Su Bei saw Lin Shaochi again three days later.
—
On the road inside the campus, a beautiful girl and handsome boy walked side by side, very eye-catching. But came closer and looked closely, it turned out that only the boy was talking and laughing, while the girl on the side didn't open her mouth at all and even put on a look of 'I refuse to admit that I know this guy.'
"Xu Yangyang, can you stop a bit?" Su Bei glanced aside with a sunken face.
"Don't be so cold, ah. B University is full of pretty girls, of course I want to have a good look. Otherwise, am I not wasting beautiful scenery?" Suddenly, Xu Yangyang's eyes brightened, and he pointed excitedly at one direction: "Su Bei, look, the girl over there is very cute. Do you know her? Do you know her WeChat?"
Su Bei: "I don't know!" And even if she knew, she didn't want to tell him either.
After they finished high school, Su Bei and Su Xiaobao were admitted to B University, while Xu Yangyang went to J University, which was just a few blocks away. Occasionally, Xu Yangyang would come to B University for 'study exchange.' Usually, Su Xiaobao was responsible for being the 'liaison,' and occasionally, Xie Minxuan would take over the role when he was free.
It's a pity that Xie Minxuan was too busy recently, and Su Xiaobao was also busy working on some entrepreneurial project. So the burden of accompanying Xu Yangyang fell on Su Bei.
This afternoon, Su Bei was about to call the driver to pick her home. But when she got out of the classroom, she saw a person in a silly-looking suit rushed towards her. Looking closer, this fool was precisely Xu Yangyang.
"By the way, Xiaobei, the food in your cafeteria is really not as good as us. If you don't believe it, go and visit our campus. I will take you to taste what a truly delicious campus food is."
"However, I found that the girl who serves food in the second window is a bit pretty." Regarding this, Xu Yangyang was a bit regretful. At the cafeteria earlier, he was about to go to the staff area to see if he could get any information about that pretty girl. Unfortunately, before he could get closer, Su Bei had dragged him away.
"Why don't we go back to the cafeteria for supper later?" Xu Yangyang's eyes beamed.
Su Bei: Go home! Go home now!
"I'm serious. The portion we ate earlier is not enough for me."
Before Xu Yangyang finished speaking, a handsome and sunny boy suddenly walked in front of them. Or to be precise, in front of Su Bei.
"Hello, Miss Qin. I am a sophomore in the mechanical engineering department. My name is Chen Pei. You may not remember me. On the first day of the term, I was responsible for guiding your class across the campus. At that time, I think you are very cute." The boy blushed: "Can I add your WeChat?"
This was not the first time a boy suddenly came over to ask for Su Bei's contact information or even to confess, so she didn't get flustered. Su Bei smiled at Chen Pei and was about to refuse politely when Xu Yangyang jumped out between them.
"Hey, are you blind? Can't you see I am here?" Xu Yangyang stood in front of Su Bei and confronted the other boy. Chen Pei was not short, but compared to Xu Yangyang, he wasn't as tall nor as handsome.
"You are..." Chen Pei's eyes suddenly widened. He looked at Xu Yangyang, then at Su Bei: "Are you her boyfriend? Miss Qin, do you have a boyfriend?"
Xu Yangyang didn't dare to lie. Otherwise, he would be killed by Brother Bao. However, he still protectively stood in front of Su Bei, silently assumed the posture of 'you guessed right,' and glanced at the other person with disdain.
"I see." The boy lowered his head dejectedly: "I'm sorry for disturbing you two."
Seeing the boy leave in dejection, Xu Yangyang humphed softly: "He isn't as handsome as me, not as tall as me, and his temperament also isn't as good as mine. Dare to pursue our Xiaobei? In his dream!"
"Right, Xiaobei?" Xu Yangyang looked at Su Bei with a 'please praise me' expression.
"I think I should walk with you more often. This will deter random people from bothering you again." Xu Yangyang thought about the feasibility of this idea and said again: "Haha, let's also ask Brother Bao or Brother Xuan. The effect will be better."
Su Bei: "..." Haha, thank you for your 'thoughtful care.'
—
A pair of good looking young couple walking together has always been a beautiful scene, but for Lin Shaochi, it wasn't. On the contrary, the scene was so such an eyesore that it stifled his chest.
After they arrived at the parking lot, Su Bei saw a car that seemed to be familiar. The next moment, Lin Shaochi got off the car.
"Brother Lin? Why—" Why are you here?
Before Su Bei finished speaking, Lin Shaochi already opened his mouth: "Xiaobei, are you going home today?"
"Yeah." Su Bei nodded. If it weren't for Xu Silly, she would have been home now.
"Get in, I'll send you back."
Before Su Bei responded, Xu Yangyang jumped out first. He patted his chest and said confidently: "Brother Lin, it's alright. Aren't you busy? Since I'm here, I will take the responsibility to send Xiaobei back to Jingyuan safely."
Lin Shaochi glanced at Xu Yangyang. Concealing the coldness in his eyes, he turned back at Su Bei, waiting for her answer.
Su Bei didn't notice the surging emotion hidden in Lin Shaochi's eyes. She took a glance at Xu Yangyang's neon-green supercar and immediately jumped into Lin Shaochi's car without hesitation.
"Brother Lin, I will bother you."
"It's nothing." Trying his best to hold back his smile, Lin Shaochi closed the door for Su Bei.
From the car window, Su Bei handed a meal card to Xu Yangyang: "Xu Yangyang, don't you want to eat supper at the cafeteria? Here, I'll lend you my meal card."
Holding Su Bei's meal card, Xu Yangyang stared dumbfoundedly at the leaving car. He had no idea that Su Bei abandoned him so thoroughly because his car was too blinding for human's eyes.
—
"Brother Lin, fortunately, you are here." Su Bei sighed in relief. Without Lin Shaochi, she would have to ride in Xu Yangyang's car. The ugly style was barely tolerable, but the problem was Xu Yangyang's driving skill, which was even worse than his aesthetic.
Su Bei was overjoyed, thinking that she had the good luck of coincidentally meeting Lin Shaochi today. But she didn't know that Lin Shaochi's car had been parked nearby for two hours.
The so-called 'coincidence' was nothing more than a deliberate calculation by a certain someone.
"By the way, Brother Lin, did you come nearby for work today?" Su Bei asked. This wasn't her first time to take Lin Shaochi's ride. From time to time, she would meet Lin Shaochi near the school or on the street. He would say that he was nearby for work, and then send her with his car almost every time. Over time, Su Bei had gotten used to it.
"No."
"Huh?"
Lin Shaochi's sudden negate caught Su Bei off guard. If he wasn't here for work, then for what?
"I come to pick you up." Lin Shaochi answered Su Bei's question, but it made her even more confused instead.
——Because I want to pick you up.
Not just this time, but also every time before.
In the past four years, Lin Shaochi kept reminding himself of what he should do and what he should not do. It took him four years to learn how to interact with Su Bei as a normal 'elder brother.' However, all these efforts disintegrated instantly when he saw her walking side by side with another man.
Lin Shaochi knew that he was impulsive just now, and he also knew that such words would only confuse Xiaobei. If he kept speaking, he might even scare her. However, if this emotion was so easy to control, Lin Shaochi wouldn't have to see a psychologist for four years.
Su Bei was about to ask Lin Shaochi why did he come to pick her up, but the man was quicker: "We are going to pass by Dejingji. Do you want to buy a box?"
Su Bei has no idea about the fierce battle between reason and emotion that was happening inside Lin Shaochi's mind at this moment. Hearing the word 'Dejingji,' her eyes instantly brightened. It was her favorite cake shop.
"Yeah!"
"Okay, wait in the car, I'll go down and buy it."
After a while, Lin Shaochi brought back a box of cakes and handed it to Su Bei. It was exactly her favorite combination she ordered every time.
"Thank you, Brother Lin."
"You're welcome." After a pause, Lin Shaochi suddenly said: "Xiaobei, why didn't you ask why I came to pick you up?"
Lin Shaochi felt that he must be crazy. Otherwise, why did he ask something like this after the subject finally changed?
Fortunately, Su Bei's mobile phone rang suddenly and interrupted their conversation. The call was from Uncle Fu, asking when Su Bei would be home.
"I'm in Brother Lin's car. We will be home soon...yeah, later." Su Bei hung up the phone and turned back at Lin Shaochi: "Brother Lin, what did you just say?"
Lin Shaochi: "Nothing."
"Don't eat too many sweets."
"Okay."
—
That evening, Lin Shaochi visited Wang Chen's clinic again.
After carefully observed his friend for a long time, Wang Chen finally said: "You see... let's not interact as psychologist and patient today. Instead, we will chat as friends."
"You..." After hesitating for a moment. Wang Chen said, "Do you still like that little girl?"
As a professional psychologist, Wang Chen knew that he shouldn't ask such sensitive topics, but he couldn't help it. He really couldn't bear seeing his friend's tangled and painful look every time. If the counseling worked on Lin Shaochi, the matter would be different, but unfortunately, it was pointless.
"No." Lin Shaochi shook his head.
"Then..."
"It's is deeper than that." Lin Shaochi smiled bitterly, but still confided the truest feeling in his heart.
Hearing this, Wang Chen was taken aback. He secretly thought: Sure enough.
He knew that his psychological counseling only worked on the surface. But in fact, over time, Lin Shaochi only sunk deeper and deeper.
"As your psychologist, I probably shouldn't say this..." After all, Lin Shaochi originally came to him for the purpose of getting rid of an emotion he shouldn't have. "But as a friend, I think I can remind you this: the girl you like, she is an adult now."
So, if you want to pursue her, go on.