Lin Suye thought that Jiang Yuan had fallen in love with Chi Xu but was reluctant to admit this fact.
It wasn't a breakup, but it felt worse than one.
As time went by, Jiang Yuan's feelings for Chi Xu gradually came to the surface.
Many details indicated that Jiang Yuan liked Chi Xu, and Chi Xu liked Jiang Yuan too.
She just didn't want to dig deeper and pretended to be oblivious.
Was Jiang Yuan finally going to face her own feelings?
"I don't know. Lin Suye, can you tell me?" Chi Xu sighed softly. Gone was his usual flamboyance. He slumped in his seat, his eyebrows and eyes drooping.
Lin Suye looked at him, biting her lip hesitantly. "Yuan Yuan didn't tell you. She must have her reasons for doing so."
"Come on, Lin Suye. Just tell us straight. If Jiang Yuan asks, you can say I, Jia Fang, forced you to tell."
"Lin Suye, can you really bear to watch two people who like each other miss each other due to various reasons and end up with regrets for the rest of their lives?"
Jia Fang said in frustration. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her vigorously, trying to wake her up.
Chi Xu was completely immersed in his own world and didn't notice when the two of them had gotten so close as to have physical contact.
"Stop it. If you keep shaking me like this, I might vomit my dinner on you."
Lin Suye couldn't stand it anymore. She slapped Jia Fang's hands away and rolled her eyes at him.
Sure enough, this group couldn't do without her.
"Eww~ Lin Suye, you're so disgusting." Jia Fang quickly hugged himself and shrank back.
Lin Suye ignored Jia Fang's antics and looked at Chi Xu. "Do you know that Jiang Yuan asked for leave?"
"I don't know." Chi Xu answered truthfully, his eyes heavy. "But I saw her in the apartment at noon. She was full of energy. She didn't seem sick."
Lin Suye sighed and waved her hand. "That's right. She didn't ask for sick leave. She asked for personal leave. She made an appointment with Lu Zhen, and the two of them went out to play."
His heart felt as if it was being grabbed by a big hand, and a dull pain came over him.
So, she had asked for leave from the evening class to go out and play with Lu Zhen.
Not long ago, even though she had hurt her leg, she still struggled to go to class for fear of losing credits for asking for leave.
But now, for the sake of Lu Zhen, she didn't care about the credits for the elective course.
A multitude of thoughts churned in his mind like a tide. Chi Xu twitched the corner of his mouth and forced out a stiff smile.
He lowered his eyes, and his gaze fell on the open book. It seemed to be mixed with the wonderful memories of feeding each other that day.
"Do you know where they went?"
"This... this..." Lin Suye's eyes flickered, and she stammered.
Jia Fang knew exactly what was going on and immediately jumped out. "Lin Suye, just tell us. I'll take responsibility for anything."
"They didn't go anywhere special. Just to the night market street outside the school. I don't know the exact location, though."
The moment she said it, it was as if she had lifted a heavy burden off her shoulders, and Lin Suye felt completely at ease.
Once the words started flowing, they came like a rushing river.
Lin Suye looked at Chi Xu seriously and said solemnly, "Chi Xu, we can all see that you like Yuan Yuan, and Yuan Yuan has feelings for you too. You should seize some things when you can."
Chi Xu closed his eyes, and his eyelashes trembled violently. Suddenly, his chest rose and fell with his breathing.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes again. There was a look of determination in his eyes. He stood up and strode towards the back door. Not satisfied with that, he started running.
"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Chi, where are you going? The class bell is ringing!"
Jia Fang was startled by him. Seeing him running out, he shouted anxiously from behind.
Immediately, a heavy thump landed on his head. Lin Suye's voice came from beside him.
"Jia Fang, stop bothering them. The teacher is coming. You're shouting so loudly. Do you want Chi Xu to get into more trouble?"
Jia Fang covered his head and said aggrievedly, "I just didn't react in time."
Lin Suye sneered. "Didn't react? Do you want me to break your neck?"
...
The sky had completely darkened. The night sky was as black as ink, and the twinkling lights stretched out all the way. The air was filled with the aroma of food.
Jiang Yuan had made an appointment with Lu Zhen in a milk tea shop.
Based on her previous memory, she ordered a cup of milk tea for Lu Zhen.
The wind chime hanging at the door rang. Jiang Yuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lu Zhen, dressed in black, walking over unhurriedly.
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Just then, the clerk brought the milk tea. Jiang Yuan pushed the cup she had ordered for him.
Lu Zhen glanced at the label. It was five - sugar level and warm.
A sudden pain stabbed at his heart. He didn't show it on his face. Instead, he smiled cheerfully, his tone slow, and said sadly, "Jiang Yuan, we've known each other for so long, but you still haven't remembered that I don't drink five - sugar level milk tea. I only drink three - sugar level!"
Jiang Yuan was stunned. She looked at the label on the milk tea and lowered her head embarrassedly. "I remembered it wrong. Do you want me to order you another cup?"
"Forget it. It's okay. I can drink it. After all, it was ordered by you."
Lu Zhen just wanted to tease Jiang Yuan. He smiled and took out a straw, poked it into the cup forcefully, and took a sip. "Sometimes, it's quite interesting to try five - sugar level."
"Just like life. You have to experience things you've never tried before to know if you like them or not."
He took another sip and let out a satisfied sigh. "Now it seems that five - sugar level is quite delicious too."
A simple thing of forgetting a friend's preference had instantly turned into a philosophy of life.
Jiang Yuan couldn't help but laugh, and the embarrassment just now disappeared.
"Come on, tell me. What's the matter? This is the first time you've ever invited me out."
Lu Zhen raised his eyebrows and said slowly.
"Actually, it's nothing..." Jiang Yuan lowered her head and pinched her fingers. Her voice was very low and her speech was slow. "Do you still remember the plan I told you about to abandon Chi Xu?"
"Yes, I do." he said.
Jiang Yuan took a deep breath and clenched her hands tightly, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. Just as the bitter words were about to come out of her mouth.
Lu Zhen said it for her.
"Do you mean that you've found out that you like Chi Xu?"
Lu Zhen's eyes were sharp. He saw through everything in front of him. Then he smiled self - deprecatingly, and his expression was a bit dazed.
"You've seen it too?" Jiang Yuan was surprised and couldn't help raising her voice.
How much she had been avoiding this matter and didn't want to dig deeper. Everyone could see it, including Lu Zhen, who had only met her a few times since the start of school.
Only she herself didn't see it.
"Jiang Yuan, do you really want to hang yourself on one tree? You've been hanging on for more than a decade. Do you still want to continue?"
Lu Zhen let out a soft laugh, but his eyes were filled with helplessness and bitterness. For just a moment, his eyes returned to their usual calm, but his hoarse and deep voice betrayed his emotions.
"No, I don't know what to do now. I both want to and don't want to." Jiang Yuan murmured softly. She lost all her strength and slumped on the chair.
Lu Zhen was silent for about half a minute. He stared into Jiang Yuan's eyes, and his voice was almost pleading.
"Jiang Yuan, can you consider me?"