15
What are the plans for tomorrow?
She entered the hotel in silence, then silently took the elevator. When she reached Xu Yu's room, Ji Shengsheng watched as Xu Yu picked up her meal before she heard his question.
"Xiao Qi is going to work tomorrow morning, so there aren't any specific plans. In the afternoon, I plan to take her to the nearby ceramics museum and market."
Since arriving here, Xiao Qi hasn't visited any tourist attractions or markets. So she plans to take her for a walk to help relieve her recent tension.
“Tomorrow night, I plan to help her analyze her college application choices online,” Ji Shengsheng recalled. “I was abroad when she took the college entrance exam last time, so the timing never worked out. This is a good opportunity… Do you want to participate?”
"Hmm?" Xu Yu finally looked up at her.
"I'm an art student, so my knowledge of college applications, university majors, and employment is relatively limited. If it's convenient for you..."
“It’s convenient, but I have a request.” Xu Yu’s voice and expression were very calm, even a little cold. “She is your beneficiary, so I’ll help you settle the debt you owe me.”
"It must be repaid." Xu Yu's voice was devoid of any emotion.
"Okay." Ji Shengsheng nodded. "I know."
She didn't know what Xu Yu wanted her to repay, or how she was supposed to repay it, but she always felt that whatever it was, she could probably repay it.
"Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui will be here tomorrow morning, and we'll have lunch together."
It takes about thirty seconds to walk from Xu Yu's room to hers. Just as they reached the door, Xu Yu suddenly spoke.
"Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui..."
Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui were both Xu Yu's classmates, and Zhu Rui was also Xu Yu's roommate. She met Ren Qiang at a choir activity, where Ren Qiang was her snack buddy.
Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui met later than she and Xu Yu, but their fate was strong, and they got married right after graduating from university.
At that time, Ji Shengsheng was abroad and only sent a monetary gift to express his blessings; he didn't have time to return. Although they occasionally crossed paths afterward, three years passed, and their relationship became much more distant.
"Are they here for tourism?" Ji Shengsheng took the takeout bag from Xu Yu.
"I don't know, you can ask them yourself tomorrow."
"OK."
Meeting her old classmate whom both she and Xu Yu knew, Ji Shengsheng felt inexplicably nervous.
After taking a shower, Ji Shengsheng lay in bed, unable to concentrate on her drawing. After thinking for a while, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Xu Yu.
Do you think it might be inappropriate for us to appear together?
They might have to explain their relationship to Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui, which would be even more awkward if they were mistaken for a couple.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"It's not a matter of 'burying the hatchet' anymore."
After a long time, Xu Yu replied to her message.
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
Indeed, they are just colleagues on a business trip together, there's nothing awkward about it.
After thinking for a while, Ji Shengsheng decided to stop dwelling on the matter. He took out his notebook and graphics tablet and began to draw.
The next morning, Ji Shengsheng appeared before Xu Yu with dark circles under her eyes. Despite her reluctance, she couldn't help but fall asleep in the passenger seat.
Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui started a company together, probably related to auctions, so they often come to Yunlan to look at porcelain.
"Sheng Sheng, it's been a long time!" Ren Qiang took the initiative to hug her.
"Long time no see." Ji Shengsheng felt a little stiff, and Ren Qiang seemed to notice as well, raising her hand to pat her back.
Ji Shengsheng let out a soft sigh of relief and took out a gift from her backpack: "Happy wedding."
"Thank you, Shengsheng, you still know how to love people as always!"
Actually, this is a different item.
Ji Shengsheng always remembered that Ren Qiang liked music boxes, so when she learned that Ren Qiang was getting married, she found one in a second-hand store abroad. However, there was no time to ship it over now, so she had to ask Xu Yu to get up early and take her to a nearby specialty handicraft shop to choose a new one.
After ordering, Zhu Rui's gaze quickly swept across Ji Shengsheng and Xu Yu's faces. After assessing the atmosphere between the two, he exchanged a glance with Ren Qiang before starting the conversation.
"Three years have passed, time flies." Zhu Rui turned to Xu Yu, "Is Cheng Yu still as unreliable as before?"
"Much better." Xu Yu gave Cheng Yu high praise. "So far, she can support the company on her own for a day and a half."
"Pfft—" Zhu Rui poured hot corn juice for Ren Qiang and Ji Shengsheng, "They've really made rapid progress."
After saying that, he changed the subject and looked at Ji Shengsheng: "Shengsheng, you may not know, but Chengyu used to not be able to stay in the dormitory alone for half a day."
"Why?" Ji Shengsheng asked curiously.
"He needs someone to be with him. He can only play games in duos. If no one is with him, he gets completely lost and panics."
As he spoke, he took out his phone and pulled up an old screenshot.
Ji Shengsheng saw in the screenshot that Cheng Yu was tagging each person in their dormitory group chat.
One minute she's asking Zhu Rui to bring her some fried rice after his date, the next she's regretting not going to shower with her other roommate.
Most of the messages were directed at Xu Yu, telling him to hurry back and play games with him if he couldn't wait for anyone.
Ji Shengsheng has a deep impression of this date and the events of that day.
Because that day was her birthday.
A week before her birthday, for reasons she couldn't recall, Xu Yu agreed to spend it with her. That afternoon, she took a bus back to school early from home. She and Xu Yu had arranged to meet at the subway station, but he never showed up.
It turns out he actually did go.
Ji Shengsheng couldn't understand it and looked at Xu Yu with a puzzled expression.
After being stared at for a long time, Xu Yu finally tilted his head and looked at her, as if he was agreeing with what she was wondering about.
“I suddenly remembered,” Zhu Rui put away her phone and smiled, “that day Xu Yu went to celebrate your birthday, and when she came back she even bought a cake to comfort Cheng Yu, who was alone in the empty dormitory.”
"From that day on, Cheng Yu was willing to be Xu Yu's dog."
Ren Qiang sighed and said, "Don't talk about Cheng Yu like that behind his back. I think he's much more reliable than you."
“He won’t mind.” Zhu Rui waved his hand. “Perfect, I’ll take a group photo of the four of us and send it to him.”
After Ji Shengsheng made a "V" sign at the camera, she couldn't help but take out her phone and send a message to Xu Yu.
Did you go that day? I thought you stood me up.
She swore she had never met Xu Yu. She cried for at least two days about it and took a week to recover before she could continue to contact Xu Yu.
"Um."
“Strange, then why didn’t I see you?” Ji Shengsheng couldn’t understand. “I really, really didn’t see you.”
Xu Yu did not reply to her.
Ji Shengsheng watched as Xu Yu put away his phone and chatted with Zhu Rui about company matters as usual.
Ren Qiang had been playing with the music box ever since she received it, and now she finally put the gift away, completely satisfied.
"Shengsheng, how have you been these past few years abroad?" Ren Qiang had traveled abroad several times for work, but hadn't had much of a chance to visit Ji Shengsheng.
"It's alright." Ji Shengsheng glanced at Xu Yu again before focusing on chatting with Ren Qiang.
“I remember that you were the only one from your class who went to study there that year. You had to rent a place, study, and cook for yourself all by yourself. You were really amazing. I could never do that. If I went abroad to study, I would starve to death on the streets.”
She was indeed alone, but it was alright.
"I felt a little lonely at first, but I got used to it after I got busy."
From that time on, she learned how to deal with emotions such as loneliness, solitude, longing, and even pain. As long as she kept herself busy, she could immerse herself in these feelings and forget about the things that affected her mood.
After she finished speaking, Ren Qiang glanced at Xu Yu, who remained silent, seemingly listening to Zhu Rui recount the stories and incidents she had encountered at auctions over the past few years.
"Are you planning to stay in China this time?" Ren Qiang asked excitedly. "Then when we're not so busy, we can get together more often."
"I haven't decided yet." Ji Shengsheng pondered for a moment. "My current work situation is quite special. I'm not fixed in one place, so I have a lot of freedom. I'll probably be going out again later, but I haven't decided how long it will last."
"Oh, that's a good idea. We'll be going out quite often anyway, so let's try to get together at least once a year."
Xu Yu did not reply to Ji Shengsheng's message by the end of the dinner.
After saying goodbye to Ren Qiang and Zhu Rui, Ji Shengsheng followed Xu Yu into the car. Once in the passenger seat, she couldn't help but ask, "Where were you waiting for me that day? Did you see me?"
Xu Yu did not start the car.
He saw Ji Shengsheng.
In fact, he arrived at the subway station half an hour early, and in order to make sure that Ji Shengsheng could see him immediately, he chose to wait for her inside the subway station.
If things go as he expects, Ji Shengsheng will see her birthday present and cake as soon as she gets off the subway.
But no, because Ji Shengsheng appeared with Xing Xing.
When Xu Yu saw the two of them, they were having a heated discussion.
As he passed by, Ji Shengsheng was looking down at his phone, while Xing Xing kept talking, his mouth opening and closing.
They walked past him as casually as if he were just a passerby. As they passed, Xing Xing even tugged at Ji Shengsheng's schoolbag from time to time.
Their intimacy and familiarity stung his nerves, and for several moments, he even felt physical pain.
Xu Yu did not answer, but caught a glimpse of a message from Ren Qiang on his phone.
Ren Qiang: "I still stand by my previous opinion. I don't think Sheng Sheng is that kind of person. She couldn't possibly be two-timing. Do you want to clarify things? What if they're just friends, or childhood sweethearts?"
Xu Yu crossed out the message, then turned to look at Ji Shengsheng.
Of course he had considered that possibility.
But even this kind of relationship, he couldn't accept.
Ji Shengsheng and the other man were like intertwined branches, bound together by life and death; a single glance or gesture was enough for them to understand each other's thoughts and desires.
Regardless of the nature of their relationship, they were so familiar with each other that they were an integral part of each other's lives.
Do they believe their relationship with each other is innocent? Perhaps.
But in his view, even if they weren't lovers, he couldn't be considered innocent.
Therefore, he was unwilling to test the waters, as it would be pointless.
"I'm on my way to see Shao Yun."
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
It really is...
"You're talking nonsense." Ji Shengsheng couldn't help but say, "You said that you and Shao Yun have no personal relationship, and that Shao Yun has a boyfriend."
“That’s true.” Xu Yu started the car. “I won’t go to celebrate someone’s birthday if they have a boyfriend.”
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
That's utterly unreasonable.
When they arrived near the milk tea shop where Xiao Qi worked, Xu Yu parked the car. Ji Shengsheng wanted to get out of the car immediately, but she couldn't open the door.
Are you angry?
“…I’m not angry,” Ji Shengsheng retorted almost immediately.
...What did she have to be angry about?!
"That's good." Xu Yu helped her unbuckle her seatbelt, then kindly opened the car door. "I'll wait for you here after we're done."
Ji Shengsheng didn't move: "..."
Seemingly sensing what was troubling her, and almost as if deliberately trying to upset her, Xu Yu kindly reminded her, "Be careful."
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
Ji Shengsheng: "...I'm leaving."
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