2
In the evening, there was a joint alumni gathering between the Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Science and Technology.
Originally, Ji Shengsheng and Xing Xing had agreed to attend together, so that whether she went to the art academy's event, Xing Xing went to the science and technology university's event, or they went to a restaurant specifically for social events, neither of them would be left out.
However, Xing Xing had something to do tonight and couldn't attend, so Ji Shengsheng decided to go to the art academy to catch up with his old classmates and have a chat.
Up until this point, she never imagined she would meet Xu Yu.
Normally, Xu Yu would not participate in such recreational activities. Xu Yu has almost no interest in socializing.
However, even if we meet...
Before Ji Shengsheng could even imagine the scene, Xu Yu had already appeared in her sight the instant she paid and walked out of the women's clothing store.
"Hi, Ji Shengsheng." Zhou Zichen moved his feet and awkwardly greeted Ji Shengsheng.
Xu Yu wouldn't leave, and he didn't dare to leave either.
Xu Yu could stare intently at Ji Shengsheng without saying a word after seeing him, but he didn't have that kind of strong mentality, so he greeted him first.
According to Zhou Zichen's understanding, Ji Shengsheng and Xu Yu had at least had an ambiguous relationship, even while Ji Shengsheng had a boyfriend.
Although he has always focused on the world of code and doesn't know much about matters of the heart, from his perspective, it would be better for such a relationship to end in complete estrangement.
To Zhou Zichen's surprise, Ji Shengsheng responded almost immediately and naturally: "Long time no see, Zhou Zichen."
Zhou Zichen looked at Ji Shengsheng waving his arm in greeting, and stiffly turned his head to glance at Xu Yu.
Xu Yu's expression was even worse than he had imagined.
Just as he was about to say something to ease the awkwardness, he suddenly saw Ji Shengsheng giving Xu Yu a bright smile.
"Xu Yu, it's been a long time."
"Long time no see," Xu Yu said, looking at the girl standing opposite him, her eyes crinkling into an arc with laughter, her dimples deep and shallow, and called out her name, "Ji Shengsheng."
Zhou Zichen stood beside the two people, not daring to make any rash moves, and even not daring to breathe.
"Are you here to buy things too? Are you going to browse around some more?" Ji Shengsheng waved the bags in her hand. "I just finished shopping and I'm about to leave."
“We…” Zhou Zichen took a deep breath.
"I was just about to leave," Xu Yu interrupted his thoughts.
Zhou Zichen: "..."
...Weren't we going to buy milk?
"Will you be passing by Yusheng Garden later?" Ji Shengsheng glanced at the time. "Could you give me a ride?"
Zhou Zichen gritted his teeth.
Fortunately, they didn't pass by at all.
Otherwise, he could imagine how difficult that journey would be.
He was about to wave his hand apologetically to indicate that they were going the same way when Xu Yu handed his phone to Ji Shengsheng: "Navigation."
"Thank you." Zhou Zichen watched as Ji Shengsheng naturally took Xu Yu's phone, unlocked it, entered the address, and then handed the phone back to Xu Yu.
Zhou Zichen felt suffocated.
When Xu Yu went to get the car, Zhou Zichen pulled Ji Shengsheng aside and whispered, "How did you know his phone password?"
“His student ID number is the same as his. It used to be.”
After saying that, Ji Shengsheng himself was stunned.
If it weren't for Zhou Zichen, she wouldn't have realized how skillfully she was using Xu Yu's phone.
Three years have passed...
"What if he changes?" Zhou Zichen imagined the scene and his toes clenched on the ground.
"Then I'll ask him again."
After Xing Xing left, she tried to take a taxi, but the distance was far, the location was remote, and it was raining, so she was already number 100 in the queue.
Therefore, it is very rare and lucky to be able to hitch a ride with an acquaintance, even if that person is Xu Yu.
As Xu Yu's car drove towards them, Zhou Zichen pursed his lips. There was too much going on here, and he thought it best to listen less, ask less, and try to learn as little as possible.
The car stopped in front of them, and Zhou Zichen opened the back door, gentlemanly letting Ji Shengsheng get in first.
"You're not carsick anymore?"
Just as Ji Shengsheng was about to get into the car, Xu Yu turned around and looked at her from the driver's seat.
"I'm dizzy." Ji Shengsheng nodded, thanked Zhou Zichen, and immediately opened the passenger door and got into the car.
"Seatbelt." Xu Yu glanced at her.
"Could you help me tie it?" Ji Shengsheng held out her right hand to Xu Yu. "My finger is injured."
Zhou Zichen noticed a thick bandage wrapped around Ji Shengsheng's index finger and asked in confusion, "How did you get that?"
I cut my hand while cutting a lemon.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yu bent down and helped Ji Shengsheng fasten his seatbelt.
They were very close, and Ji Shengsheng could see Xu Yu's lowered eyelashes.
Xu Yu seemed to notice her gaze and, just in time, raised his eyelids to meet her eyes.
"Thank you," Ji Shengsheng said sincerely, blinking.
"You're welcome." Xu Yu withdrew his gaze.
Zhou Zichen lowered his eyes instantly.
The destination Ji Shengsheng entered was more than a dozen traffic lights away from the mall. After the second traffic light, their company was just ahead. Zhou Zichen hesitated whether to get out of the car early and give the spotlight back to these two old friends.
Before he could hesitate for long, Xu Yu had already parked the car downstairs at the company, and Zhou Zichen quickly got out.
"Isn't it on the way?" Ji Shengsheng glanced at the navigation. "I can get off here; there's a bus stop right ahead."
Because her residence isn't in a great location, she occasionally hitches a ride, but she never forces anyone. She only asks for a ride when it's very convenient for the other person, and she always reciprocates afterward.
As soon as Ji Shengsheng finished speaking, Xu Yu bent down and unbuckled her seatbelt, gesturing for her to get out of the car.
"And then?" Zhu Xiaodan asked curiously. "He didn't really just leave you there, did he?"
No, not at all.
Ji Shengsheng looked at his index finger, which had been re-bandaged.
She had cut her finger before returning to China, and it had been there for two or three days. She applied iodine herself and then bandaged it, and it looked fine.
After she got out of the car, Xu Yu parked the car on the side of the road and said "follow me" as he walked past her.
Ji Shengsheng was confused, but still followed behind the other person.
She never imagined that Xu Yu would take her to his company.
Along the way, she encountered many inquiring and curious glances, to which Ji Shengsheng responded with a friendly smile. Xu Yu then led her to the company's internal medical room.
"...You're not going to re-bandage me yourself, are you?" Ji Shengsheng asked, looking at Xu Yu as he picked up the tweezers on the table.
"You're dreaming." Xu Yu glanced at her almost imperceptibly.
Ji Shengsheng awkwardly avoided looking at him: "..."
Ji Shengsheng sat opposite the doctor and looked around.
Xu Yu's company environment is good.
It was probably because it was dinner time, and there was a long table set out with fruit, cakes and various snacks.
Ji Shengsheng saw the electronic display board showing "Taoyuan Food Week".
While waiting for the doctor's examination, Ji Shengsheng couldn't help but look at Xu Yu, hesitant to speak.
"Speak." Xu Yu didn't look at her, but quickly noticed her gaze.
"...Is your company still hiring?"
"What?" Xu Yu pulled up a chair and sat opposite Ji Shengsheng. "Are you looking for a job?"
"Yes." Ji Shengsheng nodded. "May I recommend myself?"
Xu Yu looked at the small tuft of hair that had flown up from the top of her head: "Mm."
"I don't know many things, just drawing. I've collaborated with a few IPs before and have some well-received fan works. I don't know if your company needs someone like me."
Ji Shengsheng thought for a moment and said, "I have a completed resume and portfolio. I'll send you a copy first."
Xu Yu stared at the stray hairs on her forehead; his phone had already received two messages.
Upon receiving the file, Xu Yu did not open it, but instead glanced at Ji Shengsheng's fingers where the doctor had cut the gauze.
The scar didn't heal well, and the wound was deep.
Sensing Xu Yu's gaze, the doctor knew that this man likely had a close relationship with the boss. After learning when the cut occurred, he carefully inquired, "Is the area around the wound numb?"
Ji Shengsheng nodded.
Did you get a tetanus shot?
Ji Shengsheng shook his head.
"Hmm, it might have hit a nerve," the doctor said, looking at Xu Yu and explaining the situation. "You need a tetanus shot now, and the wound will need stitches to help it heal faster."
Ji Shengsheng hesitated: "Here?"
Seeing the doctor nod, Ji Shengsheng turned to look at Xu Yu, whose expression spoke volumes—there was no room for refusal.
The local anesthetic injection hurt much more than when she used iodine to disinfect herself.
The needle was injected almost all the way along her thin wound, reopening the previously healed area. The sensation of the needle tip gliding across the granulation tissue was almost as chilling as gliding across her heart.
Ji Shengsheng looked at Xu Yu. Xu Yu was looking at her wound.
After a while of pain, the wound became numb and swollen. Then she felt the needle and thread pulling through her flesh. Ji Shengsheng endured it without making a sound.
She was in pain.
This scene is rare, but Xu Yu had seen it once before.
"Does it hurt?" Xu Yu raised his hand, but in the end, it only landed on the back of the chair behind Ji Shengsheng.
"It doesn't hurt." Ji Shengsheng shook her head, then let out a soft sigh of relief. "The anesthetic has taken effect."
"Hmm." Xu Yu withdrew his hand. "So, if there's a job match..."
Xu Yu paused, his eyes fixed on Ji Shengsheng: "You're coming?"
Listening to Ji Shengsheng's description of what happened next, Zhu Xiaodan couldn't help but ask, "What did you say?!"
Ji Shengsheng recalled: "I just told the truth, 'That's how we Liuzi are. If you give them food, they'll eat it. They're not picky.'"
"What was his reaction?" Zhu Xiaodan asked curiously, having witnessed the entire story of Ji Shengsheng and Xu Yu.
"He didn't react much."
After she finished answering, her wound was almost treated, and the doctor took her to the side to get a tetanus shot. Then Xu Yu took her away.
"What else did you say later?" Zhu Xiaodan rummaged through the wardrobe, trying to find Ji Shengsheng an outfit for the party.
Ji Shengsheng recalled for a moment.
Later, they got back on the bus, and just before getting off, Xu Yu spoke to her again, asking her how much she had learned during her three years abroad.
She spoke before she thought, uttering the worst possible answer.
"What did you reply?"
“I said… ‘You know, I always have a lot of brute energy that I don’t know where to use, so I use it to learn new things.’”
Zhu Xiaodan didn't understand: "What's so special about this sentence?"
Ji Shengsheng scratched his head: "..."
If she remembered correctly, three years ago, her relationship with Xu Yu took another step forward because of this very sentence.
That day, the two schools carried out a joint learning activity, organized an outing, and after viewing the exhibition, they took them hiking.
She had to return to school early because of something, and just after she finished dealing with it, she saw Xu Yu escorting Shao Yun back at the entrance of the dormitory building.
She was in a bad mood that night, didn't bring her phone, and wandered around the playground alone.
Just as the dormitory was about to close, she ran into Xu Yu on the playground. Xu Yu looked very anxious, and unusually, he seemed quite angry when he saw her.
He walked up to her, his tone not very friendly: "Not going back to the dorm so late?"
"Yeah, just taking a stroll." She didn't want to say more.
"Aren't you tired from hiking during the day?"
She felt even more upset when the topic of mountain climbing came up.
They've known each other for so long, and her initiative and affection are quite obvious. At one point, she even thought Xu Yu liked her. But in the end, Xu Yu only ever walked her to the school gate.
Shao Yun had no idea that they had any connection.
"I'm not tired, I have so much energy I don't know where to use it." She was telling the truth, but also saying it out of anger.
After she finished speaking, Xu Yu remained silent for a long time.
When she looked up to see Xu Yu's expression, she only saw Xu Yu sigh softly: "...Then you can use it here for me."
...
Ji Shengsheng put away her memories.
Zhu Xiaodan sensed something was wrong: "Why is your expression changing so much? Is there something you haven't told me?"
“Nothing’s wrong. Even if there were huge conflicts, three years is enough to move on,” Ji Shengsheng concluded. “The most important thing now is to find a part-time job to save up some money for my next trip.”
"So, you're not planning to find a long-term job with Xu Yu?"
"I have no plans," Ji Shengsheng said firmly. "I might have to go out to study again in a while."
“Okay.” Zhu Xiaodan handed the dress she had found to Ji Shengsheng. “Take a look at this and wear it, then put on a coat over it.”
After changing, Ji Shengsheng suddenly remembered... she had bought clothes.
But what about the clothes...?
...on Xu Yu's car.
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