Ai Weinan invited all her high school classmates to the hotel for karaoke. Mei Xiawen had been their class rep from junior high to high school. Thus everyone was familiar with each other and knew Mei Xiawen liked liveliness and organizing group activities. The male student saw that everyone agreed and picked up his phone to call Mei Xiawen.
Mei Xiawen was sitting with Gu Nianzhi in a dessert shop on campus and having ice cream. Gu Nianzhi had a cup of Häagen-Dazs grape ice cream in front of her and pecked at it with a small spoon. She looked at his ashen face, “You got skinner. Where did you vacation? Did you not get to rest?”
Mei Xiawen rubbed his chin and didn’t touch his ice cream. He ordered a hot coffee to warm his hands, “I didn’t go anywhere during the break and was sick at home. Otherwise I would’ve taken you out.”
“You’re sick?” Gu Nianzhi froze, the spoon in her hand halting, “What kind of illness? Are you better now?”
“I’m better now, it was just a fever, probably from exhaustion and getting wet from the rain.” Mei Xiawen reached out to grip Gu Nianzhi’s hand, “What about you? Are you ok?”
Gu Nianzhi appeared soft and delicate, and her finely shaped chin seemed especially frail. But she was actually very healthy and Chen Lie, who always gave her physical examinations could best attest to it. Of course this was not something an outsider would know. Gu Nianzhi shrunk her hand back and made a fist to lean her head against. She leaned against the table and shook her head, “I’m good, didn’t get sick. I was just really sleepy and slept all the way till noon the second day after going back.” After waking up, she subconsciously called Huo Shaoheng, who had been all the way in the capital. And then, nothing… Huo Shaoheng left for a whole two weeks and didn’t call nor return. Gu Nianzhi propped her head, distracted. One hand held the little spoon and stirred the ice cream, almost turning it into a creamy mush.
From Mei Xiawen’s perspective, he could see Gu Nianzhi’s lush eyelashes cast shadows. They were full and thick, half covering her hauntingly huge eyes. He had no idea what she was thinking about. A true beauty was gorgeous at anytime, even when distracted. Mei Xiawen smiled as he stared at her, until his phone suddenly rang and the two of them finally came to. Gu Nianzhi immediately lowered her head to look at her phone and realized it wasn’t her own ringtone. Mei Xiawen froze and saw it was his phone. It was his high school classmate calling.
Mei Xiawen rose and nodded at Gu Nianzhi, “Nianzhi, I’m going to take a call.”
Gu Nianzhi tilted her head, “Please go ahead.”
The dessert shop was actually quite quiet inside and although there was no explicit banning of phone calls, it wouldn’t do to disrupt the quiet. Mei Xiawen took his phone and went outside.
“Class Rep? What are you doing right now?” The male classmate’s voice traveled from the other end of the line.
“It’s you.” Mei Xiawen smiled and put his hand into his trouser pocket, “Why did you suddenly think to call me?”
“The thing is, Weinan came from Z City to see us and invited a couple high school classmates for karaoke. Everyone was saying how we can’t be missing Class Rep, so I decided volunteer calling you.” That male classmate was very enthused, “Class Rep, everyone is watching me, can you give me some decency? We’re also graduating soon and everyone will be parting ways, let’s meet up?”
Mei Xiawen knew that Ai Weinan loved crowds and was friendly with everyone in high school. That’s why she could amass so many classmates for karaoke with one call. He turned and watched Gu Nianzhi through the large glass windows of the dessert shop. She still had her head propped on her hand, but wasn’t stirring her ice cream anymore.
“…How long are you guys staying for, I’ll have to see if I have time.” Mei Xiawen didn’t really want to leave Gu Nianzhi and hesitated.
“Class Rep! Just come! What are you doing? If you’re with other classmates, just have them come too! Weinan is treating us, she said the more the merrier!”
Mei Xiawen saw that Gu Nianzhi was bored and wanted to take her out, so he agreed, “Ok, Where are you guys? Send me the address.”
The classmate knew that Mei Xiawen had a car and directly sent him the address. Mei Xiawen received it and saw it was a hotel not far from campus.
He turned back to the dessert shop and asked Gu Nianzhi, “Nianzhi, do you want to go to karaoke with me?”
“Huh?” Gu Nianzhi straightened in her seat, “But I don’t know how to sing.”
“That’s fine, I can sing.” Mei Xiawen reached out to pull her up, “A few of my high school classmates are singing karaoke near campus and invited me, let’s go together.”
As soon as Gu Nianzhi heard him mentioned high school classmates, Gu Nianzhi immediately thought of how she ran into Ai Weinan on campus today. She was almost certainly in the group at karaoke. Gu Nianzhi didn’t want to mingle with Mei Xiawen’s classmates. They were classmates and she wasn’t part of the group, so it would be awkward being a stranger amongst them. Of course, the more pressing reason Gu Nianzhi didn’t want to think about was that she was subconsciously aversive to seeing Ai Weinan. Everytime this woman used the excuse of”true bros” to desperately cover up her feelings towards Mei Xiawen, Gu Nianzhi felt pity for her.
Just admit if you like him, what was there to be shy about? Mei Xiawen was a gentleman and wouldn’t raise a ruckus…
Gu Nianzhi was contemptuous, but merely thought about it and didn’t say anything out loud. She rose and held her phone as she shook her head in refusal, “If it’s a high school reunion, I’m not going to interrupt. You go, and remember to come back early.” She reached out and gently brushed at Mei Xiawen’s clothes, like there was dirt on them.
In reality, the dessert shop was actually very clean and Mei Xiawen’s snow white T-shirt didn’t have anything on it.
Mei Xiawen didn’t persist in convincing her and held her hand as they walked outside, “I’ll take you back first, then go see them. These guys always party hard and I hope they won’t overdo it today.”
Gu Nianzhi smiled without saying anything and slowly walked back to her dorm. She watched Mei Xiawen’s car disappear and even waved at it. Once she was back at the dorm, her roommates were shocked to see her.
“Why are you back so early? It’s not even nine yet?”
Gu Nianzhi took her clothes to the bathroom to shower and answered, “Xiawen had a high school gathering, he had to go.”
“Hehehe, high school gathering, out university classmates haven’t gathered yet…” Little Temptress snickered and continued browsing Weibo for the latest news. Gu Nianzhi showered and crawled into her own bed. She carried her laptop and wore her headphones as she edited her thesis. Before she knew it, it was already almost 11pm and nearly lights out in the dorm when she remembered to check her phone. Mei Xiawen hadn’t texted her.
At the same time in the hotel garden, Ai Weinan had called out Mei Xiawen from the private karaoke room and finally mustered the courage to tell him, “Xiawen, there’s something I’ve waited six years, and finally dare to tell you.”