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“Wang…Wang Ting?” Xiao Jian looked at Wang Ting sitting next to his mother with some nervousness, completely unexpected that she would come to his house.
"Xiao Jian, you're back?" Wang Ting's simple greeting sounded to Li Muqing like the words of a wife waiting for her husband to return home.
"Son's back? This must be your good classmate Li Muqing, right? Welcome to visit! Please come in!" Xiao Jian's mother greeted her warmly, and Li Muqing also greeted Xiao Jian's mother politely.
“Son, you’re back just in time. This girl said she wanted to leave, but it’s lunchtime now. If she’s going to leave, she should wait until she’s eaten. What will she do if she goes hungry? Please help me persuade her!” Xiao Jian’s mother said with a smile, taking Wang Ting’s hand.
"Auntie, really, there's no need. I just came to see Aunt Zhang. Now that she's alright, I should go back." Wang Ting said somewhat apologetically.
"Stay and have a meal with me. After we eat, I'll take you home," Xiao Jian said.
“That’s right, that’s right, you can stay here. I’ll go make the food right away. Son, help me out!” Xiao Jian’s mother rolled up her sleeves and went to the kitchen with Xiao Jian. In the living room, only Li Muqing and Wang Ting remained.
“Senior, I know you. We met before, do you remember me?” Wang Ting said proactively.
"Yes, I do," Li Muqing said with a forced smile.
"Xiao Jian always mentions you to me. You two are really close, aren't you? Sometimes I envy the friendship between you guys. Compared to girls who can argue and fight over the smallest things, guys get along much more harmoniously," Wang Ting said with a smile.
Li Muqing smiled awkwardly and changed the subject: "You came to see Aunt Zhang? Aunt Zhang... is she Xiao Jian's neighbor?"
Wang Ting nodded, picked up a glass of water from the table, took a sip, and then said, "When I was little, my parents were always busy and didn't have time to take care of me, so they hired a nanny, Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang was so good to me; she was always good at making me happy. Later, when I grew up, Aunt Zhang's legs became weak, so she had to quit. But I would still visit her from time to time and buy her some fruit or something. Who knew this would happen..." Wang Ting stopped there.
"So, you and Xiao Jian aren't from the same hometown?" Li Muqing continued to ask.
"We're basically in the same city, except I live in the city and Xiao Jian lives in the suburbs." Li Muqing understood that the suburbs Wang Ting was referring to were actually rural areas, but she was just being subtle about it.
As they chatted, the food was ready. Xiao Jian's mother called Li Muqing and Wang Ting to eat, and Xiao Jian also brought out quite a few dishes. During the meal, Li Muqing sat next to Xiao Jian, with Wang Ting on Xiao Jian's other side, and Xiao Jian's mother next to Wang Ting. At first glance, Li Muqing suddenly felt like an extra person. He ate his meal without saying much, only listening to Xiao Jian's mother asking Wang Ting all sorts of questions, and occasionally praising Xiao Jian's honesty, which made Xiao Jian's face turn slightly red.
After dinner, Xiao Jian's mother refused to let Wang Ting clean up, and kept pushing Xiao Jian and Wang Ting out, saying that it was too late and it was not safe for a girl to go home alone. She wanted Xiao Jian to take her home, and Xiao Jian did not refuse. He and Wang Ting walked out of the house together. Before leaving, Xiao Jian glanced at Li Muqing and found that Li Muqing was not watching them. He paused, then turned and walked out.
Watching her son and Wang Ting leave, Xiao Jian's mother was genuinely happy. She turned to Li Muqing and said, "Wang Ting is a city girl. These days, girls, especially city girls, are very picky. It's really not easy for Wang Ting to be interested in my Xiao Jian. Besides, she's beautiful, generous, and well-mannered. Xiao Jian's mother likes her, and so does Aunt Zhang. If the girl's family doesn't have any major objections, she'd love for Xiao Jian to get married to Wang Ting as soon as he graduates." After saying this, Xiao Jian's mother inquired about her son and Wang Ting's situation at school. Li Muqing answered politely, glancing at the clock on the wall every now and then. To him, every second felt like an eternity. If he could, he'd rather find a place to hide away forever and never see anyone again.
Xiao Jian saw Wang Ting off and got home around 10 p.m.
"You're back?" Xiao Jian's mother rushed over to greet her son, "How was it? Any progress? I think this girl is great. Son, I think you should marry her as soon as you graduate, so I can have a grandson soon and save your Aunt Zhang some trouble." Xiao Jian's mother continued talking to herself, but Xiao Jian ignored her and asked, "Mom, where's my classmate?"
"Oh, he suddenly said he had something urgent to do and left. I said it was so late, he could go back tomorrow, but he absolutely refused, saying it was an emergency."
"What?" Xiao Jian panicked. "He...when did he leave?"
"What happened fifteen minutes before you came in?" Xiao Jian's mother asked.
"I...I'm just going out for a bit, I'll be right back!" Xiao Jian rushed out, forgetting to even close the door.
Because there were few streetlights and the lighting was dim, Xiao Jian ran while carefully searching for Li Muqing's figure. He knew there was only one road from his home to school, so he wasn't afraid of taking a different route from Li Muqing. However, he was still burning with anxiety and urgency. Soon, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He began to regret not paying attention to passersby on his way home, thinking he might have bumped into Li Muqing. But he didn't have time to regret it now; finding Li Muqing was the most important thing.
After running for about five minutes, Xiao Jian finally spotted Li Muqing. Li Muqing was walking alone on the dimly lit road, carrying a travel bag, taking one step at a time. Her back looked so forlorn and lonely that Xiao Jian felt as if his heart had been violently struck, the pain making him want to scream.
"Li...Li Muqing!" Xiao Jian called out to the person walking ahead, panting heavily.
Upon hearing the voice, Li Muqing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly quickened her pace.
"Wait for me!" Xiao Jian became even more anxious when he saw Li Muqing speeding up. He sprinted over and stopped Li Muqing.
"Get out of the way, a good dog doesn't block the road." Li Muqing's tone had finally improved during the day, but at this moment, it was even colder than before.
"Why...why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Xiao Jian asked, panting heavily.
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