Gardenia Blossom Season

Part 12 [End]

21

Actually, ever since Jian Qing Mai added me on WeChat last time, this wasn't the first time Xu Xing Zhan had meddled in my business.
In Jian Qing Mai's social media, within just a few weeks, they had broken up and reconciled multiple times.

He had even sent me texts in the middle of the night.

It was as if he had forgotten what he had said to me before, casually asking if I had time.

I didn't reply, but he didn't get angry either.

Jian Qing Mai must have sensed something because she came to the school to find me once.
That day, I had just finished eating with my roommates and was heading back to the dorm when I saw her leaning gracefully against a tree trunk.

She was strikingly beautiful; her face and figure both commanded attention.

I spotted her immediately.

She saw me too, straightened up, and said expressionlessly, "Xu Zhi, let's talk about Xu Xing Zhan."

All eyes turned to me, scrutinizing.

It was as if each gaze slapped me in the face.

She stood there with the attitude of the rightful wife catching the mistress, looking down on me as if it were only natural.

I hated being misunderstood.

In front of her, I pulled Xu Xing Zhan out of my blocked contacts, called him over, and confronted them both directly.

As soon as they met, they started arguing hysterically.

From their heated exchange, I realized that I had been the catalyst all along.

This scene inexplicably reminded me of that moment I had once stumbled upon in the small grove at Jiang High School.

The former sweet thrills now clashed sharply with the reality in front of me.

I finally couldn't bear the unwarranted accusations and interrupted Jian Qing Mai's tearful complaints.
"Jian Qing Mai, on the night of the New Year's Eve party in our senior year, you deleted the message I sent him, didn't you?"

She stopped crying, her cheeks still wet with tears.

Even in such a disheveled state, she still evoked sympathy.

A look of panic flashed in her eyes.

Xu Xing Zhan looked at me in confusion.

I continued, "And about the milk—on that day, you switched out the milk Xu Xing Zhan gave me, right? You know which day I'm talking about."

Xu Xing Zhan, a bit slow on the uptake, asked, "What message?"

Jian Qing Mai paled, attempting to deny it. "What gives you the right to say it was me? Do you have proof? You don't!"

"No, I don't," I replied, with a smile and a helpless sigh. "I admit, I did like Xu Xing Zhan before, but I'm not a masochist, nor am I so naive to hang myself on this one tree for life. Do me a favor and leave me out of this. I don't want to be the whetstone sharpening your great love anymore."

At that moment, a sudden image of someone flashed through my mind.

That person's smile was radiant, outshining even the brightest sunny day.
"Besides, I like someone else now. All this drama might make him sad."

"I don't want him to be sad."

22

After getting out of the taxi, I walked back to the dorm with Zhou Ji, side by side.

The shadows of the trees danced, and the chirping of insects filled the air.

Our shadows stretched and shrank under the streetlights, over and over again.

I shifted my step slightly.

Our shadows overlapped.

"Was the food good?" he asked out of the blue.

I turned around and looked at him, smiling.

Not as good as the places he had taken me to.

"How about the wine?"

I didn't say anything, just kept smiling at him.

Zhou Ji lowered his head, leaning closer.

A soft breath brushed past the tip of my nose.

"Did you really have that much to drink? Just a couple of bottles, and you're like this? If this is your tolerance, I'm claiming first place in drinking."

"Zhou Ji, let's date."

"Huh?"

"Huh???"

I stood on my toes and lightly pecked his lips.

"Puppy Zhou, you're really cute."

He looked utterly stunned, as if I had frozen him in place—his eyes weren't even moving.

"Are you just saying drunk nonsense?" He coughed, fumbling to pull out his phone. "Come on, say that again. I'll record it so you can't deny it tomorrow when you're sober."

"Then I guess I've just claimed first place in the confession category."

He blinked, then put his phone away, looking serious.

He ruffled my hair carelessly and said, "Dating is serious business. You can't be this hasty. Go back and sleep. Tomorrow, I'll start pursuing you."

"Hmm? Are you sure you don't just want to skip the whole 'pursuing' part?"

He thought for a few seconds and then answered earnestly, "I'm sure."

Maybe it was the bit of alcohol from earlier, or maybe it was that the thin paper wall between me and Puppy Zhou had finally been torn down.

That night, I slept soundly and dreamlessly.

The next morning, I woke up to find out that he hadn't slept at all.

Right after I sent him a "Good morning," he replied with an entire document.

2359 words.

All his excitement, confusion, and regret of a sleepless night were captured within it.

At the end, he wrote: 【You're not going to wake up and just leave me hanging, are you?】

Me: 【Leave you hanging for what?】

【Last night, that was my...】

I could feel his embarrassment through the screen: 【Hmph.】

Something warm melted quietly in my heart.

Me: 【Puppy Zhou, today is officially Day One of you pursuing me.】

Zhou Ji: 【I'm downstairs, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Lady Xu.】

(The End of Main Story)