CH 52

Chapter 52: Can you stop bothering me now.

After Xu Sui returned to school, she went to the cafeteria alone and ate a bowl of wontons. Because she went there too late, the soup was a bit cold. She ate slowly, and the expression on her face was calm as if nothing had happened; she even greeted the auntie, who was cleaning up the tableware.

After eating, Xu Sui still felt a little hungry, so she turned around and went to the cafeteria store to buy ice cream. She bought a mung bean sorbet, sticky rice cake, and lychee juice & sea salt flavor ice bar.

Xu Sui unwrapped the green wrapping paper and took a bite. It was so cold that her teeth clenched, but it was quite sweet. She carried the white plastic bag full of popsicles in her pale lotus root-like arms and went back to the dormitory in a daze while eating.

After returning to the dormitory, the dimples on Xu Sui’s cheeks appeared: “Do you want to eat a popsicle?”

“Yeah, I’m sweating to death right now.” Liang Shuang walked over.

When Xu Sui put down her bag and pulled out her chair about to sit down, the phone lit up. It was a message from Hu Qianxi: 【Sui Sui, isn’t today Zhou Jingze’s birthday? Why are you and the main character not here yet? We are the only ones playing here.】

Xu Sui lowered her eyelashes and typed in the message box: 【Me and him… we broke up.】

After sending the message, Xu Sui put the phone aside and went to wash her hair and take a shower. After finishing her work, Xu Sui read a book for a while but couldn’t get into it, so she turned on her laptop and found a horror movie she liked.

Liang Shuang was playing a game, but seeing this, she put down her phone and picked up a stool to watch it with her. To create a cinema atmosphere, Xu Sui turned off the lights and left only a crack in the door.

The surroundings were plunged into darkness, and the weird background music of the film played. Liang Shuang touched her neck: “Why do I feel a little weird, no, I have to get my party membership card to avoid evil.”

“… That works.” Xu Sui smiled.

Xu Sui put her feet up and hugged her knees, watching the entire movie seriously. Liang Shuang held her arm tightly. Because of the cotton slip dress Xu Sui was wearing, she slipped it off several times.

Xu Sui joked, “Are you using this opportunity to take advantage of me?”

“Who doesn’t like to take advantage of beautiful women.” Liang Shuang said with a grin.

Liang Shuang became concentrated, and when the movie was at the climax, a cat’s pupils suddenly changed; the music suddenly escalated, and the cat turned its head, and its fangs bit the little girl’s neck.

“Ahhh——” Liang Shuang screamed in fright.

At the same time, there was an echoing female voice screaming outside the door. Xu Sui hurriedly turned on the light and patted Liang Shuang’s arm: “It’s okay.”

Once the dorm door was opened, a student in the dorm next door came in, grabbing their chest: “Xu Sui, your dorm is too scary that it almost gave me a heart attack.”

Xu Sui smiled: “It’s actually pretty okay, are you here to borrow something?”

The girl shook her head. Her tone was excited: “Zhou Jingze is waiting for you outside the girl’s dormitory.”

Xu Sui nodded and glanced at the time, “It’s eleven o’clock, I should go to bed.”

It meant that she would not go down.

“But he said he would wait until you go down.” The girl said in a worried tone.

The same trick. Xu Sui won’t believe it a second time. Her tone was cold: “Whatever.”

The rejection was clear, and the girl walked away awkwardly. After sending the girl out, Liang Shuang closed the door behind her and wanted to ask Xu Sui what happened with Zhou Jingze, but she swallowed her words again. Forget it, and let her calm down first.

Xu Sui continued to watch the movie that was interrupted and turned off the laptop after watching it before heading to bed. At one o’clock in the morning, the heavy wind suddenly blew violently. The doors and windows were slammed, and the clothes on the balcony swayed with the wind, some were blown downstairs.

It looked like it was going to rain.

Xu Sui and Liang Shuang got up in the middle of the night to collect their clothes. Xu Sui slipped on a pair of rabbit slippers and leaned over the balcony in the corridor to collect the clothes one by one.

The bean-sized raindrops slanted in, and Xu Sui put away the clothes in a hurry. When she finished collecting the clothes and looked down inadvertently, her eyes froze.

A tall figure stood downstairs, and he was still there. The wind was fierce, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the dim street lamps elongated Zhou Jingze’s figure, making him appear cold and chilly.

He bit a cigarette, lowered his head, and stretched his hands to cover the fire. Scarlet flames burst out between the thumb and index finger from time to time but were blown out by the wind again, making his eyebrows dark and sharp. He still had that careless face.

The cigarette was finally lit. Zhou Jingze took a puff of the cigarette in his hand, squinted his eyes, and exhaled a puff of gray smoke. As if on the same wavelength, he raised his eyelids, and their gazes collided mid-air.

Xu Sui was caught but she calmly withdrew her gaze and went back to the dormitory with the clothes in her arms, closing the door to sleep. Liang Shuang obviously saw this scene and couldn’t hold back and said,

“Tsk, the prodigal has become a lover.”

Xu Sui took a sip of water and said in a flat tone, “Then you are wrong.”

No one knew him better than her.

The next day when the sun rose, Zhou Jingze waited the entire night outside in the girls’ dormitory, with sporadic cigarette butts glowing beside his feet. There were bags under his eyes, staying up all night, and at the moment, it was difficult to swallow that he could only pronounce monosyllables.

For the first time in his life, he was in a mess.

Zhou Jingze tapped his toes and it made a grinding sound as he stepped on the stones. After waiting all morning, he didn’t see Xu Sui’s figure. He sneered but still didn’t believe that Xu Sui wouldn’t even go to class.

After finally catching her roommate, Zhou Jingze walked over with a hoarse voice: “Where is Xu Sui, why didn’t she come down with you?”

Liang Shuang was shocked by his aura and shrank her neck: “She… she left through the back door.”

“…” Zhou Jingze’s face was so dark that ink could drip out.

Xu Sui successfully escaped and finished class smoothly, heading to the lab after a lunch break. But on her way to the lab, while passing through the campus botanical garden, she was stopped by Zhou Jingze.

Zhou Jingze stood in front of her, staring at her with dark and narrow eyes, suppressing the surge of emotions. In a hoarse voice:

“Let’s talk.”

Xu Sui took a step back subconsciously holding the books and reminded him softly: “We have already broken up.”

Zhou Jingze sneered, his eyes filled with cruel and strong emotions: “I didn’t agree to it.”

Xu Sui was about to take a detour and leave, but Zhou Jingze shifted his body and stood in front of her. He grabbed her arm and leaned against her; their shoulders brushed together. The two were very close. Xu Sui struggled, but her hair got entangled with his collar button, and her cheeks were forced to press against his broad and warm chest.

Her chest quivered because of his words. Xu Sui was drowned in his familiar breath and wanted to escape but couldn’t break free. Every word Zhou Jingze said landed on her soft spot, making her unable to move.

“You haven’t finished drinking the many cartons of milk in the refrigerator at home. You insist on placing the succulents on my bedside, and if you’re not here, I won’t care for it,” Zhou Jingze spoke slowly and looked at her, “1017 You raised it so fat, and you don’t want him anymore? Also—”

”Me, are you really willing?”

Xu Sui’s eyes became wet, and two different voices were clamoring in her heart. One was to be with him; the happiness was real, and the love was also real.

But the other voice was saying: Don’t you want to be the only true love? He can’t give it.

The air was silent for a while, and suddenly, a sharp phone ringtone rang, breaking the stalemate silence.

Both of them looked at the phone. She glanced at his phone for the incoming call: Ye Saining. The fluctuating emotions in Xui Sui’s eyes faded away. Zhou Jingze refused to answer the call, but the phone rang again relentlessly.

This time, Zhou Jingze directly turned off the phone.

Xu Sui finally untied her hair and took the opportunity to withdraw from his arms, looking at him: “Won’t pick up? ”

Zhou Jingze didn’t speak. After distancing herself from him, Xu Sui started to talk; her eyes were clear and cold: “If you can’t drink the milk, you can give it to… other girls. You can throw away the succulents then.”

“1017, I don’t want it anymore.”

Seeing that Zhou Jingze was about to step forward, Xu Sui retreated. She always had a good temper and would not say anything harsh to others. But she knew Zhou Jingze well, proud, frivolous, and hot-tempered and knew what to say to make him agree to the breakup.

Xu Sui took a breath, thought for a while, and said such vicious words for the first time in her life, in an impatient tone: “Can you stop bothering me, if I see your face for another second—”

” I feel sick.”

Zhou Jingze stopped and raised his eyelids, looking at the girl in front of him. He kept looking at her, but in just three seconds, he returned to his arrogant look. Looking at her, he said slowly:

“Okay, I won’t come to find you again.”

Zhou Jingze turned around and left. The summer was very hot, and the flowers in the botanical garden withered a little under the sun, the light casting curved shadows on the ground. Zhou Jingze glanced over and skimmed very quickly. At the moment his phone had been turned on, a message came in.

Grandpa sent: 【You boy, didn’t you say you want to bring your girlfriend home? Where’s the person, still coming? 】

Zhou Jingze typed word by word: 【Not coming. 】

The sun was fierce, and the shadow elongated his figure. Xu Sui stared at his back with burning eyes. When Zhou Jingze passed by the bushes, the branches and leaves that scurried out blocked his forehead. He turned his face away and went down the steps. Then the figure disappeared around the corner.

Until this moment, Xu Sui couldn’t support herself. She squatted down and felt that she couldn’t breathe. Her heart was throbbing in pain, and big drops of tears dripped on the hot ground and melted quickly.

This feeling was too uncomfortable.

After a while, the teacher sent a message. Xu Sui squatted down on the ground and WeChat. It was a long message: 【Xu Sui, the list for the Hong Kong exchange students needs to be finalized today. Are you sure you don’t want to go? B is very good, and it’s not that you don’t understand how rare this opportunity is. Teacher selfishly wants you to go. Of course, if you have personal reasons, I will respect your wishes.” 】

Tears dripped on the screen, and her vision was blurred. Xu Sui wiped it off with her sleeve and replied: 【I have considered it, I want to go. Thank you, teacher and the school for giving me this opportunity. 】

Zhou Jingze did what he said. Xu Sui had never seen him at school, and she never even had a chance to run into him outside of school. Not sure if he said something to Hu Qianxi, but the always outspoken lady didn’t mention this person in front of Xu Sui.

Zhou Jingze completely disappeared from her life.

It’s as if… this person never appeared.

When the roommates learned that Xu Sui was going to exchange in Hong Kong for a year, they all expressed their reluctance. Hu Qianxi wiped her snot and tears on her clothes: “Wuuu wuuu, when you leave, no one will help me change the bedsheet cover.”

“It’s not like I’m not coming back, only one year, and I still have the fourth and fifth year.” Xu Sui smiled and patted her on the back.

Hu Qianxi wiped her tears: “But I’m a veterinary medicine major, and I’ll graduate in the fourth year. I don’t have much time left to see you.”

“Silly.” Xu Sui reached out to wipe her tears.

The parting always came very quickly. After Xu Sui took her exams, she returned to Li Ying during the summer vacation. In mid-August, she flew to Hong Kong ahead of schedule, ready to enroll.

It seems that it was time to say goodbye to this city.

In fact, Xu Sui met Zhou Jingze once. After the exam, Xu Sui went to her uncle’s house to sort out the previous teaching materials and math notes and delivered them to Sheng Yanjia’s house.

After delivering the notes, she came out of Sheng Yanjia’s house and subconsciously glanced into the convenience store as she passed by, wondering if there might be a teenager in a black T-shirt lounging lazily at the checkout counter, playing the game with tired eyebrows and crunching mints in his mouth.

Unfortunately not.

It was a completely unfamiliar face.

Xu Sui withdrew her gaze and hurried forward. As soon as she raised her eyes, the person she wanted to see was not too far away. Zhou Jingze was walking his dog with a cigarette in his mouth while pulling on the leash.

Haven’t seen him for a while, he seemed to have changed. Zhou Jingze was wearing a black-lettered T-shirt and black sweatpants with white cuffs. He was tall and straight, with white sneakers revealing his ankle, and his wrist bones were clear and prominent.

He has become more and more handsome with a brand new side.

His hair was cut short, and he changed back into a buzzcut, with a youthful and rebellious face that attracted attention wherever he went.

When Master Kratos was thirsty halfway through, Zhou Jingze stopped, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, poured it into the palm of his hand, and squatted down to feed him water.

The girl who passed by took a second look. Her eyes were shining, and not sure whether she was looking at his face or really liking the dog, she let out a “wow” and took the initiative to strike up a conversation: “What breed is this dog? So handsome.”

“German Shepherd.” Zhou Jingze brushed off the cigarette ash with his hand, his tone casual.

The girl looked at him with anticipation: “Can I take a photo with it?”

Xu Sui didn’t intend to listen and turned around to leave. At sunset, Zhou Jingze’s low and magnetic voice passed to her ear along the wind, and he paused. After a while:

“Okay.”

–

Xu Sui flew to Hong Kong in August, and the whole city was as hot as a steam cooker. She remembered that this year seemed to be the highest temperature in recent years.

Since Xu Sui only came to exchange for a year, University B did not provide any housing accommodation, so she had to find a house by herself. The rent in Hong Kong was extremely high even for a small place, and now that they’re in peak season, she couldn’t find a suitable house even after searching around.

Fortunately, there was a senior sister who was able to help her. Xu Sui shared a room with a girl from the same school and year. The apartment in Sai Wan was a little small, but the price was acceptable, and the transportation was convenient. Broadway movies were only ten minutes away from her. Life was convenient and there was a Jusco Living Plaza and Parknshop nearby.

The climate in Hong Kong was very suitable all year round, especially in winter, where it’s like in the autumn, you can still wear skirts when the weather is good.

Xu Sui had a good time during the exchange period. She learned different medical thinking and gained a lot from their medical school.

She tried to participate in various social activities and learned to play Hong Kong mahjong, dance a little waltz, and bake. It seems that she has experienced a little fun in life besides studying.

Xu Sui liked to finish her experiments on weekends, go to Central by herself, and visit Lamma Island on a boat to relax. It’s just that the apartment she lives in is very sunny, and the windows are small.

When it rains, the room is very humid, and the clothes are soggy, so they need to be taken to the roof to dry off. At this time, she missed the dry and cold North Beijing City.

The one-year exchange study period was coming to an end soon.

Another summer.

The classmates in the class organized a party for Xu Sui. After the dinner, a group of people went to KTV, and someone ordered a parting song halfway through.

Her roommate Carrie hugged her with tears in her eyes: “Sui, I’m going to miss you.”

Xu Sui hugged her back, and her gaze casually came into contact with a guy named Lin Jiafeng, who was also in her class. The relationship between the two was pretty good; they usually did experiments and took the subway back home together.

He sat on the sofa and joked, “Me too.”

The atmosphere was a little sad. Xu Sui let go of her and said with a smile, “Someone come and readjust the atmosphere, why don’t we play some games.”

“Yes.” Someone agreed.

The game they played was pretty generic—truth or dare, whoever the bottle landed on had to be punished by another person with a truth or dare.

The red lights were dimmed. Some people who lost had to go out to get a handsome guy’s phone number, while others had to do a turtle dance in front of everyone.

Xu Sui leaned on Carrie’s shoulder and burst into laughter with a glass in her hand. A graceful face with ethereal eyes was reflected in the transparent glass.

She seems to be different from before.

As the old saying goes, one cannot get too excited. In the next second, it was Xu Sui’s turn to suffer. Lin Jiafeng held the green wine bottle and asked her what she wanted to choose.

Xu Sui thought for a while and replied, “Truth.”

A friend nudged Lin Jiafeng quickly, implying to him to seize the opportunity. Lin Jiafeng hesitated for a moment and asked a very boring question: “Is there anything you want to say to your ex-boyfriend?”

When everyone heard this, they made a “qie” sound, and a girl replied: “Do you even need to ask questions like these? Of course I want my ex-boyfriend to be able to eat shit earlier.”

“That’s right, I hope that my ex-boyfriend’s girlfriends are not as good as me. Not as pretty as me, and her personality isn’t as good as mines. The scumbag can regret it for the rest of his life.”

…. …

Xu Sui thought for a moment. She tapped the glass with her index finger and drank it up; her throat was on fire: “I don’t wish him a boundless future, but to land safely.”

After saying this, everyone fell silent. Not long after, someone switched the topic and quickly entered the next round. That night, Xu Sui drank a lot of wine.

A person who once sipped wine one time would be red-faced actually learned to drink a mouthful of wine without getting flushed. She was so drunk that her roommate Carrie had to drag her back home.

When she got home, Xu Sui rushed into the bathroom and vomited while holding on to the toilet. In honesty, the feeling of being drunk wasn’t good. Her stomach was burning like fire, and she felt like she was about to vomit bile, and her soul was separated from her body.

In fact, a week ago, Xu Sui saw the news about Sheng Nanzhou. They flew to the United States training base, so he should have gone too. Xu Sui vomited and thought. She would go back for her fourth year, Zhou Jingze would be in the U.S. for a year, and in the fifth year, she would be preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination. But Zhou Jingze would have already graduated and become a real pilot.

The breakup back then was too ugly, and it ended very sloppily. She thought she probably won’t see him again in the future.

After Xu Sui vomited, she stood in front of the sink to wash her face. She turned on the faucet and poured a handful of water on her face. The light bulb above her head was dim, and she looked at herself in the mirror.

The skin was white and greasy. Oval face with a tall and straight nose bridge. If there was any difference from before, it seems to be a little more beautiful. The dark eyes were firmer, and the temperament was getting colder and colder.

Very good, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t shed a single tear, but my eyeliner became a little fainter.

Xu Sui woke up at noon the next day. When she woke up, she poured herself a glass of honey water. She opened the window, and the wind blew in the hot sea breeze.

The green fan whirled at her. Carrie patted her cheek with concealer, and the cicadas outside the window chirped non-stop. She put down the concealer and complained: “It’s so noisy. Thank god the summer is coming to an end.”

Xu Sui looked outside the window. The sunlight was like a waterfall. The blue ocean waves were endless, the green trees were luxuriant and fresh, and the light and shadow intertwined. In a blink of an eye, summer was coming to an end.

She suddenly remembered the day she transferred to high school was also the same hot summer. Xu Sui ignorantly met a young guy who was as scorching as the sun, but she was as humble as moss.

She fell in love at first sight that summer.

A period of unrequited secret crush also ended in the sound of cicadas.

Someone next door was playing Hong Kong music on a blast, and it came over faintly with a touch of sadness. Xu Sui leaned against the window. Her shoulders trembled, and as she listened, tears finally fell down.

“Before imaginations grow, I hope to find a partner intuitively. I was swept up with my crush on you just like the tide surging under the wind and rain.”

Yes, just like the high tide surging under the wind and rain.