Chapter 58 Published
Ji Ruan woke up instantly.
I feel like I'm dreaming while being awake.
"You..." Ji Ruan sat up straight: "Why are you here like this?"
As he spoke, he touched Gu Xiuyi's biceps and poked his abdominal muscles as if he couldn't believe it: "Oh, it's a real person."
Gu Xiuyi: “…”
Gu Xiuyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He ignored the kid's actions that looked like he was taking advantage of the situation, pinched his face and whispered, "I'm waiting for you after school."
Ji Ruan was still sleepy, with watery eyes: "...Didn't I tell you that the extra class would be later? Didn't you receive the message?"
He wanted to confirm immediately, but when he picked up his phone he remembered that it was out of battery.
The teacher played a video on the podium, and the huge volume instantly drowned out the voices in the classroom.
Ji Ruan was very sure that the message was sent successfully, but now seeing Gu Xiuyi, he began to doubt himself again. He moved back unnoticed and asked anxiously, "Are you coming to kill me again?"
"No..." Gu Xiuyi said helplessly: "I received the message, so I said I was here to wait for you to finish class."
He emphasized the word "wait", and lifted Ji Ruan's chin and shook it: "Are you still asleep? Wake up, kid."
Ji Ruan was stunned for a second, then repeated the sentence silently in his mind before he realized what Gu Xiuyi meant.
He blinked, "So you came here just to accompany me to class?"
Gu Xiuyi chuckled and nodded: "Yeah."
In college, it is common for couples to go to each other's classrooms to attend classes together. Sometimes when Ji Ruan was taking professional courses, he would see girls in the class accompanied by their boyfriends.
But this was the first time this happened to him.
Ji Ruan raised the corners of her mouth, then pursed them reservedly, but her dimples rebelled and appeared obediently on her cheeks.
He looked away and scratched the tip of his nose: "How did you get in? Did the security let you in?"
Gu Xiuyi propped up his chin, looked at Ji Ruan with a smile, and touched his dimples: "I come to the school to give speeches occasionally. It's not difficult to get a daily pass."
The video on the podium ended and the classroom suddenly became quiet, making Ji Ruan forget what he was going to say for a moment.
“——Come on, students, add the group number on the blackboard!” the teacher called out with the microphone.
"Our course will be held in the next few weeks, and the specific time is uncertain. After joining the group, we will notify you in the group regularly. If you are not in the group, we will notify you in your respective class groups. Everyone must join!"
Ji Ruan came to his senses and just as he took out his cell phone he realized once again that it was out of battery.
He sighed, it seemed that it was really impossible to survive without a mobile phone in modern society.
At this moment, a mobile phone appeared in front of him. Gu Xiuyi held a corner of it and shook it: "Take a photo first, and then go back to charge it."
The teacher gave Gu Xiuyi the Penguin group number, but Gu Xiuyi didn't use this software, and it would be troublesome to download it again. The easiest way was for Ji Ruan to take a photo and send it to his own mobile phone.
"Okay, thank you."
Ji Ruan took it and paused when he saw the dark screen: "Unlock it——"
"001028," Gu Xiuyi said, "My password."
Ji Ruan was stunned.
Did Gu Xiuyi tell him the password of his cell phone?
But this, this, isn't this something that can only be shared between lovers? !
Why did Gu Xiuyi tell him?
It's so annoying, so embarrassing...
Ji Ruan's ears turned red again. She lowered her head and didn't look at Gu Xiuyi. She unlocked the phone herself, took the photo, and returned it to him with a blushing face.
He coughed and tried to communicate naturally: "How do I use this number?"
Gu Xiuyi smiled and said, "I'm used to it. When most passwords were still four digits, I used 1028. Later, it became six digits. I got used to it and was too lazy to change it. I just added two zeros in front and continued to use it."
"Oh~"
Ji Ruan nodded in understanding.
Then there was nothing to say.
Damn, the temperature on my face still doesn’t seem to have dropped.
Gu Xiuyi seemed to find it very interesting. He touched Ji Ruan's face again and teased with ill intentions: "Why are you turning red today? Did you eat cherries again?"
Ji Ruan: “…”
Ji Ruan was furious: "Don't bother."
·
But Gu Xiuyi knew that when Ji Ruan seemed angry but was actually shy, he was actually very easy to coax.
He only spent an extremely cute-looking cherry cake to get Ji Ruan's awkward forgiveness with his little chin raised proudly.
After continuing to make efforts and making a few sincere statements to admit his mistakes, he was able to hold Ji Ruan and drink milk at night.
Ji Ruan sat comfortably on his lap, sipping the milk, feeling extremely comfortable.
Gu Xiuyi's legs felt very uncomfortable when he sat on them for the first time, but once he got used to it, it was quite comfortable.
After all, where can you buy such a firm and fleshy seat cushion on the market that does not require charging and has its own heating function?
Ji Ruan thought it was amazing. They were both the same brand of milk, but how come it tasted better when he drank it at home than when he drank it in the dormitory? Every sip was so fragrant that he squinted his eyes.
"Ji Ruan?" Gu Xiuyi gently pressed his earlobe.
This was also the way Ji Ruan liked to touch. He snorted softly, "What's the matter?"
Gu Xiuyi supported his back and helped him sit up straighter: "Let me tell you something."
His tone sounded a little serious, and Ji Ruan couldn't help but open his eyes.
"Tomorrow, I have to go on a business trip out of town." said Gu Xiuyi.
But tomorrow is the weekend...
This was actually Ji Ruan’s first thought.
Weekends are the time when Gu Xiuyi stays at home with him, and sometimes they go out for a picnic.
Ji Ruan seemed to have gotten used to the feeling of having Gu Xiuyi by his side. When he heard the word "business trip", he was obviously stunned.
"Is that so..." Ji Ruan held the milk cup on his thigh, thought for a moment and asked again: "How long will it take?"
Gu Xiuyi paused, a hint of guilt between his brows: "One week."
"So long?" Ji Ruan blurted out, then lowered his head after realizing what was happening: "Okay..."
Gu Xiuyi gently stroked his back: "I'm sorry, next month is Grandpa's 80th birthday, and there will be a lot to deal with then, so I have to deal with other things in advance."
"No..." Ji Ruan shook his head: "You don't have to explain so much, I know."
He knew that it was normal for Gu Xiuyi to be busy. Recently, he had been on fewer business trips than before. It was impossible for Ji Ruan to stop him from leaving.
I don’t know why, but when I heard the news, Ji Ruan felt a vague but real sense of uneasiness rising in his heart.
That kind of uneasiness is like a wild beast hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike, making people nervous day and night and unable to guard against it.
"Ji Ruan," Gu Xiuyi lifted his face so that they could look at each other, "If you're bored on the weekend, you can go out and play with your friends. If you want to stay at Miss Cheng's place, or go back to the dormitory, that's fine."
Ji Ruan really liked the Han embroidery studio and also liked being with Cheng Zizhan and her daughter. His nightmares disappeared after he went there.
He thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go to my senior sister's place."
"Okay," Gu Xiuyi smiled and touched his face: "I'll take you there before you leave tomorrow."
Ji Ruan looked into Gu Xiuyi's eyes and tried hard to force a smile.
·
After Gu Xiuyi left, Ji Ruan did embroidery with Cheng Zizhan every day and went out to eat with Han Xiaolin and others, but she always felt unhappy.
It felt like there was a huge rock hanging in my heart. I couldn’t explain why, but it kept shaking and gave me a panic feeling as if it was going to fall down at any time.
At first, Ji Ruan thought it was because he had become dependent on Gu Xiuyi, but video chatting with Gu Xiuyi every night did not help alleviate this emotion.
It was not until the third day of Gu Xiuyi's business trip that the nightmare came back again.
This time, Ji Ruan finally saw the complete dream, and it was very clear, real and vivid.
In his dream, he was tied up in a dark and damp place, his hands and feet were tied with ropes as thick as thumbs, and he could not move his whole body.
His external blood flow control device was removed and he could not hear any sound. Only the cold chill climbed up along his fingertips, spread throughout his body and penetrated into his heart.
——My heart was beating extremely violently because of panic.
This seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. There was a small window high up in the distance, from which a faint light shone.
Ji Ruan could only use that single point to identify the situation.
But even if he had good eyesight, it was impossible for him to see everything clearly in such dark conditions. There were only a few blurry figures in front of him.
He counted them. Four.
One of them was closest to him, with a pointed jaw, smooth neck lines, and a meticulously dressed shirt and tie.
It’s Gu Xiuyi!
Ji Ruan suddenly opened his eyes wide and called out loudly as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.
He desperately called Gu Xiuyi's name, wanting him to untie the ropes on him.
Please help me!
Please save me!
He couldn't hear his own voice, but he knew he was shouting very loudly because his throat was torn and painful.
But it didn't work.
Gu Xiuyi just stood there quietly, indifferent.
Later, another figure moved, and he walked slowly in, playing with a Swiss Army knife.
The blade reflected a snow-white and sharp light in the dim light.
He walked over Gu Xiuyi and squatted in front of Ji Ruan, placed the tip of the knife against Ji Ruan's shaking chest, then turned around and whistled at Gu Xiuyi with a smile.
Gu Xiuyi was like a cold sculpture.
The next second, the sharp knife pierced straight into Ji Ruan's heart with a brutal force that seemed to want to kill Ji Ruan.
Ji Ruan opened his eyes in severe pain.
He was sweating profusely and his heart was aching, beating irregularly and wildly.
Ji Ruan curled up instinctively, holding his heart tightly. For a moment, his brain went blank and he couldn't breathe.
He huddled in the corner with his whole body tense. He didn't know how long it took before the symptoms of heart palpitations slowly eased.
Ji Ruan closed his dry eyes, relaxed his body a little and breathed with his mouth wide open. His throat was so dry that it was almost bleeding.
But he didn't have the strength to get up and drink water.
.
The next day, Ji Ruan asked for leave and did not go to class.
He was in a very bad mood, but he didn't dare to curl up in the quilt, for fear that he would fall asleep again and have the same nightmare again.
He rested in the dormitory until the afternoon, forced himself to wash up, and went to the studio.
The quiet and warm environment of the studio gave Ji Ruan a moment of comfort. He curled up in the rattan chair by the window, hugged his legs and slept carefully for a while.
Luckily, there was no nightmare this time.
In a daze, the wind chimes at the door rang, and Ji Ruan heard a series of unhurried footsteps.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw a strange man.
Almost at the same time, his heart began to beat violently.
As if there was some kind of mysterious connection, Ji Ruan immediately guessed who the person in front of him was just by looking at him.
He was quite sure.
The man had black hair and black eyes, and was wearing a thin beige long windbreaker, with a gentle smile on his face.
"Hello, is this Teacher Cheng Yunxiu's studio?" he asked.
I don’t know if it’s the blessing of the world’s will, but the current environment gives Ji Ruan a huge sense of oppression.
He clenched his fingers tightly, and used all his strength to stand up without changing his expression: "Yes, what can I do for you?"
The man put his hands in his pockets and looked around casually: "I heard that you can customize Han embroidery works here?"
Many wealthy people or collectors would come to Cheng Yunxiu to order custom works. Ji Ruan had met three or four of them in recent days. He nodded and said, "That's right."
That's great. The man turned around and smiled in front of a painting of mandarin ducks: "I want to order one, too."
He is tall and thin with a straight back. When he turns around and smiles, the curve of his shoulders is elegant and smooth. He looks graceful, and there is a hint of coldness in his eyebrows and eyes.
Ji Ruan felt a bit of a headache, vaguely knowing why such a person was set as the white moonlight in the book.
Cheng Zizhang had just returned from outside. Seeing this scene, he stepped forward and asked, "Sir, what kind of work do you want to order?"
The man smiled implicitly: "Next month is my good friend's grandfather's 80th birthday. We haven't seen each other for a long time. I want to bring a gift."
"I see," Cheng Zizhang said with a smile, "but the teacher has something to do today so he won't be here. If you are interested, you can leave me your contact information and I will contact you tomorrow."
The man nodded politely: "Thank you, but no thanks."
He looked at Ji Ruan: "Is this Mr. Cheng's disciple? I think he is a good match. Can I ask him to help me?"
"This..." Cheng Zizhang hesitated a little.
In theory, these disciples could also take on the design work. Cheng Zizhang himself started doing it several years ago. But after all, Ji Ruan had never taken on a custom-made job before, and Cheng Zizhang was not sure whether he would be willing to do it.
She looked at Ji Ruan with a questioning look, and Ji Ruan responded with a faint smile.
Then he stopped smiling and looked at the newcomer: "Please follow me."
The man followed Ji Ruan with a smile and sat down on the sofa nearby, watching Ji Ruan take out a notebook from the drawer.
"What type of customization would you like?"
The boy in front of me was very young, with a slim figure and looked not in good health. His face was pale and his voice was very soft.
But her facial features are quite beautiful, even a little sharp when she is not smiling, and even the fingers holding the ballpoint pen are spotlessly clean and delicate.
"Why don't you ask me my name first?" He suddenly couldn't help but ask.
The boy looked up from his notebook, his eyes indifferent, as if he was just being polite and responded:
"What's your name, then?"
He got the answer he wanted, and his shoulders relaxed: "You can call me Arthur."
"Oh, by the way," he smiled, "My last name is Bai."
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