Zhou Xiangmeng?
I don't know her.
Jiang Yuan blinked her eyes in confusion. It had only been half a month since the start of school. For most students, she couldn't match the names with the faces. It was normal not to know someone.
She had heard that some people didn't even know the names of some of their classmates by the time they graduated from college.
Lin Suye looked at Jiang Yuan with a look of frustration. "I'm afraid Zhou Xiangmeng has other feelings for Chi Xu. Yuan Yuan, you've got to act quickly."
...
The two of them packed their meals from the cafeteria and returned to their dormitory. Jiang Yuan flopped down into a chair and long - pressed the power button on her phone.
After a moment of hesitation, she opened QQ, and the first messages that popped up were from Chi Xu.
Chi Xu: "?"
Chi Xu: "Don't be too thankful. I just happened to rescue a lost kid."
Lost kid?
Jiang Yuan took a big bite of her rice angrily and complained in her heart.
Who is he calling a kid? She was already an adult now. Stop treating her like a little girl.
However, from the school forum, she had heard that Chi Xu had refused to be in a relationship for the past two years in college. The key word was "refused", not that he didn't date for various reasons like incompatibility.
While other students were living it up in college, why did Chi Xu seem like a monk?
The hearts of many girls were broken.
It was definitely not normal.
What could be the reason?
Jiang Yuan fell into deep thought, stroking her chin.
Was it possible that Chi Xu was in a secret relationship? Or did he have a white - moonlight lover from the past?
The words "secret relationship" and "white - moonlight lover" touched a nerve in Jiang Yuan. Her heart skipped a beat, and it felt like there was something stuck in her throat that she couldn't swallow.
A secret relationship was unlikely. Chi Xu was a well - known figure on campus. Any little thing about him would be on the school forum. It was impossible for him to have hidden it for two whole years.
So, there was only the latter possibility, a white - moonlight lover.
In the past three years, she had been thinking about the boy who left without saying goodbye that summer. But in a place she didn't know, Chi Xu had already fallen in love with someone else.
That was why he never came to find her.
If she hadn't worked so hard to get into Peking University and met him by chance, Chi Xu might have even forgotten about her.
Even years later, when chatting with others about her, he might say casually, "Oh, who was that? That little kid who used to like following me around."
An indescribable ache welled up in her heart.
Jiang Yuan lowered her eyes, looking at the messages from Chi Xu. Her hand tightened around her phone.
No, she was not willing to accept this. That rainy day three years ago had drenched her, and her once - burning heart had been slowly extinguished by the rain, turning into a desolate island.
Even if he was going to forget about her, she would never allow herself to become an insignificant person in Chi Xu's mouth.
She would seduce him, and then abandon him when he was most in love with her. Anyway, she didn't like him anymore.
Jiang Yuan was being a bit self - deceiving. It was Chi Xu who had been so cruel back then, and she had always remembered that grudge.
The first step of flirting: online chatting tactics.
Jiang Yuan made a note of it in her memo.
There's a saying that goes, "Beautiful looks are all the same, but an interesting soul is one in a million." Jiang Yuan didn't dare to say she was extremely beautiful. Even if she was, Chi Xu must have met many such girls over the years.
So, she would start from the essence, strip away the appearance, and show him her interesting soul.
Be moderately humorous, make jokes within limits, and provide emotional value during the chat. Don't just praise everything, but praise specifically.
For example, when Chi Xu helped her find the classroom this morning, she couldn't just say, "You're so amazing."
She should say, "The school is so big and winding. I searched for a long time and couldn't find the way. I'm so lucky to have met you. Otherwise, I would definitely have been late."
Jiang Yuan typed away furiously in the message box and then clicked send.
She had become incredibly thick - skinned now, and she knew a ton of chatting tactics.
He replied quickly.
Chi Xu: "Have you said too many words of thanks? It's hurting my eyes."
Jiang Yuan felt like she was about to faint when she read this.
Chi Xu was still the same old Chi Xu.
But it didn't matter. She would try again.
Jiang Yuan: "Actually, I've always had a secret. Not even my parents know about it."
Chi Xu seemed interested. "What secret?"
Jiang Yuan hooked her lips and continued typing. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone."
Chi Xu: "Don't worry. I won't. Cute.jpg"
Jiang Yuan stared at the cute emoji, and her smile gradually widened.
"Actually, I used to have a part - time job as a back - scrubber. But then something really scary happened."
On the other end, Chi Xu frowned deeply as he looked at the chat page. Terrible thoughts instantly popped into his mind. Did something happen to Yuan Yuan when she was scrubbing someone's back during the three years he was away...
Chi Xu took a deep breath and mustered up a lot of courage to type a message of comfort. Just as his finger touched the screen, Jiang Yuan sent another message.
Jiang Yuan: "When I was scrubbing a girl's back, she suddenly started to twitch, and then she just collapsed on the ground. I was so scared that I quickly called 120."
A murder case? Did his Yuan Yuan have a murder case on her hands? Then what about now...
Chi Xu's eyes widened instantly. His hand tightened around the phone unconsciously, and his knuckles turned white from the pressure. His already - wrinkled brows were now almost twisted into a knot.
All sorts of terrifying thoughts flooded his mind. He pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but his panic got stuck in his throat.
Just as he finally managed to organize his words and was about to type on the screen, another message from Jiang Yuan popped up.
Jiang Yuan: "After that, I understood a truth. Some people, once scrubbed, are gone～"
Chi Xu: "..."
Chi Xu: "..."
Chi Xu: "..."
Chi Xu sent three messages of ellipses in a row, extremely speechless.
Seemingly wanting to save a bit of his dignity, Chi Xu sent a few more messages.
Chi Xu: "Tsk, I was wondering if your skinny arms and legs could even scrub anyone."
Chi Xu: "They'd be crazy not to fire you."
On the other side, Jiang Yuan threw her phone aside and burst out laughing. She pounded the table and laughed until tears streamed down her face.
"I can't take it anymore. How can it be so funny?"
Lin Suye, who was already in bed, poked her head out curiously. "Yuan Yuan, what are you laughing at?"
"It's really, really funny." Jiang Yuan wiped the tears from her eyes as she handed her phone to Lin Suye to show her the joke.
Lin Suye quickly scanned through it and also burst out laughing. "How can it be so funny? I think Chi Xu really cares about you, and he was really scared. In the end, it's just a joke."
She handed the phone back. "Yuan Yuan, aren't you afraid of making Chi Xu mad? This isn't the way to chat when you're trying to pursue someone. You'll really scare people."
"No, no. Based on my understanding of him, he's not that petty." Just thinking about the messages she sent, Jiang Yuan still couldn't help laughing. She casually wiped away a tear and typed a message.
Jiang Yuan: "Isn't it funny?"
As soon as she sent it, a red exclamation mark appeared next to the message.
[QQ system prompt: The message has been sent, but it was rejected by the recipient.]