Chapter 29
The two of them walked aimlessly on the field. The night breeze blew gently, and Xu Tian teased, “Jin Nian, do you like Jiang Qingchi?” Jin Nian was scared and quickly explained that she only admired Jiang Qingchi and had no other thoughts. Xu Tian told her not to be nervous. “It might be too hurtful to say this, but I don’t like him anymore. I still have a lot of things to do. Love doesn’t mean that much to me.”
Jin Nian had lowered her head and didn’t say a word. Her EQ was low, and she didn’t know what to say at this moment. However, Xu Tian broke the silence. She said to Jin Nian with a playful look, “If you like him, then be braver. You’re so cute. It’s his fortune to like you.” Jin Nian’s neck turned red, and her ears turned red too. Facing such an honest Xu Tian, she had completely lost her ability to express herself. On the day Xu Tian left the country, Jin Nian went to see her off. Xu Tian, who smelled like pomegranate, hugged Jin Nian tightly and whispered in her ear, “Jin Nian, you are a very good girl. Be brave, don’t worry about me.”
At that moment, Jin Nian thought back to the scene she had witnessed at the airport yesterday and Jiang Qingchi’s groveling text messages. It was difficult for her to have any good feelings for Xu Tian anymore. Jin Nian didn’t know why Xu Tian was looking for her now. Was she trying to s.n.a.t.c.h Jiang Qingchi away from her, or was she simply flaunting her victory? Even though Jin Nian was upset, she still agreed to meet Xu Tian. The moment she sent the message, there was a knock on the door. It was the room service that had brought food. Jin Nian picked up a walnut pastry and nibbled on it while searching for clothes and shoes.
There were traces of Lu An everywhere in the room. The large cloakroom was filled with all kinds of high-end clothes. Curious, Jin Nian pulled open a drawer and took a look. It turned out to be tidily arranged undergarments. As Jin Nian hurriedly closed it, she was secretly complaining about her nosiness.
Before the second year of junior high school, Lu An was only slightly taller than Jin Nian, so they would always exchange clothes. Who knew that he had eaten some kind of miraculous medicine and grown taller overnight. When he entered high school for his physical examination, he was already 1.85 meters tall. Jin Nian, on the other hand, had never grown taller since she entered junior high school. After so many years, she was still 1.63 meters tall. No matter how much she drank milk or skipped rope day and night, it was useless.
She found the pair of high-heeled shoes that looked good but were useless in the trash can. She did not need to guess who threw them away. She squatted on the ground holding her phone, typing and sending a message to Lu An on WeChat. “Pay me for my shoes.” Just as she sent the message, her phone vibrated. Lu An sent a voice message with a noisy background. He spoke in a low voice, “Okay, I’ll compensate you with myself.” Jin Nian replied, “Thank you, you don’t have to.”
Lu An sent another voice message. “The clean clothes are on the shelf in the bathroom.” Jin Nian walked in and saw a full set of casual outfits. They hadn’t seen each other for years, but Lu An somehow knew her size perfectly. Jin Nian put on her sneakers and washed her face. Her drunkenness had already subsided, but her head still hurt a little. The location where she had arranged to meet Xu Tian was near Wanhe Huayuan. Jin Nian walked there in less than five minutes.
When they met again, Xu Tian exuded the charm of a mature woman, but when she smiled, it was the same as in Jin Nian’s memory. “Let me be clear. I’m not here to give you my blessings.” Xu Tian went straight to the point. The expression on her face was unclear. Jin Nian hadn’t even had the mood to smile at her. Xu Tian handed her a gla.s.s of juice with ice cubes and raised her eyebrows. “Walk and talk?”
Jin Nian had taken the juice and followed Xu Tian. “What did you want to talk to me about?”Jin Nian asked. Xu Tian looked at Jin Nian. “Are you really going to marry Jiang Qingchi?” Jin Nian hadn’t been pleased, “You came to see me just to laugh at me?” Xu Tian suddenly smiled. “Jin Nian, I didn’t mean that.” She unlocked her phone and handed it to Jin Nian. “I just think you have the right to know the truth. Here are all the messages that Jiang Qingchi sent me in the past six months. I wanted to pretend I didn’t see them.” “But I don’t want you to be kept in the dark. Marriage is not a child’s game.”
Jin Nian took the phone and lowered her gaze to the screen. The messages on it were no different from what she had seen on Jiang Qingchi’s phone. There was all Jiang Qingchi’s monologue, and Xu Tian had never responded to him. Jin Nian returned the phone to Xu Tian and said calmly, “I know all of this.” “You know about it?” “Yes.”
Jin Nian told Xu Tian everything that had happened that day. It was very strange. She was clearly guarded against Xu Tian, but deep down, she still subconsciously revealed everything to her.