The girl had willow-leaf eyebrows, peach-blossom eyes, a delicate nose, rosy lips, creamy smooth skin, and an elegant demeanor. Her sweetness was tinged with a gentle grace, carrying a blend of my mother's poise and the freshness of youth. It was like lying on a soft carpet spread across a vast grassland—warm and endlessly comforting.
She was also gazing at me, her hand still resting by her ear where she had brushed her hair aside.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" A girl with light golden wavy hair sitting across from her waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance. She lowered her fair hand, and her dark hair cascaded freely once more.
"Oh~~ So you were checking out a handsome guy!" The wavy-haired girl followed her gaze and immediately spotted me.
"Wow, he's actually quite good-looking!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The two other girls beside her also leaned in over the bubbling hot pot, whispering and giggling among themselves.
Unfortunately, her hair now covered her face, and I could no longer see her expression.
"Hey! Lin! What are you staring at?" Chu Yun's shout brought me back to reality.
"Oh! So it's the beauty at the next table! Hey, hey, Chenyu, take a look too." Chu Yun also turned to look in the direction I had been staring.
Zhao Chenyu followed suit, glancing over before turning back and saying, "Only the one in the white dress is worthy of you, Senior..."
"Really? I think so too. I bet Lin was just checking her out earlier, hehe!" Chu Yun teased.
"Don't talk nonsense! I have a girlfriend!" I quickly cut off their increasingly intense gossip.
"Aww—Senior, it's fine. Someone as dashing and distinguished as you—it's only natural that many girls would be interested! We get it, we get it! Don't worry, I won't say a word. I didn't see anything!" Zhao Chenyu pretended to swear an oath.
"Me too, me too! I didn't see anything either!" Chu Yun took it even further than Zhao Chenyu, closing his eyes for effect. Why not just pluck your eyeballs out while you're at it?
While the three of us were chatting, I suddenly noticed the girl with wavy hair from the table diagonally across from us stand up and head straight toward our table.
As she got closer, my eyes widened more and more until she plopped down unceremoniously right next to me.
"Hello, senior!" she greeted me boldly, accompanied by a strong scent of perfume, completely ignoring the two guys sitting across from me.
"Uh, hello!" I replied without any awkwardness, holding my cup and greeting her normally.
"I checked my horoscope before going out today, and it said I'd have good luck in love. I didn't expect it to be such a handsome guy. Hehe!" After saying this, she even ran her fingers through her light yellow hair, which was curled into a messy heap.
"Cough! Cough..." I was drinking when she spoke, and I nearly choked. I thought to myself, girl, that's such an outdated pickup line, and you're really too...
"Uh, those seem like two different things," I said flatly. To avoid looking at her, I could only glance at Zhao Chenyu and Chu Yun in front of me. But these two... Chu Yun was poking Zhao Chenyu, both of them giggling and whispering, occasionally sneaking glances at me as if they knew my stocks had plummeted—excited but not daring to show it. They really deserved a smack.
"Oh, it's fine, senior. Can I get your contact info?" She raised her phone, which was covered in cheap, colorful trinkets.
"Uh, sorry, I have a girlfriend... I'm telling the truth."
"Oh, everyone says that. It's fine, let's just get to know each other." She pushed her phone toward me again, the dangling trinkets making a clattering noise that annoyed me.
"Sorry, sorry, I really do have a girlfriend, so let's just forget it. You should go back—your friends are waiting for you..." I gestured toward her table.
But she didn't seem ready to give up, shifting closer to me.
"Hey, stop being so pushy! My senior already said he has a girlfriend. Why are you being so rude? Go back already..." Zhao Chenyu scolded her bluntly.
"What's it to you! Seriously! Hmph!" The wavy-haired girl glared at Zhao Chenyu, stomped her foot angrily, and stormed off.
"Thanks, Zhao Chenyu..." I said to him, though that wasn't what I was really thinking. I had originally planned to fish for information, but in the end, I ended up thanking him.
"No problem. A little brat like her dares to bother my senior? Did she even look at her makeup? It's like she smeared plaster on her face—and didn't even smooth it out. There are creases around her nose..." Zhao Chenyu's words were harsh, but his description made me glad I hadn't looked at the wavy-haired girl too closely.
What puzzled me, though, was that the girl in the white dress and the wavy-haired girl didn't seem like they'd get along. How did they end up together?
I turned to look in the direction of the girl in the white dress. Her beautiful hair was now tied up in a high ponytail. She was pursing her lips, blowing on a piece of meat covered in sauce on her chopsticks, then gently opening her mouth and slowly placing the meat inside. Her delicate lips closed, her pink cheeks moved slightly as she chewed slowly, savoring the taste.
We really aren't the same kind of people... really not... Or maybe every quiet girl has a hot-tempered best friend like that? Mu Xianning around Jingyan is the same, but Mu Xianning doesn't come off as cheap like that.
We chatted for a while longer, and just as we were talking, I saw the table diagonally across from us getting up to leave.
I observed carefully—it was the girl in the white dress who paid the bill. As they passed by us, the girl with wavy hair snorted heavily, and I couldn't help but frown.
"Someone like that... I wouldn't want her even if she threw herself at me," Zhao Chenyu said after they had walked away.
"Haha, but Chenyu, do you have a target? I see you and Lingze are pretty close," Chu Yun, his face flushed and his words slurred, started talking nonsense.
But his words made me tense up. Aunt Ouyang had already fallen for him—what about Lingze? If Lingze really got involved with Zhao Chenyu, how would Aunt Ouyang handle it? Kick Zhao Chenyu out?
I thought that would be the most appropriate way to deal with it.
"How could that be? Senior Lingze is so beautiful, gentle, and capable—I'm not worthy of her. It's just..." He trailed off, his eyes fixed on something behind me.
I found his behavior strange, and just as I turned my head, a figure in white suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Hello, sorry to disturb your pleasant conversation. Would it be convenient to speak for a moment?" A gentle yet firm voice, carrying a faint floral fragrance, was refreshing to the heart.
It was the girl in the white dress. After she finished speaking, Chu Yun and Zhao Chenyu both looked at me in unison.
"Sure, it's no trouble. What is it?" I turned to look at her. Her fair skin was lightly made up, her dark hair was now loose, and paired with the white dress, she gave off the feeling of meeting the Little Dragon Girl for the first time.
"Hello, my name is Zhao Qingjun. My friend was rude and disturbed you earlier. They've already taken a taxi and left, but I came back specifically to apologize. I'm sorry." She nodded slightly, a sweet, apologetic smile curling at the corners of her lips. Chu Yun and Zhao Chenyu both turned their heads again, looking at Zhao Qingjun.
"It's fine, it's fine. Really, it wasn't your fault. Why are you apologizing?" I waved my hand with a smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the gazes of the two across from me shift back to me.
"Still... it made you uncomfortable. Even though we've only met by chance, it's better to leave a good impression..." Zhao Qingjun's pink lips moved, her words quite elegant. At the same time, she once again drew the attention of the two across from me, who turned their heads back and forth like a pair of bobbleheads.
"Fair enough. Since you put it that way, let me ask—that friend of yours, you're not close with her, are you?" I asked curiously. Before Zhao Qingjun could answer, I first turned to look at the two across from me.
"I mean, did you two install springs in your necks? Whoever speaks, you look at them?"
"No, no, no..." Chu Yun chuckled sheepishly. Zhao Qingjun also nodded apologetically at him.
"Ah... that, Senior Chu Yun, let's go to the restroom together. I don't have any tissues in my pocket, but you do. Let's go together!" Zhao Chenyu tugged at Chu Yun's arm.
"But there are tissues right here on the table..." Chu Yun pointed blankly at the three packs of tissues on the table.
"Oh, hurry up and go! I can't hold it in anymore!" Zhao Chenyu blatantly winked at Chu Yun right in front of me and Zhao Qingjun.
"Ah—oh oh oh, yeah... I'm also feeling a bit urgent, let's go, let's go!" Chu Yun, pulled along by Zhao Chenyu, strode away casually.
Zhao Qingjun and I watched the two disappear around the corner. I naturally turned my head, only to see her turning to look at me at the same moment.
"Pfft—" Zhao Qingjun covered her mouth and giggled softly.
"Those two idiots—" I muttered under my breath.
"Your friend is quite interesting..." Zhao Qingjun said.
"What about you? You still haven't told me..." I steered the conversation back to the earlier question.
"Me? I'm a graduate student at T University of Technology. Those few are my high school classmates, all working in T City. I only found out a few days ago from our class group chat that we're all in T City, so we got together for a meal..." She rested her elbows on the table, cupped her chin in her hands, and faced me as she spoke leisurely.
"I thought so. That woman with the wavy hair didn't seem like your type..."
"What about you?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
"I'm a graduate student at N University, first year. My name is Lin Xuanyu."
"I'm in my second year, so I'm your senior!" She pointed at me playfully with her finger.
"Alright, alright, Senior Zhao! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too! Well, I should get going now!" With that, Zhao Qingjun stood up directly.
"Huh?" Now it was my turn to be stunned. Shouldn't the next step be exchanging contact information? Why did she just leave like that?
"I just wanted to apologize to you all this time. Junior, please help me pass on the apology to your friends. Bye, see you if fate allows!" She waved at me.
"Alright, goodbye, Senior." I waved back, thinking that maybe it was because I told the woman with the wavy hair that I had a girlfriend that she didn't ask for my contact info. But honestly, that actually made her more appealing.
I looked up again and waved toward the corner. Then, two figures—one burly and one tall—emerged from around the bend.
"Hehe, Senior, did you get her contact info?" Zhao Chenyu teased.
"Stop talking nonsense, or I'll tell Aunt Ouyang tomorrow to kick you out!" I pretended to be stern.
"No, no, no... I was wrong, I was wrong..."
"He definitely got it. Otherwise, why would he threaten you like that, right, Chenyu?" Chu Yun smirked, but when he turned and saw my expression, his smile vanished instantly.
"Sorry, sorry... I won't talk nonsense anymore..." Chu Yun muttered sheepishly.
"I knew you two were spying on us!" I said righteously.
"Hey—what spying? That's called caring!" Chu Yun drawled.
"Go on, get lost. Let's head out too..." I said dismissively.
"Okay, okay, let's settle the bill!" Zhao Chenyu called out to the waiter.
Zhao Chenyu dropped Chu Yun off first. Since I was planning to head home anyway, it worked out perfectly—I wouldn't have to listen to Chu Yun's alcohol-tinged snoring.
On the way, Zhao Chenyu suddenly stopped at a bakery and bought a large bag of cakes and pastries. I didn't think much of it, assuming he was getting them for a late-night snack.
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