The first rays of sunlight in the morning broke through the clouds, covering the beautiful red-tiled and white-walled community with a warm golden hue. The sunlight was not satisfied, and it mischievously shot into the large French windows, bringing a special warmth to the living room without curtains drawn.
In the living room illuminated by the sun, there was only one high-heeled shoe lying on the Turkish carpet with red ethnic patterns. On the originally clean white leather sofa, there were pillows of different colors scattered all over the place. The wrinkles of the pillows were eye-catching. It was not difficult to imagine what kind of damage they had experienced. On the glass coffee table where magazines were originally placed, the magazines had already been swept aside, as if they had been looted. Suddenly, a panicked voice came from the white room inside: "Huh, why am I here? Where is this?" Then there was a flurry of movements, ping-pong, as if something had collided with something, and it seemed that something had fallen to the ground. With a loud "bang", the room finally returned to calm.
Su Tianxin lay on her back on the white wool carpet, looking at the empty ceiling, feeling broken. She turned her head to look at the desk next to her. On it was a silver-gray suit, which was obviously a men's suit. Next to it was a book that she had not finished reading. The handwriting on the edge of the book was very flamboyant. Although she could not see it completely, she could guess a little.
But...didn't I just hitchhike yesterday? Why did I stay overnight at his house?
Tian Xin pulled her hair in annoyance, trying to pretend that it was a dream, but the soft touch of wool under her body reminded her that it was all real.
"I didn't do anything, did I? Didn't I do anything embarrassing?" At this moment, Tian Xin just wanted to turn back time and go back to last night when she still had memories. But...what did she do?
Just as she was immersed in the memories of last night, the door of the room opened. Zhuang Feize's pretty face was full of morning grumpiness, and his slightly narrowed eyes made him less cold than usual, finally looking like a boy of this age. He was wearing a white hoodie and matching mid-length pants, and he looked much more sunny than usual.
"What are you making so much noise for so early in the morning?" Zhuang Feize's voice was filled with impatience.
"You... why am I in your house? What did you do to me?" Tian Xin looked at the person in front of her vigilantly. All kinds of thoughts in her mind had already rushed out and turned into various dangerous scenes in her imagination.
"What can I do to you?" Zhuang Feize laughed out of anger, a dimple appearing on the corner of his mouth. "The way you were yesterday, I was afraid of embarrassment even if I let you out." As he said that, he walked over unceremoniously and sat directly on the wool carpet.
Tian Xin was startled and sat up from the carpet: "What did I do?"
"You have no recollection of it at all?" Zhuang Feize rubbed his eyes, finally regaining consciousness. "You cried for too long yesterday and became dehydrated. I got off the car to buy you some water, but you followed me to the convenience store and bought some wine, wanting to get drunk to forget your sorrow."
At this point, Tian Xin seemed to have an impression. She had always been a good kid since she was little, and when she went back yesterday, she simply indulged herself and bought some wine, but she didn't dare drink alone in the dormitory, so she had to borrow Zhuang Feize's place.
"Why didn't you send me back to school?" Tian Xin felt like her head was going to explode. The delayed discomfort seemed to overwhelm her.
"I also want you to go back to school. I just wanted to counsel you yesterday, but you were drunk and crying and laughing, hugging the pillow and trampling around, and your shoes were all off in a mess. What's worse is that I didn't keep an eye on you and you ran into my room to sleep. No matter how I called you, I couldn't wake you up. I had to stay in the study and didn't sleep well all night." Zhuang Feize's words were filled with resentment, forming a contrast with his indifferent face.
Listening to his words, Tian Xin's memory door finally slowly opened. In her fuzzy and fragmented impression, she drank a few bottles of wine in the car, and started singing when she got off the car. Zhuang Fei Ze covered her mouth without hesitation and didn't let go until she entered the door. But when he closed the door, she ran to the study again, picked up the pillow she had coveted before, and then began to stagger around the room while singing...
No, no, no, that wasn't her, that was a dream! Tian Xin quickly shook her head to get these fragments out of her mind, and she was determined not to admit that it was herself.
"If you say so, then so? I don't know and I won't admit it! I've always been a lady and it's impossible for me to do such a thing!" Tian Xin rolled her eyes, avoiding the half-smile of the person in front of her, trying her best to pretend that she didn't feel guilty.
"Facts speak louder than words. I have a record of what happened yesterday." Zhuang Fize couldn't hold it in anymore and said with a smile, "There is a camera in my living room. I can just watch and know what happened yesterday."
"What? There's still recording?" Tian Xin immediately raised her head and looked at the person in front of her angrily.
"Yeah, since you're so sure, let's take a look together." Zhuang Fize said as he took out his phone and stood up. After unlocking it, he swiped a few times, and his finger stopped on a green app. "As long as I click on it, I can see what happened last night."
“No, no, no!” Tian Xin immediately rushed towards him, trying to snatch the phone away to save her image a little, but Zhuang Feize raised the hand holding the phone above his head, and now poor Tian Xin couldn’t even reach it by jumping, and could only jump to try to get to the phone like playing a game.
"Give it to me, give it to me quickly! Don't look at it!" Tian Xin was like an anxious little monkey. Seeing that there was really no other way, she had to grab Zhuang Feize's right hand and raised the other hand as well.
"The phone is right here. I'll give it to you if you can get it." Zhuang Fize's voice was full of laughter, and he emphasized it again, "I'll give it to you if you can get it."
"Zhuang Feize, you are bullying me!" Tian Xin became even more anxious, and looked up at Zhuang Feize with her rabbit eyes. He was just teasing her!
She simply hugged him like a nimble monkey, and wrapped her legs around him, climbing up quickly as if climbing a tree, to reach the phone.
Zhuang Feize didn't expect her to be so brave. He tilted his body and couldn't bear Tianxin's weight. The two of them fell down and fell into a ball on the carpet. However, when they fell, Zhuang Feize subconsciously stretched out his left hand to protect Tianxin's body. With the cushion of the carpet, Tianxin didn't get hurt.
But as soon as this clever girl came to her senses, she turned around and climbed onto Zhuang Feize next to her. Zhuang Feize stuffed the phone under his waist and pressed it down, dodging Tian Xin's attack while protecting her from rolling off the carpet.
"Hey, give me your phone."
"No, take it yourself if you can."
"How can you be like this? Just let what happened yesterday go with the wind and don't pursue it."
"I only look at the facts and don't pursue them."
"How about we just delete it if we don't want to pursue it? Don't make a fuss about it."
…
The sounds of fighting and the two talking filled the room with life. The sun shone in from the window, shining warmly on the two of them, as if bathing them in warmth.
until--
"Am I disturbing you two?"
Suddenly, a laughing voice came from the door. Tian Xin looked over and found that it was Zhuang Feichi! He was leaning against the door, and the smile on his face showed his good mood at the moment, but the way he looked at her made her feel a little uneasy.
"Why are you here?" Zhuang Feize sat up directly, unnoticeably blocking his gaze towards Tian Xin.
"Of course I have to come, otherwise how can I see such a lively side of my brother." He said as he squatted down and stared at the two people still sitting on the ground, "Did something happen to you that I don't know about? This room doesn't look like your style at all."
"It's none of your business what happens to me." Zhuang Feize's patience was almost exhausted at this moment. He looked back at Tian Xin who had shrunk behind him, then turned to the person at the door and said unceremoniously, "You go out first."
"Okay, okay, I'll go out first. But... I bought a loving breakfast for my lonely brother on the orders of my parents, but I didn't expect there was another person at home. It looks like there won't be enough breakfast. I'll go prepare some more, you guys... take your time to clean up." After saying that, Zhuang Feichi stood up, whistled and left.
Come on, why are you talking so... ambiguous? Tian Xin's face flushed instantly, and she realized belatedly that her behavior with Zhuang Feize just now was indeed too tempting.
"I……"
"I……"
They both spoke at the same time, and paused at the same time.
Tian Xin's face turned even redder. She tried to control her heartbeat and whispered, "Thank you, senior. I feel much better now."
"You're welcome." Zhuang Fize said as he stood up. "Go out and have breakfast. I'll take you back to school after breakfast."
"okay."
Tian Xin finally finished her breakfast under Zhuang Fei Chi's scrutiny. Although Zhuang Fei Chi was not allowed to talk during the meal at Zhuang Feize's request, Tian Xin always felt uncomfortable staying next to him.
"Can I go first?" Tian Xin whispered to Zhuang Feize beside her, with a pleading look in her eyes. Zhuang Feize paused, then put down his chopsticks, "I'm full, I'll take Tian Xin back to school first."
"It seems like they don't plan to take me with them. I've been at the archaeological site with my parents for so long, and I finally came back under the pretext of delivering materials. I didn't expect to be unwelcome by my brother, so I can only find a place to rest by myself."
So much talk. Tian Xin complained silently in her heart, but on the surface she still kept a ladylike smile, and then followed Zhuang Feize out the door, perfectly playing the role of a well-behaved junior school girl. But as soon as she got in the car, she exhaled, her stiff body relaxed, and immediately lay down on the seat: "I don't know why, even though Senior Zhuang didn't say anything, I feel so depressed!" As she spoke, she raised her hand to fan herself, as if to blow away all the unhappiness.
"Zhuang Feichi is not as harmless as he looks." Zhuang Feize steered the wheel expertly, checking the rearview mirror as he explained to Tian Xin, "When people who had a problem with him at school graduated, every one of them cried and apologized to him, including the boys."
Including boys? What kind of powerful fighting power is this? Tian Xin's mind flashed with the image of Yang Cong and Qi Yuan kneeling on the ground and crying, and her body couldn't help but tremble. It seems that her intuition is still very accurate. As expected, she should stay away from Zhuang Feichi.
"You have time to think about these trivial things. Have you adjusted yourself?" Zhuang Feize next to her glanced at her lightly.
Adjusted?
The clips that were deliberately blocked yesterday reappeared in her mind, the image of the golden boy and girl standing arm in arm in the KTV, the red string on Zhang Qilin's hand, the impatience flashing in Jiang Siming's eyes...
My heart, which had been somewhat excited just now, sank in an instant.
"Why are you talking about this?" Tian Xin shrank back in her seat, pretending to be an ostrich.
"We'll be at school soon. We have to face what we have to face." Zhuang Feize looked at the car in front of him that had stopped waiting for the red light. "There are still three intersections to the school. I'll drop you off at the last intersection. You can walk around and sort out your thoughts."
"Why?" Tian Xin looked at him in confusion.
"Do you want more scandals about yourself?" Zhuang Fize stepped on the accelerator. "I'm already eye-catching enough at school. Add to that the rumors yesterday... it's not good for you."
"Oh." Tian Xin agreed hesitantly. She once again realized that although the people around her didn't talk much, they cared about her no less than others. And she really should think clearly about how she should face Jiang Siming after what happened yesterday. She was a little irritated but had no other choice but to keep rubbing her skirt.
No one spoke in the car for a while, only the quiet breathing was heard. It was not until they passed two intersections that Zhuang Feize stopped the car on the side of the road.
"Okay, get out." Zhuang Fei Ze patted Tian Xin who was still in a daze. Tian Xin unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car dejectedly. As soon as she got out of the car, the wrinkles on her clothes were exposed, and a corner of her skirt was deformed by her own rubbing, which was completely unbearable to look at.
Zhuang Feize sighed in his heart, got out of the car, walked up to her and helped her pull up the hem of her skirt: "Can you please act a little more like a girl?"
"I... I am a girl. Although I am not as ladylike as others, but... I am also a girl." These words seemed to touch the switch in Tian Xin's heart. The inferiority that she had barely suppressed couldn't help but pour out, and even her eyes were instantly wet.
"I know I'm a little bit spoiled. I'm not gentle, I can't cook delicious food, and I often get into trouble. But... I'm slowly changing. No one taught me how to be a likable girl since I was a child... I also want to grow up to be a lady in everyone's eyes, but I can't... So should I not be liked?"
Tian Xin finally said what she had been wanting to say. She had lived with her father since she was a child. Although her father tried hard to prepare everything for her, there were still many things he could not take care of. Many of her "first times" growing up were not told by her mother, nor were they cared for by her mother. Instead, she learned about them by hiding aside and listening to the girls in her class share their mothers' experiences.
She could only grow up with the information she received sporadically. No one told her what gentleness was, and no one taught her how to cook... She was also a human being. She also had thoughts and resentments, but for her father and herself, she never showed them.
Tian Xin's tears were like crystal waves, hitting Zhuang Feize's heart bit by bit. He wanted to apologize but couldn't say it, because he didn't know why the girl in front of him was so sad, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
"I……"
Before Zhuang Fei Ze finished speaking, there was a sudden shout from next door. Tian Xin was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. Across the street, she saw the leader Yang Cong and... a group of boys from the academy?
what's the situation?
"Zhuang Feize, what are you doing?" Yang Cong shouted as he quickly walked over from the crosswalk. Tian Xin, who was originally crying, was so scared that her tears froze. She saw that they were dressed in the same wrinkled clothes as herself. When they ran to her side, she could still smell a strange smell mixed with cigarette smoke on them.
"You are so good, Zhuang Feize. You bullied Tianxin again when we weren't paying attention, didn't you ?" Yang Cong, with his hair standing on end, wanted to pounce on Zhuang Feize. Fortunately, he was stopped by the people behind him. However, he was still angry and said, "It's a good thing we played games all night yesterday, otherwise we wouldn't have seen you bullying Tianxin outside the school!"
"No, no..." This time the misunderstanding was huge! Tian Xin waved her hands to explain, but Qi Yuan jumped out from behind and grabbed her and dragged her to their side. "Tian Xin, don't be afraid. There are so many of us. We will definitely not let others bully you."
"That's right, you are so great! With us here, no one in Nanyin University can bully you."
"Tell us if you've been wronged, and we'll help you!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Tianxin, don't cry. Oh, I'm most afraid of girls crying."
…
Tian Xin was drowned out by the chattering, but she could feel their concern. She sniffed and tried to smile, saying, "No, Zhuang Feize didn't bully me. He just helped me because he saw my skirt was wrinkled."
"Really?" Yang Cong looked at Zhuang Feize with doubt in his eyes. As soon as Yang Cong and the others came up, Zhuang Feize turned into his usual cold and indifferent self. He didn't say a word of explanation, but just looked at the people in front of him coldly.
"Then should we apologize? Zhuang Feize is someone we can't afford to offend." A weak voice came from behind Yang Cong.
"Are you still a man? Where's your backbone?" Yang Cong complained in a low voice angrily.
"A real man should be able to bend and stretch. We just need to apologize, why would he hold a grudge against us?" Qi Yuan said from the side, and many people nodded.
"Alright, alright." Yang Cong waved his hands irritably, then said to the person in front of him, "I'm sorry, Zhuang Feize, please don't bother with us. It was you who bullied Tian Xin before, so we are so... alert."
"Okay, okay, I really want to thank Zhuang Fize this time." Tian Xin quickly jumped out to smooth things over. She narrowed her eyes and smiled at the person in front of her, "Thank you, Zhuang Fize."
Her voice clearly still had a nasal tone from crying, but to Zhuang Feize it sounded like the singing of an oriole, making him relax unconsciously.
"Since Tianxin said so, everyone in our School of Mechanical Engineering thanks you." Yang Cong said carelessly, and then patted Tianxin beside him, "It's a good thing to meet you. The instructor said that the class has been adjusted, and we have another class in the morning."
"Okay, okay, let's go back together." Tian Xin said as she followed the group forward. When the people around her started discussing the game again, she turned around quietly -
Sure enough, Zhuang Fize was still standing there.
She raised her hand and quietly pointed at her cell phone, then smiled and turned back.
"Ding——" Zhuang Fize's WeChat phone rang, and he swiped open the page and clicked on Tian Xin's Hello Kitty avatar.
"Thanks."
A thank you made Zhuang Fize's mouth curl up. He thought about it for a moment, gave a rude expression, and then returned to the car.