Chapter 68

Tao Meng is still in class. After her phone rang, she said sorry to the teacher and ran out of the classroom to answer it. It's still an hour before lunch, and she's too lazy to run far to meet Yang Jingxing, who hasn't called her to apologize for days.

Tao Meng said, "I still have class... it's only eleven."

Yang Jingxing said, "I'll wait for you, let's have lunch together?"

Tao Meng said, "We'll see, I might not have time, bye."

During the break, Tao Meng invited her two friends to have lunch together because a high school classmate of hers came to the school. Of course, they asked if it was a boy or a girl, and if he was handsome.

Tao Meng's expression clearly showed she wasn't welcoming Yang Jingxing: "I don't think he's handsome."

Then they asked where he studied? At the music college! Regardless of whether he was handsome or not, they were interested.

One asked, "Is this lunch for protection or celebration?"

Tao Meng said, "Of course it's for protection, I'm sick of him!"

Yang Jingxing went to pick up the custom-made trumpet in the morning. It cost over ten thousand, much better than the one borrowed from the school, and came with a mouthpiece and a mute. With the mute on, Yang Jingxing started playing in the car. Luckily, no one passed by, or they might have thought he was crazy.

A little after twelve, Tao Meng called Yang Jingxing: "Just got out of class. I'm going to have lunch with two classmates."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Can I join you?"

Tao Meng hesitated for a moment: "Okay, we'll come over."

Yang Jingxing said, "I'm right next to your car."

After twenty minutes, Tao Meng and her two friends appeared in Yang Jingxing's sight. Tao Meng's two friends followed her, but they felt something was off. One stopped and pulled Tao Meng's clothes: "Is that him? That one!"

Tao Meng nodded.

After looking from a distance of twenty to thirty meters, Tao Meng's two friends still hesitated. One wanted to back out, and the other even wanted to go back to the dorm to change clothes.

Yang Jingxing walked over with a smile: "Hello."

"Oh, hello," the taller girl responded dryly. She was still shorter than Tao Meng, with a nice face but small eyes and freckles. The shorter girl with a ponytail and glasses glanced at Yang Jingxing twice without showing any welcome.

Tao Meng introduced them: "My classmates, Chen Xiaqing, Kuang Jing... This is Yang Jingxing."

"Hello," the shorter Kuang Jing added.

Yang Jingxing said, "Thanks for joining me, you decide where to go."

Chen Xiaqing and Kuang Jing both looked at Tao Meng. Tao Meng was too lazy to bother: "Let's go to the same place as last time... it's close by."

The three girls walked closely together, and Yang Jingxing walked slightly ahead of Tao Meng on her left, trying to make conversation: "Are you all in the same major?"

Chen Xiaqing nodded: "We were in the same dorm, but Tao Meng doesn't live there anymore."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Four people in one dorm, right? What about the other one?"

Chen Xiaqing continued: "Fang Shuang... she doesn't get along with us very well. Are you from the music college?"

Yang Jingxing nodded and asked, "Did you figure it out or did she tell you?"

Chen Xiaqing chuckled: "Tao Meng told me."

Yang Jingxing thanked Tao Meng, who just glanced at him.

Kuang Jing also spoke up: "What do you study?"

"He's in composition."

The two girls looked surprised. Chen Xiaqing asked, "So you write songs? Can you play the guitar?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I can play a little, but I usually forget I'm studying composition unless someone asks."

Chen Xiaqing asked, "Have you written any songs?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I've written one, but it's not published. The lyrics were written by Tao Meng."

Tao Meng was unhappy: "Don't talk about that!"

Chen Xiaqing didn't let it go: "You wrote the lyrics? Sing it for us to hear."

Tao Meng refused: "It doesn't sound good."

Chen Xiaqing encouraged her: "What's the harm, sing a few lines."

Yang Jingxing said, "She sings better than me."

Tao Meng wasn't being nice: "I don't want to sing."

Hey, rich and pretty girls are indeed different. Chen Xiaqing didn't know what to say.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the waiter led them to a four-person table. Yang Jingxing pulled out a chair: "Please sit."

Tao Meng sat down, and Kuang Jing and Chen Xiaqing sat opposite her. After Yang Jingxing sat down, Tao Meng moved her chair a few centimeters away from him.

Yang Jingxing was strong, smiling and handing the menu to Kuang Jing: "You order."

Chen Xiaqing placed the menu between herself and Kuang Jing, looking at Yang Jingxing: "Are you from Puhai?"

Yang Jingxing said, "No, I'm from Jiuchun. Have you heard of it?"

They hadn't.

Chen Xiaqing was curious: "Then how did you end up being classmates with Tao Meng?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Fate."

Chen Xiaqing chuckled. How shameless, looking at Tao Meng's face, you can still say that, sigh...

Kuang Jing asked Tao Meng for her opinion while ordering, but Tao Meng said, "Order whatever, I don't care."

Chen Xiaqing said, "Last time Ma Wanli's boyfriend treated us here, the food was good."

Tao Meng and Yang Jingxing didn't say anything, so Kuang Jing continued: "Ma Wanli was the first in our department to have a boyfriend, right?"

Chen Xiaqing said, "No, Wu Qian was the first... but Ma Wanli's was the most sensational."

Yang Jingxing was interested: "How so?"

Chen Xiaqing said, "Her boyfriend is a sophomore. On National Day, he knelt down in Xujiahui with a rose and proposed. There were a lot of people there."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Is the success rate higher that way?"

Chen Xiaqing was doubtful: "Not necessarily... it depends on the person, hehe."

The two girls decided to drink Sprite, and Yang Jingxing added a box of juice for Tao Meng, who refused carbonated drinks. Kuang Jing asked, "Four dishes, is that enough?"

Tao Meng finally picked up the menu: "Let me see... the portions are a bit small." She added another dish and a soup.

Chen Xiaqing and Yang Jingxing chatted, and she asked, "How is your school's cafeteria?"

Yang Jingxing said, "It's pretty good, they have stir-fries."

Chen Xiaqing and Kuang Jing complained about Fudan's cafeteria, saying it was terrible and had no good food. Chen Xiaqing said, "Only Fang Shuang can eat, she always throws away a table full of lunch boxes... Do you know how her boyfriend won her over?" She looked at Yang Jingxing's eyes but didn't finish.

Yang Jingxing was curious: "How?"

"Every morning, he sent her a box of milk for a month."

Yang Jingxing laughed: "That's practical."

Chen Xiaqing shook her head: "It is, but they didn't treat us to a meal after they got together."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Is that a rule?"

Kuang Jing said, "It's an unwritten rule."

Chen Xiaqing asked, "Is it not in your school?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I don't live in the dorm, and I don't have a girlfriend yet."

Kuang Jing and Chen Xiaqing glanced at Tao Meng, who seemed to be in a daze and uninterested in the current topic.

Then they talked about old topics. Chen Xiaqing asked if there were more boys or girls in the music college and guessed, "It must be harder for boys from other schools to pursue girls from your school, right?"

Yang Jingxing said, "It's hard everywhere, the ratio is imbalanced."

Chen Xiaqing disagreed: "Not true! A classmate of mine studies accounting, and there are thirty girls and four boys in her class!" Her expression seemed to be happy for those boys.

Yang Jingxing laughed: "That's extreme."

Tao Meng spoke up: "Do you really want to go there?"

Yang Jingxing shook his head: "No, rarity is valuable, and valuable is a beautiful feeling."

Tao Meng gave a slight sneer. Chen Xiaqing scolded, "How cheesy! You should say 'rare.'"

Yang Jingxing said, "I can hear a Northeastern accent in your voice."

Chen Xiaqing said straightforwardly, "Everyone in my hometown talks like that."

Yang Jingxing chuckled: "That's a good accent."

Chen Xiaqing asked, "Do you hear it often?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Not very often."

Chen Xiaqing got excited: "Do you know what 'kachen' means?"

Yang Jingxing laughed: "You're being quite subtle."

Chen Xiaqing was confused: "Subtle about what?"

Tao Meng, annoyed, explained: "He means you called him 'kachen.'"

Chen Xiaqing glared: "How could I? You're so bright."

Tao Meng stopped her: "Enough, it's uncomfortable to hear."

Chen Xiaqing switched back to a formal tone: "A few boys in my class have learned to speak like me. Do you want to learn?"

Yang Jingxing said, "If I learn it myself, it won't be special."

Chen Xiaqing chuckled. Tao Meng glared at Yang Jingxing.

The food arrived, and Yang Jingxing poured a glass of juice for Tao Meng, but didn't get a thank you. He asked, "Kuang Jing, do you want one?"

Kuang Jing shook her head.

During the meal, Chen Xiaqing was fine, but Kuang Jing seemed a bit restrained. Yang Jingxing took care of them, helping to serve soup and moving the plates.

Tao Meng was annoyed by Yang Jingxing's attentiveness and scolded, "Stop it, what if she doesn't like it!"

Kuang Jing quickly said, "I like it, I can do it myself."

Yang Jingxing said, "Don't worry, this isn't a meal for your dorm."

Tao Meng looked down on him: "Can you even afford it? If anyone is going to treat, it's me."

Yang Jingxing tried to soothe her: "Don't be angry, eat well."

Tao Meng was calm: "What am I angry about! You're the one who's annoying."

Yang Jingxing looked at Chen Xiaqing: "Do you feel sorry for me?"

The two girls were even more awkward, and Chen Xiaqing didn't know what to say: "Tao Meng is actually a good person... she might just be different with you." She couldn't bear to see a handsome guy being treated like this.

Tao Meng denied it: "There's nothing different."

The food was good, but the atmosphere didn't help the appetite. The three girls each had a small bowl of rice and stopped, watching Yang Jingxing eat quickly.

Tao Meng scolded, "Slow down, no one is rushing you." She then said to Chen Xiaqing and the others, "If you have something to do, go ahead."

Chen Xiaqing, with the responsibility of protecting Tao Meng, said, "No rush, no class in the afternoon."

After the meal, Yang Jingxing paid the bill. Kuang Jing thanked him, and he said, "No need, just call me when your boyfriend treats you next time." Kuang Jing chuckled.

The four of them walked back to the school. At the gate, Chen Xiaqing looked at Tao Meng: "What now? Are you going back to the dorm?"

Tao Meng said, "You go ahead."

"Okay," Chen Xiaqing nodded and said to Yang Jingxing, "Come visit when you have time."

Yang Jingxing nodded: "I had a great time!"

The two girls laughed and left.

Tao Meng stood there, seeing Yang Jingxing looking at her, and reminded him: "Say what you have to say quickly."

Yang Jingxing took out his wallet: "Here's the money."

Tao Meng turned her head: "I don't want it."

Yang Jingxing said, "It's what you deserve, I'm not that bad, right?"

Tao Meng said, "You are!"

Yang Jingxing was shocked: "Money can't make you happy? What can I do?"

Tao Meng lifted her chin: "Think about it yourself."

Yang Jingxing pleaded: "For the sake of being classmates and seatmates, give me a hint."

Tao Meng pouted her lips but still spoke: "Apologize."

Yang Jingxing, meekly: "Okay, I apologize, I was wrong."

Tao Meng saw Yang Jingxing's eyes light up and asked, "What did you do wrong?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I shouldn't have had impure thoughts."

Tao Meng turned her head: "No!"

Yang Jingxing was careful: "I shouldn't have looked at your chest size?"

"Also no!"

"Then... I shouldn't have known what I did wrong."

Tao Meng smiled and quickly stopped: "That's it!"

Yang Jingxing said, "It's so complicated. It's not convenient to talk here with people passing by. Let's go to the car."

Tao Meng shook her head: "No."

"Then let's take a walk around the school."

"Okay."

The two walked side by side, slowly. Tao Meng didn't let it go: "Think about what you did wrong... or what you didn't do well enough."

Yang Jingxing said, "I'm not smart enough to figure it out."

Tao Meng was anxious: "Think back to the process of our argument that day!"

Yang Jingxing recalled: "First, I had impure thoughts, then you got angry and left."

Tao Meng was furious: "Is that detailed enough?"

So Yang Jingxing was more detailed: "You asked me to say something flirty, and I had a brain freeze and said your chest size got bigger..."

Tao Meng smiled slightly, her gaze dropping.

Yang Jingxing continued: "Then you said it was because of your bra, and I said you shouldn't wear it... Oh, right, I should have said your bra is good, very good!"

Tao Meng stomped her foot: "No, after that!"

Yang Jingxing was confused: "Did I tell you to take it off?"

Tao Meng shook her head: "Not that!"

Yang Jingxing tried to please her: "Then you cleverly discovered my impure thoughts."

Tao Meng nodded: "Yes."

Yang Jingxing continued: "Then you got angry and got out of the car."

Tao Meng reminded him: "You missed something!"

Yang Jingxing asked, "What?"

Tao Meng stopped and looked into Yang Jingxing's eyes: "I mentioned your junior high school incident..."

Yang Jingxing laughed: "Right, a stain on my life, I shouldn't have told you!"

Tao Meng's voice became softer, her gaze moving to Yang Jingxing's chest: "That was my mistake, I should apologize to you, I'm sorry."

Yang Jingxing was surprised: "How is that your fault..."

Tao Meng seemed genuinely remorseful: "I shouldn't have brought it up."

Yang Jingxing said, "It's fine, you didn't misrepresent me."

Tao Meng said loudly, "But after that, you didn't say a word for days! Even if I was wrong, you shouldn't have treated me like that! When I got out of the car, you didn't even try to stop me! You just let me go home like that!"

Seeing Tao Meng's chin trembling, Yang Jingxing quickly said, "I'm sorry, I was wrong, I should have let you vent."

But Tao Meng's chin trembled even more, her lips pouted, and her eyes turned red, still looking at Yang Jingxing's chest: "Do you know how sad I was? Just because I said something wrong, you ignored me for days..."

Yang Jingxing was afraid: "Don't cry, don't cry, the boys at Fudan University will beat me up!"

Unfortunately, Tao Meng's eyes weren't big enough to hold back the tears, which fell. She was smart and quickly turned to face a large-leafed holly.

Yang Jingxing turned to face Tao Meng and pleaded, "Don't cry, I was just waiting for you to calm down. I wasn't ignoring you. Didn't I just make up for it in front of them? You had so much face."

Tao Meng felt even more wronged: "Even if I did that, you still didn't care. You just came to give me money today!"

Yang Jingxing was happy: "Then I won't give it to you!"

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