The hand that was handing the ice cream stopped in the air, Xu Ran stared blankly at Tong Fangfang, who was sweating profusely and panting quickly, as if she had rushed over from the coffee shop.
Gathering his mind, he said, "Where did you hear that?"
Fortunately, the voice sounds normal.
Tong Fangfang took a breath and said, "I heard customers chatting in the store these two days, saying..."
She suddenly realized how offensive she was, and slapped her forehead in embarrassment, "No, I'm just a little surprised, nothing else."
Xu Ran smiled at her, and gave her a bottle of water, "We are not, don't think too much about it."
This "not" refers to whether the two people are a couple, or whether she does not have that kind of sexual orientation. Tong Fangfang is not sure, but she also dare not ask in detail.
After being silent for a while, seeing that she hadn't left, Xu Ran sighed, "Are there many people talking?"
Tong Fangfang waved her hands quickly, "Not too many, not too many, just a few."
Her mouth moved, but she hesitated to speak. Xu Ran knew what she was going to say in the second half of the sentence. Even if few people said it, there must be a reason for this kind of news. If it is spread widely, there will always be a day when the situation will ferment.
But he wasn't too worried. The customers in the coffee shop are basically college students with a lot of knowledge, and they generally don't make cheap jokes about this kind of thing. Furthermore, he and He Cheng had nothing to do with each other, and they were not in close contact, so no one would believe them if they insisted that they were a couple.
Thinking about it, he smiled, "He and I are just in a bad relationship. We had conflicts before. He just wants to apologize to me now, but I have been willfully ignoring him. Don't say this in front of him, he doesn't like to hear it." of."
Knowing that He Cheng couldn't tolerate the character of sand in his eyes, Tong Fangfang nodded hurriedly and made a movement of zipping her mouth.
After seeing off Tong Fangfang, looking at his little book, the arc of Xu Ran's mouth gradually disappeared, and froze into a slightly confused expression.
Why would someone spread gossip about him and He Cheng? College students seldom come to him to buy things, even if they want to pass it on, it should be the high school students who pass it on first.
Children nowadays mature very precociously, even if they didn't say anything, he and He Cheng shouldn't be so obvious.
Weird thing. Xu Ran shook his head, this kind of gossip cannot be refuted, he rarely appears in the coffee shop, if he rushes to correct it now, it will be more practical.
Probably Tong Fangfang overreacted, and it's not easy for He Cheng to know about this kind of thing. Xu Ran didn't want to be bound and restrained by He Cheng in the name of "fake show for real" while being rumored.
The reality is not so rosy, and he doesn't think it's such a great thing, at least for him. As for He Cheng, Xu Ran didn't know how he would react.
He was somewhat concerned, but after watching for two days, Tong Fangfang never came over, and He Cheng's name did not appear in the mouths of the high school students.
Instead, He Chengchuan sent a text message, briefly saying that he was very busy recently, and told him not to be greedy for the coolness in summer, and not to blow the wind directly in front of the fan.
His words lost the feeling of eagerness before, and became ordinary and ordinary, more like an old friend, tirelessly entrusting things that Xu Ran already knew. He didn't go too far, so Xu Ran simply replied: Got it, thank you.
Xu Ran forgot about the gossip within a few days, and when he remembered it was two weeks later, he didn't have time to bring food in the morning, so he went to the noodle restaurant for a toothbrush after a long absence.
It's not peak season yet, and there are very few people in the shop. Seeing him coming, the noodle shop uncle was stunned for a second, then laughed, "What do you want to eat?"
Xu Ran felt that there was something wrong with his tone, but he couldn't tell exactly what was wrong.
During the whole meal, Xu Ran felt that the uncle was secretly looking at him. He raised his head and met the uncle's gaze, but the uncle didn't hide, and smiled awkwardly but politely.
Xu Ran ate a bowl of noodles very slowly. He has no appetite and is simply passing the time.
Finally, when the other customers had left and there were only the two of them left in the shop, Xu Ran put down his chopsticks and asked, "Uncle, what's the matter?"
The uncle rubbed his nose and asked carefully, "Well, has Xiaohe been here recently?"
Xu Ran didn't do it, he thought, "No, he's busy with work, what do you need from him?"
"Ah, it's okay. What can I do with him?" The uncle grinned happily, then quickly restrained his expression, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Will he come sometime?"
"... I don't know." Xu Ran frowned, "If you have anything to say, just tell me, if necessary, I can help you with a message."
The uncle observed his expression carefully, and said after a while, "It's just that he hasn't come for so long, I'm afraid... I was wrong for forcing him to drink last time, please help me say sorry."
Xu Ran nodded and turned to leave.
The uncle's deep sigh came from behind, stirring Xu Ran's mind if there was nothing.
When he returned to the store, he thought over and over that the uncle's hesitant expression was exactly the same as Tong Fangfang's before.
No way... He raised his heart and looked outside. There are no people on the street in the summer, the sun is shining brightly, and the light reflected from the fire hydrant almost hurts the eyes.
Should be an illusion
The students in the first and second grades of high school have survived the purgatory finals, and they will officially have a holiday in a few days. At this time, the sub-district office will check all the stores for potential safety hazards. It is inconvenient for Xu Ran to clean up the store by himself. The inspection date of the book bar is usually scheduled for next Friday, the last day before the students go on vacation.
But this year, for some reason, according to the arrangement, there are still eight days left, and Xu Ran received a notice for a temporary inspection this Thursday.
The teacher on the phone said, "I won't pay too much attention to the decoration and the cleanliness of the store, just keep it as usual, and we'll just go and have a look."
Xu Ran was surprised, "Then next Friday will you still check?"
The teacher paused and said, "It will depend on the situation."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Ran was at a loss as to what to do with the store that had just finished stocking.
This time, all the items brought in were beverages, ice cream and other snacks. He Cheng was not there, and the courier couldn't help him return every product, so everything was piled up in the corner waiting to be packed slowly.
Although the teacher said that there would be no sanitation checks, the temporary spot checks were too sudden. And what does it mean to look at the situation? Next Wednesday is the day when his shop will renew his contract, so it stands to reason that he will have to check again on Friday anyway. This year's arrangement really confuses him.
He did his best to put all the boxes in order before the people from the office came.
The office was established by people on the street, but next to the high school, teachers would also follow to see the situation of the surrounding small shops. This year came the dean, a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and slowly looking at the book with his hands behind his back.
Xu Ran watched from the sidelines, feeling a little nervous. When he was in school, he was most afraid that the teacher would put on a straight face and observe something seriously, which gave him the illusion that he had done something bad without knowing it, but was caught again.
After a while, the dean cast his eyes on him, and asked in a not-so-gentle manner, "How old are you this year?"
"thirty-one."
"Married?"
Xu Ran motioned him to look at his legs, and joked, "I should be single for the rest of my life."
The serious dean didn't accept the joke, and asked with a straight face, "Has your family hired a guy?"
Xu Ran shook his head, "No, it's always been me."
"I heard people say that there is a man who always comes to the store to help?"
"Ah, that's my... friend." Xu Ran said, "He comes here to do business, and occasionally comes to help me buy goods."
The dean snorted lightly, not knowing what it meant.
Xu Ran couldn't bear it anymore and asked, "What are you looking for?"
The aunts who were in charge of the inspection were all standing outside the door, and only the director entered the store alone. Xu Ran was not a fool, he had already sensed something was wrong.
The director adjusted his glasses and said, "Your shop expires next Wednesday, are you considering renewing the lease?"
"Well, there is no plan to close the store for the time being." Xu Ran replied politely.
"That's it. The purpose of our school has always been to teach and educate people, and to create a good environment for students to grow up. Not only the school, but also the shops around the school are the objects of inspection. I didn't mean to trouble you, but recently Some parents reported to the school that your relationship with a man... is rather special."
Xu Ran could see that he hesitated before saying the word "abnormal".
The dean watched his expression through the glasses.
Xu Ran gripped the wheelchair slightly harder.
"No." He said, "He and I are just ordinary friends. Maybe not even friends."
The dean nodded, "Unfamiliar men frequently appear in the store, and some girls who wait for their parents in your store after school at night will feel uneasy. You have opened the store here for three years, and you have a very good reputation among the students, but I don't know what your 'friend' is?"
"He's the owner of the coffee shop across the street and has a serious job." Xu Ran frowned, "He's not a bad guy."
Objectively speaking, He Cheng is indeed not a bad person.
The dean said, "The school will be on holiday soon, and some students may stay nearby very late. If it is convenient for you, please take care of them."
"Okay, I will."
The director glanced down, turned and left.
Xu Ran followed his gaze and found that he was holding on to the handrail tightly, his knuckles were white and trembling due to the force.
He gritted his teeth and let go of his hand, constantly snapping his fingers to let himself relax.
The relationship is special.
Just like when he was a child, no matter what he said, he could never escape the teacher's eyes.
What the dean said just now meant clearly what he said. Unknown men, homosexuality, the influence on children... Xu Ran wouldn't be surprised at all if they intervened in the renewal of the bookstore's lease.
what to do
His head was in a mess, and he turned around in a circle, staring blankly at Xiao Hei who was dozing off in the cage.
Why is it passed on to the school? So, those high school kids already knew
Why hasn't he heard the news!
Xu Ran pinched her fingers helplessly. No wonder there have been fewer customers in the store recently. He always thought that it was because the final exam students were exhausted and refused to come to play, but it was not the case at all.
Parents report? Who reported it, how many people were there, and did the students tell their families
How much do they all know
He was shaking the wheelchair and kept shuttling between the bookshelves, looking at the stacks of thick exercise books, and suddenly had the urge to push all the books to the ground.
What kind of shop is still open, abnormal sexual orientation is the original sin.
He knew it wasn't that he was being overly pessimistic. The appearance of the teaching director is just a warning, he will definitely not survive the day of rent renewal.
Sure enough, early the next morning, someone was waiting for him at the door of the store.
The aunts of several offices, the teaching director, and a few people who looked like parents of the students.
The uncle of the noodle shop was also there, looking at him across the crowd with a troubled expression on his face.
Xu Ran regained his composure, stepped forward in his wheelchair, took out his keys and opened the store.
He opened the door, turned sideways and said to these people, "It's hot outside, if you don't mind, come and sit in the shop, let's talk slowly."
The author has something to say: something happened today, the update is late, I'm really sorry
Thanks to the little angel who voted [Mine]: 1 for the mentally handicapped opposite, 1 for mixing tea, 1 for the appearance of love, and 1 for C'estlavie
Thanks to the little angels of irrigation nutrient solution: 29 bottles of raspberries, (づ′▽`)づ 20 bottles, 10 bottles of mixed tea, 6 bottles of mung bean stuffed dumplings