Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After dinner, Xu Wen borrowed Qinglan's phone, saying his own was out of battery and he needed to call the office to request a leave and explain the situation.
After Qinglan handed him the phone, he walked out to the corridor outside the ward to make the call, deliberately distancing himself from the ward.
Inside the ward, Qinglan smiled lightly, thinking he was being overly considerate, but it wasn't necessary. She wasn't seriously ill, and besides, she was awake; there was no issue of disturbing her. Even if he spoke on the phone in the ward, it wouldn't be loud enough to bother her. His voice was so deep and pleasant that it would only be enjoyable for anyone listening.
Why did he need to avoid her? Although she thought this way, seeing him care so much for her warmed her heart and brought an indescribable feeling of gratitude and comfort.
In the corridor, Xu Wen scrolled through the contacts on Qinglan's phone, dialing any number he felt might belong to someone who knew An Shaojie. He didn't overlook even the slightest connection, calling each one to inquire about An Shaojie's whereabouts.
When he called Xiang Yuanqiu, she expressed strong concern and repeatedly asked about Qinglan.
Xu Wen informed her that Qinglan was sick. She showed extreme worry, insisting on knowing what illness Qinglan had, how she suddenly fell ill, and whether it was serious enough that she needed to contact Qinglan's family. She mentioned knowing Qinglan's brother's phone number and having been to her house before; she could visit them if needed. She even asked if she should come to Beijing to check on her.
Xu Wen repeatedly said it wasn't necessary, feeling overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. This classmate was very different from his usual friends. However, he didn't mind too much; after hanging up, he unconsciously smiled. After all, being enthusiastic wasn't a bad thing, even if it felt a bit excessive and clashed with his personality.
However, after hanging up, Xiang Yuanqiu didn't think she was too enthusiastic; she realized she hadn't learned anything she wanted to know because Xu Wen was too clever and tight-lipped.
Xiang Yuanqiu was intelligent and observant; it struck her as odd that Qinglan was sick yet didn't rush to inform her family but instead seemed to be searching everywhere for An Shaojie. Moreover, it wasn't even Qinglan looking for An Shaojie but Xu Wen doing all the searching.
That evening when she left with Wang Wei, An Shaojie had been with Qinglan. So where had An Shaojie gone?
When Xu Wen flipped to Lin Xi's phone number, her hand hesitated for a moment. She initially intended to skip over Lin Xi because Lin Xi was so close to Qinglan. If she had known An Shaojie's contact information, she would have told Qinglan long ago. An Shaojie wasn't foolish either; if he was deliberately hiding from Qinglan, why would he have any connection with Lin Xi?
After flipping past, a certain image suddenly flashed in Xu Wen's mind, and with a jolt, she flipped back to find Lin Xi's name. Staring at her name for quite a while, after much hesitation, her finger finally pressed down.
Was it because it was her first time making a phone call to a girl other than Qinglan, or because it was her first time calling Lin Xi, or simply because the person on the line was Lin Xi? Before and after pressing the call button, Xu Wen felt like an inexperienced young boy who had never interacted with girls before, his heart racing anxiously.
The moment Lin Xi answered the call, she recognized Xu Wen's voice immediately. His voice was so distinctive and pleasant that it sent a shock through her eardrums, causing a ripple of tingling nervousness throughout her body.
"Why is it you?" Lin Xi asked.
Xu Wen momentarily didn't know how to start. Directly asking for Su Hailu's contact information and where Su Hailu was felt somewhat abrupt. He hadn't even thought of how to explain why he was looking for Su Hailu, which made him feel awkward and his heart raced a little faster.
He had made the call but found himself silent on the line. The Xu Wen who was usually good at conversation and diffusing awkward situations seemed to have vanished.
"Where's Qinglan?" It was Lin Xi who broke the silence first.
"She's interning," Xu Wen replied, avoiding the main point. Even in front of Qinglan's most trusted friend, he still took a cautious approach.
"Oh." There was a moment of silence.
Although they had interacted many times, both defined each other as not very familiar friends. They believed that without Qinglan, they wouldn't have any intersection at all. In this way, the two remained silent on the phone but didn’t hang up, their conversation speed and manner resembling that of two people who admired each other but hadn’t confessed their feelings—somewhat strange.
"Is there something you need?" Lin Xi once again broke the silence.
"Do you have the latest contact information for An Shaojie?" After a while, he finally calmed down from his anxious and nervous state.
Although Xu Wen guessed that Lin Xi probably didn't have An Shaojie's latest contact information, he still asked with a hopeful attitude.
"I don't have the latest one. The previous contact methods probably won't reach him because I haven't been able to contact him for a long time," Lin Xi said.
There was silence for a moment.
Lin Xi didn't know if he had other matters to discuss, but seeing that he didn't hang up, she felt awkward about ending the call. They both remained silent, but on both ends of the line, they could clearly hear each other's light breathing and subtle movements, feeling the tension between them. The suffocating feeling spread around them.
"You..." Lin Xi began to speak, almost simultaneously with Xu Wen, who also spoke up, "Um... do you have Su Hailu's contact information?"
"Su Hailu?!" Lin Xi was clearly surprised.
"Yes," Xu Wen replied.
True to her nature as an unobtrusive girl, Lin Xi didn't ask Xu Wen why she was looking for Su Hailu.
"I don't know her current contact information either."
This time it was Xu Wen's turn to be shocked, along with a sense of foreboding. "She went abroad a week ago," Lin Xi continued. "Her old phone number is no longer in use. She hasn't contacted me since going abroad; she must be very busy." Xu Wen's heart sank. "What about her email? Or QQ?"
"I don't have her email; I've never contacted her via email, so I never asked for it." That made sense; nowadays, there are many ways for people to connect—through mobile phones or QQ. Generally, aside from companies and work-related matters, friends rarely use email to communicate and often overlook it.
Comment 0 Comment Count