“Nianhuan, are you free? Let’s meet and talk.”
Shi Nianhuan’s heart tightened. She thought of Lin Xiangyang, drunk senseless, and faint ripples stirred in her heart.
She nodded, then realized Momo could not see her from the other end of the phone. She softly said, “Sure. I’m at home right now. I’ll return to school in a little while.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up the phone, Shi Nianhuan hesitated for quite a while before calling Lin Xiangyang.
He had been dead drunk last night, and because of Jiang Chenyu early this morning, she had not had time to say a word to him.
Lin Xiangyang answered the phone quickly.
Shi Nianhuan couldn't help but start feeling nervous again.
His voice carried a unique magnetism that slowly traveled from the receiver to her ear, so pleasant that it was hard to bear.
“Nianhuan.”
Shi Nianhuan tentatively said, “Brother Xiangyang, are you all right? When I woke up this morning, I heard my brother say that you had already left.”
Lin Xiangyang was slightly stunned, then asked softly, “Huh? You were there last night too?”
From Lin Xiangyang’s voice, it was clear that he seemed somewhat embarrassed. He probably did not want people he was not very familiar with to see him like that last night…
Shi Nianhuan felt as though a huge stone were blocking her heart. She only nodded and said, “Yes. Are you all right?”
“Mm… What could possibly be wrong with me?” he asked indifferently.
Shi Nianhuan suddenly felt that the invention of the telephone was terribly unreliable. For example, at that moment, she could only hear Lin Xiangyang’s deliberately casual tone, yet could not see his expression and had no way to guess his true thoughts.
The two words “Momo” caught in her throat. Shi Nianhuan opened her mouth, but no matter what, she could not say them.
“All right then, Brother Xiangyang. I’ll look for you after I return to school. I still have another matter to deal with.” She hurriedly finished speaking and hung up the phone.
She was so anxious that she did not even want to hear his reply.
She stroked her chest, feeling her heartbeat, while her thoughts were in complete disarray.
Jiang Chenyu had long ago gone to work at the company, and only then did Shi Nianhuan dare leave the house.
As soon as she returned to school, she called Momo.
Unexpectedly, Momo said she was right downstairs from the dormitory.
Shi Nianhuan had no time to gather her things. She grabbed her small bag and jogged downstairs.
Sure enough, Momo was leaning against the railing downstairs from her dormitory, her body soft and graceful as she gazed indifferently at the passing crowd.
Shi Nianhuan stared blankly at her figure, momentarily stunned.
For no apparent reason, she felt somewhat envious of Momo’s attitude. Even though the matter had already become known throughout the entire school, Momo acted as though she did not care in the slightest.
Shi Nianhuan thought that if this matter had happened to her, she certainly would not even have had the courage to leave the house.
The corners of her lips slowly lifted. She forced herself to reveal a faint smile, then slowly walked over.
She stood behind Momo, rose onto her tiptoes, and gently patted her shoulder.
Momo turned around, and when she saw that it was Shi Nianhuan, she burst into loud laughter.
Watching her laugh, Shi Nianhuan couldn't help laughing along.
The two of them stood at the dormitory entrance, laughing like two fools, causing passersby to glance repeatedly in their direction.
After laughing for quite some time, Shi Nianhuan felt her mood improve as well.
“Come on, I’ll take you somewhere.” As she spoke, Momo reached out and put an arm around Shi Nianhuan’s shoulders. The two walked side by side, chatting and laughing.
Although Ke Da had more male students in science and engineering, the school’s environment was absolutely superb. Located in the outskirts of the Capital, it was nestled against mountains and water. There was a calm lake inside the school, its waters crystal clear. Many young couples in love liked to go to the lakeside to flirt and cultivate their romantic feelings.
Momo brought Shi Nianhuan to the shore of the calm lake.
It was late autumn. The afternoon weather was neither cold nor hot, and a gentle breeze slowly blew past, making their hair flutter in the wind and bringing a cool sensation.
Ripples spread across the surface of the lake. By the shore, people gathered in groups of two or three, some sitting and others standing.
Shi Nianhuan and Momo sat on the steps, staring blankly at the lake.
“Momo, what did you want to see me about?” Shi Nianhuan turned her head and looked at Momo’s beautiful profile as she asked softly.
A faint smile slowly rose at the corners of Momo’s lips, giving her a sweet, honeyed air.
Shi Nianhuan couldn't help staring, completely captivated.
“I called Lin Xiangyang, but he didn’t answer. I want to ask you to pass on a couple of words to him.”
Shi Nianhuan stared blankly at Momo. Sure enough, it was still about Lin Xiangyang.
“What words?” she asked indifferently.
“Tell him I’m sorry. I actually like him very much. No, forget it. Don’t tell him that I like him.”
Shi Nianhuan finally saw clearly that Momo’s face was filled with a bitter smile.
“What exactly happened between the two of you?” Although Shi Nianhuan knew she had no right to ask about these matters, she was still very curious. She simply wanted to know, and, unable to hold back, asked.
Momo gave Shi Nianhuan a bitter smile, then placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly spoke like a warm-hearted Older Sister.
“Xiao Huanhuan, as someone who has been through this before, I have two words of advice for you. Feelings are the one thing that most often fails to go as desired. When you love someone, you must never lose yourself. You must maintain a sense of proportion so that you won’t get hurt.”
Shi Nianhuan did not know what to say. She only nodded foolishly.
She had someone she liked. She liked Lin Xiangyang.
Shi Nianhuan secretly asked herself in her heart: Did she love Lin Xiangyang?
Having never dated, she did not really understand the two things Momo had just said. Nevertheless, she firmly engraved them in her heart.
“He drank too much last night.”
Shi Nianhuan had not wanted to tell Momo about this matter, but she still could not control herself.
Momo was not particularly surprised. She merely smiled faintly and gently rubbed Shi Nianhuan’s hair, as though she did not care at all about what Shi Nianhuan had just said.
“Your school is so beautiful. I’m really envious that you can study in a place like this.”
After a long silence, Momo suddenly spoke.
Shi Nianhuan stared blankly at her, only then suddenly realizing that Momo was not a student at Ke Da.
“You…” She did not know what to say and only stared foolishly at Momo.
Momo smiled and said indifferently, “I’m from the finance school next door. I’m a vocational school student. Actually, I’m two years younger than you.”
Several traces of surprise appeared in Shi Nianhuan’s eyes. She looked incredulously at the maturely dressed girl before her.
She had beautiful features, a fiery figure, and a mature style of dress. No matter how one looked at her, she did not seem like a girl who was only twenty years old.
“Xiao Huanhuan, I’m very envious of you.” Momo stared at the lake and suddenly spoke.
Shi Nianhuan was foolishly at a loss for words.
During the days since she had met Momo, she had been very envious of her—envious that she could be dating Lin Xiangyang, envious that she could receive so much love from Lin Xiangyang.
Yet Momo said that she was envious of Shi Nianhuan too.