"What hint?"
"'I like girls, hurry up and confess to me!'"
Jiang Miao, who hadn't participated in the conversation, suddenly tightened his grip on the pen. He didn't turn his head, but he clearly heard what she had just said.
She didn't just listen; she even started to let her mind wander uncontrollably.
Logically speaking, since Xu Chacha entered university, the girls she has interacted with besides her roommates are the ones she is closest to. So if she really has a crush on someone, is it really possible that it is herself?
Pah! Pah! Pah! Are you crazy?!
This crazy conjecture was quickly dismissed by her with her eyes closed.
But……
That's just how people are; they can't help but expect things they want but can't have.
"What's wrong, Jiang Miao? Is your neck uncomfortable? You've been shaking your head."
"Huh?" Jiang Miao awkwardly touched his neck, realizing how strange he had done. "A bit, I slept wrong and got a stiff neck yesterday."
"Then go back and get a hot towel to apply to your face, and be careful."
"Yes, thank you."
Jiang Miao looked down at his phone; Xu Chacha had finally replied to the birthday wishes he sent her last night.
She stared at the sweet and cute emoji and for some reason thought of Xu Chacha. If she used that emoji to act cute, she would definitely melt anyone's heart instantly.
Jiang Miao was completely unaware that his thoughts were becoming increasingly dangerous, a smile playing on his lips as he foolishly fell into them.
In the afternoon, Xu Chacha came out of the classroom with her three roommates and glanced down at her phone.
After posting that message on WeChat Moments yesterday, Lao Wu hasn't messaged her again, nor has he asked about it. I guess he's really backed down.
"Where are we going to eat later?" Zhu Zhu took her arm. "I've already ordered a cake for you. It's temporarily stored in the supermarket lady's freezer. Remember to remind me to take it with me when we leave."
"Put the book down and leave. I'll call a car."
There were no early classes the next day, so the group was prepared to stay out until midnight. They not only touched up their makeup completely, but also brought power banks, data cables, and electric toothbrushes.
Xu Chacha almost laughed, "You're really sleeping at my place tonight?"
Having slept on an air mattress for half the night, she didn't really recommend that Zhu Zhu and the others try it.
"Not necessarily, maybe she'll end up sleeping in the arms of some handsome guy."
Xu Chacha was used to Zhu Zhu's tendency to talk nonsense. Although she was bold in her words, she was actually a coward who would hesitate for a long time even when holding hands.
Sometimes I think about it, and it's kind of cute in a contrast.
When Xu Chacha first started complaining about Zhu Zhu in her mind, she never imagined that this flag would one day fall on her own head.
They went out and picked up the cake on the way. Xu Chacha bought a can of drink as a token gesture and paid an extra ten yuan as a storage fee for the shop owner.
On the bus, they discussed where to eat later.
"Hot pot and barbecue smell too strong. Let's be more elegant for a birthday and have something more refined."
"Then these two will do. I've eaten at both, and none of the dishes were bad." Su Qing took a screenshot of the restaurant and sent it to the group chat. "Cha, take a look and see which one you like."
"good."
Xu Chacha liked the shop names and searched for them on the app. One was a southern cuisine restaurant that was on the sweeter side, and the other was a Sichuan cuisine restaurant that was spicy.
All four of them in the dorm can handle spicy food, so they often eat together.
Xu Chacha didn't reply first, but instead went to Wen Mubai's chat box.
Xu Chacha: How about it? Can you come? If you come, we won't eat spicy food.
Wen Mubai was called home by his father in the morning, and she hasn't heard from him all day, so she's a little worried.
Although Wen's father wouldn't do anything to Wen Mubai, she was still quite worried about them arguing. Wen's father had a temper that he couldn't control, and the last time they had such a bad fight, it was the old man who had to step in to mediate.
Fortunately, Wen Mubai replied quickly, interrupting Xu Chacha's worries.
Wen Mubai: I'm on my way. It might take some time to get there. You guys eat first. Don't worry about whether it's spicy or not. I probably won't get there until you've finished eating.
Xu Chacha: Okay, then tell the driver to drive slowly, no rush, and be careful.
Wen Mubai: Okay, give me the payment code when you check out, I'll buy it.
Xu Chacha didn't stand on ceremony with her, replied "ok," and then turned to tell Zhu Zhu and the others which restaurant they had chosen for the spicy food.
Su Qing's tastes were indeed very much to the liking of the four girls in the dorm. They ordered eight dishes, and each of them ate almost all of them.
The dish was really spicy, and it made you sweat profusely in the winter weather. But then, taking a bite of the soft cream cake would instantly elevate your satisfaction to its peak.
"Ah!!! It's so beautiful! Can I eat this every day!" Zhu Zhu started wailing without even wiping the cream off her lips.
Xu Chacha handed her a tissue and laughed, "If you eat like this every day, you'll need to make an appointment with the proctology department."
"..." Zhu Zhu's expression darkened immediately. "Tea, you're really something. You can even dampen my appetite better than my mom."
"I guess your mom is saying that you'll get fat if you eat cake every day."
"Damn! How did you know?" Zhu Zhu's eyes widened. "You know so much, could it be that I'm one of the richest family members whose assets were scattered elsewhere—"
"Stop." Xu Chacha cut her off, then cut her another piece of cake. "Eat more to shut you up."
"You've been planning this all along to fatten me up so I can't get married," Zhu Zhu said, clutching her clothes. "That way you can have me all to yourself, isn't that right?"
Su Qing and Jiang Shu rolled their eyes at her almost simultaneously and said in unison, "Even having food can't shut you up."
"Hahahaha." Xu Chacha herself had some cream on her face, but she was completely unaware and laughed happily.
When she had almost finished eating, she got up to try the same trick again to pay the bill, only to find that it had already been paid.
She asked疑惑地, "Who gave it to me?"
The waiter pulled out a gift bag from somewhere and said, "The three ladies at your table paid together, and they asked me to give you this gift."
Xu Chacha took the gift, opened the bag, and a card slid out.
[Remember to split the bill next time. I won't be including you today since it's your birthday. Happy birthday!]
When they went out to eat, Xu Chacha would often sneak out and pay the bill in the middle of the meal. Now that I think about it, they genuinely wanted to be friends with me, and all this "care" felt like a burden.
She slowly opened the gift box, inside which lay an exquisite women's watch. Xu Chacha, who was familiar with major brands, quickly recognized the watch.
It's a very popular item this year, and it's not cheap. The three of them are from ordinary middle-class families, and they sometimes complain at the end of the month that they have no money and have to live on instant noodles. I don't know where they saved up the money to buy it for her.
Xu Chacha's eyes welled up with tears; she suddenly found these girls quite adorable.
"You guys have such a good relationship," the waiter said with a hint of envy.
She had only ever seen this kind of romantic scene with young couples before, proving that friendship between girls can be just as beautiful.
"It's really good." Xu Chacha smiled at her, hiding her tears.
After washing her hands in the restroom, she had mostly processed her emotions. She dried her hands, took the watch out of the box, put it on, and then put the watch she had been wearing back into the gift box and stuffed it into her back pocket. (Note: The last sentence appears to be an unrelated advertisement and has been omitted from the translation.)
When she returned to her seat, the expression on her face had been completely concealed.
"You've all eaten enough, haven't you?" She sat down, took the gift box in her right hand, and quickly stuffed it into the pocket of her coat hanging on the chair, so fast that no one probably saw her.
"Wait, let me have a couple more sips of my drink." Zhu Zhu puffed out her cheeks.
"Drink slowly, do you think I'll try to take it from you?"
"It's not that I'm afraid you'll compete with me for it, it's just that Jiang Miao and the others have booked a private room and are waiting for us to come over. It wouldn't be good to keep our seniors waiting too long."
Su Qing: "Why don't you just say you're in a hurry to see handsome guys?"
Zhu Zhu quickly finished her drink, grabbed her coat, and said, "Let's go, let's go see some handsome guys."
The others followed suit and got up to leave.
As they were leaving, Zhu Zhu habitually took Xu Chacha's arm, glancing at her wrist with the new watch. "Oh, beautiful, your watch is quite nice."
Xu Chacha smiled and said, "It is quite beautiful. Are you envious?"
Jiang Shu and Su Qing exchanged a glance, both seeing a smile in each other's eyes.
"It's just so-so. I can check the time on my phone just the same," Zhu Zhu grumbled.
...
The group arrived at the KTV where Jiang Miaoding was staying and sat down. This was the home of the short-haired senior who had asked Xu Chacha for her autograph during their last late-night snack. She often brought her classmates there.
For Xu Chacha's birthday, they specially booked a large room for her free of charge. Xu Chacha originally wanted to refuse, but the other party's mother took the phone and said to her, "Chacha, just go and have fun, it's okay, Auntie will treat you!"
Even just hearing her voice, Xu Chacha could truly feel her boldness, so she abandoned any thought of refusing and repeatedly thanked her for accepting the gift.
Xu Chacha specifically found a seat close to the door, thinking it would be convenient to go out for some fresh air. However, this seat was right next to the karaoke machine, and she was constantly being ordered around. In the end, after being moved around, she was squeezed next to Jiang Miao, who was sitting in the middle.
Jiang Miao was restless all day, and his heart rate soared even higher when Xu Chacha sat down next to him.
She felt that if she didn't control herself, her heart would jump out of her throat.
Jiang Miao took a sip of wine, somewhat at a loss, and glanced at Xu Chacha, his eyes pausing on her right wrist.
"Don't you like the bracelet? Why aren't you wearing it?" She had always seen Xu Chacha wearing it before, so why did she suddenly take it off?
Xu Chacha said "Oh," and then added, "I was afraid of scratching it, so I put it away. I really like it, thank you, senior."
She didn't dare to say it outright, but after Wen Mubai pointed out that the bracelet was a couple's set, she never dared to wear it again.
Although Jiang Miao may not have meant it that way, it's still necessary to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
...
When Wen Mubai arrived at the new address, he saw Xu Chacha wearing a paper crown on her head, sitting in the bustling crowd like a lifeless statue.
Everyone was more excited than she was, the birthday girl. Some were singing, some were drinking, and some were dancing and playing dice. Someone came over to pass the microphone to Xu Chacha, but she smiled and refused.
Mai was replaced by a different person. It was obvious that he couldn't sing, and his wailing voice seemed capable of shattering glass and destroying the will to live.
Wen Mubai looked at the middle of the sofa. Xu Chacha, who was usually tall and thin, suddenly looked a bit like a pitiful little baby she used to be.
They were pitiful, weak, and helpless.
With a smile in her eyes, she opened the door and stepped inside.
The moment Wen Mubai appeared, the lively private room suddenly fell silent, with more than a dozen pairs of eyes staring intently at her.
"You all continue, I'll keep the birthday girl company." She smiled and calmly sat down next to Xu Chacha.