Chapter 18
Xu Jun?
Xu Qingzhou silently repeated the unfamiliar name in her mind, feeling a little confused for a moment, until Xu Yunyun half-jokingly said, "Don't pretend you don't know me, I know you live together." She paused for a moment, then belatedly realized that this was probably the name Chi Jun used outside.
Xu Yunyun: "Is he your brother?"
Since Chi Jun uses the surname "Xu" in public, he probably wants to avoid trouble and appear to outsiders as her brother and sister.
Xu Qingzhou nodded slightly, and Xu Yunyun breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a genuine smile:
"I knew it, they must be siblings."
She affectionately slapped Xu Qingzhou's arm: "Hey, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. But... could you invite your brother too?"
The girl's eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation.
However, Xu Qingzhou was destined to disappoint her "good intentions".
After all, while others may not know the true nature of her relationship with Chi Jun, she, as the person involved, knows it all too well.
Just like Chi Jun usually gives people a casual and approachable feeling, Chi Jun often jokes with her in the small rented room, never letting his words fall flat, but to say that they are close... well, not really.
On the contrary, Xu Qingzhou always felt that there was a thin film called "estrangement" between her and Chi Jun, and that this film was deliberately erected by Chi Jun.
However, he used his carefree and easygoing jokes and good temper to put a subtle outer layer on this membrane.
Perhaps only someone as sensitive as her, who was directly involved, could have noticed it.
Xu Qingzhou made up an excuse to politely decline Xu Yunyun's invitation.
Xu Yunyun looked regretful, but not too disappointed. She immediately took something out of her pocket and quickly stuffed it into Xu Qingzhou's school uniform pocket. Then, under Xu Qingzhou's panicked and bewildered gaze, she forcibly pressed down on her pocket.
"Could you please take this to your brother for me? Thanks."
She didn't give Xu Qingzhou a chance to respond after she finished speaking. She waved her hand and left like a butterfly.
Xu Qingzhou sighed inwardly and looked down to see what Xu Yunyun had asked her to bring. However, after taking out only half of it, she paused and stuffed it back into her hands.
"..."
It's a love letter.
Thinking about how seemingly harmonious her relationship with Chi Jun always seemed to have a strange atmosphere, Xu Qingzhou hesitated for a moment before deciding to return the letter.
Unexpectedly, I had only taken two steps toward Class 1 when the school bell rang.
She had no choice but to go back to her class first and return it after school.
Just as the school bell was about to ring, Xu Qingzhou, without even having time to pack his schoolbag, immediately ran to Class 1 to look for someone, only to be told by his classmate Xu Yunyun—
“During our last self-study period, her mother picked her up to go to tutoring classes.”
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
I still believe in failure.
She could only go back to the classroom to pack her things, stuffing the letter into her schoolbag along with them.
On the way back to her rented room, Xu Qingzhou kept trying to convince herself:
Although the atmosphere between her and Chi Jun was a bit strange, it shouldn't be a big deal to just help deliver a letter, right?
Furthermore, receiving love letters proves he's very charming, doesn't it?
You can't get angry just because you received a love letter, can you?
Chi Jun has such a good personality, he definitely won't be upset about this.
Xu Qingzhou analyzed the situation carefully from every angle, but couldn't find any reason why Chi Jun would be unhappy, and finally felt much relieved.
In order to naturally hand the letter to Chi Jun when entering the room and say, "This is a letter from a girl in the class next door that I asked me to give to you," Xu Qingzhou took the letter out of her bag in advance at the corner of the stairs on the second floor.
Unexpectedly, as Xu Qingzhou was mentally rehearsing how to make his expressions and words more natural as he approached the door of the small rented room, his eyes inadvertently lifted, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Just then, Chi Jun walked to the trash can next to the small dining table, bent down, and threw something in.
Xu Qingzhou didn't know what he threw, but in that extremely brief moment, she keenly caught Chi Jun's frown and the fleeting irritation and impatience on his face.
This was the first time Xu Qingzhou had seen displeasure on Chi Jun's face.
Her hand tightened around the love letter, and she instinctively hid the envelope behind her waist.
At the same time, her gaze shifted downwards, catching sight of scraps of paper in the trash can, and the corner of what was clearly a pink envelope.
"..."
If possible, Xu Qingzhou really wanted to turn around abruptly and stuff the envelope back into his bag right now.
But at this moment, Chi Jun had clearly noticed her unusual behavior.
Sure enough, his gaze swept over her waist, and he asked:
"What’s wrong with you?"
Xu Qingzhou remained motionless, holding the letter hidden, and shook his head.
What are you hiding?
"..."
He still stubbornly shook his head.
Fortunately, just like before, Chi Jun didn't seem to want to pay too much attention to her. He only glanced at her and didn't ask any more questions. He turned around, walked to the bedside, and picked up the book he had been reading. Xu Qingzhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
To avoid being seen by Chi Jun when she turned around, Xu Qingzhou kept her hands behind her back and faced him, moving sideways towards the small desk like a crab.
As she reached the desk, she quickly shoved the envelope into the drawer.
"Are you on your period?"
Xu Qingzhou's hand trembled, and the envelope almost fell to the ground.
"?"
No, why does Chi Jun seem to be talking a lot today...?
Chi Jun, sitting on the edge of the bed with a book in his hand, looked at her with amusement: "Did you get your pants dirty?"
Because my pants were stained with menstrual blood, I was embarrassed to let him see it, so I imitated a crab's walk.
That seems plausible...
Xu Qingzhou blinked rapidly, quickly weighing in her mind the embarrassment of being mistaken for having her period versus the risk of handing the letter over to Chi Jun. She wondered which was easier to bear, while using her body as cover to discreetly slip the envelope into the drawer.
However, it seemed that fate did not want her to make a choice.
The envelope had just been stuffed into the drawer, and Xu Qingzhou hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard a "thud" as a book slid down and hit his heel.
And judging from the feeling of being hit, more than one book fell down.
Xu Qingzhou's body stiffened.
Chi Jun glanced at her with a puzzled look, then his gaze fell on the ground.
He walked over, seemingly wanting to pick something up, but just as he bent down to reach out, a hand suddenly darted out and precisely grabbed the pink envelope, hiding it behind his back.
Chi Jun's hand missed its target, he paused slightly, stood up, and looked at Xu Qingzhou with a meaningful gaze.
Xu Qingzhou's heart pounded under his scrutinizing gaze. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to explain herself to Chi Jun in a way that would minimize his dislike if he got angry. Suddenly, Chi Jun leaned down, his head close to hers, and asked with interest:
"love letter?"
"..."
After a few seconds of eye contact, Xu Qingzhou closed his eyes and nodded resignedly.
Unexpectedly, after waiting for several seconds, instead of hearing Chi Jun's emotional words, they heard footsteps fading away.
Xu Qingzhou slowly opened his eyes.
She noticed that Chi Jun had already sat back down on the edge of the bed, turning the pages of his book while looking at her with amusement.
"I'm not going to tear it up, so what are you hiding?"
Xu Qingzhou glanced silently at the trash can.
No, you will.
But she soon noticed that Chi Jun had started to focus on his book and was no longer looking at her.
Xu Qingzhou was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the envelope again before belatedly realizing what had happened:
Um... Chi Jun probably thought the love letter was from a boy, right?
Well, although it was a blunder, at least I don't have to risk upsetting him by delivering the love letter anymore.
At this moment, Xu Qingzhou actually breathed a sigh of relief.
*
After this battle, there was no way the letter could be sent out.
So when Xu Yunyun arrived at school early the next morning, filled with girlish excitement, Xu Qingzhou returned the letter to her untouched.
It was clear that Xu Yunyun was a little unhappy.
But Xu Qingzhou had no time to consider her feelings.
She would rather be hated than upset Chi Jun.
Xu Qingzhou was still thinking too simply.
When Xu Qingzhou returned to the classroom during morning self-study, he found another envelope on his desk. His female deskmate reminded him, "A girl from another class just brought this over. It should be a love letter for your brother, right?"
Xu Qingzhou's face remained calm, but he felt somewhat melancholy inside.
He picked up the envelope and looked at both sides. Apart from the words "To be opened by Xu Jun," there were no other clues or information.
She had no choice but to ask the girl sitting next to her who she was, but her deskmate shook her head and said, "I don't know her."
Xu Qingzhou sighed.
Now there's nowhere to return the letter.
However, this is only the beginning.
Xu Yunyun's letter seemed to open a mysterious mail delivery channel. From that day on, all sorts of envelopes began to appear frequently in Xu Qingzhou's drawer.
Sometimes it appears at the end of morning exercises, sometimes when Xu Qingzhou comes back from the restroom during class breaks, and sometimes it's just a short minute when he goes to the corridor outside the classroom to get hot water. A letter can appear out of nowhere under his books and test papers.
The letters were all delivered when he was not paying attention, and the signatures on the letters were unclear, with only words such as "To Xu Jun" written on them, which shows that the writer was shy and unwilling to reveal his identity.
This left Xu Qingzhou wanting to return the letter, but not knowing where to begin.
He could only wait for the letter writer to take the initiative to ask about the situation, but the writer was shy, and he could only wait two or three days before a few girls came.
I handed the letter to Chi Jun, but then I remembered the look on his face when he tore it up and threw it in the trash that night—I didn't dare.
I can't bring myself to throw the letter in the trash without thinking twice.
Xu Qingzhou could only watch the letters in his desk drawer pile up higher and higher, day after day.
To protect the privacy of those who wrote the letters, she had no choice but to let the envelopes take over, while her own books were pitifully squeezed onto the ground.
However, even if she became a barrier, firmly keeping all the envelopes out, the space in the desk drawers was still limited.
But paper can never truly contain fire.
One evening at 9:30 p.m., the high school teaching building was still brightly lit.
Currently, most high school seniors are on edge, and even during breaks, they are buried in their work or quietly discussing problems with their classmates.
But there are always a few students in a class who have no hope of getting into university and simply give up. Right now, there are a few boys in Senior Three (3) class who are laughing and joking around.
Somehow, during the chase, they knocked over a desk.
With a loud bang, everyone turned around and saw Xu Qingzhou's desk, which had been exempted from evening self-study since the beginning of the semester, crash to the ground.
Some people turned their heads away expressionlessly, while others frowned in displeasure but said nothing.
The boy who knocked over the table was a little embarrassed. He cursed under his breath and bent down to pick it up.
No sooner had the desk been pulled off the ground than a white mass poured out from under the desk, instantly covering the area around the student's feet.
The boy was shocked and exclaimed "Holy crap!" in an exaggerated tone.
So many love letters?!
After saying that, he picked up an envelope with a heart-shaped sticker on it, opened it, and took out the papers inside...
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