Chapter 23
8 a.m. the next day.
Lin Li stuffed the clothes into a paper bag and walked to the roadside to scan a shared bicycle.
Half an hour later.
Lin Li arrived at the entrance of an old residential area and locked her car.
They walked inside carrying paper bags.
The next second, as if she had seen some kind of monster, Lin Li suddenly turned around.
Tong's mother walked past Lin Li.
Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't noticed him.
He didn't know why he was a little afraid of Tong Yao's mother... In short, he didn't want to face her.
Unit 2, Building B, Room 2502.
This is Tong Yao's home.
However, it seems inappropriate for a guy like me to go to a girl's house alone. What if the neighbors see me and gossip?
Spicy Spicy Spicy: I'm downstairs from you.
Room 2502, Unit 2, Building B.
After confirming that her mother had left, Tong Yao closed the book.
Just as I took out my phone to check the time, Lin Li sent me a message.
Spicy Spicy Spicy: I ran into your mom. I'm downstairs now.
T: ?
Spicy Spicy: But I dodged quickly, she didn't see me, hehe~
Tong Yao breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the time in the upper right corner.
8:40
T: Didn't I tell you to come around 9 o'clock?
Spicy Spicy Spicy: I did it on purpose!
T: ?
Spicy, spicy, spicy: This is a Western etiquette.
Spicy, spicy, spicy: Gentlemen always arrive 10 minutes or more earlier than the agreed time.
This fully demonstrates my remorse for taking the wrong clothes from you, and for the joke I made yesterday.
Tong Yao placed her phone face down on the table.
He said softly, "Boring."
Actually, Lin Li misjudged the time. The last time he went running, he felt that the distance between his home and Tong Yao's home was half a century.
"Shared bikes aren't electric bikes, so they probably won't arrive that quickly," he thought.
As a result, it took him less than half an hour to leisurely ride to his destination.
Lin Li leaned against the mailbox downstairs from Tong Yao, waiting.
"bite!"
Tong Yao came out of the elevator carrying a piece of clothing.
Lin Li looked up.
Perhaps because she was at home, Tong Yao was dressed very casually.
A black turtleneck sweater paired with dark straight-leg jeans.
Tong Yao wore glasses during her university years; they were gold-rimmed glasses.
Looking back now, Tong Yao really looked beautiful with glasses.
It is full of intellectual beauty.
Lin Li sighed inwardly.
It's a pity we can't see it now!
Tong Yao felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at Lin Li's focused and somewhat obsessive gaze.
She always felt that Lin Li was thinking of someone else through her.
The person I like... is Shen Jiayi...
"What are you thinking about?" Tong Yao asked, feigning calmness.
"What did you say?" Lin Li came to her senses.
"It's nothing," Tong Yao said, handing over the clothes with her eyes downcast.
"Oh..." Lin Li blinked blankly, probably because he had misheard. He clearly heard Tong Yao speak just now.
"Your clothes, I'm sorry."
Lin Li held the clothes in one hand and handed over the paper bag in the other.
"Um."
Just as Tong Yao reached out to take it, the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the ground suddenly came from the end of the corridor, growing louder as it approached.
Lin Li curiously peeked out, but Tong Yao pulled her into the stairwell next door.
"What—"
Before he could finish speaking, Tong Yao covered his mouth tightly with her hand. The girl's palm was slightly cool and carried a faint fragrance.
The two held their breath, listening to the sound of high heels passing by the door, and then breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator "dinged" to start.
Tong Yao let go of her hand and frowned, saying, "I already said to come after nine o'clock, but my mom came back again."
"Is your mother very strict?" Lin Li asked, rubbing the spot that had been covered.
Tong Yao glanced at him expressionlessly, her eyes saying, "Is that even a question?"
Suddenly, a cell phone rang in the small space. Lin Li felt in his pocket and confirmed that it was Tong Yao's phone.
Your phone is ringing.
Tong Yao glanced at the caller ID and warned sternly, "From now on, you are not allowed to say a single word."
Lin Li obediently made a zipper gesture near her mouth.
"Hello, Mom."
"You swapped shifts with someone else for the early shift. I've only been gone a short while, where have you been? Aren't you studying at home?"
"I'm going to the library."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone: "Come back soon."
"knew."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Li asked curiously, "Are you going to the library?"
Tong Yao said coldly, "What do you think?"
Lin Li awkwardly touched his nose; he didn't think so.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he pulled two crumpled movie tickets out of his pocket: "Since we're already out here, let's go see a movie?" he said excitedly, waving the ticket stubs around.
"I'm not going."
"Why?"
"Someone as boring as me isn't suited to watching movies."
Lin Li was surprised that she still remembered this, and quickly smiled apologetically: "Who said you were boring? In my eyes, just the fact that you're sitting there is enough to make me happy."
Tong Yao looked him over suspiciously: "How come you've changed so much in just one day..."
"Isn't it amazing how well you speak?" Lin Li proudly pulled out her phone, pointed to the e-book on the bookshelf, and said, "《High Emotional Intelligence Speaking》, isn't it very effective?"
He pulled Tong Yao out. Looking at his hand holding her wrist, Tong Yao gently pursed her lips.
Indeed, it has some effect.
---
The taxi stopped in front of the movie theater.
The two stood at the entrance of the movie theater, looking at the showtimes displayed on the electronic screen, and exchanged bewildered glances.
"I'm sorry," Lin Li said awkwardly, scratching her head. "I forgot to check the time; the show is at noon."
It was only 9:30 in the morning, but the early winter wind was already quite strong. Tong Yao, wearing only a thin sweater, unconsciously pulled her arms closer together.
"I guessed it." She said calmly, showing no surprise at the result.
Lin Li quickly took out her school uniform jacket from the paper bag and draped it over her shoulders. Feeling that it wasn't enough, she added her own jacket as well.
Seeing that Tong Yao was standing still, he lifted the corner of her clothes and smelled it: "It doesn't smell bad, it was just washed."
After being criticized that day, Lin Li put in a lot more laundry detergent when washing clothes, and now she can only smell the fresh scent of laundry detergent, not the foul smell.
Tong Yao slapped his hand away and silently put on both school uniforms. Their sizes were similar, so they fit perfectly when layered.
"Are you still cold? Should I give you my coat?" Lin Li said, taking off her coat.
"No need." Tong Yao pressed his hand down.
"We still have three hours. What should we do now?" Lin Li asked, looking around.
For a moment, he even wondered what he shouldn't be doing.
"How about we try the coin pusher machines? They're like the ones in arcades, they're so much fun."
Tong Yao shook her head and asked a question:
"Your physical exam is coming up soon. How's your running training going?"
Lin Li fell silent.
"No, it's not very good."
"In that case, let's go for a run."
Lin Li was speechless for a moment: "No, no need..."
He quietly tugged at Tong Yao's sleeve: "How about we try a different sport?"
Tong Yao looked at him indifferently: "Okay, I only said that because I thought you wanted to take the exam for Yucheng Experimental Middle School like me. Anyway, you applied to an arts high school during the summer vacation. They don't require physical education scores, so you don't have to practice."
"In that case, let's go home first. I haven't finished my homework yet."
He then took off his school uniform and returned it to Lin Li.
"Wait!" Lin Li quickly grabbed her zipper and pulled it all the way up.
"Who said that? I never thought about applying to an arts high school! I've always wanted to go to Yucheng Experimental Middle School with you."
Seeing that Tong Yao was about to leave, he grabbed her hand tightly: "You're not allowed to go back!"
"Then let's go for a run." Tong Yao grabbed his wrist with her other hand, her grip leaving no room for refusal.
"good!"
Lin Li readily agreed.
_
"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore."
Lin Li clutched her stomach and arched her body, trying to lessen the pain of her side stitch.
Tong Yao was running not far ahead.
"I told you not to go fast or slow all the time, keep a constant speed."
"If I don't run fast, how can I catch up with you?"
Lin Li took small breaths until the pain in her abdomen subsided before she straightened up.
"It's 11:30." Tong Yao took out her phone and glanced at it.
"Huh?" Lin Li asked, puzzled.
"The movie is about to start," Tong Yao added.
"Run back in 10 minutes. This time I'll be right next to you. Keep up with my pace and don't fall behind."
"oh."
At first it was easy, but after running for a few minutes, Lin Li's legs became heavier and heavier. He glanced at Tong Yao, who was still calm and composed, and he had a premonition that he was about to get a stitch.
“Five minutes left,” Tong Yao said.
The thought of watching a movie gave Lin Li renewed motivation.
Left foot, right foot, inhale. Left foot, right foot, inhale.
Lin Li repeated the steps, gradually catching up with Tong Yao's rhythm.
5 minutes later.
Lin Li sat on a chair outside the movie theater to rest, surprised that he had actually run the whole way in one go.
Tong Yao said, "You did a good job."
Lin Li caught her breath and glanced at Tong Yao, whose forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat and who was breathing heavily.
"Wait here for me."
Lin Li said this and ran out.
When he returned, he was carrying two bottles of mineral water.
He unscrewed a bottle and handed it to Tong Yao.
Then I unscrewed the bottle cap and took two big gulps.
Tong Yao took it and said, "Thank you."
She took a small sip.
After finishing her water, Lin Li glanced at the time.
There are 5 minutes left before the movie starts.
Let's go.
Inside the movie theater.
"Tong Yao, would you like a Coke?"
"No." Tong Yao shook her head.
"Drink less of this; it's bad for your health."
"Then I don't want any, we'll just drink bottled water."
Lin Li said, turning to the waiter, "Just one bucket of popcorn will do."
Lin Li, holding popcorn, handed the bottled water in her hand to Tong Yao.
The two entered the screening room one after the other.
Take a seat in the middle.
There weren't many people at the lunch break; only a few people were scattered around.
The movie started.
Lin Li stared blankly at the scene on the screen.
"Left Ear"
He hadn't realized it until now that it was this movie.
Lin Li took two bites of popcorn, the sweetness melting on his tongue, and he instinctively wanted to drink water.
In the darkness, he reached out and touched Tong Yao's hand on the armrest, which was slightly cool.
"What are you looking for?" Tong Yao tilted her head slightly, her voice so low it was almost inaudible in the background noise of the video.
Lin Li leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe:
"water."
He was so close that Tong Yao could even smell the faint scent of sweat on him after his run.
She instinctively shrank back and pointed to the cup holder on her left:
"Here."
Lin Li said "Oh," and naturally leaned over, her arm crossing in front of her.
In the dim light, he accurately felt the bottle, picked it up, unscrewed it, and took two gulps.
The movements were performed in one smooth motion.
He was completely unaware that the bottle he was drinking from was the one Tong Yao had just finished drinking from and that was on her cup holder.
Tong Yao's body stiffened slightly as his arm passed by. When she saw him tilt his head back to drink water without any warning, she held her breath for a moment; it was her water.
"Eat."
Lin Li pushed the popcorn in her hand toward Tong Yao.
Tong Yao took two bites and glanced down at the bottle of mineral water on the cushion.
She brought the water in and casually placed it on the seat cushion; this bottle of water belonged to Lin Li.
Lin Li was completely unaware of all this. The plot was reaching a crucial point, and he was engrossed in watching.
Perhaps it was the sweetness of the popcorn that made Tong Yao move almost uncontrollably, very slightly.
The movement was so subtle that Lin Li didn't even notice it.
She quietly unscrewed the bottle cap and took two sips.
After a while, she turned her attention back to the movie because she heard a very interesting line.
"Li Bala, you are very famous."
Li Bala, Tong Yao repeated the name in her heart.
He glanced at Lin Li every now and then.
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