Upon hearing this, Xin Zidan’s expression stiffened for a moment. Her eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her head a bit, wiping away tears with the back of her hand, hiding her emotions without saying a word.
If Lin Xi Chi had any doubts about who had broken the cup before, based on Xin Zidan’s reaction, she was now almost certain it was her.
Sensing the tense atmosphere between them, Nie Yue, who had initially been swayed by Xin Zidan’s crying, suddenly realized the situation and tried to come up with an alternative explanation.
“Could it be that one of us didn’t lock the door properly, and someone got in?”
Chen Han also chimed in, “Yeah, and I heard there are a lot of stray cats around the school lately. Maybe a stray cat got in.”
Lin Xi Chi held the cup and stood in place without saying anything.
Sitting in the chair, Xin Zidan was still wiping her tears, but she finally looked up. She stood up, took the broom from Chen Han, and said softly with red eyes, “I overreacted… I’m sorry. I thought I had done something to upset you.”
Waiting for her for half a day, this was all she said. Lin Xi Chi couldn’t help but smile and said, “You weren’t entirely wrong in your thoughts.”
With Lin Xi Chi’s sharp and cold tone, the atmosphere that had briefly warmed up returned to zero.
Seeing Lin Xi Chi in this state for the first time, Nie Yue stood still for a moment. Then she went over and patted Lin Xi Chi’s shoulder, asking in a low voice, “What’s going on with you today?”
Lin Xi Chi, still feeling irritated, almost snapped at Nie Yue but managed to restrain herself. She forced a smile and replied, “Nothing.”
It really had nothing to do with Chen Han and Nie Yue.
One had just returned from home, and the other had come back from playing with colleagues. Both were in good moods when they returned to school, only to be greeted with this tense atmosphere.
Thinking about it, Lin Xi Chi suddenly felt a bit guilty.
But when she heard Xin Zidan’s voice, her guilt disappeared in an instant.
Xin Zidan looked over, not appearing guilty at all. Her voice was soft and hoarse as she asked, “Are you suggesting that you think I broke your cup?”
Without Lin Xi Chi answering, Nie Yue, who was standing beside her, hesitated and tried to smooth things over, saying, “Xi Chi probably wouldn’t think that way…”
“You can’t answer for yourself?” Xin Zidan’s voice rose, as if she felt greatly wronged, and her tone carried a hint of a sob. “Can’t you just say what you mean?”
Lin Xi Chi, still feeling angry, couldn’t help but say, “You’re not entirely wrong in your thoughts.”
If Xin Zidan hadn’t reacted this way, Lin Xi Chi might have let it go. But her attitude and the way she turned things around made Lin Xi Chi even more determined to confront her.
Xin Zidan’s eyes welled up with tears once again, and she seemed on the verge of crying.
Lin Xi Chi became increasingly impatient with Xin Zidan’s crying. She took a deep breath and said, “The premise for you to be straightforward with me is that you also need to be straightforward with me. Honestly, using this kind of manipulation disgusts me.”
“…”
“Oh, I’m not talking about the cup-breaking incident. It’s about your attitude,” Lin Xi Chi continued, shifting her tone. “So, you don’t need to cry anymore. Just say what you have to say. I don’t have any sympathy for you.”
“Besides, we’re all girls. Shedding a few tears isn’t a big deal.”
Although Lin Xi Chi said these words, she couldn’t actually cry on command. Even if Xin Zidan slapped her lightly, she wouldn’t be able to squeeze out a single tear.
But speaking these words didn’t mean she could live up to them.
Lin Xi Chi felt quite pleased with herself after her previous remarks. She felt so good that she even thought tearing things up with Xin Zidan would be a beautiful thing.
Lin Xi Chi began to inflate her ego regarding this matter, and she started to teach Xu Fang how to elegantly and calmly insult someone, going through every detail.
The dormitory fell into silence after Lin Xi Chi’s last sentence. No one spoke, and only the sound of Xin Zidan sniffing could be heard.
Chen Han returned to her bed, and the other three sat silently in their respective spots.
Although the surface was calm, Chen Han and Nie Yue were both messaging Lin Xi Chi on WeChat, asking her what had happened.
Lin Xi Chi thought for a moment but decided not to say anything. She casually replied, “It’s just a personal matter between me and her, you don’t need to worry about it, and don’t let it affect your mood.”
Shortly after, Xin Zidan also messaged her on WeChat, and her message was unexpected.
Xin Zidan: “Xi Chi… I’m sorry, I accidentally broke your cup that day. I really broke it accidentally… I panicked and didn’t dare to admit it. I’m so sorry.”
Lin Xi Chi stared at the words on the screen, pursed her lips, and for a moment, her mind went blank. She didn’t know how to respond.
She hesitated for a few seconds and then decided to screenshot the conversation and send it to Xu Fang.
Lin Xi Chi: “How should I reply?”
Lin Xi Chi: “I don’t want to say ‘it’s okay’… but wouldn’t it be too petty?”
Xu Fang replied quickly: “Reply.”
Lin Xi Chi was puzzled and asked, “Reply to what?”
Xu Fang: “A.”
Xu Fang: “Fart.”
Lin Xi Chi didn’t catch on at first and obediently replied to Xin Zidan, “Fart.”
After sending the message, she realized something was off and messaged Xu Fang again, “What did you mean by ‘reply’?”
“…”
“Can’t you use your brain a little?” Lin Xi Chi thought.
Lin Xi Chi hesitated for a moment and then responded to Xin Zidan with just “Fart.”
After sending it, she felt something was wrong and messaged Xu Fang again, “Did you mean I shouldn’t reply, or should I reply with just ‘fart’?”
“…”
Lin Xi Chi was starting to feel frustrated with Xu Fang’s cryptic responses.
Lin Xi Chi and Xin Zidan didn’t communicate further after that. However, after a couple of days, Lin Xi Chi suddenly felt relieved. Their interaction had turned into a situation where both of them treated each other as if the other didn’t exist, which was much better than the insincere politeness she had expected.
With this matter behind them, Lin Xi Chi suddenly recalled that Xu Fang had quite a few admirers in high school.
In her first year of high school, a girl had pestered her for weeks, asking for Xu Fang’s QQ number. Lin Xi Chi had been through a similar situation before, where another girl had relentlessly pursued her until she had given in and shared Xu Fang’s QQ number, as she had gone a month without Xu Fang talking to her.
This time, she didn’t dare to give it away so easily. Every time she declined, she told the girl to ask Xu Fang herself.
However, that girl was too embarrassed to ask directly. One day, she lost her patience and yelled at Lin Xi Chi in the classroom, “Do you think I want to come to you every day? If I had the guts to ask for it myself, I wouldn’t even bother talking to you.”
That outburst left her stunned.
She didn’t know how Xu Fang found out about this incident, but one day after school, he had forcibly stopped the girl from leaving. It had made her turn red and nervous. Then, he dragged Lin Xi Chi out from behind one of the desks.
He made the girl apologize.
…
…
So, in high school, Lin Xi Chi didn’t have the best reputation among girls, but no one thought she was an easy target because they knew that Xu Fang would come to her defense.
After a few days, Xin Zidan seemed to have gotten over her anger. Every day in the dormitory, she would show some goodwill toward Lin Xi Chi. It made Lin Xi Chi somewhat uncomfortable, so she spent most of her time outside.
Coincidentally, she had a lot of things to deal with recently. The freshman basketball tournament was about to begin, and she had to coordinate and arrange various aspects of it. On Friday afternoon, she would also be helping to set up the venue.
The freshman basketball tournament lasted for three days, with six college divisions participating simultaneously. Different departments would compete at the same time, with four games on Friday afternoon. The winning teams from those games would play on Saturday to determine the third-place team, while the remaining two teams would compete on Sunday for the championship and runner-up titles.
The gymnasium had plenty of space, accommodating all six college divisions. Lin Xi Chi, wearing her Student Union uniform, stood at the edge of the court, occasionally maintaining order and reminding students not to enter the court.
Soon, He Rugang lowered his head to look at the folder in his hand and calmly said, “It’s time. Let them prepare.”
He was tall, and he hadn’t mentioned which two departments would be playing first. Lin Xi Chi couldn’t remember either, so she instinctively stood on her tiptoes to take a look.
Mechanical Engineering and Architecture.
Noticing that Lin Xi Chi was trying to see, He Rugang lowered the folder a bit more.
After seeing it clearly, Lin Xi Chi whispered, “I’ll go talk to the Architecture Department.”
After saying that, she glanced around but couldn’t identify the corresponding colors for the departments in the crowd.
It was He Rugang who pointed her in the right direction.
Bright red jerseys.
Lin Xi Chi ran over in that direction.
There were about a dozen guys huddled together, and they seemed to be chatting and laughing. The bright red jerseys made them look enthusiastic and full of vitality.
Lin Xi Chi felt a bit embarrassed about interrupting them and called out to them, but her voice was too low for anyone to notice.
At this moment, Lin Xi Chi suddenly noticed Xu Fang standing in the center of the group.
His gaze was fixed on her, and it seemed like he had been watching her for a while. His eyes were deep and calm, like a lake reflecting stars. He wore a bright red jersey, a color that was fiery and bold. Lin Xi Chi hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now, in the midst of this vibrant group, he stood out.
Xu Fang turned his head slightly, his expression lazy with a hint of a smile, and raised his voice.
“Don’t make a fuss.”
The other dozen guys immediately fell silent and looked at Xu Fang. Then, their gaze shifted to Lin Xi Chi, following his lead.
Perhaps because she had just run over, Lin Xi Chi’s heart was beating a bit fast. She averted her gaze and raised her voice a bit.
“The match is about to start. Please prepare and decide which five players will go on for the first quarter.”
These players seemed to have been pre-arranged, as they quickly returned to their seats in the stands, leaving only six people standing, including Xu Fang.
Lin Xi Chi nodded, thinking of going back to find He Rugang and Ye Shaowen. However, she was suddenly stopped by Xu Fang.
“Hey.”
Lin Xi Chi turned around, looking puzzled.
“Why are you going back?”
“To watch the game.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Fang fell silent for a moment, then pulled her elbow and led her toward the stands. When they reached two empty seats, he pushed her into one of them and sat down beside her.
There was a faint scent of mint emanating from him, not strong, but refreshing.
“You can watch from here,” he said.
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