Chapter 45 Will Qingyun dislike getting old?
As soon as he finished speaking, the others stared at him in disbelief, their eyes widening in shock.
The young teacher who first mocked him still didn't believe it: "How come we've never heard of Dr. Jiang getting married? You're not lying to us, are you?"
His companion nudged him with his elbow: "Stop talking, what he said might be true. Look, isn't that a wedding ring on Dr. Jiang's hand?"
Jiang Mingxue had been surrounded and her view was blocked, which is why they noticed that the wedding ring on her left ring finger was reflecting a dazzling blue light.
Turning her head to look at Rong Chengzhou's wedding ring, she saw that the metal bands were the same color, clearly a pair.
The man awkwardly touched his nose and sheepishly looked away: "I...I'm sorry, we didn't know Dr. Jiang was already married."
Because there was no wedding ceremony and no public announcement, only a few people knew about Jiang Mingxue and Rong Chengzhou's marriage.
Rong Chengzhou gave a very slight lip twitch, not bothering to argue with them, and started walking forward.
After answering the question, Jiang Mingxue noticed the commotion and looked over at them with a puzzled expression: "What happened?"
Those young teachers didn't dare to say anything, and they waved their hands sheepishly, saying "It's nothing, it's nothing," and ran away.
Rong Chengzhou walked up to her: "It's nothing, I just chatted with them for a bit."
Jiang Mingxue was half-believing and half-doubting, and was about to ask more questions when a bouquet of flowers was stuffed into her hand: "Congratulations, Dr. Jiang, on successfully completing your lecture."
Her attention was suddenly drawn to the pink and purple bouquet. She took the flowers and smiled gently, saying, "Thank you."
"How romantic~~~ Not only does her husband accompany her to the lecture, but he also sends her flowers. I'm so envious!" He Ruiya said in a high-pitched voice from the side.
Jiang Mingxue smiled faintly: "Alright, stop making a fuss. Aren't we going to eat? Let's go quickly."
He Ruiya: "Oh right, let's hurry up and leave, or there won't be any seats left."
There are many off-campus restaurants in the canteens of Beijing University of Medicine that have been brought in by the school through investment promotion. Jiang Mingxue, along with Xu Yan and Rong Chengzhou, followed He Ruiya to a new restaurant in the third canteen.
After several years, the school cafeteria has not only been renovated several times, but it has also been decorated like a food court outside the school. Many areas are covered with LED ambient lights, and at first glance, it looks like a small bar.
Four people sat at a table, and the waiter brought out cutlery and bowls.
"The saying 'schools always renovate themselves into places we can't afford after graduation' is absolutely true." Jiang Mingxue looked at the luxurious decor around her and thought she was in a shopping mall.
"Of course, we've been out of school for years, and the restaurant manager has changed several times."
He Ruiya and Xu Yan sat in a row opposite Jiang Mingxue, telling her about the school's recent developments over the past few years, such as how many milk tea shops had been introduced, the opening of a swimming pool and gym, and the expansion of the Chinese herbal medicine garden, etc.
Jiang Mingxue listened attentively, then smiled and remarked, "If only I had been born two years later."
He Ruiya waved her hand while drinking water: "Don't be envious. It's not a good thing that the school is constantly under renovation. The cafeteria food prices go up every six months now, and the prices in supermarkets and fruit shops are almost as high as those in tourist areas. I've been receiving complaint letters every day for the past two years, asking the school to make changes."
Xu Yan: "Oh my god, if my school wasn't just an ordinary first-tier university, I would have thought you were talking about my school. It's true that all universities in the country are crows born from the same nest, heartless and ripping off students."
He Ruiya: "Isn't that right?"
Rong Chengzhou sat to the side, unable to say a word, silently washing Jiang Mingxue's dishes and pouring her hot water.
In fact, he left university four or five years earlier than them, and has been out of school for almost ten years. He has never heard of the milk tea shop they mentioned, nor does he understand the pain of rising prices, because air force pilots are considered to have enlisted when they go to university, and all kinds of benefits and meal subsidies are top-notch.
Although they are only three years apart, their environments and circles are completely different. Rong Chengzhou realized for the first time that he was out of touch with the times. Even the coffee brand he used to treat Yuanhe Medical Clinic last time was recommended by Yu Feijie.
He silently drank half a glass of water. Before the food arrived, he stood up and said, "I'll go buy a few drinks."
Jiang Mingxue: "Okay, go and come back soon."
Rong Chengzhou walked around the cafeteria and found that several milk tea shops were very similar, with extremely similar products, and he couldn't tell the difference at all.
In the end, I randomly chose the most expensive one, and it took ten minutes to wait for four cups.
On the other side, without Rong Chengzhou around, the girls chatted more casually.
He Ruiya: "Let me tell you something interesting. A few days ago, my colleague told me that our department was going to hire a postdoctoral fellow who had just returned from studying abroad. When I asked for his name, it turned out to be my crush from college."
Xu Yan: "Oh? What a coincidence. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
He Ruiya: "It's neither good nor bad. I've long since stopped feeling anything. It's a little better than the dormitory head's situation."
Xu Yan sensed something was up: "What do you mean? Did Sister Ming have someone she liked in college too?"
He Ruiya raised her chin: "Then you'll have to ask her."
Xu Yan blinked at her.
She had always thought her teacher was the kind of indifferent person who was very hard to fall in love with, but she never expected that she would have a girlish crush.
Jiang Mingxue was listening to He Ruiya talk when she unexpectedly found herself being dragged into the conversation.
She had to think carefully before admitting, "There was indeed one."
The dining table was located next to a row of tall bookshelves. Rong Chengzhou, carrying milk tea, walked behind the bookshelves and happened to hear this.
She never tells him these things.
He stopped abruptly behind the bookshelf, listening quietly.
Xu Yan: "!! Who is so charming that they could actually make Sister Ming fall for them!"
Jiang Mingxue laughed: "I was quite young back then."
During her sophomore year, a boy in her class always took the initiative to chat with her, often sat next to her in class, accompanied her during the 800-meter physical fitness test, prepared chocolates for her, and brought her medicine when she was sick. The boy was excellent in terms of grades, appearance, emotional intelligence, and conversation, and it was inevitable that she would develop feelings for him.
Just when she thought the truth was about to be revealed, the boy suddenly made an official announcement on his WeChat Moments, and the photo showed a girl she had never seen before.
"What?! This guy is such a scumbag!" Xu Yan exclaimed indignantly.
He Ruiya: "That's right. I was so angry that I almost rushed into the men's dormitory to fight him, but the dormitory head stopped me. That guy was a year younger than the dormitory head, and I said that younger men are unreliable, either immature or scumbags."
Xu Yan was so angry she gritted her teeth: "Sister Ming is just too nice. This kind of person should be exposed! Make him unable to face anyone at school!"
Jiang Mingxue smiled and said, "It's not as serious as you think. I was actually quite calm when I found out about it because I don't have to worry about dating affecting my studies."
Xu Yan nodded with heartache, "Sister Ming did the right thing!"
"And then what? Did you keep in touch?"
"Yes," Jiang Mingxue said gently, "that boy came back to me again."
The man behind the bookshelf slowly clenched his fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, his eyes lowered, lost in thought.
His deep eyes seemed veiled in mist, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
Xu Yan: "?! Why is that scumbag coming back to you?! Has he regretted it again?!"
"Yes." Jiang Mingxue smiled slowly.
“I accidentally took away his spot in the postgraduate entrance exam, and his girlfriend broke up with him.”
"Holy crap!" Xu Yan's blood was boiling. "This is so awesome! You're the heroine of a wish-fulfillment novel! A true powerhouse among women!"
He Ruiya added fuel to the fire, saying, "If I didn't know her temperament, I would sometimes suspect that she was doing it on purpose."
Jiang Mingxue glanced at her: "I'm not at the point of being vindictive yet."
Although her grades were good when she was in school, they were far from outstanding. Therefore, no one could have predicted that she would make a leap in her grades in her final year of junior year, squeezing into the top 5% of her class. Meanwhile, the boy's grades plummeted after he started dating, and he just barely made it to the top spot outside the graduate school admission line.
This was an unintentional act. The number of places for postgraduate recommendation is fixed, and someone will always be squeezed out by her. I just didn't expect it to be that boy.
Xu Yan: "And then what? And then what? Did this guy go to take the postgraduate entrance exam? You should never let this kind of scumbag pass the exam."
Jiang Mingxue shook her head, and when she talked about her past infatuation, all that remained was the ordinariness of the past: "After that, I stopped paying attention to him."
Xu Yan clicked her tongue in regret, clenching her fists and cursing that the scumbag would surely get his comeuppance and die a horrible death.
Jiang Mingxue couldn't help but chuckle and poured her a glass of water: "There's no need to get angry over such unworthy people."
Years have passed, and she has forgotten how she felt back then. Perhaps it had no impact on her at all, or perhaps it subtly made her, who was already slow to warm up and reserved, less likely to open up easily.
So after that, she never fell in love with anyone again.
Xu Yan smiled, her eyebrows curving as she held the cup: "Luckily, Sister Ming has a brother-in-law now, who is a thousand or ten thousand times better than that scumbag!"
Jiang Mingxue couldn't help but chuckle. Thinking of Rong Chengzhou, she asked, "Where did Chengzhou go to buy the groceries? Everything's ready, why isn't he back yet?"
Xu Yan: "I don't know, maybe we should call and ask."
"Alright."
Jiang Mingxue opened her phone and was about to open her contacts when Rong Chengzhou's voice came from behind her:
"I'm back."
He sat down calmly and handed out milk tea to them: "There are quite a few people in line, sorry to keep you waiting."
His own cup was iced, the other two were at room temperature, and Jiang Mingxue's was hot.
"It's alright, it's alright, all the dishes are served, let's eat," He Ruiya said, gesturing to them.
The group chatted and ate until almost 2 a.m., when Rong Chengzhou finally paid the bill first.
"Hey, you guys finally came back for a visit. I should have treated you to a meal, but in the end, your husband paid for it. What kind of talk is that?" He Ruiya and Jiang Mingxue were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice when Rong Chengzhou paid the bill.
Jiang Mingxue: "There are so many of us, it's too much of a hassle for you to treat us all. It's alright, you can treat me separately next time."
It wasn't her instruction to have Rong Chengzhou pay; she hadn't even thought about it just now.
“Alright then, I’ll have to treat you next time!” He Ruiya emphasized.
Jiang Mingxue smiled helplessly: "Okay."
He Ruiya: "Then I'll go back and keep an eye on the new students. You guys can wander around as you like."
After He Ruiya left, the three of them strolled around the newly built buildings and took some photos at Yunhuai Tower.
When she got home that evening, Jiang Mingxue sat in the driver's seat and sent the photos to the family group chat.
While saying this, she said, "This Yunhuai Tower is really beautiful. It's easy to take great photos here."
Rong Chengzhou's jawline tightened, and he casually hummed in response, without saying anything more.
He seemed preoccupied and absent-minded.
This state has lasted all afternoon.
Jiang Mingxue turned to Rong Chengzhou and asked, "Rong Chengzhou, what's bothering you today?"
The man pursed his thin lips and said calmly, "It's nothing, don't overthink it."
"Okay, let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
"Um."
As the setting sun painted half the sky red, the car slowly drove away from Beijing North University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, bathed in the glow of the sunset.
Rong Chengzhou turned the steering wheel and steadily merged into the traffic: "I'm going to a class reunion tomorrow, do you want to come with me?"
Jiang Mingxue was still replying to Su Yun's message: "No, I'm going out with Cheng Ying tomorrow too."
Besides, why would she go to his class reunion?
Rong Chengzhou gave a faint "okay".
That was all.
Seeing that he was not interested, Jiang Mingxue did not disturb him anymore. After sending the photos by herself, she leaned against the car window and fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already pitch black. Jiang Mingxue blinked and woke up almost instantly.
She sat up straight, and Rong Chengzhou's coat and shirt slowly slipped off her shoulders. She glanced down at the time on her phone; almost two hours had passed. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Rong Chengzhou reached out and unbuckled her seatbelt: "You're sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you."
Jiang Mingxue smoothed her hair: "Okay."
The two people got out of the car and went upstairs to eat.
After dinner, Jiang Mingxue went to the bathroom to take a shower, while Rong Chengzhou sat in the study with a furrowed brow, pondering what Jiang Mingxue had said in the restaurant that afternoon.
He didn't mind that Jiang Mingxue had liked other people before; after all, everyone has a past. But what he cared about was:
Jiang Mingxue's only moment of attraction was during her vibrant sophomore year of college, when the other person was a year younger than her.
So, does she dislike older people?
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