Chapter 83
Chapter 83: A reunion, a parting
Dinner was little messy. The good thing about it being messy was that Xu Tingsheng would not be targeted, not having to drink so much wine or perform so much event control.
Fang Yuqing helped to entertain the friends whom he had brought over. Xu Tingsheng went over and toasted them with a few cups of wine, expressing his gratitude and asking their understanding of his insufficiencies.
He knew that the cigarettes he had asked Fang Yuqing to buy today might go straight into the bin for some of them after they had walked out of the door. In having come here today and in sitting here now, it was all due to them giving Fang Yuqing face. What Xu Tingsheng could do was merely proceed with all the formalities that were rightly due.
Of course, there were also quite a few amongst Fang Yuqing's friends who were of compatible temperaments with Xu Tingsheng. Realising that they could be friends after having exchanged a few words, they exchanged their contact details to facilitate future communication between them.
The rest of the place was taken care of by the experienced professional, Tan Yao. Xu Tingsheng had it very easy, just having to join in a toast whenever the occasion demanded. As long as it was not a rotational battle, it was still easy for him to deal with it with his alcohol capacity.
Xu Tingsheng left the matter of the host toasting the guests to Old Wai and Li Linlin. On the one hand, this was because he himself wanted to evade the wine. On the other, he wanted to push Old Wai and Li Linlin to the front stage, letting them know more people and also letting them be known by more people. After all, there were many things regarding the platform that he intended to hand over to them to do in the future.
Old Wai brought Li Linlin along, toasting table by table. It really began feeling a little like a wedding banquet here as the two were teased all the way, some they passed who were rather more liberal with their words leaving Li Linlin embarrassed to the point of not even daring to raise her head. Feeling immensely embarrassed, she pinched Old Wai. Who asked the heavily drunken Old Wai to still continually be showing off to others?
Most 'terrifying' was when Old Wai succumbed to drunkenness later on and just insisted on taking off his pants before the crowd of more than 80 people to show them the bruises on his thighs. As Li Linlin was unable to stop him however much she tried, Xu Tingsheng hurriedly called a few other roommates to go up and suppress him.
While unsuccessful in his pants-removing endeavours, Old Wai's tragic story had thereby spread. Their combination of 'submissive husband and dominant wife' also began to be constantly brought up amidst everyone's teasery.
Partway through the meal, Fang Chen arrived uninvited. Xu Tingsheng felt troubled as soon as he saw this 'old demoness'. Fortunately, she seemed not to be interested in him at all as she found Apple as soon as she arrived and began chatting endlessly on with her.
Only when the meal was soon to end did the old demoness come beside Xu Tingsheng, saying, "I've seen that education platform of yours; that's pretty ambitious. Name a price and give me a share, how about it?"
"Oh no!" Xu Tingsheng exaggeratedly raised his head and yelled, "I'm drunk," Afterwards, he slumped over the table and played dead, not moving at all no matter how that old demoness beat and harass him.
This old demoness had been able to tell Xu Tingsheng's ambitions from this platform that had just started out and was currently merely burning money into nothingness. This kind of person was too shrewd, not being someone that he would like to work with.
The old demoness pulled Apple's hand before she left, asking, "Apple, how about you stay at my house tonight? There're still many things that I want to say to you; we can lie down together and chat till daylight."
Lie down together, chat till daylight? …Hell, who'd believe that? Scenes of impropriety between two great beauties surfaced within Xu Tingsheng's mind. This was a great crisis. If Apple wasn't careful, she would lose out big.
"Apple, no! You're not allowed to go!" Xu Tingsheng bothered not about his feigned drunkenness as he hastily leapt up and yelled.
Apple obediently rejected Fang Chen's offer. Before leaving, the old demoness even shot Xu Tingsheng a provocative stare as she ground her teeth.
A little after 8pm, the invitees began trickling out successively. After a while, there was only Xu Tingsheng's inner circle that remained. Xu Tingsheng got the waiters to serve an additional table of light food, intending to extend this gathering a little and let everyone get familiar with one another.
For instance, he introduced Old Wai and Li Linlin to Huang Yaming, Fu Cheng and Song Ni, also introducing Fang Yuqing and Yuqing to Tan Yao and his other roommates.
Huang Yaming and Tan Yao had not left any chicks behind to accompany them. Meanwhile, Lu Xu's taekwondo chick, Bao Peijun, remained. Xu Tingsheng saw him constantly clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, seemingly trying to bolster his courage with his tipsiness in order to get some words out of his mouth.
This was Xu Tingsheng's first time seeing the legendary Chick Bao of Lu Xu's in person. She was indeed a beautiful girl, and indeed also manly.
Chick Bao had a hearty and straightforward personality. While actually already a little drunk, she refused no challenger, taking the initiative and going on the offensive when no one was looking for her to drink. Observing from the side for a while, Xu Tingsheng felt that it was as though she wanted to say something but had it stifled within, courage being insufficient with the inadequate wine as she therefore glugged down liberally with the wine.
The two remained in a stalemate just like this. Xu Tingsheng began feeling worried for them. If it went on like this, either one would collapse sooner or later, with the other not having anyone to say the words to even having already mustered up their courage.
Now, Chick Bao set her wineglass down on the table with a clink as she said, "Do you know? How many beastly lascivious hearts both male and female I have taken care of this past half year in university…and also…bestial urges."
These words were too valiant. Everyone was stunned.
Lu Xu hurriedly helped her to explain, "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand! She means that she's helped many people to find boyfriends and girlfriends."
"Right, it's still you who understand me best," Chick Bao swayed as she arose, patting Lu Xu's shoulder, "Because of me, they've all found theirs. But what about I myself? …I don't even have a dog by my side."
Chick Bao had said even these words now. Who they were directed to, what they meant…As long as Lu Xu was not a freaking fool, he should be able to understand her intentions, should not remain silent, was what Xu Tingsheng thought. The others probably thought the same as well as they all remained silent, quietly awaiting the outcome.
"Woof, woof woof, woof woof woof!" Lu Xu suddenly…
"You, what're you doing?" Chick Bao leapt up in shock, grabbing Lu Xu's collar as she asked.
"Didn't you say that you don't even have a dog by your side?" Lu Xu asked wrongedly, "Woof woof woof, I like you. Bao Peijun, I've liked you for a long time."
"The heck, aren't you usually like a weak chicken? How come you're so strong today?" Chick Bao asked, "Alright…okay, as you like then."
"It's…done just like this?" Lu Xu began rejoicing after a moment's shock, one hand on Chick Bao's shoulder as he turned and crowed to everyone else, "See, I did it…did it completely and totally effortlessly."
Chick Bao smiled like a flower by the side. It was a very bashful kind of smile, not appearing manly in the least.
Lu Xu may have forgotten in his excitement that this girl before him was not just the girlfriend whom he had just captured but also a fearsome taekwondo black belt girl who had once obtained third place in a provincial youth competition…He swivelled his head back and said to her, "I say, you, Bao Peijun, this bro got you completely and totally effortlessly. Heh, you still have the face to laugh?"
Bao Peijun's brows furrowed slightly.
Lu Xu was still jabbering on and on.
Then, a 'Ha!' resounded and the noise subsided as Lu Xu flew away.
What was that old saying again?
Couples are rivals from their previous life.
A reunion had ultimately culminated-and how great it was.
……
As it continued to snow, while Apple was clearly going to Song Ni's place, Song Ni found an excuse and left first by herself.
Xu Tingsheng held the umbrella. It leaned sideways, shielding Apple from the snow while leaving snowflakes freely scattering onto his exposed shoulder.
Apple looked, but said nothing.
The accumulated snow creaked beneath their feet as the two walked on in silence for a while.
Apple broke the silence, "Your roommate's so adorable; I feel that they'll be very happy together. Also, that girl's awesome. She definitely won't be bullied…If I had known, I would have learnt taekwondo too."
"Ha!" Apple leapt out of the umbrella's range, standing on the snow as she made a taekwondo pose.
Xu Tingsheng extended his hand that was holding the umbrella such that Apple was covered by it. Like this, he stood entirely within the snow.
"I heard that someone confessed to you?" Apple asked.
"Yeah. Zhang Ninglang told you?" Xu Tingsheng asked.
"That's right. I heard that it's a flower of the foreign language faculty," Apple smiled slyly as she looked at Xu Tingsheng.
"The faculty's flower's still not as beautiful as you," Xu Tingsheng said.
Xu Tingsheng had said that the faculty's flower was still not as beautiful as her. Apple pouted, pressed her lips together, seemingly forcibly bearing it for a while before ultimately unable to hold it in, clear, glistening tears began trickling down her face.
She lunged over and pushed Xu Tingsheng, both hands pressed against his chest and gritting her teeth in exertion as if pushing against a mountain,
"It hurts when you push me so, you know? Xu Tingsheng, you bastard, it hurts when you push me so, you know?"
"I've already said that I'll wait quietly for you from the side. Why do you still have to push me away?…"
"It hurts so much!"
Apple's heartfelt final sentence was yelled out at the top of the lungs as she leapt within the snow.
As Apple crouched on the ground, Xu Tingsheng stood by the side, holding up the umbrella for her…
This scene was affixed within the all-encompassing snowy landscape wherever Xu Tingsheng's gaze passed. He knew…
It was a parting that here inevitably awaited them.