Lin Zihan acted swiftly.
The next afternoon, that senior and the group of freshmen from the previous night came together to apologize to Zhang Lingyue. The group had a meal, and this matter was thus put to rest.
Although Lu Yinxi was still not satisfied, this was indeed the best solution. Moreover, Zhang Lingyue was the person directly involved in this incident. Since she had already forgiven them, it would be pointless for Lu Yinxi to persist.
Campus life got back on track. Lu Yinxi still avoided Shang Luoshu, but somehow, whether it was because Shang Luoshu was more resourceful or something else, apart from the regular class hours, the two of them almost met every day.
Thinking that he had helped her regarding Yueyue's matter, Lu Yinxi couldn't be hostile to him anymore. She could only nod slightly as a greeting, and occasionally, he would even drag her to the cafeteria for a meal.
To be honest, she never expected things to develop like this. By the time she realized something was off, this state had already lasted for almost half a month.
What broke this state was Zhang Lingyue's romantic relationship.
Speaking of which, the scene where Lu Yinxi discovered her friend's relationship was actually quite awkward.
That afternoon, Professor Feng happened to be free. Lu Yinxi had just encountered some things she didn't understand while reading, so she went to the office building to find him. By the time she was about to leave, it was already dark.
Coincidentally, Shang Luoshu also came to visit his tutor at this time. Naturally, Professor Feng arranged for his favorite student to accompany Lu Yinxi back.
It was snowing outside, and the wind was blowing fiercely. The two of them finally decided to take a shortcut back to the dormitory. Then, on the way, they saw two people passionately kissing under an umbrella.
...
The warmth of the milk tea was transferred from the cup wall to her palm and then spread throughout her body, which finally made Lu Yinxi feel a bit more alive.
"Sorry, Yinxi. But can you listen to my explanation..."
As soon as the four of them sat down, Zhang Lingyue immediately lowered her head to admit her mistake, which made Lin Zihan beside her once think that he was the third party and they were the real lovers.
"You..."
"I really didn't mean to hide it from you!" Afraid that her friend would say something angry, Zhang Lingyue interrupted her directly. "I just didn't find the right opportunity."
"I..."
"Yinxi, I really know I was wrong. As long as you're not angry, you can beat or scold me, and I definitely won't fight back."
Once again, her words were interrupted. Lu Yinxi helplessly wanted to rub her forehead and could only pretend to be fierce. "Can you let me finish speaking?"
Zhang Lingyue immediately shrank into Lin Zihan's arms like a shy bride and silently closed her mouth. Only then did Lu Yinxi have the opportunity to speak.
"First of all, let me make it clear that I'm not angry. I'm just a bit surprised."
Lu Yinxi and Zhang Lingyue could be considered childhood friends. They had been neighbors since childhood, so they knew each other very well.
Although Zhang Lingyue seemed lively on the surface, she was actually an extremely sensitive person deep down. Once a person like her got involved in a relationship, if the other person could give her enough sense of security, it would be okay. But if not, she would suffer a lot.
Zhang Lingyue herself was also very aware of her own personality. When she was young, she once told Lu Yinxi that she would always be alone in the future and would never fall in love.
But now, just a few years later, she had gone back on her words.
"Secondly,"
Lu Yinxi shifted her gaze to Lin Zihan, with a hint of sharpness hidden in her eyes.
"Senior Lin, I understand that you two lovers are in the honeymoon period, but on such a cold day, couldn't you find another place? Why did you have to kiss in the snowstorm?"
This was a reproach to him for not taking care of Zhang Lingyue's health. After hearing this, Lin Zihan nodded sincerely. "I was wrong this time. I'll pay attention next time."
"Um, Yinxi..."
Zhang Lingyue raised her hand awkwardly. "Don't blame him. Actually, it was me who pestered him..."
"Shut up!"
With a glance, Lu Yinxi was a bit disappointed in her friend. Did she think she couldn't tell?
Because she was afraid that her friend would suffer in the apology incident, Lu Yinxi had inquired about Lin Zihan from the surrounding teachers and students. Almost everyone said that he was a very steady person, and his self - restraint and self - cultivation were even better than some elders.
Just imagine, would a person like this do something like pulling his girlfriend to kiss in the snowstorm?
Of course, it wasn't completely impossible. If he was deeply in love with the girl in his arms.
But Lu Yinxi completely ruled out this answer. After all, the two of them had only been dating for a few months at most, and it shouldn't have reached that stage yet.
Moreover, she knew her friend's personality well, so Lu Yinxi immediately saw that it was Zhang Lingyue who took the initiative.
But in the conversation just now, she deliberately shifted the blame to Lin Zihan just to see his reaction.
So far, she was quite satisfied, but the necessary warning still had to be given.
"Senior Lin, Yueyue is my best friend. I hope you won't let her down! Otherwise, I won't let you off easily."
While Zhang Lingyue was in the restroom, Lu Yinxi cracked her knuckles and threatened him menacingly.
Lin Zihan wasn't scared by her. A trace of imperceptible nostalgia flashed across his eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Don't worry, Junior Lu. This day will never come."
...
The snowstorm was getting stronger. Zhang Lingyue and Lin Zihan huddled under an umbrella and gradually merged with the warm yellow lights in the distance. At that moment, the whole world seemed warm.
Lu Yinxi withdrew her gaze and returned to the milk tea shop. Shang Luoshu was still sitting in the same place, not moving at all.
Out of the principle of not being a third wheel, when Lin Zihan proposed to send her back to the dormitory together just now, Lu Yinxi firmly refused. She didn't expect that being alone with Shang Luoshu would be even more awkward.
Moreover, the place they were in now was a milk tea shop that couples loved to come to.
The silence gradually spread. Finally, Shang Luoshu spoke first, breaking the awkwardness between them.
"I didn't expect that Junior Lu actually has such a side."
"Yueyue is my childhood friend. Isn't it natural for me to protect her?"
Lu Yinxi readily responded. The atmosphere of just sitting in silence was really too awkward.
"What about you then?"
Shang Luoshu suddenly leaned forward, forcibly shortening the distance between them. "Your friend already has a boyfriend. Don't you plan to find one?"
Immediately understanding the implication of his words, Lu Yinxi couldn't help but roll her eyes. "These are two different things!"
"How are they two different things? Your friend has a boyfriend, so she will surely spend some time with him. Then won't you be left alone?"
"Why do I have to be accompanied? If she's not available, can't I just go to the library to read books?"
"Lu Yinxi, do you have to deliberately pretend not to understand what I'm saying?"
Shang Luoshu completely gave up the roundabout tactics. For this girl, he had to be straightforward.
He stepped into her booth and trapped her between himself and the wall, forcing her to meet his gaze. His lips parted slightly.
"Lu Yinxi, I like you!"
...
It was already midnight. Everyone in the dormitory was in a deep sleep, but Lu Yinxi just couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried.
The confession from that person in the evening kept echoing in her ears. It was really torturous.
"Lu Yinxi, don't be in a hurry to reject me. Ask yourself, after getting along for this period of time, do you really have no feelings for me at all?"
No, no. I've already said no!
She grabbed the quilt and covered her head, thinking that she could completely drive that person out of her sight like this. However, it was all in vain.
From the moment they met until now, every bit of their time together emerged in her mind bit by bit.
At the beginning, she really didn't like him. It was all because of him that she was forced to stand in front of everyone and endure other people's gazes.
However, after these few months, her impression of him had changed.
To be fair, apart from this, Shang Luoshu was actually quite good in other aspects. At least he had helped her many times, both in her studies and when he "saved" Yueyue.
Lu Yinxi suddenly felt that things were getting a bit out of control. Why was she now only thinking about all the good things he had done for her?
It was so annoying! It was really driving her crazy!
She couldn't help but kick the quilt. A moment later, her phone suddenly vibrated.
Lu Yinxi picked it up and saw that it was a message from Yueyue.
[Yinxi, why aren't you asleep yet?]
Lu Yinxi propped herself up and glanced at the next bed. She found that her friend's phone was lit up. She quickly replied to her message.
[Did I wake you up?]
[Not really. I had a dream that I broke up with Zihan, so I was woken up.]
[Dreams are the opposite of reality. Don't worry~]
After sending several lines of comforting words in succession, Lu Yinxi put away her phone and changed her position to prepare to sleep. However, just as she closed her eyes, she suddenly remembered something.
She picked up her phone again, opened the previous chat box, and typed another line of words to send.
[Yueyue, how did you know that you liked Senior Lin back then?]
Lu Yinxi had no experience of liking someone, so she couldn't really tell what her feelings for Shang Luoshu were. Helplessly, she could only turn to her friend, who had relatively more experience.
[Yinxi, are you and the male god...]
This ellipsis was quite meaningful.
Lu Yinxi knew that her friend's gossipy nature had emerged again. Ignoring her question, she still typed quickly.
[Don't make wild guesses. Answer my question.]
[Okay then]
Seeing that Yinxi didn't want to answer, Zhang Lingyue didn't force her and instead seriously wrote the answer to the question.
[It's actually very simple. You'll miss him when you don't see him, and you'll think of him whenever you see something even slightly similar to him in daily life...]
Staring at the words on the phone screen, Lu Yinxi carefully recalled what she had done during this period.
Great. There was not a single thing that matched.
She really didn't like Shang Luoshu!
That's right. How could she like someone she used to hate?
Logically speaking, this was the conclusion Lu Yinxi wanted, but now that the fact was right in front of her, why did she feel a bit reluctant to accept it?
At the same time, Zhang Lingyue sent another message.
[But Yueyue, this was just my feeling at that time. It can't be regarded as the standard answer. But I once saw a sentence online.]
[It said, 'When I see a strange tree on the roadside and my first reaction is to take a photo and send it to you, I know that something is wrong']
Something is wrong...
Lu Yinxi stared at these four words for a long time and then quickly opened the WeChat chat records between her and Shang Luoshu.
The green and white chat bubbles were intertwined, occasionally mixed with a few photos of trees, flowers, and other things. In short, none of them were related to academics.
Lu Yinxi suddenly didn't dare to scroll down anymore. If she did, she felt that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
At this moment, only four words were flashing in her mind.
Something is wrong!
Really something is wrong!