The cake shop closes at 10 o'clock. The boss took into consideration that I am a student and have classes during the day, so he let me only be responsible for delivering the takeout, and I can go home after the delivery. This way, I can basically get home at around 8 o'clock every day.
In recent days, I always run into Li Ye not far from the store, and sometimes it’s He Xubei.
I don't know what they are up to, they always find all kinds of excuses to meet me by chance, and then say they will take me home. In fact, the cake shop is not far from home, there is a night market stall all the way down, and it closes at midnight, so there are many people on the way back and I am not scared.
When I said this, Li Ye and He Xubei shook their heads in agreement for the first time in tacit understanding. They said, what if some thugs in the night market cause trouble for me.
In the end, I couldn't convince them anymore, so I had to agree that they would take turns picking me up and taking me home until I stopped doing it.
I was somewhat touched by the two boys' persistence, but I still couldn't let go of He Xubei. After all, the person I once had a crush on was now getting along with her in such a subtle way.
Today, Li Ye came to pick me up and waited in the store early. The shop assistants would run to see Li Ye from time to time, and then run over to laugh at me: "An An, I didn't expect your boyfriend to be so handsome!"
"Oops, I told you he's not, I don't have a boyfriend!"
After I explained it three times, I decided not to waste any more words. It would be useless for these gossipy sisters to say anything.
Li Ye was lying on the bar, looking at me with a meaningful smile on his face. Then he came closer and said in a low voice, "Hey, Yi Ping'an, they say I'm your boyfriend, why don't you just take advantage of the situation and admit it? Didn't I confess to you?"
I picked up the stirring spoon and hit him on the head a few times. He screamed exaggeratedly and I thought I really hurt him. But when I ran over nervously, I just saw him holding his head and laughing secretly.
We were almost home after passing the night market, but Li Ye said it was still early and asked me if I wanted to go for a barbecue. When I was about to say no, Li Ye suddenly stepped on the brakes and my head hit his back.
"Li Ye, why did you stop?"
"Ping An, look, is that girl in front Song Jingyan?"
There was a disco near the night market, and I saw a few young girls tearing apart another girl, and a boy standing next to them kept trying to persuade them. Li Ye pointed at the girl being torn apart and asked me.
The distance was not far, I looked carefully and saw that it was indeed Jingyan. I jumped out of the car and ran over, and Li Ye also parked the car and ran over.
Jingyan was wearing a too revealing fitted dress, heavy makeup that didn't suit her, and her face was red as if she had drunk a lot of alcohol. She and the other girls yelled, "Who stole your boyfriend? He found one himself. I don't believe you. Ask him yourself! Do I, Song Jingyan, need to be snatched away?"
One of the young girls was a little angry. She slapped Jingyan, but Li Ye grabbed her arm and said, "What are you doing? So many people bullying one person?"
Jingyan was a little unsteady on her feet, so I reached out to help her up. When I got closer, I could smell the smell of alcohol on her body. It seemed that she had drunk a lot. Jingyan looked at me with misty eyes, then pushed me away: "Yi Ping'an, is that you?"
I felt a little sorry for Jingyan. I didn't expect her to become like this. She often went out with different boys at night and now she was being bullied like this.
"Yanyan, let's go back and stop making trouble with them." I wanted to pull Jingyan's hand, but she dodged.
Jingyan glanced at Li Ye, and when she looked at me again, she showed that hateful look in her eyes: "Yi Ping'an, don't meddle in my business! Who the hell do you think you are and why do you care about me?"
"Song Jingyan, have you had enough of making trouble? Ping An cares about you, but you don't know what's good for you!" Li Ye finally spoke. He was very dissatisfied with Song Jingyan like this.
"Li Ye, you rejected me twice, twice! After all, I was the 'school belle' in the eyes of my classmates, but now I have become a joke in your eyes... Li Ye, I know who you like, it's Yi Ping'an!" Jing Yan pointed at me and said with a wry smile. She secretly took Li Ye's mobile phone and wanted to add him on WeChat, but saw that the screensaver of Li Ye's mobile phone was my photo, and the nickname in the contact note was also very ambiguous.
"Yi Ping'an, do you think I'm stupid? Li Ye has been closest to you since he came to Y High School, but why didn't I think that the person he likes is you! I know that you like He Xubei, but that doesn't mean that Li Ye can't like you... The person I like likes my friend, can I still treat you the same way as before?"
Jingyan looked very upset. The people who bullied her had already been driven away by Li Ye. There were only three of us left in the alley, and the air seemed a little silent.
So this is the reason why Jingyan stayed away from me. I didn’t expect this.
Later, Jingyan said that my friendship with her was over and we were no longer friends. Because of Li Ye, we could never go back to the past.
I no longer force anything. I understand that the relationship between Jingyan and I is like a painting torn in two. No matter how hard I try to put it together, it will no longer be the same as before. The gap will always exist.