☆, Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Song Xiaoshu leaned against the elevator wall, squinting his eyes to look at the elevator floor display screen. The red numbers slowly jumped until -1 appeared. He stood up straight and walked out of the elevator.
As he stepped out of the elevator, a voice called out to him. He paused slightly and looked in the direction of the voice. It was Shu Miaomiao, waving at him. Song Xiaoshu approached with a smile.
Gu Qingyue and Shu Miaomiao, each holding onto a roommate, were feeling a bit overwhelmed. Seeing this, Song Xiaoshu immediately said, "Get in the car first."
With Song Xiaoshu's help, the two of them heaved a sigh of relief after helping their drunken roommate into the car. The back seat could only accommodate three people. Just as Gu Qingyue was about to ask Shu Miaomiao to take the passenger seat, she had already opened the other door and climbed in.
Seeing this, Gu Qingyue didn't say much and got into the passenger seat.
As the car drove out, Song Xiaoshu said, "I'll ask Shuowen to wait for me at my place. We can just go over there."
Gu Qingyue and Shu Miaomiao had no objections. Fortunately, He Qing and Jiang Xinhui were good drinkers and did not make a fuss after getting drunk. They leaned back in the car and rested quietly.
After nearly an hour's drive, Song Xiaoshu drove the car into the community.
Yang Shuowen, wearing a black padded jacket and matching jeans, leaned against the wall, looking at his phone. He heard the sound of a car approaching, and he slipped his phone into his jeans pocket and walked down the stairs.
Yang Shuowen walked straight to the back of the car, bent down, leaned his upper body into the back seat, and carried He Qing out. Gu Qingyue got out of the car, walked around to the other door, and Shu Miaomiao each supported Jiang Xinhui on one side.
Song Xiaoshu closed the car door and said, "We can't go back to school now, so we'll just stay here tonight."
Yang Shuowen held He Qing in his arms, his expression a little grim, and nodded, "Okay."
After the group exited the elevator, Song Xiaoshu unlocked the door and let them in. Yang Shuowen had probably been here a few times before, so he was very familiar with the process, pushing open a door and then closing it behind him.
Jiang Xinhui was lying on the sofa. Shu Miaomiao said, "Let's send Xinhui to bed to rest first."
"Follow me." Song Xiaoshu said.
Gu Qingyue and Shu Miaomiao took Jiang Xinhui back to a bedroom, let her lie on the bed, and covered her with a quilt. Shu Miaomiao sighed: "I'm so tired, Song Xiaoshu, do you have anything to drink?"
"There are drinks in the refrigerator, or do you want some boiled water?"
"I'll get it myself."
Shu Miaomiao left the bedroom, and Song Xiaoshu looked at Gu Qingyue again: "What do you want to drink?"
"Just boiled water," she said.
Jiang Xinhui had already fallen asleep, and it was inconvenient for them to stay any longer, so they left the guest room one after another, and Gu Qingyue closed the door.
Shu Miaomiao was drinking a can of Coke. From another guest room came the sound of He Qing crying, followed by Yang Shuowen's comforting voice. After a long while, the noise inside died down.
Yang Shuowen came out of the room and said to Gu Qingyue, "I'm sorry to bother you today."
"It's nothing. He Qing is our roommate, so we naturally have to take care of her. However, she seems very sad this time. We have no right to interfere in your affairs, but I hope you won't let He Qing suffer any grievances." Gu Qingyue said obediently.
Song Xiaoshu stood beside the kitchen counter, looking at the scene in the living room leisurely. He chose not to say anything when Yang Shuowen was blamed by Gu Qingyue.
Yang Shuowen scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed: "Qingyue, it's just a small conflict between lovers, it's not that serious."
Shu Miaomiao said: "That's good, we are also thinking about He Qing."
Yang Shuowen turned to look at Song Xiaoshu, smiled and said, "Look at his roommate, and then look at you, you don't say a word for me."
Song Xiaoshu calmly took a glass. He unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, poured half of it into the glass, and added some hot water. He estimated that the water temperature should be just right. Then, he handed the glass to Gu Qingyue and said with a knowing smile, "If I had said a few more words, they wouldn't have let it go like this."
Shu Miaomiao teased him: "Hey, Song Xiaoshu, you really understand."
“I learned all of this from my dad.”
"Is that man tonight your father?" Shu Miaomiao asked.
"No, my second uncle." Song Xiaoshu said.
It was almost dawn, so they didn't stay in the living room any longer. Gu Qingyue and Shu Miaomiao returned to the bedroom. Fortunately, the bed in Song Xiaoshu's guest room was big enough, so the three of them didn't feel cramped when sleeping on one bed.
However, Jiang Xinhui was a good drinker, but she had a terrible sleeping posture. Gu Qingyue turned over and almost fell off the bed. She sat up and found that she was squeezed to the edge of the bed. She reached for her cell phone on the bedside table and saw that it was seven o'clock in the morning. There was only a thin red line left on the cell phone, telling her that the battery was running low.
Gu Qingyue put on her slippers and tiptoed out of the room.
In the living room, Song Xiaoshu was already awake, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants. His eyes were clear and bright. He stood at the counter, frying eggs. Hearing the sound, he glanced behind him and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So early? Oh, the toiletries are in the bathroom. You can go wash up."
"Can you lend me the data cable? My phone is running out of battery." Gu Qingyue held up the phone.
"Wait a moment." Then he turned off the fire.
Song Xiaoshu walked around her and went to the TV cabinet, opened the cabinet, and took out a data cable and a charger. Gu Qingyue took it. There was a socket behind the sofa. She connected the data cable to her phone and went to the bathroom to wash up.
There were several unopened toothbrushes and toothpastes on the sink, presumably something he had bought early in the morning. Gu Qingyue picked out a pink one and began to wash.
When she finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, He Qing and Yang Shuowen had also woken up. They seemed to have reconciled. When He Qing saw her, he said, "Did I make too much trouble last night?"
"No, you are very quiet when you are drunk, unlike me." Gu Qingyue said.
Yang Shuowen said with a smile: "Qingyue is really your in-laws."
Song Xiaoshu put the toast and eggs on a plate and said, "Go wash up and have breakfast after that."
Gu Qingyue returned to the guest room, called He Qing and Jiang Xinhui to get up, and then helped Song Xiaoshu prepare breakfast. Gu Qingyue thought for a moment and said, "Did you miss anything when you sent us back yesterday?"
"No." As if afraid she wouldn't believe him, he stared at her and said, "My second uncle took me to meet someone yesterday. I was just about to make an excuse to slip away, but luckily you showed up."
Gu Qingyue smiled and said, "But I still want to say thank you."
—
December 11th was the wedding anniversary of Gu's mother and Su Yanli. Every year around this time, the two would spend some time in a courtyard house in the south. They didn't like to celebrate by traveling abroad; they simply postponed work for a few days and spent a few days relaxing like a normal married couple.
Gu Qingyue was naturally with Su Xi. The two of them stayed in the apartment that Su Xi bought herself, and gave Aunt Xu a few days off.
Su Xi was wearing a simple white high-necked cashmere sweater and brown velvet wide-leg pants, a simple home outfit. She was sitting on the sofa drinking a cup of coffee.
Gu Qingyue sat cross-legged on the fluffy white carpet, on a gray-white solid wood tea table. A few sharp-edged ice cubes were placed on a glass plate. Gu Qingyue pinched two pieces with her bare hands and dropped them into the glass of Coke. Seeing this, Su Xi warned her, "It's so cold, drinking like this won't work for your body."
"It tastes better this way." Gu Qingyue sipped the straw and said disapprovingly.
Su Xi leaned against the sofa and said, "Why didn't you tell me about He Xiaohong?"
Gu Qingyue held a pillow in her arms, blinked, and asked in confusion, "How did you know?"
"Your third uncle asked me for it."
Gu Qingyue was stunned for a moment, then explained, "Then He Xiaohong is not your friend. I'm afraid that telling you this will embarrass you."
Su Xi picked up the cup and brought it to her lips, a hint of disdain in her eyes: "What kind of friend is he? If he comes to nag you again, call me."
Gu Qingyue nodded and said she remembered.
Su Xi asked her again: "What do you want to eat for dinner, or do you want to go out for dinner?"
Gu Qingyue shook her head and put the cup on the tea table: "I'm not hungry yet. I'll order takeout when I get hungry later."
Su Xi has been trying to lose weight recently and usually only eats two meals a day. Dinner is nothing more than a cup of oatmeal. Su Xi said, "When you're hungry, order it yourself. I'll go take a shower first."
Gu Qingyue hummed and took two more sips of Coke. Su Xi reminded her, "Drink less."
"Got it." Gu Qingyue said, "Do you want me to make you some fruit oatmeal first?"
Su Xi walked towards the bedroom and said, "Okay."
Gu Qingyue stood up and went to the kitchen. She tiptoed, opened the cupboard, took out a can of fruit cereal, placed it on the counter, and took out a box of skim milk from the refrigerator.
There wasn't much milk left after it was opened. She opened the can of oatmeal and scooped two tablespoons into the porcelain bowl. She casually pinched a banana slice and put it in her mouth. It had a crisp texture, which was good. But she didn't know what it would taste like after adding milk.
Gu Qingyue finished making her fruit cereal and returned to the sofa. Su Xi had left her phone on the tea table while she was taking a shower, and a call came in. Gu Qingyue, not intending to peek, happened to see the name on the caller ID: Lin Sheng.
Gu Qingyue looked slightly stunned, as if wondering if this Linsheng was the one she knew, or if they just had the same name. Almost subconsciously, she recalled the gray Land Rover she had seen in the basement garage at Su Xi's studio that day. It was the same car she had seen when she and Gu Hengsheng went to dinner at Fourth Uncle's. She heard footsteps behind her. It was Su Xi, asking her who was calling.
Gu Qingyue didn't answer. When Su Xi came to her, she slowly said, "My fourth uncle."
Su Xi had a subtle expression. She glanced at the screen of her mobile phone. Gu Qingyue stared at Su Xi. The moment she was silent, she realized that her guess was correct.
Su Xi was momentarily distracted, then regained her composure and admitted it immediately. Gu Qingyue was speechless for a moment before she stammered, "He has a family."
Su Xi lifted her hair and sat down on the sofa. She took the phone and taught her calmly, "Qingyue, the adult world is not as simple as you think. There are clear boundaries."
"But at least I know it's immoral to do this."
"Morality." Su Xi laughed mockingly. "Do you remember two days ago when you came to me and said you wanted to go into that brothel? It wasn't actually a brothel. Do you know how much an outsider has to pay to enter it?"
She gestured to tell her what a huge price it was.
"Gu Linsheng has connections with the owner of that club. I asked him to let you and your classmates in for a try. So, do you think we can maintain a clear boundary?"
She spoke so forcefully that Gu Qingyue's heart was stirred.
After the voice fell, Su Xi glanced at her lightly, and finally threw out a sentence, as if strangling her throat, hitting the nail on the head.
"If that's the case, what do you think is the relationship between you and Gu Hengsheng? Can you tell them apart?"
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