"Tianxin, Tianxin, let's go home together." The little fat boy with a runny nose in the kindergarten came over rubbing his hands and wanted to pull Tianxin's pigtails.
Tian Xin turned her head away from him: "I don't want to! Brother Siming said he would pick me up today, I want to wait for him."
As he was talking, a young boy with a small schoolbag walked over from a distance. Although his facial features had not yet fully developed, his handsome temperament could be clearly seen. It was Jiang Siming when he was a child.
"Brother Siming!" Xiao Tianxin shouted happily, ran towards him and put her chubby hand next to his. The two little people walked slowly towards home in the afterglow of the sunset.
"Brother Siming..." Tian Xin couldn't help but shout out in the dream, but got no response. She stretched out her hand in vain to grab something, but all she felt was the air brushing against her palm.
Tian Xin was startled, opened her eyes suddenly, and sat up from the big black bed. She rubbed her eyes, which were swollen like walnuts, and realized that this was neither her simple dormitory nor the pink house at home.
This is where?
She walked out of bed barefoot. Beside the bed was an off-white Turkish wool carpet. The soft touch made her heart soften. Tian Xin looked up at the room. It was a simple white style. Apart from the necessary bed and desk, there were no other decorations.
She walked out through the half-open door and vaguely heard someone making a phone call. When she walked into the living room, she could finally confirm that this was definitely a boy's house.
The white and simple Nordic style, a black suit jacket is placed on a simple IKEA white double sofa, and there are several car and sports magazines spread out on the glass coffee table in front of the sofa, and a bunch of keys are placed casually next to it. The living room and kitchen are both open-plan designs. Standing in Tianxin's position, you can see the kitchen near the door at a glance. From the neatly arranged materials on the cabinets and the neatly placed dishes on the marble plate, you can see that this kitchen is often used.
I don’t know why, even though I’m still in a state of extreme sadness, I actually feel a little hungry at this moment.
"Awake?" The person who finished the phone call on the balcony walked into the living room. Zhuang Feize seemed to be more relaxed at home. He wore a simple beige hoodie and matching mid-length pants. He finally looked like a normal college student.
"Why am I in your house? You didn't do anything to me, did you?" Tian Xin couldn't help but put her hands in front of her chest and took two steps back.
"The way you looked yesterday?" Zhuang Fei Ze snorted coldly as if he had heard a joke. He took out his phone from his pocket and found the picture he had taken yesterday. "Do you think I'm that curious?"
Tian Xin stretched her neck to take a look, and her eyes widened immediately . What the hell is this? How could the person in the photo with tear marks, red and swollen eyes, and messy hair be her?
Tian Xin now just wants to find a place to bury herself. It’s so embarrassing!
As if to give her time to adjust to the blow, Zhuang Feize didn't say anything else, but just took her to the kitchen. Tian Xin then discovered that behind the kitchen bar with a small partition, there was actually a small white dining table. On the table was a bowl of noodles. The yellow noodles were paired with a refreshing soup and garnished with a little green onion, which looked particularly appetizing.
Her stomach growled, immediately diluting her previous shame.
"Did you make this?" Tian Xin looked at the delicious noodles in front of her and couldn't help swallowing.
"What else?" Zhuang Feize went to the stage, got the chopsticks and handed them to her.
Tian Xin smiled shyly, reached out to take the chopsticks, and started to eat voraciously without caring about her image. Zhuang Feize turned around and poured himself a cup of tea, then sat down across from her leisurely, watching her finish a bowl of noodles almost in one go.
When she finally finished the last mouthful of soup at the bottom of the bowl, Zhuang Feize handed her a tissue in time: "It's so dirty, wipe it off."
Tian Xin took the tissue and wiped her mouth gently with belated reserve. She knew that after a good sleep and a full stomach, it was time to get down to business. For some reason, the man in front of her always seemed to appear when she was in the most trouble, and then caught her in the most embarrassing state. And since when did she start to be able to sit in front of him calmly and have the desire to talk?
Tian Xin gently bent her fingers. After all, she had seen herself in various unpresentable forms and there was nothing to hide.
"Do you remember the first time we met?" Of all the ways to start, Tian Xin chose the most troublesome one. "I have always liked M City and never thought that I would leave and come to Nanyin University one day. To be precise, when I was in the first year of high school, I suddenly changed my ambition and wanted to apply to Nanyin University."
"Is it because of... Jiang Siming?" Zhuang Feize guessed indifferently. The person in front of him widened his eyes nervously, "How do you know?"
"Even a blind man can see that." Zhuang Fei Ze thought of the girl who suddenly broke in that day, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly, "No one has ever spoken to me like that. You were so arrogant at the beginning, but you became weak when Jiang Siming was mentioned."
"Yes, Brother Siming... I mean Jiang Siming. I have been watching his back since I was a child. Following him seems to have become my habit. When I was a child, I played the princess and he was the prince. When the school had a show, he had to be in the audience. But the older we get, the farther we seem to be." Tian Xin moved her hands anxiously, her voice muffled, "After I arrived at Nanyin, except for the first day of school, he almost never looked for me. But I thought if he didn't come, I would go find him. It's his birthday soon, so I want to make money for his birthday."
"So you went to work at the computer mall holding a sign? And you made yourself so embarrassed?"
"I'm willing to do it no matter how miserable it is. I just need that much money to buy him a nice gift. But I saw Jiang Siming, who told me he was busy, bring other girls out, and even... protected her when she encountered a situation." Tian Xin's eyes seemed to fall into something, causing ripples. Water vapor slowly filled her eyes, and even the roots of her eyelashes were soaked with water stains.
Just as she was complaining to herself, Zhuang Fize suddenly reached out and pulled her cheeks apart. The pain brought Tian Xin back to her senses quickly, and she stared at the expressionless person in front of her with wide eyes: "Hey, hey, hey, it hurts, okay?"
"I checked to see if you had changed people, but it turned out you hadn't." Zhuang Fei Ze took his hand back, the tender touch still lingering on his fingertips. "In my impression, Su Tianxin was fearless. She dared to challenge me when we met, and she dared to embarrass me in public when she was wronged. Why is she hiding in the apartment and feeling sad all by herself now?"
Yes, why not believe it? How can a childhood sweetheart who has known me for so many years not be as good as others?
Tian Xin was stunned. Her mood, which had been so low as to be in the dust, suddenly seemed to be watered. Her hope, which had been exhausted, was rekindled. No matter what the result was, her guess would never be as good as what Jiang Siming said in person.
After figuring this out, Tian Xin's mood finally brightened up. She looked at the person in front of her who was drinking tea with his head down, and said sincerely: "Senior, thank you."
"What do I have to thank you for? It's just your own idea." Zhuang Feize did not appreciate the favor. Instead, he spread out his hands, casually placed them on the chair, turned his head away awkwardly, and refused to look at Tian Xin again.
Tian Xin couldn't help but laugh out loud. Is this guy shy?
She stood up and tried to bow to him as if to make a prank. Zhuang Feize could no longer pretend to be a wooden man and quickly stood up to help her. Tian Xin took the opportunity to grab his hand: "I knew you were a good person!"
Zhuang Feize couldn't help but hold his forehead with his hand. How could she be so weird?
"Since we still have time, please introduce your apartment to me, Senior. Is this your own? It looks very clean and cold, which is indeed your style."
"It doesn't matter what style it is. It has nothing to do with you anyway."
"Don't be so cold, I want to take a look." Tian Xin said as she walked into the living room and opened the door next to the living room - wow, there is actually such a door made of bookcases!
"Senior, your home is so unique!" Tian Xin strode in. Rosewood bookcases were neatly lined up against the wall. Computers and open books were placed on simple desks of the same color. Uncapped pens were casually placed aside. The bay window on the right was covered with Japanese tatami, with various MUJI cushions scattered around. The walls on both sides of the bay window were hollowed out into bookcases, with several original English books placed on them.
"It's perfect!" Tian Xin was attracted by the bay window and walked over. She just wanted to make a cup of tea and stay on the bay window to bask in the sun and read a book! When she got closer, she saw clearly that in the cabinet on the other side of the bay window, there was a small black leather box that she had seen before.
Is that... the sheng that didn’t have time to perform at the welcome party?
The good mood that had just recovered quickly fell. She felt a little guilty when she thought about the "good things" she had done, especially now that she knew Zhuang Feize was such a good person...
"Senior, I'm sorry, that day..." She hesitated for a while, but still felt that she should apologize, but was interrupted by Zhuang Feize.
"It doesn't matter. I didn't want to participate anyway." Zhuang Feize walked quickly to the bay window and sat down, saying, "It was my troublesome brother who signed up without telling me." Tian Xin's heart was still hanging, but Zhuang Feize's next words made her want to hit him, "Besides, can't I see through your little tricks? You are just going with the flow. At that time, Zhuang Feize was so busy teasing you that he forgot that you fulfilled your wish and I just didn't want to go. It's killing three birds with one stone."
Is this really necessary? Tian Xin was so angry that she thought she was smart, but in their eyes, she was just like a monkey.
"Are you going too far?" Tian Xin was very angry.
"Haven't you adapted to it? Aren't you tired of caring so much?"
"Tired? Then be even more tired! Senior, can you accompany me shopping to pick out a birthday present for Jiang Siming as an apology?" Tian Xin laughed angrily and walked over to hold his hand unceremoniously , "Oh, I forgot to pay the bill, and the computer city hasn't paid me yet. Senior, please accompany me."
"I really... lost to you."
In the lobby of Windsor KTV, the unique warm red lights and the little lights reflected by the crystal ceiling make it look blurry and beautiful. The waiters in white shirts and black vests stand in a row, welcoming every guest who comes in.
Tian Xin hurriedly got off the taxi. The silver-white diamond high heels on her feet made her walk in a strange posture, but she still put them on to match her beautiful off-white knitted skirt. At this time, she was holding a gift box wrapped with a black ribbon in her hand, just like holding a small black party bag.
She grabbed the smiling waiter at the door and said, "Hello, how do I get to room 1230?"
"Miss, please follow me." The dimpled waiter answered her politely and took her inside. Seeing that she was walking unsteadily, he asked very gentlemanly, "Is there anything you need? You don't look very well."
Tian Xin shook her head to indicate that she was fine. She wanted Jiang Siming to see her best, so she had to dress up beautifully.
When they arrived at the door of the box, the waiter left. Tian Xin was a little nervous when she heard the singing inside through the door. She shook her head, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open and walked in. A gust of cold air rushed towards her, making her shiver. Under the dim light, she could only barely see that the sofa in the box was full of people. The sounds of booing, ringing bells, and singing suddenly became quiet the moment she broke in, as if someone had pressed the still button, and only the accompaniment of "Little Dimples" remained in her ears.
"Sorry... to bother you." Tian Xin said in a low voice, feeling a little embarrassed .
Ji Wanfeng, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up and said, breaking the awkwardness: "Isn't this Jiang Siming's sister? Come on, come and sit down."
Tian Xin sat down next to him, and she whispered a thank you to Ji Wanfeng. The atmosphere became lively again, and the girl sitting next to the jukebox took the lead in making a noise: "What happened just now doesn't count, it doesn't count, come on, let's sing our courtyard beauties again."
Tian Xin could see the two people standing in front of the main screen. Zhang Qilin was wearing a long white lace dress, with her long hair cascading down her back, making her face look even smaller. Even in the dim environment, she seemed to be glowing white, attracting everyone's attention, including Jiang Siming beside her. Jiang Siming was also wearing a white shirt today. He smiled at the person next to him, and even if you couldn't see clearly, you could still feel the gentle aura around him.
"Dimples, long eyelashes, so charming, I can't sleep every day, I miss your smile..."
The pleasant mixed voices of men and women rang out, accompanied by clear accompaniment, making the whole room seem to be filled with pink bubbles.
"The two of them are really a perfect match." The girl on Tianxin's left said to the girl next to her, without caring at all whether other people could hear it.
"After all, they are the most beautiful girls in the school. Going out together as a couple can also represent the image of our law school." The people around also followed suit.
The self-familiar Ji Wanfeng even put his hand on her shoulder carelessly: "See, you have a sister-in-law now, isn't she beautiful?"
What is beautiful? Who is the sister-in-law?
Tian Xin's heart had already changed from excitement to loss. It was as if there were two people pulling at her in her mind. One person told her to face reality and that what so many people said was true, while the other told her to insist and not believe anything that Jiang Siming didn't say in person.
But, can she still really trust Jiang Siming?
She looked up at the person who was still singing in front of her, and for some reason she remembered something from junior high school. At that time, she was still a little princess, and she wanted Jiang Siming to see her first performance on stage, so she secretly asked Uncle Li to help her without telling her father. Sure enough, she saw Jiang Siming, who was busy reviewing for the college entrance examination, during the performance.
What was she thinking at that time?
She was looking at him happily from the stage, but Jiang Siming only gave her a soothing smile in return.
There must be a different smile on his face now, right?
When the song ended, amid the applause of others, Zhang Qilin lowered her head shyly and slowly sat down next to the girl next to the jukebox. Jiang Siming did not sit back, but instead signaled others to be quiet, and even paused the music.
"Thank you all for coming to my birthday party today." Jiang Siming's voice rang out in the box, with his usual gentleness, "Today I want to take this opportunity to tell you something."
"It's my blessing to come to Nanyin University, because I finally got a taste of freedom. It's my luck to enter the law school, because I have friends like you. And now, I have also found a reason that makes me feel at ease." Jiang Siming's voice became more and more gentle, but Tian Xin couldn't help shaking her hands while listening to it.
She clasped her hands together, but she didn't even have the courage to raise her head. Blessings, freedom, luck...didn't he have them before? What would he say next?
"I have someone I like. She is very capable and can cook delicious dishes. She is very gentle and will wait for me by the court every time I finish playing. She is very considerate and never does anything to embarrass me. She is as beautiful as a fairy, and I am very grateful that she can appear in my life."
Tian Xin's face turned pale instantly, because she knew that she was very far away from the person Jiang Siming mentioned. She was not considerate, nor was she powerful. She had never cooked for him, nor waited for him at the court. And she didn't know whether her appearance every time made him embarrassed ...
"Zhang Qilin, I like you, please be my girlfriend."
The voice of the confession was drowned out by the cheers of the crowd, and the box instantly became noisy. People around stood up and gathered around the protagonist, and Tian Xin, who was sitting alone on the sofa, became an outlier. She couldn't open her mouth or move her body, as if she was completely stuck in the sofa and couldn't move anymore.
What could she say? What could she do? Why was she here? She was surrounded by happy voices, but she was the only one immersed in sadness, out of tune with the others.
"Tianxin? Your name is Tianxin, right?" A gentle voice sounded in her ears. Tianxin raised her head and found that the person standing next to her was Zhang Qilin, who was in the center of the crowd just now.
Seeing Tian Xin timidly raising her head and her slightly red eyes, Zhang Qilin smiled gently and extended her hand: "Hello, I'm Zhang Qilin. I heard Siming mention you. You grew up together. You must have had a lot of fun, right?"
Tian Xin strained to look up at the girl in front of her. She didn't know how to answer or what reaction to have, so she could only hold the box tightly in her hand. Her eyes slid down the beautiful arm of the girl in front of her and landed on the red string in her hand.
If I remember correctly, when I was in junior high school, it was popular for the girls in the class to braid ropes. She also braided one and gave it to Jiang Siming at a gathering of the two families. Although Jiang Siming accepted it, I never saw him wear it.
Now, he must be wearing the same rope on his hand as Zhang Qilin, right?
Tian Xin's long daze made others a little dissatisfied. Jiang Siming walked over and took Zhang Qilin's outstretched hand and held it tightly: "Yes, Tian Xin has always been a very important sister to me."
Sister?
Tian Xin felt as if her heart was being grabbed by a hand. She didn't want to show an ugly expression, so she could only forcefully pull the corners of her mouth open and reveal a smile: "Bless...bless you all."
Everyone's eyes fell on Tian Xin. At this time, the long-haired girl who had been standing next to the jukebox paused, then pulled the blonde girl next to her and said, "Is she... the girl that Jiang Siming brought in when school started?"
"Come to think of it, it seemed to be her. It was because of her that Jiang Siming was late for meeting Qilin."
"Yes, yes. Wasn't he the one who led a group of boys from the School of Mechanical Engineering to the welcome party? He was so impressive?"
"He just likes to be in the spotlight. I don't know what he's thinking."
…
The malicious speculation and scrutiny were like sharp arrows that could be seen shooting at Tian Xin. Tian Xin wanted to explain, but when she looked up, she saw a flash of impatience in Jiang Siming's eyes, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Tian Xin no longer had the idea of ​​explaining. She lowered her head and tried to open her eyes wide, not wanting the tears that were welling up in her eyes to fall.
Su Tianxin, can you please do better? At least, don't let others look down on you even more.
But... what's the point? The person who cares about her the most doesn't care about anything about her anymore, right? What does it matter if she's funny or not?
Zhang Qilin held Jiang Siming's arm and felt the person next to her stiffen for a moment. She frowned slightly, then smiled again and patted Jiang Siming gently. Jiang Siming turned around and saw her usual gentle smile, and his body relaxed and he held her hand tightly.
Zhang Qilin breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Tian Xin who was looking down, and could vaguely see that her face seemed to be moist. Zhang Qilin was a little happy, but she didn't want anything unexpected to happen on the day she and Jiang Siming made their relationship public. They had been together for a short time, but they had never made it public. So Zhang Qilin specifically asked Jiang Siming to confess his love again on his birthday in front of everyone, to make their relationship public.
"Tian Xin, are you feeling unwell? How about..."
As Rourou's voice just sounded, the half-closed door of the KTV was suddenly pushed open, interrupting Zhang Qilin's words.
Tian Xin sniffed, she felt the tears slowly flowing down her face, so she didn't want to raise her head. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and the only sound she could hear was the sound of leather shoes stepping on the ground, as if they were walking on her heart.
A pair of brown calfskin Oxford shoes appeared in front of Tian Xin. The beautiful and low-key hollow carved design on the toe made the shoes look very British.
But why does it look familiar?
"Su Tianxin." The usual cold voice sounded, the leather shoes took two steps forward, and then the black satin suit pants came into her sight.
It was clearly an extremely cold voice, so why would she want to hug the person in front of her and cry?
But Tian Xin didn't move. She maintained the same stiff posture as at the beginning, holding the gift box tightly in both hands, without even the strength to raise her head.
The person in front of her seemed to sigh, and then a big hand fell on her head and rubbed it gently. Tian Xin seemed to hear the sound of people around her taking a breath, but her heart strangely calmed down slowly.
"Zhuang Feize, what are you doing here?"
It was still Zhang Qilin's gentle voice, but her voice was slightly trembling, and it was unclear whether it was because she was too excited or too nervous.
Zhuang Fize didn't answer, but just bent down. Tian Xin felt a sudden heat in her left ear, and a low but gentle voice sounded: "Idiot."
Before Tian Xin could react, Zhuang Fize had already straightened up. He stretched out his bony right hand towards her, held her left hand, and with a slight push, he pulled Tian Xin up and said, "You left something at my house. Let's go."
After saying that, regardless of other people's reactions, he directly pulled Tian Xin out. Tian Xin was so surprised that she could only take small steps and follow his long legs as they stumbled out. It was not until they entered the elevator that Tian Xin raised her head, revealing her red eyes, and stared at the person who pressed the elevator button without blinking.
Zhuang Feize turned around and saw Tian Xin with her rabbit eyes, then looked at her messed up hair that he had messed up, and felt that she looked more and more like a small animal abandoned on the roadside.
"Are you stupid?" Zhuang Fize's voice was still cold, but if you listened carefully you could feel the concern hidden in it.
"Are you here to save me?" Su Tianxin looked at the person in front of her, and her originally frozen heart gradually warmed up, as if soaked in warm water. "How did you know I was here?"
"Because you're a fool. You worked so hard to buy a birthday present, but you didn't put it in the box when you were wrapping it." Zhuang Feize's voice was filled with a hint of laughter. "I was afraid that someone would cry, so I sent it to you."
"Just say it, why are you making fun of me?" Tian Xin pouted in dissatisfaction.
"You were so energetic when you were arguing with me, why did you just sit there with aggrieved look on your face and not say anything just now?" Zhuang Feize took her out of the elevator and suddenly squatted down in front of her.
"What are you doing?" Tian Xin took two steps back in fright. Zhuang Feize was quick to grab her fair ankle.
"Don't move. Don't you know you're injured?" Zhuang Fei Ze held her ankle with one hand, carefully lifted her foot, and slowly took off her high heels with the other hand. Sure enough, the heel was already red.
"How do you know I'm not feeling well?" Tian Xin looked down at the head of the person at her feet, and a soft feeling rose in her heart.
"You walk so hard, how come you can't see?" Zhuang Feize didn't raise his head, but looked at her feet carefully. He let go only after making sure there was nothing serious. "Don't wear your shoes. You'll break the skin if you wear them again. My car isn't far away..."
"I don't want to walk over there barefoot!" Tian Xin refused to walk barefoot on the ground. If that happened, she would rather wear high heels.
Zhuang Fize stood up and clapped his hands, then squatted down again with his back to her: "Come up, I'll carry you over."
His broad shoulders were full of reassuring strength. Tian Xin hesitated for a while, but finally leaned on them. The warm feeling instantly spread throughout her body, and her nose was filled with the faint fragrance of Zhuang Feize. She couldn't help but rub his shoulder.
Zhuang Feize didn't say anything. He freed one hand to take out the car key and pressed it . The sound of the car unlocking was heard not far away.
"I... I don't know why I couldn't speak at that time." Tian Xin suddenly spoke, and those hidden emotions burst out. The tears that had been forced back flowed out again, wetting Zhuang Feize's shoulders.
Zhuang Fei Ze carried the person crying silently on his back and said nothing. He just walked to the side of the car, opened the passenger door, and carefully placed her on the passenger seat, protecting her as if she were a treasure.
Tian Xin once again felt the feeling of being pampered.
After the two of them sat down, Zhuang Fei Ze turned his head to look at the person next to him. Tian Xin rubbed her hands and hunched her back, subconsciously avoiding his gaze. From a psychological point of view, this is a sign of lack of confidence.
Zhuang Feize sighed in his heart and pressed the start button.
Forget it, now that I've found it back, I might as well be a psychotherapist again.