"Don't do boring things."
"What can two men who have both been rejected by women do together?" Ah Song laughed, though he just wanted to get together for a drink, but he deliberately made his words ambiguous, "It's just mutual comfort."
Suddenly, Xiao Xiao's mind conjured up images of something impure.
He chuckled softly, deliberately steer the conversation astray: "I think you know what can best comfort a wounded man, right? Especially a strong man like Officer Jiang."
A beauty, of course! Xiao Xiao understood the meaning behind Ah Song's words.
"He's not like you, he won't do that, don't hurt him!"
"He can't?" Ah Song scoffed. "Xiao Xiao, when did you become so innocent? Miss, this is a man's instinct, okay? What's there to be afraid of? Don't worry, I'll take good care of him!"
"带" should be the same as "带" in "带领" (leading), but Xiao Xiao suddenly thought of the "待" in "待治疗" (to treat).
Xiao Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing, leaving Ah Song somewhat confused.
"Song, I never knew you had this kind of taste. Well, you know he's very strong, you're no match for him. Be careful and don't get hurt. I heard you need lubricant, right? Remember to buy plenty. Oh, and remember to take precautions!"
Ah Song was a little dumbfounded, but then she suddenly realized what was going on and scolded, "Xiao Xiao! You brat! How dare you insult me like that! I'm completely straight!"
Xiao Xiao laughed, "I don't know if he's purely straightforward or not, but as long as he's not completely innocent, it's fine!" She paused, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly said softly, "Thank you, Ah Song!"
Ah Song laughed too, glanced back at Jiang Sicheng in the car, and said with a smile, "Alright, if we can't be lovers, at least we can still be friends. You're not going to play the sentimental game with me, are you? I'm too old for that."
"Don't let him drink too much."
"If you're worried, come and visit!"
Xiao Xiao smiled and hung up the phone.
As Ah Song got into the car, she looked at Jiang Sicheng again and suddenly felt a little resentful. This silly boy was not as good-looking as him, not as elegant as him, not as good as him, how was he better than him?
Jiang Sicheng turned his head and looked at him coldly, then suddenly asked, "What did she say?"
Ah Song was taken aback, thinking to herself that this kid wasn't as stupid as he seemed! A faint smile appeared on her lips as she asked, "What do you think she'll say?"
Jiang Sicheng remained silent, staring quietly at the windshield.
Ah Song then asked with a mischievous grin, "Do you know what my relationship with her is? Why did she agree to go out for drinks with me?"
Although it was still early spring and the air was still chilly, the house was already quite stuffy. Xiao Xiao came in from the balcony, glanced at the beer Ah Song had left on the coffee table, and regretted kicking Ah Song out. If he were still there, the two of them could at least chat and have some beer.
When I opened the refrigerator to find something to drink, I realized why Ah Song had chosen beer. Besides a few cans of beer, all that was left were the large tubs of orange juice that Zhang Jingzhi had bought.
When drinking beer alone, the bitter taste tends to be stronger, which is not very pleasant.
With no other choice, Xiao Xiao reached for the orange juice, pulled out a bottle, and was about to open the lid when she noticed an orange note stuck to the outside of the bottle with several large black characters on it: "Want to steal my orange juice?!"
It is Zhang Jingzhi's cursive script!
Xiao Xiao peeked out and looked at the other buckets; surprisingly, there was a card on each of them!
Although the sentences differed, the content was roughly the same, all ending with a string of exaggerated exclamation marks. Xiao Xiao was somewhat amused and exasperated. Using her refrigerator, consuming her electricity, and now she had to punish Zhang Jingzhi for "stealing drinks"! How could Zhang Jingzhi do something so childish!
Thinking of Zhang Jingzhi, Xiao Xiao suddenly remembered that she had forgotten something very important tonight: she had promised to visit Zhang Jingzhi, who was "seriously ill." But she had forgotten that Zhang Jingzhi's parents had gone on a trip a couple of days ago, and the poor child was probably still lying there alone!
Xiao Xiao slapped her forehead in frustration, glanced at her watch, and thankfully, it was just past nine o'clock, not too late. She hurriedly put on her coat and ran downstairs. When she got to the parking space, she couldn't find her car and realized that Ah Song had picked her up and dropped her off that night, and the car was still at her workplace.
She had no choice but to take a taxi. When the taxi arrived downstairs at Zhang Jingzhi's building, Xiao Xiao paid the fare and got out of the car. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a black car parked next to her that looked familiar. She couldn't help but take a second look. In the light of the taxi's headlights, she could vaguely see a figure inside.
Xiao Xiao went over and knocked on the car window. The person inside paused for a moment, then rolled down the window.
A cloud of smoke billowed towards them. Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "Why don't you go up?"
Wang Yuhan gave a wry smile and spoke honestly: "It's a contradiction."
"A contradiction?" Xiao Xiao's face showed a hint of surprise.
Wang Yuhan nodded slightly, changing the subject, "Did she call you?"
Xiao Xiao nodded.
"Then let's go upstairs. Don't keep her waiting. I'll sit for a while and then leave."
Xiao Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "She's still a child, and often she doesn't know what she wants. Give her some more time, and she'll understand."
A bitter smile appeared on Wang Yuhan's lips. He looked at Xiao Xiao and shook his head: "Nobody is a child. Everyone has to be responsible for their own actions. Nobody can stand still and wait for someone else forever. I'm tired, very tired."
Xiao Xiao bent down to look inside the car, raised her eyebrows slightly, smiled at Wang Yuhan, and nodded: "Okay, I will pass on your message."
Wang Yuhan felt a little embarrassed at being exposed. He wiped the bitterness off his face, coughed twice, and curved his lips into a smile. "If only she were half as smart as you."
Zhang Jingzhi & Xiao Xiao
Wang Yuhan felt a little embarrassed at being exposed. He wiped the bitterness off his face, coughed twice, and curved his lips into a smile. "If only she were half as smart as you."
“She’s not stupid, it’s just that sometimes, um—” Xiao Xiao pointed to her temple, “she can’t get it right here, she’ll insist on things she shouldn’t insist on. With that guy, it’s better to be cold than warm right now. You’re always chasing after her, but if you suddenly stop chasing and disappear, she’ll stop and look for you.”
Wang Yuhan feigned surprise as he looked at Xiao Xiao, "Are you really her friend? Why are you telling me all this? It sounds like you're on my side."
Xiao Xiao chuckled, "It's precisely because I'm truly her friend that I know how to treat her well. Alright, now you can give me what you brought. I also think it's best if you don't go up there for the time being."
Wang Yuhan smiled, took the thermos out of the car, and handed it to Xiao Xiao: "You have sharp eyes, you even noticed this!"
Xiao Xiao took it and asked, "What were you conflicted about just now?"
"The dilemma is whether to continue exploiting that girl's pitifully small amount of conscience, whether to let her continue feeling guilty or to go up and accept her apology."
Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Let her continue to feel guilty!" She then pointed to her chest, "That's where the girl's most vulnerable spot is; you should make good use of it."
Both men wore cunning smiles and exchanged a knowing laugh.
Just then, Zhang Jingzhi sneezed loudly in bed, suddenly felt a bit cold, touched her forehead, and muttered, "Could it be that my fever has spiked again? That can't be, I've already had four IV drips!"
Hearing the doorbell ring, Zhang Jingzhi got up and opened the door for Xiao Xiao. She glared at her irritably, then wrapped herself in the blanket and climbed back into bed, rolling her eyes and grumbling, "You still know to come see me? Did you have a nightmare because you felt guilty?"
Seeing that Zhang Jingzhi's face was indeed a bit pale, Xiao Xiao understood that she was a patient and decided not to argue with her. She raised the thermos in her hand and asked, "Do you want it? If not, I'll throw it away!"
Before the words had even finished, Zhang Jingzhi nimbly climbed off the bed and snatched the thermos from Xiao Xiao's hand. Xiao Xiao's cherry lips parted slightly as she looked at Zhang Jingzhi in surprise, wondering if she was really a patient. She seemed quite energetic. She had originally wanted to check Zhang Jingzhi's forehead temperature, but seeing her condition, she decided it wasn't necessary.
Zhang Jingzhi sat down at the table and said angrily, "Don't think that will make me forgive you, no way! What did you cook?"
"Huh?" Xiao Xiao didn't know how to answer, because she had forgotten to ask earlier.
"Ah~, why is it millet porridge? I thought you would make me congee with preserved egg and lean pork!" Zhang Jingzhi was a little disappointed. She knew Xiao Xiao's cooking skills, and it was a waste that she only cooked the simplest millet porridge. She scooped out a spoonful to look at it and was even more puzzled, "Why is it so reddish?"
Zhang Jingzhi frowned after smelling it and looked at Xiao Xiao: "You little brat, are you doing this on purpose? You know I'm feeling hot and bothered, yet you still put brown sugar in it for me. Do you think I'm in postpartum confinement?"
Xiao Xiao was stunned at first, then burst into laughter, leaving Zhang Jingzhi completely bewildered, who frowned as he looked at her.
Xiao Xiao laughed until she was breathless, saying intermittently, "I...don't...know...haha..."
Zhang Jingzhi reached out and touched Xiao Xiao's forehead, wondering if the child also had a fever. What was she saying? Didn't she know that she had cooked the porridge?
Xiao Xiao dodged Zhang Jingzhi's hand, forced herself to stop laughing, and looked at Zhang Jingzhi with tears in her eyes.
Zhang Jingzhi suddenly remembered something, frowned, and asked Xiao Xiao suspiciously, "Did you see Wang Yuhan?"
Xiao Xiao was taken aback by the question, wondering how she knew. She pulled over the thermos to look at it, but there was no sign of Wang Yuhan. She then looked up at Zhang Jingzhi with a strange expression, wondering how she could have guessed that it was cooked by Wang Yuhan.
Zhang Jingzhi glanced at Xiao Xiao indifferently, scooped up a spoonful, put it in her mouth, swallowed it, and then said in a low voice, "Because once when he had a cold, I teased him and deliberately said that if you have a cold, you need to drink millet porridge with brown sugar to get better faster!"
It was before the Lunar New Year when Zhang Jingzhi and Yang Lei went on a date. On the way back, Yang Lei was called away by his ex-girlfriend, leaving Zhang Jingzhi alone on the dark road. She encountered a robber who stole her bag and phone. She even had a 100-meter sprint with the robber. In her panic, she tried to call Yang Lei, but instead remembered Wang Yuhan's number.
At the time, Wang Yuhan had a bad cold, but he still rushed over in a huff. The two of them stood there for a while, and the next day his cold got even worse. He called her, whining and complaining that no one was taking care of him and asking her to come over. But she refused him "righteously and firmly" and even played a trick on him by telling him that the things women drink during postpartum confinement are supposed to cure a cold.
Zhang Jingzhi remained silent, lowering her head to drink spoonfuls of millet porridge mixed with brown sugar. The thick rice soup rolled from the tip of her tongue to her throat, turning from slightly sweet to slightly bitter.
It turns out, her heart could have been so hard!
Xiao Xiao noticed Zhang Jingzhi's awkwardness and snatched the bowl from her hand, "Since you know it will cause internal heat, then don't drink it!"
With red eyes, Zhang Jingzhi snatched the bowl back, lowered her head and drank it all, then poured herself another bowl and continued drinking.
"Why bother?" Xiao Xiao sighed. "I ran into him downstairs just now. He said he was tired, very tired. Zhang Jingzhi, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're not getting any younger, your brain isn't very sharp, your looks are only average to above average, your temper isn't very good, and you're always two-faced and pretentious. You—"
"Alright! If you say another word, I'll have to go back to the factory!" Zhang Jingzhi shouted, glancing sideways at Xiao Xiao, thinking to herself, am I really that bad? I'm a graduate of a prestigious university, tall, good-looking, gentle, elegant, and from a respectable family. How come in her mouth I'm completely useless?
Xiao Xiao saw Zhang Jingzhi staring at her, raised her eyebrows and looked back at her defiantly, then looked at herself again, then looked at Zhang Jingzhi, and raised the corners of her mouth.
Zhang Jingzhi slumped dejectedly onto the table. She couldn't compare to her. Whether it was figure, appearance, personality, or family background, she was no match for this girl. They had managed to get into the same school, but that girl was an excellent student with an average score of over 90, while she... well, let's not even talk about it. Zhang Jingzhi had always suspected that the reason she hadn't failed a single course in four years of university was probably because of her name. The teachers could tell at a glance that she was a girl, so they would at least give her some face and give her a few extra points each time.
Sigh, comparing goods will only lead to waste, comparing people will only lead to ruin!
Zhang Jingzhi was silent for a moment, then said in a muffled voice, "I don't know either. I don't understand what's wrong with me right now."
That night, the two of them huddled in bed, unable to sleep. Suddenly, Zhang Jingzhi asked, "Xiao Xiao, what is love?"
Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking, then frowned slightly and looked at Zhang Jingzhi, saying seriously, "I think you should ask me what love is. I'm more familiar with that question."
Zhang Jingzhi pulled out a pillow and slapped Xiao Xiao on the shoulder, laughing and scolding, "You little devil!"
Xiao Xiao also laughed, but after laughing, a trace of fatigue appeared on her face. She habitually reached for a cigarette, but realized that she had forgotten to bring one when she came out in such a hurry. She nudged Zhang Jingzhi and said, "Where did your old man put his cigarettes? Find me some."
Zhang Jingzhi said irritably, "Why are you doing it again? I haven't seen you do it for months. You should quit if you can!"
"Haven't you smoked for months?" Xiao Xiao paused, then ignored her. She got out of bed barefoot and went to the study to find cigarettes. After a while, she came back in the dark with a cigarette in her mouth. The cigarette glowed in the darkness, and the smell was so strong that even Xiao Xiao couldn't help but cough.
Xiao Xiao hugged the ashtray and climbed back onto the bed, sitting up wrapped in the blanket.
Zhang Jingzhi asked, "What are you thinking about, hmm?"
Xiao Xiao took a deep drag of her cigarette. "Think about a sentence I heard today."
"What did you say?"
"The most terrifying thing in life is persisting in what you shouldn't have persisted in, and giving up what you shouldn't have given up."
Zhang Jingzhi remained silent, pondering for a long time before softly speaking: "It is indeed terrifying, regardless of which rule you have broken. And you, which rule do you fall under now?"
Xiao Xiao shook her head. "I don't know. I only know that I'm not happy right now. I've been unhappy ever since the day I decided to break up with Jiang Sicheng."
"Serves you right! You brought your unhappiness on yourself. You finally met such a good man, and you still had to dump him. You're just crazy!"
Xiao Xiao didn't argue, but simply asked, "What do you think he loves about me? Is his love really that deep?"
Zhang Jingzhi didn't know how to answer. When you're in love, nothing is a reason; when you're not in love, everything is a reason. She stammered for a long time, "I guess you got your head caught in a door!"
"Wang Yuhan must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to fall for someone as heartless as you!"
"Look at you!" Zhang Jingzhi shouted indignantly, "You said you didn't care about the young police officer, but I only said one thing and you got upset. Is there any way you can be so protective of your own? Xiao Xiao, I think you'd better just admit it honestly, you've been completely tamed by the young police officer!"
Xiao Xiao stopped talking back, and the two of them remained silent. After a while, Zhang Jingzhi suddenly said, "Xiao Xiao, could it be that everyone else is fine, and we're the ones who got dumped?"