16
After the song ended, the applause from the audience lasted for a long time. Many girls were planning to ask the male singer for his autograph. Li Muqing looked at the audience's enthusiastic reaction with annoyance and muttered to Xiao Jian, "What's so great about him! No matter how well he sings, he's still just a little slut who seduces others!"
“He sings really well…” Xiao Jian felt a little sorry for the boy.
"You...you still dare to speak up for outsiders!?" Li Muqing was so angry that her eyes were almost spitting fire. At this moment, Zhao Yezhi and the boy who had just finished singing walked over from the opposite side. Zhao Yezhi saw Li Muqing in front of him, so he pulled the boy to Li Muqing: "Xiaoqing, let me introduce you. This is Qiu Jie, a friend of mine. Qiu Jie, this is Li Muqing."
"Hello." The boy named Qiu Jie greeted Li Muqing very politely.
"What a load of rubbish..." Li Muqing muttered to herself, but still smiled and said, "Hello, Qiu Jie, right? This is Xiao Jian, my boyfriend."
Xiao Jian was stunned when Li Muqing took his arm. After hearing Li Muqing's words, he was stunned for a long time before he hurriedly looked around and found that Wang Youai had left their side at some point. Only then did he feel relieved.
"Hello, I, I'm Xiao Jian, I'm not his boyfriend... Ouch!..." Just as Xiao Jian was about to explain, Li Muqing quietly pinched him, making him almost cry from the pain.
"Hello...you." Qiu Jie nodded politely, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"What's wrong? Weren't you screaming happily when you were being pinned down in bed? Why are you embarrassed to hear about this now?" Li Muqing said coldly and mercilessly.
Qiu Jie's face immediately turned red, and of course, Xiao Jian's face also turned red at the same time.
“Li Muqing!” Zhao Yezhi stepped forward. “Take your anger out on me, don’t drag others into it.”
"Li Muqing..." Xiao Jian whispered in Li Muqing's ear, "You... that was too much, it's not appropriate to say it in public..."
Before Xiao Jian could finish speaking, Li Muqing interrupted, "You think you can mess with me? Don't try to act like some high-class dish and serve it to me. I don't care. Let me tell you, what I like to eat is pancakes!"
Hearing this, Xiao Jian's face turned even redder. Li Muqing's words were tantamount to revealing his true colors! He really was... sigh, Xiao Jian didn't know what to say to him. He looked at the two people's faces, which were unreadable between laughter and tears, and became certain of one thing once again: he couldn't afford to offend Li Muqing, no matter who he offended. He was a complete devil, no, "devil" wasn't quite the right word. Xiao Jian had never seen such a handsome devil, but he couldn't find the right adjective to describe him. Just as Xiao Jian was agonizing over this, Qiu Jie spoke up: "Hey? You... why do you look so familiar?"
"Looks familiar?" At this moment, Wang Youai walked over and patted Xiao Jian's broad shoulder. "This is one of the most handsome guys in my dorm, a mysterious figure who usually hides in Ethiopia. You've seen something new today! By the way, what's your name, buddy? You sing really well! I'm Wang Youai, nice to meet you."
"Oh, hello, I'm Qiu Jie, a freshman in the art department. When I said you looked familiar, I meant... I'm sorry, I might be mistaken, but I really think..." Qiu Jie stroked his chin, carefully examining Xiao Jian, making Xiao Jian's palms sweat.
"Who is it? Xiao Jie, just say it!" Zhao Yezhi couldn't wait any longer and stepped forward to ask.
"Like that pancake vendor at Qianmen..." Qiu Jie's voice was a little soft, but Xiao Jian, Li Muqing, and Wang Youai all heard it.
"Hahaha! Dude, are you kidding me? No way! Hahaha!" Wang Youai laughed first. He looked at Xiao Jian carefully, and as he laughed, his voice grew softer and softer, "He... he really does look a bit like him...?"
Xiao Jian felt utterly humiliated. He didn't know whether to say yes or no. He couldn't lie; aside from the lie he told Wang You'ai that he had angered someone he liked, he had never lied before. But now... now...
"Do you think selling pancakes at the school gate is an easy thing? Do you know how hard it was for him to apply for this stall? These days everyone encourages work-study programs and earning your own pocket money, but honestly, how many people actually do it? Do you think Xiao Jian's family doesn't have money? Let me tell you, his family has plenty of money! But he just doesn't use it! How many of you can do that? Huh?"
“Li Muqing!” Xiao Jian spoke up at this moment, his tone and expression serious, making everyone present afraid to breathe loudly. “There’s no need to cover for me anymore. Since I’ve decided to show my face today, I’ve already considered the worst-case scenario. That’s right, I’ve been selling pancakes at the front gate of the school for almost three years. My family is poor, and my application for a school loan has never been approved. In order to go to university, I opened a pancake stall and started my own business. I used to worry that my classmates would recognize me, but after meeting Li Muqing, I realized that if you always live for others, it’s too tiring. I… I want to be like him, so I don’t want to hide anything from everyone…”
Xiao Jian's heartfelt words left Li Muqing with a lasting impression, a feeling of profound shock that lingered in his heart. He had never imagined that he held such a place in Xiao Jian's heart. He thought Xiao Jian was honest and kind, a perfect target for teasing, so he always tried to get close to him, intentionally or unintentionally. But he never expected that his actions would have such a profound impact on Xiao Jian. He was a little surprised, a little moved, a little guilty, and a little touched. Although it was only a fleeting feeling, he was certain that decades later, he would still remember every subtle yet profound feeling of that night.
“Dude…” Wang Youai patted Xiao Jian’s shoulder hard, “I support you!! You’re a great role model!”
After listening to Xiao Jian's explanation, Qiu Jie was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Xiao Jian, right? What I wanted to say is that I really love the pancakes you make, and I often buy them. But you don't really look up at your customers, so maybe you feel like I'm a stranger to you? Hehe, I hope you can teach me how to make pancakes sometime, okay?"
"Huh...?" Xiao Jian didn't react for a moment. He had thought about all sorts of scenarios: mockery, sarcasm, feigned indifference but gradual distancing, or complete ignoring. But he never expected to encounter a regular customer. His dull brain couldn't adapt yet, and he could only respond with a simple "Ah."
"Okay..." After a long while, Xiao Jian nodded shyly.
"Not good." Li Muqing stepped forward, blocking Xiao Jian and Qiu Jie.
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