"Why did you drink so much again? Have you forgotten that you have a stomach problem?" Ye Xun said angrily. "Also, didn't you say you quit smoking a long time ago? Why are you still smoking?"
Dai Qiang sat there motionless, letting Ye Xun reprimand him.
"Why don't you do anything about him?" Ye Xun turned her attention to Meng Ya. "Why don't you try to persuade him to stop?"
“I didn’t know he had a stomach problem!” Meng Ya said softly.
"You didn't know he has a stomach problem? Then what do you know?" Ye Xun had no intention of letting Meng Ya off the hook. "Smoking and excessive drinking are both harmful to health. Why didn't you advise him against it?"
Meng Ya was terrified by Ye Xun's imposing manner and didn't know what to say for a moment; tears streamed down her face. Sitting to the side, Dai Qiang couldn't hold back any longer. In his eyes, Ye Xun's actions were a challenge to his authority and an insult.
"Alright!" Dai Qiang shouted, pulling Meng Ya behind him. "This is all my own choice, it has nothing to do with her! What right do you have to treat her like this? You are at most my friend, my partner, you can only offer advice, you have no right to reprimand anyone here!"
Dai Qiang left with Meng Ya, abandoning Ye Xun in the restaurant. Ye Xun closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. She didn't know what she had done wrong. Her kind concern had been rejected and crushed. Was this the result she wanted? Was this the purpose of her trip?
As Ye Xun was standing in "Wei Xiang Yuan" and crying, someone gently patted her shoulder. That person was Yang Ke.
"Let's go!" Yang Ke said, "Let's go for a walk!"
Ye Xun was completely disoriented. She let Yang Ke pull her along, her legs weak and powerless from overwhelming grief. The two figures moved through the bustling crowd without standing out, but they were still spotted by Tong Tong, who happened to be passing by.
Tong Tong's heart tightened. She had never seen Yang Ke and Ye Xun so intimate before. Tong Tong wanted to chase after them, but she didn't have the courage. However, she was also unwilling to leave, so she followed the two of them from a distance.
Yang Ke and Ye Xun went into the room, while Tong Tong stood at the door, hesitating between knocking and going in or waiting.
"What should I do? What should I do?" Tong Tong kept tapping her head. "Could they... no... absolutely not!"
"What's the reason this time? Is it because of something that happened before?" Yang Ke asked softly.
Ye Xun didn't say anything, just stared blankly at the glass of water on the table.
"Ye Xun, have you ever considered that what you're doing might be effective?"
Ye Xun was startled. Yang Ke's words caught her attention, and she looked up and stared at Yang Ke intently.
"Dating isn't like war. Pressuring relentlessly doesn't guarantee victory. Sometimes taking a step back might be better—the so-called 'retreat is forward'! Besides..." Yang Ke hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Besides, you should really think about whether you should love, and how to love?"
Ye Xun listened quietly without saying a word.
While Tong Tong was still lingering at the door, the door opened and Yang Ke and Ye Xun came out. Seeing that she didn't have time to dodge, Tong Tong braced herself and went to meet them.
"Ye Xun, are you alright?" Tong Tong lied, "I heard you were in trouble, so I came to check on you!"
"Tong Tong, you've come at the right time. Take Ye Xun back!"
Tong Tong originally planned to go to the living room to ask them about their conversation in detail, but she couldn't refuse, so she had to agree. Back in the dormitory, Ye Xun lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep, leaving only Tong Tong pacing back and forth in the huge room, utterly bored.
The summer night was stiflingly hot, without a breath of wind. The air felt thick and heavy, making it impossible to move an inch. The distant stars, so brilliant, seemed lower than usual, pressing down on her and making it hard to breathe. Tong Tong leaned alone against the balcony. Without wind, the wind chimes fell silent. She sighed and gently plucked the chimes a few times; perhaps because of her mood, the sound was somewhat heavy.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Ye Xun still hadn't seen Dai Qiang by the time summer vacation started. She had a vague premonition that she and Dai Qiang had completely broken up and there was no chance of reconciliation. But Tong Tong was still in her life, and Yang Ke, her source of comfort, had also entered her life, bringing her joy and hope.
Yang Ke and Tong Tong took Ye Xun to the train station and said goodbye to her at the station entrance.
"Yang Ke, thank you for taking care of me during this time!" Ye Xun said gratefully, "And Tong Tong too!"
"No need!" Yang Ke said. "We're all friends, no need to be so polite!"
“Exactly!” Tong Tong said slyly, “Yang Ke is my friend, which means he’s your friend too!”
"You guys go back, no need to see me off at the station, otherwise I'll burst into tears when we part ways, and if that happens, my whole summer vacation will be ruined!" Ye Xun joked, but these were all true feelings.
"Alright!" Yang Ke nodded. "Email me when you're troubled, and I'll be there for you, beautiful Ms. Chigusa!"
Ye Xun nodded and said gratefully, "Then I'll have to trouble you again!"
"I couldn't be happier!" Yang Ke said. "Let the trouble come even more fiercely!"
"Then what about me?" Tong Tong said jealously. "I'm in trouble too, and I need to find someone to take care of me!"
“You are a huge problem in yourself!” Yang Ke and Ye Xun said in unison.
"Goodbye!" The three waved goodbye.
Ye Xun entered the waiting hall, the crowd around her stirring. A feeling of loneliness and isolation washed over her, making it hard for her to breathe. These blurry figures, like an ocean, quickly engulfed her, leaving her adrift in the waves, struggling helplessly.
Suddenly, two figures came into Ye Xun's view: Dai Qiang and Meng Ya. Ye Xun truly didn't understand—why their figures stood out so prominently and glaringly among so many people, making it impossible for her to escape them. The two men's intimate actions assaulted Ye Xun's eyes, assaulting her heart and disrupting all her thoughts.
Ye Xun tore her train ticket to shreds, dragged her luggage out of the train station, and found herself dizzy as she looked at the vast square filled with people moving around.
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Chapter 013 Forcefully Seize Rental Housing
Updated: 2008-04-21 20:20:05 Words: 0
"Do you want me to take you home?" Yang Ke asked Tong Tong, who was following closely behind him, as they exited the train station.
"Why do you always try to get rid of me?" Tong Tong said unhappily. "Am I really that annoying to you?"
"No way!" Yang Ke explained, "Where else could you go if you didn't go home?"
“I can’t go to your place!” Tong Tong said. “You just said ‘let the trouble come even more fiercely,’ and now I’m entrusting you with the ‘big trouble’ that you all agree on!”
"I wasn't talking to you!" Yang Ke changed his tune. "I was talking to Ye Xun, remember, I was talking to Ye Xun, it has nothing to do with you!"
"Why are you being so biased?" Tong Tong said angrily. "I don't care, I'm sticking with you today, and you're not getting rid of me!"
"What if I run away? Can you still kill me?" Yang Ke said provocatively.
"Then you should give it a try!"
"Let's give it a try!" Yang Ke started walking away.
"Help! Catch the thief!" Tong Tong shouted, pointing at Yang Ke.
Everyone around immediately turned their attention to Yang Ke, who became so nervous that sweat poured down his face.
"Stop shouting, I beg you!" Yang Ke had no choice but to give in. "Playing like this will kill someone!"
"You can leave, I didn't stop you!" Tong Tong said smugly. "The faster you run, the more people will chase you. As for me, I just need to wait at the police station!"
Yang Ke stomped his foot, realizing he had truly learned how formidable this little firecracker was.
"Can't you call the shots today?" Yang Ke completely surrendered, leaving him no choice but to submit.
"You should have done this a long time ago!" Tong Tong said relentlessly, "You brought this on yourself!"
After visiting the park, walking through the amusement park, and crossing the pedestrian street, Yang Ke was exhausted, but Tong Tong's enthusiasm remained undiminished.
"Can we take a break?" Yang Ke asked Tong Tong in a pleading tone.
"What's there to rest? I'm not tired at all!" Tong Tong pulled Yang Ke into a nearby shop.
"What are you up to now?" Yang Ke said helplessly. "You've already exhausted me enough today!"
"Let's take some photo booth pictures!" Tong Tong said with a smile. "We have to leave a memento of today!"
The two people posed in various ways in front of the camera, changing their poses one after another.
"Yang Ke, look!" Tong Tong pointed to the side of Yang Ke.
Yang Ke turned his head but saw nothing. When he turned his head again, Tong Tong's lips were already on his face. Tong Tong smiled brightly and pressed the switch.
"What are you doing?" Yang Ke asked, covering his face.
"This is your fault!" Tong Tong pretended to be angry. "It's all your fault for turning your head around so unexpectedly!"
"Okay! It's my fault! I'm sorry!" Yang Ke said. "We don't want this one!"
"How can that be?" Tong Tong said, "Since we've taken the photos, we should keep them!"
"But how embarrassing would it be if others saw this!" Yang Ke said worriedly. "Aren't you afraid?"
“That’s right!” Tong Tong said, “That’s why I have to punish you!”
"Punishment? How will you be punished?" Yang Ke asked.
Tong Tong tore off a photo sticker and stuck it on Yang Ke's forehead. Yang Ke reached out to tear it off, but Tong Tong stopped him.
"Don't move! Believe me, I have a better way to punish you!" Tong Tong said sternly. "I'm going to let everyone who knows you know that you've wronged the girl on your forehead!"
Yang Ke finally saw Tong Tong onto the bus. He looked at the night sky; it was already dusk, with lights twinkling in every home. Yang Ke breathed a long sigh of relief.
Ye Xun carried her luggage downstairs. She looked up at the building and the balcony upstairs. In this city where she had lived for three years, this small haven was now all she could find refuge in. Ye Xun climbed the stairs to Yang Ke's door, took a key from her pocket, opened the door, and went inside. She had gotten this key from Tong Tong, who had secretly made a copy. Ye Xun had followed the same trick, and today's events proved that her previous petty act had been a wise one.
Ye Xun carried her luggage into the west bedroom. Once Dai Qiang returned home for summer vacation, the house was considered to be vacated. Most of Dai Qiang's belongings had been moved out, and the remaining items were neatly arranged in the corner. The room had been empty for a while, and a layer of dust had settled on the floor. Ye Xun put down her luggage and began to clean the room.
As night fell, Ye Xun was looking at the night view on the balcony when Yang Ke returned. Ye Xun hid by the door and rushed up to him as soon as he entered.
"You're back!" Ye Xun greeted him, a sudden greeting that startled Yang Ke.
"Ah! You're back!" Yang Ke walked towards the bedroom, but suddenly, he remembered something and turned to ask Ye Xun, "What are you doing here? Didn't you take the train back? And how did you get in?"
Ye Xun didn't understand why Yang Ke had so many questions all of a sudden, but she still answered them one by one: "I don't want to go back. I'm staying here this summer! As for how I got the key to this house, you can ask Tong Tong!"
"It's Tong Tong again! Oh my god!" Yang Ke groaned inwardly.
Ye Xun suddenly noticed the large photo sticker on Yang Ke's head, and said with a smile, "Yang Ke, I bet a lot of people stared at you when you took the bus back, and someone said, 'Young man, you are so loyal to your love!'"
"How did you know?" Yang Ke asked in surprise, as someone had indeed told him that on the way.
Ye Xun burst into laughter, tapping her forehead with her finger. Yang Ke touched his forehead, suddenly realizing what she meant, and tore the sticker off with a face full of shame.
"Yang Ke, you really have great advertising creativity!" Ye Xun said. "I've only ever seen people writing and drawing on bald heads for advertisements online, and I didn't believe it at first, but today I finally saw it with my own eyes!"
"It's all Tong Tong's fault! She made me look like a fool!" Yang Ke muttered, then said to Ye Xun, "It's too late today, you can stay in that bedroom for the night, I'll go with you to look for a place tomorrow!"
"What's the point of looking for anything?" Ye Xun asked. "Isn't this house already there? We can just split the rent in half, it's just sitting empty anyway! Besides, didn't you complain about the rent being too high here before? I can help you out!"
"We cannot live together!" Yang Ke said sternly.
"Why?" Ye Xun asked. "Didn't I live here before?"
"That's different, back then Tong Tong was with me!"
"What about tonight?" Ye Xun retorted. "Cohabitation between men and women who are not married is no longer subject to public security regulations. Are you still afraid of the police coming to your door?"
"That only applies to certain regions; it doesn't represent the whole country, much less the general public's social norms!"
“This big city is very open-minded, no one will gossip!” Ye Xun said. “Besides, there’s nothing between us!”
"That won't do either. A person who is upright may not necessarily be afraid of a crooked shadow!" Yang Ke refused to budge.
"I'm not leaving!" Ye Xun's stubbornness kicked in. "You said at the train station that you would help me relieve my worries, are you going to change your mind now?"