Chapter 4 Return to the old place 1
It was a very windy day, and Xi Chen could hardly stand in the wind. He ran hard against the wind and stopped He thought Tang Ai must be hiding somewhere crying quietly, but he didn't expect to see an unbelievable scene when he arrived at the rooftop.
The girl he wanted to protect had scars of varying sizes on her face, neck, and hands. She and Shen Ruoyun were sitting together drinking beer. When she saw him coming, she grinned and laughed.
"Xi Chen, come here."
"I said, I won't trade with you."
Xi Shanshan was too embarrassed to accept Tang Ai's refusal. She stood on the opposite boat, feeling awkward for a while.
The girl with her couldn't stand it anymore and pointed at Tang Ai and asked, "Hey, what do you mean? Shan Shan is talking to you in such a nice tone, what's your attitude?"
"What's your attitude, running dog?" Tonglin fought back on behalf of Tang Ai without any politeness.
"What did you scold me for?" The girl's face turned pale with anger.
"I've never seen anyone who asks for scolding so much. Do you want to hear it a second time?" Tonglin laughed sarcastically.
Xi Chen didn't want to get involved in such a meaningless quarrel, so he said to Xu Yueping: "I'll step on the boat. I don't want to play anymore. I'm in a bad mood." Then, he sat down in Xu Yueping's seat, stepped on the impeller, and drove the boat to the shore.
"Brother! Brother--" Xi Shanshan kept calling Xi Chen, but Xi Chen didn't even turn his head, and his face looked solemn.
"Shanshan, don't move. It's too dangerous." Shen Ruoyun stepped on the boat and approached Xi Shanshan, but Xi Shanshan angrily drove away.
"This girl is getting more and more stubborn!" Shen Ruoyun watched her walk away with a hint of anxiety on his face.
"Mr. Shen, it's been so long and you still haven't won this little girl over?" Zhong Nan, who had a beauty in his arms, couldn't help laughing. Shen Ruoyun glared at him and said, "Go away!"
"I'm angry." Yu Jie said to Zhong Nan with a smile.
Faced with the teasing of the two, Shen Ruoyun was too lazy to pay attention. At the moment, he was worried about Xi Shanshan, Xi Chen and Tang Ai, and he didn't know who to comfort first.
Finally, he thought, Xi Chen had several people with him, so he should go see the eldest lady first.
So, after they reached the shore, he went to look for Xi Shanshan first.
As soon as Xi Chen and his companions got off the boat, Tong Lin started to grumble, "What those two guys are thinking is written all over their faces. They are so arrogant!" Then she asked Tang Ai, "Tang Ai, you actually rejected that young lady today. I am really impressed by you!"
Tang Ai did not hide it and said, "The girl with Xi Shanshan was the one who tried to hit me with her car last time."
"What?" Tonglin asked in disbelief, eyes wide open.
"Tang Ai, are you sure? If this is the case..." Xu Yueping raised his eyes and glanced at Xi Chen, who looked very bad.
Tang Ai suddenly realized that she had said something wrong. Xi Shanshan was Xi Chen's sister after all. Wasn't it possible that she was trying to instigate him by saying this? So she added, "But it's over now. I rejected Shanshan just now because I saw that girl. It had nothing to do with Shanshan."
"You don't have to speak for her." Xi Chen's eyes were fixed on somewhere else. He said, "I know her better than you do."
Tang Ai didn't know what to say. At first, she did think that this matter was related to Xi Shanshan, but then she thought that she had not offended Xi Shanshan, and perhaps she and the girl were just friends, and had nothing to do with the girl trying to hit her with her car.
Just as I was thinking about this, I suddenly heard Xi Shanshan's dissatisfied voice behind me: "Brother Xichen!"
They all turned around and saw Xi Shanshan running up to them, asking Xi Chen, "Why are you hiding from me?"
"Shanshan, Shanshan, stop making trouble." Shen Ruoyun caught up and grabbed Xi Shanshan's arm, but she broke free and vented her anger on Shen Ruoyun, "Why do you always follow me? Are you annoying?"
"I..." Shen Ruoyun, who is usually well-behaved, was at a loss when facing Xi Shanshan.
Xi Shanshan turned her head towards Xi Chen and shouted, "Brother Xi Chen, let's go eat! After dinner, let's go home together. Dad said he hasn't seen you for a long time!"
"Go by yourself, I'm busy." Xi Chen refused coldly.
Tang Ai felt vaguely uneasy. She saw that there was no warmth on Xi Chen's face, and even the usual tenderness in his eyes was gone, as if the person in front of her was not Xi Chen.
Xi Shanshan grabbed Xi Chen's arm aggrievedly and said, "Brother, what are you talking about?"
Xi Chen pulled his hand away, looking impatient.
Xi Shanshan looked at him gloomily, and finally tore off the mask that had been on her face, pointed at Tang Ai and asked, "Why? Is it because of this person? You used to pay attention to me, but since you met her, you have ignored me! What's so good about her? Isn't she just a jinx!"
"Xi Shanshan!" Xi Chen angrily opened Xi Shanshan's hand that was pointing at Tang Ai, and a large patch of red instantly appeared on Xi Shanshan's fair arm.
Seeing her favorite brother treat her in this way, Xi Shanshan felt wronged and tears soon overflowed from her eyes. Xi Chen turned to Tong Lin and Xu Yueping and said, "You two take Tang Ai back first."
"Okay." Tong Lin seemed to be accustomed to this situation and pulled Tang Ai's hand and left.
Tang Ai looked back frequently, but didn't know what to say. She just looked at Xi Chen's vague profile and felt uneasy.
After Tang Ai and the others left, Xi Shanshan started to cry intermittently. She looked up, tears streaming down her face: "Brother, are you in love with Tang Ai? You know you can't like her!"
"That's my business, Xi Shanshan. Let me tell you, if you dare to say something you shouldn't in front of Tang Ai again, or let someone provoke her, I will definitely not care that you are my sister." Xi Chen spoke every word very decisively. Xi Shanshan's heart skipped a beat when she heard it.
He really knew that he was the one who sent people to bully Tang Ai.
But she did this all because of him, she didn't want him to be taken away by others!
"Remember, if you let her know something she shouldn't know, I will never talk to you again in this life." After Xi Chen said this, he left resolutely.
Looking at Xi Chen's back, Xi Shanshan started to cry: "Why are you all so protective of her? I am the person closest to you, am I not?"
Shen Ruoyun, who was standing by, couldn't bear it. He walked over and hugged the sad Xi Shanshan tightly, saying in a coaxing tone like a child: "Okay, stop crying. You know that this will make you further away from Xi Chen, so why can't you control yourself?"
Xi Shanshan hid in Shen Ruoyun's arms, her tears soaking a large area of his chest. She asked in a wronged voice: "The brothers all like her, Shen Ruoyun, do you like Tang Ai too? Will I never be able to compare to her?"
Shen Ruoyun rubbed Xi Shanshan's hair, feeling a little bitter. He liked Tang Ai, but that kind of liking was just liking for a friend, because deep in his heart, the one he liked most was the girl named Xi Shanshan.
When he was very young, she completely conquered him with her perseverance and incomparable voice.
But Xi Shanshan will never care about Shen Ruoyun who has always been by her side while she is trying hard to pursue Xi Chen.
After the last boating incident, Tang Ai rarely saw Xi Chen smile.
The kind of smile she was referring to was the one that came from deep within the heart, not just a smile that came from the lips just to please her.
Tang Ai sat in the audience, watching Xi Chen running back and forth in the basketball hall, feeling very conflicted.
It was all her fault. If she was bullied, couldn't she just bear it? Why did she have to say it in front of Xi Chen? After she said it, he and Xi Shanshan had a fight and the smile on his face was taken away.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" A jersey was covering Tang Ai's head. After Tang Ai took it off, she saw Shen Ruoyun, who was sweating profusely, walking over.
Tang Ai folded her jersey, took a bottle of mineral water from her side and handed it to Shen Ruoyun.
Shen Ruoyun gulped down half a bottle of water, and then his eyes fell on Tang Ai. Her eyes were dazed, and her attention didn't seem to be on the court, but as if someone had bewitched her.
"Ba——" Shen Ruoyun snapped his fingers beside Tang Ai's ears. Tang Ai came back to her senses and looked at him: "What are you doing?"
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Ruoyun asked curiously.
Tang Ai was stunned for a while, then turned to ask Shen Ruoyun: "Let me ask you, the fight between Xi Chen and Xi Shanshan must be because of me, right? Did I do something wrong?"
"It's none of your business ." Shen Ruoyun leaned back in his seat, posing like Ge You, and said, "They are siblings, and they broke up a long time ago. Even if you weren't around, Xichen would still have the same attitude towards her."
"Why?" Tang Ai couldn't understand. When Xi Chen talked about Xi Shanshan on Tianwu Mountain, he was smiling, but now he was like this. And her intuition told her that Xi Shanshan's feelings for Xi Chen were more than just a sister's feelings for a brother, but such a guess was too bold, so she didn't dare to say it out loud.
Shen Ruoyun sighed and said something that dispelled all of Tang Ai's doubts.
He said: "They are not siblings, they are not related by blood at all."
They...are not siblings?
So that's how it is. In this case, all Tang Ai's doubts can be answered. Xi Shanshan must like Xi Chen, right? That's why she is hostile to herself. A sudden person snatched her brother away. How can a rich lady like her not get angry?
"However, don't mind Shanshan's temper. If she really bullies you without any reason, you don't have to care about the fact that she is Xichen's sister." Shen Ruoyun said to her casually.
How could he hide his little thoughts from Tang Ai? Tang Ai looked at him and smiled: "Not only Xi Chen, but also you. For you, I will not be her enemy."
Shen Ruoyun smiled, then said seriously: "Thank you, Tang Ai."
"You're welcome." Tang Ai narrowed her eyes.
Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun were her earliest friends. Although Shen Ruoyun was a little slick to her, he really treated her as a friend. So, for him, she could tolerate Xi Shanshan unconditionally.
After a while, Xi Chen, who had just finished playing basketball, ran over. Tang Ai handed him a towel and mineral water. After wiping his sweat, he asked Tang Ai, "We're going to have dinner later. Do you want to come with us?"
"No, I have a class later." Tang Ai declined politely, then smiled at Xi Chen, "I apologize to everyone. I'll treat you all to a meal together when I have the chance."
Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun smiled at each other and said to her, "Then we are really looking forward to you treating us to a meal."
Tang Ai smiled, stood up and handed the coat to Xi Chen: "Take the coat, I'm leaving first, I wish you a pleasant meal."
"Okay, be careful." Xi Chen reminded her.
Tang Ai nodded, waved to them, and then left the basketball hall.
It was late autumn now, and the chill was getting worse. Tang Ai went back to the dormitory to get her textbooks and headed to the classroom. In the hallway, a few wide shadows suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up in confusion and saw a young man followed by a few little followers.
The boy has a tall figure and wheat-colored skin, but a look of disdain appears on his face.
Tang Ai took a few steps to the side, and the young man followed her, apparently trying to block her way on purpose.
"Tang Ai, right?" The young man leaned forward slightly and asked tentatively.
"What do you want to do?" Tang Ai became alert.
The young man put his hands on his hips, frowned, and asked, "I heard you have the ability to reach the sky?"
Tang Ai said: "I'm not Sun Wukong."
"Tsk, if it's not Sun Wukong, then it must be some demon." The boy pinched his chin with his fingers and slapped the sole of his shoe on the ground again and again, "Otherwise, how could it have bewitched both Xi Chen and Shen Ruoyun?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." Tang Ai didn't want to get entangled here and tried to leave, but the young man stopped her tightly and didn't give her any chance to escape.
The young man looked at Tang Ai, and his tone finally became impatient: "Little Sparrow, do you know who you have offended?"
"I'm acting honestly, who have I offended?" Tang Ai became unhappy.
“Hahaha!” The young man and his followers burst into laughter, then pointed their index fingers at her. “What did she say? She’s aboveboard? Hahaha, this is so funny!”
Tang Ai frowned tightly, her cheeks burning. She didn't understand why these people always liked to make fun of her and tease her? Had she ever done anything against the law?
She makes friends she likes, does things she likes, and moves forward slowly in this huge world. She never cares about the wind and rain from the outside world, but those wind and rain always come to harass her from time to time! Why?
Finally, Tang Ai could no longer pretend to know nothing as before, and her brows furrowed more and more tightly. Just when she wanted to question the boy, she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
"Chen Mei, do you want to fail the exam?"
The tense nerves in Tang Ai's head relaxed instantly. She turned her head and saw Shao Yu standing not far behind her with a serious face.
"Teacher Shao." The boy named Chen Mei stood up properly and immediately put on a greasy smile on his face, "I was just joking with my junior."
"You also know that she is your junior. How can you be a senior like this? Go back to class." Teacher Shao was intimidating without being angry.
"Oh, okay." Chen Mei agreed quickly, then sneaked into the classroom like a mouse with its tail between its legs.
