3
Thinking of this, Ji Shengsheng quickly took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Xu Yu.
When Xu Yu received the message, he had already arrived at the restaurant where the gathering was taking place.
This was a three-year reunion, and the venue was decorated in a fairly decent and appropriate manner.
“…There are a lot of people watching you at the art academy.” Zhou Zichen whispered.
Xu Yu stopped and looked back. Those gazes had already quickly withdrawn. Xu Yu took out his phone to check the messages.
It is Ji Shengsheng.
The purpose of the message was to ask if the clothes were left in his car and to say that he could come and pick them up in a few minutes.
When he sat down on the sofa in the restaurant, Shao Yun naturally sat down next to him.
"Long time no see, busy man," Shao Yun greeted him.
Xu Yu nodded, then turned his gaze towards the door. A few minutes later, he saw Ji Shengsheng push open the door and look in his direction.
Soon, Ji Shengsheng turned to leave.
"Ji Shengsheng?" He stood up, casually stopping him. "Weren't you looking for me?"
During her three years of studying abroad, she experienced profound growth and was able to remain calm and composed when facing Xu Yu herself.
However, seeing Shao Yun sitting next to Xu Yu, Ji Shengsheng couldn't remain completely calm.
But since Xu Yu spoke in front of so many people, she could only go in openly.
"Long time no see." She greeted each of her old acquaintances at the scene, and when she got to Shao Yun, she waved to her generously.
Shao Yun was a respectable person, and smiled gently at her: "Sheng Sheng has grown from a little beauty into a great beauty."
"I remember Sheng Sheng used to have a crush on Xu Da Shen. Luckily, she didn't win him over. Otherwise, being separated from him for three years abroad would have been so torturous."
Ji Shengsheng had some recollection of the person who made the joke; in her memory, this person always said things that embarrassed everyone on different occasions without realizing it.
Just as she was about to say something, Xu Yu put down her phone, her gaze shifting between them: "She caught up with him."
Not only did they catch up with him, they got him with ease.
Therefore, they do not cherish it.
After saying that, he looked at the person who was joking and said, "As for you, you're still as bad at talking as ever."
The atmosphere at the scene plummeted to an all-time low, stemming from Xu Yu's unfriendly tone. Realizing his slip of the tongue, Xu Yu quickly slid down to apologize, and the others joined in to lighten the mood, finally easing the awkwardness.
Back in her school's lobby, Ji Shengsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Her roommate, Jiang Chenchen, wondered why she had taken so long, but Ji Shengsheng waved her hand and said, "Going to their side is destined to be a fierce battle."
The clothes were indeed left in his car. After the party, Xu Yu would wait for her in the parking lot to retrieve them.
When old classmates get together, chatting is inevitable. The food was taking forever to arrive, and Ji Shengsheng was getting dizzy and hungry. Finally, unable to resist any longer, she pulled a piece of bread from her bag.
"Wait a minute." Jiang Chenchen glanced at the expiration date. "It's three days past its expiration date."
Ji Shengsheng nodded, still putting the bread into his mouth.
"...Have you suffered a lot outside?" Jiang Chenchen couldn't help but ask, watching her wolf down her food.
"No, not at all." Ji Shengsheng shook his head. "I've eaten food that was five days past its expiration date and I was fine."
"You guys are really... hardworking and resilient."
"That's right."
After the dinner party ended, Ji Shengsheng confirmed that Xing Xing was almost there before going to the parking lot to get clothes from Xu Yu.
From afar, she saw Shao Yun sitting in the back row.
"Thank you very much..." After taking the bag of clothes, Ji Shengsheng greeted Shao Yun and prepared to meet up with Xing Xing.
"Do you have someone picking you up? We can give you a ride since we're going that way," Shao Yun kindly offered.
"Yes, thank you." Ji Shengsheng waved his hand and replied earnestly.
"...Excuse me for asking," Shao Yun said gently, "is he your boyfriend?"
Feeling Xu Yu's gaze, Ji Shengsheng nodded immediately: "Yes."
Today, in this situation, she inexplicably felt the same way Xu Yu did the night he escorted Shao Yun back to her dormitory.
"...Is it still the same Xing Xing? It's been over ten years, hasn't it? You two have such a good relationship." Shao Yun said enviously.
Ji Shengsheng nodded and prepared to leave: "I wish you all the best as well."
Xu Yu reached through the car window and grabbed her wrist.
"Together for over ten years?"
Ji Shengsheng didn't speak.
"Bless us?" Xu Yu persisted, pressing for an answer.
"My heartfelt blessings." Things happened so suddenly that Ji Shengsheng spoke before she could think, "What?"
Xu Yu released her, his expression unchanged. "Come for the interview tomorrow at four o'clock in the afternoon. I'll send you the address to your phone."
Ji Shengsheng finally breathed a long sigh of relief after getting into Xing Xing's car.
Her performance was much better than expected. If things continue this way, even if their paths inevitably cross, she can definitely get along with Xu Yu normally.
At least on the surface.
After seeing her downstairs, Xing Xing glanced at the schedule: "Going to an art exhibition tomorrow?"
"Are you going to stand me up?" Ji Shengsheng asked warily.
"You could say that, but not entirely." Xing Xing set an alarm in front of Ji Shengsheng to show that she was reliable. "I'm going that way tomorrow, so I can take you there, but you'll have to go to the art exhibition by yourself. I have an appointment."
"OK, you can go now."
Xing Xing had just left, and Ji Shengsheng hadn't even gone upstairs yet, when Xu Yu was already downstairs at her apartment building.
This was the first time she had observed Xu Yu closely today. Compared to three years ago, Xu Yu's shoulders were broader, and he appeared more upright than before when he was thin.
His facial features... haven't changed much; he's still the same person you'd spot in a crowd at a glance.
"...Did you need something from me?" Ji Shengsheng asked, puzzled. "It's so late."
Xu Yu simply stood opposite her, looking at her, her expression revealing no emotion.
Ji Shengsheng had no idea what he was trying to figure out.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. See you tomorrow afternoon." With that, Ji Shengsheng waved and turned to go upstairs.
Xu Yu grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving.
"You wish me well?"
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
"I wish you happiness and a long and lasting relationship..." Ji Shengsheng looked at Xu Yu as she released her wrist. "Can I go now?"
Let's go.
...
The next morning, when Ji Shengsheng got ready to leave, Xu Yu was no longer downstairs. She didn't know when he had left.
Xing Xing was unusually punctual in picking her up. After getting into the car, Ji Shengsheng fastened her seatbelt with one hand and then focused on eating her breakfast.
"Nothing unpleasant happened yesterday, right?" Xing Xing looked at the navigation. "That party."
"It's alright, nothing serious." After saying that, Ji Shengsheng suddenly remembered something, "Did you also use me as a shield when you were at your school?"
"No," Xing Xing touched his nose. "Didn't you threaten me to behave myself after I went to college? That's why I always went it alone and never took you with me."
"Oh, I think for a moment. Then I might have made a mistake yesterday."
"?" Xing Xing asked, puzzled.
“Yesterday someone joked about my pursuit of Xu Yu, and since Shao Yun was sitting next to Xu Yu at the time, and later when asked who was coming to pick me up, I just used you as a shield.”
"Hey, I thought you were up to something." As he spoke, Xing Xing made a gesture of going through fire and water, "I'd do anything for my brothers."
Ji Shengsheng: "...You're such a nice person."
“You’re quite polite.” Xing Xing suddenly became serious. “Tell me how you put it, and let’s go over your statements.”
Ji Shengsheng briefly described the scene and recounted the conversation. After listening, Xing Xing pondered it and felt something was amiss.
"So, from Xu Yu's perspective, when you were with me, you were pursuing him?"
Ji Shengsheng carefully sorted out the logic: "You can't say that, can you? It's entirely possible that we 'broke up' in the middle, I went after him, he didn't agree, and then we 'got back together,' right?"
Moreover, while accepting her advances, Xu Yu was also entangled with Shao Yun.
"...Why does it sound like you were toying with Xu Yu?" Xing Xing concluded as they approached the exhibition hall entrance.
"How could that be?" She doesn't have that kind of ability.
...
After Ji Shengsheng went upstairs, Xu Yu stood downstairs for more than an hour.
It was the November evening breeze that sobered him up considerably.
"Why did you suddenly decide to go home?" Cheng Yu asked curiously.
If he remembered correctly, Xu Yu had never been home since graduating from university.
"I came back to get some things."
Cheng Yu followed Xu Yu up to the third floor. When she passed the second floor, she saw Xu Yu's stepmother.
Clearly, she was the most excited to learn that Xu Yu had returned home. To her, it seemed as if some grudges had been resolved.
Cheng Yu and Xu Yu were high school classmates. He never mentioned Xu Yu's family situation, but he knew some of it.
Xu Yu's father is a well-known local industrialist. To be precise, he made his fortune through the resources of Xu Yu's mother's side, and coupled with his own great abilities, this family combination, in terms of both wealth and reputation, can be said to have achieved a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
It's not uncommon; after achieving success and fame, Xu Yu's father's scandalous affairs also increased.
When Xu Yu was in her senior year of high school, her parents' marriage broke down. Her mother went abroad, and her stepmother entered the family as a mistress, three months pregnant.
It's hard to judge the relationship between elders. From the few times they met, Cheng Yu could tell that Xu Yu's stepmother had always tried hard to get along with him, especially after she had a miscarriage and could no longer have children.
After Xu Yu finished collecting his things, his stepmother had already prepared a meal and warmly invited him to eat before leaving.
Xu Yu walked toward the door without saying a word. Cheng Yu said a few polite words on his behalf and followed closely behind Xu Yu. Unexpectedly, his stepmother blocked the door.
"Xu Yu, I want to talk to you for a few minutes, just this once."
Cheng Yu silently opened the door and walked out, leaving Xu Yu room to make a decision.
Xu Yu did not answer, but his stepmother spoke cautiously.
I met you when you were in high school. You were quite young then, and there were many things that I couldn't easily ask for your understanding of.
“You’ve grown up a lot now, and you’ve probably experienced things like relationships before. That’s why I’ve been trying to express something to gain your understanding…”
“I fell in love with your father at first sight. At that time, I didn’t know he had a family and children. … Feelings are really irrational. Later, when I found out, I was very upset and in pain. I wanted to break away from him several times.”
Xu Yu looked at the other person expressionlessly.
"...But I can't control myself. I can't stop myself from loving him. Before I met your father, I was a very moral person. I hated third parties. But when I met the person I loved, I couldn't control myself. I had to accept it."
"Are you done talking?"
Not wanting to listen any longer, Xu Yu pushed open the door and walked out.
The silence in the car tormented Chengyu like a dull knife cutting into her flesh.
He was unwilling to delve into the family affairs of Xu Yu's parents, after all, those belonged to the past.
As a friend, if he had to worry about something, he would only want to worry about Xu Yu and Ji Shengsheng's relationship.
"I heard someone's back?"
The road was a bit congested. Cheng Yu casually scrolled through her WeChat Moments and spotted Ji Shengsheng in a group photo with other classmates.
He thought that Xu Yu wouldn't be so petty as to cut off all ties with Ji Shengsheng just because Ji Shengsheng went abroad to study.
"Hmm." Cars ahead began to move, and Xu Yu started the car expressionlessly.
"You've been single ever since she left. Now that she's back, don't you plan to keep in touch?"
Cheng Yu earnestly advised, "I feel that Sheng Sheng is a good girl. She liked you back then, and you were all she thought about. She was so good to you. And you really didn't reciprocate much. It's understandable that she was heartbroken and went abroad."
"And if you put yourself in her shoes, you could absolutely pursue her now."
As they were talking, Cheng Yu glanced at the time and suddenly realized what was going on, then asked, "Weren't we in a hurry to talk about the surrounding development? It's almost nine o'clock."
"You also know what's important."
Cheng Yu understood that this meant he should mind his own business.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. It's not like I want to control you." Cheng Yu crossed her arms. "If I met a girl as sincere as Ji Shengsheng, I would have grabbed her long ago."
"She's coming to the company for an interview at four o'clock this afternoon. You'll go for the interview." Xu Yu calmly stopped at the red light. "I'm giving you a chance to seize it."
Cheng Yu was exasperated: "...What I mean is, if someone treated you the way she treated you, I would definitely grab them. But why would I grab them in this situation? We don't have any emotional foundation."
After he finished speaking, Xu Yu remained silent.
After the car was parked in the garage, Cheng Yu heard Xu Yu speak calmly.
"She has a boyfriend."
Cheng Yu retorted in her usual manner: "So what?"
"I will not be a third party."
Cheng Yu shut her mouth.
The third party destroyed Xu Yu's family, so he naturally hated the identity of the third party to the core.
"That thing you took from home, it's not for Ji Shengsheng, is it?" Cheng Yu looked at the box in Xu Yu's hand and changed the subject.
"Um."
To be precise, it should be "return".
Inside were all the letters Ji Shengsheng had written to him when he went to teach in remote and impoverished areas—a total of 12 letters. After Ji Shengsheng went abroad, he "lost" these letters in his home, which he thought he would never return to.
Now it has been returned to its rightful owner.
And then... and then there should be no further contact.
"Have you thought this through?" Seeing that Xu Yu seemed to have made up her mind, Cheng Yu kindly reminded her, "If you return the things that Ji Shengsheng gave you many years ago to her, it would truly be considered that you are 'severing ties' on your own initiative. If she still has feelings for you, she will definitely be very sad."
……sad?
That would be perfect.
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