Warm and comforting clear broth noodles (Part 2)
Seeing Jiang Yichun's smiling face, Qiao Maizi became even angrier: "Jiang Yichun, stop grinning like an idiot! You've run into a two-timing scumbag!"
"Let me state first that although our relationship is not good enough to be friends, I just can't stand people who play with other people's feelings."
"He Yinxin, he's a total scumbag!"
Qiao Maizi's rapid-fire remarks stunned Jiang Yichun instantly.
She frowned, her cheeks slightly flushed: "Huh? Why do you say that? There are girls who are flirting with He Yinxin?"
"So she's really not picky at all."
"Jiang Yichun... I'm speechless." Qiao Maizi slapped her forehead hard. "Yeah, yeah, you're the only one with pica, okay?"
"Aren't you one of the girls who's been flirting with He Yixin?"
Jiang Yichun stood there, stunned: "What?"
"us……"
He Yinxin, who was on the side, didn't seem to have time to pay attention to the conversation between the two. He kept his head down and tapping on his phone.
Qiao Maizi glanced at him, grabbed his clothes, and pulled him sharply.
Although Qiao Maizi looks small, she is incredibly strong. He Yinxin, who is 1.8 meters tall, is like a stray dog in her hands.
He was suddenly pulled in front of Jiang Yichun.
Qiao Maizi snatched He Yinxin's phone, opened his contacts, and waved the recent calls in front of Jiang Yichun.
Her face flushed red: "He Yinxin is shameless! He... he was just on the phone with a girl who wanted to give him a birthday present. The two of them were being very ambiguous!"
"His tone of voice is exactly the same as when he speaks to you, and it's much softer than before!"
"Jiang Yichun, open your eyes wide and take a good look!"
Jiang Yichun's lips trembled.
He Yinxin, messing around?
The image of the man who was painting while looking up at her flashed before her eyes.
"Xiaochun, Daddy just doesn't love Mommy anymore, but you will always be Daddy's daughter."
"Dad will meet many, many women in his life, but you are my only daughter."
You old geezer!
Jiang Yichun shook his head, shaking off the ghost of his father, and took the phone that Qiao Maizi handed him, looking through it.
He Yinxin stared intently at Jiang Yichun's face, trying to deduce something from the subtle trembling of her eyebrows.
Jiang Yichun's facial muscles relaxed the moment she saw his phone, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "It's okay, this is Sister Xixi's phone number."
She chuckled and waved her contact list in front of Qiao Maizi.
Two bright words were reflected on the phone screen.
Xuexi.
"As I just mentioned, the reason we met was through Sister Xixi, whose name is Yang Xuexi." Jiang Yichun scratched his cheek. "She has a good relationship with Lao He, so it's normal for her to give him a birthday gift."
He Yinxin's hands, which were clenched tightly around the corner of his clothes, gradually loosened, and his palms were already damp with sweat.
He coughed a few times: "That's right, Qiao. You didn't even give me a time to explain, and just dragged me in front of Xiaochun like that."
"That's a bit impolite..."
Qiao Maizi turned to look at He Yinxin, who pouted again and lowered his almond-shaped eyes.
"Oh my god, Jiang Yichun, you're really doomed! You've run into the ultimate green tea b*tch!"
"No matter what, even if he and Xuexi are close, they shouldn't be this ambiguous, right? Calling each other 'brother' and stuff..."
Jiang Yichun looked at Qiao Maizi's flushed face and sighed, "Senior Xuexi has a boyfriend, I've met him. She and her boyfriend have a very good relationship."
"If you call me brother..."
Jiang Yichun looked at He Yinxin and handed over the right to explain to him.
He Yinxin immediately picked up the thread: "Yang Xuexi is younger than me. She used to call me senior, but after we got to know each other, she started calling me brother."
"Qiao, I'm sorry for causing you to misunderstand."
Qiao Maizi was completely defeated by the two people's barrage of attacks. She scratched her head and sighed.
"Jiang Yichun, you really are love-struck, so easily believing what men say. He Yixin hasn't even apologized to you."
Jiang Yichun raised an eyebrow and looked at He Yinxin: "Well... he and I weren't in a romantic relationship to begin with. Even if he's with someone else, it has nothing to do with me, right?"
She spoke softer and softer, eventually avoiding his gaze.
He Yinxin immediately said, "I'm sorry, Xiaochun, I..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know what to say.
"I... I made you misunderstand. I won't be with anyone else, don't worry."
Qiao Maizi glanced at him: "Why does your apology sound so much like a confession of love?"
He Yinxin shrugged: "I'm just stating the reality that I'm not currently in a relationship."
"Screw your objective statement. You're saying you'll start a relationship as soon as you meet Jiang Yichun?" Qiao Maizi turned around and mocked again.
Her gaze suddenly met that of the group of people behind He Yinxin.
"I'm not talking to you guys anymore, my friends are here, I'm going to the comic convention with them this afternoon." She strode forward, bypassed He Yinxin, glared at him fiercely again, and then ran into the group of two or three girls ahead.
Qiao Maizi turned around and silently mouthed to Jiang Yichun again: "He Yinxin, he's not simple."
Then she waved and disappeared at the end of the cement road with the group of girls with brightly colored hair.
Only Jiang Yichun and He Yinxin remained, standing under the camphor tree at the entrance of the cafeteria, looking at each other in bewilderment.
He Yinxin slowly relaxed her clenched other hand.
He let out a barely audible sigh.
Luckily, I was quick with my hands, and luckily, Qiao Maizi's field of vision was limited.
He almost exposed "Xi Xi" to Jiang Yichun just now, but luckily he quickly changed the nickname for his cousin from "Cousin Xue Xi" to "Xue Xi".
If Jiang Yichun were to discover that he also had a cousin named Xuexi, he would definitely press him for an explanation. Even if Jiang Yichun didn't press him, Qiao Maizi would ask on her behalf.
If Jiang Yichun discovers that Xuexi is his cousin, she will definitely question why he didn't tell her about their kinship.
Then everything will be ruined.
Although I lied to her... now is definitely not the best time to be honest.
He Yinxin continued to convince herself.
He rubbed his forehead, opened his eyes, and met Jiang Yichun's round face.
"Old He?" Jiang Yichun tilted his head.
He Yinxin's tense facial muscles relaxed, and she looked down at her: "I'm here, Xiaochun. Just now..."
"Oh, that's just Qiao Maizi's personality, don't take it to heart." Jiang Yichun waved at him with a smile, then lifted the strap of her bag. "Alright, alright, let's go to the library."
"This commotion just now wasted a lot of time."
He Yinxin nodded and strode towards her, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, but always keeping a distance between them.
The two remained silent the entire way.
Today, the two successfully arranged to meet in the library's study room, where they sat facing each other in the clean room.
The potted plant on the table still stands quietly, with only one withered leaf remaining since the two first tutored each other.
However, the atmosphere between the two people in the room was no longer as cold as usual; instead, an undercurrent was swirling within them.
An unbearable undercurrent.
Jiang Yichun lowered his head, flipping through economics materials, his fingers twirling the somewhat faded pen.
Although she knew how to solve the problem, she inexplicably wanted to talk to the boy in front of her who was seriously typing on the keyboard.
"Old He, come and take a look at this calculation problem. It's about calculating exchange rates."
He Yinxin looked up, her fingers hovering over the keyboard: "Just give me the questions, you can look at other ones first."
Jiang Yichun shoved the printed booklet toward him and turned to continue looking at the other questions.
As she was engrossed in other questions, He Yinxin's hands with their distinct knuckles came into her view.
Jiang Yichun's gaze froze.
Fair-skinned, with well-defined joints...
“This question is like this, Xiaochun…” He Yinxin raised her hand and gently pushed the booklet in front of her.
He looked at Shangjiang Yichun with a lingering gaze.
"What's wrong, Xiaochun?"
Jiang Yichun forced a smile: "N-nothing, go ahead and tell me."
"I just think your hands are pretty."
"Has anyone asked you to be a hand model, Lao He?"
He Yinxin stopped pressing down on the notebook, her fingertips leaving a paper mark on the white booklet.
He lowered his head: "No. Why are you suddenly asking this?"
"Uh, I was just curious, so I asked casually. I asked Sister Xixi the same question before." Jiang Yichun chuckled a few times.
"Oh, I see. Are her hands beautiful too?"
"Yes, it looks a lot like yours, with distinct knuckles. I especially like hands like that."
As Jiang Yichun spoke, he veered to the topic of food: "But I prefer braised pig's trotters, hehe, the braised pig's trotters at the school gate are quite delicious."
"Alright, let's not veer off-topic. Let's hear the question."
He Yinxin withdrew her hand, picked up her pen, and began to explain to her in detail.
Jiang Yichun nodded and continued to listen, but her gaze shifted from his well-defined fingers to his face.
Her gaze lingered on his lips once more.
He Yinxin's lips are indeed not thin, but rather quite thick, with slightly protruding cupid's bow and a particularly prominent philtrum.
His lips were rosy with a faint sheen.
The image of the kiss reappeared in her mind.
But the person being kissed was none other than Sister Xixi.
A strange, bittersweet feeling welled up in her heart.
Two people with beautiful hands embraced each other...
No, Sister Xixi should have a boyfriend.
It's all because of that blunder! It's all because of XiXi's greasy boyfriend! It's all because of XiXi's confession to her boyfriend that night!
Jiang Yichun hurriedly lowered his head and returned to his "classroom".
He Yinxin continued speaking calmly and unhurriedly, then looked up at her and asked, "Xiaochun, have I made myself clear?"
Jiang Yichun's attention was entirely focused on his constantly moving lips, completely ignoring his solution process.
"I understand, but I didn't listen carefully. Lao He, could you repeat it again?" Jiang Yichun raised his head again and met his gaze.
He Yinxin pushed up her glasses: "Okay. I'll say it again."
His tone gradually turned cold for some reason.
Ever since Qiao Maizi's blunder, he seemed unwilling to continue the conversation. Especially when Xi Xi was mentioned, he always gave evasive answers.
Jiang Yichun recalled the stammering manner when he asked him about Sister Xixi, and the way his hand quickly sparked when he accidentally slapped his phone during that blunder.
Why did he panic so much when he met Sister Xixi?
She then remembered that she and Sister Xixi had never met offline.
Is it simply a matter of fate, or does Xixi just not want to see her at all?
Jiang Yichun looked at the light reflected from his glasses and touched his chin.
Although the distance between the two is constantly shrinking, and their communication is no longer as hesitant as when they first met, and He Yinxin is no longer the human-machine AI she once was, Jiang Yichun still sees a river separating them.
The boy sitting in front of her, patiently explaining the problem, was shrouded in a fog, with a string tied around his hand.
That line was always faintly visible, connecting her to Sister Xixi, whom she had never met.
She didn't immediately suspect He Yinxin; she even confessed on his behalf.
But sitting in such a quiet space, amidst such a mix of emotions, the flowers blooming deep within her heart had long since grown wildly and uncontrollably.
That flower ripened and bore fruit today. Qiao Maizi peeled off the fruit skin and forcefully pulled out the seeds from the fruit.
Jiang Yichun took the seed, named it "Doubt," and quietly planted it in his heart.
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