“So Chen Yuan already has a girlfriend? I really didn't expect that.”

In the KTV room next door, Qiu Meng thought about it and felt it was incredible, especially since she had specifically inquired about whether he had a girlfriend...

Oh, right, that was all back during the basketball game.

Her information was way out of date.

“You didn't even do your research beforehand,” said a tall, pretty girl sitting next to Qiu Meng, looking at her sideways with a disapproving expression.

They were junior high classmates, but didn't go to the same high school. During a previous chat, Qiu Meng had sent her videos of the school basketball game and had proudly said that she was very close to this guy. So she had plucked up the courage to say she wanted to find an opportunity to meet him.

She was pleasantly surprised when they ran into each other at the KTV today, and even more pleased when she went next door and saw him.

He was even more handsome in person than in the videos, with the air of a cool, top student.

And then, this happened.

What a useless wingman!

“But there are these other handsome guys here, let's just treat today as a mixer,” Qiu Meng said with a smile, hoping to ease the awkwardness.

But clearly, these other handsome guys weren't working out.

It wasn't that they were ugly, it was just that they were too quiet.

They didn't chat with the girls after coming in, just sat there, and only started singing when it was their turn. And they were choosing weird songs like "Lung Itch" and "zood".

Even though they weren't die-hard fans of Ding Laoye, they still thought that guys who made those kinds of jokes were low-class.

“Oh, this song is up, it's my favorite lately. Who can sing it?”

Qiu Meng held the microphone, looking for someone to sing a duet with her.

But Tang Jian proactively handed over the microphone to the girls.

“Sorry, haven't heard it.”

“Let her sing it by herself.”

Seeing that no one could sing it, Tang Jian just awkwardly sat on the sofa, watching Qiu Meng pinch her throat to adjust her tone, and then started singing without the original vocals.

“Saying goodbye to the land of tenderness,”

“To venture far away,”

“I understand the ambition in your heart,”

——"Borrowing the Moonlight."

One girl was singing, three girls were glued to their seats, heads down playing on their phones. And the other three guys were also looking at themselves as if sitting on pins and needles, asking with their eyes when they could leave.

At this moment, Tang Jian's mood was very complicated.

He thought he was just lacking a platform, and that as long as he had resources, he wouldn't waste them and would successfully find a girlfriend.

But now, he finally realized.

He was lacking in ability.

I’m just a loudmouth.

Sigh, I might as well be hanging out with those *byd*.

Of course, these women also have problems. They were the ones who called people over, but they started burying their heads in their phones as soon as they came in.

I seriously suspect they're secretly writing little essays to post on Xigua Tiaozi.

Shrimp-head women.

“The bright moonlight, wants to invite you to appreciate it… Ah, no, let's turn on the original vocals.”

Qiu Meng realized that she didn't remember the melody, and only the first few lines were okay, then she was off-key for half of it. So, after an awkward smile, she got up to turn on the original vocals.

Just then, a gentle male voice suddenly came from behind.

“Just borrowing this moonlight, to gaze at you again, no matter the down-and-out scenery…”

Hearing this, Qiu Meng turned her head in surprise. At the same time, the remaining girls also simultaneously looked up, towards Tang Jian who was holding the microphone and singing.

Whoa!

Why does this guy who likes to make stale jokes and consume Ding Laoye and Kun Ge's content, sing so well?

When he opened his mouth, he actually had the aura of a classical handsome man.

“…” Tang Jian was a little uncomfortable being stared at, “You sing.”

“Sing with me, I won’t turn on the original vocals.”

With that, Qiu Meng sat next to Tang Jian, holding the microphone and starting to sing: “Just borrowing this moonlight, to gaze at you again… You sing, take me with you.”

Her butt… was touching his.

Tang Jian blushed.

He mechanically turned his face to the side, and then started singing.

But inside, his heart was already erupting like a volcano.

The guys in the class have many labels: gambling dog, simping dog, stupid dog, but Tang Jian's is the most imposing: a wolf.

A silent pervert.

“Great, great, you sing so well!” Qiu Meng applauded, saying with an adoring expression.

“Uh-huh.”

“Have you studied singing before?”

“No, I've only studied piano.”

“Piano?!” Qiu Meng instantly imagined the image of a wealthy young man in a tuxedo, and then looked more closely at Tang Jian, who was turning his face to the side.

No way, no matter what, she couldn't connect the two.

“Uh-huh.”

“When are you guys going back today?”

“…Probably with them.”

Tang Jian was very uncomfortable and wanted to escape. But his instincts didn't want to give up the opportunity of being butt-to-butt with her, so he was stuck in this dilemma.

“We're going to play script murder later, let's go together!”

Tang Jian: “How about San Guo Sha…” (Three Kingdoms Kill)

“San Guo Sha is fine too.”

“You know how to play San Guo Sha?”

“San Guo Sha, CSGO, League of Legends, Honor of Kings, Sky: Children of the Light, Elden Ring, Final Fantasy…” Qiu Meng counted on her fingers, and then said with a giggle, “I play all of them.”

What a woman who panders to men!

Tang Jian had met someone who could truly control him to death.

But clearly, the other party was at a very high level, and he was no match.

Now is the time to run!

“Sing 'Borrowing the Moonlight' again?” Qiu Meng put her face directly in front of Tang Jian's, and said playfully, “It’s so good, let me order the song, okay?”

Qiu Meng has Sharingan.

This guy is using Tsukuyomi on me!

What KTV, what social gathering, what San Guo Sha, they’re all illusions. Calm down Tang Jian, don't fall into the woman's trap!

“Saying goodbye to the land of tenderness…”

…………

Zhou Fu saw the whole scene of the two singing together.

For some reason, she felt a hint of relief.

And a large part of this emotion stemmed from learning the shocking truth during a late-night WeChat chat with Xia Xinyu: the two of them hadn't even had a proper hug.

They haven't even hugged?!

Wait, I've even hugged Chen Yuan!

Although when we hugged, he very reservedly placed his hands lightly on my back and patted it a few times, with absolutely no ambiguous feelings, it was still intimate physical contact after all.

But they hadn't even done that before.

Later, after hearing it from Xia Xinyu, she learned that they didn't want to progress so quickly and indulge in matters of the flesh, so as not to affect their studies. If possible, they even wanted to go to the same school.

Honestly, this kind of relationship… is basically impossible to find with a lantern in this day and age.

Especially after hearing the ultimate pure love equation of 504+121=625, she realized that the realm between the two had already surpassed that of high school couples of the same age!

At least the initial intention of the two of them being together was not purely based on physiological needs, and they even thought about the distant future.

Are these two people immature, or mature?

Or rather, is it 'like' or 'love'?

It should be the latter.

After all, liking is indulgence, while love is restraint.

Although she wasn't good at drinking, Zhou Fu still slightly raised her beer and took a small sip while they were singing together.

A white light gleamed on her thick glasses.

A bad idea flashed through her mind.

She was a little glad that Chen Yuan and Xia Xinyu weren't in the same high school.

Otherwise, some of her own friendships might have nowhere to be placed.

Thinking of this, she turned her head and looked at He Sijiao, who was taking ugly pictures of Zhou Yu with her phone while he was a little drunk.

It's not spring yet, right?

How come there's a couple here… and another couple there.

Forget it.

Until someone explicitly dislikes her being a third wheel, she'll just stick with them.

So-called motherly love is so unrequited…

There's a crazy woman here.

After Chen Yuan finished singing, he glanced at Zhou Fu unconsciously, and then found that this guy was grinning, with a look of satisfaction that was hard to understand.

Don't ship everything, you'll get cavities!

Clap clap clap clap—

After the two finished singing, the others applauded.

Xia Xinyu's pitch wasn't very good, but she put in a lot of effort to practice this song, so her performance today was quite good. And Chen Yuan was a little better than Xia Xinyu, but not at the level of a KTV master.

Speaking of KTV masters, there was indeed one person.

That was Tang Jian.

So that guy, should already be showing off next door, right?

It's hard to say, after all, every time Tang Jian sings at KTV, he must sing those rap classics, like checking in for a Super Topic, extremely disciplined.

I seriously suspect that this guy will end up becoming a fan for real.

After the group sang for another half an hour, Zhang Chao suggested leaving first. Then, everyone packed up their things and prepared to leave.

When passing the room next door, Liu Yan knocked on the door, pushed it open and asked Tang Jian: “Leaving?”

“Leaving… can't.”

Tang Jian mechanically turned his head, looked at everyone, and had a hard time saying it.

And on his left and right were girls.

In particular, Qiu Meng's thigh was already touching his…

It can only be said that the poor Tom cat was ultimately going to be played with by women.

So, Liu Yan closed the door, abandoned Tang Mu and others, and went downstairs together. Among them, he and Zhang Chao called a taxi to leave first. The others separated at the bus stop.

“Goodbye everyone, let's hang out together again next time,” Qiao Yi said with a smile, and then turned and walked away with Xu Junyi.

As they walked, Xu Junyi put his arm around her shoulder. And she also kissed Xu Junyi's cheek.

Seeing this scene, Chen Yuan and Xia Xinyu looked at each other at the same time… and then quickly looked away.

He looked at me…

Is he hinting that I should be more proactive like Qiao Yi?

She looked at me…

Does she want to kiss me?

The two of them have tacit understanding, but only a little bit.

“How much did this guy drink…” He Sijiao supported Zhou Yu's shoulder, looking at him staggering as he walked, and couldn't help but complain.

Wasn't it you who cheated with the dice and forced him to drink?

Holy Separator, huh?

Also.

Yu Zi, you’re so bad.

“Hey, we're going to get a taxi,” He Sijiao said to Zhou Fu, “We seem to live pretty close, let's go together.”

“Wuwuwu thank you,” Zhou Fu said, tearfully, grateful for not being left alone.

In this round, the Zhou Yu and Sijiao couple are more humane!

The eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law are unfilial.

“Bye-bye.”

After Xia Xinyu and Zhou Fu said goodbye, they watched them leave.

And then, only Xin Yuan was left. (Xin Yuan is a combination of Xia Xinyu and Chen Yuan’s names)

“Did you have fun today?” Chen Yuan asked.

“Yeah, very happy.” Xia Xinyu smiled, and said a little shyly, “I thought it might be awkward before, but after meeting them, I realized that your friends are all very nice.”

“Specifically?”

“The class monitor has good organizational skills, Liu Yan is very straightforward, Tang Jian is quite funny, Zhou Yu… got drunk too fast and I couldn't tell.” After talking about the guys, Xia Xinyu began to list the girls, one by one, “He Sijiao's nose is beautiful, very three-dimensional, Tang Siwen's face is very delicate, like a doll, Zhou Fu's figure is very good, and that Qiu Meng is especially proactive, you can tell she knows how to please boys…”

“Wait, I don't quite understand what you're trying to express.”

Chen Yuan interrupted Xia Xinyu, wanting her to explain.

Why don’t you just say it all clearly?

“Nothing.” Xia Xinyu said with a pure expression, “I’m just someone who says what she thinks, so I praise everyone's good points.”

“Then praise me too.”

“Chen Yuan…” Xia Xinyu thought for a while and said, “He’s very kind and doesn't like to see girls sad. And he also knows how to treat people well, so everyone likes him…”

“Stop.”

Chen Yuan understood.

Didn't you order sour plum juice today?

“Just kidding.” Lightly patting Chen Yuan's arm, Xia Xinyu said quite frankly, “I think they're good-looking, but that's just my own opinion. You have your own standards, and I believe they're subjective too.”

I subjectively think that I’m very ordinary, and I’m not that likeable in terms of personality, after all, I’m not proactive.

But he subjectively thinks that no one is more beautiful than me, and thinks that I have a better personality than everyone else.

As long as that's the attitude, then that's fine.

“Of course.”

This issue doesn't need to be discussed anymore.

Chen Yuan said that he was face-blind.

The reason he occasionally looks at Shao Ji is because he really can't tell the difference between good and bad when it comes to faces.

The reason he looks is just from the perspective of a fashion designer, and the position of a dance critic, purely to appreciate.

To put it more frankly.

Before getting to know Xia Xinyu, he had seen her many times, on the way home. But at that time, he didn't think this girl was the number one beauty in the universe.

At most, he just thought she was a pretty girl on the same level as Tang Siwen.

Therefore, Xia Xinyu doesn't need to worry that he'll be unfaithful.

Chen Yuan is a very obvious emotional animal.

And the proof is…

He found that Xia Xinyu was getting more and more beautiful.

“What's wrong, why are you looking at me?” Xia Xinyu asked in confusion as they walked.

“No, nothing.”

He couldn't say those words.

Even after drinking, he couldn't say them.

If he pretended to be drunk like Zhou Yu…

Too late.

It's been so long since they left, it would be too obvious to get drunk now…

Deliberate.

“Waaa—”

Suddenly, a little boy in front of them sat on the ground and cried loudly.

“What's wrong?” Xia Xinyu stepped forward, squatted down, and asked with concern.

“Waa waa…” The little boy pointed at a helium balloon hanging in a tree, and said, sobbing, “My mommy just bought it for me waa waa…”

“That's a little high.” Xia Xinyu looked up, looked at the little tiger balloon hanging in the tree, and felt it was tricky. So she smiled and said to the boy, “Big brother will help you get the balloon.”

“…” Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment, turned his head, and didn't see any big brother.

“Don't tease him, help him get it.” Xia Xinyu looked at Chen Yuan with a trusting gaze, and said, “You could jump so high when you played basketball before, this height should be about the same, right?”

“About the same, I'll try.”

Chen Yuan looked at it, took a running start, and jumped high.

But this time, he didn't jump very high before landing, and covered his mouth, making a ‘woo-ugh’ sound of retching.

Damn it, I want to throw up.

“…You really shouldn't run after drinking, take it easy.” Xia Xinyu quickly stepped forward and patted his back to make him feel better.

“Waaa—”

Seeing that Chen Yuan had failed, the little boy cried even louder.

What an annoying guy.

Kids with fully functional legs are such a hassle.

“Since it's your own balloon, you can't completely rely on others.”

Chen Yuan pulled the child up from the ground, then put his hands under his armpits, and lifted him up as high as possible, like raising the Lion King.

And the boy also tried to reach out.

But it was still far off, there was a distance of forty centimeters…

There was no other way, he could only think of another plan.

At this moment, the little boy had a flash of inspiration and pointed at Xia Xinyu, saying, “Big sister is so much taller than me, she should be able to reach it.”

“But she’s not forty centimeters taller…”

“You can do it like that.” The little boy remembered how his father took him out, and described it, “Brother is at the bottom, sister, you ride on top, and then you can get the balloon.”

“Hey, you little…”

“Sister is wearing a skirt, I definitely won't peek.” The little boy turned around, covered his eyes with his hands, and was extremely sensible.

He doesn't want to see, he just wants his balloon.

“What should I do?” Chen Yuan looked at Xia Xinyu.

Xia Xinyu's face turned red, and then she nodded and said, “Then be careful, I'm a little afraid of heights.”

“What?”

As Chen Yuan was about to turn his head, Xia Xinyu quickly sat on his shoulders, afraid that he would turn his head.

Otherwise, her skirt would be…

“You can't open your eyes.” Xia Xinyu.

“I'm talking to you, little brat.”

“I know, brother.”

“And the big boy too.” After Xia Xinyu told Chen Yuan seriously and quietly, she raised her hand high and tried to reach the balloon.

Finally, she successfully caught it.

“You can put me down now.”

Getting down was even harder than getting up, because there was no support point, Chen Yuan slowly squatted down, and when the height was about right, Xia Xinyu slowly put one leg down.

Because she lost her balance, her fair and delicate bare leg was revealed all the way up to her thigh at the moment she put it down. But as she landed steadily, her long skirt gradually covered her legs, like a folding fan closing.

From bottom to top, Chen Yuan saw Xia Xinyu staring at him with a blushing face, saying nothing, but saying everything—did you see it?

He only saw her fair leg.

But she should have been referring to her thigh.

At this moment, there was no one around.

The little boy was still covering his eyes, not looking back.

So, Chen Yuan wasn't angry because he hadn't been taken advantage of by others.

Xia Xinyu wasn't angry either… because only he saw it.

“Big brother, did you get the balloon?”

The boy was still covering his eyes.

“Tie it to your hand, don't lose it again.”

Xia Xinyu gave the balloon back to him.

And the little boy showed a surprised look, bid farewell to the two of them, and ran away happily.

At this moment, it was just the two of them again.

“Let's go home,” Chen Yuan said.

“Yeah, I miss Xiao Yu a little.” Xia Xinyu also nodded.

Then the two of them continued to walk towards the subway station.

Shoulder to shoulder.

The moonlight swirled, and all was silent.

It was too quiet, let’s secretly listen to her inner thoughts.

[Now that you’ve seen me…]

[It’s unforgivable if you look at other young ladies dancing with their bare legs.]

(End of chapter)
Hu Die Lan