Chapter 2: Xiao Ai, Sorry for the long wait 3
Tang Ai was a little flattered. How could she deserve the help of the three of them?
If that's the case, what reason does she have not to become better?
It was almost ten o'clock after dinner that night. The dormitory of University A closes at ten o'clock, so Xi Chen sent Tang Ai back on time.
When the iron door of the girls' dormitory was closed, Xi Chen looked at Tang Ai who turned around and walked inside, and suddenly called out, "Xiao Ai."
Tang Ai turned her head in confusion, then walked out slowly and looked at him through the door.
Xi Chen approached her and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself several times.
"What do you want to tell me?" Tang Ai asked.
Xi Chen frowned tightly in the night. There were some things that he couldn't bring himself to say. He didn't know whether he should tell Tang Ai. These days, he had been wandering between truth and lies, and he couldn't sleep well for several days.
"Xi Chen." Seeing him like this, Tang Ai was a little worried. She reached out her hand from the gap in the iron door, gently pulled Xi Chen's sleeve, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Xi Chen lowered his head slightly. It was too late at night, and she couldn't see him clearly. Tang Ai didn't know where to start, but she just pulled his sleeve harder.
After a while, Xi Chen suddenly raised his head and called out emotionally, "Xiao Ai."
Tang Ai's heart skipped a beat and she looked at him with a frown.
Xi Chen said, “I’m sorry.”
Tang Ai didn't know why he said sorry, but she felt that Xi Chen had a lot of worries. These worries were like a pool of spring water slowly occupying his chest, and with just a slight shake, the ripples would affect his mood.
"Xi Chen, have you done anything to offend me?" Tang Ai asked in confusion.
Xi Chen felt a little flustered, but he didn't know what to say. In a flash, he saw Tang Ai smile again, the light in her eyes was more beautiful than the bright moonlight: "If you really did something to let me down, then I will forgive you."
Xi Chen was stunned: "Xiao Ai..."
Tang Ai smiled and said, "Because I believe that if you really did something to let me down, it was not intentional. Because I remember all the good things you have done to me. Compared to your kindness, what does a little mistake mean?"
"Xiao Ai..." Xi Chen murmured her name, then suddenly smiled and said firmly, "Thank you!"
Tang Ai finally felt relieved. She said, "Don't thank me. Compared to what you did, this is nothing. You should go back to the dormitory soon, or you will be locked outside and unable to return."
"Okay, good night." Xi Chen said gently.
Tang Ai responded: "Good night."
Seeing Xichen turn and leave, his figure submerged in the darkness, Tang Aicai slowly turned around and walked back. Was the strange atmosphere between her and Xichen because Xichen was worried? But it didn't matter. She didn't have to ask about the things that made Xichen frown. She just needed to decisively tell Xichen that it didn't matter, everything didn't matter, as long as he was still the same as before, that was enough.
There are lights flickering on the ground and stars twinkling in the night sky. Tang Ai is happier to have Xi Chen than to have the whole world.
After climbing several flights of stairs, Tang Ai returned to the dormitory with a heart full of sweetness.
As soon as I opened the door, a smell of braised food wafted out from the dormitory. It turned out that Lin Xiaoya and the other two were eating braised food and drinking beer in the dormitory with flashlights.
Seeing Tang Ai coming back, Lin Xiaoya asked, "Do you want to eat together?"
Tang Ai shook her head and said, "No, I've eaten."
Then, she changed her shoes and went around them to the bathroom to wash up. While washing up, she secretly heard them discussing her and Xichen.
This was the first time that someone gossiped about her behind her back. Tang Ai didn't like quarrels, so she pretended not to hear their discussion.
After washing up, she walked past them again and said, "I'm going to bed first."
She slowly climbed onto the bed, pulled the curtains, and hid under the quilt alone.
Just now they were saying, how did Tang Ai know Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun?
No wonder she didn't want to tell us where she was going. In fact, she was going to meet the young master. Was she afraid that we would snatch the opportunity?
I didn't realize that Tang Ai is quite powerful. She usually looks tepid and doesn't like to get along with others, but it turns out that there is such a powerful force behind her. No wonder she has the courage to do her own thing and look down on others.
These words took over Tang Ai's mind in a spiral shape, and Tang Ai felt uncomfortable all over. She felt that in the past in Huacheng, everyone was a local, simple and kind, and such things would never happen.
Coming to a bustling city and meeting people from different places, it is indeed difficult to get along with them.
Tang Ai thought that next time she would not stay in the dormitory if she had nothing to do, so as to avoid feeling depressed.
Therefore, Tang Ai would not return to the dormitory except for sleeping at night. Sometimes when she was bored in class, she would go to Xi Chen's class to sit in on the class. Seeing that she was always alone, Xi Chen asked, "Xiao Ai, why don't I see you playing with others?"
Tang Ai lay on the table and said honestly, "I can't get along with the girls in the dormitory."
"Do they get along well?" Xi Chen asked.
Tang Ai thought about it and said, "Okay."
Xi Chen knew that girls in university dormitories tended to form cliques and exclude others, but Tang Ai was a very easy-going person, so why did she become the one who was excluded?
Xi Chen did not directly say that he hoped Tang Ai could take the initiative to talk to them. After thinking about it, he decided to let Tang Ai stay with him so that he could take her to meet more people and see a wider world.
So Xichen asked, "Xiao Ai, are you going to the botanical garden this weekend?"
"Okay!" Tang Ai was interested in green plants and flowers, and she was studying horticulture. She was most interested in places like botanical gardens. When she heard that Xi Chen wanted to take her to such a place, she agreed, but then she asked, "Are we the two of us?"
"You can call Shen Ruoyun." Xi Chen said.
"Okay." Tang Ai nodded and began to look forward to the weekend.
It's just that Xi Chen not only invited Shen Ruoyun, but also asked Shen Ruoyun to bring a few reliable friends with him privately, so that Tang Ai can also get in touch with them. Ancheng is so big, the world is so big, and the future is so far away, she can't just be him and Shen Ruoyun.
The weather was relatively sunny over the weekend. The sunlight had lost its blazing heat that was unique to summer and early autumn, and had become soft and warm. The roads paved with scattered flagstones were lined with maple trees, and the leaves were gradually turning red. In a while, I would be able to enjoy the bright red maple leaves.
Xi Chen, Shen Ruoyun, Tang Ai and three other men and women rode the shared yellow bikes together as they headed to the botanical garden.
The three men and women were all Shen Ruoyun's classmates. The two boys were named Xu Yueping and Zhong Nan, and the girl was named Yu Jie. Zhong Nan and Yu Jie were a couple. Because Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun were there, Tang Ai seemed natural and unrestrained when talking to them.
The yellow cars were parked in front of the Botanical Garden. Shen Ruoyun volunteered, "I'll go buy the tickets."
So he went to buy the ticket alone, and the rest of the people stayed where they were. Shortly after Shen Ruoyun left, a clear and loud female voice rang out: "Brother Xichen!"
Tang Ai looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl wearing a white sweatshirt, shorts and stockings. She ran straight to Xi Chen, ignoring the suspicious looks of others, enthusiastically took Xi Chen's arm, and looked at him with a smile.
The first thing Tang Ai thought of when she saw this cute girl suddenly was Xi Chen's sister, because Xi Chen had said in Tianwu Mountain that he had a sister who was the same age as her.
Xi Chen calmly pulled his arm out of the girl's arms and asked, "Why are you here?"
"Shen Ruoyun, I asked him about your schedule, you are so mean, you didn't even invite me to go out on the weekend!" The girl looked at Xi Chen in a reproachful manner and rolled her eyes at him several times. She had a strong girlish aura in her every move, so youthful and energetic.
Xu Yueping and the others seemed to know her, and they couldn't help laughing when they saw her acting like a spoiled child.
The girl blinked her lively eyes and cast a cunning look at Tang Ai. Tang Ai was startled and her whole body stiffened. The girl jumped a few times, came to Tang Ai, pointed at her and said mischievously: "You are Tang Ai, right? There is no doubt about it. Brother Xichen always mentions you in front of me. Hello, I am Xichen's sister, my name is Xi Shanshan."
She held out her hand to her and looked at her with a smile.
Tang Ai silently rubbed her palms on her pants, held Xi Shanshan's hands together, and said, "I've heard Xi Chen talk about you, too."
"Really!" Xi Shanshan pretended to be surprised, turned her head to look at Xi Chen, and then secretly asked Tang Ai, "Did brother say something bad about me?"
"No, she said you are very lively and cute." Tang Ai smiled.
Xi Shanshan couldn't hide the excitement on her face. She ran to Xi Chen in small steps, took Xi Chen's arm again, and said, "I knew I must be very good in my brother's heart!"
For some reason, Tang Ai always felt that Xi Chen had a hint of impatience on his face. Clearly, when he talked about his sister before, his face was full of warm smiles. Xi Chen once again pulled his arm out of Xi Shanshan's arms, pointed at Shen Ruoyun who had just bought the ticket, and said, "Go find Shen Ruoyun and play with him. He loves playing with you the most."
"No, I don't like playing with him." Xi Shanshan hugged Xi Chen's arm again in a huff.
"Shanshan? You really came!" Shen Ruoyun asked in surprise when he saw Xi Shanshan after buying the ticket.
Xi Shanshan raised her head and asked unconvincedly: "Why, is it not possible?"
"No, no, no, no, why not? I'm so happy!" Shen Ruoyun smiled with a gentle expression.
Tang Ai rarely saw him like this, because Shen Ruoyun usually loved to laugh, but there was never such doting and tenderness in his eyes. This was the first time she saw him like this. It seemed that Shen Ruoyun did have a deep admiration for Xi Shanshan.
Because only in front of the person you like can you inadvertently reveal this expression.
Tang Ai thought of this and felt happy for Shen Ruoyun. But in the next second, she suddenly noticed the way Xi Shanshan looked at Xi Chen, which was exactly the same as the way Shen Ruoyun looked at Xi Shanshan.
Tang Ai was shocked by her own thoughts. She shook her head violently and thought to herself: How is it possible? They are siblings.
"Everyone, come in." Shen Ruoyun invited everyone to enter the botanical garden. Tang Ai patted her cheeks to make herself more awake, and then went in with everyone.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the most blooming flowers in the botanical garden are these wind-resistant flowers. There is a long row of osmanthus trees at the entrance of the garden, and the rich fragrance of the flowers makes people intoxicated. The Rose Pavilion, Autumn Chrysanthemum Pavilion, Gesang Flower Sea and Sunflower Sea are also open to the public during this season. Compared with viewing flowers, Tang Ai is more interested in the exhibition halls inside.
There are specimens of various flowers in the exhibition hall, and under each specimen are notes about its growth environment, flowering period, planting method, efficacy, etc. Tang Ai took pictures of them with her mobile phone while looking at them. After returning, she had to make a note and write down all the information she didn't know.
For this reason, Xu Yueping also laughed and said: "Everyone comes out to enjoy the flowers, and you come out to study. It is indeed the difference between a top student and a poor student."
Being praised by someone she didn't know well, Tang Ai showed an awkward expression on her face: "I... I'm just interested."
"Very good." said Xu Yueping.
Tang Ai turned around and looked around, and asked, "Why are there only two of us left?"
While helping Tang Ai take photos, Xu Yueping said, "Nannan and Yu Jie, the couple, probably went to enjoy their own flowers. As for the other three people, it's troublesome. I'm alone, and you're alone too, so I thought, I might as well keep an eye on you. Shen Ruoyun said you have a poor sense of direction, and if you get lost, I won't be able to explain to him."
Tang Ai blamed herself and said, "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
"No trouble." Xu Yueping smiled and pointed to the back room of the exhibition hall. "Do you want to go and see what's inside?"
"Okay." Tang Ai nodded and walked into the exhibition hall.
