Chi Cheng's tone was teasing, "Don't you know whether I'm a man or not?"
He paused, his tone turning somewhat contemptuous, "Is this playing hard to get interesting?"
Shi Ling looked at him calmly, "I already said it, it's a breakup."
She glanced down at the time again, her expression revealing impatience.
"Get out of the way."
Chi Cheng stared at her for a while, then let go of her hand. As she brushed past him, he grabbed her again and pushed her against the wall.
He had done this countless times when they were together, so he was very familiar with it. He would even reach out and interlock his fingers with hers, their bodies pressed against the wall in perfect harmony.
The two hadn't been this close in a long time; Shi Ling's face was almost touching his collar. She could smell his faint tobacco scent and knew that he had probably switched to a different brand of cigarettes recently.
Chi Cheng asked her slowly and deliberately, "What, do you really want to break up with me?"
He finished with a soft "hmm" in a rising tone, its early morning nasal quality and Adam's apple trembling, exploding sensually in Shi Ling's ear.
Without hesitation, Shi Ling replied, "Yes."
Chi Cheng didn't get angry. He asked her calmly, "Then why did you get together with me in the first place?"
Shi Ling avoided answering, but instead made a pointed remark, "To be frank, you weren't exactly focused back then either."
Chi Cheng couldn't stand hearing her say that. He squinted at her and said in an unfriendly tone, "Are you really devoted to me? You're with me but you're still thinking about other men."
Shi Ling smiled and said, "Then we're even."
**
When Shi Ling arrived at the station, Xu Yiting was already waiting for her with two cups of coffee.
She didn't recognize him at first; they hadn't seen each other for four or five years. Xu Yiting no longer had the buzz cut that everyone was required to have in high school, and he had taken off his glasses. It wasn't until Xu Yiting waved and called out to her that she saw him.
Xu Yiting smiled familiarly, "I thought you weren't coming."
Shi Ling was quite late: "A cat got into my room just now, so I was delayed."
Xu Yiting, who had lived in the UK for four or five years, laughed when he heard this, "I should have picked you up from your dorm and helped you catch the cat. The ecosystem here is so good. Actually, the reception area doesn't allow cats in the dorms. It was the same in my old dorm. There were always people who liked to pet cats, but they only stopped after being warned by the reception."
After he finished speaking, he joked with her, "You haven't changed at all. You're still beautiful and aloof. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get you to go out with me, just like Ziyang."
When Chen Ziyang was in his senior year of high school, he suddenly started openly pursuing Shi Ling. He sent her text messages for a week without receiving a reply. Finally, he texted her to meet him at the playground, but she waited for him all night. He couldn't hold back anymore and questioned her in front of the whole class, saying that if she wanted to refuse, she should at least reply with a text message to save him from wasting tens of yuan on phone bills. It turned out that Shi Ling had stopped using a cell phone since her senior year of high school.
This incident was always treated as a joke by the whole class.
Shi Ling shook her head. "I don't know what got into him. Maybe he's under a lot of academic pressure."
Last week, several people asked Shi Ling where she had been. Knowing that she had good grades and had passed the postgraduate entrance exam, they assumed she had already enrolled in a university in China. Later, Shi Ling posted a rare location-based update on her WeChat Moments, which served as an explanation of her whereabouts to avoid further inquiries.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yiting messaged her privately.
Xu Yiting was her high school classmate. His family immigrated to the UK before the college entrance examination.
Shi Ling also found it quite a coincidence that, after all the twists and turns, she and her high school classmate became alumni again in the UK.
Xu Yiting had planned to study abroad long ago. He came from a wealthy family and didn't have the pressure of the college entrance exam, so he was very popular in his class. Even though Shi Ling was rather aloof, she acknowledged that the friendships she formed with her classmates in high school were far superior to those formed in her university class.
So when Xu Yiting offered to be her guide, Shi Ling readily agreed. Meeting an old classmate she hadn't seen for four or five years in a foreign country was quite a coincidence.
Although the two were not very familiar with each other before, they had many memories from high school. They could talk about each other's current situation without feeling awkward and quickly became acquainted.
Xu Yiting: "Did you know that Fatty and Jiajia got married? I never would have imagined in high school that Fatty could win Jiajia's heart. You and Jiajia were the goddesses of our class."
When Shi Ling spoke of her high school classmates, her tone was gentle, "I even asked Xi Bao to bring a red envelope to their wedding. They're a good couple."
"Oh right, Xixi was a bridesmaid. I remember Xixi was your best friend. We used to say that only she could be good to you, and no one else could talk to you for more than a few words."
Am I that scary?
"It's mainly about beauty. Let me tell you, when we boys were playing basketball in our class, we were still hesitating about who to send to invite you to watch. Then Ziyang said, 'We can't let you get sunburned,' so we all agreed."
Feeling embarrassed by Xu Yiting's words, Shi Ling said apologetically, "I've been studying all high school and haven't had time to talk to you guys much."
"It's okay, hey, let me tell you a secret, only we guys know this: Fatty and Jiajia got married because she was pregnant."
"real?"
"Yes, just wait and see when their baby will be born, it'll probably be soon."
Xu Yiting added, "Studying for a master's degree in the UK is quite boring. You probably live alone in a room. You don't know many people. I'm currently living in a house owned by a Chinese landlord. My roommates are all quite fun. Come visit me next time!"
Shi Ling nodded in agreement.
The two only strolled around central London briefly, made plans to visit the Harry Potter film set next time, and then headed home after dinner.
When she arrived, Shi Ling didn't ask him to pick her up. The two agreed to meet at the nearest bus stop to the school. On the way back, Xu Yiting insisted on taking her back to the AL building.
Shi Ling went up to the second floor and saw Chi Cheng standing at the door of the dormitory next to theirs, talking to a girl with short chestnut hair.
He glanced at Shi Ling, but pretended not to see her and continued talking to the girl with his head down.
Chi Cheng has always been good to his female friends. When a group of friends go out, he can take care of everything, and everyone thinks that they have the best relationship with him.
The words Shi Ling used to shut him up today have come true.
When Shi Ling passed by, she overheard the girl talking to Chi Cheng.
"You're roommates? Why are you acting like strangers? She's so rude."
A while later, when Shi Ling went downstairs to take out the trash, she paused for a moment at the door and suddenly saw a bright yellow warning sign that forbade cats from entering.
Walking towards the garbage room, I saw Chi Cheng again. He and the short-haired girl from before were rummaging through a large box next to the dormitory building.
He was bent over with his head down, a small section of his waist even showing behind his clothes. Chi Cheng had always been confident in his physique, and Shi Ling thought it was mostly a deliberate display of his physique. She couldn't see his expression either; his bangs covered his eyes as he focused on fiddling with the box.
The girl stood next to him, head bowed, very close to him, chattering away. She seemed to say something, and then playfully pretended to kick him; Chi Cheng dodged her gesture symbolically.
Sure enough, he raised his head and revealed a triumphant smile.
Looking up, Chi Cheng saw Shi Ling's profile, her eyes fixed straight ahead, walking past not far away. He watched her enter the apartment building out of the corner of his eye, only to realize that he had put his suitcase upside down.
The unpleasant parting in the corridor today made Chi Cheng hesitate for a moment in front of Shi Ling's door, raising his hand to knock but then pulling it back.
To my surprise, she didn't respond when I knocked on the door.
Chi Cheng pushed the doorknob directly.
Except for fools like Fang Ze and Zhao Yongbin who forget to lock the door in the morning, no one can usually get into the four-person room from the outside. Sometimes they lock the door before going to bed.
Shi Ling has always been sensitive to the cold, so she turned the bath water up extremely hot and set the room's heating to the highest setting.
She was still warm after her shower, quickly dried her hair, and came out wrapped only in a bath towel.
Shi Ling pushed open the bathroom door, her pupils contracting.
The bedroom lights that were on were turned off, leaving only a table lamp.
There was a figure on the swivel chair in front of the table.
He sat with his back to her, the desk lamp casting a long shadow of him. His long, slender fingers rested on the table as he toyed with a pen.
Shi Ling squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room.
She finally realized that even without seeing his face, she was very familiar with Chi Cheng's languid posture.
The bathroom door creaked open and closed, and Chi Cheng, with a push of his long legs, turned around.
The dim light of the desk lamp illuminated a vivid and alluring picture of a beautiful woman emerging from her bath.
Her bath towel was only wrapped around her chest, and her hair was still wet, with water dripping down her body, some of the water droplets meandering down her chest.
Shi Ling didn't turn on the light, nor did she ask him silly questions like how he got in.
She casually picked up a towel to dry her hair, acting as if Chi Cheng didn't exist.
Chi Cheng is a person who is inherently noble and proud.
Shi Ling had severely provoked him last time, so even if he was still tempted, he would not try to conquer Shi Ling by sleeping with her again.
Chi Cheng was surprised that she came out dressed like that.
He stared at her intently for a few moments. His once clear eyes were now bloodshot and clouded when he looked at Shi Ling. Chi Cheng still managed to speak, "Let's talk?"
Shi Ling sat on the edge of the bed while drying her hair.
After she sat down, the towel became even shorter, completely failing to cover her curves.
Two legs were crossed, with a bath towel propped up against them. Because of the poor lighting, the gap between the towel and the legs appeared dark and deep, sparking the imagination.
Shi Ling exchanged a glance with him, "Okay."
Chi Cheng explained, "What you saw today was Coco and me making a cat house outside, telling her not to bring the cat into the dorm anymore, and the cat won't be coming in anymore."
Chi Cheng naturally didn't intend to lower his noble head to Shi Ling so quickly. He didn't feel guilty, but Shi Ling's mention of it during the day, and the fact that she happened to see him with other girls, made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
Shi Ling acted as if it were none of her business, "Should I thank you?"
Chi Cheng smiled. "How do you plan to thank me?"
Shi Ling ignored him, so he continued tentatively, "How about we go back to the way things were before we were together..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
The phone on the table vibrated and buzzed a few times.
Shi Ling got up, picked up her phone from the table, and Chi Cheng was sitting next to her. She walked closer and noticed that his freshly washed hair still smelled sweet.
As she turned around, a slight sway caused a drop of water to fall onto Chi Cheng's arm. Like cold water falling into a hot pot, he was already feeling the scorching heat from Shi Ling's room, and this made him feel like his blood was flowing to nowhere.
Unexpectedly, the next second after Shi Ling picked up her phone, her already flimsy bath towel came undone.
Chi Cheng looked at her from behind. The bath towel, tied in front, spread out from the sides like two wings, and finally slipped down from the back.
The bath towel slid down, revealing her back, waistline, pert buttocks, and slender legs. The lamp cast a shadow on her profile, making her look like the most perfect human sculpture.
The bath towel fell onto the carpet without making a sound.
Chi Cheng's mind went blank.
Chi Cheng froze for two seconds, his body reacting faster than he could, forgetting what he hadn't finished saying, his reason completely gone. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her onto his lap.
His voice was rough, as if it had been sanded, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between clenched teeth, "Shi Ling, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Chi Cheng casually grabbed her, not even sure where he placed his hand, but his fingers landed directly on her smooth, bare skin, feeling its softness in his hands. The sensation sent a rush of blood to his lower abdomen, and he immediately regretted it. His earlier words about going back to how things were before they got together were nothing short of a slap in the face.
Sure enough, Shi Ling let out a contemptuous sneer.