Chapter 68 No one in the whole world is better than you...
Receiving her questioning gaze, Chen Yubai shifted his eyes slightly, casually brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead, and said in his usual nonchalant tone, "I've given almost everything I could before, and I really can't think of anything else to give this year."
He paused, a barely perceptible awkwardness in his voice: "I was just casually scrolling through my phone and saw that preserved flowers seem to be quite popular among girls lately."
Upon hearing this, the tiny ripple that had inexplicably risen in Peng Chengyi's heart subsided silently, like a bubble gently punctured by a needle, leaving behind a slightly damp trace.
“Oh…” She lowered her eyelashes, looking at the roses that would never wither in the glass dome, and responded softly, her voice tinged with a subtle sense of loss that she herself was unaware of.
A subtle quiet filled the air, with only the occasional chirping of birds coming from outside the window.
Chen Yubai's fingertips unconsciously tightened, gripping the small bass keychain tightly in his palm, the sharp edges of the metal digging into the skin of his hand.
"So," he suddenly broke the silence, "do you like it?"
“I like it,” Peng Chengyi looked up almost immediately, a sweet smile blooming on her face, as if the ripples of disappointment from just moments ago had never existed. “It is indeed quite beautiful, no wonder it’s so popular.”
She paused, then added, seemingly trying to cover up her misunderstanding, "Besides, your preserved flowers and my stainless steel are similar in spirit! They both symbolize enduring friendship and never deteriorating!"
"..." Chen Yubai paused, remained silent for a moment, and then let out a very soft laugh.
The laughter was short and abrupt, making it impossible to discern any specific emotion.
"Hmm, similar in purpose." He replied lazily, grabbed the sweater hanging on the back of the chair, and stood up from the bed. "I need to change. You can go out first, see you downstairs later."
"Oh, okay!" Peng Chengyi nodded, quickly hugged the bottle of preserved flowers in his arms, and hurriedly left his room.
-
At this birthday party, everyone was someone she knew well. Peng Chengyi held the microphone and sang her heart out.
By the time the event ended, dusk had fallen, and the streetlights gradually came on, casting warm yellow halos of light.
As soon as she reached the bus stop, Peng Chengyi's phone vibrated slightly in her pocket. She took it out and saw a new WeChat message pop up on the screen.
Ke Xingjian: "Are you home?"
Peng Chengyi quickly took off her gloves and replied to her phone by tapping on the screen: "Not yet, waiting for the car."
Ke Xingjian: "Oh, then let me know when you get home, and I'll bring you a gift."
Peng Chengyi paused, her finger hovering above the screen, and asked uncertainly, "You mean you'll deliver it in person?"
Ke Xingjian: "Otherwise what?"
Peng Chengyi: "I thought you would send a package..."
Ke Xingjian: "It's not far, there's no need to bother the courier."
He paused for a few seconds, then added, "Besides, I haven't seen you since the holiday started, and I kind of want to see you."
This blunt remark left Peng Chengyi momentarily at a loss. She pursed her lips, hesitating about how to reply.
Chen Yubai glanced at her lit-up phone screen and asked casually, "Who are you talking to?"
Peng Chengyi subconsciously tilted her phone screen slightly to the side and mumbled, "It's Senior Ke..."
She hesitated for a moment, then skipped over the part about him: "He's wishing me a happy birthday."
"Oh," Chen Yubai replied, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.
He lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath his eyes: "The car's here, stop talking."
Peng Chengyi looked up at the bus that was pulling into the station, hurriedly typed "OK" on the screen and sent it, then turned off the screen and stuffed her phone back into the large pocket of her down jacket.
The bus was crowded but warm. The two boarded one after the other, swiped their cards, and barely found a place to stand in the middle of the bus.
The vehicle started, and the street scene outside the window began to flow.
Peng Chengyi's phone seemed to vibrate slightly again in her pocket. She subconsciously glanced at the boy beside her. He was holding onto the handrail with one hand and casually put the other hand in his coat pocket. His gaze was fixed on the rapidly receding neon lights outside the window, and his profile appeared even more angular in the flickering light.
Although his attention wasn't on her, a strange, guilty feeling made her choose to ignore the messages on her phone.
Two stops later, some people got off, making the space a little more spacious. Chen Yubai suddenly spoke, his voice low, almost drowned out by the noise of the carriage, yet clearly reaching her ears: "He just wished you a happy birthday? Didn't he give you a gift?"
Peng Chengyi's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm and raised her eyes: "...What's it to you?"
"So you can only rely on Zheng Xinyue to vet the best candidates?" He looked down at the swaying floor of the carriage, his voice flat, revealing no emotion. "I've been friends with you longer than she has, haven't I?"
These words were like a hard object stuck in Peng Chengyi's throat, leaving her momentarily speechless. After a long while, she finally found her voice, which was filled with both helplessness and a desire to refute: "That's because you always look at Ke Xingjian with prejudice! Every time I mention him, don't you always say things with a veiled barb?"
Chen Yubai was silent for a few seconds, his fingers clenching tightly on the handrail, his knuckles turning slightly white. He turned his head to the side and answered calmly, his voice muffled by the announcements inside the train: "I'm just stating an objective fact. Do you really need to defend him like this?"
"I wasn't defending him at all!" Peng Chengyi was almost amused by his attempt to shift the blame. "I was just stating objective facts, okay? He really is a nice person; he even helped me highlight key points and explain problems for the final exam..."
"I've taken care of you a little bit, and you praise me like an angel." He snorted coldly, then looked out the window, his voice tinged with an indescribable bitterness. "I've taken care of you quite a bit, haven't I? Why have I never heard you praise me so enthusiastically?"
Peng Chengyi: "..."
Has this dog been lacking in compliments lately?
Why are you suddenly so concerned about this?
Too lazy to argue with him any longer, she simply brushed him off with a few perfunctory words: "...Okay, okay, you're the best! The best! Nobody in the whole world is better than you, alright? Mr. Chen, the great philanthropist?"
"Not putting your heart into it." He commented casually, his voice low and lacking in force, yet strangely revealing a hint of seriousness.
"..." Peng Chengyi's lips twitched. She wanted to retort immediately, but she stopped when she turned her head and saw his expression.
He was still looking out the window, but the lines of his profile were stiffer than usual. His lips were slightly pursed, and his usually nonchalant eyes drooped, revealing an indescribable sense of loneliness.
Like a large dog whose attention has been taken away but who refuses to back down, stubborn and aggrieved.
She suddenly remembered the subtle sadness and bitterness she felt when Zheng Xinyue and her new friends from the liberal arts class were inseparable.
The words of rebuttal that were on the tip of my tongue, like a thorn that had just been pulled out, were silently retracted.
She took a soft breath, her voice softening unconsciously, and with an unprecedented seriousness, she tried to comfort him: "Don't worry, no matter how good Ke Xingjian is, it can't shake your position in my heart. You are still my best friend."
Chen Yubai lowered his eyes and smiled, a very soft sound, like a piece of paper being brushed by the wind, its meaning somewhat ambiguous.
Thinking he didn't believe her, Peng Chengyi sighed and simply offered what she considered her most convincing bargaining chip: "Actually, he originally wanted to come to my birthday party today. But I know you don't really like him, so I turned him down. Isn't that enough?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yubai paused for a moment. Then he slowly turned his head, his gaze slowly falling on her face. The light from the carriage's overhead lamp swept across his eyes, revealing a hint of unconcealed hesitation.
After a long pause, a faint smile finally appeared on his lips, which he quickly suppressed, but his tone softened considerably, carrying a hint of barely perceptible pleasure: "At least you still have some conscience."
"I've always had a good conscience, okay?" Peng Chengyi pouted, but seeing his expression soften, the pent-up anger in her chest dissipated as well.
-
Upon arriving home, the warm yellow light in the entryway dispelled the chill of the hallway.
Peng Chengyi put down the various gift bags in her hands, and only then did she have a moment to take out her phone and glance at Ke Xingjian's message to her—
"I'll head out now, I'll be there in about half an hour."
She was taken aback and quickly glanced at the time the message was sent; almost half an hour had passed since then!
A sudden, inexplicable sense of tension gripped her. Without even changing her shoes, she went inside and hurriedly tidied her hair, which had been somewhat disheveled by her scarf, in front of the small mirror in the entryway.
"Chengcheng? Why haven't you come in yet after being back for so long?" Zhou Lifen's voice came from the living room, accompanied by lively sounds from the television.
Almost simultaneously, Peng Chengyi's phone, which she was holding in her palm, vibrated slightly again, and a new message popped up—
Ke Xingjian: "I'm downstairs."
Not wanting Zhou Lifen to know about Ke Xingjian's existence, Peng Chengyi's excuse almost came out off the cuff, her voice rising a half-octave higher than usual due to a hint of panic: "I... I left a gift with Chen Yubai! I'll go out and get it, I'll be back in a bit!"
As she spoke, she turned around hastily, pulled open the door, and with a gust of cold wind, nimbly darted out, leaving only the soft sound of the door hinges turning.
"This kid... he's in college now, and he's still so forgetful." Zhou Lifen looked at the suddenly empty doorway, shook her head helplessly, and complained to Peng Weiguo beside her.
A chilly breeze swept through the stairwell, carrying with it the faint smell of gunpowder from firecrackers. Peng Chengyi jogged downstairs, only slowing down as she exited the stairwell.
Not far away, under the dim streetlights, Ke Xingjian stood quietly under the sycamore tree whose leaves had all fallen.
He was wearing a warm-looking dark wool coat, with a gray plaid scarf around his neck. He stood tall and straight, with a cool halo of light falling on his shoulders.
The night breeze lifted a few strands of soft black hair from his forehead, revealing his handsome features.
In his arms, he held a bouquet of roses as deep blue as the Milky Way. The color of the flowers was serene yet dazzling, forming a stark contrast with the desolation of winter. Each petal was full and dewy, as if it had gathered the starlight of the night sky, still blooming proudly in the cold wind.
Unexpectedly, the birthday gift he prepared was also flowers, and such a grand and stunning bouquet at that. Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, and then became a little nervous for no reason.
Seemingly hearing her approach, Ke Xingjian looked up, smiled slightly at her, and his breath softened the sharp lines of his jaw.
"Happy birthday, junior." He stepped forward and handed her the bouquet of vibrant roses he was carrying.
“…Thank you, senior.” Peng Chengyi hurriedly accepted the heavy bouquet of roses with their cool stems, the rich fragrance instantly enveloping her.
She barely dared to look down closely, and could only feign composure as she tried to find a topic of conversation, her gaze drifting to the side: "Um... have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet." Ke Xingjian's lips curled slightly, his tone seemingly joking yet carrying a hint of seriousness. "What, are you inviting me upstairs to eat together?"
His gaze rested quietly on her face, without any coercion, yet so gentle that it left her nowhere to escape, as if he were secretly trying to find out her feelings.
Peng Chengyi's breath hitched, her ears burning instantly, wishing she could take back what she had just said. She gave a stiff smile, stammering, "Ah...no, no, my family...we've already eaten..."
Her mind raced, afraid the atmosphere would get awkward, so she quickly came up with a suitable solution: "But... I can treat you to cake! There's a dessert shop nearby that's pretty good, why don't you try it?"
Ke Xingjian watched her slightly flustered yet trying-to-make amends, and the smile in his eyes deepened. He nodded, his tone still gentle: "Alright, it's the birthday girl's treat, I can't refuse."
Peng Chengyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, holding the overly dazzling bouquet of roses in her arms as if she were holding a heavy, fragrant nebula, and hurriedly took a step forward.
Completely unaware, the curtains behind that all-too-familiar second-floor window moved almost imperceptibly.
A silent figure quietly disappeared behind the curtain, leaving only the blurry silhouette of the old sycamore tree's withered branches outside the window, and a suddenly empty windowpane.
-
The dessert shop was brightly lit, and the warm, sweet aroma contrasted sharply with the biting winter outside, like a sweet and dreamy bubble separated by glass.
The dazzling bouquet of Ecuadorian Galaxy roses in Peng Chengyi's arms was too eye-catching, and Ke Xingjian, who stood beside her, was tall and had a gentle and outstanding temperament. As soon as the two entered the room, they attracted many curious or envious glances.
Those gazes, like tiny needles, gently pricked Peng Chengyi's back, making her quite uncomfortable, and even her ears felt slightly hot.
She lowered her head and hurriedly pointed to her favorite strawberry cream cake in the counter, her voice even lower than usual: "Please have this, thank you."
"Okay, would you like it to go or dine in?" the clerk asked with a smile.
"Pack it up!" Peng Chengyi blurted out. She couldn't stand the subtle stares from those around her and just wanted to get away from this overly bright focal point as soon as possible.
"Aren't you going to eat with me?" Ke Xingjian, who was beside her, turned his face and looked down at her. His voice was filled with disappointment and doubt, and his gentle gaze was like a soft net that gently enveloped her.
"Um... I have something to do tonight..." Peng Chengyi's eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact, her voice betraying her guilt.
"What is it?" Ke Xingjian didn't ask any further questions as usual, but instead raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice carrying a subtle insistence, as if he absolutely had to get an answer tonight.
Peng Chengyi pursed her lips, racking her brains to come up with a reasonable excuse, when a familiar young voice suddenly rang out behind her, casual yet deep.
"She has to sing with the band tonight, so she doesn't have time to eat cake with you here."
Peng Chengyi was startled and turned around abruptly.
Chen Yubai appeared behind the two of them at some point, still carrying the chill of the outside air. He casually carried a convenience store plastic bag in his hand, which seemed to contain a few bottles of drinks.
His gaze swept lightly over Ke Xingjian, finally settling on the bouquet of blue roses in Peng Chengyi's arms. His eyes darkened almost imperceptibly before returning to their usual nonchalant state, as if he were merely stating a perfectly natural fact.
"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Ke Xingjian turned his head to look at Peng Chengyi, his gentle gaze carrying a hint of inquiry, as if he needed to get the final confirmation from her.
"Hmm..." Peng Chengyi felt the curious and envious gazes around her becoming even more scorching, almost piercing through her. She didn't have time to think about why Chen Yubai would appear here so coincidentally. She just wanted to escape this suffocating center of attention as soon as possible, so she hurriedly nodded, "That's how it is."
"So, I'm sorry, senior..." She gave an awkward laugh, took the packaged cake from the shop assistant, and handed it to him.
Ke Xingjian held the small cake box in his hand and looked at her silently for a moment. A very faint and elusive emotion seemed to flash across his always smiling eyes.
In the end, he simply shrugged indifferently, a polite smile playing on his lips: "What a pity."
Those three light words, like a feather, gently brushed against my heart, bringing a subtle, indescribable sense of melancholy.
Peng Chengyi's heart tightened, and almost instinctively she hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, raising her voice slightly with obvious urgency: "Um! Wait, wait until we get back to school! We can arrange another time to eat together!"
"Okay." Ke Xingjian smiled and replied quickly, as if the momentary gloom he had just felt had never existed.
His gaze seemingly casually swept over Chen Yubai, who remained silent but whose eyes held a slightly darkened expression, before he gently bid her farewell: "Then I'll go home first."
"Okay, bye-bye, senior." Peng Chengyi waved back.
Stepping out of the dessert shop, the cool, fresh air instantly filled my lungs, taking away the suffocating stares from strangers.
Peng Chengyi couldn't help but let out a long, silent breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Holding the flowers, she turned around and looked at the boy beside her who exuded a gloomy aura from beginning to end. She frowned in confusion and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Chen Yubai turned his head to the side, and the light from the street lamp cast a small shadow on his high nose.
He shook the inconspicuous convenience store plastic bag in his hand, the plastic bottles clinking together slightly, and said lazily, "I came out to buy a drink and happened to see someone standing in the store holding such a huge, eye-catching bunch of stuff."
"..." Peng Chengyi's lips twitched, and she couldn't help but retort, "Where is it dazzling? These flowers are so beautiful! I think you're just jealous that I have people pursuing me, but you don't."
"He confessed to you?" Chen Yubai paused, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. His voice was emotionless, as if asking casually, yet it carried a subtle tension.
“…No, not at all,” Peng Chengyi choked for half a second, then straightened her neck and tried to make her words sound more confident, “But he gave me such special flowers! Isn’t that… kind of… kind of meaning?”
"Heh," Chen Yubai let out a short snort, clearly dismissing her reasoning, "Didn't I send you flowers too?"
"..." Peng Chengyi was completely speechless. She opened her mouth, but found that she could not find any reason to refute it.
A strange sense of irritation and confusion welled up inside her. She glared at him and, in a fit of pique, hugged the flowers in her arms even tighter, the petals almost brushing against her chin.
Chen Yubai glanced down at her sullen face, which was almost buried in the flowers, and sighed almost inaudibly.
“Well, I’m jealous of you, okay?” He softened his tone, his voice carrying a rare, almost self-deprecating concession. “After all, I didn’t receive a single bouquet of flowers, just a stainless steel keychain.”
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi's pent-up resentment deflated instantly, like a balloon punctured by a needle, leaving only a slight, awkward feeling.
She pursed her lips, remained silent for a while, and then carefully selected the most fully bloomed, deepest blue, and most radiant rose from the magnificent bouquet in her arms. With a touch of solemnity, she presented it to him.
“Here,” her voice was much softer than before, with a hint of coaxing, “I’ll give you one, so you’ll have a flower too.”
Chen Yubai paused for a moment, then a half-smile curved his lips: "Again, trying to use someone else's flowers to offer to Buddha?"
"Who told you to be such a difficult Buddha to serve, and so petty?" Peng Chengyi raised her face, blinked, and her eyes gleamed with a cunning and bright light, like stars falling into the sky. "I can only treat you well."
"Who's being petty?" He chuckled, but still reached out and took the rose. His fingertips brushed against the back of her hand, a fleeting cool sensation passing by.
He glanced down at the overly vibrant blue in his palm, then suddenly lifted his eyelids and looked at her leisurely: "So, according to the logic of someone giving flowers earlier, does this count as you pursuing me?"
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Author's Note: [Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn]
Thank you to Ayaya, Soleil, Sunshine, Wang Xiaoxiaoxie, and XUANER for providing the nutrient solution!
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