Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Is there a third option? I like you better.
The past few days have been very chaotic. After taking the medicine, Sheng Jianan and Jiang Chi sat on the sofa leisurely, watching a movie, chatting and laughing, and stayed together for the whole afternoon.
Towards evening, Sheng Jianan received a call from Jiang's mother, asking him to go to Nansi Mansion for dinner with Jiang Chi.
Nansi Mansion is a small garden villa with a long history and is also the best gathering place for wealthy ladies to have afternoon tea and dinner parties.
As soon as he heard Nansi Mansion, Sheng Jianan knew what this meal was for. After all, when they were young, Jiang's mother loved to take him out to show off. It was just that at that time he was just showing off that he was cute and likable. As he grew up, he started to show off that he was smart, sensible and a good student.
Compared with Sheng Jianan, Jiang Chi is often disliked by Jiang's mother at this time.
Walking into the elegant small western-style restaurant, Jiang Chi and Sheng Jianan were led into the private room by a waiter in a suit and vest. There were already quite a few people sitting inside. They were all wealthy ladies dressed in rich clothes, accompanied by children about the same age as Sheng Jianan.
As soon as they saw them come in, everyone at the table looked at them and several rich ladies immediately started praising them.
"I've said before that these two kids will charm a lot of girls when they grow up. Sure enough, they really are getting prettier as they grow older."
"I heard that you are studying at Xia University? You are good-looking and you are also good at studying. Do you have a lot of suitors in school?"
"I guess, since he's so handsome, he must be secretly in a relationship."
…
These flatteries greatly satisfied Jiang's mother's vanity, who had loved showing off her children since they were young. Upon hearing these words, she smiled and looked at the two children in the spotlight. Only at this time did she look at Jiang Chi with some liking.
After hearing their praises, Jiang Ma smiled and waved to Sheng Jianan and Jiang Chi, indicating the seat next to her: "Come, sit here."
Two tall boys walked over one after the other.
After they were seated, a wealthy lady across from them looked at Jiang Chi and then at Sheng Jianan, and said with a smile, "I haven't seen Jiang Chi for a while. As for Sheng Jianan, I caught a quick glimpse of her last time at Mr. Mi's birthday party. This child is exactly the same as before, good-looking and quiet. I heard that he is also very good at studying, and always ranks first in every exam?"
There was a boy who used to go to high school with them. Hearing this, he smiled and agreed, "Yes, we went to high school together. He was a very good student and had many suitors. But he couldn't get any of them."
"Why can't you catch him?" Mrs. Fu asked with a smile, "Is there no one you like?"
The boy glanced at Jiang Chi, smiled meaningfully, and then said, "I don't know, maybe his family won't allow it."
"That's right, don't talk nonsense outside." Mrs. Fu nodded in agreement. After a brief pause, he pretended to remember something, tilted his head to look at Jiang's mother, and asked tentatively with a smile, "By the way, I wanted to ask you last time, has your family found a partner for Jia Nan?"
Generally speaking, when wealthy families like them meet someone who is suitable and of equal status, they will take the initiative to arrange a marriage for their younger generations. Otherwise, we are afraid that these children will go out and date people who are not suitable for them when they grow up.
Although Sheng Jianan is not the biological child of the Jiang family, he grew up with Jiang Chi. The two children are as close as one, just like real brothers. In addition, Mr. Jiang and Jiang’s parents all like him very much and treat him as their own child.
Besides, Sheng Jianan himself is also outstanding, so the rich lady thought again and again and wanted to introduce her niece to him. This way, her family wouldn't suffer any loss, and the two families could also establish a closer relationship. When her daughter grows up a little, maybe she can rely on Sheng Jianan's relationship to develop a relationship with Jiang Chi.
Although their family's conditions are not as good as the Jiang family's, they can still be considered a good match.
Hearing this, Jiang's mother paused slightly and subconsciously glanced at the two children beside her. His eyes lingered on Jiang Chi for a moment, then glanced at Sheng Jianan, who was eating quietly with his eyes lowered, and said with a smile: "No, our family doesn't have any requirements for them to find a partner, it's up to them."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Fu felt that there was hope and smiled. After a brief pause, she seized the opportunity, patted her niece on the back, and said, "Hey, if not, I was just thinking of introducing my niece to Jianan. My niece has been quiet and good at studying since she was a child. I thought before that their personalities are quite compatible and they will definitely be able to chat. I'll introduce them to each other if there's a chance."
After a short pause, she smiled and said, "I saw him at Mr. Mi's last time and wanted to find Jia Nan, but then I didn't see him for some reason. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that we bumped into each other this time."
Hearing this, Sheng Jianan subconsciously raised his head, and his eyes happened to meet the girl opposite him. The girl glanced at him secretly, her cheeks slightly red, and after making eye contact with him, she quickly lowered her head...
Before Sheng Jianan could look away, a hand reached out from the side, grabbed the hand on his leg, and gently pinched his fingers, as if it was just for fun, but also like a silent warning.
Sheng Jianan turned her head and saw that Jiang Chi looked unhappy, with his eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth curled up in an emotionless arc. He leaned lazily on the chair and probably didn't even have the mood to eat.
They had attended such occasions quite often in the past, but they were young at that time and no elders had ever discussed such issues with them. Now that they are older, it seems that people in all occasions have started to care about the topic of their love life.
After a short silence, Jiang's mother smiled and said, "They are all in college. We can't interfere with such matters. Let them be. If they meet someone they like, they can talk to him/her. We don't have any concept of equal status."
"No matter how well-matched they are, they can't compare to your family anyway." At this time, someone smiled and flattered.
When Mrs. Fu heard this, her face suddenly turned pale and she glanced at the person who was speaking.
She could still understand what he said, which was implicitly saying that she was trying to marry someone above her station. But she didn't care, opportunities were always reserved for those who were prepared.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Jiang Chi and Sheng Jianan opposite her. After looking at it for a while, he became more and more satisfied. He smiled and asked Sheng Jianan: "Jia Nan, you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend now, right? If not, you can add Xiao Jia on WeChat first. If you can get along well, you can chat. If not, we can just be friends."
Sheng Jianan was lowering his eyes, watching Jiang Chi playing with his fingers. Before he could react, he heard a faint laugh from the side.
This laugh seemed like a foreshadowing. Sure enough, the next second Jiang Chi said, "I think your niece is not very old, right?"
Seeing that it was Jiang Chi who was speaking, Mrs. Fu immediately smiled and said, "Yes, I am a senior in high school now, in Xiacheng."
"Senior year." Jiang Chi read it slowly, seeming to find it funny. "She's not even an adult yet, are you so anxious to find a partner for her?"
This time, Mrs. Fu finally heard Jiang Chi's unfriendly tone. She paused, glanced at Sheng Jianan, and her smile faded a little: "It's not like looking for a date. I just want them to get to know each other first. If it's a good match, wait until Xiaojia graduates from high school and let her take the entrance exam for Xia University. Then the two of them will have a chance to develop."
"I think everyone knows how crucial the third year of high school is, right?" Jiang Chi said, "And as her elder and parent, you let her distract herself from developing a relationship at this time..."
Jiang Chi smiled: "Do you think that falling in love will bring more benefits than getting into a good university?"
This time, the rich lady's face was completely expressionless.
Although what Jiang Chi said was correct, the girl was innocent. After all, every family has one or two weird relatives.
So Sheng Jianan grabbed his hand and interrupted, "I don't have any thoughts of falling in love for the time being. At this stage, I still want to focus on studying."
He paused and looked at the girl who lowered her head. She really seemed to be too quiet and shy. If you live with such a strong aunt for a long time, you will inevitably develop this kind of personality.
"If you're willing, you can add me on WeChat first. If you want to apply to Xia University in the future, you can come to me if you have any questions."
Hearing this, Jiang Chi immediately pinched his little finger.
Although he was very unhappy, he knew Sheng Jianan's style of doing things and would never offend others. Especially girls.
Although the methods are different, it is good to achieve the same result. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Fu hurriedly pushed her niece's arm and asked her to add Sheng Jianan on WeChat. As long as she had the contact information, she would not have to worry about the opportunity to develop relationships with the Jiang family in the future.
The little niece looked at her reluctantly, then looked at Sheng Jianan and Jiang Chi.
She could see that Jiang Chi and Sheng Jianan had a special relationship, especially when her aunt said she wanted to introduce her to Sheng Jianan. Jiang Chi looked at them with cold and heavy eyes, as if he was always on guard against others stealing his treasure.
The little niece didn't want to make herself look awkward and annoying, so after much hesitation, she boldly rejected her aunt's request for the first time.
"The teacher said that this stage is very critical for us." My little niece whispered, "I still want to get into a good university and don't want to be distracted."
Mrs. Fu looked at her for a long time, and finally turned her eyes away in disappointment.
Jiang Chi's lips curled up in a satisfied arc.
No one can snatch Sheng Jianan away from him. The person who can snatch Sheng Jianan away from him does not exist in this world!
Probably to make amends and ease the embarrassment, Mrs. Fu forced a smile and said, "Jiang Chi is right. This is indeed something I didn't consider carefully."
After that, she turned to Sheng Jianan and said, "It's okay. I know a lot of friends whose daughters are almost the same as Jianan, and there's also Xia Da. I'll introduce one to Jianan when the time comes."
Jiang Chi: “…”
Hearing this, Sheng Jianan smiled insincerely, turned his head and saw that Jiang Chi's face was full of excitement.
-
After returning to school, Jiang Chi took Sheng Jianan to see their house when he had no classes in the evening. It's still under renovation, but the progress is very fast. I guess they will be able to move in after some time.
After looking at the house, the two returned to Xia University and prepared to find a restaurant to eat.
When Jiang Chi looked up, he saw a familiar restaurant, smiled, and suggested: "How about going to the restaurant you and your senior sister ate at?"
"It seems from what you said," Jiang Chi paused slightly and raised his voice slightly, "It tastes good?"
"Yeah, it's good." Sheng Jianan nodded, "You can go if you want to eat, the staple food is also very delicious."
Not getting a satisfactory answer, Jiang Chi looked at him and laughed meaningfully.
The two walked into the restaurant and there was only one empty seat by the window, which happened to be where Sheng Jianan and Gu Panyu sat last time.
Jiang Chi laughed sarcastically again and sat lazily on the swing chair opposite: "It's quite predestined."
Sheng Jianan: “…”
Sheng Jianan had seen his weird look many times before, so she simply didn't bother to pay attention to him. The food here was very much to his taste, and he ordered a few dishes that he had thought were good last time.
After ordering, Sheng Jianan handed the menu to Jiang Chi and said, "Take a look at what you want to eat."
"You order." Jiang Chi looked into his eyes and said with a smile, "You've eaten it before, so you have experience."
Sheng Jianan: “…”
After ordering the food, Sheng Jianan drank freshly squeezed orange juice and watched the students of Xia University coming and going outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Suddenly I felt that his mood seemed different from before.
Ever since Jiang Chi's birthday, Sheng Jianan clearly felt that the yoke on his shoulders had been lightened a lot. Although he believed that he had never let the novel's predetermined ending affect his life over the past decade, that shadow was still invisible, placing a heavy burden on him, following him everywhere and making it difficult to detect.
So when the burden left, it didn't give him too obvious a feeling, but Sheng Jianan could still feel those subtle changes.
When eating, he was more focused on the food itself, as if he could suddenly appreciate the enjoyment that delicious food brought. It is easier to paint, and I can immerse myself in the painting better to perfectly express and present the process of people or things. Walking in the bustling and noisy campus, he suddenly felt a complete sense of integration. This would be where he would live for the next few years.
This time his future is in his hands.
He doesn't know his own ending, but he truly controls his own destiny and lives in this world truly.
Jiang Chi propped up his arm, holding half of his face with one hand, and looked at Sheng Jianan's sparkling eyes. Looking at it from this angle, his eyelashes were clear and distinct, making Jiang Chi want to pluck them.
In fact, every time Sheng Jianan fell asleep in front of him, Jiang Chi would be so eager to pull out his eyelashes. Of course, it was just a thought, he couldn't bear to do that at all. He would just count over and over again, counting how many eyelashes Sheng Jianan had.
Although he couldn't count them all, he never got tired of it. Jiang Chi felt that just by looking at Sheng Jianan's face he could live forever.
"Sheng Nannan." Jiang Chi called out with a smile on his face.
"Hmm?" Sheng Jianan withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at him.
"Give me some orange juice." Jiang Chi said.
Sheng Jianan glanced at his barely touched peach soda and handed him the orange juice: "Is your soda not tasty?"
"It doesn't taste good." Jiang Chi said with disdain, "Would you like to have a sip?"
"Hmm." Sheng Jianan stretched out his hand, "Let me have a taste."
He’s also been into peach flavor lately.
Jiang Chi handed it to him.
Taking the cup, Sheng Jianan took two sips through the straw, and his mouth was immediately filled with the taste of peach. It’s not bad, not as bad as Jiang Chi said.
Seeing that he had finished drinking, Jiang Chi also put down the orange juice and asked, "How is it?"
"It's OK." Sheng Jianan said, "I think it tastes good."
"Really?" Jiang Chi smiled and took the soda from him, "Let me try it again."
Jiang Chi never uses a straw when drinking water because it is never enough. But Sheng Jianan's cup came with a straw. Sometimes when he saw Sheng Jianan sipping water, just like a kitten, he doubted whether Sheng Jianan could really drink much water.
Maybe he really couldn't drink much, so Sheng Jianan liked to hold his water cup as soon as he arrived at the dormitory, and she was much more diligent than holding him.
Despite this, Jiang Chi still drank water from Sheng Jianan's cup every time, using a straw and drinking it laboriously sip by sip. Seeing that he had trouble drinking, Sheng Jianan wanted to buy him a water cup, but he refused on the grounds that it "takes up space and is troublesome."
After taking a few sips through the straw, Jiang Chi sighed in satisfaction and said, "Sheng Nannan, how can you be so sweet?"
"Once you drink it, even the soda becomes sweet." Jiang Chi looked at him and said.
Sheng Jianan: “…”
Seeing him blink and lower his eyelashes, Jiang Chi smiled, stopped teasing him, and got down to business.
"How is the house? Are you satisfied?" Jiang Chi asked.
"Yeah." Sheng Jianan sipped his orange juice and nodded, "The decoration style is very elegant."
Jiang Chi raised the corners of his lips and looked at him straight: "It's decorated according to your favorite style."
Jiang Chi had mentioned it before, and Sheng Jianan could also see it. This was the style that Sheng Jianan had said he wanted when they talked about it in high school. I just didn't expect that a casual remark like that would be remembered by Jiang Chi until now.
"Do you want to move there next semester?" Jiang Chi asked again.
Sheng Jianan raised his eyes and looked at him.
"It will be almost finished in about a month." Jiang Chi said, "It will be ventilated and ready for moving in next semester. Do you want to live here?"
This is a question worth pondering. Sheng Jianan pursed his lips around the straw and lowered his eyes in thought.
After all, there are two roommates in the dormitory, so it is a public place, which has some restrictions on Jiang Chi. If he really moved out, without roommates and without the constraints of his parents, it was hard for him to imagine what Jiang Chi would do. He might really want to stick with him all the time.
Especially when I think of his excessive demands, such as lying on the bed and letting him do whatever he wants...
As soon as Jiang Chi heard it, he didn't think much.
Just thinking about it made Sheng Jianan feel overwhelmed.
Thinking about it this way, it is still safer to live at home and in school.
"We'll talk about it when the time comes." Sheng Jianan bit the straw and said ambiguously.
Jiang Chi looked at him, then at the straw in his mouth, tapped the table with one finger boredly, and smiled: "Okay."
Anyway, my daily life is not as good as a straw that can be bitten by Sheng Jianan over and over again.
-
After dinner, Jiang Chi had just paid the bill when he looked up and saw an acquaintance.
Then Sheng Jianan called out politely, "Senior."
What a fate, Jiang Chi thought. Could it be that just saying it's fate is so weird?
"Hello, junior, what a coincidence." Gu Panyu said in surprise. She hesitated for a moment, glanced at Jiang Chi, said something to a few female classmates beside her, and walked to Sheng Jianan, "I wanted to look for you, but I was embarrassed to disturb you."
"It's okay." Sheng Jianan probably knew what she was talking about and said, "If you have anything, you can always come to me."
Perhaps this sentence was too polite. The moment it fell, Gu Panyu suddenly felt a gaze coming from the other side.
Then she heard Jiang Chi laugh and say, "Thanks to senior sister, I was able to find you so quickly this time. How about we find a time to treat senior sister to a meal?"
Even now, Sheng Jianan still feels a little embarrassed when he hears about him "running away from home". Although he really was trying to escape, it was obvious that others found it difficult to understand.
"...Senior, are you free?" Sheng Jianan said, "Let's treat you to a meal."
Gu Panyu hesitated for a moment and glanced at Jiang Chi: "...I think so."
"Okay." Jiang Chi said with a smile, "Senior sister, it's up to you what you want to eat. Just tell me directly on WeChat."
"...Okay." Gu Panyu nodded reluctantly.
Although he really wanted to be friends with Sheng Jianan, this was probably the burden of being friends with a handsome guy.
-
When I returned to the dormitory, it was already late and my two roommates had not returned yet. Sheng Jianan went to take a shower first.
After coming out of the shower, he saw Jiang Chi sitting lazily on a chair with a listless expression on his face. This is a rare thing under normal circumstances.
Logically speaking, no matter how unhappy Jiang Chi is, as soon as he comes out, Jiang Chi will immediately focus all his attention on him.
"What's wrong with you?" Sheng Jianan wiped his hair casually, hung the towel around his neck, and sat down at the table. I saw the phone lit up on the table, with several messages displayed on the screen.
All from the same person.
Miller.
In recent days, Mile would send him messages every night, but there was no substantive content, just idle chat.
This made Sheng Jianan feel a little puzzled.
Sheng Jianan looked at his last question and politely typed a reply:
[Sheng Jianan: Not yet, I’m getting ready for bed]
[Mi Le: Oh, I thought Jiang Chi didn’t let you reply to my message [laughing and crying]]
[Mi Le: I heard that he is very strict with you]
Sheng Jianan paused.
Just as he was wondering about Mile's intention, a pair of hands put their arms around his shoulders from behind. Jiang Chi's voice was close to his ear, low and deep: "What are you thinking about? So serious. This Mi Le?"
“…No.” Sheng Jianan didn’t know how to reply, so he simply locked his phone.
For a relationship as unfamiliar as theirs, Mile's question itself was beyond the point of being serious.
However, as soon as he put it down, the phone started vibrating again. Sheng Jianan immediately felt that Jiang Chi's temper had dropped, and it seemed that he was indeed holding back his temper.
Sheng Jianan opened his phone and unexpectedly, it was Gu Panyu this time.
[Gu Panyu: Junior, why don’t we just forget about eating?]
[Gu Panyu: Our club is going out for sketching recently. We didn’t have the chance last time. Do you want to come this time? 】
[Gu Panyu: I saw that you really wanted to go last time, so I told you so.]
[Gu Panyu: The scenery at this location is also nice, if you are busy, forget it]
Mi Le, Gu Panyu...
His mother also said that she would give Sheng Jianan freedom and let him make more friends. He gave it, what was the result? All of these freedoms were built on his pain and sacrifice.
After a while, I'm afraid that Zhang San and Li Si will both come out.
Jiang Chi was so angry that he almost laughed: "In just these ten minutes, your phone was busier than my dad's."
"..." Sheng Jianan thought for a moment and raised his head, "Are you going?"
Jiang Chi looked down at him: "Do you want to go?"
Sheng Jianan nodded.
They have been together since childhood, and Jiang Chi has always stubbornly believed that he is his. This idea was too deeply rooted, and Sheng Jianan felt that it was necessary to find an opportunity to stimulate him.
Sketching is a good choice.
"Sure." Jiang Chi smiled lightly, and said casually, "If you want to go, go ahead."
Hearing this, Sheng Jianan lowered his head and replied to Gu Panyu, while Jiang Chi leaned on his shoulder and watched.
When he finished, Jiang Chi hugged him tighter, put his lips close to his ears, and said in a low voice: "Mi Le and Gu Panyu, who do you like more?"
Sheng Jianan paused, turned his head, and saw that Jiang Chi's lips were curved with an indescribable arc and the emotion in his eyes was a little dull. Based on Sheng Jianan's understanding of him, he could tell that Jiang Chi must be in a very unhappy mood at this moment.
After thinking for a while, Sheng Jianan said seriously: "Is there a third option? I like you better."
*
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