Tong Ze sat cross-legged in front of Li Manman, his sweaty palms cupping the girl’s face. "If Feng Yi treats you badly or bullies you, come to me. I’m serious."
Li Manman awkwardly looked away. "It’s getting late, we should head back now."
"Okay, go change your clothes, and I’ll take you home later."
Li Manman nodded, stood up, and walked towards the dressing room.
After changing clothes, the two of them walked out of the boxing gym together. The sky outside had darkened, and the streetlights had just begun to illuminate the busy streets.
Li Manman tightened her coat, ran to the car, and got in. "Take me to my parents’ house."
Tong Ze had a deep, enigmatic smile on his lips as he fastened the seatbelt and started the car onto the main road.
"Why are you smiling?" Li Manman glanced sideways at Tong Ze, feeling his smile was up to no good.
"You two aren’t living together anymore, of course, I’m smiling."
"It’s just temporary. Once the anger subsides, I’ll make up with him. You shouldn’t put your thoughts on me. Didn’t we agree to just be friends? Why are you going back on your word?"
Tong Ze kept one hand on the steering wheel and propped the other against the car window. "You said that if I had confessed back then, maybe you would have accepted. So I want to try and see if I can win you over. I don’t want to miss the chance again."
Li Manman suddenly wanted to cut off her own tongue. She was really digging a hole for herself.
"Then I take back what I just said."
Tong Ze glanced at the girl. "Too late. Once words are spoken, they’re like water spilled on the ground. I’ve already remembered them."
"Fine, whatever. Anyway, the only person in my heart is Feng Yi. If you get hurt in the end, don’t blame me."
"You sound like you’re worried about me."
"You’re just being presumptuous."
The car soon stopped at the Li Family’s old house. Tong Ze only left after seeing Li Manman enter the yard.
Li Manman entered the house and had just changed her shoes at the entryway when her phone rang. She stood up and took the phone from her coat pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and muted it.
Feng Yi was standing in the cinema lobby with a bucket of popcorn, calling Li Manman. The movie was about to start, but the girl still hadn’t shown up. He called multiple times, and she wouldn’t pick up.
Li Manman sat on the sofa in the living room, took a sip of juice from the coffee table. "Mom, what did Auntie make for dinner?"
Xu Lan turned to look at the girl, thinking her mood seemed much better today. "I asked the kitchen to make a few of your favorite dishes, make sure you eat more."
Li Manman took off her shoes and lay sideways on Xu Lan’s lap. "Mom, I want to travel in the next few days. Do you have any good places to recommend to me?"
"Are you going with Feng Yi?"
"Why would I go with him? I’m going alone."
Xu Lan tapped Li Manman’s forehead with her finger. "What’s going on between you two again? Feng Yi told us this morning that he realized he was wrong. Why can’t you just let it go?"
"Are you really my mom? Why do you always take his side?"
With that, Li Manman picked up her constantly vibrating phone from the sofa and saw that Feng Yi had made over a dozen missed calls.
"Mom, I’m not eating dinner at home. Something came up, I have to go."
In a hurry, Li Manman went to the entryway, changed shoes, grabbed her coat, and headed out. By the time she drove to the cinema, Feng Yi was still there. Just as Li Manman was about to approach him, she saw Feng Yi receive a phone call and then leave in a hurry.