"There's one more thing, she used to..."
Just then, someone poked Ni Rui on the shoulder with a fingertip. She turned around and saw Zhao Xiyin standing behind her, smiling sweetly and looking quite energetic. Ni Rui looked like she'd seen a ghost, her guilty conscience written all over her face.
Zhao Xiyin affectionately took Ni Rui's arm, and if that wasn't enough, she half-hug her shoulder, almost touching her face to the ground.
The group looked at each other, wondering what was going on.
Zhao Xiyin blinked. "Do we look alike? Don't we sisters look alike?"
Everyone was stunned. "You, you, you're sisters?!"
Zhao Xiyin smiled broadly and nodded vigorously, "Yes, we have the same mother and were born from the same womb."
Ni Rui's face turned bright red, and the veins on her neck bulged with anxiety.
Someone blurted out, "Xiao Rui, didn't you say you didn't know her?"
Zhao Xiyin maintained a relaxed and cheerful expression. "My little sister is a bit naive and always likes to tell little lies. There's nothing I can do about it; she had too many fevers when she was little. Please don't mind her. Take care of her as you should. She's different from you all. Thank you! — Come on, let me treat everyone to some juice."
Cen Yue, who was behind her, immediately brought over a large bag of orange juice, placed it on the table, and enthusiastically distributed it.
As Zhao Xiyin left, she affectionately patted Ni Rui's head and said, "Did you have a fever again today? Go take some medicine, or your brain will be damaged beyond repair."
These words were already quite blunt, and everyone could hear the veiled barbs. But the difference in their levels was immediately apparent; Zhao Xiyin was truly capable, far more so than Ni Rui, that brainless little girl.
After Zhao Xiyin and Cen Yue left, the scene was quiet.
Everyone looked at each other, but no one looked at Ni Rui. They all moved away from each other in perfect unison.
Ni Rui's flushed face hadn't cooled down yet, tears welling in her eyes, utterly humiliated. The incident that day was now common knowledge, and Ni Rui had been crying on the table all afternoon, as if she had suffered a tremendous injustice.
Zhao Xiyin didn't care about other people's stares; she had already anticipated this outcome after she had abandoned all pretense of civility.
Training ended at six o'clock, but she didn't leave. Instead, she went to sit on the rooftop.
This is truly a wonderful place, with towering buildings everywhere. The western sky is shrouded in twilight, its hazy red glow not forgetting to share a portion with the east. Looking down, cars and people appear like ants; looking up, the sunset is infinitely beautiful. Zhao Xiyin seems to be sitting at the boundary between light and shadow, half radiant, half melancholic, to use that affected description.
When Meng Weixi came up, this was the scene that greeted him.
If it weren't for the wind blowing the girl's hair, he would have thought the world had stopped.
Zhao Xiyin noticed him quickly, turning around almost instantly. Their eyes met, and unusually, neither flinched. She smiled politely, a slight upturn at the corners of her lips. Meng Weixi's eyes welled up.
"Have you eaten?" he asked.
Zhao Xiyin said, "No, let's go back now."
Meng Weixi said casually, "I didn't eat either. I had a meeting all afternoon, and I only ate two eggs for lunch."
Zhao Xiyin stood up, lightly leaped off the rooftop, and dusted off her hands. "Eating eggs is good; eating eggs helps you grow taller."
Meng Weixi laughed. "I'm going to grow even taller?"
Zhao Xiyin shook her head, "No, no, no, I just remembered that my dad often says this."
She walked forward, but Meng Weixi stood still and didn't move aside, silently persisting, and then said, "Xiao west, let me treat you to dinner."
Zhao Xiyin refused without even thinking: "No need, no need."
She walked around him, about half a meter away from his shoulder.
Stepping out of the gate and onto the street, the sky was still bright. After walking for a while, Zhao Xiyin felt something was wrong; she could sense that passersby were staring at her. After a few more steps, she turned around and saw Meng Weixi driving behind her.
He looked at her through the car window, without saying a word, just staring.
After exchanging glances for a few seconds, Zhao Xiyin said helplessly, "Why don't you find a place to park? We'll just grab something to eat nearby."
Meng Weixi parked his car and jogged over as if afraid she would leave. When he saw she was still there, he smiled like a child who had received a treasure. Meng Weixi had grown up to be handsome, and his temperament had become more and more mature in recent years, but that smile just now was full of bright youthful energy.
He and Zhao Xiyin walked side by side down the street, neither of them mentioning where they were going to eat. Meng Weixi said, "Zhang Yijie told me about what happened between you at noon."
Zhao Xiyin nodded. "You're just making a fool of yourself."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
“It’s not that serious.” Zhao Xiyin said frankly, “I don’t care about these things now. I promised Teacher Dai that I would come, just to give it another try. I don’t expect to make a name for myself. If I’m happy dancing, no one can stop me. If I feel that I’m not suitable, I will leave on my own. I don’t need anyone to see me off.”
Meng Weixi smiled and said, "It's alright, do what you want."
He didn't dare say the second half of the sentence: "Do what you want to do."
I'll protect him.
Further ahead was the SOHO office building in Sanlitun Taikoo Li, its bright red sign already lit up. A pedestrian bridge spanned the road, and more and more people were starting to stroll around at night. They walked towards Uniqlo; Zhao Xiyin vaguely remembered there were a few noodle shops there.
It's so lively here. Li Ran's studio is nearby, and I used to love dragging her to the Deyun Club theater to listen to crosstalk. Li Ran has a low threshold for laughter; a single joke can make her laugh so hard she falls over. Zhao Xiyin, on the other hand, is quite reserved and it's hard to get her to laugh. Meng Weixi is the same way. When they first started dating, she came to listen to crosstalk with Li Ran, and only Li Ran laughed like a hen laying eggs. Zhao Xiyin and Meng Weixi exchanged a glance, tsk, both feeling helpless.
Later, Zhao Xiyin went to the restroom, and Meng Weixi followed her out. The two held hands and wandered around the mall aimlessly.
It was the first month of the lunar calendar, close to the Lantern Festival, and the red lanterns and colorful lights hadn't been taken down yet. In the middle of the mall were two enormous koi fish and a pair of children offering New Year's greetings. Meng Weixi, being quite mischievous, said, "Xiao west, let me take a picture of you."
Without thinking much, Zhao Xiyin stood between the two koi fish as he instructed, making a silly peace sign with her hands.
There was a band performing in the west square; there were quite a few people in the audience, and they sang really well. Zhao Xiyin listened for a while, then turned around and couldn't find Meng Weixi. By the time she found her, Meng Weixi was already standing in the band.
Meng Weixi wore a black woolen trench coat. He was tall, and the coat he wore was perfectly straight, making him look especially handsome.
He exchanged a few words with the musicians, then they gave each other an OK sign. Holding the microphone, he smiled at Zhao Xiyin, calm and composed, without a trace of stage fright. Later, the music started, and Meng Weixi spoke.