The tone he used when he said this was exactly the same as Song Licheng's back then, and it was even more affectionate.
"You take the postgraduate entrance exam first, and I'll go back to work. Once my parents have made up their minds, I'll be able to come and find you soon."
Why should she always have to believe an answer that has no certainty?
She couldn't hold back any longer and said sarcastically, "Chi Cheng, you've already prepared an escape route for yourself, haven't you?"
Chi Cheng was also furious. "What way out?"
It was Shi Ling who insisted on asking him what to do if he failed the exam, forcing him to answer.
He considered himself to have a good temper, yet he still coaxed her like this.
Even when Shi Linglian questioned him, she was so unapproachable. She coldly looked at the street behind him, the reflection of the streetlights in her eyes. The wind blew the hair on the side of her face, outlining an indifferent profile, revealing a pointed chin held high.
"What do you take me for? Just a passing fancy?"
She turned her head and glanced at the traffic light behind her, which hadn't moved away yet. Whether to go or stop, there was always an answer.
"If you don't want to continue, you can just say so."
Chi Cheng frowned. He was usually smart, but today he just wanted to play dumb.
"What's the meaning?"
Shi Ling smiled instead, and said abruptly, "I want to go back to my dorm."
Chi Cheng glanced at her. "Whatever you want."
They had so much left unsaid; he just wanted her to say something sweet and affectionate: "I want you to be with me, I want you to come to England with me."
All she wanted was a promise to study as hard as she could.
However, he was always joking and unpredictable, while she was always composed and calm.
The more they loved each other's personalities in the past, the more they now hate each other's ruthlessness.
Lovers even have a tacit understanding when they stop talking.
At the traffic light intersection, one person turns left and the other turns right.
No one looked back.
Author's Note: There are 50 small red envelopes in this chapter.
Chapter 31 Lan Kwai Fong
Men with left hands, women with right hands, tie their heads
The pile on the right, come with me tonight.
----Lan Kwai Fong Party People
When Shi Ling returned yesterday, it was well past curfew.
She was prepared to be scolded by the old man when she got back, but most of the majors had their defenses yesterday. There were a few girls sitting on the steps, drunk and staggering, with several empty bottles at their feet.
He was singing, "Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road."
I could faintly hear heart-wrenching cries from not far away, such as "Youth never ends" and "I'll laugh with you for three thousand nights, no need to lament our parting."
The dormitory supervisor turned a blind eye and left the door open.
The next morning, Shi Ling was woken up by the three people who had returned.
Yi Yi and her friends sang karaoke all night, and when they came back, they were all so tired they were dizzy.
No one saw Shi Ling lying on the upper bunk.
They were startled when Shi Ling sat up.
Everyone asked her why she had come back.
Shi Ling explained that Chi Cheng had something come up and was called away by a friend.
They were also surprised that Chi Cheng had friends in City C.
Shi Ling smiled. Chi Cheng certainly had a lot of friends.
Lu Xinyan slept opposite Shi Ling; both were on the top bunk. She climbed up first to talk to Shi Ling face-to-face.
"Hey, did you know that Han Yue got into trouble?"
Shi Ling shook her head.
Lu Xinyan continued, "Isn't she close to that person, Chen Xue? I heard she was locked in the men's restroom, so she asked Chen Xue to sneak over and help her. But Chen Xue was too embarrassed to go into the men's restroom, so she asked Big Dumb Guy to go in and help. Big Dumb Guy told us when he got back that he didn't know who Han Yue was trying to seduce, but someone locked the door from the outside and couldn't open it. It's really something."
Yi Yi added fuel to the fire below, "Serves her right for being so arrogant for four years."
Fortunately, Shi Ling usually had a calm and composed demeanor.
She didn't react, and none of them found it strange.
When she lay back down on the bed, she couldn't fall asleep for a while.
Perhaps apart from her, most people felt that Chi Cheng did the right thing, and it was very satisfying.
Shi Ling was always decisive and ruthless. When she thought of Chi Cheng, she picked up her phone to call him.
However, before she could even dial the number, Chi Cheng had already called in.
She didn't speak, but listened as he said "hello".
Shi Ling responded.
Chi Cheng said, "I'm going back to Guangzhou this morning."
Shi Ling thought for a moment, "Shall we get up now and go to the airport?"
For him, getting up early was indeed an early start.
Chi Cheng smiled and said, "Yes, my flight is at ten o'clock. I just wanted to let you know."
His tone was relaxed and natural, and just listening to it made me think of how he would usually hug her while laughing.
Chi Cheng noticed that she didn't speak for a moment, but then chuckled softly on the other end of the phone, her voice like feathers brushing against the receiver.
"Are you reluctant to part with me?"
Shi Ling smiled and said, "Mm."
Shi Ling took the initiative to ask him, "When are you leaving? I'll come see you off."
Chi Cheng didn't seem to mind. "Baby, you should sleep a little longer."
Sometimes couples are just like that, contradictory. Things they couldn't say yesterday, they can easily say today in a different setting.
Perhaps it's because a phone call lacks the certainty of a face-to-face meeting that people speak so recklessly.
Shi Ling got up, tidied herself up, and went to the hotel.
Chi Chengyue's car had already arrived at the hotel entrance.
The timing was just right.
That's even better, saving the two of them from the awkwardness of having to feign tenderness today after a heart-wrenching argument yesterday.
Chi Cheng threw his luggage into the trunk and reached out his hand to Shi Ling.
She carried the chill of the early morning, but he warmed her up in his arms.
It was rare for Chi Cheng to be so well-behaved when he was holding her.
Despite Chi Cheng chasing her all the way to City C, neither of them are the type to be deeply attached to each other. Those scenes of reluctant farewells and countless times of returning after going far away in the movie are ultimately just movies.
After hugging for only a moment, Chi Cheng let go and looked at her with a smile, "It's all because you insisted on making me leave."
When he tried to kiss her, his kiss ultimately landed on the side of her cheek.
"Remember to think of me."
Shi Ling responded to his words with her usual disdain.
I waved to him as he got into the car.
The two of them didn't mention yesterday's incident; they treated it as a thing of the past.
The fact that Chi Cheng stopped asking her when she would come to Guangzhou to be with him showed that she hadn't actually gone.
Just like the discussion the two had after watching Like Crazy that night in Guangzhou.
Perhaps for someone like Chi Cheng, even though he is in a serious relationship, he is not someone who is bound by constraints.
Sometimes, words can become prophetic. Love is a long process of mutual invasion; the longer it goes on, the more you change beyond recognition. For those who cross each other's bottom lines from the very beginning, a sense of distance is indeed necessary.
In the dictionary of adults, time is the best medicine.
At first, both of them were a little hesitant when they talked on the phone, afraid that bringing up the topic would lead to another argument. Yesterday's topic was indeed inappropriate for a couple who had only been together for two months.
A few days later, he was able to laugh and joke freely again.
Chi Cheng returned to Guangzhou and enrolled in four IELTS exams and one-on-one classes. Because it was a one-on-one class, there was no closed accommodation, so Chi Cheng went home to stay at night.
He couldn't quit gaming, but Chi Cheng spent his days in class and didn't get home until after 10 p.m. After a long day of studying, he was exhausted and played games on the phone with Shi Ling on the speakers.
That's just how Shi Ling is; if Chi Cheng doesn't let her call, she rarely calls him on her own initiative.
Shi Ling felt that she had hurt his feelings that day. Since he had gone back to study and was attending classes during the day, she didn't say anything when she heard him playing games.
Chi Cheng's IELTS registration was extremely frequent; he had a test scheduled for the weekend of the week he returned.
Shi Ling only told him to rest early the night before his exam.
Chi Cheng verbally agreed, but the sound of keyboard clicks could still be heard on the other end.
In fact, Chi Cheng was not in the right mindset at all. He had only been back in Guangzhou for a few days and was still feeling anxious. He took the exam based on the foundation he had built up over the past few months.
However, the practice questions I had memorized beforehand happened to be on two reading passages, and I felt pretty good after the exam.
Following his IELTS teacher's advice, Chi Cheng planned to take the test every two weeks, continue studying during the two weeks he was waiting for the results, and take the test again on Saturday after the results were released on Friday. The teacher said that this would make it easier to maintain a learning state and a sense of focus.
But in the previous exams, he would relax and play while waiting for the results. Each exam took a very long time, so how could he possibly study now that he has just finished the exam?
When the results came out on Friday, Chi Cheng glanced at his score and almost smashed his computer.