I thought that Lu Qingyu's back that day was the end of the relationship between him and me. I thought that my story with him would come to an end, and he would fade out of my life from then on, never blocking my way again and insisting on going to work with .
But what I didn't expect was that Lu Qingyu didn't distance himself from me as I imagined. On the contrary, he was still as haunting as before, running to the door of our class every day and insisting on working in the coffee shop with me.
Zhuo Yian had just returned to China and didn't have much to do, so he would often come to school to pick me up to go to work. Therefore, every time it was Lu Qingyu, me, and Zhuo Yian, the three of us, and I have to admit that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
Ning Yuan probably realized that the atmosphere of this threesome was too strange, so he never went home with me after school. I heard from others that he was dating a girl from their school.
When I first heard the news, I felt that my brother seemed to have grown up a lot. At least he knew how to take on certain responsibilities, such as the responsibility of taking care of someone.
Although Ning Yuan has not told me about this yet, I don't care at all, because Ning Yuan usually won't hide these things from me. I'm waiting for him to tell me himself.
But I don't have too much energy to take care of his affairs for the time being. What bothers me more is the current situation. It's really awkward for the three of us to be together: me, Lu Qingyu, and Zhuo Yian. The atmosphere among the three of us is really weird.
I must resolve this matter as soon as possible. When the school bell rang that day, I was still thinking about it.
I packed up my things and walked out of the classroom, and as usual, I saw Lu Qingyu's ruffian look. He was leaning against the wall in the corridor with a somewhat melancholy look in his eyes. At this moment, he happened to look at me, and when our eyes met, I hurriedly lowered my head.
I had to pass by him to leave, so I had to bite the bullet and walk past him. When I passed by him, I was about to pretend that I didn't see him and quietly walked away, but I didn't expect him to call my name: "Ningjing!"
I turned my head and had to stop and look at him. Before he could speak, I hurriedly said, "I have to go to work, so I'm leaving first. Bye!"
I said all these words in one breath and waved at him.
I was about to leave when he grabbed my arm.
"Isn't that perfect? ​​I want to go to work too, let's go together!" After saying that, Lu Qingyu smiled at me, looking as rogue as possible.
I didn't expect that Lu Qingyu would be so persistent and pull my arm to follow me, saying confidently: "Ningjing, I work with you, how can you be so cruel and leave me?"
I shook my hands, but I couldn't shake him off. He was really strong. I wanted to yell at him, but I saw the vicious looks from the girls not far away. I shrank my neck and had to swallow all the words, just glaring at Lu Qingyu.
He looked at me and smiled, then held my arm tightly, showing no intention of giving in.
"Let me go!" I whispered, staring at him fiercely, but he didn't care and didn't let go. He just looked at me and smiled.
When I was about to say something, I suddenly caught a glimpse of someone standing next to me out of the corner of my eye. I looked carefully and saw that it was Zhuo Yian.
I was startled. I didn't know when he stood next to me, and I just noticed it now. I saw Zhuo Yian's understanding smile and thought of Lu Qingyu's shameless look just now. For a moment, I felt like I was about to explode with anger.
"Zhuo, Zhuo Yian, when did you come?" I asked him guiltily.
"I just got here." He said with a smile, still so gentle and elegant, "Ningjing, you are going to work today, I can take you there."
As he spoke, he raised his wrist to check his watch, then continued, "It's almost time, let's go."
Zhuo Yian walked in front of us. I glanced at Lu Qingyu and he finally let go of my arm.
The two of us followed Zhuo Yian silently. I glared at him fiercely, but he still looked indifferent.
I followed Zhuo Yian at a distance, and when I was sure that he couldn't hear the conversation between Lu Qingyu and me, I looked at Lu Qingyu fiercely and lowered my voice. When I was about to question him, he suddenly blinked at me mysteriously.
I was stunned for a moment, wondering what this guy was up to, and then I heard his deliberately lowered voice: "Ningjing, are you willing to make a deal with me?" He looked at me seriously.
He actually said he wanted to make a deal with me? I looked him up and down, trying to read some clues on his face.
"Wh…what deal?"
I asked him in a low voice, looking at his evasive manner and the malicious expression on his face, which was just like a weasel wishing a happy new year to a chicken.
He chuckled, and to me he looked so cunning that I wanted to punch him in his handsome face.
I looked at him anxiously, and then I heard him say, "Ningjing, I will keep your love for Zhuo Yian a secret for you." Then he closed his mouth and made a gesture to keep quiet, "But..."
He held up a finger and continued, "I have one condition."
"condition?"
I glared at him with a frown on my face.
We were walking and talking, and because we kept our voices down, in order to understand each other's meaning, we were standing quite close to each other with our heads close together. To outsiders, they would probably think we were a couple in love.
I felt a little awkward when I thought of this. In order to avoid such misunderstanding, I moved to the side and deliberately kept a certain distance from the handsome Mr. Lu.
Just as I took a step forward while he wasn't paying attention, I heard him say in a decisive tone, "Ningjing, let's go out together."
I was startled, my feet slipped, and I almost fell. He quickly helped me up, and I looked at Lu Qingyu in front of me, and suddenly I felt that this person in front of me was definitely not a creature from Earth.
I glared at him fiercely, trying to repel him with contempt, but he still looked at me so seriously, staring at me without blinking.
"Are you saying that your condition is that I date you?"
I have to say, I was really surprised by this highly imaginative suggestion. I repeated it again, but I couldn’t help feeling both amused and annoyed.
He nodded rapidly, confirming what I said.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I looked at him and said, "Lu Qingyu, do you think I would agree to such an unreliable proposal?"
"You don't agree?" He looked at me with his eyes slightly narrowed.
I nodded with an unquestionable expression on my face, thinking to myself, this deal is so unfavorable, how could I possibly agree to it?
"I absolutely won't agree to that." I have no plans to sell myself into slavery for the time being.
"Are you sure?" Lu Qingyu was not angry. Instead, he looked at me with a smile.
I was a little scared by his look, but I still answered firmly: "I'm sure!"
Suddenly, he shouted at Zhuo Yian's back: "Zhuo Yian!"
Zhuo Yian didn't go far, and Lu Qingyu's voice was particularly loud. I was startled and immediately covered his mouth with my hands.
Zhuo Yian turned around upon hearing the voice and happened to see this scene.
For a moment, I hated Lu Qingyu to death. Because I noticed that when Zhuo Yian turned around and saw me, he first frowned, then smiled slightly, with an expression of understanding on his face.
I quickly put down my hand that was covering Lu Qingyu's mouth, thinking: The posture between him and me should be very ambiguous in the eyes of others. So, Zhuo Yian must have misunderstood something at this moment. Thinking of this, I suddenly felt very sad.
However, Lu Qingyu beside him still looked as if it was a matter of course. He raised his arm very naturally and waved goodbye to Zhuo Yian.
I glared at him and suddenly became angry.
Zhuo Yian ignored him, but stood there thinking for a while, then walked towards us.
I didn't expect him to turn back suddenly, so I just stood there staring at him.
He quickly walked in front of me, and his thoughtful eyes swept across my and Lu Qingyu's faces, and said, "Ningjing, I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do. Since Lu Qingyu can take you to the coffee shop, I won't go today."
He smiled at me apologetically , waved his hand and said, "Then I'll leave first. Let's contact each other by phone."
His action was too sudden. Was he really in a hurry? Or was it because he just saw me and Lu Qingyu...
I had a vague feeling that he must have misunderstood something.
When I came to my senses, Zhuo Yian had already walked a long way. He got into his car, and then I heard the sound of the car starting. The car quickly disappeared from my sight.
I looked at the direction where he disappeared and bit my lips tightly. I felt that I was really stupid. Why didn’t I know to keep a distance from Lu Qingyu?
But on second thought, if Zhuo Yian was unhappy because of the ambiguous behavior between Lu Qingyu and me, does that prove that he also likes me a little bit?
Such a bold assumption made me happy instantly.
I was thinking about something when I suddenly saw Lu Qingyu's hand waving in front of my eyes: "Ningjing, wake up, wake up!"
I opened his hand, glared at him, and said unhappily, "Lu Qingyu, you'd better stop here and don't provoke me again."
He looked at me and said, "Ningjing, why are you so mean to me? I'm just curious when I see you crying and laughing at the same time." There was clear mockery in his eyes.
"Lu Qingyu, which eye of yours saw me cry?" I flatly denied his words. I didn't know why this person could always easily irritate my calm heart.
"You're starting to look so sad, just like a bitter gourd. Doesn't that count as crying? You're just short of shedding tears." He continued to tease me.
"You..." I was so angry that I couldn't argue with him, so I could only glare at him fiercely.
I turned around and was about to leave, but he blocked my way and said seriously, "Ningjing, you haven't answered my question yet."
"What's the problem?" I asked absentmindedly.
"Date me." His voice was firm.
"Lu Qingyu, you are the one who should wake up."
"Are you sure?" He squinted at me, his face full of disbelief.
I looked at him seriously, afraid that he would think I was not serious enough, so I nodded heavily.
"Are you sure?" Lu Qingyu asked me again without giving up.
I became a little impatient and said, "I'm absolutely sure. I've never been so sure in my life." I stared at him and was about to raise my hand to swear.
"Aren't you afraid that I will tell Zhuo Yian? Tell him that you like him."
I never thought he would threaten me.
I glared at him fiercely and said, "Lu Qingyu, why are you so sinister?"
He just smiled and looked at me, without refutation or anger.
Looking at him like this, I could only stare blankly.
If he really told Zhuo Yian about this, what should I do?
If Zhuo Yian knew about this, and if he doesn't like me, then we wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore, right?
Thinking of this, my heart felt like it was pierced by needles. No, I absolutely cannot let this happen. I cannot lose Zhuo Yian as a friend!
Absolutely not!
But when I thought about agreeing to Lu Qingyu's conditions, my brows couldn't help but frown.
I bit my lip and looked at him, without saying anything or expressing my opinion.
He stared into my eyes for a few seconds, and to my surprise, he suddenly waved his hand and said, "Ningjing, I don't want to embarrass you, so you don't have to give me an answer for now. Think it over before you reply."
"Really?" I didn't expect his attitude to soften suddenly and that he would give me time to think about it. I was overjoyed and felt that he was merciful and let me go. My heart was going through ups and downs like a roller coaster.
He nodded gently, his expression firm and serious.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and my heart, which had been hanging in the air, relaxed a little.
But just as I calmed down, he suddenly spoke again: "But..." He stretched out the last word and took a few steps towards me, "I want to collect some interest first."
"Charge interest? How to charge interest?" I looked at him puzzled.
“That’s the interest.”
Before I could react, he suddenly came close to me and kissed me gently on the face. His movements were very fast, like a dragonfly touching the water. By the time I could react, he had succeeded. Then he stood up and looked at me triumphantly.
"you……"
I didn't expect him to be so bold. My face suddenly became hot and I was so embarrassed that it seemed like my ears were burning.
I raised my head and looked at him angrily. I don’t know if it was my illusion, but I found that his cheeks were a little red.
At this moment, I should have punched him hard in the face, right? But for some reason, my heart was beating so fast that I could clearly hear my own heartbeat. It was thumping so fast and I was extremely nervous.
I didn’t know why I was so nervous, and I didn’t know why I didn’t feel disgusted. I actually felt inexplicably excited in my heart. I thought I must be crazy for thinking this way.
I covered the cheek that he had just kissed with my hand, and felt my face getting redder and redder. I was afraid that he could see what was on my mind, so I lowered my head to avoid his sight.
It wasn't until Ning Yuan called me "Sister" that I came back to my senses from my dazed mood.
As if I suddenly came to my senses, I immediately pushed Lu Qingyu away and put some distance between us to make it clear that he and I had nothing to do with each other.
I tried hard to suppress my nervousness and smiled awkwardly at Ning Yuan. I was speechless for a moment and couldn't say anything.
Lu Qingyu had a natural expression on his face. He said calmly, "Ningyuan, you finally showed up. I couldn't see you when I came to Ningjing during this period. I haven't heard from you for a while. I almost went to Mars to look for you."
Ning Yuan smiled embarrassedly and scratched his hair with his hand: "Brother Qingyu, I have been busy recently and have not come to see my sister."
"I understand." As Lu Qingyu spoke, he put his arm around Ning Yuan's shoulder to try to get closer to him. He looked very familiar and didn't seem strange at all.
Ning Yuan was rather shy and just kept on grinning foolishly without saying a word.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I heard Ning Yuan say, "Sister, I wish you happiness!"
"What...what? Ning Yuan, what did you say?" I stared at him with wide eyes, wondering if I had heard it wrong.
Seeing my puzzled expression, he signaled in Lu Qingyu's direction with his eyes and repeated: "Sister, I wish you happiness!"
This time I heard it clearly, and I instantly understood what he meant. I looked at him with a gloomy face, and I was so angry that I almost vomited blood.
Ning Yuan was confused when he saw me like this, but fortunately he didn't say anything else, otherwise I can't guarantee that I would maintain my usual ladylike demeanor and not hit him.
I was glaring at him when he suddenly said, "Sister, let me introduce someone to you."
After he finished speaking, I noticed there was a girl standing behind him.
I looked up and down at the girl in front of me. She was petite and cute, with fair skin, big eyes and long eyelashes, just like a princess.
I nodded to the little girl in front of me. My first impression of her was pretty good.
"Sister, her name is Mo Yan, she is my classmate." Ning Yuan introduced her hurriedly, and then turned his head to the little girl next to him and said, "Mo Yan, this is my sister, Ning Jing."
"Hello, Sister Ningjing, I'm Mo Yan." The little girl's voice was very soft, sounding a little shy, and looked very cute.
I smiled at her, then turned to look at Ning Yuan. His eyes were fixed on Mo Yan beside him without blinking.
Seeing his doting eyes, I quickly understood the relationship between them.
Mo Yan is indeed very beautiful and very well-behaved. Seeing Ning Yuan's happy smile, I, as her sister, naturally feel happy too.
I looked at my watch and realized that I had been dawdling for most of the day. I thought about it and called my boss to ask for leave.
After hanging up the phone, I turned to Mo Yan and said, "Since you're here today, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."
"I said my sister is very easy to get along with and is the best sister in the world." When Ning Yuan heard that we were going out to eat together, he seemed very excited and even started to flatter me.
"Anyway, it should be my brother-in-law who treats me to a meal." Lu Qingyu, who had been standing beside me in silence, suddenly spoke.
Mo Yan looked at me and Lu Qingyu in surprise, and then showed an expression of sudden enlightenment.
"Mo Yan, don't listen to his nonsense. He and I have nothing to do with each other." I hurriedly explained, then walked up to Mo Yan and took his arm. "Come on, let's go eat."
Although I explained it again and again, looking at Mo Yan's expression, it was obvious that she had already determined that Lu Qingyu was her brother-in-law.
I glared at Lu Qingyu fiercely, then lowered my head helplessly.
The meal took a long time, and by the time we finished, it was already dark.
Although I refused again and again, Lu Qingyu still paid the bill when I wasn't paying attention, and I was really helpless about it.
I don't want to owe him anything, not even a little bit.
Mo Yan's home was nearby, and Lu Qingyu and I waited for Ning Yuan to send her home before leaving the hotel together. When we walked out of the hotel door, we found that it was already dark. I was about to say "goodbye" to Lu Qingyu, but he suddenly turned around and said to me: "There is no bus here, I will take you home."
"OK."
"No need for that."
Ning Yuan's voice and I rang out at the same time. I felt a little embarrassed, so I turned around and glared at Ning Yuan.
He had an innocent look on his face and asked me blankly, "Sister, why don't you agree?"
I didn't say anything, Ning Yuan pulled my arm and begged me: "Sister, the nearby station is really far away, it takes half an hour to walk, and I sprained my ankle playing basketball today."
I looked at him helplessly. I really had no way to deal with this brother, so I had to compromise. Then I turned to Lu Qingyu and said, "Then please take us home."
As soon as he finished speaking, I saw the surprise flash across his eyes, and he nodded slightly.
Ning Yuan and I sat in the back seat. Lu Qingyu started the car, turned a corner and got on the road.
Along the way, I just looked out the window quietly. The city under the night sky was full of lights and flashing neon lights. It was really beautiful.
I didn't say anything, but Ning Yuan kept talking like a chatterbox and looked very excited.
When we were almost home, I said, "Could you please stop at the traffic light ahead?"
"It's quite a distance from your home, right?" Lu Qingyu asked me puzzledly.
"Just stop at the traffic light." I insisted again and again.
Seeing my firm attitude, he didn't insist anymore.
The car stopped, Ning Yuan and I got out, and Lu Qingyu also got out.
I stood in front of him and said, "Thank you for taking us home."
"No big deal." He raised the corner of his mouth. "It's a bit late. Do you really not need me to take you downstairs?"
"It's okay, Brother Qingyu, don't you still have me?" Ning Yuan walked over, patted his chest and said, "I will definitely protect my sister."
Lu Qingyu nodded.
"Then we'll leave first, Brother Qingyu." Ning Yuan waved goodbye to him.
Who knew that we had just taken a few steps when I heard Lu Qingyu calling my name behind me: "Ningjing!"
I stopped and turned to look at him, feeling very confused as to why he called me.
He looked at me and walked straight towards me.
"You, what are you doing?" I took a few steps back in fright.
He came close to me, leaned over, and whispered in my ear: "Ningjing, don't forget to consider my proposal. I will give you time, but please think about it carefully."
After saying that, he stood up and strode away without even turning back to look at me.
Ning Yuan came over, looked at my stunned expression, and asked me in surprise: "Sister, what did Brother Qingyu say to you just now?"
I came back to my senses and shook my head at him: "Nothing, let's go back."
This place is very close to my home. After passing through an alley, Ning Yuan and I arrived at the door of our house in 5 minutes.
What surprised me was that it was so late and my mother was still standing at the door of the house. Under the dim street lights, she looked particularly haggard.
My heart ached and I started to feel uneasy. Could something have happened?
Thinking of this, my heart suddenly became nervous and I ran over quickly.
"Mom!" I called her loudly.
My mother just looked at me, her face livid, without saying a word.
When I looked at her, I suddenly felt very scared. I calmed down and wanted to ask her what happened, but before I could open my mouth, I was slapped in the face.
With a "slap", my mother slapped me in the face, and I immediately felt a burning pain on my face.
My tears welled up in my eyes all of a sudden, and the world in front of me suddenly became blurry. I wiped my tears with my hands and asked with a sob, "Mom, why did you do this? What happened?"
My mother remained silent. I lowered my head and silently shed tears. My face was flushed and my cheeks were slightly hot. It really hurt, but my heart felt even more painful.
My mother hit me without any reason. She is usually very gentle and speaks softly, but today she slapped me hard.
I don’t know what I did wrong to make her so angry. I just felt very sad and couldn’t say a word.
Seeing that my mother was about to slap me again, Ning Yuan rushed over and stood in front of me: "Mom, you can't hit my sister."
"Ningyuan, get out of my way!" Mom's stern voice rang out, and she looked at us with such cold eyes.
"I won't let you go. No matter what, mom, you can't hit my sister! It's always my sister who takes care of us. She's so sensible and always thinks about the family. Mom, what on earth made you so angry? It must be a misunderstanding, it must be a misunderstanding!"
Ning Yuan stood in front of me stubbornly, with no intention of backing down.
Ning Yuan has always been weak, and he insisted on standing in front of me. My mother had no choice, and her slap did not fall in the end.
"You two are enemies..." She sighed heavily and put down her arms helplessly.
Ning Yuan turned around and wiped my tears: "Sister, don't cry, this must be a misunderstanding, don't cry."
I tried hard to control my tears and looked up at my mother. Her face did not improve and was still gloomy.
Suddenly, she said, "You two, come in with me." Her voice was very low and no emotion could be heard.
Ning Yuan held my hand, and we both followed our mother into the house in silence.
The door slammed shut.
When I walked into the room, my mother's body shook.
"Mom!" Ning Yuan shouted anxiously. He was about to help his mother, but was stopped by her eyes.
My mother sat in the chair, and after a long time, her complexion recovered a little.
Ning Yuan and I stood in front of her silently, not daring to speak, not even daring to breathe, and even breathing carefully.
I was suddenly caught in a suffocating atmosphere, and the only sound I could hear was the ticking of the second hand on the wall.
Time passed by every second.
"Why are you two so ignorant?" Mom suddenly spoke, her voice choked with sobs.
"I hope you can study hard and have a promising future. I hope you can become a capable person, instead of hoping you will fall in love so early."
I was shocked and looked at Ning Yuan. Just when I was about to argue, I heard my mother say, "Don't try to hide it from me. This evening, I went to buy groceries and passed by the school. I saw you two, a girl and the boy who came to our house last time. You were talking and laughing, and you got in a car when you came back. Do you really think your mother is senile? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, how long would you have kept it a secret from me? That boy, whose name is Lu Qingyu, have you two been in love for a long time?"
I suddenly realized that it was what happened at that time. My heart was suddenly confused. I didn’t know how to explain it to my mother. How should I tell her about Ning Yuan and Mo Yan?
My head hurts so much that I can't say anything or explain anything.
So I just looked at my mother sadly, listened to her say those heart-wrenching words, and my tears fell to the ground drop by drop, and I couldn't control them.
The world before my eyes suddenly became shrouded in mist.
"Ningjing, Ningyuan, when will you grow up? When will you let me stop worrying about you? You must never embarrass your father, okay?" Mom was sobbing as she spoke.
"Mom!" I knelt in front of my mother and said with tears streaming down my face, "Mom, we were wrong, we were really wrong. We will never do anything to make you angry again. I promise that we will not embarrass Dad. Mom, please don't cry anymore. It's all my fault. As a big sister, I didn't take good care of my little brother."
"Mom, please, please don't cry anymore, okay? You can hit me or scold me, but please don't be sad anymore, don't torture yourself anymore. Your health is not good to begin with, and our hearts are broken when you say this." I cried and spoke, and I don't know if my mother heard me clearly.
When Ning Yuan saw me kneeling down, he also knelt down beside me, wiped his mother's tears gently with his hands, and said, "Mom, it's all Xiao Yuan's fault. I promise that this will never happen again, and I will never make you sad or upset again."
"Remember, you must never embarrass your father..." Mom kept repeating this sentence until her voice became hoarse.
Then she hugged us and her tears fell on my face. Hearing her crying, my heart felt even more sad and tears streamed down my face. Ning Yuan and I hugged her and cried together.
Through tearful eyes, what happened two years ago came to my mind vividly.
We didn't know the reason why my father suddenly passed away. We only knew that he was a policeman and died in an accident while handling a case. After my father passed away, the three of us were left to depend on each other. My mother rarely mentioned my father and cried silently most of the time.
This was the first time I saw her show her extremely vulnerable side in front of us and her longing for her father.
She stopped crying and continued to ramble, "I promised your father that I would train you to be useful people. Only in this way can I make up for the mistakes I made back then."
She repeated it over and over again, almost hoarsely.
I stopped sobbing and tried to sort out my chaotic thoughts. Did I hear it wrong? My mother was just talking about making up for the mistakes she made back then.
Such words couldn't help but surprise me. In my eyes, my father has always been a man of integrity. What kind of mistake could he have made back then?
I looked at my mother in confusion, and the doubts in my heart grew bigger and bigger.
I thought my mother would say something else, but she didn't say anything. She just kept repeating what she had just said.
I returned to my room, but I was still confused. I had a hunch that my mother had deliberately hidden something from us, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
It was already pitch black outside the window, and it was almost midnight. The room was dark, with only the dim light from the street lamps outside shining in through the gaps in the curtains.
I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Suddenly, an idea popped up in my mind. I wanted to call Zhuo Yian, but when I thought that he should have gone to bed so late, I hesitated.
After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to call him. But just when I mustered up the courage to dial the number, the other end of the line responded, "Hello, the number you dialed is busy."
His cell phone was actually on a call.
At this moment, I felt as if I was trapped in endless darkness, unable to find the end or see the direction.
I don’t know why, but at this moment I thought of Lu Qingyu. I had a vague feeling in my heart that he could help me out of the darkness.
I was shocked by my own bold idea and shook my head heavily in a hurry, as if to put this ridiculous idea behind me.
It took me a long time to give up this unrealistic idea. I turned over, sighed deeply, and thought to myself, I must have been stupid just now, so I had such a strange idea.
It must be like this.