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墨書 Inktalez
Were they once academic rivals?
No, that can't be right. So much time has passed, and besides, both of them are in college now, so any past grievances should have been resolved by now!
Could they have been romantic rivals?
That doesn't make sense either; romantic rivalry happens between people of the same gender.
Could it be a feud between their parents, a generational grudge? That would be too deep-seated!
Parental feuds and generational grudges are fertile ground for modern romantic stories in the eyes of these imaginative young college students, especially with the cool, handsome boys and the gentle, beautiful girls.
Isn't that how love stories in novels go?
So they believe that a passionate love-hate relationship should develop between An Shaojie and Qinglan, rather than the current state of their mutual indifference.
Even though the outcome isn't what they expected, they remain optimistic that one day things will unfold in the direction they anticipate.
Thus, they continue to harbor a mysterious curiosity about the two. Whenever An Shaojie and Qinglan are within a meter of each other, an ambiguous smile appears on their faces.
"Simple, do you need to come back with us? Once you're sure, we can book the tickets together," Qinglan's tone is as cold as the snowflakes drifting outside.
In the past, whenever she saw him, Qinglan would instinctively call out "Brother Shaojie," but since entering college, the gradually maturing Qinglan no longer greets him that way.
Perhaps it's because they've grown up now, and the environment has changed; she's worried about what others might think.
Since when did Qinglan start to have reservations? Is she concerned about being mocked by others or about mocking herself?
Qinglan doesn't know.
Or perhaps...
The dynamics of the relationship between her and him had changed; it was no longer as simple as it had been in high school. Now, there were many people surrounding her.
Especially Xu Wen.
Yes, Xu Wen! It had been a long time since Qinglan had called out that name. She hadn't referred to him as "Brother Shaojie" in ages because she hardly had any chance to get close to him anymore. He had not given her the opportunity to call him "Brother Shaojie" again.
Had the words "Brother Shaojie" slowly faded from his heart?
Could time really dull everything, including affection? Including estrangement?
In any case, Qinglan felt that she no longer had the courage or boldness in front of him like before. Especially after he had embarrassed her several times in front of the whole class, Qinglan felt even less confident and was unwilling to provoke him.
Especially now, he seemed to have a tendency to dislike her.
Of course, it might also be that Qinglan instinctively no longer wanted to follow behind him like she did when they were younger, like a dog begging for its owner's affection, calling out "Brother Shaojie," thinking that would soften his cold heart and at least make him look at her.
After so many years, the cold heart that had not melted made Qinglan lose patience. Oh! Not patience, but confidence.
Perhaps it was also because she had someone by her side.
Thinking of this, Qinglan's heart trembled suddenly; that figure quickly appeared in her mind and was swiftly denied by her.
So Qinglan began to learn to confront him with an attitude of "an eye for an eye."
"No." He was unwilling to say another word.
"Fine."
Qinglan no longer wished to say more and turned back to her seat.
A few days before the holiday, Simple, Reiko, and Jian Ming visited Qinglan's school. They came to deliver tickets and to agree on a meeting place for when they go home.
"Where is Brother Shaojie? Why isn't he coming home with us?" Simple asked, looking puzzled.
The group was gathered around a stone table in the woods. Simple was excitedly sharing funny stories from her school while Qinglan sat beside her, quietly listening and munching on snacks as she animatedly spoke.
Reiko and Jian Ming appeared more mature, lost in their own thoughts.
"Qinglan, you should ask An Shaojie again tomorrow if he needs to come home with us. It doesn't matter if he hasn't booked a ticket; he can buy a standing ticket once he's on the bus. With so many of us together, we can squeeze in and sit for a bit," Jian Ming said, still concerned about An Shaojie.
Although An Shaojie had always been difficult to approach and seemed somewhat resistant to them, he was Shaw Min's brother. In Jian Ming's mind, he had already considered him like his own brother, and taking care of him was an obligation he felt strongly about.
Qinglan hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
"Hey, why didn't we invite him today?" Reiko suddenly asked curiously.
Reiko had only met An Shaojie once at the beginning of the school year when they all had lunch together. She didn't know much about him, especially the relationship between An Shaojie and Qinglan, so she was curious why they hadn't included him this time.
Upon hearing Reiko's question, Simple and Jian Ming exchanged glances.
Reiko became even more curious. "What's going on? What's the situation?"
Her gaze shifted from Jian Ming to Simple and then landed on Qinglan's face.
"There must be something going on between you two," Reiko said, pointing at Qinglan.
"Oh, no, no."
Reiko suddenly realized and waved her hand. If An Shaojie were dating Qinglan, she would have brought him along by now.
"Are they having a fight? Or have they broken up?" Reiko thought back to the last time they had dinner, when Shaw Min was sitting on either side of Qinglan and An Shaojie. Their expressions seemed different from everyone else's, leading Reiko to believe they were in a relationship. Now that An Shaojie wasn't here, it could either mean they were fighting or had split up.
Simple was eating, suppressing a laugh with her lips pressed together.
She understood the relationship between Qinglan and An Shaojie better than anyone else.
"Brother Shaojie probably likes Lin Xi," Simple said bluntly, never one to read the room and always expressing her thoughts directly.
"Lin Xi? Who is Lin Xi?" Reiko asked curiously.
Jian Ming, who usually didn't care much about such matters, was intrigued by Simple's straightforward comment and immediately leaned in to listen.
"Lin Xi..." Simple glanced at Qinglan, biting her lip as she hesitated.
She always did this—only realizing after speaking that she might have said something inappropriate or hurtful to her good friend.
"Lin Xi is my middle school classmate. When we were kids, she was a close friend of Lanlan and Brother Shaojie; we all lived in the same village." Once the words were out, there was no taking them back. Though feeling a bit timid, Simple looked pitifully at Qinglan while carefully explaining the relationship between Lin Xi, herself, Qinglan, and An Shaojie.
"Oh," Reiko nodded as if she understood something. "So where is Lin Xi now? Is she in a relationship with An Shaojie?" Reiko was also quite straightforward.
"I don't know."
At that moment, Simple's mind suddenly became clear; saying "I don't know" resolved many complications. Besides, she truly had no idea where Lin Xi was now.
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