Jiang Sicheng smiled sheepishly, his face turning slightly red.
"Come in and talk!" Xiao Xiao said, opening the door.
Xiao Xiao (revised)
Perhaps she had long grown tired of the secretive, reciprocal love games of her youth. Xiao Xiao's current love is direct and simple. She knows what she wants and what she can ask of a man. This kind of "love" makes her feel relaxed and comfortable. Although it can get a little boring over time, she usually replaces a relationship that has become dull within its shelf life. Sometimes she initiates the breakup, and sometimes the man does.
Perhaps it's luck, or perhaps it's her keen eye, but so far no man has caused her any trouble. Everyone involved is an adult; they agreed on the terms before starting anything, so they parted ways amicably.
Xiao Xiao knew that many people would despise her lifestyle, but she didn't care. She felt that relationships between men and women were based on mutual consent. Since he wasn't married and she wasn't married, spending a few days together wouldn't be a moral issue. As for whether it was love or lust between them, why bother to be so clear about it?
Jiang Sicheng was interested in her, and she didn't dislike him that much. It wasn't a bad thing for the two of them to comfort each other for a while. However, Xiao Xiao was worried that such an introverted and shy man like him could play the games that men and women in the modern city enjoy.
However, Jiang Sicheng, sitting quietly on the sofa, looked so alluring that Xiao Xiao thought it must be because she hadn't had a boyfriend in so long.
"Just consider it helping him grow," Xiao Xiao comforted herself. "Men have to grow up eventually!"
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward with a man and a woman alone in a room, especially since they weren't familiar with each other. Xiao Xiao, being mischievous, deliberately remained silent, just sitting there, wanting to see how Jiang Sicheng would make the first move.
Jiang Sicheng also realized that sitting like this wasn't a solution. He glanced at the hidden smile in Xiao Xiao's eyes and vaguely guessed her intention. He wanted to break the silence, so he asked, "Why haven't I seen your roommate?"
Xiao Xiao laughed, watching Jiang Sicheng's face gradually turn red, and asked, "Did you come to see me, or to see my roommate?"
Jiang Sicheng smiled shyly and said, "I'm looking for you!"
Xiao Xiao chuckled and said, "Then why are you asking about my roommate?"
Jiang Sicheng choked, unsure how to answer. He wasn't usually a dull person, but for some reason, seeing her made his brain seem sluggish. He could only watch helplessly as she teased him, his face showing some annoyance, but his heart was filled with a sweet feeling.
"What you did yesterday was a bit unfair," Xiao Xiao laughed, poured Jiang Sicheng a glass of water and placed it in front of him, complaining, "Look what you did to me," she said, raising her chin and pouting to show him, "Look! How swollen I am?"
Xiao Xiao was just trying to find a light topic and didn't really mean to seduce him, but her words and actions took on a different meaning in his eyes.
Looking at Xiao Xiao's red lips, Jiang Sicheng suddenly felt a surge of desire, wishing he could immediately take those soft lips into his mouth. This sudden thought startled him so much that he jumped up from the sofa, his face flushed as he looked at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao was startled by his sudden reaction. She looked up at him and asked, "Are there nails on the sofa?"
“No, no,” Jiang Sicheng said, “I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”
"Hungry?" Xiao Xiao asked in surprise. Does being hungry mean you have to jump up from the sofa? That excuse is too far-fetched. Seeing Jiang Sicheng's flushed face, Xiao Xiao quickly realized the source of his nervousness and found it even more amusing. She didn't expose his lie, but stood up as well and said with a smile, "I'm really sorry, I don't have anything here. It's not too late yet, why don't you go out and get something to eat?"
He then adopted a gesture as if to see the guest out.
Looking at the smiling Xiao Xiao, Jiang Sicheng felt a little annoyed. He didn't know if he was annoyed with himself or Xiao Xiao. She clearly knew everything, but she insisted on pretending to be confused. It was really infuriating to see her like that.
As he walked past her, she still had that same smiling face, unchanged, as if she had been watching his solo performance all along. Jiang Sicheng's fighting spirit seemed to be ignited at once. Why was she always the one watching from the sidelines with a smile between the two of them?
She was the one who stirred his heart first, and now she's laughing as she watches him succumb. She's truly despicable.
Xiao Xiao felt her arm tighten, and Jiang Sicheng pulled her in front of him. Xiao Xiao looked up at him, her face still smiling charmingly.
Xiao Xiao's lips were swollen from the impact, and Jiang Sicheng's weren't much better off, but his lips were beautifully shaped, slightly pursed, carrying a uniquely masculine determination. The surrounding air pressure seemed to drop immediately, and Jiang Sicheng's breathing became somewhat erratic as he drew closer and closer to Xiao Xiao's lips.
Xiao Xiao smiled. She was familiar with this scene. Many men liked to kiss like this, lowering their heads as if they could block the light in front of the woman's eyes and make the sky in front of her the woman's master.
In this game of chess, she had calculated a thousand moves correctly, but miscalculated this one. At this moment, she really shouldn't be laughing like this. Xiao Xiao reached out to push away Jiang Sicheng, who was leaning towards her, but she didn't expect Jiang Sicheng's actions to be so forceful. He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest, and his lips still pressed down as usual.
This was the second time he had initiated a kiss with her; the first time was yesterday's "accidental kiss."
Xiao Xiao suddenly realized that she didn't seem to know the man in front of her as well as she thought. She had thought he would at most give her a shy kiss, but she didn't expect his kiss to be so passionate, as if it could melt a person.
Skill can be compensated for with passion! Xiao Xiao couldn't help but let out a low sigh. Alas, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. She had committed a major taboo in military strategy!
She stopped resisting and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck.
When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing heavily; Jiang Sicheng's face was even redder, and Xiao Xiao's eyes were even brighter.
Xiao Xiao looked at him with amusement, thinking to herself, how could this person be so shameless? Forcibly kissing someone isn't shameless, blushing isn't shameless either, but forcibly kissing someone while blushing is truly shameless!
Xiao Xiao stood on tiptoe and gave him another light peck on the lips, watching with satisfaction as Jiang Sicheng's face continued to turn red. She then leaned close to his ear and gently nibbled at his ear, asking, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Sicheng's heart was still pounding wildly. He didn't know where he had gotten the courage from. He was afraid that his rude behavior had offended her, but she didn't seem angry. He couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Hearing her ask him so gently made him feel incredibly happy. He hugged Xiao Xiao tightly and whispered, "It's okay. I just like you. Do you think I'm ridiculous?"
Xiao Xiao smiled silently, curling up in his arms like a cat. His arms were strong, holding her tightly without leaving any gap. Xiao Xiao felt a stirring in her heart, even longing for him to hold her even tighter, or for him to take things further.
But Jiang Sicheng was content with the way things were, and only wanted to hold Xiao Xiao like this, wishing he could stay with her forever.
Xiao Xiao gently stroked the back of his hair and whispered seductively in his ear, "We can't just stand here like this forever, can we? What should we do?"
Her lips brushed against his neck, and every time they touched the skin of Jiang Sicheng's neck, Xiao Xiao could feel his body tremble noticeably.
“I’m hungry,” Jiang Sicheng said, his voice terribly hoarse, making Xiao Xiao’s heart flutter. She smiled seductively and asked softly, “What do you want to eat?”
In this situation, the standard answer is just one word: "You!"
Xiao Xiao thought, now that things have come to this point, any man should pick her up and throw her onto the bed!
Jiang Sicheng reacted as if he'd been electrocuted, abruptly pushing Xiao Xiao away. He took two steps back and quickly sat down on the sofa, his face flushed as he tried to appear relaxed. After stammering for a while, he suddenly said, "Come out with me to get something to eat!"
Xiao Xiao was stunned.
Jiang Sicheng quickly added, "Go change your clothes, wear something warm, and I'll take you out to eat!"
Xiao Xiao glanced at Jiang Sicheng, who was sitting stiffly on the sofa, not daring to move, and suddenly smiled. She nodded and said, "Okay!" Without saying anything more, she turned around and went back to her room to change her clothes. As she was closing the door, she said with a half-smile, "I might take a while. The bathroom is over there, you can use it."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Sicheng's face turned even redder. He gave her a stiff smile and shook his head, but as soon as he saw Xiao Xiao close the door, he immediately jumped up from the sofa, rushed to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water all over his face.
Looking at his flushed face covered in water droplets in the mirror, Jiang Sicheng felt so annoyed he wanted to bang his head against the wall. How embarrassing! She must have found out! How could he have done this!
Chu Yang (revised)
Fan Xiaojuan sat casually on a small swivel chair in KFC, a straw dangling from her mouth. She would occasionally turn her head to look at the hurried passersby on the street outside the window, before turning her gaze back to Chu Yang across the street.
"Chu Yang, what does your first kiss feel like?" Fan Xiaojuan hesitated for most of the afternoon before finally asking the question that was on her mind.
Chu Yang looked up from the overwhelming advertisements in the newspaper, staring at his friend Fan Xiaojuan, whom he had once "betrayed," with a bewildered expression.
Fan Xiaojuan felt a little embarrassed when she saw Chu Yang looking at her like that. She glared at her and said, "What did your first kiss taste like?"
Chu Yang was stunned. The taste of a first kiss? He remembered the first night he met Fang Yi, that confused kiss, and the contact lens that was lost in his mouth. More than two hundred yuan was gone in a strange kiss!
She thought for a moment and said, "It must be quite painful!"
Fan Xiaojuan couldn't understand Chu Yang's words at first, but she felt that there must be a deeper meaning behind them. She lowered her head and thought about it carefully, and the more she thought about it, the more philosophical it seemed.
Chu Yang ignored her and continued to look down at the rental information in the newspaper. These days, even a house with a roof is ridiculously expensive. For a student like her with no stable income, renting a place to live alone is practically a dream. Although she was reluctant, she had no choice but to find someone to share the place with.
Fan Xiaojuan seemed to remember something again, leaned closer and asked, "Did you watch the news yesterday?" Satisfied to see Chu Yang shake his head, she smiled mysteriously, "He Yiyang's dad is out!"
Seeing that Chu Yang remained unmoved, Fan Xiaojuan looked surprised and asked, "Chu Yang, don't tell me you don't know who his father is?"
"Don't you know who his father is?" Chu Yang thought to himself. "I've known He Yiyang since he was a toddler. How could I not know who his father is?" Chu Yang closed the newspaper and said calmly, "I know. His grandmother and my grandmother used to live in the same compound, but they moved away after they became successful."
"No wonder you two are so close!" Fan Xiaojuan said with envy. "I was wondering why he was so good to you. Turns out you two are truly childhood sweethearts!"
Chu Yang smiled. They weren't exactly childhood sweethearts, but she had definitely beaten He Yiyang to tears a few times when they were little, even though he was two years older than her. Each time, his mother would bring a whiny, clingy He Yiyang to their door. Chu Yang remembered that her mother's voice was a bit high-pitched back then, and she wasn't nearly as elegant and refined as she is now. Her lines were always the same: "Chu Yang's mother, look at how your daughter beat up our little brother! It's outrageous! What kind of wild girl is she? Chu Yang's mother, aren't you going to do anything about it?!"
Chu Yang's mother smiled and said all sorts of nice things, but Chu Yang glared at He Yiyang fiercely. He Yiyang quickly suppressed his sobs, broke free from his mother's grasp, and pitifully approached Chu Yang, saying ingratiatingly, "Chu Yang, play with me, I'll give you all my lollipops!" He Yiyang's mother was so angry at her son's spineless words that she almost rolled her eyes, while Chu Yang's mother stood there smiling smugly!
Chu Yang always felt that He Yiyang was a bit silly when he was little. He always liked to bring delicious food to her as a treasure, often covering his little pocket and tilting his head to make Chu Yang guess what was inside. His chubby little face was full of pride. "I won't tell you that I have oranges. Guess, guess what it is. I'll only give it to you if you guess right!"
But for some reason, this idiot went to school and his grades were always better than his! Every time Chu Yang thought about this, he felt very unbalanced.
As everyone grew older, she could no longer bully him, but he still liked to bring snacks from home for her and still liked to be her follower. Later, his father's official position rose higher and higher, and their family moved further and further away. He also grew from a crying little boy into a taciturn teenager, and he became more and more wealthy, but his kindness towards her remained unchanged.
The day He Yiyang moved out of Xiao Xiao's place, he told her that he liked her, that he had liked her since he was a child, and that he had made up his mind that he would be with her no matter what his family thought.
Chu Yang was silent for a moment, then looked up and said calmly but cruelly, "Let's just be friends. Friendship is more important than love. Let's be friends! If we're friends, no one will care about us, and everyone will be much more relaxed!"
He Yiyang grabbed her as she turned to leave, his eyes red as he looked at her, feeling so unwilling, yet unable to speak. He could only bite his lower lip tightly. Chu Yang smiled gently at him and reached out to pat his cheek lightly. "Don't bite," she said. "If you bite any harder, it will break! We can only be friends, this is the bottom line."
He said, "I can't be friends with you anymore." Chu Yang replied, "Then you can go back and think about it. When you can treat me as a friend, then come back to me!"
Then she turned and left without looking back. She knew He Yiyang was still standing there watching her, but she couldn't turn back. If she did, she would only find herself surrounded by thorns.
"Hey! Hey!" Fan Xiaojuan waved her hand in front of Chu Yang's face. "Snap out of it! I give up. How can you just drift off like that?"
Chu Yang didn't say anything, and continued to look for a suitable house.
Fan Xiaojuan asked, "Is your mom also keen on introducing you to boyfriends?"
Chu Yang nodded. Ever since she started living at home, her mother had brought home countless so-called "young talents"!
“You found him yourself. He Yiyang is such a good partner. You just bring him to your mother’s place, and she’ll be all smiles. It saves you trouble and she’ll have less to worry about. Isn’t that great?” Fan Xiaojuan said.
This time, Chu Yang didn't even raise his head, and said calmly, "My mother said that once you enter a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea, and it's not easy to rise to the top, so He Yiyang is not an option!"
Actually, his mother didn't know that even if she said it was okay, He Yiyang still wouldn't agree. There was a reason, but Chu Yang didn't want to talk about it or even think about it.
Fan Xiaojuan pursed her lips and asked, "Your mother speaks as if she has so much to say, what official position does your father hold?"
Chu Yang shook his head and ignored her.
"Hey? I heard from Hua Hua that He Yiyang has an older brother, whose personality is completely different from his. He's really handsome, but it seems he went abroad a long time ago. Are you familiar with He Yiyang's brother?"
The He family has two brothers, He Yiqian and He Yiyang. The one named Qian shows no humility whatsoever, and the one named Yang is not arrogant at all. It is clear that their parents have no vision and can't even give them suitable names.
Fan Xiaojuan was still lost in her girlish fantasies, and kept asking, "Chu Yang, I'm asking you a question! What's going on with He Yiyang's brother?"
"What a bastard." Chu Yang muttered softly, his head down as he read the newspaper. Fan Xiaojuan didn't hear him clearly and leaned over to ask, "Huh?"
Chu Yang chuckled dryly twice and pushed Fan Xiaojuan's head away. "Aren't you being ridiculous? His brother lived with his grandmother when he was little. By the time he came back, his family had already moved away. How would I know what his brother is like?"
Fan Xiaojuan was a little disappointed and sat back down to continue drinking her cola.
He Yiyang sent a text message with just a few words: I am willing to step back to the position of friend.
Chu Yang was in a great mood after reading the newspaper. He glanced at his watch; it was almost time to meet Fang Yi. He closed the newspaper, stood up, and was about to leave. Fan Xiaojuan saw this and hurriedly called out, "Are you really going to see that Fang Yi?"
Chu Yang stopped and looked at Fan Xiaojuan's anxious expression with amusement, saying, "Hey! Brother, you sold all my information, what can I do if I don't go?"
Fan Xiaojuan felt a little guilty, but then she remembered that Chu Yang had sold her out first, which gave her a lot more confidence. "You sold me out first! People like them, I was dumbfounded when I saw them, and I could only answer whatever they asked! Don't go, they're obviously not in our class!"
Fan Xiaojuan chased after him to the door again, her words contradicting even herself, "Chu Yang, you haven't fallen for him, have you? Although he's quite charming, how old is he? And he's so complicated, don't be foolish!"
Love? What is love? Chu Yang smiled and said, "You should go home quickly. I'm fine, don't worry."
When Xiao Xiao came out of Fang Yi's place, she was surprised to see Chu Yang sitting in her seat. Just by glancing at Chu Yang's attire, she felt all the gloom she had felt after leaving the boss's place vanish, and she was delighted.
Chu Yang looked up when he heard the door open and saw Xiao Xiao holding a folder in her arms, leaning against the door and smiling at him.