CH 128

Chapter 128 Reservation

Fortunately, the pendant was finally returned.

Jian Chi couldn’t remember where he had seen it before but a jade will become more delicate and smooth to the touch after wearing it for a long time. The clear jade color accumulated into a vague layer of frost, which precipitated into a more calm and gentle color.

The engraved gardenia pattern reminded Jian Chi of the night when Ji Huaisi gave him the gift. Whether it was a gift or the person, it made an indelible stroke in his memory.

Returning the property to the original owner should be the best choice, but thinking of having to talk face-to-face with Ji Huaisi again, Jian Chi felt unreasonably uneasy. In the end, he put the pendant in the drawer, and when it was suitable, such as the day of graduation, he would return it to Ji Huaisi well.

As a full circle.

Shao Hang did not mention anything about the birthday later, but Jian Chi still got the news about the party location from Zhang Yang. It was set in a seaside villa far away from the city center. It was said that it was one of the properties of Shao Hang’s family, but it was also said to be rented. In any case, Jian Chi felt that this was more acceptable to him than the pool parties and nightclubs mentioned in the post.

Before that, Jian Chi met Shen Shuting several times. Originally, he only had Ji Huaisi to hide from, but now there was another Shen Shuting. This time, it wasn’t because of the so-called escape and entanglement, but because Jian Chi didn’t want to run into him from the bottom of his heart.

But what he was afraid of always happened. Several times he saw Shen Shuting and He Tan walking together. Even if they were wearing the same uniforms as the people around them, they still stood out from the crowd. In contrast, Jian Chi felt that he was obviously so inconspicuous, yet he didn’t know why he could be accurately noticed by Shen Shuting every time.

When He Tan saw Jian Chi, he would greet him with a smile and a few words. But only twice, Jian Chi then never saw him walking with Shen Shuting again.

Shen Shuting didn’t have the good temper and patience that Ji Huaisi used to have. After that time in the garden, Jian Chi would receive his text messages from time to time. If there was no reply for more than five minutes, Shen Shuting would send it over and over again. Jian Chi put him into his blacklist, but the next day, he met Shen Shuting by accident. Under the gaze of those emerald eyes that exuded cold air, Jian Chi could only release him from the small dark room against his will.

After several times like this, Jian Chi couldn’t bear to ask Shen Shuting: “What do you mean?”

Shen Shuting said, “I told you.”

Jian Chi felt that talking with Shen Shuting was like guessing a riddle. In contrast, Wen Chuan was a man of few words but every sentence can express his exact thoughts. But here in Shen Shuting, Jian Chi had to help him simplify, “I want to understand why you are chasing me?”

Jian Chi could swear that he really asked this sentence with a serious and complicated mood. Hearing the word ‘chasing’, Shen Shuting’s eyes darkened, and he pulled the corners of his lips nondescriptly, “Who said I was chasing you?” 

It sounded like he was mocking Jian Chi’s self-indulgence.

“In that case, don’t send me any more messages.”

“Why?”

Jian Chi replied with his remaining patience: “I don’t have that much energy to reply to you. I have class and review, and my spare time is my rest time. Every time I want to relax, your messages fill up my time. Do you understand what I mean?”

Although the content was a bit exaggerated, Jian Chi’s mood when he said these words was not fake at all. Shen Shuting didn’t know what to think, so he pursed his cold lips, “It’s the same as when you and Ji Huaisi were together?”

“I didn’t have a problem with him because of this,” Jian Chi said, “at least In this kind of thing, Ji Huaisi had done a good job. We were not like conjoined babies when we were dating. If we can’t even give each other private space, there is no need to be together. “

Jian Chi found that he was now able to lie without changing his heartbeat and in fact, Ji Huaisi was only a little bit better than Shen Shuting.

Although Ji Huaisi never forced him to accept anything and respected his opinions, in the end, he often used a more roundabout and euphemistic way to make Jian Chi take the initiative to realize his needs. This approach was so clever that for a long time Jian Chi felt that he did not do well enough, but after he found out, the complicated waves in his heart continued for a long time.

He didn’t know if these words, both true and false, played a role, but Shen Shuting really stopped sending messages as frequently as before, or met him ‘accidentally’. Although it didn’t completely stop it, it was enough for Jian Chi. As Shao Hang’s birthday was approaching, Jian Chi planned to leave the school alone. He found He Tan and submitted the application. To Jian Chi’s surprise, he wrote down the approval without looking at it. When Jian Chi asked if he needed to ask the dean, He Tan gave him the same smile as when they first met.

“No, you can go out with confidence, remember to come back before dark,” He Tan said, “I will keep it a secret from Shen Shuting for you.”

Jian Chi just said ‘thank you’, but the next half sentence made him slightly startled, “What?”

He Tan’s smile was full of meaning, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Aren’t you worried about letting him know that you went out of school to buy gifts for Shao Hang?”

“You…” Jian Chi said nothing for a while then he suddenly realized that his previous good impression of the president might be a little off, “How do you know?”

“It’s not hard to guess, right?” He Tan said, “I think it’s better for you not to let him know.”

He Tan’s last sentence was strangely uncomfortable, and there was a hint of ambiguity that he wasn’t sure about. The conversation ended in a hurry, and Jian Chi was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, “How did you know my name when we first met?”

He Tan sat on the leather swivel chair that Shen Shuting used to sit on, leaning against the back. He was playing with a pen in his right hand beside the armrest, “I saw your photo on Shen Shuting’s cell phone, don’t get me wrong, I accidentally caught a glimpse, and he quickly put it away. Later, I paid attention and found out that you were Ji Huaisi’s…boyfriend. Of course, I remember your name.”

The omission in the middle made Jian Chi feel a familiar discomfort. He didn’t say anything and left the office. Closing the door and turning around, Jian Chi was startled by the boy who appeared before him. After a few seconds, he wanted to step aside, but the boy looked at him from beginning to end, his face colour changing worse and worse. Was it a light hum from his nose or something, but he raised his neck and passed by Jian Chi to push open the door he just closed.

Jian Chi felt that he was receiving hostility from a stranger.

The door behind him had been closed again, and Jian Chi couldn’t guess why the boy was looking for He Tan. But thinking of He Tan’s uncomfortable and ambiguous tone just now, as well as the boy’s clear and feminine face, the white brooch on his uniform, and the most important thing was the hostile and speculative look in his eyes when he looked at him… Jian Chi stopped his thinking in time.

How can that be possible?

This time, Jian Chi didn’t tell anyone, including Zhang Yang. Without Shao Hang’s interference, Jian Chi’s efficiency was more than doubled. He bought the things he thought of in advance and went back to school. He saw the time, only three hours have passed, and two of them were spent on the round-trip car ride.

Shao Hang’s birthday seemed the same as usual compared to other days. During the day, he went to class and ate the same meal. When night fell, the carnival that belonged to everyone officially began. Jian Chi walked out of the dormitory and saw a figure standing downstairs in the dormitory at a glance, attracting the attention of many people. Fortunately, most of the people were heading to the party’s villa at this time. If they saw the protagonist of the party standing downstairs of the dormitory of the special enrollments, it would definitely cause quite a stir.

“What are you doing here?”

Although Jian Chi had developed a thicker skin than before, he still couldn’t speak to Shao Hang casually in the face of so many people’s gazes. What’s more, the Shao Hang in front of him was dazzlingly bright. It wasn’t because he had a 200-watt light bulb on his body, but through his clothes and make-up. The simple matching dark colors and the right accessories made him a little less rebellious and youthful, adding maturity and restraint, and his eyebrows and eyes were also more profound after some modification. Of course, this was when he wasn’t talking.

“Came to pick you up,” Shao Hang smiled, and the familiar ruffian jumped up again, “Are you carrying a gift?”

Jian Chi took the handbag back a little, avoiding Shao Hang’s burning gaze, ” I’ll give it to you later.”

In fact, even if Shao Hang didn’t mention it at first, Jian Chi was going to prepare a gift. Although Shao Hang was annoying many times, he would not ignore the many times that Shao Hang had helped. The most important point was that Shao Hang had spent too much money for him before, and Jian Chi was always a little uneasy, even if he couldn’t persuade Shao Hang at all.

“I thought you wouldn’t prepare anything.”

“I didn’t say no,” Jian Chi walked beside him, “and you brought it up, it would be too awkward not to prepare.”

Shao Hang raised the corner of his lips, and then he quickly pressed it down and snorted, “That reluctant?”

Jian Chi said, “If you feel too reluctant and don’t want it, I can take it back and use it myself.”

“Who said that?” Shao Hang tilted his head, “My name is already written on it, didn’t you see it?”

“…I didn’t see it.”

“Your eyes are really bad,” Shao Hang opened his eyes and said nonsense, then approaching Jian Chi’s ear, with a low laugh: “Shouldn’t you say the words first?”

With numb ears, Jian Chi asked, “What words, happy birthday?”

“Say it again.”

“Happy birthday.”

Shao Hang curled his lips into a smile and pecked Jian Chi with satisfaction. “I will try my best to be happy.”

Jian Chi raised his hand to wipe the skin touched by Shao Hang’s lips. It happened too quickly, and he didn’t have time to become angry, so he could only rub the back groove, “You… Shao Hang, I don’t want to get mad at a birthday party, do you understand what I mean?”

“Understood.” Shao Hang replied. But Jian Chi felt that he didn’t understand at all, and before he let go, he heard Shao Hang say, “I want to hear you say it again.”

Jian Chi was stunned for a while before he understood what he was referring to. For the first time, he realized that Shao Hang still had the habit of hearing people say ‘Happy Birthday’, “I’ve said it twice, isn’t that enough?”

“I want to hear it a third time.”

Shao Hang hooked the back of Jian Chi’s hand and lowered the ending sound, which sounded like casual teasing.

“Soon, countless people will come and say these words to me, those I know, those I don’t know well, until I get calluses. When you say happy birthday to me at that time, I won’t be happy at all,” Shao Hang paused for a while when he said this, and turned his head to look into Jian Chi’s eyes, “I want to reserve this first happiness for you.”