As a result, several people stopped her and asked her about Chi Cheng, asking why she didn't bring her new boyfriend along.
Several girls have always disliked Shi Ling's aloof and cold personality, thinking she's pretentious.
Hearing this made them even more excited, and they said something vulgar: "Maybe he's not her boyfriend, maybe they have some other relationship."
It implies that the person is a casual sex partner who is afraid to be seen in public.
Shi Ling couldn't figure it out. If she didn't dare to see anyone, why did she have Chi Cheng accompany her to the defense during the day?
She had a few friends with whom she had a decent relationship, and they were quite concerned about her. They asked her to bring Chi Cheng along for a trip. It was a rare opportunity for everyone to get together like this, since they wouldn't see each other again after graduation.
Yi Yi and the others naturally wanted Shi Ling to go with them, as they had always had a good relationship in the dormitory.
He secretly pulled Shi Ling.
Shi Ling hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay."
She then sent the address to Chi Cheng.
When Chi Cheng arrived, they had already booked a huge private room, and some people had already started shouting.
Shi Ling saw him come in, and his gaze swept across the crowd before he spotted her.
After greeting everyone, I went straight to her.
Chi Cheng clearly knew what the occasion was, so he changed his clothes, making sure they were different from what he had worn that morning.
He had a flamboyant look, wearing a hoop earring, his hair parted in the middle, and a patterned black shirt that clearly outlined his upper body. However, he had to roll up the cuffs of his pants to expose a section of his ankle, making them look loose and baggy.
After they came in, everyone shouted a few times, half-jokingly, "Handsome guy!"
Shi Ling rolled her eyes inwardly. This way, others would probably think they were just friends with benefits.
He sat down and naturally took Shi Ling's hand.
Someone asked Shi Ling how they met, but it was noisy, so Shi Ling just gave a brief explanation.
Upon hearing that Chi Cheng is from Guangzhou, she screamed, "Oh my god, he's playing a Cantonese song! I can't stand that Brother Niu has been singing Cantonese in a non-standard way for the past four years."
Shi Ling smiled, let go of his hand, and pushed him, "Then go ahead."
Chi Cheng didn't forget to kiss her on the cheek, which made the girl next to him scream again.
When he got up, he whispered to Shi Ling, "You two are so nice."
Shi Ling and she usually had a casual relationship and no conflicts. She pursed her lips and nodded, "It's alright."
When Chi Cheng bent down to stand in front of the karaoke machine, he was patted on the shoulder.
He turned his head and saw a girl who stood out among the group, with a heart drawn on her eyelids.
Hi, do you remember me?
Chi Cheng frowned and remained silent.
She held up her finger and made a smoking gesture.
Her fingertips were a bright red color, and as she gestured while smoking, she added a popping sound.
"At the library entrance, you were smoking, and I asked you for your WeChat."
Chi Cheng had no recollection of it and nodded casually.
"My name is Han Yue. I didn't expect you to be Shi Ling's boyfriend."
Chi Cheng finally spoke, "Yes."
She chuckled. "No wonder you're ignoring me."
Author's Note: This chapter seems to correspond to the previous ones... I'll revise it tomorrow.
Chapter 29
Han Yue's reputation has been bad for the past four years, but that doesn't mean she treats everyone that way. At least she hasn't flirted with anyone in her class.
She can distinguish clearly who can afford to play the game and who can't.
It just so happens that Chi Cheng possesses this kind of charisma. He's always been out having fun, and his natural magnetic presence in a crowd naturally drew Han Yue's attention. Even though he's recently settled down and doesn't want to go out anymore, his charisma is still hard to completely conceal.
Like most people probably thought, Shi Ling's ex-boyfriend was an honest but boring person. Now, during her breakup, she got together with Chi Cheng out of rebellion, and their relationship was probably just a fling.
When Chi Cheng finished selecting a song and got up to return to his seat, Han Yue tugged at his sleeve, saying, "Sit here and play for a while."
Chi Cheng pulled his clothes back, gave her a warning glance, and returned to his seat without saying anything.
However, just one glance from him made Han Yue's heart itch unbearably.
It's unclear whether he was playing hard to get or simply didn't like her.
Chi Cheng was used to this kind of thing. He had been single for a long time and was not in a hurry to find a girlfriend. He would accept anyone who seemed to be to his liking.
It was just a matter of mutual consent; he expressed his feelings to Han Yue and then forgot about it.
He sat down and put his arm around Shi Ling, and the two exchanged a few words every now and then.
Because the KTV was noisy, their conversation turned into whispered sweet nothings. Sometimes, while they were talking, Chi Cheng would mischievously press his lips against her earlobe.
This earned him a glare from Shi Ling.
Shi Ling asked him, "When are you going back to Guangzhou?"
Chi Cheng didn't want to talk about it. "Let's talk about it later."
Humans aren't machines. He did well on his IELTS test in Hong Kong and thought that the test was over, so he could relax and have fun for a few months until he went abroad. He relaxed completely.
Chi Cheng's review wasn't as diligent as Shi Ling's, which allowed him to manage his time more effectively. However, he started preparing early, and at this pace, he'll definitely pass the IELTS exam. This is his attitude towards everything—unhurried and methodical—but it doesn't mean he's completely careless.
He put his heart into it, and after the exam, he felt relieved.
However, he was suddenly asked to pick up IELTS again and aim for a higher score, with only two months left.
This feeling of weariness and depression is like waiting for the tide to recede, lying on the beach and comfortably watching the stars, only to have the next wave roll back and slam you into the boundless sea, leaving you powerless to resist.
Sometimes, the more pressing the timeframe, the more people tend to procrastinate and avoid facing the issue.
Chi Cheng always does things this way: he uses six or seven tenths of his strength, never eight or nine tenths, which makes him seem very capable.
So he didn't show his agitation to Shi Ling at all.
When Shi Ling asked him that question, he was even less willing to answer.
Before Shi Ling could say anything more, it was already his turn to sing.
Chi Cheng took the microphone from the other end.
He leaned close to Shi Ling's ear and said, "Listen carefully."
Chi Cheng did an excellent job with these details; he used to only sing songs that highlighted his voice and singing skills.
Later, when the two got together, he almost never touched any lyrics about sad love songs, at least not in front of Shi Ling.
The song "Everywhere You Kiss" contains a few lines that express genuine feelings.
Be careful
One kiss and all beings are captivated.
A kiss can save a person
A kiss steals a heart
One kiss can kill a person
"An inch of kiss is worth an inch of gold"
Originally sung by Miriam Yeung, his rendition took on a unique charm.
Especially his standard Cantonese pronunciation, Shi Ling noticed that even the people sitting on the side furthest from them were looking over.
Shi Ling tried to separate their clasped hands, but Chi Cheng looked at her with a smile in his eyes and used his strength to prevent her from pulling away.
After he finished singing one song, someone requested another one, asking him to sing "Next Year Today".
Before Chi Cheng could put the microphone back, he answered into it, his voice audible to everyone in the private room.
"I only sing songs that Shi Ling likes."
Shi Ling pouted; he just disliked the lyrics because of their negative connotations.
Chi Cheng's words were a polite way of declining; the others, who were not familiar with him, did not press the matter.
The next person holding the microphone looked on with envy at Shi Ling, jokingly saying, "Unlike me, I can only sing what I like."
This drew bursts of laughter from the crowd.
Shi Ling still remembered what she had just said. Once the others were no longer looking at them, she spoke to Chi Cheng in a low voice.
"Chi Cheng, you should go back to Guangzhou."
Chi Cheng finally caught the implication in her words and frowned as he asked, "Aren't you coming with me?"
Shi Ling originally wanted to go back with him, but during her thesis defense today, the teacher said it would be best to stay at school and wait for the results, as some people would need to defend their theses a second time. There were also some other miscellaneous things to do after graduation, which the teacher mentioned today as well. For example, sending her academic records back to her hometown and filling out graduation forms.
There was much more to it than she had imagined.
She said, "I might have to come see you a little later. There's a lot going on at school after graduation, so you should go back and take your exams first."
After Shi Ling said that, Chi Cheng was even less willing to go back.
Going back means studying. He's not single anymore. If Shi Ling isn't around, you can imagine how incredibly boring and tedious his studying days will be.
He tried to be patient, saying, "Honey, let's go back to the hotel and discuss it further."
Seeing that Shi Ling was about to say something, Chi Cheng cut her off, "You really want me to leave?"
Shi Ling frowned as well. "That's not what I meant."
She knew he was saying that on purpose, "Chi Cheng, can you stop avoiding the problem?"
Chi Cheng tried to coax her haphazardly, "We'll talk about it when we get back, okay? Be good."
Shi Ling noticed that there were people watching the commotion, so she ultimately decided to remain silent.
The two stopped talking about it, but the atmosphere had become a bit tense, and they had nothing else to say for the moment.