Shi Ling ignored his teasing, "Then next time."
Chi Cheng flipped the menu on the table over, "No way."
It's unclear whether he actually looked at the menu or not, but when the owner passed by, he waved and said, "Boss, mine is the same as hers."
When he returned after answering the phone and delivering the clothes, a steaming bowl of rice noodles was already placed in front of him, with far less chili oil than Shi Ling had, presumably added by her because she liked spicy food.
Chi Cheng could handle spicy food, and after a few bites, he found it quite delicious, though he was sweating profusely from the heat.
March in Guangzhou is no different from summer. This little shop is so frugal that they don't even turn on the fan.
Chi Cheng grabbed Shi Ling's collar and fanned her a few times. Shi Ling had almost finished eating, so she raised her phone and scanned the payment code posted on the wall.
She wiped her mouth with a tissue, but because she had just eaten spicy food, her lips were still a bright red, an undeniable sexiness.
Seeing that she looked like she was about to leave, Chi Cheng half-jokingly said to her, "So heartless? Why don't you finish your meal with me?"
I assumed Shi Ling would leave without any mercy.
Unexpectedly, she stopped packing her bag and looked at Chi Cheng, "Okay, then you'll come with me to study."
Chi Cheng just finished his homework yesterday and felt his back was about to break from sitting so long, so he had no intention of studying today.
He put down his chopsticks and looked at her. "These aren't equal values, are they?"
Shi Ling picked up her bag. "Then I'll be going now."
**
These past two days, the two of them have been practicing each other's spoken English every day. Shi Ling has been practicing more, and her speaking speed has improved a lot. At least it's not as awkward as before.
Foreign teacher Dylan continued explaining the next topic.
Dylan was the youngest foreign teacher they had ever met. Even though foreigners tend to look older, he looked no more than 25 years old. His features were sculpted, and his suit fit him perfectly.
Moreover, he was exceptionally polite. When people asked him questions, he would always lean down slightly, looking at you with his blue eyes. No matter how bad your English was, he would try his best to listen. He would remind you of words you couldn't express, and would occasionally use appropriate eye contact and facial expressions.
The results were remarkable; the girls' enthusiasm for the oral English class increased, and they would even surround Dylan with questions after class.
In contrast, the boys were not affected much, remaining absent-minded and seemingly lost in thought.
Elsa would come to collect their phones before class, but it wouldn't really matter if she didn't, since the classroom had a signal jammer that would turn everything except for single-player games on a black screen.
Chi Cheng tore a strip of paper that looked like it had been chewed by a dog from the draft paper.
I'll take you to a Sichuan restaurant tonight.
Shi Ling glanced at his scrawled handwriting on the dog-gnawed note, his tone completely commanding.
Although it was to cater to her preference for spicy food.
She glanced at him sideways; he was still scribbling aimlessly on the paper, which, given his usual absent-mindedness in class, was mostly due to boredom.
She pretended not to see it, crumpled it into a ball, and placed it on the corner of the table.
When the topic shifts to the next topic, Shi Ling will likely bring up the note again.
However, Chi Cheng didn't mention this at all from beginning to end, and seriously corrected her, "uncomfortable, you can use a different word in colloquial speech, under the weather."
His English is truly American, without a trace of Chinglish. His pronunciation, including the blending of sounds and the vibration of his Adam's apple, is spot-on, carrying a touch of American-style ambiguity and sexiness.
Shi Ling once heard Cathy Lin ask him how to improve her spoken English, and he said to watch more American TV series, such as Masters of Sex. Cathy Lin actually took this as gospel and watched it again, but of course her spoken English didn't improve at all.
They had finished practicing the problem for a while, but Dylan still hadn't told them to stop.
Chi Cheng was still sleepy, so he propped his forehead with his hand to cover his eyes and closed them to rest.
On the other side of the classroom, She Jiaxin called out to Dylan, who was patrolling, "Dylan, what does this mean?"
Dylan stood near her and Li Qiuling, gesturing as he explained to them.
After asking her question, She Jiaxin casually chatted for a bit, "Dylan, do you have a Chinese name?"
Dylan answered very seriously, "He Dalin".
His pronunciation at that moment was completely Chinese, without any foreign accent.
She Jiaxin and Li Qiuling exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile.
She continued to ask him what it meant.
Westerners are generally honest, even in their current teacher-student relationship. He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't lie. "This is the name my ex-girlfriend gave me. She said it sounds like Dylan, and it also has another meaning."
Dylan paused again, then said, "Her darling."
She Jiaxin's English has always been terrible, but she understood this sentence perfectly.
Chi Cheng, propping his head up, also felt that this topic had gone on for too long.
He glanced towards the other side of the classroom.
When she turned around, she met Shi Ling's knowing gaze.
She Jiaxin's interest in foreign teacher Dylan is obvious to everyone.
However, during their last encounter in the girls' dormitory corridor, Shi Ling noticed Chi Cheng's flamboyant attire and the Okamoto cigarettes peeking out of his pocket. Both of them knew exactly what was going on.
Shi Ling remained expressionless, but asked with a playful tone, "How do you feel?"
Chi Cheng glanced at She Jiaxin again, then looked away, shrugged, and avoided answering Shi Ling's question.
After class in the afternoon, Chi Cheng didn't even look at her. He simply slung his backpack over one shoulder and called Lin Ziqi to leave the classroom together. He had no recollection of passing Shi Ling a note that morning inviting her to lunch.
Shi Ling vaguely sensed the low mood in Chi Cheng's demeanor.
She finished writing what she had on hand before leaving.
I've finished organizing the notes from this last class.
Shi Ling closed her notebook with one hand and opened her usual homework notebook with the other.
She noticed something was off as soon as she opened it, and picked it up to examine it.
There was a note sandwiched in the middle.
The note was still the same piece of paper that looked like it had been chewed by a dog, but the writing had improved considerably.
There are only two words.
Come down.
Shi Ling was absolutely certain that this was Chi Cheng's doing, but she had no idea when he had inserted it.
How could he be sure she would see the note?
She glanced at her watch; more than twenty minutes had passed since get out of class ended.
Shi Ling stepped out of the lobby and saw him leaning against a roadside telephone pole, smoking, his long legs crossed on the ground. He was wearing a trendy white T-shirt and leaning against the telephone pole plastered with all sorts of graffiti advertisements, seemingly oblivious to any damage to his image. Next to his earring, there was a bold red sign that read "Seeking a Child for a Large Sum of Money."
He saw Shi Ling walk over slowly, expressionless, completely unlike someone who had been waiting downstairs for more than twenty minutes. She was unhurried and calm, like a confident hunter who was certain she would come.
Chi Cheng seemed to be well-versed in the art of playing hot and cold, and at this moment, there was no trace of displeasure on his face.
As she approached, Chi Cheng squinted and tossed her a pack of cigarettes. "Want to try this yogurt pop?"
It seems like the person who told her in the fire escape last time that if she didn't know how to smoke, she shouldn't learn, wasn't him.
It was clearly an unopened gift specially bought for her. Shi Ling took it, and Chi Cheng indeed put his hands back in his pockets, gesturing to her with his eyes, "Here you go, it has less tar than your mint one."
Shi Ling pursed her lips. "Thanks."
Her hair was already disheveled before she came down, and the two of them stood by the roadside, her hair swaying gently in the wind.
The setting sun shone on her face, making her usually cool tone seem to soften considerably.
Shi Ling lit a cigarette, and Chi Cheng stood up straight, offering her the lighter. She shielded the flame with both hands, asking him somewhat indistinctly, "Are you sure I'll see?"
"Get hot water during the second break, make a cup of coffee during lunch break, and always ask the teacher questions after writing class," Chi Cheng glanced at her, "Do you want me to continue?"
**
Chi Cheng never expected that in such a big city as Guangzhou, he would run into a classmate while having dinner.
When they had almost finished eating, Chi Cheng was patted hard on the shoulder.
"Old Chi, this one is prettier than the last one."
The mischievous friend glanced at Shi Ling and winked at Chi Cheng.
Chi Cheng saw his high school classmate and showed some enthusiasm, "Hey, Jianming."
He glanced behind him. "Are you alone?"
"No, my friend was in the bathroom. We were sitting over there, and we only saw you after we stood up."
After saying that, he took out a cigarette and offered it to Chi Cheng, "Mr. Chi, would you like a cigarette?"
Jianming pulled out a stool and sat down next to Chi Cheng.
The table was originally for four people, so there was an empty seat next to Chi Cheng. Chi Cheng glanced at Shi Ling.
Jianming exuded a strong sense of social savvy, which made Shi Ling frown.
He turned his gaze to Shi Ling only after he sat down.
He asked Chi Cheng, "Are you a girl?"
Chi Cheng looked at Shi Ling's indifferent expression. "My friend," he said, explaining the joke Jian Ming had made at the beginning, "Don't listen to his nonsense. The last time I saw him was at a class reunion."
Regardless of their relationship, his explanation was the least he could do to show respect.
Jianming clearly didn't believe it, and said with a smirk, "Friend, I understand, I understand."
Jianming started doing business with his family during college. Although he was a bit too involved in the social world, the relationships between high school boys were simple and close.
Chi Cheng also saw him at his annual class reunion.
Before he could finish speaking, Jianming waved to his friend, signaling him to come over.
His friend, quite naturally, dragged a stool over and sat down.
My name is Ahui.
Fortunately, they had already finished eating. Shi Ling was always quiet, and the group quickly realized that Shi Ling and Chi Cheng were probably not in a romantic relationship. She was also aloof, so they didn't pay any attention to her.
After sitting for a while, Jianming asked Chicheng if they wanted to go to a nearby club, saying that he and Ahui had originally planned to go anyway.
Chi Cheng declined.