Chapter Seventeen Ambiguity

  Perhaps one has to walk a very, very long road, experiencing countless unexpected prosperity and desolation in life before slowly becoming mature. When we were young, we didn't understand the complexity of human relationships, didn't understand the fleeting nature of time, and there were many things we didn't understand. It wasn't until we stepped into this somewhat harsh reality with excitement, wonder, and confusion that we realized life was far from being as simple and colorful as we had imagined.

  Many things and many people are beyond our understanding at this age.

  Li San Sheng, reading on the sixth floor of the library, looked out the window at the carefree clouds drifting in the sky and thought with a bitter smile: Some things, when you're young, you don't understand; by the time you do, you're no longer young. Some things, when you have the chance, you don't take it; when you want to, there's no more opportunity. Some people, when you're young, you don't cherish; by the time you remember, they've already drifted far away...

  Life went on, returning to its ordinary state, without too many ups and downs, without excessive sorrow or joy, like a calm lake with no ripples. Li San Sheng continued his routine, shuttling between the four points of his life: dormitory, cafeteria, classroom, and library.

  Most of the time was spent in the library, and Li Sansheng, who had already established a good relationship with the substitute teachers, finally began his plan to skip class without any scruples. Lin Xue'er, who hadn't seen him attend classes for several days, felt a bit shocked and worried that Li Sansheng might have been kidnapped and sold into slavery in some remote mountainous area. She mustered up her courage, which she never had when it came to calling boys, and called Li Sansheng, thinking that one phone call wouldn't lead to any trouble, but also aware that some self-centered kids might misinterpret things, so it was better for everyone's sake to keep a low profile.

  Upon learning that Li San Sheng was holed up in the library, Lin Xue Er naturally lost interest in flipping through fashion magazines and gossiping with her clique. She hastily packed up her things, flashed a smile that made her friends feel a bit uneasy, and bid farewell to the teacher before making a beeline for the library. The math teacher, a newlywed man, gave Lin Xue Er, the prettiest girl in class, a warm welcome, even flashing her a charming and sunny smile. Lin Xue Er's smile grew even brighter.

  Then Li Sanyou got a headache with this beautiful woman who knew how to make trouble without reading books by his side. In the midst of the envious and jealous eyes of the boys in the library, Li Sanyou continued to read his "A Brief History of Western Philosophy" calmly, unaware that he had become the public enemy of all the boys in the library.

  Lin Xue'er lifted her legs, which were beautiful enough to make many girls jealous, and wore black stockings that attracted the attention of most boys. She played with her iPhone, chatting nonsense with Li San Sheng sentence by sentence, but Li San Sheng didn't bother to respond, making it seem like she was just talking to herself.

  This is a rather strange scene inside the library at this time, with Princess Lin Xue'er, who is the center of attention for everyone, and Li San Sheng, the groom of the prince who nobody pays attention to, sitting together, looking like a couple.

  "Li Yuzhi, would you please take me out for dinner? I didn't bring my meal card?" Lin Xue'er said with a tilted head and pouted mouth as she saw Li Sansheng close the book "A Brief History of Western Philosophy", which she was sure she couldn't understand. She was probably complaining that Li Sansheng was ignoring her, a stunning beauty who made people drool, and instead only knew how to read his own tattered books, silently scolding him as a bookworm.

  "Don't tell me you didn't bring your wallet either" Li Sansheng turned his head, gazing at Lin Xueer's enchanting and charming face, saying in a dazed tone.

  Lin Xue'er wasn't afraid of Li San Sheng at all, she had long known that he was a bookworm with a thief's heart but no guts. Naturally, Lin Xue'er wasn't afraid of Li San Sheng's current actions. Instead, she took the initiative to move her face closer to him, puffed out her high and majestic chest, and smiled slyly, saying...

  Defeated Li Sansheng could only shake his head helplessly, seeing the beautiful woman would sometimes nervously grasp his own hand to shift attention. In front of Lin Xue'er, this big seductress, Li Sansheng naturally had no combat power at all. A 20-year-old virgin who was still despised by many male peers, Li Sansheng and Lin Xue'er, who had been chased by boys since childhood and received gifts and love letters without interruption, were obviously not on the same level.

  Seeing Li Sansheng fleeing in disarray, Lin Xue'er swayed her devilish figure and covered her cherry-like mouth with a smile.

  "Lín Xuě'er, I'm really afraid that one day when we're walking together on the deserted school road at night, your crazy pursuer with an unknown identity will knock me down with a brick and I'll die a glorious death. Think about it, Li Yuzhi, from childhood to now, such a legendary loser like me would end up dying like this, wouldn't that be humiliating?" Li Sansheng said helplessly.

  Lin Xue'er watched Li San Sheng gesticulating, and when he finished speaking, she laughed even more excitedly, causing all the boys in the library to stop reading and stare at the beautiful Lin instead.

  "Hmph, don't call me Lin Xue'er, call me Xue'er" Lin Xue'er said with a frown and pouted lips.

  "What's wrong?" Lin Xue'er saw Li San Sheng looking hesitant and asked with a hint of anger.

  Li Sansheng smiled and said, "How can I not be happy?" Li Sansheng was very aware that the distance between him and Lin Xue'er was slowly narrowing. Since the National Congress No. 1 incident, his relationship with Lin Xue'er had been rapidly advancing. Li Sansheng knew that he had forcefully broken through Lin Xue'er's defenses when she was most afraid and vulnerable, and had stolen her heart.

  "That's good," Lin Xue'er hummed with a smile.

  "You call me Xue Er, I'll call you Yu Zhi, how nice" Lin Xue Er said thoughtfully as she packed up her things.

  Seeing Lin Xue'er about to leave, Li San Sheng knew that his charging life in the library was over. He picked up "A Brief History of Western Philosophy" from the table and asked Lin Xue'er to help him carry it. Then he found four or five more books, all of which were some relatively obscure and unpopular books that were definitely not in line with the current trendy environment. Lin Xue'er naturally couldn't understand any of them, although she had been influenced by her family members since childhood and had a certain fondness for books, but it was just a little superficial, definitely not to the extent of Li San Sheng's unbridled and uninhibited level.

  When walking, it is natural to pass by the librarian's place. The librarian is a woman in her 40s who also got this relatively easy job through connections. Li San Sheng, this demon who borrows over ten books every time he comes, naturally already knows the librarian aunt. It's impossible not to know him, as there hasn't been anyone like Li San Sheng in this school before. Who knows if there will be anyone like him in the future? In a private university like this, it's obvious that it's unrealistic to expect a group of kids who have already looked down on the idea that "knowledge is power" and instead believe that money is king to spend their time eating, drinking, playing, and having fun in the dull library.

  "Ah, Lǐ Sānshēng, is this your girlfriend?" The librarian aunt looked at the lovely and charming Lín Xuě'ěr beside him with a look as if she was looking at her own daughter-in-law, and asked with a sly smile.

  "Auntie is great!" Lin Xue'er chimed in with a sweet smile before Li San Sheng could say anything, and from then on, the librarian naturally assumed that Lin Xue'er was Li San Sheng's girlfriend.

  "It's still amazing, usually you're always running to the library, unlike other boys who are all looking for girlfriends. It turns out that you already have one, and she's a beauty too! Haha" The librarian aunt was clearly gossiping, Li San Sheng could only put on a smile, looking like he was honored, without saying anything.

  "Auntie, you're still quite young, people who don't know might think we're sisters!" Lin Xue'er brought out her three sentences that could charm someone to death, plus a smiling and harmless look, instantly winning over the librarian aunt.

  "This child is really good at talking, Auntie is old and old"

  Out of the library, Lin Xue'er, who was hungry, didn't let Li San Sheng off either. In the library, she had already made it clear that she would make Li San Sheng treat her to lunch today. Now, she pulled Li San Sheng towards the school's snack street.

  Actually, Li Sansheng's dormitory building is the same as Lin Xueer's dormitory building. Li Sansheng's dormitory is on the 23rd floor, while Lin Xueer's dormitory is on the 22nd floor. Only Li Sansheng knows this, but Lin Xueer does not.

  Along the way, Lin Xue'er and Li San Sheng's rate of being looked back at together was basically 100%, but most of them were looking at Lin Xue'er, while Li San Sheng had already been ignored by more people, purely a soy sauce party.

  "What's with your family, Lin?" On the way to Snack Street, Xue'er saw that San Sheng wasn't speaking and didn't know what he was thinking about, so she could only find a topic to break the awkwardness between them.

  Lin Xue'er didn't feel any awkwardness either, now she thinks Li San Sheng is a mystery from head to toe, it's a world with stories and vicissitudes, unknowingly she has already fallen into it and can't pull herself out.

  It was probably during the National Congress No. 1 that Li San's calm and collected demeanor, as well as his fearless gaze, captivated Lin Xue'er. Perhaps it was also the bravery and caution he showed when fighting alone against several Ningxia men that drew her in. In any case, Lin Xue'er felt that she had unknowingly fallen for Li San.

  A boy who always sat in the last seat on the left side of the classroom, unnoticed by anyone until a few days after school started. He didn't have the arrogance or immaturity like other boys in the class, nor was he pretentious. He just attended classes when they were scheduled, studied during study sessions, and smiled politely when seeing his classmates. Everything about him seemed ordinary and unremarkable, yet somehow strange.

  When Lin Xue'er finished speaking, Li San Sheng smiled self-deprecatingly and looked up at the sky, asking himself with a smile: Grandpa said that Dad and Mom are people who can make themselves proud and proud for life. So when will he be able to make his dad and mom proud and proud? Will there be such a day?

  It will, it must be that the Li family's fate is either going to be earth-shatteringly brilliant or utterly debased, but it absolutely won't be mediocre, because mediocrity is a mistake.

  "There is only one relative, Grandpa, and the rest were gone since I was born," Li Sansheng said with a bitter smile.

  "Sorry," Lin Xue'er said with a hint of remorse, feeling that she had touched Li Sansheng's sore spot.

  "There's nothing to apologize for, it's not anyone's fault" Li Sansheng said calmly.

  No more discussion on this topic, Lin Xue'er changed the subject to talk about her dormitory friends' embarrassing stories, trying to make Li San Sheng laugh. Li San Sheng understood the girl's intention and laughed along with her.

  When they arrived at the snack street, it was just noon and everyone was in class, so there were not many people. Li San Sheng ordered a catty of dumplings, while Lin Xue Er, like many girls, always worried about her figure and was afraid of getting fat. However, under Li San Sheng's persistence, she still ordered a serving of potato silk rice, and very proactively bought drinks for the two of them. The two of them looked just like a couple, making people envy, but in reality, only they themselves knew.

  "Xue Er, help me out?" Li San Sheng was eating dumplings when he suddenly remembered something and looked up at Lin Xue Er.

  Li Sansheng was eating like a wolf, completely unembarrassed to be with a beautiful woman, compared to Lin Xueer's elegant and refined demeanor, Li Sansheng was like a warrior, one in heaven and the other on earth, pitiful.

  "What's wrong?" Lin Xue'er asked, looking up.

  "It's nothing, Chen Dengke and them are students of Jiaotong University, right? Help me find a copy of the Jiaotong University course schedule and this year's lecture arrangement" Li Sansheng said with a smile.

  Lin Xue'er didn't ask Li San Sheng what this was for, and had already gotten used to Li San Sheng's unexpected behavior. So next, Li San Sheng detailedly told Lin Xue'er about which professional courses, schedules, etc.

  Li San Sheng had already carefully planned what he wanted to do in this school before coming here. The educational resources in Xi'an are among the top three in the country, and apart from Beijing and Shanghai, it's probably only Xi'an that can compete with them. Li San Sheng wouldn't waste such a valuable resource.

  Every year, the celebrities and professors who give lectures and speeches at the universities below are a valuable gain for themselves, so Li Sansheng naturally wants to cherish this resource.

  Li Sansheng wolfed down his own bowl of dumplings in a flash, while Lin Xue'er nibbled slowly and eventually didn't want to eat anymore. The two sat chatting for a bit before parting ways at the snack street.

  Lin Xue'er seemed to be a bit reluctant, wanting Li San Sheng to accompany her for a while, but obviously Li San Sheng was not her boyfriend and it was also very sultry outside on such a hot summer day.

  Watching Lin Xue'er leave, Li San Sheng seemed lost in thought.