Going in the opposite direction
"I heard from Huiyao that you broke up with your boyfriend, is that true?" Yan Xin sat next to him and spoke intimately. After reminiscing about their childhood, Yan Xin showed great interest in Fu Jia's love life.
Fu Jia, still defiant and stubborn, retorted, "How could that be?!"
"Is that older sister very pretty?" Yan Xin avoided this sensitive question, not wanting to pry, and looked at Fu Jia with wide eyes and anticipation.
"Pretty my foot! She's an ugly girl, and she's disobedient!" Fu Jia gritted her teeth whenever she mentioned her.
Sitting to the side, Yan Xin narrowed her eyes: "So you really do have someone you like!" Then, with an envious look, she said, "Anyone who can be liked by Brother Fu must be a great beauty! I trust Brother's taste!"
Fu Jia felt a little smug when he heard people praising Xia Xiaotong, but he still pretended to be modest: "She's alright, just that her eyes are a bit big, her skin is a bit fair, and her personality is a bit nicer." Speaking of personality, he frowned again, "No, her personality has become bad now. I don't know which bad friend led her astray."
"So you like her that much, brother. Then she must be very special." She smiled, and then added, "Brother, you're so impatient. I bet you're not gentle with her."
"Who said that? I treat her better than anyone else!"
"Really?" Yan Xin moved even closer, just like a little sister clinging to her brother and acting spoiled.
"Of course." Fu Jia crossed her arms, pursed her lips, and leaned back on the sofa with a pout, looking rather childish.
"Actually, brother, you don't understand girls at all. Girls are reserved and blind. If you keep treating her well, she'll get used to it and won't care about you much. You have to ignore her for a while so she feels she's missing your love, then she'll realize how good you are. Once she regrets it, she'll naturally miss you."
"Really? Are all girls this strange?" Fu Jia asked in confusion.
"Of course, girls are the most complex species. Only we girls understand girls."
"Then what should I do? Just not go to her?" Fu Jia had already started asking the girl in front of her for advice. In desperation, Fu Jia had so easily found a love advisor who was more likely to make things worse.
"What if she never contacts me?"
"That means she really isn't interested in you, so don't waste your time."
"How could that be? She's probably just shy, too reserved." Fu Jia said this, though a slight worry lingered in her heart. Then she felt relieved. She might be too shy to contact me, but I'm perfectly comfortable contacting her! What's the big deal?
"But that makes sense, which girl can resist your charm, brother?" Yes, no girl can resist you, including me sitting right in front of you.
The course of events often hinges on a single thought; fatalists claim it's inevitable, so they never reflect on what they've missed. Some people follow their love strategists' advice, while others are overjoyed at the prospect of meeting their crush over the weekend.
That day, Xia Tong rushed out the door and arrived at Yulai Square. Li Jingjing was immediately struck by her beauty: "Xiao Tong, you look so youthful today!"
She actually spent a long time choosing her outfit in front of the closet before leaving home: a white fitted T-shirt with a large Doraemon print on the front, layered under a bright yellow jacket. She wore light blue jeans and new white sneakers. Today, she had swept her bangs back and secured them with a large, bright yellow hair clip, revealing her smooth forehead. Compared to her usual loose, baggy school uniform that always covered her body, this figure-hugging outfit made her look even more stunning.
Xia Tong glanced at Tan Zhihao, who had been drawn over by Li Jingjing's exclamation, smiled apologetically, and then nudged the talkative Li Jingjing, whether to tell her not to say it or to encourage her to say it.
"Xia Tong, thank you for coming to help me! You're so loyal, and since you're Jingjing's friend, you're also my friend, Yu Xiaonian's friend!" Yu Xiaonian actually wanted to buy a bicycle she liked, but her family wouldn't allow it, so she took out her savings and mobilized her friends to help her distribute flyers to earn money. Li Jingjing, as her friend, naturally responded enthusiastically, while Tan Zhihao was also coerced and lured along.
Xia Tong, for some unspeakable reason, also volunteered to do the hard labor. Yu Xiaonian was naturally extremely grateful and praised her endlessly.
After the tasks were assigned, Xia Tong naturally teamed up with Li Jingjing, whom she was familiar with, while Yu Xiaonian teamed up with Tan Zhihao. Everyone agreed with this obvious assignment, except for one person.
She looked a little down, pouting and sulking. Li Jingjing, who was beside her, naturally noticed her unhappiness: "What's wrong? You were fine just now."
Xia Tong bit her lip, steeled her resolve, and finally said, "I want to be in a group with Tan Zhihao."
As expected, Li Jingjing exclaimed in surprise, then teased, "So you really have designs on him! You wouldn't admit it last time I asked you, but now you've shown your true colors!"
"Okay, okay, whatever you say, will you help me or not!"
Li Jingjing stared at her incredulously. Xia Tong was always introverted and passive, but this time she was so brave. Was it really true that a barking dog doesn't bite? After a moment of stunned silence, she patted her chest and laughed, "I'll take care of your life's important matters!"
Then Li Jingjing ran over and hugged Yu Xiaonian, whispering in her ear for a while. After that, Xia Tong naturally ended up in a group with Tan Zhihao. They were assigned to a residential area. Xia Tong shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand, looked up at the rows of apartment buildings, and couldn't help but sigh, "Seriously—won't it be exhausting to climb up to each one?"
Tan Zhihao laughed: "It would be exhausting, but we don't need to be that tired."
Then, he first took her on a tour of the neighborhood, giving her a general overview. Of course, he didn't miss a single bicycle, motorcycle, or private car parked downstairs, handing out flyers to each one. Next, they found a card and chess room in the community, where some elderly people were playing cards, drinking tea, and chatting. Tan Zhihao first handed out a flyer to each person, and then chatted with the group of elderly people for a few moments. After discussing the discounted prices on the flyers, the elderly people became interested in the two pretty young people in front of them: "How much money do you make distributing these flyers for a day?"
"It'll cost a few dozen yuan," Tan Zhihao said, throwing the flyers on the ground. He sat down on them, pulled out a few to fan himself, and said, "Phew, I'm so tired!"
They were the same age as the grandchildren, so the old folks naturally felt affection for them and poured them some water: "You kids are too honest! How long would it take you to hand out hundreds of flyers each? Why don't we help you carry a few more? It's much easier that way. It's not worth getting yourself worked up for just a few dozen yuan!"
"Okay, thank you so much! You've really helped us a lot. This is really heavy to hold." Then she gestured to Xia Tong, who was standing to the side, to hand out the flyers. Everyone got a dozen or so, and soon there was only a small stack of flyers left. Some of the elderly people even asked for extra ones, saying they wanted to use them as table corners at home. Xia Tong smiled and awkwardly handed out the flyers, and in no time she felt much lighter.
After they had dispersed, Tan Zhihao took her to a newsstand outside the residential area. Inside sat a fat man who looked like he never exercised, but he was watching a ball game with great interest. When Tan Zhihao said he wanted to buy water, the man didn't even look up and said, "Just say you'll get it yourself, and put the money on the table."
Tan Zhihao bought two bottles of water, handed one to Xia Tong, then unscrewed the cap and took a sip himself. Suddenly, he exclaimed excitedly, "Penalty!"
The shop owner had the same expression as him, and then Tan Zhihao added, "It's a fixed match, huh?"
"I think so too. They have no hope of winning the championship, so they're focused on securing the AFC Champions League spot. They're good buddies, so they're doing each other a favor by helping Shenxin avoid relegation," the shop owner added.
"Regardless of whether it's a real or fake match, whether they're playing in the AFC Champions League or the China League One, we must support Jiangsu Sainty!" Tan Zhihao changed his tune again. Although Xia Tong didn't understand, seeing the serious and determined expression on his face, she suddenly found him even more charming.
"You're right, we have to support you!" The shop owner said, giving him an approving look before shuffling over with his portly frame. "Young man, you watch football too?"
They chatted for a while, but Xia Tong was completely confused. The shop owner then noticed the stack of flyers he was holding: "Distributing advertisements?"
"Yes, doing some part-time work on weekends is a form of social practice."
"Practice this? It's tiring, you don't learn any experience, and you don't earn much money. It's not worth it." The shop owner shook his head.
"It's my first time doing this, so I don't have any experience."
"Or you could just leave these ads here and stuff them into the newspapers to distribute later."
"Great! Thanks!" Tan Zhihao handed out their last batch of advertisements. What would take others an entire afternoon to do, they finished in less than an hour.
In the quiet and comfortable tea restaurant, watching the small stove on the table bubbling away as fruit tea brewed, Xia Tong praised, "You're so clever! If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be climbing the stairs right now."
Tan Zhihao sat opposite her and said modestly in his uniquely gentle voice, "Many hands make light work!"
Xia Tong didn't speak, she just smiled, her fair and slender fingers caressing the delicate and smooth white bone china cup, over and over again.
Some say that feelings between men and women always begin with appreciation or even worship, but there is another kind of feeling. Feelings can turn people's eyes into magnifying glasses, magnifying the merits of the person they like to the point of worship, and magnifying the faults of the person they dislike to the point of intolerance.
However, the blindness of love lies in elevating the one you love to heaven while condemning the one who loves you to hell.
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I've noticed my procrastination is getting worse. This morning I got up at 6:40 to catch up on yesterday's 1500 words. I think... this is an illness, and it needs treatment! PS: I'll come back online to revise the following text and add a few sentences; those who have already read this can ignore me...
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