Chapter 15#

The staff on the side had already cleared up the scattered billiard balls. Qiao Nanqi raised the long cue, aiming at the balls piled together on the table, without looking at Xia Yuantu.

But while his gaze fell on the billiard table, his attention unconsciously listened to the busy tone of the call on Xia Yuantu’s mobile phone. That was the sound before the other side picked up. Zhao Rong seemed to have set a ringtone, which was not a monotonous busy tone, but a melodious love song, seemingly one often heard in the streets and alleys in recent years.

When Qiao Nanqi called Zhao Rong, it was always picked up as soon as it was dialed, waiting for a few seconds at most. If it wasn’t picked up after a few seconds, he would hang up. Anyway, Zhao Rong would call back immediately after seeing it.

In his impression, this song always had only a few notes of prelude.

This was the first time he heard the lyrics after the prelude.

Although this song was not a long or magnificent sonata, it was unexpectedly soft, the notes hitting the eardrum bit by bit. Even waiting made people more patient. But such a tune was somewhat different from the Zhao Rong in Qiao Nanqi’s impression in recent years. It was not the openness of misty mountains, but somewhat similar to the feeling given by the teenage Zhao Rong, clean, distant, and quiet.

Qiao Nanqi thought of Zhao Rong wearing a school uniform back then, and suddenly realized that this memory was still very clear until now.

Unknowingly, the busy tone with the song suddenly cut off—no one answered on the other end.

Xia Yuantu stepped forward very frustratedly: “Did Zhao Rong not save my number?”

He looked at Qiao Nanqi. Although he didn’t say anything, the meaning was obvious—maybe he would pick up if Qiao Nanqi called.

It was just that Qiao Nanqi usually didn’t like them meddling too much in such matters. Their group was a bit afraid of Qiao Nanqi, and Xia Yuantu still didn’t dare to say too much.

Usually at such times, Qiao Nanqi wouldn’t even pay attention to him.

But today, Mr. Qiao put down the cue, the hem of his windbreaker settled with his movement, and this person took out his mobile phone from the inside pocket.

In the phone’s built-in address book, Zhao Rong’s phone number was only saved with a very simple remark “zr”. Unknown when it was saved for convenience in the past year, it had never been changed since. In recent years, Qiao Nanqi had always been burdened with matters, busy inside and out, and many things in this aspect on the phone hadn’t been organized. Now that everything was almost settled, he realized the sloppiness of this remark.

Qiao Nanqi’s fingertip tapped on this remark, his movement pausing.

Change it to the name later.

He pressed it.

The busy tone that had been heard once just now came again.

Qiao Nanqi was prepared for the call to be cut off by Zhao Rong’s voice as soon as the prelude sounded.

Forget it, him taking the initiative to call Zhao Rong could be considered a concession.

Perhaps these days, Zhao Rong was indeed angry that he didn’t tell him about the Chen family’s affairs. But Qiao Nanqi didn’t implicate Zhao Rong in all this, nor did he plan to end the marriage agreement with Zhao Rong. He had accepted Zhao Rong’s existence and was willing to keep Zhao Rong by his side all the time.

He didn’t want to go home this time and still not see Zhao Rong.

This was already a rare concession in Qiao Nanqi’s nearly thirty years of life.

But just as he was thinking this, the busy tone actually played through the whole segment melodiously and stopped directly.

—No one answered the phone.

Xia Yuantu felt the drop in air pressure almost instantly.

Compared to the unhappy emotion permeating Qiao Nanqi before making this call, this low pressure could almost be counted as anger.

The slight arc of a smile at the corner of Qiao Nanqi’s mouth completely disappeared. A pair of sharp eyebrows and eyes seemed to be coated with a layer of frost, and his black eyes were bottomless. The light mole under the corner of his left eye usually carried a bit of scholarliness, but once he pulled a long face, this light mole not only couldn’t soften anything but added a bit of gloom instead.

Qiao Nanqi’s personality in his youth was not like this.

Later, after Qiao Anqing—Qiao Nanqi’s mother—had an accident, Qiao Nanqi became increasingly difficult to get along with. When happy, he was truly happy; when unhappy, he was truly frightening.

His unpredictability was experienced by everyone around him.

Zhao Rong was the closest, fearing he felt the most.

Although Xia Yuantu had suggested Qiao Nanqi break up with Zhao Rong, that was from the perspective of a friend for so many years; people are selfish after all.

But looking at it separately, Zhao Rong really had it hard.

Anyway, Xia Yuantu asked himself, he couldn’t do this kind of one-sided devotion to a person for so many years.

For more than a year, except for him and Lu Xingping, none of their surrounding friends knew that Zhao Rong and Qiao Nanqi were serious partners. Qiao Nanqi didn’t seem to take Zhao Rong seriously either. This person happened not to be one to restrain his temper; when he was in a bad mood, Zhao Rong could only bear it.

Although Zhao Rong was not someone promising in his youth, Xia Yuantu had dealt with Zhao Rong. This illegitimate son left outside the Chen family had a good temper, good looks, and seemed to have a resilience in his bones that couldn’t be bent no matter how pressed, and his whole body was soaked with seductive romance, very smart.

Once their group sat together, drinking and playing dice, Zhao Rong stood out from the crowd, wearing a slightly loose light gray shirt, sleeves rolled up above the elbows, collar slightly open, holding the dice cup in hand. The shaking movement pulled the clothes, drawing beautiful body lines, thin but not weak.

Some of them had other thoughts and teased him: “Third Young Master, in such hot weather, unbutton a few more buttons!”

Zhao Rong smiled and deflected effortlessly: “Not hot enough, drink a few more cups.”

That person had to raise the wine glass. Zhao Rong clinked glasses perfunctorily, but his gaze fell straight on Qiao Nanqi sitting on the other side.

Xia Yuantu had been in love before. Zhao Rong’s look, ten out of ten people who saw it would say it was deeply affectionate.

Why bother?

With Zhao Rong’s conditions, even if he was gold and jade on the outside and rotten cotton on the inside, he couldn’t possibly worry about finding a partner, right?

Qiao Nanqi was indeed excellent, but he was really not good to Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong had never been brought out openly, like a little lover. Even when the Chen family was almost wiped out, Xia Yuantu and Lu Xingping knew clearly long ago, but Zhao Rong might not know much even now.

Look, in the end, Qiao Nanqi was angry. Maybe Zhao Rong would have to swallow this again when going home.

He advised Qiao Nanqi to break up that day, firstly fearing Qiao Nanqi would be pitted by the person beside the pillow, and secondly feeling that Zhao Rong being dragged by Qiao Nanqi wasn’t a proper thing.

Thinking of this, Xia Yuantu saw Qiao Nanqi clutching the phone tightly, eyes deep, not knowing what he was thinking.

If Qiao Nanqi took his anger out on Zhao Rong, this matter started because of him.

He only dared to say: “…Maybe the phone isn’t nearby, didn’t see it. Your house is so big, maybe the phone is on the first floor and the person ran to the third floor.”

Qiao Nanqi turned off the screen directly.

The waiter brought up the famous wine they ordered just now, but Qiao Nanqi waved his hand.

“Go pay the bill,” he looked gloomy, “Go home, not playing anymore.”

Zhao Rong didn’t fail to see it.

When Xia Yuantu’s call came in, he saw the remark displayed on the phone screen.

When the phone vibrated for the second time, there was no remark on the screen, but he really couldn’t forget that string of phone numbers.

He didn’t deliberately not answer either.

He didn’t think that much.

When these two calls came in, he had just arrived at Lu Xingping’s door.

He finally caught the chance to get close to Lu Xingping. Answering Xia Yuantu or Qiao Nanqi’s call at this time, both he and Lu Xingping might be embarrassed.

So he just glanced at it, muted the ringtone, stuffed the phone into his pocket without a trace, and completely ignored the continuous vibration of the phone.

When the vibration stopped, Lu Xingping was standing inside the door, one hand on the door handle, still maintaining the posture of opening the door.

He seemed to be resting today, dressed casually, and wearing a pair of glasses. The lenses were very thin, obviously not high prescription.

His features were already gentle, and the glasses accentuated his gentleness.

When Qiao Nanqi sat quietly reading, he also had a bit of scholarly feel, but that was a low pitch with gloom, like a silent but sharp chant. Making people unable to look away, but also somewhat unapproachable.

Lu Xingping was different. He was a little bit taller than Zhao Rong. Zhao Rong barely looked at him at eye level, feeling no oppression, but very relaxed instead.

Zhao Rong still remembered that in university, Lu Xingping just casually played a violin piece at the gala, and because he knew Lu Xingping, the next day he had a pile of gifts to pass on. Some from their school, some from Qiao Nanqi’s school opposite.

It was winter then. What girls sent were mostly scarves and gloves. He rushed to Lu Xingping with arms full of hand-knitted scarves and gloves from others, almost dying of heat. Lu Xingping just glanced at them, very unconscionably picked the best-made set from inside, and said: “Others for you, throw away if you don’t want.”

How could Zhao Rong dare to take them?

Throwing them directly… he couldn’t quite do it either.

He had to return them to people one by one.

His and Lu Xingping’s university was exactly opposite Qiao Nanqi’s university. They were the two best schools in Yang City, with many majors and extremely large areas.

After Zhao Rong returned a few from their school and ran to Qiao Nanqi’s school, the sky had already darkened. The winter dusk was gray, sunlight very weak, temperature very low. Zhao Rong was tired from running back and forth, very hot. He sat on the steps not far from the school gate blowing in the wind, thinking of resting for a while.

The cool breeze blew gently.

Somehow, not long after sitting down, he met Qiao Nanqi.

Qiao Nanqi slung his schoolbag on one shoulder. The schoolbag looked very light, obviously containing nothing. He walked over from not far away with Xia Yuantu and stood in front of Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong looked up along this person’s slender legs, sitting on the steps looking up at Qiao Nanqi, his gaze colliding directly with the condescending man’s line of sight. He felt oppressed immediately, unable to say anything.

Qiao Nanqi bent down slightly, picked up the few scarves in his arms that were obviously hand-knitted, and said: “You made them?”

Zhao Rong stood up, wanting to take them back from Qiao Nanqi, but unexpectedly the man moved his wrist and dodged his action.

He could always be smooth with others, but perhaps because he really liked Qiao Nanqi, the university-period Zhao Rong still retained a beautiful longing for Qiao Nanqi. Instead, in front of Qiao Nanqi, decades of life before and after transmigrating were lived in vain, like a stunned youth.

He was stunned and answered: “How is it possible… no, made by other girls.”

Xia Yuantu laughed like watching a play: “Aiya, other girls gave them to you? Then why are you sitting here hugging them? Not planning to deal with them? Take them quickly if you like any.”

“No, no,” Zhao Rong didn’t know which to refute or explain first for a moment, “I want to return them… or throw away those whose owners can’t be found…”

“Then throw them away.”

Qiao Nanqi raised his hand and threw those few scarves directly into the trash can not far away.

He seemed to have picked up a piece of waste paper and thrown it away in passing, just tossing it casually like this, then turned and left with Xia Yuantu. This person never liked to manage those troublesome things, don’t know what wrong medicine he took to have trouble with things made by those little girls.

Zhao Rong had no choice. When he saw Lu Xingping later, he had to tell Lu Xingping that some gifts were thrown away.

Lu Xingping only replied with an “Oh”.

This was a matter of several years ago.

After so much time, Qiao Nanqi became more introverted and deep, but Lu Xingping was not much different from the student period. Looking still the same, gentle and close, but making people at a loss as soon as he opened his mouth.

“Senior.” He called out.

Lu Xingping obviously didn’t expect to see Zhao Rong at such an unguarded time. He was stunned for a moment before smiling: “Why are you here? Qiao Nanqi isn’t at my house.”

Zhao Rong: “…”

You are really frank.

But his target was not that dog thing Qiao Nanqi.

Zhao Rong blinked slowly, long eyelashes trembling, restraining all outward emotions.

He raised his hand, handing the few large bags in his hand to Lu Xingping, and said: “Didn’t I trouble Senior to help call a doctor a few days ago? I came to thank you in person.”

“That was my private doctor. I didn’t spend any effort, just gave you the phone number.”

“But for me, it was help after all.”

“No need to come in person, you have already sent a message of thanks.”

“Just a token of my feelings.”

“Fever gone?”

“Mm, recovered the next day.”

“Then why do you still look like your brain isn’t working well?”

Zhao Rong: “.”

He suddenly began to understand why the male lead was the male lead.

Just Qiao Nanqi being able to get along with Lu Xingping for so long, and still wearing a white moonlight filter, Zhao Rong gave rise to admiration.