56
Despite being provoked by Xu Yu, Xing Xing did have several impulses to call Ji Shengsheng immediately, but he wasn't stupid.
How could Xu Yu meet with him so easily?
How could there be no ulterior motive behind what I said to him?
If he acts impulsively and confesses his feelings to Ji Shengsheng, or demands that Ji Shengsheng make a choice immediately, it's hard to guarantee that Ji Shengsheng will choose him.
Therefore, he plans to use the family and friendship cards.
Xing Xing doesn't intend to force Ji Shengsheng to do anything; he will try his best to guide Ji Shengsheng to choose a partner who won't affect their friendship and normal interactions.
Finally, on the morning of her grandmother's birthday, Xing Xing met Ji Shengsheng.
He dug out his old yearbook and invited Ji Shengsheng to look at it together, but was refused.
Xing Xing was taken aback.
We were just sitting together looking at our yearbooks.
Seeing Xing Xing standing there silently with the booklet in his hand, Ji Shengsheng felt an unbearable headache.
She needed to confirm whether Xing Xing's unusual behavior a few days ago was a joke or if he really had something on his mind.
She doesn't presume to think that everyone around her likes her.
Xing Xing walked over and grabbed her arm, about to say something witty and teasing, when he noticed the marks below her collar.
...It's too subtle.
...It's just the kind of thing you have to specifically go to see to get to see it.
"...You and Xu Yu?" Xing Xing was so angry that she couldn't hold back.
"What?" Ji Shengsheng didn't understand why he had suddenly gone crazy.
"Come here." Xing Xing pulled her arm and led her to the window. "What's going on between you and Xu Yu?"
He always thought that Ji Shengsheng was very conservative, just like him.
When you're dating, kissing, hugging, and lifting each other up is fine, but how can you do anything inappropriate before you're married?
"What's going on between Xu Yu and me?" Ji Shengsheng asked, confused. "We're just a normal couple with a great relationship, aren't we?"
In Xing Xing's view, this was tantamount to tacit approval.
"No?" Xing Xing angrily put the yearbook aside, wanting to have a serious talk with Ji Shengsheng about this matter. "You and Xu Yu weren't even together three years ago... You've only been back for less than half a year this time. Have you been together for more than three months?"
Ji Shengsheng had no idea what he was angry about.
"……so?"
"You two are living together?" Xing Xing couldn't help but ask the question directly.
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
Even the best of friends don't need to report these things to each other. Besides, they are of the opposite sex and should have some sense of boundaries.
"Xing Xing, if you go crazy again, I won't be your friend anymore."
Xing Xing: "...It's not me who's gone crazy, it's Xu Yu."
"Do you know that he met with me a few days ago to deliberately provoke me?" Xing Xing was so angry that she couldn't organize her thoughts. "Also, he knew you were coming back, so he created this evidence, wasn't it just to try and break us up?"
Even setting aside the fact that she didn't think Xu Yu would do these things intentionally, even if he did...
Ji Shengsheng: "...So what?"
Xing Xing felt like she had been bewitched by Xu Yu, who wished he could shake all the impure thoughts out of her mind.
"Ji Shengsheng, if Xu Yu ever kills me, it will be you who handed me the knife!"
Ji Shengsheng felt baffled: "If he really killed you, he must have had his reasons."
"Sheng Sheng, Xing Xing, are you two arguing?"
Seeing that the two of them had been standing by the window for a long time, Xing Xing's face turned bright red, and Ji Shengsheng had been crossing his arms the whole time. Ji's mother couldn't help but ask.
"No."
"No."
They spoke in unison, then both stopped looking at each other.
The atmosphere for celebrating Grandma Xingxing's birthday was very lively, sweeping away the heavy gloom between the two families during the Spring Festival.
Aside from avoiding speaking to or making eye contact with Xing Xing, Ji Shengsheng behaved very appropriately at all other times.
Xing Xing could see it too, of course.
After dinner, Ji Shengsheng brought out a birthday cake and asked his grandmother to make a wish.
Then, she heard Xing Xing's grandmother say—
Her wish is to live to see herself and Xing Xing get married and have children, so that she can hold her grandson.
Not to mention that she and Xing Xing could never get married, she never intended to have a child.
Ji's mother and father exchanged a glance.
They had already emotionally accepted Xu Yu and didn't want to try to matchmake Ji Shengsheng and Xing Xing anymore. Besides, they didn't like the expectation of having a "grandson."
Ji's father had always believed that Xing Xing's family was somewhat sexist. However, considering the good relationship between the two families, he had never said anything during these many occasions.
"Well, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Let the young people handle their own relationships." Father Ji poured Grandma Xing a glass of juice.
"Xing Xing, say something! Quickly express your determination..." Xing Xing's grandmother reminded her.
Unsure whether she was being swayed by some emotion or simply caught up in the moment, Xing Xing didn't realize what she was doing before she blurted out, "I also think that Sheng Sheng and I are actually quite compatible. We know each other inside and out, but I don't know what Sheng Sheng thinks."
“I have a boyfriend.” Ji Shengsheng looked at Xing Xing’s grandmother, then turned her gaze to Xing Xing’s face. “Xing Xing has met him.”
“He visited my home during the Chinese New Year this year, and my parents were very satisfied with him.”
After speaking, considering the relationship between the two families, Ji Shengsheng still said some polite words: "Xing Xing comes from a good family, is reliable, and is tall and handsome. He won't have trouble finding someone better than me."
Grandma Xing looked unwell, and Xing Xing was also in a bad mood. After Ji Shengsheng finished speaking, he ate his meal in silence.
These were words that Grandma Xing had once praised her to her face, and she could repeat them immediately without even having to think about them.
Her appetite has indeed returned somewhat, and she was able to eat in this atmosphere.
After she finished speaking, silence filled the dinner table, and no one spoke for a long time.
As the awkward atmosphere gradually eased, Ji Shengsheng explained the situation to her parents and prepared to return to Lucheng.
She often breaks her word, but this time, nothing, no matter how big the problem, can stop her from going back on time.
"Don't go yet, I have something to tell you."
As soon as she stepped out the door, Xing Xing caught up with her.
"I'm catching my train." Ji Shengsheng glanced at the time. She was taking the intercity express train, which was leaving in an hour. Besides, she needed to go home to get some things, so she couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"Don't you think it's irresponsible of you to just leave like this?" Xing Xing couldn't understand. "We've been friends for so many years, what exactly did Xu Yu say to you that you're so biased towards him? Are you not even going to be friends with him anymore?"
Xing Xing knew that under normal circumstances, he would never pester her like this.
But from the moment Xu Yu said those words to him until Ji Shengsheng's various reactions today, he was filled with anxiety and unease, and he wanted to get a result today.
Originally, Ji Shengsheng had considered this before returning.
She prepared many reasons and emotional appeals to talk to Xing Xing, but she didn't have the chance. After returning, Xing Xing inexplicably started picking fights with her.
She just wanted to be happy and didn't intentionally hurt anyone, so she wouldn't accept unwarranted blame.
Xing Xing could tell that Ji Shengsheng was really angry and seemed to be making up her mind, so she softened her tone and said, "Oh, don't be angry. I'll take you home to get your things first, and we can talk on the way."
Ji Shengsheng was hailing a taxi when Xing Xing insisted on giving her a ride.
Unable to persuade him otherwise, Ji Shengsheng had no choice but to agree.
Not wanting to upset Ji Shengsheng any further, Xing Xing said indirectly in the car, "Although I've had boyfriends before, none of them came to you..."
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered Xiao Yang and corrected himself, "Before Xiao Yang."
"Speaking of which, when you were dating, I never took the initiative to contact you or asked you to contact me." Ji Shengsheng didn't want to say any more, so she gave Xing Xing an ultimatum.
"I will not give up on Xu Yu. If you still want to be friends, let's make a deal."
"First, you are not allowed to say anything bad about Xu Yu again, no matter who you are in front of. Second, maintain the distance of ordinary friends, and do not make sudden emergency calls or voice messages to ask to meet immediately without prior notice. Third, you are not allowed to say or do anything ambiguous that would cause others to misunderstand our relationship."
Xing Xing: "...What's the difference between this and breaking off all contact?"
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
She had really spoiled Xing Xing too much before.
After arriving home, Ji Shengsheng quickly packed her luggage and prepared to leave. Xing Xing chased after her to the door and almost bumped into Grandma Sheng next door.
"Are you two going out?" Grandma Sheng asked, noticing their anxious expressions.
"Yes." Ji Shengsheng greeted him and then took a taxi to the station.
"Ji Shengsheng, if you leave, I will break off all ties with you."
...
Cheng Yu found Xu Yu very strange.
He inexplicably came to the company to work all night on the first night, and was in great spirits. But the next day he was like a different person, indifferent, aloof, and cold as ice.
It's not my physical condition that's worrying, but my mental state.
He advised Xu Yu to go and rest, but Xu Yu completely ignored him.
"I said..." Cheng Yu had never been in a relationship and really didn't understand, "Don't people say that during the three-month honeymoon period, even the biggest conflicts can be resolved into deep affection?"
"Why do you two keep making such a fuss every day?" Cheng Yu said, feeling a little touched. "It's making me afraid of relationships."
Xu Yu glanced at him.
Watching his mouth open and close, I couldn't hear what he was saying.
Ji Shengsheng sent him a message saying she was leaving and that she would return as promised.
However, according to the train schedule, she should have arrived home by now.
But I still haven't received any messages from her on my phone.
No one entered the room, nor was there any video notification indicating that someone had been lingering outside for an extended period of time.
Xu Yu couldn't wait.
He could be killed with a single blow, but he refused to accept losing even in his last second of life.
"I'm going out for a bit."
"OK."
Cheng Yu thought it would only be for a short while, and probably wouldn't last too long.
Xu Yu parked the car downstairs at Ji Shengsheng's Taoyuan home, and each step he took up the stairs felt heavy.
He'd better not see Ji Shengsheng here, not hear her explain why, and not see her with Xing Xing, explaining that they're just ordinary friends.
Finally arriving at the door, Xu Yu rang the doorbell, but no one answered.
No one is home.
Slightly relieved, Xu Yu prepared to call Ji Shengsheng. Just as he was about to dial, his neighbor, an elderly woman, opened the door and saw him with a kind and gentle expression.
"Looking for Shengsheng? She's gone out."
"They said they had to catch the carriage."
After expressing his gratitude, Xu Yu felt relieved.
As long as she returns home as promised, everything is still negotiable.
Even if Ji Shengsheng insisted on being friends with Xing Xing, he could forgive him.
He wasn't that heartless, but he insisted that Ji Shengsheng make a decision at this time.
Grandma Sheng remembered Xu Yu and liked the boy very much. Knowing that he had a good relationship with Ji Shengsheng, she said a few more words: "He left with Xing Xing."
Xu Yu hung up the unanswered call and put down his phone.
...
...This is really hard to forgive.
He has no intention of forgiving her unless she takes the initiative to admit her mistake.
...
Xu Yu returned to the company at around 3 a.m.
Cheng Yu saw his travel-worn appearance: "Is this what you meant by 'going out for a bit'?"
This "sudden" moment lasted for several hours, until the middle of the night.
Xu Yu ignored him.
He had already gone home before coming to the company.
He expected to open the door and see Ji Shengsheng in the room, put down the hairdryer, turn around and ask him why he came back so late, tell him that she had been waiting for him for a long time, and then take the initiative to hug him, kiss him, and tell him that she loves him.
But it was all in his imagination.
Nothing exists.
As long as Ji Shengsheng leaves his room, it's as if she never existed in this house.
Without her breath, her scent, her warmth, it's maddening.
Standing in the room, he seemed to be hallucinating Ji Shengsheng's voice.
After repeatedly confirming that everything was an illusion, Xu Yu removed Ji Shengsheng's fingerprint unlock.
That way, he'll know as soon as she comes back.
If she doesn't come back, at least the illusion that "she has already returned" will no longer exist.
He was driven mad by these illusions, having gained and then lost them.
But she'll definitely come back, right?
When she returned, Xu Yu acted as if nothing had happened.
...
Cheng Yu felt uneasy.
Since returning, Xu Yu has been working silently without saying a word.
He guessed they might have had a fight.
But I'm not entirely sure.
After all, last time Xu Yu had only been out of the house for less than an hour when Ji Shengsheng called, and not long after, Ji Shengsheng arrived.
If they really had a fight, Ji Shengsheng should already be at the company trying to get Xu Yu back.
Cheng Yu glanced at her phone and remained silent.
After thinking for a moment, he sent Ji Shengsheng a message: "Shengsheng, have you been busy lately? Want to grab a bite to eat together?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
