Gong Zeli looked at her deeply.
“Who bullied you? Is it Ah Si, or the woman he brought here? What did they do to you?”
“It’s nothing to do with them.” Shen Rou bit her lip. “Stop speculating, I’m really alright. Don’t bother about me, go in and join the conversation.”
With that, Shen Rou was about to leave.
“Go in with me.” Gong Zeli grabbed her hand and scoffed. “I want to ask Ah Si if that woman is more important than all of us.”
He was about to drag Shen Rou into the private room with him.
Shen Rou immediately got flustered. “Zeli, let go of me. Listen, it really isn’t what you think it is. Don’t create trouble!”
“You’re already out here crying, and you’re still defending him?”
Gong Zeli looked at her with a dark expression. “You like him that much?”
Shen Rou was caught off-guard. She looked at him blankly for a few seconds and her tears came gushing again.
“Rou Rou, you…” Gong Zeli stopped in his tracks.
“Zeli, take it that I’m begging you.” Shen Rou pleaded with him. “I just returned, I don’t want to cause so much trouble. I just want us to sit together and have a nice meal.”
“Could you let this go on my account?”
Another tear rolled down her cheek when she was done talking.
Gong Zeli pursed his lips and clenched his free hand.
Shen Rou tugged at his forearm. “Zeli, please…”
A moment later.
Gong Zeli nodded reluctantly.
He coldly said, “I can agree to it. But can you tell me why you’re crying? Who did this to you?”
“Well…” Shen Rou didn’t know what to say.
Gong Zeli waited for a while and scoffed when she still didn’t answer him. “Alright, you don’t have to say anymore. I know what happened.”
“Zeli, don’t let your thoughts run wild. Nobody did this to me, it was I who thought about some unpleasant stuff, so…” Shen Rou smiled, but it was a sad smile. “It has nothing to do with any of them.”
“Go on in, I need the washroom.”
Shen Rou turned away and left.
Gong Zeli stood rooted to the ground as if deep in thought.
…
The meal had commenced.
As the only “outsider” of the group, Qiao Mianmian spent most of the time being occupied with eating.
She wouldn’t start a conversation with anyone if she didn’t have to.
It was natural that this bunch of close childhood friends had never-ending things to talk about.
Most of the time, it was Yan Shaoqing starting on a new subject before the rest chimed in.
Yan Shaoqing was a lively and bubbly person. With him around, they could rest assured that there wouldn’t be awkward silences.
He could practically speak all day and all night.
Hence, the atmosphere around the dinner table was pretty hyped up.
In the group, Mo Yesi and Gong Zeli spoke the least. They added a sentence or two just once in a while.
But even as Mo Yesi spoke little to others, he always had a lot to say to Qiao Mianmian.
He’d proactively speak to her occasionally.
And he made sure to take care of her feelings.