When Shen Mi just graduated and started looking for a job, it was common for men and women to rent together. It was good to have a place to stay. She was not so particular that she had to sleep in a single room. The homestay had one bedroom and one living room, which could accommodate three people.
But considering Zhang Zhiqing's refined lifestyle as the daughter of a wealthy family and her fear of Xie Rongzhuo, she probably wouldn't be willing to live with them, so Shen Mi didn't say anything.
Halfway through the meal, Zhang Zhiqing went out to answer a phone call. A few minutes later, she happily returned to her seat, glanced at Xie Rongzhuo who was sitting opposite her, and announced to Shen Mi in a low voice: "I have a place to stay, so you don't have to leave."
Shen Mi asked: "Is there a vacancy?"
Zhang Zhiqing said, "Qin Zhimo is here on a business trip and has booked a hotel in the city. He will pick me up and stay with me." She cleared her throat and raised her voice respectfully, "Uncle, please help me change my flight ticket."
Xie Rongzhuo didn't even raise his eyelids and said "hmm" lightly.
That expression made it seem as if as long as she didn't sleep with Shen Mi, it didn't matter who she slept with.
Zhang Zhiqing thought of the six-figure pocket money Xie Rongzhuo transferred to her every month when she was in school, and she forced herself to suppress the idea that she was not her biological niece.
Shen Mi put down his chopsticks and asked, "Isn't your boyfriend angry that you are with Qin Zhimo?"
"No, Qin Zhimo is my childhood friend. Besides, he looks so taciturn. Does he look like someone who would poach people?"
"Why not?" Xie Rongzhuo, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. He raised his eyes and looked at Shen Mi: "Some are taciturn, and they are the best at poaching people."
Shen Mi could tell he was talking about Ke Zhan. But Ke Zhan was not a dull person, he was a real vase, with an empty head, unable to say a single good word for a long time, and no one knew how he got into the university.
But Shen Mi couldn't say this.
At the beginning, she didn't have money to recharge her school card, so she accepted the job introduced by Ke Zhan. She felt grateful for the job, but now she turns around and speaks ill of others. It's not kind of her.
Shen Mi lowered his head and drank the water silently.
Zhang Zhiqing looked at her, then at Xie Rongzhuo, and pouted: "Even you don't believe me, right? Forget it, I'm going to get engaged to my boyfriend soon anyway. Don't worry, I won't eat grass near my own nest."
Seeing that the eldest lady was unhappy, Shen Mi said, "The boss is talking about Ke Zhan. Not long ago, he poached me to work in his uncle's company."
Hearing this, Zhang Zhiqing looked disgusted and complained in a low voice: "He is not a dull person, but a dog that can't spit out ivory. He can't be compared with Qin Zhimo."
Xie Rongzhuo: “Indeed.”
This was the first time Shen Mi saw Xie Rongzhuo openly dislike someone.
She didn't believe him if he said he wasn't jealous!
Zhang Zhiqing was also touched by Xie Rongzhuo's words. She snickered and nudged Shen Mi with her elbow: "Mi Mi, I want to drink milk tea. It seems that they sell it on the street next door. Let's go buy some."
"Let's go." Shen Mi stood up and asked Xie Rongzhuo, "Do you want anything to drink?"
Xie Rongzhuo: “No need.”
"Then I'll go."
"Um."
After the two girls walked away, Xie Rongzhuo picked up the lemonade in front of him and took a sip.
So sour.
*
Zhang Zhiqing has lived in a big city since she was a child, and everything in the small town is full of novelty. Shen Mi told her the history of the ancient town while walking, and also sent her some travel tips.
Zhang Zhiqing clicked on the picture and exclaimed: "The sunrise on this mountain is so beautiful! Qin Zhimo is very good at photography, I can ask him to take pictures for me tomorrow! By the way, didn't you say in the group that you took a lot of night scenes? Send them to me quickly."
"I haven't had time to fix it yet. I'll send them all to the group after they're fixed. Do you want to see them? I have some on my phone." Shen Mi opened the photo album and handed it to Zhang Zhiqing.
The two girls walked along the road arm in arm.
As they were walking, Zhang Zhiqing suddenly stopped and stared at the phone screen: "Is this my uncle? He never lets us take pictures of him, but he actually lets you take pictures!"
Shen Mi then remembered that she had forgotten to back up Xie Rongzhuo's photos separately.
“How was the shoot?”
Zhang Zhiqing enlarged the photo: "I don't know whether to praise your photography skills or praise my uncle for his handsomeness."
The composition of this photo is great.
The night was dark, the moon was high in the sky, and beneath the wall of a small town filled with ancient charm and fragrance, a tall and thin man in a black windbreaker was making a scissors gesture, his handsome face was tense, the corners of his mouth were forced upwards, his aura and actions were extremely disconnected.
But it was precisely this impatience and helplessness that made him show how much he cared about the person taking the photo.
He looked towards the camera, his face clearly illuminated by the street lights, and the flickering light and shadow on the lenses of his glasses could not hide the doting in his eyes.
The dim night fog, the wet reflective road surface, and the corners of clothes lifted by the wind create a perfect atmosphere.
Zhang Zhiqing exclaimed: "What a blockbuster! Master Shen, can you take a picture for me too?"
Shen Mi: "The camera is in the bag." She only brought her cell phone with her.
Zhang Zhiqing was still admiring the photo. Xie Rongzhuo seemed to have completely changed under Shen Mi's lens.
The person is still the same person, the face is still the same face, but it just feels like something is different.
Is this what love does to change people
Zhang Zhiqing was shocked by her own immature thoughts.
I have already reached the door of the milk tea shop.
"Mi Mi, you're here." The lady at the milk tea shop seemed very familiar with Shen Mi, "What do you want to drink? I'll make it for you."
"Two cups of bubble milk tea, three parts of sugar, large, hot, take away."
Shen Mi stood in front of the bar, scanned the code to pay, and sat down next to it.
Zhang Zhiqing came over and said, "You know all of them? Aren't you from the next town?"
Shen Mi: "This is our own store, Miss."
Zhang Zhiqing: “…”
Shen Mi: "You are amazing. You invested so much money but you don't even know your own brand. Sometimes I really envy you. You don't have to think about anything and you don't have to worry about life."
"I envy you." Zhang Zhiqing said, "My uncle dotes on you so much, you won't have to worry about your life in the future."
Shen Mi liked to hear this.
"Oh, I'm so annoyed." Zhang Zhiqing held up her face and said distressedly, "My boyfriend and I haven't seen each other for almost a year. We were high school classmates, but this relationship is almost like an online romance."
Isn’t online dating sweet
Shen Mi didn't dare to say anything and comforted her: "Studying abroad is like this."
Zhang Zhiqing said dissatisfiedly: "What about Qin Zhimo? He is also studying abroad, why can he always find time to party with us? I think he doesn't have me in his heart! Humph, the relationship has faded, and there is a little devil outside."
Shen Mi smiled: "You just talk about it."
The milk tea is packed.
Shen Mi gave Zhang Zhiqing a cup: "I have something else to do in the afternoon. I have to go to the county after dinner, so I can't take you there."
Zhang Zhiqing: "It's okay, go ahead and do your work, Qin Zhimo will be here soon."
When they arrived downstairs at the restaurant, Zhang Zhiqing had no intention of continuing to walk and stood at the intersection looking around.
Shen Mi pointed upstairs: "Aren't you going upstairs?"
Zhang Zhiqing: "I don't want to be your light bulb."
"Then I'll wait with you for a while."
Shen Mi glanced at the window upstairs and said, "You came here this time because the person upstairs called you, right?"
Zhang Zhiqing nodded: "Yes! He suddenly asked me to inherit his villa for no apparent reason. Hush, keep your voice down so no one can hear you."
Across the street, Shen Mi was not worried that Xie Rongzhuo would hear her, so she asked, "Do you remember what Xie Rongzhuo told your grandfather about his white moonlight last time in the hospital?"
Zhang Zhiqing: "Hey Mi Mi, don't worry about it. Anyway, he must have a crush on you now, that's all. And even if he has a white moonlight that he can't let go of, what can you do? Everyone will experience first love, are you going to give up on taking a step further with him just because of this?"
Shen Mi raised the corner of his mouth: "Then it's true."
Zhang Zhiqing couldn't bear to continue hiding it from her: "When my grandfather said it, my uncle didn't deny it. It was true..."
She observed Shen Mi's expression: "And he seemed to like it very much. So I never quite understood why he sang a birthday song to you on your birthday, called you by mistake, and kissed you."
Shen Mi pursed his lips.
Zhang Zhiqing said hurriedly: "My uncle is not a scumbag, absolutely not, I swear on my waist circumference being two centimeters thicker!"
Shen Mi stretched out a finger and poked her small waist: "You are swearing a poisonous oath."
Zhang Zhiqing was so itchy that she dodged to the side: "... How can you still be in the mood to joke?"
"Because I am his white moonlight."
Shen Mi calmly said something that shocked Zhang Zhiqing to the point of being incoherent.
About three seconds passed.
"W-what do you mean? How, how is it possible!" Zhang Zhiqing looked incredulous: "Do you have any evidence? Or have you asked him?"
"Has your pick-up person not arrived yet?"
Xie Rongzhuo walked out of the restaurant, holding Shen Mi's bag in his hand.
Zhang Zhiqing fell silent and pulled Shen Mi's sleeve to signal her to keep it a secret.
Shen Mi nodded, indicating that he would not betray her.
Xie Rongzhuo came over and took the milk tea from Shen Mi's hand: "Your shoelaces are loose, do you want to tie them yourself or should I help you?"
Shen Mi was stunned and squatted down: "... Tie it yourself."
Xie Rongzhuo held Shen Mi's bag in one hand and held her milk tea with the other.
Zhang Zhiqing was watching on the side, stunned.
Is this still her uncle who is indifferent to everyone and everything? Xie Rongzhuo must have been possessed by a spirit!
"The car is here, but it's not leaving yet."
Xie Rongzhuo's voice was as cold as usual.
Well, his soul didn’t penetrate him, he was just gentle to Shen Mi alone!
Zhang Zhiqing glanced at the black car that had pulled up and said, "Let's go, Mimi, I'm leaving first. See you tomorrow!"
Shen Mi stood up, nodded to the young man in the car, and waved to Zhang Zhiqing: "See you tomorrow."
Watching the car drive away, Shen Mi turned around. Xie Rongzhuo handed her the milk tea. She took it and pinched the place where he had held her hand. The warmth of his fingers seemed to still be on the wall of the cup.
Xie Rongzhuo continued to help her carry the bag.
The bag was filled with a camera and was quite heavy, but Shen Mi did not refuse his kindness.
But a woman's bag is like a man's car, not everyone can carry or drive it, which means that she subconsciously did not regard Xie Rongzhuo as an outsider.
When it comes to relationships, Shen Mi is a rather careless person. She devotes all her attention to study and work, but recently, she has always been able to discover some small details that she has always overlooked in the past.
For example, Xie Rongzhuo would stand beside her when crossing the road to help her block the electric bikes that were rushing towards her.
For example, every morning when I went to pick up Xie Rongzhuo from his house, he had already taken a shower, so he always smelled good.
When she drove, Xie Rongzhuo would sit in the passenger seat and never sit in the back seat as her driver.
Xie Rongzhuo will order an extra portion of her favorite food the next time they go to that restaurant.
There are many similar details.
Zhang Zhiqing just asked if there was any evidence to prove that the person Xie Rongzhuo liked was her, and Shen Mi immediately had the answer in his mind.
The so-called drunken sex was nothing more than using being drunk as an excuse to do things that one would not normally dare to do. Xie Rongzhuo calling her name and kissing her was the best proof of this.
When Xie Rongzhuo said that he was the one who took her to the apartment four years ago, Shen Mi guessed that he must have been interested in her for a long time.
Add to that the companionship over the past four years, job transfers, sharing of personal connections, and hands-on teaching of projects... many details can prove that Xie Rongzhuo was testing her attitude.
Although he seemed passive, he was actually slowly approaching and integrating into her life.
Take this time for example, he dropped a lot of work and came to find her, and lied to her that he was here to help Zhang Zhiqing negotiate a project.
Shen Mi knew what kind of personality Zhang Zhiqing had. How could she suddenly start a business without telling them? It was obvious that she was temporarily brought in to take the blame.
Before, I always thought that Xie Rongzhuo was a restrained and rational person, but since I saw the vitality on the glass wall of the bathroom, Shen Mi understood that no matter how cold Xie Rongzhuo's personality was, he couldn't control his body's reaction.
Likewise, I cannot control my mind.
Shen Mi doesn't like the pursuit style of being too aggressive. Others may think it's sweet and a good match, but she really doesn't have the heart to fall in love. Even survival is a problem, so how can she have the energy to deal with and worry about another person
The living environment since childhood made her face the reality early on. She doesn't believe that pie will fall from the sky, nor does she believe that a prince charming will pop up on the earth. No matter how good the other party's conditions are, she will not consider it.
Therefore, Xie Rongzhuo's restraint was wise.
And now is the best time for her to find out.
She has a house, her own property, and the energy to think about love.
Shen Mi was sure that Xie Rongzhuo did it on purpose. If he really wanted to hide something, no one would be able to discover his true thoughts.
If she discovered it, it meant he was deliberately revealing his flaws.
From the moment he kissed her under the influence of alcohol and she neither avoided nor rejected him explicitly, the net that Xie Rongzhuo had woven for her began to close.
But even if she was tricked by him, it was because she was willing. If it was someone else, Shen Mi might be disgusted, but when Xie Rongzhuo tricked her, she enjoyed it.
A man’s youth is also youth. Xie Rongzhuo is 27 years old this year and has spent four full years with her.
He was willing to spend the most ambitious four years of his life silently accompanying her, and there was no need to doubt this relationship anymore.
Before they knew it, they had reached the clock tower, a famous check-in spot for couples in the ancient town.
Shen Mi said: "There is a legend in Yongtai Ancient Town that a thousand years ago a fairy fell into a bell tower and was rescued by a passing scholar. The two got married and lived in love until they were old. In later generations, many lovers confessed their love in front of the bell tower and their feelings were always faithful to each other."
After saying this, she stopped and looked up at the bell tower.
The wind blew, and the ends of her ponytail flew around. The bright sun shone on her fair face, hanging two red lanterns on her cheeks. It was hard to tell whether she was shy or blushing from the sun.
She looked at the clock tower, and Xie Rongzhuo looked at her.
She suddenly turned around and called his name.
"Thank you, Rongzhuo."
Xie Rongzhuo raised his eyes, his pupils were dark and bright: "Hmm?"
In front of the clock tower there is a large clock built later, standing in the center of the square, with the second hand ticking away.
Shen Mi: "It is now 13:13:18 Beijing time."
Xie Rongzhuo: "Yes. What are you going to ask me at 13:14?"
This rare tacit understanding made Shen Mi very moved.
She looked at him with a smile: "Then I'll ask."
Xie Rongzhuo lowered his eyes: "Okay."
Shen Mi: "Do you like me?"
Xie Rongzhuo: "I thought I had made it very clear."
Shen Mi: "But I want to hear your confirmation in person."
Xie Rongzhuo said, “Yes.”
His pair of dark eyes pressed down on her, and there was something in his pupils that was so full that it was about to overflow, as if there was no room for anyone else except her.
"I have liked you for a long time."