In the end, no one became “Zhang San”.
Wang Shuang, the ultimate straight guy, put down his pen, swaggered to the table, grabbed the small fork prepared by Auntie Liu, and speared the centremost piece of the peach “❤”.
“This peach is so sweet, why aren’t you guys eating?”
The peach’s texture won Wang Shuang over, and after finishing one piece, he took another. “Xie Qian, where does your family buy fruit? It’s just tastier than ours!”
Xie Qian didn’t answer, remaining silent.
Wang Shuang’s action diffused the awkwardness, but for some reason, Xie Qian wasn’t particularly pleased.
“You’d have to ask Auntie Liu, she buys all our fruit.”
Eat, eat, eat, all you do is eat, Wang Shuang, you pig!
Li Mengjiao was fuming on the spot.
A perfectly good “❤” had been ruined by Wang Shuang’s two stabs!
His antics destroyed any pink atmosphere. Li Mengjiao couldn’t help but pinch Wang Shuang’s arm, making him yelp, “Why’d you pinch me? If you want a peach, take one yourself, there’s plenty on the plate!”
Hearing this, Li Mengjiao pinched even harder.
“Are you daft?”
Eating two pieces of peach made him daft?
Wang Shuang felt targeted, rubbing his arm as he returned to his seat.
Wen Ying’s face was flushed, and she gave an awkward laugh to change the subject. “Auntie Liu really loves her job!”
She’d been caught off guard earlier, but once her brain kicked in, she realised the peach platter couldn’t have been Xie Qian’s doing. If Xie Qian were to do something like that, he’d have called her out privately, not presented a “❤” platter in front of Li Mengjiao and Wang Shuang!
Xie Qian nodded expressionlessly, “Auntie Liu has always been dedicated.”
Li Mengjiao glanced at Wen Ying, then at Xie Qian.
Was this some kind of secret lovers’ code?
She understood their conversation, but she didn’t believe it was as simple as it seemed.
There must be a hidden message!
Underground romances weren’t for ordinary people.
If Wang Shuang tried to come up with a secret code, he’d definitely fail… Bah, why was she thinking of Wang Shuang now!
For some reason, Li Mengjiao’s cheeks reddened slightly, and it took her a while to focus on her work after eating the fruit.
If a bystander felt this way, Wen Ying was even more affected, feeling restless all day, unable to meet Xie Qian’s eyes.
Wang Shuang had the biggest heart.
Unfazed by the “❤” platter, oblivious to scattering it, and despite the afternoon’s increased workload and tougher questions, he didn’t notice he was being “targeted”. He dove into the sea of problems, both pained and happy, preparing for next month’s college entrance exam!
That day, Wen Ying was on edge, and Xie Qian was uneasy too.
Wen Ying’s state made Xie Qian more certain of something: the hamster’s brain capacity was indeed small, her temperament unsteady, panicking over the slightest thing. If something really happened, her focus would go completely astray!
That’s what he told himself, but Xie Qian wasn’t as calm as he appeared. That night, alone in his room, he couldn’t help picking up the book with wisteria petals tucked inside.
Some feelings had already taken root.
Xie Qian suddenly realised a serious issue.
Did the hamster feel the same way about him as he did about her?
Perhaps she only saw him as a good friend, a very, very good friend!
If that were true…
No need to worry.
It was too early to fret about this.
No boys around the hamster had left much of an impression.
Xie Qian had once suspected Yun Chen, but as Yun Chen’s fame grew and his schedule tightened, he and Wen Ying rarely met, only contacting when she visited his set.
He’d also been wary of Wen Ying’s junior high class monitor, Song Shao.
Facts proved he’d overthought it, Song Shao was barely noticeable, rarely reaching out to Wen Ying.
Or were they secretly in touch, and he didn’t know?
It was just a guess, but Xie Qian’s brow furrowed, the sweetness in his chest slowly turning sour.
Another new symptom!
Once the thought arose, Xie Qian couldn’t sleep.
…
Meanwhile, back home, Wen Ying also struggled to sleep.
She placed the second star Xie Qian gave her with the first in the same drawer.
The first star was folded from red paper, the second from pink.
The red one was fine, but the pink one felt a bit ambiguous.
The two stars lay side by side in the drawer. Wen Ying stared for a moment, then slammed it shut with a bang.
It was hard to believe, but she genuinely felt someone might be liking her.
Did Xie Qian feel the way she thought?
Or was she the one with ulterior motives, overinterpreting everything? A “☆” and a “❤” were quite different, the peach platter was Auntie Liu’s doing, holding hands at Xiang Province airport was to dodge paparazzi, everything had a reasonable explanation!
Xie Qian was a god from a celestial kingdom, how could he have feelings beyond friendship for a mortal like her?
If, just if, something so unbelievable happened, how should she respond?
Lost in thought, a knock came at the door, and Chen Ru’s voice sounded, “Are you asleep? Can I come in?”
“C-come in!”
Caught with stray thoughts, Wen Ying felt so guilty her words stumbled.
Chen Ru’s gaze was sharp, instantly seeing Wen Ying’s unease.
“Still awake this late, can’t sleep?”
Wen Ying tried to stay calm, “Yeah, just reviewed today’s study material. Seeing Wang Shuang and the others nearing the college entrance exam gives me a sense of urgency, time flies, high school’s second year is almost over.”
A child who loves studying is a good thing.
But a child this studious felt a bit off.
Plus, Wen Ying might not realise, but when she’s guilty, she talks a lot!
Chen Ru grew more certain, “You’re hiding something from me.”
It was a statement, not a question, and Wen Ying panicked.
Did Manager Chen install a camera on her?
Something happened today, and Chen knew by evening!
“Nothing’s up!”
Wen Ying tried to resist, summoning her lawyerly calm, but Chen Ru sized her up, making her nervous before sneering, “If there’s nothing, why are you panicking? Tell me, what are you and your dad hiding? I didn’t even know you two had gotten so close!”
Huh?
It wasn’t about her, it was Old Wen’s mess?!
Relieved, Wen Ying nearly swore she’d never date early, begging Chen to let her off, only to find Chen was asking about Wen Dongrong.
Better the priest die than the friend.
Better the dad die than herself.
Old Wen had taken bribes before, so Wen Ying didn’t hesitate to throw him under the bus, “You’re asking about my dad?”
What had Old Wen been up to lately?
Surely he wasn’t secretly supporting Shu Lu and her daughter again… No, Old Wen wasn’t that foolish now!
Wen Ying cautiously confirmed with Chen Ru, “Which thing about my dad are you asking about? Can you give me a hint?”
Chen Ru’s anger flared instantly!
“You mean there’s more than one thing?”
In the next room, Wen Dongrong suddenly sneezed loudly.
“Strange, it’s not cold, why am I sneezing?”
