Song Qiuyu followed Hua Shuying’s gaze, her pupils slowly dilating.
Right…
She had forgotten about Old Xie and Jiang Li!
“Did any of you see when Jiang Li and the others left?”
Hua Shuying frowned, her voice tinged with suspicion.
The air in the secret hall remained silent for a long while. No one answered. She almost thought everyone had been so focused on Shen Xi that no one had noticed. Then, a small hand suddenly shot up.
It was Jiang Yu’s hand.
“Mom, I saw them. It was probably when…”
Jiang Yu chewed on an orange and glanced at Song Qiuyu.
“Big Brother said that everything in the messages was true, and then Big Sister left without saying a word. Right after she walked out, that big brother with the white hair followed her.”
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu froze.
She had considered many things, but she had still overlooked some. Jiang Li was the one who had spent the entire time trying to set her up with Jiang Xiao; she had to be hurting right now.
Old Xie had been kept in the dark the entire time. To have all of this suddenly dumped on him… he probably couldn’t handle it!
But then again, why was Jiang Yu so calm after hearing all this?
Jiang Yu quietly ate his orange.
‘Now that Big Brother has a wife, I guess I don’t need to be in a hurry to find one myself.’
‘I don’t need to be in a hurry to grow tall, either.’
After hearing Jiang Yu’s explanation, Hua Shuying didn’t think for long before standing up. “Since Jiang Li has gone outside, I will be the one to verify Shen Su’s gender.”
“Wait a moment!” Song Qiuyu blurted out.
“Qia’er, are you worried about Ali and Old Xie?” Jiang Xiao asked, his voice following right on the heels of hers.
“Yeah!” Song Qiuyu nodded.
Jiang Xiao nodded as well.
The room full of people looked from one to the other, realizing that this young couple was quite in sync. With just a few words, they prepared to head out, and no one said anything further to stop them.
—
Once outside, Song Qiuyu quickly spotted two figures sitting on the courtyard steps. She instinctively wanted to speak, but remembering what had just happened, she had to be cautious.
Truthfully, if she were Jiang Li, she might have exploded on the spot. She definitely wouldn’t have left so quietly.
And then there was Old Xie.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Xiao reached out a large hand toward her. “I’ll face this with you. This is something that concerns both of us.”
“Mm!” Song Qiuyu’s courage surged instantly.
She placed her small hand in his large one. A familiar, heart-stirring warmth traveled from her fingertips, slowly wrapping around her entire heart.
They walked forward.
“Jiang Li, Old Xie!”
The clear surface of the water reflected the shadows of the four people. Suddenly, a gust of winter wind swept past, shattering the four reflections into ripples of light.
“Oh, Old Song, you guys are here.”
Xie Zhuran stood up from the steps and turned to look at the two roommates walking toward him. His weathered face held an expression of profound calm.
Song Qiuyu was startled by this. She looked Xie Zhuran up and down in disbelief; his reaction was too far removed from what she had imagined.
It was as strange as someone knowing the world would end in one hour but resolutely deciding to play a round of games with their crush first.
“I guess those internet memes really are based on truth. Some netizens say that if you beat your roommate for a few days, they’ll finally admit they’re a girl. I thought it was just a joke.”
Xie Zhuran looked at Song Qiuyu and sighed. “But their female roommates definitely aren’t as pretty as the one in our Dorm 602.”
“Old Xie… I’m sorry. I kept it from you for so long!” Song Qiuyu lowered her head, apologizing with utter sincerity.
Xie Zhuran continued indifferently, “What’s the big deal? You had your own reasons, Old Song.”
Having said that, he turned to Jiang Xiao. His tone was as flat as before, possessing a sort of listless apathy as if he had seen through everything. “Thinking back, there were so many times you two didn’t even try to hide it in front of me and Old Lin. You two really know how to play, don’t you?”
Well…
He was definitely angry. He was clearly being sarcastic!
Song Qiuyu felt quite helpless.
“Old Xie, I’m really sorry. How about this? As compensation, I’ll definitely help you find a girlfriend! What do you think?”
As Xie Zhuran’s roommate for half a year, Song Qiuyu believed she understood his core needs quite well.
“I can also treat you to dinner and buy you game skins. Oh, right, I can lend you the 5090 Xia Qi gave me for a few days… No, you can borrow it for a whole year if you want!”
“Old Song, you don’t actually think I’m angry, do you?” Xie Zhuran asked, frowning.
Is he not? Song Qiuyu was stunned.
“Qia’er, Old Xie probably isn’t angry. He might just have something else in mind,” Jiang Xiao said, watching him.
“Something else in mind?” Song Qiuyu suddenly didn’t understand. The things Old Xie liked were limited to just those few things.
“Actually, I’m curious about one thing right now.” Xie Zhuran narrowed his eyes. “Just how much does Old Lin know about your situation?”
Song Qiuyu fell into thought.
Why bring that up all of a sudden? Old Xie’s behavior was very abnormal; it was almost as if he were looking for an opportunity to return the favor to Old Lin.
Uh, could it be…
The reason Old Xie had followed them here was — because Old Lin had specifically told him to?
No, how could the four people in one dormitory have more schemes than an entire school combined?
Of course, the ones contributing the most schemes were likely Lin An and Jiang Xiao!
“Are you saying Old Lin had already calculated things to this point back then?”
“I don’t know.” Xie Zhuran shook his head. “That’s why I want to know exactly how much Old Lin knows.”
Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but be moved. She didn’t suspect Lin An was the one sending the messages. Given Lin An’s personality, he probably just felt that as long as Xie Zhuran followed them back to the Jiang family home, he would definitely gain a lot.
This “gaining a lot” was likely limited to Lin An’s own knowledge — the fact that she and Jiang Xiao were a couple, and the past regarding Shen Xi!
So, she gave a rough explanation of what Lin An knew.
As she spoke, she kept an eye on Jiang Li, who had already stood up and was looking at them.
Because she felt so guilty, she started to stutter halfway through. As she stuttered, she saw Jiang Li give a mysterious smile.
Song Qiuyu was starting to lose track of what was going on with these two.
“I pretty much understand. Then, could I trouble you two not to tell Old Lin and Xia Qi about today’s events for now?” Xie Zhuran asked after listening.
Jiang Xiao gave a small nod.
Song Qiuyu also understood instantly and nodded. So next, it would be Old Lin’s turn to be the source of entertainment for Old Xie? The prankster eventually becomes the pranked.
‘Old Lin, you’re about to face some karma too.’
‘And Xia Qi is going to be dragged down with you.’
Thinking of this, she swallowed hard and turned her face toward Jiang Li.
Jiang Li spoke first. “Brother Qiu Yu, do you still remember what I said to you? I only tried to set you and my brother up to drive away Shen Xi and protect him.”
Song Qiuyu’s heart skipped a beat, and her guilt intensified.
Of course she remembered. It was impossible to forget.
“Ali, if you want to blame someone, please blame me too. Don’t just blame Xi’er,” Jiang Xiao said, stepping forward to shield his girlfriend.
“Brother.” Jiang Li’s expression was as cold as ever, but her voice was lower.
“Do you remember three years ago, when you first lost Shen Su? I tried to talk to you so many times, but you never paid me any attention once. Our relationship has only grown more distant since then.”
“…”
Jiang Xiao reminisced for a moment, his heart aching.
He hadn’t just ignored Jiang Li; back then, he had blocked out the voices of so many people.
“Because of Shen Xi, you and the entire Jiang family were shattered. Then, because of Brother Qiu Yu, everything was slowly glued back together. And now you’re telling me…”
Tears shimmered in Jiang Li’s eyes.
“Brother Qiu Yu and Shen Jia are the same person. The person I can accept the most and the person I can’t accept the most are the same. Brother, do you really have to spend your whole life revolving around Shen Xi?”
“Yes!” Jiang Xiao answered without hesitation.
“Then…” Jiang Li looked down and sighed. “I can only wish you good luck. But I’ll warn you now: since you’ve chosen to lay your cards on the table…”
She gave Song Qiuyu a cold glance. “Shen Xi, if you want to enter the doors of the Jiang family again, it won’t be that easy.”
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu was slightly dazed. She couldn’t help but agree. If she hadn’t come clean and had stayed as the male Song Qiuyu, it might have been easier to enter the Jiang family.
As the wind blew, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed at the warm sun in the sky.
Since she had chosen to reveal the truth, she wouldn’t regret it. After all, there was no medicine for regret; it only added to the sorrow.
“Let’s go. It’s time to go back and handle the matters involving Shen Jia and the Jiang family.”
Jiang Li took the lead. The person who was always the most sensible and would always follow behind her brother was refusing to follow him once again.
“Jiang Xiao, do you blame me for saying it so early…?” Song Qiuyu watched Jiang Li’s back, her brow furrowed and her chest feeling tight.
She couldn’t help but tug on his sleeve, deeply caring about his thoughts. After all, she hadn’t consulted anyone before doing this today.
If she hadn’t spoken up today, they could have had a good New Year. The relationship between the siblings wouldn’t have returned to the freezing point.
“How could I? If anything, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time!” Jiang Xiao said with a brilliant smile.
“If you two keep flaunting your love like this, I’m going to demand some ham sausages,” Xie Zhuran said, glancing at them.
“In the future, if anything happens, you can’t keep me in the dark anymore, okay?”
Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao were about to nod when they suddenly remembered that they had already lost their virginity to each other.
A wave of guilt washed over them.
Xie Zhuran happened to miss their reaction, already following closely behind Jiang Li as they walked back to the living room.
During the time they had spent sitting on the steps outside, they hadn’t actually said much. They had just sat together in a daze, but it was a strange feeling.
It was as if, in that moment, they were all people who had been abandoned by those closest to them.
They were all travelers in the same boat, wandering the world; fate had brought them together, so what did it matter if they hadn’t known each other before?
That feeling was actually quite nice.
The four of them returned to the living room.
“Jiang Li, since you’re back, you should be the one to check Shen Xi’s gender. Take her to your room,” Hua Shuying said, sticking to her original plan.
Jiang Li froze for a moment, then quickly glanced at Song Qiuyu out of the corner of her eye. Her face instantly darkened, filled with pure localized disgust.
“Shen Xi, come with me,” Jiang Li said coldly. She turned and led the way, walking very quickly.
Song Qiuyu followed silently.
It should be fine.