Chapter 148 The Iron Tree Blossoms "You old He, you've been hiding it well..."
As I walked through the city center, I suddenly heard a faint voice calling out to me.
Zhu Liushuang looked up at the sound and saw Tian Xingyu emerging from the crowd, waving her hand. Behind her friend, there was a figure running rapidly. If she wasn't mistaken, that person should be Ye Xingzhi.
How did he end up here?
Zhu Liushuang was stunned for a moment, then whispered to He Ming, "Senior Ye is here too... Could it be that they've gotten back together?"
“I don’t know…” He Ming glanced casually into the distance. “I’ve never heard Xingzhi mention it.”
Seeing He Ming's clueless expression, Zhu Liushuang muttered, "Sigh, it's pointless to ask you. I'll find out myself later..."
As the two were whispering to each other, Tian Xingyu pounced straight at her.
"Shuangshuang, my darling, I miss you so much—"
With a warm greeting, Zhu Liushuang was embraced tightly by the person who came.
The familiar sweet scent of roses, the familiar bear hug… She smiled, instinctively wanting to raise her hand to hug Ayu back. But as soon as her left hand moved, the warm force in her palm enveloped her even more tightly.
She had completely forgotten that He Ming was holding her left hand firmly.
Zhu Liushuang helplessly turned to her right hand, which was holding the lantern, as if... it wasn't very convenient either.
Since she couldn't free her hands, she decided to let Ayu hold her a little longer! Thinking this to herself, she unconsciously nuzzled her friend's shoulder and softly replied, "I missed you so much too, my darling Ayu."
In the brightly lit street, the scene of two girls embracing tightly is heartwarming and beautiful.
Of course, not everyone thinks this way.
For example, He Ming.
He stood at the edge of this heartwarming scene, listening to the sickeningly sweet "baby" calls, and watching Tian Xingyu holding his wife tightly in her arms. His lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
Why do I feel inexplicably tight in my chest?
He Ming quietly turned his head and exchanged a glance with Ye Xingzhi. When he saw the same bittersweet feeling on Ye Xingzhi's lips, he felt a sudden sense of relief.
The two girls beside him were still embracing each other tightly, but He Ming couldn't wait any longer.
He deliberately cleared his throat and let out a dry cough.
The muffled cough startled the two from their reminiscing. Tian Xingyu abruptly released Zhu Liushuang and took a somewhat awkward step back, saying, "Senior He... good evening!"
"Good evening, Xingyu." He Ming nodded, a distant yet polite smile curving his lips. "I often hear Shuangshuang talking about you at home."
An unexpected pressure washed over her, and Tian Xingyu instantly understood the unspoken meaning behind the man's words. Feeling she had been monopolizing Zhu Liushuang for too long, she gave He Ming an apologetic smile, somewhat embarrassed: "I got a little carried away and couldn't control myself. Sorry, Senior He..."
After saying that, she turned her head to look at Zhu Liushuang: "I almost forgot, our Shuangshuang is a married woman now, so we can't just hug her like that anymore!"
"Ayu—stop fooling around!" Zhu Liushuang shook the lantern in her hand, her cheeks flushing slightly. With her view no longer obstructed, she noticed Ye Xingzhi standing a few steps behind Tian Xingyu.
"Senior, it's been a long time." It had been almost half a year since they last met. Tonight, perhaps because of shyness, Zhu Liushuang could only manage to utter these words awkwardly.
Fortunately, Ye Xingzhi was a natural at making friends. He stepped forward and said with a smile, "It has been quite a long time, so long that you and Brother He Ming have practically become family. Speaking of which, I'm practically your matchmaker. Liu Shuang..."
Upon hearing these words, Zhu Liushuang's beautiful face flushed crimson.
As He Ming's best friend, it was only natural that Ye Xingzhi would know the true nature of her relationship with He Ming. However, hearing him tease her about their relationship still made her feel incredibly embarrassed. Especially when he said, "I've been waiting for you two to treat me to dinner, but unfortunately, I haven't heard anything yet," her smile froze and she could barely keep it up.
“Xingzhi, that’s enough. Shuangshuang is too shy…” He Ming, who had been silent for a while, gave Ye Xingzhi a wink. “I’ve been too busy before the New Year and haven’t been able to find the time. How about we have dinner on the tenth of the month? I can invite you and… Xingyu to join us then.”
Thanks to He Ming's timely intervention, Zhu Liushuang was not trapped in an awkward situation where she couldn't move forward or backward.
However, Tian Xingyu and Ye Xingzhi's attention did not seem to be entirely on "eating." They exchanged a rare, tacit glance, and a mischievous smile appeared on their faces at the same time.
"Oh... then thank you in advance, senior and Shuangshuang!" Tian Xingyu spoke first, deliberately imitating He Ming's tone and drawing out the last syllable of "Shuang".
Ye Xingzhi spoke next, suppressing a laugh, "Okay—thank you very much, brother. Oh, and... junior sister Shuangshuang."
Looking at the two people in front of her singing and dancing in harmony, Zhu Liushuang was at a loss for words.
She looked at He Ming for help, but the man beside her not only didn't argue back, but also patted her head to comfort her as if no one else was around.
————
After the brief interlude, the four of them chatted as they walked toward the Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) and makeup shop.
Zhu Liushuang and Tian Xingyu walked hand in hand ahead, with the two men patiently following behind. To allow them to chat without restraint, they deliberately kept a distance between them.
After passing through a narrow alley, the destination was right in front of us.
"Look, this is the place."
Following the direction her friend pointed, Zhu Liushuang slowly raised her head: "Bamboo Branch Collection, that's quite a unique name."
"This store has pretty good online reviews. I heard they have hundreds of authentic Hanfu to choose from..." Tian Xingyu muttered as she pulled her towards the store entrance. "I hope the ratings aren't fake."
"It's a bit cold at night. Will wearing Hanfu make me feel cold?" Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but worry when she saw others wearing Hanfu, all of which were made of thin materials.
Tian Xingyu laughed and said, "Don't you understand the saying 'beauty is freezing'? What does it matter if you're a little cold? The important thing is that you can take good photos! If you're afraid of the cold, we can choose the cape style..."
As the two were whispering to each other, the shop door opened and a man in a black windbreaker walked out.
As they brushed past each other, Zhu Liushuang exclaimed in surprise, "Gu Xufeng?"
Gucheng is so small that you can run into acquaintances anywhere you go.
Gu Xufeng, who had been stopped, paused, his face showing the same surprise: "Liu Shuang...you're here for makeup and styling too?"
"Um... what about you?"
Gu Xufeng chuckled awkwardly, his tone full of helplessness: "Me? I'm here with Tingting, of course... That girl got in the top ten of her class in the final exams, and she insisted on dragging me here to claim her reward."
He's definitely a doting brother! Zhu Liushuang thought to herself.
"Where's Lao He? He didn't come with you..." Gu Xufeng asked, his eyes subconsciously glancing behind her.
"They're here too." Zhu Liushuang smiled and turned to look at the dimly lit cobblestone path in the distance. "They're in the back..."
As she looked up, the man under the streetlight seemed to sense her telepathy, and suddenly lifted his eyelids to meet her gaze.
Zhu Liushuang paused for a moment, then smiled and called out, "A-Ming, come here quickly..."
He Ming responded and urged Ye Xingzhi to quicken their pace.
Upon spotting the two men approaching from the shadows, Gu Xufeng's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had seen a savior. He quickly went to meet them, patting He Ming on the shoulder and saying, "Finally someone to keep me company! Old He... you've come at just the right time!"
Hearing Gu Xufeng's exaggerated tone, He Ming couldn't help but chuckle: "Why the long face? Accompanying your girlfriend?"
"What girlfriend did I get?" Gu Xufeng said with a sullen face. "It's Tingting! I was just planning to relax at home and watch the Spring Festival Gala tonight, but that girl insisted on dragging me here... Young girls like her, they make a big deal out of everything. I went in at seven, and it's been almost an hour and she's still not out. I'm going to get moldy sitting in the rest area..."
He Ming listened silently to Gu Xufeng's grievances, then pulled down Gu's hand from his shoulder and said calmly, "Girls all love to be pretty, just wait patiently."
“My brother is right…” Ye Xingzhi had a lot of experience with waiting. When he was dating Tian Xingyu, it would take three or four hours, let alone an hour. “If you get impatient in less than an hour, how will you ever date a girlfriend?”
"Is this your brother?" Gu Xufeng pressed He Ming for an answer.
"Junior..."
"Hello, my name is Ye Xingzhi. I'm He Ming's junior from high school, and a good buddy."
"Gu Xufeng, Lao He's colleague."
Two people who are naturally outgoing met and started chatting within two minutes.
"Xiao Ye is quite experienced..."
“Of course, Brother Gu, you can think of this as a trial run. Dating is much harder than taking care of your sister…” As he spoke, Ye Xingzhi’s eyes involuntarily drifted to He Ming, seeking his approval.
Unfortunately, He Ming didn't really pay attention to the two people who were chatting enthusiastically.
His gaze passed over the transparent glass door and landed directly on a petite figure.
The room was warmly heated, and Zhu Liushuang took off her heavy down coat. She was talking to Tian Xingyu, her head tilted to the side, when, upon hearing something pleasant, a carefree smile suddenly spread across her gentle face. Looking at her sweet, smiling face, He Ming's gaze softened even more. Love, like spring water, nourished his heart, and then blossomed into a joyful smile of doting affection on his lips.
"Brother Gu, so you've had girlfriends before! Then why are you still so impatient?"
"Cough... My girlfriend is waiting for me..."
At that moment, Gu Xufeng and Ye Xingzhi, engrossed in their conversation, were completely oblivious to He Ming's change in expression and continued chatting. It wasn't until He Ming left them behind and pushed open the door to enter the store that the two belatedly followed him.
"Hey, Lao He, wait a minute!"
"Brother, you went in without even calling us..."
The doorbell rang, and two men, caught up in conversation, sat down on either side of He Ming.
Gu Xufeng noticed the bag on He Ming's shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Old He, that bag looks really heavy. What's inside?"
"Camera," He Ming said succinctly.
"Really? You can't possibly be a photographer?" Gu Xufeng's voice rose involuntarily. "When we went out before, I never saw you take out your camera. Last time at the department dinner, a female colleague saw some pretty flowers and asked you to take a group photo, but you insisted that you had no aesthetic sense and couldn't take a good picture, so you just handed your phone to me."
He Ming crossed his long legs and replied nonchalantly, "The photos aren't very good, just some random shots."
“It’s not that my brother doesn’t know how to take pictures…” Ye Xingzhi, who was sitting to the side, finally couldn’t help but interject, “He just doesn’t want to. When he was in college, he carried his bag around everywhere and his landscape photos won several national photography awards.”
"You old He, you've been hiding it well!" Gu Xufeng said incredulously.
When he was exposed on the spot, He Ming wasn't angry. He smiled, which was taken as an admission.
"So... you brought him out today specifically for Liu Shuang to shoot?"
Ye Xingzhi interjected, "Is that even a question? They've brought out their treasures that have been gathering dust for ages. If they don't give them to Liu Shuang, are they going to give them to us?"
"That's true, that's true." Gu Xufeng nodded, clicking his tongue at He Ming, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I wouldn't have been able to imagine what it would be like for an iron tree like you to bloom..."
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