Chapter 398 Friendship Line
398:
After the Chinese New Year holiday, Ye Qingxi spent some more time with family and friends before starting school.
This is the last semester of my junior year, so I inevitably have more classes than before.
Considering that everyone would be doing internships in their senior year and then going their separate ways, Ye Qingxi increased the frequency of eating with her roommates this semester.
Of course, he spent most of his time with Zhong Yan.
During the May Day holiday, Zhong Yan had already arranged a flight route and boarded her family's private jet with Ye Qingxi.
Looking at the clouds outside the window, Ye Qingxi sighed, "It's a pity that Kang Cong wasn't the one piloting the plane."
Zhong Yan scoffed, "That guy who values his girlfriend more than his friends. I asked him if he wanted to come along, and he said he had to be with his girlfriend. Honestly, he's with his girlfriend every day, why does he need to be with her?"
"You don't understand, do you?" Ye Qingxi turned to look at him. "That's how it is when you're in a relationship. It'll be the same when you have a girlfriend in the future."
“I wouldn’t,” Zhong Yan said.
“That’s because you haven’t talked about it yet,” Ye Qingxi said.
Otherwise, given Zhong Yan's personality, he would be even more clingy to his girlfriend than Kang Cong.
"But speaking of which, what kind of girl do you like?" Ye Qingxi asked curiously.
Zhong Yan: ...
Zhong Yan felt that she should like cute girls.
The reason I say "should" is that he really doesn't have any thoughts or needs about dating right now.
There were girls who confessed their feelings to him at school, and even a few boys.
Zhong Yan refused them all.
Not only that, when he came back, he complained to Ye Qingxi, "Holy crap! He actually confessed his feelings to me, a grown man!"
After venting his frustrations, he remembered that Ye Qingxi's father and uncle both liked boys, so he quickly added, "Of course, your father and your uncle are different; they are truly in love."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi felt that he didn't need to apply this patch, because he actually understood Zhong Yan's feelings quite well.
He did the same thing when the senior from their photography club confessed his feelings to him.
My mind is filled with: I'm going, I'm going, I'm going!
He didn't connect this matter with his father's or his uncle's affairs at all.
"What kind of girl do you like?" Zhong Yan asked him in return.
Ye Qingxi never sets limits for himself. He says, "As long as I have the feeling, that's enough."
“Your request… is rather unrealistic,” Zhong Yan said. “Well, as long as I feel it, that’s fine.”
Ye Qingxi smiled and thought to himself that it was indeed true. Feelings were the most elusive thing; otherwise, how could he not have met that person he felt a connection with until now?
“But Kang Cong really should spend more time with him,” Zhong Yan added. “He’s graduating soon, and it’s uncertain whether he and his girlfriend will still be together by then.”
Ye Qingxi nodded, "Mm."
College romances often face this dilemma: couples fall in love in the same place, but after graduation, they become long-distance relationships.
I wonder what will become of his best friend's first love.
"Speaking of which, Pei Liang has been abroad for so many years and hasn't even had a boyfriend?"
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
Zhong Yan was puzzled. "He's going to school, not to date. Why would he date? Your brother didn't date either."
“My brother just left not long ago, right? Pei Liang has been gone for three years.”
"So what? Do we have to talk after three years?"
"Isn't he at the age where his heart is just beginning to flutter? And foreign beauties are all very passionate and outgoing."
Zhong Yan snorted, "Him? Beautiful women aren't blind."
Ye Qingxi: ...Of course a beautiful woman isn't blind, that's why she likes him, okay?
The two talked all the way, and then closed their eyes and took a nap when they were sleepy.
When I woke up again, we were almost at our destination.
Zhong Yan had informed Pei Liang in advance, so Pei Liang was already waiting for them at the airport exit.
Upon seeing them, Pei Liang warmly gave each of them a big hug.
Zhong Yan felt disgusted after being hugged by him for a while, then pushed him away, saying, "Aren't you hot?"
Before he arrived, he specifically asked Pei Liang about the temperature. Pei Liang said that the temperature had been relatively cool and rainy recently, so Zhong Yan wore a thick jacket. Who would have thought that the weather would be so nice upon arrival?
Not only was there no rain, but the sun was shining brightly.
Zhong Yan took off her jacket, draped it over her arm, and handed her suitcase to Pei Liang.
Pei Liang: ...
Pei Liang silently took it and helped the young master pull the suitcase.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to my apartment,” Pei Liang said.
He drove over and put both of their suitcases inside.
Ye Qingxi watched him sitting in the driver's seat, driving skillfully, and said enviously, "I don't dare to drive on the road yet."
He took advantage of his free time last year to get his driver's license, but he has never dared to drive on the road, for fear of causing an accident.
Upon hearing this, Pei Liang glanced at him and said, "It's alright, just try driving a few times. If you still don't dare, then forget it, we'll just hire a driver and you won't have to drive anymore."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhong Yan and asked, "Why don't you get your driver's license?"
Zhong Yan said matter-of-factly, "I'm lazy."
Pei Liang: ...As expected of him.
After parking the car and arriving at Pei Liang's apartment, Ye Qingxi habitually opened the shoe cabinet to change her shoes, only to see that the shoes in the cabinet were clearly misbranded canvas shoes that did not belong to Pei Liang.
He asked in confusion, "Don't you live alone?"
Pei Liang nodded, "There's another junior, he's also Chinese, but his family isn't well-off. A senior I used to be close to is from his hometown, and he asked me to help look after him when he graduated. A while ago, the place he was staying wasn't very safe, and since I've been living alone and have several rooms available, he asked if I could rent this place, and I agreed."
"I see," Ye Qingxi said. "Then...is he not here now?"
“Yes, he went out with his friends,” Pei Liang said. “It’s alright, he’s a good boy. Even if he comes back, you don’t need to worry about him.”
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
Zhong Yan raised the corners of her lips as if she had heard a joke, and sneered, "Nonsense, do you think I have to put up with his attitude just because I'm here?"
"Of course not."
Looking at his expression, Pei Liang thought to himself, "Now I'm the one reading your face, right, young master? What's bothering you now?"
Ye Qingxi naturally noticed that Zhong Yan's expression had changed, and wondered what was wrong.
After he and Zhong Yan entered the empty guest room in Pei Liang's apartment, he asked him, "What's wrong? Why are you unhappy so soon after we arrived?"
"He didn't tell me about this," Zhong Yan said, dissatisfied. "If he had told me earlier, and that he had some junior classmate here, why would I have had to fly all this way here?"
Does the fact that he didn't go to Kang Cong's place during the May Day holiday mean that he and Kang Cong don't get along?
It's just that Kang Cong already has a girlfriend with him and doesn't need his extra warmth.
He thought Pei Liang was all alone and lonely abroad, but look what happened!
She even has a junior from elementary school living with her!
They even said, "He's quite well-behaved, you don't need to worry about him." If he's so well-behaved, he should have said so earlier. You're just wasting his time and money on gas.
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi was both amused and exasperated.
He coaxed gently, "What are you saying? What did he say? He has a bad temper, so you should be careful? You should just slam the door and leave now. Isn't what he's saying basically telling us not to take this junior seriously and to just do whatever we want?"
Ye Qingxi advised, "When you're abroad, you're all compatriots. If you encounter someone you can help, you should naturally lend a hand."
"You just heard Pei Liang say that the other party's family isn't well-off, so the place they rented before probably wasn't in a good location, which is why the neighborhood was so unsafe. Pei Liang's senior asked him for help, so he agreed to take the job. If you ask me, he probably didn't even collect much rent. You're just doing charity. Don't you do charity every year? Why are you allowed to do it, but he's not?"
Zhong Yan: ...
Zhong Yan felt a little better after hearing what he said.
But he still felt, "He should have told me too."
Ye Qingxi chuckled, "Even parents don't necessarily know everything about their children, let alone friends."
Zhong Yan: ...
Zhong Yan thought to herself: But it was me who came to see him, not his parents.
"And maybe he did say it, but you just didn't notice."
Zhong Yan frowned. "No, I don't think so."
He had no recollection of this incident.
"Besides, it might not be a big deal for Pei Liang, which is why he didn't say anything. Isn't that how people are? They only talk about important people and things, and they don't talk about unimportant ones. You see, I never tell you about those directors who call my dad to ask if I have time to film their movies, because it's not a big deal, and those directors aren't important."
“But I’ll tell you when my dad comes to visit me and when my uncle brings me things, because these are important things to me.”
After hearing what he said, Zhong Yan's anger finally subsided.
He felt that Ye Qingxi's words made sense. If Pei Liang kept calling him "junior" all the time, and if he met a junior today and that junior moved into his house tomorrow, then he would probably get angry and tell him to go back and chat with his junior instead of wasting his data here.
He was appeased by Ye Qingxi, so he stopped being angry with Pei Liang, put down his luggage, and left the house with Ye Qingxi.
"Why didn't you tell me about your junior?" Zhong Yan asked bluntly and confidently.
Pei Liang: ? ? ?
"I already said that."
"when?"
“That day in the group, I said I did a good deed every day and helped a fellow countryman from a poor family. You even said to me, ‘Oh, so kind. Should I apply for the “Touching China” award for you, Pei Shao?’”
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
Zhong Yan vaguely remembered saying those words, but who could possibly see from the surface that he was living with a junior student?
"But you didn't say you let him stay in your apartment!"
Pei Liang: "It's not a big deal."
"This isn't a big deal?!"
Pei Liang: ? ? ?
"One roommate is no big deal? If I were in China, I would have at least three roommates, which would be a huge deal?"
"You know all my roommates, but I don't know yours."
“I didn’t have any roommates before,” Pei Liang said. “He only moved in recently.”
"But this is your fault."
Pei Liang: ...
"Now that I'm telling you, you're not angry anymore, right?"
Zhong Yan was actually a little angry, but as Pei Liang said, if this were in college, he would have at least three roommates.
He had his own roommates, so there was no reason why Pei Liang couldn't have roommates either. Therefore, he didn't dwell on it too much.
"This will not happen again," he said.
“There won’t be a next time,” Pei Liang said. “I’m almost graduating.”
That makes sense, Zhong Yan thought.
Ye Qingxi watched them finish arguing and make up, and chuckled softly, thinking that they were just like they were when they were kids.
"Alright, let's not talk about your roommate anymore. Let's go out for a walk while the weather's nice today," he said.
"Okay." Pei Liang had no objections. "Where do you want to go?"
"Of course I'll go to your school! I've never been to your school before!" Ye Qingxi said excitedly.
Seeing his excited expression, Pei Liang said regretfully, "Why didn't you come with me back then? If you had, you would be my roommate now."
Zhong Yan: ? ? ?
"Are you kidding me? Don't you know the concept of first come, first served? Xiaoxi and I agreed a long time ago that we would live together in college."
“Then you can come along too,” Pei Liang said, looking at him.
“I refuse.” Zhong Yan said without hesitation.
Pei Liang: ...
The three of them went out together and headed to H University.
Looking at the magnificent building in front of her, Ye Qingxi picked up her camera and started taking pictures.
Pei Liang walked beside him, explaining the history of H University to him.
As Ye Qingxi listened, she thought to herself, if he weren't so reluctant to leave his home, it would actually be quite good for him to go to university.
He turned around and snapped a picture of Pei Liang.
Pei Liang laughed and said to him, "Let me take a few pictures of you."
"Okay," Ye Qingxi replied.
Pei Liang raised her camera and took several pictures of him, as well as a photo of him and Zhong Yan together.
Remembering something, Ye Qingxi made a video call to Kang Cong and said to him, "We're at H University now."
"Really?" Kang Cong exclaimed excitedly. "Let me see!"
Ye Qingxi then held up her phone and recorded him around.
Kang Cong clicked his tongue, "Not bad."
Zhong Yan snorted, "Regret it now, don't you?"
"No, it's much better to be with my girlfriend, haha~"
Zhong Yan: ...
Ye Qingxi asked him, "Would you like to take a picture with us?"
Kang Cong straightened up in confusion. "Now?"
“Yes, that’s it. Let Pei Liang take a picture of us.” Ye Qingxi pointed to him in the video on her phone.
"No need," Zhong Yan chuckled.
After saying that, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket, opened it, and there was a half-body photo of Kang Cong on it.
However, it's in black and white.
Kang Cong: ? ? ? ! ! !
"Are you crazy?!"
Ye Qingxi laughed heartily.
Zhong Yan smiled and said, "Aren't you very grateful to me? No need to thank me too much. Although you value your girlfriend over your friends, I will always have you in my heart."
Kang Cong: ...
Kang Cong felt like he had a terrible headache.
“Come on, Pei Liang,” Zhong Yan said happily, “Let’s take a group photo together.”
After saying that, he waved the paper with Kang Cong's half-body photo on it.
Kang Cong: ...
Ye Qingxi almost lost control of her expression while laughing.
Pei Liang stood beside Zhong Yan and together they lifted up "Kang Cong".
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi burst into laughter again.
Kang Cong: ...
Kang Cong had given up hope.
The four of them took a ridiculous group photo.
After that, at each tourist attraction, Zhong Yan would take out her "Kang Cong" and take a photo with them.
Zhong Yan: [Photos][Photos][Photos][Photos][Photos]
Zhong Yan: [You're welcome. That's just how our F4 is—our bond is stronger than gold!]
Kang Cong: ...Did you waste your time studying Chinese language and literature?
Is this how "a bond stronger than gold" is used?!
Kang Cong privately messaged Ye Qingxi: "Or you could just kick me out of the group chat."
He really doesn't want to see any more photos of the four of them together!
Ye Qingxi laughed heartily and replied, "That won't do; F3 won't let me off the hook."
Kang Cong: ? ? ?
Are you kidding me? You think Zhong Yan, that F3, won't let you off the hook?
Everyone knows he's a good guy, you'd be his buddy!
Kang Congxin is exhausted.
Life is tough, Kang Cong sighed.
We'd had enough fun, and it was getting dark.
Pei Liang took Ye Qingxi and Zhong Yan to a restaurant to eat steak.
"I thought you were going to take me out for fish and chips," Zhong Yan said with a smile.
Pei Liang looked at him and said, "You can eat it if you want, anyway, it's available there."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yan actually ordered fish and chips after arriving.
He commented, "It's alright, not as bad as the rumors say."
"So you eat it every day?"
Zhong Yan: ...
"I'm going to the restroom."
Pei Liang: ? ? ?
"It shouldn't be so disgusting that you'd throw up just hearing about it, right?"
Zhong Yan: ...
"I just went to the toilet!"
Zhong Yan stood up. "Xiao Xi, are you going?"
Ye Qingxi shook her head, "You go first, I want to eat some more fries."
"Okay," Zhong Yan said, and walked out of the booth.
After Ye Qingxi saw him leave, she said to Pei Liang, "You should tell your junior to stay at his friend's or classmate's place for one night during the May Day holiday and not come back yet. Otherwise, if Zhong Yan sees this, she might be unhappy again."
“I know,” Pei Liang said. “That’s why he wasn’t here today.”
It would be awkward to have more outsiders in the house when Zhong Yan and Ye Qingxi were coming, especially since Zhong Yan always felt that only the four of them were close and that everyone else was not one of his own. He definitely wouldn't like it, so he sent them away early on.
Ye Qingxi nodded, "That's fine."
but……
"What's your relationship like with that junior?" Ye Qingxi asked curiously.
He is friends with Zhong Yan, and he is also friends with Pei Liang.
They came specifically to visit Pei Liang, naturally out of concern for his well-being.
With a new roommate suddenly living in the house, Ye Qingxi couldn't possibly be unconcerned about the other person's name, personality, and how they got along. However, since Zhong Yan was there just now, he didn't dare to ask too many questions, fearing that if Pei Liang didn't answer properly, his life would be in danger.
"Let's leave it at that," Pei Liang said. "Just a regular alumni relationship."
"Alumni? Aren't you roommates?"
Pei Liang said in a calm tone, "I'm at school all day, and when I come back at night, I have to deal with the branch office's affairs while also chatting with our Young Master Zhong. This kind of co-living is similar to the kind of co-living where you work away from home. We can only see each other a few times a day and exchange a few words, all because this apartment only has one door. If this apartment had two doors, the two of us could basically ignore each other."
Ye Qingxi laughed, "Looking at it this way, it really is charity work."
“Otherwise?” Pei Liang said, “It’s only because they are all compatriots. If they were other countries, I wouldn’t bother with this charity.”
"But have you already started handling the branch office matters?"
Pei Liang nodded, "My dad said I'm just killing time anyway, so this is a good opportunity to practice. I think it's a good idea."
He said, "Did you know that your brother is currently interning at Phoenix Group, owned by the Feng family?"
Ye Qingxi nodded.
"And what about you? Don't you have any ideas?"
Ye Qingxi: ...
"We've only just met, less than twelve hours have passed, and you're already trying to drag me into this?"
Pei Liang chuckled, "You don't want to join the Mu family's group, but you definitely have to go to the Phoenix Group. Feng Que is Old Master Feng's only grandson, and you are his only great-grandson. If you don't go, is there a more suitable candidate in the Feng family this generation?"
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi suddenly realized that it was true.
He was familiar with the older generation of the Feng family, but not so much with the younger generation, and didn't know if there was anyone capable of taking over the Phoenix Group.
But it's better to rely on yourself than on others. This is his great-grandfather's life's work, and if someone among the younger generation must take it up, then the most suitable person is him.
Pei Liang said gently, "I've learned a lot here. When I get back, I can teach you everything you need."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
"Then does that mean I have to continue studying?"
Pei Liang nodded, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, "You're never too old to learn. You're still so young, of course you should learn more."
“I know your mind isn’t on the Mu Group, or the Phoenix Group, or even your uncle’s game company right now, but that’s okay. We’re childhood friends, so you can do what you want first. When you’re done and have had your fun, and you want to take over the Phoenix Group, then if there’s anything I can help you with, just tell me. Whether it’s something I’m learning now or something I’ll learn in the future, I can teach you.”
"Of course, you can also go to your brother. Your brother knows more than I do. You can learn from him and then pass it on to me. If we join forces, the world will still be the same as when we were in school."
Ye Qingxi laughed.
He didn't expect Pei Liang to say that.
As people grow older, they sometimes become reluctant to talk about these things, and money can unintentionally become a very sensitive topic.
Fortunately, they are not yet.
His good friends will still care about him, hope that he can do what he wants to do, hope that he will have a bright future, and are willing to think about him and worry about him.
"Isn't reading documents really boring?" Ye Qingxi asked.
“It’s alright,” Pei Liang said. “It might be boring for Zhong Yan, but it’s fine for you. You can watch it first. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can tell me, or you can talk to your brother, your dad, or your grandpa.”
"Sigh." Ye Qingxi sighed deliberately, "Now I understand how Zhong Yan and Kang Cong felt when we were in school. I just wanted to lie down, but you woke me up with a loudspeaker."
Pei Liang chuckled, "So they're all focusing on top-tier universities now, isn't that good? Isn't that a good thing?"
"What's so great?" Zhong Yan returned after using the restroom.
"They say our universities are pretty good now."
“That’s true,” Zhong Yan said.
Ye Qingxi smiled and thought to herself: Indeed, nothing is better than them all getting into good universities.
If anything, it must be that their friendship remains unchanged, unaffected by going to different universities or meeting different people.
They still walk hand in hand on the road of life.
There will still be people standing by your side, and there will still be people you can trust to turn your back on.
Ye Qingxi raised her glass. "Come on, let's celebrate. We're spending this May Day together."
Zhong Yan raised her glass in a very supportive gesture.
Pei Liang also picked up a glass of red wine.
He reminded her, "Xiao Xi, drink less."
"Know."
Ye Qingxi's hand reached forward and collided with their cups, producing a crisp and youthful sound.
He took a small sip, savoring the aroma and sweetness of his friendship.
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