“Thank you.” Cheng Shuoning finally took the gift after a long pause.
The heat from his ears spread to his cheeks, and he couldn’t help but raise a hand to touch his face, feeling a bit flustered.
To distract himself, Cheng Shuoning immediately unwrapped the gift.
It was a white rabbit plush toy.
Its eyes were large, ears drooping down the sides of its face, with a pink, upturned mouth and blushing cheeks, exuding an indescribable softness and cuteness that made one want to stroke it.
All the gloom in his heart seemed to dissipate with this rabbit. Cheng Shuoning smiled with his eyes, saying to Xu Wangzhi, “It’s very cute, I really like it.”
Li Shengfei watched from the side, feeling a bit sour.
It’s just a dead rabbit, how can it compare to the live bird he gave? Yet Cheng Shuoning seemed happier than when he received his gift.
The more he thought about it, the more jealous he became, finding Xu Wangzhi increasingly displeasing. Li Shengfei snatched the rabbit and tossed it onto a chair, grabbing Cheng Shuoning’s hand in a feigned intimate manner, “Ning Ning, the parrot doesn’t have a name yet, how about you give it one?”
For some reason, Xu Wangzhi gave him a strong sense of crisis.
Cheng Shuoning shook off his hand, picked up the rabbit again, and placed it carefully to the side before glancing at the well-behaved parrot in the cage, saying, “Let’s call it Recorder.”
Li Shengfei thought the name was odd but didn’t voice it, “Recorder? Not bad.”
“Cheng Shuoning, come take a group photo, everyone’s already in place,” Zhang Xiuli called from not far away.
Cheng Shuoning responded and headed towards Zhang Xiuli.
He thought of something, paused halfway, turned, and invited Xu Wangzhi, “Join us?”
“Join, join, hurry up.” Zhang Xiuli was eager for Xu Wangzhi to come over, waving frantically, “We’re just waiting on you two, come on, come on.”
She had considered inviting Xu Wangzhi for a photo, but since someone had previously asked him and he expressed a dislike for group photos, she hesitated. Hearing Cheng Shuoning’s invitation, she practically wanted to give him a thumbs up for his excellent invitation.
The surrounding classmates all assumed Xu Wangzhi would refuse as usual, but to their surprise, he silently followed Cheng Shuoning, eventually stopping by his side, facing the camera.
Everyone was practically: “!”
Has Xu Wangzhi been collectively melted and changed by them?!
“Hey, could someone over there help take a photo?” With the whole class gathered, there was no one left to take the picture, and Zhang Xiuli’s gaze fell on Li Shengfei.
Li Shengfei didn’t want to move, but for Cheng Shuoning’s sake, he got up and went over.
He picked up the camera, aimed it at everyone, and when he saw Xu Wangzhi standing next to Cheng Shuoning through the lens, he clicked his tongue and put the camera down, “Could you move a bit further away? There’s plenty of space beside you.”
Xu Wangzhi acted as if he hadn’t heard, his eyes deep as he looked at him.
Li Shengfei felt that familiar sense of pressure again, which made him very uncomfortable, wanting to smash the camera.
He held back, putting on a bright smile and speaking in a friendly tone, “Hey, can’t you hear me?”
“We’re already far apart.” Cheng Shuoning knew exactly how much distance was between him and Xu Wangzhi, smiling as he urged Li Shengfei, “Go ahead and take the picture.”
Reluctantly, Li Shengfei took a few photos, returned the camera to Zhang Xiuli, and his face was so sour that he didn’t respond even when Zhang Xiuli thanked him.
Dozens of people crowded around to look at the photos on the camera, and almost everyone first noticed Xu Wangzhi and Cheng Shuoning.
The two of them standing together were the undeniable focus of the crowd, impossible to look away from.
The phone rang, and after answering, Li Shengfei’s expression changed slightly. He glanced at Cheng Shuoning, who was engrossed in looking at the photos and hadn’t noticed, then quickly headed upstairs, lowering his voice to speak into the phone, “I’m coming over now.”
“Li Shengfei, want to take a photo together?”
Every year on his birthday, the four of them would take a photo together. Since Zhou Xundu hadn’t arrived yet, Cheng Shuoning looked up to ask if Li Shengfei wanted to join, only to find he was gone.
He found it strange and glanced upstairs.
“Hungry, hungry.” The parrot in the cage hopped around, mimicking Li Shengfei’s tone.
Cheng Shuoning had intended to go upstairs to find him, but hearing this, he first found some nuts to feed the parrot.
“Delicious, Ning Ning.” The parrot stood still after eating, its eyes like small red beans fixed on Cheng Shuoning.
“As long as it’s tasty.” Cheng Shuoning patted its head, moved the cage aside, and prepared water and food for it.
“Cheng Shuoning, your phone.” A cold-eyed young man stopped beside him, glanced at the vibrating phone on the table, and reminded him in a low voice.
Only then did Cheng Shuoning realize someone was calling him.
It was Zhou Xundu, apologizing that he’d be arriving later.
Cheng Shuoning replied, “It’s okay, Brother Zhou, handle your matters first, no rush, and be safe on the road.”
“I want to see you soon, Ning Ning.” Zhou Xundu’s tone was gentle, “I’ll get there as soon as I can, Ning Ning, wait for me.”
“Okay.” Cheng Shuoning hung up the phone.
The sky began to darken, and Aunt Chen pushed out a six-layer cake.
Cheng Shuoning glanced at the second floor, feeling an odd emotion urging him to go find Li Shengfei.
*
After three unanswered calls, Cheng Meng dialed again.
He originally thought it would be rejected again, but this time it connected.
The voice on the other end was cold, as if addressing a stranger, “What is it?”
“Aren’t you coming today?” Cheng Meng bit his lip, asking with great anticipation.
“Whether I come or not has nothing to do with you,” the man said, “Today’s main character isn’t you.”
Cheng Meng gripped the phone tightly, his heart racing uncontrollably at the sound of the man’s voice, even his cheeks flushed.
He felt a bit shy, “I want to see you, I haven’t seen you for days. I got the necklace back, I didn’t expect it to fall at your place.”
“Really… I thought I lost it outside and looked for it for a long time, you have to believe me.”
“You’re not mad at me because of this, are you…” Cheng Meng asked cautiously, his eyes filled with undeniable love.
The other side only gave him endless silence.
Cheng Meng called out in grievance, “Brother Zhou…”
Perhaps it was this call of Brother Zhou that moved the other party, as the voice on the phone softened considerably, “I know.”
With that vague statement, the call was disconnected.
Not being refused meant there was a chance, Cheng Meng’s eyes lit up, he jumped off the bed, opened the wardrobe, and began searching for suitable clothes.
He thought of what Cheng Shuoning wore today and found a similar suit to change into.
The person in the mirror wore a black suit, standing tall, with a delicate face and flushed cheeks.
He tried to mimic Cheng Shuoning’s usual smile, slightly curling his lips, but it never looked right, instead making his own face seem unfamiliar.
Cheng Meng felt frustrated, staring intently at the person in the mirror.
He was glad he didn’t look like Cheng Shuoning, yet he also wished he did, this contradictory feeling nearly driving him mad.
The door was knocked, and Li Shengfei’s worried voice sounded, “Cheng Meng, are you okay?”
He walked over and opened the door, “I’m fine, I’ve calmed down.”
“Your face is so red? Do you have a fever?” Li Shengfei entered the room, raising a hand to check his forehead, “The temperature’s fine. Did Han Tian come looking for you earlier? What happened?”
On the phone, he had sounded tearful, saying he wanted to see him, so Li Shengfei didn’t dare delay, making sure Cheng Shuoning didn’t notice before coming over.
“Nothing much, just Han Tian came looking for me and Cheng Shuoning found out. He questioned Han Tian and then thought I was seducing Han Tian.” Hearing his anxiety and concern, Cheng Meng casually replied while tidying his hair.
“Ning Ning really thinks that?” Li Shengfei frowned, a bit surprised.
Cheng Shuoning actually used the word ‘seduce’, no wonder Han Tian was so angry when he left.
“Why? Do you think he doesn’t?” Cheng Meng paused, his tone a bit hurt, “But that’s exactly what he said, he even belittled me, saying I was deliberately targeting him by seducing Han Tian. He told me to stay away from you guys, saying I wasn’t worthy of being near you.”
“You called me here because…” Li Shengfei’s eyelid twitched.
“Yeah, I’ve decided to distance myself from you guys, after all, I can’t compare to Cheng Shuoning, and in the end, I still get humiliated by him, called lowly.” Cheng Meng suddenly squatted down, covering his face and choking up, “His presence divides what should have been mine alone into two, I hide my grievances but still get hated and humiliated by him. Li Shengfei, I’m really sad.”
Cheng Meng usually either didn’t speak or was sarcastic, it was the first time Li Shengfei saw him like this.
The doubts he had were shattered by Cheng Meng’s pitiful demeanor, and Li Shengfei went over, patting his head to comfort him, “Don’t be sad, Ning Ning went too far this time, he shouldn’t have said that to you. You’re not lowly, he is.”
“Do you really think so?” Cheng Meng’s eyes were red, filled with tears, “You don’t think I’m intentionally getting close to you guys like he does?”
“Of course not, you’re great, I know that.” Li Shengfei patiently coaxed him, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, “Don’t cry, it breaks my heart to see you cry.”
Cheng Meng leaned into his embrace, “Li Shengfei, you’re so good.”
Outside the door, Cheng Shuoning withdrew his hand that was about to knock.
Forget it, he thought.
Barging in or exposing them on the spot, what if Li Shengfei, like Han Tian, thought it was no big deal?
The sky outside was completely dark, the corridor dimly lit, and the boy standing at the door looked pale, his head slightly lowered, making it hard to see his expression.
The wind blew in from outside, bringing a chill, he shivered slightly, pursed his lips, and was about to leave when someone approached him, draping a coat over his shoulders.
The man’s warm breath drew near, meeting those gentle eyes, Cheng Shuoning took off the coat, silently rejecting his kindness.
The people inside the room were still talking, mostly mentioning Cheng Shuoning, even the term “green tea” came up.
Listening to people he’d known for years call him “green tea” one after another, the boy curled his lips in self-mockery, his brows showing a hint of weariness.
“Ning Ning, I won’t be like him.” The reserved and humble man spoke softly, “Trust me. Don’t reject me.”
The voices inside the room ceased, as if sensing someone outside the door, and soon, the door was opened from the inside.
Seeing the two of them, Li Shengfei remained relatively calm, “Ning Ning, why did you come up? And Zhou Xundu, you’re so late, it’s already dark outside.”
‘Sneaking up to eavesdrop? Really troublesome, when did you become so suspicious.’
He released his grip on the door, saying to Cheng Shuoning, “I heard sounds from Cheng Meng’s room when I came out of the bathroom, worried something happened, so I came to check. Ning Ning, don’t worry, he’s fine.”
Cheng Shuoning said coldly, “Whether he’s fine or not has nothing to do with me.”
Li Shengfei was taken aback, his smile faltering, and he explained, “You used to always tell us to be mindful, not to give him attitude, I thought you cared about him, so I comforted him for a long time, didn’t expect I misunderstood.”
His words made it seem like he entered Cheng Meng’s room because of Cheng Shuoning, and the things said inside were just to appease Cheng Meng, going along with his words.
Cheng Meng stood behind Li Shengfei, his eyes swollen from crying, looking somewhat pitiful.
It was quite novel, Cheng Shuoning hadn’t seen this side of Cheng Meng before, he glanced at him a couple of times, suddenly finding it amusing, and couldn’t help but laugh.
The silence in the corridor was broken by his light laughter, and Li Shengfei, who had been relatively composed, found it hard to maintain his stance when faced with the clear mockery on Cheng Shuoning’s face.
“What are you laughing at?” Cheng Meng raised an eyebrow, questioning, his gaze passing over Zhou Xundu, who stood elegantly with a smile, instinctively straightening his slightly wrinkled clothes and lifting his chin slightly, “Do you have a habit of eavesdropping? Twice now, isn’t it enough?”