Chapter 40 Rejection
Love at first sight? Love at second sight?
Well, this doesn’t cover all of Qi Ke’s feelings.
His parents' marriage was a loveless one, and they couldn't show any love to him, a child "not born of love." His daily life consisted of dealing with his father's illegitimate children who coveted his inheritance. The intrigue and intrigue in his family was truly unremarkable.
Even after more than a year, Qi Ke could still vividly recall the palpitations he felt when he saw Lin Qingxu sitting on the stage playing the piano. It was as if his ordinary, dull life had suddenly been filled with color.
He had heard the name "Lin Qingxu" not long after he arrived at South China. He was the apple of the eye of all the teachers and a top student in the school, but that was all he remembered.
People are visual animals. The amazing performance in the school's cultural performance made him start to care about Lin Qingxu. He would occasionally show concern for him and pay attention to him all the time.
Seeing her stand in front of Kan Zhao without hesitation in the principal's office that day was the root of his heartbeat. How could someone risk their life for another person so recklessly?
Qi Ke also wants to feel loved.
Even though I know the probability of the other person accepting me is slim, I can't help but want to try.
"I'm going abroad soon. It might be a little presumptuous to tell you this directly, but selfishly, I don't want to have any regrets about my high school years."
"Feel sorry."
But the other party directly criticized him for the death penalty, very straightforwardly and mercilessly, leaving no room for beautiful imagination.
Although he'd anticipated this, the incandescent light made Qi Ke's face pale. He twitched the corner of his lip, trying to force a relieved smile, but found it futile. His fingers dangling at his side curled unconsciously. "Can you tell me why? Good students, top students, everything has a reason, right?"
Lin Qingxu recalled the first time he noticed Qi Ke. Fang Hao, who was making dirty jokes about girls next to him, seemed to be emitting a disgusting stench, and even Qi Ke was infected a little.
She said: "I kind of hated you when I first met you."
It might sound a bit far-fetched, but that was Lin Qingxu's answer. A person's first impression was crucial; at least for Lin Qingxu, it could determine life or death. Everyone has their own little obsessions, so it wasn't surprising.
But Qi Ke found it hard to understand. He had always been a favored child, the center of attention wherever he went. Normally someone who was accommodated by others, he had never experienced such a rejection. He thought it was just an excuse Lin Qingxu made up.
Qi Ke was silent for a moment, then asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time: "You like Kan Zhao, right?"
While the two were talking, they didn't notice that someone was leaning against the wall outside their box door.
*
Kan Zhao looked up and saw the light above his head was a little dim.
He just arrived.
After Lin Qingxu left, Qiao Yang dropped the phone and leaned over to ask about his progress. From Kan Zhao's unhappy expression, he could tell the outcome wasn't going to be a happy one. Qiao Yang didn't say much, but simply reminded him that the guy who had come to see Lin Qingxu was Qi Ke. His intentions were unclear, but he couldn't just come to ask about his studies during graduation season.
Kan Zhao pushed the door open and went out, ready to calm down.
When I passed by next door, I heard Lin Qingxu rejecting the other party.
She believes that first impressions are important.
Kan Zhao suddenly recalled their first meeting. It was a very distant memory. He and Lin Qingxu were childhood sweethearts, having known each other since birth. It was a long time ago.
I've heard Fang Yun joke before that as soon as Lin Qingxu saw Kan Zhao, he struggled to break free from Gao Luo's arms and wanted to get closer to him.
Kan Zhao suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could catch his breath, his nerves, having just relaxed, quickly tensed up again. That was just Kan Zhao's memory.
He always remembered the serious illness that Lin Qingxu had when he was a child, which made Lin Qingxu lose all the memories they had together. When he saw Kan Zhao coming to visit him again, Lin Qingxu no longer smiled and pulled his hand to call him brother, but nestled in Gao Luo's arms and didn't want to get close.
——Mom, I don’t like him.
Kan Zhao tried to find some memory proof that Lin Qingxu liked him, but the person speaking inside did not give him any chance to deceive himself.
He heard Qi Ke ask: "You like Kan Zhao, right?"
"Which kind of like?"
"I like you, understand? Lin Qingxu."
The scarlet carpet patterns in the corridor twisted into the shape of blood vessels in his field of vision. Kan Zhao counted the peacock feather patterns on the wallpaper, one, two, three... in an attempt to suppress the throbbing in his heart.
Until Lin Qingxu's clear voice broke through the stagnant time and space.
"...I don't like it." She finally answered.
Kan Zhao pressed his back against the cold wallpaper, his Adam's apple rolling as he swallowed the rusty-tasting saliva.
*
Someone in the box was singing Eason Chan's "Ten Years". The out-of-tune Cantonese mixed with the crisp sound of dice hitting the glass table made it a rare good song tonight.
The class reunion was coming to an end, and many people were drunk in the revelry.
Including Kan Zhao.
"Why is he so drunk?" Qiao Yang leaned on his body and frowned.
The taxi arrived quickly.
"How about I go with you to send him back?"
Qiao Yang helped Kan Zhao to the back seat and talked to Lin Qingxu.
Their homes go in different directions. Usually Ruan Yanyan goes with Qiao Yang, and Kan Zhao goes with Lin Qingxu.
Ruan Yanyan's house has a curfew, so the round trip would probably take too long. If she were to take the bus alone at night, it would be unsafe.
"No need, I should be able to do it." Lin Qingxu waved goodbye to them.
The KTV was some distance from their home, and Lin Qingxu was afraid that Kan Zhao would vomit in the car halfway through the ride, so he asked him from time to time if he felt uncomfortable.
Kan Zhao buried his head in her neck and said nothing.
Lin Qingxu used his hands to smooth out his frown and asked the driver to drive more steadily.
The driver was a warm-hearted person. He handed Lin Qingxu some tissues and said, "Oh, you can't force people to drink like this just because they're arguing."
"We are not..."
His words of defense were cut short by a sudden brake as a car suddenly appeared in front.
Kan Zhao made a suppressed sound in his throat, and his lips accidentally rubbed her neck. He seemed to be getting closer.
"What's wrong?" Lin Qingxu asked.
"I want to vomit." Kan Zhao said in a hoarse voice.
It sounds very uncomfortable.
Lin Qingxu opened the rear window wider. "Drink some water." She unscrewed the bottle cap and fed Kan Zhao a few sips. She patted his back gently and comforted him, "We'll be home soon."
The driver in front looked in the rearview mirror and shook his head slightly, muttering softly: "You still say it's not..."
Send Lin Qingxu and the others to their destination.
The driver took one look at the drunk Kan Zhao and kindly offered to help Lin Qingxu take Kan Zhao back.
Lin Qingxu got out of the car and supported Kan Zhao. She found that although the weight was a bit heavy, it was not as unbearable as she had imagined, so she rejected his kindness.
I also took the initiative to give the driver a little more money. After all, the smell of alcohol in the car is not pleasant, so I can ask him to buy some incense to remove the smell.
It was already early morning, and the entire corridor of the community was almost empty.
For some reason, a voice-activated light at the bottom of the building wouldn't turn on. Lin Qingxu used the dim light to help Kan Zhao get on the elevator and pressed the ninth floor.
It was a bit late, and ringing the doorbell directly would disturb Fang Yun and the others.
Lin Qingxu asked Kan Zhao: "Are you still conscious? Where are your keys? Can you take them out?"
Kan Zhao seemed not to understand what she said and murmured "Hmm?" in her ear.
Kan Zhao's face was pressed against Lin Qingxu's neck, his hot breath hitting her again and again. There was a height difference of nearly 20 centimeters between the two, but from the side, it didn't look like Lin Qingxu was supporting him at all. Instead, it looked more like Kan Zhao was holding her in his arms.
The weight seemed to increase immediately, and Lin Qingxu could not support him for a moment.
I don’t know how it happened, but at that moment Kan Zhao’s lips were pressed against the side of her face.
There was a buzzing sound from the elevator door opening and closing.
Lin Qingxu felt Kan Zhao's eyelashes trembling, as if they would open at any moment and wake up. This would put a heavy stain on their pure friendship.
She froze in place, her heart beating like a rapid drum in her chest, struggling over whether to just put him down and run away, or pretend nothing had happened.
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Author's words: Kan Zhao: Mustered up the courage and kissed her face
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