The classroom was bustling. The fan hanging from the ceiling creaked, and there were the cheerful voices of classmates after class all around.
Zhou Xiangmeng in front of her spoke in a firm tone, leaving no room for refusal.
This was the first time Zhou Xiangmeng had taken the initiative to approach her. Jiang Yuan didn't know what she wanted, but she knew that she was eager to find Jiao Jiao.
"Maybe we can talk online? I'm in a bit of a hurry now." More than half an hour had passed. Jiao Jiao had run out of the teaching building and might be nowhere to be found by now.
"No. I've been holding this in my heart for a long time, and I've always wanted to talk to you." In an instant, Zhou Xiangmeng's eyes reddened slightly. She stubbornly looked at Jiang Yuan. "If I don't say it, I'll feel extremely guilty."
What could be so important?
Jiang Yuan frowned slightly. She had never had any interaction with Zhou Xiangmeng. She only knew about her from Chi Xu.
Counting this, it was also the first time Zhou Xiangmeng had talked to her besides that time related to Chi Xu.
Chi Xu had been called by her earlier to look for Jiao Jiao and was no longer in the classroom.
"Ye Zi, if you see Chi Xu on your way back to the dorm, tell him for me that I'll be there later."
"But..." Lin Suye looked at Jiang Yuan and then at Zhou Xiangmeng. The words on the tip of her tongue turned into concern instead. "Be careful then. Call me if anything happens."
She seriously suspected that Zhou Xiangmeng approaching Yuan Yuan was to talk about Chi Xu.
After Lin Suye finished her叮嘱, she turned around and left.
Zhou Xiangmeng made an inviting gesture, asking her to sit in the seat next to her - the seat where Chi Xu used to sit.
It wasn't until the other students in the classroom left that Zhou Xiangmeng got up, closed the front and back doors of the classroom, and then returned to her seat.
"You can talk now, right?" Jiang Yuan suppressed her impatience and asked.
"Jiang Yuan, actually I envy you a lot."
This out - of - the - blue sentence made Jiang Yuan immediately sense what she was referring to. She didn't say a word and just silently looked at her.
A person distracted by love.
Zhou Xiangmeng smiled indifferently. "I digressed. Is the wound on your arm better?"
Jiang Yuan stretched out the arm that had been hit by the basketball last time for her to see. "It's almost better. Why do you ask?"
The swelling on the arm had completely subsided.
"Actually..." Zhou Xiangmeng crossed her hands on her knees. Her gaze fell on Jiang Yuan's arm, as if she was making a difficult decision. "I was also at the scene last time."
Jiang Yuan quickly responded, "I know."
"I'm sorry. I accidentally pushed you last time, which made you get hit by the basketball." Zhou Xiangmeng suddenly stood up. Her knee hit the wooden bench hard as she got up, and the pain instantly spread.
Jiang Yuan stared at her in astonishment. It took her a while to come to her senses. She quickly reached out to support Zhou Xiangmeng. "It doesn't matter since it was an accident."
Zhou Xiangmeng forced a smile, her facial muscles stiff. "I know. I've been wondering how to face you these days. I'm relieved to see that your wound has healed."
"It's okay." Jiang Yuan lowered her head to check the time. It had been almost half an hour since class ended. Outside, the night was as dark as if it had been splashed with ink, bottomless. "Is there anything else? Then I'll..."
Just as she stood up, Zhou Xiangmeng grabbed her. Holding her arm tightly, she pursed her lips and didn't speak for a long time.
Jiang Yuan looked down at her.
"Um... I recently heard that you knew Chi Xu before?" Zhou Xiangmeng finally revealed her long - brewed thought.
Actually, Zhou Xiangmeng was also very good - looking. She had a pair of extremely vivid eyes. At first glance, those eyes seemed to be able to wash away all the dust in the world.
Jiang Yuan looked into her eyes, in which her own reflection was reflected, but she couldn't see through Zhou Xiangmeng.
After going around in such a big circle, using her arm as an excuse to keep her, in the end, it still came back to Chi Xu.
She should have said it earlier. Jiang Yuan wasn't a stingy person.
Jiang Yuan cut to the chase. "Yes, I knew him before. But we were separated for three years. For now, you don't have to worry about him falling for me. What you see now is just him teasing me."
I just want to tease him.
Three years ago, Chi Xu left without saying goodbye. He must have guessed her intention to confess and left in a hurry without even saying hello.
Jiang Yuan lowered her eyes and pried Zhou Xiangmeng's hand off her arm. Her tone was as calm as a placid lake, but the storm hidden beneath the surface was about to stir.
"That's all I want to say. It's his freedom for you to pursue him, and it's also his freedom whether he accepts you or not. No one can interfere."
Zhou Xiangmeng's face turned from black to green and then to blue, like a knocked - over paint bottle, full of various colors.
All her thoughts were exposed, bare under the sun.
"I..." Zhou Xiangmeng's lips trembled slightly. She wanted to defend herself, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the words got stuck. Actually, Jiang Yuan was right. She didn't need to approach her.
It was a sign of extreme lack of confidence.
She didn't believe that Chi Xu had no feelings for Jiang Yuan at all. After three years of separation, they should have become strangers, being very cautious in every move.
But no, Chi Xu and Jiang Yuan weren't like that. They were as natural as old friends. More precisely, like a long - married couple.
Many times, their playfulness seemed like flirting to others.
Moreover, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Chi Xu had a crush on Jiang Yuan.
Jiang Yuan was Chi Xu's exception and his only one.
"Jiang Yuan!" A lazy voice came from the front door slowly, with a slightly hoarse tone.
Jiang Yuan and Zhou Xiangmeng both looked towards the front door involuntarily.
A tall and straight figure was lazily leaning against the outside of the door. The dim light obscured his facial features, faintly outlining his delicate and cold side profile.
"Are you done talking?" Chi Xu squinted his eyes nonchalantly. He was good - looking, but his words were full of grievance. "Jiang Yuan, are you really that heartless to leave me, a lonely person, here all alone?"
"Huh?" A big question mark slowly appeared above Jiang Yuan's head. If he was a lonely person, of course he was alone.
Zhou Xiangmeng stared at Chi Xu intently. She lowered her eyes dejectedly, and a sudden pain tightened her chest. At this moment, she clearly realized that she was completely infatuated.
She envied Jiang Yuan.
She envied Jiang Yuan's acquaintance with Chi Xu.
Chi Xu gave Zhou Xiangmeng a sidelong glance, took a long stride and walked out. Jiang Yuan hurriedly said goodbye to Zhou Xiangmeng and followed Chi Xu's steps.
"Seeing how naive you are, I'm reminding you not to stay with Zhou Xiangmeng for too long."
"I'm not stupid. Don't look at others with prejudice. She just came to apologize sincerely. She accidentally pushed me on the basketball court last time."
"Come on. How do you know it was an accident? What if it was on purpose?"
"Unlikely. I have no grudges against her."
"Idiot!"
"By the way, where's Jiao Jiao? Did you find it?"
"No. I don't know which corner of the school it ran to. We'll look for it later."