After Xi Junjie asked this question, his ears were obviously red, and his expression was not as calm as before. His long eyelashes fluttered up and down, and he looked at Zhenzhen nervously.
Zhenzhen glanced at him and couldn't help but hold her heart: "Of course you are special. All the boys in our school put together are not as good-looking as you."
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen and suddenly laughed, with a blush spreading from behind his ears to his neck: "Boys can't say you're pretty."
Zhenzhen was instantly struck by his smile and almost couldn't catch her breath. She took two deep breaths and turned her head away from him with difficulty: "Why don't you just keep a straight face? This smile is unbearable."
Xi Junjie subconsciously touched his face. For the first time since he was old enough to understand things, he felt that being good-looking was not a bad thing. At least it could attract her attention. Xi Junjie turned his head to look at Zhenzhen's profile. Her fair skin had a healthy blush. She was just like her, busy every day. No matter what she did, she was full of energy, making people unconsciously follow her figure.
Zhenzhen was humming a song while looking at the scenery outside the car window. Xi Junjie leaned back in his chair and looked at Zhenzhen, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "You speak very directly."
"What?" Zhenzhen turned around and looked at him. Her clear eyes allowed Xi Junjie to see her own figure.
"I mean, you're talking about my appearance so directly..." Xi Junjie turned his head uncomfortably, not daring to look at Zhenzhen: "Don't you feel embarrassed?"
Seeing Xi Junjie blushing, Zhenzhen smiled and said, "But I think you are the one who is embarrassed." Xi Junjie turned around and looked at Zhenzhen, and couldn't help but laugh too.
The tram turned a corner and the Imperial Capital Bookstore was about to arrive. Zhen Zhen stood up and smiled at Xi Junjie: "I'm going to the bookstore to buy two books."
Xi Junjie also stood up and said, "What a coincidence. I'm going to the bookstore too. Let's go together."
The tram stopped and the two got off the train one after the other. It was a summer noon when the sun was at its hottest. Zhen Zhen covered her forehead with her hand and walked quickly into the bookstore.
The Imperial Capital Bookstore is very large, with a total of four floors, each floor having different categories. Zhenzhen saw the rows of bookshelves filled with books, and she walked over impatiently.
Because of the movement, people had no books to read for nearly ten years, so as soon as this bookstore was built, people flocked to it and packed it up.
It was summer vacation, and most of the people who came to the bookstore to read were students, each with a childish face, looking at the books in their hands seriously. The first floor was mostly literary works. During the movement, Zhenzhen saved a lot of books that were about to be burned and put them in the space. In recent years, she has taken time out every day to read for at least two hours. Over the years, Zhenzhen has read thousands of books.
Zhenzhen came to the bookstore this time to buy some books she hadn't read before and some professional books. Zhenzhen looked at row after row of bookshelves. She had enough space for most of the books on them, so she just glanced at them and quickly moved on. Xi Junjie followed Zhenzhen silently. When Zhenzhen walked, he followed. When Zhenzhen stopped, he also waited patiently.
After walking through several rows of bookshelves, Zhen Zhen realized that Xi Junjie had been accompanying her the entire time. She smiled at Xi Junjie apologetically and said, "The book I want to buy may not be easy to find. You don't have to come with me, so as not to delay your purchase."
"It's okay." Xi Junjie looked at Zhen Zhen and said naturally, "Many of the books here are in my home. I just want to find some books I haven't read yet."
Zhenzhen looked at him in surprise. A family that could preserve so many books during the movement must be extraordinary. However, she and Xi Junjie were just ordinary classmates, so there was no need to ask too much. She smiled politely and continued to look at the books on the bookshelf.
The two walked around the bookstore for half an hour before they saw some newly published works on a row of bookshelves. They stopped without prior agreement and reached out to take the same book at the same time.
Zhenzhen stretched out her hand a little too slowly and accidentally pressed on Xi Junjie's hand. Xi Junjie's heart skipped a beat and for a moment he didn't know whether he should retract his hand or keep it still.
In Zhenzhen's previous life, it was very normal for classmates to touch hands, put their arms around each other's shoulders, and chat and laugh. Zhenzhen didn't take such trivial touches seriously at all. She withdrew her hand gracefully: "This book seems to have just been published."
The warmth on the back of his hand left, and Xi Junjie felt a little lost. Zhenzhen didn't notice his emotional fluctuations at all, and quickly took another book next to her and lowered her head to read it. Xi Junjie took out the book, flipped through a few pages but couldn't read the content. He couldn't help but look up and look at the graceful girl in front of him.
Zhenzhen stood half a step in front of Xi Junjie, wearing the light yellow dress that Xie Yanan brought over in the morning. The fresh color made her skin look very white and tender, and her two braids hung naturally in front of her chest. Xi Junjie was very close to her, so he could clearly feel her youthful vitality and smell her light floral scent.
Although Zhenzhen said frankly that she was pretty, Xi Junjie could clearly feel from the way she looked at him that she simply admired him and did not have any love between men and women. Xi Junjie actually noticed Zhenzhen a long time ago. Just like Zhenzhen thought he was pretty, he was fascinated by her big eyes at first sight. He had never seen such clean and clear eyes. It seemed that as long as she looked at him, all the darkness and dirt in the world would be exposed.
It is undeniable that he was attracted by her appearance first, but as he got to know Zhenzhen better and spent more time with her, he gradually fell in love with her. Xi Junjie knew that many male and female students in school were dating, but after thinking it over, he decided to suppress this feeling in his heart for the time being. They were just freshmen, and everything in the future was still unknown. Xi Junjie felt that it was extremely irresponsible to make a promise to a girl easily before he had financial independence.
He thought that he would be happy just paying attention to her silently, but he didn't expect to hear his name spoken by her when he was watching the moon under the night sky. Although it was the comment he hated the most since he was a child, Xi Junjie found that when Li Mingzhen said that he was beautiful, he not only did not feel disgusted, but bursts of joy and happiness surged from the bottom of his heart.
I really was poisoned by her.
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen with a gentle smile on his face.
Zhenzhen flipped through several books and selected two that she liked. She picked up the books and turned around to see Xi Junjie looking at her and smiling.
"Have you chosen?" Zhenzhen glanced at the book in his hand. It was a new work by a famous British writer. This was the only book available for trial reading. The others were unopened. Zhenzhen really wanted to see what was in the book. She glanced at Xi Junjie and asked him a little embarrassedly, "How is this book? I want to read it, too."
"Oh, it's okay." Xi Junjie handed the book in his hand to her and naturally took the two books she had chosen. Zhenzhen was completely immersed in the books and didn't notice anything wrong.
Zhenzhen originally wanted to read two pages, but she forgot everything around her as she read, and was deeply attracted by the content of the book. Xi Junjie stood upright at one side, quietly looking at Zhenzhen's peaceful face.
The two of them stood there quietly, one reading a book, the other watching people, as if the outside noise had nothing to do with them. Suddenly, a student who was sitting on the floor reading a book stood up with the help of a bookshelf. I don't know how long he had been sitting cross-legged. When he stood up, his legs were numb and he wanted to stomp his feet to suppress the numbness. But as soon as he took a step, his legs felt as painful as if they were pierced by needles. He couldn't help but fall on Zhenzhen.
Xi Junjie took a quick step forward, quickly pulled Zhenzhen into his arms, and quickly stood behind Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen was startled, and just as she looked up to ask a question, she saw the student bumping heavily into Xi Junjie's back.
Zhen Zhen heard Xi Junjie groan, and his handsome eyebrows slightly wrinkled. He immediately looked at him with some concern: "Are you okay?"
"Brother, I'm sorry, my feet are numb." The student behind him finally stabilized his body and hurriedly apologized to Xi Junjie.
"It's okay." Xi Junjie nodded at him, then turned back to look at Zhenzhen, with a gentleness on his face that he didn't have towards others: "I'm fine, I saw you were too engrossed in reading just now, and I was afraid that he would bump into you, so..." He then realized that he was still holding Zhenzhen's arm, and quickly let go of her hand, with a bit of apology in his eyes: "So it was a bit abrupt."
Xi Junjie silently pressed his fingertips, the touch of Zhenzhen's cold and delicate skin still lingered on it, making him a little dazed. Zhenzhen shook her head indifferently and showed Xi Junjie a sincere smile: "I have to thank you a lot." Seeing that she had read half of the book in her hand, she quickly looked at the watch on her wrist: "I actually read for so long, it's almost time for dinner." She put down the trial reading book, pulled out an unopened book from the back and held it in her arms, looking up at Xi Junjie: "You haven't eaten yet, right? To thank you for blocking me just now, how about I treat you to a meal?"
Xi Junjie looked at her with a dumb smile: "How can you let a girl treat you to a meal? I'll treat you."
"Of course there are some. Let me show you around today." Zhenzhen smiled and took out the two books she had picked out from Xi Junjie's hand, preparing to take them to the checkout counter to pay. Xi Junjie glanced at the book Zhenzhen had just read and took out a similar one.
The two bought books and put them in their backpacks, then left the bookstore one after the other. The capital's economy has developed rapidly in the past two years, and state-owned restaurants are lined up one after another, selling fried vegetables and rice, steamed buns and meat patties, and traditional snacks such as fried liver and soy milk.
Zhen Zhen looked at the shops on both sides and asked Xi Junjie: "What do you want to eat?"
Xi Junjie looked at her helplessly: "Can I treat you?"
"No." Zhen Zhen refused: "How about we go eat some stir-fried food?"
Seeing that Zhenzhen was very persistent, Xi Junjie did not argue with her too much about it. He just nodded and added, "Then I'll treat you to a meal next time."
"Sure." Zhenzhen didn't take this common polite remark to heart at all. She pushed open the door of the hotel, glanced at the whirring ceiling fan on the roof, and found a cool spot.
It was past dinner time, and there were no other diners in the restaurant except Zhenzhen and Xi Junjie. Zhenzhen glanced at the large menu hanging on the wall and asked Xi Junjie seriously, "What do you like to eat? Don't say anything is fine. Since I'm treating you today, I'll go with your taste."
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen's serious expression, and his heart suddenly felt warm. His tone was filled with doting that he didn't notice: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Calling the waiter over, Xi Junjie ordered a plate of shredded chicken with golden needles and a plate of salad, both of which were refreshing, delicious and not greasy, perfect for summer. He glanced at the staples listed on one side of the menu and looked up to ask Zhenzhen for her opinion: "What do you want to eat as a staple?"
Zhenzhen grew up in Heilongjiang Province. When the weather was a little hot, she would stay in the mountains. She had never experienced such hot weather. She fanned herself with her hands while looking at the menu: "The weather is too hot. I'll have noodles with soybean paste."
Xi Junjie nodded to the waiter and said, "Comrade, please bring two more bowls of noodles with soybean paste."
He took out the kettle, poured a cup of boiled water and handed it to Zhenzhen. Seeing Zhenzhen's red face, Xi Junjie quickly took out a folding fan from his schoolbag and handed it to her: "Why are you so afraid of the heat? Fan yourself quickly."
Zhenzhen didn't bother to be polite with Xi Junjie. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hand, took the folding fan and opened it. Before she could use it to fan herself, she was attracted by the fan.
Zhenzhen looked at the painting on the fan in amazement, and then went to write the final signature. She looked at Xi Junjie with a little surprise: "What a generous person, you actually use Tang Bohu's gold-paper fan to fan yourself, and you are not afraid of getting it dirty."
Xi Junjie looked at Zhen Zhen with some surprise: "Do you like painting or collecting?"
"I like them all." Zhenzhen no longer felt hot at this time. She carefully examined the paintings above and said, "I actually took a course on historical artifact identification with the classical literature major. Professor Xu took good care of me and lent me many books on this subject."
Xi Junjie looked at her and smiled: "I know that you are very popular with the teacher."
Zhen Zhen was a little embarrassed and covered her face with her fan: "I just often ask the teacher for advice without shame."
Xi Junjie couldn't help laughing and looked at her with a hint of sarcasm: "You also know that you are thick-skinned."
Zhen Zhen touched her own face and was very pleased with herself: "Sometimes being thick-skinned is not a bad thing. It can make people braver and more generous in pursuing what they want. I think it's good."
"You're right." Xi Junjie gave her a meaningful look and said, "I will learn from you and be a thick-skinned person in the future."
Zhen Zhen looked at Xi Junjie and blinked: "Is this a compliment?"
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen's expression and laughed: "Of course it's a compliment."
"The dishes are here!" The waiter put shredded chicken with golden needles and salad on the table, and soon two bowls of noodles were also served. Zhenzhen quickly returned the fan to Xi Junjie, smiling and saying, "This fan is too valuable. I can't bear to use it to fan myself. Put it away quickly."
After Xi Junjie packed the fans, he took out a pair of express chopsticks from the chopstick bucket and handed them to Zhenzhen, then he took another pair for himself.
The portion of the noodles was very generous. Zhenzhen mixed the noodles in a few seconds and couldn't wait to take a bite. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction. It is said that the chef of this state-owned restaurant was an imperial chef, and his skills were passed down from generation to generation. The noodles were chewy and the sauce was rich. Zhenzhen was addicted to it after just one bite and couldn't wait to put a second bite into her mouth.
It was the first time that Xi Junjie saw Zhenzhen eating. Her cheeks were bulging and she was chewing like a little squirrel eating nuts. As she ate mouthfuls of noodles, a little meat sauce stained the edge of Zhenzhen's mouth. Xi Junjie saw that she didn't look dirty even after eating, but looked like a greedy child, which was particularly cute. He couldn't help laughing.
Zhen Zhen looked up at him suspiciously, swallowed the noodles in her mouth, and asked him in confusion: "Why are you looking at me if you are not eating?"
Xi Junjie took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, with a warm smile in his eyes: "There is sauce on your mouth."
Zhenzhen waved her hand and lowered her head to take out her handkerchief, but she found nothing after two attempts. Then she remembered that she had changed her clothes when she went out in the afternoon, and the handkerchief was in the pocket of her previous clothes.
Zhen Zhen looked at Xi Junjie a little embarrassedly: "Um, I forgot to bring my handkerchief."
Xi Junjie smiled and took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen took it and wiped her mouth. The white handkerchief was immediately stained with a mark of meat sauce.
After wiping her mouth, Zhen Zhen put the handkerchief away: "I'll give it back to you after I wash it clean."
"Okay." Xi Junjie smiled, with a bit of tenderness in his voice: "Eat quickly, the noodles will become clumpy soon."
After they finished their meal, Zhenzhen went to pay the bill, and when she turned around, she found that Xi Junjie was no longer in the room. Although Zhenzhen was not particularly familiar with him before, she could feel from previous contacts that Xi Junjie was a very gentlemanly person and would not leave without saying goodbye.
After putting the wallet in her schoolbag, Zhenzhen was about to go out when she saw Xi Junjie coming in with an ice cream in one hand and a bottle of drink in the other: "I see you are a little afraid of the heat, so I'll treat you to some ice cream."
When Zhenzhen saw that Xi Junjie was holding her favorite milk skewers, her eyes suddenly curved with joy. She unwrapped the outer wrapping paper and couldn't wait to take a bite. The rich aroma of milk filled her mouth, and it was icy and cool, and the heat was instantly eliminated by half.
Zhenzhen was originally going to continue shopping at the Imperial Capital Bookstore, but because she had an ice cream in her hand, she simply sat down and prepared to eat it before leaving. She took another bite of the milk skewer, and then she realized that Xi Junjie had nothing in his hands, and couldn't help asking him, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Xi Junjie smiled and shook his head: "I'm not a child."
Zhen Zhen's eyes fell on the drinks on the table, and she looked at him with some dissatisfaction: "You even bought drinks. I think people who drink drinks are children."
Xi Junjie immediately laughed even more happily: "That was also bought for you. I only drink water and hot tea."
"He looks more like an old scholar." Zhenzhen wrinkled her nose at Xi Junjie and took another bite of the ice cream.
Although Zhenzhen likes cold drinks, she also remembers what Mr. Zhang said and puts the ice cream in her mouth to warm it up before swallowing it. After slowly finishing an ice cream, Zhenzhen washes her hands and mouth from the sink, takes out Xi Junjie's handkerchief and wipes her mouth while asking him, "I still have to prepare to go to the bookstore, what about you?"
"Me too." Xi Junjie smiled and said, "I want to buy two French novels. I wonder if they are available there."
After hearing Xi Junjie mention French, Zhen Zhen finally asked the question that had been hidden in her heart for a long time: "I don't think it's necessary to study French major with your French level. When you applied for the exam, did you plan to come here to slack off?"
Xi Junjie couldn't help but look at her with a smile: "Why do you think so? Actually, I also majored in international relations." Seeing Zhenzhen's puzzled expression, Xi Junjie took the initiative to explain to her the reason: "My father once studied in France, and I also lived in France for a few years when I was a child, so I am fluent in French. However, the French I know is more colloquial, so I want to learn as much written language as possible in school, which will be more helpful for my future career."
"Future career?" Zhenzhen looked at him: "What do you want to do after graduation?"
Xi Junjie spoke out his career dream for the first time: "I want to be a diplomat, so I not only learned French, but also took a major in international relations."
"You want to be a diplomat!" Zhen Zhen looked at him with admiration: "You have a very clear career plan, that's amazing."
Hearing Zhenzhen's straightforward praise of him, Xi Junjie adjusted his collar shyly: "Actually, my father was once a diplomat, but because of the domestic movement, his diplomatic career was forced to end." Xi Junjie lowered his head and looked at his trousers: "When I was a child, I admired my father very much. My wish at that time was to be a diplomat like him."
Xi Junjie glanced at Zhen Zhen and continued, "This batch of students in our school have basically determined their future career paths. I heard that all the students in your major have been booked by national media. It's the same for our Spanish Department. Except for those who stay in school to teach, the rest can basically enter the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Zhenzhen has never really paid attention to news in this regard, probably because she has already made clear plans for her future life. Whether being a reporter or doing something else, it is just a part of her life.
She looked at Xi Junjie and wished him sincerely: "I hope your dream will come true."
At this time, in a courtyard near Houyang Lake, a middle-aged woman was watering the flowers on the windowsill while looking at the wall clock, complaining in confusion: "I asked Junjie to go to his grandfather's house to deliver a fan this morning, but he hasn't arrived yet after several hours. Where has he been?"
At the same time, an old man squatted at the gate of his courtyard holding a teapot, stretching his neck and trying to look around: "Will Junjie elope with my fan?"
The author has something to say: Actually, I am always nervous when writing a romance scene. I think it’s because I have had too few romances.