Chapter 58 There is no such person in the cafe
The two of them had agreed to meet at ten o'clock on Sunday morning. Having slept too much on Saturday, Chang Xile woke up early. She took her temperature as usual, and after seeing it was back within normal range, she went out to buy breakfast.
When Chang Xile returned to the dormitory with breakfast, Ren Qing and Fang Xinai were talking around the table, while Yang Guisi had gone out again.
"Look, isn't the conception very clever?" Ren Qing asked.
"Really? That's amazing!" Fang Xinai cheered upon seeing Chang Xile. "Xile—my breakfast master, I love you!"
Chang Xile smiled and handed the egg-filled pancakes to the two of them. Fang Xinai then pulled her over to their table and said, "Please take a look at the new thing Ren Qing has been tinkering with lately!"
"What is it?" Chang Xile shifted her gaze to Ren Qing's desk. She was holding a beautiful landscape postcard in her left hand and a small ballpoint pen in her right hand.
"These are some peripherals I developed myself. There's a comic convention coming up soon, and I'm planning to bring some to give to my co-workers." Ren Qing smiled, waving the ballpoint pen in his hand and saying mysteriously, "Please take a look."
She pressed the small ball on the top of the ballpoint pen, and a beam of light shot out from the tip. When it shone onto the postcard, a cute little dancing figure appeared in the flower bed in the lower right corner of the paper.
Seeing Chang Xile's amazed expression, Ren Qing withdrew his hand with satisfaction, took out a pile of similar postcards from the box at his feet, handed a postcard and a UV pen to Chang Xile, and said, "This is for you~"
"Thank you, Ren Qing!" Although Chang Xile herself didn't know the character that Ren Qing had recently become obsessed with, she really liked this thoughtful little gadget. She placed the gift carefully on the table, packed up, and went out.
Fang Xinai was still marveling at this technology. She gestured with the UV pen and said, "Sister Ren, you're truly an expert at everything you do. You're amazing!"
Ren Qing couldn't help but laugh. She lost her reserved demeanor in front of others at such moments and said complacently, "A mother is strong! I can do anything for baby Sanshuiqing!"
Fang Xinai curled his lips and casually pressed the switch of the ultraviolet pen again. When he saw the direction of its irradiation, he exclaimed, "Huh?"
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the pen?" Ren Qing was checking the quality of postcards and pens one by one, and was very sensitive to the other party's reaction.
"No, no, it's just... Sister Ren, look." Fang Xinai pointed in the direction of Chang Xile's seat.
Most dormitories at Yamashiro University are four-person dormitories, each with a bed and a desk underneath. To the left of the desk is a wardrobe, to the right is a hollow bookcase, and across from it is a wall, where individuals can freely create their own designs. For example, Ren Qing's wall is covered with Sanshuiqing merchandise, Fang Xinai's wall has some sticky hooks for shelves, and the wall in front of Yang Guisi's desk is completely blank.
As for Chang Xile, there was an oil painting on her wall, a sunset scene. These days, whenever Chang Xile returned to her dorm, she'd be so exhausted she'd sit in a chair and let her mind wander for a while. At those moments, she'd stare intently at the painting.
Fang Xinai knew Chang Xile's boyfriend had once given her a painting, so she assumed this one was likely one of them. She jokingly remarked on the young couple's sweet affection. To her surprise, Chang Xile simply said, "This is his breakup gift." This made Fang Xinai wake up in the middle of the night, cursing, "I'm so guilty!"
So every time she passed by the painting, she tried not to look away.
Today was the first time she had carefully observed the painting. Fang Xinai pointed to the left side of the painting and said to Ren Qing, "Look here."
Amidst the rosy-lit mountain ranges, beneath the snow-white bird in flight, the ultraviolet light revealed a cat's paw print. Next to it, the word "joy" was written.
Fang Xinai was actually quite experienced in relationships, and in her opinion, a true breakup was definitely one of out-of-sight-out-of-mind. For someone like Chang Xile, who stared at the painting every day, it would be more plausible to call it a token of love rather than a breakup gift.
"Do you think Xile knows about this?" Ren Qing asked.
"Who knows." Fang Xinai spread his hands.
At the same time, Chang Xile arrived at a coffee shop on the commercial street near the school. She walked into the shop and saw Dai Xigang's back at a glance.
It was a weekend, and near a university town, so the shop was mostly occupied by students out shopping or couples on dates. Daisy Harbor, a striking man in a suit, sat by the window, working on his laptop, drawing a lot of curious glances.
Adults nowadays have such hard work… Chang Xile sighed inwardly, then walked over to him, pulled out a chair, and sat down: “Sorry, I’m late.”
"I came too early." Dai Xigang closed his computer when he saw Chang Xile coming. He picked up the menu and asked Chang Xile, "Have you had breakfast? I just ordered some desserts. Is there anything else you want to add?"
"I've eaten." Chang Xile waved his hand. "Just take care of yourself."
Dai Xigang nodded obediently and put the recipe aside. He looked at Chang Xile and suddenly asked, "Did Shanyan tell you what she arranged in my study?"
"Huh? No." Chang Xile was stunned. At that time, she was only responsible for relaying the story, but she didn't really know what the story was between Dai Shanyan and her brother.
"That study was originally mine, and Shanyan's was upstairs. But she was naughty as a child and could never sit still, so I'd drag her to the study and watch her do her homework. Over time, we became shared." Dai Xigang smiled, rubbing his brow as he spoke. "Then I went abroad to study and spent most of my time there. In the past year or two, I've taken over the household chores. Even when I'm working, it's mostly at the company. That study has been unused. If I don't go, Shanyan won't come either."
Dai Xigang took out his phone, pulled out a photo from the album and handed it to Chang Xile to look at: "It took her reminder for me to go in and take a look."
In the photo, a large red banner was hung on the window directly opposite the study, with the inscription: "Welcome Mr. Dai back to China!"
The walls were covered in a variety of items. Some were simple sketches Dai Shanyan had drawn for her brother as a child, others were photos she had taken of Daisi Port. The photos were arranged in age order, juxtaposed with photos of herself from the same age group, from youngest to oldest. Two childish children gradually grew into immature teenagers, and finally became two adults with similar looks but diametrically opposed temperaments.
Dai Shanyan also commented next to it: I will try my best to become a naughty boy like my brother, and I hope you will remember to give me New Year’s money when the time comes!
Chang Xile knew that Dai Shanyan had long since accepted the fact that she could die at any time. Rather than having those around her constantly worrying about what not to do, she hoped they could accept it and enjoy their final moments together.
But as a close relative, it is difficult to do this.
After a long argument, Dai Shanyan finally understood the hidden pain behind her loved ones' smiles. She once read a quote: "Those who survive suffer the most."
Therefore, she was willing to work hard to survive for them and live a little longer.
This study belongs exclusively to Dai Shanyan, an awkward apology.
Seeing this, Chang Xile suddenly remembered a question she had been curious about. She asked, "Why did you lock Shanyan's room? She was very sad at the time."
Daisy Gang was stunned for a moment before telling her, "I always told her to get up early and exercise, but Shanyan always stayed in bed. Later, I knocked on the door, but it was the nanny who came out. The room was so tidy that it didn't even look like her room."
"Just remembered that Shanyan is gone."
That's why he simply locked the room. He wouldn't knock on the door that would never be opened again.
Seeing the tissue handed to her by Daisy Gang, Chang Xile realized that her tears had already wet her cheeks. Daisy Gang smiled bitterly and comforted her: "Don't be sad, I haven't cried yet."
Chang Xile wiped her tears embarrassedly. The waiter brought the prepared desserts and coffee and placed them on the table, allowing them both to be silent for a while.
After a while, she looked at the almost overflowing desserts on the table, and the waiter's back as he turned and walked towards the kitchen without hesitation after saying, "The remaining desserts are still being made." She asked, "Why did you order so much? We definitely can't finish it!"
Daisy Port answered her as usual: "Because I don't know what you like to eat, I just try a few of them."
Chang Xile looked at him disapprovingly and shook his head. "That's such a waste. Just because we have the ability to control certain resources doesn't mean we can squander them."
Daisy looked at her intently for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're right. Pick out some you like and eat them. I'll take the rest away and give them to my family or employees."
"Okay, thank you first!" Chang Xile's emotions faded quickly. She picked up a portion of tiramisu, moved it in front of her, and took a big bite. After a while, she looked up with satisfaction and exclaimed, "The chef in this restaurant is really amazing! It's super delicious."
Chang Xile was so absorbed in her eating that when she was almost done, she realized that Dai Xigang hadn't touched a single bite and was just staring at her silently. He even reached out his hand, as if wanting to touch Chang Xile's cheek.
She subconsciously dodged it. Daisy Port was stunned for a moment before pointing at her mouth and explaining, "There's cake crumbs stuck to the corner of your mouth."
"Oh oh." Chang Xile quickly wiped her mouth with a tissue. She felt that the atmosphere was not right and wanted to say something to change the subject. Then she remembered the reason why Dai Xigang asked her to meet him a week ago and asked him, "What was it about my friend that you said you wanted to tell me in person?"
"I have an old friend at Shancheng University, so it's very convenient for me to ask anything." Dai Xigang tilted his head, opened his laptop, and after a few quick taps on the keyboard, he turned the screen to Chang Xile. "I accidentally discovered that there doesn't seem to be an art student named 'Anping' in your school's student records."
Chang Xile stared at the data reports displayed on the screen without blinking, and she hadn't reacted yet. Dai Xigang was not in a hurry and waited for her to finish reading.
"Could it be that he picked the wrong major?" Chang Xile asked. "Anping is an art student" was just her own inference. In fact, Anping had never disclosed his major; painting might just be his hobby.
Dai Xigang shook his head. He had considered this possibility long ago. He scrolled through the page again, which clearly listed all the students named "Anping" at Shancheng University. "Can you confirm again to see if your friend is among them?"
There are very few people with this name, and Chang Xile read it all in one glance.
She frowned and suddenly asked, "Why are you investigating this?"
"What?" Her reaction was completely different from what Daisy had expected, leaving him at a loss for how to answer.
"He and you had no connection before. You two met because of me, right?" Chang Xile had completely calmed down. She clasped her hands together, looked into Daisy Gang's eyes, and said, "I'll ask about his affairs myself. As for your reasons, I'd also like to hear them."
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