4
Ji Shengsheng wandered around the art exhibition alone, both looking for inspiration and searching for works suitable for collection.
Standing in front of an oil painting titled "First Encounter," she recalled the first time she met Xu Yu.
That was before the summer vacation of my junior year.
The dormitories at the art academy didn't have air conditioning, and the single electric fan made everyone feel hot and sticky. She had a lot of energy but nowhere to use it, and the dormitory was unbearably hot, so she signed up for a choral competition between the art academy and the neighboring university of science and technology.
The purpose was not entirely simple; one important reason was to enjoy the air conditioning in the practice room.
On the day she reported for duty, Xu Yu was the piano accompanist that the teacher had temporarily brought in.
The teacher used many titles to introduce Xu Yu, but Ji Shengsheng didn't listen to a word of them.
The only thing she was certain of was that Xu Yu, standing in the crowd, perfectly exemplified what it means to stand out from the crowd.
Xu Yu was very tall and fair-skinned, with a slender build and broad shoulders and long legs. His hair was neatly cut, and his fingers, when playing the piano, had distinct knuckles.
Even after careful examination, I couldn't find any flaws.
In fact, she kept an eye on Xu Yu every day of rehearsals. Sometimes Xu Yu would notice, but she was quite unperturbed.
She was an art student, and she observed the folds of clothes, the knuckles of fingers, and the movements of playing the piano. It was just out of habit that she explained it to herself.
A deeper encounter occurred when Xu Yu discovered that she was tone-deaf and had a poor sense of rhythm.
During the several nights she was kept behind to study alone, Xu Yu tormented her relentlessly. But despite his strictness, Xu Yu would kindly escort her to the gates of the art academy after training.
Although the distance between the two schools is short, only about ten minutes, more contact quickly brought them closer together.
Ji Shengsheng has always been a very straightforward person. When she sensed that she had feelings for Xu Yu, she expressed them openly.
Despite not receiving a response from Xu Yu, Ji Shengsheng did not hesitate to take the initiative to pursue him.
She cares about Xu Yu's life, knows his daily schedule, appears at every event he attends, and tries her best to win Xu Yu's favor.
In the end... it ended in such a hasty manner.
However, she doesn't feel regretful.
She only wants to experience everything that happens in life, and doesn't expect to possess it in the end.
After jotting down some inspirations, Ji Shengsheng went to a nearby restaurant to buy bread and waited for Xing Xing to pick her up.
"Are you going for a job interview this afternoon?" Xing Xing felt refreshed after having a blind date with the beautiful woman her mother had introduced her to. "Should I pick you up?"
“No need.” Ji Shengsheng thought for a moment. “There’s something I want to tell you again. If you have someone you’re dating, we should immediately distance ourselves from each other. Don’t let others misunderstand and delay your marriage.”
"I see you're just hoping I'll find a boyfriend soon." Xing Xing gritted her teeth when she heard such distant words.
"You're right, I'm definitely the person in the whole world who most wants you to find a partner right away," Ji Shengsheng swore to the heavens.
“Without me, you’d have to take a taxi everywhere you go,” Xing Xing immediately pointed out her usefulness.
Ji Shengsheng then took out his phone: "I'll register tomorrow and get my driver's license in a month. Then I won't bother you anymore."
"...You're really driving me crazy. Don't forget your hand isn't fully healed yet; you won't finish learning in a month."
After saying that, Xing Xing said somewhat bitterly and defiantly, "I think eating with other people is just so-so. If you don't want to be with me anymore, then I don't want to be with other people either."
Ji Shengsheng was in a real bind: "You better not pull this, or I'll break off all ties with you."
"Answer me one question first." Xing Xing paused for a few seconds, "Between me and Xu Yu, who do you think is better looking?"
"Xu Yu," Ji Shengsheng said truthfully.
"If Xu Yu apologizes to you for what happened before, would you still make up with him?" Xing Xing pressed.
"You asked me one question, why should I answer a second one?"
Xing Xing was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth. To avoid being late, Ji Shengsheng didn't say anything more, but instead unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and left.
Although she had already sent her resume and portfolio to Xu Yu, she still printed out a copy to carry with her.
At 3:30 p.m., she arrived at the entrance of Xuyu Company on time. After registering as a visitor at the front desk, she was led to the office to wait.
She hadn't seen Xu Yu for three years, nor had she seen Cheng Yu for three years.
Long time no see~
Cheng Yu was Xu Yu's favorite among all her friends.
"To celebrate your safe return from your studies, let's give each other a hug!" Cheng Yu generously opened her arms, and Ji Shengsheng responded in kind.
After hugging Ji Shengsheng, Cheng Yu felt a little uneasy. Fortunately, Xu Yu wasn't there, otherwise she didn't know if he would overthink things... Thinking of this, Cheng Yu felt even more anxious.
After briefly reviewing Ji Shengsheng's resume, Cheng Yu's eyes lit up.
Ji Shengsheng's artwork is dark and gloomy, which fits well with the art style of the suspense game his company is developing. Several of his IP-derived artworks have become quite popular, and he even collected a few of them.
...If it weren't so outrageous, he would have suspected that Xu Yu developed this game specifically to keep Ji Shengsheng.
"Do you have any ideas?" After introducing the available positions and job duties, Cheng Yu looked at Ji Shengsheng.
“I seem to have forgotten to mention that I can only work part-time.” Ji Shengsheng thought carefully and responded in as much detail as possible. “I can try short-term collaborations like the game peripheral development project you just mentioned. But long-term collaborations are probably not an option.”
"Do you have other career development plans?" Cheng Yu didn't understand.
"No, it's just that I might not stay in China for very long this time," Ji Shengsheng admitted frankly, then added seriously, "But I can guarantee that the manuscript will be delivered on time and with high quality during the cooperation period."
"May I ask how long you plan to stay?"
"Three months to six months."
She will most likely stay in China to develop her career, but there is a research project on Chinese painting there that will also involve publishing related books. She really wants to participate and has already made an appointment with her mentor. This time, she will stay for at least three months.
"If I may be so bold as to ask another question," Cheng Yu's smile vanished, "was your return this time... a last-minute decision?"
"Yes, I have some personal matters to attend to."
After Ji Shengsheng left, Cheng Yu went to Xu Yu to discuss the follow-up.
Seeing the box still on Xu Yu's table, Cheng Yu asked in bewilderment, "Didn't you say you'd return it? If you don't return it soon, she'll come downstairs."
"Get to the point." Xu Yu didn't even bother to look at him.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Cheng Yu said, getting straight to the point instead of arguing. “She came back, stayed for a few months, and then left.”
"...Maybe he's coming back to get married."
The last sentence was Cheng Yu's irresponsible speculation. By the time he wanted to explain in detail how he came to this conclusion, Xu Yu had already gotten up and left.
Ji Shengsheng met Xu Yu when she was taking the elevator downstairs.
"Good morning, Mr. Xu," Ji Shengsheng greeted him warmly.
Xu Yu then gestured for her to get in the car.
Ji Shengsheng sat in the passenger seat, glanced at the seatbelt, hesitated for a few seconds, and said, "...Can you do me a favor?"
Actually, she could have endured the pain and tied it herself.
But when she saw Xu Yu, she didn't want to endure the pain.
"Ji Shengsheng".
Xu Yu didn't move or look at her; he just called her name.
"It's okay if it's inconvenient."
Xu Yu watched as Ji Shengsheng turned around and awkwardly adjusted the length of the seatbelt with her right hand, then watched her turn back and give him a slightly embarrassed smile because of her clumsiness.
"Don't you think..."
"What do you think?" Ji Shengsheng asked, puzzled.
No matter when.
All you have to do is wave your hand.
Would I be able to get a hundred responses from you?
Xu Yu lowered her eyelashes and bent down to help Ji Shengsheng fasten her seatbelt.
...
When Zhu Xiaodan rang the doorbell, Ji Shengsheng was packing his luggage.
"When are you leaving?" Zhu Xiaodan opened the takeout food that Ji Shengsheng had just ordered.
"Next Monday." Ji Shengsheng took out a box and neatly arranged some daily necessities that the recipients of the aid would need in the future.
"Xing Xing will come with you?" After turning on their favorite TV show and setting out the bowls and chopsticks, Zhu Xiaodan realized that she and Xing Xing hadn't seen each other in a long time.
"right."
Besides the objective reasons of completing her studies and her rent expiring, the main reason she rushed back was to visit the people she was sponsoring.
She sponsored this girl during her junior year of college.
At that time, she had just become financially independent and earned her first five thousand yuan by painting. She wanted to do something to motivate herself.
A donation of just 5,000 yuan can allow a recipient to live comfortably through their junior and senior high school years, and she feels that the money is well spent.
She was very lucky; the little girl she sponsored was also very hardworking and consistently achieved excellent grades.
They had originally agreed to meet in Lucheng after the other finished the college entrance examination, but the girl who was being sponsored experienced her grandmother's serious illness and failed the college entrance examination in her senior year of high school. She had the idea of dropping out of school to work, so she decided to bring the meeting forward.
The main reason she chose to bring Xing Xing along was that, besides the agreement made before returning to China, Xing Xing was the only unemployed person she had with her.
He has the most free time, the fewest things to do, and is the most relaxed person. He's also a good driver. As long as there's no delay, he's the best travel companion.
"You and Xing Xing have been abroad for the past few years..."
When Ji Shengsheng sat down to eat with them, Zhu Xiaodan revealed her gossipy face.
"...Don't even think about those ghost stories!" Ji Shengsheng immediately nipped Zhu Xiaodan's fantasy in the bud. "Even if there were only the two of us left in the world, we would never develop anything other than friendship with each other."
"But don't you think you two are very special to each other? It feels like even if you each have your own romantic partners in the future, you two will still be inseparable, at least that's how it seems to us outsiders."
"And I remember... you liked him back in junior high."
Ji Shengsheng picked up a peanut and carefully recalled what he had done to give Zhu Xiaodan this illusion.
Zhu Xiaodan was her classmate in junior high and high school. They were very close and inseparable, but they went to different universities and were even further apart for graduate school.
Perhaps she and Xing Xing were indeed a little too close during junior and senior high school, but after entering university, their social circles no longer overlapped, and they became quite separate.
“A chance encounter won’t defeat a childhood sweetheart. Maybe you two will even become a couple.” Seeing that Ji Shengsheng hadn’t picked up a single peanut in a long time, Zhu Xiaodan patiently put all the peanuts into Ji Shengsheng’s bowl.
“Before Xu Yu, there might have been the possibility you mentioned.” Ji Shengsheng focused on eating the peanuts in her bowl.
After all these years, there haven't been any other potential boyfriends around her.
Xu Yu's appearance made her realize what kind of boy she liked, and what it would be like to meet someone she truly liked.
"When you were with Xu Yu, did Xu Yu ever have any objections to your relationship with Xing Xing?" Zhu Xiaodan asked curiously.
"No." During the time she was pursuing Xu Yu, Xing Xing was just a tool for her to borrow her student card to eat at the university cafeteria.
I occasionally offered her advice, which didn't have any negative effect.
“Xu Yu has never asked me about Xing Xing.” Ji Shengsheng tried hard to recall, but couldn’t remember anything. “He probably didn’t even notice him.”
"You need to be more careful. Handsome guys are very sensitive to their rivals," Zhu Xiaodan reminded Ji Shengsheng. "If Xing Xing stands next to you, Xu Yu will definitely notice. If he asks you, that's fine, but if he doesn't, it's a big problem."
“You’re right, but that’s based on the premise that he likes me,” Ji Shengsheng said soberly. “I pursued him, and he was still flirting with Shao Yun, which means he doesn’t like me. If he doesn’t like me, of course he won’t care.”
"...Perfect logic." Zhu Xiaodan also couldn't understand why Xu Yu escorted Shao Yun back to her dormitory in front of Ji Shengsheng.
"Maybe all men are like that, always wanting more than what they have." Zhu Xiaodan raised her milk tea. "Let's not talk about those unhappy things. We're gathered here today to celebrate your return, to celebrate turning a new page!"
Ji Shengsheng and Zhu Xiaodan clinked glasses: "Celebrating turning a new page!"
After dinner, Zhu Xiaodan helped Ji Shengsheng pack the rest of his luggage.
Before heading out for a walk, Ji Shengsheng exported several of her earlier drafts and posted them on Weibo.
During her three years of studying abroad, she achieved a degree of financial independence through painting.
The reason I submitted my resume to Xu Yu's company and participated in the design work of game peripherals was to improve my communication and collaboration skills with another team.
She had been alone for too long and longed to breathe in the company of others.
...
On the other hand, Cheng Yu originally didn't want to trouble Xu Yu to pick him up, but he had drunk too much at the company dinner, and he also felt that Xu Yu was not in a good state during the day and was probably not interested in working, so he kindly called Xu Yu out.
"Will you open the door?"
Cheng Yu tried several times but couldn't open it, so she could only squat down while holding onto the door.
Xu Yu rolled down the car window and kindly reminded the passenger, "Please get back in the car after you've thrown up."
Cheng Yu: "..."
Squatting by the car door was rather pathetic. Cheng Yu leaned against the car window and glanced at the box on the back seat, unable to help but laugh: "Didn't you say you'd return it, and even chased after it downstairs, but all you did was deliver it to its door..."
"Did you forget, or are you afraid to return it...?" The car window quickly rolled up, and Cheng Yu immediately apologized, "Brother, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong."
Only after confirming that Chengyu would not vomit did Xu Yu allow her to get into the car.
"I have some information that's not entirely accurate, but it's related to Ji Shengsheng. Would you like to hear it?"
Xu Yu remained silent.
He had nothing to know.
They walked in silence until Chengyu arrived home.
"I originally wanted to tell you this, which is why I asked you to pick me up. If I had known you weren't interested, I wouldn't have bothered you to come all this way."
"It's clear you've truly let go."
After saying that, Cheng Yu went to open the car door, but found that she couldn't open it no matter what she did.
"explain."
"What did you say?" Cheng Yu was a little slow to process what had happened after being blown by the wind all the way.
"What is it?" Cheng Yu feigned ignorance.
"Oh, Ji Shengsheng... Who is Ji Shengsheng?" Cheng Yu grinned after being glanced at by Xu Yu. "I heard she's leaving next Monday. If you want to return her things, you'd better do it sooner rather than later."
He didn't learn about it directly from Ji Shengsheng, but through a convoluted and complicated relationship, so he didn't dare to tell Xu Yu with certainty and could only use a guessing tone.
Perhaps because he had drunk some alcohol, Cheng Yu was more outspoken than usual.
"Xu Yu, to be honest, although as a witness I think the time when Ji Shengsheng liked you was quite pure love, I can understand that you can't accept her being two-timing."
“I can completely put myself in your shoes. If it were anyone else, I would definitely advise them to do everything they could to steal your partner. But you have principles and a bottom line. I don’t know what’s in the box. You’ve returned it to you two and it’s over. You’re free now.”
After Cheng Yu finished speaking, he heard the sound of the car lock opening. Knowing that Xu Yu was kicking him out, he stopped talking nonsense.
When Xu Yu called, Ji Shengsheng had already seen Zhu Xiaodan off and was at home working on the article he had previously accepted.
My eyes are sore and my wrists hurt; recently, my tenosynovitis seems to be recurring.
Xu Yu had almost never called her proactively, so he wasn't familiar with this interface.
A few minutes later, she tidied herself up quickly and went downstairs to meet him.
Xu Yu didn't explain the reason for the meeting, nor did she ask. After all, the other person was already downstairs at her apartment building, and she had no reason not to meet them.
"What is this?" Ji Shengsheng asked after a moment of realization upon seeing the box in Xu Yu's hand.
It was Christmas one year, and it was popular at school to knit scarves for your boyfriend, so she gave Xu Yu one too.
This box is the one that held the scarf back then.
Now, Xu Yu is returning this to her.
that is……
She had thought that even if it ended hastily, they would still have had some pretty good memories.
Now that things have turned out this way, it seems Xu Yu doesn't want to leave her anything.
"...Give it back to me?" Ji Shengsheng asked again, "Were you downstairs yesterday because of this too?"
Xu Yu just stared at her without saying a word.
"Fine, whatever makes you happy," Ji Shengsheng sighed.
"Say it again," Xu Yu finally spoke.
“I’m serious, I’m not being sarcastic, you know me.”
She never speaks ill of others.
If Xu Yu chose to do this, then he must have his reasons. Although it wasn't a successful relationship, at least one person in it was happy.
That's enough.
“If you feel happy and comfortable returning this to me, that’s fine too.” Ji Shengsheng sincerely took the box from his hands and then hugged it to her chest.
"I felt very happy during the time I liked you. Although it seems like I gave a lot, I also received a lot in return."
Perhaps it's for the best now, since we'll still have work-related interactions in the future, and a complete return to a normal relationship might not be a bad thing.
"...What did you get?"
Xu Yu lowered his voice and stood opposite Ji Shengsheng, unconsciously raising his hand to help her tidy her wind-blown hair.
"I can't say for sure, but I'm sure I got something, though I can't see it clearly right now." Ji Shengsheng took two steps back gracefully.
"You cried?"
Ji Shengsheng wrinkled his nose.
“…No.” Ji Shengsheng shook her head sheepishly. “The weather in Lucheng is just too cold.”
She didn't cry, nor did she want to cry.
Putting aside her optimistic personality, she has also experienced many things that she had to face alone in the past three years, and she no longer places such a heavy weight on the scales of her life.
When facing Xu Yu, her emotions and mood were relatively stable.
Such a small thing wouldn't make her cry.
"Let's go back."
"goodbye."
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