Fragrant pig trotters again
He Yinxin helped Jiang Yichun, who was babbling incoherently, and dragged her step by step toward the school.
Jiang Yichun seemed to have just washed his hair; the smell of shampoo mixed with alcohol rushed towards him all at once.
His cheeks gradually became hot, his hands trembled incessantly, and his Adam's apple bobbed repeatedly.
He was immersed in the aroma of the wine.
When Jiang Yichun agreed to have dinner with the man, the girl next to him suddenly grabbed his heart.
He wanted to hold her hand.
He wanted to tell her that this man didn't look like a good person.
He wanted to say, "Why? I was here first."
He wanted to ask her what had been wrong with her lately.
But his reason made him swallow back all the words he was about to say.
"Sister Xi Xi," was like a sharp sword hanging over his head.
She was speaking ill of that man in her heart, criticizing his betrayal, but wasn't she also the one who deceived Xiaochun?
With this feeling of guilt, he took the initiative to distance himself from her.
But a strange flutter in his heart, and the lingering sour smell of jealousy, pulled him back to her side.
He found himself unable to ignore her figure, her ponytail, and her bright, sparkling eyes after eating delicious food.
Those eyes that could pull him out of the narrow gap of the pigeon coop.
Tonight, he came to Grandma Tianfang's barbecue stall alone and sat down to eat barbecue by himself.
There was no one by my side, only strings of steaming hot skewers.
He stared at them.
No numbers appeared.
Even if Xiaochun isn't by my side.
That feeling of being forced... seems to be getting better?
He gently shook the skewers in his hand.
Can I still eat properly without Xiaochun?
Maybe after I escape from this pigeon coop, I can finally eat properly?
No, it shouldn't be like this.
You should be grateful for every bite you take, not the last one, when you're able to eat your fill.
If I hadn't seen Xiaochun's free figure, I might still be flapping my wings in the pigeon coop, doing things according to the adults' instructions every day.
If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be who I am today, I wouldn't be so free and happy, and I wouldn't have finally found a reason to move forward.
Xiaochun, I think...
He didn't take a single bite of the skewers; he just sat there blankly, lost in thought.
"Ah, Xiaochun's senior?" Tian Fang, who had been tidying up her stall, walked up to him.
Her business was booming, and she hired two impoverished college students to help her with odd jobs and grilling skewers.
He Yinxin looked up and smiled at Tian Fang: "Yes, it's me. Long time no see, Mother-in-law. How's business lately?"
Tian Fang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's good, it's good, we can get by now."
"So, how are things between you and Xiaochun? Didn't she come tonight?"
He Yinxin's smile froze for a moment: "Yes. She has something to do tonight, so she won't be coming."
"Oh, I see." Tian Fang chuckled and leaned closer. "By the way, Xiao Chun's senior, do you... have feelings for Xiao Chun?"
"Um?"
"Let me be blunt, do you like Xiaochun?"
"ah?"
He Yinxin's sophisticated modern computer crashed directly when Tian Fang burned it with traditional charcoal.
His face flushed bright red instantly.
"Your inability to eat is just like my daughter when she was dating."
"Later, I often observed that most of the people who came to my shop alone had broken up or were unable to get the love they wanted."
"That's how it's portrayed on TV."
Tian Fang's words gradually faded from his ears, leaving only the word "like" in his mind.
So this is what liking someone is?
Because of her free and easy spirit, she shed those labels and escaped the confines of her life; that's what it means to like someone.
I want to get closer to her but I'm afraid of hurting each other, so I keep my distance. Is this what liking someone is?
No reason is needed, and there is no exchange of benefits; I just want to see her. That's what liking someone is!
I like it. I like it? I like it!
You never need a reason to like her.
He Yinxin covered his mouth, hearing the deafening pounding of his heart, which coalesced into a single sentence within him:
You like her, you even love her.
like?
What, then, is love?
He Yinxin didn't know the answer, but after smiling and agreeing with Tian Fang, he finished all the skewers in one go.
My phone popped up with several messages from Xixi's account.
Everything is easy: 【I want to eat meat!】
That sentence seemed to have reignited a switch in his mind.
Everything meticulously arranged shattered into fragments at this moment, only to be reassembled into a large "love" character.
She wasn't by my side, but she had already seeped into every cell of my being.
I can't find a reason for it, but I've already subconsciously followed in her footsteps.
Is this love?
He Yinxin's mind was filled with words like "love" and "like." He was in a daze, pretending to be busy "Sister Xixi" with his remaining rationality as he walked towards the small bar where Xiaochun was eating.
He wanted to use his true identity to compete with Xiaochun in pig's trotters.
In the last days I spent with her, I was able to create beautiful memories with her, and my "love" had finally come to an end.
Even if all of this is just a self-indulgent illusion, a moth drawn to a flame.
"Ugh! He Yinxin! Tell me, isn't that ham, that stinky salty ham, awful?!"
"I'm going to slap him down! I'll post his picture on the school wall and on Zhihu! I'll ruin his reputation!"
Jiang Yichun's harsh words immediately pulled him out of his hazy memories.
He Yinxin subconsciously raised her hand and rubbed her head: "Ugh, you're so annoying, making you go hungry."
"Huh? How did you know I wasn't full? You're such a fortune teller, aren't you?"
"Or... do you and Sister Xixi have a telepathic connection?"
"You just said that yourself." He Yixin was taken aback, but immediately sighed.
"Oh, I see. Haha, I was so confused!"
“You’re not confused; you see many things very clearly.” He Yinxin lowered her eyes.
Jiang Yichun continued to laugh, her mind replaying the image of He Yinxin on the phone that day, and how she had comforted him in front of Qiao Maizi.
He Yinxin and Xixi claimed to be friends, but the day He Yinxin was discovered to be in contact with Xixi, his flustered appearance kept flashing before Jiang Yichun's eyes, becoming a thorn in her side.
Tonight, Ham Guy clearly has a girlfriend of many years, yet he still tries to flirt with her...
Since Xixi has a boyfriend, is it possible that she might have the same situation?
After all, the essence of love is infidelity.
Jiang Yichun's reason was overwhelmed by alcohol, and she began to ramble incoherently:
"Wait, AI, Sister Xixi has a boyfriend too."
"He Yinxin, you...you didn't become a mistress, did you? You cheated on Xixi's boyfriend? And then...and then you kept me hanging on!"
"Tell me the truth!"
"No. I... only have feelings for you, a desire to take things further."
"I wasn't stringing you along, actually I..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but his mind went completely blank.
Am I Xixi?
Should we confess now?
But she's so drunk right now, anything I say will only upset her, right?
“Human machine! You don’t need to explain! Hmph, first, eat pig’s trotters with me!” Jiang Yichun raised his hand, hooked his arm around He Yinxin’s shoulder, and pointed to the steaming stall at the school gate.
He Yinxin was almost suffocated by her choking. She smiled and sighed, "Okay, okay, making sure you're full is the most important thing."
"I... will give you an answer in a few days."
"Noisy and long-winded, who asked me for an answer? Am I your tutor? You're a human! Help me correct my students' assignments!" Jiang Yichun continued to chatter on and on, her legs feeling even more unsteady.
He Yinxin had no choice but to half-hug and half-carry her to the pig's trotter stall.
He never expected Jiang Yichun to be so... crazy and incredibly strong when drunk.
I was supporting her, but it felt like she was robbing me.
The two staggered to the pig's trotters stall. He Yinxin helped Jiang Yichun and said to the owner, "Brother, one order of pig's trotters, please. 20 for me and 15 for her, please pack them separately."
“He Yinxin, look, you even have the same habit of group buying as Xixi! You still say that you and she are just friends!” Jiang Yichun raised his hand and tapped his shoulder.
He Yinxin didn't say anything, but just watched quietly as the boss skillfully cut the pig's trotters into small pieces, divided them into two portions, and put them into a bag.
The shopkeeper chuckled: "Young lady, you actually brought your boyfriend to buy pig's trotters this time?"
"The progress is pretty fast."
Jiang Yichun laughed and hugged He Yinxin even tighter: "Well, this guy isn't my boyfriend, he's my special friend."
"Although I always find it strange when he appears."
He Yinxin took the two bowls of pig's trotters and said calmly, "She drank a bit too much, so I'll take her home first."
"Okay, see you next time."
After bringing over the pig's trotters, He Yinxin helped Jiang Yichun walk towards the school.
Jiang Yichun grabbed his wrist, twisting his body and forcing him to meet her gaze.
Jiang Yichun's eyes were clouded with tears:
"He Yinxin! Explain yourself!" Jiang Yichun grabbed He Yinxin's arm.
"What exactly is your relationship with Sister Xixi?"
"I'm not happy. Why are you friends with her? You two aren't just ordinary friends!"
She shouted, tears welling up in her eyes, "Aren't you just like Ham Bro? You're having an ambiguous relationship with Sister Xi Xi while... you're stringing me along!"
"You, you're just like my dad, a total scumbag!"
He Yinxin's eyes widened. He shook his head and took her hand in his.
At this moment, the computer equipment in the brain was completely invaded by a virus called "Like".
"No, I... I only like you!"
"Actually, Sister Xixi..."
Before he could finish his next sentence, Jiang Yichun sealed his mouth with his palm.
"Stop making so much noise! Who needs your explanation? I... I need to find a reason to hate you! That way, that way I won't like you anymore!"
"If I don't like you, I'll feel relieved, I'll be very happy, you know..."
Jiang Yichun's cheeks were flushed, and tears streamed down her face. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed into He Yinxin's arms, falling fast asleep.
He Yinxin stood frozen in place. Although he hadn't been drinking, the smell of alcohol emanating from the girl next to him made him dizzy.
What did she mean by what she just said?
Could it be that Xiaochun also has feelings for me...?
"Oh, Director He?"
He Yinxin looked up and saw Yang Fei and Lin Yan walking towards him, hugging and embracing.
Yang Fei frowned: "What's wrong with Xiaochun? Why is she hugging you?"
Her eyes lit up, then she frowned: "Director He, you didn't take advantage of her vulnerability and do something to her, did you?"
"No, she drank too much alcohol and got drunk." He Yinxin sighed. "I helped her back. Yang Fei, could you please take her back to her dorm later?"
He raised his other free hand: "And this pig's trotter."
After overcoming numerous difficulties, with the help of Yang Fei and Lin Yan, He Yinxin finally managed to get Jiang Yichun back to his dormitory, where he was finally able to return to his own room.
Jiang Yichun interrupted her confession by covering her mouth, but one day she would have to know the truth.
He counted down, counting down, calculating the date he would confess.
He looked at the calendar.
My birthday is coming soon.
My first birthday away from home.
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