Cheng Xi couldn’t help but be impressed by how persistent Tian Rou was in her efforts to snatch him up. However, she too pricked her ears up at her question.
And then she heard Lin Fan reply, “No.”
Tian Rou rubbed her palms together as she exclaimed, “Oh, wonderful.”
Her antics made the others laugh. “Are you actually that happy to find out that Lin Fan’s single?”
Tian Rou half-seriously replied, “Of course! This is my chance to get together with my male idol, no?”
Her statements made Lin Fan’s face go 囧, but he was no longer the youth of before, who would blush bright red whenever someone flirted with him. Instead, he smiled politely and said, “Rou, you really haven’t changed at all. You’re still so amusing.”
Tian Rou was elated at his praise. She grabbed Cheng Xi’s hands from under the table and shook them wildly, her emotions clearly visible.
Because it was someone else’s wedding, everyone’s behavior was more or less restrained. And after dinner, there was another class reunion. For this one, Shen Wei had booked several rooms in the hotel, and they also had access to a spa with a mineral spring and a game room. With these accommodations, everyone would definitely have a good time and relax.
Tian Rou and the others whooped as they heard the news, and then headed back to their rooms. Cheng Xi was near the tail end of the crowd, having hung back to help Shen Wei with a small problem. As she turned the corner, however, she found Lin Fan waiting for her. Startled, she asked, “Why haven’t you gone up yet?”
“I had a call, and then waited for you.”
Cheng Xi smiled. “Thanks. Well then, let’s go.”
The two walked towards the elevators together. While waiting for it to arrive, Lin Fan asked, “Have you been well all these years?”
“Yes. And you?”
“Life’s been a little hard.”
Cheng Xi looked at him strangely.
“It’s true—during my toughest period, I couldn’t call anyone even if I wanted to.
Cheng Xi’s head drooped as she looked at the ground. She understood that he was trying to explain that long period when he’d fallen out of contact with her. Lin Fan stopped walking, and then suddenly called out to her. “Cheng Xi…”
She stopped. However, at almost the exact same time, another voice called out to her as well. “Hey!”
Lin Fan stopped talking, and along with Cheng Xi, turned toward the voice. They saw a young man walking toward them from the shadows.
When the light illuminated his face, Cheng Xi couldn’t help but gasp for a moment.
He walked closer, step by step, his gait somehow reminding Cheng Xi of a prowling beast that was unhurried and confident in its abilities. He said, “You left something behind at the hotel.”
After saying this, he handed her a wad of money and a pack of condoms.
“You bought the condoms, so you should be the one to take them away.”
As he spoke, his expression remained calm, his tone placid, and his actions cold—but it was because of this demeanor of his that Cheng Xi almost believed that the condoms and money he was handing her was indeed hers.
And the implication of him handing her condoms made even Cheng Xi, a doctor, feel lightheaded from the blood rushing to her head.
But at the very least, she could still throw up a superficially calm mien—although she was afraid of looking at Lin Fan, she didn’t want to indulge Lu Chenzhou in his unusual malice either. She silently took the proffered items. “Is anything else the matter?”
Lu Chenzhou didn’t seem to expect that response from her. His gaze shifted to Lin Fan for a brief moment before he calmly said, “You forgot to wash my clothes.”
Having said that, he turned around and left.
For quite a while after Lu Chenzhou’s departure, the atmosphere between Lin Fan and Cheng Xi was awkward and tense. It was only until they entered the elevators that Lin Fan forced a smile onto his face and asked, “Was that your boyfriend just now?”
“No.”
Upon hearing her answer, Lin Fan’s eyes shone and then dimmed again quickly, because Cheng Xi had no intention of explaining herself.
If he had asked, Cheng Xi certainly would have told him. However, during the time they spent catching up to the larger crowd of people, Lin Fan did not ask.