Best friends… Tang Yuanyuan glanced at Meng Kefei and thought for a while before she softly said, “It’s nothing important. Remember that time when I told you about the person that I liked?”
“Yeah.” Meng Kefei felt nervous because she was referring to Yishu. “Do you still like him?”
“It’s no use liking him now.” Tang Yuanyuan shook her head and chuckled. “I think Yishu has a girlfriend now. No matter how much I like him, I’ll need to hide those feelings from now on. But since I’m not good at hiding my feelings, I need to avoid meeting him as much as possible.” Hence, every time Yuchi Yishu came by to visit her, she would give tons of excuses for not meeting him. Tang Yuanyuan even declined meeting up with Zhong Chufeng. Boys could not enter the girl’s dormitory whenever they like, so even if Zhong Chufeng entered their school to find her, she could easily refuse to meet him.
Tang Yuanyuan calmly explained her problems. However, Meng Kefei’s heart was palpitating; her face had turned pale, and her voice trembled. “W-What did you just say?” Her overreaction had caused Tang Yuanyuan to look at her strangely.
“Fei, is something wrong?” Realizing that she had become a little emotional, Meng Kefei immediately snapped back and reached out to hug Tang Yuanyuan. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just a little worried about you.”
Tang Yuanyuan was puzzled.
“Didn’t you say you liked Yishu? But now, he has a girlfriend?”
“Yes.” Tang Yuanyuan nodded. “When we met, she wasn’t his girlfriend yet. But I think she will be soon.” After all, only a few people can sit in Yishu’s passenger seat. In so many years, that girl was the first female that managed to snatch that spot from her. On that day, Tang Yuanyuan had thought that the passenger seat was for Zhong Chufeng, but to her dismay, it was reserved for that girl. What more was there to say?
Meng Kefei’s heart was palpitating vigorously. She thought she had a chance with Yishu, but it looked like everyone had lost their chance unexpectedly.
“Don’t worry, Yuanyuan.” Meng Kefei gently patted Tang Yuanyuan’s back. Her voice sounded a little choked up. She was unsure of whether she was comforting Tang Yuanyuan or herself as she continued, “If he has a girlfriend, then let him be. There are so many outstanding boys in our school. When the time comes, you can pick the person of your choice.”
Tang Yuanyuan noticed how Meng Kefei’s emotional responses were a little inappropriate but soon brushed it off. “Don’t worry. I have been keeping my thoughts open these days. I just feel a little depressed, but I should be fine after some time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
At night, when Tang Yuanyuan was about to return to her dormitory, she saw Zhong Chufeng standing at the back door just as she turned her head around. Her expression changed slightly. As if she had not seen him, she changed her direction halfway through and went straight ahead.
“Yuanyuan.” Unfortunately, Zhong Chufeng had been staring straight at her. Just when he saw her changing directions, he immediately chased after her. Soon after, he managed to catch up and stopped her at the exit of the front door.
“Why did you run after seeing me?” Zhong Chufeng reached out to grab onto Tang Yuanyuan’s arm. She was now being held by him. Since she would feel embarrassed to hide from him again, she turned around and forced a fake smile at him. “Chufeng, why are you here? I did not see you just now.”
Zhong Chufeng narrowed his eyes as he looked up and down at the young lady who seemed to have lost a lot of weight. Tang Yuanyuan had really shed off a lot of weight. This made her eyes noticeably larger than before, but the spark in her eyes was gone. Most importantly, this innocent girl had learned how to put on an act in front of him; she was no longer straightforward like before. She even knew how to lie in front of him now.
Zhong Chufeng folded his arms and questioned, “Did you really not see me or did you choose to ignore me? Do you really hate me that much, little girl?” Upon finishing his sentence, he reached out to pinch Tang Yuanyuan’s cheeks. With this, Zhong Chufeng noticed that there was not much flesh between his fingers anymore. He got worried for a moment and withdrew his hand. “Alright. It doesn’t matter if you had or had not seen me just now. Just come with me.”
Tang Yuanyuan followed Zhong Chufeng to a more secluded area and stood still. Noticing that she did not catch up to him, he turned around and asked, “Why aren’t you coming?”
“Chufeng, is there something important? If there isn’t, I need to go back to study. My teachers have assigned us a lot of homework today. I’m afraid if I can’t finish it, I’ll have to stay up late to complete it.” Upon hearing her words, Zhong Chufeng walked over to her side. “Really? How about I help you finish your homework?”
Tang Yuanyuan was suspicious of this offer. “Hmm?”
“What’s wrong? You’re unwilling to let me do so? I’ve only spoken a few words with you and now you’re trying to hide from me? How long has it been? Didn’t I explain it to you clearly last time?”
Tang Yuanyuan remained silent.
“You said you trusted me. But now it seems like you don’t believe me at all. You’re really making me sad,” Zhong Chufeng said while showing a pained expression. Tang Yuanyuan’s heart immediately softened. In reality, she was afraid that he was helping Yishu to ask her out. What would she do if she followed him out and saw Yishu? Should she turn around and run away again? Ever since Yishu carried her home from the toilet, Tang Yuanyuan felt ashamed to meet him. That day was truly embarrassing. Besides, Yishu was so smart that he would have caught on to her intentions. Therefore, Tang Yuanyuan could no longer escape if she had to face Yuchi Yishu.
“It’s not because of that, Chufeng. I just simply have too much homework to do; it’s not because I don’t believe in you.”
However, Chufeng could roughly see through what Tang Yuanyuan was thinking. So, he suddenly went up close to her and whispered, “Don’t worry; I’m just bringing you out for a breath of fresh air. There’s no one else; it’s just the two of us.” Although Zhong Chufeng did not mention Yishu’s name, he had made it clear to Tang Yuanyuan that Yishu would not be joining them, so that she could relax.
After his assurance, Tang Yuanyuan blinked with her bright eyes as she felt relieved. “Where are we going?”
Zhong Chufeng beamed, “You’ll know when we get there.”
Later, Zhong Chufeng brought Tang Yuanyuan to an amusement arcade—to play video games, challenge a Parkour course, and so on. This made Tang Yuanyuan sweat profusely while she left all her sorrows behind.
Zhong Chufeng bought ice cream for her when he sent her back to school. “I know you’re trying to lose weight, but it’s just for this once. After today, you can live however you want. You can be willful just for today. When you’re in a bad mood, eating something sweet will help you get better.”
Tang Yuanyuan did not refuse his offer and took the ice cream. She licked it a few times and said, “Thank you, Chufeng.”
The night-wind was chilly when Zhong Chufeng sent Tang Yuanyuan back to her school entrance. “Okay then; I won’t follow you in. I’ll just stay here and see you off.”
Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “I’ll see you off.”
Zhong Chufeng was glad when he heard this. Initially, he had wanted to refuse her because he was afraid that it would be dangerous for her. However, after he saw the security guard standing by the side, he felt at ease and replied, “Okay.”
“Goodbye, Chufeng.” Tang Yuanyuan waited for Zhong Chufeng to walk far away and waved gently at his back. The smile on her face faded as she turned around and prepared to enter her school.
“You’re back?”
