"It's nothing. Let me ask you another question: do you like this man's shoes or not?" You Ran finished explaining her strange behavior earlier.
Having been You Ran's boyfriend for so long, Qu Yun knew You Ran's temperament very well—when she was stubborn, it was best to follow her way of thinking, otherwise she would be driven crazy by her.
So instead of answering with things like "I like it," "It's okay," or "It suits my style," he simply said, "I love it."
"Good girl." You Ran peeled a pistachio and happily fed it to Qu Yun.
"Let me ask you the same question again—what are you doing?" Qu Yun's eyelids were a soft color, like cicada wings, enveloping his clear and deep eyes. At this moment, the cicada wings parted slightly, and he began to scrutinize his girlfriend in front of him.
"Don't be so concerned about me, or I'll think you're interested in me." You Ran waved her hand and continued pointing at the TV, asking, "And what about this woman's dress? Do you like it?"
"I don't love her," Qu Yun said.
Just like before, as soon as he finished speaking, his hair was pulled out again.
"Although I don't hit women, there are always exceptions," Qu Yun said casually, uttering his threat.
"Spare the rod and spoil the child. Every scar you leave on me will be a gift of your love." After giving a perfunctory reply, You Ran continued pointing at the TV screen and asked, "And what about this cabinet?"
"like."
With a broad smile, another pistachio entered Qu Yun's mouth.
If the answer is no, I'll pull out a hair or bite your arm; if the answer is yes, I'll personally feed you a pistachio.
After three or four attempts, Qu Yun's answer became consistent.
Do you love this refrigerator?
"like."
Do you like the way this room is decorated?
"like."
Do you love this mouse?
"like."
Do you love this cockroach with its body squashed flat?
"like."
Do you like Sister Furong?
"……like."
After numerous attempts, You Ran finally asked the question she most wanted to ask: "Do you love me?"
I thought Qu Yun would blurt out "I love you" without hesitation, but his lips, those beautiful and glossy lips, remained pursed.
You Ran discovered that the experiment had failed.
"Skinner, induced conditional launch, are you conducting this experiment on me?" Qu Yun's eyes were half-closed, her thick eyelashes obscuring the light in them.
You Ran held her breath. Yes, Qu Yun was right. She was reinforcing Qu Yun's behavior, making him say what she wanted to hear.
"You're treating me like a guinea pig?" Qu Yunqing's eyes were absorbing all the darkness.
"Actually, Skinner also used pigeons and cats... Does saying that make you feel any better?" You Ran swallowed.
"I prefer cats," Qu Yun said. "I especially like to think of you as a cat."
"Then I'll be the cat." You Ran was secretly pleased, thinking the topic would gradually change.
However, Qu Yun then uttered a single sentence through her icy lips: "Okay."
After saying that, Qu Yun grabbed You Ran by the collar and threw her, the cat who had made a mistake, out the door.
He leisurely got up from the ground, dusted off his bottom, wiped away his tears, and headed straight back to school to settle accounts with his mistress, that scheming strategist.
From then on, the psychologist You Ran hated the most was Skinner.
After the CET-6 exam, the final exams will be held soon. This time, You Ran decided not to cram at the last minute like in the past, and instead study seriously, hoping to get good grades.
After all, she's now the counselor's girlfriend; it wouldn't make sense for her to fail again.
So You Ran put away her playful nature and started to study seriously. As before, she studied at Qu Yun's house, but unfortunately, the two had a little disagreement.
You Ran didn't know what happened either. She only remembered that she was tired from studying, so she lay down on Qu Yun's lap to rest.
"By the way, when is your birthday?" You Ran suddenly thought of this question.
She didn't notice that when she heard the question, a strange frown appeared between Qu Yun's brows: "Why are you asking this?"
“It’s normal for boyfriends and girlfriends to ask this,” You Ran said.
"My birthday has already passed," Qu Yun said.
"How long exactly?" You Ran pressed.
"Aren't you studying?" Qu Yun's voice was still light and slow, but there was a layer of frost in his tone that was hard to detect, making him feel a little distant.
"Can't I even ask?!" The atmosphere was contagious, and You Ran's tone began to turn unpleasant.
"May 17th." After saying that, Qu Yun sat up, went to the dining room, opened a bottle of red wine, and poured it into a wine glass.
You Ran remained silent for a while, listening to the sound of the wine bottle kissing the glass, listening to the sound of the wine falling into the glass. It was originally passionate, but she felt that the touch of the glass was ultimately cold.
"You lied to me," You Ran said softly, sitting on the carpet beside the sofa.
Qu Yun sat at the table in the dining room, silently drinking his wine.
The two sat there quietly, the atmosphere becoming as cold as the January temperature outside.
You Ran couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly stood up and said to Qu Yun, "You lied to me. I saw your ID card. It says January 18th!"
Qu Yun remained silent and poured himself another drink.
The red liquid, with its rich and luxurious appearance, entered the crystal container and sloshed around.
"It's just a birthday, why are you hiding it?" You Ran said, exasperated.
"It's just a birthday, why do you have to be so insistent?" Qu Yun's voice was like wine chilled to the bone.
You Ran was speechless, and could only stare blankly at him.
Qu Yun looked at the wine glass, the red liquid reflected in his eyes, turning into an endless, silent black: "I have a headache, so I won't see you off today."
This is... an order to leave, isn't it? You Ran came to her senses, didn't say another word, and left directly.
Inside the room, Qu Yun continued to look at his wine glass.
Three minutes later, the key clicked, the door opened, and You Ran reappeared at the door.
"Sorry, I forgot to slam the door."
After she finished speaking, she slammed the door shut with a heavy thud, causing the once calm wine in her glass to ripple slightly.
After slamming the door, Youran left.
After that day, You Ran stopped contacting Qu Yun.
The main problem was that it was too embarrassing. Although You Ran had been prepared for a long-term struggle ever since she caught a glimpse of Qu Yun's bare chest and blurted out "Let's be a couple," Qu Yun's actions this time were really too much.
As his girlfriend, she didn't even have the right to celebrate his birthday. Thinking about it, she secretly wanted to tear Qu Yun to pieces.
"This time, I absolutely cannot surrender first," You Ran told herself.
So, taking advantage of the final exams, she would rush to the study room whenever she had free time, focusing all her attention on studying and temporarily putting Qu Yun out of her mind.
Qu Yun's bad temper was no joke. Ever since that falling out, he hadn't called at all, which angered You Ran so much that she bought a phone card and started calling him every night at 2 a.m.
Qu Yun did not come, but Gu Chengyuan did.
He stopped You Ran on the tree-lined path of the campus. He was wearing a suit, and his tall and strong body, which had undergone military training, made him stand out naturally in the crowd. He had a kind of tough and handsome air about him.
Eyebrows are like a peerless sword, concealing their sharpness.
The curve of the bridge of the nose and the root of the nose flow together seamlessly without any obstruction, outlining the most perfect lines in the world. However, its high and straight appearance in the past brought a sense of distance.
Her lips exude a resolute sensuality; when she doesn't smile, she's always cold and hard, but when she does, it's an absolute seduction—a seduction that never fails.
His face was angular, with a small indentation on his chin that held both strength and depth.
Those eyes were cold, containing a thin layer of ice.
It was during school dismissal time, and many people were passing by on that road. The outstanding Gu Chengyuan naturally attracted the attention of many girls.
You Ran could only quickly lead him to a steakhouse outside the campus to sit down.
"What's going on this time?" After casually ordering a steak, You Ran had no time for small talk and asked directly.
"What if I just wanted to come and see you?" Gu Chengyuan smiled, his lips like silk threads, captivating the heart.
"I'm sorry, I've been very busy lately." You Ran tried her best to remain emotionless in her words.
“I know you were busy with your CET-6 exam the other day, so I didn’t bother you.” Gu Chengyuan poured You Ran a glass of red wine, tilting his head slightly, his neatly trimmed sideburns exuding a masculine aura.
"So I should thank you?" You Ran chuckled inwardly, but didn't say it aloud.
Just then, the black pepper steak that You Ran had ordered was served. She picked up her knife and fork, lowered her head, and prepared to avoid talking to Gu Chengyuan under the guise of eating.
But suddenly a delicate jewelry box came into view, and Gu Chengyuan's voice rang out: "Mom said you passed the CET-6 exam, this is a gift."
"The results won't be out until around March. Things are unpredictable; who knows if I'll pass?" You Ran lowered her head, showing little interest in Gu Chengyuan's gift.
Gu Chengyuan didn't insist and opened the box automatically. Inside was a Chanel cartoon-shaped brooch, a pink miniature bus with a camellia flower on top, which looked textured and whimsical.
"Do you like it?" Gu Chengyuan asked.
Before opening the box, You Ran knew that this gift would be exactly what she wanted, because Gu Chengyuan knew her preferences very well.
You Ran would have been very happy to accept this gift—if the person giving it to her wasn't Gu Chengyuan.
Seeing that You Ran didn't react, Gu Chengyuan wasn't embarrassed or annoyed. It seemed that he had expected You Ran's reaction. He simply pushed the jewelry box closer to You Ran and said, "Even if you don't like it, accept it as a token of my appreciation."
After that, Gu Chengyuan started chatting casually.
She calmly buried her head in her steak, determined not to talk to him, and would leave as soon as she finished eating.
“Yesterday, I went on your campus forum and found several posts about you and a guy in a coat named Long Xiang.” Gu Chengyuan’s voice was deep and resonant.
You Ran remained silent, observing the situation. Subconsciously, she wanted Gu Chengyuan to mistake Xiao Xin for her boyfriend. This would both protect Qu Yun and allow him to avenge the deadly basketball incident.
"It seems your relationship is more than just friendship," Gu Chengyuan continued.
You Ran was secretly delighted, hoping that Gu Chengyuan would use his imagination as much as possible to think of her relationship with Xiao Xin in a dirty way.