Chapter 44
From the day Chi Jun returned, this question, like a nightmare, took deep root in Xu Qingzhou's heart.
In the beginning, she was constantly anxious.
Even if Chi Jun takes a long time to take a shower or spends a little longer out playing, Xu Qingzhou will worry that Chi Jun has left without saying goodbye.
—After all, her relationship with Chi Jun was distant and cold, just like that of ordinary roommates sharing an apartment.
Leaving without saying goodbye is perfectly normal.
As time went by, living together became a habit, and she was no longer so nervous and worried. However, she would still feel regret and sadness when she occasionally thought that "Chi Jun will leave sooner or later."
Until recently, her relationship with Chi Jun seemed to have taken a step further.
In fact, Chi Jun's every move made her feel that he seemed to have already considered her a member of the small rental house.
However, at that moment, she heard the news that Zhang Pengfei was going to die.
She was already worried that Chi Jun would leave after learning that Zhang Pengfei was about to die, and at this very moment, Chi Jun's actions all pointed to what she feared most—he was leaving.
Xu Qingzhou knew that he hated himself for forcibly trying to keep others despite their wishes.
Her tears are even more annoying at times like this.
However, she couldn't control herself whenever she thought about Chi Jun leaving.
I really can't control myself.
As evening approached, there was no sunlight left on the first floor of the courtyard.
Electric bikes and bicycles carried people home from get off work and school, and the courtyard was filled with warm greetings and excited chatter from children.
However, Chi Jun and Xu Qingzhou, who were standing in the center of the courtyard, seemed to be encased in an invisible vacuum glass dome. Outside, it was noisy and bustling, but inside the dome, it was so quiet that even the air seemed to stand still.
Xu Qingzhou stared at Chi Jun with blurred vision.
Chi Jun also looked down at her.
Neither of them spoke for a long time.
Sometimes, silence is the answer.
Xu Qingzhou couldn't help but clench her fingers, forcing herself to wait for the cruel answer that she was so afraid of, yet had to face.
After an unknown amount of time, the person in front of them finally moved.
She held her breath, and then heard a very faint male voice, just as she expected, fall from above her head—
"yes."
As my heart sank, my head suddenly felt light.
She looked up at Chi Jun and found that the helmet that had been covering her head was now in his hands. He glanced down at her, turned around, stepped onto the electric scooter, and calmly put the helmet on her head.
"If we don't leave now, we'll be late for the barbecue."
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
A barbecue party...?
Xu Qingzhou instantly forgot her tears and just stared blankly at Chi Jun.
Chi Jun sat on the electric scooter, still with that indifferent expression, staring at her.
What are you looking at me for?
Xu Qingzhou moved his lips, but in a flash, his mind was a complete mess, and he seemed unable to make sense of anything.
After a long while, she finally managed to pull herself together from her tangled thoughts—
Chi Jun... did he misunderstand what she meant by "leaving"?
Perhaps the doubt in her eyes was too obvious, because Chi Jun looked at her and asked in return:
"Otherwise, where do you think I'm going?"
Xu Qingzhou gripped his pen, stood frozen for a few seconds, and then suddenly shook his head violently.
No.
I wasn't thinking about anything.
Just pretend I never said anything.
With tears still clinging to her face, Xu Qingzhou quickly wiped them away, sniffed, and awkwardly changed the subject, her face flushed:
Are you going to have barbecue with Li Rui and the others?
The awkwardness of imagining what would happen after the scene was still lingering in the air, and Xu Qingzhou didn't even dare to look Chi Jun in the eye.
A voice came from behind:
"Who else could it be but them?"
Xu Qingzhou nodded reluctantly, indicating that he understood.
"so……"
Chi Jun suddenly leaned closer to her, staring into her eyes: "You still haven't told me whether you like this car or not."
He suddenly approached, his smile widening infinitely.
Caught off guard, Xu Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively leaned back, and after a moment, she blinked and stared at Chi Jun, nodding vigorously.
like.
I really like it.
Chi Jun seemed satisfied with her answer, patted the front of the electric scooter, and said:
"From now on, you'll ride these two electric bikes to and from school. If you encounter any dangerous people, just run them over."
Dangerous person...
It was at this moment that Xu Qingzhou suddenly remembered a matter that had been causing quite a stir at the school recently.
A high school girl was nearly assaulted by a homeless man on her way home from evening self-study, which left her mentally unstable. Her parents went to the school demanding compensation, and when their demands were not met, they simply put up a banner at the school gate. The school leaders were very troubled, so the school issued an emergency notice that all first and second-year high school students' evening self-study sessions were canceled, and third-year students must be picked up by their parents after evening self-study.
Could it be that Chi Jun bought her an electric scooter because of this?
Thinking of this, the awkwardness in the air seemed to intensify.
This feeling only gradually dissipated when Chi Jun rode his electric bike to the appointment and left.
Xu Qingzhou stood there for a while longer before walking alone towards the stairwell.
So, those out-of-season clothes were probably only bought because they were a good deal during clearance sales.
However, after reviewing what had just happened, Xu Qingzhou paused slightly, still feeling something was amiss—
Did Chi Jun really not understand her question?
If you understand, why shift the topic to a "barbecue party"?
Could it be...?
The thought was about to cross his mind when Xu Qingzhou quickly shook his head, silently reminding himself:
Xu Qingzhou, don't flatter yourself.
Chi Jun probably simply didn't understand.
*
Two kilometers away from the rental compound, in a chain fried chicken restaurant, Chi Jun sat by the window, looking out the window, lost in thought.
The staff quickly brought over a fried chicken and cola combo.
"Please enjoy your meal, sir."
Chi Jun didn't react.
Even after the waiter left with the tray, he remained staring out the window, showing no intention of eating.
Suddenly, the air across the table seemed to tremble slightly.
The male ghost's face showed an anxious expression.
"Brother Jun, there was clearly a perfect opportunity to leave in the courtyard just now, why didn't you say so?"
Chi Jun's eyes flickered, and he turned his head.
"Did you see Xu Qingzhou's expression at the time? Did it look like he was going to let me go?"
The male ghost recalled the little girl's expression at the time.
Hmm...it doesn't seem like it at all.
"Once is enough for someone to leave and then return."
Chi Jun picked up a French fry in front of him, but stared into the void in front of him, seemingly lost in thought: "More would only arouse Xu Qingzhou's suspicion, so we must eliminate this possibility from the very beginning."
The male ghost thought about it and found it made a lot of sense.
After all, if the girl didn't want to leave, Chi Jun couldn't just stay. Wasn't that the reason he left and then came back in the first place?
But as soon as Zhang Pengfei died, the situation changed—
Chi Jun and Xu Qingzhou had agreed that Chi Jun would leave as soon as Zhang Pengfei's crisis was resolved. Therefore, once Zhang Pengfei died, Xu Qingzhou would have no excuse, and even if she was unwilling, she would have to verbally agree to let Chi Jun leave to maintain her reputation and save face.
With verbal promises, Chi Jun was able to leave successfully.
Thinking of this, the male ghost's earlier concerns, stemming from other reasons, vanished instantly, and he even comforted Chi Jun instead:
"It's okay, Brother Jun. Zhang Pengfei is going to die soon anyway, and then the little mute will have no choice but to let you go."
Chi Jun dipped the tip of a French fry into the ketchup, his eyelids drooping, and remained silent.
Just then, the door of the fried chicken shop was suddenly pushed open, and a group of students who looked like high school students walked in laughing and joking as the staff greeted them with "Welcome."
Chi Jun glanced up, not paying much attention, but the male ghost turned his head and immediately cried out.
"Holy crap, it's Xu Linlin!"
The name Xu Linlin seems somewhat familiar.
Before Chi Jun could figure out who it was, the male ghost's next words gave him the answer.
"That ugly woman is always up to something. She's already as ugly as her mother, Xu Meiling, and she even dares to dye her hair red and green. Jun-ge, don't you think she looks like a parrot?"
Ah, so she's Xu Meiling's daughter.
Xu Qingzhou's cousin.
It seems that it's Xu Linlin's birthday today. She was carrying a cake and proudly waved as soon as she sat down, saying, "This princess is the birthday girl today, so I'm treating you to a bucket of fried chicken."
"Waaaaah, Princess, you're so kind!"
"Linlin, can I order a few more Original Recipe Chickens? I really like them."
“I’m afraid that won’t work… My mom said I did too badly on my midterms and deducted a month’s allowance from my allowance,” Xu Linlin said, kicking her legs in frustration. “It’s so annoying.”
They ordered via their phones, and a bucket of fried chicken arrived quickly.
Several girls ate and chatted.
Chi Jun hadn't been listening at first, but when the name "Xu Qingzhou" suddenly came into his ears, he paused in his cola-drinking motion and glanced at them.
"Wang Ximin asked me to remind you a couple of days ago not to forget to give him your sister's contact information."
"Contact information?" Xu Linlin laughed sarcastically. "Xu Qingzhou doesn't even have a cell phone, what contact information could he possibly have?"
"No way... your sister doesn't even have a cell phone?"
"My sister! My sister? What sister? She's only three days older than me because she was born prematurely. I've never considered her my sister!"
Seeing that she was unhappy, the other girls exchanged glances, pouted, and wisely didn't bring up the topic again.
Chi Jun remained silent and continued eating.
At that moment, the male ghost opposite muttered something:
"So, in three days it will be the little mute's birthday."
"Hey Jun-ge," he suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up, "they're all leaving soon, let's celebrate the little mute's birthday?"
Chi Jun paused, then glanced at him.
Do you think I have a lot of free time?
The male ghost stared at him, looking him left and right, and nodded solemnly.
Chi Jun: "..."
*
Chi Jun has indeed been quite busy lately.
As he said before, he did indeed get a job recently.
The reason I used the word "got" is because he didn't actively seek out this job; rather, someone repeatedly invited him. His daily work involved modeling for an online clothing store and taking photos. The hours were irregular, but the pay was quite considerable.
So, besides playing basketball and other regular recreational activities, Chi Jun's days have been quite fulfilling lately, in addition to his work.
The phrase "never free" is indeed a fitting description of him.
But he wasn't free enough, while Li Rui and his gang were bored out of their minds.
I overheard Chi Jun mention that it was Xu Qingzhou's birthday on Friday, and a group of people insisted on throwing a big birthday party for the girl to create a festive atmosphere and share in her good fortune.
So, after school on Friday night, Xu Qingzhou came back with his schoolbag on his back. As soon as he stepped onto the second-floor corridor, he turned around and saw flames shooting into the sky from the stove!
She was startled and instinctively rushed over to put out the fire, but the next second, she saw Li Rui turn around.
His bangs were practically on fire. He coughed twice, but still managed to wave the big ladle in his hand at Xu Qingzhou and strike a cool pose.
"Hi! Birthday girl!"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
