I like you

I like you

Xiang Zhixing was amazed by his mother's keen observation, but he had no intention of lying to her. He scoffed and simply said:

"Me? You wish!"

Liang Huizhi burst into laughter as if she had heard a joke.

When my son was in school, he was full of vigor and his basketball skills became a memory of youth for many girls in the school.

She came to this realization when she went to a parent-teacher conference at school once and overheard some girls talking loudly behind her back.

"Did you see Xiang Zhixing's mom in Class 1? She's so beautiful! No wonder Xiang Zhixing is so handsome, his mom is even more beautiful!"

She never imagined that one day she would feel radiant because of her son. She couldn't hide her smile, but more so because of what the girl said: "His mother is even more beautiful."

She later glimpsed her son's love letters by chance, but it was just an envelope. She had no idea what was inside, nor did she want to pry into the secret thoughts of a teenage girl from the perspective of an adult like herself.

Although her son later stopped playing basketball, he became despondent because of his father's situation and refused to exercise anymore. Liang Huizhi had tried to persuade him, but the scene of her son vomiting while running and seeing the basketball trembling was deeply etched in her mind, and she also hated Xiang Jingshan intensely.

The fact that Xiang Zhixing is now willing to start exercising again is already a gift to her, and she would be even more excited if the person behind this was a girl.

"Tell me, tell me, why is that? How could you be so optimistic? You must have done something wrong."

His mother hit the nail on the head, leaving him speechless.

-

For a while, Shen Muwei did not receive any more messages from Xiang Zhixing.

Just before the Lunar New Year, he sent me pictures of the bright sunshine in Los Angeles, a stark contrast to the current cold snap and biting cold in the city.

He said: "Happy Laba Festival!"

Shen Muwei was at home making dumplings with Zhou Cixin when she saw the text message and put it aside.

Zhou Cixin asked her if she wasn't replying to the messages.

Shen Muwei said it was a congratulatory message from the operations department and there was no need to reply.

Zhou Cixin laughed: "I didn't look at it on purpose, I just glanced at it by accident, but I didn't see what it said. What operations department? You're chatting with the operations department?"

Shen Muwei blushed instantly, knowing which message his grandmother was referring to—the one she had replied to that day, telling him not to go see his friend anymore.

She only replied with this one message, and her grandmother saw it. No wonder she was embarrassed.

"I replied that I unsubscribed," she stubbornly insisted.

"Oh, you want to unsubscribe? Well, your unsubscribe is useless. You've sent me another message today."

Shen Muwei: "Yeah, it looks like we need to switch to a different service center. We're not using their numbers anymore. They don't listen to the real needs of their customers at all."

Zhou Cixin smiled and said, "Yes, it's good to switch to a different one. A service center that always makes you angry is definitely not good. You can ask Xiaobai which one he uses. I think his is pretty good. It doesn't seem to have any spam messages."

She belatedly realized that her grandmother seemed to know something. Her gaze shifted, and she saw the corner of her mother's clothes faintly visible in the kitchen. Suddenly, she seemed to understand what was going on.

Shen Muwei made plans to watch a movie and have dinner with Shi Yue that evening.

Because the cinema was nearby, I strolled over there at a leisurely pace.

Because it was close to the Lunar New Year, many shops were closed, and the streets were noticeably emptier.

Only Shi Yue knew Shen Muwei's little secret. They were the closest of friends and besties.

"So, Xiaoxiaowei, what are you thinking now?"

Shi Yue knew that Shen Muwei liked Xiang Zhixing, and her original stance of supporting Song Yuanbai and Shen Muwei gradually became less firm. It seemed that there was really no way to control matters of the heart, and it wasn't as simple as her seeing which couple she was with to make them get together.

At least the fact that Shen Muwei broke many rules for a boy, was troubled and angry because of him, and even developed strange feelings for him speaks volumes.

Sometimes, there are no solutions to problems related to feelings.

"I don't know, but I'm still very angry. But actually, after so much time has passed, my anger has subsided a bit... But he's a bit too obedient. It's like if I don't tell him to do something, he really won't do it."

Shi Yue laughed and passed by a milk tea shop that was still open, saying that she would buy her some milk tea.

Shi Yue is both smart and beautiful.

She said, "So, you actually want to hear his explanation now."

"My goodness, Yueyue, you're a little too smart."

Shi Yue was beaming with pride.

The milk tea was ready quickly; it was a hot drink, and it felt warm in my hand.

Shen Muwei continued, "You know me, I get really angry at the moment, but it gets much better afterward. I feel like I've gotten over it, and I'm not really that angry with him anymore, but... but..."

"But you didn't expect that he still hasn't come to explain to you."

"Um."

"Xiaowei, if Song Yuanbai made you angry, what do you think he would do?"

"They're definitely waiting for me to calm down, or even before I've calmed down, before they start fawning over me and trying to please me."

"Well, but the difference with Song Yuanbai is that he has known you for a long enough time. He understands your temper very well, and he knows when to do something and when not to do it. Looking at it this way, I think Song Yuanbai seems a bit better. After all, he knows what to do when he makes you angry, unlike Xiang Zhixing."

"No, didn't you say that Song Yuanbai knows me well enough? After all, we've been friends for so many years. But Xiang Zhixing doesn't know that. He and I have only known each other for a short time..."

Before she could finish explaining, Shi Yue smiled and Shen Muwei knew he had fallen for her trick.

"Yueyue, why are you like this?"

Shi Yue took her hand and touched her face: "Hahaha, oh dear, I know you're on his side, even for something like this you still have to say a word for him. He's the one who lied to you, I want to know what kind of magic he has that makes you like this."

“He has no magic, and he’s annoying.” Shen Muwei took a sip of milk tea. “It’s hard to explain. Sometimes he’s quite nice, like Song Yuanbai often acts like a jerk to me, but Xiang Zhixing doesn’t. He takes good care of me.”

Shi Yue finally understood the crux of the matter and realized where Song Yuanbai had lost.

The movie theater was warm and dark, so the two of them held hands and used their phones to find their seats.

Being close to someone doesn't necessarily guarantee success; some perceptions are formed from the very beginning. For Shen Muwei, her family grew up with her, so it's impossible for things to develop into anything else.

What she needs in love is not constant pampering; on the contrary, she prefers someone she doesn't know well but with whom she shares a certain understanding, which is much more precious to her.

Compared to Song Yuanbai's subtle and gradual approach, Xiang Zhixing's sudden entry into Shen Muwei's world is much more refreshing.

Finally, Shi Yue shook her head. She couldn't figure this out. Even if she understood it clearly, love was a matter of truth.

After the movie ended, Shen Muwei and Shi Yue discussed the plot, but the milk tea in their hands was still not finished and had gone cold, losing its original flavor.

Shen Muwei refused to drink any more and put it in the trash can.

She was still half asleep and hadn't gone home yet. She got dressed, washed up, and went with her mother to visit her maternal grandparents for the New Year.

New Year's Eve was lively, but Shen Muwei didn't want to do anything. She occasionally helped the elders, but spent most of her time warming herself by the fire and playing on her phone.

Fireworks are prohibited in the market, but enforcement is not strict. People still set them off downstairs during lunchtime.

Professor Mu doesn't do these things; he says he must strictly abide by the rules.

In the evening, people set off fireworks and firecrackers, making it very lively. Although Professor Mu himself didn't set them off, he still found the noise exciting.

The closer it got to midnight, the louder the fireworks and firecrackers became.

Shen Muwei chatted with her friends, watching the Spring Festival Gala idly, and complained in the group chat that the Gala was really ugly.

Midnight arrived as scheduled, just like in previous years. The elderly don't stay up all night anymore, and Mu Qing, being as lazy as possible, went back to her room to sleep when she got sleepy.

Shen Muwei sat on the sofa playing a mini-game, seemingly welded to the sofa, unable to move for a long time. No one cared whether she slept or not, and soon she was the only one left in the living room.

The Spring Festival Gala was being rebroadcast, with the volume turned down to the lowest setting. The opening was lively and bustling, with a star-studded chorus and a grand spectacle. It was thanks to the volume that Shen Muwei didn't feel the living room was a bit deserted.

When her phone rang, Shen Muwei had just finished a game. She secretly rejoiced that she had finished a game, otherwise she would have twisted the caller's head off.

She silently read the number in her mind. If she was unfamiliar with this number two months ago, she had become so familiar with it that she could recite it from memory.

I called for a long time, but no one answered, so I hung up.

Shen Muwei breathed a sigh of relief, but when the phone rang again, her heart jumped again.

When the call came for the third time, Shen Muwei answered.

She didn't speak, but after a long rustling sound from the other end, a very low voice called her name.

"Happy New Year, Shen Muwei..."

He sighed heavily.

Shen Muwei subconsciously felt that this person had been drinking.

She didn't wish him a happy new year; it took her a while to reply with a simple thank you.

"You're welcome..." he exhaled again.

It seems like they drank quite a bit.

She muttered again, "It's so hot. It's twelve o'clock, noon."

Shen Muwei wanted to laugh: "It's 2 a.m. for us."

"Then why aren't you going to sleep?"

"Then I'll hang up."

"Don't hang up... Please, I want to talk to you, Shen Muwei... Xiaowei... Xiaowei... I was wrong..."

Shen Muwei didn't respond to that, but listened quietly to his murmur.

"Xiaowei, I'm sorry..." He suddenly burst into tears, choking out, "I'm a bastard... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to lie to you..."

"I know I'm not worthy..."

He spoke haltingly, and Shen Muwei found it hilarious. She wanted to laugh, but her phone didn't have a call recording function. She turned her head and saw that her grandfather hadn't brought his phone into the room.

She picked it up, turned on the camera, and put her phone on speakerphone.

He wiped away his tears and composed himself: "I play basketball. I've seen you before, back when you were standing with Song Yuanbai..."

With pronunciation not quite standard, Shen Muwei quickly became sleepy. Her head grew increasingly dizzy, and her eyelids gradually became heavy. As a result, the hand that was filming her dropped down and slowly let go.

In the dream, Xiang Zhixing reminisces about their first meeting, and her breathing slows or quickens in response to the events in the dream.

"I like you."

Shen Muwei suddenly woke up from her dream. This confession did not come from a dream, but truly from Xiang Zhixing.

"I'm not kidding, all of this is because I like you, I want to be close to you."

Over there, it was still the drunken ramblings. Shen Muwei's heart was beating very fast, a beating that came from being suddenly startled awake and also from suddenly hearing the confession.

He was still talking when Shen Muwei was so frightened that she immediately hung up the phone.

After sitting on the sofa for a couple of seconds to calm down, I unlocked my grandfather's phone, sent him the video, deleted the chat history, and then completely deleted the video.

Finally, she put her phone back in its place, turned off the power in the living room, and hurriedly ran back to her bedroom.