【35.】

  Although we wasted so much time, we actually arrived faster than the group taking the bus. I took a look at their excursion spot and the environment was very good, but as far as I know, this place does not openly receive tourists.

  Shen Duan looked at me and explained: "I made a phone call to my mom."

  Wow! He really is amazing, he always knows what I'm thinking about.

  Two people standing in such a desolate place were slightly bored, I picked up small stones and threw them at him, he looked at me and said faintly: "Don't mess around."

  I will persevere without giving up.

  Shen Dang was finally provoked by me and walked up a few steps to press down on me.

  I looked up at him: "You're already in high school, always playing basketball and going on outings, do you have time to study?"

  "You're just like my homeroom teacher."

  I pout and won't say another word.

  After a while, he spoke up and asked: "Have you thought about where you want to go to school in the future?"

  "Huh?" I stared at him blankly "Big brother, I'm already in college, what's the point of still studying?"

  Shen Duan's face fell: "I said read a master's degree... Are you going to graduate in four years with just an undergraduate degree?"

  Pursuing a master's degree...

  I remember when I was a freshman, a senior told me that every newcomer to university wants to take the postgraduate exam, but in the end, those who really pass and can persist are few and far between.

  I feel I am unable to persist.

  "I've thought about it... but I don't think I'm quite reliable."

  "Go take the exam in Beijing." He looked at me "We are together."

  "Cut, why should I go find you? Good universities aren't just in Beijing."

  He squatted down and said to me in a low voice: "But Shen Duan, Young Master Shen, only Beijing has it."

  "Hey! Who wants to be in the same city as you?"

  He grasped my hand that was waving wildly in the air, brought it to his lips, and gently kissed the tips of my fingers: "If you don't go, I won't go either. Even if you can't love me, I'll stay by your side forever, always watching over you. If you're doing well, then forget about me. But if you're not... Liu Jia, I'll make sure you know that there's someone in this world who is willing to give up everything just to see you happy."

  I lowered my head, covering up my embarrassment. Tears were about to flow out.

  He smiled and stroked my hair: "To be honest, I didn't want to tell you this all along. I think a man who always talks about these things is really not reliable. But I'm also afraid you won't believe me, Liu Jia. If any of the words I said just now made you feel pressured, just selectively forget them, okay?"

  How can I forget?

  Shen Dang, you're making it sound too easy.

  After waiting for a while, Liu Xian and the others finally arrived. She saw me and hastily ran over: "Sister, are you okay?"

  Normally I wouldn't mind such concern. But today, facing Liu Xin, I felt an unprecedented sadness in my heart.

  "It's nothing."

  She leaned in: "Look at you, your face is so pale, yet you say nothing's wrong. Sigh... it's my fault for dragging you out to have fun."

  I smiled and said, "It's okay, just take a rest for a while."

  Liu Xin looked at me with concern, I replied with a smile, she let out a sigh of relief. Then started looking around again: "Where's Shen Duan?"

  I also took a look: "It was just here a moment ago..."

  Liu Xin stopped Lü Guo: "Deputy captain, where is Shen Dang?"

  "Some places here require a pass, he went to get the pass."

  This place where playing is prohibited indeed has more rules.

  When Shen Duan came back, he was holding a lot of passes in his hand. Even if there were more handsome guys with these things in their hands, they couldn't help but lose some value. I lowered my head and smiled secretly, and he threw the pass over: "What are you laughing at?"

  I didn't catch it and squatted down to pick it up. I silently cursed him for being a petty person.

  This place is indeed a natural reserve, many landscapes are well maintained, it's a rare treasure.

  When I sat down to rest, I was looking at the photos taken by Liu Xian's mobile phone. There were many scenic shots... and also many of Shen Zhong. She found me looking at the photos and awkwardly snatched them back. I smiled: "I've seen what I should see, what's there to be afraid of?"

  "Of course I'm not afraid." She argued stubbornly "This is private! And you're still a university student!"

  I pushed her: "Come on, you like Shen Dong so much, and you're still being secretive?"

  "Cut it out." She said discontentedly, "I just hate it when people talk about romance in hushed tones. I'm not breaking the law by chasing someone, Chairman Mao even said that any romance without the intention of marriage is just being a playboy. This harmonious society doesn't encourage this kind of thing, I'm open and honest, who am I afraid of?"

  The speaker has no intention, but the listener has a mind. I remain silent in response, entangled to death.

  When did I become such an unscrupulous person?

  At noon, everyone was tired from playing and sat down to have a barbecue. They had prepared all the necessary cooking utensils and arranged them neatly. The meat roasting began. Everyone was so exhausted that they looked disheveled while eating... making the person who was eating elegantly stand out even more. I couldn't help but steal a glance at him.

  I don't know if he has a third eye or what, but he actually looked over. I was startled and the meat fell to the ground.

  What a big steak... The key is that there's only one per person.

  Everyone looked at my expression and saw that I was regretting biting into that piece of steak.

  I wanted to cry but had no tears, and was just about to bang my head against the ground.

  He sat across from me, laughing so hard.

  Everyone guessed it was Shen Duan who laughed and they all reacted. One by one, they couldn't hold back their smiles.

  Even Liu Xin was laughing so loudly beside me.

  "Here." She handed me a plate "Let's eat together."

  So don't be so good to me... Liu Xin.

  I was eating steak and couldn't swallow it down. I finally made a shocking decision.

  This is my sister, although we can't say we're inseparable, at least after all these years, we're extremely close, and in this world, I only have two confidantes. One is Tao Hao, the other is Liu Xin.

  I took out my phone and sent Shen Dang a text message: "Let's just be friends."

  After some thought, I added another sentence: Liu Xin is very good.

  His mobile phone was probably vibrating, I didn't hear any sound, I just saw him take out his phone from his pocket.

  Expensive and ugly Nokia... sigh.

  "Bang!"

  He kicked an empty chair beside him, his expression was so fierce that it scared me. I didn't even dare to look at him.

  "What's wrong?" Lü Guo looked over and asked.

  Everyone fell silent collectively, Liu Xin's hand grasped the tablecloth, looking very worried.

  Shen Duan rarely lost his composure like this, he picked up the napkin on his leg and threw it on the table, the chopsticks also made a "pa" sound as they were thrown onto the table. Lü Ge looked at him with some fear, not knowing whether to step forward to stop him or remain silent.

  He picked up his coat, stood up and turned around to leave. Lü Ge finally reacted, shouted twice and chased after him. Probably because of Lü Ge's action, everyone understood what had happened and got up to chase after him.

  I sat there by myself too conspicuous, so I quietly followed them in pursuit.

  Everyone surrounded Shen Zhong, he tightly pursed his lips and didn't say a word, his cold expression indicating that the young master was extremely angry now. He rarely got angry, and this anger was unprecedented. It was completely different from the time when he was cheated during the ball game, and the expression of the driver he saw this morning.

  He pushed through the crowd and left without looking back. No one dared to follow him again. Everyone looked at Lü Guo together.

  He looked embarrassed: "Shen Zhong probably has something urgent. Let's go eat. We'll play for a while in the afternoon and then head back."

  Because of Shen Duan's sudden departure, everyone was not in the mood, and the meal was hastily finished. The afternoon play was also not fun, lacking a lot of joy. I was even more uneasy, making many calls that he didn't answer.

  On the way back, Liu Xin didn't say a word, nor did anyone else, and the atmosphere was gloomy.

  I don't know if I've done anything wrong, but sometimes things we do aren't about right or wrong.

  All I ask for is peace of mind.