to Ji Jingyu's face, seemingly unconcerned that he was looking at her chat history with Chi An. "I told you before."
It seems that Jiang Sui is more bothered by Ji Jingyu's inability to remember what she told him than by Yu Chen himself.
“I remember him.”
Jiang Sui's unintentional gesture easily erased the negative emotions that were constantly growing in Ji Jingyu's heart.
Yu Chen is a thing of the past.
Yu Chen is not important.
After less than five minutes of silence, Jiang Deyu craned his neck and peered over, asking, "Who are you talking about?"
Ji Jingyu turned off Jiang Sui's phone and said coldly, "Someone not worth mentioning."
Jiang Deyu snorted heavily, clearly not believing him. "Who are you kidding? It's not worth mentioning, yet you two have been talking about it for so long."
Ji Jingyu suddenly raised her dark eyes and looked directly at Jiang Deyu, saying slowly, "You should use your curiosity and thirst for knowledge on your studies."
"...Oh, I see."
Jiang Deyu felt wronged, but he didn't say anything.
—
"Come on, it's my treat today. Order whatever you want, don't be shy."
Jiang Sui looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people surrounding Li Lin, laughing and joking as they walked toward the food serving window.
Li Lin walked arrogantly in the middle of the line, one hand tightly around the neck of a short boy, pushing and dragging him forward, seemingly not caring whether the other could keep up, while the other hand casually tossed a meal card around.
"Damn, it's Li Lin."
A faint gasp came from the table behind Jiang Sui.
"Quickly lower your head and don't make eye contact with them, or you'll be the next one to suffer."
"I know."
"Eat quickly, and then hurry back to the classroom. May God protect us, and please don't let Li Lin sit in this corner."
Jiang Sui couldn't help but find it amusing, "Is this a cafeteria or a hideout for thugs?"
"There's nothing we can do about it."
Yu Xiaocheng sighed helplessly, "Although the admission score for No. 2 Middle School is quite high, most of the students who can get in are of good quality, but there are still some poor students who get in by money or connections. Li Lin is one of them. When you stood up for Brother Ji and offended him, we were worried for a long time, afraid that he would come after you."
Just then, Li Lin's gaze swept over, and Jiang Sui gave him a half-smile, which startled him so much that he immediately looked away.
"Coward."
Jiang Sui coldly uttered a sentence.
"By the way," she tilted her head and asked Li Wu, "Does Li Lin still bully you now?"
"No, no." Li Wu shook her head. "He doesn't contact me anymore."
I've been so focused on Luo Qi and Lu Shuhe lately that I've forgotten about this person.
—
One of Li Lin's henchmen recognized Jiang Sui.
"Brother Lin, that girl seems to be the one who stood up for Ji Jingyu at the opening ceremony and embarrassed you."
"What? Someone actually dares to disrespect Brother Lin?"
Upon hearing this, the others immediately raised their voices, clamoring to drag the person out and avenge Li Lin.
Li Lin immediately kicked the person who was shouting the loudest.
He was strong, and the other person was caught off guard, so he was kicked to his knees.
This action frightened the others into silence, not daring to utter a sound, for fear that he would take his anger out on them.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through his knee. The man who had been kicked down looked at Li Lin in disbelief, wondering what he had done wrong.
"Brother Lin..."
Li Lin glared at him fiercely, "Shut up, since when did it become your place to meddle in my affairs?"
Li Lin still feels a burning hatred for Jiang Sui when he thinks about how Jiang Sui schemed against him.
But his uncle Luo Qi had clearly told him that he couldn't afford to offend Jiang Sui.
So much so that after learning that Li Wu and Jiang Sui were getting along well, he stopped bothering Li Wu altogether.
Now these clueless people actually want to incite him to clash with Jiang Sui, which naturally makes Li Lin furious.
He usually eats on the first floor, but today he came to the second floor, and unexpectedly ran into Jiang Sui.
I must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out, what a ghost!
Now, Li Lin just hopes that Jiang Sui won't notice him.
Everyone kept to themselves and lived in peace.
Thinking of this, he tightened his grip on the shorter boy's neck, slapped his face with his meal card, and then stuffed the card into his collar. "I'm going to treat my buddies to dinner now. You better pray you have enough money in your card, otherwise..."
Anyone could hear the threat in his pause.
"It's enough, it's enough." The boy's face turned red from being squeezed, but he didn't dare to resist at all, and even his voice was trembling, "I... I just topped up the money."
But he still didn't understand these people enough; as long as they wanted, his meal card would never be enough.
Li Lin smiled sinisterly. "Okay."
—
Are you afraid of getting into trouble?
The example of Zhao Jia is still fresh in everyone's mind, so this time Jiang Sui plans to ask for everyone's opinion first: "If you're afraid of causing trouble, you'd better keep your distance from me now."
No one moved.
Yu Xiaocheng's eyes lit up, and her tone even carried a hint of anticipation, "Is this going to cause trouble?"
Jiang Deyu continued eating and drinking as usual: "What's the point of keeping our distance now? In their eyes, we're all in the same group."
Moreover, it's one thing if we haven't encountered this before, but now that they've run into it, we certainly can't ignore it.
Xia Fan nodded: "That's right, I'll despise whoever leaves."
Li Wu didn't say anything, but gently hugged Jiang Sui's arm with both hands.
Jiang Sui didn't look at Ji Jingyu.
Because she knew that anyone could leave, but he certainly wouldn't.
"Li Lin".
Hearing Jiang Sui call his name, Li Lin instinctively felt a chill run down his spine.
"I can't eat when I see you, get out."
With a "clatter," the chopsticks of the person sitting behind them fell to the ground.
"Let's get out of here, we can't eat this meal."
"But I'd rather stay and watch the excitement."
"Look at me like that, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up?"
The other person shrank back, "Then let's go."
In no time, more than half of the students eating in the cafeteria had left.
Li Lin couldn't help but pick at his ear. "What did you say?"
Jiang Sui glanced at him casually, "I said take your people and get out of here."
Provocative words were thrown at Li Lin as if they were free, raining down on him.
Hearing Jiang Sui say that, Jiang Deyu felt uneasy.
Although Li Lin is indeed a coward, anyone would find it unbearable if she used her ultimate skill so close to someone's face.
Sure enough, a tall man with slanted eyes suddenly flew into a rage, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to walk towards Jiang Sui.
But for some reason, before Jiang Deyu could react, the other party suddenly stopped, as if his feet were nailed to the ground.
It seems like he chickened out.
Jiang Deyu: "..."
Li Lin was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed, but Jiang Sui was telling the truth.
Unlike the people he had bullied before, Jiang Sui had a truly powerful background; it was said that the principal himself had spoken on her behalf.
Therefore, he could not offend Jiang Sui, nor could he make a big fuss, otherwise not only would he be in danger, but he would also implicate Luo Qi, who had helped him get into No. 2 Middle School.
After all, Jiang Sui can't do anything to him right now, but Luo Qi is really going to beat him to a pulp.
The places where he injured me before are still throbbing with pain.
Li Lin could still distinguish between what was more important and what was less important.
"Hmph, a good man doesn't argue with a woman, let's go."
attendant:"……"
Seeing that no one moved, Li Lin became even angrier, kicking several people forcefully, his eyes filled with a vicious yet somewhat disheveled look, "What, can't I order you around?"
"Yes, we don't stoop to the level of women."
"You guys were lucky this time, but you won't be so lucky next time."
"You lot better watch yourselves when you're out on the street from now on!"
These people are all talk and no action, but their escape speed is top-notch.
Jiang Sui was stunned, seemingly still unable to believe it. "You just left like that?"
"You really want to fight them?" Jiang Deyu was a little scared but also relieved. "Only Brother Ji and I can fight here. There are so many of them. If a fight really breaks out, we can't guarantee your safety at all."
Jiang Sui replied firmly, "No, that won't happen."
"Why not? Don't tell me you're a martial arts master who can take on three opponents at once."
The food was getting cold, and Jiang Sui casually poked at it with her chopsticks, having lost her appetite. "I had already contacted the school security before this, so we might run into them when they come downstairs."
Jiang Sui's actions were certainly not impulsive.
As long as the other party makes a move, she can make them suffer the consequences.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, a security guard appeared in the cafeteria corridor.
Jiang Sui nodded subtly to the leader, who then led his group out.
“If they get punished for fighting, they won’t say many things.” Ji Jingyu’s voice lowered a few decibels. “Since they’re going to get punished anyway, they’ll naturally choose the less serious offense.”
Most importantly, fighting can easily lead to injury, and he simply couldn't imagine Jiang Sui fighting with someone.
“To truly resolve this matter,” he said, his gaze falling on the small boy still trembling not far away, “we must address the root cause.”
Li Lin and his group backed down and ran away, leaving behind their "meal ticket" for the day.
The "meal ticket" gripped the meal card tightly in his hand, his whole being filled with fear and unease, as if he hadn't yet realized that he had escaped a disaster.
Jiang Sui quickly understood what Ji Jingyu meant. She waved to the person and said, "Hey classmate, come here for a second."
A smile flickered in Ji Jingyu's eyes. "The food's all cold. Should I buy you a fresh serving of the same food, or should I go buy you a small cake?"
Without hesitation, Jiang Sui replied, "Buy small cakes, they have new ones today."
"good."
—
Li Lin didn't stop until he walked out of the cafeteria.
"Pah!" He spat fiercely on the ground; he had really lost face today.
Li Lin's expression was probably too unpleasant, so none of his underlings dared to step forward, and the group just stood there dumbfounded in the sun.
Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore, "Brother Lin..."
"Shut up!"
Li Lin walked angrily toward the classroom, finding fault with everything along the way.
Someone shoved the guy with the slanted eyes. "Brother Liang, I thought you were going to make a move. How did you manage to hold back?"
The guy with the slanted eyes is named Zhu Xiaoliang. He has a volatile and impulsive personality and prefers to settle things with his fists.
Zhu Xiaoliang shoved him away forcefully, "It's none of your business, get lost!"
Only he knew that he was terrified by Ji Jingyu's gaze at that moment.
Like Li Lin, Zhu Xiaoliang also disliked Ji Jingyu.
What's the use of good grades if he's just a weakling? He could beat him to a pulp with one punch.
I don't know what kind of taste those girls at school have, that they would actually like such a pretty boy.
But now, standing under the blazing sun, Zhu Xiaoliang still felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled the way the other person had looked at him.
Ji Jingyu sat next to Jiang Sui, remaining unmoved no matter how harsh their words were exchanged.
Until Zhu Xiaoliang decided to make a move against Jiang Sui.
Suddenly, a turbulent storm surged within those deep, calm black eyes, turning sinister and cold.
Author's note: Xiao Ji: It's nice to be snuggled up with my wife.
Sui Sui still lacks social experience; we need our cunning and shrewd Brother Ji to handle it.
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