Part 3
Jiang Yunian frowned slightly, thinking he had something wrong with his brain.
Seeing his silence, Zhang Hao thought he had hit a sore spot and raised the corner of his mouth triumphantly. “She just pities you and talks to you a bit. If you know what’s good for you, stay away from her!”
“Oh,” Jiang Yunian hugged his book, wanting to go around him. “Then I’m leaving.”
But his backpack strap was grabbed by Zhang Hao, pulling him into a stumble. “Leaving for what? Guilty? Actually dying of inferiority inside, right?”
Pretending like nothing is wrong, truly disgusting.
He hated this look of Jiang Yunian’s—cowardly, soft, and dull—yet everyone favored him! Not to mention sucking up to the president, why was Hao Meng so good to him too?
He had been chasing Hao Meng for two months, yet she refused to give him a good face. Zhang Hao was puzzled; in what way was he worse than this pretty boy?
It must be this pretty boy smearing him in front of her. Otherwise, just based on the department head being his aunt, why would she look down on him?
Jiang Yunian really had no time to play with him and reached out to pull his own backpack strap…
“Let go of him!”
Not far away, Hao Meng’s voice cut in. She walked up quickly holding the thermos, looking displeased when she saw Zhang Hao. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing, I was just talking to him.” Seeing Hao Meng, Zhang Hao’s momentum instantly dropped by half.
“Talk is talk, don’t pull and tug. I thought you were going to hook up.” Hao Meng used the thermos to separate the two. “Don’t lead my Yunian astray.”
Yunian?
Calling him so intimately?!
Zhang Hao was very jealous. “You’ve never called me that.”
“You don’t like it when I call you Haozi (Mouse), can you blame me?” Hao Meng stuck out her tongue. Being class monitors, they saw each other often and knew each other well. It was just that Hao Meng treated him as a friend, but Zhang Hao wanted to push his luck and always wanted something to happen. After being pestered too much, Hao Meng found it annoying and kept avoiding him. She didn’t expect him to chase her here.
“Can that be the same? How ugly is ‘Haozi’?” Zhang Hao looked at her resentfully but dared not get angry.
Hao Meng: “Then better call you by your full name. At least it sounds much better than that.”
“No! Why call him so intimately? What is your relationship with him? A girl, have you no shame!”
This patriarchal tone gave Hao Meng goosebumps. Why did it smell so strong? “Who are you? Whether I have shame or not is none of your business?”
“Why do you treat people differently?”
“So what if I do?” Hao Meng raised an eyebrow, her ponytail swaying with her movement. “He is not only first in the major but also low-key. Unlike some people who scurry around everywhere, like a mouse present everywhere.”
These words were like a thorn stabbing straight into the heart. Zhang Hao pointed at Jiang Yunian, his fingers trembling. “Where is he better than me? Isn’t he just a…”
“Stop, hold it.” Hao Meng made a stop gesture, pulled Jiang Yunian to turn and leave, her hair tip brushing against Zhang Hao’s hand. “Move, if you don’t study, we still have to.”
Behind them came a burst of stainless steel sound, hitting the railing in exasperation. Jiang Yunian shrank his neck, dragged forward stumblingly by Hao Meng.
Jealousy makes people mad.
“So he likes you.”
Only when they walked far away did Jiang Yunian ask in a whisper, with a belated realization. No wonder Zhang Hao always targeted him everywhere. He thought the other party just treated him as a competitor in studies, but otherwise, the identity of a love rival was more convincing.
Hao Meng curled her lips. “Who knows what madness he has. Annoying to death, not my type.”
This episode didn’t leave an impact on Jiang Yunian’s heart. Back in the study room, he buried his head in the pile of books again and reviewed seriously. It wasn’t until the sky outside the window turned dark and his stomach rumbled that he stopped writing and rubbed his sore wrist.
Hao Meng poked his arm. “Hungry, right? Go, let’s go to the cafeteria, eat before going back.”
His stomach was indeed extremely hungry. Jiang Yunian thought for a moment and sent a message to Jiang Yan, asking if he wanted to eat together; the food at home seemed to be finished.
Rarely, the other party didn’t reply instantly. The screen automatically locked, reflecting his own face, swallowed by blackness.
After a good while, when he and Hao Meng had walked to the third cafeteria and lined up, he received his reply.
Just a few short words: [With a classmate]
Usually, because of the distance, Jiang Yunian rarely sought him out actively, but Jiang Yan didn’t mind the trouble and occasionally ran over to eat in the cafeteria with him. Normally, when Jiang Yunian sent him a message, Jiang Yan would reply instantly. Even in class, he would secretly reply “Ge wait for me,” with a puppy wagging tail emoji.
Today’s tone was neither raw nor cooked…
Jiang Yunian typed gloomily:
[Nian Nian You Yu: Then go home together later? I’ll wait for you at the school gate.]
[Ah Yan: You go back first, busy tonight.]
Jiang Yunian stared at that line of words and slowly typed [Okay].
The message went out, like a small stone sinking into the bottom of the lake, without a sound.
“What are you dazing for? Your turn.” Hao Meng pushed his shoulder.
In the interval of replying to messages, they had unknowingly reached the cafeteria window. The lady serving food held the big spoon impatiently, the stainless steel reflecting light.
“Oh, okay.” Jiang Yunian hurriedly put away his phone, nodded apologetically, and then picked a portion of minced meat eggplant. The sauce poured on the rice looked like a puddle of melted ice cream.
He ate the meal absent-mindedly. Hao Meng talked to him, and he responded with hmms and ahs, his chopsticks picking at the eggplant intermittently, poking the plate with a clatter.
Seeing his low mood, Hao Meng thought he was still thinking about Zhang Hao and knocked on the plate, saying, “Ignore Zhang Hao, that guy is just jealous of you, purely sick.”
Jiang Yunian lowered his head. “Mn, I know… I’m fine.”
He didn’t look fine. Hao Meng’s eyeballs rolled, and she suddenly leaned in mysteriously, with a bit of instigation:
“Hey, anyway nothing to do tonight, take you to an interesting place.”
“What place?” Jiang Yunian had no interest, still wanted to go home and read two more pages.
Hao Meng’s eyes were bright. “Remember that membership card Young Master Zhou gave?”
Jiang Yunian had forgotten about it. Realizing now she referred to that high-end club on Fanying Street, “You mean…?”
Hao Meng blinked, giving him an affirmative look.
“Forget it, that kind of place…”
“What are you afraid of!” Hao Meng dragged his arm. “Just go in and sit, drinking a glass of juice is fine too! The card given by the young master himself, waste not want not. Look at you, reading books all day has made you silly, relax a bit! Go go go!” She dragged the hesitant Jiang Yunian and left.
Jiang Yunian couldn’t beat her, plus his heart was messy, so he was dragged out of the school gate in a daze.
Heaven on Earth.
The neon lights at the entrance of the club made people dizzy. Jiang Yunian stood at the door like a pillar, looking at the low-key luxury revolving door, feeling like a country bumpkin who strayed into high society. The glass reflected his figure, ordinary sweatshirt and jeans, carrying a worn-out schoolbag, looking shabby compared to those glamorous figures entering and exiting.
Jiang Yunian beat a retreat in his heart.
“Already here, don’t dawdle!” Hao Meng didn’t wait for him to hesitate, grabbing him and walking in.
Jiang Yunian stumbled as he was dragged in, the backpack strap sliding to his elbow, quietly brushing against the carved door frame.
The heavy door cut off the cold wind outside. The light inside was dim and blurred, the air floating with strong alcohol and fragrance, making his head swell. He sniffed and sneezed. Behind him came the sound of ice cubes falling into a shaker, mixed with the bartender’s lazy humming.
Suddenly, a black silhouette flashed past the corridor next to him. Under the looming light, it outlined the person’s straight back, the broken hair on the back of his neck trembling slightly with his steps.
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