Half-baked

31
When Duan Huaian said this, there was not much emotional ups and downs on his face, and his voice was flat and straightforward. It was clear that he was reminiscing about his past, but it gave people the feeling that they were already in love.
Moreover, it was vaguely conveyed that Huai Nian was a dissolute woman who flirted with many men and showed off her charm everywhere when Duan Huai'an was away.

"..."

Fortunately, Huainian had her back to her classmates. She couldn't maintain the expression on her face, so she pulled Duan Huai'an and walked out.
Leave the classroom.
Go down the stairs.
A long way from the lab.

Huai Nian finally let go. She looked up at Duan Huai'an with a complicated expression: "Why did you say you were pursuing me?"
Duan Huai'an asked: "Is it embarrassing to let others know that I'm pursuing you?"
"No," Huai Nian was very confused, "You would rather be a nameless suitor than a legitimate boyfriend?"

There was silence for a moment.
It is surrounded by a tree-lined boulevard and is close to the Art Academy.
I can faintly hear the music coming from the Art Academy, light and elegant.

The spring light shuttles through the newly grown green leaves, casting mottled and swaying fragments of light. Duan Huai'an's voice is like a light and shadow interwoven with light and darkness, with uncertainty: "Didn't your classmate ask first, am I pursuing you?"
"..." Huai Nian lowered his head, kicked the pebbles on the ground, and said helplessly, "They misunderstood. This is a rumor."

Duan Huaian stared at the top of her head and said nothing.

After a few seconds, Huai Nian said humbly, "I wanted to find an opportunity to say that you and I are in a relationship, but recently no one has asked me what our relationship is."
She couldn't just catch someone for no reason and say to him, "Duan Huaian and I are in love."

"Don't you want to make it public?" Duan Huai'an rolled his Adam's apple and frowned, "Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

"because……"
Because she had no idea what the relationship between them was before.
If you can't even convince yourself, how can you convince others?
But Duan Huai'an would definitely not like this answer.
After all, he felt from the beginning that they were in love.

Huai Nian thought for a moment, looked up at him, and asked, "Why did you say that just now? You said you were pursuing me, but why are you talking about... other guys? I'm not a popular guy. We are just normal classmates. Why do you keep making wild assumptions?"

"Is Shang Jingze making random guesses?" Duan Huaian asked back.
"Besides, you are a teacher, a senior, and a brother I haven't seen for many years." Duan Huaian's patience threshold kept decreasing as he spoke, and he became extremely impatient. "I don't think I'm making random guesses."

From a man's perspective, Duan Huai'an was very sure that Xu Ruqing liked to reminisce.
It's not the love a brother has for his sister.
It is a man's affection for a woman, the opposite sex.

Huai Nian is very slow to perceive the love between men and women. If the other party does not express his feelings clearly, she will never think about it that way.

When the two were chatting enthusiastically, they suddenly heard a "beep" sound.
Obviously, this is the sound that only electronic products can make.

Duan Huaian's sharp eyes swept around and finally stopped under a tree.
After seeing who was coming, the wrinkles on his brows deepened: "Why did you come to our school?"

Chi Jingting was discovered, feeling awkward and embarrassed, but his eyes still showed the familiar dandy look. He waved the phone in his hand, "I'm sorry, buddy, your conversation just now was so exciting that I accidentally opened my phone and pressed the recording button. I don't know why my hands are so out of control."

Duan Huai'an: "Why are you recording our conversation?"

Chi Jingting: "Very exciting - I haven't seen this side of you yet, you're jealous and envious, and you treat all men in the world as imaginary enemies."

Huai Nian couldn't help but retorted: "He didn't regard you as an imaginary enemy."

"..."
Chi Jingting felt like he was being mocked. Was he being mocked for not being a man, or for being an alien?
He cleared his throat, choosing not to respond to Huai Nian's words, and continued on his own: "I told Chen Jiangce a long time ago that you become particularly sensitive and fragile when it comes to love, but he doesn't believe it. I will send the recording to him later and let him see if what I said is true."

I miss knowing Chen Jiangce and Duan Huaian, my friends who grew up together. The relationship between the three of them is inseparable.
It’s just that Chen Jiangce is studying abroad and rarely stays in China.

"Who's sensitive and fragile?" Duan Huai'an said with a click of his tongue, "Looking for a scolding?"

Chi Jingting looked hurt: "Even if you are one tenth as gentle to me as you are to Hua Nian, I will be grateful to you."

Duan Huai'an took a deep breath and was too lazy to chat with him about such trivial matters.
He took Hua Nian's hand and left.

Chi Jingting hurriedly followed: "What are you two going to do? Can you take me with you?"

Duan Huaian was too lazy to pay attention to him. He was very tactful and walked over to Huai Nian and had a conversation with the good-tempered Huai Nian.
Huai Nian thought for a moment and said, "We should go eat. It's almost five o'clock."
Chi Jingting: "How can it be such a coincidence? I want to eat too. Let's go together."

Miss: "Also?"
Duan Huai'an: "No."
He squinted at Chi Jingting with disdain: "I don't have the habit of bringing light bulbs to eat."

Knowing that Duan Huai'an was an iron wall, Chi Jingting tried to please Huaian: "Do you have the habit of bringing a light bulb to eat?"

Huai Nian didn't know how to answer. She raised her eyelids and realized belatedly that something was wrong: "Why did you suddenly come to our school? You didn't come to see us, right? Who did you come to see?"
Logically speaking, if Chi Jingting came to look for Duan Huai'an, he would definitely appear in the laboratory building at the same time as Duan Huai'an. But the way he appeared just now was too vulgar, like a paparazzi, and he even recorded the video.

Chi Jingting said openly, "I came to have dinner with Lin Shuyue, but she said she had extra training and didn't have time to eat."

Huai Nian was stunned for a moment: "How did you two add each other's contact information?"
Chi Jingting said: "She came to my bar to hang out, and after a while, she got added."
Huai Nian was speechless. After a long silence, she asked, "But didn't you say you didn't want to be a spare tire?"

"Of course I am not a spare tire, I was in a relationship a while ago." Chi Jingting said lazily, "How could such a coincidence come about? We are both single, so we can get in touch and see if we are suitable for each other."
"Is that appropriate?"
"It doesn't seem to be suitable. She never likes to eat." Chi Jingting said seriously, "I want to find someone to eat with regularly, like you two."

Nostalgia said calmly: "This is the first time he and I have eaten together this week."
Duan Huai'an, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up at this moment: "Can you please stop interrupting our date?"

Chi Jingting paused and asked, "Where are you two going to eat?"

Duan Huai'an: "The cafeteria."
"..." Chi Jingting was shocked, "You're wearing a suit to eat in the cafeteria?"
"I just finished a meeting and didn't have time to change clothes."

Huai Nian asked: "Don't you go to bed at ten o'clock?"
Duan Huai'an: "I was woken up by a phone call from my dad at twelve o'clock. He asked me to go to a meeting. I returned to school after the meeting."
Missing worry: "Aren't you sleepy?"
Duan Huai'an said calmly: "I'll accompany you to finish dinner, and then I'll go back to sleep."

Chi Jingting couldn't stand the way the two of them were talking as if no one was around. Even though there wasn't a single corny word in their conversation and their tone was perfectly normal, without the clingy vibe of a young couple, he just felt uncomfortable listening to it.
In front of them was the cafeteria, with people coming and going at the entrance. Chi Jingting said sarcastically, "You two are still planning to hold hands? Aren't you in a secret relationship? What, are you in a good mood today and planning to make your relationship public? How about going to the school broadcasting room and turn on the radio to inform the whole school?"

"If you don't speak, no one will think you're dumb." Duan Huaian sneered, "If you want to eat together, shut up."

Hearing this, Chi Jingting made a zippering motion with his thumb and index finger at the corner of his mouth.
It was finally quiet.

Duan Huai'an glanced sideways and asked Huai Nian, "Do you want to let go?"
His tone was calm, as was his expression, without any hint of intimidation.

Huai Nian paused for a moment and said stumblingly, "It's not...a relationship that cannot be exposed to the public."

So the two of them walked to the cafeteria hand in hand.
As they walked along, they did receive countless stares. Huai Nian and Duan Huai'an didn't care at all.

There was a window in the cafeteria that sold stir-fried dishes. Duan Huaian and Chi Jingting went to buy some, while Huai Nian found a seat to sit down.

The angle at which she sat allowed her to see their backs.
The backs of the two men are exactly the same as their auras, one lazy, the other cold.

While she was dazed, her cell phone buzzed and she opened it to see that it was a message from Xu Ruqing. Xu Ruqing: [Your dad sent me a message.]
Xu Ruqing: [He asked me if I had met you at school.]

No expression on his face, he replied calmly: [Just say no. ]
Added: [Don't tell him that we encountered this incident at school, okay? ]

Xu Ruqing: [Okay.]
Xu Ruqing: [But he said, if I meet you, let me convey a message to you.]
Xu Ruqing: [Happy birthday, I miss you.]

Huai Nian looked at the latest news on her phone without any emotion. She caught a glimpse of Duan Huai'an and Chi Jingting walking back with dishes. She quickly typed a reply: [I don't celebrate my birthday, nor my lunar birthday. But thank you anyway, senior.]
-
After dinner, Chi Jingting accompanied Duan Huai'an and sent Huainian back to the dormitory.
The canteen and Huai Nian dormitory are very close, just a three-minute walk away.

Chi Jingting winked and said, "Do you need me to disappear for a while so that you two can have some space to kiss and hug each other?"
Huai Nian's mouth twitched: "No need."

"Don't use your love tricks on us." Duan Huai'an raised his lips slightly, and said in a light tone, "Go back, I'm going to sleep too."
Huai Nian nodded, and before leaving, she reminded him, "Drive carefully on the road."

After witnessing all this, Chi Jingting was extremely disappointed: "You two are not at all sick of each other when you are in love. You are really jealous. Can't you say 'baby', 'darling', and other affectionate terms between lovers? At least call her 'Nian Nian', right?"

Duan Huai'an looked at him as if he were an idiot, "Mind your own business."
He parked his car across the street from the cafeteria, so he turned around and walked back.

Chi Jingting followed closely, looking like an old father who was worried about her: "Maybe she has a nickname? You can call her by her nickname."

"..."
Duan Huai'an paused in opening the car door, as if he was reminded, and then he remembered, "She has another name."
"What's your name? Nianbao?"
This time, Duan Huaian looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Jingzhe," he said. "Her name is Jingzhe."
"But she doesn't like this name, and she doesn't like others calling her by this name."

……

the other side.

After returning to the dormitory, I was in a daze for a while.
She took out her phone, unlocked it, and didn't know what to do for a moment. Her fingers carelessly swiped across the desktop, swiping here and there. When she came to her senses, the phone screen showed a calendar.

Below the date on the calendar, there are lavender words showing the solar terms.
Today is Jingzhe.

But she doesn't celebrate her lunar birthday.
I have never celebrated my lunar birthday since I was born.

I can't explain how I feel now. Am I sad? I don't think so. I feel confused. I feel confused about Xu Jinpeng.
-
Jingzhe symbolizes the rise in temperature and the revival of all things.
After this day, there were more and more sunny days and the days became warmer.

After that day, the frequency of meeting with Huai Nian and Duan Huai'an dropped sharply. Duan Huai'an became very busy at the beginning of this semester. He was either in the laboratory or looking for raw material partners in other places.

About half a month passed.
Missing the classes that ended at 8 or 9:30 in the morning, she planned to go to the library to study after class. She enthusiastically invited her roommates to study with her, but they rejected her mercilessly, with the same reason: "It's rare that we don't have classes, we have to go back to the dormitory to sleep."

When I was rejected, a new message popped up on my nostalgic phone.
She absentmindedly turned on her phone.
It was a message from Duan Huai'an: [I see you don't have classes later.]
Nostalgia: [Well, so I plan to go to the library to study. ]

Little did she know that Duan Huai'an had already typed a line of words in the input box one second before receiving her message - [Come out and have a date with your boyfriend]. Duan Huai'an's finger was only a millimeter away from the send button at that moment, and then he saw Huai Nian sent this message back.

"..."
A top student girlfriend.
pretty good.
Positive, sunny and full of positive energy.

Duan Huai'an deleted the text in the input box and changed it to: [Which library do you go to? ]
Miss: [Main picture. ]
Miss: [Do you want to come over? ]
Duan Huai'an: [Yes.]
Miss: [Aren’t you busy? ]
Duan Huai'an: [Yes.]
Nostalgia: [There are no more single study rooms, I have made an appointment on the fourth floor. ]
Duan Huai'an: [Yes.]
Miss: [Are you replying automatically? ]
Duan Huai'an: [. ]

Huai Nian was a little bit at a loss, she felt that Duan Huaian was unhappy, but he would usually say it directly when he was unhappy, and would even exaggerate by saying that he was angry.
Today I just replied with a cold “hmm”…

Maybe there is no unhappiness.
Just too lazy to type.
Miss you.

After chatting with him, Huai Nian continued to attend class seriously.
When Duan Huai'an sent a message to Huai Nian, there were only ten minutes left before the end of get out of class. Time passed quickly, and the class was over in the blink of an eye. Huai Nian packed up his things, said goodbye to his yawning roommates, and took the school bus to the library alone.

When I arrived at the fourth floor of the library, Huai Nian found the seat he had reserved and saw Duan Huaian sitting there from a distance.
He was wearing a dark grey hoodie, with a laptop in front of him and glasses on his nose. His usual coldness was mostly blocked by the clear and bright youthfulness, and there was a bit of laziness in his eyebrows and eyes, as if he had just woken up.

She stood there and stared at him for a long time until he raised his eyebrows and her eyes were caught.

Huai Nian walked over quietly, pulled the empty seat next to him and sat down.

Since they were in the library, the conversation between the two took place on their cell phones.
Miss: [When did it arrive? ]
Duan Huai'an: [Five minutes ago.]
Miss: [Fortunately I didn’t keep you waiting for too long. 】

After sending this message, Huai Nian put her phone aside and took out paper, pen and book from her bag.

Duan Huaian glanced at her, suddenly closed his laptop, stood up and walked out.
As he walked, he sent a message to Huai Nian: [Something happened, I need to go out for a while.]

Huai Nian didn't think much about it and took out her water cup from her bag, but it wasn't there. She probably got up too early in the morning to rush to class and forgot to bring it. She gets thirsty easily when reading and loves to drink some water and beverages.
Thinking of this, Huai Nian stood up and planned to go to the milk tea shop outside the study room to buy a cup of milk tea.

When she was almost at the milk tea shop, she saw a familiar tall figure.
Duan Huai'an stood in front of the milk tea bar, his head lowered, his profile lines weary and cold. He looked like a top student who was studying hard in a book and came to buy a cup of milk tea to refresh himself because he felt sleepy.

Just as Huai Nian was about to step forward, the phone in his hand vibrated slightly.

She thought it was a message sent to her by someone else, but unexpectedly, the person who sent the message was Duan Huaian who was standing in front of her.

She unlocks her phone.
Duan Huai'an: [You say.]
Duan Huai'an: [You had to pick a library with so many people. ]
Duan Huai'an: [I walked around the library, but couldn't find a quiet corner where no one was.]

Huai Nian was confused. Did he walk around the library? Or did he walk around the milk tea shop? Just when she was about to send him a question mark, Duan Huai'an's next message came one after another.

Duan Huai'an: [I haven't seen my girlfriend for half a month. I want to kiss her.]
Duan Huai'an: [As a result, my girlfriend's mind is full of study. ]

After sending the last message, the milk tea that Duan Huaian bought was ready.
He took the milk tea from the waiter, turned around, raised his eyes slightly, and just like that, he met Nostalgia's gaze. There was no expression on his face, nor did he feel guilty about being caught teasing her. He even raised his eyebrows, with a hint of arrogance in his lazy eyes.

Then he walked up to her and turned his almost non-existent guilty conscience into arrogance.
To outsiders, his face was still gentle and indifferent. He lowered his head, leaned close to Nostalgia's ear, pulled the corner of his lips, and slowly spoke the same content as the message sent on WeChat.

"Following me like a tail."
"..."
"I know you want to kiss too."
"..."
"Okay, the library is such a solemn place, please bear with it."
"..."

(End of this chapter)