But she has always been a diligent student, and she doesn't even go home after class to study on her own, so it's strange that she's here now.
"Aren't you one too?"
Shi Ling asked him, "Do you want to hear a story?"
Chi Cheng suspected he had misheard.
Shi Ling repeated it again, staring straight at him.
Chi Cheng finally understood. "Is something bothering you?"
Shi Ling looked at him strangely, "What are you doing out so late if you don't have something on your mind? I can listen to what you have to say."
Chi Cheng had no worries, so of course he listened to her.
She took a deep drag of her cigarette, choked again, and coughed, covering her mouth.
Chi Cheng then remembered that he had heard her cough like that before.
"You're not very good at smoking?"
He tried to take the cigarette from her hand, and when he touched her hand, it felt as cool as jade.
Chi Cheng snatched the cigarette away without much effort, put it in his mouth, and took a deep drag.
He had never smoked women's cigarettes before, and this puff wasn't harsh on him; it only had a minty flavor.
Chi Cheng knew in his heart that she probably didn't smoke much anymore.
Chi Cheng simply held the cigarette in his hand, refusing to give it back to her. The cigarette was long and thin, and in his hand it didn't look effeminate at all; on the contrary, it made his fingers appear long and slender. He said, "If you don't know how to smoke, don't try."
Shi Ling didn't speak. Her eyes were long and narrow, and she stared straight at him. Before she could say anything, Chi Cheng understood what she meant.
Sure enough, the next second she opened her fair palm, her fingers slightly bent, and reached out towards him.
Chi Cheng handed the cigarette back to her, remembering what she had just said.
He even joked, "I don't have any wine, are you still going to tell a story?"
She slowly took a sip, and Chi Cheng looked at her still bright red lips even without makeup. Their lips touched the same spot, but she didn't seem to care at all.
Shi Ling tilted her head slightly to look at him, speaking without any preamble, "My ex, we dated for three years and agreed to take the postgraduate entrance exam together. A month before the exam, he told me that his dad had found him a job back in his hometown."
She paused, and Chi Cheng continued, "And then?"
"Then I failed the exam and wanted to go abroad. I didn't expect to see him on his WeChat Moments today, where he had already posted a photo with another woman."
She sneered, "I've finished telling my story. What about yours?"
Although it was only a few words, Chi Cheng could imagine the pain she had gone through.
I had thought she was aloof and unapproachable.
I never imagined he was just an ordinary person who had been hurt.
Chi Cheng was indeed not troubled. "I'm not, I just can't sleep."
Shi Ling nodded knowingly, assuming he didn't want to talk about it.
Chi Cheng knew she had misunderstood, and smiled wryly, "Really, no. Or I can make one up for you."
Shi Ling curled her lips into a smile. "Save your energy."
Chi Cheng asked, "Is that all? Shouldn't you be having a good cry?"
Shi Ling raised an eyebrow. "I've already done what I should have done—crying my eyes out. Why wait until now?"
"When is the postgraduate entrance exam?" None of the people around Chi Cheng were taking the postgraduate entrance exam.
"End of December."
It's only been 3 months, and my ex has already found someone new.
Chi Cheng raised his hand and patted Shi Ling's shoulder to comfort her.
Unexpectedly, the blanket wrapped around her loosened when he patted it, and his hand landed directly on her bare shoulder, which was covered by her slip dress.
If it were an ordinary girl, Chi Cheng would have been more inclined to make a flirtatious joke, pretending to be "taking advantage" of her. However, when Shi Ling suddenly looked at him, her eyes were already red.
She already had fair and translucent skin, and when her eyes turned red, the surrounding skin also turned red.
It's like she has a natural peach blossom makeup look.
Chi Cheng tucked the blanket around her. He always spoke to people in a way that suited them, and he never let the conversation get awkward.
He stopped, his tone relaxed, "You remind me of a song."
“Red eyes gazed wistfully at this desolate city, like a forced smile.”
Originally a melancholic tune, Chi Cheng sang it in an exaggerated and funny way, even adding the action of playing the guitar with his bare hands. After finishing the song, he paused to play with his hair.
Shi Ling smiled, the mist in her eyes had already subsided.
Chi Cheng sang in Cantonese, and asked her, "Can you understand it?"
Shi Ling shook her head.
Chi Cheng laughed at her, "That's right, you don't understand. It means you look pretty even with red eyes."
Shi Ling's cigarette had already burned out.
Chi Cheng deliberately extinguished his cigarette as well. It's always impolite to smoke in front of a lady, but two heavy smokers are a different story.
"You decided to go abroad so late, is it too late?"
Shi Ling shook her head, "It's just not always in time."
Which offer did you receive?
Shi Ling frowned. She had a bachelor's degree from a 985 university and a high GPA, but she applied to universities late.
"Right now, it's just Leeds and Sheffield. What about you?"
“Me? I’ve already made up my mind, I’m going to KCL (King’s College London).”
After Chi Cheng finished speaking, Shi Ling glanced at him, seemingly impressed.
For someone like him who yawns in class and sleeps after class, and who has failed the IELTS test for three years, it is indeed surprising that he was able to get into KCL.
Chi Cheng adopted a rather indignant expression, "What? You look down on me?"
"No, what's your GPA?"
"3.5 of 4.0".
Shi Ling looked at him and said, "Sure."
Chi Cheng hurriedly explained, "No, I went to university in Macau. Most of the students at my school went abroad, so the grades were generally higher. You could even boost your grades."
Shi Ling nodded, "I'm much lower than you, and KCL hasn't replied to me yet."
She sighed softly.
Chi Cheng asked her, "What school do you go to?"
When Shi Ling announced the top 10 985 universities, Chi Cheng's expression changed. No wonder she was the only one studying so diligently.
Chi Cheng comforted her, "Wait a little longer. With such a good undergraduate background, you'll probably get an offer soon."
Chi Cheng continued, "We might end up in the same school in the future. It's just that KCL's IELTS score is insane, 7 out of 10, with all sub-scores at 6.5."
A score of 7 is far less difficult than a score of 6.5 in each of the four sections. You can't do well if you don't get a score in any one section, especially in writing and speaking. Getting a score of 6 in all of them is already pretty good.
Shi Ling sighed again, "Indeed."
After taking the postgraduate entrance exam, she didn't even wait for the results before realizing she had failed. Not wanting to stay in China any longer, she immediately spent a month studying for the IELTS. Considering her English foundation was quite good, she scored a 6, with two sub-scores of 5.5.
The agency her father found for her was in Guangzhou. They said a friend's child had applied well, and the agency suggested she attend an intensive course, otherwise there wouldn't be enough time. Even for a language course, you need at least a 6.5 overall score to apply.
Chi Cheng himself had failed the IELTS exam from his freshman to senior year, but he had already obtained his application language test scores. He was unhurried, but he knew that Shi Ling had only a few months left to prepare for the IELTS.
I'm afraid I was provoked by my ex tonight, which is why I relaxed for a moment.
Go through the fire door on this floor, and you'll find the girls' quarters.
Shi Ling pushed open the door and went out. Before closing the door, she looked back at him. The blanket on her shoulder had slipped off again. Unlike the dim light in the shopping corridor, her shoulder was illuminated by the light in the corridor, making it appear round and delicate. It was stuck in the last bit of the door that hadn't closed properly.
"What was the name of that song just now?"
Chi Cheng had just lit a new cigarette, and amidst the swirling smoke, his thin, sexy lips were clearly visible.
"Alluring beauty".
That night's conversation in the fire escape became a kind of secret between them.
In front of everyone, they unanimously maintained their usual indifferent relationship, as if the night had been nothing but an illusion.
Chapter 5
Shi Ling soon witnessed that people from Guangdong, regardless of how well-dressed they are, are willing to go out in slippers.
On this day of rest for the IELTS intensive course, Shi Ling went to the classroom to study early in the morning, just like she usually does.
In the afternoon, I saw dark clouds gathering outside the window, and a storm was brewing.
The torrential rain started suddenly and without mercy.
A moment later, a group of people approached, laughing and joking.
She Jiaxin walked in front and pushed open the door to see Shi Ling looking down at a book. Her long, curled eyelashes cast a shadow on her face.
She Jiaxin's tone was somewhat sarcastic, "Studying on Sunday?"
Shi Ling looked up and greeted him, then went back to reading her book.
He Qiuxi, who was close to She Jiaxin, leaned over and whispered in her ear in Cantonese.
Several men and women followed behind, chatting and laughing.
They had probably just gone downstairs when they realized it was raining, so they came back to change into slippers. The boys had all had their bikes confiscated, so they had to go outside to hail a taxi. As for She Jiaxin, she had left her slippers in the classroom.
Zhang Yilin, who seemed to have a crush on Shi Ling, sat down at the table in front of her with a grin.
"Let's go out and have some fun together."