Chapter 66
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere, in this stagnant state, seemed to gradually become strange.
The dim light shone on Chi Jun's handsome face, as if gilding it with a soft glow. Even his usually sharp and unrestrained smile had a touch of tender ambiguity that was hard to ignore.
Xu Qingzhou lowered his eyes, instinctively feeling that he should say something to show that he was open and honest at this moment.
But his heart was pounding so hard that his thoughts were thrown into disarray by those words. Xu Qingzhou gripped the pen in his hand, tightening and loosening it repeatedly. His brain was racing, but after a long while, he couldn't even muster a shred of so-called "openness."
But Chi Jun just watched her with such a leisurely smile.
The contrast in their emotions made Xu Qingzhou unconsciously feel a sense of resentment.
She pursed her lips and wrote on the paper:
Once you're married, I'll be careful to avoid any suspicion and live separately from you, so she won't misunderstand.
After showing the sentence to Chi Jun, Xu Qingzhou didn't even lift his eyelids. He turned around and quickly returned to the table, resting his forearm on the test paper to continue writing.
A sneer came from behind.
Xu Qingzhou glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.
He remained seated on the bed, propping himself up with his hands behind his back, smiling at her. However, he neither confirmed nor offered any clarification or explanation regarding her earlier statement.
Xu Qingzhou unconsciously scratched the exam paper with her fingernail, feeling that she was really strange.
Because she actually felt a little disappointed because Chi Jun didn't explain.
However, such emotional fluctuations only lasted for a short while. Firstly, Xu Qingzhou quickly immersed herself in her studies again and had no time to think about anything else. Secondly, after calming down, she remembered that Chi Junguan liked to joke. If she were to be distracted by his joke, her self-control would be too weak.
What's more, Chi Jun used to ask her very warily, "Xu Qingzhou, do you have ulterior motives towards me?"
How could someone who says such things intentionally send her any strange signals?
So Xu Qingzhou calmed down, immersed herself in writing an English test paper, and focused on organizing the wrong questions. She then practiced a few more exercises before packing up her things, turning off the lights, and going to sleep.
The next day was Saturday.
For Xu Qingzhou, this was a rare short period of time that she could use for part-time work.
But since he had already promised Chi Jun last night that he would stop working part-time before the college entrance examination, Xu Qingzhou did not get up early to deliver food.
After breakfast, she decided to go to the cake shop to tell the owner, firstly to thank her for her care during this time, and secondly to formally say goodbye.
She thought she could go and come back quickly by herself, but before she was about to leave, Chi Jun sat on the back of her electric scooter without saying a word.
Xu Qingzhou: "?"
She turned to look at Chi Jun, who was lazily yawning and not forgetting to put on his helmet.
"What are you looking at me for? Let's go."
"..."
Xu Qingzhou thought for a moment and then clarified: "Chi Jun, I wasn't delivering takeout."
"Um."
Chi Jun nodded perfunctorily, showing no intention of getting out of the car.
Xu Qingzhou remained silent for a moment.
Really, I just wanted to go to the cake shop to say goodbye to that lady.
“Oh,” Chi Jun smiled at her, “I just wanted to go eat cake.”
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
Well, it seems that Chi Jun is determined to go to the cake shop with her.
However, considering that it wouldn't hurt to bring him along, Xu Qingzhou didn't say anything more. He put on the small helmet, started the car, and slowly drove away from the first-floor courtyard.
Although it's already the first month of the lunar calendar, the weather shows no sign of warming up.
As he rode his electric bike along, his breath condensed into water vapor in the cold air. Even with a mask on, Xu Qingzhou felt his face was almost numb from the cold.
Fortunately, it's only a fifteen-minute walk to the cake shop.
Upon arriving at the cake shop, Xu Qingzhou quickly got out of the car, stomped her feet, and walked towards the glass door.
Chi Jun swaggered in after her and entered the room.
The cake shop is small, but the overall decoration is clean and cozy, with glass cabinets displaying all kinds of exquisite cakes of various sizes.
Seeing the proprietress busy in the back, Xu Qingzhou first glanced around at the cakes in the glass display case, then pointed at the case and turned to ask Chi Jun with her eyes which one he wanted to eat.
Unexpectedly, when he turned his head, he saw Chi Jun staring straight ahead to his left, his face slightly cold.
Xu Qingzhou frowned suspiciously and followed his gaze.
The next second, he was stunned.
There is a small round table usually placed against the wall on the left front of the cake shop. When she has nothing to do, the owner often sits there playing on her phone and eating desserts.
At that very moment, while the proprietress was busy in the back, someone else was sitting at the small round table—
It's Chen Mi.
When their eyes met, Chen Mi still tilted her head naturally and smiled.
Hello, Happy New Year.
Just then, the proprietress lifted the curtain and came out. Seeing Xu Qingzhou, she smiled broadly.
"Qingzhou, I didn't know you knew celebrities, that's amazing."
Xu Qingzhou remained silent, watching Chen Mi put away her phone, adjust her bag, and walk towards him.
As they got closer, Xu Qingzhou suddenly felt her wrist being grabbed, and then she was pulled behind Chi Jun.
This was the first time Xu Qingzhou had ever seen Chi Jun look at her like that—
Unlike his usual friendliness and casualness when interacting with others, he exuded a coldness that he couldn't even be bothered to hide.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
Chen Mi's smile remained unchanged, and she even playfully shrugged her shoulders.
Why can't I come?
"Xu Jun, don't flatter yourself. I'm not here to see you; I'm here to see—"
She paused, glancing at Xu Qingzhou, who was hidden behind Chi Jun, a barely perceptible hint of mockery flashing across her upturned lips, and said meaningfully, "—Your sister's."
Chi Jun clearly didn't want Xu Qingzhou to have any contact with her.
Before he could refuse, his sleeve was gently tugged from behind.
Chi Jun turned around.
Xu Qingzhou smiled and earnestly reassured him:
I'm okay.
Across from her, Chen Mi glanced at the words on the paper, her eyebrows slightly raised.
*
Private cafes in small towns are usually quiet, especially in the early morning when everyone is busy and has no time to relax.
Chen Mi ordered two coffees, casually chose a seat by the floor-to-ceiling window, sat down, and placed her bag aside.
Xu Qingzhou sat down opposite her.
Unlike their last meeting, which started with everyday conversation and seemed natural and friendly, this time Chen Mi simply smiled and stared intently at Xu Qingzhou.
When that undisguised gaze made Xu Qingzhou a little uneasy, Chen Mi took a sip of coffee and finally spoke from the heart:
"Qingzhou, you are so beautiful."
"..."
Xu Qingzhou was momentarily at a loss for words, so he pursed his lips slightly as a polite response.
"You're so beautiful and well-behaved, no wonder Xu Jun came back for you."
As she spoke, Chen Mi gestured with her chin towards the cake shop diagonally opposite and joked, "Look, he's staring at you from this far away, like he's afraid I'll eat you up."
Xu Qingzhou followed Chen Mi's gaze and glanced in that direction.
Chi Jun was eating a small cake, no bigger than the palm of his hand.
Instead of sitting in the warm and comfortable cake shop on this freezing day, he casually leaned back on his electric scooter, enjoying the cold wind. When his eyes met Xu Qingzhou's, he even raised an eyebrow, as if to say—don't be afraid of her, I'm here.
Xu Qingzhou found it amusing.
She took out her phone and sent a message to Chi Jun:
It's cold outside, wait for me at the cake shop.
However, Chi Jun glanced down at the message but did not reply.
Instead, he shook his head dramatically like a child throwing a tantrum and beckoned to Xu Qingzhou with his finger.
The implication is: Come back soon, and I'll go in.
Xu Qingzhou looked at him helplessly. Not only did Chi Jun not go inside, but he also put on a dramatic performance, giving her a classic show of shrinking his neck and rubbing his arms to keep warm.
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
Chen Mi across from her laughed out loud: "You two have such a good relationship."
Xu Qingzhou felt it was impolite to ignore Chen Mi while talking to Chi Jun, so she put away her phone. However, Chen Mi's next words made her pause—
"We were so sweet together back then. Love conquers all, and that's no joke."
In fact, both sides were well aware of Chen Mi's purpose in coming today: she wanted Chi Jun to go back.
Before this, Chen Mi had always thought that Xu Qingzhou was an innocent and kind-hearted girl. This time, persuading her might be more difficult than the last time, but it shouldn't be too hard.
However, to her surprise, the smile on the girl's face faltered slightly after she said that. Then, Xu Qingzhou looked up and just stared at her quietly.
Chen Mi's smile gradually faltered in the silence.
She had a feeling that Xu Qingzhou's attitude was a bit off.
Sure enough, the next moment, Xu Qingzhou took out paper and pen—
Ms. Chen, matters of the heart are not to be gossiped about.
Chen Mi's hand, which was gripping the cup, suddenly tightened.
But he still pretended to be calm:
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Xu Qingzhou didn't directly expose him; instead, he subtly touched his pen and wrote a sentence on the paper—
I saw a news report about your family's financial situation on TV a few days ago.
The pen rested gently on the table, making a crisp sound.
The music in the coffee shop seemed to be paused at that moment.
In the still atmosphere, Chen Mi remained silent.
She silently looked at Xu Qingzhou's face.
Even now, the girl's expression remained calm and composed, seemingly unaffected by the previous deception.
In fact, the entertainment industry is full of lies, so much so that we've become accustomed to them.
Chen Mi knew that she could easily cover up this lie by simply explaining that celebrities in the entertainment industry need to fabricate some past experiences and family backgrounds to maintain their public personas.
However, at this moment, looking at the gentle and serene young girl before her, who seemed to be accumulating a peaceful and resilient strength, Chen Mi deeply realized:
There's no need for any more lies.
She has clearly opened her arms and fully accepted Xu Jun's return.
A long silence followed around the small round table.
Just as Xu Qingzhou put away his pen and paper and made a move to get up and leave, Chen Mi stared at the coffee cup in front of her and suddenly said:
"So, are you prepared to bear the consequences of this choice?"
Xu Qingzhou suddenly stopped moving.
She looked at Chen Mi quietly, and after a few seconds, she took out paper and pen again:
I don't want to think about the future; at least right now, he and I are genuinely happy.
After saying that, Xu Qingzhou didn't linger. He turned around, walked to the cashier, and paid for his coffee.
The sun was once again obscured by drifting dark clouds.
The biting wind was still blowing.
However, when Xu Qingzhou pushed open the jingling glass door of the coffee shop, a cold wind blew in his face, but he felt an unprecedented sense of freshness and clarity.
Chi Jun had finished eating a cake. When he saw her come out, he smiled and stood up.
Xu Qingzhou smiled, pulled his scarf up a bit, and skipped briskly toward the other side.
However, just as one foot stepped off the road, the roar of a sports car engine suddenly came from behind.
The roar arrived in an instant, accompanied by strange cheers and shouts from someone.
Xu Qingzhou turned his head and saw a sports car speeding towards him, with something flying everywhere. Before he could see clearly, the front of the car flashed into view amidst the terrified screams of pedestrians.
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