It was just a momentary hug, lasting only a few seconds. Before Jiang Yuan could even savor it, Lu Zhen released his hold and took a step back.
The boy had strong eyebrows, with short strands of hair hanging over his forehead. His dark eyes held a faint smile.
He said, "Thank you, Jiang Yuan."
There would be no more regrets in the future. At least he had truly felt what it was like to hug the person he liked for the first time.
He had wanted to hold her tightly, press her against his chest, and never let go. But in that moment, his clear and strong heartbeat had crumbled.
It had taken Lu Zhen a great deal of self - control to pull away the moment he touched Jiang Yuan.
He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to let go.
Jiang Yuan tilted her head slightly and looked at Lu Zhen. "I hope you can find a girl who truly likes you in the future."
This most sincere blessing was, for Lu Zhen, the most powerful weapon.
Lu Zhen thought to himself that he wouldn't be able to find such a girl.
From then on, the name Jiang Yuan would be the white moonlight engraved on his heart, impossible to erase.
"Thank you. I will," Lu Zhen said, forcing a faint smile.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chi Xu standing still outside the French window behind Jiang Yuan.
Their gazes collided, almost sparking.
Chi Xu's lips were tightly pursed. The nameless emotions in his ink - black eyes were surging wildly, but he forced them down and returned to his usual casual and lazy demeanor.
So this was the real reason why Jiang Yuan had skipped class. Lu Zhen had been secretly pursuing her, and as a boy, he could tell.
Was Lu Zhen really that fast?
A huge sense of panic surged over Chi Xu like a tide. He truly felt the vast distance between himself and Jiang Yuan.
The three years he had missed couldn't be made up for by the small talk after their reunion.
The transparent glass in the milk tea shop had excellent sound - insulation. Chi Xu couldn't hear what the people inside were saying. All he saw was Jiang Yuan and Lu Zhen sitting down one after another, chatting casually while sipping their milk tea.
A single pane of glass separated two different worlds.
"Lu Zhen, actually I asked you out tonight to talk about Chi Xu. As a boy, you must understand him better than I do," Jiang Yuan said in a soft voice, looking down. She just hadn't expected Lu Zhen to confess.
It had disrupted the speech she had prepared.
Lu Zhen saw that Chi Xu hadn't come in. He was standing at the entrance of the milk tea shop, silently looking up at the sky.
He casually withdrew his gaze and heard Jiang Yuan continue, "But I think it's cruel to discuss this with you. Forget it."
It was precisely because all her thoughts were on Chi Xu, both in the past and now, that she had ignored her friends around her, including Lu Zhen's special feelings for her.
"It's okay. Go ahead and talk. I want to see you happy. If Chi Xu treats you badly, I'll have a chance to pursue you," Lu Zhen said, grinning exaggeratedly. "If you're not happy, I'll beat Chi Xu up."
Jiang Yuan let out a soft laugh, with glistening tears in her eyes.
If only they could always be friends.
In the end, Jiang Yuan chose not to continue discussing this topic with Lu Zhen. Although Lu Zhen said it was okay, she didn't want to put him in a difficult position.
It was just too cruel.
When the milk tea was finished, Jiang Yuan picked up her phone to check the time. She was surprised to see a new message from Chi Xu.
[forikyy: Where are you?]
The message had been sent half an hour ago.
It was almost nine o'clock. The elective course at school had ended. Faintly, they could hear the cheerful ringing of the school bell from across the road.
Jiang Yuan didn't reply to Chi Xu. When she saw his WeChat name "forikyy", her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
She pinched the palm of her hand tightly, trying to stay clear - headed and not be carried away by her feelings.
"It's getting late, Lu Zhen. Let's go back," Jiang Yuan said softly.
Lu Zhen turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of the lonely figure standing at the entrance of the milk tea shop. The smile on his lips faded a bit. He replied and got up, walking out with Jiang Yuan.
As if deliberately letting Chi Xu hear, he said, "Jiang Yuan, although my confession didn't succeed, we can still be friends in the future, right?"
Jiang Yuan was a bit puzzled but didn't think much. She gently comforted Lu Zhen, "Of course. We're still friends, just like before."
"That's good," Lu Zhen said lightly, seeing Chi Xu outside the door trying hard to hold back his emotions.
The night was gentle. Chi Xu stood under the eaves, half in the light and half in the shadow. The shadow just happened to cover his expression. Only his pair of dark eyes were extremely bright.
Jiang Yuan was about to turn left when she lowered her head to look at the road absent - mindedly. She saw a familiar pair of pants.
She was stunned. Her gaze slid up along the pants and into the shadow.
Jiang Yuan saw Chi Xu, and her mouth opened slightly.
It took her a while to find her voice. "Chi Xu, why are you here?"
Chi Xu stepped out of the darkness. His beautiful black eyes were dull. He fixed his gaze on Jiang Yuan and didn't move it away for a long time, nor did he say a word.
Jiang Yuan felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze. Since he didn't say a word, the long - pent - up sourness in her heart welled up and surrounded her.
Her heart felt like it was stuffed with water - soaked cotton, aching and swelling painfully.
At this moment, she really wanted to question Chi Xu why he had left without saying goodbye back then. Since he had chosen to leave without a word, why had he fulfilled the promise of getting into Jing University?
Why had he been so kind to her? So kind that it made her feel uncomfortable, so kind that she thought she had forgotten him, but unexpectedly, she had fallen into his tenderness once again.
The surging feelings, the silent Chi Xu, the compromising Lu Zhen, and the bustling downtown.
Jiang Yuan took a deep breath to stay calm. She looked up at Chi Xu and said coldly, "Why did you come?"
It felt like a knife stabbing his heart again and again. Chi Xu was in so much pain that he could hardly breathe.
He saw Jiang Yuan's nonchalance. The hand he had just extended to touch her head hung in the air, looking like a joke.
"Did you see the message I sent?" his deep voice tinged with a hint of sadness and grievance.
Jiang Yuan replied coldly, "No. I didn't look at my phone."
"It's okay. I heard the milk tea in this shop is very good. I saw you asking for leave to go out, so I wanted to ask if you could help me buy a cup."
"By the time class ended and you still hadn't replied to my message, I had to come out and buy it myself."
Chi Xu made up a reasonable excuse for his strange behavior.
He didn't dare to tell her directly that he had skipped class and searched for a long time to find her, wanting to tell her something.
But all his courage and strength had disappeared without a trace when he saw Jiang Yuan and Lu Zhen in close contact.
Those words had no outlet to be expressed.
Jiang Yuan remained cold. She continued his words, "The drinks in this shop are quite good. You can try them. If there's nothing else, Lu Zhen and I will leave first."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Yuan fled under Lu Zhen's protection.