Chapter 76 My boyfriend and I broke up...
Seeing Chen Yubai raise an eyebrow in confusion, Peng Chengyi immediately realized she had overacted. But the play had already begun, so she could only grit her teeth and continue, pretending not to see his probing gaze, and turned to walk away.
Chen Yubai casually put his hands in his pockets, followed at a leisurely pace, and said in a voice with a hint of teasing, "Are you on steroids today?"
“No…” Peng Chengyi subconsciously pursed her lips, her heart pounding wildly. Her brain raced, and she managed to shift the blame to her studies, “It’s just that calculus is a bit difficult, and it’s been driving me crazy all afternoon.”
"Oh." He paused slightly, then added casually, "Why didn't you ask your senior, Ke, for help?"
Peng Chengyi's steps faltered, a chord deep within her heart was gently plucked, stirring subtle ripples.
She paused for two seconds, then finally couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Why do you keep bringing him up... are you that bothered by him?"
"Who cares about him?" Chen Yubai looked away, a slight sneer in his voice, as if trying to cover something up. "Just asking casually."
"Oh," Peng Chengyi responded softly, a vague sense of disappointment washing over her.
Neither of them spoke again for the rest of the way. Dusk gradually descended, and the streetlights lit up one by one, casting their shadows that appeared to grow longer and shorter.
In fact, they often had this kind of quiet time when they were alone in the past.
But the silence then was comfortable and pleasant, as if the air was light enough just by walking side by side.
But now, everything is subtly different. The same silence has suddenly become thick and oppressive, like an invisible tide pressing down on her chest.
Peng Chengyi couldn't help but try to make small talk with him, from tomorrow's weather to the new dishes in the cafeteria, clumsily trying to hide the turmoil in her heart.
Chen Yubai only hummed a few times, occasionally glancing at her with a half-smile, which made her feel even more guilty.
Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't far. When they arrived, Lin Qingying was already there.
She warmly greeted Peng Chengyi, pulled her to sit beside her, and began to inquire about her well-being.
It brought back a familiar feeling for her when she was at home, and her tense nerves gradually relaxed.
The meal quietly ended amidst the fragrant aroma of hot pot and relaxed conversation.
Lin Qingying glanced at her watch, picked up her bag apologetically, and said, "I have a consultation at the hospital tonight, I have to go now." She quickly paid the bill, patted Peng Chengyi's shoulder gently, and then hurriedly pushed open the door and left.
The lively atmosphere abruptly subsided with her departure. On the table, the warm yellow light cast dappled patterns of light on the remaining oil stains, and the bottom of the pot was still bubbling with faint steam, like lingering warmth that refused to dissipate.
Chen Yubai slowly stood up and asked casually, "Do you want to take a stroll to digest your food, or go straight back to the dorm?"
Peng Chengyi was zipping up her bag when she heard this, she paused, and said softly, "You go first, I have an appointment with Ke Xingjian."
As soon as he finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Chen Yubai's movements stiffened slightly. He glanced at her, his eyes darkening for a moment under the light, but quickly regained their composure. A faint smile curved his lips, and his tone floated lightly against the noisy background: "Fine, I'm leaving."
"Okay, bye-bye." Peng Chengyi didn't dare to look up, only staring at the corner of his clothes as he brushed past her.
Only after that tall, slender figure completely merged into the flowing crowd outside the door did she let out a soft breath, take out her phone from her pocket, open her chat window with Ke Xingjian, and quickly typed a line on the screen: "I'm done here."
Ke Xingjian's reply arrived almost instantly: "Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Peng Chengyi: "Hmm, no rush."
She slung her bag over her shoulder, pushed open the glass door of the restaurant, and walked to the lighthouse sign at the entrance. Neon lights flickered, red and blue alternating on her face. The evening breeze brushed against her temples, bringing a slightly cool dampness that made her heart flutter slightly.
Before long, Ke Xingjian's slender figure came into view. He walked quickly over, his face bearing his usual gentle smile: "Have you been waiting long?"
"It's okay, I just came out too." Peng Chengyi shook her head gently and walked side by side with him toward the school gate.
Neither of them noticed that a few steps away, in the heavy shadows, Chen Yubai, who had returned, stood quietly, his gaze fixed intently on the two of them.
Under the dim streetlights, his expression was almost indifferent, but deep in his eyes, a dark flame seemed to be burning silently.
He didn't say a word, but simply started walking, following at a distance that wasn't too close or too far, his shadow stretched long by the moonlight, silently embedded in the night.
-
As night deepened, the playground seemed shrouded in a pale blue veil. The rubber track gleamed damply in the moonlight, and the rhythmic footsteps of night runners echoed in the distance, creating a detached tranquility along with the silhouettes of couples cuddling in the stands.
Peng Chengyi walked silently beside Ke Xingjian, twisting the strap of her handbag repeatedly with her fingertips, as if it were the only outlet for her tension.
The evening breeze ruffled her hair, carrying the scent of grass and earth. She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and spoke, her voice trembling slightly: "I want to tell you something."
Ke Xingjian turned his head, his gentle gaze falling on her face: "What is it?"
“Let’s… forget it.” Peng Chengyi’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear. “I think… we’re not a good match.”
Ke Xingjian was stunned for a moment, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.
He stopped in his tracks, a barely perceptible hint of panic creeping into his usually calm voice: "Why? Was I too hasty? I'm sorry, yesterday... because you looked so adorable, I couldn't resist. We can take it slow next time..."
"No, it has nothing to do with last night." Peng Chengyi pursed her lips, her voice so soft it was almost blown away by the wind. "It's just that I just realized I don't seem to have that kind of... romantic feeling for you."
The air seemed to freeze, and the net hanging on the basketball hoop in the distance swayed gently in the wind.
Ke Xingjian's hands, hanging silently at his sides, clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white. The light in his eyes dimmed little by little, like extinguished stars, as he silently gazed at her.
The silence made Peng Chengyi even more nervous; she could almost hear her own heart pounding. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have agreed to you, and I shouldn't have been so greedy for your kindness, wasting your time..."
A silence stretched between them, seemingly lasting an eternity. Finally, Ke Xingjian spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "You don't need to apologize to me. I was willing to follow you before."
He paused, his gaze still lingering on her face, his eyes filled with reluctance and struggle: "But, since you don't mind me pursuing you, can we start over after today?"
Unexpectedly, he was so persistent. Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment before hardening her heart and saying, "Don't start over. Actually, I even feel a little awkward holding your hand..."
"It's alright, you're probably just not used to it yet. It'll be fine once you get to know each other." Ke Xingjian forced a smile, but his voice couldn't hide his stubbornness.
“It’s not that I’m not used to it!” Peng Chengyi hurriedly interrupted, afraid that he would still have expectations. “It’s just… there’s no way to train him.”
"Why?" Ke Xingjian stared at her, his gaze so deep it seemed to see right through her heart. "Do you already have someone you like? Is it Chen Yubai?"
These words struck her like a hammer blow, hitting her right in the heart. Peng Chengyi froze, her breath catching in her throat.
She shook her head frantically, her words coming out so fast they were almost frantic: "No! How could that be! He, he's my childhood friend..."
She wasn't deliberately trying to deceive Ke Xingjian; she simply didn't dare let anyone know her secret thoughts.
Ke Xingjian stared at her intently, as if trying to find some clue in her flickering eyes.
Peng Chengyi could only lower her eyes, not daring to look him in the eye. Her tightly clenched fingers almost sank into her palms, using the slight pain to maintain her outward calm.
After a long while, Ke Xingjian finally let out a soft sigh. The sigh was extremely light, yet it seemed to have taken away the last glimmer of light from his eyes.
“Okay.” His voice was as soft as a breeze about to dissipate. “I understand.”
Peng Chengyi gripped the strap of her handbag tightly with her fingertips, and lowered her head awkwardly: "I'm sorry..."
The evening breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, obscuring her eyes filled with remorse.
Ke Xingjian looked at her expression, and forced a smile, but it didn't really turn into a laugh. He just said helplessly, "These kinds of things can't be forced."
He glanced in the direction of the dormitory building and said, "It's getting late, let me take you back."
"No need, no need," Peng Chengyi quickly waved her hand, embarrassed, "Since we've already separated..."
"Just let me see you off one last time," Ke Xingjian interrupted her, his tone gentle yet firm.
Peng Chengyi's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't say anything more, only nodding slightly. The two walked out of the playground side by side, their footsteps particularly clear in the empty night.
In the shadows of the distant stands, a figure that had been sitting motionless for a long time finally moved.
Chen Yubai walked down the steps, his expression hidden in the night, making no sound. He simply followed quietly behind them, his steps restrained, like a silent shadow.
He only let out a heavy sigh when he saw the two stop downstairs at the girls' dormitory. There was no hug, no extra touching, just a simple nod of farewell. The pressure in his chest that had been building up for so long seemed to ease slightly.
Just as she was about to turn around and go back to the boys' dormitory across the street, she unexpectedly bumped into Zhou Haochen, who was returning from his evening class.
Zhou Haochen glanced at Chen Yubai, who had just emerged from the shadows of the trees below the girls' dormitory, and then looked at Ke Xingjian, who was walking away. A knowing smile appeared on his lips: "What's the difference between you and a stalker these past two days? I feel like if your childhood friend knew, he might call the police to arrest you."
Chen Yubai gave him a cold glance, her tone carrying a warning: "If you dare tell her, I'll poison you and make you mute."
"Don't worry, I won't tell." Zhou Haochen made an exaggerated gesture to seal his mouth, then changed the subject: "By the way, is the band rehearsing this Saturday? If not, I'm going out to play."
"Let me ask Peng Chengyi if he's free first," Chen Yubai said casually.
Zhou Haochen couldn't help but complain: "So why can't you create a band group?"
Chen Yubai: "Troublesome."
Zhou Haochen: "Wouldn't it be troublesome for her to relay the message if you asked her like this?"
Chen Yubai: "No trouble at all."
Zhou Haochen's lips twitched slightly: "...I've never seen anyone with such double standards as you in my entire life."
Chen Yubai shrugged indifferently: "Well, you've seen it now, let me broaden your horizons."
Zhou Haochen: "..."
-
When Peng Chengyi returned to her dormitory, she finally felt a great weight lifted from her heart.
Just as she was about to take a shower and get ready for bed, her phone vibrated again. She glanced at it subconsciously, and the familiar name that popped up on the screen made her heart skip a beat.
She quickly tapped the app, her fingertips feeling slightly warm—
Chen Yubai: "Are you free for band rehearsal Saturday afternoon?"
Seeing that it was just a normal band arrangement, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and her fingertips lightly replied, "Yes."
Chen Yubai: "See you in the rehearsal room at 2 PM."
Peng Chengyi: "Okay"
She put down her phone and went into the bathroom, unbuttoning her clothes as she couldn't help but ponder how to deal with this sudden feeling she had for him.
Although I warned myself not to act rashly, it seemed impossible to remain completely inactive.
After all, he's so popular, what if he gets snatched away by another girl?
She didn't believe his nonsense about not having any plans to date in college; he was probably just clueless yet.
Just like her, she only just realized what it feels like to truly like someone.
Peng Chengyi turned on the showerhead, and the water flowed down her hair. For some reason, she remembered the scene during their graduation trip when he told Ling Baizhou that she wasn't cute at all.
My heart felt like it had been pricked by tiny needles, and a slightly sour, astringent feeling welled up inside.
Right, in his eyes, she's probably more like a brother.
She needs to make him realize that she is a lovely girl before he can possibly like her.
So, taking advantage of the fact that she had no classes on Thursday afternoon, she asked Fang Hao if she could go shopping with her to buy some clothes and cosmetics.
"Aren't you going on a date with Ke Xingjian? I remember he didn't have class this afternoon." She blinked, her tone slightly teasing.
“No need…” Peng Chengyi pursed her lips awkwardly, her eyelashes drooping, and said softly, “Actually, we’ve already broken up.”
Fang Hao was slightly taken aback: "Huh? Did you suggest it?"
“Hmm.” Peng Chengyi nodded gently. “I understand now. Just like you said before, when you truly like someone, you look forward to getting closer, instead of always thinking about running away.”
Fang Hao keenly caught the deeper meaning in her words, and a sly smile curved his lips: "From what you're saying... you've found someone who makes you want to get close?"
Peng Chengyi felt a sudden panic, her ears turned slightly red, and she looked away guiltily: "No, nothing... I just figured it out."
Seeing her like this, Fang Hao understood. She didn't press further, simply closed her laptop, took Peng Chengyi's arm, and teased with a smile, "Since we're starting over, of course we should dress up nicely! Come on, I'll go shopping with you!"
"Hmm." Peng Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up.
-
Saturday, before rehearsal.
Peng Chengyi changed into the light-colored dress she had just bought. The hem of the dress gently brushed against her knees, making her look even more gentle and graceful than usual.
Fearing that Chen Yubai might notice something amiss, she didn't dare to dress too obviously, only applying light makeup, with her eyelashes gently curled and a faint layer of lip color on her lips.
She took a deep breath, leaned closer to the mirror to carefully tidy up the stray hairs on her forehead, then slung her guitar bag over her shoulder and left the dormitory.
When I arrived at the rehearsal room, Chen Yubai was already there, leaning against the window tuning his instruments. In the backlight, his silhouette was gently outlined.
Hearing the door open, he looked up, his gaze sweeping casually over.
It was just an ordinary look in her eyes, yet it made Peng Chengyi's heart skip a beat. She subconsciously pulled the straps up over her shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant.
"You arrived quite early today..." Chen Yubai's gaze swept over her for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he simply said in a light tone, "You arrived quite early."
"Well, I'm fine after dinner." Peng Chengyi replied casually, then immediately lowered her head, took out her instrument from her guitar case, and pretended to be busy tuning it.
Her long hair cascaded down, obscuring the tips of her slightly reddened ears.
The only sound in the room was the crisp sound of guitar strings being plucked; it was so quiet that you could almost hear the rise and fall of each other's breaths.
Chen Yubai's gaze lingered on her slightly curled eyelashes for a few seconds before he casually looked away and asked, as if nothing was wrong, "Oh, no need for a date?"
"Hmm." Peng Chengyi paused, hesitating whether to tell him about her breakup, when the door to the rehearsal room was pushed open.
"Hey, you two are up so early today!" Zhou Haochen walked in with a smile, his eyes sweeping back and forth between the two of them, his expression ambiguous.
Peng Chengyi pursed her lips uncomfortably, swallowing back what she wanted to say.
"I had nothing to do after class, so I came over early." Chen Yubai's tone remained indifferent, as if nothing had happened.
"Me too." She replied casually, looking down at the tuner, her voice so soft it was almost weak.
Just then, Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered, bringing in a gust of hot summer wind.
"Ah, everyone's here, shall we get ready to begin?" Zhou Haochen twirled his drumsticks and lightly tapped the cymbals twice, the crisp sound breaking the delicate atmosphere.
"Sure," Chen Yubai replied lazily, turning his head to look at Peng Chengyi. "Have you tuned the strings?"
"Okay, all done." Peng Chengyi nodded hurriedly, but her voice carried a hint of unconscious nervousness.
Rehearsals officially began.
Peng Chengyi lowered his head to pluck the strings, his fingertips pressing on the fretboard, but he couldn't help but steal glances at Chen Yubai beside him.
He was intently playing the bass, his long, slender fingers gliding across the strings, his slaps clean and precise. Sunlight streamed in through the high window, casting a soft glow on his features, making even his slightly trembling eyelashes clearly visible.
Damn, this dog is getting more and more handsome!
No wonder girls kept sending him love letters.
As if sensing her gaze, he suddenly lifted his eyelids slightly.
Peng Chengyi hurriedly looked away, but her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers involuntarily pressed the wrong button.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Zhou Haochen stopped playing the drums, frowned at her, "Peng Chengyi, what's wrong with you today? You've made three mistakes in a row."
"I'm so sorry," she apologized hastily, the touch of the strings still lingering on her fingertips, even her ears starting to burn. "I probably didn't practice enough..."
"Is it just that you haven't practiced enough?" Chen Yubai suddenly interrupted, his gaze fixed on her face.
Peng Chengyi's breath hitched suddenly, as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart. In those deep eyes that seemed to see through everything, all excuses seemed pale and powerless.
Feeling that she wouldn't be able to cover it up without coming up with a reasonable explanation, Peng Chengyi lowered her eyes, her thick eyelashes casting dappled shadows under her eyes, and she gave a slightly aggrieved and resigned reply.
"Okay, actually it's because... my boyfriend and I broke up."
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Author's Note: cyb's expression: [Chin resting on hand]
cyb's inner thoughts: [Fireworks][Sprinkling flowers][Go for it][Clapping][Thumbs up]
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