"Perhaps it's the nourishment of love?"
"You haven't even managed to win her over, what kind of love is that?" Chu Yi couldn't help but pour cold water on her enthusiasm, but Cheng Li scoffed lightly, confident and certain.
"That's just a matter of time."
"..." Chu Yi knew that this person had never failed in love since childhood. There were only people she didn't like, not people who didn't like her.
She was too lazy to dwell on the topic anymore. Anyway, even if a relationship started, it would only be the first step for her. Cheng Li's love life was full of ups and downs, whether she was under a spell or not. She had changed boyfriends countless times since she met Chu Yi.
"I got this autographed photo for you when I visited you on set last time." Chu Yi took the photo out of her bag and gave it to Cheng Li. Cheng Li took it, looked at the autograph, and smiled.
"Wishing Miss Chestnut finds true love soon, and a lifetime of happiness and joy. — Ji Mubai"
"What is this? People are willing to write this for you? Such corny words." Cheng Li asked with a sneer. Chu Yi recalled Ji Mubai's helpless shaking of his head at that time and pursed her lips.
"Forget it, give it back to me." She reached out to snatch it back, but Cheng Li quickly covered the autographed photo to her chest and looked at her warily.
“There’s no reason to take it back now that it’s been given. Besides, my name is on it, what can you do with it?”
As Cheng Li spoke, she continued to examine the handwriting and said to herself, "I must say, Ji Mubai's handwriting is not bad, but it's still a bit worse than my professor's. But these two sentences are quite good. Although they are a bit rustic, they are simple and sincere, which is very suitable for me at this stage."
"..." Chu Yi didn't want to talk to her at all. She turned her grief and anger into her appetite and ate the cake in front of her. She had just finished eating when she suddenly saw Cheng Li staring at a certain spot.
Chu Yi followed her gaze and saw a couple sitting by the window, about four or five tables away from them.
They were both quite good-looking and seemed like a good match, especially the man, who was wearing a light blue shirt and cardigan. He had a fair and handsome face, dark eyes, and a cool demeanor, which made people think of the phrase "a high-class beauty."
Hmm? A high-class beauty?
Chu Yi looked at Cheng Li's expression as she stared intently at the other end, and her mind immediately clicked, allowing her to roughly guess the person's identity.
Before she could even speak, the woman in front of her had already pushed back her chair and walked over there. Chu Yi quickly stood up, swallowed the cake in her mouth, gripped her bag tightly with worry, and became wary.
In case Cheng Li loses his temper and starts a fight, she can immediately take her people and run away.
well.
Being in the first year of junior high school is also mentally exhausting.
She had become quite adept at handling such situations by following Cheng Li around; otherwise, how could she have displayed such explosive fighting power and become a completely different person when she fought off the mistress last time?
"Ji Fanning." Chu Yi heard Cheng Li call out the man's name coldly. Sure enough, she guessed right.
"What are you doing here? Who is she?" Cheng Li questioned directly, her tone sharp and imposing. Chu Yi closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.
The man sitting there showed no sign of panic. He quietly watched Cheng Li until she herself felt a little guilty under his gaze.
"Excuse me, I have some personal matters to attend to." Ji Fanning nodded politely to the woman opposite him, then stood up and glanced at Cheng Li indifferently.
"Come with me."
Chu Yi watched as Cheng Li, who had been like a fighting rooster just moments before, seemed to have been plucked of his feathers in an instant. Reluctantly yet obediently, she followed him out. Her mouth was agape as she stared blankly at their backs as they disappeared through the doorway.
Oh my god.
There are actually people in this world who can subdue Cheng Li.
Brave warrior, hero!
About five or six minutes later, the two returned. Cheng Li, her face slightly flushed, sat down opposite Chu Yi without saying a word.
"Hello?" Chu Yi waved his hand, and the person who was still immersed in his own emotions came back to his senses, said "Ah", and looked at Chu Yi.
"What were you doing just now? Why do you look like you've just been pampered?" Chu Yi looked her over suspiciously. Cheng Li rolled her eyes and returned to normal.
"Nothing much," she replied casually, stirring her coffee with the metal spoon, though a smile she couldn't hide in her eyes and at the corners of her mouth.
Chu Yi: "..." In my lifetime, I can't believe I can still see the words "girlish infatuation" on Cheng Li's face.
It seems that Ji Fanning is no ordinary person.
"You're finished." Chu Yi gave a serious evaluation after scrutinizing her. Cheng Li propped her cheek with one hand, gazing at Ji Fanning's figure not far away with affection.
"I'm finished a long time ago."
"I knew I was doomed the moment I saw him."
"..."
After meeting with Cheng Li and returning home, Chu Yi was absent-minded. On one hand, she was genuinely worried about her friend, and on the other hand, she was filled with emotion.
Love is like a cup of wine; anyone who drinks it will get drunk.
Before going to bed at night, it was the usual time for the couple to chat. Chu Yi couldn't help but confide in Qiao Anchen.
"Cheng Li really likes that professor. He made her behave like a little devil with just one sentence. She used to be a lawless Tyrannosaurus Rex!"
"Hmm, what's that professor like?" Qiao Anchen asked casually, flipping through the book in his hand, his eyes never leaving it.
"He looks quite appealing and seems like a proper intellectual, but I don't know what his personality is like."
“That’s perfect, he’ll be a good match for Cheng Li.” Qiao Anchen suddenly said this, and Chu Yi looked at him in surprise.
"Huh, why do you say that?"
“One serious and one unserious, aren’t they a perfect match?” Qiao Anchen replied, tilting his head with a very serious expression. Chu Yi burst out laughing and asked him with interest.
"So, do you think we're a good match?"
“Of course we’re a good match,” Qiao Anchen replied without hesitation. Chu Yi, curious, immediately pressed for details.
Where can I find a match?
Qiao Anchen put away the book in his hand, pulled back the covers and lay down, looking like he was about to go to sleep. He glanced at Chu Yi and emphasized his words.
"It fits anywhere."
It sounded like a perfunctory response. Chu Yi pouted in dissatisfaction, watched him turn off the light, and then stubbornly shook his arm, clinging to him.
"No, that's not right. It's like you said nothing at all..."
"Tell me quickly, how are we a good match?"
Qiao Anchen's head ached from being shaken. He swayed a couple of times, then put his arm around her shoulder, pulled her into his arms, and patted her head, his attitude unusually gentle and patient.
"I love you, so I deserve everything."
The air became completely still.
Chu Yi buried her face in his chest, as quiet as a chicken.
My heart was pounding in my chest, strong and powerful, deafening.
Chu Yi felt like she had also gotten drunk on the wine of love.
The year-end is approaching and the Spring Festival is just around the corner.
Before we knew it, another year had passed.
Thinking back to last year, she and Qiao Anchen were still strangers to each other. In the first year of junior high school, she was full of resentment towards him, but she would often soften her heart because of some small things.
For example, that snowy night when Qiao Anchen carried her back, his focused and calm profile—that scene was etched into Chu Yi's mind for a long time.
That was the first time she truly realized that even though Qiao Anchen was unqualified in her eyes, the shining qualities he possessed still irresistibly attracted her.
This point has been confirmed countless times since then.
The Lunar New Year's Eve was spent at Qiao Anchen's parents' house. Inevitably, the topic of the child was brought up again, both openly and subtly. Chu Yi sat there listening with a normal expression, but in the end, it was Qiao Anchen who interrupted his father's endless chatter.
"Dad, I'm a little tired, I'm going to rest first." He stood up and then looked at Chu Yi, his expression saying nothing.
"Go on, go on, let's chat with Chu Yi some more." Mr. Qiao waved his hand and said. Qiao Anchen looked at him, pursed his lips, and looked serious.
"No, I can't sleep without her."
Chuyi: "..."
The two elders: "..."
"Alright, alright, you guys go and rest." Mr. Qiao shook his head helplessly. Tian Wan glared at Qiao Anchen but didn't say anything. Chu Yi pulled out a chair and politely addressed them.
"Mom and Dad, I'll be going now."
It's only 7:30. Although it gets dark early in winter, it's a bit much to rest at this time.
The two stayed in the room, one playing on an iPad, the other fiddling with the books in the cabinet.
"Aren't you going to rest?" Chu Yi asked knowingly, lying on the bed watching TV with his legs raised in the air and shifting slightly.
"What do you think?" Qiao Anchen flipped through the yellowed book in his hand, seemingly checking something, and casually replied. Chu Yi wisely remained silent.
After watching two episodes of TV, Chu Yi felt a bit thirsty, and the dishes she ate today were all quite heavily seasoned.
She rolled out of bed and got up, ready to go outside for a drink of water.
As soon as she opened the door and stepped into the living room, she heard voices coming from the sofa. Qiao's father and Tian Wan were chatting with their backs to her.
"Sigh, our son is completely under your thumb. Look at the good daughter-in-law you picked," Qiao's father seemed to be complaining, and Tian Wan snorted.
"What do you mean I picked it? Didn't your son pick it himself? Who can force him?"
"Besides, without Chu Yi, you wouldn't even know where your daughter-in-law is, let alone your grandson."
"Your son is destined to die alone!"
"Tsk, how can you talk like that? Is this how a mother should act? Huh?" Mr. Qiao pushed up his glasses and became serious, which made Tian Wan a little angry.
"What's wrong with me? Look at you, you're always urging her to have a child, and Qiao Anchen hasn't said anything, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"Didn't you tell me this in the first place? Why would I have thought of this? So you've done all the good guys, and I'm the bad guy, huh?!"
Tian Wan felt guilty and remained silent. After a while, she finally spoke up sullenly, "I never expected Chu Yi to be so resistant. Now that she doesn't want to, we can't force her. Let nature take its course."
After she finished speaking, she slapped Mr. Qiao on the shoulder and scolded him, "Don't keep saying that all the time, or the children won't want to come next time."
"Okay, okay!" Mr. Qiao replied impatiently.
Chu Yi stood there for two seconds, then quietly went back to his room.
Hearing the door close, Qiao Anchen looked up at her and casually asked, "Weren't you going to get a drink of water? You're back so soon."
"I'm not drinking anymore." Chu Yi slumped onto the bed dejectedly, burrowed under the covers, and stayed there for a long time.
Qiao Anchen hadn't heard any movement for a while, so he looked over curiously and saw a bulge under the blanket.
He walked to the bedside and reached out to pull back the blanket.
"What's wrong?"