Half-baked

30
Huai Nian felt that Duan Huaian’s question was very confusing.
"When did I start liking gentle styles?"

"Didn't you say that yourself?" Duan Huai'an stood up straight. The last word was like a hook, evoking distant memories. His words were concise. "Did you forget the day of your high school coming-of-age ceremony?"
"The day of my coming-of-age ceremony?" Huai Nian frowned, trying hard to search for memories of that day in his mind.

As far as she could remember, she only remembered being in a panic and giving him a random answer.
I thought of what he asked just now - "Do you still like the gentle type now?"
Huai Nian had a bad feeling in her heart: "Isn't it possible that I like gentle boys?"

Duan Huaian raised his cold jawline slightly, and his expression gave an answer.

"..."
"That was all nonsense I made up." Huai Nian explained.

The distance is too close, and I miss being able to see clearly his thin eyelids with bloodshot eyes.
Suddenly, he raised his eyelids slightly, forming an arc that looked like a mockery.
Duan Huai'an repeated word by word with emphasis: "Nonsense?"

Huai Nian couldn't understand why Duan Huaian had such a big reaction. After all, Duan Huaian had nothing to do with the word "gentle". Even when he kept calling her "baby", Huai Nian didn't think he was very gentle.
not to mention.
Huai Nian said seriously: "I don't like the gentle type."

Hearing this, Duan Huai'an's tense nerves relaxed: "Don't like it?"
Huai Nian said "hmm", "And does it matter which type you like? I have a boyfriend now, I can't break up with you just because you're not the type I like, right?"

"Just try and break up with me if you dare." Duan Huaian's tone was casual and calm, but that calmness was like the deep sea before the storm.

Huai Nian pouted, she reached out and slapped Duan Huai'an away: "Let's go, don't stand at the stairs."

It was almost time for the second big class in the afternoon.
There weren't many people coming to the laboratory building for class, but there were still some. Some people were going up and down the stairs, and when they noticed them, they all looked at them curiously.

Duan Huaian is a celebrity in the school.
Huai Nian is a celebrity in the medical school.

Two people who had nothing to do with each other suddenly walked together, attracting a lot of attention.

The nostalgia did not escape, but instead faced those gazes openly with a smile.

After she finished laughing, she waited until there was no one around, then lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, "It's over. I don't even dare to think about what the school forum will say about me. You said, 'The medical school misses and rejects the dean of the business school, Shang Jingze, because...' How about this title?"
Duan Huai'an didn't expect that she would have the leisure to tease him like this, and said in a chilling tone: "In terms of first come first served, I was the first one to arrive."

The crappy title makes it seem as if Shang Jingze pursued Nostalgia first, and Duan Huaian snatched her away later.

"..." Huai Nian didn't expect that his focus was as biased as hers. She was a little speechless, "Aren't you worried?"

"What are you worried about?" Duan Huai'an's face was full of contempt. He glanced at Huai Nian and saw that she looked worried, so he said, "There won't be any posts discussing you, don't worry."

Huai Nian suddenly thought of Shang Jingze's post. She asked, "Did you really have Shang Jingze's post deleted?"

Duan Huai'an: "He deleted it himself."
Huai Nian raised his eyes: "I thought you asked someone to delete it."
Duan Huai'an: "I'll find Shang Jingze and ask him to find the poster and delete it himself."
Huai Nian was stunned: "He actually agreed to you?"

After all, Huai Nian was very troubled by the existence of this post. She went to Shang Jingze and discussed it in a nice way, but Shang Jingze smiled indifferently: "You are the one being pursued, what is there to be troubled about? Everyone is laughing at me, I am not in a hurry."

I miss him at that time because he did things that made her very upset under the guise of love.

"Yeah." Duan Huai'an said, "I talked to him for a few words."
"..." Huai Nian asked him, "Isn't it a threat?"

The two walked to Duan Huai'an's car parked on the roadside, and Duan Huai'an opened the passenger door with one hand. He was dressed in black, and his aura was cold and sharp, but the look he gave her seemed to be covered with a faint tenderness by the weak sunshine of early spring. He smiled lightly and spoke slowly: "Baby, you really understand me."

Huai Nian got into the car and asked him, "What did you threaten him with?"

"Nothing." Duan Huai'an sneered, "I'm too lazy to mention him."

Miss blinked.
I realized later that Duan Huaian was changing.
He used to always say, “I don’t really like talking to you about him” and “I don’t like hearing his name from you.”
Although his attitude is still not very good, he is much more understanding than before.
-
It's almost dinner time.
The two of them never cook all year round, and either order takeout or eat out.
Across from the community is the business district, with shopping malls, pedestrian streets, and supermarkets. Duan Huai'an parked the car in the underground garage of the community, and then the two walked to the opposite side to find a restaurant for dinner.

The third and fourth floors of the mall are mainly for catering, and there are shop assistants standing outside many stores, handing out menus.

Missing being enthusiastically handed a menu by a waiter, she glanced at the sign outside the store: "Casserole porridge, how about we have this?"

Duan Huaian had no objection.
Sit down, order, and wait for the food to be served.
Duan Huai'an asked her: "What happened to that person in the classroom just now?"

I knew I couldn't escape this, so I confessed honestly: "My brother, whom I met on my dad's side when I was a kid."
"relative?"
"We are not related by blood, we just live in the same neighborhood." The nostalgic memory is a bit fuzzy, and I can only remember fragments, "It seems that his father was my father's subordinate."

Duan Huai'an asked: "Are you two familiar with each other?"
Nostalgia shook her head: "I don't want to have any contact with my father's side of the family."
Hearing this, Duan Huai'an's eyes showed no emotion. "Then why don't you add him on WeChat?"

"He is my teacher now." Huai Nian did not expect such a coincidence. "It's been many years since we last met. I didn't expect that he is now studying for a doctorate at Nanjing University."
"PhD? How old is he?"
"How many years older than me? I forgot." The nostalgia was vague.

Seeing that she really didn't know the other person very well, Duan Huaian didn't pursue the matter further.

After dinner, the two walked back to the community.
When passing by the express delivery station, Huai Nian remembered that he had a package: "I'll go get a package."
The express delivery was a pack of books bought overseas, about twenty of them, very heavy. Young Master Duan, who normally even had chopsticks handed to him, today condescended to bring her a box of books.

The more I look at this scene, the weirder it seems.

Duan Huai'an looked at her coldly and said, "Why don't you move it yourself?"
Huai Nian looked serious and stretched out his hand to him: "Let me do it."

"Miss you." Duan Huai'an rarely called her by her name. "Am I your employer or your lover?"
"..."

What this means is that Young Master Duan is Young Master Duan, and Duan Huaian is someone you can order around.

I withdrew my hand reluctantly.
While I was feeling awkward, a man suddenly came towards me, riding a bicycle and stopped at the entrance of the community.
Huai Nian paused, and Duan Huai'an beside her looked at her with a cold expression.

Seven or eight meters away, Xu Ruqing sat on his bicycle, one foot on the ground, looking at them sideways. The gate of the community was open, but he never went in. Instead, he waved to Huai Nian: "What a coincidence, we meet again."
Miss: "...What a coincidence."
The watch on Xu Ruqing's wrist was beeping. "I have a meeting at 7pm. Let's not talk about it now. I'm going to the meeting."
After he finished speaking, he pedaled the bicycle, and in the blink of an eye, he rode into the community.

In a flash, a certain scene comes to mind in my nostalgic mind.
Last year, she and Duan Huai'an had a quarrel. On the night when the cold war ended, she met a boy at a convenience store outside the community. He and she were attracted by the same snacks. The boy left a very familiar impression on her.

It turns out that this sense of familiarity is because he is Xu Ruqing.

Perhaps it was because her mind was wandering too obviously, Duan Huai'an's eyelashes were half closed, and there was an impatience in his eyes. Duan Huai'an: "What are you thinking about?"
Huai Nian hesitated for a long time, and after thinking about it, she decided to tell Duan Huai'an what happened that day. She briefly described the scene of that day, and then asked Duan Huai'an: "Do you still remember?"

Duan Huai'an: "I don't remember."
Miss: "That——"
Duan Huai'an changed his words again: "I remember."
Miss: “?”

They just happened to get into the elevator. There were only two of them in the elevator, and the enclosed space seemed to be able to hear an echo.
Duan Huai'an raised the corner of his mouth and said slowly, "I remember that I bought a lot of sets that day."
"..."
“There are many flavors.”
"..."
"But we are all adults here. Your brother shouldn't be that conservative, right?"
"..."

In my impression, Xu Ruqing has always been a considerate and gentle neighbor brother.
After Xu Jinpeng remarried, he quickly had his second child, and the couple focused all their relationships on their two children. Missing her was often ignored, and it was common for him to forget to pick her up after school.

It was Xu Ruqing. Xu Ruqing always waited behind their classroom and went home with her.
At that time, Huai Nian really regarded Xu Ruqing as his brother.
This situation continued until Xu Ruqing entered junior high school, and Huai Nian was brought to South City by Huai Yanjun not long after.

In fact, if you really look into the situation that day, it's like a brother witnessing his sister falling in love, which would be fine, but he also watched his sister and her boyfriend buy a big bag of condoms.

Thinking of this, my nostalgic thoughts surge like a raging sea.
She tried her best to calm herself down, pursed her lips, and said calmly: "He should not be a particularly conservative person. After all, when he saw you today, he didn't punch you, nor did he ask you if you knew how to write the word moderation."

"..."
-
Today is Thursday. She only stayed at Duan Huaian's place for one night and went back to school with Duan Huaian early the next morning.
She had a full class schedule on Friday morning, so her roommates brought books for her. When they saw her, they waved at her and motioned for her to sit over.

There are people in the third row, in front, behind, and on both sides.
The picture of her and Duan Huai'an in the laboratory building yesterday has already caused gossip. Someone patted Huai'an on the shoulder and asked, "What happened yesterday, you and Duan Huai'an...?"

She pursed her lips in nostalgia, but the words "He is my boyfriend" were still in her throat.
Xu Fu beside him spoke first, and her understatement was accompanied by a hint of arrogance: "Nothing serious, it's just that Duan Huai'an is not only handsome but also has good taste. He has been chasing my family recently. Perfect nostalgia is written all over my body."

"..."

Just then the class bell rang, Huai Nian and Xu Fu turned around and sat up straight.

Huai Nian held his forehead and talked to her in a low voice: "What are you talking about?"
Xu Fu said lazily, "Don't people in school think he's single? It's so strange that the news of you two dating suddenly came out. I'll first say that he's pursuing you, and then you can naturally introduce him to everyone as your boyfriend. This move of mine is called "following the tide". How about it, isn't it awesome?"

"But he never chased me."
"You can't say that you were the one who pursued him, right?" Xu Fu was unhappy. "I'm your family, so I have to stand on your side. But wasn't there a process of pursuit between the two of you? Then how did you two get together? Marry first, then fall in love?"
"..." Missing the hard-to-talk-about time they had together, he changed the subject vaguely, "It's time for class, stop chatting."

In the next few days, Xu Fu seemed to be teasing Nostalgia on purpose, and whenever she had time, she would ask her how she and Duan Huaian got together.

The memory was about avoiding me at the beginning, but later, I heard Xu Fu say, "We are not together yet, but he is pursuing me."

Xu Fu couldn't help laughing: "Does Duan Huai'an know that he changed from a boyfriend to a suitor?"
Huai Nian couldn't laugh. She was just thinking that next time if a classmate asked her what her relationship with Duan Huaian was, she would tell them directly that they were in love.
They are in a serious relationship.

Soon it's Thursday again.
On Thursday afternoon's lab class, everyone was looking forward to it because of the handsome teacher.
Even the seats in the first row were occupied.

Huai Nian and his roommates arrived a little later and spontaneously walked to the empty seats in the back row.

Xu Fu asked her, "Do you think your Duan Huai'an will come today?"
Huai Nian said, "He doesn't go to bed until 10 in the morning. Do you think he will come?"
Xu Fu was stunned: "What is he doing sleeping in the morning?"
Huai Nian said, "Busy with lab stuff."
Xu Fu sighed: "You two young lovers, each one is more hardworking than the other."

There was constant whispering in the laboratory until the teacher came into the classroom and announced the start of class, and then everyone quieted down.

Everyone changed their clothes, put on gloves, and took their tools.
Before dissection, thank the person being dissected: “Thank you for your hard work.”
After thanking it, inject air into its body to kill it.

From time to time, the laboratory was filled with screams and whimpers, as well as the proud sounds of some successful steps.

……

Before I knew it, the experiment class was over.
Xu Ruqing said: "The monitor has asked for leave. Who is the study committee member of your class? Come with me to the office to get the information."
Someone said: "Senior, our class does not have a student committee. The monitor does everything alone. If the monitor is not here, the dean will do it."
It was the first time that Xu Ruqing saw such a disorganized class. He laughed and asked, "Who is the president?"

As the words fell, everyone's eyes were focused on Huai Nian.

Nostalgia raised her hand weakly: "The president is here."

When Xu Ruqing saw that it was Huai Nian, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Okay, then President, come with me to the office."

The doctoral office is in this building.
I miss my roommates and say, "Wait for me."
Xu Fu suddenly raised her eyebrows, fixed her eyes on a certain place, and said meaningfully: "We may not be able to wait for you."
"Look for yourself—" Xu Fu raised her chin towards the door behind Huai Nian.

He turned his head half doubtfully and half confusedly, looking towards the laboratory door.

Duan Huaian, whom she hadn't seen for a week, appeared in front of her silently.
Familiar scenes, familiar people.
He looked like he had just come out of a formal occasion, wearing a well-tailored suit that made him look tall and unrestrained. He had an aura that was somewhere between a boy and a mature man, noble and cold.

Huai Nian was sitting in a seat, and there were many people standing in front of her, so Duan Huaian didn't notice her at first.

Xu Ruqing looked at Duan Huai'an, "Are you here to look for Huai Nian?"
Eyes collided.
Duan Huaian's eyes were filled with coldness.
There was an unknown hostility in the air.

Although Huai Nian didn't know why the atmosphere between the two was so tense, she was too familiar with Duan Huaian. He looked at every man as if he was a love rival.

She couldn't help but say, "Senior, I have something else to do. I can't accompany you to the office to get the information. My roommate will go get it, okay?"
As she spoke, she pushed Xu Fu who was beside her.
Xu Fu stood up immediately: "Senior, the class monitor and the president are not here. I am the dormitory head. Is it okay for the dormitory head to come and get the information?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone laughed.

Xu Ruqing also smiled: "Sure."

Huai Nian breathed a sigh of relief, quickly took his things, walked across half of the laboratory, and came in front of Duan Huai'an.
A faint, puzzled voice suddenly emerged from the crowd behind him: "Is Duan Huai'an really missing you?"

"..."

An unexpected question, just at this moment.
Huai Nian was stunned, wondering whether she should explain to Duan Huai'an why her classmates asked this, or clarify the relationship between them with everyone first. While she was hesitating, she saw Duan Huai'an in front of her lower his eyes and his gaze fell on her.

He smiled slowly and said with thin lips: "Well, I am indeed pursuing her. As soon as I heard that she was finishing get out of class, I rushed over to date her, for fear that she would be taken away by another guy."

(End of this chapter)