Chapter 2: I Still Love You

  Zhao Linlin is now renting a house with a colleague Zhang Ting, which is not far from Liu Meng's unit dormitory.

  He closed the door behind him, got on his old bicycle which he had brought from school, and Liu Meng rode slowly to Zhao Linlin's place, the three-year-old bicycle making creaking noises.

  It arrived soon, the car was parked on one side, carefully locked up, and only after doing all this did he calmly climb to the 4th floor in one breath.

  This is a multi-story building from over a decade ago, with four households on each floor. Two of the households have kitchen exhaust fans facing the stairs, filling the entire staircase with a greasy smell. And yet, the rent for this place is still 2,800 yuan per month! Zhao Linlin had complained to Liu Meng many times before, not wanting to live here, but Liu Meng could only try to placate her with kind words.

  Knock knock knock, someone is knocking at the door.

  "Who's there?"

  The voice was somewhat lazy, and it was clear that it was Zhao Linlin's housemate Zhang Ting. This woman was quite promiscuous, often bringing different men back to spend the night, and had even tried to seduce Liu Meng. Liu Meng had been very dissatisfied with her at one point, worrying about Zhao Linlin's safety, but had no other choice of accommodation.

  This also led to Liu Meng and Zhang Ting not getting along, with a bad relationship. Zhao Linlin has made up her mind to break up this time, and it's likely that Zhang Ting also played a role in this, or else Zhao Linlin would have found it hard to let go of these feelings.

  "I! Liu Meng." Liu Meng said stiffly.

  "Lingling can't see you, hurry up and leave." Zhang Ting's tone was extremely impatient.

  Knock, knock, knock. He continued to pound on the door. At this point, Liu Meng had a few points of anger. Zhang Ting, that woman, hadn't stopped saying bad things about him in front of Zhao Linlin. Since they started co-renting, Liu Meng and Zhao Linlin had many more arguments than before.

  Can't help but say, this woman is quite cunning and two-faced. Normally, she's very considerate of Zhao Linlin, asking about her well-being and showing concern, occasionally chiming in with something like "Oh my, you're too lenient on Liu Meng, what kind of boyfriend is that? Haven't you seen how great so-and-so's boyfriend is?"

  With a loud creak, Zhang Ting pulled the door open with great force. Liu Meng looked at Zhang Ting's face full of anger and saw that she was wearing a very cute pink nightgown with a low neckline, revealing half-moon shaped curves, not too big but just right.

  Have to say, this windy woman indeed has the capital to attract men.

  But Liu Meng didn't have the heart to appreciate this beautiful scenery, Zhang Ting angrily said: "I told you that Linlin doesn't want to see you, late at night, what are you knocking on, can't even let people sleep?"

  Not wanting to waste words with her, Liu Meng charged forward and knocked open Zhang Ting's arm that was blocking the door, quickly rushing into the room.

  Zhang Ting let out a cry of surprise, almost falling over, and again revealing quite a few seductive poses. She shouted, "What's wrong with you? You deserve to be dumped!"

  As soon as he entered the house, Liu Meng wanted to go directly into Zhao Linlin's room, but found that it was locked from the inside. He paused for a moment, then shouted: "Linlin, it's me! Open the door, I have something to say to you."

  Zhang Ting adjusted her shirt, but the neckline was still very low, and the more she adjusted it, the more exposed it became. With her hands on her hips, she shouted angrily: "I'm telling you, do you have any shame? Lili said not to see you, hurry up and get out of here."

  "What's the matter between me and Linlin has nothing to do with you, don't be nosy - what are you thinking about, are you crazy from thinking about men?" Liu Meng slammed his hand on the coffee table in the living room, he was also in a bad mood now. As a roommate, instead of comforting him, he was actually adding fuel to the fire."

  Zhang Ting was clearly frightened for a moment, but quickly recovered. Her temperament was originally bold and daring, Liu Meng couldn't intimidate her, so she pointed at Liu Meng's nose and scolded him.

  "This is where I rent, what kind of onion are you, on my turf, knocking on the door and slapping the table, hurry up and get out, or else I'll call the police." Zhang Ting threatened.

  "If you have guts, report it to the police." Liu Meng was also infuriated by this shameless woman.

  The two were at an impasse, and Zhang Ting picked up the phone and started dialing.

  Just then, Zhao Linlin's door opened, and Liu Meng's heart was delighted, just about to enter, when he saw a man following behind Zhao Linlin. The man was dressed in decent clothes and had a pleasant appearance, but in Liu Meng's eyes, his heart felt a sudden pang of pain.

  Zhao Linlin has found someone new? That was quick!

  He immediately calmed down. No way! He knew Zhao Linlin, she was not that kind of woman. Although sometimes she could be quite lively, but deep down she was still a very traditional woman.

  Two people entered the living room. Zhang Ting saw them come out and looked at Liu Meng with a mixture of surprise and delight, saying to the man behind Zhao Linlin: "Qian Shou, you're just in time. This kid broke into our house in the middle of the night, help us kick him out."

  Qian Shou walked up, half a head taller than Liu Meng, who was already 178 cm. Qian Shou must be over 185 cm, with bulging muscles that looked very robust. He said fiercely: "Kid, get out of here quickly, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."

  Shaking his fist in threat.

  Liu Meng's mouth corner revealed a faint cold smile, could such a role make him afraid? Joke! He didn't pay attention to Qian Shou at all, and kept staring at Zhao Linlin, wanting to see something from her expression. Zhao Linlin just kept a straight face and didn't speak, that kind of indifference made Liu Meng slightly hurt.

  Qian Shou saw that Liu Meng was completely ignoring him, which made him very unhappy in his heart. He wanted to show off in front of Zhao Linlin, so he grabbed Liu Meng's collar with one hand.

  Liu Meng's anger surged up, and he directly punched Qian Shou's nose. Qian Shou felt a sharp pain, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes, making him feel very embarrassed. He quickly regained his composure, and the two men began to wrestle with each other, instantly turning the living room into chaos.

  Zhao Linlin was busy pulling the frame, two big men were not something she, a thin and weak little woman, could pull open. She said to Zhang Ting, who was watching from one side, "Are you still not coming to help?"

  Zhang Ting only pretended to come over and pull the two of them, actually helping Qian Shouju more. She had been annoyed with Liu Meng for a long time, ever since last time... This guy always looked at her with contemptuous eyes. Humph, you two aren't just the campus lovebirds, always talking about it until now? Aren't you just looking down on someone like me? You have to break us up no matter what.

  "Stop it, all of you." After pulling for half a day and still unable to open it, Zhao Linlin also got angry and said in a fit of rage.

  This move was effective, and Liu Meng and Qian Shou separated. However, Qian Shou, who had stood up, still glared at Liu Meng with anger. On the surface, it seemed that he had been taken advantage of, which made him feel very uncomfortable in his heart. The proud and arrogant momentum from earlier was gone, and there were faint marks of five fingers on his face.

  Liu Meng was also disheveled and his eyes were swollen.

  In recent years, after finishing scientific research at night, Liu Meng has insisted on running for half an hour, and his physical fitness has been well maintained. If not, his body would have been exhausted long ago.

  "Liu Meng, is it that hard for you to get along with the people around me? Your former study buddy doesn't seem to like you very much, and now Tingting isn't getting along with you either. And you've even started fighting with my colleague! Please, can you tone down your arrogant attitude?"

  Zhao Linlin said that she was also bitter in her heart and her tone of speech became a bit heavier, and she also knew that saying so was somewhat unfair to Liu Meng.

  If possible, I would never want to part with Liu Meng.

  She still loves him after all he was her first love also her first and only man.

  "Ling, I know it's my fault, I was cold to you, all this will pass soon, in the future, I'll make it up to you double." Liu Meng said calmly, not looking at Zhang Ting and Qian Shouyi from start to finish.

  Zhaolin also knew that although Liu Meng was a bit arrogant, he truly loved her and had achieved his current status through his own abilities, with outstanding achievements and fruitful research results, making him a very attractive person in school.

  At first, she was infected by Liu Mang's spirit of studying hard in the library, admired his continuous progress, and fell in love with him without any practical considerations.

  The two of them started dating, but when Mom and Dad heard about Liu Meng's family situation, they were always opposed to it. What Dad said was right, Linlin, you're our treasure, we've always wanted to give you the best life possible, not let you suffer a bit. You following him is no better than staying at home, it's hard for us to accept.

  She was once very determined, thinking that Liu Meng was a potential stock, and she also wanted to be the woman behind that successful man. However, at 25 years old, she suddenly felt no longer young, with inexplicable pressure. Listening to her female colleagues discussing their family life with their husbands and plans for having babies, she couldn't join in, and the bitterness in her heart wasn't something she hadn't shared with Liu Meng before.

  He's always been so busy, even on weekends, it's hard for them to see each other, all she can do is wait for him.

  After some thought, perhaps the two of them separating would be better. Liu Meng wouldn't have to work so hard and put himself under such great pressure, spending all day tinkering with circuit boards thinking about how he could succeed. He's too tired anyway. Maybe separating would be good for both of them. He'll definitely succeed, and when that time comes, what kind of girl won't be able to find him?

  Originally, the one who accompanied him was me. Thinking of this, Zhao Linlin also felt a sour heart and made up her mind. She coldly interrupted Liu Meng, "Don't say anything more, I've waited for six years and don't want to continue waiting. You've seen it too, I have a new boyfriend now. We're over, you can leave."

  Although Liu Meng didn't believe Zhao Linlin's words at all, when he heard them, his heart still felt like it had been heavily struck, and he felt dizzy and disoriented. A huge, unbearable feeling that he had never experienced before swept over his entire body.

  He felt that if he stayed there any longer, he would surely collapse.

  Forcing back the pain, I absolutely couldn't cry, that would be a sign of weakness. I put on a relaxed smile and said: "Lingling, I know what kind of person you are, you don't need to use these words to comfort me! So many years, we've loved, hurt, laughed together, cried together, walked through every corner of the campus together, watched sunrises together, waited for sunsets together... so many beautiful memories. All these years, I'm really grateful that you've been by my side, making me feel what it's like to be loved. I've always wanted to say this to you, but was afraid you'd laugh at me for being too cheesy. Really, thank you."

  "Today, I'll leave first, but I will never give up on you. I know you can't bear to part with me either. Wait for me, wait until I stand in front of you again."

  Having said that, Liu Meng quickly stepped out and went downstairs.